Blistex's Exercise Log

I intend on using this journal to keep track of my progress and be able to incorporate and discuss any feedback received from users on how to improve my routines. I currently weigh around 170 lbs and my goal is to trim that down to 150 by March.

I go swimming five times a week, sometimes seven if I am feeling up to it. My daily swimming routine consists of 60 laps (25m pool) with a variation of breast stroke and freestyle. Usually, I am able to complete my workout within an hour. Right now I am trying to master my breaststroke and then I plan to move onto the butterfly and backstroke, where I need improvement.

I have been applying this routine since August (on and off) and have already lost 20 lbs. That is largely credited to improvement in my eating habits and staying away from junk food and fast food (see the movie Super Size Me—it's on Netflix). I am consuming about 2000 calories per day, sometimes less because I skip out on lunch (something I need to fix). I am trying to learn how to cook so that I can rely even less on eating unhealthy food or flat out not eating at all. I know how to cook basics like scrambled eggs and grill cheese sandwiches but I want to be able to make more advanced meals (grilled chicken breasts for example). What kind of meals do you like to cook that you find healthy and nutritious?

Thanks Espi. Today, I completed another 60 laps at the pool.

My food intake for the day has been:
-scrambled eggs with three slices of bagel for breakfast accompanied by a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee
-Caesar salad for lunch with two glasses of apple juice
-steak, broccoli and rice for dinner with water as my drink

I occasionally drink beer but I am trying to reduce my intake of it. Moreover, when I was younger, Pepsi/Coke used to my preferred drink but a friend of mine convinced me to abandon it completely and drink water instead. I no longer take soft drinks and want to add alcohol to that list. My preferred drink for several years now has been Perrier or just plain water.

What kind of drinks do you take with your meals?

Stop drinking fruit juice it's essentially sugar water

steaks + green beans. every fvcking day.every fvcking meal. i like repetition.

my favorite drink is water and coffee.

also your protein intake is total bvllsh!t.what are you? a holocaust victim?
start eating more protein.
btw skim milk is colored water and fish is practically a vegetable.so you are down to chicken,game, deer,beef and mutton and high fat middle eastern yoghurt

Espi said:

Congrats on setting the goal.

Eggs

Brown rice; great northern beans; black beans (buy in bulk and go on youtube.com for cooking suggestions)

Organic grass-fed beef (90% lean; I just fry it up on the pan; no sauce or anything)

Almonds

Kale

Spinach

Broccoli

Blackberries, strawberries, raspberries

Avacado

Apples

Oatmeal (NOT "flavored"; plain, old-fashioned)

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Very good. I would add cayenne pepper and spicy stuff. Also I don't do much oatmeals. The kale is just great for you. Eating some pasta probably would not be bad every once in a while for some extra energy, as long as you stick to your routine.

Also I alternate saunas and cold showers after I swim. Feel amazing when I get out.

Also I like to swim 2-3 x per week and run another 2-3 times, not necessarily alternating. I find swimming to be just too slow to be the only thing to do.

Gonna start kickboxing soon.

Thanks for the feedback DanZy, Espi, switch, and Odisseo! Much appreciated.

DanZy said:

Stop drinking fruit juice it's essentially sugar water

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I liked apple juice for the simple reason that the sugar gave me a boost of energy during the day (lunch time). But you are right, I ought to drink something else that is more healthy. What do you recommend are some good alternatives to fruit juice other than water?

@switch: Thanks for the tips! During the summer I would eat a peanut butter sandwich every day for lunch at work. Then school started and I felt like raspberry jam sandwiches but now I will go back to peanut butter to get the protein.

Based on your list, I can say that I frequently eat chicken, fish, and beef. I will look to incorporate the others you named. What are some good high fat middle eastern yogurt's that you can point me to (i.e. brand names)?

@Espi: Great input. I take my coffee black, rarely will I take cream and sugar. Only recently did I reintroduce coffee in to my diet. For several months, I had went coffee-free to experiment how my body would perform without it. I concluded that coffee was unneeded since orange juice does a good job of waking up my body. But then exam time came (early Dec.) and I resorted back to drinking coffee every morning for that boost of caffeine and have continued doing since then.

I fully agree with your analysis of beer and soda. I do believe drinking beer in moderation is fine but I am getting to the point where I drink it almost daily. Thus if there are healthier alternatives, which I know there are, those are the paths I wish to pursue.

@Odisseo: Usually after going swimming, like today, I will go to the sauna. I spend maybe 10-20 minutes in there. I agree with you, it feels great and relaxing for the body. I have never taken a cold shower but the pool's temperature makes it feel like I am taking one, lol. What do you prefer: sauna or cold shower?

Running is great. Plus, I think you are really going to dig kickboxing. I have never tried it but it looks like a lot of fun! What other sports or activities do you do?

Recap of my meals for yesterday and today.

DEC 25 (rest day, thus no swimming)
-Breakfast: 1 grilled cheese sandwich, 1 bowl of cereal with milk, 1 cup of coffee, and 1 cup of orange juice
-Lunch: Nothing
-Dinner: 2 slices of pizza, some popcorn, and a beer

DEC 26 (60 laps at the pool)
-Breakfast: 2 bagels with peanut butter, 1 cup of coffee, and 1 cup of orange juice
-Lunch: 2 slices of pizza (cheese and vegetarian) with water as my drink
-Dinner: 2 baguette steak sandwiches with mushrooms and tomatoes and water as my drink

I admit that December 25th does not have the healthiest choice of foods in there. On a positive note, I am going out to the supermarket tomorrow to do some grocery shopping and will definitely be buying more healthy food based on the recommendations I have received to improve my diet and to ensure I will not be making the mistake of skipping out on lunch any longer.

What are your thoughts on cold cuts? I have a pack of salami in my fridge but I recall reading in my gym class manual that it is not the healthiest of foods out there.

It has been a while since I updated the log but I do have some positive news.

I did not meet my goal of weighing 150 lbs by March. On the upside, I presently weigh 161 lbs compared to the 170 lbs I weighed when I started the log back in December 2013. My objective is still to weigh 150 lbs.

I am trying to get my BMI under 25 as right now I am currently overweight by a few pounds. I understand the flaws and inaccuracies with the BMI system because of how it does not take into account muscle mass and so forth.

On the surface, I am very proud of my progress. I weighed around 190 lbs a year ago and have seen my weight steadily decrease.

Recap of my meals for yesterday and today.

DEC 25 (rest day, thus no swimming)
-Breakfast: 1 grilled cheese sandwich, 1 bowl of cereal with milk, 1 cup of coffee, and 1 cup of orange juice
-Lunch: Nothing
-Dinner: 2 slices of pizza, some popcorn, and a beer

Great choices! No wonder you didn't meet your goal of 150...... This is just ridiculous. Did you actually think those type of meals would help you? A grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of cereal? Go to bodybuilding.com and post your diet.... Your dinner sums up the whole reason why you didn't meet your goal. Pitiful.

DEC 26 (60 laps at the pool)
-Breakfast: 2 bagels with peanut butter, 1 cup of coffee, and 1 cup of orange juice
-Lunch: 2 slices of pizza (cheese and vegetarian) with water as my drink
-Dinner: 2 baguette steak sandwiches with mushrooms and tomatoes and water as my drink

60 laps at the pool is absolutely nothing for all the food you had. 2 slices of pizza.....again. And to top it off, you had 2 sandwiches at night.... Read up on nutrition on bodybuilding.com

I admit that December 25th does not have the healthiest choice of foods in there. On a positive note, I am going out to the supermarket tomorrow to do some grocery shopping and will definitely be buying more healthy food based on the recommendations I have received to improve my diet and to ensure I will not be making the mistake of skipping out on lunch any longer.

What are your thoughts on cold cuts? I have a pack of salami in my fridge but I recall reading in my gym class manual that it is not the healthiest of foods out there.

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If you had to ask if salami was something to EAT on a DIET.....

BMI and scale weight is good to track when you have 20lbs+ to lose. Now that you're lighter, you need to go by body composition. Take photos every few weeks, see how clothes fit you, check progress in the mirror, get some bodyfat calipers and start tracking (they're less than $15). Don't use the scale to track progress.

First rule of man cooking IMO, keep it simple and fast. Do not fall for the complicated, just so dishes they make on TV. Don't worry about complcated recipes and following them to a "t." Chop it up, get it in the hot wok, season and done. I hated lots of veg until I started cooking them to my liking, now they are my favorite food, and my food is better than any restaurant.

Get a wok with a nonstick surface and a long wooden handle; get a good long bladed thin, serrated edge knife for chopping up veg, serrated is much better; get a simple plastic or glass chopping board that is easy to clean. The wok is your workhorse, but don't spend lots of money on one. The one I have now cost $12 at big lots and had it for 10 years so far lol. Never fall into the trap of fancy woman-marketing expensive cooking implements unless and until you are getting paid to cook. Tablespoon of olive oil, heat on high, and you are in business. You can chop up any kind of lean meat (I use boneless chicken breast, but you can use lots of cheaper stuff too) and veg to your liking, chopped onion goes in first once wok is hot, then meat, then rest of veg. I use onion, baby carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, squash, green beans, and lots of other stuff. Put carrots and green beans in micro for a minute or two with a bit of water to get them even with the other faster cooking stuff. Keep chopped up chicken in a container in the fridge. Experiment with ginger, curry, cumin, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame oil, butter, cilantro, basil, lemon grass, hoisin, oyster sauce, hot sauces, chili powder, lime and lemon juice, honey, pineapple and coconut milk sparingly. Use soy sauce for salt. Takes well under ten minutes to make a wok dinner once you get it down pat, keep stirring frequently with wooden or meltproof plastic spoon over highest heat so you don't scratch the nonstick surface. Use an exhaust fan, keep window or door open, so odors don't accumulate. Wok takes under a minute to clean, nonstick is key. Once it's made, it can be taken to work in a microwave container and heated up, so make at least three meals at one time. Fill the wok no more than 2/3 full of stuff while you are learning or it gets a bit tricky.

If you like beans (and they are so worth learning to love), they are great for replacing bread/potatoes and staving off hunger. I use black beans (darker beans have more good stuff. I also use red and pinto), wash, soak overnight in extra inches of water, put in PAM sprayed pot with a couple of inches of extra water and a chopped up onion. Bring to a boil on high, then turn to low for a base simmer. Check and stir every hour, they will be done in 2-4 hours, bigger beans take longer. Experiment with other seasonings, salsa, garlic, vinegar, chili powder, jalapenos, but don't season until they are almost done. Let cool thoroughly. Freeze a quart of them and then put the rest in single serving microwave containers in the fridge. I buy jalapeno slices in those huge bulk jars, pull a bean container from the fridge, slip the lid part open, into micro. Then once warm, throw in a handful of jalapeno slices. Mmmmm. Dirt f ing cheap too. You will never go broke on food with dried beans as a staple LOL. If you can replace potatoes, chips, corn, flour, crackers, bread generally with beans, you've almost won the war right there IMO.

Cooking is easy and once you get the seasoning you like, you will rarely be tempted with fast food. The trick is making quantities so warmup is all that is required, and getting it to the point where your food tastes better to you than hamburger and fries, which is very easy. Good luck.

Wanted to add one thing. If you don't want to fool with veg shopping and storing, and they can be a pain esp if you are cooking for one, those freezer bags of mixed stir fry veg are pretty damn good these days. They go into the microwave in the bag for 4 minutes. You cook your meat in the wok with some onion. Once chicken is done, pour in veg bag from micro, season to taste, stir around for one minute, done. Fresh veg is generally better though, and usually cheaper than the nicer varieties of freezer bag veg to boot.

I wanted to thank you all again for your feedback and suggestions. As a result of the recommendations I received from you all, I presently weigh 147 lbs! Around two years ago I weighed 190 lbs, there has certainly been major progress here. My current cloths no longer fit me. I am literally swimming in my jeans right now haha. Time to go shopping.

My next focus is on building and strengthening my muscles. My present fitness program that I have been following for the past several months consists of 40 minutes of cardio and then around an hour of working out, mainly with dumbbells but also with the machines, when they are available.