Technically, he’s at Day 5 now; I’m just a little slow getting him his own post.
Double J (also known to comment under the alias James Eberheardt), contacted me not too long ago, asking me who is this Roc Wieler, could I help him with his nutrition, and to lose some fat.
His goal? He’s going to be 40 in two years, has a beautiful, young new girlfriend, and wants his daughter to stop mistaking him for a teddy bear.
Of course I offered to help.
I’ve had nothing but respect for Double J since meeting him years ago. We both work within the same industry. He is a lecturer, teacher, professor, as well as owning his own mobile development company. In short, he’s a really a smart guy. In smart, he’s a really short guy. Ha!
We got together earlier this week, and spent just over three hours making notes. I taught him about nutrition, though he already has been eating the right foods for the most part; it was more about portion control and when to eat, like it is for so many of us. We spent a good hour going over many of the exercises found in the Roctoberfest 30 day challenge.
I told him I would break him and help him rebuild himself. I told him he would probably hate me. He steadfastly refused.
I remember the text after his Day 1 workout. “I kinda hate you right now.” I laughed a lot.
Day 2 resulted in the text “I hate mountain climbers.” Everyone does, so I laughed some more.
On Day 3 came the text saying “I feel great!” For that, I just smiled.
Please don’t make any mistake. I don’t laugh at other people’s expense. I’ve been through it myself. I laugh, because I’m so proud of people making these hard and challenging changes to their life, and I can’t do anything but be filled with merriment at that thought.
Keep at it, Double J, and now you have your own thread to post in!
ROC'S RAMBLINGS 
Hey everyone – Double J checking in here at the end of Day 12.
Nope! I haven’t failed, haven’t given up, and haven’t given in. I’ve stayed about 90% true to course.
Areas that I could use improvement on:
– eating at the right times (sometimes it’s an hour after I wake before I eat, and sometimes it’s after 8am) sometimes lunch is a little more than 4 hours after breakfast
– making my exercises as strenuous as possible. I know that sometimes I don’t give 100%.
– portion control – while it’s the right foods, it may not be limited to 6oz (it might go up to 9oz some meals, but with no more than 3oz of that being meat)
– I’m not getting 7+ hours a night of sleep (although I feel great when I do)
Things I’m good at:
– no booze in the past 12 days (even though I’d kill for a shot of 15 year old rum tonight!)
– no eating after 7pm (ok, I’ve had a few almonds, but that’s about it)
– sticking to the menu – I’ve avoided all of my usual suspects when it comes to bad foods – granola bars, chicken patties, entire sleeves of soda crackers with peanut butter, entire bags of chips, hamburgers, ice cream, 2L Diet Cola per day, etc…
— thinking ahead and packing a lunch
Things I’ve done that have tested my will:
– resisted 2 batches of cookies my roommate baked
– eating out a restaurant where I ended up taking half my food to go
– going to a conference with free breakfast, and free pop all day. I packed my lunch that day and went to the grocery store at the lunch break to buy my afternoon snack
– shopping in Kensington Market, while hungry, without stopping at my favourite places to have an (unhealthy) snack
– going out with a friend on a Saturday night who wanted to eat and drink, and all I had was a single Perrier
– going to Tim Horton’s at a break during class, and only ordering a caffeine free tea
— working out in the back porch of my girlfriend’s friends house on Day 2 just so I didn’t miss a workout
— packing meals when I am not at home to eat
Foods that I have learned to love:
– oatmeal, with some vanilla or cinnamon, and possibly some mashed up berries
– chinese broccoli – it’s delicious steamed
– turkey breast – it’s all about the seasoning: try some fresh rosemary with ground pepper
People who have been a huge source of support for me:
– Roc!
– my girlfriend (who happens to eat a gluten free diet, so that helps with a lot of empty carbs right there)
– my two roommates who are very healthy eaters (despite baking the cookies!)
– my daughter, who keeps reminding me that I’ve given up diet cola
What I’m looking at doing next:
– getting a better food scale
– getting a Body Composition Monitor
– ordering a TRX (in anticipation of the workout schedule after this initial 30 days)
– possibly getting a heart rate monitor
– exploring the option of using the gym at Ryerson, where I teach part-time
My results so far:
– I feel a lot more energized
– I’ve lost some weight
– I’m thinking about food way more than I ever have. By thinking about it, and planning around it, I control it in a way that I never have before. I know exactly what my next three meals are going to be, when my snacks are, and know that I can look forward to that food. It also simplifies grocery shopping a lot
I love it so far Roc! Thank you so much! Looking forward to the next 18 days and beyond!
Thanks for the kind words. I’m pleased to hear you are already motivated and seeing results!
Some other healthy foods to try are beans, lentils especially. They are packed full of protein goodness, which can only make you stronger.
Tofus, soy, etc, are all fine and good as well, though I often don’t eat them. Personal taste really.
My greatest hope as you continue forward is that you continue to learn what you can and cannot eat on your own, and why. What are the reasons I have given you the food list you have? How can you expand on it according to the guidelines provided?
I can’t wait for your Day 30 report. It will be good to set our next goal together.
This morning, on Day 22, I weighed in at 170lbs. This is a loss of 17lbs in 3 weeks! I am amazed at the results, and feeling great about it. The next 8 days is going to be a breeze, and I can’t wait for the 30 days that follow that.
I’m tracking down an Omron Body Composition Monitor and a heart rate monitor, but apparently they are not stocked at all Costco’s but only sold online. I’ll be sure to let you know what I find out.
I have expanded the food on the menu, looking at recipes that have lentils, beans and barley. This morning I had a fabulous cereal of slow cook oats with barley and dates, flavoured with some cinnamon and vanilla. I am getting into the habit of packing a lunch so that if I’m not going to be home I can still eat the correct amount of food at the right time. It’s not only delicious, but it’s saving me a ton of money! I’m going to check out incorporating more fish into my diet – right now it’s just canned tuna and restaurant salmon. I’d like to cook more fish at home. I live close enough to Kensington market that it is reasonable that I could buy fresh fish just on the days I need it.
I haven’t been keeping exact track of my calorie intake, although I know for certain that my portion control is 100% better, and my unmetered snacking is virtually eliminated. I have no craving for any junk food because I’m encouraged by the results I can see on the scale and also in how my clothes fit. I’m going to have to go on a shopping spree when I reach my target weight! In the meantime I’m putting new holes in all my belts and pitching some of my larger clothes. I think that will help me sliding back.
I am getting used to the workout routine, but still need some clarification on some of the exercises (harpies? plyo steps? it’s all greek to me) While I may not be doing each exercise correctly, I am getting a workout in, and my hope is that it will set me up to continue a workout schedule, and I can worry about the exact workout later. I have bought an indoor bicycle trainer ($150 on Craigslist) so that I can ride my bike while I watch TV. I love cycling, and want to make sure I keep up my long distance riding during the winter months. I have a great setup in the back porch of my house.
Still working on getting 7 hours of sleep every night. I had about 3.5 last night. 😦
Thanks again Roc! I can’t believe I spent the last decade between 190 – 200lbs when a month of proper diet is all I needed to lose some very extra weight; of course, it’s going to be a lifetime of discipline to keep it off.
While I have been really careful at watching what I’ve been eating, and seeing great results, I have not been counting the calories. Today (Day 23) I’m going to count the calories for everything that I eat or drink. My target is 1300 calories in a day, and after breakfast and morning snack I’m at 517 calories. I’ll post my final number at the end of the day.
Ok, I’m done eating for the day, with a total count 1088 calories. It seems a little low, but that’s what it is according to Daily Burn. Now I need to find out what that number actually means. I don’t feel hungry, and I feel like I’ve got enough energy, which is good. In fact, I’m on way out dancing now!
Oops. I just realized that I forgot to include my lunch yesterday, which brought my total calorie count up to 1468. I think that’s pretty good overall, but it just goes to show you how a few extra calories can creep into your diet, and over the course of a year, that extra 200 calories a day would turn into 73,000 calories, or 20 lbs.
That being said, the single biggest source of calories was from beans (360 at lunch), so that’s a good thing. I did notice that I “cheated” and had some rice noodles for dinner, which were over 100 calories.
I’m going to try and be more diligent in counting the calories as I enter this last week of my 30 days.
This morning (Day 24) I weighed in at 169 lbs! Given my starting weight of 187, I’m pretty shocked. I haven’t been 169 lbs in over 12 years. My goal of a sustainable 155 lbs seems very attainable now.
I am enjoying the meals I’m making with beans, lentils and fish. My grocery bills are way less than eating out at a restaurant ever was!
I’m wearing a 10lbs weight vest that Marcus loaned to me. It seems heavy. It’s hard to imagine that’s only 2/3 of the amount of weight that I’ve lost over the past 40 days or so. Maybe I should get a heavier vest? Maybe not just yet.
Hey everyone;
So I’m here at Day 60 now – but really it doesn’t matter what day I’m on, I’ve stopped counting. I have to admit that I cheated for a bit. I was under a lot of stress, and ate way too much food, and unhealthy food. For instance, an entire box of Kraft dinner in one sitting. (I think that’s about 1400 bad calories.) I bounced up to 175lbs for a bit and was feeling pretty bad.
But I’m back! I’ve been focusing on eating right and working out. I’ve rearranged my room so that I have an 8×8 area to do my workouts in. I’ve setup my computer so that I spend most of my day working while at a standing desk (which I do while wearing a 10lb weight vest that seems light now).
Most importantly, I am starting to get compliments on my weight loss. It was even noticed while I was wearing my winter coat that was zipped up! My girlfriend is also much appreciative of my new form.
I really feel that I have the eating under control (that was a big challenge for me). Now what I’d like to focus more on is better workouts – I want to tone my body, which will help me lose some more pounds.
I’m at 168lbs with 22% body fat. I’m very happy with my results after only 2 months, and I can’t wait for the results after the next 2 months!
Thanks Roc!
Yesterday I weighed in at 167.6, which is officially 20lbs less than when I started. Yay! I haven’t exactly measured my waist, but none of my pants fit me anymore – I can easily take of my 34″ waist pants without undoing the buttons. I have decided that during the Boxing weeks sales I’m going to buy one pair of new jeans and one pair of new dress pants so I look as good as I feel. I’m looking forward to purging all my fat clothes from my closet (I love to shop for clothing!)
I’ve noticed in my workouts that my endurance is better – I can do far more pushups and pull-ups than when I first started. I haven’t counted exactly, but I did 30 pushups in the middle of a workout the other day!
I’ve been having less food cravings, and don’t crave pop at all anymore. Pop was a big issue for me, drinking 2L (or more!) of diet coke on a daily basis. It’s my birthday on Tuesday, so I did go out with some friends last night, and indulged myself in some more than delicious rum, which I’m glad that I did. It was the chinese food at 3am that I should have passed on!
While I will still be watching my weight, my next target goal is going to focus on body fat. I am currently around 22% body fat, and I think I’d like to set a goal of 17% (it’s an arbitrary number). I need to talk to Roc about what a suitable timeline for that would be, but I’m thinking by the end of February I’d like to be there. It’s going to mean bringing a higher intensity to my workouts, which I’ve always thought are lacking something. I’m looking forward to figuring it out. I’ve rearrange my living space, and now have an 8×8 area for working out, which gives me lots of room for doing various exercises.