Even though there is not much to say, I have created a new page called My Books where I mention the books I'm reading, want to read, and have recently read. Currently, I'm reading:
[ISBN:0451526341]
Wednesday 21 October 2009
Saturday 17 October 2009
Three Years since my major Weight Loss
After a major long term relationship breakup September three years ago (2006; 25 years old), I was not happy of how much I weighted and how much I had gained since I was 18. With the combination of the breakup, the winter days approaching, loneliness, and low morale about my personal image I was really feeling low and had to do something about it. I had to do something that would help with all four at the same time: the breakup, my personal image, and to get distracted from the winter days since I was lonely (one tends to forgets how friends disappear when one is in a relationship). I knew a hobby would distract me from the winter days and reduce the feeling of loneliness, time will heal the breakup, and exercise would help my personal image so I decided to join the gym to get distracted and I dedicate myself 6 months (until spring starts) for losing weight and nothing else, regardless of how much time and money it cost. However, I had to do this clean, healthy, and permanent. Basically, I had to make a lifestyle change. I started the process in late September, 2006 when I was about 200 lbs (90.7 kg). For a 5'7 ft (1.7 m) male, the obesity point is 191 lbs (86.8kg); I never considered myself an obese person (denial), but I had to change my habits before it became worse.
As I started losing weight (and quite fast), I realized I had to keep track of the numbers to make sure I did not lose more than 2lbs (0.9 kg) a week or else I was losing muscle or it was false weight (e.g. water). I learned this while doing homework on my first week. Part of doing the diet clean, healthy, and permanent, I had to inform myself because I didn't really know how to lose weight.
Below is a chart that I plotted with the application I wrote to help me keep track of weight, fat, nutrition, exercise, and weight lifting. My application is called Mercurius (mercurius.drystan.com). I started recording at 196 lbs on Oct. 9, 2006 and finished at 167lbs on April 11, 2007. The longest week drop was 3lbs and that's when I realized I had to consume more food to keep losing weight in a healthy way.
Today, after three years, I have kept the weight off in a healthy way, picked up new healthy habits and activities, feel healthier and happier, have a better self esteem, and learned a lot of new and important information regarding nutrition and the body. I found it shocking how I could write software, traveled to different countries, graduated with two majors, lived away from home since 18, can cook some delicious meals, etc. and yet I had no clue on how to truly take care of my body. I also realized that a lot of other people were the same. Why do we get taught different advanced skills at school, yet we truly don't get taught about nutrition, the body, and fitness? I taken sex ed, physical education (PE) and other health courses, but my education on those topics was crap (or I just never listened).
Before the diet, I thought I knew about healthy eating and exercise with the little information I learned from my family, friends, and school, but after the diet I realized most of my knowledge was incomplete, wrong, or misguided; I was naïve. I don't consider myself a nutritionist, but at least I now know the value and different types of calories, fats, carbohydrates (fibers, sugars, alcohols, etc), proteins, minerals and vitamins and how they affect the body. I also know the difference between anaerobic and aerobic, fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers, the benefits of different heart rates, and the effects of the body depending on the heart rate. How the chemicals released by the body during exercise can make one feel good and temporarily suppress hunger and pain. How it takes time for the brain to register that one has consumed the required amount of food. How one can acclimate and start to like different foods after 6 weeks of consumption even if they were disliked before and different methods for measuring body fat and the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
For now I conclude this article as today's blog post, but in the future I'll see if I post some of the information (nutrition, exercise, etc.) and experiences I had during these months. For example, how once I thought that it was impossible for me to run longer than 5 minutes and how some simple words from a trainer changed my stubborn and ignorant mentality and I managed to train myself to run for 2 hours straight on pavement.
As I started losing weight (and quite fast), I realized I had to keep track of the numbers to make sure I did not lose more than 2lbs (0.9 kg) a week or else I was losing muscle or it was false weight (e.g. water). I learned this while doing homework on my first week. Part of doing the diet clean, healthy, and permanent, I had to inform myself because I didn't really know how to lose weight.
Below is a chart that I plotted with the application I wrote to help me keep track of weight, fat, nutrition, exercise, and weight lifting. My application is called Mercurius (mercurius.drystan.com). I started recording at 196 lbs on Oct. 9, 2006 and finished at 167lbs on April 11, 2007. The longest week drop was 3lbs and that's when I realized I had to consume more food to keep losing weight in a healthy way.
Today, after three years, I have kept the weight off in a healthy way, picked up new healthy habits and activities, feel healthier and happier, have a better self esteem, and learned a lot of new and important information regarding nutrition and the body. I found it shocking how I could write software, traveled to different countries, graduated with two majors, lived away from home since 18, can cook some delicious meals, etc. and yet I had no clue on how to truly take care of my body. I also realized that a lot of other people were the same. Why do we get taught different advanced skills at school, yet we truly don't get taught about nutrition, the body, and fitness? I taken sex ed, physical education (PE) and other health courses, but my education on those topics was crap (or I just never listened).
Before the diet, I thought I knew about healthy eating and exercise with the little information I learned from my family, friends, and school, but after the diet I realized most of my knowledge was incomplete, wrong, or misguided; I was naïve. I don't consider myself a nutritionist, but at least I now know the value and different types of calories, fats, carbohydrates (fibers, sugars, alcohols, etc), proteins, minerals and vitamins and how they affect the body. I also know the difference between anaerobic and aerobic, fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers, the benefits of different heart rates, and the effects of the body depending on the heart rate. How the chemicals released by the body during exercise can make one feel good and temporarily suppress hunger and pain. How it takes time for the brain to register that one has consumed the required amount of food. How one can acclimate and start to like different foods after 6 weeks of consumption even if they were disliked before and different methods for measuring body fat and the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
For now I conclude this article as today's blog post, but in the future I'll see if I post some of the information (nutrition, exercise, etc.) and experiences I had during these months. For example, how once I thought that it was impossible for me to run longer than 5 minutes and how some simple words from a trainer changed my stubborn and ignorant mentality and I managed to train myself to run for 2 hours straight on pavement.
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