Tag: lose weight

Lose Weight Be Fit – Part 2

Fitness Nutrition

Written By Sam Martin

If I thought I had been unkind to myself and my body in the past, well the last 18 months of COVID are the worst. My body has been through its second highest ever weight and at 53 years old is struggling to keep up. On fact there are days I feel the unhealthy habits, the lazing around in a desk chair or bed are going to put me there permanently.

How bad is it you ask? Well, at the highest I was 325lbs. As recently as 5 years ago I was 247lbs. Today I am about 300lbs. (currently do not have a scale until end of September) This is actually down from 315lbs in March when I lost 17lbs poking my nose under 300lbs and going back up to 310lbs in July. All of this has shot my blood pressure way up, my stomach does not react well to many foods and I barely move. Boo Whooo, right!

NO! I need to kick myself in the ass and remind myself just how strong my body is and how well it recovers when I treat it with kindness. In May and June I lost almost 20lbs. It was not difficult, the opposite in fact. So why did I fall off the wagon again? Simple really! Wanting what I want in that moment, not thinking about the ramifications. Take out food and television is a slippery slope for me. It provides a sense of comfort, though I am not sure why. Therapy is supposed to help root out what it is that I am doing when I make these choices. Protection? Fear? Something…

YES! It Is Time For A Change

Change, it seems is never easy, specifically change to the diet while implementing a good exercise program. Changing from that of a junk food addict to healthy fresh ingredients that bring forth the things a body wants to thrive and live in health. In my condition, the weight, activity level right now, there is no chance of being the authentic me. Maybe that is the negative dialogue that also needs to change. However, there is also the realists voice. My body is strong, but it is time I stop abusing it so we can heal together.

Back in late April I started 2 minutes of walking every hour and by May that ramped up to 3 minutes. After a few weeks the time increased to 5 minutes and every so often I would add knee strengthening interval work or some body weight exercises. Soon the step count was up to about 7.5k. That did not last. Now I am at about 1.2k daily if that some days.

CHANGE #1 – Start moving 3 minutes every hour 6x a day. (5 minutes by September 30th)

Movement will be focused on improving the mobility in my knees. There are a few knee strengthening exercises that help keep basic mobility day to day. The goal is to be able to walk a couple of kilometres a day without feeling like an old grump through the night. This is in addition to regular daily activity.

CHANGE #2 – Drink more smoothies and eat more vegetables. 60% of daily food intake Aug 23 – Sep 30th 2021

YES! Adopting this will help me immensely. Well, Tara will help with that as well. At this point there is little trust that the best decisions are being made while I am alone. Nothing worse for inner dialogue than broken promises to yourself, repeatedly!

So, hello change, nice to meet you. So looking forward to the wonderful things you will bring.

Accountability

I own the mistakes I have made in the past and feel ready to give a little control to others. My partner, Tara. Anyone reading this who wants to offer constructive suggestions and most importantly, to myself. The truth is to live a life true to myself, these changes need to be made. Accountable to myself first and foremost.

Somedays it is difficult to look at myself in the mirror and not feel remorse for my weakness. Being more in the moment, more aware of myself and how I am feeling, understanding the triggers that send me to eat the junk.

Welcome to Sam’s journey! Choose to follow me, to praise me, to chastise me, I am prepared for it all. I am prepared to come out of lockdown changed

weightloss diet lose weight fitness weightloss journey

July 5, 2021
Breakfast – The Most Important Meal?

Nutrition

Written By Sam Martin

Are You Getting A Complete and Balanced Breakfast?

Getting a complete and balanced breakfast is a priority goal I have set for this month. Part of that includes not eating it before 10:00 am, and choosing to eat foods that come from trees. In December I met a fellow who put some interesting ideas in my head regarding eating with by following the sun.

Consistently failing at breakfast, over the years I have learned to ensure I get the most healthiest foods first. Just like the trees which are first to receive energy from sun, breakfast is the fuel that wakes the human engine up and gets us moving. Trees produce all kinds of wonderfully nutritious foods, these same foods are said to be the best or when you rise.

That first cup of morning coffee, the bean is from a tree, breaks the night time fast. The fast of the night is broken by drinking coffee. Seeing how much I enjoy food, you would think after 16 hrs of fasting it would be the first thing on my agenda. Sadly, not so. I prefer to wait until after 10am before I eat. Which means calories cease to be consumed after 6pm.

Why breakfast is so important. Essentially you have just gone the longest period your body goes without fuel. During this time your body has been processing all the food you consumed the day before. When you awake your body needs the fuel to metabolize glucose, or blood sugar, all day. Prolonged fasting, leads to a greater boost in hunger hormones.

Drink Raw Fruit & Vegetable SmoothiesLoaded with fresh fruit combinations that set your palette and body alive with energy.

What are some of the components of a healthy breakfast?

To live a lean and healthy lifestyle, I have found that beginning my day predominantly with food that comes from the trees. So there is the shot of Apple Cider vinegar Apple Walnut Oatmeal or a Banana Smoothie. Both of these contain food from trees. Why food from the trees? Well…

Last December, I happened upon a gentleman running an AirBnB experience in Ojai California. I was quite taken with the way he spoke of life and food. You can view a the Pizza Experience on my youtube page. Anyways, When he spoke of his eating philosophy, he talked specifically how the body’s circadian rhythm is tied to the environment and if we follow the sun in our eating habits, our bodies actually process the nutrients better.

It all starts with breakfast. As the sun comes up over the horizon and you begin to rise yourself, start with water, the early mornings dew. The first thing the sun touches as it rises is the tops of the trees. So think apples oranges etc. Many trees in different areas produce fruit or nuts and this is where is it suggested we look to compile our first meals of the day. I will be researching and writing more on this in coming blogs.

You can also read about the delicious green smoothie recipe here! It’s really tasty start to the day. #wholefoodplantbased

Read Health.com’s great breakfast foods for weightloss article. Packed with real foods like blueberries, oats and bananas you can easily modify a number of these with paleo, vegan or gluten free options. Remember the key is to find the real food options that best suit your lifestyle.

That’s it for this breakfast. Wake up start your day with a hearty healthy one.
Best of luck on your path to Lose Weight and Be Fit!

breakfast apples green apples oatmeal

February 6, 2020
Time to Lose Weight & Be Fit

Fitness Nutrition

Written By Sam Martin

Over the years I have not been kind to myself. My story is not unique, there are so many people out there who have and still struggle with their own health and weight. Living a rollercoaster ride of weight loss and gain. I was a childhood athlete who grew up to be an adult obesity statistic.

At my highest I was 325lbs. That was the first time being overweight scared me. Having developed high blood pressure and Acid Reflux, the Dr and Nutritionist were straight up, LOSE WEIGHT! This was 2010. During the last 10 years I have been down to 247 lbs and up to as high as 290 recently.

In August of 2007 a move to LA weight management become uneasy. Despite gaining back 10 lbs I was confident I could continue the good health path. FAILED Again. An emotional eater, in 2008 my father passed away, I was living unhappily with a woman who was also overweight and I ate away the pain. We visited in Toronto in October 2010 to attend my best friends wedding. When looking at the picture it became strikingly clear that the problem had returned, BIG TIME. This is when I weighed in at over 325lbs. It was absolutely horrifying.

Returning to LA, determined to find a trainer and lick my obesity problem. I met Billie in November 2011 and honestly she was the perfect fit. With Billie’s guidance I was again on my quest to lose weight and be fit. Soon I became a beast in the gym and worked my way down to 255 lbs This was end of summer 2012. During that period I never gained any weight back, despite the heartache of now losing my mother.

December 2012 I returned again to Toronto for the holidays. I threw discipline out the window and… When my TN1 Visa was denied and the woman I was in love with seemed ok with me staying in Toronto for a bit, I settled in, back in the T Dot, back, seemingly happy, but not caring about myself again. I replaced workouts with binge eating, finally realized the great loss I had experienced plus, as much as I loved my friends here, I missed LA and this amazing woman I had fallen in love with. I blew all that happiness on Chips, dips and candy.

Soon everything and everyone was to blame for my misery. When the relationship started to go south, when the cold was unbearable, everything was an excuse to be unhappy and soon I found myself slowly gaining it back. Pants that were loose when I returned were now skin tight. T-Shirts not long enough to cover my huge belly and an HR woman who was frankly rude in her delivery but correct in how unkempt I looked. I did not care. I was depressed and for 2 more years I would suffer silently each night or every weekend with this… my comfort foods. Pure sugars and toxins.

The pattern dragged on bringing me back up to 287 by September 2014. Pretending I still loved my job, pretending I was happy in my life when the truth was I was completely unhealthy and a sedentary pile of processed junk food. (They say you are what you eat) It is no wonder I had gained all that weight back.

All that unhappiness took me to therapy. Like finding a trainer I did my research met a few people and found the person I felt I could share and be vulnerable enough to help heal the broken Sam. In a couple of months I was confident enough in myself to leave behind the job I was extremely unhappy at and start my own business. By the spring of 2015, the only issue I had not conquered was my weight. Finally happy again it was time to begin the arduous task of motivating myself to take action.

The Change Occured

July 1st 2015 I set a 3 month goal to see how I could do on my own, the only motivation… MY LIFE! I had to commit myself to the work necessary to change old habits into new. Adopt a healthy active lifestyle and treat my body like the temple it is. The first step to being completely happy with myself was in my own ability to love myself enough to take care of myself. As an overweight person I was not living the life authentic to to who I truly felt I was from the inside out.

The first 3 months were fantastic, I was confident I had made the important lifestyle changes necessary to achieve my goals. The trick about health is it is so easy to be overweight. Without even realizing it we are eating food that our bodies were not designed to process. I know McDonalds tastes good, I know a sweet sugary dessert will delight me in ways my endorphins can’t handle, I also know each time I choose to put that stuff into my body I am slowly killing myself. And I want to live.

Not only do I want to live, I want to pay it forward. I want to share with as many people as I can the importance of clean healthy living. I am going to open up my world to public judgement and put my results out there. I want people to see it does not take a Keto, South Beach, Atkins anything diet that restricts your calories or provides fake processed foods from a cardboard box to lose weight. I am going to share a real lifestyle change and choices, foods that heal, that work with our bodies. I will demonstrate that eating can be a delight without killing you.

But I Fell Off the Wagon

I own the mistakes I have made in the past and feel ready to make better choices again. I will say this many times. I know the struggle, it is not easy. I will make mistake, plateau, wonder what is working and what is not. I have a starting point, knowing what has worked in the past. I have an end point, goals, an ideal weight and determination.

Welcome to Sam’s journey! Choose to follow me, to praise me, to chastise me, I am prepared for it all. I am prepared to come out of lockdown changed

weightloss diet lose weight fitness weightloss journey

February 2, 2020