Week 2 Review

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

Tags: fitness 2009, week 2