Over the last 10 weeks I have done everything perfectly in order to GAIN weight. I’ve consumed way more calories than I’ve burnt, exercise has not been a part of my routine at all and my stress level has shot through the roof. Add all that together and what do you get?……..FAT and lots of it.

I have been receiving comments about how much weight I’ve gained and to top it off I need to buy a new pair of suit pants tomorrow for a wedding, since I can’t even get my old ones done up anymore.

Now this may all sound negative but I don’t see it that way. Sure it’s been frustrating and at times depressing but I look at all of these things as lessons and motivation. For example:

1. Not being able to run/walk until now has made appreciate how enjoyable it is just to take a nice slow walk around the neighborhood with my family.

2. Having to buy new pants, give me an actual physical target goal to strive towards. (Fitting into the old ones again).

Most importantly this whole experience has reinforced the principals of weight loss, that diet and exercise are both equally essential to maintaining and dropping the excess fat. Neglect one and the weight comes back slowly but neglect both and weight gain is very rapid.

So that is basically what I have been dealing with over the spring and first half of the summer. I feel that I’ve regained my focus now and I’m looking forward to big changes in the second half of the summer. Also look for more regular post updates as that is part of the plan.

Finally, I turned 32yrs old last week, great time to re-evaluate my goals!!

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NOTE: This was originally posted in March 2008, the funny thing is that I have changed my mind a little on this I now believe that Diet is a bit more effective. Live and learn right?

When making the change to a healthy lifestyle it can all seem overwhelming. Many of us have been inactive for years and the thought of heavy sweating, muscle soreness and the time commitments associated with working out can be enough to turn anyone away from doing it.

On the diet side of the equation it doesn’t look any easier. You’ll need to stop eating the high fat, high sugar foods that have become a daily part of your life. Then replace them with fruit and veggies and lean cuts of meat. Blah.

The combination of the two will undoubtedly change your body and drastically improve your overall health. But that is not easy to do all at once. I think that it’s easier to concentrate on just one part in the beginning.

So which one is more effective?

Almost all the advice I’ve read or received on this say diet is the most important. Changing your diet can be amazingly effective but I’d have to say that focusing on exercise is the way to go.

Exercise is easier to start and stick with hands down. When you finish a workout you get a real sense of accomplishment and pride. Can you say that about finishing a salad?

The most amazing thing about setting up an exercise program first is that it will almost force you to want to eat healthier food. Your body will begin to crave water instead of sugary drinks and fruit instead of chips and chocolate. It sounds crazy but I’ve seen it happen to even the most hardened junk food addict.

On top of this you will notice changes in your energy levels good and bad which is a great motivator. If you’re not eating properly you’ll notice that your workouts will suffer and you’ll feel tired, all day. That will ultimately lead to you looking for ways to fuel yourself instead of just filling yourself.

I’ve found that healthy eating doesn’t necessarily encourage or motivate you to exercise.

Final Thought

To sum it up when you feel like a complete lifestyle change is too much to handle all at once, choose exercise first and add the diet after.

Let me know what you think. Which do you think is more effective?

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Ah breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Some of the most common tips that dieters are given while trying to lose weight is to never skip a meal and start your day with a healthy breakfast.

I have always eaten breakfast except when I’m extremely rushed. Most of my breakfast meals consist of either cereal, bagels, toast, oatmeal or eggs on occasion. These foods have always left me feeling full enough but I’d find myself feeling hungry again an hour later.

I thought that is was just my body’s increased metabolism firing on all cylinders early in the morning. While I’m sure that is part of the answer it never completely explained why I was so hungry again so quickly.

High Protein Breakfast Foods

The missing link to the breakfast dilemma was protein. All of my previous breakfasts were very high in carbohydrates (even the complex kind) and drastically low in protein.

The solution was to introduce more protein and cut back on the amount of carbs I was eating. Here are a few sources for getting more protein at breakfast time.

- Cottage Cheese
- Turkey Bacon
- Egg Whites
- Peanut Butter
- Soynut Butter
- Low Fat Cheese’s
- Almond Butter
- Chicken Bacon
- Turkey Sausage
- Quinoa
- Protein Shakes

Those are just a few higher protein breakfast items. There are many more I’m sure. Leave a comment to suggest a something I’ve missed.

Breakfast Alternatives

Have you ever had breakfast for dinner? I know I have. Sometimes it was pancakes or a bowl of cereal. I’ve even had bacon and eggs for dinner a few times.

So why not flip it and have things you would normally have at lunch or dinner for breakfast? Below is a list of some of my favorite “Dinner for breakfast meals”

- Tuna Sandwich
- Steak and sweet potatoes
- Chile
- Homemade Pizza
- Salmon
- Chicken Salad
- Veggie Lasagna

To be honest most of these meals are leftovers from the night before. I usually make a lot of extra food as part of being organized for weight loss. I divide a large meal into it up into smaller portions so that I can make my food dollars stretch and it prevents me from eating out too often.

I will be posting some of my favorite high protein breakfast recipes over the next few weeks. So subscribe to my RSS feed so that you don’t miss them.

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