A Journey Home

Chile · **Joined:** Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:56 pm **Posts:** 2257

Congratulations on one huge milestone and the approach of another! I hope that the inflammation calms down soon and becomes less and less of an issue as you progress through the yoga. We just tried the Fat Burner workout this morning. OMG! It's tough! It's makes the Energy workout seem slow and relaxed.

Norm · **Joined:** Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:47 pm **Posts:** 821

Chile wrote:

We just tried the Fat Burner workout this morning. OMG! It's tough! It's makes the Energy workout seem slow and relaxed.

Fat Burner is my preferred workout! It puts more work on upper body than Energy does. But I'm going to stick with Energy for a while until this inflammation comes down.

-Norm

Chile · **Joined:** Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:56 pm **Posts:** 2257

Maybe it'll grow on me, Norm. One of my wrists is damaged from an old injury and all those down dogs and push-ups are hard on it. It seems to be tolerating the Energy workout, though, so I'm hoping strengthening the muscles around the joint will help in the long run. I refuse to turn to surgery for this!

Our plan is to do Energy M-W-F and Fat Burner T-Th. Have you tried any of the other workouts yet?

Norm · **Joined:** Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:47 pm **Posts:** 821

One Year and 160 Pounds Ago!

I just noticed while looking over my weigh-in log that I had two weigh-in days exactly 1 year apart. On June 13th 2011 I weighed 459 pounds and on June 13th 2012 I weighed 299 pounds. A difference of 160 pounds! I was pretty confident a year ago that I would eventually get where I am today, but I honestly thought it'd take much longer.

I still ate meat a year ago, but I had really started to cut down on it. By June 13th 2011 I had already bought the last of the meat I would ever buy and would continue eating down what was left in my freezer until one day I just didn't want to and took what was left to the food bank.

I still consumed dairy a year ago. It would take me several more months to finally wrap my head around that change, but it would come.

A year ago I was just starting to walk for exercise. Not far, and at first I used two canes, one in each hand, to help me. I was thrilled the first time I made it all the way around the block! That was a whole quarter mile! Today I walked 4 miles and have walked as many as 8 in one day.

A year ago I could ride my trike around the housing area I live. Now I can ride my trike 30 miles on the bike path. In addition, I'm now recently back to riding on two wheels! I rode my bicycle 15 miles today. I haven't ridden a bicycle that far in 25 or more years. A year ago I had been used to the idea that I'd never ride a bicycle again, but here I am! And not only riding a bicycle, but I'm looking for a unicycle to learn to ride!

A year ago living life at a reasonable weight was just a dream... Today it's still not quite a reality but it's no longer just a dream, it's my inevitable future!

-Norm

Rosey · **Joined:** Tue May 10, 2011 2:17 pm **Posts:** 1719

Way to go Norm!!!! Your doing fantastic. The dry brushing that I mentioned on Kirk's thread is supposed to help with toxins and also with helping the loose skin tighten. My hubby says it's definitely helping mine.

Frieda · **Joined:** Sat Jun 02, 2012 5:29 am **Posts:** 290

Norm,
That is so amazing! What a journey, and what an accomplishment. Thanks for sharing, I don't post much but I really enjoy reading your journal and love your attitude.

janluvs2heel · **Joined:** Sat Nov 04, 2006 5:38 pm **Posts:** 1515

I remember when you first came on the board, Norm.

So glad that you stayed around & I am so happy for you. What a milestone this is!!

Congratulations.

WeeSpeck · **Joined:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:36 pm **Posts:** 297

Norm,

Wow! Your journey serves as an inspiration to so many people. Your milestones are nothing short of amazing.

You are reclaiming your right to a healthy long life doing everything you can imagine.

Thank you for being here and sharing this transformation with all of us.

Adrienne · **Joined:** Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:26 pm **Posts:** 1107

I also remember when you joined and reading through your introductory posts. And I, too, am glad you stuck around to share your success with all of us.

VegSexy · **Joined:** Mon Aug 22, 2011 6:50 am **Posts:** 228

Wow, Norm. Congratulations on your accomplishments! What wonderful gifts you have given yourself - health, vitality - such good stuff!

As you know, I do lots of yoga when I can. My 2012 new year's resolution is to do one yoga class a week and of late I've been doing 3 - 5 classes a week if my schedule permits. I've only missed one week so far, and that was last week while I was away on business.

So, a couple of things...Sounds to me your body maybe releasing toxins from your muscles and organs from doing the yoga. It’s famous for it! All that twisting and turning and stretching is moving and pushing out all that yucky stuff.

Here are some words of advice from my yoga instructors to help us fellow yogis get through class:

Avoid eating 2 – 3 hours before doing yoga. You'll avoid GERD and may have a less "toxic" experience with an empty tummy.

Drink plenty of water before and after and during if you can tolerate it (I can’t drink while I do yoga since it upsets my stomach with all of the twisting and turning)

Getting plenty of rest, though after a while you may find you will need less and less rest afterwards and your energy level will increase significantly. I'm finding up some mornings at 5:25am!

Remember, listen to your body and do what it tells you to do. So, if you can do that extra catcher's pose - go for it. If it tells you to take a day off, that's fine, too, but, please, don't give up! I really believe yoga and this way of eating can create a lifestyle that we can most definatly thrive in!

Namaste

Norm · **Joined:** Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:47 pm **Posts:** 821

Today marks a milestone that excites me as much as any other I've passed, and more than most! In fact, I think I am happier over today's accomplishment than any other I've reached so far!!

I did my first push-up today! It wasn't pretty and it wasn't graceful, but it was all mine! I have been trying to do a push-up since April 23rd. Back then I couldn't even hold a plank position for very long and I couldn't lower all the way down without collapsing to the floor. The best I could do was to lower some and hold for as long as I could and slowly work my way to being able to lower all the way. Forget about getting back up!
Until about a week ago the best I could do was lower all the way. Then I could come back up just a tiny bit... hardly noticeable if you were watching, but I noticed! In the past few days I've been able to come up just a bit further... and today, just as I was about to quite and congratulate myself for coming up a bit further than ever before I realized I was still moving... so I gave it all I had and before I knew it I was all the way back up!!
So today, June 21st, 2012, the first full day of Summer, a mere 17 days after starting DDP Yoga, weighing in at 295 pounds(unofficial), I did my first push-up in more than a decade!!
I credit the DDP Yoga as much as anything else. It is really building up my strength. I am pleased!

-Norm

Pacificfords · **Posted:** Thu Jun 21, 2012 1:02 pm

Awesome milestone! :thumbsup:

audretoburrito · **Joined:** Tue Jan 31, 2012 7:19 pm **Posts:** 103

Sweet! I still gotta get the man to watch it with me so I can get started. Rock on my friend.

Audrey

Frieda · **Joined:** Sat Jun 02, 2012 5:29 am **Posts:** 290

An awesome metaphor as well as an awesome milestone!

ShevaunB · **Posted:** Fri Jun 22, 2012 6:20 am

Hi, Norm, I've been following your progress and it is amazing! Your most recent pictures were great. I'll keep reading abt DDP and may buy it myself after I have McDougalled for a bit longer (just started). You may not have gone cold-tofu onto a plant-based diet but your way of leaning-into this WOE obviously worked for you ;-)

detractors be darned

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