Episode 11: 4th of July Recap, Fireworks, Squats, Recipes, Sun Exposure Benefits, Cell Phone Addiction & More

In a special 4th of July Recap Edition of Wise Eats, we take a look back at my exact diet from 4th of July, 2009 and compare it to 4th of July 2019. Along the way, there’s some fitness tips, obnoxiousness, and some MACHO MADNESS. Episode 11 is a 4th of July extravaganza! Among the topics discussed:

  • 4th of July 2019 Recap including my “Squats and Fireworks” holiday video
  • This Day in Diet History: July 4, 2009 vs July 4, 2019
  • My past, current, and future weight lifting routines
  • Overcoming cell phone addiction
  • What motivates me to remain healthy and physically fit
  • Recipes of the Week

Episode Timestamps

  • Intro: If I can achieve my best body ever, YOU CAN TOO. (00:40)
  • Welcome to Episode 11! It’s time for some 4th of July Madness! (2:20)
  • 4th of July 2019 Recap including my “Squats and Fireworks” holiday video. (3:10)
  • This Day in Diet History: July 4, 2009 vs July 4, 2019. (4:05)
  • My ridiculous 2009 binge including Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Brunch Cereal, Pizza, Beer, Cheeseburgers, Breakfast Sandwiches from McDonald’s, Little Caesar’s, Taco Bell, Checkers, and more. (5:00)
  • How crash dieting led me to losing 90lbs but also to being sick and unhealthy. (6:30)
  • My new and improved 2019 diet and lifestyle. Spoiler Alert: GAINS. (6:45)
  • Exact meal breakdown from 4th of July 2019. (7:10)
  • One of my FAVORITE healthy snacks: Frozen Cherries. (8:20)
  • My amazing chocolate protein shake ingredients. (8:50)
  • 4th of July Cheat Meals, including Wally’s Frozen Custard. (9:20)
  • Why I want to lead by example. (9:45)
  • Why I used to sleep in the bathroom at work. (10:10)
  • Partying ever day with no regard to my health or future. (10:30)
  • Dealing with loss and how it motivates me to stay fit and healthy. (10:50)
  • My addiction to fitness and healthy lifestyle. (11:25)
  • Summer is here! FINALLY. Benefits of sun exposure. (12:15)
  • How I went from a pale white, easily sunburnt kid to a sun worshipper. (13:00)
  • How kettlebell workouts in the sun were a GAMECHANGER. (13:30)
  • My favorite sun protectant for the sun: coconut oil. (13:55)
  • My current workout regimen: Mike Matthews’ Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger. (14:35)
  • My previous workout regimen: Mike Matthews’ Bigger Leaner Stronger. (15:20)
  • My future weight lifting routine: MAPS Anabolic from Mind Pump. (16:20)
  • How my workouts breakdown for the week. (16:30)
  • Kettlebell Workout Videos coming soon! (16:45)
  • Overcoming cell phone addiction. (17:10)
  • My new cell phone habit: OWN YOUR MORNINGS. (17:50)
  • Recipes of the Week: Greek Yogurt Madness, Peanut Butter Power Bombs, Gorilla Press Power Oatmeal. (18:30)
  • Why many of my healthy recipe videos are pro wrestling inspired (19:05)
  • My favorite places to shop for Wise Eats: Costco, Amazon, and Trader Joe’s (19:50)
  • New videos every Wise Up Wednesday at 4pm! Like and subscribe! (20:00)
  • Closing. Hope you had a good 4th of July! (20:30)
  • Blooper Reel. (21:25)

Fat Guy Files: July 4, 2009

For the last 10 years, I have journaled every meal and every workout, and want to bring that history to life to provide some nutrition tips, entertainment, and hopefully some motivation for anyone looking to improve their health and fitness.

4th of July 2009 was 3 months into my 90lb weight loss. I was already down 33lbs, but this was a rough week for my fitness journey. Celebrated in style by drinking alcohol 5 out of the 7 days and binging on all of my favorite fast foods. Here are the details:

  • Breakfast: PB Crunch Cereal w/ Apple
  • Lunch: Mac & Cheese
  • Dinner: Pizza, Burger, 4th of July Snacks, 2,000 calories worth of drinks
  • Highlights of the Week: Pizza, Beer, Tubby’s Sub, McDonald’s Breakfast Sandwiches, Little Caesar’s, Taco Bell, Checkers
  • Started the week off low calorie then went crazy for the entire holiday weekend
  • Averaged 3,454 cals/day for the week, which is actually similar to my calorie count these days, but for much different goals!
  • Amazing that I lost 90lbs while continuously binging and cheating like this. Not how I would recommend anyone else lose weight!

Today’s Diet:  July 4, 2019

In 2019, my diet is a whole different ballgame. Eating whole, nutritious foods in wide variety, buying organic wherever possible, and avoiding processed foods as often as I can.

  • Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Broccoli, Wise Eats Power Oatmeal
  • Snack: Almonds & Raisins
  • Lunch: Turkey Chili w/ Brown Rice Pasta and Leftover Scrambled Eggs
  • Snack: Strawberry-Banana Muscle Milk w/ Peanut Butter
  • Dinner: Cast Iron Chicken Breast w/ Skinny Popcorn and Frozen Cherries
  • Snack: Chocolate-Banana Protein Shake (Fully Charged Protein Smoothie)
  • Highlights of the Week: Wally’s Frozen Custard, New Belgium Accumulation IPA’s

These meals were not far off from my diet on any other normal day (with the exception of the popcorn and beer). I simply enjoyed more food and more total calories than I usually would. Skinny Popcorn is also a food item I would normally stay away from, but 4th of July celebration ya’ll!!

Diet Journal Entry: July 7, 2019

The Idea Behind Sharing My Diet Journal Entries

Some people may find diet talk boring, but personally I find it fascinating. I’ve heard a lot of experts talk about the things people should do, but not exactly what they do personally, so I wanted to create something unique that dives into my exact routine. Sharing this info will hopefully give someone at least a tip or two to take away from it.

I want to tell you exactly what I’m doing to stay in shape so it’s all out in the open for you. I’m far from perfect. I’m not an athlete or even the buffest dude ever. I’m a normal guy who has been at the bottom of the mountain and wants you to know that fitness is attainable for anyone.

It’s important for me to put this out there because 10 years ago I was that guy coming into work hungover, feeling terrible every day, and even sleeping in the bathroom because I was so exhausted I couldn’t keep awake long enough to do my job. I used to not care whether I lived or died. I drank, smoked, and partied every day with no thought toward my future. Now, I wanna live forever and feel amazing because every day is precious. I’ve lost a lot of loved ones over the years that didn’t get to live their full life. My brother Jason passed when he was 18, Mom died in her early 30’s, my girlfriend Julie at age 26, and my other brother John at 43. For all those I’ve loved and lost, I owe them to live the best life I can because they didn’t get to. Exercise has changed my life and today it’s something I can’t live without. There’s a lot of people who don’t have that same mindset and that’s what I want to change.

Editing Note: Julie was 26 when she passed, not 23 like I mistakenly said in the video. If she were alive today, she’d be more than happy to point out what a dummy I am. And she’d be right. RIP Jules.

Wise Lifts: My Exact Workout Routine

For the last year, I’ve been doing Mike Matthews’ Bigger Leaner Stronger program.

Now, I’m currently doing Beyond Bigger, Leaner, Stronger.

I highly recommend weight lifting for anyone looking to lose body fat or build muscle, and the BLS program is a great place to start, especially if you’re a beginner.

After I complete this program, I’m considering Mind Pump’s MAPS Anabolic for my next program. I will be sure to review it for anyone interested.

Check out my most recent workout logs here:

Monday – Chest Day
Tuesday – Back Day
Wednesday – Shoulder Day
Thursday – Leg Day
Friday – Bonus Chest & Arms Day (Also known as BRO day)

Summer is HERE! Get Your Sun Exposure!

Getting out in the sun is one of my favorite things, but it definitely wasn’t always this way.I was a pasty pale white boy my whole life and always burned very easily. As a kid, I had second degree sun burns all over my back and shoulders – it was the worst physical experience of my life. Ever since then, I stayed out of the sun as much as possible. But, as I got in better shape and got out a bit more, I began to enjoy the sun more and more and learn about its benefits. Today, I try be in the sun as much as possible. I do as many outside workouts as I can, journal, write, walk, play fetch, whatever. Basically, anything I can do in the sun, I do it.

Now, my pale skin is gone, I’m tan almost fully year around (which is impressive for Michigan, where winters are ruthless), and have built a tolerance to the point where I don’t use sunblock unless I’m going to be in it for hours with no breaks. Otherwise, I use coconut oil as a mild protectant, and take breaks/cool off in some water.

Exposure to sunlight boosts your mood, helps you sleep, and can help you build stronger bones. It will help you feel better and look better at the same time. Lack of sun exposure can contribute to depression and I can vouch for that from personal experience! Lack of sun = Wes Depressed! I recommend getting your daily dose whenever possible. I also supplement with Vitamin D several days per week, which offers additional health benefits.

Mental Health Tip: Eliminating Use of Cell Phone First Thing in Morning

I’m addicted to my phone just like everyone else, but have eliminated use of it first thing in the morning. Normally, I’d shut off my alarm, turn on a podcast, and go about my morning. Now, I’m turning off the alarm and getting right into my morning routine of hydration, foam rolling, breathing, and journaling. Not until all of those things are done do I pick up the phone and set about someone else’s agenda. I’m also consciously putting it away at dinner time so I can enjoy that time with my wife. Control the phone…don’t let it control you!

What are YOUR healthy cell phone habits? Contact and let me know!

Recipe of the Week

These videos surround three of my all-time favorite wrestlers: The Ultimate Warrior, Randy “Macho Man” Savage and “Big Sexy” Kevin Nash aka Diesel. Even if you’ve never been into wrestling, definitely check them out because they’re delicious and made with REAL FOOD. The recipes are awesome on their own but are mostly aimed at giving people ideas of different healthy ingredients to incorporate in their diets.

Many of the Wise Eats recipes are themed around wrestling. Although I don’t watch much pro wrestling these days, I was a huge fan growing up, so wanted to give the videos some flare and hopefully create something unique. If you’re not already aware, I spent many years wrestling in a backyard wrestling organization known as the Back Yard Brawl, which had a major influence on my motivation to lose 90lbs originally and get in shape. You can find more info/videos about that at Wise-Eats.com/BYB.

What’s Next?

My goal is to put out a new video every Wednesday, which you will be able to find on Wise-Eats.com, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. It will be a combination of workouts, recipes, podcast episodes, clips, and anything else that you request or that comes to mind. Submit any questions or comments to wiseeatspodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for reading, watching, listening! Make Wise Choices 😊

YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/JG0mzrGv2og

Audio Only Linkhttp://traffic.libsyn.com/wiseeats/Wise_Eats_Podcast_Episode_11.mp3

Podcast Webpage: Wise-Eats.com/Podcast
Questions, Comments, Feedback: Wise-Eats.com/Contact
Instagram: @weswisefitness
E-Mail: wiseeatspodcast@gmail.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/wiseeatspodcast

Recipes Mentioned in This Episode:

Chocolate Greek Yogurt Madness: Wise-Eats.com/Madness
Gorilla Press Power Oatmeal: Wise-Eats.com/Oatmeal
Peanut Butter Power Bombs: Wise-Eats.com/PowerBombs
Complete Recipe List: Wise-Eats.com/Recipes

Other Videos Mentioned:
Happy 4th of July! Squats & Fireworks Video

Brands/Products Mentioned in This Episode:
Bigger Leaner Stronger
Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger
Mind Pump MAPS
Peanut Butter Crunch Cereal
Skinny Popcorn
Costco
Amazon.com
Tubby’s Subs
McDonald’s
Little Caesar’s
Taco Bell
Checkers
Wally’s Frozen Custard

Movie Clips: Randy “Macho Man” Savage WWE Interviews & Promos, Chapelle’s Show Rick James Skit, The Joe Rogan Experience
Editing Animations Thank You: Darin Roberts aka Misteredit1 on YouTube
Website Design Thank You: DoeringDesign.com
Podcast Logo Thank You’s: Mike Guertin (MGSignsDesign.com) & Darin Roberts

Submit questions, comments, feedback to WiseEatsPodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for watching, listening, reviewing, liking, subscribing, and sharing. Be good to yourself, be good to others, and make wise choices!

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