You’ve already heard losing weight is a matter of diet and exercise, and if you’re like me ignored the advice.

Some people cling to the same old foods, and exercise hard.. assuming the burning calories will more than make up for eating like crap.

Other people have excuse after excuse as to why time, or an old injury, prevents them from exercise.. so they simply  reduce their calories, and skip exercise,  to lose weight.

The problem with both these approaches.. YOU CAN”T FOOL YOUR BODY

I tried both diet/no exercise and exercise/no diet.. in both cases your body goes into starvation mode and starts Storing Fat!

As soon as your body is deprived of the nutrients (that includes living off of vending machine foods)  it needs to produce energy, and fuel your muscles, your body goes into “pre-programmed” starvation mode.. and in order to survive stores everything it can, as fat, for the inevitable famine.. of course you know the food supply hasn’t dried up.. but you can’t tell your body “don’t worry.. there’s plenty of food, burn these calories” 

If we could “think” away fat, believe me i would have done it.

My first attempt to lose weight was the diet/no exercise route..  I ended up being what I call “Skinny Fat”. What I mean by that is I lost weight and a couple of inches around my waist, but it was almost entirely muscle mass. My fat as a percentage of my body weight actually increased… I was losing muscle to shed a few pounds.. NOT good.

I started out 6 months ago thinking I could just eat anything, and if I worked out hard enough,  I would still lose weight.. doesn’t work that way.  I found I didn’t have the energy to work out, was exhausted, and wasn’t losing weight.. as a matter of fact, again I was starting to eat away at muscle and storing fat.. that’s what happens when your body is starved (scientific studies of famine explain this).

What I discovered… was getting good things in you body, promotes weight loss.

 I’m one of those people that skipped breakfast.. yep… heaven forbid I have anything more than, a strong cup of coffee for breakfast.

Given my lack of energy, and stalled out losing weight, I started to look for something to get my weight loss effort moving.  Because of the ingredients in Shakeology… lots of protein , antioxidants, etc… I started having Shakeology for breakfast.

Just that one little change made a huge difference.  Shakeology in the morning takes your body out of the “fasting” of 8 plus hours since your last meal, and gives your body something it can actually use a fuel.

eventually  I started eating protein bars, and instead of pretzels and nuts for a snack.. and making sure there was little fat and plenty of protein in my meals,  but soooo much can be accomplished by just making sure you start the day out right.

I made a drastic transformation that was only possible by eating right, and intense exercise following the P90x workout, but I know that is not for everybody..

If  you don’t have an hour a day for P90x and still want to lose weight, at the very least give the Shakeology 30 day challenge a try… if it for some reason you don’t think it’s for you, Beachbody will give you your money back.. and they do! I had a “One on One” that I thought was a leg routine, and even opened, beachbody refunded my money.  so if you don’t care for Shakeology, ask for a refund.

That said,,,I am convinced that the fuel in Shackeology  feeds your body, and boosts your metabolism. This makes all the difference in the world…  even with light exercise you need  to FEED YOUR BODY to lose weight

Try a combination of brisk 20 minute walks with Shakeology or Tony Horton’s 10 Minute Trainer with Shakeology (Tony is da man, if you want to get fit)

I lost 50 pounds, and 6 inches from my waist. It wouldn’t have been possible without the right food.

Check out Shakeology and let me know what you think.. I’m betting you’ll find it as good as I do…

I’m right here waiting to hear from you

You probably hate dieting, i don’t know anybody that does. So when I began my journey to a better body I ate the same stuff, for better or worst, as I had been eating.

Without a good diet you will see and feel changes in your body within the first 10 days of the P90X . You will start to firm up, your cloths will fit looser… in short you’ll see a difference.

you might lose a couple of pounds, but if weight loss is your goal, you need to not just reduce your calories, you have to “eat right”.

I started drinking Shakeology as a meal replacement, and an extra serving, on strength training days, as a little energy boost, and my weight loss accelerated.. no BS!

If you use the one-two punch of diet and exercise, there is no stopping what you can accomplish.. to date I’ve lost 50 pounds, and only expected to lose 10 to 20 pounds… max, when I started.

The thing about Shakeology is that it is more than a protein drink, it boosts energy without the use of caffeine, has antioxidants, vitamins and more than I can explain myself.. it is one of the most well thought out products I’ve ever run across. Mostly ’cause it works.

Now don’t think you have to have all your meals through a straw, far from it..  I eat a regular dinner and try to keep it low fat/high protein, but once a week I have a “cheat” day. 

When I say “cheat” , I really mean “CHEAT” …

I eat anything  that’s not nailed down, don’t care what the calorie count, what the fat content, or the number of carbs… but the first thing I do on “cheat day” is have a glass of Shakeology.. it gets my metabolism going and really seems to minimise the feeding frenzy that’s about to start.

I recommend a cheat day for one simple reason, if you diet all the time, you get to feeling like your in food prison, start to resent the diet, and end up cheating all the time.. if you allow yourself one day a week to go hog wild, you can  stick to getting in the best shape of your life longer, maybe for the rest of your life… it’s worked for me.

If you are SERIOUS about getting a body that everyone will envy, give Shakeology and P90X together.. in 90 days you will be amazed!

Find out more about Shakeology Click Here

Find out more about P90x Click Here

Tony is only loosely scripted in the one on one series.  Also a bit more of his personality shows through which could be a positive or negative depending on how much you like ‘raw’ Horton.  There is no warm up so come to the party warmed up beforehand.  The toughest part came at the end where Tony has re-made the static arm curl exercise into ‘crazy 8’s’.  At double the reps per round, this bicep exercise is a killer.

I’ll be doing this one again!

My P90X/Shakeology tranformation at 52 years old

I’ve been a bit remiss about posting… so just to let you know.. the dream continues

I’ve now completed round 2 of P90X and even then I relaxed a bit, let me tell you why…

My metabolism is on fire, I eat healthy but eat  A LOT.  I’m the guy that thought a fat burning metabolism was something you were born with, not something you could train your body to become (I was wrong)

I’m not sure if it’s the Shakeology I start my day with, but I’m kinda guessing that helps a bunch.  it’s not just a protein/antioxidant drink.. there are all kinds of beneficial ingredients in the shake, that are better explained by Beachbody, All I know is… I lost 50 lbs, without losing muscle mass.

I reduced my P90X exercise to 3 1/2 hours a week, I’m still gaining muscle, and losing fat. I’ve now lost 50 pounds and holding steady, but getting a ripped body at the same time.. and remember,  I’m almost 53 years old, and was never an athlete of had the benefit of being whipped into shape by the military.

This is simply amazing to me.. nothing short of a miracle to me.

If you’d like to change you life, I highly recommend eating right, start your day with Shakeology, and do P90X classic, even if you only do the strength and ab training. (muscle burns fat..it’s true)

Fish doen't have to stick to the grill

Grilling makes food taste great, no big mess to clean up, and LOW in fat.

Fish is one of my favorites to grill  because it’s high in protein and low in fat, but most people have a real problem with it sticking to the grill, and end up with half of the fish falling in the abyss of fiery hot coals, where it’s totally incinerated. It’s not surprising most people walk away from the idea of grilling fish.

First use a firm fish, halibut, and my personal favorite salmon.The fish can cut to be steaks, fillets, skin on or skin off it doesn’t matter.

rub the fish on both sides with a little olive oil (you don’t need drench it)

Use a “dry rub” make your own with salt. pepper, your favorite herbs and spices or get a store bought rub (actually some really good ones out there.. check out Urban Accents.. good stuff)

Arrange your hot coals on one side of the grill, don’t place the fish directly over the coals it cooks too fast

NOW THE SECRECT… cut a raw potato in half, rub the cold grate of the grill with the raw potato, getting the starch juice of the potato all over the metal… this will create something for the fish to stick to during the cooking process.. instead of the metal of the grill it sticks to a micro thin layer of potato starch

Place the potato coated grate on the grill, and allow to heat up for a minute or two. Move the grate (if you can so the really hot part is now over the cooler part of the grill (so you can have nice grill marks)

Place the rubbed fish skin side up on the grill, even skinned fillets have a “skin side” (presentation side always gets cooked first) cover the grill and allow fish to cook 3 to 5 minutes, turn and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.

A nice thing to have for fish is a long spatula with a sharp edge at the business end.. these are relatively cheap and make turning the fish easier.

There you have it… grilled fish in one piece

To recap, the things to remember.. coat the grill grate with raw potato, cook over indirect heat and use a long spatula and you’ll be all set for a low cal, great tasting fish.

One of these days I’m moving to a warm beach, and grill year-round

I just can’t subject myself to that kind of prison.. instead I just do my best to eat sensibly, since I’m the chief cook in the house, I can control what I eat (and everyone else).  Because I can’t cook 6 times a day,  I consume a lot of protein bars, and have Shakeology for breakfast and as a late afternoon snack on “strength training” days..(YOU NEED PROTEIN)  my cooking is pretty much confined to dinner

For 6 days a week I avoid bread, pasta, fatty sauces, and sweets

I instead limit my diet to  lean meat (as much as I can). eggs, vegetables, and fruit.  That doesn’t mean I throw myself on a sword if I have a piece of bread, some cheese, or a cookie, it means I don’t keep them around the house.

My preferred cooking method is the grill (yea! spring is here!) I’ll grill everything! Fish and Meat, Vegetables and fruit.. if you want to cook it you can use a grill. The nice thing about a grill it imparts a nice flavor and you don’t need a whole lot of fat to cook in.  Summer is perfect for diets

When grilling is not possible, roasting, and pan sauteing is always an option, i use very little olive oil (you don’t need much to cook any thing) and with ingredients like lemon, herbs, and fresh vegetables you can make a very tasty low calorie sauce/side for you meat.

But now that summer is here.. I going to post more about grilling.. as I was writing this it occurred to me to share, how to cook fish on the grill, Fish is a great source of protein, low in fat, and tastes great grilled!

Getting your body in shape over 40 is simpler that you think, but not easy.. does that make sense?

Let me explain.. 

Simple…to get in shape you need a plan and one that works. Don’t just make up your own exercise routine, Ive tried that it just doesn’t work.  You’ll end up setting exercise limits for yourself, and the only thing those limits accomplish, is to limit your success.

I’m a big proponent of P90X cause it’s a well thought out plan, and it will push you beyond your limits.. after farting around, off and on, for decades “getting in shape”  I was able to lose 30 lbs in 90 days with P90x, and did not end up looking like an emaciated old man.. I gain muscle as well (i didn’t even know you could do that at 52 years old).

Not easy.. after the first day, or for some people before they even start, many will say “I can’t do this”… Really you can.

When I started P90x I could barley get out 5 “standard” push-ups, could not do a single pull-up (I mean zero, nada, zip), as a matter of fact there were multiple exercises I could not do a single repetition. On top of that I had old injuries that prohibited doing some exercises.. anyone over the age of 40 has something “broke”.. I have a L4 disc injury, a bad knee and a nagging shoulder problem.. you just need to modify what you do, how you do it, or substitute a different exercise (Tony Houton explains all this on the DVDs)

The other tough part is time.. you really have to commit 1 hour per day for the full 90 days.. some people say to themselves that’s impossible, but if you want to take 20 years off of how you look and feel, you can find the time. For me it ended up being extra time with my teenage son (we’re workout buddies ).  Make working out part of your life. Workout with your spouse, friend, children, whoever.. working out with someone will help push you as well.

That said I stared out doing only the “strength” exercises 3 days a week. I did this for about 3 weeks until my totally out-of-shape body got used to exercising again.. ease into it, but push yourself a little farther each time.. really this produces results.  Of course don’t give up too soon. You’ll see gains in 30 days, 60 days.. but the BIG transformation takes place in the last 30 days.. give it the full 90 days and you’ll be amazed.

My goal when I started was to lose 30 pounds.. I had no real good reason, other than I thought I looked I’d look fairly decent weighing in at 180.

after 30 days I was pretty sure I’d have to revise my goals… I wasn’t disappointed in the program, because I has lost about 7 pounds, my clothes were getting loose, it just wasn’t on track to lose 30 pounds.

after 60 days.. I was positive I’d have to revise my goal.  I had, what I considered fabulous progress, I felt and looked great compared to where I started, but still  having lost only half my weight loss goal and only 30 days left, it seemed losing the full 30 pounds just wasn’t going to happen.

this is where my knowledge of human physiology was lacking.

It seemed the first 60 days were just “setting the stage” for huge gains in muscle development, and weight loss.  I was simply amazed those last 30 days how rapid the changes to my body were coming.  60 days of plugging away were paying big dividends the last 30 days!

If you’ve read any of this blog at all, you know I lost the full 30 pounds in 90 days, half of the weight loss in the last 30 days.

Of course I didn’t quit there, I continue to do the P90x program 5 days a week (3 strength, and 2 cardio routines) and lost an additional 14 pound, for a total of 44 pounds.

Most people give the program the full 90 days to work. Statistically many quit after 30 days. 

If you’ve started P90X and wondering where you BIG change is.. stick to it, give it the full 90 days and give your best effort.. you’ll see the results. I guarantee it.

The belt keeps a record of my weight loss

I gotta say this up front… guys usually don’t have “skinny” jeans.  We’ll keep sweatshirts, Hawaiian shirts, bomber jackets forever, mostly ’cause they are hard to grow out of (aka: get too fat to fit into).

So what I did was buy what were going to be my “skinny” jeans. so I went out and bought a pair of 30 inch waist Levis.

I had already lost a bunch of weight, but didn’t want to buy some temporary jeans, instead I thought i would walk around in my current, now over-sized jeans, and do my best to keep them up by tightening my belt..  I really had no idea what size jeans I should actually be wearing.

About a week after buying my “skinny” jeans, I was invited to a causal lunch, a blue jeans kind of affair. I was a bit frustrated. I didn’t want to go to the lunch wearing my jeans hanging so low, i look like an aging hip-hop artist, and I didn’t want to spend money on interim jeans. My wife suggested I “just try on the skinny jeans and see if I could get by”.

So I did.. at that moment my “skinny” jeans became my “miracle” jeans.

I had not realized how trim and fit I’d become. I didn’t have to squeeze into the ”skinny” jeans, they actually fit with room to spare.. a miracle!

I guess I had not paid any attention to how my belt was marking off the weight I’d lost.. my belt had become gnarled and permanently marked as each smaller waist size was achieved..

My wife say I need to get a new belt, that my old belt has become to “deformed” to look nice.. I guess she’s right, but maybe a nice belt for going out, and keep my beat up belt for everyday, just to remind me how far I’ve come in 90 days.

I  can’t image a better program the P90X to accomplish your weight loss goals,  simple blew me away what I could achieve at age 52.  I’d be happy to answer any questions.. just fill out the comment form.

Good luck with your weight loss,

Bob

Lost 32 lbs in 90 days

Well the results are in.. it’s been 90 days of using P90x and I have to fess up on how I did (I actually finished the 90 day a while ago, but didn’t get my pics up)

Bottom line… In 90 days, I lost 32 pounds.. to date 44 pounds

So to recap.. my goal was to lose 30 pounds in 90 days. to be honest I didn’t think it was possible.  Given that I’m 52 years old, was never an athlete, and had virtually no physical activity as part of my daily routine in 30 year.   Especially given after the first 30 days I didn’t lose boatloads of weight.  During the first 30 days, hell, for that matter the weight lose was slow the first 60 days, but that last 30 days I became a fat burning machine.  I think it has to due with the muscle mass I built up.

The thing I like best about P90X is you can sculpt your body any way you want.  As I got stronger, and started doing more repetitions of the exercises, I found my muscle foundation was getting leaner. I wanted to add more mass so I bought heavier dumbbells, and started building bigger muscles.. it was that easy to change my body’s

when you come right down to it 90 days is a very short time. that’s about the recovery time of a liposuction operation..lol

Except P90x cost less, and makes you feel better to boot.

People now ask me so what will I do now.. answer… I’m doing P90X again.

I continue to make gains in my fitness, and lose weight. As of this date I’ve lost a total of 44 pounds and am stronger at a half-century then I was when I was 20 years old.

Pretty amazing stuff.. why would I quit?

Just so you don’t think this is all roses, champagne,and I’m being a gushy about P90x,  it is tough to get started when you are out of shape, There is a very good chance you will hate this program, and you will have days where you have to force yourself to work out. No matter what do the workouts.. Even a half-assed workout is better than no workout at all.. really I’m proof.

I blog a lot on several subjects (I restore old cars, cook, and golf) but I don’t promote a lot of stuff.. this is the one product that truly lives up to it’s claims,  but ONLY if you “Bring It”