Day 59

bad day, good day. I was 45 minutes late for work. I only ate once today at 2. workout was great. but right now I have a serious stomach ache. [oi] Today I purchased 20 training sessions that will last me until November, and tomorrow is my last day at work and my first day at my new work. I also have made it to the wall of achievement at the gym. how exciting. until tomorrow, have a good evening.

Day 58

My healthy days are over....at Jason's Deli. On Friday will be my last day, and on Friday will be the start of my new job with Freeb!rds. Awesome. Very awesome. I am so excited to work for an awesome company and earn and save money. Although...I don't know whether I exactly got the job or not, Matt, the manager at Freeb!rds just told me to come in on Friday for training, which is what I am going to do. Today I worked out and did some cardio, did a weight loss program on the ellipticals. Found out today that 24 Hour Fitness is having a SALE on personal training and it's 10% off until this Saturday. Right now I am studying and trying to figure out my future. woo

Day 57

Today was a good day. The people at 24 hour fitness have made it known to me that they are there for me, and also my well being. They truly care for you. My Aunt had passed away, and I have been really not taking too well. Most of the day I spent by myself, and I haven't worked out. I talked to Alison on the phone, when I came to the gym, I talked to Jocelyn, and worked out with Seth. In the end, yes, I can mope around all day, but what can I do to stop being so negative and think positive. I will figure that out in due time. The work out with Seth was good, but I worry about how I am going to pay for the next few sessions.

Day 54, Day 55, & Day 56

The weekend was a pretty slow and unproductive day, I did not get a chance to work out, but today I am going to clean my house, go to the gym, and do some cardio. It seems like its getting harder for me to lose weight, perhaps I am hitting a plateau. 13 days to lose 2 lbs. I think it is because when I went to Vegas I didn't work out nor did I eat very healthy. On top of that I need to be more discipline with my diet and exercise currently right now. So off to the gym I go, and hope I can post more things that will help both me and everyone.

Day 53

Today was a good start today, working out with Seth at 8am. The workout was interesting and gym was not as crowded as it normally is. Went into the Meathead Area, where all those big huge bodybuilder type people work out, but there was no one really there...except for this one guy who kept staring at himself in the mirror for a long time. After my workout, I went to work. Work dragged on forever, and I didn't eat so healthy. I need to plan my meals before hand so I know what I am eating is good for me, but I at least managed to eat for lunch a cup of fruit and a cup of steamed veggies. Tomorrow I am going to relax from working out as my relax day, and continue on sunday.

Day 52

If you are wondering about the days, I decided that since in my first month of this blog I counted the number of days since I started working and not posting only the days I worked out so I edited that. Today I worked all day and didn't work out, I came home to an upset stomach, and I have my training session with Seth at 8am, work at 10am, and then pass out at 9pm. So I am going to keep this short since I have to go to sleep. Good Night!

Day 51

This morning I had an interesting workout with Seth. I was a bit late, got there, and I was just out of it. Let's just say Balance is not my friend. The exercises that had to deal with balance really frustrated me. Besides that it was a great workout, and now I am off to work.

Recipe of the Day - Fire up the Grill Salmon and Roasted Corn

Very simple recipe that super healthy for you.

Ingredients:
6oz Salmon Fillet
Lemon Juice
Capers
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Corn

Simply place the salmon on the middle of a sheet of aluminum foil. Brush Olive Oil on the Fillet, sprinkle salt, pepper, and capers. Dash of Lemon Juice. Wrap the salmon and cook on the grill for 10-15 minutes. With the corn, simply brush some olive oil on it, salt and pepper and roast on the grill until done.
Simple, Easy, and GOOD!

Day 46 - Day 50

Day 46-49 : Vegas oh Vegas...Lost my money, Ate the bad stuff, and didn't exercise. So today I woke up and went to the gym to do some light Cardio. 30 minutes and that was it for today, I was a bit sluggish today, being a bit fatigued, hungry, and tired. So where do I go from here. Work. save money, purchase more sessions with Seth. Workout 6/7 days, 3 Cardio, 3 Weights. Eat right. That's pretty much it. I gained 2 lbs from Vegas but that's okay. I did realize though that when you eat anything, weight isn't going to magically increase. The food is going to be digested and pooped out. Gaining weight is eating badly on a consistent basis while not working out. I'm just glad I got my craving out in Vegas, so now I can focus on my goals.

Day 50: Now I am off to work!

More to come in the following weeks!

Day 43, Day 44, & Day 45

I have not worked out the past two days because I was just not feeling well mentally, physically, and emotionally. I have not been eating, and when I have I was not eating right. I knew this day would come when I had over stressed myself out with too much, and whenever I got to the tip of the iceberg, there was the expected avalanche. So Today I was glad to work out with Seth, get back on track, and tomorrow...VEGAS. One thing I learned today is how much I appreciate everyone at 24 hour fitness. It seems like I have really impacted a lot of lives from the short time I was there. My Story. My Devotion. My Life. So thank you to everyone there.

It gets hard, I am NOT going to lie. You will experience cravings, You will get tired, and you might cry a little bit. But in the long run, you will gain some self esteem, self worth, and self reliance. Today I got a new hair cut, went shopping, and looked at myself in the mirror, and I see a physical change. A small physical change, but a change nonetheless. So my message to everyone out there is KEEP GOING!. and thank you to everyone who is with me on this journey.

Day 42

Today was an uneventful day. Actually, it seems like my whole summer has been uneventful. I wake up early in the morning. Go to work. Go work out. Go Study. Go Home. Sleep. Then start again. So this weekend will definitely be my real summer vacation. [Las Vegas] Some of the things I worry about going on this trip are a couple of things.

1. I have saved enough money for 30 sessions with Seth, I don't want to lose it all in Vegas.
2. I don't know what I am going to be eating in Vegas, most likely it will be a buffet.
3. Exercise in Vegas?...

I will eventually figure this out, but today, I had my training session with Seth, and it went well. I tried to provoke Seth, so that I could get a good work out, although I have been really....really...tired. Fatigued. Exhausted. I wonder what Seth's advice will be on all of this.

Health Tip of the Day: Stress

Ways to relieve stress (1) Sleep. (2) Take a walk (3) Music

I have found that I have so much stress lately, with work, school, life, and the weight loss and working out. Whenever I do get enough sleep, I have less stress because I am well rested. Last week I took a stroll around the park. Very nice to be one with nature. Lastly music has definitely been a huge stress reliever by means of drowning out your thoughts or singing with the music.

Day 40 & Day 41

so I am about half way there toward my goal. I have lost 20 lbs in 40 days. I feel awesome, but for some reason I am wearing out a little bit. I guess this Vegas trip coming up is much needed. Yesterday's training session was awesome, but my attitude and myself was just not there. I was just tired and fatigued, and my body is still sore today. Today I am just resting because I have another training session tomorrow and I want to be at least 85 percent. Now I am off to do some yardwork in this Texas Heat...

Day 38 & Day 39

Yesterday I went to Beaumont, Texas and pretty much didn't do any physical activity all day. Today however, I went to work, did some cardio, and did some heavy lifting in the evening. So my body kinda hurts, and I have personal training tomorrow. My friends whom I haven't seem since I started working out saw a difference today. [really cool] But I got a long ways to go. I'm going to Las Vegas in a week, and I am wondering what I can do to still work out, eat healthy, and get enough sleep. I guess I will have to talk to Seth about that tomorrow.

My only daily tidbit I have today, is go get a personal trainer, or rather go get Seth. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't have gone this far. I would have just gotten lazy again and gone back to my old ways. The reason why I even think I got this far besides Seth, well, it's pretty much Seth. I pay so much for him, I have to go, or else I would be wasting my money. At one point in time I thought to myself, man, is this really worth it, then had a great work out with Seth, and never thought about it ever again. Go get yourself a Seth, or maybe Go and get yourself an Alison, in order for you to sign up for 24 hour fitness, and then go get yourself a Seth. I am now an Advocate for personal training. -fin-

Day 37

Maybe I should've scheduled my personal training with Seth on Friday because I am wiped out. I couldn't even do push-ups, it was like I was back at square one. But that's okay, I got a free training session. whoopie. Work today went really well, besides the fact that I didn't gather so many hours as I did last week, I need to really watch my money, and I am afraid I will lose all my money in Vegas next week. But besides that I have to wake up at around 430 tomorrow morning, so I will go to bed right now. Until tomorrow.

Day 36

Today, I woke up very...very....sore. My abs were burning. But today I started to see some physical changes. My biceps are bigger, my shoulders more broader, belly got a bit smaller. At work today, one of my co-workers asked if I had a baby yesterday. With regards to my nutrition, I had breakfast around 9am. I had a snack around 12-1pm. Lunch around 3pm. Then I really didn't have dinner because I was just working and working and working. So I had small snacks to help reside my hunger. After work I went to the gym and did only 30 minutes of cardio, because I didn't want to go home so late, since I have work at 6am tomorrow morning. Now I will get some sleep right now and get some muscle recovery. I am going to need it because I have a training session with Seth tomorrow and I am still sore from yesterday's session. oi.

Day 35

It has been five weeks now and today I absolutely loved my workout, and even wished it was longer. I started my warm up, football style. I think I even surprised Seth a little bit because I surprised myself. Before hand I went to the park and jog/walked 5K around the lake at the park. Very good day, and I am lovin' it. One suggestion though, DO NOT GET GATORADE RECOVER. It just made me absolutely full and bloated. Just go with the normal protein shake like APEX LITE FIT or MUSCLE MILK LITE. Now I am going to go to sleep early, so that I get enough sleep. Ta-Ta.

Day 34

Happy Independence Day! and just like every holiday, my family decides to go to a Chinese buffet. Let's just say, I failed. I failed so badly, I texted Seth telling him to give me hell tomorrow for what I did today.

Happy 4th of July!

Day 33

Today I slept in. I went shopping for some new workout clothes, had lunch at Souper Salad with a friend, and did some weight training today. Made sure to tackle every muscle in my body while listening to a great new workout music I put in my mp3. Now, I have to worry about tomorrow. My family and relatives have decided to go to a Chinese buffet for not only July 4th but my cousins birthday. What the h-e-double hockey sticks am I going to eat? I asked Seth, what I should do and he said just eat whatever is the HEALTHIEST at a Chinese Buffet. No White Rice and No Fried Food. That will be an interesting dinner since last time we had a family dinner, it was horrible because all I wanted was a salad, and what they gave me was a platter of chicken fajitas. I hate eating out now. I just want to cook my own food and know that it's good for me, because being in the restaurant food industry, I know how bad everything can be, but I also know how you can tweek a couple of things for it to be okay. Jason's Deli's Salad Bar is amazing, such make sure you stay away from the potato salad.

Three things to help you when your losing motivation:

1. Get some new clothes.
2. Work out with a friend.
3. Record why you started in the first place.

I was starting to lose my motivation. I just didn't want to go work out anymore. So what I did was on my first week of working out, I recorded myself on a voice recorder that I had for school. I told myself and said

"I'm tired of being fat, I'm tired of waking up not being able to breathe, I'm tired of being tired, and I'm tired of worrying about my health. Dennis, Keep Going! For your family, your friends, and YOURSELF!"

That helped me out the most, the other two, getting new clothes just helps your self-esteem and the working out with a friend makes it so that you have someone to push you.

I will let you all know what happens tomorrow at the...CHINESE BUFFET!

Day 32

What a rainy day it was today, and I absolutely love it. Today I simply went to work, worked out, watched the FIFA World Cup, and signed up for a 5K Run for Child Obesity. I hope Seth can train me for that.

So it has come to my attention that I should treat myself every once in a while because if I don't, when I lose all the weight, the cravings will be worse, and I will lose the battle. So I will treat myself tomorrow and then go work out couple hours after I eat.

Three of my personal goals in my weight loss journey:

1. Weigh under 200 lbs
2. Lose my gut.
3. Do ONE PULL UP.

I simple want to see the hundreds again and go from there. I want to lose my gut like everyone in America, maybe even a six pack. Lastly, be able to do simply one pull up. For years I've tried, but now I will do it!

Day 30 & Day 31

Yesterday it was storming outside, so I decided not to drive in the flooded streets of Houston. Instead I cleaned...I think that burns some calories. Today I worked out with Seth, although earlier that day I had broken out in a rash on my neck, difficult breathing, and then some. Must've been some sort of food allergy or something. Today was odd. Seth was quiet and there was no music at the gym. It was a really depressing day at the gym. I tried to make some small talk with Seth, but I think that's better than an awkward silence. Anyway, I finally got the chance to work out in the "free weights" section of the gym. Where all the big scary muscle people are at, while I, with my fatness, seemed like a fish out of water. All in all, it was an okay day. Need to watch out for my splurges of food I eat. It all adds up in the end.