I am 10 days into my decision to take my health seriously and am thrilled to say that this morning when I weighed in I am down 17 pounds! I am really starting to feel the difference in my clothes and just my general feeling.
I am proud of my 17 pound weight loss, but have a REALLY long way to go. My wife keeps telling me that "Rome wasn't built in a day". I was discouraged last night feeling like I wasn't losing enough but was reminded by her that the changes I have been making in my diet are leaps and bounds from where I was at. Thank you Holly for your encouragement!
I am not a dietician and in no means knowledgable in anything healthy. Anything I write in this blog is not a recommendation to anyone. But for me, what I'm finding working and satisfying is more of a whole foods approach. I have been eating a lot of fresh fruit and veggies. I love bread and plan to never stop eating (not even for an induction phase of any fad diet). I have been enjoying Ezekial bread and found it to be extremely delicious and healthier. They make a fantastic raisin bread too which is a nice way of finding a little bit of sweet flavor. I haven't been eating much meat at all, but then again haven't really ever been a big meat eater. I have nearly cut out all processed foods with the exception of an ocassional slice of ham with my egg whites in the morning.
For exercise I have been walking about a mile a day outside as well as using our eliptical at night. I normally do half of my walk in the morning but it was raining this morning. This morning I only had 12 minutes from when I woke up until I really needed to start getting up and getting the family going. Given the weather, I was tempted to lay in bed and check facebook on my phone like I used to, but decided to use those 12 minutes of time for exercise. I'm trying to get in the mindset of finding those times, even if they are 12 minutes, to sneak in a little exercise. I also tend to be constantly moving all day at work.
I have really enjoyed surfing the web and blogs about diet and exercise. I find it encourging to find stories of REAL people losing weight without drastic surgeries, reality TV intervention, or bizarre diets. In fact, I am not on a diet. I HATE THAT WORD! I like to think that I am more on a journey to a healthier lifestyle. I am saving my life, and hopefully will be an encouragment to others and an example to my four year old son.
Ok, I've been sitting to long at the computer, time to move!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
My Dad
My Dad is the reason for this blog. On June 6, 2012 after 20 years of numerous medical conditions, illnessess, hospitalizations, surgeries my dad finally knew the healing in Heaven that he could not know on this earth.
My father leaves behind many legacies - a legacy as a man of faith and incredible knowledge in God's word, a scholar, and in my eyes a fighter. My dad endured and overcame numerous hurdles in the last 20 years and stayed strong even when he was weak.
Unfortunetly, not every legacy that is left behind is one to brag about. He also leaves behind a legacy of poor health, often treated for things far before his young age of 60. His legacy also includes heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and diabetes. When my father died there was no large inheritance of treasures and keepsakes, but he certainly left us with genes that lead my siblings and I (and our children) down a path that is all too familiar and painful to watch.
A few weeks after my father died I established myself with a new primary care physician. I underwent the normal blood tests and when I heard that my very own doctor left me a voicemail message asking me to call him, I braced for the worse. I work near my PCP office and stopped in. I was on my way to lunch and I figured that what he was going to tell me would help me decide what it was I would have for lunch (McDonalds was seeming to fade as an option). My PCP sat me down and informed of my lab results that were not normal. His plan for me was to go home, and work on this for 90 days. After those 90 days if the changes that I made are not enough to bring some levels down then he informed me that he would become aggressive in managing my health.
This brings me to my blog name - Three Months To Live....Sort Of. In a sense, I have been given 90 days to get my act together. I have significant changes to be made in my diet as well as establishing a exercise routine. As I have been thinking about all of this for the past week, I have adopted the mindset that I have 90 days to change my course. I know what years of bad diet and lack of exercise can do to a person. I'm not stupid, and it's not like I haven't known this for sometime, but burrying my father at the age of 60 was the final wake up call I think I'm going to get. If I want to avoid the pain and illnesses that my father suffered with than I NEED to make changes NOW.
Eight days into my wake up call I have lost 14 pounds. Good start, long way to go!
My father leaves behind many legacies - a legacy as a man of faith and incredible knowledge in God's word, a scholar, and in my eyes a fighter. My dad endured and overcame numerous hurdles in the last 20 years and stayed strong even when he was weak.
Unfortunetly, not every legacy that is left behind is one to brag about. He also leaves behind a legacy of poor health, often treated for things far before his young age of 60. His legacy also includes heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and diabetes. When my father died there was no large inheritance of treasures and keepsakes, but he certainly left us with genes that lead my siblings and I (and our children) down a path that is all too familiar and painful to watch.
A few weeks after my father died I established myself with a new primary care physician. I underwent the normal blood tests and when I heard that my very own doctor left me a voicemail message asking me to call him, I braced for the worse. I work near my PCP office and stopped in. I was on my way to lunch and I figured that what he was going to tell me would help me decide what it was I would have for lunch (McDonalds was seeming to fade as an option). My PCP sat me down and informed of my lab results that were not normal. His plan for me was to go home, and work on this for 90 days. After those 90 days if the changes that I made are not enough to bring some levels down then he informed me that he would become aggressive in managing my health.
This brings me to my blog name - Three Months To Live....Sort Of. In a sense, I have been given 90 days to get my act together. I have significant changes to be made in my diet as well as establishing a exercise routine. As I have been thinking about all of this for the past week, I have adopted the mindset that I have 90 days to change my course. I know what years of bad diet and lack of exercise can do to a person. I'm not stupid, and it's not like I haven't known this for sometime, but burrying my father at the age of 60 was the final wake up call I think I'm going to get. If I want to avoid the pain and illnesses that my father suffered with than I NEED to make changes NOW.
Eight days into my wake up call I have lost 14 pounds. Good start, long way to go!
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