Aquaponics - The Goal

The goal for me is to have an environment where we can have an attached green house to our existing house so we can setup an aquaponics garden within. This kind of garden would consist of fruits and vegetables off all kinds and depending on the size of the garden, have a large enough tank to hold a lot of fish which we would be able to eat from time to time. I am going to try to setup a mini aquaponic system so I can have one or two plants growing just to prove that I am able to create such an environment.

I added a link to suggest some reading to you who read this.

 Aquaponics-integration of hydroponics with aquaculture (Horticulture systems guide)

Using Products To Lose The Weight Part 2

I keep seeing and hearing people say that “Oh I drink this stuff for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I lose the weight.” How is that a way to live? I mean, I count my calories to help me lose the weight and I am eating fine. Once I am down to the weight that I want to be I will stop the extreme calories count and go to just maintenance of my weight. Because I now know what to do I am not worried about it. But this “not worrying about it” will only happen once I have reached my goal weight.

The reason why I am talking about this is because I over heard a lady at work here say that she is drinking Advantage Supplement Drinks so she can lose some weight. She would not eat a banana, orange, or apple which was provided at our training session because she said that she doesn’t want to ruin her diet and that there are too much sugar in the fruit. WHAT THE HELL!? Fruits and vegetables have natural sugars that, I think, should be used instead of actual sugar. I was eating oranges and bananas and I was satisfied with only 240 calories taken in for those two items. It was a great source of fiber and also a good sweet satisfier. Because of the fruit, I didn’t eat the pastries that were there.

I wish more and more people would just think about how things were when we did not have “Drinks” and other products to help us lose weight. Go cave man when you are eating and you will realize how sweet fruits are and how great tasting veggies are.

Losing Weight Like an Engineer Should

I am now down to 251lbs which is one pound away from my first goal of 250lbs. The reason why I have been losing weight so consistantly is because of my food selection, counting calories, eating 6-7 times a day, cycling my calories, exercise and weight trianing.

As you know I am an engineer and in being one I analyze my numbers everyday, from my calorie intake (total and portion size) to my weight that I am lifting. I make sure that I also supply the demand as it is necessary. Because I eat 6-7 times a day, I make sure that I have consistant numbers for my calorie intake per portion per meal. Now, their is one varient that I look at that is not consistant to engineering practices and that is cycling my calories. Because the human body is so adaptive, I change my calorie intake for a couple of days and then go back to my normal intake. This allows the body to ramp up the metabolism and then use that momentum to burn on the days that I am at my low calorie intake days. This allows the body to then burn the fat and nothing else which is evident after two days of eating at high calorie rates and then dropping down. About one to two days later I will lose another pound or two...awesome.

I will be talking more about using lean six sigma on weight lose and also JIT processes for food intake.

Using products to lose the weight

I was talking to a guy at the gym and he was talking to me about all of the stuff that he wants to buy and currently using to lose weight. He rattled off three things that he is taking which he relies on everyday and I just thought to myself that if he spent that money on healthy foods and more natural alternative, he would lose weight. So many people are dependant on chemicals to do the job quicker and easier with little to no work. Sometimes this makes me sad to know that the world will eventually become weaker body and mind and become the end to our world.

Having the Energy

While being on this diet, I have had so much energy. Before I could easily could take a nap. Now I find it hard to be tired duing my childrens nap. I also have had a sense of hyperactivity do to my amount of energy.

FYI: I am on vacation and I have been eating as I should and eating my six plus meals is really making me feel like crap. Tomorrow I am going to eat more sensible.

Americans are spoiled

I recently had the oportunity to travel to China for business. While I was over there, I had some questions to ask the locals about eating and exercise. First off, Americans are the largest consumers of soda in the world. Every meal that I ordered they offered some kind of soda instead of a bowl of soap which is what everyone else gets. I turned down the soda and got the soap because I wanted to experience their culture and eating habits.

All of the fruits, vegetables, and meat over there is mostly organic (disregard anything that is imported, not organic). Farms are all over the place. They do not waste any space whatsoever. There were farms right next to the landing field for my flight coming it. I also noticed that if their was an opening on the side of the road....there was a farm. (When I say farm I mean a greenhouse. I have a garden in my back yard and when I should it to the people that I was training, they thought I had a farm. So I am using that in comparison.)

When I was over their I ate nothing but the local food. I noticed that the food that I was eating was not that much and I was getting full off of it. It was so weird that I would eat a bowl of food that would normally make me want to get seconds, would actually fill me up. The book that I have been reading, tells me that this would happen and it is actually true. I wish organic food was not so expensive. I guess you would have to have a garden that would be all-years-round.

Organic Chime

This entry is to get people thinking about organic alternatives. I have been doing a lot of research on the positive alternatives to organic living. Last year I never felt any better than when I was eating out of our garden which is 100% organic. I would get full off a little amount of veggies and it would keep me satisfied longer than if I were to buy from the grocery store. At first I never even thought about the effects that I was experiencing, but I read an article stating that organic foods will fill you up faster and stay with you longer than grocery foods do. Also, the chemicals that were used to preserve and clean the veggies actually acts like a hunger driver. I am not sure that the food companies know about this and I hope they don't, but the chemicals used are making people more hungry which is why the food doesn't satisfy after so long.

This is just a first chime on the subject with more to come. Just about this, when you get a salad or a basket of veggies or fruits, don't you feel better after eating those? Why do you think that is? Maybe because anything that is canned or bagged is filled with chemicals that might take that feeling away? Just sit and ponder.