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I got off to a great start on MFP.......but lately I have been struggling.
The end of July is very difficult for my wife and I........ today is the 32nd anniversary of the death of our youngest son (at that time), Ryan, from acute myelogenous leukemia. Though the memory of him starts to fade....... it seems to still affect us....... it never goes away..... and I would not want it to go away. It just is hard....... painful.
Then six years ago..... our youngest son, Stephen, (born the year )after Ryan's death........ Stephen died in a car accident. He was 25 years old and left a young wife and a two daughters, four years old and two years old. An almost unbearable blow for us.
It seems that at this time of year...... I am overcome with melancholy. I have very low energy......... a sadness. And I try to assuage it with food...... I am an emotional eater. That is a fact. And I always gain weight at this time of year and around the holidays. Now that I am aware of it....... I can pay attention........ adjust.......
Bottom line...... I have to stay the course. Eating and drinking provide a temporary relief.....but in the end...... drains me even more of my energy and desire for life.
This is serious stuff........ I have to be tender with myself...... but I also know that it is important to .....
....STAY THE COURSE......
Phil0 -
I had a good day yesterday...... I am trying to eat low carb...... it seems to be the diet that helps me to feel at my best. I am trying to get to being a real fat burner.
My goals are to eat a net 25 grams of carbs a day. I realize that is low.....but it is a goal. Yesterday, I was at 30 grams. I feel good today.
I walked for 45 minutes yesterday and would like to walk half an hour today and bike for 45 minutes or so.....
It is a gorgeous day here in Minnesota....
Phil
352/328/2990 -
Hey Phil,
Sending you a friend request as I see that we have very similar profiles and goals.
I'm a former athlete myself. Swimming and water polo in HS and rowing in my college years.
I'm 51 years old, 6'3" and hit a peak weight of just under 350#'s.
Currently I'm in the 280 range and working at getting off 10 pounds at a time to get myself back into more reasonable condition.
Got myself back into the pool in late 2012 and even got started back with a master's water polo program. That's been a trip because I'm certainly old and slow and the bulk of the other players are either recent grads from the University of Texas varsity team and even a few current players. Had an interesting moment during one recent scrimmage when I realized that the opposing player that I was guarding was born in 1994 - exactly 14 years since the last time that I had competitively played the sport in 1980. The first few scrimmages I almost died, literally! Been getting better all of the time, however, and I've been having a blast trying to keep up.
In any event, just wanted to say keep at it. This lifestyle change is totally worth it.
I also did want to acknowledge that I feel for you with respect to the loss of your sons. I have two boys myself and I can only imagine the challenges that you face in that area of your life.
I know from my own experience that getting your body moving, and releasing those endorphins, can really help keep the mental state when dealing with depression/melancholy/sadness.
Go ahead and accept the FR and let's work towards keeping each other motivated and accountable.
Take care.
David
SkinnyBubbaGaar0 -
David,
Thanks for the encouragement. We do have a lot in common. I swam in high school and in college......played some water polo in lifeguard league...... and even did some rowing competition as a lifeguard. I was pretty dang good at it. I beat a guy one year in a lifeguard rowing contest, who the next year rowed crew for the University of Wisconsin in the Henley Regatta in England. It was around 1972 or so.
I am 6' 5" and right now weigh 327 lbs. My all time high was about 370 lbs. Back in 2007 I dropped over a hundred pounds and got down to 255. Then after my son died, well, that is not an excuse, but it does help me to identify that I use food as a painkiller.
I am really working hard to correct that. It will be a process........ but now that I am sixty years old, I realize that I am going to have to gradually increase my physical activity. This ol' body just ain't got the overdrive gear anymore. I have to show it a little respect and even some tenderness!
Last weekend I went to visit my grandkids..... I took four of them to the pool. They are eight, seven, five and four years old. I was having a grand old time with them, wresting, throwing them around, chasing them around the pool, launching them for back flips, etc. We were there for three hours. Right before we left, I was feeling the exhaustion and lamenting what kind of shape I was in, when my son told me he had to go home to get something.
He said, "I'll see you later dad."
My son is thirty-five years old and there was this young mother there with her four year old son.
She said to him, "That's your dad?!? No way .......how old is he?"
My son said, "He's sixty..." She did not believe it.
She came up to me and said, "Are you really sixty?"
"Yes"
"My dad is sixty-three....... he could not ever play with the kids the way you play with your grand kids. I can't believe your sixty and his dad (pointing to my son) !!"
Well, ..... that made my day...... but.....
I still have a lot of work to do....... a LOT of work to do. But maybe I am not as pathetic as I thought.
I cannot, however, see myself playing water polo!! That is amazing........ I don't even like to swim laps because once you have swum at a competitive level....... and you find yourself more than a hundred pounds more than you were, well, it's like a barge vs a speedboat. It just isn't any fun. Maybe I'll swim laps again.......but I need to lose a lot more weight!
I do need a lot of encouragement.....we can help each other.
Thanks David.....
Stay the course!
Phil
352/327/2990 -
I have had a couple of rough weeks....... neglecting my eating and just flat out indulging. The past couple of days I've gotten back on track and have a slight gain of one pound.
I have been feeling this weight in my knees and ankles the past few days, so yesterday for exercise I headed to the pool. It felt very good to get in a good workout without stressing my knees, ankles and feet.
I am hoping to break the 300 lb barrier by Thanksgiving . That means I need to lose 30 lbs in 100 days. Yep, that's right it is one hundred days until Thanksgiving......which is my favorite holiday. That's right at 2 lbs a week. Do able!!!
It will be a good thing to get back under 300 lbs......... it will feel good to carry a lighter load.
Phil
352/328/2990 -
Hey Phil,
Just read this thread. I'm in since 8/1 after I fell off the wagon in December. I'm a native Minnesotan but now I've lived in Texas longer than I ever lived in Minnesota. The accent still comes out when I visit however.
I think coming on these forums is making a big difference for me and for you--reinforcement of any kind helps. I personally need to visit Mr. Scale everyday or I find my perceptions of what's happening tend to diverge from reality. Others don't have that issue and visit less often to prevent burnout. I think you have taken a big divot out of your weight already so Bravo for that. I'm on board for breaking that 300 barrier. We all have those former high water marks that we are struggling to get back to on our way to a GQ centerfold opportunity. I also relate to the nocturnal grazing penchant--must be the long winter nights we grew up with. Two main things for me are calorie control by logging consistantly--the physics are inescapable, and physical fitness (sweat everyday).
I'd be glad to be on your friend list.
Doug0 -
Phil,
first off welcome ... although I'm newer to The Male Stop than you ... but welcome anyhow. I'm in for helping each other out any way that makes sense and is helpful! Add me as a friend, send me a message, write on my wall ... whatever works for you!
I would consider adding some resistance training to your exercise routine ... What will happen as you lose weight by reducing your food intake is that your body will convert both body fat and muscle and use both for energy. You want to preserve as much muscle as you can. As Amisnercpa noted, muscle burns more calories than fat does, so maintaining muscle helps you keep your metabolism higher. Aside from that, you will want to look good and feel good as you lose weight and the resistance training will help immensely with that. Finally, resistance training releases cortisol into your body, which helps with fat loss as long as you are continuing the resistance training and making sure to eat some protein within 60 minutes or so after resistance training.
You absolutely should do the diet plan your dietician set up for you. I was borderline Type II diabetic and went to a low carb diet and solved that problem without any medication whatsoever.0 -
Doug and Eric,
Thanks for the input and the encouragement. I am still struggling.......but determined. Sometimes I think I try to do too much...... I just need to make one small change at a time........
All I know is that I am not enjoying being over 300 lbs....... it is not easy lugging all this around!
Phil0 -
Hey Phil,
Stay the course. Maybe you just need to readjust your plan. As you said, sometimes you try to do too much. Make small changes that you can maintain long term. From reading other MFP posts, it seems that slow and steady may be the best course. Like good BBQ, low and slow.
Use MFP's calculator, IIFYM.com calculator or fat2fitradio.com to set realistic calorie intake goals. Add exercise in increments that you can maintain. Since I started MFP my exercise has been erratic. Sometimes I workout 3-4 times a week, other times I go a week with no exercise. I'd like to settle at 3-4 30 to 40 minutes sessions a week. You can do this, you just need to find the plan the works for you. Set small goals. We didn't gain the extra weight overnight, probably took months/years, so take it slow.
Good luck.0 -
New to the site, but not new to trying to get my weight under control. May 24th I bought a pair of 35 waist pants. The ones in my profile pic. It is now September, and I never got a chance to wear those pants, but I can fit in a 30, 31s are still more comfortable. On Friday, I went shopping for dress shirt, and I had to buy slim fit, athletic cuts. Whoa Hoa! Now that I am getting to my goal weight, planning on harder workouts, and gaining some weight where I want it to be. Having had 3 back surgeries, I have to be very careful in the gym. I was always pretty lucky in the eating, and maintaining department, but the last back surgery, and being 47 has caught up with me. 5'9, goal weight of 155, will put me at high school weight. Just in time for class reunion. Stay with the gym, and I will be in better shape than high school. 1470 calories a day.0
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Hey Phil,
Stay the course. Maybe you just need to readjust your plan. As you said, sometimes you try to do too much. Make small changes that you can maintain long term. From reading other MFP posts, it seems that slow and steady may be the best course. Like good BBQ, low and slow. ......
Good luck.
Thanks Lou...... I did change my calorie goal. I upped it a little so that I lose only 1 lb per week. I can eat 2500 calories a day and with the exercise I do that should be plenty........ low and slow..... I like that!!
Phil0 -
I've been going "low and slow"......it's been working pretty good. Lowering goals and expectations is helpful when it comes to weight loss!!
Stay the course.....0 -
I weighed in this morning and was down 7 lbs. That is very dramatic and I am grateful for the loss. I have upped my calorie consumption goal to 2500 calories a day and it seems to help me stay on track. When I have a lower goal (previously 2100 cal/day) .... I would get frustrated and overeat.
Low and slow...... is the way to go!!!
Phil0 -
I just reread my initial post on this thread and I had put Thanksgiving as a goal date for breaking the 300 lb barrier.
That would be a twenty-five pound loss in less than two months. Hmmmmmm.......that is a lot. I will instead focus on "low and slow"........ then, let the chips fall where they may!!0 -
Bad night last night...... overate....... excessively. An emotional binge...... not good.....
Today is a new day......0 -
Bad night last night...... overate....... excessively. An emotional binge...... not good.....
Today is a new day......
That's right, move on and keep going ! You can do it !0 -
Looks like you are on track to reach your goal. As far as weighing in - once a week. Besides the fact that your weight fluctuates throughout the day for various reasons, once a week should provide better encouragement as the weight loss will be more noticable and therefore more encouragings. Don't forget the other measurements - neck, waist and hip. They are just as important, if not more important, than just weight loss. Good luck and it won't hurt to enjoy a great Thanksgiving dinner!
Re the binge, most of us take a fall once in while. I always feel guilty about over indulging, but you just have to keep yourself dicisplined and enjoy the progress.
205/194/1850
