I Want to Be a BIG Loser

December 6, 2009 Update

2009-12-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

I became a granddad this month, but I doubt that had anything to do with my weight. However, I did take a diet break the week of Thanksgiving and ate my fill. It was fun. So this may not have been a great month for weight loss.

From the picture, it looks like a couple of pounds may have fallen off.

Lots of work to do.

November 4, 2009 Update

2009-11-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

I guess I should go weigh myself. I think I've been losing weight, but I don't really know how much. I weighed in near 340 when I started this, and the doctor (when I had H1N1) weighed me at about 325, but that was two or three weeks ago. Here's the latest picture.

I stuck to Atkins pretty carefully in October and it had a great impact on headaches. I now have a minor headache every week or so, sometimes two. They are not as severe as the "bad old days" were.

Two things - got rid of Nutrisweet and got rid of sugar.

I only went off Atkins a couple of days at the worst of my swine flu. Somehow it didn't seem appropriate to eat pork and other meat products then. My stomach was really messed up.

The next thing is exercise, but H1N1 has not left me with much in the way of physical reserves, so I will go slow on that.

Early October Progress Report

2009-11-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

I'm dieting now, not so much for weight loss (though that is a benefit) but because of the effect it has on my headaches. The doctors in Springfield wanted me on the Atkins diet (can you believe it, doctors telling you to do Atkins?).

I started in September. Don't know if the picture will show any weight loss.

A New Resolve

2009-08-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

In the same way I have ignored this diary, I have ignored my health needs and weight loss goals in the last year. My excuse would be the migraine headaches, but that has been reduced and so now I am without excuse. This is intended to be one of those "before and after" things. Here is a picture of me I just took.

Here's my plan.

1) Starting an exercise regimen again. about 16 months ago, I did a marathon. I nearly died yesterday doing a mile and a half. Hard to imagine going downhill that fast. But I'm going to start trying to exercise around 4 times a week.

2) I've got to continue the "headache" diet (almost no sugar or simple carbs - bread, pasta, etc). I'm careful on those things, but not too extreme, not Atkins or anything. I still eat fruit, which I couldn't if I were strict.

3) Portion control. I hate that it has come to this, but I have no choice.

Hopefully, by reasonable exercise, portion control and eliminating sweets and other simple carbs, I will have some less horrific shots to share in the near future.

I think I'm Ten Pounds Ahead!

2008-12-15T22:24:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-12-08T17:27:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-07-03T10:46:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-04-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-02-22T18:27:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-11T17:12:00.001-08:00

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

2008-01-24T23:02:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-01T15:29:00.000-08:00

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!

A Starting Point

2007-12-30T22:13:00.001-08:00

I went to the Doctor (continuing migraine issues) and they weighed me. It took a crane, of course. I weighed in at 321 pounds.

My goal for the year is two-fold.

"Reasonable" goal - 280 pounds. I have found that to be a cut-off. When I am under 280, I feel lots better and can do lots of stuff.

"Hallelujah" goal - 250. Keep hope alive.

I am joining Morningside College fitness center tomorrow. They have a pool, a jogging track and other fitness stuff.

I need some liniment

2007-12-27T18:34:00.001-08:00

I survived the basketball game. But tomorrow and Saturday I am not sure I will be happy about it.

This Could End Badly

2007-12-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

Dennis Gallagher just called - wants to play basketball today. I coach basketball. I watch basketball. I do devotionals at halftime of basketball games (at church). But it has been a long time (and a lot of pounds) since I have played basketball.

The other players are, of course, Dennis' boys (starters on high-school basketball team) and Ben, who could have been a good player had he not broken my heart and chosen singing and dancing over basketball.

If I do not blog for several days, weeks or months, you will know I am recovering from whatever I broke during the game.

My Beautiful Black Suit

2007-12-25T10:26:00.000-08:00

I was going to wear it to the Christmas Eve service last night.

I was only about an inch and a half or two inches away from buttoning the waist.

Either need to get onto this exercise thing, or I need to buy a bigger black suit.

An Idea from an Unexpected Source

2007-12-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

My son, Matt, is home for Christmas and he gave me an idea about weight loss. It is one I am going to try. Matt has never been a font of wisdom - his ideas have usually run more toward, "Let's blow this up and film it" or "Let's see what we have to do to get kicked out of Walmart" or even, "Let's stage a kidnapping at Hy-Vee and see how people react." (By the way, the answer to the last question was BADLY.

So, anyway, he mentions this website called sparkpeople.com which offers a lot of diet monitoring help. You enter your food intake and other information and it tracks your calories, fat intake, etc and makes suggestions (like, perhaps - "the fourth piece of turtle cheesecake was a bad idea." )

Anyway, I am going to sign up on Spark People and try to be faithful in entering my food intake. It might be interesting to see how many calories a day I am actually consuming.

Loser or Loser?

2007-12-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

We spent the week at Ben's musical (he was fabulous in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat"). I ate reasonably, but have not exercised at all. There just wasn't time. I am hoping that when his play and Madrigal (next week - I will be appearing in tights!) are over, I can get back to a reasonable schedule.

I am considering several exercise options, but have to stop thinking and start doing.

I want to be a big loser (of weight), not just a big loser!

Winter in Iowa

2007-12-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

I have done a little better this week in terms of eating (though Outback just now was not a high point). I have not been eating as much junk food or as much food period. But winter hit Iowa this week. We had an ice/snow storm yesterday, and it is cold and windy today. Having fallen on my head a couple of times, I just don't exercise outdoors in the ice or snow. So, I have to figure out a plan B for exercise.

For me, neither exercise nor diet works alone. I have to combine the two. Living in Iowa makes that a challenge.

Progress!

2007-11-26T13:05:00.000-08:00

Two good things happened today. First, I took a 45 minute walk in the woods with my daughter - again reinforcing how bad my physical conditioning is. But, still, I got the walk in. I need to to exercise about 4 times a week for at least 45 minutes to an hour to make a difference.

The second good thing was that the turkey ran out. I deep-fried a turkey for thanksgiving and ate the last turkey sandwich for lunch today. Hopefully, that officially ends the thanksgiving eating season, with minimal damage of around 5 pounds or so.

Now, I have a couple of weeks until the Christmas baking season takes hold.

The other problem I face is that I live in Iowa. it is probably in the low 40's, maybe high 30's right now. But soon there will be snow and ice on the road and temperatures below zero. I have to figure out a plan to exercise during winter.

How the Mighty (Big) Have Fallen

2007-11-23T14:14:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a Thanksgiving, turkey-burning walk/jog. I went around a mile and a half. It was the beginning of my attempt to get back in shape and lose weight - post Turkey Day.

It reemphasized how far down I have gone in the last few months (read previous posts for my excuses). It is hard to believe that just 9 months ago, I marched/jogged 26.2 miles over a mountain and through the desert. My legs burn and my back hurts and I am badly out of shape.

My goal is to get ready to do the Death March again, March 30, 2008. That gives me around 4 months to get this thing done.

Right now, I have my doubts.

It will take discipline - not my specialty.
It will take consistency - not my specialty.
It will take defeating procrastination - not my specialty.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

I wonder how much actual weight I can gain in one day? Hope not too much. But, really, honestly, no kidding, tomorrow I get serious about dieting and exercise.

I Was Going to Write about my Biggest Problem

2007-11-20T12:34:00.000-08:00

I am a procrastinator. I was going to write about that - about how I need to stop putting off exercise and diet till tomorrow.

But I got busy today.

I hope to blog about that tomorrow...

A Bad Week in Virginia

2007-11-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

Actually, I had a great time, seeing the Trents, my son and his fiance, and taking my son and the other kids to "College for a Weekend" at Liberty (the only college any Christian kid needs to consider).

However, traveling just seems to be the pits for eating and exercise. It was a bizarre week. We left Wednesday at 1, drove through the night and got there at 3 on Thursday. We spent Friday and Saturday hanging around Liberty, and hanging with Josh and the Trents. Then, we left and drove through the night again. Just got home around 10:30 this morning.

Lots of eating, a little exercise (walking around Liberty), but not a good way to start my commitment to become a big loser.

Oh, well. I will do better this week.

It's Time to Turn It Around

2007-11-05T19:56:00.000-08:00

What a year this has been. On September 13, I turned 50. It was a lousy day. I was barely able to get out of bed because I was sick with the West Nile Virus. And it has only gone downhill from there. I don't feel 50. I feel 80.

The year started with lots of physical promise. I finished the "Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon" in late March. It is a 26.2 mile race through the desert and over a mountain at the White Sands Missile Test Range north of El Paso, TX. It was brutal, but inspirational.

Then, everything started going downhill. Soon after the marathon, I began to get cluster migraine headaches on an almost daily basis. I finally went to the doctor, who put me on something called Topamax – also known as the Devil Drug. After a couple of weeks of this drug, I started having dizzy spells, losing my balance and falling over. I felt horrible all the time. The doctor sent me to have my head examined (really, not metaphorically) – and after 6000 bucks worth of tests, they couldn’t find anything wrong. Finally, she suggested I go off my Topamax. Within 36 hours, I felt fine. Fortunately, I have only had a couple of minor clusters since the first of June.

But then, sometime in the summer, I guess I got bit by a critter who carried the West Nile Virus (or one of its near cousins). I was very sick for several weeks, and I still haven’t got my energy back in the month and a half since I got well.

Three weeks ago tomorrow, I woke up and got out of bed. I followed my normal routine, and suddenly my back began to hurt. By Wednesday, I couldn’t stand up straight and was in horrible pain. I have had bouts of this in the past, but never one that lasted 3 weeks.

So, why all the whining? Simple. I am 50, going on 80. And it all comes down to one root cause. I am a fat pig. I am around 6’4” and weigh somewhere between 310 and 320 pounds.

And the fact is, if I don’t do something about the weight, I am going to have a constant battle with asthma, with back problems, sickness – everything. The fact is, if I don’t do something soon, I won’t be around to worry about it. I am a 50 year old with a high stress job and I am morbidly obese. I am a heart attack waiting to happen.

So, I am going to lose over 100 pounds. I am going to blog about my weight loss, and will add pictures.

I am going to try to avoid gimmicks like the Atkins diet (though I may use it for a month or so in the winter here in Iowa, when exercise becomes a little more important). I am going to try to develop physical discipline to eat a little less and exercise 3 or 4 times a week for at least 45 minutes or an hour.

I have come to realize that this is really a spiritual battle. It is not my thyroid or hormones that is the problem. It is my lack of self-control and discipline. So, it has to stop now. I have to get it together now, or it will never happen.

I appreciate your prayers and your comments.

By the way, I walked and ran a little more than 2 miles tonight (37 degrees with 30 mile an hour winds – brisk!), so I am getting off my fat backside and going for it.

With hope, anticipation and trepidation,

Dave