It's Time for a Change

[dvickers79]

I just wanted to follow up on my initial posts, since alot has transpired since then..

1) We joined a gym. It helps me stay focused, since I have to be at the gym at a certain time each day. Personally, I have to have every little thing scheduled out. This helps me with my smoking cessation, as well as being sure to get my walking/lifting in on the required day.

2) All junk food was replaced with healthy fruits & veggies. There is absolutely zero junk food in the house. I believe our kids are going to hate this just as much as we are, but as I said in the first post, this is about a life-change.

3) I begin a 12-week plan tomorrow. It is my first day in the gym. I used a little bit of everything in formulating my plan. 3 days per week is pure cardio in 40 minute sets per day. Then the other 3 days is light lifting to start building up all of those muscles that I forgot I had.

4) I also begin my diet tomorrow. I have worked out what I believe to be a fairly solid plan of action, utilizing the 6-meal plan.

I will post more as this week rolls along. I know I will need the support as I settle in to the new lifestyle.

Thanks for all of the support,

Dan

[JarheadRI]

Originally Posted by dvickers79

I just wanted to follow up on my initial posts, since alot has transpired since then..

1) We joined a gym. It helps me stay focused, since I have to be at the gym at a certain time each day. Personally, I have to have every little thing scheduled out. This helps me with my smoking cessation, as well as being sure to get my walking/lifting in on the required day.

2) All junk food was replaced with healthy fruits & veggies. There is absolutely zero junk food in the house. I believe our kids are going to hate this just as much as we are, but as I said in the first post, this is about a life-change.

3) I begin a 12-week plan tomorrow. It is my first day in the gym. I used a little bit of everything in formulating my plan. 3 days per week is pure cardio in 40 minute sets per day. Then the other 3 days is light lifting to start building up all of those muscles that I forgot I had.

4) I also begin my diet tomorrow. I have worked out what I believe to be a fairly solid plan of action, utilizing the 6-meal plan.

I will post more as this week rolls along. I know I will need the support as I settle in to the new lifestyle.

Thanks for all of the support,

Dan

Excellent work! However if you feel like this is too much at one time don't stop! Keep going going going!

[dvickers79]

Originally Posted by JarheadRI

Excellent work! However if you feel like this is too much at one time don't stop! Keep going going going!

So here it is, almost two years later...I suppose since I failed to even consider keeping everyone here who thought to post for me, I should give everyone an update.


1) I failed. This is the whole story. Smoking, eating, it's all there. The medical problems are still rampant, and then some, despite CAT/MRI/Ultrasound etc. The doctors now don't know why I have the pain that I have (the muscle group below right shoulder blade, to the right of spine) so I live with it.

2) This can't work...is what I told myself to get back on easy street. I've gained another probably 40 or so pounds since the original post here. Man, how stupid I've been but I can't take it mentally anymore. My stomach looks so weird, like I'm pregnant. My doctor put me on Prilosec twice/day about a year ago. I thought maybe this had something to do with the way my stomach developed over the past year. It certainly doesn't feel or look like normal weight gain...but still in the same financial situation, so it's hard to afford a doctor's visit.

If anyone might have some words of wisdom to help me through this, I am putting myself back on the diet again. I have to. None of my clothes fit anymore and I am so tired of feeling like crap...again it's all about motivation, and I am motivated to get back in my clothes, at least...and get my pregnant belly down to a manageable size.

More to follow, thinking about posting a Youtube video covering all of this..dunno yet.

[A1food4U]

First of all relax but be committed... cardio will be your best bet. I'm assuming that the shoulder pain won't be made worse by jogging, walking or stair climbers. Elypticals may be rough.

[pliny_2001]

thanks for the update, even though the news isn't good. so you're 270 lbs, now? more medical problems? refer back to my post on the previous page, and you can see that the "i'm going to make a thousand big changes now and turn it all around" approach has a fairly low success rate. just try to go back and do what I said -- a few small changes, and add a few more in over time.

it'll work. good luck.

[Insex]

Round 2:

If you need motivation, look no further than your family--particularly, your kids. Your kids are witnesses to your lifestyle habits; eventually, they will pick up your same habits. If you don't want your kids to go through the same troubles that you have been going through these past few years, then start cleaning up your lifestyle habits and start living by example. Otherwise, when your kids grow older they will end up going through the same problems that you are experiencing right now.

Here's a true story:

When I was about seven years old, my dad started showing signs of having high blood pressure. He went to the doctor for a check-up, and sure enough, he had high blood pressure. This prompted him to take up new lifestyle changes, not just quick fixes, because heart disease runs in our family (when my father was only 7 years old, his father died of a heart attack). Along with taking up tennis and joining a nearby tennis club, my dad also had my family's eating habits change. My mom started cooking healthier foods that were safe for my dad to eat, which quickly translated to food that my sister and I had to eat. After a while, my sister and I got used to the new changes; the leaner and healthier foods that my mom cooked for the family tasted like normal food to us.

Almost 20 years later (I'll be 27 next month) and the same lifestyle changes that my dad implemented within the family have remained the same. At 64, my dad still plays tennis and is exhibiting lower blood pressure levels than he had at age 44. My mom still cooks the same lean and healthy meals that were foreign to us 20 years ago. My sister and I are both healthy too; she likes to run, and I like to compete in bodybuilding shows. All of this was possible, because my dad made a lifestyle change 20 years ago that involved all of us to eat healthier and take up more active lifestyles.

You may not realize it now, but your kids see everything that you do. If you keep up the same habits long enough, your kids will eventually take up the same habits themselves. How do you want your children's quality of life to be when they grow older? Do you want to see them go through the same health problems that you are going through right now? Or do you want to see them live through life without having to worry about any major health problems?

This all begins with a choice, which is followed up by a commitment.

[Skorpius]

Hey dvickers79,

I am sorta in the same situation you are in. I am not married (no kids) but I am still working in tech support (sitting on my ass for almost 8 hours a day) and I have been there for alomost 9+ years. About 6 months ago, I had weighed in at 385 lbs. I was so tired everyday I was dozing off a work and people there were starting to notice it. I was urinating constantly thru the day and I had no clue what was happenning to me. My family and friends were starting to get concerned. My family was always getting on me to lose the weight. I was already going to the gym since 2006 but I had gained 50lbs (and it wasn't muscle) since I had started there (I weighed in at 330lbs). I was eating out almost everyday for breakfast and lunch and sometimes dinner. I went to every fast food joint there is (McD's, BK, Wendy's, Dunkin Doughnuts, Taco Bell, Pizza hut, 7-11, Portillo's, italian joints, chinese restaurants, mexican restaurants, etc.).
Than about 5 months ago, I met my dietician. She was, and still is my guardian angel. She saved my ass from a future heart attack. Thru her I found out I had diabetes type 2. She taught me what I was putting into my body and which foods I should be eating. With her help, I was able to control my cravings, eat alot healthier and drop the weight. I am proud to say that I am now at 282lbs. That's almost 100lbs since March 2009.
I will admit that back then, I was too proud to think I needed help. You can't do this alone. You have to seek out advice or information from someone, whether its a registered dietician, a group class, or a trainer.
You can probably get some info or even classes thru your insurance provider. I did go to some diabetes classes that my insurance provides, but I decided to keep seeing my dietician.
I hope this helps you out. I am still going thru this weight loss. I am basically half way. I want to lose another 70-80 lbs and also drop my body fat percentage. Right now I am around 30%.

[Italianangel]

Just pick up and start again, don't look back, look forward, start now and go day by day.....results take patience and consistency so lets get you back on that track.
Linda