Steve v5.0

Posts Tagged ‘Obesity’

OK- so I’ve been at this a while.  I’ve lost a little weight, improved my overall health (lab tests aren’t back yet, though), increased my strength and stamina, and learned to use a blender.  I’d like to think that I’ve learned a lot of things over during this quest, would love to think I know everything there is to know about dropping unwanted pounds and curing obesity.  The thing is, I don’t think (from my shallow, myopic, deer-in-the-headlights perspective) it’s a thinking game.  I believe it’s a DOING game.

A little while back I came up with a list of fifty (50) things I learned during the first year of my weight loss quest.  You know what?  Each one was true… for me.  But 50?  It might as well be 1,000, or a bajillion, or… ONE.  The thing is, if I continuously do the one thing that has made all the difference in my life, I found that I learned all kinds of stuff.  Lots and lots of really important things coupled with a butt-load of minutiae.  What it all comes down to is one big, hairy, pedal-to-the-metal, balls-to-the-wall, EFFORT– day in and day out to do one simple little thing in an effort to CHANGE MY ENTIRE LIFE.

Now, that may sound like a whole lot of jibber-jabber, but so what?  I really don’t have to look very far to find libraries full of jabber proclaiming oodles of weight loss methods and diets sure to shrink my body.  I don’t have to click my mouse or tv remote but a few times to find a gaggle of celebrity experts (celexperts?) who know exactly what I should buy that is 100% guaranteed to reduce this or lengthen that- and advanced light-years ahead of any previous infotainment.  This country is chockfull of choices.  We’ve got strip malls in which a grocery store (with an entire aisle dedicated to cookies) sits next to a vitamin store– next to a Weight Watchers (which is two-doors down from a bakery).  Not to say that choice is a bad thing…

So, here’s the thing; the most important thing I’ve learned over the years I’ve been at this is something I learned long before I ever started.  What I really mean is that it is something that I should have learned a long time ago and something my dad used to chide me for constantly.  I can hear him now, saying those two little words that conjured up all kinds of emotion the instant he said (sometimes at the top of his voice) them, “Pay attention!”

That may sound a little (or a lot) stupid to most people- too simple.  The thing is, for me, it has been the most effective weight loss tool I have ever used.  I discovered that if I just paid attention to what I and others who were trying to achieve the same thing I  was doing all the time, I could make better choices and take more effective action at every opportunity.  Not only that, but I was able to recognize opportunities I ordinarily would have had I just plodded along following some celexpert’s diet plan.  Paying attention has become the foundation of my quest.  Autopilot has been permanently disabled.

Today’s smoothie:

1C Frozen Blueberries
1T Chia Seeds (soaked in water 5 minutes- until freaky)
1S EAS Protein
1S Ground Flax
1C Raw Spinach
Water

Rock on.

The selfish philosopher rages.

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I’ve been at this weight loss thing for what’s getting close to two (or more precisely, 1.677) years and while I’ve lost a fair amount of weight and am no longer considered obese, I am still overweight.  How is that possible?  My starting point was “morbidly obese” and what I’ve lost so far was what I needed to lose to drop the “o” word.  Consequently/hopefully, the “m” word has become inapplicable as well.

Once those words were out of my self-descriptive vocabulary something happened- or stopped happening.  I stopped losing weight.

So here I am pondering my situation.  It’s about 3:45AM and I should be sleeping- should be dreaming and generating fantasies of flying over mountains of boobies in my solid-gold jet while my trusty dog blathers on about how thin and handsome I’ve become, and all the while anyone who’s ever crossed me or looked at me sideways during the course of my life is suffering with self-esteem issues and uncomfortable pants.  Yeah, dreaming of conquest and bravery, of a life in which I’m a rock star-secret agent-scientist who’s brilliance and cunning has created a world in which I control all matter, time, and space- where tantric sex replaces shaking hands as a customary greeting and eating and going to the bathroom have become optional activities- even borderline-recreational.

You’ll have to excuse me, many of my dreams are shellfish-induced.

Back to the pondering thing…

Whenever I get to a place where progress stalls, I attempt to (as quickly as I can) figure out where my express train to success jumped the tracks/ran out of gas/started focusing on the pennies on the tracks rather than schedule and destination.  It’s funny how often the necessity arises- you’d think I’d just blow the whistle, start doing what I’ve experienced success with in the past, and continue on– you’d think.  The thing is, I don’t always do that.  My life has been a series of starts, accomplishments, stalls, and backslides- sprinkled with moments of success and regret, for as long as memorable.  It just has.  There’s been big-picture progress- that is, as a whole, life has improved, but there have been bumps and “in-between times” all along the way.

So what’s next?  First, realizing that this moment and everything in it is temporary.  That things will change whether I choose A, B, or C as my next plan of attack.  That I have the ultimate say in creating each moment that follows and so, must choose wisely.  That stagnation can only be cured with massive action.  That I should focus on choice, follow-through, and results in every facet of my life.  And most importantly DECIDE that I’m changing me NOW and get this train of massive action rolling again.

It’s 5AM.  Rock on.

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I’m not suggesting everyone should sign up for a diet plan or join a gym but I am saying that even though some of these high-dollar weight loss plans and gym memberships charge a pretty penny, a person would likely be better off financially  in the long run than they would continuing to pack on the pounds.  I’ve become a proponent of the “eat less, move more” method of weight control but have friends who’ve done really well with professional weight loss programs.  They’re not cheap but doing nothing can get pretty expensive too.

Consider all the money spent on calories.  Those regular trips through the drive-thru at the local fast food place represented significant dollars over time.  That and all the ice cream, cookies, and other treats I was constantly gorging myself with to maintain my Michelin Man-esque physique makes it obvious as to where the bulk of my wealth was going.  The extra 6,000 or so calories I was swallowing every day was paid for with money I could have spent having fun.  But no!  I ate it.

And clothes?  Forget about it.  Before I ballooned into sweats-only territory I ordered stuff from the big&tall departments of a few online retailers.  No way was I going into a brick & mortar store.  The thing I noticed about clothing prices was that when you start adding x’s you start adding additional $’s.  One my favorites, Eddie Bauer, still tacks on about %10 for tall sizes.  If memory serves, they used to charge a premium for the x’s too- as do many other clothing retailers.  I still pay extra for the tall sizes (I’m 6’5″) but I’ve dropped three x’s off the prefix.  Yep, just doing my part for fabric conservation.

Need I go on about health care costs associated with obesity?  I don’t think so.  Google it.  There’s a plethora  of debilitating and deadly ailments and conditions lying in wait for a tubbier me.  Diabetes, joint issues, and more are just a super-size away.  I shudder at the possibilities.

I pay my gym dues without reservation.  I look at it as preventative medicine.

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Eighteen months ago today and moments after a camp chair collapsed under me (as I slid back from the campfire), I DECIDED to lose weight.  It wasn’t just the chair, it wasn’t just my friend trying to sign me up for his MLM weight loss program, it wasn’t just my general discomfort- it was ALL these things (and a few more).  Look at the sidebar, I had become a big boy and conditions were right for me to make a commitment to change my life.

I set out to lose weight on a grand scale and went about it with determination and diligence- and I experienced significant weight loss during the first several months.  I was totally jazzed and inspired to keep with it and get myself closer to my proper weight.

Well, 18 months have passed and I’m closer but I’m still not where I should be.  I’m better; I’ve gone from “morbidly obese” to “overweight”, I’m wearing clothes I haven’t been able to squeeze into in more than 10 years, and I’m feeling better than I have in a long time.  The thing is that I still have more weight to lose before I’ll no longer be considered overweight.

It’s a little more than 7 months until my next birthday (v4.8).  My goal is to rekindle that burning determination and reach my healthy weight by then.  Rock on.

 

I’m still maintaining a respectable routine- I’m still riding my bike and alternating my workout at the gym. That’s all good but eating has been an issue.

We had some friends over last Sunday. It was one of those times when we couldn’t decide what to make for dinner and so we made two dinners. Yeah, I know, making two dinners for the same meal is rarely a good idea- except at the time it seems like a very good idea because you no longer have to decide- and there you go. So two dinners it was. Venison stew and chicken-chocolate-cashew chili, each served in a sourdough bread bowl.

We made so much of both that I’ve been eating it for lunch all week. That’s one delicious carb-load of goodness every day. Mmm, venison, potatoes, carrots, and beans. Deliciously windy around Steve all week long, I’ll tell you what.

But wait, that’s not all. I was reading a JohnIsFit.com entry (you know, the one about hiding Oreos around the house) and thought I’d try and have some of the same kind of fun. So I went to Costco and picked up a box of Oreos and started stashing sleeves of what I now call “demon sweets” around the house. Harmless fun, right? WRONG! It seems that they’re too easily found so in an effort to preserve some for myself, I stashed a couple of sleeves in my desk. Nobody looks in there, right? WRONG! I look in there. No longer do I have to worry about anyone else getting to them- as they are now in my belly. No food games for me.

Net result? Two additional pounds on the scale this morning. Not good. But you know what? I’m not bummed out about it at all. In fact, what I’m feeling is determination. This week I dipped my toe in the pool of wretched excess and waded out up to my knees in what could certainly have become my undoing. Now I’m back out again- a little damp from the experience but ready to move on and continue my trek towards good health and healthy living. Rock on…

Here’s what I had in my smoothie this morning:

1/2 Banana
1S EAS Protein
1/2C Frozen Berry Mix
1/4C Kashi GoLean cereal
1C Raw Spinach
1oz Pomegranate Juice
Water

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