Day 29

Exam day today. Prior to my exam I had to force myself to eat

-1/4 plate of brown rice
-1 boiled egg

After my exam, felt great, time for a celebratory meal. This type of meal will happen very rarely in my life from now on:

-2 A&W PAPPA BURGERS
-1 BIG FAT DIET COKE

Felt like crap after that, though.

When I got home I ate:

-1 granny smith apple
-2 plates of Turkey & red bean chili with whole wheat macaroni
-2 small Danone Silhouette yoghurts with a handful of almonds

Day 28

Pre-exam day today, I've taken the day off from work but exam stress is seriously messin' with my appetite.

Everything I ate today:

-2 plate-sized home made pizzas made with olive oil and whole wheat flour
-2 Danone Silhouette yoghurts with a handful of almonds
-2 grany smith apples

Day 27 - Supper

-1/2 a plate of whole grain brown rice
-1/2 a plate of yellow split peas fried in Canola oil with red peppers and dill

Day 27 - Lunch

-1/2 a plate of whole wheat pasta with Beschamel sauce
-1/2 a plate of brown long grain rice
-1 boiled chicken breast
-1 medium bowl of house salad (romaine, onions, tomato and lemon juice)

Day 27 - Breakfast

-1 plate of turkey and red bean chili
-2 slices of Dempster's whole wheat bread, stone milled
-1 glass of Perrier with lemon

Day 26 - Lupper!

Lupper is a combination of Lunch and Supper. In case you're wondering, yes I only had two meals today. I'm studying for an exam and the stress totally jigs my appetite and makes me have acne breakouts :(

-1 plate of homemade pizza with whole-wheat dough
-1 small Yoghurt with almonds
-1 glass of skim milk
-2 granny smith apples

Day 26 - Brunch

-1 plate of Turkey and red bean chili
-3 slices of Dempster's multi-grain whole grain bread
-100g of Cheddar cheese
-1 TALL Glass of O.J.
-1 piece of Homemade Pizza (whole wheat dough!)

Day 25 - Supper

Back home!

-1/2 a plate of baked sole
-1/2 a plate of steamed broccoli and carrots
-2 slices of whole wheat bread
-1 glass of skim milk

Day 25 - Lunch

-1 small bruschetta
-2 slices of whole-wheat bread with tomato and basil
-1 medium shrimp & escargot pizza
-1 glass of Perrier with lemon

Day 25 - Breakfast

-1/2 a plate of scrambled eggs
-2 slices of whole-wheat bread
-2 small sausages
-1 slice of swiss cheese
-2 glasses of Tropicana refigerated O.J.

Day 24 - Supper II

Business supper out of town! Whoops, did not plan for it. Still, not time to act weird in front of clients

-1 Hamburger with Oka Cheese
-1 Fruit Salad
-1 tray of various cheeses
-2 tall glasses of Perrier

Day 24 - Supper

-3 slices of whole wheat bread
-2 cans of Tuna & Olive Oil
-1 can of of Maple Leaf Salmon salad
-500 mL of Perrier with Lemon

Day 24 - Lunch

-1 plate of romaine lettuce with 2 spoons of parmesan cheese
-1 filet of grilled Salmon
-1 slice of white bread

Day 24 - Breakfast

Out of town on business for 2 days. Diet is going to shit... for 2 days.

-1/2 a plate of scrambled eggs
-1 slice of whole wheat bread
-1 cup of Hash Brown potatoes
-2 small sausages
-2 glasses of Orange Juice
-1 small Yoghurt

Day 22 - Late night snack

-1 slice of whole wheat bred with bio peanut butter

Day 22 - Workout + Supper

Hit the gym shortly after lunch:

-15 mins of Intense Cardio on the Elliptical trainer
-3x7 Dumbell presses
-3x8 military press
-3x8 lat pulldowns
-3x10 rows
-Rotator Cuff Exercises
-5 mins of stretching

Then I got home and had some salmon baked in mushrooms, olive oil and a hint of butter, along with some almonds and a glass of Perrier with lemon juice.

Day 22 - Lunch

-1/2 a plate of Boston Lettuce
-1/2 a boiled chicken breast
-1/2 a plate of Long Grain Brown Rice

Day 22 - Breakfast

-1 Big Ass Green Salad (Aragula, Boston Lettuce, Green Lettuce, Green Onions, Broccoli, Lemon Juice)
-1/2 a boiled chicken breast
-1/2 a plate of Long Grain Brown Rice

Day 21 - Exercise + Late Night Snack

Exercise was light today, a 40 minute mallwalk to pass time and wait for rush hour to end before I could get home.

Had a piece of bread with Hummus and some almonds before hitting the sack.

Day 21 - Supper

-1 plate of whole wheat pasta with Turkey chili
-2 pieces of Camembert cheese
-2 small chicken fingers
-1 can of Perrier

Day 21 - Lunch

Business lunch today, which means, of course, a bad meal.

-1 Boston salad with no dressing (man this was tough)
-1 glass of Perrier with Lemon
-1 Smoked Meat sandwich with Swiss cheese and Mushrooms
-1/2 a plate of Home fries!!! <-- felt sick for 2 hours after this.

Day 21 - Breakfast

Have I been at this for 3 weeks already?

-Whole wheat macaroni with mom's home-made Bologna sauce
-1 glass of skim milk
-1 granny smith apple

Day 20 - Late night at the office

Went back to the office after class, client wanted a report for TOMORROW!!!!

Luckily I had snacks on hand

-1 slice of whole wheat bread
-1 handful of almonds
-1 spoon of Hummus

Day 20 - Supper

Had a Shawarma plate before class, sans the pita bread.

Headed over to Jugo Juice and ordered the LeguMax drink. What is the LeguMax? It is freshly pressed beet, spinach, celeri and carrot juice. It is quite possibly the most disgusting thing one can order, but one back with antioxydants, fibre and vitamins.

Day 20 - Lunch

-1 plate of brown whole grain rice with boiled chick peas
-1 tuna burger (bun, tuna patty, tomatoes -- no mayo!)
-1/2 a plate of Tabouleh salad

Day 20 - Breakfast

-1 plate of whole wheat pasta with Turkey chili
-1 glass of Tropicana O.J. not from concentrate
-1 glass of Perrier with lime

Day 19 - After Supper + Exercise

Man, it's been a rough 2 days at work. I've been running around everywhere like a chicken without a head. I think I've done 800 km in the last 2 days.

I was so burned to a crisp when I got home that I just took a 1 hour walk. I'll admit 25 minutes of that one hour were spent staring at cars on the lot at a dealership near my house.

After that, I came home and ate 2 small yoghurts, a handful of almonds and 1/2 a slice of whole wheat bread with Hummus.

Day 19 - Supper

-2 plates of sole and baked potato
-1 slice of vegetarian pizza
-1 glass of Perrier with lime

Day 19 - Breakfast & Lunch

-1 multigrain bagel with cream cheese
-2 slices of whole wheat bread with Hummus
-1 banana
-1 granny smith apple

Then:

-4 or 5 strawberries
-3 or 4 pieces of cantaloupe
-2 spoons of Hummus
-1 boiled egg white
-1 cup of Green salad (no dressing)
-1 cup of Broccoli and Cauliflower
-2 scoopes of 3 bean salad
-1 diet coke
-1 glass of freshly pressed carrot juice

Day 18 - Supper

-1 big slab of baked salmon with baked potatoes
-2 1/2 slices of whole wheat bread
-2 tbsp. of Hummus
-60g of Cheddar cheese
-1 small yoghurt and 4 or 5 almonds
-250 mL of skim milk

Day 18 - Lunch

-1/2 a plate of home-made Turkey chili
-1 large beef hotdog (and man did I feel like crap after. I have learned my lesson!)
-1 handful of almonds

Day 18 - Breakfast

-1 plate of Beef & Tomato stew
-1 slice of Whole grain 9-grain bread
-1 MacIntosh apple
-1 glass of Perrier with Lemon juice

Day 17 - Late Night Snack

Had this just now

-1 slice of whole grain 9-grain bread
-1 tomato
-2 boiled egg whites
-65g of Cheddar cheese

Day 17 - Workout

32 minutes on the bike, medium intensity. Burned about 200 kcals.

Day 17 - Supper

-1 filet of sole, baked on Olive Oil with Mushrooms
-1/2 a plate of baked potatos with Ketchup
-1/2 a plate of raw broccoli sprinkled with fresh lemon juice
-1 perrier with lemon juice
-1/2 a plate of brown Basmati rice
-2 bites of chicken breast without the skin (boiled)
-1 handful of almonds

Day 17 - Lunch

-1 smoked meat sandwich on whole wheat baguette bread w/ mustard
-1 pickle
-1 glass of Diet Coke

Day 17 - Breakfast

-1 plate of whole wheat pasta with Turkey and Red Kidney Bean Chili
-1 glass of Perrier with a sprinkle of Lemon

Day 16 - Supper + Everything after

-1 plate of Turkey and Red Kidney bean chili
-2 slices of Dempster's whole whear stonemilled bread
-1 banana

Then, took a walk and had:

-2 handfuls of mixed almonds and peanuts

Then, came home and had:

-1 filet of baked salmon with mushrooms
-1/2 a plate of raw broccoli with lemon juice
-1 plate of whole grain 9-grain bread with Hummus
-1 glass of skim milk

Day 16 - Workout

-13 minutes of high-intensity cardio on the elliptical trainer
-3x8 hack squats alternating with 3x8 calf raises
-3x8 rear leg raises alternating with 3x8 side leg raises for each leg
-3x10 hamstring curls
-10 minutes low intensity cardio on stat bike
-10 minutes of stretching

Day 16 - Lunch

-1/2 a plate of Turkey & Red Kidney bean Chili (home made, again)
-2 slices of Dempster's stonemilled whole wheat bread
-1/3 a plate of steamed carrots
-1/2 a plate of steamed celeri -- green vegetable requirement!
-1/3 a plate of steamed cauliflower with 1 tsp. of unsalted butter
-2 glasses of Perrier with a sprinkling of lime

Day 16 - Breakfast

-1/2 a plate of mom's whole wheat macaroni with Beschamel sauce (made with whole wheat flour also!)
-1 egg fried in PAM cooking spray
-2 slices of Dempster's whole wheat stonemilled bread
-2 tsp. of Hummus
-150 mL of Tropicana O.J. not from concentrate

Day 15 - Workout

-15 minutes of cardio on the elliptical trainer, pulse at 170 bpm for 12 of those minutes
-3x8 dumbell press
-3x10 military press
-rotator cuff exercises
-3x8 lat pull-downs
-3x8 bent-over rows
-10 mins of light cardio on the ski machine
-10 mins of stretching.

Day 15 - Rest of the day

Here is what I ate over the rest of the day:

-2 granny smith apples
-1 banana
-1 chicken sandwich (2 slices of whole wheat bread, boiled chicken breast, romaine lettuce, onion, generous amount of Hummus)
-1/2 an avocado
-2 bites of a whole wheat bagel
-1 slice of whole wheat bread with Hummus
-1 handful of peanuts
-2 cans of Maple Leaf salmon salad
-1 can of Lemon Pepper tuna
-50 g of Cheddar cheese

Day 15 - Breakfast & Lunch

Well, it's hard to believe I've already been at this for two weeks.

I don't look any different, I must admit. However, I feel different. I have more energy than before, I don't get the "itis" anymore in the afternoon because of those heavy meals full of saturated fat that I've stopped eating (when I can avoid them, obviously), and I'm sleeping better at night. In fact, I'm sleeping more.

My clothes are starting to fit a little bit better as well.

But still, no one has commented on any changes is appearance, and I have not noticed any myself. I was warned when I did this that the first few months are the toughest during long-term, slow & steady weight loss and I see that is true now. It is indeed tough to get the ball rolling.

However, I don't regret the sacrifices I've made thus far -- In point of fact, I don't even miss the hamburgers and fries because I've become so accustomed to low sodium foods that the few times I've eaten out, such as the Chinese restaurant during Week 1, as soon as the food has hit my tongue I've been a bit revulsed. I'm just not used to salt anymore.

Of course, I have had 6 bad meals in the period of 2 weeks. However, the rest of them have been homecooked with quality ingredients (olive oil, no salt, boiled meats to get rid of all the fats prior) -- in other words exemplary. I have noticed I do manage to consume 5-10 fruits or vegetables, but not many of them are green veggies, those friends to all in good shape. I've decided to try to incorporate them a bit more into my diet at supper time during week days. I won't be having them for lunch because I just don't like 3-hour old salad that I'd be bringing from home, and I can't trust the salad bars in the food court near the office (I've gotten sick on the lettuce there a few times). During week ends, I want try to eat at least 1 serving of greens twice a day (lunch and supper). Starting today.

So, I will add them to my list of staple foods. In case you're wondering, I try to eat, at least a few times in the week, the following items:



-Walnuts or almonds
-Garlic (either in Hummus, or crushed raw into a salad)
-Lemon Juice or Lime Juice
-Milk
-Broccoli or Cauliflower
-Tomato


Anyway, here is what I had for breakfast

-2 eggs fried in PAM canola-oil non-stick cook spray
-2 slices of Dempster's whole wheat stonemilled bread
-1 spoon of Hummus
-1 spoon of Bio Peanut butter
-3 Grissol Whole wheat + Soy Canapés
-2 glasses of Tropicana Orange Juice not from Concentrate

Then, I played Nintendo Wii for awhile, making sure to actually do the motions during Wii Tennis sessions (though I won't count this as today's workout, which will be going down in a few hours at the gym).

I got a bit hungry, and for lunch I had

-2 glasses of Perrier with sprinkled lime juice
-3 or 4 bites of boiled chicken breast

And, quite possibly, the most bizarre salad ever made. Oh here, let me show you:

Day 14 - Workout

35 minutes of the bike - 15 minutes sprinting, 20 minutes light, keeping my pulse at 130-145 bpm.

Day 14 - Supper

-1 plate of home made Turkey & Tofu chili
-2 slices of Dempster's whole wheat bread
-1/2 a slice of Dempster's whole wheat stonemilled bread covered in Hummus
-1 glass of Perrier with lemon juice

Day 14 - Lunch

-1 smoked meat sandwich with mustard on whole wheat bread
-1/2 a pickle
-1 handful of walnut cores
-7 or 8 almonds

Day 14 - Breakfast

-1 plate of whole wheat macaroni with Turkey & Tofu Chili
-1 dz. strawberries
-400 mL of Tropicana O.J. not from concentrate

Day 13 - Supper

-1 1/2 plates of 4-bean salad (Corn, Green beans, Kidney Beans, chick peas) garnished with freshly pressed lemon juice, onions and parsley
-2 slices of Dempster's whole wheat bread, one covered in Hummus and one in organic peanut butter
-1 handful of walnuts
-7 or 8 grapes

Today was a rough day. I spent the whole day running around at the office, and class was a complete drag. I felt like I spent the whole day on my feet. I'm hittin' the sack in about 5 minutes. I have not been to the gym in 2 days, you can be sure that's where I'll be tomorrow night after work.

Day 13 - Pre-class Snack

-3 glasses of skim milk
-1 bowl of Nature's Path Flax/Whole wheat cereal
-1 banana

Day 13 - Lunch

-1/2 a plate of Shawarma beef
-1/4 plate of Tabouleh salad
-1/4 plate of chick pea salad

Day 13 - Breakfast

-2 fried eggs, cooked in PAM Canola oil cooking spray
-2 slices of brown bread with Margerine!! (The restaurant did this even though I asked them not to!)
-1 glass of freshly pressed carrot juice
-2 glasses of skim milk

Day 12 - Supper

-2 boiled egg whites
-2 filets of baked sole with baked potatos (baked in Olive Oil)
-1 bowl of garden salad sprinkled with freshly pressed lemon juice
-1/2 a head of raw Bio broccoli sprinkled with freshly pressed lemon juice
-1 cup of Peanuts
-1 glass of Perrier sprinkled with freshly pressed lemon juice

Day 12 - Lunch

-4 kamikaze sushi rolls
-1 plate of whole wheat macaroni with home-made Turkey & Tofu chili
-1 banana
-1 handful of almonds

Day 12 - Breakfast

I SKIPPED IT!!!

Day 11 - Workout & Late Night Snack

Today was Torso / Lower back day at the gym:

-12 minutes cardio on the elliptical trainer
-4x10 crunches on Atlantis crunch machine
-3x8 oblique cable pulls
-3x10 reverse crunches for lower back
-2x15 seconds : reverse v-sits
-3x10 torso twists on the Atlantis machine
-7.5 minutes on the the elliptical trainer
-5 minutes of light stretching


Got home and ate:

-1 small and 1 large boiled egg white
-2 spoons of long grain brown rice
-5 Soy & Whole wheat canapés, covered with Low-fat cream cheese
-1 banana
-1 spoon of organic peanut butter.
-1 glass of skim milk, 0.1% M.F.

and then ate...

-1 Italian tomato

Day 11 - Supper

-1 plate of homemade Turkey & Tofu chili
-3 slices of Dempster's whole wheat bread with Flax
-1/2 a plate of homemade Tabouleh salad
-3 walnut cores

Day 11 - Lunch

Business lunch at a Thai restaurant today:

-Red chicken curry with steamed rice
-1 diet coke

Day 11 - Breakfast

-1 plate of home-made Turkey & Tofu chili
-3 slices of Dempster's whole wheat bread with Flax
-1 glass of Tropicana O.J. not from concentrate

Day 10 - Late Night Snack

-2 spoons of home-made Turkey & Tofu chili
-1 slice of Dempter's whole wheat bread with Flax seeds

Day 10 - Supper

-2 tbsp of mom's homemade tomato sauce
-2 slices of Dempster's whole grain 12-grain bread (750 calories today from bread alone!)
-3/4 of a plate of home made 3-bean salad (parsely, steamed carrots, steamed celeri, chick peas, kidney beans, boiled grean beans, freshly pressed lemon juice, fresh onions)
-2 boiled egg whites

Day 10 - Lunch

-1/2 a plate of boiled, whole grain rice
-1/2 a chicken breast without the skin
-1 banana
-1 granny smith apple
-1 cup of tea with 2 tbsp of 2% milk

Day 10 - Breakfast

Breakfast consisted of 3 slices of Dempster's whole grain 12-grain bread, one of which was covered in herbs & garlic flavoured cream cheese and a glass of Tropicana O.J. not from concentrate. And I had a banana. Yes, I missed the alarm.

Day 9 - Workout and Late Night Snack

Hit the gym for legs last night, here is what I did:

-11 mins cardio
-4x8 hack squats
-3x10 hamstring curls
-2x12 calf raises
-3x8 reps on the abductor machine
-3x8 reps on the adductor machine
-4x10 mule kicks with cables - to hit those GLUTES!
-15 mins of stretching
-10 mins cardio

Got home and scarfed down:

-1 slice of Dempster's whole grain 12-grain bread, 1/2 covered in herbs & garlic flavoured cream cheese, 1/2 covered in all-natural, bio peanut butter.
-1/2 a boiled chicken breast
-1 granny smith apple.

Day 8 - Benchmarks!!!

Ok, here is a side/front view of me that demonstrate just how much farther I have to do:


I have also weighed in at 259.2 lbs on a digital scale at the gym.

I will eventually be measuring my waist as well.

Day 8 - All meals so far

Today, the Nintendo Wii was released so I've kind of been grazing all day while playing. Quite a bit of exercise can be had playing this console, I tried out Wii Tennis and it can be a bit frenetic trying to return serves properly. I also picked up GT Pro Racing, and done a few laps and I gotta say the interactivity of the driving is pretty fun. I still can't finish better than 10th in a field of 12 using a Nissan Skyline GTR, but I guess that may improve.

I recommend playing the Wii standing up to get maximum exercise benefits.

Anyway, here is what I've eaten today:

-1 boiled egg white
-1 bowl of Nature's Path organic bran flakes with skim milk
-1 glass of skim milk
-1 glass of perrier with squeezed lemon juice
-1 chicken sandwich: 2 slices of Dempster's whole grain 12-grain bread, some lettuce, 1/2 a tbsp. of 50% fat mayo, 1/2 an onion and 1/2 a chicken breast, boiled w/o skin.
-1 plate of Spring Salad Mix (baby spinach, romaine lettuce, aragula) garnished with lemon juice
-1 fresh tomato
-2 plates of home-made hummus with 2 whole wheat pita breads
-12 grapes.
-8 or 9 almonds

Day 7 - Supper & Workout

Tomorrow, I'll be posting statistics about my weight & measurements. We can start tracking my progress a little bit better this way.

For supper

-1 raw tomato
-1/2 a boiled chicken breast without the skin
-1/2 a plate of steamed cauliflower and broccoflower doused in freshly-pressed lemon juice
-1 slice of Dempster's 12-grain whole wheat bread, spread with organic peanut butter (no trans fats, very little saturated fats, no hydrogenated oils, and yes, it has to go in the fridge to be kept)
-25g of strong Cheddar cheese

I then headed over to a buddy of mine's favourite gym and banged out this work out:

-10 minutes on the elliptical trainer
-4 x 8 barbell presses
-4 x 8 military press
-4 x 6 lat pull-downs
-4 x 6-8 rows
-4 x 5 tricep cable pulldowns
-10 minutes on the elliptical trainer
-15 minutes of stretching

After that, I consumed two boiled eggs, one of them sans the yolk.

Day 7 - Lunch

-2 cans of Maple Leaf salmon salad
-1/2 a plate of boiled whole grain rice
-1 handful of almonds and walnuts
-1 glass of Tropicana O.J. not from concentrate
-5 M&M's
-1/2 a whole wheat bagel with 1 tbsp. of garlic & herbs cream cheese (25% M.F.)
-1 large bowl of home-made Tabouleh salad, containing mint, parsley, wheat bulgar, tomatoes, freshly pressed lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and green onions. The single most significant ingredient in this salad is the parsely. So yes, I used it as a base, rather than as a garnish.

Day 7 - Breakfast

It's Saturday, that means I can relax for awhile, not rush anywhere and take my goddam time for once!

So far, I've eaten:

-2 fried eggs, fried without oil or butter (used PAM cooking spray)
-2 slices of Dempster's whole-grain ancient grains whole wheat bread
-2 bananas
-1 bowl of Kashi GoLean cereal with skim milk

Yes, a breakfast of champions!

Day 6 - Late Night Snack

Yesterday being an extra-long day (was up from 6 AM to midnight), I had an extra meal before bed since I was starving.

-1 bowl of Kashi GoLean cereal with 1% skim milk
-2 bananas

I'm going to finish up this box of Kashi cereal and move on. Though it's been a great source of fibre and soy protein, a more educated perusal of the ingredients indicated a big amount of sugar (in various deceptive marketing forms : Evaporated cane juice, corn syrup, honey, etc.) that I do not need. I will be going through the cereal isle a bit more closely in the future to select a suitable replacement.

Day 6 - Supper

-1 boiled chicken breast without the skin
-1 bowl of home-made Lentil soup (no salt or oil used!)
-1 slice of Costco 9-grain bread
-1 tsp. of butter
-1 diet coke

Day 6 - Lunch

-5 Rold Gold Pretzels
-1 can of Maple Leaf Tuna with Olive Oil
-1 granny smith apple
-5 M&M's
-1 handful of almonds

Day 6 - Breakfast

Had a meeting with one of my many bosses this morning at 7:30, which is usually when I wake up. So, I packed bunch of Kashi GoLean cereal in a container and hauled it off to work. After the meeting, I went to the coffee shop in the building bought a banana and 500 mL of Skim milk. So there was breakfast.

Day 5 - Lunch & Supper

Thursdays are my worst day, typically. I have post-graduate classes right after work, and while at work, I move around a lot as a client-serving professional. I find it grossly inconvenient to haul mammoth lunches around from place to place so I generally end up eating out, twice. This is the only day such transgressions occur and today was no different.

A client invited me to a Chinese restaurant today, and you just can't say no in that situation. So here I was, in a place where even the vegetables are fried. Since I eat Chinese about 5 times a year, I do not have a damage control strategy for these places (such as ordering a Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad without dressing, as a I would do at a Chicken joint). So, I ate, for lunch, a nice serving of Shanghai noodles (white flour, sadly) and Chicken. The only thing I could do was not finish the plate, which I didn't, considering the ridiculously oversized servings you get at Chinese restaurants.

Supper was largely the same. I tried to skip it all together and picked up some freshly pressed carrot and apple juice, about 500 mL at a juice stand that is between the office and the University. About an hour later, my stomach was grumbling so much I could no longer concentrate in class, so I went down to the in-campus sandwich shop. Anybody who eats "on campus" knows that the food quality is something a starving Ethiopian might be apalled at. The only thing I could find with whole wheat was Tuna Melt, which is basically a Mayo/Onion/Tuna sandwich with a slice of process cheese melted onto it. Well, it was either eat fat, or eat refined grains. I went with the fat. Was I wrong? Who knows.

My exercise of the day consisted of 30 minutes of walking to and from the University, as I had left my car at the office.

We'll be back on track tomorrow, though.

Day 5 - Breakfast

Had a lunch-ish breakfast today:

-1/2 a boiled chicken breast without the skin
-1 fresh banana
-1 glass of Tropicana O.J. not from Concentrate
-1/2 a cup of steamed carrots
-1/2 a cup of steamed broccoli
-1 pint of Perrier with the juice of two squeezed limes in it

Later on in the day, I had a de-caf with 2 spoons of 2% milk, but I only drank about half of it. It tasted horrible.

Day 4 - Workout

Did my workout after supper yesterday. Taking 2 days without weights now since my whole body has been weight trained this week. So it's pretty basic:

- 20 minutes of brisk walking
- 20 minutes of stationary bike
- 15 minutes of stretching

Day 4 - Snacks & Supper

Here is what I snacked on before supper

-2 red apples
-175 mL of 2% milk

Here is what I had for supper

-1 big plate of boiled whole wheat Macaroni with my home-made Chili.

This was, in fact, what I had planned to eat for lunch. I ended up staying late at the office, and since I had not eaten my lunch for, well... lunch, I ate it for supper. Why not save the money?

Chili is all done for the week, there is now none left. I've had 4 servings of red meat this week also, so I'm going to try to stay away from it for the rest of the week.

Day 4 - Lunch

"The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry"

Indeed.

I had made my lunch for today last night, actually. Boiled some whole wheat macaroni, threw in some chili, some apples and some tuna and then at the office, I got swept up in a last minute business lunch. This happens a lot in my field.

So, I wound up at a Smoked Meat restaurant where temptation was abound. So were the foods that could derail my entire plan - like delicious, scrumptious house fries, or salad dressings with enough fat to make a warthog blush. I knew I could not avoid eating salty, fatty meats here but I did have some damage control options.

-1 smoked meat sandwich on rye bread with mustard
-1 plate of house salad (green lettuce, tomato, red pepper) with 1 tsp. of black Balsamic vinaigrette
-1/4 of a dill pickle
-1 glass of diet coke.

Overall, I was satisfied. I stayed away from the two main threats, which were fries and mayonnaise-laden coleslaw. The diet Coke is a bit of a setback because of the caffeine and the artificial sweetener now causing an insulin spike, but luckily no calories are coming with it.

Day 4 - Breakfast

Woke up today, did not have time to cook or warm anything.

-1 bowl of Kashi GoLean cereal with 1% milk

That's it. Short & sweet.

Day 3 - Late Night Snack

So, I'm definitely thinking my ankle is O.K. and I've just pulled a calf muscle.

Before going to bed, here is what I ate:
-1 can of Maple Leaf tuna fish with Olive Oil
- 1/2 a can of Maple Leaf Salmon Salad
- 1 small, whole-wheat pita

Day 3 - Workout + Supper

I hurt my ankle during my workout today. I was doing some old basketball drills to warm up and segue into some good cardio, and I felt the back of my ankle pull while jogging in place. Though it doesn't hurt when stationary, it hurts when I walk. As I sit here typing, I can feel it stiffening. I had to stop everything and just do stationary bike. Still, I was able to pull of a few exercises for my legs that did not put any stress on the back of my ankle.

Workout:
-10 mins of cardio drills (skipping rope, side-stepping, skiing in place, jogging in place, etc.)
-5 min. of stationary bike
-3 x 8 dumbell squats
-3 x 8 calf raises
-2 x 12 standing side leg lifts, slow and controlled
-2 x 12 standing rear leg lifts, slow and controlled
-15 minutes of stretching.

It had to be a light workout today because, well, I can't really do much with my legs. Grrr... at least I can still ride stationary bike and workout my upper body properly, so even if this turns out to be a tear or a sprain, I can still forge on in my 180-day mission.

Supper was nice, huge and healthy:

-1 boiled chicken breast without the skin
-1/2 a plate of steamed broccoli w/ 1 teaspoon of butter
-1 cup of fresh raspberries
-1 boiled egg white
-1 cup of whole grain brown rice
-1/2 a boiled potato

Day 3 - Lunch

Lunch, it looked a lot like breakfast.

-2 slices of Dempster's whole wheat Ancient Grains bread
-1 bowl of home-made Chili
-3 tangerines
-2 sticks of celery
-1 can of tuna fish with olive oil
-1 can of Maple Leaf salmon salad

Day 3 - Breakfast

Woke up late again. Is it just me or do I need more sleep to recover from exercise?

Anyway, here is what I had for breakfast

-2 slices of Dempster's whole wheat ancient grains bread
-1 bowl of Chili (again)
-1 glass of Tropicana Orange Juice (not from concentrate)

Day 2 - Workout and Supper

Got home and took 40 minutes to chill out with my little brother, watching NFL network. I hate Atlanta, for NFL Fantasy purposes. You never know which Atlanta Falcons team is going to show up, the one that runs a good college option and throws the occasional long-range bomb for a touchdown and keeps their opponents bewildered the entire game or the one which can't complete a basic screen pass because Michael Vick can't throw a 5-yard ball.

Anyway, today was what I like to call the midsection workout, so basically here is what I did.

-15 minutes of step aerobics to warm up
-30 minutes of calisthenics for my mid-section. I've put on so much weight that these exercises don't feel like high rep, low weight exercises. They feel like high intensity, low rep exercises.

• Basic crunches
• Oblique crunches
• Leg raises
• Twisting crunches
• Twisting leg raises
• Seal raises (lying on your stomach and lifting your torso off the ground)
• Mat swimming (lying on your stomach, lifting left arm/right leg off the ground & vice versa)
• V-sits
• Reverse v-sits

It was a good workout, took about 45 minutes. At that point, I had a bit of a family emergency and could not stretch, which greatly annoyed me. As a former person who could do the splits, flexibility is always important to me.

Anyway, onto supper afterwards:

• 2 filets of breaded sole fried on Olive Oil
• 1 bowl of bean salad, as described previously
• 1/2 a raw broccoflower (a genetically artificial mix of broccoli and cauliflower)
• 1/2 a raw cucumber
• 1/2 a cup of long grain brown rice

A neat supper, but I am still a bit hungry. Might grab some tuna before bed, we'll see. Tomorrow is my least favourite workout: Legs! Still, building up those huge quads to become giant, throbbing fat burning muscles can't be all bad.

Day 2 - Lunch

Had a quick lunch today at 1:30... emergency meeting at Noon prevented me from eating on time. That's life in Cubeville, I guess.

-2 scoops of Chili from last night
-2 mugs full of boiled whole wheat pasta
-1 handful of almonds
-1 Decaf coffee
-

Day 2 - Breakfast & Snack

So I woke up this morning, sore as heck. Wow, I did not expect the lactic acid build up to be so powerful. Even my legs, which I used only for cardio and stretching yesterday, are sore. I will have to replace full-blown cardio today with a long walk instead. Nevertheless, I press on.

I woke up late this morning and I could not make a decent breakfast. So I had last night's Chili. Which I will also be having for lunch.

-1 small plate of home-made Chili

• Boiled minced meat - to drain off the fat, of course.
• 2 tbsp. canola oil
• 2 finely chopped red pepper
• 1 can of Pastene crushed tomatoes (I find this brand works best)
• 1 onion
• Chili powder, cumin, pepper & cayenne pepper to taste

-1 slice of 9-grain bread from Costco
-1 glass of Tropicana Orange Juice (not from Concentrate)

Forgot to boil some kidney beans, so this Chili is straight meat I guess.

Around 11:00 AM, I got hungry and I had about 10 baby carrots also. It's 12:50 PM now, I'm just waiting for a colleague to get lunch going. I'll be having more Chili!

Day 1 - Supper

I had a huge supper last night. I could not help it, I was starving.

- 1 bowl of home-made chick pea & kidney bean salad (with steamed veggies), flavoured with vinegar, parsley, white pepper and lemon juice
- 1 whole-wheat pita with added wheat bran, 1 spoon of mayo, 1/2 an onion and 1 can of tuna fish
- 1 fresh tomato
- 1 bowl of home-made chili, made with pre-boiled meat to get rid of all the meat fat.
- 1/2 a plate of steamed broccoli.
- 1/2 a bowl of the Hummus I profiled below.

Big focus yesterday was on Chick Peas apparently. Today is Monday, I'm at work so I'll have less time to cook. Luckily the Chili I made last night will last a few days.

Day 1 - Workout and Lunch

Alright, back from the gym... Since I have not seriously worked out since May, I decided to take it easy. I'm going to slowly re-introduce my body to working out. Weights were chosen so that I would be tired out after 3 sets of 8-10 reps for each exercise.

Today's focus was upper-body. Midsection will be happening tomorrow and then Lower Body on Tuesday.

10 minutes of cardio, keeping my pulse around 150 beats/minute.
3x10 Flat Dumbell press
3x8 Military Press
Rotator cuff exercises (tore mine once!)
3x8 Back rows
3x6 Lat Pull downs ... by now I was already feeling totally exhaused.
10 minutes of cardio, keeping my pulse at 175 beats/minute.
8 minutes of stretching

I was not hungry as I left the gym but by the time I got home, I was starving. Luckily, no bad foods were around or we could have had a real gorging episode. Here is what I ate:

-1 handful of almonds
-1 Can of canned Maple Leaf Salmon salad (about 200 calories)
-1 boiled chicken breast w/o the skin with 1/2 a fresh onion, 1 tbsp of freshly-pressed lemon juice and 1 tbsp of ketchup as dip.
-1 Granny Smith apple
-1/2 a lime that I cut in quarters and just munched on.
-200 mL's of 1% milk enriched with Vitamins A and D

It's light compared to my usual high-fat, high-calorie lunches. I have a feeling I'll be wanting a snack in about an hour. I also realized I have not eaten any green vegetables, so that'll be coming up tonight for supper.

Day 1 - Breakfast

This is it. I've decided to return to my former physical condition from High School. Ten years of studying and working behind a desk, business lunches, and food on the road have turned me from stud to pud. I'm not sure what I weigh, but it's probably over 250 lbs. I used to be 190 lbs. lean, with muscle.

I think I can do it in 180 days. It may be extreme, but I think it's possible with regular exercise and diet, proper sleep and discipline. I'm going to post every single thing I eat, and what I do for my workouts. I believe it is possible to be in shape without any crazy dieting or bizarre products such as HydroxyCut. A good head on my shoulders and a gym membership will do just fine.

So here goes... what I had for breakfast:

-3 slices of Dempster's ancient grains whole-wheat bread
-2 eggs fried without oil or butter (used PAM cooking spray)
-1 cup of home-made Hummus - recipe below

• 1 small can of boiled chick peas
• 2 tbsp of vinegar
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic (more can be added for garlic lovers)
• 2 tbsp of freshly pressed lemon juice
• white pepper, to taste
• salt, one pinch (but can be done to taste as well)
• 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• Mash everything together except the garlic. Once a paste is formed, let the crushed garlic sit on top of the paste for 1-2 mins. Resume mashing. Eat or Refigerate as soon as finished.

-1 glass of freshly pressed tangerine juice
-1 tsp. of Nutella chocolate spread

I'm off to the gym now, will be back later.