HALFTIME REPORT

When this blog began on December 26, 2014, I posted photos of myself weighing in at 309 lbs.  At that time I made a point of saying that these were 'BEFORE' pictures.  Obviously no 'AFTER' pictures were available.  It is now March 1, 2015.  I am about HALFWAY to where I think I am heading. When I started, I had the idea of losing at least 100 lbs. My thinking has recently crystallized into thinking that I might want to get down to about 195 lbs. If I achieve that goal, I will have lost 114 lbs.  I am now down 57 lbs.  I am halfway there...  which means....

IT IS TIME FOR THE HALFTIME REPORT.

I am measuring halftime based on the 57 lbs lost that I have lost in the first 66 days. I can not and do not expect that the next 57 lbs will be lost in the same amount of days. It is illogical to think that, therefore I don't. It really does not matter how long it takes, as this is not a race. It more akin to an endless marathon.

I have accomplished what I have accomplished so far by limiting myself to 1000 calories per day each day since December 24th. Since last Friday, I have been willing to let my caloric intake go a little bit higher each day.  So far, I have not once exceeded 1050 calories for any one day.  I have exercised every day since January 3. On January 3rd my 'workout' was a 4mph treadmill 'walk' for a whole 20 minutes before I became winded. My endurance has improved dramatically since then. I can increasingly often spend a full hour on an elliptical machine.

I have seen my blood pressure which was elevated at 158/82 reduced to 123/75 which my doctor says is completely normal and healthy.

I have seen my 'fasting glucose' level which were elevated at 114 mg/dL reduced to a normal and healthy 74 mg/dL.  I had been in danger of being pre-diabetic - that issue has been erased.

I have watched my BMI which was 42.0 (CLASS III OBESITY) drop down to 33.72 (CLASS I OBESITY)  I still have to get down to 224 lbs just to be considered only 'overweight.'  Although my BMI still has me classified as 'obese' - I am a lot less obese than I was.

I have watched my waist which was getting ready to go beyond 50" contract to a an extremely comfortable 44" and I see that I will be fitting into 42" likely within a week or two.

I have now learned to shop for shirts that are size L or XL.   I could only wear  XXL when I started, and they were not always big enough.  Some of my old shirts would look like tents if I were to wear them now.

I have watched my personal energy levels increase.  I thought I used to wake up early when I arose at 7AM.  Nowadays, I set my alarm for 5:30AM and I am often on an elliptical machine by 6AM.

I was becoming increasingly reliant on BLINK lubricating eye drops to combat 'dry eye' prior to December 24th.  I have noticed that I have not had the urge to irrigate my eyes in the last two months.  Is it possible that an improved diet has solved dryness of the eyes?  It appears so.

I have been told that I have cured myself of snoring.  Apparently being more than 100 lbs overweight is not very conducive for breathing well while sleeping.

I have cured a pain in my right knee that I felt every morning when I woke up.  This pain dissipated as the morning progressed.  That knee pain has been eradicated and is now a distant memory.

I have noticed that my skin is healthier.  I can see it most clearly in my elbows which look less like sun-drenched dry lizard skin.

And finally, I no longer hate mirrors.   In fact, I kinda like them.

The two sets of photos that appear below were taken on December 26, 2014 (two days after I made the decision to change my life and lifestyle) and yesterday, 67 days after that same decision.

A final note about these photos.  One might conclude that my weight loss has stimulated hair growth. Sadly, this is not the case. I got a buzzcut haircut right before the December 24th pictures were taken. I have not had a haircut since then. Although I look even 'balder' in the December pictures - I am just as bald today. My healthy diet and cardio exercise have not stimulated any hair follicles.

SATURDAY MENU

breakfast     OAT MEAL w/PRUNE, 2 poached eggs, 1/2 salmon burger      350 CALORIES

lunch           TWO CUPS SIRLOIN BURGER SOUP, Mixed Green Salad    320 CALORIES

dinner         Costco Turkey Burger, *Spring Mix Salad, Tortilla Soup    370 CALORIES

*(no longer do I always add dressing to my menu as I have purchased ZERO calorie dressings)

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED  1040 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED

6AM   elliptical machine 32 minutes                    440 CALORIES

2PM    elliptical machine 33 minutes                    460 CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED  900 CALORIES

NET CALORIES     140 CALORIES   

This is the chart from my app, MyFitnessPal, which shows a fairly steady decline in weight over the past two months.   I started at 309 lbs and as of yesterday, I was 252.1 lbs.   I would have never believed that I could have had this much success so quickly.  I wonder what the next two months will bring?