The diet is pretty brutal for a few days after the Very Low Calorie Diet starts.  During the first week I thought about food often, there were even a few nights it was easier to go to bed than think about food.  The Very Low Calorie diet part of the diet is 500 calories per day.   We measured and prepared most of our food in advance.   It seemed weird in the sense that we really do spend a lot of time preparing meals and eating.  This left an extra amount of time during the evening.  An example of a meal (250 calories) is a 3oz piece of chicken and 2 cups of spinach.

The HCG diet does require injections of the HCG hormone.  The HCG hormone helps unlock abnormal fat and burn it.  I have given many injections over the years but this was the first time I had ever given myself an injection.

The diet consists of three phases:

• Loading  – This phase is when you eat a lot of foods.  Focused on fatty food to help you make the transition to the very low calorie diet
• Very Low Calorie Diet – This is when you will lose weight.  Eating only 500 calories per day.
• Stabilization – You keep your body weight within a 4 pound window determined by the weight on the last day of the very low calorie Diet.

Here are my results

Since the January 26, I have been maintaining my weight within 2 pounds of 207.6 on just 2000 calories per day.   I have one more week of stabilization at 2000 calorie and then plan to decrease my calories and increase my exercise to finish up and get to my next goal weight of 190 lbs.  Since college I have not been able to get below 195 lbs but I am hopeful that I can get there.

 

There are seven major traits of an introvert that I could really identify with:

• I often find myself in meetings were I freeze up when put on the spot during meeting where I may be a subject matter expert, but for some reason cannot think fast on my feet.
• I often feel like a tortoise sounded by much faster and quicker people. My communications are often slow and deliberate.
• I am generally really annoyed with interruptions and constant shifts in our plans. I don’t like to interrupt others, I figure because I hate interruptions others probably do too.
• If I get over stimulated I often want to “Zone” out watching TV or surfing the web mindlessly.
• Last year after my wife read my performance review, she summed it up “sounds like you are an Introverted Genius”.  I thought the same thing could be said of the Unabomber.
• I suspect some people have a perception of me as being aloof and disconnected but with an incredible amount of knowledge.
• I absolutely hate the phone. When I was growing up my parents ran a business out of our house using our home phone. You just never knew who was going to call. I still have this loathing towards the phone.
• I often feel drained after social events and big crowds.  They do not energize me they leave me drained.  Most of the time I enjoyed these events but just felt drained afterward.

There were other traits that I do identify with but the eight of them above have been the ones that bother me the most.

In the past I have taken Myers-Briggs temperament tests before and always came up as an Introvert.  So I it is no surprise that that I recent took the test and got an ISJT as a result.

From the book here a few summarized points about the introvert’s brain:

• Introverts tend to use the parasympathetic nervous system.
  • Sometimes it requires more effort to get motivated or moving
  • Sometimes react very slow when under stress
  • Enjoys more breaks and relaxation time to refresh
  • Generally have a calm or reserved manner and never panics
• Introverts have great memories but
  • Sometimes it takes longer to retrieve information
  • Often feels it is better to sleep on an idea
  • Often forgets things that they know well when put on the spot
• Introverts tend to
  • Shy away from too much attention
  • Zone out when over stimulated
  • Surprise others with a wealth of information that is stored in their brains

I have also noticed that my children seem to be introverted too. Sometimes they display some of the behaviors from the list above.  I suspect that they too may feel that being an introvert is difficult but I hope that see that is not a bad thing, it is just different from a lot of the population.

I look forward to exploring my introverted personality more and seeing how I can play with it as strength rather than as a weakness.

If you are an introvert, can you relate to any of the points above?

 

Last years:

Total Cholesterol - 243 mg/dL
LDL Cholesterol   - 173 mg/dL
HDL Cholesterol   - 40  mg/dL
Triglycerides     - 150 mg/dL

This Years Results:

Total Cholesterol - 190 mg/dL
LDL Cholesterol   - 119 mg/dL
HDL Cholesterol   - 44  mg/dL
Triglycerides     - 136 mg/dL

This the first time my cholesterol has every been below 200. My first cholesterol test in 1988 came back with 220 total cholesterol.
My strategy of eating a lot of vegetables and fruits has paid off.

 

• My exercise regimen is not working for weight loss.  Walking for 1 – 2 hours a day and yoga a couple times a week is great but it is not giving me weight loss.

• I need to compress my workout to a shorter amount of time.  I don’t have a lot of time but need a higher return on my investment.  I have worked out for up to two hours per day several days per week

• I still need to take the time to walk with Blaze, he will be 12 yrs old in April.  In January he had his annual check up and got a good bill of health.  I believe walking a mile every day has helped him avoid problems that a lot of older dogs have.

• I feel less effective than I could be at work.  I think some of this is caused by habits established when I was tired most of the time.

• My work / life balance seems a little out of balance at the current time.  Right now it feels like I have a lot of personal stuff on my to do list that is neglected.  My work to do list seems very lightweight right now; I need to plan out my work better so that I can get focus better on both issues.

• I have made great progress but need to get the next level of benefit. In 2007 I weighed 229lbs with 32% body fat. This means I had about 156lbs of lean muscle; I have increased my lean muscle to 168lbs in the last year.

To address the issues I identified above I will need to work on creating a few new habits and routines.

• I will start interval training to increase my metabolism. Interval training is a different way to workout. I will increase the intensity of my workout to the maximum I can output for a few minutes, continue with my workout at a much lower intensity.   I will repeat this for 4 – 10 reps to start with and see what feels right.  Several studies have shown interval training creates more muscle mass and improves metabolic function.  Since this workout will have a much higher intensity I will be able to work out less and achieve more.

• I will continue to monitor my weight and body fat and food intake.  I will also continue to take a snack everyday to work.

• I will need focus on getting my work tasks flushed out and getting into balance.  Looking for the best way to execute all my tasks.  My work will be changing a lot over the next few weeks.   So there will be new challenges in this area.

 

I did not loose or gain any weight while consuming more calories.  For most of the experiment, I think my hunger was under much better control than it has been in the past.   I would often find myself extremely hungry, craving carbohydrates in the afternoon.

Other accomplishments during the experiment

• I started tracking my food intake and exercise using BalanceLog.
• I purchased a new scale for measuring body fat and weight.
• I increased my exercise by doing Yoga and walking more.

Other than regular drops in my energy level in the afternoon I have been doing really well.

 

Starting off the new year I am going to declare war on junk food.  This is part of a long term goal to get down to 200 lbs.  I am currently 235lbs and want to get to 200lbs by the end of this year.   To achieve this goal I need loose about 2/3 of a pound per week.

A previous goal was to eat a good healthy filling breakfast daily.    I have achieved the goal for the past several months.  I have found this to work really well and keeps my hunger away all morning.

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Pinto, Black, Cannelloni , or Kidney beans (from a can already cooked)
• 1/2 cup Peas, Green Beans or mixed vegetables. (from a can or frozen)
• A couple of drops of Tabasco

I put all the ingredients on a skillet and cook it using olive oil to instead of butter or vegetable oil.  I serve it up on a plate and eat it all together it is filling and very tasty.   I can change things around with different beans and vegetables.  The Cannelloni beans are my favorite by far.

For the entire month of January, I will bring 2 healthy well balanced snacks each day to work.

Some potential snacks:

• Rice cakes with peanut butter and a piece of fruit
• Unsalted whole raw almonds (or other nuts) and piece of fruit
• Cheese + piece of fruit
• Yogurt with flax seed mixed in and a piece of fruit
• Carrots and yogurt

You may have noticed that most of the snacks include fruit and a source of fat and protein.  This is because a snack of all carbohydrates will force the blood sugar level to spike leaving you hungry soon after you eat it.   The all carbohydrate snack is typically found in the vending machine at work.

Here is how it works:  The fat and protein in the snacks will slow down the absorption of the carbohydrates.  The fruit is the main source of carbohydrates in the snack.  The fruit has fiber which will slow down the absorption of the carbohydrates in the fruit.   This will eliminate a spike in the blood glucose which may give you a short term boost followed by a crash.

For the rest of January I will post daily and weekly on my progress as I track this goal.

 

Until recently I have not stopped and enjoyed the present. I started reading the book Peace in every step. This is a great book about how to recognize the present. You should stop and relax and enjoy life in the present.

Since starting the book I have been trying to stop wherever I am; take a few minutes and few relaxing breaths and make a smile. This is very relaxing and centers me in the present.

It is so easy to be wound up past and future. Rarely do we enjoy the present.

 

I recommend if you are thinking of going to China you go for 2 weeks; especially if you are going on business. My company’s office is located outside the city in an office park about 25 miles from downtown. After spending my day at the office there was very little time left to explore the city during my first trip.

I am gluten intolerant (Celiac Disease), so I also had to have meals especially prepared to meet my needs. The Hilton hotel in Shanghai was able to accommodate my needs. I had excellent gluten free breads and other delicious gluten free foods every day. The Hilton was able to provide a take-out lunch every day to eat at the office.  This saved me from having to spend a lot of time figuring out what I could eat in the local cafeteria.

When you visit China you will find that your Chinese business associates will want to take you to dinner often. Since I am a technical person; I got a lot less pressure to go out to eat. If you are in sales and need to spend time connecting with people there you will no doubt get a lot more pressure to eat out. With the language barrier I would fully expect to get food that isn’t 100% gluten free. You need to be extra cautious and stick to things that are going to be gluten free. Avoid think sauces and soy sauce.

Should you be traveling to Shanghai and needing to stay in a hotel that offers gluten free food, I recommend the Hilton Hotel in Shanghai. It is very near the JinAn Temple and has easy access to subway line #2. In the evenings to stretch my legs I walked over to the JinAn temple and then return to the hotel. This was a nice way to relax and walk off the large meal at the end of the day.

Me at Yu Yuang gardens

I spent much time wandering about city by foot on the weekend. I took a taxi down to the old section of the city and visited Yu Yuang gardens, the historic shopping area, the Bund and then walked at least 15 blocks up Nanjing Road. Other than being constantly asked if I would like to buy something; most people didn’t give me a second look.

I thought the best place that I visited in the city was the old market and Yu Yuang gardens. Both of these are in the same area of the old city. It cost 80rmb to get in to the Yu Yuang Gardens, which has lots of classical Chinese architecture, carved figurines on the roofs of the buildings, high thresholds, and Koi Ponds. The historic market is of course free unless you buy something; the merchants there are a little less likely to bargain with you.

View from the Bund

The Bund is about a 20 minute walk from the old market.   This is the old foreign section of town; in the late 19th century most of the western powers had established a presence in the city for trading with the locals.  There is a walkway park along the banks of the Huangpu River; which has a constant stream of boats coming and going. It is a nice place to just sit and watch all the river traffic.

Overall it was an excellent experience to visit Shanghai. I would recommend it to anyone; however it is a really long trip from the US and it is difficult to eat food from the local market if you have Celiac Disease. If you are planning to go to China; most western hotels probably can accommodate your needs.