Life

Diet Update

Last Updated on July 26, 2015

Here’s the post many of you have been expecting, especially those of you who have known me for any length of time. It’s the post where I tell you that since I’ve wrapped up the weekly visits to MUSC, my diet has gone by the wayside, forgotten, and that I am schmoozing my way through my now-monthly weigh-ins.

Here’s where I explain why I gained so much weight rather than losing.

There’s just one thing…

Even with a cookout with my best friend on the weekend before July 4th (and the resulting gain of a few pounds that week), I still managed to lose nearly two pounds since my last visit a month earlier. So far, I’ve done what I never thought would have been possible: at each visit to MUSC’s Weight Management Center, I have posted a loss on the scale. True, some have been bigger than others. Back in June, I had lost five pounds since my last regular weekly visit. And twice during the weekly sessions, I lost less than a pound (.8 and .4 pound losses, to be exact).

But still, each visit has reflected a loss. No gains.

This morning, I weighed 225.5, which puts my total weight loss at 64.5 pounds. I have about 26 to go to reach my initial goal, but as I told the counselor, I suspect that if I reach my goal of being under 200, I’ll still not be entirely happy with how I look. I still have plenty of gut. I can see that there isn’t as much as there used to be, but there still seems like a lot more than 26 pounds of it hanging around my midsection. The counselor pointed out that sometimes even a five-pound loss can make a huge difference in what we see in the mirror.

We’ll see.

I will say this: jogging for real and “jogging” on an elliptical cross-trainer are not the same thing. On Saturday night, I wasn’t able to get to the gym before it closed at 8:00pm. (Why a gym would close at 8:00 on a Saturday night is beyond me!) So I decided I’d do the “light” jog/brisk walk thing. I had my iPod and decided I’d do the 40 minutes I am used to doing on the cross-trainer.

As thirty-five minutes rolled around, it occurred to me that I could go a bit longer. I was tired, but not that tired. As I approached 45 minutes, I thought, I’ll do 50. Before I knew it, I did a full hour. It was mostly brisk walking, to the beat of some song, but I tried to make sure I jogged throughout the hour as well.

Sunday morning, I woke up, went to church, hung out at my favorite coffee shop for a while. No problem. No soreness.

Sunday night at about 10:00pm or so, nearly 24 hours since I started my Saturday night outing, God suddenly said a single word: “Pain.”

I was sitting on the big chair in my living room and decided to get a cup of coffee. I tried to get up and was suddenly so sore — without warning — that I thought I was going to fall on my face.

It took until this evening to get to the point where I can walk without feeling like I’m suddenly 85. This actually makes me want to go back to the cross-trainer.

Weigh-in: 225.5
Total Lost: 64.6
Lost on MUSC Plan: 54.5
Left to Go: 26.0
Days Until Deadline: 199
Calorie Allowance Per Day: 1,200
Most Recent Blood Pressure: 121/65
Waist Sizes Down: 3

the authorPatrick
Patrick is a Christian with more than 30 years experience in professional writing, producing and marketing. His professional background also includes social media, reporting for broadcast television and the web, directing, videography and photography. He enjoys getting to know people over coffee and spending time with his dog.

7 Comments

  • You are doing wonderful!! I wish I could say the same with me. I’ve yet to get motivated again after 2 1/2 years. ::heavy sigh:: Congratulations on the weight loss, aches, pains, and all. It is a sure sign of success. De 😉

  • Way ta Go! 🙂

    Man, that’s like losing a 10 year-old! I hope the pain has subsided, and you are jogging even more. I applaud you for your efforts. Personally, I think diets were invented by Satan, but that’s just me….

  • Five years ago, my situation was slightly different.

    I was half way through my 3-4 x a week “speed walk” of 30 minutes through the neighborhood when both my arms started tingling, I felt pain across my shoulders and had a hard pressure around my heart area. I slowed my pace and got home and felt ok.

    The next morning when I awoke, with NO exercise, my chest area felt like there was a weight on it and I had a friend drive me to the cardiac ER center at Roper. They confirmed I was having a heart attack.

    Mine was a warning. Two stents and a CHANGE in diet and 30 days of rehab and I have felt good since.

    Think about your pain. Soreness from exertion or a twinge from your heart trying to get your attention? Be aware my friend.

  • So, was the pain different, or the same as you’d get after a session on the elliptical? Different muscles? More joint, less muscle? More muscle, less joint? Or pretty similar? Just curious.

    Congratulations on your contiinued success.

  • Your description of pain is cracking me up. Why do our bodies do this?? Age? Masochistic intelligence of our cells??

    In any case, congrats on the continued losses, AND on the hour’s exercise. You rock!!

  • Continued congratulations are in order, my friend. And, as you have learned, there’s a big difference when you are actually doing the exercise — it’s the reason they call the machine “low impact”. But, it’s also a good reminder of why you are doing this — to get to the point where a simple, little run doesn’t cause excruciating pain.

    Continued success with your program. I actually found you something to “wish for” as you persevere with your regimen and you are now light enough to give it serious consideration. It’s a Folbot Cooper – a folding kayak. Made in Charleston, South Carolina and perfect for someone with an apartment and a small car. {Big Grin}

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