I beat my goal yesterday, by one day, of reaching 10,000 steps! I am sore today, and managed to do my full walking route this morning. It took me some time, but I did it! I will go swimming again this evening, again working my arms and legs with vigorous movement until I can do so no longer. Yesterday I actually cramped up in the center of my back as I was pushing and pulling so much water with my arms. That was a pain I have never felt before… LOL. I realize how much it is going to take to get myself to being relatively fit once again.
Today’s FitBit Stats:
11,794 Steps for 5.49 Miles and 3939 Calories burned. 3 Floors Climbed.
Last Night’s Sleep Recorded This Morning:
7 hour 49 min. Asleep last night, Awake X2, Restless X9
Food Schedule:
10AM – Chocolate Shake & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
12PM – Vanilla Shake
2PM – 1 Cinnamon Protein Bar & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
4PM – Chocolate Shake
6PM 1 packet Chicken Soup in 8 oz Water & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
8PM – Vanilla Shake
I like food. I enjoy it. I do not eat out of emotion, but for the taste, and feel what it is. I see works of art in food that I can first hand experience. The problem is that I eat too much of it when I get to have it. This is my quest… to limit myself in a country that pushes food so much. I have a plan. One’s body basically has a math problem each day. So much in must be met with so much out. If one exceeds the other, the result goes in the direction we have taking it. Weighing less by burning more than you take in, or gaining weight by burning less than you take in. It truly is simply mathematics. A calorie is a calorie, albeit nutrients needed is essential. Some of the foods I like do not have nutritional value, and thus called the empty calorie. As I spoke of before, I will continue to log my food experience until the day I die. I can see now that when I do so, I am more conscious of what I have daily. Can I successfully apply this thinking to when I begin eating again? I believe so. I now know what it is like to take myself to the very edge of unhealthiness. I was literally in pain 24/7, I could not breath, my body was shutting down on me with my legs swelling to elephant size. I was completely helpless and not able to walk. I could not even wipe myself in the bathroom. Quite the humbling experience. This is burned into my soul, and I now know I will NEVER allow myself to get that way again. I remember thinking I was in terrible shape at 330 lbs, believing I was dying what what I felt. As of last Thursday, I am 364 lbs, and realize that there is always something worse than what we may believe at the time. What was next for me at 413? Who knows? I do know that pain and helplessness has changed my life for the better. I must admit.. I do look forward to eating food again. I will just do so quite differently than before…. with plan in hand with every meal I take in. I will make sure I am planning ahead, logging everything… and doing my math that I burn more than I eat… or equal to. I will never be heavier than each day I lose weight… and to my eventual goal of 215 lbs…. my fighting weight.
I spoke with my friends today… his name is Daniel Hughes. He is in the same boat as I, except he is a bit shorter than me, making his 300 lbs just as unbearable as my 413 lbs was for me at my own height when I began this program. He, and his sons, will be joining me this Wednesday for my morning walks….. something I had mentioned I was going to begin earlier in this journal. I hope to pay forward the knowledge and actions of this program that he too may lose his weight. Let no one remain behind.
It is Day 4 since I began my walking, with yesterday being my day for the Lord, today I begin with vigor. Hopefully my number will exceed 10,000 steps for the day. It is my going to be my daily goal once I do so. As I walked today, I did notice the soreness in my body as it is getting used to movement and exercise once again. I have been swimming as well….. it is amazing how many muscles you use when doing that activity with purpose. In any case… as I walked today, I was feeling pain in my hips… when I walked uphill. This was not bone pain as many may think when reading this, but instead.. muscle aches… something I have never experienced before in that area of my body. I guess I am getting older. What is that quote from “Encino Man”? Oh yea…. “The cheese is old and moldy.”…. HA!! With me….it is! I am looking forward to having Dan and his sons join me.
Today’s FitBit Stats:
10,194 Steps for 4.76 Miles and 3715 Calories burned. 6 Floors Climbed.
Last Night’s Sleep Recorded This Morning:
9 hour 31 min. Asleep last night, Awake X2, Restless X15
Food Schedule:
10AM – Vanilla Shake & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
12PM – Chocolate Shake
2PM – 1 Peppermint Cocoa Protein Bar & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
4PM – Vanilla Shake
6PM 1 packet Chicken Soup in 8 oz Water & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
8PM – Chocolate Shake
I continue to be sore… which is a good thing! I realize my muscles are now back to work. I walked much farther yesterday than before. Today, I have Church all day, starting at 6AM this morning with a meeting, then another meeting before the hour we take the Sacrament. At that point we spend three hours engulfed in learning of our Savior, and how we may do the work He set precedent upon. Yesterday evening my wife was cooking her dinner. She has been very kind in doing her best to keep the amazing aromas of her cooking from me. Alas, I was very in tune with my want of food, and my lack of being able to have it at this time…. in so much that I greatly smelled what she was doing. It smelled wonderful, as all her cooking does. I must admit that knowing I could not have any placed me in a bit of a challenged mood. You see… I don’t eat out of emotion, but instead because I really enjoy the food itself. This is something we have yet to cover in our class. We have so far learned of emotional eating…. and I can see it helping many of our group… just not me, in my enjoyment of food. I attempted to tell this to the class last Thursday, and it came out wrong with me stating I am a celebratory eater, eating when I have achieved something. This of course places me as an emotional eater. This is not what I meant. I enjoy the foods I eat. I savor the flavor, and textures of them…. somewhat like a judge would do, but on an unconscious level. As I was explaining this to my wife yesterday, I am wondering what I can do to not enjoy food. I feel like my life must have things of enjoyment, and this is one of the biggest, right behind God and my Family. It is something shared with all that we may do together. I find it important. This is my challenge.
Today’s FitBit Stats:
5579 Steps for 2.6 Miles and 3359Calories burned. 5 Floors Climbed.
Last Night’s Sleep Recorded This Morning:
4 hour 49 min. Asleep last night, Awake X3, Restless X7
Food Schedule:
10AM – Chocolate Shake & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
12PM – Vanilla Shake
2PM – 1 Cinnamon Cocoa Protein Bar & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
4PM – Chocolate Shake
6PM 1 packet Tomato Soup in 8 oz Water & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
8PM – Vanilla Shake over 24oz ice with 2 12 oz cans of diet orange soda (50/50 bar taste) Not bad, not great. Vanilla leaves weird aftertaste.
I AM SORE!! As I stated yesterday, I began great efforts in my action part of this program, greatly increasing my exercise in the day. I feel it… and I am about to go on a walk. I have asked my wife to join me for a second, evening walk. I hope we can make that happen. Speaking with a few of my Group the other day, it is obvious that the mental toll has increased in that being around food that our Family may have, or going to functions, may truly be hard on us. Of course we cannot expect them to change their lives for us and we must find a way we may cope. Jeni, a fantastic young mother, has two three year old children, who offer her their food (chips, etc.) as they have gotten used to, or the opposite, wanting her food, which she can now not give them as she needs all that nutrition. This has been hard on her, as the children cannot understand at that age why the change is needed. She loves her family greatly, and feels like she is disappointing them, even though she is not. This takes much in mental strength… and she is very strong. I very much applaud her! I have typed of Jeni before in this Journal, and I hope she may read this.
Today’s FitBit Stats:
7402 Steps for 3.44 Miles and 3429 Calories burned. 3 Floors Climbed.
Last Night’s Sleep Recorded This Morning:
8 hour 31 min. Asleep last night, Awake X1, Restless X8
Food Schedule:
10AM – Vanilla Shake & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
12PM – Chocolate Shake
2PM – 1 Cinnamon Cocoa Protein Bar & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
4PM – Vanilla Shake
6PM 1 packet Chicken Soup in 8 oz Water & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
8PM – Chocolate Shake
Calorie Intake for the day = 970
I have been showing photos of everything I am taking into my body as nutrition, and I forgot to show the vita-meata-vega-mins (HA! Remember? From I Love Lucy!).. OK… just the daily vitamin stuff I have been taking. With every blood test, and taking this…. my blood tests have been coming out fantastic! And that is even before I began this program. In any case…. they are working for me. Here they are…. and they all contain 4Life Transfer Factor to assist my immune system. This is a company I represent by the way… and I know their products work. I take one packet Rite Start in the AM, then two Probiotics in the AM, and two in the PM.
So I have lost 49.8 lbs in the past three weeks! It is near enough to 50 lost, so I have begun my walking today. I have not been able to walk due to my legs being so swollen, and being in so much pain in my legs, knees, and back. That plus I could not breath when doing so. I felt completely helpless. The group I am in has significantly been working on walking across America… and I noticed that most everyone was exceeding 10,000 steps per day on the reports we turn in for distance. Here I am sitting at 3000 a day, and I was happy I could do that. I now know I should push myself more. Again, with 50 lbs lost…. (49.8 that is)… I endeavor to make 10,000 steps happen by day 5 of this week! Yesterday I began my walking… and I felt pretty good! I reached my goal distance for yesterday, and I wasn’t in pain, or out of breath… I could walk again! I take that back… for whatever reason… since yesterday I have had a GOUT attack in my left foot….which is painful to state the least. However…. the normal pains I had felt that I was feeling helpless about have now disappeared! I almost feel human! Anyway… as I came to the distance I had planned yesterday, I was feeling great, so I continued on for quite a distance… until I felt worn. I can tell you tomorrow I will indeed feel my actions of today. I also went swimming with my granddaughter, and worked out my upper body as I brought my arms behind me, with my arms out on the water, palms no like paddles, then pushing with great vigor the water forward, creating great forward current in the pool. I did this until I felt cramping in my arms and chest….. about 15 minutes straight. Then I was able to play with my Granddaughter thereafter… which was a workout in itself… lol.
Today’s FitBit Stats:
6671 Steps for 2.96 Miles and 2921 Calories burned. 3 Floors Climbed.
Last Night’s Sleep Recorded This Morning:
8 hour 36 min. Asleep last night, Awake X2, Restless X 17
Food Schedule:
10AM – Chocolate Shake & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
12PM – Vanilla Shake
2PM – 1 Peppermint Cocoa Protein Bar & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
4PM – Chocolate Shake
6PM 1 packet Tomato Soup in 8 oz Water & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
8PM – Vanilla Shake
Being that there are a few kits, in a few scales being released soon of this model, I thought I might accumulate a few screen captures off the internet for paint reference for all to utilize. There are a few shots.. from FatHead… to new concept art, and of course the screen caps.
My first weigh-in was 412.2 . One week later, the day we began the food change, I weighed in at 413.8 Lbs. It is this number, my highest, that I am determining how much weight I have lost. The program goes with the first weigh-in, which again was one week before the actual food change.
Today’s Weight is…
Difference Between This Week & Last Week’s 372.4 Lbs is: 8.4 lbs.
Total Pounds Lost from My Highest Weight of 413.8 is: 49.8 lbs.
The program is definitely working… I feel the difference in my daily activities. I found this week I have not been tired like usual… other than yesterday. I was really dragging by the afternoon, and found myself craving food by about 4PM. Will that ever go away? I hope so. There have been a few times that this first 16 weeks has seemed like a prison sentence, then I remembered they at least get stale bologna sandwiches….. which I would gladly eat today. Then again…. I would be only cheating myself if I did. My wife continues to support me when I begin having these thoughts. I have noticed, however, with my heightened sense of any food around me, that she no longer is drinking the meal replacements with me. She only was doing so once per day, if that, and now I don’t see her doing so at all. Maybe it is just me. It would be interesting to see what life would be like if we both were on this program… and if we would be able to succeed. I am extremely happy that my legs are small again. I had worried that the elephant size of my legs were not going to go away. I am relieved. My legs, however, still need great attention. The skin is in recovery mode…. very dry and loose. The blackness under the skin is from the blood in my legs…. and I hope that goes away sooner than later. It looks awful. We will all press on! Let us see what the weigh-in today shows!
Today’s FitBit Stats:
3930 Steps for 1.83 Miles and 3152 Calories burned. 10 Floors Climbed.
Last Night’s Sleep Recorded This Morning:
8 hour 10 min. Asleep last night, Awake X1, Restless X 21
Food Schedule:
10AM – Vanilla Shake & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
12PM – Chocolate Shake
2PM – 1 Cinnamon Protein Bar & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
4PM – Vanilla Shake
6PM 1 packet Chicken Soup in 8 oz Water & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
8PM – Vanilla Shake with 12oz Diet Orange Soda blended with 24oz of shaved ice (Not Bad. Like 50/50 bar)
Today, my legs continue to improve as I move more, taking larger strides as I walk. I am very near to walking my neighborhood once again in the morning. I may call an old training buddy of mine from my body building days. Maybe we can actually shape this body into something after all!
Today’s FitBit Stats:
3495 Steps for 1.63 Miles and 3211 Calories burned. 5 Floors Climbed.
Last Night’s Sleep Recorded This Morning:
6 hour 20 min. Asleep last night, Awake X1, Restless X 2
Food Schedule:
10AM – Chocolate Shake & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
12PM – Vanilla Shake
2PM – 1 Peppermint Cocoa Protein Bar & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
4PM – Chocolate Shake
6PM 1 packet Tomato Soup in 8 oz Water & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
7PM 24oz Diet Orange Soda over 24oz of ice.
8PM – Vanilla Shake
I was hoping to grab many more, but time has been challenging lately. Hopefully I will get back to this soon. These are mostly from the Bonus Blu-Ray Disc. I thought everyone would like to view the different pilot helmets, and early digital versions of the T-70. Enjoy!!
Kurt Kuhn Kuhn Global Modeler’s Miniatures & Magic
I have come to respect that staying busy throughout my day is a great way to keep my mind from wandering to food. I went swimming again today, and I am pretty sore muscle wise. I guess I haven’t used these muscles in some time.
Today’s FitBit Stats:
4646 Steps for 2.16 Miles and 3354 Calories burned. 3 Floors Climbed.
Last Night’s Sleep Recorded This Morning:
7 hour 24 min. Asleep last night, Awake X6, Restless X21
Food Schedule:
10AM – Vanilla Shake & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
12PM – Chocolate Shake
2PM – 1 Cinnamon Protein Bar & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
4PM – Vanilla Shake
6PM 1 packet Chicken Soup in 8 oz Water & 8 oz glass of water with Orange Fiber
8PM – Chocolate Shake
Calorie Intake for the day = 970
**
Here is the Week 2 update of the group’s Walk Across America challenge. I was changed last week from Team 3 to the Stargazers team!
