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Not the Right Diet for Me. But a Great Story:

 

During the beginning of my transformation I had started a particular diet.  I had been trying it out for several weeks and almost every time that I ate, I felt like I was suffering.  There were some exceptions. Some of the food I really  enjoyed.  There were some other positives because I started to eat organic fruits and vegetables and grass-fed beef and free range chicken and eggs.  The problem with it was the way that they were prepared.  I figured that if I suffered long enough then I could get down to my goal weight and go back to another diet (probably the same thing that I was already doing, which would eventually bring me back to 240).
I found out that the guy who created this diet was coming to St. Louis and would evaluate me and give me a more specialized diet.  I agreed and was hoping that he was going to tell me that if I did this diet for 3 months I would be ripped and could stop eating something that made me wish I had no taste buds.  

The founder of the diet comes into town and when I met him, he looked into my iris and would say things like, “Hmmm”, “Ohhh”, “Ahhhh”, “Ewwww”, “Holy Shit”.   I guess that can’t be all that good.  I felt like I was seeing a fortune-teller and come to think of it he did look at my palms.  I think I got a “enhh”.   He then went on to tell me, “You have toxins throughout your body.  It’s a good thing that you are a fat guy, because your fat is holding the toxins in.  If they get released you will become very sick.”  Well that wasn’t something that I wanted to hear.  Sick or not, I’m getting ripped up.  “Oh and you have a tumor in your lung”.  “This diet that I will give you will clean out all of the toxins in your body”.  Ok great, now I can do this diet until the toxins are gone and then get ripped.  “Now what I want you to do is eat a tiny piece of raw unsalted cheese every 5 minutes of the day.  You can carry it in a little pouch.”  Did he just tell me to eat a little tiny piece of cheese 5 minutes of the day all day long?  Do I have whiskers and a pointy nose?  If I do this am I going to be eaten alive by Garfield?  What the hell. That won’t make me lose the weight that I want to lose and get me ripped.  I don’t know about this diet.  “You see there are certain things that need to be done to have an effect on your body.  For instance…if you are depressed it is because your e. coli are lacking in fats.  You need to get fats to your e. coli.”  I’m wondering where he is going with this. I know what e. coli are and this isn’t making too much sense to me.  “So you need to do this by inserting fats in your rectum.”  I’m sitting there in shock, this isn’t what I signed up for.  This dude wants me to stick a F***ing T-Bone up my ass.  Are you serious?  A steak. There is no way that I am doing that.  After this I don’t even know if I want to eat a steak again.  He goes on, “So you would do this by taking some raw unsalted butter and naturally heating it to 105 degrees.”  I don’t understand.  What is natural about that?  Is it something that I was already supposed to know?  Were my parent suppose to tell me when I was a little kid that I was supposed to heat raw unsalted butter to 105 degrees for a reason that I was about to find out, but I already knew what was coming?  Was it instinct?  I think it’s instinct that dogs lick their ass, so maybe it’s instinct that I heat butter to 105 to stick up mine.  At least it’s not a steak.  “And then you take a turkey baster…” Wow, this is really interesting.  So interesting that I was already done with this diet when he got to heating up butter.  A turkey baster.  Really?  If I weren’t depressed, I am sure that I would have been after following his basting procedure.  I feel like there is a popcorn joke coming, but I’m sure that it would come out kind of crappy.

So that was it.  That was the end of my evaluation and that was the end of my diet.  As I got up to leave, he reached his hand out and I said, “Forgive me if I don’t shake your hand.  But wasn’t that  a turkey baster that you had in your hand when I walked in?
The things that I did get out of this diet were some good recipes (that had nothing to do with cheese, butter or turkey basters), I learned about the positives of organic food and free range chicken, eggs and grass-fed beef, and most important I got a great story.  

Tropical Sweet Potato

The best way to stick with a nutrition plan that is going to benefit you is to try it out and figure out if you can actually see yourself eating that particular way for the rest of your life.  I tried other diets that were difficult because I couldn’t stand them and knew that they wouldn’t last.  I looked forward to cheat days and ended up cheating more and more.  It was the same bland food every day.  The recipes that I found and came up with this time make me realize that I can eat like this for the rest of my life.  I actually enjoy the food that I eat.  I eat sweet potatoes almost every day and in some cases more then one time a day.  I like sweet potatoes but rather not eat them the same way all of the time.  By experimentation I came up with the following recipe.

2 Small Sweet Potatoes or 1 Large one
1/2 cup of walnuts
1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 Banana
2 slices of mango
1/2 cup fresh coconu
t
2 tablespoons of RAW honey
1/2 cup of walnuts

Pre-Heat oven to 400

Pierce Sweet Potatoes several times
Bake  sweet potatoes for 45 minutes
Put them in a food processor with walnuts, cinnamon, honey, mango, banana, coconut
Blend until creamy

Eat it either hot or cold.
4 or 5 servings

Sweet Potato Benefits:
Helps with the prevention of heart attacks
Helps produce collagen which helps healing and maintaining youthful skin
Increases Energy
Brightens Moods
Supports Thyroid Gland
Builds Healthy Bones, Heart, Nerves, Skin and Teeth
Helps production of Red and White Blood Cells
Helps resistance to Stress
Helps with Immune Functioning
Helps Regulate Heartbeat and Nerve signals
Helps Ward off Cancer
Anti Aging

Mango Benefits:
Helps Prevent Some Cancers
Lowers Cholesterol
Clears the Skin:  Helps with clogged pores and pimples
Promotes Good Eyesight and Prevents Night Blindness and Dry Eyes
Alkalizes the Body
Helps with Diabetes
Increases Sex Drive
Improves Digestion Remedy for Heat Stroke
Boosts Immune System

Cinnamon Benefits:
May lower cholesterol
May help treat Type 2 Diabetes
Contains antifungal properties and may rid the body of candida
May reduce proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells
When added to food inhibits bacterial growth and is a natural food perservative
Boosts cognitive function and memory
Helps eliminate headaches and migraines
Helps stabilize blood sugar
Increases metabolism

Banana Benefits:
Provides Energy
Helps circulatory system deliver oxygen to the brain
Helps reduce strokes and regulates blood pressure
Helps maintain regular bowel functions
Helps the mind relax
Makes people more alert
May help lower depression
Helps reduce menstrual pains
Reduces physical and psychological effects on nicotine withdrawal.  (Helps people quit smoking)
Promotes intestinal health
Gets rid of heartburn
Promotes hemoglobin production in blood.  Helps you clot faster

Walnuts Benefits:
Contains minerals, antioxidants and vitamins
Contains good fats including omega-3’s
Helps lower Cholesterol
Helps prevent heart disease and high blood pressue
Helps prevent certain cancers
Promotes Anti Aging
Helps remove free radicals from the body

Coconut Benefits:
Antibacterial and Anti-Fungal: Fights infection and is a cleanser for intestines
Fights cancer
New research claiming that it has been helping Alzheimer’s patients improve and even reverse effects.
Positive results for people affected with Type 1 and 2 diabetes.
Increases thyroid health by raising body temperature.
It increases metabolism (increases body temp)
Increases energy

Oatmeal Pancakes

When I started my transformation, I wanted to find a diet that worked for me.  Instead I found a nutrition plan and I set up my own guidelines.  Bill Phillips and his program Transformation have provided me with the information that I needed to help me come up with a nutrition program within his.  I personally am a little more strict with mine but it comes down to what ever works for the individual.  If you don’t enjoy the food, than you will never stick with it.  I had started with a different diet and realized that it was set up to fail.  At least for me.  I started getting my nutrition within Transformations educational guidelines and started to stick with Free Range Chicken and Eggs, Grass Fed Beef and Seafood for Protein and Organic Fruits and Vegetables.  The food that I was making was so good that I knew that I could eat like this for the rest of my life.  No More bland diets for me.  I’m eating food that tastes so good that you would think that there was no way that it was healthy.

Start the day out right with both protein and carbs.  You have heard, “breakfast is the most important meal”

One of my favorite meals is out of Bill Phillips cook book “Eating For Life” :  I use RAW honey as the sugar replacement.

Oatmeal Pancakes with Banana and Walnuts.
Makes 4 Servings
1 cup of Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
6 eggs or egg whites
3 Tablespoons of RAW Honey (make sure that it is RAW-look for it on the label)
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese (For those of you who don’t like cottage cheese.  Don’t worry you will never taste it.
1.5 tablespoons of cinnamon
teaspoon of organic vanilla extract
One banana
1/2 cup of walnuts
Unrefined Coconut Oil

Blend Nuts into a rough powder in a food processor add Uncooked Oatmeal, Eggs, Raw Honey, Cottage Cheese, Cinnamon, Vanilla Extract and Banana.  Blend together.
Heat Skillet on Medium and add Coconut Oil as needed.
Poor several pancakes and cook until golden brown.
No syrup need.  If you use syrup try Raw Agave.

Also try out
Oatmeal Pancakes with Macadamia Nuts with Fresh Coconut
1 cup of Old Fashioned Rolled Oatmeal
6 eggs or egg whites
3 Tablespoons of RAW Honey (make sure that it is RAW-look for it on the label)
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1.5 tablespoons of cinnamon
teaspoon of organic vanilla extract
1/2 cup of Macadamia Nuts
1/2 Cup of Fresh Coconut
Unrefined Coconut Oil

Blend Nuts and Fresh Coconut into a rough powder in a food processor add Uncooked Oatmeal, Eggs, Raw Honey, Cottage Cheese, Cinnamon, and Vanilla Extract.  Blend together.
Heat Skillet on Medium and add Coconut Oil as needed.
Poor several pancakes and cook until golden brown.
No syrup need.  If you use syrup try Raw Agave.

Eggs Benefits:
May prevent macular degeneration
Lowers risk of developing cataracts
May help prevent blood clots, stroke and heart attacks
Helps regulate brain, nervous system and cardiovascular system
May improve lipid profile (Cholesterol Levels)
May lower risk of breast cancer
Promotes healthy hair and nails

Oatmeal Benefits:
Lowers Cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease
Makes you feel full longer
May reduce risk of type 2 diabetes
May reduce heart disease
May reduce high blood pressure
Contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
May reduce risk for certain cancers

Cottage Cheese Benefits:
Slow burning protein (Casein)
Helps control appetite
May increase hormone levels (helps with muscle gain and promotes fat loss)

Cinnamon Benefits:
May lower cholesterol
May help treat Type 2 Diabetes
Contains antifungal properties and may rid the body of candida
May reduce proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells
When added to food inhibits bacterial growth and is a natural food preservative
Boosts cognitive function and memory
Helps eliminate headaches and migraines
Helps stabilize blood sugar
Increases metabolism

Banana Benefits:
Provides Energy
Helps circulatory system deliver oxygen to the brain
Helps reduce strokes and regulates blood pressure
Helps maintain regular bowel functions
Helps the mind relax
Makes people more alert
May help lower depression
Helps reduce menstrual pains
Reduces physical and psychological effects on nicotine withdrawal.  (Helps people quit smoking)
Promotes intestinal health
Gets rid of heartburn
Promotes hemoglobin production in blood.  Helps you clot faster

Walnuts Benefits:
Contains minerals, antioxidants and vitamins
Contains good fats including omega-3’s
Helps lower Cholesterol
Helps prevent heart disease and high blood pressure
Helps prevent certain cancers
Promotes Anti Aging
Helps remove free radicals from the body

Macadamia Nuts Benefits:
Increases energy
Contains minerals, antioxidants and vitamins
Helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels

Coconut Benefits:
Antibacterial and Anti-Fungal: Fights infection and is a cleanser for intestines
Fights cancer
New research claiming that it has been helping Alzheimer’s patients improve and even reverse effects.
Positive results for people affected with Type 1 and 2 diabetes.
Increases thyroid health by raising body temperature.
It increases metabolism (increases body temp)
Increases energy

My Transformation: It Almost Ended Before it Began

My Transformation: It Almost Ended Before it Began

Now I had to figure out when I would begin my new program.  I had a trip to Denver coming up and decided that I would wait until I got back from that trip to begin.  Oh I had a trip the following week and then one right after that.  I’ll figure it out.  I was just making more excuses.

A few days later I notice that Bill Phillips had started a new company.  It’s Bill Phillips Transformation.  This was the same guy who founded EAS and started Body For Life (BFL).  He revolutionized the fitness industry with BFL by helping millions of people transform their lives.  Body For Life and it’s Champions from the first BFL like Porter Freeman were what inspired me the in 1998.  I checked out his new company and saw that he had come up with a new and different program that helps people transformation their bodies and lives while participating in his new challenge.  I decided that I should sign up.  The registration deadline was April 2nd.  Today’s date was April 2nd.  What a coincidence, no more excuses, I’m signing up and starting right away.  I had been stalling and hadn’t really planned anything out.  One of my biggest problems with my nutrition and even working out was travel.  A trip was what was keeping me from starting my new journey.  I had no other choice but to start the next day and plan things out during the first week.

In order to give myself an edge I decided to hire a personal trainer.  I wanted an outside perspective.  I wanted a new atmosphere and I wanted a place that was all about training.  I wanted a performance center.  I checked out a place that I heard about that was actually a little closer to my house than my gym.  It was called Emerge Fitness.  I took a look at the trainers online and liked what I saw as far as experience.  I drove over and met with Matt McCarthy.  We talked for a while and I told him that over the next 12 weeks I wanted to drop from 240 to 200 and I showed him my old before/after pics and said that I wanted to achieve the same goal.  I was thinking that he probably thought that I was full of crap but later he told me that he thought that I could do it, because of my confidence.  I liked what i heard and  I bought 50 sessions so that I would have a full commitment.  If I didn’t get results it would be my fault and I would have wasted $2,500 and would have had nothing to show (more motivation).  Workouts were set up for 4 days a week with a 5th that I would do on my own.  My first workout was the next day.
(I’ll get into my cardio program and nutritional program in a future blog, but my diet was very clean.)

I got through the first 3 workouts and my motivation had climbed.  I left for Denver keeping in mind that I had to be very careful with my program when I traveled.  Traveling had been a major problem for me in the past.  I wouldn’t work out and the entire trip was a cheat day.  I ate anything and everything and drank a lot more alcohol on the road than at home.  Some of my bad habits would make it back home with me upon my return and could last for a couple of days or a couple of weeks.

I landed in Denver  and that night went out with one of my friends/clients Jarvis Green (former Defensive End with the Patriots and Texans).  It was a great dinner I ate two loaves of bread, shared a few appetizers including fried calamari and ate some kind of pasta.  I also had about half a bottle of wine and had a number of beers.  That night back in my room, I felt awful.  I had just done what I promised myself I wouldn’t do.  I already failed.  If I can’t take control of my diet and my training program on the road, than I wasn’t going to be able to accomplish my goals.   I stay weak minded, I had to take control of myself.  I needed something that I could stick with.  I decided to write off that dinner as a cheat meal and the next day I got up and jumped on the tread mill and an hour later had scrambled eggs and oatmeal for breakfast.  The rest of the day I ate very healthy.   I went to dinner again with Jarvis, only this time I left the bread alone and I ate a salad with salmon and balsamic vinegar in it.  I did drink two beers but other than that I was pretty happy with how I had gotten through the night.

The rest of the trip was great and the best part is that I stuck to my nutritional plan and continued with my workouts and cardio.  My failure on this trip made me stronger.  It’s better to screw up early.  I felt like I had made it over the hump.  I finally had a trip that I didn’t come back heavier from.  I actually lost weight out there.  After this trip I knew that I was on the right path.  For the next several weeks, I went on several more trips.  Each one was a challenge, but I passed up drinks at parties and clubs with friends and food that in the past I would have stuffed myself with.  

Identify your biggest problems.  Be honest with yourself.  Face your fears.  Overcome and you will succeed.

My Transformation: How and when do I begin?


Prior to my transformation, I was already working out, I was already running and I was already eating healthy (Or so I thought). When I look back I remember coming to the realization that I lacked the psychological aspects. I was not putting all of these pieces together in an efficient manner and I was cheating myself.   I was afraid to admit to myself that I wasn’t happy with the way that I looked or felt.  I did know it in the back of my mind.  I knew that I could lose a couple of pounds (but couldn’t face that it was more than a couple) and I would start cutting weight, but it would quickly come to an end and I would increase my weight again.  A set back (Excuse) would take place and make me lose my focus.  On March 21st I posted my old before/after photos from the Body For Life Competition that I competed in and became a runner-up in 1998.  The first body transformation truly did get me to make a life changing decision. However, traveling and laziness caused me to binge more and more. I felt like I ate healthy and I was working out every day and running every day.  The reason for me posting these pictures was to motivate me to accomplish my goal of getting the lean body that I used to have.  If I could dust off my current body, I could look great.  The best thing that came out of my post was a comment that a friend made.  This is a friend that I have a ton of respect for.  He has done things that many others including myself have been unable to do.  He played in the NFL.  His playing weight was 320 pounds and when his NFL career ended he did his own transformation and got down to around 240 pounds.  He knows what it takes to achieve great things including a transformation.  As a joke he said “….and now you’re back to your before stage!! hahahahahaha.”  I knew that he was kidding but that’s all that I needed to get the motivation that I needed to finally say that I was going to commit to get my program started.  It made me look at those pics and got me to do the math.  Let’s see I started at 262 and finished at 199.  I’m 240 plus right now.  I am closer to my before stage.  What the hell did I do to myself.  How do you get to around 3% body fat and then get your FAT BODY back years later.  Didn’t I learn anything?  I did.  I learned how to lie to myself.  I learned how to have a weak mind.  I’m going to get my body tuned up again and I’ll make sure to share my new after pics.  My friend who made the comment will see how much his comment pissed me off (like I said, I knew that he was joking, but I wanted to say those words myself.  I was pissed at myself).  

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