Weeks 21 and 22

I realized this morning that with the holiday and the busy week last week, I had forgotten to post an update.  So this weeks covers the last 2 weeks.  Not that there is much to say.  Last week's weight was 409, a 1 lb. loss from the week before.  Not much but still movement in  the right direction. I am happy with that. This week I'm at 407, which is another 2 lbs. gone bringing my total so far to 51. At my current rate I don't think I will hit my 80 lbs. lost 4 weeks from now.  I'm OK with that, though.

I realize this is a lifestyle change and not just a temporary diet.  As such, I am just making sure I am making the right choices each and every day.  the next few weeks are getting crazier as well.  We are packing and moving and then have a trip back to Michigan for a reception and to see family.  All that makes making the right choices important.  As long as I keep on track and don't go off the rails, eating those things I know aren't good, I will be fine.  I'm not going to obsess over the number on the scale.

I'm also hoping the new location will be conducive to more riding as the streets are quieter and a bit fatter than around the current location.  It is amazing what a difference a couple of miles distance will make.

Week 17 Update

No weight to report this week as I have been traveling back to Michigan to see family and celebrate with my nephew and his new bride. In fact I'm writing this as we fly along at 36,000 feet. It was great seeing family and friends I haven't seen in too long of a time.

Our trip was almost non-stop running from place to place to visit. We put almost 600 miles on the rental car in the 5 days we were there. It seemed each gathering involved some type of eating and drinking.  I must say that I stuck to my eating plan and didn't overindulge at all. There were temptations galore but I stayed resolute.

I  have a reason to not get on the scale right now. I feel like I've retained a good deal of fluids due to not taking all of my medication as I should have.  I know things will improve in a couple of days as I get back on schedule so to avoid feeling down at a possible higher number on the scale I will just forego this week's weigh in.

My plan is to really focus on getting in some exercise over the next 8 weeks before heading back to Michigan to celebrate again. It is time for me to get my buttons back on my bike on a consistent basis. 4:00 am and I are going to become reacquainted very quickly.

A non-scale victory this week was the fact I got the seat belt fastened on the plane without using the extender.

Week 11 Report

Ok, I'm late with this week's report.  I apologize.  You see I'm just not motivated to write it this week since it seems my consumption of salty foods has led to a small and temporary reversal on the scales.  This is also why I didn't put the word 'progress' in the title of this post.  The fact of the matter is that according to the scale there is no progress to report this week.  Rather it shows I gained 3 lbs.  I know it is temporary and that I can recover from this little bump, but it still makes me loathe to post about it.

On a different note, the national Bike Challenge starts on Sunday.  It runs from May 1 through September 30.  I made it my goal in 2014 to ride every single day during the challenge and I did.  Last year I didn't ride but a handful of times.  This year I hope to equal the frequency of ride that I accomplished in 2014, but I already know there will be some missed days as there is some travel planned in June and August which will preclude riding.  Those days aside, I will endeavor to surpass at least my mileage total for the 2014 challenge.

Week 7 Progress

OK, I know I missed last week but that was because I was away at a conference for work.  I left on Sunday and returned on Wednesday evening.  The good news is that I wasn't totally derailed by the conference.  At times it was a challenge to find decent foods to eat following the Paleo diet, but I made it and didn't resort to awful food choices.  I weighed in this morning and the scale showed 431 lbs. That is a loss so far of 27 lbs. since starting this personal challenge 7 weeks ago.  I'm still on track to hit my goal as long as I maintain my progress.

My 2 toughest days during this time were heading to and from the conference as I spent about 6 hours int eh car each way.  I was so tempted to just grab fast food or other snacks to help occupy me while I was driving, but I didn't give into the temptation and made it through.  One highlight of the conference was a special event where we had dinner on the USS Midway which is set up as a living history museum.  While the food choices were scarce, seeing and touching the history was awesome.  I also got in my most steps for the week traipsing around the decks and it didn't feel like exercise at all.  Here is a peek at the flight deck:

With that over, it is now time to buckle down ans really make some progress.  A plus is that within our family we have also started our own competition wherein we are each putting up cash for the next 6 months and the person who loses the highest percentage of weight gets to take home the Prize.  Because of the format of weekly weigh-ins and exemptions for the weekly percentage winners, the purse will be a nice $390.  I'm planning on walking away with it.

The experts seem to be correct

I've been reading about weight loss and fitness for several years now. I have been, like many people, looking for the secret, the magic bullet as it were of weight loss. I was seriously hoping there was some small change that would let the weight melt away while letting  me eat what and as much as I want. Well, the is no such thing. So then I thought that maybe if I just exercised more, maybe that would do it.  I then worked out that I don't have the 5 or 6 hours each day to make up for poor diet. So that means that I just need to eat right.

Now, the question is what does that mean, 'I just need to eat right'?  What does eating right entail?  Is it merely watching a total caloric intake number and making sure I stay within it?  Does it mean I have to only eat certain foods?  For me, it seems that it means to set a fairly aggressive calorie target fr each day and to follow, what amounts to, a sensible diet.  Now for me, and I certainly can't speak for ANYONE else, that means I am targeting to eat 1800 calories per day.  Those calories are coming from mostly natural foods like fruits and vegetables and meats with very little dairy and no refined grains or sugars.

I have also been taking an EGCG supplement and an enzyme supplement every morning.  I don't know if these are making much, if any difference, since I started the clean eating of the paleo diet at the same time.  What I do know if that over the last 2 weeks, since I started my latest round of weight loss, I have lost 15 lbs.   I am astounded.  This is working better than it ever has.  The exciting thing is that I'm not really hungry and craving foods, like I have in the past when I've been on diets.  I really haven't increased my daily activity, either.   Sure I've gotten on my bike a few times, bu it's nothing consistent.

I am extremely happy with the progress I've made so far and I am excited that I will make my 80 lb. goal by August.  I am well on my way, for sure.

One other thing I want to note is that I will be captaining my organizations team for the Biggest winner competition in the Corporate Challenge.   The initial weigh in is on March second.  We then have until  May 9th to lose as much weight as we can.  Last year I lost 28 lbs.  As a team we lost 81 lbs. which got us the bronze medal.  I am excited that we may actually have a chance at the gold.  

Paleo Diet Food List

I was doing some research online about what I can and cannot eat as I am trying to follow a Paleo diet. I came across this list as part of a post over on PaleoDietPlusPlus.com.

Paleo Diet Food List

• Protein

  • Red Meat and Pork: Beef, veal, lamb, bison, ostrich, sheep, caribou, goat, venison (deer), pork. Try to get grass-fed and organic if possible.
  • Cage-free Poultry: Chicken, duck, quail, goose, pheasant, pigeon, eggs from any of the birds just mentioned.
  • Wild Fish and Seafood: Salmon, tuna, tilapia, anchovy, herring, yellowtail, mahi-mahi (dorado), trout, bass, halibut, sole, haddock, turbot, walleye, cod, flatfish, grouper, mackerel, white fish, shrimp, oysters, clams, mussels, sea urchin, lobster, scallops, crab.
  • Nuts: Cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds (Pepita), pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, chestnuts, cashews, almonds, coconuts. Note: Peanut is not a nut, it’s a legume, thus it isn’t allowed on the Paleo diet.

• Fat

  • Cooking Oil
    • Extra-virgin coconut oil: You never want to burn your oil when you cook and since coconut oil has a high heat index (making it harder to burn), it is the oil I recommend for cooking for most meals.
    • Bacon Fat (lard): Bacon fat can be used as a cooking oil. It’s delicious (who doesn’t bacon?) and can be easily harvested from the grease of rendered bacon fat.
    • Beef Tallow: Tallow, much like bacon fat, is a rendered form of beef fat. I usually get my beef tallow from the fat that floats on top of my beef bone broth which I make once a week.
  • Salad Oil
    • Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO): This is my oil of choice for most of my salads. EVOO is high in polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) so it’s very unstable under high heat and sun light, so I don’t recommend cooking with it and don’t leave it in direct sun light or storing it in a clear bottle. Keep it in a dark place and use a bottle that is tinted (similar to red wine bottles).
    • Sesame seed oil: Adds a great Asian flavor to any salad, I recommend only a teaspoon per salad.
  • Food with Good Fat: Avocados, butter (if you can eat diary), ghee (clarified butter), pork, beef, duck, veal, lamb, cold water fishes (sardines, mackerel, salmon, anchovies), walnuts, pistachios, pecans, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds (Pepita), pecans, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, chestnuts, chia seeds, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, coconuts.

• Carbohydrates

  • Starchy Roots: Sweet potatoes, yams, cassava, potatoes, purple yams, sweet yams.
  • Nuts: Cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds (Pepita), pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, chestnuts, cashews, almonds, coconuts. Note: Peanut is not a nut, it’s a legume, thus it isn’t allowed on the Paleo diet.

• Sugars

  • Raw honey, maple syrup, palm sugar

• Alcohols

  • None

• Vegetables

  • Lettuce, butter lettuce, carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, radish, artichokes, arugula, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, watercrest, onions, shallots, button mushroom, portabello, oyster mushroom, shiitake. Pretty much any green leafy vegetable. I also included mushrooms under vegetables even though it’s classified as a fungus, but most people usually cook mushrooms as if they were vegetables.

• Spices and Herbs

  • Onions, garlic, parsley, cilantro (coriander), thyme, lavender, mint, basil, rosemary, chives, tarragon, oregano, sage, dill, bay leaves, curry powder, all spice, five spice, paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, cinnamon, vanilla extract (make sure it’s 100% pure), cloves, nutmeg, star anise, mustard seeds, cumin.

• Fruit

  • Apples, grapefruit, pomelos, oranges, pear, acorn squash, buttercup squash, butternut squash, pumpkin, spaghetti squash, yellow summer squash, zucchini,bananas, strawberries, raspberries, goji, cocoa, lemon, lime, tangerines, lychee, rumbatan, mangoes, grapes, papaya, plums, peaches, nectarines, blackberries, pineapples, pomegranates, cantaloupes, cherries, apricots, watermelon, honeydew.

Part of the list that felt even more important than what I can't eat, is what I can't eat.  It is a much shorter list and easier to remember, I think:

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Food NOT allowed on the Paleo Diet

• Refined carbohydrates: White bread, white flour
• Grains: Wheat, oat, rye
• Refined sugars: White table sugar, candy of all types,
• Legumes: Soybean, pinto beans, peas, fava beans, black eyed peas, lima beans, peanuts.
• Dairy: This is a point of controversy, as some people will say dairy is OK on the Paleo diet, while Paleo diet purist will argue otherwise. I say if you’re not lactose intolerant then eat dairy. But if you’re strict Paleo then stay away from the stuff! Dairy products: Cheese, milk, yogurt, butter, milk chocolate. Note: Ghee, clarified butter does not contain lactose nor casein, the proteins in dairy that causes harm to people who are intolerant to dairy. So enjoy ghee if you can afford it.
• Processed food: Anything that is in a can or bag and doesn’t spoil for months or years. You can bet it contains preservatives.
• All junk food: Chips, sweets, candy
• Hydrogenated Oils and Trans Fat: Vegetable oil, vegetable shortening, hydrogenated soybean oil, hydrogenated corn oil, margarine, shortening.
• Excitotoxins: Mono sodium-glutemate

Too much time gone by - time to start again...

I have been hemming and hawing around about what to post on here for quite some time.  This is, after all, supposed to be a blog about my journey to getting fit and healthy.  Unfortunately that has not been where I have been heading over the past several months Actually closer to a year.

When I finished the Biggest Winner competition last May, my ending weight was 423 lbs. As I stated then, that was a 28 lb. loss for the competition and should have been the beginning of a continued weight loss.  Well that didn't happen and by the end of August I was up to 455 lbs.  The next time I weighed in towards the middle of September I was up another 3 lbs. to 458.  I didn't step on the scale again until a couple of weeks ago when I was at 455 again.

The reason I bring this up is that I need to get my weight under control and I know the largest component of that is to watch my eating.  I need to stop just eating everything in sight and not eat for enjoyment.  I need to understand, fundamentally that fuel is fuel for my body and I only need a certain amount for it, not to over fuel it because that excess needs to go somewhere and it is going to fat.  I need to really get a handle on my eating.  If I do this, then I know I can get to where I need to be, where I can do the things I want to do and my weight is not holding me back.

My wife and daughter watch a TV show called My 600 lb. life.  It follows individuals who go to talk with a doctor in Texas and have gastric bypass surgery.  It shows their transformation over the course of a year or so.  These people are losing a good deal of weight.  I would say that on average about 200 lbs. over that year.  They have both been saying that I need to get that surgery.

This has been an eye opener for me - they are worried about me and are pushing me to get surgery because of their worry.  While I don't doubt that the surgery is an effective way to lose weight, I have seen the stories where over time, people who have ad the surgery have managed to expand their new, small stomachs and have gained back the weight in 3 to 5 years after losing it.  What I see is that there needs to be a fundamental shift in their relationship with food in order to become healthy and maintain the weight loss.

Yes, I understand that this can be a trigger to make the changes one needs to become healthy, but I think if I can make the changes myself, then I will be in a better position and not have to risk going through surgery.  Let's face it, while it is a lot safer than it used to be, anytime someone is put under anesthetic and surgery is performed there is risk.  That risk is increased for someone of my size.

So, what I have proposed to Michele, is that I will take the next 6 months to get my mind right and get moving towards a healthier, lighter me.  I have pledged that if I do not lose at least 80 lbs. over the next 6 months, then I will call the doctor and make an appointment to talk about the surgery. Towards that end, I got on the scale last night and it read 458 lbs.  That means by August 7 I need to weigh less than 378.  I know I can do this.  I need to focus on eating the right things in the right quantities and getting my butt moving more than it has been.

I plan on riding my bike and walking more than I have.  I plan on eating the right whole, natural foods, primarily following the Paleo Diet as it seems to be a good choice for me.  I will post updates of my progress at least weekly on here so that you can hold me accountable and follow my journey.

Here is to another new beginning, this time I am planning on making a significant, permanent change.

Moving in the right direction

OK, let's not make too big a deal about it, but I've figured out an amazing thing.  If you eat less calories than you are burning, you can lose weight.  I know it's true because I have experienced it first hand.  Sure the types of calories are important too, but the basic formula works.  If calories burned > calories consumed then weight decreases.

The problem with this for most people (including myself) is that this is boring!  It takes time, persistence and diligence to actually get to a goal, but it does get you there. We are so used to things happening quickly in our lives that we look for the quick fixes to lose weight. From my experience 95% of them don't work over the long term.  They are normally missing something or are too restrictive that makes them untenable for more than a moth or two at most.

I'm happy to report that my adherence to consuming less than I am burning has led me to weight loss progress.  This morning I weighed in at 449 lbs.  That means I have lost 14 lbs. since January 21 (13 days), better than 1 lb. per day. I know my initial weight loss is accelerated and will slow, but I am so happy to have made this big of a change so fast.  I can literally feel the difference in my body with this amount of weight gone.

So moving forward I do need to get into the more active side of things and I will get on my bike.  Seems like mother nature is taunting me with some gorgeous days right now and unfortunately I have other obligations, but I will make time to get out there.

Get on your bikes and ride!

So Far So Good

It's been just over a week now since I started refocusing on my health and weight loss and really watching what I've been eating.  I have gone back to low carb eating and it has made a difference.  I posted last week that my weight was 463.  This morning it was 455.  8 pounds down.  I am very happy about this and it's a great motivator to see that things are moving in the right direction.  Of course I expected this.  I always lose a good amount the first and second week of switching to a low carb following the Atkins diet.

It's 3 and 4 weeks in that I really start struggling. I start struggling because that's when my food cravings kick into high gear.  I want the fruit and the grains at this point.  This time will be different.  I am going to stay strong and stay focused on my goals. I know I can do this.  I have to look both at doing the right next thing as well as at the long term goals.

That said, I need to start working on the second part of the attack on getting healthy which is to get moving. I've set a bunch of goals for the year and so far I haven't started working towards those goals.  I plan on starting to do that this weekend. Even if the weather is as wet as they are forecasting, I can still get my butt moving.

Join me out there - Get On Your Bikes and RIDE!!!!!!!!!!

Weight update

I've been a bit neglectful of the blog lately simple because there hasn't been much to tell.  I've been slowly walking farther each day and getting back to where I was before my trip to the hospital.  I've also been taking my medications as I have been instructed and the fluid retention is greatly reduced.  This has also affected my weight.  On January 1, I got on the scale and weighed in at 470.4 lbs.  This morning I got on the scale and it showed 445.4 lbs.  That is a loss of 25 lbs. in the last 21 days.  That is great, but I acknowledge that the majority of it is water weight.  Not all of it, though.

Since my stint int he hospital I have been diligent about watching what I am eating and not over eating.  I set a very reasonable daily calorie intake of 2450 calories per day (MyFitnessPal wants to set it at 2735, but I think that's a bit high.)  The good news is that with one exception, when I was over by 35 calories, I have been within my calorie limit every day since then.  I also have not had a diet Soda (or any soda) since I was in the hospital as well.

These 2 changes have had a very favorable impact on my overall health and well being.  I feel better.  I'm not usually as munchie as I had been before when I ate more, and the weight is coming down.  The next move for me is to add in more exercise in the form of riding my bike as well as weight training when the gym opens next week.

I look forward to getting back on the bike and racking up the miles in 2014.

Get on your bikes and ride!!!