# My weight loss and Fitness journey so far



## I'mnotdeadyet (Sep 9, 2020)

Last December I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. I'll forego the details on that, suffice to say I'm beating it into remission. The main purposed of this thread is to document my fitness. No, I don't mean "Fit'niss pizza in my mouth!" I mean my physical fitness.

I was overweight for years. As a kid I was fat. In fact except for the period from about the time I was 17 until about 25, I have always been overweight. After getting married and settling in to a routine, the weight slowly returned. I had back problems, a sciatic nerve issue a couple years ago, issues with standing, numbness in my legs (kind of like carpal-tunnel of the thighs, not degenerative) and several other maladies, stamina being the most prominent.

I had a lot of excuses:

All of my family is overweight, it's in the genes.
I've tried, it doesn't help.
I really don't eat that much, not sure what's going on.
It didn't get bad until I quit smoking.
And many more
All of those are decidedly horsehockey. The fact is I didn't try, I did overeat, I was overweight before I quit smoking, etc. etc. ad-nauseum. Then I got the diabetes diagnosis. Dad had it, and my grandmother on his side lost both legs to it, back when they didn't know as much as they do now. I figured that I had better do something now. I want to live to see my grandkids succeed. And, time is on my side. Grandmas died at 88 and 90, Mom at 90, Dad at 98. If I can sort it out now I have a good chance to match them

The dietician told me how to sort out carbs and all that. There was a lot to digest in that half hour meeting, but she said two things that I have stuck with: 200 carbs a day and 150 minutes of exercise per week. She said if I follow those I will lose 1 to1.5 lbs. per week.

For the carb count, I am allowed 40 for breakfast (I never ate breakfast until this), 40 at lunch, and 75 at dinner. The rest are for snacks. At first I thought OMG! What will I do! After 8 months I can tell you it's a pretty lenient diet. I simply don't need to eat more. I find that as a rule, I eat about 30 carbs at breakfast, 20 at lunch, and probably 60-70 at dinner. Snacks usually happen between work and dinner, but it will be a chunk of cheese or something with almost no carbs. It is only on the rare occasion I eat the 200 carbs allotted.

I can tell you there are a lot of ways to cut carbs without depriving yourself, but that is a different discussion. I'd love to hear how you cut yours.

For exercise I decided to get a stationary bike. I found one with upper body workout too and planted it in front of the TV in our bedroom. Then, I pick a Netflix series and watch 1/2 hour of it every day until done, then another, and then another. None of this 150 minutes per week nonsense, I do 1/2 hour every day for 210, sometimes more. When spring came I went and bought a new bike and moved to the great outdoors. Fortunately I beat out the COVID rush on bikes. I did notice though that getting off the indoor bike and moving outdoors was leaving my arms and upper body behind, so starting last week I added rowing. Now let me tell you, this is a whole new thing. Rowing is one of the most efficient and low-impact workouts you can get. It is aerobic, and it works (are you ready?) over 80% of your muscles in one shot. Legs, glutes, abs, back, shoulders, arms, you name it. I am alternating between the bike and rower, one per day. It is a workout, no question. I get my heartrate up to well over 130 without fail. Yeah, I'm a bit sore, but it's a good sore!

So, how am I doing? I dropped 56 lbs. in 8 months for an average of 1.6 lbs. per week (See how smart that dietician is?). I am 5'9"  and was 256, so dropping to 200 is significant. Back problems are pretty much gone, and as I strengthen my core with the rowing I don't expect to see the sciatica ever again. Stamina is vastly improved, I can walk and stand. My blood pressure is down, cholesterol is dropping, A1C is way down. I went from a XXL shirt to a L. My jeans were a 40" stretch waist, am now a 36" regular cut. When I started this I figured if I ever got to a 36" I'd be thrilled, now it's looking like 34" is more realistic.

Goals? I'd like to get to 170 or so. That's only 30 more lbs. If I keep going at this rate that's about 20 weeks, about the end of January.

My assessment so far: I know everyone is different, but this has been way easier than I imagined. I think people find it hard to lose weight because everyone keeps telling them it's hard to lose weight. It isn't. Is it a change in lifestyle? Yes, and it's permanent. Especially eating habits. I will slow my exercise routine to a maintenance level once I get where I want, but my eating will not, can not, go back to where it was. I also don't want to hear that the trick is to keep it off, that's just more bull and defeatist garbage. The trick it to maintain your new lifestyle and habits. If you do that, it will stay off.

Whew. This is a lot longer than I anticipated!


----------



## asp3 (Sep 9, 2020)

Thanks for sharing that.  Great job and I wish you continued success and healthy life.


----------



## Pinky (Sep 9, 2020)

I'mnotdeadyet said:


> Last December I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. I'll forego the details on that, suffice to say I'm beating it into remission. The main purposed of this thread is to document my fitness. No, I don't mean "Fit'niss pizza in my mouth!" I mean my physical fitness.
> 
> I was overweight for years. As a kid I was fat. In fact except for the period from about the time I was 17 until about 25, I have always been overweight. After getting married and settling in to a routine, the weight slowly returned. I had back problems, a sciatic nerve issue a couple years ago, issues with standing, numbness in my legs (kind of like carpal-tunnel of the thighs, not degenerative) and several other maladies, stamina being the most prominent.
> 
> ...


Congratulations on your successful weight loss and drive. I'm sure you will meet your weight goal.


----------



## Don M. (Sep 9, 2020)

Obesity is a "Pandemic" that serves as the root cause for over 30% of our nations health problems and costs.  In terms of overall negative effects on our population, it makes this current Corona Virus seem like a minor issue.  Weight problems are prevalent among people of All ages, and are due primarily to poor eating habits and lack of physical exercise.  A lifetime of ignoring this problem results in many Seniors spending most of their time and finances on doctor/hospital visits and prescription drug costs.  

There is a very simple method of determining if you need to manage your weight....Measure your waistline, and compare it to your height.  If your waist is more than half your height, you need to begin a regimen to reverse that situation.


----------



## RadishRose (Sep 9, 2020)

Great job, I'mnot!
"Don't eat anything white".  

Friends, don't be fooled by ingredients on the labels. For instance, I was once reading ingredients on a jar of something and saw this:

"Evaporated cane juice".  Hmmmm, now what can that be? 

It wouldn't be SUGAR would it?


----------



## Nathan (Sep 9, 2020)

Great success story, you have a winning game plan and the drive, thanks for posting!


----------



## StarSong (Sep 10, 2020)

A diabetes type 2 diagnosis is a great motivator for some to reclaim their health, but sad to say, it elicits little more than a shrug for most.  Congratulations on your determination and successes.  I wish you well on your journey.


----------



## NJ Beach Byrd (Sep 10, 2020)

Congrat's on your new life style!  I lost 65 lbs after retiring, 20 lbs by not being behind a desk for 12 hours a day, the rest on a Keto diet.  Counting carbs does work!  I really enjoyed learning about the rowing.  It is a lifestyle change.  Thank you.


----------



## I'mnotdeadyet (Sep 10, 2020)

StarSong said:


> A diabetes type 2 diagnosis is a great motivator for some to reclaim their health, but sad to say, it elicits little more than a shrug for most.  Congratulations on your determination and successes.  I wish you well on your journey.


Interestingly, the doc said most people get very depressed at first, then they just want to take the medicine and keep doing the same things they have been. He called me an outlier and said he wished he could have me come in and speak with new diabetes patients to convince them. I told him it wouldn't make any difference. "You gotta' wanna'." If you don't want to, someone could talk until they're blue in the face and it will have no effect.


----------

