Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Life in South Korea

I arrived in S. Korea on Jan 23, 2013. I am sorry for taking so long to update the blog my friends, but I tell you, I did not expect my life to radically change so fast again! These 2 months have been a whirlwind of activity. The way of life here is so completely different from America. It is not for everyone that is for sure, but I have embraced it and am enjoying living here immensely!

A lot has changed and happened within my personal life since getting here. My wife came ahead of me and by the time I arrived, she had radically changed and grown as a person. It has not been easy, but we are closer now than ever before, and we are moving forward in life again. The turmoil of my personal life has effected my goals and progress greatly, however it has not stopped them!

Calorie counting here is close to impossible. Eating out is much more prevalent so you have no idea what is what and sometimes do not even know what it is your eating all together! Not being able to read labels also does not bode well for the calorie cautious. This being the case I have had to rely heavily on portion control and common sense.  I also have not been working out regularly since I arrived. This is due to whatever excuse you want to insert here.

On the flip side though; My diet has drastically changed for the better! I can actually tell a difference in how I feel after being here a few weeks and not eating American food. I actually feel better. I immediately fell in love with Korean cuisine and took to exploring different restaurants to find new and exciting things to eat that are healthy for me.  The next step would be to recreate the dish I had at home. This has proved a challenge due to the language barrier, but I have been fairly successful in teaching myself to make quite a few dishes. Learning to make the different soups and sauces has been something I am fairly proud of.

Diet Change:
We do not eat bread almost ever. Rice and noodles, both rice and buckwheat noodles, have replaced most of the traditional American starches in our diet. Seafood is plentiful and fresh here as are many vegetables like cabbage, onions, and many different varieties of mushrooms. We used to be mainly meat and bread or potato kind of eaters. Now we limit our startches, eat lots of vegetables and hearty soups.  Chili sauces have also become a big part of my cooking. Koreans freaken love thier food spicy. Not, mexican kinda spicy, but holyshitwtfdidijustputinmymouthiamgoingtodieneedwaterasap, kinda spicy.

A nice surprise for me was that there is also a large Turkish culinary presence here as well.  I have fallen in love with Turkish kabobs and food. Kabobs come in three varieties, chicken, lamb, or a mix. There is this giant vertical spit of meat rotating in front of a infrared heater. They slice off a few pieces as they heat up a tortilla or gyro. A traditional kabob has, you guessed it, a spicy chili sauce spread on first, then the meat, then a healthy portion of shredded lettuce, sliced onion that is marinated somehow, tomatoes, and thin sliced pickles. This monster of a sandwich is only 4000 WAN (less than $4us) and is simply scrumptious!

The night life here is crazy. It seems every major metro area has something similar to Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Soju is cheap, and in my opinion, better than anything you can get state wise as a mixer. If you stick to 20 to 24% soju, you can literally mix it into anything and never taste it. Soju also has this reputation of sneaking up on even the most seasoned drinkers and putting them squarely on their face. A night out wont break the bank and there are an endless number of clubs, bars and cafes to explore.

So by now you have to be wondering: how has the last two months of chaos effected my goal?
I have actually LOST five more pounds landing me at 250lbs. More impressive to me though is that I am now 6 to 8 inches slimmer!! Down from a 44/46 waist pant to a 38! I never thought I would see myself in pants less than 44 ever again.

So what now?
 Knowing that I have not boned myself these last two months has given me a boost of confidence and I am getting back into the swing of things in regards to moving myself forward and loosing the next 50 pounds. I will continue to make healthy choices in regards to what I eat, when I eat and how much I eat. I am restarting my workout regiment but I want to add in laps in the pool as well.


Summer is fast approaching. While I do not think this summer will see my shirtless, my goal is to be shirtless by next summer. Staying active, making healthy eating choices, and continuing to exercise will get my there. I am happier than I have been in many years and I look better than I have in many years as well.

Never give up hope! Remember; small, accomplishable, goals lead to larger goals being completed. Focus on what you CAN do, and get out there and do it!

As always, I love hearing from you guys. Feel free to PM me, leave comments, visit me on google+ or Facebook, and help support Healthy Vets on Facebook!



Monday, January 21, 2013

What a crazy week!

This last week has been completely Insane. I never imagined just how much it would take to get everything done to move to Korea. But today is the day! In 8 hours I will arrive at the airport and go to Korea.

It has been impossible to keep any semblance of my normal schedule. From having my house put into PODS to all the travel and now staying with family, it just has not been conducive to my workout routine. Now, while I may not have been able to work out, I was able to watch what and how much I ate.

This proved harder than I though it would be too though. This being the last week in America for at least a year, if not several, I have wanted and have been bombarded with all of my favorite foods.

Food is a social centerpiece in my family.
I have no idea when I may eat any of this again. So, While I have myself a pass to eat just about anything for meals, I did not just jump off the wagon and go crazy. I still stuck to water and unsweetened tea. I watched my portions. I still tried to stay under my BMR for the day.

End result? By allowing myself to enjoy time with family that I won't see for up to 4 years, but still maintaining the basics of my diet, I only gained 1 pound this week.

That's a number I am ok with. Next week, I get back to my core diet and working out. However, I will have a partner now! My amazing and beautiful wife will be joining me on this journey and restarting her own.

By setting small goals I was able to deal with and handle a week of disruption and family saying goodbye without sacrificing my efforts or progress. I still feel great about myself and all that I have accomplished and I am looking forward to getting back on my routine and continuing forward with my goal to loose 100 pounds!

Keep setting small goals! Stay positive! Do SOMETHING! You CAN live a healthy life without it taking over the rest of your life and you can do it no matter what situation you are in!

As I get settled into Korea I will get back to more regular updates.



Monday, January 14, 2013

Moving to Korea!

Today is final packing day. Tomorrow the POD arrives and my house gets loaded up for storage. While I will miss this beautiful house, I am so very ready to leave OK behind. It is almost impossible to fit workouts into the schedule this week so it will be even more Important to make healthy choices with meals.

Travel always seems to be a big challenge when you are regulation your calorie intake. Many restaurants do not list calories for menu items. Eating on the go also tents to mean fast food or processed food.

With proper planning though; much of that headache can be mitigated. Make sure to pack enough healthy snacks for long drives. Have plenty of water or other no calorie drinks. Remember to try and stay away from artificially sweetened drinks.

Don't kill yourself for going over your calorie goal during the trip. But do stay under your BMI. That way you make break your weight loss goal a day or two, but you didn't over indulge and won't be packing on more weight.

Just because you may be forced into eating fast food, it does not mean you can not still make healthy choices. Pick the salad over the Bigmac or triple quarter pounder. Apples over fries.

Stick to your plan, continue setting small goals and set yourself up for success!

Friday, January 11, 2013

Week 2 Weigh-in: Stick to the Plan!

 
Week 1 vs Week 2 weight tickets
The results are in, and it looks good! 5.6 pounds overall lost. BMI is down 0.8 and my overall obesity level is down 3.5%!

What went into this weeks results?

Continued calorie counting using MyFitnessPal app, Continued P90X training (modified to fit my disabilities), and just being active throughout the day now due to increased energy levels and an improvement in mental attitude.

I can not stress enough how much my mental state has changed and become so much more positive due to an improved feeling of self worth and self image. Not only am I improving my body, but my mental state as well. It is an amazing feeling to feel good about one's self again.

I would like to note that just because I am very strictly monitoring my calorie intake, that does not mean I am not eating a balanced diet and being healthy about it. Make sure you get proper levels of each food group. make healthier choices when you plan your meals though. Use whole grains, wheat pasta, fruits in a low sugar syrup, and so forth.

               Just because you are being healthy does NOT mean you have to give up taste!

Spices and herbs can add a lot of flavor to food without adding calories. If you like spicy, remember, most hot sauces are 0 calories!

What about in between meals?

I personally like pickles and lean meat slices. Clausen pickles are 5 calories per spear! Depending on the type and size of slices, deli meats can be low calorie as well. In my case, 4 slices of ham equals 50 calories. This makes for a great snack. Also, delmonti fruit cups are 50 calories each. Also a great snack.

As the weight comes off, you start feeling better about yourself, and your energy levels come up, you will start being more active throughout your day. This will result in passively burning more calories depending of course on what your doing. But trust me, just being up and about doing SOMETHING is better than sitting inside and doing nothing!

Let me know how your fitness plan is coming along. Whats your progress? having trouble with something? Leave a comment or send me a message! Also don't forget to visit and support Healthy Vets on Facebook!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Staying on Target

Staying on Target with your plan and goals can be a real challenge sometimes. Life likes to mix things up and it can be hard to balance it all together. My house is in boxes at the moment as I get ready to have it all put into a POD next week. Finding the drive and motivation to continue working out in the midst of moving has proven a challenge for me this week. Next week will not be any easier as I leave almost everything behind and go to Florida for 3 days to see family before getting on a plane on the 21st and going to Korea for the next year.

While that is my biggest hassle right now, it is also my motivation. I want to look good when I get to Osan AFB and see my wife. I want her to see the changes I have worked so hard for and to be proud of me. My integrity is on the line in my mind. So I continue to get up and work out and I stick to my calorie goals. Tomorrow is weigh in day! I am excited to see the progress I have made this week and to hopefully be under 260lbs!

The point? Life will always hand you curve balls and test your limits. Stay true to yourself and remember: Small victories. Make a plan, break the end goal down into smaller attainable goals so as to set yourself up for success. This small victories add up to larger ones that pave the way to your end goal. As long as you take i one piece at a time, you can be successful and do it without stressing yourself out!

Keep positive and make healthy choices!

Don't forget to visit Healthy Vets and give them a like on Facebook!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Just do "something"

For many people with disabilities, or whom have completely given up hope, or whom have lost control of their weight control; the simple act of just doing "something" can have a monumental impact on their life.

I will use myself as a case in point here. I was pushing 300 lbs. I had given up hope of ever being under 200lbs and feeling sexy or even good about myself again. That depressed the hell out of me. It effected my marriage the most. To the point that I have almost lost the love of my life.

The simple, yet hardest, act of my life was simply doing SOMETHING! That something for me was changing how I ate first. Over the course of 5 weeks I cut portion sizes. I went from eating 3-6 times what a normal person ate per meal to 1. That was no easy feat. Those first few weeks sucked hard. But my body responded quickly. I started eating more frequently. From 2-3 times a day to 5 or 6. The difference was I was eating much, much smaller meals and snacks.

I then decided to weigh myself to see if I had even made a difference. To my surprise I had lost 14lbs! Now, most of that was stored bile waste in the intestines, but it resulted in one of the biggest paradigm shifts in my life.

Suddenly I thought "You CAN do this!" "You can loose the weight, you can make this happen even with a messed up leg and busted joints."

And thus started this journey. Now into week 2 of adding exercise, I feel better than I have in years. The way I look at myself is completely different. I am able to love myself and because of that, those around me. I am a happier person.

It does not matter what your something is. Make a point to just do something beyond your normal. Start small with something you can reasonably accomplish. Relish in your small victories because they start adding up to larger victories that build a path of success to your end goal.

Have a great day people! Don't forget to check out Healthy Vets on Facebook and give them a like.
Also, please leave comments. I would love to hear your stories or answer your questions.




Sunday, January 6, 2013

Artificial Sweeteners: How they can be counter productive to your goals

Today I would like to hit on the importance of natural foods in our diet. Most important to me in this regard are eliminating artificial sweeteners from my diet.

"But, artificial sweeteners are good for me and allow me to eat and drink things with zero calories! It must be healthier!" you say.

While there is some benefit from the use of artificial sweeteners to combat obesity and diabetes, long term they can fundamentally change the way the brain registers sweets and actually achieve the opposite affect than that which was intended.

"How so?" you ask.

When we put something sweet into our mouths, it signals the brain with a checksum. The brain registers sweets incoming and because it associates sweets with calories which equal fuel, it is set to process them and limit their intake to reasonable amounts. Now when that sweetness hits our stomachs, the stomach sends a second checksum to the brain confirming the intake of sweets and also how much fuel or calories was received. The brain figures out how much is enough and either tells us MORE or to stop. So to illustrate this exchange:

Mouth to Brain: "Hey, we have sweet calories incoming, get ready."
Brain to Mouth: "Rodger that, prepping for incoming calories."
Stomach to Brain: "Sweets received, Calorie report is as follows: X calories delivered. How to proceed?
Brain to Stomach: "Direct X calories to Y parts of the body, store X calories in reserve (fat)."
Brain to Mouth: "Continue consuming sweets." or "No more sweets, needs met."

Now, when we start introducing artificial sweetener to this process, this start to go wrong.

The brain sees the sweets incoming. The stomach reports them as received, but now the stomach is reporting no calories. Over time the brain starts to associate sweets as no longer a calorie source and the body's natural limitations on our intake for sweets are fundamentally changed.

"But Nathan, how does this affect me?"

When your body stops associating sweets as a calorie vessel, it also stops naturally limiting our intake of sweet foods. Sweeteners seem to stimulate parts of the brain that produce pleasurable effects without stimulating those parts that make people feel full. Now that the brain no longer limits sweets due to caloric intake, the gates are set wide open.

So the next time we go to eat foods without artificial sweeteners, or even ones with them, the body stops telling us when enough is enough and we tend to over indulge in something that is not good for us. That bag of oreo's, chips, cookies, ice cream, soda, etc, etc. This unconsciously builds unhealthy habits of over eating over long periods of time.

It takes making conscious choices and actively watching and counting what we eat to change the habits we have developed  over the years. It was the hardest thing for me to do personally. I was taught to clean my plate and not leave left overs as a child. I love the taste of what I eat. By recognizing how my body works, I was able to change how it responded to what I was feeding it and it also allowed me to change how I fueled my body.

It has been 5 weeks since I started changing not only what I ate, but HOW I ate it. With a solid plan, small obtainable goals that lead to and end result, I have been able to set myself up for success and so can you!

If anyone has questions please feel free to comment. If you would like help setting up a plan and goals to meet your life style, leave a comment or contact me through Google+ or Facebook.com/HealthyVets

Various sources for this information and additional information about artificial sweeteners:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=artificial-sweeteners-confound-the-brain
http://www.drbriffa.com/2008/06/20/artificial-sweetener-fails-to-fool-the-brain/
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030
http://www.livestrong.com/article/163629-effects-of-artificial-sweetener-on-the-human-brain/
http://www.wnho.net/aspartame_brain_damage.htm

Friday, January 4, 2013

Week 1 results: How you can get started



I am excited! Week 1 weigh in! And the results are in: (Drum roll please!)

Weight slips
Week 1 weight slips

Not bad at all! I am very pleased with this week’s progress. 2.4lbs overall loss, 1.5% decrease in fat or 5 lbs of fat, my BMI is down 0.4 and the degree of my obesity is down 1.5%.

I did not have to starve myself, sacrifice foods I love or anything else some fad diets have you do. The method to the madness is quit simple.

1. Find your BMR (base metabolic rate)
This is how many calories you specifically will burn to maintain your body at rest for 1 day.                For example my BMR is now 2238kcal.
2. Set a realistic and healthy daily goal. My max daily goal is 1600. 
3. Get an app or some way to track your calorie intake. I personally use MyFitnessPal for Iphone.
4. Be honest! Track everything that goes into your mouth.
5. Do this for a few weeks to get used to the change in diet and to adjust to how often you eat. When you start eating 200-400 calories for breakfast instead of 1500, you get hungrier quicker. That is OK! You will get used to eating 4-6 times per day, but much smaller portions.
6. After acclimating to the new way you eat it is time to start adding in exercise! Why so excited? Oh you will be after 4 weeks of eating healthier and you see the weight difference. Then you think, but I did not do anything other than change how I ate. Hmmm. If I actually got active and started burning calories, I can accomplish even more! You should be excited and motivated here!

It is important to note here:
What kind of exercise you choose to do will greatly depend on where your body is at when you start this journey. Me personally, as a former US Army soldier, I carried my weight quite well, but 280lbs is still 280lbs. Add to that a lower leg injury and weak joints, I had no exercise or cardio in 13 years. For me just getting off my butt and walking around my neighborhood was a huge step forward. I then eased into more progressive cardio and am still moving forward. If you have questions about were your should start please consult your Dr or a personal trainer.

Do not try and run before you walk here. It is better to start slowly and build up to more intense workouts than to hurt yourself trying to keep pace with people who are at a more advanced level of fitness.

7. Keep track of your workouts. Count your reps, how long you ran or walked and try and improve on those numbers weekly. 
8. Record workouts in your calorie counting app or program. The calories you burn count against your daily goal and result in a NET count for the day. 
Lets say my goal is 1600. I eat 1450 calories for the day. I estimate that I burned 600 calories for the day. My NET calorie count for the day is now 850. My BMR says 2238. Thats a huge deficit and I should probably eat more so I would add something else and try and get myself to my NET goal of 1200 calories per day. That is a deficit of 1038 calories per day which is a healthy number.

Do not set over realistic goals. Make a plan that is broke down into, small, obtainable victories that create a path to and end result and will set yourself up for success. 

For myself, I am moving to Korea at the end of January. My immediate goal is to break 250lbs before I leave. That is 11 pounds in about 4 weeks. If I maintain my current diet and exercise routine I should hit 251+/- 2 lbs.That is a reasonable goal on my way to getting to 180lbs.

Take it 1 week at a time and never give up! We CAN get there!

Share your stories with me! I want to hear from you guys. If you have questions please leave comments. If you have suggestions, leave a comment!

HGR2382VMX78

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Overcoming "I can't"

I was very apprehensive about today's workout. Legs and back, P90X...

This was something I did not even fathom I could do much less was I going to attempt it! My plan was to walk or go back to the gym and cycle. However; the wife pushed me. She got me motivated to do it even if I could only do 1 or 2 reps. Just DO IT!

Needless to say I did do it, though deff not at any level I would say resembled what they were doing lol. Point is, I got through the 55 minute workout and it felt great.

Hit the shower and its time for second breakfast. I feel like a damn hobbit lol. I am eating every 2 hours or so it seems like but it is small portions of healthy food.

Even with going to Buffalo Wild Wings last night, by making healthy choices, I was able to stay just under 1000 net calories for the day. Now my BMR is 2244 so that's a big deficit, but because of the strength training and cardio each day I can eat 1000 to 1400 calories and still stay under my net goal of 1000.

What is a typical days food intake?
* 5 am: 1 cup of 1% milk and a packet of carnation essentials.

*Post workout: 2 scrambled egg whites and 4oz of grilled steak.

*About 10am I am hungry as hell again and I will have either some ham, half a can of tuna fish or some fruit.

*noonish: really depends here. Grilled chicken, some form of salad, or similar. . I try to stay under 200ish calories.

*2 or 3pm: another small snack. 50-100 calories. Nuts, lean meat, fruit.

*dinner: again this depends. At home, I can grill fish, pork, chicken ect. Add in some corn or a type of bean. Maybe another salad.

I personally have cut out anything except water to drink. However! I have found that after a month of no sweets and very low sugars, I can enjoy unsweetened tea. I pop 1 or 2 tea bags in my water bottles.

Eating healthy does not mean giving up flavor or taste!! Learn to use herbs and spices to add flavor or enhance the food you do eat.

Keep at it and never give up! You CAN find that sexier you! Small victories and goals are key. Yesterday I used a new hole on my belt! Small victory, but it made my day. At 5am when it is time to get up for that workout, that small belt hole motivated to get up and get moving!



My daily report from MyFitnessPal from yesterday.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Hell froze over, whaat??

It seems hell hath frozen over.
I sucked up my insecurities, had a glass of "get the fuck over it" and headed to the gym today for the first time in 13 years.

What the hell is this strange device? What kind of devilry is this?

45 minutes of cycling and 328 calories later; I hope my calve does not lock up today or over night and I can still walk tomorrow! But DAMN IT I feel great! I feel more alive than I have in years and this journey has only just begun.

A quick breakfast of 2 egg whites and 3oz of grilled tri-tip steak hit the spot. It is amazing just how much more energy I have and how much more productive I am throughout the day.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

The first stone

The first stone.

It changed my life.

What stone could do that you ask? The fist stone, or 14 pounds, you loose marks the start of a beautiful journey.

I was injured in 1998 during an equipment transfer between Fort Drum NY and Tobihanna Pen. Our cargo van was ran off the road in the snow by a big rig truck. We struck a tree head on and I was rushed to a local ER for eval due to back and neck pain. All seemed fine, but I had lingering back pain.
The back pain was an easy fix. For a soldier! Ruck march 5 days a week with a light ruck to strengthen my back. Two miles on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, five miles on Tuesday and Thursday. I diligently took my medicine, and rucked it out for over a month. Then the numbness started in my feet. Particularly my right foot. As weeks passed it got progressively worse and I started to develop foot drop during exercise. My right calve also started enlarging and causing severe pain when exerted.
Back to the doctors I went. No one had answers though. I was put through physical therapy, shock treatments on my calve, and gradually less and less exercise. Still no one had an answer. The doctors gave up and I was medically chaptered out of the Army in 2000.

For the next 11 years, I gradually did less and less. I went from 180 lbs to over 230, and eventually 280. I was depressed. It affected my entire life. I could not play with my children outside. I could no longer be the active person I was any longer. No more surfing, hiking, baseball, football, running, jumping, anything the exerted my calve. It was a slow downward spiral into depression. My job choices started to also be extremely limited. All due to something no one could explain.

In 2011 I got tired of being told "we do not know, live with it" and I found a pair of doctors who could give me answers. I went to a vascular surgeon and it was found that I had a blood clot lodge behind my right knee in 1998. That resulted in the slow death of the artery that supplies blood to my lower right leg. Only because I was very athletic and continued to push myself and train for those first few years in vain hope of it getting better did I not loose my leg. It actually grew subsidiarity veins to compensate to maintain the life of the leg. It was not however 100% effective at replacing the artery that was lost.

This is a from behind view of the veins in my legs. On the left of the image is my right leg and the right of the image my normal left leg.

I was told there was nothing that could be done. I would live like this the rest of my life. On the side lines.

I am 34 years old and I am married to the most amazing 22 year old on the planet. This poses a great many challenges as I am continually  holding her back by not being able to no many things your typical 22 year old does. Depression had a strong grip on my life. I retreated into my computer further and further. I distanced myself from my wife to the point of almost loosing her.

At the beginning of December, 2012, my wife left for Korea for 15 months. She is an Air Traffic Controller in the US Air Force. I made a decision that day. I WOULD NOT be the same man when I saw her again.

In the first month after she left I completely changed how and what I ate. Portion control was key here. It was a very passive approach to my goal. But after that first month, I had lost my first stone, my first 14 pounds! This excited me to no end. After fighting a loosing battle for 12 years, I had finally made a significant stride forward in controlling my weight.

This spurred in me something I had not felt in over 10 years. I felt good. I felt like I could do this.
So I got really motivated here. I downloaded an app called myfitnesspal. It tracks my every calorie. I also started P90X. I have to modify a lot of the workouts that involve jumping or over exerting my legs, but I get through it. I also started walking, and other cardio outlets.

Today is day 3 of my new journey. Come with me, and lets find our sexier selves!!
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