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Hi Guys,

I hope everyone is doing well. Today's blog is about what a lot of us dread doing and that is exercising. The bottom line is that no matter what dietary lifestyle you're doing if you don't exercise then you are not going to lose weight or fat. Frequent fasting is great for you especially if you are sitting at a desk all day not moving which is what I did when I was working a full-time job. I would get up around 6:30 and go into my garage to row and do 20 to 30 minutes every day before work until my position was eliminated mid-October. Losing my job motivated me to hit the gym hard taking things to the next level and spending my mornings at the gym, going to the gym after my am quiet time. I do work out at 5 to 6 days a week. 

This transitional time for me has been very emotional because getting laid off sucks, and being in the job market during a recession has been hard. A lot of my peers are in the same boat right now and my heart goes out to them especially the ones that weren't financially prepared. If Covid and the freeze of 2021 taught us anything it is that we should be prepared for anything and everything. One of my favorite you-tubers Jaspreet Singh has been saying that Americans are living a fat lifestyle he is talking about finance. From his perspective, a lot of us live beyond our means and are in a lot of debt and when job loss happens we are left with very few options. Our unhealthy lifestyle does catch up with us at some point. Look at how many people have diabetes now. That speaks volumes. Plus I am completely over people having a "this is the way it is" or "it's part of getting old" mindset. I have never been the type of person that does what everyone else is doing or just takes things at face value. I am a curious creature that is always learning, growing, and improving.

I am taking this time to better myself on all levels: I am working on updating my skills for my future job, learning new things, building my business, making more good low-carb/ keto foods at home, reading, and working out. I know that God has a plan and the right position will come and prepare me financially. I am honestly enjoying this process and it is crazy to see the results I am now seeing. I am wearing smalls again and my stomach is shrinking, but so is my butt that part does not excite me. The more I see results the easier it gets to maintain this lifestyle, and my insecure body issues have decreased too. I would get insecure when fit ladies would be around because it made me realize how fluffy and flabby I had become. It was my issue that I had to live with or do something about. Now most of the ladies that used to intimidate me are encouragers to me. They see how far I have come and it humbles me that they notice. 

The results have manifested so many emotions at this time. There are other factors like job loss and menopause that are at play here too. The fact that I am really losing fat is something that I see every day. It's like my body gets it but my mind doesn't.  I guess I really didn't think that I would get back to being fit at age 49. I had allowed myself to gain the weight because I wasn't working out intensely and thinking that I ate healthy when in all actuality I was eating 200 grams or more of carbs per day. I didn't fast then and would have eggs and potatoes for breakfast and sometimes in a flour tortilla potatoes have 46 grams of carbs for a 1/2 cup serving. I wasn't eating half a cup at a time. I was eating a cup or more plus a tortilla. Then for lunch, I would typically have sushi rolls. Get ready because sushi has so many carbs. The rice has carbs, plus all the sugar they put in it to make it sticky has carbs, plus if there is anything breaded in the roll that has carbs, the mayo sauce has tons of sugar and carbs. I lost track there alone, my favorite snack was chili mango slices with 33 grams of carbs in a serving. I don't think I ate the serving amount there either. Dinner would usually be a rice dish like paella don't even get me trying to calculate that one either the rice and peas in that plus I ate 2 bowls minimum. 

Those are a lot of carbs friends. I was always hungry too because the foods I ate were addictive and not satiating. The ones I didn't burn turned into sugar and made me fat. I had someone tell me that I really wasn't that big, and that is partially true. When they recently saw me they told me that I lost a lot of weight and asked what I was doing? Almost every time I share what I am doing people reply with " I can't do that. I thought that too, but if you really think about it a low-carb lifestyle makes sense because if you read the labels of the food you buy there are added sugars, especially in the middle aisles of the stores you shop.

I am also going to reiterate my why which is to encourage and motivate you to evaluate what you put in your body and make changes that will improve your lifestyle. If you truly are happy being overweight then I am happy for you. I wasn't but it's not just about weight loss for me it is gaining and sharing what I have learned with those of you that want to prevent health issues down the road. I am married to a medical professional and see firsthand how bad the situation is. I am not going to get into the data because I want you to do the research for yourself. My current workout schedule is to work out 6-7 days a week: 3-4 lower body, and 3-4 upper body days with cardio. If I can I will head back to the gym to walk/ run on the track for up to 3 miles. I am going to go to a class with a friend soon too. I am building out my website so stay tuned for that. 

Have a great day,

CML out