WEEK FOUR

Week four was not as successful. I had a harder time getting in the meals on schedule. I let my week get out of control. Partly because of the busy schedule at work, partly because of my own poor planning and partly because I am by nature a "night owl" and having trouble making myself go to bed in time to get a good night's sleep and still get up at 7 am. (which will be a real challenge nest week when my goal will be to rise at 6 am) My net loss for the week was 3 lbs taking the four week total to 15 lbs. But also taking another inch off of the waist.

Week three

Week three we were back on track I followed the plan, planned my meals in advance and had a good binge day with homemade chocolate chip cookies, Promise Land milk, pizza(meat lovers) with a Corona, Ice cream, IBC root beer and some good dark chocolate. Even after a wicked binge day I managed a net loss of 5 lbs for the week bringing the total to 12 lbs in three weeks. To top it off I also was now measuring up to a 1" loss in the waist line. All this and still no exercise.

I'M BACK

I know, I know, I said I would post every week. Between computer issues and a new job(working 60 to 70 hours per week) it's been tough finding time. However, now the learning curve at the new job has leveled out a little there should be much more time. As for the computer issues, while not completely resolved(only a 21st century computer system will do that) I have figured a way around them and will back "on the air " on a regular basis. So for all of you who have been on the edge of your seats waiting to hear more, here it is;

Week two was a little rough, I got a stomach bug(from my loving wife) that interfered with the plan. For three days crackers and tea were about all I could keep in my stomach. Unfortuneately crackers are not on the plan(too many carbs) and eating four times a day (an integral part of the plan) was out of the question. However, I still managed a net loss of 2 lbs taking the total to 7 lbs in the first 2 weeks. I didn't bother with taking any measurements.

WEEK ONE IS A SUCCESS!!!

After 6 days on the new diet I had lost 7.5 pounds. This mind you is without one ounce of exercise. (that starts in week 5) Then came “Binge Day”. I was really surprised. I was supposed to eat as much as I wanted of whatever I wanted. The amazing part was I didn’t want very much. At my favorite breakfast joint, I ate only half of what I usually ate. For dinner we ordered my favorite pizza. I usually eat half of a large pizza. I only managed to eat 2 pieces. I bought a pint of my favorite ice cream, usually a one sitting affair. I ate less than a third. I’m proud to say that I did knock down the entire package of Double Stuffed Oreo Cookies by the end of the day along with a pint of Promise Land milk. I topped the day off with a Cadbury Royal Dark chocolate bar. All-in-all, a great day of eating.

So the final result for week one.

I lost 5 lbs. No measureable change in the waistline. At this rate I could reach my goal in 7 months.

I spent a good deal of Sunday cooking for this week’s meals. I cooked 8 Steaks, 4 beef patties, 6 chicken breasts and 10 chicken leg quarters. Tonight I’ll cook up some lentils and black beans and we’ll be ready to go for the week.

Thanks for all your support.

HAPPY BINGE DAY!!!

Well that’s the end of the first 6 days of my diet. Now I am looking forward to tomorrow,


BINGE DAY!!! Already picked out for the day of indulgence; Double stuffed Oreo cookies, a cold bottle of Promise Land Organic milk, Breakfast at the Rise and Shine café(A big pile of hash browns, 4 sunny-side-up eggs, toast with blackberry jam, OJ and gallons of Gavalia coffee with lots of hazelnut creamer. Then for dinner, Survivor Finale and Meat lovers Pizza washed down with a tall mug of Corona. For desert, Haagen-Dazs: Dulce De Leche Caramel.

Monday morning I will post the final results for the first week of “The Burtis Project”, my journey to success.

HAPPY BINGE DAY!!!

I'm Just A Wannabe Loser

It occurred to me that before anyone would want to read a blog about success, they might want to know that the writer of that blog was successful. So I had to ask myself. Am I successful? As I began to take a look at myself, I changed the question. Am I in control of my life? That to me is true success. The answer? Well, I had to say no!

I looked at several areas of my life and began to pick out the areas where myself picture and reality were not the same. The first and most obvious? The physical me. I AM FAT!!! Fat, out of shape and suffering from a number of self inflicted ailments. How can I take charge of my life if my body is out of control?

I’m 54 years old, at 6’1”, I weigh almost 300 lbs and to jog around the block would be the equivalent of the average guy running a marathon. I have a hiatal hernia, acid reflux, IBS, sleep apnea, a bad back and bad knees. I wear slip on shoes because I can’t reach my feet to tie laces. I work from home and office chairs last about as long as a haircut.

On our recent trip to Maui, while sunbathing on the beach, a Hawaiian State Wildlife Preservation Team thought I was a beached whale and kept trying to roll me back into the water.

My belly is so big it has it’s own zip code.

I’m the reason they invented double doors.

I’m so fat when I go to a restaurant, they don’t bring me a menu, they bring me an estimate.

I’ve been banned from most of the “All You Can Eat” joints in town.

So, maybe it’s time to do something about it.

Instead of telling you how “Success Is Like A Journey” I’ve decided to take you on a journey. My journey to “success”. Instead of telling you what you should do, I’m going to tell you what I am doing and share the results with you. We will actually be taking in several “tours” simultaneously. We’re going to start with:

DAN’S RADICAL BODY MAKEOVER.

Here’s where the first leg of our journey starts.

START

Weight 295 lbs

% Body Fat (approx)55.9%

Fat Weight 164.91lbs

Base weight 130.1 lbs

Chest (relaxed) 49"

Chest (Flexed) 51.5"

Waist (at Navel) 55.5"

Hips (Largest point) 54"

Biceps (relaxed) 16"

Biceps (flexed) 18"

Thighs 29"

As we all know, the healthy way to lose weight and keep it off is to permanently change your diet and exercise regularly. So I set out on that mission. I sucked at it!! When you weigh 300 lbs and are trying to lose 100 of it, 1 to 1 ½ lbs. just didn’t work for me. I get discouraged and cheat. Then there is the inevitable binge day which would set me back 2 to 3 weeks so I’d get discouraged and quit. All told I think I’ve lost 300lbs in spurts of 10 or even 20 and then I’d gain it back plus. So, (as I eventually do) I decided to do something radical. It all started with the book “The 4 hour Body” by Timothy Ferris author of “The 4 Hour Work Week”. At this time I am not endorsing his ideas, I am putting them to the test.

The gist goes something like this. For 6 days I eat something from each category (Meat, vegetables, Legumes) and the 7th day is binge day. Anything I want as much as I want. You can read the book to find out the details. As I progress I will be adding in some exercise (not much) and a few other techniques to aid the process. I will add these other methods one by one so as to see how much each speeds up my weight loss. You can judge for yourselves if it works.

Above is where I am at the start. My goals are lofty. I want to lose 140 lbs of fat and gain 45 lbs of muscle. This would put me at about 200lbs with 12% body fat. It all starts today. Monday 5/9/2011. My goal date is 12/31/2011. HERE WE GO…

Breakfast today –
Omelet (4 organic eggs, 1 ½ cups chopped broccoli, herbal seasonings)
1 cup mashed black beans w/fajita seasonings
Gavalia Coffee (black)
32oz water (room temp)

Lunch
Grilled chicken breast (lrg)
1 cup fresh spinach (slightly Steamed)
1 Cup red beans mashed with ½ avocado
32 oz water

Dinner
2 Ground round patties
1 cup sauerkraut
1 cup Lentils & avocado
32oz water

Evening Snack
Raw veggie plate
Herbal tea (no caffine)


I Wannabe A Big Fat Loser

SUCCESS IS LIKE TAKING A JOURNEY

You have heard the expression “Success in not a destination, it’s a journey”. This statement presents us with a very useful parallel. "Success is like taking a journey." In the following series of blogs we will look at how we can successfully reach our goals with the simple formula we would use to take a trip. Now don’t confuse simple with easy. Everything worth having in this life has a cost attached to it. The more worth having the more the cost. Simple means it’s not rocket science. Anyone can achieve success if they are willing to pay the price.

Success, in any endeavor, whether personal, social, spiritual or work related, requires motivation. Usually that means self motivation. We all get discouraged and lose our motivation at times. The amount of motivation required is determined by the amount of sacrifice and pain we must endure to reach the goal or goals we have set. With each step I will include some techniques to help you stay motivated so that you can persevere and reach your goals. Enjoy the trip.

1. Before you start your journey you must know your destination. Where is it you want to end up? Be specific. “A nice hotel on the east coast” sounds good but more information is needed. What city, which hotel, what is the address? Try programming “A nice hotel on the east coast” into your GPS and see how fast you get there. “I want to go to New York, NY and stay at the Plaza Hotel by Central Park.” Now that’s something your GPS can work with.

If you are trying to lose weight: what do you want your final weight to be? If you are saving for retirement, how much money will it take to retire? If you want a new car, what car do you want? What options do you want on that car? How much is this dream house going to cost you? If you don’t specifically quantify the goal, you won’t know how to get there and you won’t know it when you make it. A vague dream is not a goal. To be a goal it needs to be much more specific.

FOR MOTIVATION you should specifically visualize the end result. What will I look like when I reach my goal weight? What clothes will I wear? What will I be able to do then that I can’t do now? What color will my new car be? How will it make me feel to drive it. Where will I go in my new car? Who will I take for a ride in my dream car? Close your eyes and visualize it. Cut out pictures that represent your goal and make a collage, a “Dream Board”. Use pictures that invoke positive feelings when you look at them. Place your dream board in a prominent place where you will see it every day. Have several. Put pictures on the bathroom mirror so you start everyday visualizing your dream. Use the picture for a background and a screen saver on your computer, your iPad and your cell phone. Drive a lot? Then put pictures in your car. Put them on the wall or on your desk at work. Carry a couple in your wallet or purse. Get a keychain with a digital slide show on it.  If you visit my house you will have no doubt in your mind what my goal and passion are. I even bought music that invokes visions of my dream. Do whatever it takes to keep the dream, the goal alive and on your mind as often and as much as possible.