Hard Pressed This Week

I popped back up to 204.

WEIGHT: 204.2
Difference: 13.3 lbs. since May 1, 2006

I ate a lot of food on Monday. I also didn't drink my SW in the morning. I did take my ELOO in the afternoon. I intended to go to the gym in the morning, but our son has been sick and so he's been coming up to our room in the middle of the night. So I slept in ... a lot.

This morning I got a few games of basketball in. I didn't do well at all. My shot is off again. I weighed in and was disappointed. Tuesdays seem to be down days for me lately.

So I have 7 days to lose 4.2 pounds. Historically speaking, I lose just over 2 pounds per week. If I really want to hit 200 next week, I really need to exercise tomorrow, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and then eat good on the weekend.

Back In Business

Well the toe is better now. It's still draining a little.

I played basketball at 7:00am this morning. I used my new shoes for the first time and I think they'll work out great. My toe leaked into two pairs of socks while I was playing. But there wasn't any pain.

After ball, I came home, drank some Gatorade and then we all went to the gym. I shot around while waiting to play some more basketball. I got to play one game. After that, we all went swimming for about 90 minutes. I weighed in while at the gym.

I weighed in at 11:00am rather than 7:15am. But other than that, same scale with just the dry towl.

WEIGHT: 203.5
Difference: 14 lbs. since May 1, 2006

I'm ready to break the 200 mark by July 4th. July 4th is a Tuesday. Maybe we'll play ball that morning. Either way I'll be weighing in that day.

Injury

My toe nails have problems. I don't mean to gross people out, but I have fungus under my nails. A couple of months ago, my left big toe nail was so brittle that when I stubbed it on somebody's shoe in basketball, it broke off and it was kind of painful. Last year I talked to my doctor about the problem. She confirmed that I have fungus under the nails and prescribed the appropriate medication. But my insurance won't cover it. The medication costs hundreds of dollars. So I let it be.

This Tuesday I stubbed my right big toe on somebody's shoe. It hurt really bad. In the locker room, I expected to see blood when I took my shoe off. But there wasn't any ... just lots of blue under the nail. I drove to work in excruciating pain. I could hardly sit still it was hurting and throbbing so badly. It felt like a car was parked on my toe ... like a car door was shut on my toe and remained shut. I finally decided to leave work and go see the doctor. I knew the doctor wouldn't be able to do much, but I wanted to know if it was broken or not and I wanted some painkillers in case the pain didn't subside.

I had it x-rayed and it's not broken. But the nail was about 80% separated from the skin. There is a lot of blood built up underneath. I took lots of ibuprophen that day and that helped me cope with the pain. Tuesday was just a bad day ... the toe injury, didn't do too well on a group presentation and the Mavs lost. I'm glad that day is long gone.

After a good sleep, I woke up Wednesday morning and it was feeling much better. I could walk much better, but still had a gimp. I didn't have to take any ibuprophen.

Last night I had another good sleep and this morning I'm feeling much, much better. I can walk normally now. I think I might be able to play ball on Saturday. Before I play though, I'm going to buy some quality basketball shoes. The cheap ones I bought in January slide too much and I think the constant jamming of my toe to the front of my shoe doesn't help. Anyway, the pressure is mostly gone and I can bend it and apply most of my weight to it again.

What is so frustrating is that I think I was really starting to have some solid games in basketball between last Saturday and Tuesday and now it's all interrupted. I missed basketball this morning.

So back to the purpose of the blog ... I expect my weight will be about the same or even slightly more by the time I weigh in next time.

I'm still on the "diet" ... I'm drinking the SW and ELOO. Yesterday and Tuesday I missed, but today I'm back on. I ate breakfast this morning (wheat chex with blueberries) so I'll be taking the SW at 11:00am and eating lunch after 12:00pm. Then I'll take my swig of ELOO this afternoon.

Weekend Update

Friday morning I worked out ... I did my plyometric workout and then biked for 30 minutes. I weighed in and I had gained! I was 205.3 ... a bit suprising. Friday wasn't a good day for eating. I was working from home and had access to lots of snacks ... M&M's, Cheetos, leftovers and on and on. That night, we had a BBQ and I ate a lot. It wasn't a good day at all for the SLD.

Today I was going to play basketball, but we didn't have enough to play. So the family and I went to the gym. I shot around at that gym for about 30 minutes (I was on fire beyond the 3-point line). No one showed up, so I went upstairs and did bike for 20 minutes. After that, I was heading back to the locker room and saw that they were playing 8 on 8. So I got another warm body and we played 10. The streak continued. I bombed 3-pointer after 3-pointer. When you're on, it feels so good. I knew that it wouldn't last for long, so I kept jacking em' up. I played two games and then had to go because the family was leaving.

I showered and weighed in.

This morning I weighed in about 3 hours after I normally weigh in. Other than that, it was the same scale with just the dry towl.

WEIGHT: 203.8
Difference: 13.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006

After they gym, I made a big smoothie for me and my wife ... frozen berries, OJ, banana and strawberry yogurt ... that was lunch. Tonight we're going out to eat with friends, so I won't be eating all afternoon.

Great Start to the Weekend

To me, Thursdays seem like the beginning of the weekend.

Wednesday was a rest day. I slept in and went into work late. I drank a tbsp of sugar with about 3 cups of water in the morning. I always drink a few more cups of plain cold water too. I finished the SW by about 9:15am. As always, I waited an hour before chewing some gum. By the time 11:00am rolled around, I was getting hungry. I ate some homemade chicken parmasean and noodles. It was very delicious. For lunch, I try to eat just about two to four cups of food. I visually think about how many cups the food would be if it were diced up into tiny pieces.

After lunch, I chewed on some more gum. I'm pretty full for the next few hours. I continue to drink lots of water during the day. I don't know how much water fits in a styrofoam cup here at work, but I would guess about 5-6 measuring cups.

By the time 3:00pm comes, I'm starting to feel hungry. I drink 2 tbsp of ELOO. It is gross, but I survive. I leave work around 4:30 or 5:00pm. By the time I get to class or home, I feel hungry again. I will usually have a small dinner and then I'm full the rest of the night.

So that's a typical day for me.

Today, I played basketball. I was really tired.

After showering, I weighed in. I found that a dry towl weighs almost a pound ... .9lbs to be exact.

Same time of day ... same scale ... just a dry towl around my waist.

WEIGHT: 204.5
Difference: 13 lbs. since May 1, 2006

I am really going to make a focused effort to eat well this weekend. I hope I can actually lose a couple of pounds this weekend.

Down a Little

This weekend was rough. I broke down and ate a bag of Doritos and 4 ice cream bars (Moose Track).

I decided to workout on Monday. I started doing a little training to improve my speed and jumping ability. I am sore today. I weighed in on Monday and I was up to 208.6 ... ouch! Monday after work, I cut the lawn and watered.

This morning, I played basketball, as usual. It was fun, but our team kept losing, so we'd play a game then sit a game. Despite the resting between games, I was beat by the time we were done playing.

After showering, I weighed in.

Same time & scale with just the towl.

WEIGHT: 205.8
Difference: 11.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006

So I still end up down since Thursday. But maybe if I had eaten better this weekend, I would be down to 204 or even 203. I would really like to have one good weekend to see how much it would help.

I Fought the Diet ... and the Diet Won

Since Tuesday, I've been eating more food than usual.

Tuesday afternoon before class, I ate a Taco Bell burrito supreme. When I got home from class (10pm), I ate two slices of Papa John's pizza and a bowl of Moose Tracks.

Wednesday, I didn't exercise. For lunch I ate lasagna & yogurt. Before class, I ate about 3/4-ths of a regular size Asian chicken wrap from Roly Poly. I also drank about 3 cups of Dr. Pepper. After class, I ate two slices of wheat bread with peanut butter and honey. This was more than I usually eat in a day.

This morning at the gym, before I started playing basketball, I weighed myself (clothes and shoes on). I was about 210. I wanted to get a feel for how much I sweat off during a game of basketball. I knew that my clothes and shoes weight about 2 pounds, so that put be around 208 ... roughly speaking. I played basketball ... played one game, sat out one, then played two more games. I showered and then weighed in.

Same time of day, same scale with just a towl (today I used a dry towl instead of the usual wet towl. From now on, I'll weigh in with a dry towl.)

WEIGHT: 206.5
Difference: 11 lbs. since May 1, 2006

I was confident that I was going to be about 207 or more ... I ate at night ... ate more than I usually do ... I ate "tasty" foods. Maybe it was the dry towl that made the difference today. This is crazy. So it was a good week this week. I lost 2.3 lbs. since last Thursday.




I went to Academy Sports yesterday. I purchased some JumpSoles. Call it a childhood dream, but I really want to dunk the basketball. As a nice side benefit, I should get quicker too. I plan on going to the gym and working on this program on the off days (Mon, Wed). I haven't looked at the program yet, but if time allows, I'll also use Tuesdays and Thursdays too to work with the JumpSoles. My plantar faciiatis is still hanging around a bit. It is noticably less painful these days, but it is still there.

The Mavs & Heat are finally playing tonight. GO MAVS!!

The Diet Works

I think I'm just about convinced that this lifestyle change works for me.

Saturday morning, I played basketball. When I got home, I drank the SW along with lots of plain water. The rest of the day I just snacked. That night, I ate a Taco Bell salad and a burrito. Then I had a huge bowl of Moose Tracks ice cream (my absolute favorite ice cream).

The next day, I fasted. Once a month, I participate in a religious fast. I didn't drink or eat anything for pretty much the entire day. I was suprised at how easy it was this month. I didn't breakfast or have lunch. I didn't eat or drink anything until about 6pm that evening. Then I ate one chicken cordon blue, a cup of mixed vegetables. Later I ate another heaping bowl of Moose Tracks ice cream. Then I drank lots of water.

Monday was a normal day. I had the SW in the morning. I ate a yogurt for lunch and one leftover cordon bleu. Later in the afternoon, I ate a small bag of Chex mix. I didn't drink the ELOO. Monday night, I ate two helpings of my wife's delicious lasagna and two pieces of French garlic bread. After my 2nd helping, I knew that I would gain back some weight.

This morning, I played an hour of basketball. After I showered, I weighed in.

Same time of day, same scale with just a towl.

WEIGHT: 207.7
Difference: 9.8 lbs since May 1, 2006

The subtitle of Seth Roberts' book is "The No Hunger Eat Anything Weight-Loss Plan." I think the diet lives up to that reputation.

Little to Report

I normally lose more than a pound between Tuesdays and Thursdays. The only thing I can figure out is that I ate a Taco Bell Burrito Supreme before class Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons instead of a salad. However, last week, I only lost .7 lbs between Tuesday and Thursday.

This week, I only lost .6 lbs between Tuesday and Thursday.

Anyway ... today was an official weigh-in.

Same time & scale with just a towl.

WEIGHT: 208.8
Difference: 8.7 lbs. since May 1, 2006

So I lose almost 9 pounds in my first month of this diet ... not bad. This puts me on schedule to hit 200 around the 4th of July ... independance from food and weight.

I Survived!

I survived the weekend! My in-laws were in town and when they visit, we go out to eat a lot. Friday we ate at Mama's Daughters. Saturday we ate at Jimmy John's and Fogo de Chao. Sunday was a normal day and yesterday we had a big BBQ for Memorial Day.

Saturday morning, I played basketball. When I got home, I gulped a glass of water with sugar water. Then I ate a half sandwich from Jimmy John's. I knew I was going to have a big dinner that night, so I tried very hard not to eat much during the day. That night, I took a scoop of everything at the buffet at Fogo. Then I had a sample of pretty much every meat. Boy ... was that delicious. I am a steak-lover. Their steak meat was so tender and delicious. It was a very good meal. I didn't feel so full after dinner. That night I had some ice cream while we played Settlers of Catan.

Sunday was a pretty normal day. I just snacked all day long and really didn't eat a meal.

Monday, I played basketball for two hours, came home, drank my sugar water and then mowed the lawn. After that, we all went swimming at the gym. The water was so nice and so cool. It felt great. Then we stopped by Sonic and got some slushies. That filled me up quite a bit. I had to drink a liter of water to drain all the sugar in my system. That night, we cooked a BBQ. I ate two steaks and a cup of potato salad and some corn. Then I polished off the ice cream while we watched some TV.

This morning was judgement day. On Monday while we were at WalMart, I found a scale and weighed myself. One scale read 217 while another read 215. Either way, I knew I gained a few pounds. So I prepared myself for the worst this morning. After playing basketball and showering, I weighed in.

Same time of day, same scale with just the towl.

WEIGHT: 209.4
Difference: 8.1 lbs since May 1, 2006

That's right on schedule. Two pounds a week for the month.

I think the diet is working for me.

The March to 185 Continues

I splurged on lunch yesterday. I had two huge helpings of salad with Italian dressing. I also ate about 4 or 5 (small) slices of pizza along with a small slice of apple pie from Mama's Daughters. Suprisingly, I didn't have the "stuffed" feeling after eating all that.

Just as suprising, I wasn't hungry until late last night after class. I wouldn't have eaten anything, but the Mavs/Suns game was on and so while I was watching the game, I ate two pieces of fried chicken.

This morning, I played basketball and had a good workout.

The weigh-in was good. As always, same time of day, same scale with just the towl.

WEIGHT: 210.3
Difference: 7.2 lbs since May 1, 2006

So I lose 3 pounds this week, but really I've only lost about a pound since last week. That darn trip.

If all goes as planned, I should be at 185 on about August 24.

A Few Pounds Gone

I had a great day on Monday as far as the diet goes.

This morning, I woke up a happy man after the Mavs won one of the most amazing NBA playoff series I've ever seen.

Basketball was a good workout. My plantar faciitis is managable. The inserts help a lot.

After basketball and a nice cold shower, I weighed in.

Same time, same scale with the towl.

WEIGHT: 211.1
Difference: 6.4 lbs since May 1, 2006

Yep, it's official now!

To be honest, I was quite shocked to see the scale tip from 210.9 to 211.1 when I got on it this morning. I was expecting 212 or something around there.

I am quite proud of myself ... yesterday was a co-worker/friend's last day here at work. We gave him a going-away party. The admins had cookies and ice cream. I resisted (eating the cookies and ice cream) and it wasn't hard.

A little commentary on the diet ...

Some might say that I just needed to cut calories and that I didn't need to do the whole Shangri-La thing. To them I say that the Shangri-La diet has given me greater control over my urges to eat. Yes, I am still "hungry" at times, but before doing this diet when I was hungry, I would impulsively eat. And when I ate impulsively, I would eat poorly. Some might say that it's all psychological ... it's all in my head. To them I say ... whatever works.

This diet has given me just the right control and incentive to lose those unwanted pounds. It helps me to discipline my eating habits. It is just what I needed.

A Few Pounds Back

I am sorry to report that after being kicked out, a few pounds infiltrated my system again. I facilitated their infiltration.

The trip to Austin was good. Unfortunately, Rudy's was the main course at my brother-in-law's house for the weekend. His graduation party was Friday night. I had two helpings on Friday and three helpings on Saturday. Then, on our way back home, I bought a berries n cream Dr. Pepper and a bag of Doritos to keep me awake while I drove.

For the record, I didn't follow the diet at all this weekend.

This morning, I got up and did 30 minutes on the bike and 15 minutes of shooting around.

Weigh-in ... same time, scale & towl ...

WEIGHT: 213.3
Difference: 4.2 lbs since May 1, 2006

The good news ... I won't have any more road-trips for the rest of the year which means I'll be in my routine for a long time.

Unofficially Good News

We're headed to my brother-in-law's graduation today. As such, I'm working from home today. So when I went to the gym this morning, I didn't take my stuff to shower at the gym and therefore I didn't get to officially weigh myself.

But with all that said, I've weighed myself before with my gym clothes on and it amounts to about 2 extra pounds on the scale. I weighed 213 with my sweaty gyms clothes and basketball shoes on.

Unofficial Weight: ~211
Unofficial Difference: ~6 lbs since May 1, 2006

I was really disappointed that I didn't get an official weigh-in today because I knew today was the day I was going to break the 212 barrier. 212 lbs. was the lowest weight I was able to attain when I was running every day back in 2005.

This weekend will be a challenge. We're going to be with family (going out to eat) and we're going to Seaworld (eating out again). But the good news is that I am really motivated to stick to it. It isn't *hard* to do, but what is difficult is to remember to do the ELOO and SW. One of the most significant aspects of this diet is that it has helped me change my attitude about eating. I feel in control more that before I started this thing.

At this point, I know that the pounds can and will come off. What I'm really interested in finding out is if I can make my goal and if I can keep it off for 6 months.

Stay tuned.

PS ... I bought some Dr. Scholls Heel Pain Relief orthotics yesterday. I was feeling much better at basketball today! I don't think I'll need to stop playing ball because of the PF stuff :-)

Oh so close!

I am so close to 212lbs.

Again, I thought that when I weighed myself this morning, I'd be over (or that I would have gained) but I held steady.

As always, same time, same scale with just the towl.

WEIGHT: 213.1
Difference: 4.4 lbs since May 1, 2006

I didn't eat great this weekend, but I didn't eat so much either. Today should be a really good day.

On the down side, I think I have plantar fasciitis. Tim Duncan had this injury for about 80 games this season and he just barely got over it. This is going to make life very depressing since I won't be able to play basketball for a while. I played this morning, but after the first game, I just couldn't plant my left foot like I wanted to. It hurt to run up and down the court. After reading about this injury on WebMD this morning, I decided that the best thing I can do right now is to let it heal ... do lots of stretches, ice it, stay off it, rest it and take ibuprofen. I think I'll also pay a visit to the sports store and get some inserts for my shoes.

So in the meantime, I'll be riding the bicycle at the gym ... probably for the next month or so.

The Book Review

Should you buy the book? (Do I recommend buying this book?)

My answer depends on what you are wanting to know.

If you just want to know what to do without a whole lot of theory behind the diet, then I suggest going to one of the links to the side (especially the CalorieLab link). You can read and get a feel for what you need to do to live this diet.

But, if you're like me, then you want to know a little more theory behind it to really understand how it works and to base your decisions off of principles rather than a two-step recipie. The book gives you the whole story right from the author himself. He explains the theory in multiple ways. He also goes into other subjects related to the diet such as other ways to achieve the same results.

The book is also a one-stop resource for early success stories from the early-adopter bloggers. Many pages are devoted to what bloggers had to say about this diet.

He also has a chapter devoted to what our society and businesses can do to encourage this diet. He referenced a couple of studies about how our society has become obese. It was a very interesting chapter.

And lastly, his appendix about the science behind the diet was very informative.

Tomorrow is my first of two official weigh-ins this week. I didn't eat too healthily this week. I bought some ice cream and root beer. I only had two root beer floats this weekend. Plus, we made brownies for mother's day. But other than that, I didn't eat a whole lot. I find that I don't eat breakfast or lunch on the weekends. I just have small snacks every two hours or so. Then I end up eating a decent dinner. But today, I had my SW this morning and I'm about to have some ELOO in a few minutes.

Until tomorrow ...

3 Pounds This Week

I play basketball Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Those are the days that I officially weigh myself. I consider Thursday the end of the week as far as Shangri-La goes.

As I will always state, I weighed myself just as I've always have ... same time of day, same scale, with just a towl around my waist.

Last Week: Thursday May 4 - 216.8
TODAY: Thursday May 11 - 213.3

Difference: 4.2 lbs since May 1, 2006 (I consider May 1, 2006 as my official starting date)

Typically, this is what I do each day:

8:00am I start drinking water and 1 tbsp of sugar. I don't drink it all at once. I take my time. I'm usually done drinking the sugar water by about 8:45am. Then I make sure I wait an hour before I chew some gum (I'm an Eclipse addict). The rest of the morning, I just drink water.

11:00am or so, I eat a light lunch. Yesterday, I had two slices of pizza and a small apple. I was stuffed. I try to take my time eating. I find that the slower I eat, the sooner I stop. In the afternoon ... more water and gum.

3:00pm (or at least an hour since I spit out my gum) I take 2 tbsp of oil.
Dinner is usually around 5:30-6:00pm. I've been eating salad the last couple of days. I try to make a good salad ... lettuce, cheese, chicken and some wheat crackers. The salad will always fill me up.

Last night, my wife made her famous lemon bars and sugar cookies. I ate 3 cookies and 2 bars. I was expecting to have gained back a pound this morning, but I didn't. Just think if I hadn't eaten that dessert! That is what I need to do better at ... no late night eating (or eating after dinner).

Continued Progress

I don't know how I'm going to keep coming up with new titles ...

Today I weighed in. I always weigh-in at the same time of day on the same scale with just a towl around my waist.

I'm at 214.4!

I was expecting to be around 215 or 216 (same as last weigh-in.) I played basketball Saturday morning and then worked on a few projects around the house. Sunday, I rested all day. Monday, I worked from home and snacked all day. However, I didn't really eat a big lunch or dinner. Anyway, I was pleasantly shocked to see my weight below 215.

I plan on getting out to the gym more often again, now that school has slowed down a bit.

Last week and again today, I had a glass full of water with 4 tbsp of sugar. I used to eat a packet of oatmeal for breakfast, but now I think I'm just going to use the sugar water in the morning and then have the ELOO in the afternoon.

I'm adding a couple of links to fellow "dieters" in search of Shangri-La.

Good luck to them in their weight-loss goals.

If anyone else stumbles on this blog and has a blog tracking his/her Shangri-La experiences, post a comment and I'll link to your blog.

Good Signs

So far, it appears to be working.

Yesterday, I had two tbsps of oil. I didn't feel like eating breakfast (usually a cup of oatmeal). I had a small lunch ... apple and some pasta soup. For dinner, I only ate one helping (waffle, 3 small sausages and a little bit of eggs). But later that night, I had a cup of yogurt and some crackers. I think the yogurt and crackers were out of boredom.

This morning's weigh-in ... 216.8. That's the lowest I've been since December. In the recent years, I've been as low as 212. So when I drop below 212, it will be significant.

If I go to the gym tomorrow, I'll post a report. But if I don't go, then I'll post an update on Tuesday the 9th.

The Book Arrived This Week

I ordered the official book on the April 27. It came on May 1st.

I just finished a rough semester of school. So now that I have a break, I plan on reading through the book (about 150 pages) this week and next.

I haven't had a chance to weigh in lately. I'll report tomorrow since I'll be going to the gym in the morning.

Just a few things to note early on. Since taking the oil, my desire for food has decreased. I havn't been religious about taking the oil every day. But my first goal is to make it a habit. One considerable difference is my lunch. Before I started this "diet" (lifestyle change would be more accurate) I would pack and eat a huge lunch ... big sandwich, tons of Goldfish crackers, an apple, a yogurt, cheese stick and then some cookie or treat. Now, I just back a small portion (about a handful) of leftovers from the previous night's dinner and an apple. I'm usually full after eating half of my lunch. Sometimes the apple will just sit there until 2pm.

Dinner is changing too. I'm trying to just eat a salad for dinner. When I eat anything else, it is also just a handful portion.

So far so good!