Winning the Battle
The weight kind of sneaks up on you. The lifestyle becomes more sedintary as you get a bit older (I'm 49) and you don't notice the added pounds or inches, you just buy a larger size.
Last November, I was at the funeral ofan uncle of mine, and I saw his son (my first cousin, who is about 4or 5years older than me, and has always been overweight) for the first time in about 8 years. He must have been 450 lbs (no exaggeration). Three people helped him from the car, and assisted him as he walked to the grave, where he had to stand because they did not have a chair that would hold him.
My thoughts were, "He's just sitting at home, eating himself to death."
A couple of days later, I stepped on the bathroom scales for the first time in a long time, and saw "368" pop up!!!!!
I looked in the mirror, said to myself, "You hypocritical bastard. You are just 5 years and 75 LBS behind him."
I made a vow that I was not going to allow that to happen to me.
I started that day. I started by walking in the evenings. Stopped eating fast food altogether. Stopped drinking Cokes. Stopped snacking on sweets.
I have since adopted a healthy lifestyle, portion control, and limiting my bread and dairy intake. I only eat whole grain bread, and usually make it myself. I eat more chicken than anything else, but will still have beef and pork once or twice a week. For snacks, I eat a few nuts, or some granola.
I buy fresh vegetables instead of canned. I eat only natural cheeses, instead of processed. I portion control, and only eat one helping. I don't go back for seconds.
I started this in mid-November, at 6' 2" & 368 Lbs. It is mid-August, and I stepped on the scale this morning at 280.4. That is 87 LBS in 9 months. I feel 15 years younger, have progressed to treadmills, excercise bikes, and some light weight lifting. I have backed my way into clothes that I have not been able to wear in 10 years. I have punched 7 new holes in my belt. (I'm asked why I don't get a new one, and tell people that every morning it reminds me, and I don't ever want to forget) I don't really have a goal, except the next 10 lbs. I don't think about the long term end to this, because it is going to be something that I do for the rest of my life, and I don't want to think that there is a point where I will be able to stop and go back to my old habits and practices. I feel better, look better, and have more energy. My Sleep Apnia has all but disappeared also, and I am on no supplements except some vitamins that a nutritionist friend of my ex-wife's recommended to me.
Anyway, I just wanted to share this, as I have not written anything here in a while, and feel as if I am not doing my share to help keep the lights on.
To any of you who are on the same journey that I am on, trying to lose the weight and get back to a healthy lifestyle, don't give up.
It takes a lot of effort and patience, but it is well worth it.
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Great job! I am 6'2" and 230, and feel WAY overweight, most of it being due to my sedentary lifestyle, sitting on my ass in front of computers all day or on the phone.
Here's a couple of things I've been doing which is helping:
1. Drink a ton of water,
2. Get a key for the interior stairwells and every time you have to take a leak, go three floors or so down and then back up!
3. Drink Ketel ONe until you pass out so you don't eat other foods!
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I do drink a lot of water, and I don't even look at elevators unless I am going more than 2 or 3 floors. I don't look for that convenient parking place at the store, anymore, as I'd just as soon get the walk from out in the boondocks, anyway. I live on the second floor of my apartment. When I moved in, 6 months ago, it almost killed me to go up and down those stairs, and I make that trek more often than I'd like to think. But, now I just remember that it is good for me to go up and down those stairs.
That's the truth, I too don't care about that close parking space. I am still a hell of a lot more sedentary than I like, I got a stand at desk and I just don't use it as much as I should.
Great job, by the way, that's a shit load of weight to lose, you must feel so much better.
Hell, try to pick up 90 pounds, and then imagine that is what you were carrying around!
Congrats Captain! That's a lot of weight to lose. I am in the same boat as Katheryn I'm afraid. I take high blood pressure medicine, high cholesterol medicine, and I just got a call from my doctor's office yesterday that my sugars are too high and they want to see me. So I don't know what they'll do to me.
I need to get healthy. Your article makes me feel like I can do it. 
You know Terry, I read that line and burst into laughter. But then I remembered something. I had a girlfriend who was terribly over weight. She went to a Russian nutritionists, and he put her on the "Vodka" diet. Have three vodka drinks with mostly veggies and some lean protein, like chicken. The weight melted off of her, like magic. So you might have something there!
Captain,
Congratulations! That is a wonderful achievement! I have been struggling with my weight to, but only since menopause. I do the tread mill and eat pretty much like you, but with even less protein. We have a new group here that is all about great healthyrecipes, many of the vegan, but I have found that when I eat that way, I loose weight. I might be adding Vodka to my diet, LOL!
I have to tell you ladies, that my girlfriend Debby, who also posts here, but I know in real life, talked me into eating a veggie life style and I did.... and I could come of those cholesterol meds after 2 months! It might be something to think about. Statins are not good for the muscles.
I no longer am taking blood pressure medication. Last DR. visit, he took me off of it.
My blood work showed all other things as normal to excellent.
My cholestrol levels have dropped by over 80 points. I was not on cholestrol medications, but was in danger of having to start. Now, it's not even being considered.
Great job Captain and keep it up!
Veggies and fruits rule; and try some flax seed meal to help with the lipids!
Thanks for the tip Perrie. I'll have to start buying more vegetables.
Then maybe I can come off some of my meds too.
Katheryn,
I'm glad you got something from it. I kind of felt like I was tooting my own horn while writing it, but there are a lot of people who told me that I should do so, and that I needed to share this with people, so I went ahead and did so.
It is difficult to break the habits of junk food and sweet snacks. I just don't go down those aisles in the supermarket anymore.
If I go down there, I end up wanting it.
If I don't have it, I don't find myself wanting it.
I tend more toward "Shopping the outer circle" in the supermarket now, as the fresh produce, fresh meats and such are not on the inner aisles, but on the ends and back of the store, so I am careful about which aisles I go down.
You can break those habits, though. Just remind yourself what you want. Each time you pick up something that you shouldn't, ask yourself if you want it or need it.
I was talking to a young woman that I work with who weighs about 100 lbs the other day, and she mentioned how much weight I have lost. She asked how much, and I told her that I had almost lost her.
Thanks for all the kind words.
Hmmm, I must have left off the veggies, and only three?
Yeah, I have a couple of friends that got a dose of that Orange Shit. Sucks big time.
I'm sorry for that happening to you, but I honor and appreciate what you did, and what you are going through.
I hope for you to improve, and you are in my prayers.
All we can do is the best we can do, and keep on plugging.
Thanks for the words of encouragement.
It's definitely a lifestyle change. Not something that I plan on just doing until I reach a mark on the scales or a goal of a specific size. I want to be healthy and active as long as I can, and this seems to be the best and most logical approach to acheiving that, so it's for the rest of my life.
Besides, if we wake up to a global economic collapse or something, and have to live a while in Mad Max land, or if the Zombie Apocolypse happens, I want to be fit enough to survive.
Remember, Cardio, and Double Tap are the keys to living through that.
Very Nice!
Thanks. It has, as the title suggests, been a battle, but I believe that I am winning.
I appreciate you stopping by.
My pleasure! It just so happens that I've been fighting this same battle, and kicking ass. I've lost 30 lbs since January! One of the biggest things Ihave donewas read the labels on the cans/jars/whatever, and don't buy anything with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup). I also have adopted many of the same shopping habits that you've shared (only shopping the wall aisles).
I share custody of my 15 yo son with my ex-husband. My son 6' and weighs 180 lbs (still looks like a scrawny kid, but isn't really). Because of the way we eat at my house, he loses a few pounds every time he is here, and yet he has said that he never feels deprived.
Dude, that rocks!! Okay, enough juvenile crap. % years ago, I had a stroke at 43. While there I discovered I was over 270. i'm 6'3. NOW I'm 230 and not thrilled, because it is slowly creeping up. I am in the Process of doing exactly what you are. I wish you continued success.
CK- I believe you'll get all the cardio you need the first time you see that Zombie Shuffle. I know, I've been killing'em for years. But remember, fat people are useful to have as friends. They distract the zombies while you run away. Zombies LUV fatty snacks!
It sounds like you won't be useful as a distraction by the time the ZA rolls around!
What do you do your double taps with?
Yeah, like the old joke: I don't have to outrun the Zombies. I just have to outrun YOU!!!!
For my double taps.
Up close and in singles-- Blue Steel Taurus .357 Magnum with a 6" Barrell and Checkered Walnut grips. (That pistol is a story in itself. I'll have to tell you about it sometimes.)
Upclose and in a crowd-- 12 Ga. Mossburg with a pump length barrell.
From the balcony, as they come across the field (See my pictures of sunsets)-- Savage .30-30 Lever Action with a 12X Scope.
Just Pissing them off-- Squires-Bingham S.S. Kresge model* .22 semi-automatic rifle with a 15 shot clip.
*S.S. Kresge as in K-Mart. Back in the day, K-Mart carried their own line of rifles made by Squires-Bingham, even stamped S.S. Kresge in the serial number. This is the one my dad gave me for Christmas when I was 12. (God!!! Was that really almost 40 years ago?????)
Thank you, Neale. It is, as I am sure you are aware, a battle.
But it's definitely worth fighting and winning, and the alternative sucks.
Good Luck to you on your own battle.
I like your choices, except I use a 1911 in .45 acp, and my .22 "piss'em off" gun is a Calico .22 carbine. 100 round rotary magazine. Piss'em off all day long, reloading once a week!
1911 45ACP is my next purchase.
I'd love to have a 100 round magazine for my .22, but they don't make the gun, or any magazines to fit it, anymore.
I will probably purchase a newer .22 someday, just for the ZA, but until then....
An AR is on the event horizon for me, also. But that will be more for when we wake up in Mad Max than the ZA.
I prefer the M1A over the AR platform, but in.300 Whisper........ The Ar would rock!