I think I'm Ten Pounds Ahead!

I haven't lost much since my last post. I have gone off my diet a couple of times (a convention trip, Thanksgiving) and have nearly plateaued. However, when I think of it another way, I can take some satisfaction.

During the months of November and December, I am usually good for 10 pounds of more of turkey, fudge and Chex party-mix pounds.

So, since I haven't gained those pounds, in reality, haven't I lost them?

It is probably that kind of logic that gets me into trouble.

Has Old Age Set In?

I have been dieting (I know, everyone says you shouldn't) and I have lost somewhere near 30 pounds, since the first of September. I topped out around 340 (that's fat, guys) and last I weighed I was down to 313. I think I've dropped a couple of pounds since then.

However, I am beginning to wonder if the effects of old age have finally started to hit me. I have not been able to run in months, because of foot and knee problems. I have been at, around or over 300 pounds for nearly a decade and I continued to run and involve myself in sports activities. Is it possible that the wear and tear has finally caught up with me? I don't know.

I am getting a elliptical machine to "run" without the pounding. We'll see what happens.

I Need to Lose My Wife!

No, its not as bad as it sounds. We just realized something the other day. The amount of weight I need to lose to be at my "ideal" weight according to the insurance tables is almost exactly what my wife weighs.

So, essentially, I am now a healthy thin Dave, carrying around my wife piggy back all the time. No wonder my feet hurt.

Frustrations

I continue, in spite of my "Death March" to gain weight. I never feel like exercising in the AM and my afternoons and evenings have been too busy to go for it. Something has to change! I guess its me.

I have been thinking of doing a few weeks of Dr. Atkins, or perhaps a diet I have used before, "The Dave Diet"

No sugar.
Lower fat.
Reduced starches.
No junk food.

I am getting to the point where I can't get out of chairs easily. I cannot do much of anything!

Finished!

I was able to complete the Bataan Memorial Death March on Sunday, March 30. It took me around 11 and a half hours. It was a brutally hot day, with 30+ mile per hour winds. The first half of the race is generally uphill, (1500 foot climb) and this year it was into the wind. I was ready to quit at the 14 mile mark, just after topping the mountain. I decided to keep going downhill, got a bit of a second wind (downhill, wind at back helped). By the time I got to the dreaded sandpit, I was too close to the end to quit. I hobbled in and crossed the finish line.

It is now Wednesday. I am back at work. My feet still hurt but I am recovering.

A New Goal

I have a new goal. I am going to El Paso this week to do the Death March, but I have made peace with the fact that I am not going to finish. I did a 10 mile walk/jog Thursday, and it was pretty clear that I didn't have 16 miles of energy left.

Why am I going?

1) I love El Paso and the White Sands area. I fell in love with it last year.

2) Hanging out with Tommy Duncan and his dad is never boring - crazy sometimes, but never boring.

3) The Death March last year was one of the most inspirational things I ever took part in.


My plan:

1) To go as far as I can.

2) NOT to kill myself. I am not a hero.

My new goal:

Last year, I finished the race and Tommy dropped out at around the 16 mile mark. I figure if I can get past his 16 mile mark before I drop out, I will still have the 2 year bragging rights.

Is that noble? NO.
Does it make any real sense? NO.

But it is more realistic than planning to finish.

With Lowered Expectations,

Dave

Hope

I got out and ran 6 miles yesterday (ran 5, walked 1). I still am not sure how I'm going to get up to 26 in 6 weeks, but I am going to try.

My knee gave me very little trouble during the run, but is very sore today. That seems to be the pattern. Run...sore knee...rest 3 days...run again.

right now, though, the trend is up. The knee seems to be getting better. I am guessing that losing 75 pounds wouldn't hurt it much.

I HAVE A QUESTION: If anyone reads this who is more modern on these things, please respond.

Years ago, when I was a slightly more competitive runner, Runner's World magazine had an article about running with injuries. Here was their rule of thumb: If the injury gets better or goes away when you run, after a mile or so, it is safe to run on it. If it gets worse when you run, you need to quit and rest it. If you limp at all when you run, rest. I have used this rule over the years, to pretty good effect.

But I am wondering if this rule is still advocated among trainers and others. Anyone know?

A Mother's Prayer

Evidently my mom is going to pray that my knee will go out so I can't run (walk?) the Death March. It seems to be working. I went 2 miles last night, then had to quit because of my knee. But, surprisingly, it feels much better today. Maybe she hasn't had her quiet time yet.

I hope to get in a run tonight. But, my son Ben won a state championship (Critic's Banner they call it) in musical theatre last Saturday and they are performing it at the high school music concert tonight. So, I don't know if I will get the time. We will see.

A Good Week

I am back to running and training. I ran 2 miles Monday, 2 more Tuesday, and 4.5 miles Friday. My knee doesn't hurt much while I run, but the day after - aaarrrggghhh!!! Today, I am not walking well.

It was good to get back to running.

So, here's the deal. No one tell my Mom. Tommy Duncan is bugging me to go back to the death march, which will be March 30, in El Paso, TX. It is the most inspirational (and difficult) thing I have ever done. I would like to go, but I am going to have to train hard and faithfully.

I have found that when I train faithfully, my marathon conditioning comes back pretty quickly. I am heavier and slower this year.

Here's the plan.

I need to get an 8-10 miler in by the end of February.
I need to get a 15-18 miler in by March 15.
I need to run 3-4 times a week every week up until Easter.

I cannot get another injury that requires rest.
I cannot get sick again.
I cannot get lazy again.
If it all goes well, I will give the Death March a try.

Again, just don't tell Mom!

I think I am going to die fat

I am very discouraged. It has been one thing after the other. Back problems, headaches, medicinal reactions, a knee problem, then the flu (actually a different virus, but felt the same). Since I started the blog I have gained 10 pounds.

I still want to do this, but my body just will not cooperate. I think I am going to die obese - and probably young.

Dreams Dashed

I am afraid I may have blown a knee. I have played sports all my life and run in 6 marathons and done countless miles of jogging (as a bigger man). In all this, I have had almost no knee problems.

Then, last week, I was standing still when I felt my knee pop. I was JUST STANDING THERE! It has gotten consistently worse. Today, I can barely stand.

I have been hoping it would go away, but it seems to be getting worse.

This is going to force me to do what I have never been good at doing. I will need to lose weight by changing my eating habits, not by adding exercise.

Gross!

Living with Migraines

I guess I am just going to have to learn to live with migraine headaches. For the second time, my doctor put me on a medicine that was supposed to prevent migraines. It worked, but it made me a drooling vegetable.

I would take the medicine at night, before bed. I couldn't wake up in the morning, then wandered through the day in a total fog. Finally, then , I would sober up by about supper time. When I preached, I would get so dizzy, I could barely stand up.

So, today I took myself off the medicine. I may just have to live with migraines, but at least I can live!

A Bright Spot

I don't want to talk about my diet. I have been traveling and eating out every meal. But, today, I did run for 45 minutes (on a treadmill). I was encouraged to be able to run that long.

I am on a new migraine medicine which makes me feel loopy all day. I take it at night, and it doesn't really wear off till supper. So, I have about 4 or 5 lucid hours in a day. I finally ran at about 6:30 pm, when the medicine wore off.

I hate running on a treadmill, but with the winter we are having, there are no alternatives.

The Dave Diet

I have been successful at dieting in two circumstances. First, the diet must have very strictly designed rules. I am a diet legalist. Second, the diet must involve certain foods, but not involved starvation.

That is why I have done well on the Atkins diet through the years. It has rules. Don't eat carbs. It allows me to eat what I want of other foods, so I don't have to go hungry.

The problem with that diet is what I call "Snikta" Syndrome. Snikta is Atkins spelled backwards. It is what happens when I go off the diet. It is amazing how soon I can balloon up when I start up on the carbs again.

I am trying to do without the Atkins so that I don't have to go through Snikta.

But, I need rules. I guess my Baptist heritage is coming through. I need rules to follow. Here are the rules I need to follow this year.

1) I need to exercise for 45 minutes to an hour at least 3-4 times per week. I am sure my schedule will not allow much more.

2) I eat out too much, and especially at too many buffets. I am a bargain-hunter. Somehow, when I eat a lot at a buffet, I feel like I got a better deal. Pizza buffets. KFC buffet. Coyote Canyon. USA Steak Buffet. Big Dave has to avoid those places.

3) I need to control sweets. I love chocolate. I mean, I really love chocolate. Every dieting success I have ever had has required a lessening or elimination of sweets. I would wager that if I didn't do anything different, but just eliminated sugar for a month, I would drop 10 pounds or so.

Breads are about as bad as sweets.

4) I also need to watch my junk food calories. I can sit and eat a bag of Nacho cheese doritos in a sitting. When I get into the junk food, I go berserk.

5) I need to eat reasonable portions. That's my real problem - self-control. Eat a decent amount, then STOP, Dave!

I will try to follow these guidelines in January, then we will see.

Got to go. Jenni is frying pork chops, then we are eating black-eyed peas and rice. The Dave Diet starts TOMORROW!