Discussion Board

Time to start a journal.

Here is a picture of myself, taken a couple weeks ago. Weight: 425.
Not the best picture of me, nor very flattering, but it pretty much shows where I am right now. The pants I'm wearing are too big for me... and the shirt I'm wearing didn't fit six months ago. But I'm up and walking...



Six months ago I couldn't walk 200 feet without having to sit down. Now I'm up to 3/8th of a mile before I have to sit, and I've been trying to walk a total of a mile a day. Yesterday I did 1.5 miles total, today just 1.

-Norm

Your doing great Norm. HUGS!!!

Wonderful news, Norm. We're all here supporting you in your journey.

You are making great strides (pun intended )! Looking forward to following your progress.

It's great you have documented your starting point. It will be a memorable picture to look back on. Remember though, this is about getting your health back. The weight loss is a secondary benefit. It may not seem like that should be your focus now but soon it will be very clear.
Good luck
f1jim

Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, Norm. As they say in ultrarunning, "relentless forward progress!"

I think the weight loss is just as important a goal in terms of health as "health." Just being overweight contributes to poor health, so if the weight is your primary motivation right now, embrace it. As you get to feeling better and better, that will become a major motivation to stay on track.

It was a big eye-opener for me when I found this website to see Obesity listed under the Medical list in Dr. M's Hot Topics. That told me that, indeed, simply being obese can be taken seriously as a health hazard. I'd always been in denial before that. So losing weight on this plan will almost immediately bring other benefits and work on other health problems, and it all goes hand in hand!

Keep going, Norm! You are saving your life!

Right now, by far, the biggest factor in my health is my weight. It is the main cause, if not the sole cause, of my sleep apnea, which is severe. So severe, that in spite of all my other problems, it is the "official" reason I'm disabled. It is also a contributing factor in my hypertension, and makes living/exercising/moving with the arthritis I have all that much harder.
So the first and most obvious improvement of health for me will be reflected in my weight. It is not my only motivator, just the most obvious.
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This morning I'm up early. It's Food Bank Day. I can't eat this early in the morning so I'll take my breakfast and snacks with me. Today that'll be two slices of whole wheat bread with a thin spread of peanut butter, an apple, and a banana. I'll have a late lunch when I get back, which will be leftover soup from dinner last night. Lentil, barley, qunoa, chickpeas, red beans, and mixed vegetables.
It wasn't all that long ago that I'd graze on donuts all morning at the food bank. They're still available, but I haven't been tempted by them in months.
I also hurt this morning. I've pushed too hard on the walking. I will save what I can do today till this evening. I'll be happy if I do a half mile today.

-Norm

A huge feather in your cap for foregoing the donuts!

Go Norm go! You look great out there in the sunshine with your walking stick. You've made incredible progress with exercise, weight, and your attitude (not being tempted by donuts!). Thank you for sharing the inspiration with us. Keep it up!

Great that you are starting a journal to document your successes as well as your setbacks (hopefully there will not be too many of those). Best of luck to you on your journey to better health. There are lots of people here cheering you on, myself included.

Norm, you have been holding your own on this board since you first came here. I enjoy your posts & am so glad to see you here in the Journal section. Even though I do not have a Journal at this time, I have some favorite Journals that I always read & yours will be one, too.

Yep, I am in the cheering section as well!!

Welcome, Norm! Sounds like you're off to a really GREAT start! Wishing you all the best!!

Thank you all!! This place really is very supportive. I appreciate it from all of you.

Not being tempted by donuts is easy for me. I've never had a terrible sweet tooth and I've found that since going heavy on the starches it has diminished even further. I do have a soft spot for chocolate, and I would probably give in to a chocolate donut if I didn't allow myself chocolate on a regular basis. That comes in the form of dark chocolate chips. Between my wife and I we would go through a bag a week of them, but now, it looks like the one bag I bought at the beginning of the month will last till the end. I should count them... but I think I eat 10-15 chocolate chips most days.
Debbie, you've been a wonderful support for me from Day One. I appreciate it and wont ever forget it!
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Food bank went very well today. I enjoy my job there. I had a great time and ate the breakfast I brought with me plus one very small plum. I did some shopping on the way home including supplies to build a roof over my back porch. It'll be quite a job for me to get it done, and I'll need help from a smaller person to climb up top, but I'll enjoy it this winter. Got home later than I planned, was starving, ate a few peanuts (unsalted, in the shell), then decided I better eat something more substantial instead and had a big bowl of leftover soup from last night.
Oh, stopped at the doctors office and weighed myself. I lost another three pounds since last Wednesday. Yay! Dinner tonight will be whole wheat pasta. It is one of my favorites. I'm still having problems with portion control so I think I'll have another bowl of leftover soup before the pasta, as it sits a bit heavier in my stomach and is healthier.

-Norm

Good job, Norm! I also can eat a huge pile of pasta, so I only cook enough for one meal at at time. Otherwise, it's mayhem.