Shakes

As part of the program, you are weaned off of real food for a week and then slowly introduced back to it. During the first week, I will be consuming meal replacement shakes.

I looked at the ingredients of the 20/20 shakes and compared to those that Metagenics offers and found that the Metagenics ones were more potent. (I am not yet sure if that's ok or not). The ones I am looking at are UltraMeal® Plus Medical Food and UltraMeal® WHEY. These shakes have a lot of goodness in them and your body will be fine with just having them as meals.

I would like to give a shout-out to my wife who participated in the formulation and creation of the above mentioned products. Isn't that wonderful! You go looking for a product and the best one is made by your own wife!

Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for visiting!

del.icio.us Tags: Metagenics,ultrameal,meal replacement,protein shakes,vitamins

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Fourth Step - Buy HRM and Food Scale

Heart Rate monitor: Apparently, during your work-out, it is very important to maintain the correct heart rate. A heart rate monitor typically is a watch. It listens to signals from a chest strap. I was shocked to see HRMs from $30 to $500. After checking a few out at the club and at REI. I decided to get a very basic Polar FS1. Timex was a close second but a lot more people were vouching for the Polar and so I decided to get it.

Food Scale: From December 9th, I will be weighing the food I eat. There are 2 main choices, analog or digital. I chose digital. Escali Primo had good reviews so I decided to go with that.

I found a Thanksgiving Sale on sears.com and purchased both items for about $70 + tax + shipping (about $80). I hear that my items are already shipped.

I don't plan to invest in special clothes for the gym. I will just wear the shorts and T-Shirts, I already have. Old == comfortable - no?

del.icio.us Tags: Polar,FS1,Heart rate monitor,HRM,Food scale,Escali

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Third Step - Blood Lipid Panel Test

I have been drinking more than 64 oz (about 1.8 liters) of water for the last 2 days. I fasted last night and went in for my blood draw this morning. It took all of 5 minutes.

I will post my results when I get them. Anyway, here are some links about blood lipids. Link 1, Link 2 and Link 3. Approximately, Lipids are organic fats that are not soluble in water. They have a lots of important roles including energy storage and signaling. Once you understand the meaning, you will understand other words based on the Greek "lipos" (which means fat), like liposuction, Lipitor, lipectomy, lipemic...

Did you know there is a blog on lipids - here.

del.icio.us Tags: blood,lipids

Second Step - Paper work and prep

I had to get a medical check-up and fasting blood test. All's well - it's just my weight that's high.

The folks that work at 20/20 seem super professional. They followed up with me promptly. I had to get some paper work  done. I did my part and sent it to my doctor (Dr. Justin Osborn). He is a great doctor and has always been urging me to shed some pounds. If you are looking for a PCP, he is a great choice.

My doctor faxed it in to the insurance company and to ProClub. Premera reviewed my paperwork and turned it around quickly to ProClub.

ProClub called me (after they got all the clearances) to schedule a bunch of tests and appointments. There were a total of 8 things to be scheduled and we got it done in about 15 minutes. Super efficient, I should say.

I will post one entry per appointment, so you get a good idea of what each appointment was for.

I am out looking for a heart rate monitor, which I been asked to purchase. The Polar FS1 or the Timex one are contenders. I have heart that a heart rate monitor is a must have for someone who intends to lose weight.

I also need to purchase a food scale, to weigh my food. Apparently, this is also a must.

Luckily Black Friday is upon us and I might be able to get a good deal.

del.icio.us Tags: Heart Rate monitor,Food Scale,20/20. 20 20,ProClub,Justin Osborn

First Step - Introduction to 20/20

My employer (Microsoft) and insurance provider (Premera) support a variety of weight management programs. Employees with a BMI of more than 30 can enroll and those with lesser BMI (Body Mass Index) can enroll provided they have some health risks (Diabetes, high Blood Pressure, high Cholesterol...).

I am 5'4'' and weigh close to 190 lbs. That puts my BMI at 32.6. I used this BMI Calculator. Anyone with a BMI over 30, is considered obese.

I decided to go with ProClub's 20/20 Lifestyles program. A few of my friend's had joined the program a few years ago and 75% of them have kept the weight off for about 3 years now.

I decided to go with the 12 week program. The main reason for not going for the 16 or 20 week program was just my out of pocket expenses. For the 12 week program, I would have to shell out $1800 and for the 16 week program, I would have to shell out $3245. Thankfully, my employer and insurance pick up the remaining costs which come to more than $6000.

I am sure that a few thousands spent now in getting me to better health will pay off handsomely during the course of life.

I attended their free seminar and was very impressed by the talk given by a cardiovascular surgeon.

I filled out some paper work and that was the first step.

del.icio.us Tags: ProClub,20 20,20/20,20/20 Lifestyles

How it started

During the spring of 2008, I felt that my life was going nowhere and I had no time to stop, think and take my life somewhere. I realized that how I spend my time is really the most important thing I control. It was evident that I had to really identify my governing values, before I could embark in any meaningful prioritization of my time. (In hindsight, this makes sense, you have to decide what's good of time and what's not and your values guide that decision).

I somehow managed to spend time over a couple of months to arrive at my governing values. The process of arriving at this list of values involved reading a lot of books ("Now, Discover Your strengths", "Time Management from the Inside Out"), discussions with my relatives, attending a Franklin Covey class called "Focus" and a whole lot of introspection. These were the values I arrived at:

• Structure
• Connection with Family and Friends
• Meaningful work
• Physical Fitness and Appearance
• Spiritual Development
• Penchant for Learning
• Financial Comfort
• Relaxation

In general, my life took a turn to the better after I identified my values. I have used Franklin Covey's planner on and off (BTW, their software is terrible). I regularly use my white board to align my work and time to my values.

Each of these phrases in my list of values, can mean different things to different people. So, I wrote down some clarifying statements (also recommended by Covey). For me, "Physical Fitness and Appearance" meant the following:

• I have a decent BMI.
• I eat right.
• I have increased stamina and strength.
• I attend to my medical needs in time.
• I look and behave in a presentable manner.
• I wear contact lenses.

I was focused more on other values till recently. A wedding in the family and my parents visiting me kept me occupied during fall. During summer, I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. I tried the CPAP machine and hated it. I am using a dental device and it seems to be helping. I am hoping that losing some serious weight will fix this for good. That was like the proverbial last straw that broke this camel's back.

This is how my weight loss journey started...

del.icio.us Tags: Now,Discover your strengths,Strength Finder,Priorities,Focus,Time Management

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