Troubled Ramblings

One Year

2011-08-14T09:07:00.002-04:00

It has been one year since I started my weight loss journey. There have been ups and downs, as is the case with most journeys. Overall, it has been a wild and successful ride.

One year ago, I was an under active overweight man walking (on those occasions when I did walk) with a very intricately carved African Chiefton's cane. I was out of work with not a lot of work prospects, due partially to my size. There was so much I was trained to do that I could not do because of my failing health.

I was eating myself to an early grave, and at 52, early meant a lot more than it did at 32.

On August 8, I came home after a hospital visit and told TJ, I was changing my eating habits. August 9th began my journey. The week that followed saw me joining SparkPeople and beginning to track my eating. It was a week later I began my exercise program that consisted mainly of walking.

Since then, the changes have been too numerous to tell them all. Some are easily measurable, while others are not so easy to measure.

Changes

The easiest change to measure was what was reflected on the scale. When I started, I tipped the scales at 350 pounds. This morning, in the one year anniversary week, I set them spinning all the way up to 208 pounds. My impossible goal, set one year ago was to lose 130 pounds in a year. I really did not expect to achieve it, but knew I had to set a goal, or I would never move from my starting point, most likely. I, actually, reached my goal around the ten month mark. I had added some calories to my diet now to slow down and maintain. Even with those increases, I have lost an additional 12 pounds in 2 months.

Calories

Did someone mention calories? We didn't track my calories before I began, but in reviewing my old eating habits, my wife estimates that I was consuming around 3500 calories a day, and with no exercise (I could be nice and say, "little or no exercise" but it was definitely no exercise) I was just adding and adding to my size.

What I am telling you at this point is that my results are not typical and what I did might not be healthy for everyone. You have to listen to your body closely. You have to pay attention to the healthy and unhealthy points in it. You are the custodian of your own health. No-one knows your body like you do. You have to be alert to changes in muscle and muscle tone. You have to notice changes in hair. sickness, bowel movements, energy levels, and others body activities to know what you need to increase or decrease (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and vitamins.)

I went from that estimated 3500 calories a day to 1100 calories a day. (I did consult my doctor, eventually.) I had many people telling me that my calories were too low. My doctor told me what to look for if I needed to make changes. In the first nine months, I averaged about 1100 calories a day. In the last month, I am averaging closer to 1300 calories a day.

Sizes

When I began I was wearing pants with a waist size of 58 and/or 60 inches. Today, I wear pants with a waist size of 38 inches and they are a bit lose on me. I do have a pair of dress slacks that are a 37 inch waist that fit well. So, there is a measurable and noticeable difference of 23 inches in my waist. My hips have reduced about the same as well. My shirts, pre-journey beginning were 4X's. Today, they are size large. My suit jackets have dropped from 56's to 44's also. Yes, noticeable and measurable differences indeed.

Walking

I did mention walking, didn't I? One week into the journey, I began my walking regimen. (I didn't know it was a regimen at the time. I thought it was just a walk.) It has been my primary exercise. I do have a soloflex, but tennis elbow has prevented me from using it. So, I walked one third of a mile the first night and it tried to kill me. I did it without the aid of my cane. I came home 20 minutes later drenched in sweat. However, the next day, I did it again ... three times. Then I increased it steadily. From then to now, I have logged over 800 miles of walking. I live in a small town. Everyone sees me walking. More than a few people have let me or TJ know that my journey has inspired them.

I have been working again for 7 months now. I am working again as a construction electrician. The job has physical demands that I could not have done before I started.

Secret

The secret is simple, there is no secret. Eat less, burn more. It is just that simple.

If you haven't made up your mind to lose weight, it doesn't matter what program or what new fad diet you try, it will not work. Once you have made up r mind to do almost any of them will work.

Energy levels

Yes, my new energy levels are through the roof, comparatively speaking. I do more, more often than since my wife has known me (almost 10 years.) it is definitely noticeable, although I am not sure how measurable it is.

“I bet you feel better, huh?”

I hear this all the time. I almost say, “duh” when someone asks. However, politeness reigns. Of course I feel better. Who wouldn’t feel better?

Anyway, I go on.

Happy one year anniversary to better health. What started then as a weight loss effort has become so much more. It has turned into the ‘newer healthier me’ journey.

I have lost over 40% of my starting body weight.

Happy anniversary to all those that started the same week I did. I hope your successes are as great or greater than mine.

On Your Day, Dad

2011-06-19T09:33:00.002-04:00

Dad,

It has been a while

Since we were able

To talk, face to face

And, it seems these days

There is more and more

I would want to share

I have never been

One of those

‘Talk to your grave’ types

So, I think of you

And the things I would share

And content myself

I know you would be proud

Of the way my life has turned

And the obvious influence you have

I am not angry

At your unexpected passing

Or seek to place blame

I am sad at times

Even though my mind accepts

It is the way of all flesh

Time will bring this moment

Even to my children

Should time continue to stand

I can only hope and pray

That my influence

Has been as positive and profound

So, this is my

‘Standing at the edge’ talk

And sharing with you, Dad

I am honored to be ‘like’ you

I am as proud as I have ever been

To be your son

His Word

Upon which

You patterned your life

Tells us that we all seek

That approval of the Father

To hear “well done”

And while I do seek it

I like to think I can hear it

In your voice on the winds

“Good job, son”

“Thanks, Dad”

“Happy Father’s Day”

Ron Simpson, Jr.

June 19, 2011

my clothes don't fit ... What's new?

2011-06-18T14:27:00.001-04:00

It is not a new thing that my clothes do not fit. Well, most of my clothes don't fit.

For most of my adult life past 25, I have owned clothes that did not fit. There were always clothes in my closet or in the drawer that I could not wear because I had outgrown them. You know the clothes; the ones you are going to lose a few pounds and get back into, and then never do. They end up hanging, unused in the closet until we have a yard sale or someone we know needs them. My favorite was to donate them to a needy family that lost everything in a fire. that way, I wasn't giving them away because I was too big, but i was helping the needy.

Still, there were clothes that were too small, clothes on the verge of being too small, and the clothes that fit. Every now and then, quite by accident, some clothes too large for me would show up. Someone was giving them away. Someone gave them to the wife, or mom. They would end up in my closet, with the comment, "those will never fit me" and in a few months they would be my regular day to day wearing clothes.

There were always suits too small, pants too tight, and shirts that were uncomfortable.

Well, my closet still has clothes that do not fit me in it.

The difference is; for the first time since I can't remember, they are all too big for me.

My current jeans are a size 38 (for those the didn't catch the last entry.) My closet has 38's, 40's and 42's in it. My shirts are 16.5 in neck and my closet has those and a few sizes larger. My jackets are a 46R and my closet has those, and 46's and 48's. (Today I bought a 44 at a thrift store, and it fit.)

so, my clothes don't fit, and ... I love it !!

A new size !

2011-06-14T05:26:00.002-04:00

My weight loss has slowed down (by design) since I reached my original goal weight.

I am still losing, but only about a pound a week. I reached my goal of losing 130 pounds in just 9.5 months. It is now about 10.5 months and I am down 134 pounds to 216 pounds.

My last post gave the numbers. This post is a happy report that I am now wearing 38 inch waist pants. It came as a bit of a surprise as I wasn't expecting a size drop.

Still, I am thrilled.

So much has changed since I began. Some things are still sinking in while others haven't even began to register.

I am happy to report this new size, though!

Monday arrived on Friday

2011-06-03T08:09:00.001-04:00

It seems that today is going to be a Monday in spite of what the calendar says.

I know Monday gets a bad rap because it is the first day back at work after the two days away for the weekend (for most folks.) It could be that our routine is slightly askew because we haven't done it for two days. It could be because our head is still in weekend mode. It could be that Mondays are indeed a cursed day. For whatever of these reasons, Monday gets the bad rap.

This week's actual Monday was a holiday. I spent it at the lake. I spent it on the dock by the water. I spent it in a kayak on the water. I spent it not thinking about work.

Tuesday came and went without a hitch. It seemed I had skipped the Monday curse. Until today, that is.

In an effort to get an early jump on the weekend and to do some errands, I decided (with permission) to go into work early my usual start time is 7AM. This morning I was shooting for 6AM or earlier. It was going well. I was up at 4:30 and out the door by 5 o'clock. After a stop for gas, I was on my way down the highway. It was looking good.

Then I arrived at work. The building is locked up but can be accessed by my ID badge, which, it seems, I had left at home. Arghhhh!!!

Fortune smiled, in that several of the other employees had the same start early idea, and I called one and he let me in.

I gathered my things. On my belt are five items during the work day. Two are personal and three are work related. My personal items are my cell phone and my pedometer. My work items are my company cell phone, my company pager, and my company key holder.

With all that in tow, I headed to the room on the sixth floor of the hospital where I was to be working today. Well, after a fruitless trip to security to get a temporary ID (they don't dio badges until 7.) Once upstairs and at the door, I insert my key and discover that it does not work. Arghhhh!!!

I can't get in to work and no one will be here to let me in until after 7.

Oh, Monday, you sneaky dog! You laid low until I was completely unsuspecting, and then you sprang.

Bad Monday, bad!

By the numbers

2011-05-22T08:33:00.001-04:00

41 weeks have passed since I decided to change my life/eating style.

Here is what has happened, by the numbers:

August 8th .. the day before I began:
Eating an estimated 3500+ calories a day
weight: 350 pounds
Waist : 58 inches
Hips: 60 inches
didn't measure thigh or upper arm until mid September. At that time my thigh measured 28 inches and my upper arm was 16 inches.

Today, May 22 ..
Averaging 1100 calories a day for the past 41 weeks.
weight: 220
Waist: 40 inches
Hips: 39.5 inches
Thigh: 24 inches
Upper Arm: 13 inches

Losses:
130 pounds
18 inches in my waist
20.5 inches in my hips
4 inches in my thigh
3 inches in my upper arm

Since I began walking (August 16) I have walked 613 miles.

Last week, we began biking. I have biked 18 miles this week.

Those are the numbers.

It happened

2011-05-21T19:32:00.001-04:00

now .. it is time to set new ones !

good bye to the final X

2011-05-19T18:58:00.000-04:00

For longer than I care to remember, I have been in the extra sizes.

I was in 3X to 4X shirts. I was in 2X to 3X shorts and underwear.

The last shirts I bought were a large and the last shorts I bought were a large as well.

Extra large's are loose and extra comfortable, but a large is now loose enough to be comfortable as well.

So long, last X. I'm not going to miss you.

adding new cardio

2011-05-18T19:00:00.000-04:00

My wife and I bought bikes.

That statement alone should be enough to convince you that we have lost our minds.

Our reasoning is that, since we cannot walk together because of the difference in our gaits, we could ride together easier. Moreover, it would be easier for me to go slower on a bike than it would be for me to walk at a slower pace.

She got her bike first. She went on a ride and enjoyed it.
I got my bike over the weekend. I got a used Ironhorse Warrior mountain bike. I don't care much for the skinny tire bikes.

Sunday, while she is cooking supper, I tell TJ that I am taking a bike ride. She stated that she thought we were going to be riding together. I told her we would , but she was not invited to my virgin ride (I am a virgin again after so many years) to hear her snickering behind me.

That ride was only a mile. Oh my! I remember biking being much easier when I was in college.

Monday and Tuesday's rides were 2.5 miles.

It must be serious. I have now bought locks and helmets and gloves, and a water bottle.

One of the guys at work asked me if it was mostly level ground where I ride. All I can say is that the Mount in Mount Sterling does not stand for level ground. Mountains ! It is all hills and valleys. However, it seems there are more uphill than downhill, if that is possible.

There are places on me that hurt that have not hurt in a long time.

And .. Who ever decided those seats were comfortable ?

I just want to know.

Didn't see this day

2011-05-05T05:33:00.001-04:00

I am two pounds from my goal weight.

Less than ten months ago I weighed 350 pounds.

This morning, I weigh 222 pounds.

Even when I set the goal, I didn't see this day.

I am awash with emotion.

nine and a half months later

2011-05-03T17:40:00.001-04:00

One of the boards I subscribe to on SparkPeople asked that we post how we are doing sine we began in August. Here is my response:

Well, since I began in August, I have done well.

I have lost 125 pounds (from 350 to 225.)
I have went from wearing 60 inch waist pants to wearing a 40 inch waist.
I have gone from wearing 3X shirts to wearing a Large to XLarge.

Since August I have logged in over 550 miles distance in walking. I have retired my cane.

I have stopped taking any medication for acid reflux. It used to be a daily pill.

My synthroid dosage has dropped and continues to do so.

When I began, I was looking at disability retirement. I could not do the job for which I was trained and worked at for over 25 years. I am a licensed Master Electrician. Now, I work a 40 hour week every week.

I am much more active and able to do so much more.

My wife says my snoring has greatly reduced and my sleep apnea has gone.

Quite a difference from nine and a half months ago.

Ever vigilant means never again.

2011-05-02T05:13:00.002-04:00

This week has been a week of working an odd shift (1:30 to 10:00PM.) it has wreaked havoc with my usual supper at home. i have eaten out a couple times this week, which is not the usual for me, but haven't done too badly.

My worst day was actually brought about by a breakfast out rather than a supper out. I was out and about on Wednesday and got caught in the foul weather sweeping through the state. I stopped for breakfast a a fast food place and ended up with a 500+ calorie breakfast instead of my usual 200 - 300 calorie fare. Still, I finished the day with under 1500 calories. Being over 1400 made my eyes go wide. My normal is 1100 to 1200 calories a day.

I haven't really checked it but my average for the week, while a little higher than normal, is still well within any prescribed calorie ranges and still within the 'pleases Ron' range. An occasional day with high number, while freaking me out, doesn't do a lot to the bottom line. As long as those kinds of day do not become the norm, i am OK.

I expect that I will maintain this week. That is fine. I am down 125 pounds in under 10 months. I can rest on my laurels every now and then. I am 5 pounds from my goal and still living the new lifestyle. I am on guard to make sure old habits do not resurface.

Ever vigilant means never again.

I like wearing 40 inch waists instead of 60 inch waists. I like wearing 17 inch collars instead of 20 inch collars. I like wearing a large pullover instead of 4XL pullovers.

Ever vigilant means never again !

A solid 40

2011-04-22T15:59:00.000-04:00

This week I have been fitting into my size 40 waist work pants. They (work) gave me some since my original uniform pants were size 48's. They are pleated and therefore generally fit larger than actual 40's. This was not really an issue, because, when they gave them to me, I couldn't even button them. Now, I can.

This week, the wife went to the thrift stores and got me some jeans (usually more true to size) that were also 40's. I didn't think they would fit.

Well, they did. So, I am now in a solid 40 inch waist jeans.

And ... I am 5 pounds from my goal !!!!

Monday morning and a new size !!

2011-04-18T06:49:00.002-04:00

This morning, I stepped up to the closet to get my work clothes (Khaki pants and a burgundy collared shirt.) Because of the busy weekend and TJ's recovering from surgery, recently washed clothing did not get into the closet yesterday (my fault.) However, I have several shirts to wear and therefore there were plenty to choose from.

Pants were a different story. There are 5 pairs of pants provided by work hanging in the closet. The problem, however, is that they are the ones we ordered in January. They are waist size 48. I have most recently been wearing 42 waist pants.

Fortunately, kahaki's are abundant is various sizes at local thrift stores. Unfortunantly, I didn't have any of those in the closet in the 42 waist variety. There were a pair there in the 40 waist size. I thought, "What the heck, try them on."

I did.

They fit. They fit well.

They were even a little loose in the waist (the way I like them.) I didn't have to struggle to button them.

High five to me!!

That is a great way to start a work week - fitting into a new (smaller) size.

and the scale moved ...

2011-04-15T16:35:00.001-04:00

This morning (not my normal weigh-in day) I stepped on the scale first thing after getting up. My scale (whether it is lying or not, I cannot say) said I had lost 3 more pounds, bringing the loss total to 122 pounds. This is 8 pounds from my goal. This is totally exciting.

Nine months ago, when I began this journey, I didn't see this day. To be perfectly honest, I didn't see me reaching my goal in the year i had planned, but I did see the necessity of setting a long term goal, to keep me motivated. I didn't set an impossible goal. I did set a goal that I felt was obtainable, but still didn't feel I would reach it in the time frame allotted.

However, when I started, the weight came off much more quickly than I imagined.

I am averaging very close to 3 pounds a week, even though there are several weeks where no weight was lost. I did not expect this.

Last week, the scale didn't move.

This week it did.

Of course, nine months ago, I didn't see myself registering for the Bluegrass 10,00 in July, either.

Changes and scale moves ...

12 to 13 pounds away ..

2011-04-02T11:30:00.002-04:00

I am 12 to 13 pounds from my one year goal in under 8 months!

This morning the scale was fluctuating between 232 and 233. It couldn't seem to make up it's mind. Obviously I do not have one of those high tech digital scales. I am strictly old school with my spring and dial scale.

It is the scale I started with, sort of. It only weighs up to 300 pounds. So, until I was under 300 I used the scales at mom's house. Now that I am under 300 (by over 60 pounds) I can use my scales at home.

What else has changed in the last 8 months? I am glad you asked !

Eight months ago I was still unemployed after over 2 years. I must also admit that I was most probably almost unemployable. I was over 350 pounds and walking with a cane. (How unimpressive is that in a job interview?) In out age of discrimination enlightenment, weight is still discriminated against, probably more than we realize.

There are stereotypes about the overweight. Some of them are true about some of the overweight individuals. Yes, some are lazy. Yes, some lack willpower. Yes, some are weak. Yes, some just do not want to lose weight. However, it has been my experience that those same things can be said about any addiction or addicted group. Some fit the stereotype.

So, eight months ago, morbidly obese and out of prospects for work, I changed me.

Today, I am obese. My BMI is 35.3. Eight moths ago it was 53.2. At my heaviest recorded weight (DR visit) it was 55.0.

Eight months ago, I walked with a cane and then only when i deemed walking absolutely necessary.

Today I am working (for 3 months now) on a job where i walk 5 to 7 miles a day. I am working as an electrician at a major university hospital. (University of Kentucky - Go CATS)

Today I eat about 1100 to 1200 calories a day instead of 3500 calories a day.

I walk without pain, mostly. I still have tendonitis in my heel, but back and knee pain is mostly gone.

Today, I don't look at tasks with the same drudgery with which I used to view it.

I get my own stuff.

I walk. A lot.

I can wear a pair of 40inch waist pants. (8 months ago .. 60inch waist)

I wear XL shirts. (8 months ago .. 3X or 4X)

Eight months ago, I thought I could. Today, I know I can.

Come on, last 12 to 13 pounds. I am ready to see you gone.

I am walking .. downhill .. to my goal!

3 months ahead of schedule

2011-03-21T05:22:00.001-04:00

130 pounds in 52 weeks.

That was the the goal.

That was 2.5 pounds per week.

It is easy to set a goal way off in the distant and piddle along. This is what I normally do. I am a procrastinator. I am relatively sure, when I told the wifey that I was going to lose 130 pounds in a year, she was saying in her head, "I'll believe it when I see it." I can't really blame her there. I am a master electrician. When we moved into our house 4.5 years ago, she told me she wanted outlets in the bathroom. This house is over 100 years old and lacking in outlets. I said' "Sure." Do we have outlets in the bathroom yet? "No!"

Don't get me wrong. I am not knocking setting long term goals. I am not knocking setting goals at all. Some people excel with goals; Other people do not.

My short term goal is to lose weight (some) each week. My long term goal is to lose 130 pounds in one year.

In the 32 weeks since I changed my lifestyle, i have not always met that weekly goal. There were 3 weeks when I did not lose any weight. I didn't panic. I continued doing what was right. In the time mentioned I have lost 116 pounds. That is 3.625 pounds per week, or I am at my goal for week number 46 (3 months and one week in the future.)

Since the beginning, my long term and short term goals have not changed, however, some new goals had been added.

One of the new goals is to eat healthy. Another of the new goals is to be more active.

It has become that the process has become the goal. The way to achieve my short term and long term original goals is to eat more healthy and to exercise more or be more active.

I can see the finish line from here. I am 14 pounds from my year goal.

After that, I will work to maintain my weight . I can still lose a few pounds without becoming unhealthy. Eventually. I plan to have the skin removal surgery. That will actually cause the loss of about 15 to 20 pounds more. I am now in the 40 to 42 inch waist pant size. At my goal I will be a solid 40 or 38 inch waist. After the surgery, I will most likely be in a 36 inch waist. I cannot remember when the last time I was in that size.

Anyway, that is the update for this week. Thanks for listening. Thanks for your kind comments.

The newest pics !

2011-03-05T11:02:00.001-05:00

moving out of +$2

2011-03-05T11:00:00.002-05:00

I had to break down and buy some clothes, as all my clothes look like I am wearing my big brothers clothes now.

Tammy bought me some jeans at Burkes Outlet. We stopped at Walmart for a completely different reason and I decided to check out their selection of jeans. They had their usual selection. However, I noticed that my size now no longer falls in the 'larger sizes, add $2' range.

Wahoo ! This eating right and getting healthy is paying off ! (laughing)

I went to a suit outlet yesterday and got a couple pair of dress slacks, a couple new neckties, and a new sports coat. It was funny. I bought them based on size. I did not try them on. I figured if they were a bit small I would lose into them, eventually. When I got home and decided to try them on. I held them up and said to myself, "These will never fit; They are way too small."

Even in my hands they felt too light. They felt wrong going on. Well, not wrong, I guess, but different. I got used to buying large and comfortable (comfortable = extra large for growth.) These seemed too small.

Imagine my shock, when they fit. They not only fit, but they fit like pants are supposed to fit.

Losing the weight was never about looking better in my clothes (well, not mainly.) It was and is about being healthier, living longer, getting around with greater ease, and feeling better inside my skin. This looking better in clothes is just a great bonus.

Pictures will be posted soon.

New weight and thrift store shopping

2011-03-02T07:41:00.003-05:00

This weeks weigh-in yielded the following result .. 29 weeks in .. 105 pounds gone !!

We had to go shopping yesterday as only two of my dress shirts now do not look like balloons on me. We got blessed in that one of our favorite thrift stores was having a 'fill a bag for $5' thing. I got six dress shirts and TJ got two skirts and a blouse for $5. That is about fifty-five cents per piece.

We decided early on in this loss thing that we weren't buying new clothes until the weight is gone. Clothes that fit don't seem to fit long, so there is no need to buy new things. I went through my T-shirt drawers last night and culled out over a dozen t-shirts that were excessively large. Being large is not an issue with a t-shirt, normally, but these were hanging down to nearly my knees and sleeves hanging past my elbows as the shoulders didn't fit anymore.

It felt good to cull out clothes because they were too large instead of too small.

I could get used to this.

Well, for at least another 25 pounds, which is how far I am from my goal weight !

What new thing can be said about love?

2011-02-14T05:00:00.001-05:00

It is little wonder we speak of falling in love

As love is always there, waiting for us

Love is old, yet, love is ever new

It is as old as time, but as new as the next second

Love is giving, yet, it is always open to receive

Love is patient, yet, it blazes with an impatient passion

Love is an open hand, yet, it holds you in an unbreakable grip

I am captured by its freedom

I am in bonds to its liberty

It is not hidden, but laying in the open,

waiting to be found, waiting to be discovered

It begs to be found, yet delights in the mystery of discovery

It boldly calls out to men and women, yet creates a shyness about itself

It is in the thoughts of the mind

It is in the emotions of the heart

It is in the whimsy of the soul

And it is woven in the words of the mouth

All the words, spoken or penned, have not contained it

All the tomes of time have not described it fully

There is nothing new that can be said of love that has not been said,

Yet, it falls fresh from the lips of every lover, as if never spoken before

It is not the words, old or used,

But the freshness of the heart

That has been washed anew,

By the fire of its passion

These are not new words I say to you,

But a new depth, and a new height,

I love you, Tammy Jo

Happy Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2011

Ron Simpson, Jr.

27 weeks

2011-02-13T07:56:00.002-05:00

the interference of work

2011-02-04T18:50:00.001-05:00

Today brings to an end my fifth week at work. It has interfered with my keeping you posted about my daily challenges and triumphs. Trust me, they still come. Because of work, they are different, but still challenges and still triumphs.

When I worked before in the construction industry, lunch was generally something cold, easily packed, and not very good for you nutritionally speaking. It was usually a sandwich of some sort and a bag of chips. When I worked in factories. doing construction, we would utilize the factories cafeteria, which offered many unhealthy temptations as well. Now, that is not to say that you cannot eat healthy and work construction, I just never did.

That was one of my fears on this job.

Fortunately, the hospital cafeteria has a small salad bar. It does offer lettuce and spinach leaf; with shredded cheese usually; carrots half the time; broccoli most of the time; boiled eggs most of the time; cubed ham and/or turkey sometimes; and a light dressing (usually ranch) all the time.

The problem is that the other choices, less healthy (not necessarily unhealthy) and more calories are usually cheaper.

I try to stick with my morning drink (190 calories, 25g carbs, 10g protein) and a salad at lunch. Every now and then (but it got to be too often so I stopped) I will have biscuit, gravy, scrambled eggs, and two slices of bacon. Sometimes for lunch i will do the turkey burger, but it tries to pull this french fries in with it, so i am careful.

So, I have learned to eat right even when eating wrong is so readily available.

Work does interfere with my morning walks. I used to walk about 8AM for a few miles. Now, at 8AM I have already been working for an hour. To compensate for it though, I wear my pedometer at work. So far, I am walking (at work) about 25 to 30 miles a week. It is not the same as walking a straight 2 to 3 miles in the morning, but much of my walking at work is between buildings, so it does stretch out to several half mile walks and a lot of less than half mile walks. Still, walking is walking and calorie burning is calorie burning.

All in all, i have adjusted.

Now, I just need to catch up on my blogging.

Nearing 6 months

2011-01-30T16:04:00.001-05:00

6 months ago, before I changed my life, I was wearing pants with a 60 inch waist.

Today, 5 months, 3 weeks later, I put on a pair of pants with a 44 inch waist, and they fit just fine.

The last time I wore pants this size was around the time my youngest (biological) daughter was born. That was late in 1987. Twenty-three years ago, I left size 44 behind. Today, I welcomed it back.

I am 10 pounds away from losing 100 pounds. I am 40 pounds from my one year goal.

Six months ago, I walked with a cane. Last week, for work, I walked 28.6 miles. No cane !

While, literally, my life is much lighter than it was, it is much lighter emotionally as well. I never fully knew the impact my extra weight was having on my life. Looking back, I can just begin to see how far I have come. There is more to come, and more to go in the future.

planning the 100 pound party

2011-01-28T16:00:00.000-05:00

Nearly six months in, i never thought I would be working on the plans for the '100 pounds lost' party. Yet, here we are, 90 pounds lost in five and a half months. I should hit the 100 pound mark by the end of February.

I am amazed at how this change has gone. God has blessed my efforts greater than I could have imagined. My BMI has dropped from 53.2 to 39.5. My BMR has dropped from over 4000 to just over 2000. My hips and waist have dropped nearly 30 inches.

I am humbled and blessed by the work He has done and is doing through my efforts.

If you are in or near Lexington Kentucky at the end of February, stop by for the celebration !!

Crazy Week

2011-01-22T09:29:00.001-05:00

This week was crazy at work and with the weather.

Weather-wise, we started out with snow and ended up with more snow. Thursday evening saw a rapid snowfall of about 3 to 4 inches. Friday's commute to work was on half lane to quarter lane roads. Still, to work I drove and arrived safely (thanks, Lord.)

I got a new pedometer last weekend and wore it at work this week to get a better idea of how much walking my work day entails. Including the 4.5 miles I walked on Monday (Holiday/no work) I walked 27.2 miles this week. I told my wife I had walked a marathon! She told me she didn't think the idea of a marathon was to walk it in one week. I told her that she could walk a marathon her way and I would walk it my way (laughing.)

This mornings weigh-in yielded a total weight loss in 5.5 months of 90 pounds.

90 pounds !!!!

I weigh 260 pounds! The last time I remember weighing in this general area was when I weighed 250 when my youngest daughter was born. She turned 23 in October.

I actually had on a pair of pants recently that were 44 inch waist. The were a bit snug, but not choking my waist. When I started I had a pair of 60 inch waist pants hanging in my closet. For now, I am mostly wearing 46's for the comfort of the loose waist. I am probably in the middle (45) as far as what would fit me just right.

I have adjusted to the increased calories needed since I have returned to work. I am still giving my body enough to work well and function properly, without adding weight.

And, at the end of this crazy, cold, snowy, walking week, I am 90 pounds lighter than when i began.

I like it!

week two closing

2011-01-14T14:53:00.003-05:00

Week two at work is coming to a close. It has been a busy week and a sore feet week as well. The weight progress continues though, unabated by the including of a 40 hour work week.

This morning, marking the near close of my 23rd week of modifications to my diet and exercise, brought new results via the scale. My net weight loss for the 23 weeks is 88 pounds. My waist has shrunk 13 inches since I began.

I figure I walk about 2 to 3 miles a day at work, so, although my usual morning walks have been relegated to weekends only, my miles walked has continued to climb. Yesterday, I surpassed the 200 mile mark in miles walked.

When I started, the task of losing 130 pounds seemed quite daunting. however, now, with the weight of 88 pounds behind me, pushing me to continue, the journey keeps getting easier. I still remain vigilant so as not to slide back into old habits. it is so easy to do.

Onward and less-ward ..

Work week one down.

2011-01-08T09:40:00.003-05:00

This week I went back to work after being off work since June 2008. My work for most of my life has been a physical type of work. I worked as an electrician in the construction field. Before my recent stint with unemployment I was working in the electrical field, but in the teaching end of it. That was not nearly as physical as the field work I had done for most of my life. I began teaching in December, 2004. So, it would be safe to say that this week’s physical work activity is the most I have done in work in six years.

Five months ago, I could not have done this.

Five months ago, I was an out of shape fat man. My wife said I had the activity level of a garden slug (hurtful, but true.)

Some of you have been reading me for a while, but for those that are newly joining my journey, let me catch you up.

August 9: I changed my life. Eating ruled my life and when I changed my eating, I changed my life.

August 16: I changed my physical activity level. I walked with a cane, when and only when, I deemed walking absolutely necessary. Arthritis in my back and weight related pain in my knees and ankles kept me chair bound for the most part. It was not just the pain, but my unwillingness to endure it to work through it. I started walking for exercise.

January 3: This was my first day at a new job. I am working on the construction team for a local university medical center. On that first day, I walked nearly five miles. Some of this was trips I wouldn't have to make daily, but it also included some walking that will be a daily requirement. By the end of the week, that total would be over fifteen miles.

I experienced a new thing this week as well.

While being off, my main exercise was my walking. I did other things, but not in the form of exercise. My work around the house was limited. My calorie intake was usually between 1000 and 1100 calories per day. This gave me no problems. It was enough to fuel me daily.

Tuesday, around ten-thirty in the AM, I was working with one of the other electricians on a project, when I began to notice some odd sensations. I had stomach pains and got nauseated. I know this is not odd in as much as there has been a cold or virus thing running around between Tammy and the kids. I figured it was just part of that.

Then, shortly thereafter, I began to get a euphoric feeling. It was a feeling of being slightly disconnected to my surroundings. I felt light-headed and, what I can only imagine is, high (I have never been high before.) I excused myself to go to the restroom. There, I called my medical expert, Tammy. She correctly told me it was my sugar level. It was too low.

I went to the vending machines and got a three musketeers bar. After eating it, most of the symptoms subsided. I ate lunch within the hour (Oven Roasted Chicken breast sub from Subway®.) After lunch, all the symptoms were gone.

The energy burned while working was far more than the energy burned while walking and being at home. My walk was an hour of energy consumption. This was eight hours a day of energy consumption.

To fix this, I add 8 ounces of orange juice to my morning drinking. I usually have a 24 ounce diet Dew® in the mornings. When it is about half gone, I add the orange juice to the remainder. (Orange juice is one of the main ingredients in Diet Mountain Dew.) I sip this as the morning progresses. Since Tuesday, there have been no more issues with low sugar.

One of the things I have maintained all along with this is that this is what works for me. It may not work for you. It stopped working somewhat, when my activity level changed drastically. This required a change in what I do as far as eating is concerned. You have to do what works for you and what you like doing. If it doesn't work or you don’t like it, you won’t continue it.

I still love food as much as I ever did. I just love it in smaller portions. I love it in healthier choices.

And, when it is necessary, I adjust. My calorie intake has risen to 1200 to 1300 a day in light of the new needed energy level. It will take a while for my brain to see this as OK, but it will come.

Sorry for the novel-ette, but it has been a while since I blogged.

Back to work

2011-01-03T21:36:00.000-05:00

Monday was my first day back at work in over two years.

It was an interesting day. I wore my pedometer because I was going to miss my morning walk. I had to go to the parking office to get a pass for parking in the employee lots. It was a good little drive, but I decided to walk. Then there was the walk to the security office to get a badge. Then I had to walk back to the truck to get the second paper and back to the security office. Add a walk to the clinic for a TB test, and then back to the office, and then to the hospital to actually work, and by the days end, I had walked over 4 miles and 9200 steps.

Apparently it was a slow day.

And .. I did manage to maintain my new eating plan ..

All I can say is .. Amazing

2011-01-01T09:39:00.000-05:00

It has been an amazing 4.5 months.

August 9th, I began a journey. I wasn't sure how it would go but I did have a destination in mind. I decided that, in one year, I wanted to go from 350 pound to 220 pounds. I picked 52 weeks to lose 130 pounds. This would require me to lose 2.5 pounds a week (on average.) I wasn't sure I could do it, but i was sure I couldn't continue as i had to that point.

Most of my jeans were size 58" waist and snug. I did have one pair of navy blue work pants that were a size 60" waist. they fit, but were a little bit loose. My 3XL shirts fit snugly and 4XL's were loose. Since i don't care much for tight fitting clothes, I was a 60" waist, 4XL kind of guy.

It has been 20 weeks since I started. By the numbers:

It has been 38.5 percent of the time I chose. 20/52 weeks

I have lost 60 percent of my goal weight loss. 78pounds/130 pounds

I have lost 23 percent of my total body weight (from 350 to 272.)

My pants have dropped in size from a 60" waist to the 46" waist pants I wear today.

My Shirts have dropped in size from 4XL to 2XL.

My collared dress shirts have dropped from 20 inch necks that I couldn't button to 17.5 inch necks that are loose.

My BMI has dropped from 53.2 to 41.4.

One week into the change, I began walking. In the 19 weeks since, i have walked over 175 miles for my health. i only count the miles I walk exclusively for exercise and not my normal day to day walking (which has increased as well.)

When I look back over the last 4 to 5 months, all I can say is .. amazing.

I give thanks to God and my family for their wonderful support.

2011 looks to be a better year as far as my health is concerned.

Let's see where we can go !!

Because you asked ...

2010-12-29T16:54:00.006-05:00

Before: This was about 3 years ago .. and about the size I was when I began in August

After: This was taken today, December 29, 2010

The Hill .. revisited

2010-12-28T11:28:00.001-05:00

Way back in September, when this walking thing was still new and in its infancy, I tackled a hill that caused me to question whether I was sane or not. Back then, walking over a mile in one trip was still new. This hill was long and steep. It was an uphill battle (literally.)

Today, four months into my walking habit, I tackled it again.

The last time, I thought my legs were going to revolt and find a new, less abusive body to which to be attached. This time, my legs never made a peep. They quietly went along for the walk.

Here are some shots I took on this trip:

This is at the bottom looking up the hill. I was going to be on that bridge crossing the street soon.

This is looking down the hill back toward the house. Take that, hill!

These are shot entering the cemetery and walking around it.

This is the back row of the left side of the cemetery looking into town (on the left side of the road)

This is from the top of the bridge seen crossing the road in the first picture. This is looking back toward the house.

This is a sign inside the cemetery

It was just a little over 2 miles to, around, and back from the cemetery, but it was a great walk. The air was crisp and clean. It was 16° and sunny. I loved it.

Another new size !!!

2010-12-27T08:17:00.001-05:00

I guess I should be used to wearing new sizes, after all, I was often buying bigger sizes before. Since I changed my philosophy about eating, I have also saw a decrease in sizes as well. You would think the thrill would be gone, or at least somewhat diminished, but NO!

This morning while getting dressed, I notice a pair of khaki's that my daughter gave me. She found them while cleaning out some clothes at her house. I was wearing around a 50 waist at that time and these were 46's. She gave them to me instead of putting them in her donate or yard sale bag. I tried them on when she gave them to me and they were way too small.

A couple weeks ago, TJ and I were at a thrift store (great idea for shopping if you are changing sizes consistently) and she found a pair of pants that were 48's. I told her they would never fit, but she insisted I try them on. I did, just to amuse her. Oh my gosh, they fit.

well, as I said, this morning I noticed the size 46's while getting dressed and decided to see how far I needed to go to fit into them. To my shock and utter delight, they fit !!

The worst part of it was that I was the only one out of bed at the time and had to stifle my delight because I didn't want wake TJ up to tell her.

Rest assured, as soon as her eyes were open, I told her.

A new Size !!!!

August 8 ............. size 60

December 27 ...... size 46

A new love for holiday eating

2010-12-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Before, the holidays were excuses (as if I needed one) to overeat. I would pile my plate full of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. I would eat until I was more than full and then lapse into post holiday dinner coma.

Now, the holiday are just a part of my new eating philosophy. Having learned how to eat less (yes, it is a learned behavior,) I enjoy my dinners much more. I can still eat full and robust holiday meal and keep the calorie demon in check.

Eat more turkey than ham. Both have plenty of protein, but the turkey is lower in calories. Eat more green beans than mashed potatoes. Green beans are only 34 calories a cup. A good half cup serving is only 17 calories. Eat more corn then stuffing. Corn is only 40 calories per half cup. Go light on the bread and deviled eggs. Go small on the baked mac and cheese.

I stay away from the deserts, but if i were to eat some, it would be a small sliver of pie or cake. All my mouth wants is the taste, and I can get the taste with much less and slower eating.

My dinner at Christmas was 707 calories. My dinner at Thanksgiving was 692 calories. Both days, the total calories were under 1100.

I love eating my favorite holiday treats, much less and therefore, much more.

And .. easy to fix leftovers for lighter meals .. yesss !

surprisingly lower than I thought

2010-12-22T07:59:00.000-05:00

TJ was running all over three towns yesterday and called me to tell me that if I planned on eating supper, I had better get busy cooking.

Cooking and I are well acquainted.

I went downstairs to the kitchen to rummage for cooking fodder. I found many frozen packs of chicken in the freezer, but I am more partial to pork. Further rummaging yielded the object of my search, pork tenderloin. I also found some frozen vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, yellow and orange carrots.)

Then, it was off to the pantry to find other cooking fodder. I found a jar of diced sweet vidalia onions and peppers, balsamic vinegar, a can of diced tomatoes, and a jar of marinated mushrooms. Things are looking up.

I sprayed the casserole dish with canola cooking spray and added a dash of olive oil. I added the diced tomatoes and laid the sliced pork tenderloin on top of them. I sliced several of the mushrooms and added them to the top. Then I added part of the vidalia onions. Next, I diced up some green pepper slices and added that as well. i finished with a splash of the balsamic vinegar. I covered it and stuck it in the oven to bake (350° for 35 minutes.)

The frozen vegetables from the freezer were put in a microwave safe bowl; about 3 tablespoons of water were added; and it was put aside for a moment.

Out of the fridge, I produced a can of buttermilk biscuits. I added them to a glass dish. I melted margarine and added garlic powder to that. I spooned it over the unbaked biscuits just enough to wet the tops of the biscuits. Into the oven that went.

The vegetables went into the microwave for about 6 minutes.

The biscuits were just browning on the top when I took them out and spooned the rest of the garlic butter mixture over them and added some shredded cheese. They went back into the over for a few more minutes.

The vegetables in the microwave finished (ding!) The biscuits were done and the cheese was melted. The pork came out of the oven .

One 3 oz tenderloin, about three-quarter cup of the steamed vegetables, and one cheesy garlic biscuit, made the meal. It was a wonderful combination, each part complimented the other parts. And, it was under 400 calories for the meal.

Delicious.

Nutritious.

And finished in time for us to make it to church for Bible Study (albeit 5 minutes late.)

The weekend comes and goes

2010-12-20T07:58:00.000-05:00

Here it is Monday again. The cycle continues.

The weekend was busier than others, possibly, but not as busy as some.

Schools had been closed for a couple days prior to the weekend. There was snow and ice to contend with. We didn’t do a lot of traveling, Thursday or Friday. For at least one of those days TJ’s oldest son and his wife and son were at the house. The water was frozen at their place. Thursday, I didn’t get to walk. Friday, I walked about a mile and a half.

Saturday arrives. I walk about a mile and a quarter in the cold, snow, and ice.

We have plans for Saturday evening. There was a meeting at a restaurant in the town where I graduated some 35 years ago for graduates of said high school (Woodford County High School.)

There was a reunion in July for all classmates graduating from 1970 to 1980. I was there, having graduated in 1975. I was there at 350 pounds and walking with a cane. Saturday, I weighed 275 and walked without the cane for some time now. Several of the attendees of the first reunion were going to be there and some of them keep up with me on Facebook®. One, in particular, said he wanted to see the new skinnier me.

We went to the restaurant after dropping the youngest boy off at the oldest boys house, where the water flows freely now. I was cautious about eating at restaurants that I didn’t know, but was also confident that I could eat a salad anywhere and be fine.

It was great seeing old friends that I had recently become reacquainted with and catching up on what I was doing, or not doing, as the case may be. I did eat chicken tenders and green beans. Although it is possible, it is hard to go wrong with green beans. Someone at the table said, “As long as they aren’t cooked in bacon fat or something like that.” I responded, “Oh, you mean, any green beans cooked in Kentucky.” Still, it was a good time and not as calorie filled as I feared. The food was good and the company was great.

Sunday was as busy as Sunday’s usually are. I, accidentally, slept in. I did get up before the alarm, but I usually get up a couple hours before the ‘Gotta Get Up’ alarm. I wake up early and go for my walk. The alarm is the get up and get ready for church alarm. So, there was no morning walk for Sunday. Being up later and feeling rushed caused me to walk out the door without grabbing my usual morning breakfast drink.

There was nowhere to stop and get one without pushing us farther behind schedule, so, no breakfast was the way. Church was good. Then we visited a bit and came on home. I had a salad for lunch, and then a grocery run. After that, I went to Lexington for church where my mother attends. It was also a good time and great to visit with mom and two of my four sisters. One was in Ohio and one was snowed in.

I was going to stop on my way home and grab a bite. However, everyplace seemed unappealing, so I made it home without stopping. I knew there were leftovers available at home.

Both days, Saturday and Sunday were low calories days. I mean ‘lower than I like’ calorie days. I know I need to take in a good amount of calories to make my body work right. I know I need to eat enough to convince my body to let loose of some fat. Saturday was only 739 calories, and Sunday was 884 calories, by virtue of the missing breakfast (190 calories.)

I must do better for my body and my health.

Monday has started well. I had a 2.35 mile walk this morning. I did my 180 calories breakfast drink (vanilla instead of chocolate, hence the 10 calorie difference.) My lunch was a salad @ 183 calories. A good supper and an apple for snack and I should be over 1000 calories for the day. My goal is a bit higher. I am working on finding more calorie rich foods that will not overfill me. If I get satisfied, I will stop.

My monthly average is 1005 calories a day right now. My average calories for the length of this ‘diet’ are about 1025 per day.

We will see what tomorrow will bring,

Oh, yes, I have lost 75 pounds now.

A walk .. with pictures

2010-12-15T12:17:00.001-05:00

It was another 3° walk this morning. I was bundled up well and had the important parts of my body covered to minimize wind exposure. (gloves, hat, scarf)

Here are some of the shot I took along my 1.75 mile walk:

About half to three quarter mile from the house

Another shot .. backed away a bit

Along the second half .. probably a half mile from home

Another shot .. looking down the bridge to town

From the bridge .. overlooking the creek

Fair trade

2010-12-10T15:21:00.002-05:00

This morning I went for my usual morning walk. I say it is my usual walk except for the fact that my walk changes daily. I try to take different routes each day to keep the walking fresh. I do have several favorite routes that I repeat, but not generally day after day after day. This morning was the Locust St to Queen St, to Camargo Rd, to Locust St at Bank St, to Richmond Ave, turn and come back home route. It covered 2.35 miles and took me 47 minutes.

Then, Tammy had a follow up visit to the doctor to see how surgery helped or didn’t, and to see where to go from here. Afterwards, we went to a consignment shop, and then had lunch at the brand new Waffle House here in town. We had talked about it the day before. It just opened this week.

I had the 5 ounce strip steak, with eggs over medium, hash browns with onions and tomatoes, and toast. I had water to drink. As near as I can tell, by the internet info I gathered and the portions I ate, my lunch was 564 calories. This was in contrast to my usual lunches of 275 to 360 calories. It was somewhere between 200 to 300 calories more than my regular lunch fare.

After lunch, Tammy had to go to the hospital for x-rays. I stayed home and worked on some writing She told me she was going to stop by the library on her way home and wanted to know if I wanted her to come by and get me. I told her I had already planned to walk to the library while she was gone, so I would meet her there.

I decided to walk around the longer way to the library. The direct walk there is a half mile. I put my books to be returned in my backpack and headed out after a while. I walked past the library (truck was not there yet) and on down toward the bypass to a known turning point and back to the library. She was outside when I got there, so my timing was good. I returned my books and checked out a couple more. She was still browsing, so I told her I would walk on home. She pulled into the driveway as I crossed the street to the house.

The entire walk was 1.9 miles and took about 40 minutes of actual walking time. Between the two walk, I covered 4.25 miles and burned 574 calories.

So, I walked off 10 calories more than my lunch added.

Not a bad trade at all.

On the border of CrazyTown

2010-12-09T20:25:00.003-05:00

I am not sure I am only on the border anymore.

12° on my morning walk on Tuesday, and I still went for my walk. The wind chill was -6°.

7° on my morning walk on Wednesday, and, once again, I still go for my morning walk. I have no idea what the wind chill was, or even if there was one. It was a fairly calm morning.

12° this morning, and I am bundling up for another morning walk. Today's wind chill, according to the local weatherman is 4°.

I always knew I would go crazy one day, but I never knew I would be crazy about walking. I especially never figured I would be crazy enough to be out walking in this weather.

I have always worked in this weather. For most of my adult life I have worked in the construction industry and that generally required some outside work even in the harshest conditions. I recall working on a scaffold 30 feet in the air with the winds blowing off the river in Canton, Ohio, with the temperature being only -6°, but, that was for money.

This is different. No-one is paying me to be out there this morning.

Well, I guess that isn't exactly true. What drives me (or pays me if you prefer) is stepping on the scales after four months and seeing it read 72 pounds lighter. What pushes me out the door is the feeling of much more energy than I have had in a long long time. What moves me past the pain in my heels (tendonitis) is the near erasure of the constant pain in my back, knees, and ankles. There are as many reasons to go walking in this near zero cold weather as there are days I am adding to my life and the life I am adding to my days.

So, I am off to don the official uniform of a crazytown walker.

two pair of sweats .. check

two long sleeved t-shirts .. check

one pull over wind-breaker type jacket .. check

one pair of jersey cotton gloves .. check

one toboggan .. check

one muffler style scarf .. check

one pair of walking shoes .. check

cell phone for emergency .. check

Ipod for Bible or music listening .. check

crazy idea that this will change my life .. CHECK !

UPDATE ..

Didn't do my walk as intended .. had to run to son's place to fix electric and take his wife to appointment .. walked 2.2 miles in Winchester before working on his place .. Temp was almost up to 20° by then ..

The Question Answered

2010-12-03T14:28:00.001-05:00

A friend asked me what I was doing to lose weight.

Why do people ask such questions and expect one line answers?

Ask me what I did to gain up to 350 pounds and the answer is not one line either.

Losing weight is simple. Burn more than you eat or eat less than you burn.

That is the short and simple answer.

What am I doing to lose weight? I am burning more than I eat or eating less than I burn.

Now, the nuts and bolts of how I am losing weight goes like this:

I started August 9th. I have lost 65 pounds in 16 weeks. Now, that is definitely not typical. Typical is about 2 pounds a week.

What I eat:

Breakfast is always a slim-fast chocolate drink: 190 calories, 10 grams of protein. I usually drink it after my morning walk of 2 or more miles

Lunch varies.

Sometimes it is a salad (usually in the 275 to 325 calorie range.) My salads consist of lettuce, broccoli, onion, radish, carrot, red and green peppers, boiled egg, shredded cheese, and a fat free Italian dressing.

Other times, it is a sub from subway: 350 to 360 calories. I get the turkey and ham, or chicken breast, or club, all with pepper jack cheese, includes everything except pickles.

Supper is anything I want, just in moderation. My suppers are usually in to 500 calorie range (which is a lot of food to me now, veggies=low calories) steak, pork tenderloin, chicken, fish, even pasta.

We never were big on frying things, fried chicken on occasion, but not much else.

Snacks consist of several things: fruit (apple is 81 calories, banana is around 80 to 100 depending on size .. peach and/or pear cups are 70 to 80 calories,) yogurt cup: 100 calories, baked chips and salsa (salsa is only 5 calories per tbsp.).

I also have a jug-o-fireballs. I have one of them about every third day or so, only 35 calories.

(The big Hershey’s chocolate bars are only 40 calories per square.)

The key to losing is to burn more calories or take in less, or a combination of both. For me, walking 2 miles in 40 minutes burns just over 300 calories. It would be more or less for others because of individual weight, higher or lower.

You burn about 10% of the calories you take in by chewing and digesting. Then you burn calories just by living, heart beating, lungs working, blood pumping, ect..

You can find out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate - number of calories you burn by doing nothing) at http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/. Then you multiply your BMR by how active you are and it tells you how many calories to take in to maintain your current weight.

A pound is 3500 calories. Cut out 500 calories a day or burn 500 more calories a day, and you will lose 1 pound in one week.

My BMR is about 2344. Then my activity level brings the calorie count up to 3345 to 3633 calories a day. (You will find this using the Harris-Benedict Equation. The link is on the same page as the BMR calculator.) According to this, I should take in 3300 to 3600 calories a day to keep my weight where it is. I take in about 1100. Using the figures from this site, I should take in 23100 calories per week. I take in 7700, leaving a 13400 calories deficit. Divide that by 3500 and you get 4.4 pounds per weeks. 4.4 pounds times 16 weeks is 70 pounds. I have lost 65 pounds, so it is close.

That is the nuts and bolts.

What one line answer did you want?

me .. 65 pounds lighter

2010-12-01T18:31:00.001-05:00

Major Milestone Achieved

2010-11-30T15:34:00.001-05:00

August 8, 2010:

I decide that enough is enough. I weigh in at 350 pounds. This is not the heaviest I have been (weighed in once at the DR office at 362) but it is heavy enough. I told TJ (Wife) that I wanted to change the way I eat. I realize that I need to change everything about my eating habits. I eat wrong. I eat at the wrong times. I eat the wrong things. I eat the wrong amounts. I eat for the wrong reasons. That changes August 9th, the first full day of my new life.

I plan to lose 130 pounds in 12 months.

August 15, 2010:

After one week on the modified eating plan, I have lost 12 pounds and decide it is time to up the ante. I need to increase my activity. I decide it is time to start walking. Up to this point I have walked for a while with a cane and then only when I deemed walking to be entirely necessary. You know, there is usually someone that will get that for you, or go into the store for you, or do the errand for you. While being helpful, my wife and kids enabled my excuses. I put excuses behind and take a walk around the block. It is one/third of a mile. It took me 20 minutes and I came home breathing hard and sweating.

August, September, October, and November:

The distance I walked on my daily walk increases. I usually do 2 miles but have had days of nearly 4 miles. November 11, I pass the 100 miles walked for exercise mark.

My daily calorie intake has dropped over 70%, from over 3500 to around 1050 calories.

Today:

It has been 113 days since I changed my life, literally.

My waist has gone from 58 inches to 47.5 inches.

My hips have gone from 60 inches to 48.5 inches.

My BMI has gone from 53.2 to 43.3.

One hundred thirteen days and my weight has dropped from 350 pounds to 285 pounds. I have lost 65 pounds. That is half of the 130 pounds I plan to lose.

Sixteen weeks and one day and I have lost 22 inches from my waist and hips. Even my wedding ring is nearly too large for my fingers. My face is smaller. My feet are smaller. I can bend over and touch the floor again.

This is the new me.

Today, I am half way to the me I will be again!

Thanksgiving success

2010-11-26T17:49:00.001-05:00

It was a great thanksgiving, for which I am grateful.

I didn't go over in my calories and enjoyed practically all of my holiday favorites. I had: Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Green Beans, Corn, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, and Baked Mac-n-Cheese. I had them all in moderation.

My weekly calories prior to T-Day were:

Friday - 1149

Saturday - 1019

Sunday - 1013

Monday - 1117

Tuesday - 890

Wednesday - 707

And, my calories for Thanksgiving Day .. 1022

The average calorie intake for the seven days including Thanksgiving is 988 calories a day. The daily average for the month of November (so far) is 1015 calories a day. (Now, before you fuss .. I am being supervised by my doctor and she is good with my calorie intake as long as everything keeps functioning properly.)

I can't really say that I was concerned about overeating yesterday. I knew my new eating discipline would prevail. (Although, it did look like a lot of food on the plate.)

I did stay away from all the pies. There were (and still are to some degree) apple, cherry, pecan, and pumpkin pies. I will, at some point this week/weekend have a small slice of pie, but even then it will be much less than my last years normal eating.

Let me be the first to say, I don't feel I have given up anything in this new eating plan. I still eat the things I love. I eat them with a new moderation, but I still eat what I like. I think one of the biggest downfalls in dieting is the idea that you have to give up the foods you love. It is not necessarily true.

My favorite sandwich is simple and loaded with fat and calories. It is a bologna and cheese sandwich with Miracle Whip and onions. I used to eat them many times for lunch. Unfortunately, I would normally eat two of them, to the whopping calories total of well over 1000 calories. I don't do that now. One sandwich, on thinner bread, eaten every now and then.

We cook better. We use lighter substitutes. We don't compromise taste. We cook lighter and eat less.

It was a greatly successful Thanksgiving Day.

I hope yours was as well.

And .. my weigh-in for today .. 288 pounds .. down one more pound

What? A new size ?

2010-11-16T09:16:00.000-05:00

OK, so most of my pants don't fit anymore. I still have a few pair that I can wear. Some of them only bunch up a little under my belt. I posted recently that I found a pair of khaki's in the closet that I looked at and said to myself, "Those will never fit." They were waist size 50. A couple hangers over were another pair of pants that I used to wear that were a waist size 60.

Just to see how much farther i had to go, I tried on the 50's. To my shock, I didn't have to go any farther. They fit!

Yesterday, my wife was at a local buy out store. They buy out lots from stores that are overstock or closeout merchandise. She called me to tell me they had some black St John's Bay dress slacks for $2 and asked if I wanted a couple pair. Well, I do need pants and $2 was a great buy. I told her yes. She said they had 50's and 48's. I told her to get me the 50's as it was what I was wearing.

She came home with two pair; one size 50 and one size 48. I figured I could wear the 50's and work on fitting into the 48's. I tried on the 50's. They fit just fine, but I do have to hem them.

So, I tried on the 48's to see how close I was to fitting into them.

Oh My Gosh !! They fit ?!?!?!

I fit into a waist size 48 pants for the first time in I can't remember.

Let the good times roll !

Late Weigh-in

2010-11-15T13:50:00.003-05:00

I didn't get the opportunity to weigh in this weekend as we were busy and didn't visit mom's house. I use her scale for several reasons; a few of those being, it is a DR type scale, it is where I weighed when I began, and it is far enough away to prevent me from obsessing and weighing every day.

So, this weekend's weigh-in was pushed back until today.

The results of the weighing are that I lost another 2 pounds last week. This brings my total weight loss to 61 pounds in 14 weeks. I have gone from 350 pounds on August 8 to 289 pounds on November 15.

I can not even begin to catalog all the changes that losing 61 pounds brings. Someone asked me if it felt better being this much lighter. I had to say yes, but, I feel better in ways I wasn't aware that I felt bad.

When you gain weight slowly, you grow accustomed to the limitations and restrictions gradually. Sure, you notice the big differences. You notice how hard it is to get up and out. you notice how much more effort it takes to do things. You notice how clothes fit tighter or how you have to buy bigger sizes.

However, there are changes you don't notice because they happen so gradually, or it isn't something you do all the time.

There are changes in how long you can stand before pain makes you sit. There are numerous endurance limit changes.

I notice now how I can stand for much longer periods without having to sit down. I notice how I am not constantly shifting my weight from one leg to the next to be comfortable. I notice I walk down steps one step at a time instead of making half steps. (This is where you bring a foot down to one step and then the other foot to the same step, and repeat.)

I notice I don't hurt as much. I don't breath as hard. I don't snore as loud (well, I didn't notice that one. I was told.)

So, yes, it does feel much better. It feels better in ways that will only be evident as I encounter them, but, encounter them, I will.

289 !!

100 miles

2010-11-11T10:15:00.001-05:00

August 8th, I was 350 pounds. It was not the heaviest I had been, but it was plenty heavy enough. I decided to change my life.

August 17, one week into my new lifestyle, I decided that walking would be good for me. Later that evening (11ish) I took off for a walk around the block. Firstly, I live in a small town (pop. 5600,) so; it was safe to be out walking around that late at night. Secondly, it was just 1/3 of a mile.

It took me 20 minutes. Yes, I was walking at the blazing speed of one mile per hour. Oh yeah, it wore me out as well.

August 18, I did it again, albeit much earlier. August 19, I did it three times that day and reached my first mile walking day.

By the end of August, I had walked one 1.8 mile day and had walked 9.75 miles for exercise. I only count the walking I do specifically for exercise.

By the end of September, I had walked a personal best day of 3.28 miles and had walked 43.78 miles that month and achieved a 53.53 mile total.

By the end of October, I had walked a personal best day of 3.9 miles and had walked 41.25 miles that month and achieved a 95.05 mile total.

November started out badly for walking. As you may have read in the previous post, I didn’t walk but one day in the first week. Yesterday, I was determined to get back into the flow of walking. I walked 1.4 miles on Wednesday. Today, I walked 2.4 miles. This brought my total miles, in one week shy of three months, to 100.67 miles walked.

Now, my brother is a runner. He runs 5 to 7 miles a day. Some days he runs 10 or more. He is preparing for a marathon. 100 miles is a couple weeks to him. But, for me, it is a major thing. I was not a walker or runner. Now, I did run in high school, but that was decades ago. (35 years to be exact.)

So, just endure me while I celebrate reaching the 100 mile walking milestone.

Yip yip yippeeeeee !

getting back on track

2010-11-10T12:56:00.000-05:00

The last seven days have been rather hectic and detrimental to exercising. There have been Doctor visits, hospital stays, surgery, son's wedding planning, daughter's moving, and car selling. Yeah, seems like an average week. In the seven day stretch, I managed to get in one hour of walking.

This morning started out trying to be busy (son-in-law issues) but I was determined. I walked 1.66 miles, including a stop at the courthouse to file the marriage license from last nights wedding.

I hate when I don't get to walk.

I never thought I would be one of those. You know who they are. You see them out all hours of the morning, throughout the day, and even late in the evenings. You see them in their walking suits or jogging suits. You see them walking, oblivious to the weather and other distractions. you see their headphones in as they go along. They are the 'walkers'. I never thought I would be inducted into their tribe.

Yet, there I am, in the morning, putting on my walking pants and tightening up my walking shoes. I am checking the battery in my mp3 player (I listen to the Bible as I walk.) I am checking the time to know how long it took me to walk my walk. I am making sure I have my phone for emergencies. I am checking off the list.

Phone ............... check
MP3 ....................check
Key .....................check
Sunglasses ........check

So far, my longest walks have been in the 3 to 4 mile ranges, which takes me 60 to 80 minutes. No extra hydration needed on my walks. I am, however, on the lookout for the dreaded 'fanny-pack' for the time when my walks grow to longer distances and times that might require some additional H2O.

So, today, determination in hand, I got back to the walks.

59 pounds and the next wall to fall

2010-11-07T08:33:00.001-05:00

My latest weigh-in yielded the results of 59 pounds lost in 13 weeks. That is astounding to me. As I have said in the past, I wish this was the hardest thing I have ever done, so I would have an excuse for not doing it 20 years ago, but it isn't. It has been easy for the most part. The hardest part, probably, was coming to the place where I said I was going to do it.

I have gone from my starting point of 350 pounds (not my heaviest) to today's weight of 291 pounds.

The next wall to fall:

I was in my closet looking for clothes to wear a couple days ago. All my jeans and slacks fit me if I don't mind holding the extra 6 inches of waist material while I walk. Or, if I don't mind 6 inches or more of material bunched up under my belt. I did find one pair of khaki's that looked (in my eyes estimation) to be way too small. I checked the size and the tag read '50 waist'. "There is no way these will fit," I told myself.

So, I put them on, and to my amazement, they fit and fit right. A 50 !! No freaking way !!

So, the next wall to fall (since the 300 pound wall fell) is the 50 inch waist wall. I am looking forward to the day when my pants waist size will be in the 40's.

I am leaning against that wall now.

Pushing !!

The Cost of Carelessness

2010-11-02T11:22:00.002-04:00

We were busy yesterday running numerous errands and my wife neglected to lay out anything for supper. This was not that big of an issue, as we did have 'carry out' options available. TJ wanted pizza, so we headed to the local Little Caesar's for some hot and ready pizza.

Now, the local joint doesn't cut their pizza's very well. This is fine as we re-cut them at home and make them a 10 slice pizza instead of an 8 slice pizza. This makes them about 200 calories a slice. The 1/8th slice is still only around 250 calories, which isn't terrible, either.

Well, when I went in to pick up some hot and ready's, I found a large line and an empty pizza holder thingie. Their hot and ready's were neither hot nor ready. The worker told me it was going to be 25 minutes until pizza's were ready. I wasn't in the mood to wait, nor go home and come back, so we went to the Pizza Hut which was about a half block away.

We decided to eat in at the Pizza hut. We ordered the large meat lovers for the three of us. I drank water (I hate paying $2 for a soft drink at restaurants.) Normally, knowing I would be going to a restaurant, I will research the calorie contents to make sure my choices are good, but this was a spur of the moment choice. I assumed the calories would be similar since it was still bread, meat, cheese, and sauce.

WRONG !

The difference was staggering, as I discovered after eating. I had three slices of pizza, thinking I would be in the 600 to 800 calorie range. I had less than 400 calories in the first two meals of the day and figured 800 would be fine. It would put me a little above my average, but still within what i consider acceptable.

1 slice of Pizza Hut's Meat Lovers Pizza is 480 calories !!!

Oh My Gosh !!

In that one meal, I had taken in more calories (1440) than I had taken in on any day (total) in the past three months. The total for the day was 1859 calories.

Sigh .. It is just a one day thing, I tell myself. It was just the result of carelessness. It will not change the fact that I have lost over 50 pounds. It will not change the fact that I am more active and feel better than I have in years. It will not change the fact that I have lost 9 inches in both my waist and my hips.

It will change how I eat in restaurants. I will ask for a nutrition guide before I order if I do not already know the calories and such.

This is much too important to get careless after 12 weeks of hard work.

Viva la revolucion !

Welcome to the new 'me'

2010-10-14T10:11:00.005-04:00

There is an old gospel song that has a line or two in it like this:

"When I look back down the road, where I laid my heavy load, and I'm thankful for the victories I've won. Sometimes I get a thrill, when I look back down the hill, and I see just where the Lord has brought me from."

That may or may not be exactly right, but it is as close as my memory will get me.

This is the tenth week of my changed lifestyle. Some folks like to use the word 'diet' to describe what I am doing. I prefer to think of it as a lifestyle change. When we think of diets, we think of something that is temporary. Of course, that is just what the problem is; most diets are temporary. A person notices they are 10, 20, 50, 100 pounds overweight and they begin a diet to correct it. Once they lose the goal weight, they go off the diet. It has done what it was supposed to do. Then they go back to the lifestyle they had before. That's the problem. Their excess weight was a product of the lifestyle they had before and they have just returned to it. In time, they will gain back the lost weight (and generally more) because they haven't changed their eating habits permanently.

My primary goal and focus of my attention right now is to lose 130 pounds in a year. My goal year began August 8, 2010. I weighed 350 pounds on that day and that was not even the heaviest I have been. It was just what I weighed on that date.

My primary goal is to get my weight back down to 220 pounds.

Here is what I am doing to accomplish this:

• I changed my eating.

• I changed my inactive life.

Allow me to elaborate about the changes.

I changed my eating. This has been a radical change in some ways. Let me first say, I always had healthy eating in my food consumption.

• I didn’t eat a lot of fried foods.

• I didn’t eat a lot of sweets.

• I ate a goodly amount of vegetables.

My problem wasn’t as much what I ate as how much I ate. Even eating healthy foods can be a problem when you eat too much of them. Without actually counting them, my wife estimates I was taking in between 3000 and 3500 calories a day. Those were the calories she saw. There were some days she didn’t see all the things I would eat.

I can tell you this, not as an excuse that I suffer from hypothyroidism. My thyroid tells my brain that I am starving most of the time. I was generally and genuinely hungry most of the time. I am on medication to control it, but the medication cannot control the habits acquired before the problem was diagnosed.

My usual consumption (if eating out fast food) included:

• Wendy’s – 2 singles with cheese and a biggie fry

• McDonalds – a quarter pounder with cheese, a big mac, and large fries

• Taco Bell – 2 beefy 5 layer burritos and a chicken soft ranchero taco

• Burger King – a triple whopper with cheese and a large onion ring

You should be able to see a problem already.

Then, when eating at home, I would have two bologna with cheese sandwiches for lunch and a full supper later, followed by late night snacking. I would sit at the computer and graze all evening. I would open a big bag of chips and eat my way through most of it unconsciously. I would say that 3000 to 3500 calories might have been an optimistic estimate.

Now, on to the non-existent exercise. There isn’t a lot to tell here, since exercise didn’t happen. I walked, when I deemed it absolutely necessary, with a cane. When shopping, I used the cart for support. There was little or no moving around during the day. I have been off work for a while, so there was no going to work and moving there. I worked construction before, but for the four years before becoming unemployed, I was teaching. This entailed moving from the desk to the chalkboard or from the desk in the classroom to the desk in the shop. Again, this was little or no exercise.

That was where I was, on the road, on August 8th, when I decided to change things. There was not a catastrophe in my life. There was not a cataclysmic event that triggered the change. I was visiting a relative in the hospital. He was near 500 pounds and was in the hospital due to an infected port. They had removed the port and were keeping him a few days to insure the infection was under control. He told the hospital that he was dieting so they put him on a low calorie diet plan. He had just finished dinner when I got there to visit. While I was there he had his wife order him a sub sandwich from a local sub shop. In that moment, I saw my future.

At that moment, my lifestyle changed.

I went home that evening, had supper, and didn’t eat anything afterwards. I told my wife that I was changing my eating starting the next day. The truth being told, I started right then. I didn’t snack that evening at all.

I am, in no wise, suggesting that anyone follow my example as far as how much or what they eat. You have to find the plan that works for you. You have to eat in a way that satisfies you or you will not continue. My daily caloric intake dropped from 3500+ to between 900 and 1100 a day. I wish I could tell you that it was the hardest thing I have ever done, but it wasn’t. If it were the hardest thing I had ever done, then I might be able to hang on to my excuses. Compared to the health issues related to gaining and weighing 500 pounds, it was relatively simple.

I have: a slim-fast drink (190 calories) in the morning for protein; a salad (275 to 325 calories) or healthy sub (320 to 360 calories) for lunch; and a moderate supper (whatever I want for around 400 to 600 calories.)

I lose twelve pounds the first week.

Week two began the exercising portion of my life change. I walked around my block. To be fair, the cross streets included a steep incline. However, it was 1/3 of a mile and the first trip took me 20 minutes and almost killed me. I did it without my cane. By the end of the first week, I had logged in 2.96 miles in walking. I know it isn’t a lot to some, but to me, it was 2.96 miles more than I would have walked otherwise. Then, it began to grow.

• Week 2 – 3.29 miles

• Week 3 – 7.71 miles

• Week 4 – 13.33 miles

• Week 5 – 11.27 miles

• Week 6 – 11.04 miles

• Week 7 – 6 miles (had several days with interfering events that prevented walking)

• Week 8 – 7.33 miles (same as above)

Still, even with interfering events, I have walked almost 65 miles since I started walking for exercise. Nine weeks of eating differently, and 8 weeks of moving differently, and I have lost down to 302 pounds. That is an unprecedented 48 pounds. I am two days from this week’s weigh-in, but feel this week may get me down to at least 300, maybe even under it.

Let’s say, for the sake of argument that I do lose 130 pounds in the time I chose. What do I do then? Do I end my diet? Do I end my exercise (I have added some strength training now as well)?

I mean, the diet has done its job. It has accomplished its task. Isn’t it time to discard it?

That would be like throwing away all the work I did to get to my goal weight.

There would be some slight modifications, as my goal would no longer be to lose weight.

I don’t think I could ever go back to the ‘me’ I was before. My new eating plan is just my eating plan now. It isn’t new and it isn’t temporary. My walking plan isn’t new anymore and it isn’t temporary either. It is just part of me now. Eventually, I will run as my weight allows the pressure on my knees. That, when it comes, will just become part of me too.

Welcome to the new me.

Sometimes I get a thrill, when I look back down the hill, and I see just where the Lord has brought me from.

Wedding Anniversary

2010-10-11T13:15:00.001-04:00

Today is my 7th year wedding anniversary.

So far, the day has gone like this:

*Wife had to take daughter to work (60 miles round trip .. unplanned)

*Youngest son starts puking just before he was supposed to leave for school

*I took a 2 mile walk alone (wife planned on walking with me .. see event #1)

*Took sleeper sofa to son's house (another 40 mile round trip)

*Cut out about 15 feet row of hedges (over 6 feet tall .. burned over 500 calories .. Yipee)

*Finally stopped for lunch (healthy salad .. around 300 calories)

Let's see how the rest of this anniversary day goes ..

DR's office .. yeah!

2010-10-01T12:45:00.002-04:00

The DR's office called me yesterday to follow up on my complaint. They were very apologetic and eager to get me in to see my doctor as soon as I could get there. We settled on an 8:40 AM appointment today. It was very different than Tuesday's fiasco.

I arrived on time. I barely got checked in and seated before they were calling me back to the exam rooms. As we were walking back toward the room I would be in, we passed my doctor in the hall. She greeted me, "Hi Ron!" and told me I was next to be seen.

Her nurse checked my vitals and as soon as she left the doctor came in.

We chatted about my diet and the changes I have made for about 25 minutes. She asked all sorts of questions and offered good advice. She, basically, told me that since what I was doing was working, keep it up. She told me what to look for as danger signs if there were going to be problems. There were none of them.

She told me that we needed to recheck my thyroid soon, but since her office lab charges a lot and I am without insurance now, she told me of a local place that charges a lot less, but she couldn't remember the name. She said she would find it and send it to me.

She checked my legs (I do suffer from some edema ... fluid retention) and was very pleased with what she found. She checked my heart and said it sounded great. She checked my breathing and, again, it was great. She checked my blood pressure. She told me that my BP always surprised her. She said, by my size, she always expected it to be high. It was 120/78, which was great. My pulse rate was great.

She checked my glands and remarked that, for the first time, she could get her hands around my throat to check them at the same time. (Good changes.)

We talked about my walking and exercising. I took her a printout (excel spreadsheet) of my daily calories, Carbohydrates, fats, protein, and walking for the past seven and a half weeks. We talked about my meds. I am currently only prescribed meds for my thyroid, but also take an OTC Claritin, a multivitamin, magnesium, and two ibuprofen (for tendonitis in my heels) every morning. She was happy with that.

We talked about her son, her parents, my wife and kids. We talked about singing. (Her office manager told her I complained about the last visit but sang her praises. She told the OM that, in fact, I did sing. She thought it was humorous that the OM used that particular phrase.)

It was a great visit.

After the visit I stopped by mom's to let her know what the DR said and did a 'day early' weigh-in. I won't count it as official until I weigh-in tomorrow while I am in town to get a haircut. But, unofficially, I weighed in at 305 pounds. This brings my total weight loss in 8 weeks to 45 pounds. Unofficially, of course.

Hope your week has been a great one.

Poetry .. Questions

2010-09-13T22:17:00.003-04:00

Questions

If, by inattention

I allowed you to become my life

And then you walked away

If, even by design

I made you my whole life

And then you weren’t there

If, foolishly I guess

I lost myself in the wraps of you

And suddenly you slipped through

If, of late

I took you for granted and leaned too hard

And then you were gone

If, I only saw

The things about you I loved

And then there was something I disliked

If, by some twist of chance

You became my foundation

But you left, in the storm

If, I unwittingly

Became completely dependent

Then you did something unexpected

If, you became my rock

But turned out to be

A rolling stone

If, I made you my comfort

In the darkest of nights

And then couldn't find you in the blackness

If, my laugh

Became tied to your laugh

And then I couldn't hear it

If, my tears

Knew your wiping hand

But then, it wasn't there to stop them

Did you know

How much I let you become

And did it chase you away

Did my life

So entwined with yours

Begin to choke a little

Was I

Too dependent

Too independent

Was I

Too close

Too far away

Was I

Not enough

Too much

Will I

Love again

Trust to love again

Will I

Find another heart

Will I even look

Sigh,

There is no one

To hear my heart

As it continues

To ask the questions

If I

Did I

Was I

Will I

Questions

Ron Simpson, Jr.

September 13, 2010

I think my body is staging a revolt ..

2010-09-13T12:58:00.002-04:00

Last week was a phenomenal week for me in the weight loss arena.

I increased my walking and walked a total of 13.3 miles on my mostly morning walks.

I decreased my calorie intake without trying.

I don't stay hungry like I did before. Part of this is due to a thyroid condition, and part of it was due to a long time habit of eating (grazing) most of the day. I eat my regularly scheduled meals and typically avoid the snacks. Last month, of the 22 days I charted my eating, my snacks averaged 76.1 calories. This month (12 days in) my snacks are averaging 37.1 and in the last 7 days, 15.1 calories.

Yesterday morning, I was up nearly 2 hours before my alarm was set to go off. I was ready to take my 2 mile morning walk. Typically, I walk from my house and go out 1 mile or more and then I walk back. This way, once I have made the first part, I have almost no choice (except for the embarrassing call home .. come get me, honey) but to finish the walk.

Out the door I went with my timer set, and all the necessary parts and pieces in my pockets. I hadn't gone very far when my body said to me, "you do not want to be too far from the house this morning." (A fairly moderate sense of decorum prevents me from going into detail here.) So, with much disappointment I went only 1/2 mile out and 1/2 mile back and made it to the relative safety of the house and near proximity of the bathroom. Still, I did walk a mile.

Here comes Monday morning. It seems that nothing has changed. I did manage, albeit late, a 1 mile walk, but did not feel comfortable going much farther from the house.

There has been some sickness in the house lately and it seems to be affecting me as well. My wife and son just went to the DR and were diagnosed with Strep Throat. I haven't had any of the throat pain, but the queasy and uncomfortable stomach has stayed with me again today.

Maybe my body is staging a revolt. Well, it has ruled for long enough. I am taking back my life and my health.

Shorter walks are OK. There is a stationary bike just outside this room. On it I can go and go and go, and never get any farther from the bathroom.

Take that .

poetry .. for 9-11

2010-09-11T09:44:00.007-04:00

I wrote this following the 9-11 attacks, when all the talk was about hate and retaliation .. It is not what this great nation was built upon .. More and more today, I see us united, not by our love, but by our hatred and intolerance .. there was a great man that said that we were "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. We are now engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated can long endure."

I will not teach my children to hate

How do I teach my children?
Is it in the abundance of the words I say?
Can words turn their hearts,
When they are held in my actions sway;

What example have I fashioned,
Living in my day to day,
Every harsh or cruel word,
Molding hearts like pliant clay;

What acts of kindness,
Will influence their way,
To which memory will they turn
When passions begin to stray;

When attacks defy reason,
And retaliation seems the way,
Which lesson will stay them,
And let love rule the day;

Please, let me not teach them
A hardness of spirit or heart,
Please, let me show them
Where hatred doesn’t have a part;

Let my actions be tempered,
Make my words wrath turning,
Let me lead them in deed,
Now and forever learning;

A softness of heart,
Is not weakness implied,
It is just the shining out,
Of loves flame inside;

Which flickering flame,
I have sought carefully to tend,
Until brightly it burns,
In today’s fiercest wind;

I do not fear times ravage,
Nor put my trust in fate,
I face the future with pride,
I have not taught my children to hate

Ron Simpson, Jr.
October 20, 2001

My Walk .. Interrupted

2010-09-10T11:17:00.000-04:00

Today was going to the the day I broke the 2 mile barrier. I plotted my course. I had it all planned. I was going to actually walk 2.1 miles. The excitement was building. OK, I am kidding about the building excitement, but I was looking forward to the idea of surpassing another milestone (literally.)

As stated, I had plotted out the course. It was a slightly rolling path. There were some up and some downs. There were some small hills and some larger hills. There was nothing like the hill to the cemetery of earlier this week.

Out the door I went. I usually leave right after TJ leaves to take the kids to work. Today, however, I was early. I wanted to give myself some extra time. I was walking the way she goes when she takes the kids to work. I would be seeing her on my way (bonus!)

I walked and walked and walked. I didn't see her. I figured she must have left late or had to go another way because of a need to stop at a store or something. Just after I passed the turn around point of yesterday, my phone rang. I fished it out of my pocket to see "private number." I didn't answer it as I didn't want to try to carry on a conversation and walk. Back in the pocket it went.

Then, moments later, I heard, in the unmistakable voice of a chipmunk, "Oh look, a text message. Thank you Jesus." I fished out the phone again. It read, "911 emergency. Come home now." I called my daughter and she said that TJ was doubled over in pain and I needed to come home now.

Of course, I immediately turned around and headed home.

When I got home, I found that TJ was better, and the kids still needed rides to work. TJ's pain was a digestion issue. So, I took the kids to work, stopped and got her some OTC meds and came home. She is currently laying down allowing the meds to work.

My interrupted walk turned out to be 1.9 miles. It is short of one of my goals, but still meets the goal of walking farther each day.

There is still tomorrow. There will be no kids to take to work. There will be no need for TJ to be up and about.

So, sometime tomorrow morning, before the sun breaks across the tops of the trees, I will be out there, walking, with my MP3 player playing, my house-key and my phone in my pockets, and a barrier waiting to be surpassed.

I'll see ya on the other side of 2 miles.

The Goal I meet and reset most every day

2010-09-09T10:46:00.002-04:00

My walking goal each day has been to walk farther than the day before. In the three and a half weeks I have been walking I have progressed from three-tenths of a mile on August 17th, to one and three-quarter miles today, September 9th.

I remember the first day I walked around the block. It was terrible. I hurt all over, mostly. I think the only part that didn’t really hurt were my calves. That was only because they weren’t smart enough to hurt yet. It took me 20 minutes to walk the .33 mile. That is an astounding pace of about one mile per hour.

According to USRoads.com, the average walking pace for elderly adults is 2.8 mph as compared to young adults at 3.4 mph. I am much closer to the elderly group in age and body. Mentally, well, that is a different story.

Today’s walk of 1.75 miles was at a pace of 2.3 mph. So, I haven’t made it to what the walking world considers average, but I am happy with my 26 minute mile, for now. After all, my mile time has increased for walking a mile in 60 minutes to walking one in 26 minutes. Some days it actually gets as fast as one mile in 24 minutes.

I have found that as my distance increases, my time follows suit eventually.

As for now, I will be happy with the goal I meet and reset nearly every day. We will see what tomorrow will bring.

What .. was I insane?

2010-09-06T09:37:00.001-04:00

I decided on trying a new route for my morning walk. My walk is up to 1.5 miles. I usually walk through town, one block off of Main street, which happens to be the street upon which I live. From my house to one block past the Library and back, then around the block is 1.5 miles. Today, I decided to do a walk around a cemetery that is about 3-tenths of a mile from the house.

Omigosh ! .. The first leg nearly killed me. It seemed to be straight uphill.

It is nearly at the peak you see in this pic.

But .. I made to the cemetery. Then around was down and up and down and up and then up some more.

This was one of the views. My house is in the clump of trees in the upper left of this pic (which is way downhill from where I was standing.)

another view inside the cemetery..

This is the view from the bridge between the two halves of the cemetery, which overlooks the road I eventually walked back down to get home.

I feel the burn .. or it that just the insanity talking?

Good-bye old friend

2010-09-01T21:41:00.003-04:00

This is my cane. I have been using it for most of the walking I have done for a while. It is a great cane and conversation piece. It is an African Chieftain's cane. It is the symbol of his authority. In tribal meetings, it identifies the Chief as the Chief.

It was a gift to a missionary to Nigeria. That missionary was a close friend to our family. I have slept on his floor when I was preaching for his dad when he was pastoring a church in Ohio. His son was married to my sister. He married my wife and I seven years ago.

He gave the cane as a gift to my father. My father pastored a church in Lexington for 39 years. My father passed away three years ago. My friend, the missionary/pastor passed away about two years ago.

I was visiting Mom several months ago and noticed the cane leaning against a wall in the garage collecting dust. I asked Mom what she was going to do with it. She told me to take it. I did. I cleaned it and treated it. I have been using it for walking assistance.

As you may (or may not) have read in my previous posts, I have been walking for exercise. This morning I walked 1.2 miles in my morning walk. I was talking to one of my daughters about it and she asked if I had been using the cane.

As the matter of fact, I have not.

Since I started walking through the pain two weeks ago, I have not used the cane. It will have a place of respect and honor at my home. It is a great reminder.

It is a reminder of a dear friend.

It is a reminder of a mission.

It is a reminder of a calling.

It is a reminder of a day when the pain stopped me from walking.

It is a reminder of the time I took back my walk.

Good-bye old friend.

Unbelievable…

2010-08-31T10:11:00.001-04:00

I have never been the kind of person to set goals. Well, at least not the kind to write them down. I’ve always kept my goals in my head. That way if I don’t accomplish them, there’s no glaring reminder of the failure.

When I began this diet and then later began to exercise by walking, I didn’t set any long-term goals or even short term goals. The walk was just a walk. I did plan to increase it, but there were no real preset increments of extension. My first walk was just around the block. That was between .25 and .3 mile and it took me twenty minutes to complete. Yes, I was that out of shape.

Of course, at that time I had an incredible defense. I have arthritis in my back and my weight makes my knees hurt. More importantly, the muscles in my lower back completely fatigued many years ago and I had to go through physical therapy to be able to walk at all without pain. Walking would bring on the tightness quickly. The tightness would bring on the pain. The pain would bring out the wimp.

I began using a cane to help take some of the stress off of my lower back. Even then, five minutes would bring on the tightness, the pain, and the wimp. The term ‘within walking distance’ had a whole different meaning for me. I would go to the store only if I had a cart to lean on. Most of the time, I would be a ‘sit in the truck and wait’ kind of shopper.

That first walk was two weeks ago. The first change was in the amount of time it took to walk around the block. As the time got shorter quickly, I set my sights on going farther. My block included a large hill up and down. The up part stressed my back and the down part increased the pressure on my knees. This was not being a wimp, it was being conscious of the stress I was putting my body under.

I mapped out a slightly longer route on a more even terrain. I would walk down the street I lived on toward town and then turn a walk back. Not every day, but nearly, I would increase it by a landmark or block. It was four tenths. Then it was five tenths; then six, and seven tenths. The seven tenth walk was just last night. It brought my daily walk total to 1.8 miles.

This morning I got up with my back hurting and my ankle feeling a little tender. I figured I wouldn’t walk or if I did it would not be for a long distance. I put my walking clothes on. I had my phone for any emergency that might arise. I had my MP3 player and headphones (I listen to the Bible when I walk.) I was ready. Out the door I went.

I walked a little gingerly on the ankle at first. However, as the walk progressed, the pain subsided, not completely, but enough. I walked past my first previous turning point. I kept going. I walked past my second previous turning point. Still going. I passed the third and fourth points. Then I was at the place where I turned around last night. I still had walking left in me, so I went on. I finally stopped at the library and turned around. It was cool (under 70°) but the sun was right in my face on the return trip.

When I got home, I went to spark and plotted my course. I was somewhat shocked when the total distance read, 1.12 mile.

It was not a goal I had set on paper. It was a goal that was in my head, eventually, somewhere down the road.

In two weeks I had gone from a weak complaining 20 minute three-tenth of a mile walk to a 26 minute, no complaint, 1.1 mile walk.

Unbelievable.

The ever growing walk

2010-08-27T11:43:00.001-04:00

Bad knees and arthritis in my back make for a slight difficulty in long walks. That is not an excuse. It is just a fact. That being said, I have begun walking more.

It started quite simply as a late night (12:30AM) walk one night when I had planned to take one earlier and forgot. I had decided to walk around my block. My wife told me she thought it was a quarter mile or so. I planned to do it shortly after dark to take advantage of the coolness of the evening. As I was preparing to go to bed (actually about to get into the bed) I realized I had forgotten the walk. So, I went back into the sitting room and gathered the necessary tools for my late night walk. As I was totally unaware as to how this was going to play out, I took a small flashlight, my cell phone, and my keys.

Out the door, quietly I went. I walked down the drive, up to the corner, up Queen, down Main, down MLK, up Locust, and back up the drive. Once inside, I locked the door and headed up the stairs. Mission accomplished. I was deeply re-oxygenating (breathing heavy) when I got to the bed. TJ asked what was wrong. I told her of my walk. She mumbled something and drifted back off to sleep. I fell asleep shortly thereafter.

The next day, I mapped it out and found that it was just over three/tenths of a mile around the block. I know to a professional walker or runner three tenths of a mile is nothing. However, to me it marked a new change. Yes, my back was very unhappy about it. That day, I did the walk three times. My back would not allow me to make three trips around the block at once, but I did so with a couple hours interval in between the walks. I walked almost a mile.

You have to understand (as I am sure some of you do) how weight can make you a prisoner. The idea of going out where you will have to walk and be in pain, and endure the glares and stares of judgmental society is, at times, unbearable, and at all times, uncomfortable. Perhaps this is why I originally chose to walk late in the evening. There would be much less society to encounter. The first night I walked, I encountered one man walking his dog across the street from where I was walking.

The pain part is much more bearable than the glares and stares part. I worked construction for nearly thirty years. I am used to working through pain. I am used to getting up and going when your body would much rather lay in bed for a few more hours or days. Of course, work is much different than the easily declined choice to be out and about. Work is necessary. Going shopping, walking around the block, and just going out in public in general are optional.

As to the glare and stare part, let me first say, “Yes, I know how much I weigh.” I do know the general societal stance is that a person is overweight because of laziness and controllable over eating. While these may be true in a percentage of those overweight, it is not a blanket reason. There are a many other reasons as there are overweight people. I could point my finger to my thyroid condition which was undiagnosed until I was already around 300 pounds. This weight contributed to the pain in my back and my knees. Less active me gained more weight.

Now, let me assure you that I do not blame all of this on my thyroid or inactivity. I did my part. I did overeat. I did eat the wrong things. So, I was in partnership with my thyroid and bad knees and back to keep me from losing any weight. It is this revelation (it did not just happen) that also gives me the hope of losing weight. I know that there are things that I can do to help me lose weight. I cannot cure my thyroid problems (although I am medicating as prescribed,) my hurting knees, or my arthritis. For now, those things will continue to work against me. I CAN, however, change my eating habits, control my intake, and exercise to the limit my body will allow.

Back to my ever growing walk.

This week I mapped out different routes to increase my per walk distance. The around-the-block walk entailed some semi-steep walks up and down. The up part was difficult on the back and the down part was difficult on the knees. I wanted a more level walking path. The new path did have a slight uphill and downhill part, but was much more manageable than the prior path. The new path was also .35 mile long. Then it was .4 mile long. Then yesterday it grew to a .53 mile long with a steep uphill walk in the middle.

The walks started out being about twelve minutes long. Then without increasing the distance, the time dropped to nine to ten minutes. Then the longer walks were still ten minutes. Yesterday’s longest walk of the ever growing walk was fifteen minutes. It was hot. It was painful. It was glorious. You may laugh at my jubilation over walking half a mile. That’s okay. I know things you don’t know. I know where I started. I know where I am. I know where I am going.

I have decided to no longer be a prisoner of my weight. I have lost nineteen pounds so far. That is almost fifteen percent of my desired weight loss and just over five percent of my total body weight. My BMI has gone from 53.2 to 50.3. I am breaking free, thanks to my changed eating habits and my ever increasing walks.

See you at the goal line.

I know it is a diet, but ...

2010-08-23T11:22:00.001-04:00

Can't we call it something else?

The phrase most commonly associated with diets is that "someone dropped off their diet." or "Someone broke their diet." Diets are very fragile because they are so easily broken.

My father struggled with his weight. He was a skinny kid. He was five foot eleven inches and a rail in high school. After school came the Air Force, then marriage and work as an electrician. He also was pastor of a church. Food was his friend. Dad was raised by his aunt as his mother was very young. He had abandonment issues even though he and his mom were very close. When something stressed him, he turned to his friend that never rejected him: food. His weight led to numerous health issues. There were times he was very heavy. He tried many ways to lose weight, and he would, for a while. Then he would eventually regain his weight and usually with more added. He tried diet after diet. They all failed. Diets are so easily broken.

We look at diets as rules that can be broken without immediate penalty. Since the majority of diets are self imposed, they can be self-broken.

I, jokingly, called this my IMP. That is my Ingestion Modification Plan.

In my whole life of nearly 53 years, I have never really dieted. I was a skinny child. When I was in 8th grade, I recall trying to break 100 pounds. I started lifting weights then and by my senior year in high school, I weighed in at 132 pounds and was lifting 220 pounds in the bench press. I was a 'lean mean fighting machine.' My metabolism was racing. I could eat practically anything and not gain weight. I stood around five foot eight inches tall.

A brief stint in college followed, then work and marriage. I worked in electrical construction and though I gained some weight, it wasn't an issue. We didn't own a scale. We didn't need one. I was around 200 pounds before I remember weighing myself again. Now, not making excuses, but I am thick built. My wrists, an indicator of bone density, are eight inches around. I am not going to be a small person even when I am at a good weight for me. At 200 pounds, I was not fat.

It was a while later, while working in Pennsylvania and living in Ohio that I weighed in at 240 pounds. I was overweight. I had to admit it to myself. Even then, admitting it, I felt no compunction to diet. I can’t begin to tell you what I was thinking then. It was if I assumed the weight appeared by some sleight of hand and was going to go away the same way. I don’t recall whether I tried a diet then or not. As I said, I can’t remember ever dieting.

Several years later, I came back home to Kentucky to work. I was staying in the mid 200’s then. I stayed around there for about ten years. Then came the divorce, and living on my own. I became an accomplished cook. Cooking for myself and eating without monitoring myself took its toll. It was also around this time that we discovered my hypothyroidism. Suddenly I was over 300 pounds.

The battle for stability of my thyroid condition produced casualties. I was always cold in the winter. I was always tired. I was always hungry. Being cold and tired kept me in. Being hungry kept me eating. I crept up to over 350 pounds. It went up and down after that. I quit drinking three 24 oz Mountain Dews a day and went to diet Dew. I lost 20 pounds doing that, but it crept back up as I was still eating. My Synthroid dosage went from the starting dose of 25 MCG to 350 MCG in the next six years. My weight went up and down but stayed close to the 350 pound range.

That brings me to just over two weeks ago. I was at mom’s house. She has a medical type scale. I weighed myself as I have often done while there. I was either to or down to 350 pounds depending on which way I was traveling in my weight gain or loss. That was a Friday. On Sunday, I decided it was enough.

I have to tell you. I am a procrastinator. Never put off until tomorrow what you can put off until next week. This, however, needed to be done now. I had thought about it many times before and sometimes even went as far as to say in my mind, I am going to start a diet. It never happened, until that Sunday evening. I was visiting some sick friends in the hospital. Tammy was home fixing a pot roast. I was visiting “J” in his room. He had been dieting and told the hospital he was doing so. They put on his chart that he was dieting. The dietary staff gave him meals on their diet plan. He told me that others, family and friends, were bringing him food from restaurants, because he was hungry.

Mind you, I am not making a judgment call on “J”. It was just that at that moment, something in me changed.

My wife smokes. I tease her sometimes about being a slave to that thin white stick. She tells me I can’t understand since I have never been a smoker. I did smoke one pack of cigs when I was fifteen years old. That was the extent of my smoking career. She is right. I can’t understand being addicted to cigs, but addiction, I can understand. I was/am addicted to food. I ate when I was hungry. I ate when I wasn’t hungry. I ate when I was angry. I ate when I was happy. I celebrated good times with food. I commiserated bad times with food. I recall a friends joke about another person’s drinking. “He only drinks when he is by himself or with someone.” I was that way with food.

I liked most foods. I liked Mexican food, Chinese food, Italian food, Thai food, Indian food, German food, American food, Moroccan food, and most other foods. I liked the way food tasted. I like the way it felt. I liked feeling contented after a good meal. I am such a junkie.

I went home that Sunday and told Tammy, while eating a delicious supper of Pot Roast with potatoes, green beans, and carrots, that my diet would begin on Monday morning. Truth be told, it started after that meal, as I didn’t go down in the middle of the night to get an overnight bite.

The process of change is not an easy one. I immersed myself in the whole thing. I made a chart on Excel® to track my daily calories. It kept my meal totals and calculated my daily total. It charted my eating and gave me my averages. It keeps my per-meal averages and my daily averages. I found SparkPeople® and joined. I was a tracking fool.

Two things I loved in school were math and writing. I used both in this process. I track and calculate, and I write about the progression. Both are vital and integral parts for me. This is helping to make this more than just a diet. As I said, diets are easily broken. This is not my diet. This is my change.

Here are some examples of the change:

· I love chips and hot salsa. The salsa part is not as bad as the chips part. I was craving the taste. Before, that would have meant half a jar of salsa and half a bag of chips. Instead, this time, I took two scoop chips, filled them about half with the salsa, and ate them slowly, savoring the taste. I satisfied the craving for the taste and only took in 25 calories. That is a change.

· I love peanut butter. I generally kept a jar of it somewhere near my desk. There is still a container of it beside my desk now. It is a six-pound container. My granddaughters love it. I wanted the taste. Previously, this would have meant half a pack of saltine crackers and lots of peanut butter. This time, it was just about a quarter of a tablespoon and a slow savor. That was 27 calories and a craving sated. That is a change.

· More than a few times a week, my lunch would be my favorite sandwich: Bologna, cheese, onion, and Miracle Whip on white bread X two. One of these sandwiches was 585 calories and I would usually have two. That is a whopping 1170 calories for lunch more than twice a week. I haven’t had one of those since the change. As the matter of fact, my average daily calorie intake in the last 15 days is 1140 calories per day. That is a change.

· There are numerous other changes as well. Some of them large and some of them small. All of them are part of the change.

It was a twelve pound change in the first week. It was a five pound change in the second week. Change is good.

the biggest change

2010-08-21T13:18:00.002-04:00

My wife and I were talking about the changes I have made in this diet. She surprised me when she told what she saw as the biggest change. There were several large changes to consider.

I started counting calories. This prompted me to pay more attention to what and when I eat. This was new. Before, I would 'graze' most of the day. I would eat a little here and a little there. I would hit most of the major meals, but most of the day was a grazing thing. This was a major change.

I started eating healthier. By paying attention to calories, I began making healthier choices. I realize that low calories doesn't always mean healthier. I began looking at protein and fat and carbs in what I was putting in my mouth. This was a major change.

I began walking for my health. I walked before, but not just for the sake of my health. I would begrudgingly walk if I had too. I have arthritis in my back and it was easier to say, "My back hurts" than to go places where I would have to walk or stand for any period of time. Anyone that has ever had a backache will empathize with you when you say, "My back hurts when I do that." It is a great and necessary excuse. So, for me to voluntarily go for a walk was unheard of. This was a major change.

I have a thyroid issue. I have Hypothyroidism. I am taking a large daily dose of synthroid. When i was originally diagnosed, my thyroid count was over 200 (normal is 0.5 to 5.5.) My doctor was amazed that I was still working or even walking. For those uninformed about the thyroid, let me give you a brief medical lesson: The thyroid regulates your metabolism. Your thyroid tells your brain how to 'fix' what is perceived as 'wrong' with you.

My thyroid is telling my brain that I am starving to death. This, of course, leads to my brain telling my body to eat more and more. I was always hungry. Since my body was starving (or so my brain thought) it would shut down at times to conserve energy. If I sat still for more than a few minutes, I would fall asleep. Dieting was and is very hard because my body already thinks I am starving to begin with.

My doctor started me on 25 MCG of synthroid about 6 years ago. Since then, on most visits where my blood was tested, my dosage has steadily increased to as much as 350 MCG and has now dropped to 300 MCG. Every time my doctor increased my dosage, I had a surge of energy for about two weeks until my body adjusted and then the appetite and lethargy returned.

I could commonly be heard to say, "Dieting doesn't work because my thyroid fights against it." This was a true statement.

My wife told me the biggest change she had seen was that I had put away my excuses. Now, mind you, most of my excuses were good and legitimate reasons. But even the best reason can become a crutch and an excuse if you try hard enough.

Am I still hungry a lot? Yes, I am.

Do I eat (graze) all day? No, I do not.

Does my back still hurt? Yes, it does.

Do I still get out and walk? Yes, I do.

Since beginning two weeks ago, I have not brought up my thyroid or TSH levels until this post. I have complained about my back hurting. Well, not really complained. I have stated that my back is hurting after my walks. I walk around my block. It is just over tree tenths of a mile. I try to walk it two to three times a day. I know it doesn't seem like much. However, it is two to three times a day more than I walked before. The muscles in my lower back begin to get stiff about two-thirds of the way around. At that point i have no choice but to finish. I have to get back home to cool down and sit down.

I would love to tell everyone that changing your eating and exercising habits is easy, but it isn't. It is tough, and tougher some days than others. The results, however, are worth it ten times over.

The hardest part was giving up my excuses.

past the first week .. shew

2010-08-19T13:17:00.001-04:00

The first week has come and gone. It was wildly successful, which is the double edged sword. I lost 12 pounds and radically changed my eating habits. the changes were two-fold. They were:

1) I took notice of what I eat. I began eating healthier.

2) I took notice of when I eat. Regularly is the key.

Breakfast became a protein drink with 190 calories instead of a hit or miss fast food breakfast, or a whatever is left over in the fridge breakfast. i have found that when I know ahead of time what I am planning to eat, it keeps me on track.

Lunch became a healthy salad. I now keep a variety of salad fixin's in the fridge. The variety keeps it from becoming the 'same old thing' every day. At the start of the week, my wife and I will cut, slice, chop, and sort into individual baggies the ingredients of that weeks salads. So when it comes time to fix my daily salad, it is a matter of grabbing the individual baggies instead of doing the prep work daily. Too often in the past, lunch became whatever was quick to fix. Most of the time that was a couple of unhealthy sandwiches or fast food. Now, time is on my healthy side.

Supper became smaller. We always ate mostly healthy. We rarely fry things. we generally bake them or crock pot them. so, smaller portions was the key to changing supper/dinner. One trick my wife taught me was to use a smaller plate. This way, the food on the plate looks like more, fooling your brain into thinking you were still eating a large portion.

Snacks became fewer and healthier. I can't count the number of times I would open a large bag of chips for a snack while working on the computer. When I would look again, half the bag would be gone. Becoming more aware of what and when I am eating has eliminated this. Snacks are prepared or purchased in 100 to 150 calorie packs. If we buy a large bag of chips, we take appropriate size portions and repackage them. So, when we open a snack, when it is gone we are done. We are more aware. One of my favorite snacks is just to core an apple and slice it into 1/4" slices. One golden delicious apple is only 80 to 100 calories.

I am in the middle of week number 2. I have added walking to my daily routine. I still get hungry from time to time, but I think that is just because my body is still used to eating throughout the day, and not actual 'need nutrients' hunger.

I am 3 days from my next weigh in. I realize that 12 pounds a week is not only unhealthy, but unrealistic. So, I will be delighted to lose only a few pounds a week. This will still get me to my goal of losing 120 pounds total in one year. Fifty and a half weeks and one hundred eight pounds to go.

Poetry

2010-08-18T13:26:00.001-04:00

Someone asked me to write a prayer poem for our Pastor .. here is the result:

The Shepherds

For the sake of their charge,

They stand in the gap

And make up the hedge,

In the heat and the cold

In the sun and in the rain

If they ache,

The sheep never hear

If their heart is heavy,

They try to shield the sheep

That the heaviness isn’t shared

For it is their burden to carry

In their sorrow, they still stand

In their weariness, they still stand

If they ask anything of their charge

They simply ask for prayer

This is their task

This is their burden

This is their joy

This is their glory

God, our master Shepherd

Give added strength

To our undershepherds

Give them added joys

For our shared sorrows

Give them added courage

For when our hearts are faint

Give them wisdom to know the way

And guidance to lead us home

Give me the power withal

To hold up their hands

For they often hold us

To hold up their souls

For they cry for our souls

To hold up their hearts

For they weep for our hearts

Bless them, O’ Lord

As they bless our lives

Ron Simpson, Jr.

August 15, 2010

poetry ..

2010-08-03T11:05:00.002-04:00

A website (which shall remain nameless) posted a contest to write a love poem of fifteen words or less. In order to be able to enter the contest, you have to upgrade your membership from the 'free' kind to the 'pay' kind. I didn't find this out until after I had written my entry, and was not willing to upgrade (sigh.) I did, however, like the nameless results of my effort. Here they are:

Two hearts align

Two worlds collide

Two fates entwine

Two souls reside

In one love

Ron Simpson, Jr.

August 3, 2010

poetry .. for a friend .. "Hold On"

2010-08-02T04:00:00.000-04:00

Hold on

I was holding on

Holding on to the ledge

My security was there

Holding on to the fear

That flying might just be falling

Holding on to the pain

Of loves lost in the past

I was holding on tightly

Until you

I felt my security begin to shift

To the feel of your arms around me

I felt my fear begin to fade

In the light you brought to my life

I felt the pain recede

Pushed away by your smile

Without trying or even realizing

I found myself falling

Far from my ledge

Far from my fear

Far from my pain

And then

You said

“hold on”

“What ?”

Ron Simpson, Jr.

August 1, 2010

Don’t sell your happiness .. poetry

2010-08-01T13:55:00.002-04:00

Don’t sell your happiness

Don’t sell your happiness to any one person

There are a myriad of people in my life

In whom, I have invested some of my happiness

However, the bulk of my happiness still resides with me

I must be the ultimate author of my happiness

The bubbling wellspring still remains in my court

There are no friends that can take my happiness away

Understand, losing them will produce a sadness

And that sadness may continue for many days

But, the fountainhead of my happiness still flows

There is no family that can wipe away my happiness

Although loss or anger may generate a sorrow

And that sorrow may last a lengthy time

But still, in my plaza, there is a fountain

Where happiness continues to stream

There is no love of my life that can staunch my happiness

Although that happiness may be hidden for a time

Behind a seeming insurmountable wall of pain

But my happiness knows it will outlast

A wall of pains bricks mortared by hurt

It will trickle slowly through the seams

Until erosion forces the fall

And happiness washes away the remnants

But only,

If I have not sold my happiness to any one person

Ron Simpson, Jr.

August 1, 2010

Camelot .. poetry

2010-07-18T16:46:00.001-04:00

Camelot

They were days we thought would never end

We were filled with all the wisdom

Fifteen or sixteen years could impart

Our kingdom was just a bus ride away

We navigated the obstacles with the ease of familiarity

We made friends with wondrous ease

We fell head over heels in love,

Sometimes more than once a week

Some of us found lifelong loves and partners

Some of us found lifelong callings and careers

We honed the basic life skills we learned in kindergarten

We found allies and rivals

We understood everything completely differently than we do today

We were living in Camelot and never knew

We called it by its dreaded nom de plume, high school

If it were a lifetime as we surmised,

We have lived more than two others since then

We learned who we are by learning who we were in History class

We learned the whys and how’s of the world’s workings in Science class

We learned the beauty and majesty of life

And how to capture it in English class

We learned that, although everything is life does not,

Everything in Math class does add up

We learned about the caste system in the cafeteria

We learned survival of the fittest in the gym

We learned about serenity in music class

Some thirty-five years has passed

And I can still recall the elations of high school

I can still that aloneness that sometimes came with is as well

I can still summon up the feeling of sitting in front of a blank test paper

I can remember the necessary blandness of cafeteria food

That was the reward of being part of the herd

And that is not a negative thing,

For it helped teach me the value of my uniqueness

I was and am collectively part of the class of ’75, WCHS

It is a label I will wear proudly

On the lapel of my individuality

It is part of who I am

But it is not the sum total of all that I am

Knox, Noble, Renfro, Sweet, Tippett, and Grimes

Scott, Richardson, Jones, and Dye

Will always have their hand in my life

As they tried (sometimes in vain, it seemed) to mold me

Every teacher I have had in my life lives through me

I left Camelot much different than the day I arrived

And I took a piece of Camelot with me

Ron Simpson, Jr.

July 18, 2010

Why ?

2010-07-06T10:39:00.001-04:00

I don’t love you

Because it is what I am supposed to do

I don’t love you

Because it is what I need to do

I don’t love you

Because it is what I want to do

I don’t love you

For all the reasons I could say

That would be equally true

I love you

Because I don’t know how

Not to love you

That is not to say

That I shouldn’t

Or wouldn’t

Or don’t want to love you

Because I do

However

I still do not know

How to not love you

And

I am fine with that

Ron Simpson, Jr.

July 2, 2010

Impact

2010-07-05T09:38:00.001-04:00

Some words bring vivid images to bear

For me, impact brings a collage of imagery

Impact

July 5, 1930

Eighty years ago, a star landed on earth

This star did not hit the earth like an asteroid

Or create the havoc of a falling star

I would imagine, for that era,

There was not much splash at all

Except for family and some close friends

The event went mainly unnoticed by humanity

However, in the heavens, there was notice

It has been eighty years since the first impact

That birth immediately impacted some

And then, weaving a bold, yet intricate thread

It has impacted thousands

A stranger could closely inspect this life

And ascertain that the effect was minimal

Yet, today, there is a multitude,

Impacted by this one single life

Immediate family, approaching one hundred

Church family, in the thousands

Associates, colleagues, neighbors, nearly uncountable

And, his star, shone brightly for them all

Even his casual passing changed people

Such was his impact

Closer to home

I hear him when I talk at times

I see him when I glance quickly at a mirror

I know, when I think about things, I feel his impact

He was the most important man in my life

For all the things people called him

Too some, he was pastor

Too others, he was friend

There were some that called him boss

And other that called him a co-worker

I was, and still am, thrilled to call him ‘dad’

Thank you Dad

For your immeasurable impact

In my life

Ron Simpson, Jr.

July 5, 2010

In words I can never utter .. poetry

2010-06-29T11:54:00.000-04:00

In words I can never utter

Sometimes

I just forget

It isn’t that I forget to tell you

It isn’t that I forget how I feel

It isn’t even that I forget you want to know

I just forget

The words to tell you

I see the words

Float by my mind’s eye

I see their color and splash

I see the passion they seek to convey

And I see them falling short of the mark

Their colors are not vibrant enough

To paint the true collage of my love

I plait them with other words

Hoping to bring to bear

The fullness of my heart

And yet, it still fails

Then

I remember

The things I feel

When your fingers touch my skin

When I hear you breathing close to me

When I still taste you on my lips

Long after the kiss is past

I catch your scent

When you are not around

And I am once again overwhelmed

By your presence

I can close my eyes

And see you dancing among the words

That seek to capture how you make me feel

At that moment

I know

I will never really have the words

I will never possess the ability

To express

In letters expertly arranged

In syllables skillfully organized

In words capably displayed

The true pinnacle and profundity

Of what lives in my heart

Of what dances in my soul

Of what frolics in my mind

Of what love holds in me

For I am captured by you

I am a captive to your heart

In words

I can never utter

Ron Simpson, Jr.

June 29, 2010

in Celebration of Fathers

2010-06-20T09:31:00.000-04:00

The man that saw me as a child and the child that saw me as a man

Can I tell you how hard I fought to grow up?

No matter what I did I still was the child

You were proud all my life when I did the grownup things

How delighted you were when I began to talk

How you beamed when I began to crawl and walk

Beginning school and even jobs eventually

Even as I grew into all the things men do

Part of me remained a child

That part that ever lived in the back of your eyes

There was a part of me that never left those days

When seeing the pride in your eyes was everything

Others could certify and recognize my accomplishments

The established authority could give me frame-able evidence

Still it paled in relationship to the feeling I got

When the child in my heart burst into your room

Excitedly carrying the proof of my accomplishment

To show it to you and to see once more

The child that still lived in the back of your eyes

I could see him, you know

He would awaken from some light slumber

He would come close to the side of your eyes

And as he heard you go on about whatever prize I had brought

He would begin to glow faintly

As you would scrutinize the evidence

As he read with you every word

Every whereas and hitherto

He would come to a sparkle

Barely noticeable to those gathered around

But the child half that resided within me

Saw the brother that still resided within you

And for that moment

I lived as a boy that still needed his father’s approval

For all our relationship may have become

This part of it seemed ordained to remain

The child that lived within me always needed to be in touch

With that child that lived still in the back of your eyes

That symbiosis sustaining both

Each carrying to and carrying from

Both the child I thought I would always be

And the child you thought you would always see

Then one day

Quite unexpectedly

You went away

The adult I had turned into knew the day would come

Even unexpectedly, my heart had tried to prepare me

I had filled my life with relationships designed to replace

I had established other ports to share my goods

They offered the heartfelt pat on the back

They brought the warmth of societal recognition to bear

They stood ready to replace

That one place that could never be replaced

For all their warmth and genuineness

They did not have the child I would always be

Living deep within the back of their eyes

No matter how often the child inside came to see

There was no child other half looking back at me

Dad, I miss so many things about our relationship

Others have stepped up to try to fill

No one does so in any attempt to take your place

They do so merely to fill your empty space

None of these, however, can fill this space

It has come to me finally some fifty plus years past my birth

That the child I recognized so intently in your eyes

The child that called out so earnestly to the child in mine

Was there before I was even born

He was in part, part of the joy you had for me as your son

And part of the child that lived in your eyes

That always looked for the child in his father’s eyes

I thought the child living in the back of my eyes would die

When you left so abruptly that day in March

I knew he would languish and pass without his symbiotic partner

But I have found, and none too soon

He lives just fine

He sparkles and shines

And exchanges his knowing glances

With the children that still live in the eyes of mine

My sons and daughters still seek him

Even if they do not know it

There is a child still living behind their adult eyes

And that child still bursts into dad’s room

Bearing the authentication of their accomplishments

They bring the frame-able evidence into the court

They know they are fulfilling the role of adult

But there is a child living deep inside

That comes to find the child living deep inside

And they sparkle and shine

As the children that never die

Behind the sparkles in dad’s eyes

I cannot see the child that lived in your eyes anymore

I will miss him ever

But his work and legacy go on

He has taught me to ever see

The children living deep inside

Hiding playfully behind

The adult in my children’s eyes

Ron Simpson, Jr.

March 27, 2009

in Celebration of Fathers

2010-06-19T12:00:00.001-04:00

A Hero

As a growing boy

I had several heroes

Some wore capes

Some flew through the air

Some had webs

While others had glowing repulsor beams

My childhood heroes

Came in various sizes, shapes, and colors

They had special powers

With super secret identities

They had super foes

To provide spectacular battles

As I grew,

My heroes changed

They became more real

And worked their special abilities

In the real world

The same real world in which I lived

They were leaders

Men and women of peace

Or champions of important causes

They battled injustices

With the powers of the mind

And the weapon of the pen

Older now

And looking across a stretch of time

That sees the changes

Wrought by a near lifetime

Of growing and changing

My heroes have become closer

The caped flying warrior of justice

Still brings the smile to my boyish heart

The champions of world issues

Still stir my being to fight the good fight

However, now I can see the heroes

That have been with me all my life

You didn’t put on a cape and fight my foes

But you did keep me safe

You didn’t fight hunger in the world arena

But you worked, everyday, and fed a family

You have always been my champion

Even when the sparkle in my eyes

Was captured by some far distant star

You are one of my heroes, Dad

Even when I didn’t know what heroes were

You were there filling those shoes

Today, you will just smile

And say you were doing what fathers do

But, I will know,

That is part of being a hero too

Thanks for all the years

Of being my unsung hero

Ron Simpson, Jr.

June 18, 2006

in Celebration of Fathers

2010-06-18T12:00:00.003-04:00

We Followed You

When we were young

We would follow you around the house

We would go from room to room

Crawling or toddling, as children do

We didn’t know where you were going

Or where the journey would end

We simply knew

We wanted to follow you

We were scattered severally

Over a ten year span

So, while some crawled, some walked

But each of us, in our own way

Followed you

You never really acknowledged

That you knew how closely we watched

Or how hard we tried to follow

But, I am sure you knew

And you led, and we followed

Some of us, or just one of us

So bold in our teenage rebellion

Promised we would never walk your paths

We would blaze our own trails

In opposite, or perhaps, obstinate directions

Not realizing, that in doing so

We were following you

You taught us to travel

And follow our own courses

You gave us more than you ever had

You didn’t change our diapers

Or feed us our meals

While some doctor of figuring out reasons

Would have a field day with that

Still, we never doubted your love

And still, we followed you

A while back

You stepped through a door

And we could follow you no more

At least, not for long while

But, you left a trail

A pattern, if you will

A shining example

We cannot follow you as closely

As when we crawled behind your heels

We can still follow you

We can follow your example

We can follow your life

That you lived fully and openly

We can follow your words

That you shared without hesitation

We can follow your heart

That you gave without reservation

We can follow your faith

That was manifest in everything you did

You lived right

You left too soon

I hope

When my day comes

I have the same faith

I have the same course

I hope

I have followed as you followed

I hope

We have followed you

Ron Simpson, Jr.

December 22, 2007

in Celebration of Fathers

2010-06-17T12:00:00.001-04:00

The Child I Never Saw

When I met him,

He was as old as anyone I knew,

As we walked,

He aged, and I grew;

I never knew him unknowing,

I never saw him young,

I saw that shining warrior,

Of which many songs were sung;

He held me,

He clothed me,

He fed me,

I was the child,

He could not be;

As I played hide-n-seek,

He saw what my tomorrows might be,

He worked,

And he dreamed, for me;

He held faith,

He harbored hope,

He kept the dream,

I never saw the child,

But, hand in hand,

We walked in times stream;

The man I am today,

Belongs to the child I never saw.

Thanks, Dad.

Ron Simpson, Jr.

June 21, 2001

in Celebration of Fathers

2010-06-16T11:30:00.002-04:00

this was written two weeks before Dad passed away ..

I Believe

He has been my teacher all of my life
The lessons ranged from simple to difficult
We have talked about life
And all the things that fill it
We even talked about the end of life
And what comes beyond

I see his lessons in the actions I take
I see his hand in numerous places in my life
Sometimes when I talk, I hear him
Saying the same words in another place
And that gives me a measure of confidence
To use the words already tried and true

One of the lessons Dad spoke of
Involved one of life’s hardest realities
He talked about a time
When he would not be here
He wasn't making plans
But knew that time’s eventuality
Would catch up to even him one day

Standing here, looking at you
More helpless than I have ever seen
I remember what you would say
If you were looking over my shoulder
I can hear the words you have spoken
And I know the reality

God is more than able
He is working all things
According to his time and plan
Be not afraid, only believe
Faith is the substance of things hoped for
The evidence of things not seen

These are the words
Tried and true
These are the words
You are still saying to me
And I believe, Dad
I believe.

Ron Simpson Jr

February 22, 2007

in Celebration of Fathers

2010-06-15T11:30:00.001-04:00

Father’s Day

It seems being a father gets more difficult every year. The responsibility and decisions keep getting bigger. It was much easier to decide between the Malibu Barbie and the Glamour Barbie. It was easier to care for them then, seeing as how they were just sleeping in the next room. If something, anything, happened in the night, I was just a cry away. I remember how hard it was watching them, as they were sick or hurting. I remember how much I wanted their aches and pains to stop. I recall how we fretted about the fevers and the scraps.

Now days, the cry in the night comes across a phone line. The hallway between our bedrooms has grown by miles. No one warned me about how tough this was going to be. When my girls were young, I could get up in the night, walk quietly into their rooms, check their fevers, pull up the covers, and steal away back into my bedroom. When they cried, we were there to wipe the tears away. When I worry these days, I just have to worry. I cannot be there to wipe away the tears now.

I thought parenting would be much easier than this. My parents made it look so easy. Being in their place now, I realize how hard it was for them. I also understand that part of it never goes away. Rightly done, parenting is forever coupled with the worry. Worry ebbs like the tide. Some days it is low tide. Some days it is high tide. Every year the decisions change. It has gone from help with homework to help picking out a good insurance company. It has changed from helping with their dolls and tea parties, to helping with the grandchildren and real dinners.

Yes, being a father has grown way beyond my original expectations. It is more difficult. It entails much longer hours than I anticipated. The choices are harder every year. When I look at my daughters, however, I cannot wait. I will worry, as I should. I will be quiet when I need be. I will be the great tower of advice. It will be much harder next year, and I can hardly wait.

Ron Simpson, Jr.

Father of Audrey, Chasity, and Heather

Fill in Father for Chris, Sierra, Chelsea, and Kyle

Father’s Day 2004

in Celebration of Fathers

2010-06-14T11:48:00.001-04:00

In celebration of Father's Day, I will post a poem each day this week dealing with fathers .. mostly mine .. since he was my shining example ..

From The Shore

There is a lighthouse standing,

O'er the rocky breaking shore

It's light a glaring bright,

It's horn, a lion's roar;

It clings to it's foundation,

Though progress crowds it's fragile perch,

For lost in deep and murky waters,

Desperate ships for him search;

He stands out from all the others,

His architecture old, but true,

When change is all around us,

He is always close to view;

Marking off his constant light,

Many ships have safely sailed,

Ignoring his oh so gentle roar,

Upon the rocks ships have failed;

There is a lighthouse standing,

Father, he is called,

Different from all the others,

For in him, Love is walled;

He looms above the crowded throng,

A tower filled with wonders much,

His roar, both stern and gentle,

His light, a probing and warming touch;

In deep and silent waters,

Needing directions from the shore,

I seek the bright and guiding light,

And listen for his lion's roar;

For though I pilot this wondrous ship,

I hope never to be alone,

For on the shore stands my father,

Guiding me from times more known;

Always be old, but true,

Always shine and roar,

Always be my guiding light,

Even from the shore;

Thank you, Dad.

Ron Simpson, Jr.

Father’s Day 1994

Catching Up

2010-06-05T19:27:00.002-04:00

I have been catching up with old classmates on Facebook .. it seems that there have been many deaths among those sharing my graduation decade (the 70's) .. it prompted this ..

Catching up

I remember a time, and it seemed like yesterday

We walked the same halls and sat in the same desks

We were trapped in our lives or so we thought

“When I get out of here, I’m gone.”

It would be several times in the several years after

That we would run into old friends from those days

We would ‘catch up’ will our fellow escapees

And bring everyone up to date on all the news

Of course, then, the news consisted of job information

Or college information, or wedding information

We would see who did finally marry who

And who went to which university as planned

There would be the sad news of the rare death

An accident, or a sudden illness, or other cause

Years would pass in our lives and they took shape

And we would visit the old places on home visits

And there we would see the occasional classmate

And we would ‘catch up’

Now, the news would be about a career

Or we would talk about our children

And we would laugh about the old days

And how we never figured our lives

Would have turned out his way

And, oh yeah, did you hear about Steve’s death

“Oh my, no, please tell me what happened.”

Before you know it, you are getting reunion news

“Has it been that long?”

Familiar haunts, memorable faces, recognizable names

We share; we are well into our careers,

And the kids are growing up so fast

We have built a life somewhere else

But it is great to come home and ‘catch up’

We listen and share stories so common

For all our different paths

We are all so much alike

“Where’s Dave, I didn’t think he would miss a reunion.

No, I hadn’t heard. I am so sorry.”

Out of touch for so many years now

More and more ‘catching up’ is sad news

Those that were once just a handful

Now would fill our old school bus

Or maybe even more than one

Every time you hear a statement

That begins with, “Did you hear about ..”

Your heart flinches just a bit

It could be good news

It could bring elation

More and more though

It is the harbinger of sadness

And yet

Here we are

“Catching up.”

Ron Simpson, Jr.

June 5, 2010