Not done, but over half way there

Seeing a few of the forum threads today finally decided me to actually post my success to date. I started up around 400, though MFP only shows my losses from the 390's because something in my metabolism flipped on, and I didn't believe the losses at first.

When I started, I was 5' 9" to go with that weight, but I had been told by at least one doctor prior I had some extra height hiding in my spine due to compressed disks being caused by the excess. So, I already knew exercise was going to have to be slow and careful unless I wanted to cause some major damage.

Because I'm in school, I get one of the best fringe benefits on the market - free access to a fully equipped gym (year round poo, nice weight room with a mix of free weights and weight machines, and a nice cardio area. Some free classes if I choose to avail myself of them, the works.) The down side to being in school is that I have to work in gym time around classes and homework. Last semester that wasn't really possible, but this semester the schedules have been in almost perfect sync.

I started this journey purely working on watching calories. The only exercise I got was hauling myself and my books between classes (2 buildings, barely 1/4 block apart - WOO!) and the car. I can admit now I was flat out lazy and fighting to remain sedentary. I used the excuse that I was a student to explain why I wasn't getting up and moving more (You know - I have to sit in class to listen to lecture, sit in the car to drive to/from class, sit at home to actually do my homework/ read the material I'm responsible for, etc.) Now, I still have to drive in to school - it's 10 miles one way, and I don't own a bike.

During the Christmas break, my exercise levels took a major jump. I had lost about 60 pounds according to MFP, and I wanted to reward myself. I knew better than to use food as that reward, plus I had been given a bit of medical news that did not make the sedentary lifestyle an option any longer. So, I started investigating different options. For my reward/ Christmas present to me/ from me was an X-box with a kinect along with a few games. Oh, what a wonderful reward that was! I feel guilty now because I don't use it as often as I thought I would, but for the days I can't/don't get to the gym it is such a FUN, sweaty fall back option! Originally it was set up in the family room, but I have a different schedule than my parents whom I'm living with to help save a few pennies while in school, and I wasn't able to use it at the times I wanted to, so it got moved to my room. MUCH less space, and occasionally, if the sensor isn't set up JUST right (like the cat bumped it) then it won't register properly, and it can be a little frustrating. But, I fiddle with it, get it set, and go on having a blast playing "games."

Getting to this point, several things changed gradually enough that I hardly noticed the changes. I grew up on well water from an artisan spring, so you can FORGET city water managing to get past my taste buds. Even after going through our water softener/ dechlorinator, the stuff still tastes like nothing but chemicals. I had a few ways of hiding the taste, but for the most part [read that almost exclusively] I drank diet sodas. I also started with a sweet tooth that would make the tooth fairy cry most days and the sugar fairy cringe. However, as the last school year started up, I found that sweet things, especially glazed, sugar coated, or sugar stuffed sweet things just didn't taste so good. They were TOO sweet. (I never dreamed in my ignorant youth that this was even possible!) And, such foods started naturally falling by the way side, and out of my menu. Then, with in the last few months, even though it is not hot enough yet for my body to demand more and more water, the diet sodas have been completely cut out of the menu as well. Again, it was a case of one day tasting good, the next tasting like they needed to be run back through the animal they came out of.

After Christmas break, looking at a wonderful 60 pound loss, and knowing there was still a long road to walk ahead, I took the time to actually LOOK at how things were changing. I was happy, but I could see a problem spot down the road which MIGHT be able to be resolved if I started now. I have a saggy belly. I call it my apron, because it hangs in front like an apron, but this is made of skin and fat. (And, if the last few works with my trainer are any indication, there might actually be some muscle in there as well. If so - YAY!) So, with the apron becoming more prominent (to my eyes), I figured it was time to see if there was a possible solution that I could start working on. Thus, more online research, and a possible fix. When this semester started up, I deliberately braved the front doors of the school gym, and found heaven.

The pool hours worked (for the most part) with my classes this time, and I gleefully dove in and started swimming every chance I got. Those first swims I was more than a little shocked at how bad off I was. I remember times when I could swim 400 meters free style, 400 meters back stroke, 400 meters breast stroke, and 400 meters side stroke in 15 minutes! When I got in this time, I was struggling to even get to the end of the LANE, forget doing any long distance! And, when I COULD finally finish one "set" (4 laps each stroke) and felt so proud, because I had regained my lost endurance, I realized the pool at school was HALF the length of any pool I had swam in for serious exercise before. It was only 25 meters, NOT 50! Ugh! And, I was barely able to finish out two sets! Well, it was a place to start, right? It took a month or so before I actually managed to finish out a full four sets, and though it is half the distance I would prefer to be swimming, it's gotten me up and moving, and helped improve cardio and pulmonary conditioning no end! Along the way, I had started adding weights on the machines to help work on the apron issue. But, none of the machines actually targeted the obliques. Only one targeted the abs, and I had no idea what to even try with the free weights. On top of that, I had gone through several weeks with my back deciding it was going to argue this exercise idea because my body composition had been changing drastically.

Several trips to the chiropractor later, some adjustments to the way I slept, and more time in the pool with my swims starting to fall apart, I get a windfall of help from the gym management. Our gym manager is a very approachable lady, and when I went to her for help, she put me in touch with my personal trainer. And, then things took off on the exercise aspect like a scalded goose out of boiling water! The trainer started me with body weight work for the first month, and has since moved me over to lifting. (I know I'm capable of more than we've done so far with my muscles, but the joints are still catching up to the idea of being able to do it. So, we take it slow.) And the inches started coming off in most of the right places.

I had been keeping a personal record of the apron, and I was delighted to watch those numbers fall. And, over all, inches were starting to fall off also. So was the weight. So was the medical problem. And energy levels were soaring! All was going great in my world. One more blurp of chiropractic problems (again due to sleeping issues, not due to the exercise) which put most of the exercise work into a slow down.

The other thing that has come along to try to sabotage the feeling of "I've got this in the bag" is a change in scales. I had been using the family scale in the bathroom, and it had been showing some tremendous drops. Oh, don't get me wrong, I liked the numbers... A lot! ... but when the scales at the gym didn't agree, and the scales at the doctors didn't agree, I began to wonder if the scales at home were right. So, this last week, I got my own scales to keep in a dry place, and found that the family scales were off by a bit. Oh, I wasn't happy. I wasn't disappointed, but I definitely was not HAPPY with the results. However, now that I have a more reliable jumping off point for the last half of the journey, I know I will get there.

Now for the fun numbers (with pics, if I can get them to show up):



This was the first set of pictures I have voluntarily allowed to be taken except for the very rare professional family pictures.



One month of tracking before and during pictures. Things are actually visually changing!



Last month's comparison.

If you are still with me so far, congratulations! Didn't realize I was going to write a novel.

A few last thoughts about my journey:

Has it been easy? To some degree - yes. I have been incredibly lucky in that my metabolism started to change, which triggered this journey in the first place. It has not always been FUN, but it has not been a harsh struggle like many others out there. I have worked in fusion with my body to get the achievements I've managed.

Has it been fun? Not always. There are days when I just don't want to do anything. Lying in bed is so seductive that actually getting up to eat is a victory in itself. Other days, I can't wait to get out of bed (so long as it is after noon! I'm NOT a morning person!) and the energy levels soar all day which makes getting INTO bed at night almost impossible.

Have there been road bumps along the way? Most definitely! Days when I fall out of sync with what my body wants, days when I cannot seem to eat enough (but the calories say that I've had my share), days when I just can't make the calories add up, days when the medical condition comes back to head but me, and definitely days when the joints yell at m so loud I have trouble with the basics. Yes, these days happen. Taking the journey one day at a time has helped a tremendous amount. Claiming every victory that I could on the bad days has helped. Finding the silver linings on days no victory seems possible has helped. Knowing tomorrow is a fresh attempt to make it further down the road has helped.

Knowing there are many, many others out there who are struggling to get motivated, to stay motivated, or even to get started, I offer my half-way story in hopes that it helps.

K