Body by design

Aaron on Big Rock Brazil - Pedra Grande and Body by designMy girlfriend has pictures around our house from the good old days, when I was some 20 pounds lighter than I am now. Without trying to sound like a diet-sales-spam, I’m going to use the cliche “I’ve struggled with my weight for most of my life”. I suppose I’m lucky that I’m not obese, and never have been, but my issue is how easy I put the extra weight back on, after I work hard to loose it, especially these days. Now I want a body by design.

Being older it stands to reason that my metabolism burns less calories than it used to, therefore I have to be more pro-active to drop pounds than I used to be.

It feels rather odd to be writing about something so personal, but let’s face-it, all aspects of our lives are effected by a healthy body, and the image in the mirror is one that we wish would match our own ideal perception, of how we should look. If we’re not happy with what we see in the mirror, then how can we expect other people to like us enough to believe in our abilities? It’s so easy to let the body get out of hand and then the self-esteem is dragged down with it, like an endless cycle.

Sure I know that our outward image is not the core of happiness, yes being obsessed with looks is a sure sign of vanity, but what about the lack of energy from poor nutrition? and just the feeling of being overweight? when the clothes don’t fit well and an obvious craving for caffeine and/or sweets interrupts our work? as the body runs tired trying to burn off all the toxins ingested the previous night. Again, and endless cycle, not to mention the simple discomfort of having the added bulk on the frame.

Ok, it’s obvious the time has come again to make changes and enact some self-improvements. Despite the plaguing knowledge that this year alone I’ve embarked upon at least 5 earnest efforts to gain control over my personal eating habits. Having kept a journal with a diary and an ink pen, which by the way seems novel, in this day of high-technology and with all these blogs, but no-one but me reads my journal, whereas I’m not sure who reads this Blog. Anyway, I’m using this Blog to improve-myself and hoping that baring my soul a little will further motivate me to remain more disciplined about my health regime.

What I have learned from looking back in my ink and paper journal, is that it’s relatively easy for me to drop the first 4 kg (weight is measured in kilograms here in Brasil), and once I lost as much as 7, but then I always broke the good patterns and quickly put the weight back on. So this time, I’m aiming for 10 kg loss by January 1, which is about 22 lbs. and makes an average of 3 lbs per week. This is realistic for me, and according to my knowledge of nutrition, shouldn’t cause any health risks or leave me with too much diminished energy and could give me a body by design.

Update – March 11, 2019 – I’m more fit and active as ever and managed to get a grip on eating habits, which as much as anything meant eating much, much less and attempting to sustain longer periods of fasting and try to eat just enough to sustain myself, so I can eat some sweets, croissants, and cookies with my coffee, which I drink too much of.

The road to success is paved in coffee

Since I started taking Vancouver Island Ormus and Super Foods in Green Extracts I’ve been able to enjoy more energy and feel stronger. Admittedly I get my protein from meat and dairy,  plus have taken to drinking milk but without a doubt the single biggest thing is no beer for one year and zero alcohol, so once I adjusted to being sober, it was a cinch. ~ Cheers!

November 20, 2020 – I stopped eating meat altogether about 60 days ago and haven’t noticed any adverse effects. Also, Hawaiian Spirulina and MCT Oil with the Ormus, plus much more fruit, mostly oranges apples and bananas but plus lots of berries and grapes. Totally enjoying learning to wok tofu and discovering new veg for stir fry. Now I eat fish much more than ever before and now I’ve been able to keep my weight in a 10 pound range, for several years.

December 29, 2021 – I gradually became less and less strict and started drinking too much beer, then my cooking became less important. Manage to eat enough fruit and vegetables to maintain good health but it’s my fitness routine that makes me strong. Maximizing fresh air intake by taking the screens off my windows and opening all 8 of them to the max, even if the temperature is below zero I dress warmer and leave them open as much as I can. The Pacific coast air is super beneficial (in my mind).

7 Responses to Body by design

  1. siliconpalms November 9, 2005 at 10:37 am #

    I’m using the comment system built into this incredible Blog software (Movable Type) to keep track of my health regime. This Blog Post will become the tracking for the progress of my new regime. Maybe it’ll provide some inspiration to anonymous readers, but primarily it’s been published and designed for my own personal purposes. – Aaron

  2. siliconpalms November 10, 2005 at 9:11 pm #

    This morning I stepped on the scale to discover that I’ve already shed 2kg. Now down to 86.
    It’s a good start but I’ve really been craving carbs and find myself a little grouchy – Aaron

  3. siliconpalms November 14, 2005 at 8:30 pm #

    One week in and the worst part of the diet is behind me. The scale said that I was down to 84kg or that I’ve shed 4kg which is almost 9 lbs.
    Good start but long way to go.
    – Aaron

  4. siliconpalms March 13, 2006 at 4:16 pm #

    Back at it again, as all the hard work was wasted in a few weeks of travel. Too much beer and good food and all the weight came back faster than it came off.
    This time I had a professional evaluation, connected to heart monitor and computer while tested on a tread-mill. Top honors for a healthy heart but now the diet is on again…

  5. siliconpalms May 9, 2006 at 3:42 pm #

    Yo-yo dieting at it’s best. Down to 82.2kg then up to 83.7 and bouncing between. At least I’m running 3-4 times per week and working out at the gym.

  6. Aaron A Day June 8, 2006 at 9:27 pm #

    Slipping back up to 85kg and decided it’s time to put on the brakes, so another diet session begins and this time aiming to drop 5 kg in 30 days.

  7. Aaron A Day January 4, 2007 at 8:18 am #

    Looking back on 2006, in terms of my health and weight, it would seem that 85kg was about the norm, although I did drop as low as 82 and a high of 88. However, my overall fitness improved and my strength improved dramatically, thanks to consistent working-out at my club.
    Now I’m going to attempt, once again, to lose 5kg. My target date is Feb. 21.

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