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A few weeks before last Halloween, I participated in a health projected sponsored by my workplace insurer. In exchange for participating in a biometric examination (weight, height, BMI, etc.) at a local health clinic, followed by an online health & lifestyle questionnaire on the WebMD website based on the results of the biometrics info, we could earn a few cash gift cards. So I figured, free cash is free cash!
I was not prepared for the biometrics info, or the recommendations of the WebMD questionnaire. I weighed 300 pounds, more than I had ever weighed in my life! I decided that something needed to change.
At about the same time, I had been searching any interesting apps for my new Blackberry phone. After I got my results, I decided to look for something that might help me lose weight. I came across an app called, Calorie Counter by Fat Secret. It was free and had a 4½ star rating, so I downloaded it Halloween weekend. When I entered my personal info into the app, it set a baseline of daily calorie intake that would keep my weight where it was. Using that baseline, all I had to do was keep my daily consumption below that baseline. My doctor has told me the same thing for ages, but it always seemed too simple to actually work.
I set a goal of getting my weight down to 230 pounds. I wanted something that would make a significant difference, but also something that seemed doable. Armed with a digital scale that gives my weight with decimal points, I began to notice a loss of about 2 to 4 tenths pounds a day. By New Year’s Day, my weight had dropped to 261.8 pounds, a drop of 33.2 pounds! I was elated! And I felt better physically than I had in a good many years. My only frustration was that I had set a short term goal of reaching the 260 pound mark by New Year’s Day. I only missed it by 1.8 pounds, but I lost that a few days later.
I had lost two inches around my waist. I was reaching to the back of the closet to wear pants that I had long ago given up any hope of wearing again. I switched back to an old belt that my waist had outgrown about a year and a half ago.
By February 1st, I had lost 50 pounds! 15 pounds away from my goal of 260 pounds! After all the years of trying to lose just a few pounds, and succeeding only in yo-yo results, I was amazed at how relatively easy it had been this time. At 240 pounds, I had now returned to the weight I had carried about 15 years ago. When I hit the 65 pound goal, I would have dialed back the clock to my weight of the mid to late 1980's.
This past week, I began incorporating an exercise regimen into my weight loss program. Starting off slow, I go into work each morning about45 minutes early, where I ride the stationary bike for a half hour ride in the exercise room. As my body becomes more accustomed to the exercise, I plan to alternate days with the other equipment, with the ultimate goal of running in the Gate River Run (http://www.gate-riverrun.com/), before my 60th birthday in 2015, hopefully by next year and for several years thereafter.
This morning, I passed my original goal of reaching 230 pounds! I weighed in at 229.8!!!!! I now weigh what I did just after I separated from the Air Force in1983. This morning, I now have a new weight loss goal to achieve. I have changed my target goal to 190 pounds. Onward and downward.
Diet Calendar Entry for 18 March 2012:
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1553 kcal
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Fat: 36.58g | Prot: 54.90g | Carb: 263.25g.
Breakfast: Pumpkin Spice Latte (General Foods International), Oat Blenders with Honey & Almonds, Crunchy Nuggets Cereal, Altern No Calorie Sweetener, Land O Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil, Concord Grape Jelly, Coffee (Brewed From Grounds), nature's own 100% whole wheat bread, 100% Whole Grain Oatmeal. Lunch: Arizona Diet Green Tea, Captain D's Fat Free Italian Dressing , Bite Size Shrimp Salad (Captain D's ). Dinner: Oscar Meyer Delifresh Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, Arizona Diet Green Tea with Ginseng, Saltines, Maruchan Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup. Snacks/Other: Honey Maid Low fat Honey Grahams, Light Nonfat Orange Cream Pie Yogurt (Great Value), Arizona Diet Green Tea with Ginseng. more...
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