Week 1 – Days 5, 6 & 7

I have been sticking to the diet. I found a few burgers that seem more tolerable than others. Boca seems like a good compromise at 100 calories per serving and providing 14 grams of protein. I have been eating these with really hot chili peppers, ground pepper and ground cumin. Ever Wonder why chili peppers are hot? Talk of the Nation on NPR had a show on this very topic.

I don’t feel hungry – I am even able to reduce the calories consumed everyday without feeling hungry, as long as I am eating something every 3 to 4 hours.

On Friday, I worked out under the guidance of my able trainer.

On Saturday, I went for a 3.5 mile walk in Point Defiance Park with my uncle, aunt and my wife. Since the moon was at it closest to the earth in about 15 years, the high tides were really high. It was a really cold day but the waves crashing into the sea wall were so beautiful to see that we forgot how cold it was.

On Sunday, I got on the treadmill for an hour and watched the Seahawks win. (Finally!) Daler’s music helps me going at a good pace.

So things are going well. 2 more days and I can start adding some vegetables back – can’t wait to do that :)

del.icio.us Tags: chilli peppers,capsaicin,point defiance park,Seahawks

 

Week 1 - Days 3 and 4

Day 3 - Wednesday

I did not realize that it took so long to get my breakfast done. I was not used to all the measuring. I was about 5 minutes late for my appointment with the trainer. I climbed stairs (about 30 floors) for about 20 minutes, then treadmill for about 20 minutes. While I was doing this, my trainer was kind enough to take the cards from the Stretch deck and picked out a subset that would stretch all major muscle groups.

At the end, I did some strength training on those machines. Seemed a little strenuous but do-able. I did just 1 set of 15-20 reps on about 5 machines.

I am supposed to track every thing I eat, the amount of water I drink, the steps I take and the calories I burn. The corresponding professional reviews this.

You can use The Daily Plate to do the same. It's a FREE web-site and it has all the foods you can imagine already entered in it. I highly recommend it. You can also track your steps, exercises and water consumption on this site. I had used it for a month a few years ago and the site was good then - it has gotten much better now. Meal tracing web-sites rely a lot on content contributed by its users. It would be very difficult to find a better site that this one because this one has been around for about 5 years at least.

The shakes and berries are fine - they really fill me up. I was not hungry at all. Reva (my wife) cooked the soy proteins into an Indian style curry for lunch and they were ok (or so I thought). In the evening, I made some for dinner myself and the stuff I made was god awful!

I was so tired by the end of the day today that I slept early and actually skipped a meal. It's funny - I was full even in the morning, the next day.

Though I am technically allowed to have a cup of coffee, I skipped that as well - this tiredness could be attributed to coffee-withdrawal?

Day 4 - Thursday

Cooked lunch and dinner in the morning (Added tons of jalapenos and cilantro to mask the soy taste). This time, I used Morningstar's Vegan burgers (100 calories, 12g of protein). It was just bear-able.

Confession time: I happen to be the President of a Toastmaster's Club called Bellevue Talk-A-Lots. Our club had their annual Christmas luncheon today at Malay Satay Hut. I ate a piece of Roti Kanai (a small piece). I just found it too tough to resist. While other then enjoyed more appetizers and their Malaysian lunches, I had my berries and shake! I will chalk that up to a "newbie" mistake. I should have had my stomach full before I went in.

In the evening, I worked out for an hour. As repentance for my afternoon sins, I walked from my work-place to ProClub and back - it took me 32 minutes (total). It was cold - brrrr! I stepped in some muck while trying to take a short-cut in the dark. The elliptical is most fun with soggy shoes! Try that sometimes!

del.icio.us Tags: meal Planning,meal tracking,daily plate

Week 1 - Day 2 - Meet the dietician (Chelsea Bobcek)

It was a crazy day at work. I could not work out in the morning as planned, mainly because I slept too late. I am setting an alarm to remind me when I need to sleep. I did however get to work out in the evening. I stayed on the elliptical for 60 minutes. I was sweating. The machine said that I had burned 625 calories. My trainer says that this reading is not accurate and that I should not be worrying about the calories - just do the hour! It felt great to have accomplished an hour of exercise for the first time on the program.

In the afternoon, I met Chelsea Bobcek, my dietician.  She is a vegetarian like I am. She has asked me to follow the following regimen for this week:

Meal	Time	What I can eat
Breakfast	7 AM	Shake, 1/2 cup of berries, 1 tbsp. of peanut butter, 2tsp of high-lignan flax oil (Barlean's is a good brand), 2 multi-vitamins, 1 calcium tablet and 1 tbsp. of a fiber supplement
Snack	10 AM	Shake and 1/2 cup berries
Lunch	1 PM	Shake and 1/2 cup berries, 28-42 gm. of protein (more about this later) + 1 fat serving (1 tsp oil or 10 peanuts or 3 almonds, 1 tsp of butter...)
Eve. Snack	4 PM	Shake and 1/2 cup berries
Dinner	7 PM	Shake and 1/2 cup berries, 28-42 gm. of protein + 1 fat serving
Over the day	anytime	64 oz. or 1.8 liters of water

The shake I am getting is the Ultrameal from Metagenics that I already told you guys about. I am taking the flax oil to boost up my HDL count. Peanut butter ingredients should say nothing but peanuts. Rest seem logical.

The 28-42 gm of proteins at lunch and dinner are Soy products like Nutrela, Morningstar burgers Tofu OR protein from wheat, whey or mushrooms OR egg whites. I don't like these items as they seem like meat to me.

Chelsea was amazing and she suggested way I could cook these items so they would be more palatable. She also gave me a lot of tips on how I could substitute things smartly or blend things differently. Like everyone else at 20/20, Chelsea seemed to be genuinely interested in my well-being. There are rumors that I can eat vegetables next week. I just can't wait for next week.

I have to plan out my meal and parties/meetings should be thought of, so I don't starve. I have to eat about every 3 hours. I am supposed to consume about 1500 calories a day - 40% from protein, 40% from carbohydrates and 20% from fat. I already have a scale and need to get a set of measuring spoons and cups. They are serious when they things like 1/2 cup. They mean it!

Good news is that I could pig out today and start the diet tomorrow or day-after. I have decided to start the diet changes on Wednesday.

After indulging in sinful food, I went to Whole Foods to buy some ingredients for my meals.

del.icio.us Tags: Meal Planning,Soy,Morningstar,flax oil,high-lignan,calories,diet,berries

   

Week 1 - Day 1 - First day with trainer

I met my trainer today. She has been doing this for over 15 years. Most of today was spent on rules and getting to know my goals. I have already shared my goals in this post. The rules essentially boil down to 2 things: honesty and punctuality. I plan to be on time and not lie in the health tracker (an on-line program).

I had decided to line my vacation up with that of the trainer’s. I will be taking a break from Christmas to the New Year from the formal coaching (no break from working out or getting off the diet). She gave me a quick tour of the facilities and I was confused. I took a map on my way out, which helped. ProClub is HUGE! She also told me that I get a free 10-session pass to an instructor led program (like cardio or spinning (Spinning is riding the stationery bike).

I did 15 minutes of cardio at level 5. It seemed moderate for me. My heart rate monitor works. It did not convey readings to the machine though (will debug that later). My pulse was at 140-150 during the time.

At the end of work-out, I watched an introductory video on 20/20. It was motivational. I am supposed to throw out junk food. Not sure – how my wife is going to take to that? :) I am going to have to avoid parties which have food festivals associated with them.

I will be meeting the dietician tomorrow and have to work-out (cardio) for 60 minutes.

Check out this article on MSN Health or this video below for some motivation of your own.

del.icio.us Tags: motivation,proclub

Sixth and last Preparation Step before the drill begins

Yesterday (Friday), I got at 4:30am as I had a presentation to work on and I had a doctor's appointment at 6:30am. This doctor's appointment was a lot different from any others I have ever had. Though my regular doctor is a really nice person, this Doctor (Dr. Perkins) was just super nice. He was genuinely interested in my well-being. On average, doctors probably spend 20-30 minutes on a patient. Dr. Perkins seemed to have spend quite some time looking through the results of all the previous tests before meeting me.

Blood pressure: My blood pressure was 100/71 which is pretty good. My mother and sister have lower blood pressure as well, though my dad has slightly elevated BP. Goal is to keep it here for life. I am supposed to avoid excess salt, avoid fats and work out to achieve this.

Blood Chemistries: My total cholesterol was 173 which is good. But, HDL is 34 a little less than the minimum expected. I need to boost HDL to 50. Triglycerides were sitting pretty at 118. LDL was 115 - could be better if they were < 100. Glucose was normal at 93. Low-fat balanced diet, reducing body weight and physical activity will help.

Cancer: My risk of various cancers are low. Eating cabbage family veggies, high fiber foods, foods high in vitamins A & C, healthy weight will help keep the risks low.

Diabetes: I have mild risk of diabetes because uncles from my father's and mother's side have Type II diabetes. Controlling weight should help.

Stress and Depression: I scored low on both of these (which is good). These were based on a questionnaire I had filled out at the very beginning. Sleep (7 or 8 hours), diet, exercise, time management, a sense of humor, learning to say no and learning to relax are tips to be aware of.

Nutrition: I scored "Fair" and have quite some room for improvement in this area. Lots of tips here. I am sure you have heard them all. I am sure that when I meet my dietician - these will be re-iterated. I will cover each in detail the.

Safety: I scored average on this test. Emergency preparedness was pointed out as the biggest area of improvement. I was shocked to hear that more people are injured by smoke inhalation than by other injuries, when there is a volcano!

Prevention: I scored average here. Tips include ensuring I get a medical check-up every year. Ensure that one gets testicular, rectal and prostrate tests annually as well.

Cardiovascular: The maximum oxygen consumption (ml/kg-min) during the treadmill test was 38 which is poor. 13 out of 20 males in my age range would have done better. I am sure I will get tons of cardio exercises.

Bicep Strength: was poor at 46 lbs. I need to be do some strength training exercises as well.

Flexibility: As I mentioned before, I am not flexible at all. In the Sit and Reach test - I was able to move on 6.3 in. I need to stretch. I have a card deck on stretching which I will be opening up today :)

Body age: My body age is 10-15 years more than my chronological age and the doctor promised me that it would 10-15 years lesser at the end of the program.

After looking at my family's health history, the doctor had come to some of the above conclusions. I was so impressed that he had all of their health profiles in memory. I could reduce Arthritis risk by taking Omega-3 capsules twice a day and in general take a multi-vitamin a day.

BMI seems to be a very rough guide. Come to think of a high-jumper and a line-backer are measured on the same scale. It just does not make sense now. I am a stocky person. So, instead of shooting for the standard 23-25 BMI range, I am going for something like 27. My weight goal is 160 lbs (which is how much I weighed at 21). It is funny that the weight loss seems more like a side-effect to good health than a goal in itself.

I meet this really nice person (also happens to be the doctor), every 5 weeks from now on. I am pigging out this week on foods I will have to avoid starting next week.

del.icio.us Tags: cardio,body age,cancer,stretching,blood pressure,LDL,HDL,triglycerides,bicep strength,stress,depression,flexibility

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Fifth step - More paper work, payment and initial assessment

I had to drink 64 oz of water and fast the night one more time in preparation for today's tests.

I went in @ 7:30am. First, I signed my life away to the program :). There was a liability waiver, intent to comply and other forms. Then, I paid my portion which was $1800. MS and Premera are going to pay the remaining $6000, provided I go through the program faithfully and promptly. I can't be late to any of my appointments or there are penalties. Also, I swore to limit caffeine and alcohol intake - whoa! that was hard :)

All the paper work (detailed online surveys) I had submitted before had been reviewed (How nice!) and they had some questions that needed more clarification.

Then, the health assessment: My blood pressure was 100/71. They measured my body fat by actually connecting electrodes to my hand and leg (bio electrical impedance analysis). My body fat percentage is 25.4% of my body mass which is 186 lbs (with clothes & shoes). I am at the border between obese and over-weight and they suggest that I drop at least 5% of my body fat during the program. A weight loss of about 20 lbs would be a side effect. They took a face-shot and a full-size picture of me for their before and after album? :). Then, with a measuring tape - I got measured. I am looking to lose an inch around my neck :) Then, they put me on a treadmill with a heart rate monitor (a Polar) and checked my efficiency (not sure how this works). Anyway, they got my rate up to 155 in about 10 minutes by make me walk fast on a steep incline. My recovery time was short (time for heart rate to return to normal). A strength test for my biceps followed and I was able to lift 46 lbs. And finally, there was flexibility test where you try to touch your toes while you are sitting with your legs stretched. I definitely flunked the flexibility test - I barely could move a few inches towards my toes.

A personal trainer called Mila took me through the process and she was just amazing. Very efficient and lots of energy. She sent me off with a pedometer (an Omron Aerobic) and water bottle. I am supposed to walk at least 5,000 steps (not counting exercise) and drink 3 bottles of water (about 72 oz or about 2 liters). I got a temporary card so I can now enjoy the ProClub.

Next appointment is with a doctor on Friday and then Monday is when the program begins.

PS: I have been eating all my favorite foods in preparation to the deprival that is to ensue :) It was super-hot chilli bhajji's yesterday.

del.icio.us Tags: body fat percentage,flexibility,bicep strength,omron aerobic,pedometer

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Fourth Step - A psychotherapist !

It was a not-so-great weekend. The Mumbai terror attacks made me furious. Then, I remembered a book I had read called "The Buddha and the terrorist" (link below). Violence does not solve anything. Violence in response to violence does not solve anything either. I would highly recommend this book. It will put constraints on the possible solutions to terrorism. The author "Satish Kumar", is someone I truly respect. I have heard him speak (not in person). He believes in a life that replenishes the soil, soul and the society. Soil replenishment is the seed of the "Green movement". After you read some of the his works, you will see that Soil replenishment is not the end.

I spent Sunday at work. It was nice and peaceful and I had a productive day. I had a work-out serving food at the Hindu temple near my house. I weighed myself this morning and I was 183.6 lbs (that puts my BMI @ 31.5). I seemed to have a lost a few pounds since I started this blog, and haven't done anything yet.

As part of the 20/20 program, one has to meet with a psychotherapist every 45 days or so. Relationships, emotions, work-life balance, prior weight loss failures and stress can be contributors to not being successful in managing weight. I was quite sure that I did not have any emotional problems walking in. But wait!

I discovered that I lead a pretty stressful life. I eat lunch alone many days. This could be contributing to my not getting recognized at work. Hmmm... The psychotherapist (Bill Cooper, MSW, LICSW) I met was a nice person. He himself had lost weight on the 20/20 program. We talked about the following areas:

• My goals/reason for joining 20/20
• Work
• Work-life balance
• Domestic life (marriage)
• Sleep
• Food/Alcohol habits, portion sizes
• Exercise/Activities...

I guess the session was a success when the patient feels like he has had a casual conversation with an acquaintance. Here's a link to his office. I will be meeting him again at the end of this month. I learned that there is a field of science called bioethics - he recommended a book on the subject. He mentioned in reaction to my considering giving up on dairy products.

Disclaimer: This program (not only this session) seems to be highly customized and tailored to the individual. So, take my blog with a bucket of salt. What works for me - might not work for you.

del.icio.us Tags: phychotherapist,emotion,stress,eating disorders,terrorism,Buddha,Bill Cooper,mumbai

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