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Four years ago today, 11/5/18, I started my adventure into changing my body by lowering its weight through more exercise and lowering the amount of food I consumed. During that time my goal was to drop at least 125 pounds, and this was accomplished on 10/17/20. Eventually, 129 pounds would be dropped on 11/20/20. It has been an amazing journey for which I am thankful it was started. Obviously, I eat less most of the time, and have stopped eating some foods (at least on a continuous basis), and frankly, I don't miss some foods. Indulgences are a fact of life & allowed, but they are infrequent and in somewhat limited quantities. There are a few foods I've learned to either like or enjoy. And, there are some that never will reach my plate since the taste is substantially repulsive. Holidays, family visits, and vacations are still an issue since there is so much good food available. But the results from those times can be worked off in a couple of weeks, and have been several times. We took a 2-week vacation in 2019 to Texas, Massachusetts, and Maine. A 15-pound temporary increase in weight resulted. Steak, BBQ, lobster rolls, more lobster rolls, gourmet meals, and high-calorie & higher sodium meals tend to do that. But it was temporary, and about a month later the weight was off again.
Certainly, working out 1.5 - 2 hours of exercise a day plus golf, 5 days a week, has helped. That is about 13000 bike miles and 14 million steps. It is also an increase of about 1 hour over what was previously achieved. I can feel a difference in the way my knees feel after having been injured in 2009 and 2018. Since the weight loss, there is less pressure on the areas that were injured. Unfortunately, much of the results of good work that has been accomplished in those 4 years has been negated, at least temporarily, by having re-injured by right knee and surrounding area. Although my golf score results have not improved dramatically (age is a definite factor), there are certain areas of the game that have improved. In addition, even though I’ve grown older, I’ve been able to score less than my age on several occasions for 18 holes.
Just think about 125 pounds. There are many adult people who do not weigh that much. Shortly after I reached a reduction of 129 pounds, Shirley told me I looked “too skinny”. Frankly, even in the days when I was in great shape physically, no one ever applied the descriptive terms of “too skinny” to me. Skinny is not a word that ever fit my body. In addition, during my last 3 years in college, I worked out a lot, was a power-lifter, and became solidly bulked up. And that's the way the body stayed, except the bulkiness dropped and the weight stayed as I aged and worked out less. Shirley has been a wonderful support and continues to help me watch what needs to be done in order to keep the weight off. As a result, I put on about 15 – 18 pounds, so I would not be too skinny. She continues to produce wonderful meals that help keep me in shape. 125 pounds of excess weight is a lot to carry around and not affect the body. It certainly affected my body in many different ways. And, it is my plan to maintain this level for the rest of my life. As a sidelight, I've managed to drop 3 medications and reduce another by 1/2. I am now about 10 pounds above my high school weight and feel almost 22 again...well, almost. The Lord has blessed Shirley and me in all of this in a bountiful manner, and for those blessings, we are truly thankful.
I hope what is written here will help inspire someone else to go down a similar journey. It can be done, and successfully. If nothing else, I hope that while you have been reading this, your mind has been taken off this on-going, everlasting, election cycle.
View Diet Calendar, 05 November 2022:
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1835 kcal
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Fat: 56.22g | Prot: 75.78g | Carbs: 276.32g.
Breakfast: Kroger Fat Free Half & Half, Mariani Pitted Prunes, Florida's Natural 100% Pure Florida Orange Juice, Kroger Walnut Halves & Pieces, Blueberries, Oatmeal. Lunch: Sabra Classic Hummus, Kiwi Fruit, Strawberries, Grapes, Cabot Vermont Seriously Sharp White Cheddar Cheese Cracker Cut Slices, Dove Dark Chocolate Miniatures, Kroger Low Fat Cottage Cheese, Mariani Pitted Prunes, Metamucil Sugar Free Metamucil, Ranch Dressing - Low Calorie, Blue Diamond Almond Nut-Thins - Cheddar Cheese Nut & Rice Cracker Snacks, Lettuce Salad with Assorted Vegetables. Dinner: Smartfood White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn, Sunsweet Dried Pitted Prunes, Tangerines (Mandarin Oranges), Blueberries, Strawberries, Cooked Asparagus (Fat Not Added in Cooking), Grapes, Pickled Beets, Dove Dark Chocolate Miniatures, Metamucil Sugar Free Metamucil, Snickers Almond Bar (Fun Size), Unstuffed Cabbage w/orzo. more...
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