My Fat Story

Looking for answers

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:15:00 +0000

In this struggle of weight loss I was doing some research to , quite honestly, confirm what I already new. THIS IS HARD...... I have at least 30 years, if not a full 40 of eating habits to change. Ok so probably more like 20 but still a lifetime of weight challenges. The one thing that keeps coming up is something I already know. Eat less, move more. I have the eat less part going pretty good but the move more is what is keeping from long term success. Now I just need to figure out how I make this change in my life. I have written about this several times already in the past 100 posts but still do not have a personal answer. So What is your solution? I include this page I found on line that I thought made a pretty good amount of sense.

http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/a/10_weightloss.htm

Another Gain.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:59:00 +0000

So I gained again...... what else is new

Banning Food Chocies?

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:17:00 +0000

I have to admit that my first reaction to the story the L.A. was banning fast food in poor neighborhoods was one of head shaking anger. OK anger may be a strong word but I did think "who are they to ban fast food?" We should be able to take care of ourselves, right?

Maybe Not?

I look at myself and my eating habits and see that I had plenty of healthy choices around. I just chose not to use them. I am not sure if it was convenience, taste or some other excuse I obviously chose to eat many of the wrong things and too much of them. After reading the article and found out that the ban was only for one year so that the community could try and attract healthier alternatives I thought that it may not be a bad idea. If someone, a long time ago, would have said hey try this for a 1 month or 1 year and see how it goes who knows were I would be today. Now I have a creature of habit and that habit is hard to break. My brain is wired for those types of foods, almost like an addict. I see that I am breaking the cycle and hope that I can keep it from beginning in my children. Do not get me wrong. I feel like we allow the government to get way to involved in our lives and are way too quick to give up some freedoms but I have to say that one year could make a difference. If it makes a difference for one person it is worth it in my book.

plan the work, work the plan

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:36:00 +0000

I had the majority of menu planned today (left dinner open so we could be flexible) and that seemed to work for me. I have the food listed and just check off the food. Well balanced. Plenty of veggies, not a lot of processed food. I am really looking forward to next week when all of the exercise excuses are gone. My new office is across the street from the YMCA that we belong to. So no excuses there....... Funny thing is the new office is 100 yards away from weight watchers ....

Back in the Saddle!

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:34:00 +0000

Well, I got to the weigh in on Saturday after two weeks of not being there due to the health issues etc and I considered it to be new starting point. My goal was to not have gained more than five pounds and I only gained 2.4 lbs. I feel pretty good about that..... So I am back in the saddle and have pre-planned the first tow days of meals so I know exactly what I am going to be eating. I am actually excited about the program again and looking forward to moving forward.

11 Days

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:57:00 +0000

It has been a while since my last post and there has not been a weigh in since. I have debated on if I wanted to post about this topic but when I set out to do this my commitment was to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about my journey, good or bad. Well the last 8 to 9 days have been pretty bad.

Being over weight has many challenges. As I have gotten older my body shape has changed and I carry a lot of weight in the gut. This allows for my belly to hang over my waist line just a bit. This finally caused an issue last week when I got a scratch or sore of some kind that got infected and I had a huge abscess right under stomach in hip area. After prodding from wife and some consultation with my brother( he is a Doctor) I went to the emergency room and had it looked at. I knew they were going to say it needed to be lanced. However, I did not know how bad the infection was and how damn painful lancing an abscess could be. OMG it was the most miserable pain I have ever felt and to this point they were only numbing the area to actually lance the abscess. After a half hour of pressing and draining ( with pieces of infected tissue the size of my little finger coming out) I could not take any more and the doctor stopped. ( with much begging from me). They backed the open wound with sterile material and told me to see my doctor 48 hours later. Needless to say that did not go as well as expected either and the doctor debated on if he should send me to surgeon or not. The good news is that he did not and as of today I am feeling much better and the infection seems to be gone (heavy duty anti-biotics for the next 4 or 5 days )

The reason I am writing about this is that it was kind of a wake up call in a sense. There can be numerous health problems from being over weight but this is one I never imagined. It almost made me feel unclean. Granted, people get abscess's all the time but the severity of this one was due to the location and fold of fat that allowed it to fester. This could have been very serious. The doctor said if I would not have had it treated I was about 24 hours away from a hospital stay to get the infection under control. Talk about motivation..... So, I am back on plan. Spent tonight in the backyard playing with my daughter instead of on the couch or the bed and looking forward to a good week and weigh in on Saturday.

I just do not get it.

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:51:00 +0000

Here I am 3 days since my last post and fast approaching another weigh in where I know I have not done well. Do not get me wrong, I am not going on a binge or eating crazy stuff I am just not following plan like I know I should. I am not writing down my food, etc. I can not figure out for life of me why I can not seem to follow through on something I believe to be so important to me?????? I am really searching for some answers here???????

Happy Birthday to You

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:24:00 +0000

Today was my wife's birthday so.......... a little off on plan tonight. I did really well all day but had a little more treat of carrot cake ( her favorite!!!) than I should have. All in all still doing OK and excited about getting back on track. It was a great afternoon with my wife and the girls as we celebrated with her parents and her grandmother. Another reminder of why we are working on making healthier choices....

More of the same

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:26:00 +0000

Well, today was a day later weigh in and the results were nothing. I stayed the same. I guess some of it could be a little off plan on Friday the 4th but I am trying to look at it as starting over. The bottom line is that I am going no where fast so I need to change something. In looking back over the last 4 months I see that by weighing in on Friday morning I tend to go off track on Friday and Saturday try to get back on Sunday only staying strict on plan for 4 days a week.... part time healthy choices are not going to work!!!! One thing that does motivate me, even though it does not seem like it, is facing the scale. So, if I know I need to weigh in tomorrow I will stay good today. With that in mind I am going to start going to meetings on Saturday mornings. This will keep me more honest on Friday and more on track (at least 6 days a week!!!!!)

Going into the weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:18:00 +0000

The 4th is upon us and it should be a great long weekend. I will not be weighing in until Saturday, a day later than normal. I would normally think this to be a good thing but with Friday being the 4th with cookouts etc.... could be interesting. I just have to stay focused on being "on plan". I will not write on Friday but will check in Saturday with the weigh in results......

Three days

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:56:00 +0000

3 days of renewed commitment and I am still following through. exercise, writing things down, making good selections and drinking my water. I know it sounds like no big deal but I feel really good about what I am doing. You see, in the past, with the set backs I have had the last few weeks I would have just given up the the notion of losing weight and gone back to my old ways. Not this time. I will not go backwards. I am trying to look at it as a learning experience and that it is not all about the scale and losing weight, although that is the ultimate goal. This all about health and a change in life style long term. I know there are a lot of people that have been where I have been and the kept going. I am looking to them for inspiration this time and not jealousy. Tomorrow is another day to help continue forming good habits for life.

Two in a Row

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:37:00 +0000

Well after two days of being refocused I am doing well. I wrote down all of my food for the day, made good selections and got some good moderate exercise by ACTIVELY playing with my daughter outside tonight. We had a blast!!!

Made the buy of the week with my favorite "True Lemon" packets. They usually are about 3 or 4 bucks at the grocery but I found them at Walgreen's for $1.50 a box. I bought 5 boxes. I just find it so much easier to drink my water with a bit of lemon flavor and of course the packets are so much more convenient than carrying a lemon around in your pocket..... especially after it has been cut.

Mission accomplished

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:36:00 +0000

Check
Check
Check

I had 3 goals today and I met them all. I wrote down all of my food choices ( good choices I beleive) and I am within my points range.
I got at least 15 minutes of walking in and I am writing on my blog. Sooooooo I consider that a big success. Now all I have to do is rinse and repeat. I can do this, I know I can...............

Independence day

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:58:00 +0000

With this being 4th of July week I HAVE TO take advantage of the time to get my train back on the track. I need to declare my independence and get things back in line. I gained 1.6 lbs this week and I knew I would so there is nothing that I can be upset about except that I have not lived up to my personal commitment to get my body into shape. This is one of those benchmark moments that I have to stop the trend of going backwards and start moving forward again. My goals are simple:

Exercise 15 minutes a day this week
write down everything I eat good or bad
drink all of my water every day.
Blog everyday

Motivation

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:08:00 +0000

Oh where, Oh were have you gone....... I have been talking a good game but I just can not seem to get motivated. I am not really falling off the wagon ( although I bet if I was writing stuff down I would be over my points). I lost .8 pounds this week and I just feel like I am stuck in a rut. My weight loss amount is without a doubt due to my selections etc. I am just kind of going through the motions and I am having trouble figuring out how to break out. I definitely do not want to go backwards........... searching for answers?????????

Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Today was a great day. regardless of whether I gain or lose this week I won. I played golf with my Dad today as a belated fathers day , early birthday gift to him. I was the one who received the gift. I never thought I would get to play with him again. He suffers from COPD and it has really gotten bad in the last six months.

Stepping onto the first tee today we did not even know if he could play. It was the most enjoyable round of golf of my life, and I did not play that well!!!!!!

My biggest gain yet!!

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:20:00 +0000

1.6 lbs I gained last Friday.. I knew I had not done well. I had not only a bad week with food selection ( we have already talked about that) but I ended up being a bit under the weather which made my body act a little different. I am good with it though. I almost think I needed it to get the train moving in the right direction with all the wheels on the track. I had a great couple of days and am re energized and moving forward.

Got my blood work back from the doc. All is great expect my triglycerides are a high. about 207. Should be 150 or less. Only advice was to keep doing what I am doing and it will all work out. So, there I have it. Once again dodging the bullet. I am a picture of health except for my weight. Can I get it off before I do any long term damage? God is giving me another chance here (same doc told me to get rid of the weight, quit smoking and get a cpap machine 3 years ago. I did two of the three, now the weight is going to come off)........... No more gambling... I am all in

Journey interupted?

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:46:00 +0000

Some 90 odd days ago I set out to change my life style and lose a lot of weight. This week I have been way off track. Again, not through binge eating, but making bad choices. I am not sure if I have gained weight. Not really as concerned about that as I was 90 days ago. What I do not is that I feel bad. Not mentally per se, but physically my gut just hurts. My system is staging a revolution to the pollution I am putting into my body.... I thought I would share why I believe I got off track and how I will look at the positives to motivate me to get back in the saddle...

First , I think my stray was due to boredom. Not boredom with the program because you can eat anything. I went through two weeks here recently where I was constantly busy. 24/7 with work and projects around the house so we could get ready for my daughters grad party. during that time we tried to find simple, fast solutions to eating. We did but they became boring to me and when we did have the chance to relax a bit no one wanted to cook so we took the easy way out with pizza, Chinese,etc. I could have made better choices at those times even with eating pizza and Chinese I just chose to be lazy. I also did not write a thing down basically since last Saturday. What I have learned is that while not tough, it does take some planning to eat healthy. While I am the one that is ultimately responsible for my actions it amazes me how much society enables us to be unhealthy.

My goal in this some odd 90 days was to lose 30 pounds, about 10 pounds a month. I am about 8 pound short of that goal. I have been warned that setting goals having to do with time frames and scales is a bad idea ( on a side note I have always found great support in the WW forums, especially on Guys on a Diet. Recently it has been more ridicule that support and needless to say I am a bit disappointed - does not include the readers of this blog that comment and also participate on WW boards) While I understand the advice of not setting time goals so you do not lose motivation I find that I need to set these goals to learn, push and stretch myself. Just like in my career I set lofty goals. I may fall a bit short sometimes but that does not bother me. You know what they say about small goals....

In this 90 days I am more comfortable in my clothes. I do not have heart burn ( except for this week). I do not feel bloated ( except for this week). I drink tons of water now instead of tons of pop. I eat more veggies. I think about what I am eating, even it is bad. and I am closer to my goal than I was 90 days ago. So as I get back on the horse I am not riding off into the sunset but getting ready to ride the range again. With all the peaks and valleys that go with it the ride and view is pretty good.........

She's breaking up, She's Breaking up!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:06:00 +0000

Remember at the beginning of the six million dollar man. When he starts to crash and tells them the ship is breaking up.. that is what I feel like right now. I am way off course. I have not written anything down since Saturday, I have eaten crap, no big binge eating just crap. I feel like crap because of it. I need to get back on track. Now that the house work is done and the party is over I have to get back on track. I will write more tomorrow during the day instead of waiting till the dark of night when I am so tired.........

the .4 pound guy

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 02:38:00 +0000

That is what people call me. It seems that is a magic number for me. I lost .4 pounds this week and I have to say that I found it funny. I have had that .4 pounds thing like 5 times. Up or down in the last 15 weeks. At least I am at the point where I am not focusing on the scale as much. As much exercise as I am getting by all the house and yard projects I know I have to be headed in the right direction. I feel good and that is what matters.

Another long night at party central

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:40:00 +0000

Still getting ready for the big graduation party. Who knew that getting ready for 80 people could be so much work. Good news is the forcast is for no rain. Bad news is it going to be 95 degrees....

I have the typical weigh in eve jitters. I hope the downward trend continues.........

I will let you know

What came first?

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:33:00 +0000

The chicken or the egg is the old standby. My question is being a couch potato or over eating come first? I really do not remember. I know that being as active as I have been in the last few weeks, in the evening, I have not had time to eat. So what did I do first? I do not know. Understand that I am not necessarily talking about exercise. I am talking activity. Projects around the house. Playing with the kids. You know the normal stuff. ..... Things are going well this week again and a few days away from weigh in . I have a lot to talk about but not enough time. expect some long posts here soon.

Its been a great day

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:30:00 +0000

Can not say much more than that.. It is late. It has been a full day and I was successful in eating for a better life style......

Has it really been since Tuesday?

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:26:00 +0000

I just noticed that I have not posted since Tuesday. Way off of my posting goal of every day. No I did not give up and go on a binge nor did I fall into a hole. I have just been really busy. The good news is that my daughter graduated from High School this weekend and with the all the activities I just have not had time to post. Most of the activities have been getting the house and yard in order in time for the big party next Sunday. With not having time to post, I have not had time to eat much either. My wife was really smart. She new that our schedules would be hectic and that is when we get off track. So, she picked up healthy, fast items that we could eat on the go instead of Mcdonalds. Yeah, I know some processed foods, blah, blah , blah. But with some fruit and water thrown in it beats the alternative of junk food. A few extra lean pockets are not going to kill anyone, especially me........ Only one more major house project to get done and that is painting a stair well. No big deal. The big deal has been the activity points. I forgot how good it feels to sweat. Also, makes me less hungry to be more active....... looking for a good week.. I can feel the 340s going bye, bye. I lost 2. 8 pounds this week so hopefully I am over my hump. Thanks for all the encouragement. A total of 21. 6 now and off we go. Took me 6 weeks to lose 5 pounds. But I lost them.........

PS Went to the Doctor on Thursday for a physical... He was very happy with my using my cpap and quiting smoking ( have not seen him in almost three years!!) and knows that I am doing the right thing. Just keep it up. He is convinced it will change my whole life.. The good news is that I am convinced too.

A more typical day

noreply@blogger.com (Rick) — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:57:00 +0000

Caught some flack for yesterdays food selections. Again, I wanted to clarify that it was not a typical day. Today was more typical. I still have 8 points left but am not really hungry. I may eat a plum.

Today's menu:

Breakfast:

1/2 cup egg beaters with 1/2 cup of peppers, fat free cheese omelet Granola 5 points

Lunch:

southwest chicken and rice with fat free sour cream, mixed veggies and 1/2 cup of yogurt

11 points

Evening:

2 soft tacos on fat free shells with fat free beans and lettuce 9 points

1 cup fat free yogurt with fresh berries 3 points

Anytime:

Melba toast with laughing cow cheese 3 points

pickle 0 points

1 ounce fat free pretzel 2 points

rice cake with 1 tbsp of peanut butter 3 points

Total points : 36 points

Total Water: 7 - 8 ounce servings

Activity points : 1 point for 15 minutes of low intensity yoga and walking