Meals and Workouts

After my last blog post, I was asked to share what I have been eating and doing to get where I am now (which is still roughly 100 lbs away from where I need to be, but still a long way on a pretty rapid track). Now I am no expert but I follow instructions pretty well and consider myself a normal dude with normal needs/desires (around food).

Breakfast

• My band is tight in the AM. I typically have a protein shake (Costco, Premier Nutrition - 160 cal and 30 g of Protein)
  
• If I am hungry later in the AM, I have a protein bar. This gets the lions share of my protein out of the way efficiently. I have tried about 6 different bars but think that the Zone bars, while higher in calories, offer the best flavor. Pure Protein are pretty good too. (Avg 190 Cal and 15 g of Protein)
  

Lunch

• My staples at lunch are a tuna salad made with cream cheese, lemon juice and liquid smoke (4-6 oz)
  
• Chicken salad made with a Publix Rotisserie chicken, mayo, mustard, tarragon and kosher salt (same serving size). Both seem to average around 300 Cal and about 30g protein and pack a surprising punch to hunger as they are pretty dense but easy to digest.
  
• High Protein Chili
  

Dinner

• My most normal meal, we usually have a basic protein (fish, chicken, beef) and a vegetable. Occasionally, I will have a starch, but they leave me hungry so I typically avoid them. The multigrain coated tilapia at Costco is nice and easy. I target 400 Calories at dinner and a quantity of 6-8 oz.
  

Snack (One of these)

• Sugarfree pudding
  
• Coffee (with fancy creamer)
  
• Popsickle
  
• Couple of slices of protein (ham, turkey)
  

I am pretty simple, so repetition does not bother me. I still enjoy a trip to Hooters (or Winghouse) but when I do, I usually get the fish (blackened) or Chili. I will have wings from time to time as I love them. I just try and watch it. Other tasty items are nuts and cocktail shrimp. If I wake up late enough, I find scrambled eggs very useful though harder to digest as I tend to eat them too quickly.

Workout

Despite my size, I have always been a fairly athletic guy. I knew that at this caloric intake I would need to force my body to use up fat stores. I try to walk at least 2 miles at least 4 times per week. I do this in my Sketchers Shape Ups which, while a little goofy at first, seem to really work. After I lost my first 50 lbs, I picked up a set of 10 lb leg weights. I alternate using them on my ankles and on my wrists. When I have them on my wrists, I typically do arm exercises throughout the walk (I do this at night as not to me arrested or ostracized).

I have a weight machine and try to do 3 workouts per week. They are simple and fairly focused. I do bicep curls, tricep pushdowns, lateral pulldowns and seated row. I mix them up and try to chose 2 per workout, 3 sets of 11 reps each with increasing weights. This is AMAZINGLY unscientific and I am quite certain that I am not being efficient here. My rationale is something is better than nothing and while i have no need for more leg muscle (carrying 450 lbs around for decades has helped me build that on its own), upper body muscle is a need area.

Last but not least, I try to throw in some anaerobic stuff like basketball, yardwork or any sport with my son.

I hope this is useful. It is a mind dump but I figured it might be useful.