Taz Lake, MBA, PMP, Atlanta-based Technical Project Manager specializing in Web and Internet – IA, BA, KMS, DMS, CMS, CRM

Now that I’ve lost 17 lbs in 12 weeks, I get a lot of questions about how I did it.  The answers are pretty simple, but one rises above all others… burn more calories than you take in.  But if it was that easy, we would all do it right?  Here are some notes on what worked for me.  It assumes you go to the gym, work out already or want to work out… of course your poundage may vary.

Do some type of weightlifting for your workout…

Keep it light to start.  One of my problems when I first started back to the gym at Lifetime Fitness was my tendency to overdo it.  I worked out too hard with too much weight.  I could never get into a rhythm because I would be too sore to exercise for 5 days.  Trust me on this, when I started out with a personal trainer at Lifetime, I didn’t use any free weights over 12.5 lbs and no cable setting higher than about 22-25, depending on what I am doing. 

Avoid using exercise machines that force you into one motion.  Why?  Because they don’t force you to use all your stabilizing muscles.  Work your way up from 2 sets to 3 sets in about a month.  A set can be between 15 and 25 reps depending on what you are doing.  Mix it up and don’t do the same exercise each workout.  Do work a variety of muscle groups, sometimes called total body, if you have time.  If you don’t have time, do legs one day, arms the next, etc.  Try to do a little core every time… just crunches and maybe leg lifts, no full sit ups to start because you could hurt yourself.  Start on a floor pad of some type for the first few weeks.  Then try movements on a Dynadisc, BOSU, and Exerball in that order.  By progressing this way, you keep the motion and reps the same, but it gets harder by the nature of the position you are putting your body in.  If you get sore or stiff, do some foam rolling.

 Do some type of cardiovascular exercise…

Cardio is essential so your other work outs go well.  Good cardio allows for faster recovery and will allow you to do more with your workout.  For cardio, if your knees are bothering you, an elliptical machine or bike is best.  Go slow and increase resistance if needed.  You don’t want to be “out of control” on the elliptical because you can hurt your knee more.  Focus on the heart rate.  One trick is to get a telemetry strap to track your heart rate that is compatible with your gym equipment.  You don’t need the watch, but it is more accurate because gyms don’t calibrate very often.  I use a Polar RS400.  Grabbing the heart rate handles is a pain and interrupts the flow of the work out.  Once you have really strengthened your knees, you can try the treadmill and work your way to jogging.  Certain cardio zones are good for burning fat, others for “power and endurance”.  Many of us, including me, need the previous more…we aren’t training for the NFL, so weight loss is key, at least for the first 6 months to 1 year.  Keep your heart rate in the fat burning zone… overtraining is bad because your body will shut down… consistency is best.

Eat something!

Oh yeah, eat breakfast and jump start the metabolism.  If you don’t eat breakfast, you are literally starving yourself and your body will start storing fat as much as possible.  Also, do snack… as your metabolism goes up, you will need to keep feeding it to keep it burning fat throughout the day. 

Here is what I’ve been eating as my “extra” meals in the day and for breakfast:

Champion Protein Powder -You’ll need a protein shaker.  You can mix with water or skim milk, but water plus the chocolate version tastes fine to me.

Myoplex Lite – This is a good meal replacement drink for right after the workout.  I like both the vanilla and chocolate, some may like the strawberry, but it is hard to find.

Kashi Bars – I like the trail mix variant, some of the others just taste bad to me.

Yo Plus Yogurt (by Yoplait) – This is my favorite, but any will do.  I like the Blackberry, Blueberry, Vanilla, and Strawberry in that order.

Bananas – These are easy and filling, if you don’t like bananas, try a hot cereal (whole grain) or other fruit.  Dole tastes best to me, but it is hard to find good bananas around me because they are shipped green.

Basically, you don’t want to feel weak or hungry during the workout.  I work out in the morning, so it is especially important for me to eat breakfast.

Portion Control and Cooking at Home…

Don’t eat everything on your plate, especially if you go out.  Order light or eat only part of what is on the plate.  Also, try to cook at home so you have control over what is on the table.  We do this, and not only is it more affordable, it also helps keep calorie intake down.  We usually avoid starch, but we do rice, pasta and potatoes from time to time.  Actually, sweet potatoes are easy… boil them, peel and put in a blender or get a potato ricer to make it smoother.  Also, we can buy good food for less than fast food.  One night we had Panko breaded chicken tenders and baby asparagus and a little wine.  Sometimes we eat fruit for dessert or a scoop of ice cream or something like that.  Yes, I said ice cream.  I grilled a steak one night while my wife cooked up a vegetable.  We aren’t the greatest cooks, but for the week we pick what is EASY and HEALTHY. 

Whether my wife or I are cooking, we don’t feel like spending more than 20 minutes in the kitchen after work.  We meal plan, so there are no surprises (unless something doesn’t work).  For example, I popped in a pork loin my wife prepared the day before.  It was a new recipe and it was terrible (we have two other pork loin recipes that are great).  So we defaulted to the next meal for the week that was easiest to prepare.  In a pinch we will order pizza, but only eat a slice or two and save the rest for lunch.  We also try to cook meals that we can “brown bag” the next day. 

If you make food that travels well, you’ll save money and have something better than fast food for lunch the next day.

I hope these ideas help you reduce your calorie intake, burn more calories and lose weight like me.  If you have questions, let me know.

For those you know me, you know I have many interests.  My educational and personal background indicates this, and as a result I generally try to garner knowledge from various disciplines to inform aspects of my life.  In short, I try to take lessons learned and improve. 

Over the last few years I began feeling a little burned out.  A combination of gaining yet another advanced degree, trying to grow a business and raising a toddler with my wife proved to be quite challenging.  I’m sure many others are in a similar position and I began thinking… why am I burned out at age 35?  Why are so many others? Isn’t that about 5-10 years before I should be having a mid-life crisis?  So, I started thinking how to break through and recharge. 

After working at a local Atlanta interactive agency for the last four months and getting a project pointed in the right direction, I decided it was time for my own personal kaizen event.  Kaizen is a concept usually associated with Six Sigma and relates to slow, continuous improvement.  Kaizen events usually involve rapid improvement in a very specific area or process and can be quite disruptive.

I realized that between mind, body and soul, I have spent the most time in my adult life on the mind and soul.  This has been a positive, but with my family’s gene pool on display it also means that one important and impactful part of my life has been largely ignored.  So, instead of getting another degree, or starting a business, or doing anything, I’m taking a moment to relax my mind and exercise more.  I’ll write a lot about this and the challenges I face along the way. 

The first step is for me to create an actual workout spreadsheet with reasonable expectations that I can follow, as well as a weight chart.  I’ll share this once I put it together.