Diet, Exercise, and Green Tea?

I think I'll start blogging regularly again. It's been a while, and i haven't really posted anything regarding my NY adventures since i've been here. It's now almost 2 years, and it's funny how much I ignored my little blog.

Reading some of my older posts brings back so many fond memories. This entry will be surrounding my current Diet regime. Around 2007/2008, i gained an incredible amount of weight due to stress and depression. I'm one of those people who rely on comfort food to relieve hard times. It eventually took a toll on my body.



One day i was looking @ myself in the mirror realizing how fat i had become. It was detrimental and a low blow to my self-esteem. I was growing man boobs and a double chin and i could barely recognize myself. I didn't even want to look myself in the mirror.. i was thinking, "You must learn to love yourself before you can love others".. yet u dont' really love yourself.

I tried dieting in 2008 in the same manner i did back in the late 90's using Hydroxycut alongside moderate exercise but it wasn't working. The problem relied heavily on the amount of calories i was consuming on a daily basis. This time around i decided to take a more hardcore approach and this is what i came up with. The results so far has been fascinating. I don't own a weight scale as i consider that a motivation killer for the reason that it becomes your only way to measure weight loss. Since muscle weigh more than actual body fat, if u were loosing fat and gaining muscle, you won't see a significant change on the scale.

The plan itself was summoned by random. I was really sick one week, and was drinking a lot of green tea @ work to relieve my sore throat. The ingredients in the Green Tea was a jump start to my metabolism and with the addition of losing my appetite i was eating less. In just about 1 week, i lost 5-10lbs. That's when i saw some light and decided to go the extra mile.

During the summer of 2009 i began drinking green tea 3x a day on a daily basis (except weekends). I also ate a decent breakfast such as Egg + Cheese on a roll, and a hearthy lunch. What i ate wasn't as important. I know many people diet by eating veggies and fruits, but what i was most worried about was how much calories i was taking in, and how much i was burning. There is 1 exception to this rule however, which is to limit the intake of fast food junk and soda. I only drink water and non fast food joints such as McDonalds and Wendy's. It's okay to eat it once in a while, like 2x a month - but not regularly.

I stopped eating dinner all together. I dont' eat past 5pm no matter how hungry i got. It's tough during the first 2 weeks, because your body is not used to it. But trust me, when you do it for a while, you won't have cravings. Instead, what i did was drink lots of water and exercise. The exercise portion is very simple - i pick one TV show i enjoy watching (this helps in not keeping track of time), and exercise for the duration which is generally between 45 min to 1 hour. I sit in front of the TV with my yoga mat and do crunches, push ups, curls (with those elastic rubber strings). I don't count when doing the crunches, i just do them until it starts to burn. It wasn't easy the first couple of weeks because my body felt heavy and had lost a lot of muscle mass. But now, i have a distinctive bicep/tricep, firm abs, and no more man boobs. The routine worked out the 3 areas i was concentrating on. Arms, shoulders, abs, and chest.

The last part of this new plan was walking. Thankfully i live in NY now, so walking is mandatory and i didn't have a choice. Walking to and from work is close to 1 mile everyday so that works as my cardio.

I'm still loosing weight, and i have yet to reach my goal. I've lost a lot, but it seems like ur face is the last place to loose weight.

Losing weight requires a lot of dedication and work. Many people fail during the first 3 months because they don't see immediate results, or fall to the pressure of wanting to eat. It's been about 5 months since i've been on this diet, and i'm not sure exactly how much weight i've lost. I don't even know my current weight as i refuse to go on a scale, but i look better, feel better and my self esteem is back up. The first 2 months was brutal, as i wasn't seeing the results i was expecting and was getting frustrated. But, my body started to react around the 3rd month and i noticed improvements. Don't feel frustrated if you don't see immediate results. Think of ways to improve such as adding an additional hour to your workout or walking another mile.

The worst part about being fat was my body felt heavy, which made me lazy. Now, I feel lighter on my feet now and more active all across the board.

TLDR (Too Long Didn't Read)

- Drink Green Tea 3x a day
- Work out 1 hour a day
- Run/Walk 1/2 - 1 mile a day
- Don't eat past 5pm
- Eat light breakfast and hearthy lunch
- Don't eat fast food or soda regularly