Down another hole

[OBIO]

No..this is not a post about someone falling into a well...it is a post about my belt. This week I had to tighten my belt down another hole....only one hole left on this belt before I have to start drilling in new holes. From December 11 to December 25, I dropped another 1.5 pounds.....the pounds are coming off at a much slower rate now....but I am still dropping between 3/4 and 1 pound per week....which is good as slow weight loss is a more permanent weight loss. I am still heavy....I weigh a LOT more than I look like I do.....264 pounds....but folks guess me to be around the 200 mark. Next trip to Walmart and I will grab a pair of jeans in 40/32 (meaning 40 inch waist and 32 length) and give them a test fit.....I know that the 42 waist jeans I am wearing now are loose and don't stay in place very well. Will not buy new smaller jeans until I get down to 38s....can't afford to buy each smaller jean size, so I will buy new jeans in every other size. I also need to buy some smaller underwear.....my 46 inch ones won't stay up at all....within minutes of putting them on, they slide down and the waist band ends up down near my butt cheeks...and it's really annoying spending the day with you undershorts being held up only the the crotch of your jeans LOL!

Tim

[norab]

good for you Tim:salute:

[Dangerousdave26]

Question Tim

Have you noticed any change in your Acid Reflux?

I bet if you have not you will some time here shortly if you keep taking off the inches.

Good to hear things are going well. You deserve it.

[OBIO]

DangerousDave

Yes, I have noticed a great improvement of my acid reflux...and in my sleep apnea. I used to wake up 3 or 4 times a week from acid reflux, sometimes so bad that I would be choking on acid and/or have stomach acid coming out my nose....quite severe. Since I have been loosing weight, I have not had a single full blown acid reflux flare up. I have waken up with mild heart burn....but only after eating too soon to bed time.

My sleep apnea is very mild now....well, according to my wife it is. She used to wake up many many times a night due to me stopping breathing and the violent fights I would have while in an apnea state or whatever it's called. She says that my sleep apnea is 50% or less of what it used to be.

Deb had an appointment with her family doctor today. We have not seen him in about a year (could have sworn it had not been that long....how time flies)....and when he walked in (as I was taking my coat off) he did a triple take when he saw me. He asked me how much weight I had lost....and I was able to tell him "nearly six inches off the waist, one full shirt size, and about 60 pounds." He said I looked great, like a new man.

I can't wait until spring and summer come around and fresh produce is cheaper so I can go back to a more veggie/fruit based diet...that really helped me slim down and I felt so much better eating minimal processed foods.

Tim

[Jagdflieger]

Obio,

With the current obesity epidemic in America, you're the poster boy of success for those who think they can't or don't want to loose the weight. Great job. We're cheering you on.

[SPman]

Good on you mate!

We're having our own "weight loss program" here - the missus is juicing fruit and veges - mainly for herself, and eating mainly protein (to try and keep her blood sugars ubder control)
It's grueling work, but worth it in the long run - keep at it Tim.

[wombat666]

Keep at it Tim, you're doing really well and the more you lose the better you'll feel, both physically and mentally.
Mind over matter is really a factor, having given up smoking decades ago I know that you need to want to do so, I can't comment on how to lose weight, around 60K or 130 pounds is my highest level.

[gman5250]

Good work sir. Once you start your metabolism in a direction it is much easier to keep it going that way. The jeans are always a good barometer. Keep shooting for that next size down.
For what it's worth. Shut off your carbs after mid day and stay with your proteins and green vegies. Save the carbs for early day fuel. Don't take the carbs to bed with you where you don't need them. It should help with the reflux too.

Stay motivated. :salute:

[norab]

Hi Tim

didn't know you suffered from sleep apnea. If your medical insurance allows it, you should have it checked and treated. I speak from personal experience, untreated, it can lead to an enlarged and weakened heart (I finally got mine checked after falling asleep while driving and whacking a telephone pole, no fun at all)

[stansdds]

Physical labor is one of the best ways to stay in good physical condition. I was in my best condition when I was in college and worked in a grocery store. Unloading trucks, stocking shelves, bagging groceries and putting them in cars kept me fit and trim.

[OBIO]

I just went through my "warm weather drawer" and chucked out all the shorts that are now too large.....2 pair were thrown away as they were getting worn out, 6 pair will be taken to a thrift store and donated. I only kept 1 pair of shorts.....the 38 inch ones that I wore on my wedding day.....by spring I will be able to wear them again!!!!!!!!!

[OBIO]

Since Christmas I have dropped another 5.6 pounds....below 260 now.....258.4 pounds. And I am now on the last hole on my belt....time to brake out the drill and a suitably sized drill bit and begin making new holes.

Tim

[Jagdflieger]

Loosing that weight over the Holidays is an accomplishment.

I managed to not gain, nor loose any weight despite my wife's best efforts to stuff me at Christmas and the New Year. I guess that's success considering the duck stew from recent duck hunts, leg of lamb and my special spaghetti over the last few weeks.

[OBIO]

Just got home from a trip to Walmart. Picked up 2 new pair of jeans.....size 40/32.....down another full pant size! And I bought new underwear....time to toss out all those size XXL 46/48 boxer briefs and replace them with L 38/40 size boxer briefs!

Between the weight loss and shaving that huge gray mustache....I look like a new man...a new younger man.

Tim

[OBIO]

This morning was my weigh in time.....every other Friday. Last weigh in I was at 258.4.....this morning I was at 254.4. Down another 4 pounds in 2 weeks. With a little luck, the next weigh in, on February 8, will see me out of the 250s and down into the 240s!

Tim

[Jagdflieger]

Obio,

Be sure to get some before and after photos.

[OBIO]

I will have to dig through all the folders of pics on my computer and find a good "before" shot....and have my sis-in-law take a good pic of me this weekend to show the difference....should be quite a shocking difference. Nearly 75 pounds and 6 inches of waist gone.....along with my OH SO gray mustache.....will look like two different people.

Tim

Boy did I find the before pics....taken 1 week before I started my job.....Oh My Freaking GAWD was I ever a porker! Will get some current shots taken this weekend and get them all posted so you can see the difference between then and now.

[stansdds]

2 pounds per week is about the most you want when it comes to sustainable weight loss.

[OBIO]

Okay...just a quick update.....now down to 240 pounds....90 pounds dropped in total. Picked up a new pair of jeans at Walmart last night....size 38....have dropped 5 full pant sizes since April 2012.

Last Thursday morning I had to call an ambulance as I experienced a sudden extreme dizziness and numbness over my entire body....heart tests were done, EKGs taken, blood labs worked up....heart is fine....turns out I had a Vasovagal Reflex....not sure of the entire mechanics of this, but basically my blood pressure and heart rate dropped incredibly low at the same time. Doc gave me a clean bill of health, said the Vasovagal is not serious, just scary.....he was very impressed with my blood pressure and resting pulse rate. He said that I was a "thick" guy, a smoker and a bit older.....but that my blood pressure was nice and low and that my resting pulse was something normally seen in very athletic people....normal resting pulse rate is 66 to 82 beats per minute....mine was 50 beats per minute....he said that what ever I was doing to keep doing it as it was working and resulting in a very healthy cardiovascular system.

I have reduced my smoking by half....down to around a half pack a day....sometimes even less. Working on becoming a non-smoker....one day at a time, reducing the number of cigs I have slowly to the point that my nicotine addiction is more easily broken. Will buy some nicotine gum or some such to help me make the final move to non-smoking.

Tim

[Naismith]

I found the lozenges were better than the gum for stopping smoking. Of course each to his/her own and I think you really have to be in the exact right place psychewise to succeed at the giving up of the weed. One year on the lozenges and about 18 months on Tic-Tacs worked for me and now smoke free after 5 years. I was a hopeless addict and used to enjoy them. A routine visit to a new quack and he said to me "next time I see you will be to write up your death certificate". That did it for me, previous docs had always come out with the usual superior than thou preaching which did nothing for me being a contrarian. This one laid it in the line. Now when I catch the accrid smell of a smoker breezing past me in the street I realise I must have smelt that bad once.
You are rightly proud of your other achievements though.

[HouseHobbit]

BRAVO!!
Well done indeed!

[TeaSea]

Obio,

as you wean yourself off the diet, understand you are going to gain a little back.....don't be discouraged. It's to be expected-- just don't let it get out of control.

[stansdds]

I'm thinking your episode might be the result of your body attempting to adjust to your new life style. I know that when I was lean and mean (a long, long time ago) that if I went all day without eating right I would get dizzy and nearly pass out. It was just that I did not have fat reserves that my body could tap. You may be going through the same thing, plus cutting back on smoking means your metabolism must adjust to not having a constant and high dose of nicotine. Don't give up and don't get discouraged.

[OBIO]

Obio,

as you wean yourself off the diet, understand you are going to gain a little back.....don't be discouraged. It's to be expected-- just don't let it get out of control.

Here's the kicker....I am not on a diet....I am not limiting my calories, I am not super careful about what I eat....though I am eating much healthier stuff (veggies, fruits, high fiber, low fat)...but that is simply because that is how I prefer to eat. Last night, for example, I ate a HUGE salad (made in a 3 quart stainless steel mixing bowl)....lots of fresh greens, carrots, sugar snap peas, grilled chicken breast...and two fresh Mangos.....then later I had a snack of around 1 dozen chocolate cookies and two HUGE glasses of chocolate milk. I am simply living a life that is much more active than it was....heck, work is like being in a health club all day long...my work boots...a pair of Rocky Ironclads....are 3 months old and I have about half of the tread worn off of them already. The Nike Air Monarch sneakers I bought in October and wore for 2 months before I bought my work boots.....they are half bald as well. I simply spend 8 to 14 hours a day in high speed activity....lifting and moving produce, moving pallets, packing produce, fetching packing supplies.

Tim

[PSULLYKEYS]

You're doing GREAT! Fighting the "Battle of the Bulge" is a constant one. With age I noted that portion control is very important. You don't have the metabolism of an 18 year old when you're 65. So, no 16 oz steaks then. You can have everyhing you want, just take it easy on the quantity!

If you can't exersize, then walk when you can - subsitute it for the elevator, park further back in the parking lot, visit the park - whatever.

Keep it up!