BEGIN UPDATE:

Fitness Update: 2-April-2022:

I don’t believe in losing nor maintaining a certain weight with proprietary meal plans nor taking diet pills nor supplements. I never used them.

When I’m hungry, I go to Trader Joe’s and make my own meals; or, I go to a restaurant and order from the menu, unless I know the chef or owner, then they will prepare a meal for me off the menu, like they do for me at Original Joe’s.

Check out my BLOG, What time is it?, to view some of the restaurants I enjoy, during my own weight and body sculpting journey.

The tools I use for my weight and body sculpting journey are my FitnessPal to track my calorie-burn and my calorie-intake from my Apple Watch Series 6 — two very useful tools I use to drop my weight from 155 LBS to my present weight of 125 LBS.

For example, my Apple Watch Series 6 monitored my calorie-burn after playing ~three hours of high intensity tennis with a total of a 10 minute break, yesterday, 1-April-2022. The Apple Series 6 Watch indicated I burned 3115 calories. I have my Apple Series 6 Watch synchronized to my FitnessPal. Based on this information, I can act accordingly, as to the types of foods and the amount of foods I will take in after my 3-hour high-intensity tennis session.

I have never bought into the proprietary meals, diet-pills, nor vitamin supplements that you have to purchase from a food diet company! That makes no sense to me!

Why?

Because, when it comes to my health, nutrition, weight loss, weight maintenance, and fitness, I believe in the natural and old fashion way of doing these things with my own discipline, control, hard work and being smart and reasonable about the execution; hence, I work out; I manage food-intake; I eat healthy foods; and, I have my cheat-days, which is seldom, whereby I allow myself to eat four orders of In-N-Out Double-Double with cheese, Animal Style, and an order of fries in one sitting.

Oddly enough, I haven’t cashed in on my In-N-Out Burger-Cheat-Day since eating healthy. I guess I lost the addiction to fast-foods.

I don’t believe in diet pills or any type of pills nor surgery to lose my weight.

I don’t believe in vitamins nor other pill-supplements; because, I don’t like literally pissing my money away; and, in my experiences, they did not provide enough of the nutrients I needed.

If I need a particular vitamin, I eat vegetables or fruits; if I need Omega-3, I bulk up on fish. If I need calcium, I drink tons of Unsweetened Almond Beverages from Trader Joe’s. If I’m thirsty, I drink water or plain Coconut water.

I flavor my water with natural stuff, such as, but not limited to, licorice root or cinnamon sticks — all stuff you can get at mainstream grocery stores.

These are my own principles that I live by; and, my BLOG is strictly demonstrating the way I feed, lose weight, maintain weight, keep fit, and sculpt my body.

I am not in any way, implied nor explicitly, giving you advice nor telling you to follow my regiment within the four corners of this BLOG — this BLOG is strictly an exhibition of the way I handle my health, my fitness, and sculpting my body.

Since February 2021, I’ve been on my goal to drop my weight from 155 LBS to 125 LBS, which I did in about two months or so, and to sculpt my body. I already dropped the weight and maintaining it without any problems; I reached some of my body sculpting goals; and, now, I’m working on my final sculpture…my abs; I want more definition in my abs, which is beginning to show as a result of my hard work and changes to my nutrition.

This BLOG will show my success thus far, as a result of using MyFitnessPal and my Apple Series 6 Watch as tools to help me get to my goals and maintain my goals.

Let’s get started…

After a month of stringent cardio work-outs and strict diet, I FINALLY got rid of that dreaded layer of fat circled in red.

I hated seeing this layer of fat on me each time I looked at myself in the mirror, and it bothered me so much that I seldom took my shirt off when I went to the beach with my GF and our mutual friends — I hated it! I was determined to meet my goal of burning off that layer of dreaded fat!

I finally met my goal after a month of strict cardio work-outs every single day and extra pushing away of certain foods every single day. Here is my FitnessPal progress picture of my new and modified body — NO MORE LAYER OF FAT on my lower abs!

Since I FINALLY BURNED OFF THAT DREADED LAYER OF BELLY FAT, I will make certain it will stays off.

I will maintain my high school weight of 130 LBS until I leave this planet; and, I will also maintain my fitness levels until I leave this planet:

Age: 57 years old

NEW WEIGHT: 125 LBS (from 130 LBS) As of 18-February-2022, my new parameter is between 125 – 130 LBS. If I wanna keep my weight at 130 LBS, I have to set my target weight at 125 LBS. The target weight will give me a five pound margin to allow me to take in more calories if I want to. As long as I stay between 125 LBS and 130 LBS, all is groovy like a drive-in movie. With this new weight parameter, my waistline is 26”; and, this parameter will accommodate my cheat-days when I give myself liberty to eat junk-food, like an In-N-Out Burger Double Double with cheese — Animal Style, of course. I usually put down 4 orders and an order of fries in one sitting.

Old Weight: 130 LBS (from 155 LBS)

NEW WEIGHT: 125 LBS (from 130 LBS)

Height: 5’9”

Waist: 26” (from size 31”)

Chest: 39

Resting Heart Beat: 53-56 BPM

Cholesterol Level: 129

A1C: 4

Body Fat Percentage: ~7%

Oxygen Level: 99-100%

VO2 Max: 33.4 (I need to improve upon this number.)

Now, I’m at a weight better than my back to high school weight of 125 LBS; and, my body, mind, and spirit seem to be operating well at this new weight of 125 LBS. I’m very pleased with my progress and achieving my goals.

My diet and fitness programs are areas of which I can easily maintain; and, I have maintained these two regiments.

My ego and self-esteem will ensure I don’t get that dreaded layer of fat back in me ever again! Also, I bought new pants that have 27” waist; hence, that is my new mark — I won’t deviate from this pants size.

The other goal I had was to make my jawline more distinct on and off camera. Since dropping my weight to 125 LBS, I have a more distinct jawline on and off camera.

Now, at any angle of the camera, I have a more distinct jawline — no fat hanging off the side of my neck and breaching my shirt’s collar.

I created an excellent foundation to get to my next goal…more defined abs!

Stay tuned….

END UPDATE.

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BLOG Entry: December 2021:

When my pants get a little tight on me, creating discomfort, I don’t buy larger pants nor do I go to the tailor to make my existing pants larger — no way! I lose weight so I can better fit my existing pants. I never give myself an inch — never!

As my fitness community always say, “we don’t buy fat-boy pants!”

I have a big but healthy ego; I have very high self-esteem; I have confidence in myself; I take pride in myself and anything or anyone associated to me; and, I love myself; hence, being out-of-shape, unhealthy, and not physically fit, are not part of my lifestyle nor design.

Also, my present girlfriend and my girlfriends before her are athletic, worldly, fit, health-conscious, goal-oriented, and high-achievers; they don’t go for guys that are cooped up in their apartments playing video games and eating Nacho Cheese Dorito’s on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Get me?

I dig reading stories like this one:

Read in Fox News: https://apple.news/ABY_wOMxVQgGd88i80GQxEQ

Stories like these and my fitness community inspire me to stay fit, work-out, and be the healthiest I can be!

Fast-foods — no bueno!

My girlfriend bought me an Apple Watch Series 6 several months ago. I never cared for the Apple Watch — if I did, I would have purchased one years ago.

My girlfriend encouraged me to wear the gift she gave me…while a lot of people wear the Apple Watches, I found that they are really popular with the younger age-groups.

My girlfriend is younger than me (~ 27 years younger), so the Apple Watch is a common thing for her. I’m 57 years old, and other than working out, I prefer real watches.

I acquiesced, and I wore it; now, I’m a believer in the Apple Watch as being an excellent tool in my overall fitness training program.

Check out this kid’s YouTube Channel regarding Apple Watches:

https://youtube.com/c/HOTSHOTchannel

This kid’s YouTube Channel is the only channel I use whenever I need information about Apple Watches — he is very informative and knows his stuff about Apple watches.

I use two tools to help me stay fit and enhance my overall fitness and training; so, I can play my best tennis against anyone at at any age and at any level: Apple Watch Series 6 and MyFitness Pal.

Eight months ago, I weighed in at 155 pounds. While this is a normal weight for me, based upon my height and based upon my physician’s assessment, I didn’t like the way I looked. I looked over-weight — kinda chunky — especially, in film and pictures, like the one directly below. I had to make an immediate change to lose the chunky-look in me.

I gave myself three months to drop my weight from 155 LBS to 140 LBS. I achieved this goal in less than two months.

I wanted to drop to 140 pounds to be more efficient and effective in the tennis courts; I also wanted a thinner face on television and film; hence, I tracked my intake, and I used MyFitnessPal.

Through my modified diet and intense working out, within two months, I burned the chunkiness off my face; and, now, my face looks thinner on film and television, as seen in the pictures supra, and below, which are from two of my audition video clips, circa, November 2021.

I’m very happy with my new look and physique.

One of the tools I used to get to my goals and manage my fitness is FitnessPal.

The reason MyFitnessPal works for me is because I document all the food I eat; and, it shows me my calorie-intake for the day. With that information, I’m able to adjust my eating patterns; so, I can manage the increase or reduction in weight.

The other thing I did to get me to my weight goal is joining an Ab Challenge, shown in pic, above.

I’m very goal-oriented, and I like to compete; so, I competed against two people I know, and the results were pretty damn amazing for me. My abs don’t look as defined and ripped as Reike and Mara, shown above, but my abs are more defined and ripped than before I started the Ab Challenge.

At 57 years old, I’m in excellent shape — period! I’m in better shape than people considerably younger than me, at my age, and older than me. My assertion has been substantiated by my physicians and cardiovascular physicians — they all wrote in my records, “patient is in excellent shape and fitness.”

I am not on ANY medication whatsoever; and, EVERYTHING works without any pills…nor do I take any vitamins…I don’t believe in literally pissing my money away…

I get all my vitamins from vegetables and fruits.

After three months of strict and immediate cold-turkey diet modifications, diet restrictions, and intense workouts, such as, but not limited to, my daily HIIT, here is the after-picture of me from MyFitnessPal.

I still have a small layer of fat, circled in red, that I need to lose, but I exceeded my goal within two months.

March 2021, I weighed in at 155 LBS with a 32-inch waistline. About a month-and-a-half later, I significantly dropped that weight; and three months later, June 2021, and to present, as of, 15-November-2021, I am 138.2 pounds with a 29-inch waistline, and I will maintain this weight and fitness level for the duration of my time here on earth with ease and part of my normal lifestyle.

Now, staying in physical shape is one thing, but I wanted to make sure my internals were also in shape.

The Apple Watch Series 6, which my GF gave me, was the key tool, along with my healthy diet, to my success in making certain my internals were in shape.

My resting heart BPM is consistently in the 50-range. According to the chart, below, I’m in Athletic fitness all across the age-spectrum: 18 years old to 65+ years old.

Surprisingly, the Apple Watch Series 6 is pretty damn close to accurate with their EKG feature, BPM, Blood O2, and VMaxO2.

How do I know?

I went into UCLA for my physical, and they did a complete and thorough physical on me, which included a treadmill stress-test of my heart and lungs. The physicians hooked me up to a machine that measured all my cardiovascular and respiratory activities, and put my heart and lungs under physical stress by making me run on treadmill.

I felt I was the Six Million Dollar Man

There were three things that the Apple Watch Series 6 was dead-on accurate: EKG, Oxygen Content % in my blood, and VMax O2.

The Apple Watch Series 6 heart BPM was pretty damn accurate, too, when I’m at rest and not doing any intense work-outs; but, the Apple Watch Series 6 is not that accurate while I’m doing HIIT and playing tennis; because, my sweat interferes with the watch’s sensors; however, when I wear my Garmin Pro and connect it to my Apple Watch Series 6, the BPM and the caloric burn rate are much more accurate.

Now that the cardiovascular physicians confirmed I’m in excellent shape, I know that my method and approach of proper diet and physical training are sound. My fitness evaluation from my physicians, encourages me to keep up with my present exercises and diets.

The nice thing about MyFitnessPal and the Apple Watch Series 6 is that they are physical reminders and mirrors of my physical health state.

They are no different than the mirror in my bathroom. I wake up in the morning, and I look in the mirror, and I see “yuk”. I don’t like that image, so, I brush my hair, brush my teeth, shave, and wash my face. I look in the mirror, and I say, “yes — I’m a Bad-ass again ready to conquer my day!”

When I look at my Apple Watch Series 6, I see those rings not closed up, I say, “it’s time to get to work, and meet my goals to close those rings.”

When I see the stuff I eat for the day, I either day, “yuk,” or I say, “yeah — I kicked ass today!”

That’s the effectiveness of MyFitnessPal and the Apple Watch Series 6.

In addition, I seldom eat fried foods…except, on very rare occasions, French Fries, but they have to be a particular type of French Fry, or I won’t order it. I love fried chicken breasts and drumettes, but I don’t eat those often anymore.

About a year ago, I became a pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan. My diet consists of plant-based foods for 95% of my diet throughout the entire year.

The remaining 5% of my diet is left open for non pescatarian and non vegan foods that I will eat whenever I get invited to a home-cooked meal that my GF’s family will prepare for me; or, home-cooked meals my friends and acquaintances prepare for me.

That 5% is also reserved for my mum’s awesome home-made high-quality beef lumpias — I won’t let my vegetarian and vegan diet interfere with my mum’s lumpias!

I never publicly state I’m a vegetarian; because, I don’t like the stigma; and, most importantly, I don’t like people having to fuss over me in picking out a restaurant or preparing food for me at a dinner party.

When I get invited to a home-cooked dinner, I eat whatever the host cooks for me. When my social group wanna grab dinner at a restaurant, I just follow along and eat the food the restaurant provides — I NEVER mention that I’m a vegan, vegetarian, nor pescatarian.

Now, don’t get the wrong idea of my vegan plant-based diet — I ain’t a left liberal progressive tree-hugger!

THE ONLY THING THAT’S LEFT IN ME IS THE MANNER BY WHICH I WRITE, DISCHARGE MY SIG SAUERS, FENCE, and CAST MY FLY-ROD.

Conversely, I AIN’T a righty nor a radical right-wing bible-toting fundamentalist neither.

THE ONLY THING THAT’S RIGHT IN ME IS THE MANNER BY WHICH I SWING MY TENNIS RACQUET OR THROW A FOOTBALL.

(As long as the government, people, and politicians stay out of my personal life-choices and my wallet, I don’t give a fuck about what people wanna do with their own lives or with their own bodies — ain’t my concern as long as I don’t have to pay for it.)

I only went on this vegan and plant-based diet for the following SELFISH reasons:

• I like the way plant-based and vegan food taste — I’m always open to trying any type of food — my ex-gf is vegan. I gave it a try, and I loved it; my present GF is not vegan;
• I feel like I have tons of energy and stamina on and off the tennis courts;
• Easier weight management;
• I don’t feel weighed down or sleepy after I eat vegan and plant-based foods;
• Plant-based and vegan foods are easier on my digestive tracts; and,
• My cardiovascular health is phenomenal as a result of my vegan and plant-based diet.

Though, even plant-based processed foods pose a health risk; because, they are high in SODIUM — processed food are terrible — period! A vegan hot-dog is loaded with sodium, which is a nightmare for your cardiovascular system!

I don’t salt my foods — I never liked the taste of salt on my foods — even as a kid; hence, my taste buds can pick up salt even at the most minuscule amount of salt if placed on my food; hence, I eat more veggies, raw veggies, whenever possible.

If I do crave flesh, I only go to one steakhouse in San Francisco, CA: Osso Steakhouse. Their red meats are of high quality.

You will NEVER see me feeding on a steak from a steakhouse that runs television commercials.

I’m very conscientious about the food I order at restaurants…I mainly eat grilled, raw, or broiled chicken or fish and tons of veggies.

This diet makes me happy, keeps me healthy, and I enjoy the taste. It all gets logged into MyFitnessPal.

So, if you’re looking to get fit and monitor your intake, check out the Apple Watch and the MyFitnessPal Application, as two tools that can help you reach and maintain your fitness and diet goals!

Check 6!

/s/ Alfonso Faustino