Jerry Wayne Odom Jr

The Hangout is a huge restaurant, bar and all around tourist attraction at the end of highway 59 in Gulf Shores Alabama right on the beach. When we were checking in to our condo we saw an ad for their place and it looked like a great time. We decided to check them out for dinner.

The menu was a wide array of different types of food. Pobodys, wraps, salads, burgers, seafood, gumbo, hotdogs, quesidillas and generally anything you can think of. I had a Chicago style footlong hotdog which I thought was very tasty. It wasn’t in the same league as actual Chicago dogs but it was a good meal. My wife had a quesidilla and my in-laws shared a shrimp poboy. Did we enjoy our food? Yes it was good but man it was expensive and we had to pay to park on the public area. The price with drinks to eat here is more like $20+ per person for average food. However food aside there was a band, the waitresses put on a dance show on the tables and the place was huge. It’s a very good tourist attraction that I’d definitely take the kids back to.

I just ended a 3 month weight loss challenge  at work.   I started at 174.5 pounds and ended at 149 pounds even.    Additionally I own a body fat scale that was telling me 22% when this thing started and it’s telling me 13% now.    So in addition to losing all that weight I lost a far more impressive amount of body fat.    Doing a little dirty math that means I was carrying around 38 pounds of body fat when this thing started and now I’m carrying around about 20 pounds of body fat which means I lost 6 pounds of fat alone every month not to mention gaining muscle.   I lost inches as well.    I was about to have to start wearing size 36 waist pants and now I’ve purchased size 32 waist pants and they’re lose. 

I thought I’d share what I’m calling my “Baton Rouge Weight Loss Plan” because of course my structure was around Baton Rouge being that I live here and it involves my gym, restaurants and shopping locally.   So here is how I got it done.

Exercise

I like most people had an exercise routine that wasn’t really showing results.   I ran 4-5 days a week, worked out with weights in my garage and punched a heavy bag but I was stuck at 185 or so pounds which is way to heavy at my height of 5’9″.    So I got online and started looking around.   A little research will show you why when you compare your work out with what I turned to for this challenge it’s a real eye opener that you’re not burning many calories compared to what you could do in the same amount of time.      I saw signs for LA Boxing around town and researching their 1000 calorie burn  in an hour advertisement I realized I wasn’t burning much of anything running.    I tried their free demo class, could barely walk out of there and got pretty humbled about the kind of condition I was in.    I signed up that day.

I started with LA Boxing about 3 months before the weight loss challenge started and was doing it 2-3 times a week.   I got in much better physical shape and lost down to 175 pounds and the 22% body fat I initially talked about.     When the opportunity to do the team weight loss challenge came up I decided to get really motivated, set a goal and hit it hard for 3 months.   I stepped up to going to LA Boxing classes 4-5 times a week minimum when the challenge started.   They have a Tuesday/Thursday morning class and a large number of classes in the evenings so no excuses and no more screwing around. It’s important to point out that I ramped up to the 3 month loss plan physically. If you’re out of shape like I was you might want to do a period of ramp up exercise in a place like LA Boxing.   It hit me so hard for the first month of membership I’d have to rest for 20-30 minutes before driving home because I was so shaky.  I couldn’t have done it 4-5 times a week at first.

Daily Diet Plan

If you want to burn fat and get lean you have to diet.   I don’t have time to always cook special meals every day so I put together a list of restaurants I could reasonably eat at and eat healthy.    I put together the simple recipes you’ll find on this website in the recipes category.    I also have a list of common foods I purchased to use as snacks, breakfast.   The biggest part of the diet is you have to plan it ahead of time so you have options to run to when you’re starving .   Also as a suggestion that really helps to burn fat you should stay away from bad carbohydrates such as white rice, white bread, white flour.    For me this meant avoiding biscuits, eating gumbo or sauce without rice and just a little less beer.  Don’t totally deny yourself the good stuff but avoid it most of the time.

For daily breakfast I had either plain Quaker oatmeal with a little honey on it or grape nuts.    Additionally later in the competition at the recommendation of Calvin at LA Boxing I had a scoop of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Natural Whey protein in water.   It worked out great and I never had a hunger issues before lunch.   If I did get hungry before lunch I had V8 low sodium in a 12 oz can.   I hate V8 so I would leave it room temperature so I could chug it really quick without freezing my throat and then wash it down with water.    Anything to wipe away hunger while on a diet!

Lunch for me was always eating out at restaurants.   I don’t bring my lunch to work and realized from previous experience that I’m just not going to do it.   Luckily I know a lot about local restaurants from building    and was able to put together a list of places I could find good things to eat.   It’s surprising to most that you can find good stuff that isn’t that bad for your diet.

• Serop’s Express – A Lebanese restaurant with a couple of locations in town they offer a selection of around 30 different sides many of which are steamed, baked or smothered vegetables.   I would get a selection of 2 vegetables with chicken shawarma.
• Voodoo BBQ or Cou-Yons- Believe it or not you can eat good at a BBQ place.   Order the chicken and get green beans and cole slaw.  
• Ichiban Sushi or other favorite sushi joint – Get just sashimi fish and you’re eating good.   No rice or rolls!   Miso soup is ok and it’s a very comforting food.

Supplements

After discussion with one of the trainers at LA Boxing and a co-worker who’s big in to fitness it was pretty clear that thermogenic fat burners are a good way to go when you want to lose weight and lose fat.   So for starters I purchased OxyElite Pro Super Thermogenic off of Amazon.    I took it in the morning 30 minutes before breakfast and right at noon.   On the bottle it says you can take a third daily but for my situation this didn’t work.   It makes you feel a little edgy but it certainly showed results.

In the last three weeks of the competition I was looking at purchasing protein powder for when the competition was over.   It was about this time Calvin at LA Boxing recommended it as part of the diet because it helps them with weight cutting.     It would have been better to  talk to Calvin earlier in the competition I guess.   He has had lots of great ideas in regards to weight management as a professional fighter.     So for breakfast I had a protein shake and I felt less tired after workouts and not as hungry.    My weight loss increased with the addition of the morning protein shake.

Know Your Burn Rate and Intake on Calories

For me this was pretty simple but for others it might be difficult.   I looked around on Google for “How many calories do I burn” calculators.    After playing with a few of them and sort of averaging them I figured out that I burned 2500 calories a day when I didn’t work out and around 3200 calories when I did.   I also used the Self Nutrition Data website daily to estimate what I was eating. I set a realistic goal of 2 pounds per week and adjusted my calorie intake and work out rate to fit this. I feel like it’s important that people don’t try to average out and say flat out “I’m going to eat 2000 calories a day period” because this doesn’t work. With a flat suffering calorie intake you get weak and quit your diet. Setting a target weight loss over a period time and allowing yourself days to eat based on the math of the calorie intake vs burn will make it easier and help you not quit on your diet.

Conclusion

It’s a pretty basic formula of  diet + exercise + suppliments + research.    I think that you have to be honest with yourself as well.    Many of my friends have asked “Why do LA Boxing when you can do P90X or Insantiy at home?” and the answer is honestly I wouldn’t commit to those things at home.    With a gym you have people all around you working out and getting fit so it’s motivational.    When you’re in a class and a woman 15 years older than you is pushing through it you can’t stop and keep your man card.    Additionally you have to be honest about your calorie intake with yourself.    Once you realize just what you’re eating versus what you’re burning you realize you have to change.   Now that I understand all these things working out and staying in shape is not a chore anymore.    It’s just part of my routine.   

Further you have to understand your surroundings.    Everything I need to eat healthy and lose weight in the Baton Rouge community I know about now.     It took some research but now that I’ve got it I always know where to turn to to get back to 155 pounds and 13% bodyfat.     Just in case I forget it’s right here in this blog post for me and hopefully anyone else in Baton Rouge who’s lost and wants to get back in shape.

Hope this helps.

• 1/2 pound beef chopped
• 1/2 pound pork chopped
• 1 pound chicken
• 1 cup onions ground
• 1 cup sherry wine
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 4 boiled eggs chopped
• 2 lemons chopped
• 3 tablespoons onion tops
• salt and pepper to taste

Make the roux.   boil all meats together until tender then remove bones and cut meat in to small pieces.    Add the broth and meats and other ingredients except the wine to roux and let cook for half hour.   Just before serving add the sherry wine.

• 1.5 pounds beef brisket
• 1.5 pound soup bone
• 1/2 head cabbage cut or diced
• 1 can whole tomatoes
• 1 can diced otatoes
• 1 can frozen string beans
• 3 quarts water
• 1/2 cup vermicilli
• 1/2 cup turnips diced
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1 cup onions minced
• 1 cup celery diced
• 1 cup carrots diced

Salt water to taste and put to boil with brisket and soup bone.   Let boil for one hour then add vegetables.   Cook until meat and vegetables are tender adding water if needed.   Cook vermicilli for the last 15 minutes of cooking.    Season to taste with salt and pepper.

(gree’ yods) 

• 2 pounds beef or pork
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 medium bellpepper chopped
• 1 clove garlic chopped fine
• 1/2 tablespoon parsley
• 3/4 cup water
• salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Cut meat into one inch strips.    Season strips with salt & pepper and dust with flour.   Brown strips in heated oil in  an iron skillet and remove.   Make a brown roux with flour & oil then add other ingredients.   Cook while stirring for 15 minutes or until mixture gets thick.   Add meat, cover and simmer until meat is tender.(about an hour)   Serve over hot grits or rice.

• 3 cups crawfish tails or shrimp
• 5 onions minced
• 3 stalks celery minced
• 4 bell peppers minced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup cooking oil
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
• 3 tablespoons salt
• parsley chopped
• shallots chopped

Combine flour and cooking oil over a low fire to make a dark golden  brown roux.   Add minced vegetables and let cook 20 minutes.   stir and add small amount of water if necessary.   Add 2 quarts of hot water and cook for 20 minutes more at least.   Add crawfish tails or shrimp.   Season with salt and black / red pepper and cover pot.   Cook on a low fire until meat is tender.   when done, add chopped shallots and parsley and let cook 10 minutes more.   serve with steaming rice.   Serves about 8.    If Crawfish fat or shrimp head fat is available it can be used to add a distinctive taste.

• 3 pounds cleaned crawfish tails
• 1/4 cup crawfish fat(if available)
• 1 cup onion chopped
• 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
• 1 tablespoon green onions chopped
• 2 teaspoons celery chopped
• 2 teaspoons bell pepper chopped
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 cup flour
• salt and pepper
• water
• 2 tablespoons paprika.  Tabasco to taste

Using flour and cooking oil make a small semi dark roux.   Add chopped onion, parsley, green onions, celery and bell pepper.   Cook until tender.   Add crawfish.   Cook 15-20 minutes.   Add very little water(1 tablespoon) at a time.   Your etouffe should be very thick.   Salt and pepper to taste.   Serve over rice.   Can use 3 pounds of shrimp or cleaned crabmeat as a substitute for crawfish.

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup oil
• 1 quart tomato sauce
• 1 quart rotel tomatoes
• 1 cup celery chopped
• 1 cup onions chopped
• 1/2 cup bell pepper chopped
• 2 pints mushrooms
• 1/2 cup shallots chopped
• 6 pods garlic chopped
• 1/2 cup sugar
• ground bay leaves
• 3 pounds of meat(turtle, gator, chicken or rabbit)
• 1/2 cup parsley chopped.
• salt, black and red pepper to taste

Made a roux with flour and oil.   Add Rotel tomatoes, tomato sauce, celery, onion, bell pepper, shallots, garlic, sugar, ground bay leaves and cook for 3 hours.    Add seasoned meat to sauce.   Cook for 2 hours or until meat is tender but not falling off bones.   A half hour before meat is tender add parsley and mushromms.   Season to taste with spices.   Serve over rice.

• 2 sticks unsalted butter melted in a skillet
• 6(8-10 oz) fish fillets(redfish, channel bass, pompano or flounder) cut about 1/2″ thick

Seasoning Mix:   

• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper(cayenne)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Heat heavy skillet over very high heat until it is beyond smoking stage.(at least 10 minutes)     Melt butter in seperate sauce pan.   Thoroughly combine the seasoning mix.   Dip each fillet in melted butter coating both sides well.   Sprinkle seasoning ix generously and evenly on both sides of the fillets patting it in by hand.   Place in hot skillet and pour 1 teaspoon butter on top of each fillet.(may flame up)   Cook until looks charred(around 2 minutes) turn fish over, pour 1 teaspoon butter cook until done.(2 minutes) serve piping hot.   Serves four.

• 1 teaspoon onion tops and parsley chopped
• 1 large onion minced
• 1 bell pepper minced
• 1 stalk celery minced
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 1/3 cup of flour
• 4 pounds of catfish, redfish, red snapper or gaspergou
• 1 can tomatoes
• a few bay leaves, cayenne, black pepper, salt to taste

Make roux to golden brown.   Add onions and garlic.    Cook slowly until onions are clear.   Add pepper, celery and bay leaves.   Cook a few minutes.   Add tomatoes and cook slowly strirring until the oil seperates from the mass; add water enough to serve six and let cook over low fire for an hour.    Add fish which has been cut into pieces, cook slowly.     Add parsley, onion tops and seasoning.   Fish should be tender but not broken.   Serve with hot rice or toasted crackers.