The Numbers

This week my office held it's annual Health Fair. This gave me a nice snapshot of how my new Health & Fitness program is REALLY working.

The long & short of it - fantastic!

My good cholesterol needs to come up (gotta go out & start to occasionally lift heavy things), but everything else is either "good", or dramatically improved & on the verge of being in the good zone.

I feel fantastic, and it's because I continue to eat damn well, sleep fantastically, and walk a ton each day.

I mean - look at that clean rhythm on my heart rate!  Crisp!  Clean!  Not a damn HINT of A-Fib!!!

+Total Cholesterol – 156               (<200)

-HDL (Good) Cholesterol – 30     (>60)

-Total / HDL – 5.1                              (<4.0)

-LDL Cholesterol – 110                   (<100)

+Triglycerides – 81                           (<150)

+Fasting Glucose – 80                    (<100)

+/-Blood Pressure – 125 / 75       (<120 / 80)

BMI – 48.15                                        (Previous was 54)

Truth in pictures...

Here is a side-by-side comparison of my two 'diet belts'.

On top is my 'Atkins' belt from 2009. Current belt is below.

My current weight loss begins at zero inches, and I'm currently at 10, on both belts.

I have made astounding progress, no doubt. My current weight loss is 80lbs, with the vast majority of that happening since September.

However, as a reality check, when I lost weight in 2009, my low point is at 18! Interestingly, my weight & waist size don't seem to be correlating, as I'm currently only 15lbs away from my previous low point. A good rule of thumb is generally about 10lbs per inch on the belt, but that'd mean I was still 70 or 80lbs away from my previous low point!

Either way, I know that THIS time I'm doing things the 'right way'. I feel great, and I'm tickled pink with my progress.

...but I can't get cocky or lazy, I've still got a VERY long way to go...

The Put-Man's Breakfast Salad

Step One: cover large plate with a thick layer of shredded lettuce. I used an entire head of red leaf.

Step Two: cook bacon, place on lettuce (top left of picture)

Step Three: cook eggs in bacon grease, place on top of bacon (top right)

Step Four: liberally apply hot sauce & spicy salsa, to taste (bottom left)

Step Five: cut up everything into bite sized chunks, allowing egg yolks, hot sauce, and salsa to intermingle. Toss salad until evenly mixed (bottom right).

Step Six: eat salad, lick plate, drink coffee (not pictured).

Nothing succeeds like success

Amazing.

That's how I feel, that's how I'm doing, and for the first time in YEARS, that's become what I now EXPECT of myself.

In this week's picture, look at the yellow graph. That's my weight loss since Sept! It's dropping at an astounding rate, and even more shocking is the consistency!

My daily walks continue to ROCK, and for the 30 days of Feb 15 to Mar 15 I plan to average each week above 9k (gotta plan for a recovery day), with three hours each week of intense exercise above & beyond that base-level.

I am now just 19lbs from my 'Century' goal of 100lbs lost, and I'm still aiming for April Fool's Day.

In the meantime, I'm doing fun stuff like washing all my nice sweaters in super hot water, trying to shrink them to fit my not-as-fat-as-it-used-to-be ass.

Everyone needs a good mid-winter project, right?

Health & Fitness Update

So...things are going well! New habits are ... habitual, and going smoothly. I no longer have to *think* every time I grocery shop / cook / order lunch at a restaurant.

That's nice.

The weight continues to melt off. Some weeks it's just pound or so, some weeks it's nearly five. But EVERY week it's down, and every week I have clothes that fit differently.

That's nice.

I'm doing well with the exercise. I continue to hit Aqua Fit a couple of times each week, but more importantly, I've stumbled onto a new routine that gets me walking a consistent 10,000 steps at least five days a week.

That's nice.

I feel great. I sleep wonderfully. I feel strong. For the first time in my adult life, I feel "in control" of my health & fitness. For the first time EVER, I feel like I could outlive my Father (He passed away at 54, which is just 6 short years away for me).

So, that's nice, too.

However (you knew that was coming, right?), I'm finding myself pleased, but impatient. I feel like I've figured this thing out, I'm just waiting for my body to catch up, and I'm just "ready" to be at the finish line. It's not that this new way of life feels like hard work anymore, and it's not that I want to go back to my old habits. I'm just ready ... for the payoff. I'm ready for the finish line, and dammit, I'm only about 40% done.

Sigh.

So, I'll continue. I'll continue to eat well, continue to walk tons, and continue to add more exercise & continue to find better food options.

In other words, it's nice, and I'll continue. A shot of motivation would be nice, but I'm pushing for my Century Mark on April 1st, and that's a really great thing, right?

We manage what we measure

Today I weighed in at 364lbs. October 2nd I was 404lbs - that's 40lbs lost in 4 months!

I'm still eating great, and I'm LOVING it!

I've been trying to tweak things a bit lower carb, less fruits & starchy veggies.

I've also been really trying to pump up my walking, and between Apple's new Health App & a set of Yak Tracks, I'm averaging just over 9,000 steps per day on a weekly basis. I go for at least 10k+ each weekday, and I let the weekends slide (although I still try to hit Aqua Fit on Saturdays).

I'm well on-track to hit 340 by April 1st, and I'm oddly excited by this random goal. It'll be fun to see how that goal goes, and what it leads me to try next...