Chuck Liddell -- Destined to be Champion
2008-05-03 (292 lbs.)
For most of us who are overweight, losing weight is the toughest challenge that we have faced in our lives. I previously discussed changes that go on in the body that cause great effect on those of us who are finally getting rid of the fat and becoming healthy. In What About All These Tears… where I discuss Mark’s crying on Biggest Loser, I talked about how it takes time for our bodies to adjust chemically to the weight loss. Five days after I wrote that post, I crashed off the caffeine from the energy drink that I had been using. (Click here to read about it.) To summarize, long term stress plus losing 100 lbs. in just over six months combined with the energy drink caused some imbalances in my body that would take some time to work out. This is not uncommon for those people who lose large amounts of weight. For example, a few years ago, a friend of mine had gastric bypass surgery and lost a load of weight. I was talking to her about some of the things that happened and found out that after she lost so much weight so quickly, her doctor put her on medicine for a few months to help her cope with the chemical changes going on in her body.
It’s been 6 weeks and things are getting better. I haven’t had to take medicine, but going through the process of letting my blood chemistry balance out as it catches up with my weight loss using only nutrition has been tough. In our nation of fast food and “I want it now” attitude and where my desire to be back to normal and working 100% in the gym runs deep, I can’t shorten the time that it takes for my body systems to catch up with my weight loss. I still maintain my exercise, but I can’t do more than 6-8 hours per week. I have to make sure that I get enough sleep. I have to eat correctly not just to lose weight, but to give my body the nutrients it needs at specific times of the day to repair itself. Over time, everything will get back to normal, and I’m looking forward to it. In the meantime, it’s not so pleasant.
In my case, losing the weight has been the easy part. The hard part has been mental. There are times that I want to just quit. I get discouraged sometimes that feel like I’m just not going to make it. I remember one day at the end of my training session. I looked at Annie and said, “Everyday, I hear the words ringing in my head, ‘You are not going to make it.’”
Every person who is confronting a large challenge faces this same mental battle. Chuck Liddell talks about preparing for his fight with Babalu. He had just beaten Randy Couture and was destined to fight Tito Ortiz. It didn’t make sense to fight someone inbetween when a loss could affect his being champion. Chuck’s a fighter though. Here’s what he says in his book Iceman: My Fighting Life
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Now I was champ, and I still expected to get my hands on him [talking about Babalu] and knock him out in the first round. Some people saw this as a bridge fight, something to keep me in shape between Randy and a bigger match with Tito… But that wasn’t the case. I wanted to fight, and Babalu was the toughest opponent out there for me. Definitely tougher than Tito, as far as I was concerned. I knew to take this match seriously. Babalu had only gotten better during the four years since our first fight. He had filled in a lot of the holes in his game. And I had been battling a foot injury, too. My workouts were good and I had a lot of energy, but just before training I weighed 233 pounds. At the weigh-in I was still six pounds over the 205-pound limit and had to cut weight. Sure, I planned on winning. I just didn’t expect it to be easy.
Just as Chuck expected that the fight wouldn’t be easy, we can’t expect that our fight to become healthy will be any more easy. The battle begins as we take on eating right and exercising. Like Chuck fought and became champion, so many of us wrestle with our own poor eating and exercise habits until we see significant changes. We lose a great deal of weight and/or begin eating correctly (if we weren’t already), and finally it feels as if we have mastered it. We may even reach our goal weight. However, we have more than one opponent.
The road to our championship is not over there. Our next foe is not as easy as losing weight. We must now confront our mind and the way we think. In Annie’s words, “Now is when the mental battle begins.” This is where our health accomplishments get tested. Will we persevere to the end or give up and fail?
We must go into it with a determination that we will do whatever it takes to achieve our goal. Second place is not good enough. It will not be easy. It means that we will have to discipline ourselves which may mean going through some pain – mental and physical. But when we come out on the other side, we will be a champion. It’s not about beating the opponent. It’s about being who we are destined to be. You and I are destined to be healthy, strong, happy individuals, and we can get there, but it won’t be easy.
Are you discouraged? That’s ok. We all get discouraged. However, be the champion that you are and get back up to fight. Keep moving forward doing all the right things that you know to do. You will get stronger physically, mentally and in other ways that you never expected.
As I said before, never, ever, ever give up. You can do it!
May 2, 2008
2008-05-02 (292 lbs.)
5:30am 1 cup yogurt, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 banana
6:00am Peanut butter sandwich
6:30am 60 minutes boot camp
8:00am 3 egg steak omelet, small hash browns, 2 pieces white toast
12:00pm 2 cups strawberries
3:00pm 4 oz. shrimp, 2 svg mustard greens, 1 svg veg for soup
7:00pm Protein shake, 2 pieces whole wheat bread
Calories: 2599
Protein: 189g
Fat: 99g
Carbs: 247g
May 1, 2008
2008-05-01 (291 lbs.)
9:45am 3 eggs, 2 pieces whole wheat toast, ½ cup cottage cheese, 1 banana
12:00pm 2 svg greens and rice combo
2:00pm Protein Shake, 2 pieces whole wheat bread
4:00pm 2 svg mixed fruit, ½ peanut butter sandwich, 5 dill pickles
6:00pm 4 oz. orange roughy, 1 svg greens and rice combo
9:30pm Protein shake, 46 frozen grapes
Calories: 2479
Protein: 186g
Fat: 80g
Carbs: 285g
April 30, 2008
2008-04-30 (291 lbs.)
Today is the first day that I was able to make it through Boot Camp without having to drink Gatorade for energy. Now, an hour later, I’m a bit lightheaded, but that’s ok. My body just needs time to replace the glucose that it’s lacking.
5:30am 1 cup yogurt with protein powder
6:00am Peanut butter sandwich
7:00am 60 minutes Boot Camp
9:00am Turkey sandwich, 1 cup cottage cheese with ¼ cup walnuts, 1 svg veg. for soup (peas, corn, okra, potatoes, carrots, lima beans, celery)
12:00am 1/3 Greens & Rice Combo*, 2 svg mixed fruit
3:30pm Protein shake, 1/3 Greens & Rice Combo*
5:00pm 1/3 Greens & Rice Combo*
6:00pm 60 minutes upper, legs & abs
7:30pm Protein bar
Greens & Rice Combo: 1 svg mustard greens, ½ cup spinach, ½ cup broccoli, 1.5 oz. swiss cheese, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 svg brown rice, 15 almonds
Calories: 2449
Protein: 180g
Fat: 81g
Carbs: 288g
April 29, 2008
2008-04-29 (294 lbs.)
6:00am Steak and onion omelet, small hash browns
9:00am Bowl whole grain cereal w/ 8 oz. skim milk, 1 cup blueberries
11:30am 4 oz. mahi mahi, 1 svg broccoli, 1 svg peas
1:15pm 60 minutes cardio
2:00pm 2 svg mixed fruit, 2.5 svg CA veg. w/ mozzarella cheese
5:00pm Peanut butter sandwich, 2 bananas, ¼ cup walnuts
9:30pm Protein shake
Calories: 2413
Protein: 170g
Fat: 90g
Carbs: 251g
April 28, 2008
2008-04-28 (294 lbs.)
I've been doing step aerobics for some time now, but I always do it without an actual step. I tried the step aerobics of 20/20/20 with the smallest step – the one that’s about 2 ½ inches tall. It was a bit hard on the knees. I think I’ll stay off the step for awhile longer.
10:30am Peanut butter sandwich, 12 oz. Gatorade
11:00am 60 minutes strength training
11:00am 20 oz. Gatorade
2:00pm 2 svg spinach with mozzarella cheese (1.5 oz) and ¼ cup walnuts, protein shake, 2 bananas
4:00pm 1 svg cottage cheese, 2 svg turkey slices, 1 svg broccoli w/ ¼ cup pecans
5:15pm 40 minutes 20/20/20
5:50pm 30 minutes on elliptical
7:00pm 4 oz. flounder, 2 pieces whole wheat bread, 1 svg broccoli, 1 svg corn
9:00pm Protein shake
Calories: 2400
Protein: 193g
Fat: 79g
Carbs: 273g
Calories were short today, but I couldn’t put anything else in my stomach. I was stuffed. Protein and carbs were both high.
April 27, 2008
2008-04-27 (291 lbs.)
8:00am Turkey sandwich, 2.5 svg CA veg with mozzarella
11:15am Peanut butter sandwich, 2 svg mixed fruit, 10 almonds
1:15pm turkey sandwich and protein shake
3:00pm ¼ cup brown rice, 4 oz. chicken, 1 svg peas, 1 svg spinach, ¼ cup pecans
5:00pm shrimp omelet (2 eggs, 8 oz. shrimp, onions), 2 pieces whole wheat toast, 1 cup cottage cheese, 38 grapes
6:00pm Protein shake
Calories: 2499
Protein: 219g
Fat: 89g
Carbs: 246g
April 26, 2008
2008-04-26 (291 lbs.)
Went to Dollywood all day today. Made it rough with eating, but I had lots of fun. I would have done better to pack a peanut butter sandwich or something with fewer calories. Walked 8.25 miles.
6:30am 2 fried eggs, 2 pieces whole wheat toast
9:30am 12 oz. Gatorade
10:30am 5 svg trail mix (800 cal.)
12:00p 8 oz. shrimp, 3 svg green beans, 3 svg cooked cabbage, 1 cup cottage cheese with ¼ cup shredded cheese, 8 oz. orange juice
3:00p 2.5 svg trail mix
8:00p 8 oz. orange roughy
9:30p Protein shake
Calories: 2892
Protein: 215g
Fat: 114g
Carbs: 266g
April 25, 2008
2008-04-25 (291 lbs.)
5:30am 1 cup yogurt, 1 scoop protein powder, 1 cup blueberries
6:00am Peanut butter sandwich
6:30am 60 minutes Boot Camp
7:30am 20 oz. Gatorade (drank throughout Boot Camp)
9:00am Protein bar
10:00am 1 cup strawberries, 20 grapes
12:00pm Steak and chicken stir-fry with sautéed onions (added butter to my log to hopefully account for some of the oil they used)
4:00pm 1 can chicken breast, 1 svg corn, 1 svg peas
6:00pm 30 minutes strength training, 15 minutes elliptical
7:00pm Peanut butter sandwich
9:00pm protein shake
Calories: 2575
Protein: 208g
Fat: 89g
Carbs: 265g
April 24, 2008
2008-04-24 (292 lbs.)
8:30am 3 eggs with turkey, 2 pieces toast, 12 oz. tomato juice
11:00am ½ cup cottage cheese, 6” veggie sub
2:00pm 8 oz. shrimp, 1 svg corn, 1 svg peas, 1 svg raisins
7:00pm Grilled salmon salad with hunk of French bread (I had to guess at amount of bread)
8:40pm Protein shake, 50 grapes
Calories: 2460
Protein: 186g
Fat: 66g
Carbs: 294g
Remember the Leprechaun
2008-04-23 (292 lbs.)
I was watching this movie called Click with Adam Sandler. I generally don’t really care for Sandler’s movies. There are a couple that I liked. (See below for my favorites.) Anyway, back to the subject at hand.
Click is about Sandler who is trying to accomplish too many things and is missing real life including the lives of his family. He is given a special universal remote that allows him to control his universe including skipping through two months of work to get the partnership in his firm that he has always wanted. Morty, the guy who gave him the remote, warned him with a quick analogy.
“Remember the cereal Leprechaun?” he asked. He was referring to the little leprechaun that always talked about the marshmallow cereal being magically delicious. Morty continued, “The Leprechaun was always chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but in the end there was only corn flakes.”
One of the things I discovered back in January is that I don’t just want to lose weight. I want to be healthy and fit. Being healthy and fit goes beyond just the physical aspect of our bodies. Our lives can be categorized into five areas: physical...
Click here to read the whole post.
April 23, 2008
2008-04-23 (292 lbs.)
5:30am Peanut butter sandwich, 1 cup yogurt, 1 cup blueberries
6:30am 60 minutes Boot Camp
7:30am 32 oz. Gatorade (spread over last hour)
11:00am 8 oz. orange roughy, 1 svg spinach, 1 svg walnuts
12:30pm protein shake and 1 slice whole wheat bread
3:00pm 3 Sweet pickles and 1 ½ cups strawberries
5:00pm Protein bar
8:00pm 6” veggie sub
9:00pm protein shake
Calories: 2513
Protein: 192g
Fat: 68g
Carbs: 321g
