flashburn1988’s BodyBlog

I was thinking about my eating habits when I weighed 340lbs compared to now 120lbs less. At Thanksgiving I would not have had the self control I had this year. Not to down the family for being who they are but most are fat and sick because of it. They can cook that’s for sure. Just because the food is good doesn’t mean you have to eat until your sick and miserable. As I looked around I noticed the lack of self control that I had experienced in my life being obese.

I was able to enjoy my Thanksgiving dinner favorites in moderation. I took small amounts of each of the foods I like. I also took into consideration the calorie count of each. I looked over the four full tables of homemade goods like cornbread dressing and gravy, rice dressing, candy covered yams, turkey, chicken, pork roast, and of course the vegetables fixed in a variety of unhealthy ways. If you haven’t guessed I live in the South. I had a small amount of my most favorites like cornbread dressing and turkey with cranberry sauce. Keeping it to one plate and one level was important.

Selecting the correct size of plate was also important. There were of course three different size plates: regular 10", large 12", and an extra large square sectioned  plate. I of course chose the 12" and noticed most chose the square oversize plate. I had a few jabs thrown my way by some oversize redneck relatives like "whose kid are you fixin that plate for." I just jabbed rite back with "yeah I used to be your size."

The best part is the way I feel today the day after thanksgiving. I know I will have to do a little extra on my workout this weekend, but I only gained one pound. I feel good and I can loose a pound in one hard workout or a few added miles on my bicycle.

I have been on a quest for several years to loose weight. I had reached 320 plus pounds at one time, after 320 I stopped weighing. I gave up on eating right and became depressed during that time. I finally had enough of being called Big Dave. I was strong and worked hard every day. It wasn’t until I had enough of myself that I decided to change.  After staying in the gym for a while and riding my bike aggressively I had lost about 60-70lbs over about six months. But I hit a wall. I couldn’t seem to get below 250lbs. I stayed at that weight for 2-3 months and couldn’t get past it. Something had to be wrong.

I am constantly listening to different people who have been successful at loosing weight and gaining muscle, testimonies of successful weight loss. Sometimes I take it into consideration and other times I rule it out. If the information is there along with proof I will do more research until I work through the sales hype and nonsense and get to the meat of the solution. There are a lot of products out there that make claims that is just hype. On the other hand there are also those things that do not pertain to what I am trying to accomplish. But there is always that thing that will work for me and get me to the next level and if it seems logical I will invest in.
One thing caught my attention on a T.V. program was about cleansing the body of parasites. It made sense but the product they were selling was way to expensive. I done some research and found that the main ingredients in the product was black walnut and a few other ingredients.  I found a list of products online that were similar in ingredients and ordered one that was natural herbs and over the counter. Also in my research I found that I had several of the symptoms of someone with parasites. My mom used to give us worming medicine when I was a kid as I did with my kids because being raised in the country we played outside 90% of the time. Well I still spend a lot of time outside even as an adult but somewhere along the line I stopped taking worming medicines.

Some of the symptoms were very noticeable once I read about it. One of the main things I discovered was several parasites put off a chemical that causes a person to be hungry constantly. I immediately recognized that one. I could sit down and eat two plates of food and an hour later I would have the munchies. Other things like being irritable and feeling lazy became more noticeable later after I started taking the parasite cleanse I had ordered.

I took the cleanser for about a week and began to notice i was going to the bathroom a lot more often. Changes started happening like I could sit down and eat one plate of food and be satisfied. So I was no longer eating excessive amounts of food. I lost about ten pounds in two weeks which doesn’t seem like a feat that couldn’t be accomplished through regular dieting. I had been at 250lbs for about two months though, without any progress. I finally was excited again and could move on to the next level in my journey.

I’m not saying this is for everyone or that it’s gonna be a quick fix but it could be a step in the right direction for some.  I’m not trying to sell anything, it might just be a step for someone who can’t figure out why their hungers are never satisfied. Sometimes we overlook the simplest things. We will spend hundreds of dollars worming our pets and getting rid of their parasites but at the same time not taking care to cleanse ourselves of the same parasites. If you have pets more than likely they have or had parasites at some point and time. Several of those parasites transfer through the air and most through contact. Check into it, look at the symptoms, and if you need it use a natural product if possible.

I have been riding my bike for a couple of years now to help loose weight. But recently I was invited to ride in the Pineywoods purgatory. I had thought about it in the past but had never done a ride like this. So I signed up for the shortest distance of 25miles and started training and pushing myself to get up to the distance three times a week. I got to the distance and decided I like it.

  I attended the event held in Lufkin, Tx. which is a fundraiser held each year. There were a lot of people there around 1000. The next distance on the ride is 50miles and then 70miles and last 100miles of which I can’t even imagine riding 100 miles. I finished the 25 mile ride and am pleased with myself and not only that I felt great afterwards. So I am going to start training to ride longer distances and look for more events I can ride in. It has helped me to start loosing weight at a quicker rate and I have met quite a few new people in the process.

  When I first started riding I would have never have imagined riding 25miles I couldn’t even ride more that 3 miles without a break. Now I am pushing myself to try for 50 miles.I think I was also impressed that there were lots of people there who were just like me, everyday working class people who rode on to the 70 mile section. So that encouraged me to attempt to ride further in the next ride I enter. In the mean time I will have to do a lot more training. I am now trying to increase my distance each time I ride.

  Hopefully this help me on my journey to having abs and good muscle tone. I know it has caused me to loose more weight in a shorter amount of time.

the scale is my enemy , it lies to me, calls to me, beckons me and then makes fun of me as I stand there waiting for an answer that always seems to be disapointing. When I feel like I have been good and should weigh 5lbs less it says I gained 5lbs more. It never says you are doing good or you seem lighter today. It makes me want to forget it all and eat whatever I want. Then I catch a glimpse in the mirror and notice a little tone I didn’t see before and I have a friend who encourages me to do a little more than before. To work on that part and this until I can notice maybe muscle has replaced my fat and It pushes me on til the next day.

Since I haven’t been able to change my body with my routine I decided to go over the top. Maybe not for others but for me it is. I usually ride to the gym and then home several times a week, that is until I broke my back axle and bent the rim two weeks ago. So this last week I took it in to the bike shop and ordered a new rim. Got it back on friday but while visiting the shop I was invited to a ride in a fundraiser a week from today. Now my usual route is about 7 miles to the gym and then 5 miles back home (different route). This guy is asking me to go on a 25 mile ride with a very large group to raise money for a special school.

I thought about it for a while and decided I might like to try it. But first I better try to ride the distance. I DID IT. Couldn’t believe it, zeroed my bike computer and headed out only stopping for water. I rode the same route to the gym but when I got to the loop I rode the feeder road until I reached 21 miles and then on to the gym, which is 4 more miles. Needless to say I didn’t work out too much this morning but I returned to the gym this afternoon for my two hour workout.

This is an achievement that I did not ever think I would reach. Thinking back I can remember only being able to ride about two miles and having to push up any hills I came upon. Now I don’t even loose my breath up those hills I just shift gears and move on.

I would encourage anyone who is starting out to just keep at it try new things and most of all let other people challenge you even look for someone who challenges you. It has been the people at the gym who keep me going with the constant challenges and conversation about where and what I’m doing.  It doesn’t hurt that every once in a while I get a look or compliment.

One day I workout and feel great and think I am making great progress in the way I look. The next day I feel like I have gained 10 lbs. all at once. I look in the mirror and my body looks like I gained weight overnight but the scale says I only gained 1lb. I know it will pass and I will probably feel like having a great workout tomorrow and be syked about going to the gym. Today I just didn’t feel it for some reason. I want to look and feel like the incredible hulk but my muscles just don’t cooperate.

The hurricane came through Texas and caused all kinds of damage including interrupting my routine. I have lost some ground because of there being no power and the proper foods being available. I had gotten down to 245 which is great progress for me since I have been at 250 for about 3 months now. I had been able to maintain myself and not gain any weight but at the same time I had not lost any either. It is frustrating at times but I keep lifting weights 5 or6 days a week knowing it will get better. We had to eat whatever everyone else was eating or MREs from FEMA. All good food but most not in my list of things I try to eat to keep from gaining weight. It didn’t help that everything was closed including the gym.

  Things are starting to get back to normal though. Electricity is getting back on and gym opened up again. Now I want to work on it twice as hard to make up for the week I lost. I didn’t loose my strength last night I could still bench 300 a couple of times but I definately lost some definition that was encouraging me to keep pushing myself.

  Now I understand why athletes sometimes turn to steroids or other enhancement drugs, it is frustrating when you look in the mirror and something you worked hard to progress towards is gone and you have to start again. Now I’m no athlete just an ol country boy but the thought even crossed my mind. So I know athletes fight it constantly and it is probably offered to them on a regular basis. I now a few people I see who probably use enhancements they don’t talk about it cause they want you to think they are natural. But a good looking body is a good looking body no matter how you got it, it will turn heads.

  I will stop ranting now and push on with my life. I keep myself clean but that thought is always there. "Resistance is futile." I can’t blame anyone but myself I ate all those foods and snacks over the years to make myself look like I do now I have to pay for it.

Today (Saturday) was a good day. I went this morning to the gym and lifted for about 2 hours, could have been more but didn’t keep close watch on the time. Pretty much had the gym to myself so I took a few pictures to post, something I have been avoiding because I haven’t gained the muscle I want and lost the weight I should. Since I will be off Monday for labor day I decided to workout twice a day for the weekend and Monday. So I went back this afternoon about 5 and lifted again. I have to say I took it easy the rest of the day but I feel great with the exception of a few growing pains.

I will try over the next month to spend as much time in the gym as I can spare between work and family. On the weekend I usually get one good two or three hour workout and the rest of the week I usually get one hour in. Hopefully I can get my eating habits in the rite direction with my workout habits to gain the most muscle possible and lose all the fat I can.

Looking back through some old photos I noticed I am definately changing the shape of my body even though I haven’t lost pounds in the last couple of months. I am in great physical condition and strong as an ox. The strength comes from just being country but I would like for the strength I feel to show through in the size of my body. There are guys in the gym that are huge in muscular size but I am outlifting them on the weights. Hopefully doubling up on workouts and running can give me the cut I’m looking for.

I have become addicted. I spend 5 days a week at the gym now and two hours working out. Part of it is because I am not working right now but I can’t wait to get there.

I decided to change up my workout. Over the last 2 to 3 weeks I have increased my time doing cardio to 1 hour. I have since lost 15 pounds and I am feeling better. I still ride my bike several days a week and continue to workout. I am hoping to drop 10 pounds over the next ten days. Hopefully I can get into shape before summertime.