Tag Archives: Weight loss

I Joined a Gym Today!

19 Wednesday Feb 2020

Posted by in Cancer, Cycling, Gym, Weight Loss

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Well, actually I joined last Friday but I hired a trainer today.  I had no idea a trainer was so expensive.  Between the cost of joining a gym and signing up for a trainer, I’m spending over $300 a month.  Wow, that’s a lot of money.  But, if I can get in shape and lose this weight it will be worth it.  The gym membership is right at $40 a month for a year.  The trainer is $289 a month for six months.  I figured I could do without a few things for six months.  I will be seeing a trainer twice a week for an hour.  I had my free assessment today and the trainer walked me through the paces trying out all the equipment and letting me get familiar with them.  We didn’t really work out per se but I can tell we worked out. My main issue and I made sure I told the trainer this, is my breathing. 

I have three main causes of my breathing issues. One is I’m really over overweight.  286 to be exact.  My body fat is close to 40% and that’s really bad. Two is I have congestive heart failure.  My heart doesn’t pump enough blood through my body to carry enough oxygen needed when I exercise.  And three, the medication that I take for my CML causes fluid to accumulate around my heart and lungs.  When I have an issue with this it causes bad breathing problems.  Luckily, I haven’t had any issues with this since last August.

My plan is to work out three days a week, two of which will be with a trainer.  Funny thing is that my trainer will be a young man that was in my scout troop.  His mother also works there.  I just hope he doesn’t try and get me back for all those times I made him work.

I”m really looking forward to working out and getting back in shape.  Maybe doing it this way I will be held more accountable being that I’m forking out all this cash. My goal is to reach 225lbs before September of this year.  My short term goal is to get down to 275 so that I can get back on my bicycle.  It has a weight limit so I don’t want to get on there and break it.

I’ll try and post something every Friday to keep everyone updated on my progress.

See you then.

End of Week 2 Update.

04 Monday Nov 2019

Posted by in Photography, Weight Loss

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This has been a very busy week.  Last Thursday was the last day of a very busy month.  I will not schedule as much as I did last month.  I never thought November would ever get here.  If you saw my last blog, you read of my accident with the band trailer.  I never heard anything today so I guess everything went alright with the insurance company.

The above picture is of an iron pour.  Sparks in the Dark, as they called it.  About 100 boy and girl scouts paid $20 for a scratch block so that they could “scratch” in the mold design so that when they poured hot iron into the mold, they would receive their artwork in solid cast iron.  This was Saturday night, which was very cold to me.

I lost two pounds this past week.  I thought about joining a gym with a personal trainer, one that would tell me what I’m doing wrong and maybe would develop a plan for me to follow.  Then I got to thinking, why would I do that.  Why would I pay for something that I knew in a few weeks or even a month or so, I would change my mind and not go.  I would be just wasting my money.  There is a gym, however, that a church sponsors that I have already joined a couple of weeks ago.  It’s only $5 a month and there’s no contract.  You can go one time a week or five times a week and it’s still the same price.  There’s no physical trainer though.  They do have some cycles, treadmills, a weight room, and ellipticals.

It’s supposed to be pretty and warm the first part of this week.  I think I’ll go to this gym or go to the track and walk.  It’s going to start turning colder by the end of the week so if I’m going to enjoy the outdoors I’d better do it now.

The Crossroads

31 Thursday Oct 2019

Posted by in Diabetic

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Decisions, decisions.  This weather we are having doesn’t seem to know where to go.  This morning we woke to 70-degree weather, now as I’m writing this it’s close to 40 degrees and dropping.  It will be a miracle if I don’t end up sick or worse, in the hospital.

Although it rained all day, I got to spend some time with one of my daughters. The other daughter decided she wanted to go to Chicago with her boyfriend.  Their flight kept getting delayed because of the weather in Chicago.  I think their trip had a five-hour delay in getting started because of it.

I was able to take my other daughter out to lunch and we got to spend some good quality time with each other. Time flies.  She and her sister are seniors this year in college. It’s hard to believe.  It seems just like yesterday we were taking them down there. They have both grown up to be responsible adults.

Being that the weather was bad and my daughter was home, I didn’t go to the gym as planned.  My daughter will be here until Sunday and I have somewhere to be both Friday afternoon and Saturday so it may be Monday before I get to back to the gym.

I am sticking to my diet but my problem is that I still have a snacking issue.  Late at night, I get hungry and I head to the kitchen.  Now, instead of eating a bag of chips or ice cream, I’ll fix me some cheese slices with a little bit of mayo on them.  It’s not really filling but it satisfies my grazing needs. But, I feel guilty for doing it.  I shouldn’t eat that late at night.

The good thing about all this dieting is that my blood sugar has dropped somewhat. It’s still got a long way to go but at least it’s going down.

 

Over Zellous Hike

30 Wednesday Oct 2019

Posted by in Photography, Weight Loss

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I’m going to let the video speak for itself.  I will say this though, even though this was only a four-mile hike, the hills were tough for me.  I can go to the track and walk five miles and be sore a few days but walking in the woods with all these hills, that’s a little different.

http://www.tannehill.org/

 

Week Two My Weightloss Journey

28 Monday Oct 2019

Posted by in Retirement, Weight Loss

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I gained a quarter of a pound during the week.  I fluctuated a pound or two throughout the week.  I have several issues that I’ve got to get settled.

1)  Scheduling.  I can’t seem to find a schedule that seems to work. I want to be able to work out the same time every day, eat more or less at the same time every day and do everything else that I have to do.  One thing that put a cramp in my schedule last week is that my truck stayed in the shop more than at home.  I did get a chance to walk to the shop a couple of times and I was able to get some steps in.  The shop is a little over a mile one way from my house.

2)  Willpower.  I love to eat sweets as does my wife.  There is always something in this house that calls my name late at night.  In fact, my wife made chocolate chip cookies last night.  I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t have any. In fact, most are still there, in a container sealed with a plastic lid.  I’m trying my best not to go into the kitchen.  She is a fanatic when it comes to chocolate, especially when it comes to that special time of the month.  I can and have told her not to purchase the stuff but alas, it somehow appears out of nowhere.

3)  Energy.  I have plans on getting out and going to the track or to the church and using their exercise equipment but when it’s time to go I find myself feeling tired and not wanting to go. If I do go, it’s like I have to force myself to get up and go.  Once there I’m fine. I want to go above and beyond my current skillset and I end up hurting myself.  I’ll give you an example.  Last week I went to the track to walk about 45 minutes.  I ended walking close to two hours because I wanted to push myself further and further.  I hurt for several days after that.  I just need to learn to take it easy until my body is ready.

I can do this.  I have no doubt about it.  After all, I lost close to 50 pounds the last time I stayed on this diet.  And, if I recall, I had the same trouble getting started last time.  The trouble is staying on a diet and keeping this weight off.

I have a hike planned for tomorrow and the next three days it’s supposed to rain.  I’ll try and visit the church gym one of those three days that it’s supposed to be raining.

Good News/Bad News 10/21 Update

21 Monday Oct 2019

Posted by in Weight Loss

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Good news; I lost 7.5 pounds.  Bad news; It was more.  Yes, I had lost 11.2 pounds in one week and I know 1) It was mostly water weight and 2) It was not healthy for me to lose that much in one week.  I did well all week staying on a schedule but came the weekend. When I worked, it used to be right the opposite.  I did well on the weekends but terrible during the week.

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I got involved with hauling the band trailer and at least twice I week I have to haul it to football games and competitions.  Friday night I forgot my prepared meal and I had to find something to eat.  Nothing but concession food.  So, I grabbed a hamburger and ate just the meat.  About an hour later my sugar dropped.  So, back to the concession stand again and this time I got, I’m afraid to say french fries.  That was the start of the decline.  Saturday was bad and we won’t discuss Sunday.  I tried but evidently not hard enough.  Anyway, here it is Monday and I’m back on the diet.

Seven pounds is nothing to scoff about.  Staying on a schedule is the key.  Knowing what and when I’m going to eat ahead of time helps me stay in control.  Anything that comes along that is not planned throws me off.  This past week has taught me a lesson.  I’ve got to be prepared for anything.  I can put low carb meal bars in my backpack when going on those band trips and I can store these Glucerna shakes in my cooler as well.

Dieting Comes With a Price

17 Thursday Oct 2019

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After spending an hour and forty-five minutes on the track I completed just under five miles and over 10,000 steps.  I’m so sore right now I can’t move my legs.  When I worked I average about 15,000 steps a day.  Now I’m lucky to get just over 2,000.

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My low carb diet plus exercise is working but you’ll have to wait until Monday to find out just how well it’s working.  My morning routine of scrambled eggs and sausage is about to get old but I’ve been doctoring them up with different spices to make them taste different.  If you’ve never tried “Slap Yo Mama” seasoning you need to try it.  It’s kind of spicy and the flavor stays with you for a while but I have to say that it makes a bowl of scrambled eggs quite palatable. I’ll try and post a picture tomorrow or the next day so you can see what it looks like.

The next few days will be busy and I doubt that I’ll reach any of my goals but that not saying that I won’t try.  I’ll get a few steps in while grocery shopping in the morning but I’ve got to go to a high school football game tomorrow evening.  Saturday afternoon I’ve got to pull a trailer for the high school band about two hours from my home so they can have their instruments for a band competition.  It will be about midnight on Saturday night when I get home.  Sunday might be a good day to get some steps in but we’ll see.

Weight Loss Update 10/15/2019

15 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by in Weight Loss

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As I figured, it’s been a little difficult hitting some of my goals.  I’ve only reached half my 10,000 step goal for the last two days.  Tomorrow I plan on changing that.  With my daughters having a birthday celebration on Sunday, we still have cake and pie laying around.  Be proud of me because I haven’t had any so that’s a huge accomplishment.  I haven’t had any carbs to amount to anything in two days.  Another big accomplishment.  Even though I’m not getting the exercise in like I want, the scales did see a smaller number this morning.

Day One! My Weight Loss Journey

14 Monday Oct 2019

Posted by in Weight Loss

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Good Morning!!  Today is the day that I start my weight loss journey. Posting these pictures are the hardest thing that I’ve had to do.  I can’t stand to see myself in this shape.  What better way to start a diet right?

I have weighed and taken my measurements this morning. I’m not too surprised at what I see.  It could and has been worse.  I’ll post everything later on in this post. My plan is to weigh every day and take my measurements once a month.

The Plan

I have been on hundreds of diets in my lifetime.  The only one that really works for me is the low carb diet along with exercise.  Another thing that I have found that works is being able to track my intake as well as my exercise.  One of the best ways is through some apps that I can  use on my phone. I have a couple of apps that I like. One is Fitbit and the other is MyNetDiary.  Both of which have similarities but differences as well. The MyNetDiary app allows me to track my insulin and my blood sugar as well.

Fitbit offers a way to track your exercise on a daily basis.  It counts your steps for which you can set different daily goals.  The default is 10,000 steps. It counts stairs or sets of stairs should I say, it counts the total miles that you’ve walked in a day, it counts the calories that you’ve burnt or used and if you want, it will even count the hours of sleep you had the night before.  Each one of these have a goal that you can set.

So, let’s get into the plan a little deeper.  Like I said earlier, I will be on a low carb diet.  I will stay at or below 2,000 calories/day. And by way of the Fitbit, I will try to get at least 10,000 steps per day and at least if not more than 30 minutes of exercise per day.

I will log everyday but not necessarily on here. You can though, expect a weekly report.  If you would like to track my progress more closely then you can request to join my Fitbit group.  To do so all you have to do is send me an email at timhughes1963@gmail.com and I”ll hook you up.

As promised, and I’m embarrassed to say, here are my measurements.

  • Waist  43.5
  • Chest  45
  • Thigh  23
  • Calf  17.5
  • Neck  18
  • Weight 280

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Well, there you have it. Like I said, I’ll post updated pictures about once a month to see if you can see any changes and I might post some weekly stuff as well but I’ll try not to make them boring.

I hope some will follow this journey with me.  I really think this will help me to stay on track.  I nearly forgot, my weight loss goal for the three month time period is 15 pounds.  I have no doubt in my mind that I will be able to reach this goal.  I will have to stay on my diet in order to reach it though.

Wish me luck.

 

Weight Loss Struggles 2

29 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by in Weight Loss

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It’s been nearly two weeks and ten pounds since my last post.  This low carb diet seams to be working for me.  I’m no longer hungry all the time and I’m no longer having cravings like I used to have.  This Saturday will mark one month and two weeks since I’ve started this diet.  My starting weight was 295 and today I weighed in a whopping 257 pounds.  There are still items in the frezzer that I should not eat but their voices are not as loud as once before.

One word about my last post.  I stated that I had ridden on my bike some three thousand miles in the past ten years and walked some hundred or so miles during this time.  You can say what you want but I’m damn proud of those miles.  You may do the same in a weeks time but I’m not you.  I’m me.  I’m a lot different than you and nothing you or anyone can change that.  We are who we are regarless of what sickness or disease we may have.  Each of us a has a choice to make whether or not we want to do something about it or not.  I have chosen not to use my sickness as an excuse to sit on the couch but I’m still not able to get out and ride as much as I’d like to so, I walk instead.

I will continue to keep doing what I’m doing.  If and when my breathing gets where it needs to be I’ll hop on my bike and ride like the wind.  For now I’ll walk to the track and walk my five miles before heading home.  In the mean time, if you’re reading this and need a word of encouragement, don’t give up and don’t let others dictate what you can and can’t do.  You can do it, just do it one day at a time.  You didn’t put this weight on in a weeks time so it’s going to take some time taking it off.

Good luck to you!!