Life Changing Health Experience 2010 - By Joel Kennison

Life Changing Health Experience 2010

Please continue reading only if you are interested, this is a life changing experience I encountered in December 2009. The below counts are true and are solely in my words and opinions. These opinions are not those of Adobe or coming from Adobe. My intentions of this written letter of accounts are to deter something like this happening to anyone else and hopefully motivate a change in your life. Only continue reading if you are interested.

First I would like to introduce myself, my name is Joel Kennison, and I am a 42 year old male with a wife and kids who are my life. As a young man I have always been healthy, when I was engaged to my wife I only weighed 156 pounds. However, after getting married and finding a career which paid for all of my meals are when things started to slowly spiral down this path. My wife has always been in great health and has been after me for years to exercise and eat right. But as I saw myself, I didn’t think I was in all that bad of shape and what are a few pounds here or there.

Well over a 15 year period I went from 156 pounds to 217 pounds. Again I only saw this as minor, no real hurry to exercise or really start eating any better. In my eyes I had everything under control; if I needed to I could make a change, just chose not to. Much of this was due to my work ethic; I really enjoy working long hours and on challenging projects. However, with those kind of hours comes little time for exercise and eating right. This behavior has always been my personality ever since working on the farm with my grandfather.

I used to eat whatever I wanted, McDonald’s, Steak Dinners, Taco Bell, Hamburgers, Hotdogs, Candy, Soda’s, like I said just about anything I liked I enjoyed. At home I was called the Garbage Disposal, whatever we had for left over’s I finished. And if it might go to waste early I would double up on my helpings so not to waste food or money. This has nothing to do with my wife and her cooking; it has everything to do with not being educated in proper meal preparation and amounts one should be eating as a normal meal.
Now we come to December 2009, I started to feel a pain in my right side just below my ribs. This pain was more of an annoyance than something I would run to the doctor about. I figured I had a gassy stomach or just ate something wrong. So it went on and off for two weeks, when I finally went into the Doctors I was being seen for a cold not the pain. I remembered the discomfort and asked the doctor what it could be; she asked some questions and then requested blood tests and Ultrasound. I thought to myself, could I be the first pregnant Dad? HeeHee. After the Ultrasound the diagnosis was inconclusive, the nurse said I should eat better and come back in three months. I wasn’t having that; I made another appointment with my regular doctor immediately. She said I was diagnosed with Fatty Liver and high Triglycerides but wanted a definite answer so she ordered a MRI.

Well on January 8, 2010 I was diagnosed with Fatty Liver, high Triglycerides, low HDL and moderately high LDL cholesterol. My doctor said I had two choices, start using medications to control the Fatty Liver and Triglycerides or lose 15 pounds and start eating healthier. She said I was too young to be on medications, and wanted me to try the latter. Really all I took from that conversation was Triglycerides 303 and Fatty Liver. I immediately went home and Goggled both. Before January 2010 I didn’t even know what a Triglyceride was, and what I read about Fatty Liver was it is an Alcoholics Disease, which I don’t drink in excessive amounts. I continued to read on and found Fatty Liver isn’t just for those who drink a lot of Alcohol but can affect anyone who is overweight.
These are the words that most affected my Life Changing Health Experience:

LIVER FAILURE – DEATH

I knew right then I needed to change; I have a loving wife, two wonderful children and wanted to grow old with them. I wanted to see them get married, have children, spoil the grand-children and get back to Italy for a 25 wedding anniversary. So many things went through my head, it was very emotional.

Portion Control

That week I spent some time discussing options with my wife, one was change my eating habits NOW. I started just by cutting back on my portions. I took the initiative if I felt the portion was too large I would go back and take food off my plate. No I did not have any set way of know what a good portion was; just if it looked too large to me I made a change. We also discussed while cooking to cut recipes in half and if the recipe couldn’t be cut in half we threw it away and found other foods we could cook with less ingredients.
I decreased my portions, but increased the amount to times I ate in a day. I usually eat around six times a day. These small meals are really snacks, fruit and Nuts, wheat crackers and Pico De Gallo, yogurt, vegetables and salads. My breakfast is the largest meal in my schedule, where dinner is usually limited to a good vegetable and lean protein, fish or chicken breast. I don’t eat past 6:00, this give my body time to digest my dinner and not sit in my stomach while I am sleeping.

When I would go out to lunch or dinner, once my meal was delivered to our table I asked for a To-Go box before even stating to eat. Depending on the size of the meal I would split my meal into halves or even thirds and place it in the To-Go box. I would then eat that second meal at another time the following day and if in thirds then the following day after that. This kept me to my portion control and also didn’t encourage myself to eat everything on the plate. Out of sight out of mind, if you wait until the dinner is over you could have easily eaten the entire meal just because it was on your plate.

I cut down my calorie intake to between 800 and 1100 a day. I was told to keep my daily intake of fat grams between 20-40 grams per day. I needed something that I could count the calories and fat grams; I started using an application on my iPhone called LoseIt. This application allows you to track all the nutritional information listed on all packaged foods. With this application I could keep my calorie intake to what I felt was needed and understand the nutritional intake on a given day.

Six months into my change I still use this application, and will continue to use this application for the rest of my life. It helped me get to where I am today and kept me from cheating as I entered in everything, even those times when I didn’t want to know, I entered it in as I didn’t want to cheat myself. Now that I have reached my goal weight of 170 pounds I slowly increased my calorie intake to about 2200 daily. I still watch everything I eat, but now I just eat a little more often.

Exercise

I realized that portion control wasn’t the only change I needed to make, I need to start exercising. But I know from past experience, this can be a good thing or turn out to be a deal breaker by not understanding your limitations. If you are expecting changes immediately then you will fail, my motto was, I wanted to be able to work out every day so not to do too much that would prevent me from doing just that.

I wanted to start off slow, I know my body and if I push to fast it will fight back. So I decided just to start walking on the Treadmill. I started with about 30 to 45 minutes of just walking, 3.2MPH setting. I listened to my favorite music while I walked. I did this EVERY DAY, yes every day, seven days a week. I explained to my wife, this is a major Health Issue; I have to make major changes and stick to them. If I wavered at all I would end up quitting. I had to get into a routine, force myself to walk on that treadmill every day.
I stayed with only doing the Treadmill for about a month and a half. As the weeks progressed I would start to attempt to jog. My goal was to jog one entire song, and then as more days went by I would try to jog two songs, not back to back but in the 30 – 45 minute workout. Then as more days went by I would try to jog two songs back to back, then three, then four, five, six and finally one day I came home with a huge smile on my face. I explained to my wife I warmed up for 10 minutes then jogged at a 3.8MPH pace for 50 minutes. This indeed was a milestone, I was so proud of myself.

About a month and half into my routine, I started working out on the Elliptical equipment. I really enjoyed this training it was a nice added change. By this time I was averaging one hour of exercise, either Treadmill or Elliptical six to seven days a week. I continued this effort four about another month when I started to include light weights into my routine. Since I hadn’t worked with weights in over 15 years I started out very slow and light. I started with just going through the movements, about three sets of 10-15 reps. I continued this effort for about two months incorporating cardio and weights into my exercise.

I gradually started to lift heavier weights and started the slow process of conditioning my body to lift more and more. I now lift 5 days a week; some days are lighter than others and continue to keep the cardio program moving forward combined with my weight training. I am not looking to bulk up, but tone my body and get some muscle definition. I now have six pack abs and larger muscles all around, yet keeping it mild as that is my goal.

Some days I enjoy just a long two hour lifting exercise while others I must just run five to seven miles or jump on the elliptical for a good hour. I enjoy mixing my exercises up, but I do exercise now 5 days a week and take two days to rest.

Travel

Many people state when they travel they don’t do very well because of the meals they need to eat when going out with colleagues or clients. I have done both and still am able to eat healthy and keep up with my life changing attitude. Has it been more difficult, YES however if you talk to the restaurant and ask them to change up the food they are more than happy to appease your requests. I have actually asked restaurants to just cook me a plain fish with basic seasoning and steamed vegetables and had some of the best dinners I have had in many years.

Sometimes taking all the extra stuff they think is needed to make a dinner plate look and smell good actually gives you more added Fats and Calories than really needed. Many of my meals incorporate a salad of some sort, but when I eat out and order a salad I always remove the added cheese and ask for the dressing on the side to control my calorie intake. This puts me in control of my food not the restaurant. I only eat vinaigrette type dressings and ask which one might be the least in calories. The way I apply the dressing is with a fork by dabbing it lightly on the top of the dressing and then spreading it around the salad. You would be surprised to find how well a salad would taste with just a little dressing and if you need more you just dip your fork again.

Don’t be afraid to ask the waiter or waitress to hold something off the plate they are there to please and meet your needs and if they do you just might give them a nice tip.

Maintaining

I am now ten months into my life changing attitude and going strong. Have I had hurdles yes, I tore my left hamstring on my first Mountain Bike ride in five years. This wasn’t due to over training; it was due to someone placing rocks strategically on the trail to cause someone to veer off the trail abruptly. This caused me to slide out by back tire and over extend my leg pulling my hamstring. I continued to lift weights and slowly exercise my leg over a two month period getting back to 100% within three months of my injury. I contribute my success of getting through this injury to a positive attitude of staying in shape and continuing want to move forward in my progress.

I am now working out five days a week with two consecutive days off. I mix up my workouts on how I actual feel that day. Some days I just do an hour of cardio and half an hour of sit-ups and stretching, while other days I will lift for two plus hours straight. It all depends on how I feel that day, I do try to keep to a scheduled regiment but I don’t keep that from changing it up when needed. I also listen to my body, if I start to work out and feel the BONK I will stop the workout and look forward the next day. My belief is, “I Always Have Tomorrow” why possibly hurt myself today when I can just go home and come back tomorrow.
Maintaining is a lifelong continual process, there will be ups and downs, take them in stride and DO NOT TAKE the downs personally. Just remember you have the rest of your life to continue your life change and keep up with your commitments.

Supplements

I started taking supplements when I wanted to increase my weight lifting and build muscle. My goal isn’t to build a massive mass but to have a nicely muscular look while keeping my cardio up as I enjoy that part of my workouts just as much.
I have been taking GNC Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 Vanilla for about six months averaging two scoops a day. On heavier lift days I might take three scoops. I really like the taste, my shake consists of one banana, 14 to 16 ounces of fat free milk and two to three scoops of Wheybolic Extreme 60. For a midday protein shake I take one scoop of Gold Standard 100% Egg, again with 14 ounces of fat free mild and a banana. For heavy work out days I will take an evening protein shake consisting of Gold Standard 100% Casein, 14 ounces of fat free milk and a banana.

Another daily supplement I have been taking is GNC Triple Strength Fish Oil, 900mg total Omega-2 fatty acids for healthy heart. Finally I started taking GNC Pro Performance Amplified Creatine 189 for added performance. I am on my second two month regiment of Creatine. I am seeing small changes in my overall strength and endurance.

Change in Favorite Foods

I have changed my cheats as people call them to something I have found I really enjoyable but again in moderation. Instead of hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza, I really like Salmon, Mahi Mahi and Sea Bass as my dinner treats. Yes I know these are good for you but I really like those instead of the latter. For my sweet tooth I really like Dark Chocolate, I enjoy trying different types of Dark Chocolates from around the world. I will also snack on Red Licorice that is my favorite candy. And for alcohol I have stuck with Red Wine, since I have my liver issue, hard liquor and beer is not an option at this time.

Cholesterol

Name CHOLESTEROL (mg/dL) TRIGLYCERIDES (mg/dL) HDL CHOLESTEROL (mg/dL) LDL CHOLESTEROL (mg/dL) HDL
RATIO
CHOLESTEROL
Standard Range <200- mg/dL <150- mg/dL >40- mg/dL <130- mg/dL <5.0-
3/30/204 195 138 36 L 131
1/8/2010 196 303 H 34 L 101 5.8 H
3/3/2010 153 65 47 93 3.3
6/3/2010 162 55 51 100 3.2



Body Fat Analyst June 2010

In June 2010 I had my body fat analyzed by Fitness Wave when they visited Adobe. I had no idea what my body fat compensation was, I only knew from a recent manual test it was 13.7%. When I started my health change in January 2010, 24 Hour Fitness also did a three point analysis and said I was at 29% body fat.

When asked what my goal body fat was when filling out the Fitness Wave questionnaire, I replied with 10% as a goal. After the test the technician asked me why I chose 10% as a goal, I explained that since I had a manual test and it was 13.3% I thought 10% would be a good goal to shoot for. Funny enough I was already at 10.1%, wow what are the chances of guessing your goal and actually meeting it? I will be checking my Body Fat twice a year now just to keep in touch with my work out progress. I feel it helps me maintain my goals and make sure I am on track of being healthy for years to come.

F I T N E S S W A V E ®
BODY COMPOSITION ANALYSIS
Location: Adobe
Date: Monday, June 14, 2010 Time: 12:52:16 PM Test Admin: Aeron
Name: Joel Kennison
Hydrostatic Evaluation:
Body Fat %: 10.1% Fat Body Mass: 17 lbs.
Lean Body Mass %: 89.9% Lean Body Mass: 151 lbs.
Ideal Body Fat %: 15% Weight for Ideal: 177.6 lbs.
Goal Body Fat %: 6% Weight for Goal: 160.6 lbs.
Metabolic Information:
Activity Level: 6 to 12 hours
Maximum Exercising Pulse: 156 bpm 119
fat burning
138
cardio training
156
zone zone
lose 2 lbs/week lose 1 lbs/week maintain gain 1 lbs/week gain 2 lbs/week
1856 2356 2856 3356 3856
Daily Caloric Intake to Maintain Weight: 2856 calories
Hydrostatic Test Data:
Gender: Male Age: 42 yrs.
Height: 70 in. Weight: 168 lbs.
Ankle Circumference: 9.25 in. Resting Pulse: 70 bpm
Water Temperature: 28 C Water Weight: 7350 grams

Calorie Tracking Applications

When I first started changing my health I visited a nutritionist, she recommended an application called LoseIT to track my daily calorie and food attributes (protein, fats, carbohydrates, sugars, fiber….). At first I was skeptical, could I really track my daily food intake, how hard would it be? Well, while waiting one day in January 2010 to get my car washed I signed into the LoseIT application and started tracking my food.

At first yes it took some time to build my foods I ate, I tracked everything I consumed in a day. After a few months it became second nature, I had my phone always with me so tracking food was simple and easy. When I ate out at restaurants I would ask for their nutritional documentation for the food they served. I would then add what I ordered into my LoseIT application. When I would visit the same restaurant again I normally would order the same thing and it would be in my phone already. If I knew the restaurant I was going to many times I would go line and look for their nutritional documentation and select what dinner I would order before even getting to the restaurant.

I continue to track my daily meals, however I have now changed to MyFitnessPal.com as they have an Android Application and LoseIT only has a website for the Android. Having the application on your phone and with you makes it that much more easily to track your daily intake. Waiting until you get home can cause you to forget things and not accurately track your caloric intake. Furthermore, MyFitnessPal.com has a large community of users who enter their food and share it with everyone. So adding those foods has become that much more easier, however you do need to confirm the data is correct as I have found some entries vary.
Many people say I am crazy to track every single thing I consume daily. They state you should by now know what you are eating and how much you are taking in, this is not true. There have been times even while tracking my consumption I find that I have eaten more than expected because I didn’t add the foods right then. Furthermore, I have read many articles about dieting and overall health wellness and many Doctors and Professionals all have stated:

“A 2008 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that dieters who kept a daily food diary (or diet journal), lost twice as much weight as those who did not keep a food log, suggesting that the simple act of writing down what you eat encourages people to consume fewer calories.[16] Accordingly, diet journal software and websites have gained significant popularity, and help people track calorie consumption, calorie burning, weight loss goals, and nutritional balance.”

I have found this statement to be accurate and true. Since I weigh myself daily and at the same time every day I have a better control and understanding of how my daily calorie intake affects my weight. Yes this is probably to the extreme, but I look at the results and what works for me, and this is working just fine. I was just turned onto a bathroom scale which is WiFi enabled and tracks your progress automatically via a web application. I am in the process of ordering the new scale and can’t wait until they release the Android application in November.

Final Notes

This experience has had some good side effects with my family and friends. At no time did I ever think anyone would look at what I have done as something they might want to try or ask for any advice. I am not a Doctor or Professional nor do I think of myself as a role model since 15 years of my life was not following these practices.

That said please only take what you want if anything from this, I wanted to share my experience with others to possibly encourage someone it can be done with determination and commitment. This is a life change, NOT A DIET. A diet is something you do to lose the weight, but then go back to the same foods you were eating before, hence why some people end up gaining back the pounds they lost to begin with.

This is a life change; I won’t go back to those foods as I have found other alternatives to an active healthy life style which I enjoy. My family benefited from this without even asking. When I first started I explained this was a change for me, however my family now has seen results and are encouraging me to continue and they have even started to eat healthier because of me changing my eating habits.

If you have comments good or bad please feel free to send them to me at vjtaz@kennisonfamily.com
I hope this will encourage someone as it has me.