Marks new "Getting Healthy" thread.

I get a nice kale salad mix at Costco which I like, and we try to do a veggie but it seems like we are limited to broccoli, green beans, brussel sprouts.
Peas, lima beans, asparagus, zucchini (and other squashes), asparagus. And spinach--all my salads are spinach based; it's almost as good for you as kale but tastes so much better. And not just for salad either. I do wilted spinach all the time. Just throw a big pile of spinach into a medium heat skillet with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder or paste. Then cook (stirring constantly) until it's just barely wilted--not all smooshy like when your mom used to throw the block of frozen spinach in a pot of boiling water. It's awesome!
And if you don't feel like a veggie, have fruit. Berries are great. Blueberries are especially good for you. Throw a bunch of fresh or frozen blueberries and/or raspberries in some Greek yogurt--yum!
 
So today is day 30, and I weight in at 255.76, Day 1 of this I was 277.81 so I've lost 22lbs.

Ultimately my doctor would like to see me at 230 (me too I think). My wife thinks that will be too thin and that I should be 240. We'll see when we get there I suppose.

Most importantly I feel really good. It's always hard to stay on track when it's just about my weight but the impact this experience has had on my overall physical state and ability to function was huge. I'm going to try and set up a DR's appointment to redo my blood work in a couple of weeks and see how I'm doing there as well but I'm pretty sure it's improved. I had to see a doctor last week for a viral infection (I thought I had strep throat) and my blood pressure for him was 110/78, which is better than my usual 140/110 or whatever.

Tomorrow I can start adding foods back in and I think I'll take it slow and start with some quinoa (which I hate btw) but I think I'm going to stay largely gluten free since my son and wife are both allergic to wheat - I can suffer alongside them in solidarity for a bit. :)
 
Good news/great direction on everything, Mark.
Managing your blood pressure with lifestyle is much better than going the med's route, so keep at it.
 
So I had my first weekend off the original 30 days. I didn’t go crazy but one desert and two cocktails made me feel like shit. The sugar is definitely not working for me. So was the immense amount of sodium in a meal of corned beef and cabbage. Back on the wagon I go.
 
So I had my first weekend off the original 30 days. I didn’t go crazy but one desert and two cocktails made me feel like shit. The sugar is definitely not working for me. So was the immense amount of sodium in a meal of corned beef and cabbage. Back on the wagon I go.
So if we constantly consume too much sugar and salt, we get used to feeling like shit, thinking it is normal?
giphy.gif


Maybe I should try eating really healthy for a few weeks.
 
It’s interesting what is considered “overweight”. Less than 230 and I’ll look emaciated but every chart I’ve ever seen says that I should be 190 or lower.

DB196705-0881-49C3-8957-B6E81EF6C9DC.png
 
Just an update. I’ve been trying to eat consistently since the 30 days ended and I’ve managed to maintain my weight at 252 for about a month. I’ve for the most part kept sugar, dairy, gluten and most grains out of my daily diet although I’ve been having a Bourbon a couple of times a week with Mrs. Wein for “mental health”.

School and some other stuff ends May 18th so I might restart the whole 30 at that point and try to get down to 240 and see if I can maintain that for a few months too. That might be a reasonable weight for me to stabilize at. We’ll see....
 
Nice! Slow and steady wins the race.

I have had trouble getting the weight loss going this year. Often, I develop some momentum if I just eat more carefully a week or two. Seems like it is taking more effort this time. But maybe I was stricter before to get it going. May have to try that to get things jumpstarted. Not that I have to starve myself, but seemingly, getting strict on being plant based only for over a week, and removing all sugars and carbs not contained in plants, seems to get it going for me. Guess I need to pull out that big gun.
 
So I had my first weekend off the original 30 days. I didn’t go crazy but one desert and two cocktails made me feel like shit. The sugar is definitely not working for me. So was the immense amount of sodium in a meal of corned beef and cabbage. Back on the wagon I go.
My wife had the same experience recently: after 2 weeks of no sugar, 2 donuts as a treat makes her feel uneasy .
 
The sugar thing is hard. Now that I’ve taken it almost completely out of my diet when I do have something with sugar it makes me sick. For the first time in my life I turned down free donuts at school when they were set out on Thursday:

25C1988C-2FD6-49B4-A9BC-A8075FB50C7B.jpeg



Dairy is also hard on my system. I had some Mac and cheese and bbq rib tips with sauce yesterday and my stomach was not having it. Just the idea of feeling like crap after I go off the wagon is keeping me on track.
 
Dairy doesn't seem to bother me too much, but I try to limit it as my cholesterol numbers are good, but not amazing. And although I do not feel I have true gluten intolerance, I seem to lose weight faster when I cut bread, even really quality whole grain varieties, out completely. And also, I do like red wine and IPA/Pales, so the absolutely NO sugar thing is hard. But I can give that up completely for a bit to get started as well. Never hurts to go through a cleanse (not in the technical sense, but in terms of being very strict with types of food) for a week or two. Although it is not completely no carb, I plan on making pots of brown rice in the beginning of the week, to have available throughout to add oomph to my veggie diet and for when I have bread type cravings. It seems to hit the spot. Also, I need some carb as I start cycling harder again. I am trying not to get discouraged that it is taking a little more to kick start things this time, and just keep moving forward on a percentage basis. I am just over 190-191 right now, and would like to hover just below 180. 177 sounds like a good number and has felt good before. Would like to settle in to an ability to stick closer to 180.

I was 180 plus or minus last summer/fall, then creeped up to mid 180's around holidays, then this ski season, whereas I was strong and fit for alpine skiing, allowed weight creep through the rest of winter, culminating in vacation weight a few weeks ago. Time to reverse that trend again.
 
Enjoy the moment...:thu:

I set milestone goals throughout my process...each one made me feel more and more proud, but there was no feeling to compare to the day I broke 200...
I am. I’m enjoying feeling healthy, too. I fight myself pretty much every day over what to eat but I’ve come to the realization that many of by bigger and more self destructive habits are under control as far as fast food, processed and junk food binging goes. And the aforementioned desire of not wanting to feel like garbage because of what I’m eating is huge. Once school is over I have to find a way of being physically active though....probably get with @IamSeaDevil ad get my bike tuned up for the summer now that the homeless encampments have been taken out of our riverbed bike trail.
 
I am. I’m enjoying feeling healthy, too. I fight myself pretty much every day over what to eat but I’ve come to the realization that many of by bigger and more self destructive habits are under control as far as fast food, processed and junk food binging goes. And the aforementioned desire of not wanting to feel like garbage because of what I’m eating is huge. Once school is over I have to find a way of being physically active though....probably get with @IamSeaDevil ad get my bike tuned up for the summer now that the homeless encampments have been taken out of our riverbed bike trail.
cycling, even just at easy pace, exploring, commuting, wandering, etc. is very healthy for me mentally, spiritually and physically. I always recommend it to people. In addition to doing something else weight bearing.
 
Right now, I’ve been cruising around 258 for the past couple of weeks (which is down 35 pounds from last March). I’ve been reffing anywhere between five and seven soccer games each weekend for the past two months, and for the past three weeks I’ve been taking a TRX/cycle combo class twice a week, so I’m not worried about activity. The weight is still coming off, but it’s really slow now (like a pound a month), but I figure that’s OK - it’s not a race!
 
cycling, even just at easy pace, exploring, commuting, wandering, etc. is very healthy for me mentally, spiritually and physically. I always recommend it to people. In addition to doing something else weight bearing.
In fact, I am going to head out on a bike ride now before I procrastinate between internet and projects and don't get the longer, easier effort ride I have in mind done.
 
Back
Top