It's Getting Tougher....

On the weekend I managed to get myself what I think is by 4th or 5th migraine in my life. Not fun. My doctor basically said I got the occasional migraine after describing them, and said that while he wasn't sure what caused them in me, since they only started after I got way overweight, high blood pressure and stress....you can figure it out from there.

So Sunday was a complete right off for me, and I had taken Saturday "off" from fitness to enjoy my anniversary. Today I did work out in they gym, but Carolyn is out this evening, so if I'm going to run, it will be late, and I work tomorrow night, so there's another obstacle. Plus, it's been getting really hard to stay on the diet. The chocolate chips in the baking cupboard are calling me, and I had about 5 chips that Carolyn bought. This is the time when I think most people give up, so I have to stay focused.

The good news, is that even though I've had a few slip ups, my weigh in today was successful, I'm at 246lbs, which is another 2lbs off. 14 gone, another 16 to go before my holidays, and then another 20 to follow after that. On ward and upward, or downward if you are talking about a scale....

Fish and Chips and Gut Rot

The other day it was our 6th Anniversary. We had planned to go out for a nice dinner, followed by a play at the Stratford Festival Theatre. I suggested reservations, Carolyn decided it would be better to wander the streets of Stratford and just pick a restaurant (I of course pointed out that this could be a challenge on a Saturday night during the festival...)

After failing to locate a decent restaurant, we settled for a place called "The Boars Head", and it wasn't much different than the bar set on "The Dukes of Hazard"...

The menu was limited, so I went with fish and chips. Now, I confess they tasted wonderful after being on a diet, but I was punished the rest of the night for eating that much grease.

This is just a really long post designed to point out that my body is actually adjusting to a cleaner diet, and rebelled against my more traditional offerings. As you were.

There's Discipline, then there's Dumb

Yesterday we went to Uxbridge for a big family photo shoot. Because of naps, Carolyn and I decided to leave a bit earlier than we'd need, but then have a family picnic in the park. It is the same park we had our wedding shots taken in, so that would be nice. We forgot to pack a lunch for the adults, but then thought we'd get a sandwich at Tim Hortons...strike one, we ran out of time so no lunch. Then at the function, I correctly passed on having cake, but then the BBQ was way late in getting started, so my food for the day was two home made muffins for a total of 180 Calories, then the burger I got at about 5:00pm. So on the way home, now weak with hunger, I ordered a coffee and a donut...
A bit better planning on my part, and I would have been better prepared for the situation. Oh well. Monday June 21st weigh in, 248lbs.

A Step Back

Well I went for my 3rd run of the week last night, and I'm sorry to report it stunk. I've been getting close to 4km in continuous running, and quite often Lance Armstrong has been telling me I'm establishing personal bests (from my Nike+ Running Program for Ipod). But last night I started out feeling sluggish, and never shook it. At about the 3km mark I had to stop for a walk, and then I pulled up early.

Not sure the cause, could have been the humidity, could have been running too close to dinner, could have been that I was just too fatigued, or perhaps I just didn't have the mental toughness.

So, I'll have to do better on Tuesday.

The Plan

So the overall plan is for me to lose at least 50lbs, and do it in the most sustainable way possible. So my plan is to make changes to the way I eat / drink / exercise, and I'm hoping to have side benefits of spending less money, getting better sleep, and feeling good about myself physically.

I'm doing both cardio and weight training, I've always enjoyed running and have had success in the past with this, and I do enjoy lifting weights. The nice thing about the weights is that maintaining (or growing in my case) muscle mass is a good choice to increase my metabolism, and maintain a healthy frame as I age.

So I'm running 3 times / week, currently doing between 3.5 and 4km, with the goal of moving that to 5 km 3 time / week. I also weight train 3 times a week at the office gym. Right now there are enough weights for me, but if I truly get back into shape, the gym at my office, while convenient, may not be equipped well enough. I'll cross that bridge when I have to, and it would be a good problem to have.

OK, so I've had dinner, it's settled, so now it's time for me to take a run! As an FYI, I was down to 251.5 on Monday.

The Road Is Against Me

A while back I was out for a run, trying diligently to get into shape. I've had success in the past using running as the method, so I'm back to tried and tested efforts. The difference of course, is that I've never tried running after getting myself up to a whopping 260lbs, which for the record is the heaviest I've ever been in my life.

I tell you, sometimes you feel like the world is against you though. I'm out for a run, hit the halfway point (where you are super fatigued), and then I hit the uneven ground...roll the notoriously bad ankle...hear the snap...have to walk all the way back.

The result was instant swelling, several days of black and blue where the blood pooled, a baseball game missed, and two weeks of no cardio. Not a great start.

So, I'm about 4 weeks since then, and I'm back running again and playing sports, but your exercise regime is so fragile, and susceptible to giving up in the early stages, so good for me for staying the course.

Biggest Loser or the Biggest Gainer?

Carolyn and I enjoy a few different reality TV programs, one of which is The Biggest Loser. We've watched a couple seasons now, and it becomes addictive (though I suspect more along the lines of not being able to look away from the car wreck kind of thing). So here are these folks who are grossly overweight, the biggest dude weighed 526lbs, and usually have a litany of other issues (healthy, emotional, financial, social), and they go on TV to try and get on the right track.

This year, towards the end of the season, was when I was coming to terms with how far I had gone down the same road some of these folks had, it allowed me to look at the show in a different light. Except, I only thought different, I didn't do anything different. Nothing had really changed, as I sat eating ice cream, or chips, or cookies as I was glued to the set, sitting on my ass, watching these folks work out for hours a day as they tried to improve their lives...

So, I'm guessing that part of my road to a healthier me should not include sitting in front of the TV eating food that is not good for me, late at night, watching people try to get into shape. Likely not going to help me :).

Just a thought.

Let it Begin...

It all started with a long overdue visit to the family doctor. I was getting run of the mill tests done as part of a check up, and once again, sugar in my urine. I say once again, as I've had this happen about 6 times in the last 10 years, each time resulting in a battery of tests to see if I have Diabetes. At long last, we got an answer. No. I don't have Diabetes, but I do have something called Renal Glycosuria. No biggie.

However, during the process, the doctor decided it was time for me to have a physical, and that's where the news was less promising. So lets look at the results:

1. Blood Pressure = Too High
2. Cholesterol = Too High
3. LDL = Too High
4. HDL = Too Low
5. Weight.......Way Too High.

So at the age of 38, I was given a fair but direct assessment. I am way overweight, I have a terrible diet, I don't exercise, and given the stress levels of my job, and the challenges of any father / mother with two young kids, changes were in order.

The nice thing is, there is a pretty simple formula to fix all of this. While I got bad news, it's not like the news some people get when they go to the doctor, because I can fix mine (and I have to, or they'll fix it for me). So the prescription is simple, improve my diet, and start to exercise. That takes care of the weight, the blood pressure, the cholesterol, and the HLD / LDL numbers.

And let's not forget I'm not exactly uneducated here. I do have an undergrad in Kinesiology, and I was a certified personal trainer, and I did compete in two amateur body building contests, I've just fallen into the trap of many people and let myself go.

So the goal is simple. I have to drop at least 50lbs. I need to do it in a sustainable fashion to improve my long term prospects. So this blog will be a record of my journey, and hopefully a way to share my eventual success. So....T-50lbs and counting....