Well, I've made a small change in my life; I've eliminated wheat from my diet. This wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. Wheat is, literally, everywhere! Pizza, bread, donuts, pasta, and pastries are just the obvious ones. It's also in salad dressing, chocolate and a myriad of other non-bread items. It's used as filler, flavor enhancer, and binder in processed foods.
To get a handle on all of the things that contain wheat, I read Dr. William Davis' book, 'Wheat Belly' I have to admit, it was both enlightening and infuriating. I have been told by Diabetic Counselors, certified dietitians, and doctors, that wheat should be a mainstay of my diet. I grew up eating pasta, pizza, all manner of baked goods, and could never understand how I kept gaining weight even though I was working out 4 to 6 days a week.
Better late than never. Since I've given up wheat, I've noticed that, after a couple of days feeling listless, my energy levels have increased. I don't know if I've lost any weight, but I feel better. I also don't have as much neck and shoulder pain as I did before. All in all, I think this will be a positive change, but, as this is the Holiday Season, I am going to have to resist temptation at work, at home, and when I'm out. I'll keep you posted.
Next step: back to Crossfit, if they'll have me.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Regression, Depression, and Planning the Next Session.
As I write this, I am lying on a bed at the Black Hills Regional Sleep Center with a tube sticking up my nose. Later, I get the joy of having some sort of adhesive goop slathered all over my head and then wires will be attached, so that my brain activity can be monitored.
Oh joy.
The Summer was full of setbacks and obstacles. First, there was the funny mole on my head that turned out to pre-cancerous cells that had to be removed. Now I have to wear a big, floppy hat every time I go out into the sunlight. Then there was a trip back to Michigan where I spent a week eating road food and driving the length and breadth of the state, all the while getting NO exercise. When I got back, an old neck injury flared up and I was out of action for a month. Then I noticed that I was feeling tired all of the time. I figured, "Hey, it comes with getting older." But, I noticed that my energy levels were WAAAAAY low by the end of a workday. And my job isn't demanding at all. After watching me sit like an insensate lump on the couch for a couple of months, my long-suffering wife, who has endured my snoring for our entire marriage, finally convinced me to get a Sleep Study done. It turns out that I am going as long as 40 seconds without breathing during the night. Hence the lethargy and lack of motivation.
The frustrating thing is that I had finally adjusted to Crossfit; I had learned that working out full tilt one day, and being too sore to move for three, was not progress. Anyhow, at the other end of all of the excuses and obstacles, I'm almost back where I started from.
Soooooo, I guess I can call my first effort at losing 100 pounds an epic fail. The only choice I have now is figure out what to do next and make the second attempt.
Oh joy.
The Summer was full of setbacks and obstacles. First, there was the funny mole on my head that turned out to pre-cancerous cells that had to be removed. Now I have to wear a big, floppy hat every time I go out into the sunlight. Then there was a trip back to Michigan where I spent a week eating road food and driving the length and breadth of the state, all the while getting NO exercise. When I got back, an old neck injury flared up and I was out of action for a month. Then I noticed that I was feeling tired all of the time. I figured, "Hey, it comes with getting older." But, I noticed that my energy levels were WAAAAAY low by the end of a workday. And my job isn't demanding at all. After watching me sit like an insensate lump on the couch for a couple of months, my long-suffering wife, who has endured my snoring for our entire marriage, finally convinced me to get a Sleep Study done. It turns out that I am going as long as 40 seconds without breathing during the night. Hence the lethargy and lack of motivation.
The frustrating thing is that I had finally adjusted to Crossfit; I had learned that working out full tilt one day, and being too sore to move for three, was not progress. Anyhow, at the other end of all of the excuses and obstacles, I'm almost back where I started from.
Soooooo, I guess I can call my first effort at losing 100 pounds an epic fail. The only choice I have now is figure out what to do next and make the second attempt.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Progress, sweet progress...
I had to go get weighed in yesterday for insurance purposes. It turns out that I have lost TWENTY THREE POUNDS since I started this process. Now, I have to admit; I have feared the scale and what it might tell me, but this was unavoidable and the results were inspiring.
I credit Crossfit and the people there for helping me make it this far. Justin, Susie, Nicole, and the rest of the gang that pushed me along when I didn't think I had anything left, I can only say a heartfelt 'thank you.' And, you ain't seen nuthin', yet.
I credit Crossfit and the people there for helping me make it this far. Justin, Susie, Nicole, and the rest of the gang that pushed me along when I didn't think I had anything left, I can only say a heartfelt 'thank you.' And, you ain't seen nuthin', yet.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Stuck
With the death of my mother and subsequent respiratory ailment, I've gotten off-task. I'm feeling 100% better physically, but I've still got the blahs. I need to figure this out.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
To My Crossfit Family
This has been the shittiest week of my recent memory. My mother died last Monday. So, as a result of having to drive back to Michigan, I had no box to go to, I ate garbage all week, and I feel like I am back at square one. I'm depressed, pissed at myself, and generally just ready to get back to my life. In any case, I wrote a tribute to my mother that I'd like to share with everyone at BHCF.
My Mother
On February 20, 2012, my Mother went home to be with Our Savior. She went peacefully in her sleep, which is exactly how she wanted to go.
Life didn't give mom a lot of breaks. For one thing, money was a constant worry. When we didn't have enough, she stressed over it. When we did have enough, she constantly worried about losing it. The former was due to her being a child of The Great Depression. The latter was due to her losing her business as a result of the vagaries of IRS regulations. Nevertheless, she knew how to squeeze a penny until Lincoln screamed for mercy. Even more, we never wanted for a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, or food in our bellies.
Bad luck, bad men, and a bad back plagued her throughout her life. Yet, if I had to define her life in one word, that word would be 'perseverance.' My father abandoned us when I was a month old, making her a single parent long before it was socially accepted. Despite the hardship and stigma attached to our circumstance in the 70's, she still managed to raise my sister and I into decent people. She did this with love, sensitivity, and, in my case, a wooden spoon.
Much is made of the Protestant Work Ethic. My mother's work ethic made Protestants look like a bunch of layabouts. Many was the day that I saw her go to work at a job she had come to hate, even though her back caused her so much pain she could barely stand. Then, when she came home, she would take care of us and cook a meal.
Cook? Such a bland way to describe what she did. In keeping with her Sicilian heritage, food was love in our house. And when she had the time and inclination, her spaghetti and meatballs were such that I'm willing to bet that Emeril would have wept with joy at having had the privilege to sample such a meal. My mother could create a feast out of a pound of ground beef and a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup.
She also had a heart as big as all outdoors. I don't know how many Thanksgiving holidays involved setting a place at our table for someone that had no family or was too far from home to enjoy the holiday with their own family. It was never a question of 'if', just 'how many?' Some people adopt stray pets, my mom adopted stray people.
The overriding thing I observed about her was, no matter how many times her heart got broken, or how much pain she was in because of some ailment or other, or how big a financial disaster fell upon her, she never waivered in her belief that things would get better. Her faith was her rock, even before she came to Jesus. When she did, in fact, profess her faith in Jesus Christ, she at last found the peace that had eluded her for so many years. I am firm in my belief that her taking that step, combined with who knows how many of her prayers, led my sister, along with her husband and children, and I to make the same journey a few years later. It was a journey that resulted in me meeting the remarkable woman who became my wife and the mother of my children.
When she sensed that her time was coming, ever the planner and preparer, she set her affairs in order, made sure that we all understood her wishes and took steps to insure that they would be carried out with as little financial burden to her family as possible. That done, she turned and faced her end, ready and without fear. On the morning of February 20, 2012, she went to be in the arms of her Creator. From where I stand, she did so having done her duty as a "...good and faithful servant." Though the world is diminished by her passing, we, who are her legacy, embrace all that she was, and all that she taught us, and we strive to pass those qualities on to our children. It is the best way to honor her memory.
My Mother
On February 20, 2012, my Mother went home to be with Our Savior. She went peacefully in her sleep, which is exactly how she wanted to go.
Life didn't give mom a lot of breaks. For one thing, money was a constant worry. When we didn't have enough, she stressed over it. When we did have enough, she constantly worried about losing it. The former was due to her being a child of The Great Depression. The latter was due to her losing her business as a result of the vagaries of IRS regulations. Nevertheless, she knew how to squeeze a penny until Lincoln screamed for mercy. Even more, we never wanted for a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, or food in our bellies.
Bad luck, bad men, and a bad back plagued her throughout her life. Yet, if I had to define her life in one word, that word would be 'perseverance.' My father abandoned us when I was a month old, making her a single parent long before it was socially accepted. Despite the hardship and stigma attached to our circumstance in the 70's, she still managed to raise my sister and I into decent people. She did this with love, sensitivity, and, in my case, a wooden spoon.
Much is made of the Protestant Work Ethic. My mother's work ethic made Protestants look like a bunch of layabouts. Many was the day that I saw her go to work at a job she had come to hate, even though her back caused her so much pain she could barely stand. Then, when she came home, she would take care of us and cook a meal.
Cook? Such a bland way to describe what she did. In keeping with her Sicilian heritage, food was love in our house. And when she had the time and inclination, her spaghetti and meatballs were such that I'm willing to bet that Emeril would have wept with joy at having had the privilege to sample such a meal. My mother could create a feast out of a pound of ground beef and a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup.
She also had a heart as big as all outdoors. I don't know how many Thanksgiving holidays involved setting a place at our table for someone that had no family or was too far from home to enjoy the holiday with their own family. It was never a question of 'if', just 'how many?' Some people adopt stray pets, my mom adopted stray people.
The overriding thing I observed about her was, no matter how many times her heart got broken, or how much pain she was in because of some ailment or other, or how big a financial disaster fell upon her, she never waivered in her belief that things would get better. Her faith was her rock, even before she came to Jesus. When she did, in fact, profess her faith in Jesus Christ, she at last found the peace that had eluded her for so many years. I am firm in my belief that her taking that step, combined with who knows how many of her prayers, led my sister, along with her husband and children, and I to make the same journey a few years later. It was a journey that resulted in me meeting the remarkable woman who became my wife and the mother of my children.
When she sensed that her time was coming, ever the planner and preparer, she set her affairs in order, made sure that we all understood her wishes and took steps to insure that they would be carried out with as little financial burden to her family as possible. That done, she turned and faced her end, ready and without fear. On the morning of February 20, 2012, she went to be in the arms of her Creator. From where I stand, she did so having done her duty as a "...good and faithful servant." Though the world is diminished by her passing, we, who are her legacy, embrace all that she was, and all that she taught us, and we strive to pass those qualities on to our children. It is the best way to honor her memory.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
SUCCESS!!!
I accomplished my first Rx for a workout today. The workout wasn't complicated: 10 Kettlebell swings (55lbs), 20 Russian Twists with a 20 lb. Medicine Ball, and 30 Paralette Jumps, as many rounds as possible in 16 minutes. I did 3 rounds with 7 KB swings to spare. Paralette Jumps were a bitch since I'm not the most aerial guy in the world, but I ground out 30 of them each round. A month ago, I wasn't even able to get my lard butt off of the ground.
I am quickly becoming a Crossfit Addict.
I am quickly becoming a Crossfit Addict.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Goals.
I know that the title of this blog refers to 100 pounds, but my goals are deeper than just losing weight. I want to be an asset to those around me. If some crisis erupts, I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. If one of my kids sprains an ankle while we're camping, I don't want to have to call an ambulance for both of us because I collapse while carrying him to the car.
I'm not building an Abercrombie & Fitch underwear model, I'm building a life teeming with potential because I have minimized my physical limitations. I want to amaze my doctors and frustrate my pharmacist as I decrease the meds I take and stave off the effects of my various ailments.
It's happening. I can feel it in oh so small increments, but the progress is there. I have refocused my thoughts from "Back in the day, I was..." to "Tomorrow, I will be..."
I'm not building an Abercrombie & Fitch underwear model, I'm building a life teeming with potential because I have minimized my physical limitations. I want to amaze my doctors and frustrate my pharmacist as I decrease the meds I take and stave off the effects of my various ailments.
It's happening. I can feel it in oh so small increments, but the progress is there. I have refocused my thoughts from "Back in the day, I was..." to "Tomorrow, I will be..."
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