Discussion Board

Day 125 - Week 18

Its been 17 complete weeks now and here are my latest numbers:

Weight: 199 down from: 201.6 started at: 261
BP: 107/62 up from: 106/63 started at: 153/92
Pulse: 56 up from: 50 started at: 88
BMI: 27.0 started at: 35.4

Made Goal of getting under 200 lbs! Weight: 199

Total weight lost after 18 full weeks on MWL - 62 lbs!

Down another 2.6 lbs this week. So I'm still losing at about 10 lbs a month but just barely. So weight loss continues to slow down a bit as expected. But the important thing is that I'm officially past my mental goal of 200 lbs Its been a few years since I've been there and I'm never going back

My BP is staying at a nice low level as I expect it too. I took it about an hour after eating a big meal but before I exercised. Pulse as well stayed in my usual range so I'm glad to see those things have stabilized over the last month or so.

So now its time to get to my next physical goal...and that's no longer being overweight, which will be achieved when I reach a BMI of 24.9 or 183 lbs.

I'm 16 lbs away from that. Given my current weight-loss average and the fact its slowing down as I get to my goals, I think it will take about 2 months to reach my next goal. So I'm predicting Monday, Sept 3 as the day to make this next goal of officially being at a normal weight. That will also be about my 6 month point of this lifestyle and time again to get my blood work done.

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups herbal tea
L: mex veggies with corn and salsa
apple
D: baked potato and sweet potato
peach and kiwi
S: baby carrots

E: 44 mins walking - 5,254 steps. Stair climbing - down/up/down 17 floors. Total steps for day - 10,617 steps.
M: 10 mins

Good day today. Did my stair climbing first thing in the morning. Continue to get stronger with every effort. This was my best effort to date. Recovery afterward is getting better as well. However my upper thighs were sore and legs were tight the rest of the day after the stair climbing. I could easily tell I worked them out good.

I took my walk after I had dinner due to the heat today - 90+F. I don't enjoy walking in the heat and I was not feeling well when I was finished. The walk was fine exercise-wise, but I was feeling very queasy and thirsty during the walk. When I was done I was wiped out. It took all the energy out of me and I was feeling hunger. So I had a big glass of water andsome baby carrots to get my energy back up. I was feeling better about 20 mins later. Guess I had over did it in the heat today. Lessoned learned...

Work today was good but boring. Spent a lot of time on the phone. At least my stress levels were low for the most part. Did some food shopping after work as well. No time to get any reading done but did work on my laptop some.

Day 126

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups of herbal tea
L: mixed veggies with salsa
herbal tea
apple
D: baked potato and sweet potato
peach

E: 48 mins walking - 5695 steps. Total steps for day - 8,428 steps.
M: 10 mins

Good day today. Unfortunately work was so busy that I didn't have any time to do some stair climbing. the weather was also storming bad all day. I did manage did get my walk in in the evening though part of my path was flooded out so had to take a slightly different and longer route. Which was perfectly fine, though the heat and humidity was pretty bad as well.

Tomorrow its suppose to get to 99 with a heat index of 107, so that won't be much fun for the 4th Good thing the fireworks will be at night when it cools off a bit. But I will be grilling inside for the 4th - rib eyes for the family and Jeff's burgers and fries for myself, though I bet the family may want to try them

Did some reading on the USDA web site at the latest health standards they put out and what's interesting is how closely the McDougall diet is to the basic standard's given all the usual talk about it being "extreme" Its funny how eating just regular food in its normal state is extreme, but eating man-made, processed, chemically laden "food products" is perfectly normal and expected.

How in the world did the train fall so far off the tracks? Well at least I found the answers so maybe with a few more years of suffering other people will as well. I mean how many people have to get heart attacks, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, chronic pain and inflammatory diseases, etc...before the mainstream catches on to what's causing their ailments?

The answer is growing at their feet and in their trees. Look up, then down, then all around and what do you see? The solution is in front of those that simply open their eyes...

Day 127

B: nothing
L: basmati rice and mex veggies with salsa.
1/2 mango
D: Jeff's veggie burger with tomato, ketchup, mustard and Ezekiel bread
baked fries - russets and sweet potato

E: 88 mins walking - 10,466 steps. Total steps for day - 13,030 steps.
M: 10 mins

Happy 4th of July! Was a great day. Did my morning and evening walks. No soreness or tightness and felt strong during both walks. It was the hotest day of the year so far with the heat index well over 105! So I stayed inside as much as possible.

Did go out twice for some last minute shopping for food and took my dau out once. Otherwise was an uneventful day watching tv with the wife. I cooked dinner for everyone and made Jeff's burgers for me. They were great! I made his regular burgers, but added a little soy sauce and ground flax and an extra TBS of salsa to them. I then cooked them on the stove top and then finished them in the oven. I made 3 large patties from the mixture rather than the 4-5 patties normally (gotta have more burger than bun )

I also made some homemade ketchup from a recipe off the net that was super simple and great tasting! And followed that up with really good oven fries from white and sweet potatoes. They were crunchy and soooooo gooood! I was totally stuffed after the fries and just one burger. I probably ended up eating about 100 more calories today than I normally eat, so that wasn't too bad for my first feast day in over 4 months of MWL

Finally we did some small fireworks in the evening. Lots of nice fountains and sparklers and a few snakes and such. Dau really enjoyed them all and took video's to send to her friends. We also watched the local fireworks in the neighborhood which were greatly expanded this year as the laws were expanded that let people use more fireworks than in the past. It was quite evident that folks were taking advantage of the expanded fireworks law and we enjoyed the displays very much this year. We still have some sparklers and such left over which we will probably go through this weekend just to cap off the week. Very nice 4th this year and I think we all had a fun time

Day 128

B: nothing
L: Veggie burger with Ezekiel bread, catsup and mustard
baked sweet potato
D: baked potato
frozen banana/strawberry milk shake

E: 91 mins walking - 10,656 steps. Total steps for day - 15,040 steps.
M: 10 mins

Great day, felt strong and eager to get up and out of the house. Did my usual morning and evening walks without any soreness or tightness. It was quite warm though and the ac went out in the early afternoon which made the rest of the day a bit warm in the house. Should have it fixed by tomorrow.

I ate another Jeff veggie burger that I had frozen. Just put it in the oven for 10 mins and heated it through. It was as good as fresh and had quite the crunch to the outside. It was also very filling. One is all I can eat. But I can see myself getting addicted to these things and because of the bread, they are not strictly MWL compliant. So I have one more left and once thats gone, I won't be making anymore till I'm fully healthy...I expect in another 6-8 months...

I also made a frozen banana/strawberry milk shake as well. Just blend 1/4 cup of brown rice and 1 cup of water real good (that's the milk part). Then blend in one medium frozen banana. And finally blend in 5 frozen strawberries. It comes out so smooth and cold, sweet and tart. Perfect after a 3 mile walk in 90 degree heat If you want this as a thicker faux ice cream then only use half the water or less. Its more than sweet enough from the frozen banana, no need for added sugar.

Also did some shopping for a new microwave as my old one burned out, a little reading and took my dau out swimming as usual. Really a nice day off from work if not expensive

Day 129

B: nothing
L: Veggie Burger with catsup and mustard
sweet potato steak fries
orange
D: baked potato and sweet potato
watermelon

Good day but really hot outside. Did morning and evening walk but was not as energetic as I hoped due to the heat and humidity. This is not the most pleasant weather right now in Michigan. Felt very tired and not well during my evening walk, but pushed through it and felt fine afterwards once I got out of the heat.

Our AC died yesterday and could not be fixed economically, so we had to put a new one in place...$2652 out the window, but after a day in 100+ F temps and high humidity it was a very welcome relief! Of course when our AC went out we also blew our microwave. Thats the most used cooking device in my house and critical to my McD efforts. So we needed to spend another $170 on that as well. We believe that both things went out due to a power surge from the previous days storms. Hopefully its all covered by our insurance

The one good thing was that I went swimming yesterday with my dau. Its the first time I've been in a pool in probably 30 years and it was a lot of fun Plus she was so happy I went with her. Of course now she will want me to go everyday Its probably why I was so tired during my evening walk, I was just exhausted from all the exercise today and the heat/humidity.

Day 130

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
L: basmati rice and small potato with mixed veggies and salsa
orange
D: baked potato and sweet potato
a little watermelon and peach
S: baby carrots

E: 92 mins walking - 10,845 steps. Total steps for day - 12,414
M: 10 mins

Felt great today. Lots of energy and the house is cool again so not suffering from the heat anymore Though it was a dreadfully hot day again. It did cool off in the evening a bit as predicted. Did my morning and evening walk as usual though they did take a few mins longer because of the heat.

The wife and I took a nap in the afternoon as our dau was out boating with a friend and then watched some tv in the evening. Its nice to have a quiet house for a change and a few hours to ourselves Also went out and got a few new short sleeve shirts in a size large. I've noticed that my size 38 pants a got a couple weeks ago is already loose in the waist...gotta love the McD effects but hate the costs of needing new clothes so often...but I got to say I do like the fact their are so many more choices for me these days. I'm not into fashion at all and my wife pretty much dresses me but I can see a lot of new things I might try in the near future...if my wallet can sustain the damage

I've finished off the last of Jeff's burgers yesterday so I'm back to eating my more traditional fare. They were really good but I can tell that I can get obsessed about them so need to make sure they are only a specialty item on my menu for those special occasions...at least till I make my weight goal...which I'm hoping to do by my birthday next year in 8 more months.

Congrats on having to purchase new clothes!!! That's the price you have to pay for your success.

Day 131

B: nothing
L: Baked potato and mex veggies with salsa
orange
D: baked potato and sweet potato
peach
S: watermelon

E: 90 mins walking - 10,648 steps. Total steps for day - 12,952 steps.
M:10 mins

Another good day. Felt strong and no aches or pains or tightness. Did morning and evening walks in nice weather. The heat wave we've had has finally broke. Last nights walk was actually a bit cold. Times weren't the best but I enjoyed the walks for the first time in over week without all the heat.

Did some grocery shopping today and also took my dau and her friends to the pool as usual. Otherwise it was a pretty routine day. Looks like my insurance will take car of my AC and microwave that blew the other day, minus my $1000 deductable. Oh well, thats better than the almost $3000 it cost me.

Now I dread going back to work tomorrow. I've been off for the last 5 days and my work email has piled up several hundred deep with people wanting me to do things. Its one reason I hate taking time off. There's just so much work to catch up on when I get back. Sigh. Oh well at least the day will go by quicker than normal.

Thanks scooterpie for the clothes suggestions. But what I will probably do is just give the clothes away to various charities. There's always someone that can use them more than I can

Day 132 - Week 19

Its been 18 complete weeks now and here are my latest numbers:

Weight: 196 down from: 199 started at: 261
BP: 101/56 down from: 107/62 started at: 153/92
Pulse: 54 down from: 56 started at: 88
BMI: 26.6 started at: 35.4

Total weight lost after 18 full weeks on MWL - 65 lbs!

Down 3 more lbs this week which is unexpected. I thought my weight loss was slowing down a bit more and was expecting just a 2 lb loss this week so I'm pleasantly surprised My BP and pulse continue to remain low which is great. I'm 13 pounds away from no longer being overweight. I'll make that goal sooner than expected if I keep this up. Its always good to see motivating numbers

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups herbal tea
L: mixed veggies with salsa
herbal tea
banana
S: herbal tea
D: baked potato and sweet potato
1/2 golden delicious melon

E: 45 mins walking - 5298 steps. Stair climbing d/u/d 17 floors. Total steps for day - 9628 steps.
M: 10 mins

Felt great today. First day back at work from my vacation which means I did my stair climbing. Did my usual d/u in the morning and another time down in the afternoon. Its getting easier though still quite difficult. But recovery is quicker and not quite as wiped out. Though my legs definitely stiffened up through out the day which I expected. I took my walk in the evening and it was nice weather for a change. I was still tight in the legs but the walk seemed to work out the kinks as usual. Overall, felt strong today.

Didn't really get much else done today as work was really busy. My boss has me doing a dozen different things on top of trying to catch up over the last week I've been off. Sigh. It always makes me wonder if taking time off is really worth it. I'll probably be playing catch up the entire week.

Day 133

B: nothing
L: baked potato and sweet potato with mex veggies and salsa
banana
D: baked potato and sweet potato
1/2 golden delicious melon

E: 89 mins walking - 10,640 steps. Total steps for day - 11,853 steps.
M: 10 mins

Great day today. The weather was cool and beautiful and I worked from home which is always a plus I took my morning and evening walks and it was quite enjoyable. No soreness or tightness in legs. A bit of stress at work, but overall a really nice day.

I didn't eat a lot today as I wasn't really hungry and work kept me busy all day. Not much time for doing any reading or other things. Just a good busy day at work that I wish I could have spent more time outdoors in

Day 134

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: mixed veggies with salsa
banana
herbal tea
D: baked potato and sweet potato
watermelon and orange

E: 45 mins walking - 5318 steps. Stair climbing d/u/d 17 floors. Swimming - 45 mins. Total steps for day - 9,561 steps.
M: 10 mins

Felt good today. It was another beautiful day. Did my stair climbing at work, d/u in the morning and down in the afternoon. Did my usual walk in the evening that was so nice because it was nice and cool. my legs were tight all day after the stair climbing as usual. I need to experiment with stretching to see if I can eliminate that issue. Also did some swimming with dau after dinner. The coolness of the evening made it a bit chilly when out of the water, but it was good nonetheless.

Work was very stressful today. Everybody was needing everything from me it seemed like. Not fun at all We did get our insurance check for our AC and microwave that went bad. Only took 5 days from calling them, not bad at all. Though now I wonder if our rates will go up.

Otherwise not much else going on today. No time to read and I think I got to watch an hour of tv with the wife before I fell asleep. Slept like a baby all night

Day 135

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: mixed veggies with salsa
herbal tea
banana
D: baked potato and sweet potato
Watermelon

E: 45 mins walking - 5339 steps. Stair climbing dx2 - 17 floors. Total steps for day - 9,949 steps
M: 10 mins

Great day. Felt strong with no tightness in legs. Did my usual down stairs in morning and afternoon for 17 floors. Also did an evening walk which was a little warm but not unbearably so. Everything went well but legs did tighten up after the stairs stuff as expected, but not too bad.

I do seem to be getting stronger every time I climb stairs now. Right now I do a 9-4-4 (set of floors, 17 floors total) effort on the stairs climbing up with about 30 seconds rest between the 3 sets of floors. On the way down I just do all 17 floors at once with no effort at all.

When I first started the stair climbing I was doing 17 floors down with lots of hard breathing and rail holding and going up it was a 5-2-2-2-2-2-2 effort with about 30 seconds rest between sets of floors. And I would need to use the hand rails to help pull myself up and I would be completely wiped out physically for the next 30-45 mins. Now I can easily go down all the stairs without even increasing my breathing and climb back up with some hard breathing but I'm only tired for about 15 mins now afterward.

So I am continually getting stronger in my legs, aerobic capacity is increasing and recovery is much much better. Another month or two and I'll be doing all 17 floors up without stopping. Once I can do that, I'll think about doing the d/u routine twice a day, 3 times a week.

Its all part of my plan to slowly increase my exercise efforts overtime until I get to a sweet spot of fitness where I can do everything I want to do throughout the day without being overly tired or incapacitated. I hope to be there in the next year or so and maybe then I will have a 6-pack Lean and mean all the way...

Tomorrow I plan to go out to lunch with an old friend. I think he will be shocked to see what I look like. I'm way lighter now and I know he's gotten heavier. Hopefully he won't feel to bad about it. He knows he needs to lose weight with his T2D but he just hasn't gotten in that right mindset yet to go after it. But his time will come

Wow, your weight loss and exercise are really impressive! Reading journals like this keeps me motivated. Good luck with your clothes shopping too.

Day 136

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: Steamed Chinese vegetables with brown rice
apple
S: herbal tea

E: 46 mins walking - 5324 steps. Stair climbing - d/u 17 floors. Total steps for day - 10,017 steps.
M: 10 mins

Good day. Very busy at work, had my head buried in reports all day. Put in a 12 hour day. No fun thats for sure. Did my morning stair climbing that went very well, but had no time for anything in the afternoon. Took an evening walk that went well too. Legs a bit tight all day after the stair climbing.

Went to lunch with my friend today, our usual Chinese place. 4 1/2 months ago I was about 20 lbs heavier than him and now I'm about 55lbs trimmer than him. Even though I've been with him this whole time he still can't believe how much I've lost. I told him he should have started with me but he's still struggling mentally over the effort and his T2D.

He says I sound like the same person, but he also says I look dramatically different. Its hard to see that change when you look at yourself everyday in the mirror, but I guess he's right. He doesn't understand how I can eat the way I do AND have more energy. He even asked me if I was losing muscles...his way of asking "where do I get my protein"

I also made a quick trip to the grocery store to get some potatoes and veggies and stuff. Will still need to finish up my shopping tomorrow tomorrow when I'm not quite so tired...

Thanks ShevaunB for the kind words. I still got another 7 months or so on this journey and a lot more changes to go through. So stick around and join me on the ride...should be fun