Just a quick update on what I have been up to lately. As you can tell from my post frequency that I haven’t been very active online, or offline for that matter. After injuring my knee 10 weeks ago I’m now just able to bend my leg enough to start running in short bursts. This is very encouraging and I’m using that progress as motivation to restart a serious weight loss program.

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!!

This seems to happen to me any time I start getting on a roll. 2 weeks ago I had lost 6 pounds through lots of hard work and planning. I felt great and thought that I’m really starting to make a difference in my weight loss efforts.

That all changed on May 12th when I decided to play in a pick up basketball game after work with some friends. I played for literally 2 minutes before I got injured. 2 MINUTES!!!

Now I have a torn MCL and I have to go through 5 weeks of Physio Therapy just to be able to walk properly again. I’m also wearing a range of motion brace to keep my knee stable.

For the past week I have been sitting and laying down and more sitting and more laying. So this begs the question how do you lose weight while you are injured? Since I have a leg injury I can’t do my usual cardio workouts, running and jump training. So how am I suppose to burn calories? Weight training is very limited no leg workouts and other upper body exercises surprisingly depend heavily on your legs for stability Push ups, dips rows etc…

This has thrown my whole routine off and I need your advice.

What should I be doing exercise wise to keep up the weight loss or at least prevent any weight gain until I’m back to normal? How have you worked around your injuries in the past?

I don’t mean to come off as being a complainer, injuries happen I’m just frustrated and anxious to get moving again. Please leave your comments.

Thx
Steve

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?

This is a guest post by Mario John Da Silva

Do you know why so many people aren’t able to lose weight? Do you know why they keep failing? Well, like most things, it’s all in the head. What I mean is that the battle to lose weight isn’t fought at the gym or at the kitchen.

These are simply mediums to lose weight. I’m not undermining the importance of working out or eating healthy. I’m simply saying that the real fight to lose weight is in the mind. What you need to do is change your mindset regarding weight loss.

You see, people want a quick fix because they are too darn lazy to work for what they want. So many overweight people out there think that there are diet pills which can magically help them melt the fat away. And that way, there would be no need for them to change their diet or exercise. Now these are huge misconceptions, and unless you get rid of such a mindset, the fat will never go.

Now, the first step to changing your mindset is by identifying the causes of your obesity. After that, you just have to take counteractive measures against these causes. It’s as simple as that! Now let me share with you the 3 biggest causes of obesity and how you can counter them effectively.

Reason #1- An inactive life

Counteractive Measure #1 – A little change in lifestyle here will help you.. For example, if you drive to your local market. Instead, you can walk there. You’d be doing some form of exercise, and trust me, you’ll feel a lot better.

In fact, I usually walk to places like the gym. And I always walk to the market or mall. Bottom line is, more active you become, the faster you’ll lose weight.

Reason #2 – Hereditary traits

Counteractive Measure #2 – If you notice that many of your family members are overweight, it might mean that your cause of obesity is that you have more fat cells because of hereditary traits. Now this in no way means that there is no way you can lose weight.

You just have to work harder to lose the weight. Write your goals down, and work towards achieving them. Don’t let “bad” genes deter you from your objectives.

Reason #3 – Emotional eating

Counteractive Measure #3 – Emotional eating. Do you think eating actually helps you get over pain? Seriously. I mean, emotional eating is a huge waste of money. You are wasting time and money eating for no reason. Naturally, you will get overweight!

Now whether you are into emotional eating or you are just eating for fun, there is a solution. What you need to do is get a hobby! For me, I enjoy working out and playing guitar. I taught myself how to play and my band plays fairly regularly. And because of this I frankly don’t have the time to indulge in food unnecessarily. See how easy it can be to overcome this problem?

As you can see, just about every problem relating to obesity has a simple solution. Now go

back and write down your causes obesity on paper. Then use the tips above to fight

against it!

__________

And now, I’d like to invite you to get your free report guaranteed to help you burn fat at http://secretstoburningthefat.blogspot.com

Mario John Da Silva is an avid gym-goer and is passionate about weight loss and fitness. He has written articles on these subjects. At his college, he is also regarded as the go-to guy when it comes to fitness, and he’s helped numerous friends get started on working out. http://secretstoburningthefat.blogspot.com

I’ve been asked this many times both on and offline. It seems that people have this misconception that there is a magical time during the day at which your body will melt the fat and burn off tons of calories. This simply isn’t the case.

I will concede that you can burn slightly more calories after a good rest and on a somewhat empty stomach.

The short answer: The best time to workout is when you have the time to do it. Fitting workouts into your already busy life can be difficult but it’s essential to losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Here is the long answer. This is just from my experience and the results I’ve seen. When it comes to aerobic activities like running, biking, rollerblading etc. the rule I follow is that – motion creates energy – So I do my cardio workouts when it’s most beneficial to have or create lots of energy. This means first thing in the morning. I need that energy boost to start my day.

I’ve found that an early a.m cardio workout wakes up my whole body, reduces any anxiety or stress I have about upcoming tasks that day and makes me more creative and productive. This is of course after refueling with a good healthy breakfast and a hot shower

Weight training or strength training workouts are best suited for the early evening/night. The reason is you’re breaking down your muscle fiber during these workouts. If they’re done properly they should leave you feeling a little shaky and a bit weaker. Your body’s reaction to this is that it wants to rest and rebuild. What better way is there to listen to your body, than to give it 8 hours of sleep!

Final Thoughts

I have found that cardio sessions done at night keep me up all night and I just can’t get a good rest. Weights in the morning make me tired and I do nothing but yawn all day.

Experiment with your schedule and see if you can fit this way of exercising into you routine. You can remember it like this – Burn in the morning, build at night – It’s worked for me.

If you’re thinking that I am just a morning person? Wrong, I’m the snooze button King.