Pound A Week Blog Challenge

Skiing in a Winter Wonderland!

by Steve Mancini

It’s gotten awfully quiet around here.  I’m hoping that you’re all still striving to lose at least a pound a week.  If so, please share your stories with us.  I know I’d like to read them.

It was a good week for me, dropping a little more than half a pound and dipping back below 170 pounds.  Now I just need to stay under there, maybe fluctuate from 163 to 168, that would be good.

I love walking and this is the time of year that I love walking most.  By the time I get out for my evening walk, it’s dark, the air is crisp and cool and I can smell the smoke from the occasional fireplace.  I love autumn.  For some reason, I don’t know why, I just feel more energized and cleaner in the crisp air.

I know where some of you live, it’s going to get pretty cold soon, too cold to go out for a nice, leisurely walk.  However, when I lived in Michigan, I took advantage of the winter by going ice fishing and cross country skiing.  There are tons of fun activities you can do in the snow and they really burn the calories!  The cold weather itself forces your metabolism to increase.  Throw in some physical activity and you’re a fat burning furnace!

I hope you all have a great Week #11.  Please share and Winter Wonderland fun ideas you have.  I’d sure like to hear them.

Foxes and Bears and Wolves need Winter Fat. You Don't!

by Steve Mancini

As I said in last week’s blog, I’m very close to losing the last few pounds of excess fat, which is often the hardest, but I’m not going to worry over it.  I’m happy to be where I am and, even after gaining a half pound or so this past week, I’m feeling good.

With the weather cooling down quickly, my body is craving hearty, hot fare, such as stews and rich sauces, thick soups.  It’s also craving more fatty food, since I’ve lost much of my “winter layer”, so it’s okay to satisfy those cravings to an extent, but I have to be mindful of how much fat I take in.

For the past thirty years or so, I’ve tended to gain eight to fifteen pounds over the course of the winter, only to shed it by the summer.  I’ve always been okay with that, but not this year.  I have warm clothing and a heater, so I don’t need to store extra fat.  This is my challenge.

I live in Los Angeles where the weather doesn’t get too cold.  I’m wondering how you people who live in extreme climates (Michigan, Montana, Colorado, etc.) deal with the winter fat.  Any suggestions?

Well that’s all for this week.  I hope you all have a great Week #10!

The Blue Water Bridges - Port Huron, MI to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

by Steve Mancini

I apologize for not posting last week, but I was visiting my family in Michigan and spent most of my time laughing and enjoying the beautiful weather.  I rarely even looked at a computer.  It was quite nice, actually.  No excuses, though.

I’ve decided to combine weeks 7 and 8 into one since I didn’t weigh myself while on the trip.  However, when I returned, I had broken the 170 pound mark for the first time in over ten years.  168.4 pounds to be exact.  It was nice being told how good I looked by my family and friends I haven’t seen in years.  One lady friend even said to not lose much more.  She’s right.

I graduated high school at 160 pounds, but I think that would be too thin for me, now.  So I’m thinking I have just three or four pounds to go.  The biggest challenge for me will be avoiding drastic weight swings.  As long as I stay within a few pounds, either way, of where I am now, I’ll be happy.

I also finished my 30-day anti-parasite and intestinal cleanse and haven’t felt this good in many, many years.  I think I’m going to see how the next month goes, then order another 30-day supply.

Okay, enough about me.  How was your week?  Any breakthroughs?  Setbacks?  Tips to share?  I’d love to hear.

Have a fun and productive Week #9!  Everything willing, I will post on time.

Long Beach, CA - Naples Islands on the Top Left

by Steve Mancini

I want to start off this week’s post by saying I’m experiencing an interesting form of excitement.  My final weigh in for the week was 170.4 pounds, down another 2.2.  The excitement I’m feeling is that, very soon, I’ll weigh less than 170 pounds, a place where I haven’t been in over thirteen years!

I’m slightly over two weeks into my 30-day intestinal cleanse and anti-parasite program (I talked about it in last week’s blog post) and things are going just great.  Besides the weight loss, I’m more energetic, happier, more focused and my skin is clearer.  Starting that program was one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made, and my outlook on my physical future is much brighter.

One of the things I’ve mentioned here and there is to try to find an exercise that is fun to do.  There’s no reason you have to suffer to stay fit.  There are thousands of fun activities you can do to stay in great shape.  Hiking, biking, swimming, tennis, nature walks, Wii… you name it.

Yesterday I went to Long Beach (California) to visit with a couple of friends from high school, one of whom I haven’t seen in thirty years, and one’s husband.  It was great.  We laughed and reminisced about the old days and caught up on the years that have passed between then and now.  Then we went for a bike ride.

If you’ve never been to Long Beach, it’s a great city.  Diverse, a strong sense of community, beautiful and full of a variety of great things to do outdoors.  We hopped on our bikes and took a long ride on the bike path along the ocean, watching a large group of wind boarders on the way.  Then we rode through Shoreline Village and the Belmont District, both filled with quaint outdoor cafes and lots of friendly folks.

We made a final stop at Naples, an area that was constructed by a guy named Arthur Parson in 1903. It’s actually three separate islands, one complete with a fountain sporting a placard that reads “La Bella Fontana di Napoli – 1971.” (The Beautiful Fountain of Naples).  It was amazing.  I’ve lived twenty-five miles north of Long Beach for over sixteen years and never knew it existed.  Now I know.

When I got home last night I felt exhausted, but in a good way.  I took a nice warm shower, drank my daily glass of cleansing tea and nodded off like a baby.

Have a great Week #7!

Clean Those Pipes!

by Steve Mancini

You’ve heard it for years and years.  If you want to lose weight you have to exercise, diet or both.  That’s mostly true, but another way to lose weight and improve your overall health is with intestinal cleansing.  Just like the pipes in a home, when it’s brand new, they’re all smooth and polished on the inside, but after years of running water (and its impurities) through them, they start building up mineral deposits, and the flow of water is more and more restricted.

Your intestines are the same way.  When you’re young, they’re nice and fresh and healthy.  Remember how fast you could digest food when you were a kid?  Did you ever feel bloated when you were young?  Do you now?  It’s because your intestines, just like the pipes in your house, have built up sediment stuck to the walls, so they can’t process your food efficiently, thus resulting in a bloated, lethargic feeling.

I’ve been feeling sort of sluggish for quite a while.  I exercise regularly and watch my diet, so I figured it was just the aging process.  I’m not a twenty-year-old kid anymore, I’m fifty.  I also quit drinking coffee last December, so I figured that was my normal energy level, but I didn’t like it.

Then something happened a couple of weeks ago that has already dramatically improved my health.  I happened to land on a sales page (I land on a lot of them) for an intestinal cleansing product.  I usually skim through sales pages, but this one talked to me.  It talked about intestinal parasites and how most of us have them.  And it talked about the years of built up matter in your intestines and what it may be doing to your body: fatigue, skin problems, headaches, bloating and on and on.  I read every single word of that page.

I did some research and found a few other parasite removers and intestinal cleansers, but they didn’t impress me like this one.  Some were less expensive, but only had one or two parts to the cleanse.  This one had four.  I didn’t want a cheap product, I wanted an effective product, so I bought this one.

I started on the program last Tuesday.  The four parts of it are the parasite removal capsules (they have a bit of a pepper taste), a proprietary psyllium husk and herb blend, probiotics capsules (to reintroduce healthy flora to your intestines) and an herbal tea blend.

On the first day you take two of the parasite removal capsules, first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach.  Then twenty minutes later you mix some of the psyllium husk powder into water or juice and drink that.  It’s a little tough to get the psyllium wet enough to swallow, but not too soaked.  What I do is stir the water really fast to create a whirlpool, then pour the powder into the center, while still stirring.  This action tends to pull the mixture down into the water for a nice, smooth blend.  You can use juice, too.

Then you go about your day, eating what you want.  There’s no special diet for this cleansing program to work.  There is some slight stomach discomfort, though, as the herbs do their work.  I didn’t mind this, though, because I knew I was taking a positive step toward better health.

In the evening, on an empty stomach, take two of the probiotics capsules a half hour before dinner.  These capsules are easy to swallow and have no taste.  Finally, before you go to bed, drink a cup of tea.  I had some reservations about the tea.  I thought it was going to taste nasty, but I was pleasantly surprised by the mild flavor, with just a hint of licorice.

Another problem I’d been having for quite a while was stuffed sinuses, especially in the morning.  Often I’d wake up with my heart racing, probably because I was snoring and struggling for air.  It also  seemed like I was blowing my nose for twenty minutes every day.  The pressure caused headaches and was just plain irritating!

When I woke up last Wednesday morning, the first thing I noticed was how calm I felt and how open my sinuses were.  I took a couple of full, deep breaths through my nose.  It was wonderful.  I also felt more rested than I have in years.  My energy level, after just one day, was already much higher.

The good thing about this product is that it’s gentle enough so you don’t have to camp out near your bathroom, but effective enough that you do clear stuff out.  And, believe me, you will!  Be sure you are near a bathroom soon after you wake up, because you’ll be moving quite a bit of “junk” through your system.

I’m endorsing this product because of the quick improvements it’s already made on my health.  I want you to get the benefits I have from using this and feel better, too.  When you buy this intestinal cleanser through my link, I’ll get a little money for it.  But, even if you don’t buy through my link, I urge you to get this product, it’s that good.

My final tally for Week #5 was a loss of 2.6 pounds, and most of that went straight down the toilet!

Intestinal Cleanse Product

A Little Living Is Okay!

by Steve Mancini

This was a zero-zero week for me.  Meaning I didn’t gain an ounce nor lose one.  Which is fine, by me.  My biggest struggle with weight for me is fluctuation.  I have easily gained, lost and gained back twenty pounds in just a few weeks, which really plays havoc on my body.  So, not gaining or losing an ounce for me is success.  I’m starting to see how simply monitoring myself on a daily basis can prevent those drastic weight swings.

How about you?  What was your Week #4 like?  Discover some interesting tips you’d like to share?

We’re heading into the cooler season now (finally) and, I don’t know about you, but I have always put on a few extra pounds in the fall and winter.  I suppose it was because I was raised in Michigan and needed the insulation!  I think that’s partly true, though, that our bodies tend to want to store extra “fuel” for the winter.  What is your experience with your weight and the seasons?

This week I’d like to talk about those foods that you just can’t stop eating.  It seems like everybody I know has something, a food, that if it’s in their house, they will eat the entire thing.  I know a guy who will eat an entire jar of mayonnaise (a big one) in one day if it’s around, so he can’t keep it around.  For me it’s ice cream.  It’s weird, because I don’t like sweets, but every once in a while I get a huge craving for ice cream and must have some.  Years ago, I’d buy a half gallon, because it was the best value, but then I’d eat over half of the thing in one sitting!

But you don’t have to ignore your cravings and keep your “special” food out of your home.  Now when I buy ice cream, I get a small cup or an ice cream bar.  I eat it, it’s good, the craving has been satisfied and there’s no more ice cream to tempt me.  Most of our craving foods come in small portions.  For my friend who craves mayonnaise I recommended he get individual packets of mayonnaise, like the kind you get at a sandwich shop, and take one home.  He gets to indulge in his mayonnaise craving and not feel guilty (or sick) because he ate too much.  Moderation, folks.  Moderation.

Have a great Week #5!

Push Ups and Pull Ups - Isometric Exercises

by Steve Mancini

It’s the end of Week #3 already.  Sometimes it bothers me when time passes so quickly, but not with the Pound a Week Blog Challenge!  It was a good week for me, having lost a little over a pound.  How was it for you?  Learn anything new about yourself? Find a fun, new physical activity?

I think much of the pound I lost came on Saturday.  I had a bunch of boxes in my closet filled with… stuff.  All kinds of stuff.  I decided to clear a bunch of it out.  It was pretty warm that day, so I just had on shorts and a T-Shirt, but I’m sure you know what thinning down your stuff entails.  Lots of moving, twisting, leaning over other boxes, pushing, lifting… you get the drift.  I was soaked in sweat.

There was a point about two hours in where I had stuff spread out all over my living room.  I stopped, looked at it, felt like nothing had been done, but I kept going anyway.  By the time I had finished my project a few hours later, I was exhausted and soaked in sweat, but I had “made” more space.  My place isn’t very big, so any extra space I get makes it that much more roomy.  I felt good.

Here’s a little something you can do this week to help you out.  If you’re sitting down and watching TV, do some light isometric exercises.  Isometric exercise is when you pit one muscle, or muscle group, against another.

Take one hand and make a fist.  Hold that arm bent in front of you at about a ninety-degree angle, so your thumb is facing your stomach, about three or four inches away.  Do the same thing with your other arm, except use this hand to cup and hold your other hand, the fist.  Now slowly start pushing with equal pressure from both arms.  Before long, you’ll start to feel the burn.  Try different angles to engage other muscles.  Lock your fingers and pull instead of pushing.  Try pushing off the floor with your feet.

Muscle is about twice as dense as fat and also burns more calories.  The bigger the muscle, the more calories it burns, even when it’s not engaged.  Locate muscles in your body that are weak and strengthen them.  Most people have weak back muscles.  This is a great place to start.  These are some of the largest muscles in the body and should be among the strongest, because of the role they play in keeping our spine properly aligned.  Many back injuries result from having weak back muscles.

Onward and upward.  Have a great Week #4!  Talk to you soon.

Tons of Moving Parts!

by Steve Mancini

The second week of the Pound a Week Blog Challenge is now in the books.  So… how did you do?  I’ve been reading your blog posts and have discovered some good tips, had a few chuckles and became inspired!  Good job.

My final tally for the week was a loss of .6 pounds.  Point six.  I went in the right direction, but fell short of my goal.  But that’s okay.  It was a bit of an experimental week for me, getting used to my new scale.  I actually had fun as I weighed myself, drank a glass of water, then weighed myself again, just to see the half pound or so I had gained.

I tended to weigh myself at least two times every day.  Always first thing in the morning, then at night.  It was interesting to note how much weight I lost during sleep.  It had to be sweat.  No, I don’t wet the bed!

Here’s a little tip for Week #3.  If you don’t already have one, get a small digital egg or cooking timer.  I say digital, because they’re quiet.  Make sure you can set the timer for an hour.  Once you have your timer, I want you to keep it on your computer desk, or nearby.  When you sit down to work at your computer, set the timer for one hour, then do your thing.

When the timer goes off, stop what you’re doing and stand up.  Walk around, stretch a little, do some easy bending.  Give your eyes a break.  Do this for about five minutes or so, then go back to your computer, if you have to, and set the timer for another hour, then repeat.

Not only is this good for a tired backside, but for computer eyes as well.  It’s good to move around and keep your body flexible.  This sounds corny, but try to get in tune with your body.  Look at a chart of human muscles and bones and try to “see” these muscles and bones moving in your body when you’re active.  Visualize your skeleton as being perfectly aligned, then allow your muscles and bones to go to that position

Okay, we have a new goal.  What is it?  To lose at least a pound of weight by the end of next week! Next Tuesday.  Have a great week, keep posting and commenting – the support has been great.

Week #1!

by Steve Mancini

Okay.  So, the first week of the Pound a Week Blog Challenge is officially in the books!  How was it for you?  Did you lose at least a pound?  I did.  Exactly one pound!  I have to admit something, though.  I still don’t have a digital bathroom scale.  I’m sorry.  I promise to get one this week.  There is no excuse for not having one.  My dog ate it?  Nah.

What I did was to stop at a drug store on my way home.  They have a machine for testing blood pressure that’s also a digital scale.  I stopped four or five times throughout the week, including yesterday, the last day of the first week.  I didn’t weigh myself three times, though, because they film people who use their scales three times in the same day!  But I did weigh myself at approximately the same time each day, wearing similar clothes.  The bottom line is – I lost a pound!

I don’t have a big tip or secret to share, I was just mindful of what I ate, when and how much.  I’m not much of an overeater, so when I gain weight it’s usually from poor eating habits, such as going too long without eating and then eating soon before going to bed.  So I made sure I didn’t go too long into my day before eating something.  Since the weather has been so warm, I’ve been blending extra-ripe bananas, almond juice and ice together, making refreshing, cool and mighty tasty drinks.  One of those and I’m good for a couple of hours.

Tell me about your week.  Did you notice anything new or different about your eating habits?  Did you find you were eating food that didn’t really taste good?  I’d like to know.  Regardless of whether you lost a pound or not in the first week, I want to congratulate you for being here.  Remember, I want this to be as easy as possible.  If you did not lose a pound in the past week, do not feel guilty and don’t beat yourself up.  You have a new goal.  And only one goal.  To lose at least a pound of week by the end of the week – next Tuesday.  If you did lose a pound, you have the same goal.

Here is a simple thing you can do for Week #2.  And, again, it’s nothing new, but it is very effective.

Take The Stairs:

I’m not sure how we all became afraid of climbing even one flight of stairs when an elevator is nearby.  Given the option, I’ll usually take the stairs, unless I’m taking luggage to a hotel room or it’s too many floors.  But most of the buildings I go to don’t have many floors.  Maybe three or four.

Walking up stairs is great exercise and helps stretch your legs and give you a firmer butt, which I know many people want.  If, for any reason, you don’t feel safe or are physically unable to take the stairs, by all means don’t.  But the next time you’re in a building waiting for the elevator, think about this post and head to the stairs.  If you need to go to the tenth floor, take the stairs to the second or third floor, then take the elevator the rest of the way up.

Remember, when you post your first week’s blog post, please put “Week #1″ at the end of your title, just like I did on this one, then post a link to it in your comment. Thank you. Other than that, have a great  week, eat delicious food and enjoy the heck out of it!