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? 

BLOOD TEST RESULTS

During my initial 'wellness' visit, December 24, 2014, my blood was tested.   I will confess that I was concerned when the results indicated that my glucose levels were elevated.   The report that I received from my doctor last December had my 'fasting glucose' level at 114 mg/dL.   The initial report came with the advice to visit www.diabetes.org for more information.   If I was not officially pre-diabetic, I was on the wrong track and headed in that direction.

Two months later, after I had dropped more than 50 lbs, my blood was tested again.   I was most interested in this glucose level.    This time the reading was 74 mg/dL   (normal range is 70-99)

I am no longer speeding down the tracks headed into a diabetes or pre-diabetes.   I successfully switched tracks.

I was speeding  straight towards pre-diabetes, my efforts

over the past two months, had me 'switch tracks' and now
I am on a very different path headed in a new direction.

However, my blood tests, show a new minor problem, 'Mild Anemia.'   All of a sudden my Vitamin D level is 'insufficient.'  (Maybe McDonald's McChickens, Burger King hamburgers, Hershey's chocolate milk and Klondike ice-cream have lots of Vitamin D!)   The recommendation is to eat foods rich in Vitamin D, or foods fortified with Vitamin D or increase Sun Exposure.   Sun Exposure might be problematical while it is 10 degrees outside.   Considering what was going on with my body and by body chemistry two months ago - this report was very satisfying.

I consulted the 'Vitamin D Council' website to find out why people might not be getting enough Vitamin D

For a number of reasons, many people aren’t getting enough vitamin D to stay healthy. This is called vitamin D deficiency. You may not get enough vitamin D if:

• You don’t get enough sunlight. Your body is usually able to get all the vitamin D it needs if you regularly expose enough bare skin to the sun. However, many people don’t get enough sunlight because they spend a lot of time inside and because they use sunscreen. It’s also difficult for some people to get enough vitamin D from the sun during the winter.

• You don’t take supplements. It’s very difficult to get enough vitamin D from the foods you eat alone.

• Your body needs more vitamin D than usual, for example if you’re obese or pregnant.

I can see that getting enough sunlight might have been a problem for the past few wintry months in Chicago.   I had recently been taking a Vitamin D supplement.  I have now increased the amount from 1000 IU to 2000 IU.  I am still considered obese although I am nearly certain that I am not pregnant.

Next thing to do was get a list of foods rich in Vitamin D - so I know what foods to add to my menu.
I consulted webMD.com:

Foods that provide vitamin D include:

• Fatty fish, like tuna, mackerel, and salmon

• Foods fortified with vitamin D, like some dairy products, orange juice, soy milk, and cereals

• Beef liver

• Cheese

• Egg yolks

To get vitamin D from food, fish is a good option. Six ounces of cooked salmon has more than 600 international units (IU).

MONDAY MENU

breakfast  2 poached eggs, 2 slices turkey 'bacon' cup OAT MEAL, 1 prune          355 CALORIES

lunch        Jimmy John's #14 Bootlegger Club UNWICH w/provolone cheese       280 CALORIES

dinner       APPLEBEE'S Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (no dressing)                    370 CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED     1005 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED

6AM    elliptical machine 32 minutes             440 calories

7PM     DAYS INN Stairmaster 30 minutes   400 calories

total calories burned     840 calories

NET CALORIES     165 CALORIES

APPLEBEE'S GRILLED CHICKEN CAESAR
SALAD (NO DRESSING) 370 CALORIES

THERE'S ALWAYS ANOTHER MEAL IN SIX HOURS

On December 24, 2014, these words, "There's always another meal in six hours" changed my life.  I asked permission from my doctor today if I could use him name in my blog and he said that was perfectly fine.

I met Dr. John Tenhundfeld (Lincoln Park Family Physicians, 1317 West Diversey Parkway, Chicago) on two separate occasions prior to my December 24, 2014 'wellness' exam.   I immediately liked everything about him. This man is friendly, approachable and knowledgeable. He has a great personality and I find that I can speak with him with complete honesty. He is simply the best of the best.  Eight weeks ago, when I was a 309 lb blob sitting in the examination room we were discussing weight loss. He casually said that the thing with eating is..."there's always another meal in six hours."  He added that we just need to eat enough to survive until the next meal.  These ideas changed my life.  

It is these ideas that have propelled me into a fat-burning, muscle-building machine over these past few weeks.  I made sure to tell Dr. Tenhunfeld that it was these words there were so instrumental to my new way of thinking.  Expressing gratitude to someone who has been so helpful is a great thing to do.

My doctor was somewhat stunned today.  He was impressed with my success and my attitude. Honestly, the whole experience was very emotional for me. 

We discussed all the issues that I wanted to clarify.

He did say that a 1000 calorie per day cap on my eating was very aggressive. He added that as long as I am eating a balanced diet I could continue to do this. He added that I could easily bump that up to 1200 or 1300 when I am ready to do so.

My blood pressure which was elevated two months ago is now completely healthy.  

Blood pressure is 123/75.   (two months ago 158/82)

Resting pulse today was 67   (two months ago 75)

One recommendation made was to increase the fiber that I am eating.  His suggestions included adding to my diet: prunes, raisins, whole grains, and steel cut oatmeal with wheat germ.  I will follow this advice.

We discussed the Zero Calorie Sparkling Water that I drink.  While not as healthy as water,  Dr. Tenhundfeld said that as long as I drink some water during the day, I should be OK.  I do drink water exclusively with my lunches and dinners.  The 6 cup per day minimum that we all read about virtually everywhere is a false fact without scientific merit.   

Another blood test was taken, and the doctor expects that my glucose levels should have receded to a normal level.

Dr. Tenhunfeld said that I "made his day."  It really meant something to him, that I took to heart his advice 8 weeks ago.   He said that in his career he had never seen anyone lose so much weight so quickly.  Although, he said that the speed of my weight loss was way outside what could reasonably be expected, my attitude and the fact that I am not starving myself do not indicate any trouble.

I think he got a kick out of the fact that I started my weight loss program on December 24th.  Not too many people start their new diets or lifestyle changes on Christmas Eve.   Since I am Jewish, for me, December 24th was simply a Tuesday.  Even so, not too many people start their new diets or lifestyle changes so close before New Year's Day.  Apparently I am not like everyone else.   I never have been.  Likely I never will be.

And lastly, right as he left the exam room, he said something that I will never forget.  Before he entered the exam room, naturally he looked at my chart.  He wondered who had weighed me as the weight looked ridiculously wrong.  The scale that I was weighed on cost him around $2000.  On December 24, 2014 his scale indicated that I weighed 313 lbs (with clothes on).  That very same scale, today registered 252.8 lbs. From his perspective, it was simply not possible that a patient could weigh 60 lbs less in 8 weeks.  Even my home scale showed a little less weight loss.  I will continue to report my weight from my own scale just to be consistent.

No wonder the nurse taking my blood pressure could not understand when I said the purpose of my visit was "obesity"    I must admit, although my BMI still has me classified as obese - I do not look obese sitting here in the chair getting my blood pressure reading.

My wife, Jennifer did a good job of documenting my doctor visit today.  Here I am  being weighed.

252.8 lbs  (I weighed myself at home this morning and my scale indicated 255 lbs and I and could barely believe it)  I will contine to use my home scale to calculate my progress just for consistency.   Tomorrow, Saturday is the 'official' day to record my weight loss progress.

And the last thing that I can think of that was memorable today was that the nurse who took my blood pressure, temperature and weight measurements asked my why I was seeing the doctor today.   I said "obesity."   She looked at me funny.   Although I was not trying to be funny - I admit, when I look at the photos that my wife took of me today - I do not see an obese person.

Never before has a visit to the doctor been so much fun!

I will repeat one more time.  Dr. Tenhundfeld, you changed my life.   Thank you.  

THIS IS A SNACK?

As a man who spends approximately 10 nights per month on the road traveling from one account to another,  I was pretty guilty of 'snacking.'   I intend to spend my time on this blog looking to the future - but I must look backward this time to describe the type of purchases I might have made when stopping to fill up my tank with gas.   This trio of 'foods' often served as breakfast too.

                                                           TOTAL FAT    SATURATED FAT   CARBS    CALORIES

NABISCO OREO COOKIES (10-PACK)        23G                   7G                    79G                   530
HOSTESS HO HO'S (3 PACK)                      16G                 12G                    54G                   360
NESTLES 14OZ VANILLA MILK                      3G                   2G                    30G                   170

TOTAL SNACK/BREAKFAST                       42G                  21G                 163G                1060 

This is breakfast?
This is a snack?
For the past many years, the answer has been: yes
And one more thing, I could consume this 'meal' in ten minutes, maybe less....I never actually timed myself.   But one thing is for sure,  I never felt sated, or satisfied.   The one thing that prevented me from getting a fourth or fifth item was that I didn't want to overdo it.  Yes, I know - That's pretty funny.

This clears up the mystery of my elevated glucose levels and weight gain.

GLUCOSE 114 mg/dL

Five days after my blood tests were performed during my 'wellness' checkup, my blood work results arrived via email.    At the doctors office I was advised that my blood pressure was a bit elevated.  Today I have learned that my bloodwork results came back normal with the exception of my GLUCOSE levels.   The normal range for me should been between 70-99 for a fasting glucose reading.   My results were 114 mg/dL which is a bit high.   Continued high or worsening glucose levels can lead to diabetes.   So this is no joke.   The email from the doctor indicated that this is "commonly caused by being over weight and [having] a sedentary lifestyle."  The communication from the doctor indicated that I am "advised to improve TLC efforts. (Low saturated fat, low carbohydrate, well balanced diet; engage in aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes, 3 times per week; and achieve and maintain a normal weight."   The doctor suggests that the test is repeated in 3 months.    I already have a followup exam scheduled in two months, I will ask to be retested at that time.

It is going to take a little while to "achieve and maintain a normal weight."   I am glad that I have already started. I believe that I am already well on my way to eating a more sensible, well-balanced diet.   And I intend to follow the advice to engage in aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes, 3 times per week. I have great confidence that my test results will be much improved the next time.  I am always encouraging my own daughter to "keep her grades up" as each semester in 7th grade progresses.   It is time for me to heed my own advice.   I need to get my blood test scores up, well, in this case, get my glucose levels down.   There is no question in my mind that my next tested result will be radically different.

GLUCOSE molecular formula C6H12O6