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Category Archives: exercise

A Year of Change

Yes, 2012 is definitely beginning as a year of change. My body and health continues to improve daily with a new commitment to my diet and regular exercise. I am now down 54 lbs. Every day I feel the best I’ve felt in years.

My bride and I just recently became members of the local church in our town. We are really excited about what God has in store for us there.

Our son Sean and his fiance’ Jessica informed us this past weekend that they are pregnant and will be moving close to home after she graduates from college. With all of this exciting change you would think BarryDean would have had enough. Oh but it isn’t enough.

Yesterday I accepted an offer from a company I am very excited to be a part of. Even as I write this blog posting my excitement continues to bubble up. The job opportunity is to me, a dream job. It will give me an opportunity to develop programs in an environment I have been longing to get into full time. It is an opportunity to really effect direction within a growing company. The new job will also allow me to get some training learn some new skills which is always exciting. It would not be appropriate to publicly divulge the name of the company right now but I will be hinting up and until my start date, which will be January 30th.

All for God’s glory!

Soli Deo Gloria!!

2 Comments

Posted by barrydean on January 17, 2012 in Calvary Church Wahoo, diet, exercise, God's glory, grandparents, Local church, new job

Something smells fishy here

06 Jan

Usually the above idiom has a negative connotation. This is not the case here. I am referring to the introduction of lean proteins in my new eating lifestyle. The past couple of weeks I have been transitioning into Phase 2 of the weight management program I’ve been involved with since October of 2011. During this transitional period I get to reacquaint myself with lean proteins that are outside of the HMR shakes and entrees I’ve been consuming since that autumn date. HMR does not currently produce an entree with any form of fish in it. I have heard that it is to hard to process a fish entree with any kind of shelf life. So, I have missed seafood and fresh water fish for several months.

The first week of Phase 2 I was able to eat a serving of lean white turkey breast along with my family for Christmas Eve dinner. The following week we could have two servings of lean protein. I found some white fish called Swai at the grocery store. I hadn’t heard of it before. I lightly breaded it, added some spice, Parmesan cheese and baked up a couple of pieces for my bride and I. It was delicious, and so great to once again savor the taste of good fish. For my other weekly allowable serving I had a meal laced with a can of albacore tuna. Yummy!

This week I can have three servings of lean protein. Woo Hoo! I have found a recipe for smoked Tilapia that looks very good. It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to smoke. I miss using my smoker and the delectable products it produces. (sniff..sniff) So, while it is still fairly warm in Nebraska, I am going to fire up the smoker for some fish. It should be great. For the rest of the week I am not sure what else to have, but I have so many resources at my disposal. One of them is you, the reader? Any ideas?

Weight loss wise, I am once again back on track. At my last weigh-in this past Wednesday I was down 6.2 lbs for the week. That figure puts down what I had gained over the Christmas break plus another couple of lbs lost. I have adopted those Sprint 8’s and do those on every other cardio exercise day. I am finally feeling stronger in my weight lifting, thanks to my additional protein intake. Sore muscle means muscle growth.

As always,

Soli Deo Gloria!

Update: The smoked Tilapia was excellent. See FB posting with comments link below.

Smoked Tilapia

Praying for Renewed Strength

26 Dec

True story. I blew it on Christmas Eve. It was a disaster. I knew I shouldn’t have made my famous peanut butter fudge. The sampling of it was all it took to get me “out of the box” (HMR weight management term). We had all of our adult children over for Christmas Eve, and quite a few delicious foods were being served. It was pretty overwhelming. I gave into the temptation to eat outside of the newly created diet box for the first time in over 13 weeks. Looking back this morning I have figured out what went wrong. We were so busy preparing for the arrival of everyone that I didn’t consider to plan for my meals so by the time the foods were being prepared I was pretty hungry, and gave into eating naughty things. Next time, Lord willing, I plan on being prepared.

My bride had to work on Christmas day so it was a little easier to eat the foods I should be eating. Today I have been praying for renewed strength and self-control, and the Lord has been faithful. I have the day off and got on the treadmill for 35 minutes first thing this morning. After a hot cereal with banana and some cleaning, I made a double protein shake with PB2 and took it and a bottle of water up to the exercise room and worked out my shoulders and triceps for another 30 minutes. I am feeling re-vitalized and strengthened. The Lord is good. Always!

Soli Deo Gloria!!

2 Comments

Posted by barrydean on December 26, 2011 in exercise, God's faithfulness, HMR, meal planning, out of the box, Prayer

The Blood Tells It All

21 Dec

My lab work is in! Before I give the details let me, tell about my blood draw experiences. The first blood draw as part of my weight management program for me was about 3 months ago. The nurse had a difficult time finding a good vein and had to stick me a couple of times before the blood would flow into her vial. When she went to draw my blood a few days ago she had no difficulty finding a good vein to stick. She said this was due to my weight loss and my healthy water consumption. Just another benefit of getting healthier. Now for the lab results.

Lab results from program start on 9/21/2011:

Test	Value	Units	Ref. Range
Cholesterol	215	mg/dL	120-200
Triglyceride I	251	mg/dL	<=149
HDL I	49	mg/dL	40-60
VLDL Calc	50	mg/dL	<=30
LDL Calc I	116	mg/dL	<=99
Chol/HDL Ratio I	4.4	Ratio	<=5.0
LDL/HDL Ratio I	2.4	Ratio	<=3.6
Non-HDL Chol. I	166	mg/dL

Lab results at end of Phase I on 12.14.2011:

Test	Value	Units	Ref. Range
Cholesterol	122	mg/dL	120-200
Triglyceride I	81	mg/dL	<=149
HDL I	55	mg/dL	40-60
VLDL Calc	16	mg/dL	<=30
LDL Calc I	51	mg/dL	<=99
Chol/HDL Ratio I	2.2	Ratio	<=5.0
LDL/HDL Ratio I	.9	Ratio	<=3.6
Non-HDL Chol. I	67	mg/dL

LDL/HDL Ratio legend for risk of developing coronary heart disease for Men:

Up to 1.0	Low Risk
1.1 to 3.6	Average Risk
3.7 to 6.3	Above Avg Risk
6.4 to 8.0	High Risk

Last night I weighed in at 248.7 lbs. which is down 3.9 lbs. from the previous week, and means a total loss from beginning of 46 lbs. I had set a personal goal to break the 250 lb. barrier before Christmas. Goal achieved!!

All to the glory of God!

Soli Deo Gloria!!

Moving on to Phase 2

16 Dec

I have been a bit lax in my weight management updates lately. So in order to remedy that I am going to write about my end to Phase 1 of the program and what I might expect in Phase 2, which begins in less than two weeks.

This past Wednesday I did the follow up nurse visit for the weight management program I have been on for the past 12 weeks. The results of this visit are very encouraging for a loser like me. Here is the list:

I have lost 43 lbs.
I have lost a total of 8 inches around my trunk.
I have lost 2 inches in my neck.
I have dropped 36 lbs of body fat.
My BMI has dropped 6 points.
I have dropped 7% body fat.

I will update the results of my lab work in a following post.

Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments

Posted by barrydean on December 16, 2011 in exercise, fitness, God's sovereignty, HMR, Phase 2, weight loss

Kill Me Heal Me

23 Nov

One of my favorite songs to workout to is by a rock band called Skillet. The song is called “Kill Me Heal Me”. The song is about the power of Christ killing our old man or our old self, but healing us by saturating us with Christ’s spirit. The song is reflective as I continue to replace my old self with the new mind set of eating the right foods and exercising to increase my energy and burn off my old self. The amazing thing is that God is even in control of this physical transformation in me as He is in control of my spiritual transformation. I would like to share some of appropriate verse lyrics from the song.

Break my bones and reset me
Piece by piece you break me
Pick up the cross ’cause it’s killing time
How can I scream when the pain is
Such a release I get the courage
To pick up the nails ’cause it’s killing time

Breathing your love
You’re ferocious
You’re in my lungs
Resuscitate
Craving your electricity
Feet to my pain you give
Wings to my fear your peace
Inhabits my blood
Your love is thick

As of my last weigh-in I have lost a total of 31.5 lbs. My waist line has been reduced by 4 inches. My energy levels are amazing, my blood pressure is always in the normal range, and endurance continues to increase. I am able to bend over and tie my shoes without straining. I am able to climb stairs anywhere I go and not be out of breath. I actually prefer to walk the stairs instead of the riding the elevator. It is all part of the transformation of my new lifestyle.

Check out the music with lyrics below.

Soli Deo Gloria!

1 Comment

Posted by barrydean on November 23, 2011 in Christ, exercise, Skillet, weight loss

Another brick

20 Nov

It’s been over two weeks since I’ve posted any updates. As of (Tuesday 11.15 (my last weigh-in during class) I have lost a total of 25.1 lbs. That is another brick in weight since my previous posting. My clothes are starting to fit me differently now. I have dropped at least one pants size in the waist. I am praising God for giving me the funds, courage and strength to continue this program. I have also purchased some resistance bands for added strength training and a EA Sports Active 2 game program for the Wii game console. This will be a nice addition to our variety of exercises. My bride has begun to use the new game program as well. See inserted picture for a glance of our new fitness tools.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Update:

This afternoon I went down to the basement where my skinnier clothes are stored and tried on some 40″ waist jeans. Fit!! Win!! I have dropped nearly two full waist sizes.

To God goes the glory!

Losing again

26 Oct

I wanted to update anyone who is still tracking with me on my weight loss. My weigh-in at class showed I had lost another 3.6 lbs for the week. That puts me at a total of 15.8 lbs in 4 weeks. Woo Hoo!!

In class we discussed what Phase 2 will look like once we get there (Phase 1 is 13 weeks). We also discussed what would be expected of us at the end of Phase 1 before we can move into Phase 2. We had a member from another class with us last night and they commented that the biggest difference between the two phases, for them personally, is that Phase 1 is safer. This makes sense because Phase 1 is very regimented and structured. Phase 2 is created to help wean us off of the structured diet into a world where we have to plan our own meal contents.

I’ll mention just a few things I have noticed in the past 4 weeks.

I am feeling so much better. I am not as out of breath doing normal daily lifting, stair climbing, and brisk walking. I have begun to work out with free weights and getting that good muscle soreness that tells me the muscles are getting stronger. I have worked up to an hour long workout. I am learning to enjoy exercise more because of the benefits it provides. I am eating right which includes a least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. My energy levels are ever increasing. My blood pressure is consistently in the good range. It averages around 115/70 each day. I am fitting into pants I haven’t been able to wear in a year or so. My overall attitude has improved, and I sleep much better at night.

Soli Deo Gloria!

3 Comments

Posted by barrydean on October 26, 2011 in exercise, HMR, weight loss

Day One

28 Sep

Last night I attended my first instruction/accountability class for the Alegent Health Weight Management program, and picked up my first order of food. I began my first day of the program today with a breakfast of HMR Hot Cereal and a serving of strawberries. I have also had an apple for my mid-morning snack, and an HMR Mexican Enchilada entree with a serving of black beans for lunch. My mid-afternoon snack will be a chocolate HMR shake with a serving a raspberries. My dinner plan is to have the Beef Stroganoff with Noodles entree with green beans, and a shake for dessert. My late snack will be a Vanilla HMR shake with a serving of raspberries.

So far for my daily activity I have gone outside on this beautiful Midwest day and walked for 20 minutes. I also plan to do some form of weight lifting for about 20 minutes later.

My diet will consist of at least 3 shakes, 2 entrees, and 5 servings of fruit or veggies. That is the least I can have from the program appropriate foods. I can have as many fruits and veggies as I can stand. The HMR philosophy is “more is better”.

As promised, I have provided a before picture. Since I have gained so much weight I have shied away from having my picture taken let alone post it in a public place. I am hoping this will be a motivational factor. The Lord willing, I hope to have have thinner pictures to follow. All for the glory of God.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Update: I forgot to include the ugly starting point facts.

Waist size – 44

Poundage – 294

1 Comment

Posted by barrydean on September 28, 2011 in Alegent Health Weight Management, diet, exercise, HMR

Rebuilding the temple

23 Sep

Scripture teaches that “our bodies are members of Christ”, and “our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit within us”(1 Corinthians 6:15,19 ESV), and we are to be good stewards of them. I know the referenced verses speak more to sexual sins with the body but I also believe Paul was writing about the general subject of our bodies. Over the past several years I have neglected my temple. By busying myself with my career in software development and learning other development platforms I have created quite a sedentary life for myself. I used to be a stickler for exercise. Running at least 3 miles every other day and weight training on the other days. This used to be my regimen. Good habits are too easily broken.

So with the Lord willing, great encouragement from my bride, other family members, and friends, I am embarking on an adventure to lighten my load so to speak. Wednesday, Setptember 28th I will begin an organized regimen of diet and exercise supported by Alegent Health Weight Management in conjunction with the HMR program. My goal is to lose approximately 20% body fat and at least 85 lbs.

our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit within us (ESV)

I plan to use my blog as a means to chart myself and keep anyone who is interested up to date on my progress. Stay tuned: An awful “before” picture to be posted next week. Please keep me in your prayers and feel free to comment and hold me accountable.

Soli Deo Gloria

1 Comment

Posted by barrydean on September 23, 2011 in 1 Corinthians 6, Alegent Health Weight Management, diet, exercise, HMR