Categories
Diet

Weight Loss on Pause?

After losing a miraculous 20 pounds in 7 days my body decided to just stop losing weight. For 2 consecutive days I ate around 1200 calories and worked out about 2-3 hours each day with no weight loss. Talk about a demotivator.

I then ate regular food for 2 days and actually put on  4 pounds…. but, I’d also worked out wildly those 2 days and so I should have just stayed the same. It’s quite bizarre. But I’m continuing to press on with the diet and hopefully I can get down to 320 at least by August 1. i’ve got to continue to mold and work on my overall diet and workout plan until I have sufficiently figured out the right balance of carbs, fat, protein and workout.

I’ve never been more focused and despite the eye injury (Got hit by a racquetball racquet) I’m not going to be set back too far. I’m going to take the day off today and not workout, but it will be the first day in 15 that I haven’t busted my butt with at least an hour or two of cardio.

Much Love…. Eddo

Categories
Diet

I lost 20.1 pounds in 7 days

Last Monday I wondered allowed on this site if it was possible to lose 30 pounds in 10 days. I started dieting and working out something serious in an effort to see if that was an accomplishable task – it just might be.

I weighed 363.3 last Monday and 343.2 today. How you ask? By eating less and working out more.

I decided to use all my years of combined dieting success and failure knowledge to my advantage. Lowering my carbs has always seemed to work well for me but it never seemed satisfying or sustainable. Counting calories was too complicated and cumbersome. I needed a program that allowed me a tiny bit of flexibility along with long-lasting results.

I kept eating my almonds for breakfast and for dinner along with lots and lots of water and a small lunch that normally consisted of about 30 carbs and lots of protein and fat.

The body actually burns fat better as a fuel than carbs and so you would think that I would be too tired to sustain three hour workouts EVERY. SINGLE. DAY last week. But I did and the intensity only increased instead of decreasing despite the decline of my caloric intake. That includes weight lifting to insure I don’t lose muscle mass – which, I can still bench press 275 10 times and so I think my muscle mass is doing just fine.

I’ve been sure to take my vitamins and joint supplements with this regime as well and I’ve never felt better.

Some people may say, “that’s unhealthy!!!” or “It’s mostly water weight!” – but they say that only because they really don’t know their butt from a hole in the ground.

Water weight is normally stored on people who don’t exercise or diet and secondly, God created our bodies so that they would be able to store so we could use it when needed. It’s like a wharehouse full of gasoline and I’m burning it up with exercise.

Part of my plan has come from reading Wilbur Smith books where these hunters in the African bush would literally chase elephants for 20 miles in a single day jogging through rough terrain with minimal water and food. Their bodies would lose fat quickly, but they would only become more fierce.

So my goal is to lose 60 pounds by Aug. 1st and I figure if the 360 pound guy on the biggest loser can do it, so can I.

Categories
Diet

Is it possible to lose 30 pounds in 10 days?

I will let you know at the end of 10 days.

On Monday I started a diet. I’m self-employed and so I get to set my own hours and it really helps when sticking to a diet and exercise routine. South Beach always works great for me and so I thought I would give it a whirl. I got up and weighed Monday a heft 363.3 pounds. Ouch. That was what the scale said, I wasn’t in any pain myself.

I decided to go for  a long bike ride and then to eat healthy all day and by healthy I mean strict low-carb with a few almonds and very little dinner.

Tuesday I got up and weighed 360.0 – not bad I thought, but that could easily be water weight. Yesterday I repeated the day almost exactly but I added in an extra hour of cardio and some weight training.

Wednesday morning I got up and weighed 355.0 – wow – that’s 8 pounds in 2 days. Would it be possible for me to lose 22 more in 8 days? I don’t see why not.

This morning I got up for the 4th day in a row and road my 14 mile bike ride. Then after I went to the gym and lifted for about 30 minutes followed by 90 minutes on the treadmill.

I’m eating almonds and water for breakfast with a spoonful of peanut butter tossed in the mix.

Lunch is an omelette with sausage (Yep, I fell off the no pork wagon) and the omelette is made with some extra egg whites and avacado, some onion and some salsa. Dinner has been almonds and cashews.

I’m wondering if I can handle a night at the gym tonight for some extra cardio? Perhaps a quick hour on the elliptical machine will do me some good. If I weigh 352 tomorrow then I am going to keep this up for the full 10 days adding more and more workouts until I have dropped 30 pounds. It might kill me, but it will be fun to see if it is possible.

Categories
I'm Just Sayin Relationships Stories

A Pathetic Outburst Followed By A Wave Of Clarity

On Friday I play racquetball with one of my buddies and I love it. It is the highlight of my week. After we had finished playing he asked me how I was doing spiritually and physically. “Not Good” I replied. He continued to probe and question and I kept giving him these reasons for my lack of focus and overall complacency and when we were finished talking I felt like a big toad.

Normally a good talk makes me feel better. You get some things off your chest and you breathe a big sigh of relief. That didn’t happen form me on Friday. Instead I kept replaying the conversation over and over in my head and I thought, “Wow, that was a load of crappy excuses. How pathetic!”

It was a pathetic outburst followed by a wave of clarity. It was as if voices all these inner complaints helped me to see them for what they were – whining and feeling sorry for myself.

I don’t like to admit this, but I find that sometimes showing weakness allows other people to relate to me better. Weakness makes us human and in our weakness we realize that we must rely on God.

So after this talk I resolved to stop making excuses and to start making some adjustments. If I can’t correct my problems immediately I can stop the self-sabotaging behaviors and the excuses which are nothing more than tools of the incompetent and I had quite a few in my toolbox.

As a leader I am someone that should be setting an example. Life is hard for all of us and when we overcome challenges, when we fight for what we want then that makes reaching those goals all the more pleasurable.

I recommend finding someone in your life that challenges you to do better, to be better, all the time. It’s not always easy to hear that you need to make improvements, but it’s nice to know that someone cares enough to say something and challenge you to be the best you can be.

Categories
Job Updates

Job Interview

I’ve had two interviews now with Fellowship Church and I am quite excited and a little apprehensive. This would be a big change for me, something new and totally different and the guys that have interviewed me have expressed repeatedly that this place will reshape you. Which is exactly what I want. I’m so bored all the time. Even with all of my jobs I feel like it is too easy or has too many limitations for me to really grow and shine. Like I’m some potted plant and in order to really grow I need to be moved to a large pot or planted outside of my comfy house where I can really flourish.

Here are the concepts I came up with for interview #2. In the first interview they asked a lot of great questions and then sent me home with homework. I came back with this:

FC Singles Event Coordinator
Creative Project by Eddie Renz

1.    Creation VS. Evolution
a.    Fight Night – The Fight of the Millennium
i.    Cage Fight with real people
ii.    Interviews with fighters placed on YouTube
1.  Example Questions:
a.    Evolution, despite your many weaknesses, you always seem to stay in the fight, what is the secret to your success?
b.    Creation – There have been some new theories concerning your strategy to win this fight, what will make this fight different from all the rest?
iii.    Web Page created with the ability to leave comments
iv.    After Fight Party
v.    Live Streaming Video of the fight
vi.    Commentators will actually give the talk while overhead projector screens are used to capture key lines of information that we want to communicate such as statistical data, theories, back story, thinking questions, etc.
vii.    Facebook and Twitter Pages and possibly local news coverage and an ad in the Dallas Morning News
viii.    Class Description: The Epic War of Creation VS. Evolution has been raging for centuries and that fight continues LIVE June 30 at FC Fight Night. Watch as Evolution and Creation go head to head in a literal Fight for Life.

2.   GLBT – Alternative Lifestyles
a.    Desperate – A Love Story
i.    Front Room filled with true storyboards on the walls.
ii.    Either Video footage of real people or actual real people/actors on stage
iii.    Create a journey through the lives of 4-8 people who struggle with identity/sexual issues.
iv.    After the talk have groups of people go to the back room to discuss and talk about sharing the gospel with people who live alternate lifestyles.
v.    Class Description: In a world where everyone is desperate to fit in where do you turn when you don’t?  Take a look into the lives of eight individuals who found themselves searching for their identity, seeking happiness, and desperate to be loved.
vi.    Example Script – Dear Diary, today I just want to be normal. I’m so tired of living a lie. Shame and Fear are my constant companions.

3.   Giving instead of Taking
a.    Loaded –  A Night of Money, Guns and Glamour or Money, Cribs and Cars.
i.    Gimme More Britney Fashion Show
ii.    Create an event that is sleek and flashy filled with fast cars, money, clothes and material things that are our cultures idea of success.
iii.    Use video clips from MTV Cribs and other shows that highlight wealth
iv.    Borrow some nice cars to place inside the building or outside
v.    Bring Paparazzi with cameras – red carpet
vi.    Find people to Model the clothes
vii.    Generation Now – Black-Eyed Peas could be a song that is played instead of Gimme More as the main theme is “I can’t wait, I want it now”
viii.    Class Description: Give it to me, or I might just take it… yep, you heard me. I’ve got to have it, I want it all and I want it right now – Nita Moore

b.    The G-Now Success Conference and Expo – Have Nothing. Possess Everything.
i.    Video at the beginning of the show focuses on something inspirational like Lance Armstrong winning his race, Olympics, Marathons, then have it transition to Race for the Cure, Providing post hurricane aid, etc.
ii.    At the end of the video we will use the tag line: What is your measure of success?
iii.    The entire night will be a juxtaposition of various types of success.
iv.    Live speakers will take the stage and discuss what it feels like to give back and how it is truly better to give than to receive
v.    Wrap up the session with Paul’s verse from 2 Corinthians 6 – known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything
vi.    Outside in the smaller room setup booths for people to sign up for Habitat for Humanity, Missions, Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Charitable Organizations, etc.
vii.    Class Description: The G-Now Success Expo will feature interactive workshops that will help you reach your ultimate life goals. Explore new and creative strategies for being successful in all areas of your life.
1.    Small Group breakout sessions
2.    Question and Answer panel
3.    Swag Bags filled with opportunities to give.

4.   Sharing Your Faith

a.    Jesus Rambo Explosion – It’s a battle, come equipped.
i.    Army tanks and hand grenades
ii.    The entire theme is based around setting the captives free, equipping the soldiers, etc.
iii.    Use the back room as a “base camp” of sorts for planning.
iv.    I’m envisioning uniforms and guards at the doors
v.    I think a stomp routine might be fun to interject at some point. Military style complete with a drumline from a local high school band if possible.
vi.    Class Description:  Why do people lose their battles? Because they are ill equipped. In every situation the proper tools are necessary to get the job done. Your mission is to use the tools and training we give to set the captives free.
vii.    Flyers will include an outline:
1.    Training
2.    Equipment
3.    Deployment
4.    Post Op
5.    Recruitment

So these concepts included some pictures and ideas to go along with them all neatly bundled and bound at Kinkos.

Keep me in your prayers as this will be a big change for me and I only hope to do the Lord’s will.