Continuing On . . .

I didn't expect to just STOP blogging when I reached the one year anniversary of my start on a healthier path. . . but my schedule got a little full and it just sort of happened.

Same way with the weight loss.   On May 15, I weighed 221 pounds, a loss of 61 for the previous 12 months.   So . . . with great fanfare I created a new spreadsheet with our weights, and put the starting weight at 221 instead of 282.   Perhaps I jumped the gun a bit.  In the last 31 days, we've travelled a little bit, we've been to a couple of parties, a church pot luck.  We've adjusted to a summer schedule that sometimes means meals on the run . . .

The end result, of course, is that weight loss stopped also.  In fact, weight gain commenced.  Most of the last four weeks we've been on our various plateaus with me up about 2 pounds and my wife up about a pound.   The peak came 10 days ago, when we returned from a weekend professional development course my wife took. . .7 weekend meals all out and about (2 of them were picnics with healthy food, but the others -- the worst kind of restaurant meals).   I peaked at 226 pounds, up 5 from my "beginning" weight.

Since then, we've gotten strict again.  Correct portion sizes, no junk food.  We rediscovered fresh seafood.   And for the last 5 days, we've been back on Phase 1 -- no carbs.

So, at 31 days in to year two, I'm back to 220.0 pounds -- exactly one pound less than a month ago.

My wife, providing a great example for me, is down almost two pounds from a month ago.   (And her peak weight was only about 2 pounds up from her May 15 start)

Wish us luck, as we continue on!

One year and counting

Today I had my annual physical with my doctor.  We're not going to dwell on blood chemistry, other than to say my LDL "Bad" Cholesterol is the lowest level it's been since I started seeing this doctor 6 years ago.  And to say that my HDL "Good" Cholesterol is better than it was at the start of the process, but not as good as six months ago.

The big news, of course, is that on April 29, 2011 I weighed 282.5 on my doctor's scale and today I weighed 221.0 on my doctor's scale.  61 and a half pounds in 12 months.  I have another 21 pounds to go to hit my final goal weight.

That's the good news.  The bad news is that my weight has hit somewhat of a plateau.  On March 23, I was 222.0 on my scale.  The lowest I've had since then was last Sunday, May 13, when I was 220.0.  The doctor and I discussed my diet, and potentially tweaking it a little . . . but he says I've reached the point of diminishing returns on my diet.   So now it's time to exercise more . . . I was afraid he'd say that.

I'm already walking three miles a day, most days.  On those occasions when I've tried to run, I've deeply regretted it the next day.  However, I'm assured that with ice, Tylenol and icy-hot, I should be able to lumber my way through a mile run a few times a week.  We'll see.

I'd much rather reflect on what I've learned on 366 days (Leap year!) on the diet. . . which is not what Dr. Agaston wanted me to learn.   The ACTUAL South Beach Diet focuses on lots of vegetables and on "good carbohydrates" and lean meat.   What I REALLY discovered was that even the bad foods are OK if you deal with proper portion sizes.

Tonight's dinner, for an example.   I had 4 oz of lean beef, a half cup of steamed broccoli and 2.5 oz of New Potatoes (boiled, not fried).   The potatoes are a "V" in the South Beach book, meaning "Very Rarely."    367 days ago, I would have had twice as much meat, and either twice as many potatoes, or maybe some pasta.  And definitely some bread.   And dessert.


The other fun thing is that the diet has forced me to change the way I cook.  Yes, we occasionally fail just a little bit, and give the boys something less healthy and more kid-friendly.   But if you'd told me at the beginning of April last year that the end of this week I'll be enjoying roasted fish and vegetables for dinner.  I would have laughed at you.  I ALSO wouldn't have believed you if you had told me that every so often we're vegetarians for a day, or that we'd have a garden to grow our own fruit and vegetables.  (It's true!  Planted last Saturday, with Tomatoes, Eggplant, Squash, Zucchini, Peas, Pumpkin, Cucumbers and Watermelon)

Tomorrow morning, I'll get up, weigh myself -- and hope it's less than the 220 that my scale reported this morning.  And then I'll make the first entry into a new spreadsheet. . . and instead of telling me that I've lost 57 pounds (MY official first day weight on my home scale was 277) . . .it's going to say weight lost = 0.

For the OTHER big number -- my BMI at the start of this process was 39.74, which is defined as the medical community as "Severely Obese." (40.0 is "Morbidly Obese) Today it's 31.56, which is listed as Moderately Obese.   My next serious goal is 209 -- which will bring my BMI to 29.9, which is the highest BMI to be listed as "Overweight."

My lovely wife, in sticking with MY diet, has also lost 30 pounds, and she wants to lose another 30 -- which would get her to her pre-kids weight.

So, on to year two!

Just In Time

I've had a pretty good week on South Beach "Phase 1" -- it's in quotes because carbs sort of crept back into my diet in both weeks we were supposed to be avoiding them (Including lunch in a few minutes and dinner tonight).

However, we've been pretty well behaved, and I've hit the excercise hard (including as soon as I finish this post, and before lunch -- the boys are pretty excited about getting to help walk the dog)

The good news is . . . next weekend is the Boy Scouts "Lincoln Pilgrimage."  Every year since 1946, the Scouts have assembled in Springfield.  For the first several years they gathered at the State Capitol Building and paraded to Lincoln's Tomb.  Then for many years it was reversed.   Nowadays we walk from Lincoln's Tomb to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

Next Sunday will be my 21st Lincoln Pilgrimage (I was a participant for 20 consecutive years, 1981 to 2001, and haven't been back since). . . and to celebrate, I've managed to reduce to the point where I can wear yet more old clothes.

My dark green uniform trousers now fit, and I'll be wearing them for Sunday's parade.  My long sleeved uniform shirt is a size L, and it's slightly tighter than I wish it was.  But if the weather is cool enough for long sleeves. . . the shirt fits, and I'm going to wear it.

Alas, my beloved 24-year-old "Red Jac-shirt" is still awfully tight.   It is possible to wear it, but it looks awfully tight.

I tried it on this morning and the boys each reacted strongly.  John said "Wow, look at all the patches!  What do they mean, Dad?" and Joshua said "Dad!  That's too small!"

So progress remains to be made.

Doughnut Disaster

Ugh.  I've spent the last two weeks proving that stress + opportunity = overeating.

Since Easter, I've theoretically been on "phase 1" the most restrictive part of the South Beach Diet.  In practice, not so much.  We abandoned Phase 1 entirely over the weekend (pancakes Saturday morning and Pizza for dinner tonight), and that was the BEST part of the week.

We had a couple of minor problems at the office this week, both of which were coincidentally on the days when someone brought goodies.  So in a work week when I was supposed to be avoiding carbohydrates completely, I managed to eat four doughnuts and a slice of cake.

And the scale shows it. . . on March 23, I hit 222 pounds.  The next day, 221.  By the Monday after Easter I was back to 224.  Phase 1 was good to me the first half of the week, bringing me back down to 222 by Wednesday . . . but then the doughnut disaster happened, and by Friday I was back to 225.  Other than pizza crust and pancakes, I've behaved over the weekend, and Friday was pretty good.

And, most importantly, I exercised hard over the weekend.

And so I was back down to 223 this morning.   Hoping next week is better than last.

Visible Progress

I cut the grass tonight, and NEED to wear a belt with my old jeans or face arrest for indecent exposure.  So I was sorting through my belts and decided to take a quick picture to show my progress on this diet.   The belt on the left is a size 48, purchased in December 2010. The one in the middle is a 40, from October 2011.  The one on the right is a 36. . . purchased in July 1984 at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimmeron NM.  I wore it tonight while cutting the grass.  I suppose I haven't worn it since I bought its replacement (a size 38) in 1994.

Call me "Slim"

A few weeks ago, we bought new clothes for the boys for Easter.  Last weekend, the wife added a new dress for her.  I pointed out this morning that 1) the various men's clothing stores were having sales (including a buy one get one free deal at Men's Wearhouse), and none of my clothes fit. . .  so we did a little bit of shopping today.  Mostly to get proper sizes so I can order online when the sales are really extreme, but also to get a couple of those BOGO dress shirts.  Turns out I've lost enough weight to wear SLIM FIT size 17 by 34/35 shirts.  I celebrated by buying two pairs of dress pants with a 38 inch waist.  And, for the first time in recent memory (certainly the first time since the late 90's), they are flat front pants instead of pleated.

Just for comparison, a year ago I wore a size 52 Suit coat, last July a size 48.  Today a 46 athletic cut (although I didn't buy one).  My waist has gone from 48 in May, to 45 in July to 40 in September to 38 now.  Even my neck has dropped from a 19 inch collar in May to an 18 inch in July to a 17 inch today (I could wear a 16 1/2, but 17 was more comfortable)

Believe me, if you'd told me a year ago that I'd be buying ANYTHING with the word "slim" in it, I would have laughed in your face.

Deuces

I've usually recognized numbers ending in zero as "milestones" in my weight loss journey, but it felt pretty fun this morning to see the scale come to 222.  That's happened once before, the last day of our most recent "phase I" experience, but this time I've drifted down to it while eating "normally."   Normal, in this case means we're still following the South Beach diet and limiting carbs. 

I'm still getting to walk 3 miles outside most days -- yesterday I squeezed in a mile outside between rain showers and two miles inside the building.

I sense more new clothes in my future . . . trousers that have already been taken in don't fit any more, nor do the new clothes I bought last summer when I was celebrating being at 240 pounds.

So my next intermediate goal is 220, and that's only 2 pounds away.  I'm hoping to make it by April first or so.  Wish me luck!