ImFAT

A series on how to get your fat ass in shape, like I did.
LAZYfitness TIP of the Week: "Make the time to prepare fresh food. Make the time for exercise and for a good rest. You always have time for yourself if you choose to make it.

Monday, May 23, 2011

The Comeback KID!

ImFAT 


is returning, hopefully, to it's originally intended name "......" and potentially a whole new site. (tumblr, wordpress...) Stay Tuned for:

  • Things to Eat for Breakfast
  • New Features to my Fitness Plan
  • & Tid-Bits on being FAT & lookin good



NTM: I lost 10lbs in 9days with my new feature. stay posted

Friday, February 4, 2011

Completely Unhealthy, Superbowl XLV NYC Bar Picks

My TOP 10 Places to watch the #Superbowl THIS Sunday : #NYC #bars 
#Steelers vs. #Packers

Help me decide, 5 minit now!
  1. 123burgershotbeer  - YES, that's the actual name of the joint. $1 burgers, $2 shots & $3 beers. Completely, unhealthy AWESOMENESSALIZATION!
  2. Comix  - great spot for stand-up, and also burgaz n' BIG screens apparently
  3. Angels and Kings  - I heard it gets crazy...
  4. Brooklyn Bowl   - in the top seed, drunk superbowl-bowling, you complete me.
  5. Bar None  - a classic spot to forget how classic it is
  6. Village Pourhouse  - (East Village) a trip back to college
  7. SNAP  - (@14th St.) a headliner, but may be too sought after for this Sunday
  8. 200 5th Restaurant & Bar - the best Patron 'n Pineapple so far
  9. Bourbon St NYC  - a wildcard...
  10. Ocean's 8 at Brownstone - only if they ain't chargin...
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Home, lol/ B-dubs (Buffalo Wild Wings)/ Downtown Bar & Grill/ Hooter's/ Aces & Eights/ 1849/ Eastside Billiards/ Park Slope Billiards/ Mullanes, B-Side/ St. Marks Ale House/ Amsterdam 106

(no links, google'm ya damn self)
for the frustrated: superbowl 45, lol.

ImFATseries update still under way... 

Monday, January 10, 2011

Get A LIFEstyle!



Today, we’re visiting what this blog is really about.  I want to talk about what all of these pointers and guides I’ve posted is truly meant to improve.  My (ImFAT) LAZYfitness plan is not about losing 15lbs for that wedding or for that trip to Jamaica.  The plan is not even a plan, it’s a lifestyle guide.  Everything that I’ve shared up to now has been about adjusting your lifestyle in a more gradual, natural fashion.  Whether you’re trying to get incredibly muscular or incredibly lean, my plan is just a starter kit for getting you in shape, period. 

If you are already wise to getting around the gym, eating right, yada-yada then this is nothing new.  But for the guy who views a treadmill as tough math homework or the girl who eats a pint of ice cream after a salad (because she did “good” that day), this is for you.  It’s getting you familiar with yourself and how best to treat yourself while still, treating yourself.  With my plan, you still PIG OUT for the Superbowl (stay tuned for that post), you still DIG IN for the holidays, and you still GRUB ON some cookies n’ sh!t while looking and feeling great.

UNlearning
From the looks of our current health statistics, Americans seem to have learned the wrong way to eat.  We have been conditioned to put ourselves last and industry first.  I DO NOT serve industry and neither should you if you want a healthier lifestyle.  I’m talking about the demands of your job, commercial industry, healthcare industry, pharmaceutical industry; all of which have a vested interest in you being committed to their agenda, feeding off of your hard work and energy until you have nothing left.  I don’t have to point out the term that represents the type of person subject to this treatment, but what I will say is free yourself.

Unlearn what’s not working for you so that you can have a clearer picture of what will.  Realizing how and where you’re screwing up is just as essential as reading advice articles and the like.  Get educated about new ways and things to eat, learning HOW to eat, keeping an open mind.  And of course, make time.  Make time to work out by cutting time from things that aren’t helping.  Staying in front of the television even when there’s obviously nothing on has to strike you as a major red flag.  Keeping computer time to a minimum will show you just how much time you have in a day.  (Keep in mind, my posts will remain at a twice per week maximum, believe that) Leave your email alone, try not to be a tweetfreak, and see someone about that facebook addiction.  These things are NOT as important as having more of a “real” life.  I should know.

Adjust with style
Getting more of a real life doesn’t mean your current one is boring, it just means you need more genuine experiences; in this case, concerning your health.  So start with something small, like making fresh sandwiches.  You can really get why guys from the NYC delis get passionate about their work.  There’s nothin’ better than slappin down two soft slices of multigrain love dough, fresh maple turkey or honey ham topped with romaine lettuce, ripe slices of tomato, a slick’a mayo and some spicy brown mustard-rrohh-ho-ho (Toolman Taylor grunt).  

 Get familiar with locally grown foods and brands.  FIND OUT WHERE your food is coming from and make it known that you’re doing so.  It’s contagious once you start.  Keep an eye out for fresh farming, cooking and health food locations, and please, visit the produce section more often.  I just ate a Pomegranate for the first time.  To be honest, I didn’t know how to eat one and now it’s one of my favorites.

All I’m saying is pay closer attention to you and dodge the distractions.  Listen to your body and make sure you give it what it needs while getting what you want.  The closer those two align, the better in-shape your lifestyle will be. 

You’ll look good too! AND you’ll look good.

 Next Week: The last part of the 6 part ImFAT series. "Finally, Sweat It Off"

Monday, January 3, 2011

Gettin' There!

First, I just wanna say Happy New Year’s to you and yours and I would like to wish you a healthy and prosperous year & decades to come.  I'm hype about the projects I have going on and am ready for 2011, 2012 even.  With part 5 of my 6 part ImFAT series, I will briefly uncover one of the remaining pieces to my fitness plan.  After my previous points on WATER, Detox, Nutrition, and personal Menu Selection comes the last “stretch,” which is to Get Moving.  Like I’ve stated before, the workout portion is only ¼ of the entire fitness plan, but it is important to the success of your weight-loss goals and to your daily schedule. If all of my suggestions were to stick to the wall, this would be the nail.  Guess who the hammer is? (if you can’t, you’re fat-so fat)
________________________________________
Contributors to my overall fitness plan
¼ = Water and Breakfast
½ = Natural Detox
¾ = Eat fresh, less heavy, 4-5x daily
1  = Stretching & Exercise: My LAZYworkout
________________________________________
Before the sweating even starts, I have something more geared towards finding your comfort zone.  The best thing about my workout is that it’s coming from one of the laziest, summer-couch potato livin’, snacks in the middle of the night-eatin persons on earth.  That’s serious business, because there’s NOTHING to watch during the summer! You may be like me, hardily comfortable with using machines, heading to the gym, or working out in general; but just remind yourself that you are doing this for YOU and you only.  You have to know what it is like to be you at your best, your healthiest.  It’s a great feeling, my uncle told me.  He was no slump in his day, and he’s always proud of how agile, witty, and energetic he was when looking through old photos.  Seeing my elders look back on being young and not regretting a thing has had a huge influence on me and I recommend creating that reality for you one day. 

THE STRETCH
For the record, my workout is a home workout and does not require much.  In creating this, I started by talking with those familiar with nutrition and fitness; asking physicians, friends who are or were athletes, and personal trainers about how to conserve or gain energy.  I found out that something as simple as Stretching could cure most saps of energy that we feel on a day-to-day basis.  Now for the most part, if you’re like me, stretching can seem incredibly shoot-me-now boring, but if you truly want to get in shape without becoming a gym rat, you must get to know your body.  Stretching the right parts can do your body a huge favor.  It’s kind of like finally scratching a hard-to-reach itch on your back; stretching can feel very satisfying.  If you want to get technical, stretching increases the body’s ability to more efficiently spread oxygen throughout your circulatory, respiratory and muscular systems.  In short, you become stronger by breathing, the right way.

WHAT I DID
I’m no expert on stretching, but in my case, I’m an artist and drawing people, focusing on parts of the body in movement, allowed me to test all the different ways to stretch one muscle or muscle group, starting with my neck.  I thought about ALL the directions it could move and just stretched in each of those directions. (diagrams in later posts) Then I applied the same method of thinking to every extremity (arms/legs) and smaller joints which made me curious about stretching EVERY part of my body.  The workout is just the exercising of those very muscles from the stretch positions.  This is how my home-style LAZYworkout was born.   

The stretching allows you to create the discipline necessary to carry on to the exercises.  After getting through my full body stretches, the workout will naturally feel like the next step.  Luckily, with my plan, you stretch without working out for two weeks before breaking a sweat at all.  This preps your body to find a certain comfort level that will complement how and where you start at-doing exercise.  My Full Body Stretches are to be done either at the start of the day, 30 minutes after drinking water and eating breakfast or at night before going to bed, DAILY.  You can grab a drink and some fruit, then stretch or go IN with the full breakfast and wait a little bit before you start.  Concerning my workouts, you do this daily for 2 weeks without exercise, then continue, around the exercises.

FULL BODY STRETCHES - OVERVIEW
Neck                  -  front – back – sides – diagonals
Shoulders           -  inner-shoulders 
Upper Arms       -  Bicepts – Tricepts – outer shoulders
Forearms            -  front - back

Chest                  -  stretching Pects
Back                   -  lower rear of neck - along spine - and deltoids
Hips                    -  pelvic area – front – back – sides - diagonals
Waist                   -  obliques – abs – front - sides

Calves                 -  inner calve – outer calve
Thighs                  -  Quadricepts  - inner thighs
Strings                 -  Hamstrings
Lower Back        - straight down, head to knee direction

WHAT HELPS
One thing that will definitely help you to adjust is listening to music.  When I’m stretching, I choose to go the mellower route.  I’ll listen to reggae (not dancehall, reggae), ambient music and alternative/experiment sh!t.  It works great for me but do you.  I save the hip hop and rock for the actual workouts.  Another thing I found out was that it’s good to stretch before and after you’re workout for the best results.  I have yet to work my Full Body Stretch into such a practice, but shorter, core-focused stretch exercises will work for that.   Thursday,  I will share a few tips involving stretching and readjusting after veering off from your new diet, though that shouldn’t happen. (Finger-point)

Stay tuned for Part 6, “Finally, Sweat It Out!” my preferred playlist(s), and images for the stretches and home exercises.

-          JP

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Curb the Crave

I’m back, recovered from the FLU with home remedies, but that’s a different story.  As for now, we’ll look into why you couldn’t say NO to that cupcake… especially after the first six.  Remember, my belief is that your body does communicate with you and that you must be open to that.  We don't consciously make ourselves breathe or voluntarily tell white blood cells to attack intruders in your bloodstream.  These processes occur outside of our consent and each piece communicates with the other to keep order within the body.  One physician told me illnesses like cancers are breaks in that very communication, causing cell overgrowth or bodily defenses attacking one self.   

In short, much of weight-loss happens by “listening” to your body.  The problem is we often silence those messages, ignoring when the body says “that’s enough scoops or that’s enough slices or that’s enough drinks.” If we work at listening, we can avoid overeating and the cravings that lead to it.



We all have cravings; some more intense than others, but for many these cravings become a main-stay in our diet and commandeer our appetite.  We carry on as if we are not in control but studies show that these cravings are very specific and are actually predictable.  When you pick up on my fitness plan, there will be a time of transition where your response to cravings may decide whether you continue my program or not.   

This is the point where you actively switch for fresher food and more water; the same point where your body will begin to figure out what’s best for it on it’s own.  But, just in case things turn out a little different for you than it was for me, here are SIX ways you can curb your cravings, no matter the sorry-ass excuse…


  1. Be Gone!            -  Eliminate the usual snack pile and keep loose change out of your pocket.  Try to limit chances of acting on these cravings and trips to the vending machine.
  2. Go Nuts!              -  Peanuts, cashews, almonds, and mixed nuts are a great way to squash fake hunger pangs.  They also help a great deal during workouts, along with whole grains and wheat bread.
  3. Get Better!         -  Find tasty alternatives that can act as a snack on a regular basis. Crackers, baby carrots, popcorn, fresh fruit, yogurt and water can all take your mind off the crave, for example.
  4. Solve It!               -  Lay off eating when you’re stressed or nervous.  Attack the actual problem and leave the junk food out of it.
  5. Tough Love!       -  About once a month, eat ONE of those things you usually crave when you’re not craving it.  This one was a weird one to learn but when I tried to eat something sweet (brownies) when I really wasn’t feeling it, my body began to follow suit.  This is more effective after following my nutrition portion of the plan.  (You can give in every now and then but after going the more nutritious route, you’ll find yourself naturally backing away from your usual over-indulgences.)
  6. Walk Away!        -  This isn’t a “just-say-no” rule, this is a “do-something-else”rule.  If you crave what you see when you see it, immediately do something else, as if you had no choice.  Read, make a phone call, do anything productive really.  This will help you differentiate between real hunger and cravings.  Also, remember to take your time when eating and wait 10mins after a craving.  If you’re still feeling extra hungry, then the hunger’s real.  But reach for REAL food when that happens.


If you’re like me, you may tend to reach for those comfort foods.  The colder the weather gets, the more likely we will be less active and more prone to choosing whatever tastes good while trying to stay warm.  Usually, this is limited to those with four seasons but in recent years, when December comes, it gets cold pretty-much country wide, therefore, the less active you are, the less calories you burn.  My plan will help you keep off that winter weight, naturally.

Further down the line, I will post my favorite cheats, snacks, foods, restaurants, and drinks along with the complete fitness plan.  I firmly believe you can eat how you want, just as long as you place the essentials first.  I’ll also cover reading labels at the grocery store and possibly post some vids of places to eat and exercises to do.  


EXTRAS

great website that kinda gets what I’m sayin here.
another site I came across after writing this article that further confirms what I’ve already done.

MONDAY – Finally – Pt5 of the ImFATfitness series.
-JP

Monday, December 13, 2010

Minus the Coke

LAZYfitness Sidenotes:

Drop the soda.  You DO NOT NEED it, no matter what "it" tells you.  I'm not sure about 'cold-turkey,' but slowly substitute times you would drink it with water or natural juice.  You'll feel much more awake, longer, and your body will naturally reject the option for soda after a short period, which means NO forcing the issue.

BONUS post will be Wednesday Dec 29th.  Part 5 of the ImFAT series will post MONDAY JAN 3rd.  If you missed any of my previous posts, check'em out!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Exercise? #&@! that...


Some people like to use the word “diet” so loosely, but all that word means, really, is just a way to eat.  Some folks go on 2wk & 4wk diets ONLY to end up sliding back to their initial regimen and wonder why nothing is working.  Your real diet is actually your lifestyle of eating, everyday.  There's no deadline, no end date.  

To be frank, I think people use the word healthy a little too often also.  What’s considered “healthy” is actually what should be considered normal.  Healthy is only “healthy” in relation to the JUNK we tend to eat today, but let’s just use healthy for now.  By following my fat, lazy-ass guidelines, you WILL lose the bulk of your unwanted weight without one gym membership.  As part 4 of my story on how I’m doing it, I’m going to share with you how I eat and how I can still grab slices of pizza and be cool about it.

It’s a little crazy how most folks expect me to share exercise information with them after seeing my changes, but honestly, my home-style workout only accounts for ¼ of the entire process.  It was the last component to be worked in because my lazy self looked for all the non-physical alternatives first (horrible).  Most of what I share is the UNDOING of all the bad habits I’ve picked up.  My previous post and these next few tips & info play a major role in, not only losing the weight but,keeping it off, naturally, which is even more important.   

If you give your body the basics (after a detox), then trust me, you will be able to eat that Red Velvet and not regret it.  I’m one to love trying different foods and recommending places to check out, and you can’t really do that –calorie counting like some sort of psycho.  The whole reason for sharing what I did and do to lose weight is because I believe I’ve found ways to eat what you want and still be healthy and fit.  The catch?  Allowing your body to decide what’s right by starting with the basics.  

A couple posts ago, I added an image of the University of Michigan’s Food Pyramid.  I truly believe it represents what I’ve learned “hands-on” based on priority.  None of it tells you to completely drop everything you like.  Instead, it shows where to place more emphasis, more of the time.  So this brings me to more tips to share.  Honestly, you don’t have to suddenly become some sort of healthy fruit FREAK just to get in shape.  One to two fruits daily are sufficient enough, especially when the rest of your diet consists of other great options.   

I told you guys to eat a big breakfast, and that’s because I did.  Some say no big breakfast, but I didn’t have the time or money to fit in 6-7 meals a day.  Just think; you eat dinner, stay up for a few hours, then go to sleep for 6-8 hours more, and you think it wise to skip the next meal? I can’t believe I did it for so many years and I’ll never do it again.  Nothing’s so important that you have to skip breakfast, because ultimately, whatever’s SO important is bound to become adversely affected by missing that very breakfast anyway.  So before we get to the exercise, we’ll eat.  The usual question; what the hell is there to eat?

In the past couple decades, what to eat has been transformed into what’s most available to eat.  Well, by NO coincidence whatsoever, isn’t it nice that we can find a 69cent burger 5x quicker than we can find a fruit stand or salad? Or even an actual burger for that matter.  This is especially true with the confusing produce section, which can be a nice little visit to a foreign country before you get to the meat section.  With a bunch of fruits and vegetables that you never heard of and are not sure how to eat, one can understand how sane it would seem to stick to what you know.   

So, I’ve listed the greens and veggies that I’ve picked up so far, and in future posts (fruits in previous posts), I will share how to prepare & eat these items, so that you will be more likely to follow my steps.  I mean, we’ll try an insane looking drink before we try a new food, and that’s just plain ass-backwards.  After New Year’s? Understandable, but ass-backwards nonetheless.

Get Green (Fresh and/or frozen)
String Beans
Carrots
Cucumbers
Celery
Lettuce (Romaine)
Tomatoes
Red Leaf
Watercress (with some adjustments)
Spinach (a late favorite)
Broccoli

There’s more to this list but let’s just start with this since it’s mostly my typical salad mix.  You can eat these as they are or with just a light sauce/dressing (vinaigrette) to give it flavor but not too much or the calories in the dressing could help to defeat the purpose.  You can even work more veggies into an existing meal.  This is why, when I get a fresh burger from a local spot, I get it with everything on it.  Most of the time, the items added are pretty much a salad anyway. (I’ll have burger-centric posts soon just to clarify).

How I adjusted my diet to lose 70lbs
I started eating smaller portions, more often.  I suggest at least three times a day to keep a consistent schedule and keep from the overeating that we tend to do when skipping meals (2xday).  But IDEALLY, you want to eat smaller portions 4-5 times daily.  You may hear some say 5-7 times a day but real people hardily have the time or funds to keep up such a schedule, not to mention it not being much different at all from 4-5 times.   

Truthfully, eating more times a day doesn’t really mean much if the calories you take in each meal are exceedingly high; especially if you have no sort of significant physical activity to follow that.  Really, losing and keeping weight off is about burning as many calories as you take in.  I just made sure I to use the standard daily 2,000 calories and a benchmark and decided what I ate based on my chances in exceeding that amount or not and being active enough to offset when I did go higher.  My eating schedule is no real schedule at all; it’s just eating when you’re hungry yet controlling that very hunger.  

Meal Tips
If you know you’re overweight and tend to eat LARGE amounts in one sitting, get that plate of food that you normally set for yourself, go ahead and set it. Now, look at it, take a picture, and cut it straight down the middle.  Eat one half then and save the other half for the next day.  You think it won’t be enough just reading this but trust me, it is.  Drink a cup of water before you eat and don’t rush.  Having some conversation, pausing during your meals, you’ll notice that you’re NOT as hungry as you thought you were.  Your body will adjust when you take your time eating and you’ll reach this weird point where you find you can’t finish what you would normally breathe down.  This is FINE.  This is the point that matters most; controlling your hunger by not overstating it.  

Instead of grabbing four pieces of chicken, grab two.  Instead of two scoops, grab one.  Instead of 16ounces, grab 8oz. Always sip beverages towards the sides of your tongue; this is how your thirst is quenched.  Most people drink way more than they need to just to get that satisfaction of the quench when they really could have gotten it 12oz. earlier, thus taking in fewer calories per meal.  Instead of coke, drink water first, before you eat and that smaller portion will suddenly feel just right.  (Soda can increase your appetite, which is what pushes us to eat that extra slice after washing down the previous one with… soda).  These tips work BEST after a Detox

This step is the LARGEST of the steps as it is where you establish a new, better way of eating, thereby creating a new lifestyle, NOT a 2 week diet.
___________________________________
Contributors to my overall fitness plan
¼ = Water and Breakfast
½ = Natural Detox
¾ = Eat fresh, less heavy, 4-5x daily
1  = …….
_______________________________