Watch Me Lose 300 Pounds - A weight loss blog

Reminder about Ask Jerome and E-Book

jbiggars63 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:44:10 +0000

If you have any questions about how I lost the weight or how I am maintaining it, please send them to askjerome@mediweightlossclinics.com and I could possibly use your question in our next issue of Medi Living Magazine. If you haven’t had a chance to read my e-book, take a few moments to check it out here! Jerome’s Story THANKS!

Pumping it up a bit! Know your feet!

jbiggars63 — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:24:50 +0000

Ran a 12 minute mile today followed by 25 minute 2 miler an hour later. Feeling good! Remember, shoes are an important tool when it comes to running! Knowing your feet and how you run determine what kind of shoes you need! Find a good runners store in your area and the salesperson there can watch your stride and determine if you pronate or over pronate or have a normal or over stride and can suggest you get a certain kind of shoe. There are three different kinds of feet! If your flat-footed, you most likely over-pronate so you would be looking for a stability or motion control kind of shoe. If you have a high arch, then you probably under pronate and will be looking for a flexible or cushioned shoe. If your foot is normal or neutral, then you don’t want a stability or motion control shoe! Again, a good salesperson will be able to help you discover your type of foot! I am a slight over pronater so I run in Asics Kayanos! Asics GT2170′s, Brooks Beast and Brooks Adrenaline are great ones too! Be sure to stretch a bit before and after your run to prevent injuries! Good Luck!

In Training!

jbiggars63 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:08:19 +0000

2 miles in 26 minutes….goals are 28th = 24 minutes, 2/4 = 22 minutes, 2/11 = 20 minutes. Once I establish 6mph speed, will start increasing distance by 1/2 mile each week. By 5k weekend I should be 5 miles at 6mph so 5k should be a breeze!

Fats: Not the Bad Guy Anymore!

jbiggars63 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:02:18 +0000

After years of having it drilled into our heads that fat was the culprit in our battle with obesity, we are learning that the culprit is sugar aka carbohydrates. Dr. Eric Westman, co-author of “The New Atkins for the New You” states that the human body is a very efficient machine that will burn either carbs or fats. Carbs are nothing but sugars in the body’s view so if we cut down on the number of carbs we take in and switch that mechanism to fat burning, soon the body will see that it has a storage of fat to burn and bingo, you are never hungry! He says you must eat fat to burn fat as it primers the body to burn it! Fredrick Hahn, who wrote “Serious Strength and Slow Burn Fitness Revolution”, also agrees that fat isn’t the bad guy! ” Fat is good. Sugar is bad. ” is my favorite FB quote from him so far! I used to count fats but not anymore. Something else I learned over the weekend, if you are following a low carb diet and slip up and overdo it, it takes three days of strict diet before you get back into ketosis. So if your slipping up on Wednesdays and Saturdays but the rest of the week you are dead on, well, your not really following the diet are you? Just something to think about! Here is a link to a very informative video about low carb dieting you may like! https://today.duke.edu/2012/01/science-and-practice-low-carb-diets#video

Goals: The Lighthouses to Succuss

jbiggars63 — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:59:41 +0000

Weight loss is tough! What other addiction do we have to deal with that we still need the substance we are trying to cut back on? That being said, we need all the help we can get to switch to a new, healthier lifestyle. I see mini-goals as a vital tool into this transition. I feel like I am a sailboat and the Atlantic ocean is my daily life as I struggle with weight loss. There are hidden reefs everywhere in the form of food temptations and laziness that I must avoid. A goal, like my 5k run in Irving, Texas or to lose 10 pounds by March 31st, are lighthouses perched on the sounds to help us through the dangerous waters! If we keep our eyes on them and don’t wander away from them, we will achieve our goal and avoid those nasty reefs but if we look away, watch out! I have a goal of running 10 minute miles by March 24th and doing a 5k. Well I just started running again last week and this morning I ran 2.25 miles in 30 minutes. I am well on track for my goal! Set an achievable goal for yourself today and see what I mean! Make it something you think you could do in a couple of months. DON’T SET A STUPID GOAL! Goals that have little chance of happening only make things worse. Goals like I am going to lose 30 pounds this month or a non-runner going to run a half marathon in March. It has got to be realistic! Good Luck!

Fitness Update & Mexican Spinach Lasagna

jbiggars63 — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:40:53 +0000

Still working hard in spin class and weight training along with jogging. Even Shawna, my wife, has joined in the fun as we train to participate in the 5k Make-A-Wish event in Irving Texas this March 24th (a day after my birthday). She has never run a race before so off we go! Here is a wonderful low carb recipe that tastes great on a cold day! If you want it spicy, add some jalopenos to it!

MEXICAN SPINACH LASAGNA
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped, 2 1/2 ounces
5 teaspoons Linda’s Taco Seasoning
2/3 cup Red Enchilada Sauce
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
4 ounce can chopped green chiles
6 ounces colby-jack cheese, shredded

Brown the hamburger, onion and taco seasoning; drain the fat and stir in the enchilada sauce. In a medium bowl, blend the cream cheese, egg, spinach and chiles. In a greased 8 x 8″ baking dish, layer half of the meat sauce, or enough to cover the bottom of the pan fairly well. Spread the spinach mixture over the meat layer; top with 3 ounces of the cheese then the rest of the meat sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350º about 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Makes 6-8 servings
Can be frozen

Per 1/6 Recipe: 427 Calories; 33g Fat; 25g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs
Per 1/8 Recipe: 320 Calories; 25g Fat; 19g Protein; 6.5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4.5g Net Carbs

Support – Another Key to Success!

jbiggars63 — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:12:14 +0000

I think having some kind of support on your weight loss journey is vital! Whether that support comes from a best friend or spouse taking the journey with you or finding a group of people to work with. I run a support group meeting at the clinic that I attend in Andover, Ks as well as one for the teachers of the Wichita School District. I feel this forum and my facebook is a form of support too! I get support from the staff at the clinic during my visits and my co-workers, friends, and workout buddies were all there for me! Other places you can find support would be TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), and Low Carb Friends website. There is actually a Medi-Weightloss Clinics thread going that you can talk to other Medi patients around the country. Medi-Weightloss Clinics also has a facebook page! I hope this helps! Have a great week everyone! BTW, I got in a spin class, 30 minutes elliptical, and weight training yesterday. Running a mile today!

Mid-day update:

Whew…no more walk/jog….just did 2 miles non-stop although it was slow (mile 1 = 4mph or 15 minutes, mile 2 = 4.5mph or 14 minutes). Getting ready for a 5k in Irving, Texas, March 24th for the Make-a-Wish Foundation! My best 5k time is 31:23. I want to try and break it and I haven’t ran any races in over a year so gotta hit it hard!

A New Week, A New Challenge!

jbiggars63 — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:44:14 +0000

What a week I had last week! 8 – 1 hour spin classes, 3 weight training sessions, 5 – 30 minute elliptical sessions, 3 – 2 mile and 1 – 3 mile walk/jog sessions along with a good diet plan with NO cheating! 10 pounds lost! SWEET! This weeks challenge to everyone, do something you haven’t tried before. If you haven’t tried spin, give it a shot! Try a yoga or pilates class! Zumba is a blast or even a turbo kick class. I know you have wanted to try something but just haven’t had the nerve to do it. Try it, you may like it! So post what that is and let us know how it went! Good Luck!

Burning Calories

jbiggars63 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:47:28 +0000

I got up early this morning to get spin class in from 6am to 7am burning 407 calories. Then on the drive home I burned another 13.5 calories yelling at my radio!

Why do I listen to some of these shows?!? After spin class this morning, as I was driving home, Kid Kraddick was on talking about how great Big Al was for losing 12 pounds. Not a problem…but then they all proceeded to put down low carb dieting, specifically Atkins. They pointed out that they knew a girl that went on a low carb diet and lost a bunch of weight but then she gained it all back (probably because she returned to her old, bad eating habits or something medical happened).I also wonder how much of that 12 pounds is water and muscle loss based on the fact that it sounds like his diet is nothing from his norm, just smaller portions and he is taking a fat burner.

Has anyone checked out the new Atkins book? My Doctor says it is very good reading! Some very current studies on low carb and good guidelines for weight loss can be found in it!

Sugar Alcohol update

jbiggars63 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:23:47 +0000

Well, the one thing I learn in this business is that things are always changing! New research, medications, and studies continue to mold the world as we, the folks trying to lose weight, follow along! Previously, we had to count half of our sugar alcohols as carbs but a new study states that you can subtract all sugar alcohols along with fibers to get your effective carb count. Yippee!!!! Just last night I told some people the old way so I hope they continue to check in here to find this update! If you need proof of how well a low carb diet works, here is a link to an article on a study that is amazing! http://jonnybowdenblog.com/protein-and-weight-gain/ This guy also has some other very interesting articles like Cravings: Why They Strike, How to Curb Them, Green Tea Extract and Weight Loss, and Three Great Ways to Make a Protein Shake .