This post is to simply show you my before and after picture from the program.

NOTE: This Program was accompanied by exercise! (Results were not just from a diet)

DAY 1 PIC

DAY 30 PIC

As I said in the “3 Week Post“, the goal was to lower my cholesterol (which I did)…but I’m very happy with the program as a whole.

For more information, you can call the Poplar Bluff Bread Company at 573-785-8500 or my office at 573-785-BACK.

Thanks for all the Support!!!

Disclaimer: Even though I live out most of my life online, I am extremely shy when it comes to certain things. This post is absolutely the “biggest limb” I have ever stepped out on. The reason I stepped out on this limb is because I think that its important for people to see results. This is not a bragging post (because I don’t think that I have anything to brag about). This post is about the results I have seen with a diet/exercise program. I am extremely apprehensive about this set of post…..so please be kind!

This program was designed around my body and is not for everyone. Always consult your doctor before starting a diet/exercise program.

Final “30 Days at Breadco” Results is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

Disclaimer: Even though I live out most of my life online, I am extremely shy when it comes to certain things. This post is absolutely the “biggest limb” I have ever stepped out on. The reason I stepped out on this limb is because I think that its important for people to see results. This is not a bragging post (because I don’t think that I have anything to brag about). This post is about the results I have seen with a diet/exercise program. I am extremely apprehensive about this post…..so please be kind!

This program was designed around my body and is not for everyone. Always consult your doctor before starting a diet/exercise program.

3 Weeks ago I started a program at the Poplar Bluff Bread Company called “30 Days at Breadco”. This was a diet designed to fuel a person so that they could get in better shape in a healthy way without feeling like they were on a diet.

Each week since the beginning of the program, we have designed a menu that will help people get results in their fitness program. I have been eating at the Bread Company for 3 solid weeks (at 2x a day) and working out everyday but Saturday (I started out running a mile in the morning…but got bored…so I have been doing the “Insanity” workout for the past month)

I have been absolutely amazed with my results thus far.

Throughout this program, I have never…..ever….felt like I have deprived myself of food. I have eaten very well and still seen some pretty amazing results for my body. Even though I have posted pictures in this post….the physical changes are not what I’m most proud of (although I believe they have to be included to be perfectly transparent about this whole thing). What I am most proud of…is that I was able to lower my cholesterol back down to a safer level.

So………………………

Here we go…………….

We started testing a menu for the Bread Company Diet 2 weeks before we actually launched it. In the two weeks that I was testing the menu and building menu items, I lost 10lbs. That was great, but as I said, my whole goal was to lower my cholesterol. My starting Cholesterol was 389 (for those of you that don’t know lab normal values….this is insanely high). When the program began…. I looked like this.

Moving into week 1 of the program, I was very excited to see what we could accomplish with quality food and quality exercise in 30 days. Our first week’s menu can be found here. After the first week, I was feeling really good….but it was hard to tell any physical results (see pic below) at the time.

Our Week 2 Menu can be found here. At the end of week 2 (see photo below), I was starting to be able to tell a difference. My energy level was through the roof and I could really tell that my clothes were alot looser.

At the End of Week 3, I started to notice that I was loosing weight again (the shock of a new workout and diet had started to be less stress on my system…if you don’t know what I mean by this….google “insanity workout”) My week 3 menu can be found here.

I also decided to take another picture at Week 3 in the original picture location (see below)

I still have a long way to go, but I was extremely impressed with how well the “Breadco Diet” held up. I was never hungry and I always felt like a I got a great meal when I ate. During my daily workouts, I always felt like I had enough fuel to get through and I was never “dragging”. We have one week left in our Breadco Diet experiment…and I have to say that I am impressed……and not because of the physical side….My Cholesterol is now down to 174!!!! Pretty excited about that.…

I hope you have enjoyed the experiment so far. It was extremely hard for me to post the pictures above. I have always been pretty shy about that kind of stuff, but I felt that it was important to show people that stepping on a scale just isn’t enough when you’re measuring progress. You really need to take alot of factors into consideration. I literally haven’t lost that much weight since I started this program….but I have seen so much of a difference in my waistline, cholesterol, as well as my general mood. I will absolutely never…….go on a starvation type diet again…. This was a great experience.

The results aren’t anything dramatic…But considering what changes I have seen in only 3 weeks…. I’m pretty happy.

PLEASE BE KIND WITH YOUR QUESTIONS/COMMENTS!!!! THANKS!

3 Weeks of “30 Days at Breadco” is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

Weight:223
Blood Pressure: 135/90
Pulse: 71

This week was all about taking a good look at things. The last thing that you want to do is “overkill” in the beginning and burn yourself out too quickly. I focused my week on becoming a little more aware of the things that were getting put into my body as well as how I felt afterward. The goal of week 1 is to start to develop a “pace”.

With any healthy fitness plan, you want to develop something that takes stress off of your body, not something that puts more stress on it.

As a result, I made my running goal on two of the planned days and missed one day (Friday). Why? I was exhausted after Thursday night and needed the rest. The key is to build up to your goals….not stress yourself out with them.

A nice little sidenote: I found out my Cholesterol is way too high (via some lab testing)…we are going to do a confirmation lab panel this coming week and then I’ll talk about it more.

MAJOR WINS for WEEK 1

1) I got a healthy handle on what I’ve been doing lately.

2) Lost a little weight

3) Learned about how bad my cholesterol was from a lab test (we’re going to do an updated test this week as those results were from a over a month ago.)

4) The Resting Pulse Rate had a MAJOR improvement (89 last Monday and 71 today….that is huge!!!)

What’s Next:

This is “More Charting…Less Cheating Weak”

1) Food Journal-ing is Mandatory

2) Exercise has to become just a bit more frequent (we’re still not going hardcore yet)

Until Next Week!

Fitness 2010 Week 1 Results is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

As a little teaser to what we’re up to I wanted to show everyone how well this all works.

I will be going on our program starting this week. Before I started I wanted to get some baseline values. I am a decently healthy guy and was really surprised at how crappy some of my baselines where…. That’s ok though…. Its all about improvement

So here are my starting values.

WEIGHT: 225 (Goal is around 210)
BLOOD PRESSURE: 135/85 (I Don’t like this at all)
PULSE: 89BPM (REALLY REALLY BAD….Ashamed)

I posted these 3 results because these are the results that we typically have access to on a daily basis.
In the office we are planning on doing lab testing as well and I will include those values soon.
I’m not really happy with my baselines, but it just goes to show you how quickly things can get bad if you don’t take care of yourself. (I have been a little lax with my fitness goals since we opened up the new office 8 months ago). It’s time to get it together.

For the next 3 months, we’ll be posting a weekly summary of where I’m at and how I do. I will be working out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the PARC in Poplar Bluff (come join me!) and at home (doing more low-impact, recovery stuff) on Tuesday and Thursday.

I will be logging my progress using LiveStrong.com’s Daily Plate program for the Iphone. I will post all the results…here

Stay Tuned!

Adkins Chiropractic Weight Loss Program is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

In the talk, we went over things to do….things not to do…and why most people fail when they try to lose weight.

I thought that it would be cool if we shared some stuff from the presentation….

This material is not nearly as good without the audio…but I thought it still might be useful for some of you (be sure to read the included disclaimers).

The Powerpoint is below.

Download (PDF, 1.12MB)

Weight Loss for the New Decade (to Download as a Powerpoint)

(Required Disclaimer: Do not follow anything in the Presentation without consulting with your Doctor first. The information contained in the presentation can be dangerous if not used correctly).

Enjoy!

Poplar Bluff Hospital Weight Loss Talk is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

I see alot of value in massage therapy because it’s a great way to help a patient relax before they get an adjustment in my office.  It’s amazing how much more work I am able to get done with a patient when they’ve visited a good massage therapist first.

Today I wanted to share with you a little video that I thought you might find useful. This video details how to give a hand massage. If you’ve ever been to a massage therapist, you probably know how amazing a good hand massage feels. While it’s hard to replace and educated massage therapist (compare their full education to the five minutes of instruction this video gives), I do think there is still some great value here.

Check out the video below to learn how to give an amazing hand massage to a friend or family member.

Enjoy!

How To Give A Hand Massage is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

This Post is part of Dr. Ben’s “Fitness 2009″ program. To follow Dr. Ben’s progress every week, visit the main “Fitness 2009″ page.

Failure and Bouncing back……

Those are the themes of week 5 and 6.

Week 5

If I learned anything at all in week 5, it was to trust what you blog in week 4 (haha). If you remember, in the “Week 3-4 Review” post I talked about how, for my weight, it was important that I only lose around 2 lbs. per week. I warned my readers that if I lost much more than that, that I would most likely “rebound”.

Well…. In week 5 I had my worst week yet.

I started off really tearing it up in week five. I was down around 4 lbs in the first few days (which I knew would turn around and  bite me in the ass. Sure enough, I went out and ate on Saturday night (a meal bigger than my usual 300-400 calories) and by Monday Morning I had only lost half a pound for the week. Now normally, one “off” meal wouldn’t hurt my progress, but I had lost too much weight at once, and my body went into “Rebound” mode.

I was very discouraged last week. In all failures, however, we learn something.

On to week 6…..

Week 6

At the beginning of week 5 I was really bummed out because I hadn’t lost much (total) weight in the previous week. I really wanted to hit it hard and exercise like crazy and not eat much…..

But the “Smarter Me” prevailed. I decided to stick to my program and goals. I didn’t modify my exercise or diet, and instead I opted to keep going with what had gotten me this far.

I am proud to announce that at the end of Week 5 (coming into Week 6) I had lost 3 and a half pounds.  In short…I rebounded from the rebound.

I am currently at 213 lbs (I started at 229 lbs).

I am at a milestone….I am around 2-3 lbs from being the weight I was when I was in highschool. I’m pretty excited to see if I can hit it.

I’ll let you know next week

-Dr. Ben

Week 5 and 6 is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

This Post is part of Dr. Ben’s “Fitness 2009″ program. To follow Dr. Ben’s progress every week, visit the main “Fitness 2009″ page.

Let me start off by saying sorry for missing a week of posting my progress (hence the “week 3-4″ review together). The ice storm that hit the “midwest” hit me as well and I was without electricity for a little while and without internet for even longer.

With that said, let’s get down to business.

In both week 3 and week 4 I lost 2 lbs (each week) for a grand total of four pounds. I started the “Fitness 2009″ program a month ago at 229 lbs and as of this past Monday I weighed 217 lbs.

My energy continues to be through the roof and I am consistently losing 2 lbs each week. This is exactly where I want to be.

So Why is it so Important that I only lose 2lbs per week?

Even though it can be especially frustrating to lose 2 lbs or below when you have alot to lose….it’s essential to not lose too much too quickly.

Minus the initial plunge……(Which usually happens when you first start a good fitness program) you should aim to lose less than two lbs per week (2 lbs is the absolute upper limit).

If you start losing more weight than 2lbs per week then your opening yourself up to gain it back….and quickly. You don’t want to make your body think that its starving and thereby cue it to store energy as fat any chance it gets.

If your losing under 2lbs per week, then that one night of bad eating isn’t going to bite you in the ass as much.

THE RULE: TRY TO KEEP WEIGHT LOSS UNDER 2LBS PER WEEK….

It’s healthier and it will last for the long haul.

If you skipped the box above…go back and read it….

So what have I changed since I started the program. (Every fitness program needs to adapt as you go)

1) I stopped charting my food after a month. I got to the point where I could maintain my daily calorie intake without having to chart everything. I didn’t get to this point over night. It took me a while and I still look up “new meals” that I’m not sure about. I eat alot…….it’s all about eating the right things and “pacing” (If you have no idea what “Pacing” is then make sure to sign up for the Newsletter because we’ll be talking in depth about pacing in February’s version (Which comes out this Friday so hurry and sign up!)

2) I run a little more than I did in the half of the month (1.5 mile a day or a mile at a faster pace).

3) I make sure that I don’t stress too much over my failure (like when I sleep in and miss my morning workout). Failures are okay as long as you make them up.

-Dr. Ben

Week 3-4 Review is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

This Post is part of Dr. Ben’s “Fitness 2009″ program. To follow Dr. Ben’s progress every week, visit the main “Fitness 2009″ page.

Week 2 is Done!

Anyone who has been on a Fitness program or diet knows that week 2 is HARD. Week 2 is when the “new” starts to wear off and you start to stuggle to find motivation. My number one goal for week 2 was to make it out alive. Minus one mistep…I did that. Read on for more.

Major Changes

I didn’t really try to do anything different than what I did in Week 1 because I didn’t want to overdue things (this is a marathon…not a sprint). I really just tried to stick to the core strengths of Week 1 (if it isn’t broke…don’t fix it). The theme of week 2 was “STICK TO IT!!!”

The Results

DISCLAIMER: I know this is the section that everyone will be looking at, but make sure you read the “Why it Worked” section that comes next….that’s where the big information will be.

1) Weight Loss

I went from 229 lbs to 223lbs in Week 1. This week (Week 2) I went from 223 to just under 221. I lost a little over 2 lbs. This is exactly where I wanted to be after Week 2, so I am ecstatic. My “Week 2″ is a model of what a healthy week of weight loss should be. Considering that I took Friday off (from my exercise routine) I am pretty psyched.

2) Increased Energy

My energy was great this week. My focus on work and on other activities has gained a boost as a result. It’s like my brain has been struggling to keep up for the last 4 years and all of a sudden it’s like life is trying to catch up with me….pretty damn cool.

3) I Look (even) Better

I went shopping over the weekend and tried on new clothes… That’s always a huge test of any program your on… Let’s just say I spent some money Best shopping trip in 3 years.

Why it Worked

I once again addressed 3 main areas (which is the focus of the “Creating Wellness” Program that I’m on for “Fitness 2009) all at once.

1) Exercise (Physical)

The exercise regime sucked this week. I got it in (except for Friday), but It was 10 times harder this week to get up at 5AM and run or do strength training. The day I missed (Friday) didn’t have much to do with being tired (although that was my “excuse” most of the day). It had more to do with my “head”. I lost motivation for a split second and I fell back asleep that morning. I was mad at myself all weekend because of it. This week will go without a “miss”. I guarantee it

2) Food (Biochemical)

Eating was so much easier this week. Week 1 taught me alot about portions and calorie content and I carried it over into week 2. I ate good….and I really didn’t miss any of the old food I wasn’t eating… I highly recommend browsing online and finding some of your favorite restaurants sites. Check out their menu’s nutritional content. Is that Salad that you’ve been eating really that healthy? (My food intake for Week 2)

MY RULE FOR EATING:

1) 6-8 Meals per day

2) Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner are around 400 calories (I used to hit 800-1200 per meal…yikes!)

3) The other “Snack-type” meals are 200-300 calories.

(Keep in mind that the  calorie content of my meals are tailored to my bodies needs…which was 2,256 calories in Weeks 1 and 2 and will probably stay that way until I stall)

3) Mind (Mental)

I waivered this week in my motivation (Friday….still mad about it) and as bad as I feel about it, I will be using it as motivation to kick it into high gear this week (If you had seen me run this morning you would understand….I rocked it hard).

I learned alot about myself through the failure. I learned that toward the end of the week I’m going to need an extra kick. I’m working on a few things to make sure that I’m just as geared up on Friday as I am on Monday…I’ll let you know about them later.

Conclusion

Week 2 was a great learning experience. I am right on track to achieve my goals and most importantly I learned a little more about the challenges that my patients face when they are on this program (The Creating Wellness Program is the program that I am using…in case you missed that in earlier post).

Week 3 is going to be great… I’m recalibrating a few parts of my program. I’m feeling stronger every day and I want to do whatever it takes to maintain this feeling (and the physical changes are nice too…lol)

-Dr. Ben

Week 2 Review is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker

So I got through Week 1 of “Fitness 2009” and I am simply amazed. I’m not saying this to toot my own horn…I am seriously blown away by what I accomplished in 1 week…. and in a healthy way.

Let’s get started with the Week 1 Review…

Major Changes

1) Eating Better and More Often

I went from eating 3 meals a day (most of the time) to eating 6-8 meals a day. My meals consist of around 200-400 calories and I eat every 2-3 hours (I don’t really time it though….I just eat when I get hungry again and it usually comes out to about every 2-3 hours). (My Week 1 Food intake)

I absolutely love eating like this. The hardest part was doing it for the first few days. I wasn’t used to making it to my next meal and “needing” food. The first two days I wasn’t used to eating like this and every 2-3 hours I just felt extremely hungry… I ate a small amount and then I was good for another 2-3. Once I got my rhythm down my “energy” shot through the roof. By day 3 I was like a rocket waiting to go off. It was amazing (especially considering my next major change).

2) Getting up in the 5′s

My rule to live by now is getting up when there is still a “leading 5″ on the clock. This absolutely sucked the first few days, but it played a big role in my week 1 routine. I would get up around 5-5:15AM and run a mile (or do aerobics, yoga, strength training, etc) and then I would eat my first meal.

This was a sharp contrast to my getting up at 7-7:15 (I get to work around 8AM). I have a ton of energy in the morning now and my patients have already noticed the change…and so have I. (not to mention that I get to catch the morning version of Sportscenter and still have time to play a little guitar if I want…all before work)

3) Decreased Soda Intake

I haven’t had a “non-diet” soda for over a week and that was a huge step. I am drinking some caffeine free diet sodas (which I plan to start cutting back this week) but the change away from caffeine and sugar enriched sodas was a big accomplishment for Week 1 of “Fitness 2009″. (If you don’t understand why this was huge….try quitting a 2-4 a day caffeinated soda habit cold turkey)

4) Increased Water Intake

This one was huge!!! I went from mayber drinking 16 ounces of water a day to drinking 60-80 ounces a day. All I can say is….everything seems to be working better . I attribute the weight loss to this as much as I do my modified dietary intake.

The Results

I know this is the section that everyone will be looking at, but make sure you read the “Why it Worked” section that comes next….that’s where the big information will be.

1) Weight Loss

I went from 229 lbs to 223lbs in one week. My weight dropped by 6 lbs in Week 1 (which is way more than I was looking for) and it got me alot closer to my goal. (I’ve lost more in one week…but it was in such an unhealthy way…and guess what…it always came back really quick)

Listen when I say this…… “It was the easiest weight I’ve ever lost and I feel amazing”.

2) Increased Energy

For those of you that don’t know what I’m talking about I know that it pisses you of when you hear people say this. It pissed me off too (lol). But I can honestly say that I “get it” now. Even when I’m tired I feel like I have a ton of energy. What I mean by this is that my “sluggishness” has been history since day 2 of the program.

3) I Look Better

I’m not going to say alot on this one because it makes me feel a tad bit vain, but I can’t tell you how many people have told me they notice how much different I look after only a week… It kind of rocks.

Why it Worked

I addressed 3 main areas (which is the focus of the “Creating Wellness” Program that I’m on for “Fitness 2009) all at once.

1) Exercise (Physical)

It was a slow, hard start…but considering my exercise regime was nil before I started, I expected it to be tough. I am doing a mile at least 3x a week and then throughing in other aerobic and muscle balancing exercises (my weapon of choice is a “Wii Fit”). The “Wii Fit” and Running has been great…but I attribute the success mostly to my dietary changes….which brings me to….

2) Food (Biochemical)

I didn’t eat anything crazy…I just monitored my portions. Instead of 3 meals at 500-1000 calories each, I am doing 6-8 at 200-400. My metabolism has skyrocketed. You can check out exactly what I ate by clicking here. I did screw up one day (Tuesday I ate way below my calorie goal….and wouldn’t you know it…I lost the least amount of weight I had all week on that day…it’s all about giving your body enough energy to burn fat).

3) Mind (Mental)

This is the hardest part for most people. I knew that to be succesful I needed alot of mental stimulation. I needed motivation to carry me when my will to get up at 5AM was waivering…that came from two places…..

a) This being a public thing (plastered on my blog, facebook, twitter, and myspace) has keep me strong because I don’t want to let my readers and friends see me fail (GREAT MOTIVATION).

b) My Wellness Ladder: The clinic where I work is amazingly supportive and we have a “ladder” that manages my progress. Every patient that comes through the door sees how well I am doing….so I’m not going to let them down.

Conclusion

All I can say is that Week 1 was amazing. I lost way more weight than I thought I would and I did it in a healthy way (except on Tuesday…I ate 6 times that day but never enough calories).

I don’t expect week 2 to be so dramatic but I’m excited to see where it takes me.

-Dr. Ben

Week 1 Review is a post from: DrBenAdkins.com - Serial Progress Seeker