Realization

*First off as a personal note, not once when I started writing this did I ever think I'd have over 4,000 views. I'd like to say thank you to everyone and if I have just helped motivate one person that is such a blessing.  Secondly I'd like to say thank you to Karen O'Dell, she has helped me look back at my past blogging and realize just how important my weight and health are to my family.  I'd also like to say thank you to my wife, my life would never have had changed so dramatically if not for her.*

With everything that has been going on it got me thinking about a week ago.  I reflected back on just when was it my dad's health took a turn for the worse and how was I going to make sure that it does not happen to me?

My dad at the age of 37 had his first heart attack.  When I actually think about that it's crazy to realize that I am 29, only 8 years from when my dad had his first heart attack.  My father passed away at the age of 54, my Grandfather at the age of 46, my Uncle David passed when he was 54, lastly my Uncle Larry passed away when he was 57.  Each one of them having a different heart complication that helped end their lives prematurely.

Now I don't want you to think that each one of them where unhealthy due to their own decisions, none of us are perfect but many people live way beyond what they had the opportunity to.  There are many people out there who are way unhealthier but are blessed with stronger hearts.

What I have to take out of this however is the fact that heart troubles run rampant in my family.  With that knowledge and  the knowledge that I already have congenital heart disease, I have to watch out for myself for my families sake.  First step I need to take is to get pass the depression, turn what happened to my father into a strength and allow myself to use what has happened as a learning tool.   I also know that I need to keep making my father proud.  Being told by him that he was proud of me was like a life's achievement.  Now I need to make sure I keep it that way.

So, today I weighed in at 195, I want to get down to 170 if not a little lower, get rid of the pouch on my front and finish what I started.  Wish me luck.   I will keep you all updated.

Getting a sweat going...

     Dancing to the Oldies...

     Today I did what started out to be one of the most embarrassing workouts to date.  That's right, I took the leap into dancing, not just dancing but dancing while Richard Simmons was on the television. What was I thinking?  At first I was pretty embarrassed and barely moving to the moves.    Then I saw that my wife and my daughter were really starting to get really into it and I decided, what the heck, what do I have to lose besides calories.


    What can I say, he is a silly man who may have some issues, but he knows how to exercise and get the blood pumping.  After just 20 minutes I was close to burning 200 calories.  I don't care how embarrassing it was at first, it was worth it seeing the numbers and feeling my heart work out.  This just goes to prove, if you want to lose weight, you cannot let anything get in your way.

Extra motivation and help

Walking with friends and family

     A few days ago my wife decided that we would start exercising together as a family.  This morning was the first attempt at this.  The kids were all for it, so we started by turning on some good music, doing a few stretches, and decided to go on a walk.  

     Walks are much more entertaining when you have others to join you.  It was a lot of fun being able to walk with my kids and wife and enjoy each others company.  I would highly recommend finding someone to go with you when you take your walks, it really makes it more desirable.   

     Now instead of fighting with myself on whether or not I will be going for a walk, I would have to fight with my kids and wife too.  That is not something I plan on doing, I've learned.  It is nice to have that extra motivation and drive from others who are excited to exercise.  I think this will help me get over the hump that I have been stuck on for the past few weeks.  I still have more goals to meet.  

The Shocker...

It was shocking to say the least...

     So people who read this blog may wonder just why it is a big deal that I desire to do things like jog around, play basketball, and things along that line.  First off, always being overweight it didn't take long for me to become out of breath and have my heart start acting up.  This would quickly end any sort of moving around.  However, up until I received my ICD implant I was able to do those things, even if just for a short amount of time.  Since the implant, I have not been able to play basketball or anything in that nature.

     A few months after having the device implanted, my parents and I moved into a new home.  I wanted to do something really cool with the landscaping in the backyard.  I decided I would dig out the back hill and create a type of garden that would go down the hill in tiers.  After planning how I would accomplish this and after getting the materials was ready to set off to work.

    I had dug out quite a bit over a period of time with no problem.  However, one day while digging I started to feel something very weird and different go on with my heart.  Suddenly I felt my device do a couple of weird beats followed suddenly by what I can only explain as being so powerfully punched in the chest that I almost fell onto my backside.  The taste of electricity engulfed all of my senses.  A dark cloud quickly washed over my day and a fear had started to be instilled into me.  

    This was the beginning of a new anxiety and fear being instilled into my mental state.  I started to become fearful of doing too much and knew that there were now many things which I could no longer do.  It killed me inside knowing that many of the things I loved were gone.  It was the true beginning of my depression and gaining of weight.  I no longer wanted to do anything more than just live carefully, it would only get worse later.

This is why I share...

Motivation

     "HI Adam! I started to read your cut the crap blog and found the calorie counter that you mentioned on there and started using it. Thanks so much for posting that site up. It has been a help for me in my weight loss goals. I've lost 5 pounds since i started using it. It is a great aid in helping to track what you are eating and making sure you are getting the right things in your body. You are AWESOME Adam! Thanks."

     When I began to blog, it was with the intention of letting everyone know that this is doable.  It takes hard work and dedication but for everyone out there, there is hope.  Growing up I was always overweight and let excuse after excuse after excuse stop me from being the healthy person I longed for deep down.

     This journey has been a long one, and I still struggle day in and day out to maintain what I have done.  If you are not struggling then likely you're not trying.  Daily I have to look in the mirror and remind myself the importance of being healthy.  Yesterday I did something I never thought I'd ever be able to do.  I played a game of half court basketball, I may not have been at full speed, and it may had been with my 8 year old scouts, but I was out there, shooting, passing, and just having a good time.  Every dream has to have a start, when are you going to start your dream?  

      

Lunch Time Boredness

Was tired of being bored...

     While sitting at work a few days ago on my lunch I started looking around and thinking just how boring it is to be on lunch.  I hate the feeling of not doing anything productive in a small cold looking room.  I would eat my meal, listen to music, and just have all the energy I had in me be sucked out faster than how I use to down pizza.  

     A few days ago I decided I needed to make a change.  I had 30 minutes to play with and wasn't hungry so I decided I was instead going to go out and take a walk.  I walked down Main Street, of course with my music on, and felt a wave of unfounded energy wash over me.  I kept an eye on my watch and when it came close to the half way mark of my lunch, turned around and headed back, sad that I couldn't just keep walking outdoors.  

     This has become my new norm when I am at work.  I think this just comes to show that you can really incorporate working out to any normal routine.  Already in just the few days that I started this little extra workout during the day I have noticed another drop in weight.  It is harder to lose weight when you get closer to your goal, but adding little extras like this sure does help.

My heart

One thing I've noticed...

     These past few weeks there has been one change I have noticed while losing weight.  This change has been settle but non the less, has occurred.  It is the most exciting thing that has occurred during my diet.  It's not the weight I've loss, the energy I've gained, or the muscles that have been built.  It has to do with my heart.

     I have always had trouble with my heart.  From not allowing me to do sports, to the palpitations I would often get, and even the weird feelings I would get and would stop my life for a few minutes until it felt back to normal.  It has been a struggle and one that I at times was not willing to battle out.  Now that I am losing a lot of weight, I have notice the best change out of everything!

     No longer do I seem to have the palpitations.  I feel like a new man.  My heart does not act up getting out of the shower like it often did for some reason.  No longer does it bog me down when going for walks, or exercising.  This has been my greatest accomplishment to date.  I feel like a new person and have at times even felt like jogging.  Sure it's only a few feet, but I have never had that feeling before in my life and it is a new experience.    

     The question that has started up in my mind is how far do I push it?  I have had my ICD go off on four different occasions on me, and that is not a feeling I wish to have happen again.  But yet there is this yearning inside of me to jog, to play basketball again, or even just to power-walk for a few minutes. 

      So for now I sit here wondering what would happen if I Did try these?  I have a watch that monitors my heart, but would that be enough?  I guess I just keep on at what I'm doing and wait and see, but yet those desires to do the things I haven't been able to in years pull at my heart.  We'll see what happens, for now, one more step at a time.

Break The Walls Down

Breaking down a wall...

     Breaking down a wall can be very tough when it comes to your weight loss adventure. When starting, I set up many goals on the way to my main objective.  The biggest one was the passing of the 200 mark.  This wall, once miles away, is now at my doorstep.


     For years I have been over 200 pounds.  Honestly, I can't tell you how long it has been. I would have to say that the last time I was under the 200 mark would be sometime right before going into high school.  For years I just didn't care about my weight or what I was eating.  Looking back I wish I could take back what I was doing and change my behavior.  Of course this applies to many different situations in my life.  


     The main reason I didn't care about my weight was because I couldn't be an athlete.  So why not just eat the way I wanted to?  Food was good and I didn't want to miss out.  I didn't even think about the fact that the medium pizza I just ate was 2600 calories.  It was good and that was all that mattered.  It may be a little late in life, but I have realized that there is more to eating than, "It tastes good."


     Back to the point, 200 is huge to get under.  I didn't think it was even possible.  I figured I may just have to stay at 220 and call it good.  I have now proven that wrong.  For a week or two I have been close to going under 200.  The see-saw battle I was in finally unveiled a victor.  This morning I stepped onto the scale and on the screen popped 199.  Excited I called Katie into the room just to show her.  This has been one of my goals from the beginning.  Once unachievable, it is now life altering and a new motivation to keep going. My sledgehammer hungers for more walls to break down, and I'm ready for them!

Its all in this magic pill.... I promise you!!!

This Pill can Solve Everything!

     Did you know that you don't have to change the way you eat!?!  Eat all you want, how you want, when you want, and you my friend can still lose all of the weight you desire!  What is this magical new product that will allow you to conquer your weight problem?  I will tell you right now, the new magic, we are going to speed up your heart, destroy your kidneys, make you into a leaky car, and just might drop a couple pounds off of you!  Now doesn't that just sound awesome?!?

     Fact is there is no such thing.  This is one of those classic cut the crap moments.  Some of these pills may indeed help you lose the weight you want, but at what cost?  I can tell you right off the bat, your stomach is going to be your worse enemy for the time.  Weight loss pills are going to do a number on your stomach.  

     There are many dangers in over the counter weight loss pills.  Both the herbal and non-herbal varieties present many dangers.  In my humble opinion it is not worth it.  Side effects include; nausea, nightmares (yes nightmares), heart palpitations/arrhythmia,vomiting and so much more.   


     One diet test done on herbal diet weight loss pills presented very interesting results.  3 years later 100 of the participants had some kind of kidney problem, 10 years later many of the participants developed urinary tract cancer.  This is not the answer.  It is not worth the impact that these pills can have on your life, including when there are other alternatives.


    What are these alternatives?  Well of course you can get surgery, you can starve yourself or other options that are out there.  However, these are not recommended and unnecessary.  What you need to do is eat Subway twice a day, walk everywhere you go, and become famous!  Haha ok just kidding, I love Jared but let's face it, we all can't afford that and there are other and better options (although Subway is very good).  


     Here comes the words that we all hate.  The best alternative to weight loss pills is changing your diet.  There is no such thing as a magic pill that allows you to eat everything you want and lose the weight you desire to lose.  If there is, trust me, it will make you pay in other ways.  Now, there are some foods that can help you lose weight.  I will give you a brief look at some of these pills, for I plan on talking more in depth about the best super-foods for you in a later blog.

1. Fiber-  Of course fiber is going to be first.  This will help you keep your pipes clean, and everything moving through your body like it should.  Of course it will help you also lose weight.
2. Eggs-  New research has proven that eggs do not give you the type of cholesterol that we all fear.  It has taken me a long time to believe this.  In fact eggs have so much great nutrition for you that this is a must in every diet!  
3. Spices- Spices are awesome!  The best ones being cinnamon, chili peppers, mustard seed, ginger, black pepper, and turmeric are huge boosts to your body.  Cinnamon is natures natural blood sugar stabilizer, chili peppers gets your blood flowing in a natural and healthy way, and ginger helps boost calorie loss.
4. Protein- Protein helps you in many ways.  After exercising I am sure to eat at least 30 grams of protein, this helps build muscles and in return muscles help burn fat and calories.  It can also help you lose blood fats.
5. Water-  Water goes a far way in helping you lose weight.  From making you feel fuller to keeping you hydrated and moving.  A healthy amount of water is essential to losing weight.  

     Keep this in mind the next time you are looking at a diet pill.  There are better alternatives that won't wreck your life.  These alternatives in fact will help your life.  I love you all, God bless you!

Slipping sucks

 It happens...

     Last week Kate and I decided that we would go out on a date and enjoy some personal one on one time.  That morning I weighed myself in at 201.  This was going to be a great day, lost weight, get some alone time with my wife, what could go wrong? 

     We went out to a Thai restaurant and had some really good food.  I decided that hey, I was close to being under 200, I could go one day without worrying about what I am eating and just enjoy the day.  Not saying that you shouldn't do this, because it is important to once in a while enjoy yourself and take off the burden of measuring just about everything.  However, this has come back to bite me hard, I think I went overboard. 

     We had some really good food, and afterwords we went out bowling.  We had a great time and really enjoyed ourselves.  Of course I'm not going to tell you how bad I did bowling.  It's been almost two years since I had bowled haha.  Also I'm almost positive those lanes were smaller than most, but anyways. 

     I woke up that morning and stepped on the scale, 208.  I rubbed my eyes, made sure I was awake and then checked the scale to make sure no one had messed with any of the settings.  I sat the scale back down and tried again, and sure enough it was still 208.  That was back breaking.  How did I gain 7 pounds in just one day? 

     That day I decided what is the point and decided again to eat whatever I want without calculating it.  I did exercise however and was pleased when I didn't gain any more.  Quickly I put myself back into the right state of mind and started back on my long trek.  It is six days later and I'm back down to 204.  Just comes to show that there will always be bumps in the road, it's all about what you do when those bumps get in your way.  Sometimes it's hard, but remember why you started your diet.  I quickly remembered the importance of being healthy.  I realized I am going to slip, it's alright too, but don't let it drag me under.

This mornings workout

Just a little insight to my workout this morning.  I can tell you my arms are burning right now!

For starters I warm up with a mixture of stretching and Yoga.  This allows my muscles to get warmed up and get me in the right frame of mind.  Oh and a little bit of Lead Me by Sanctus Real always helps me get going as well.




To start I used a resistance band, two 4 pound weights, and my 8 pound medicine ball. 

My first workout was a chest press using the resistance band, 2 sets of 15.
Second went into doing a seated row with the band, again 2 sets of 15.
From there I did arm curls using the band, 2 sets of 15.
Then switched to Lateral rises using the band, 2 sets of 10 (shoulders fatigued too quick for 15 haha).

Just to let you know I alternate between these.  For example I will do the chest press, move to the row, back to the chest press and then do the second row.

From here I switched it up to the dumbbells.  I did 2 reps of 15 of the squatting arm curls, bracing my back against the wall.
Then I went to triceps extensions, again 2 reps of 15.

I did then some knee bent triceps dips, 2 reps of 10 and medicine ball aided pushups.

Lastly I did with the medicine ball something called clockwork.  Starting by holding the ball at a 12 o'clock position, with locked elbows I went clockwise going from 12 to 12, and then reversed it back counterclockwise, one of those is a rep and man do those burn.

Then it was chow time!  Loaded up on some carbs and protein with some ground turkey fried up in onions and topped it on some brown rice. 

Just another day in the office. It might be a little time consuming and painful but I am seeing the results in my arms, so it's worth it.

Weight Loss Update!!!

May 1st Weight in and Measurements

     Another good month, kinda hit a plateau but still managed some weight loss and cut inches. 

Unit	April 1st , 2011	May 1st, 2011
Weight	209	203
Waist	40.5 in	39.5 in
Hips	38 in	38 in
Waist to Hip	1.07	1.04
Body Fat %	29.1 (overweight)	28.3 (overweight)

To stumble is to learn...

Stumbling Blocks shouldn't block you...

     Many times I have fallen during my diets.  I would get to a certain point or a certain weight and be excited with what I had accomplished.  However, it would only take one stumbling block to make me feel like I couldn't maintain it and would give up, reverting to my old ways.  It was one stumble after another after another.  I would allow anything to give me the excuse to quit and not worry about it anymore.  In recent years, since getting married to Kate and having kids, I tried a few times to lose weight.

     The first time I was able to get down to 245 pounds from my 287 weight.  I was going to the gym, working out, and eating better.  Then in April 2008, everything changed.  I was working at my job as a delivery driver and was hit by another driver.  My back received some compression fractures and my knee was injured (resulting in knee surgery).  I decided that losing weight was no longer important, since I wasn't physically able to do much for many months.  I know that is a good reason, but there was no reason for me to start eating the way I did.  I gained back the 40 pounds I had lost.  

     I know that it was hard to exercise while being in a turtle shell and that I was not able to do much, but I didn't track my calories anymore and was eating like I shouldn't have been.  It took me a long time to recover and give losing weight another chance.  You can look at my earlier blog and see my picture from October 2009, I still had all the weight back on me.  

     Between 2009 and up until a few months ago, I was up and down on my weight.  I would go for a few weeks while working out and eating right, just to give up or let one bad day ruin all the progress I had made.  I don't know why but I just could not keep it up.

      In December I knew that my diets would never lead to anywhere and that I was going to stay unhealthy if I didn't make a change.  I needed to lose weight, get healthy, and stop allowing one little hiccup stop me.  I became determined to instead of letting those stumbling blocks get in my way, to instead use them as motivation and create a deeper desire inside of me.  

     I prayed and I broke myself down.  When I was building up my new foundation I prayed and thought about how I can use those stumbling blocks to my advantage.  One thing I found was when I would stumble I needed to see what caused that stumble and how to get around it.  Once I would find the root of the problem, whether it be depression, anger, boredom, or just laziness, I would look at how to use that to my advantage. 

     It's finding that opportunity that seems to be the hardest part about stumbling.  In times of depression or anger, I noticed that yoga would greatly help me with those issues.  Yoga allows me to collect my thoughts and be able to just think about what it is that is bothering me.  On top of that, I would get the exercise I needed by the stretching yoga provides.  

     In times of boredom, I knew that I couldn't just sit around and eat.  I needed to occupy my mind.  Whether I read my scriptures, worked out, or went for a walk, I would find something to do.  It is very important to not let those stumbles get in your way.  I have learned that gaining knowledge and learning from those stumbles makes you stronger and healthier.  

 

Why did I not exercise?

Am I really that busy???

     My biggest excuse for not exercising or even going for a walk was, "  Well, I worked today and I'm really busy so I'm just going to sit here in front of my computer and relax."   Which would lead to," Hmm now I am bored... I need something to eat."   This was a vicious cycle.  Instead of working out and getting fit, I was stagnant and eating.  How does that work?!?

     Now, yes, I am still in front of the computer.  However, I also have Sparkpeople open on the web browser and in between typing paragraphs I am stopping to do my strength exercises.   I have found that it is not enough to just diet.  I need to exercise and exercise often.  I found out that every time I told myself I was too busy, in actuality I had at least 20 minutes to become healthier.  Just another example of the crap I had to cut out of my life- the excuses.  

     No longer do I let the excuses control my life.  How many times was I going to deny the healthy person inside of me the freedom it so called for?  We all have our personal demons.  I sat there and looked at my life.  Do you know how often I gave in to the temptation of just doing nothing?  Too often.  I was letting my life slip away from me because of my lack of time management skills and lack of motivation.   How in the world could I have such a lack of motivation?  

     Instead I was pulling the plug on my life.  I prayed for God to get me healthy.  He would only give me the tools, but I was the one not using them.  He gave me so much to motivate me; a wonderful wife, a heart defect, and most of all, my children.  Does a person need more motivation than that?  

     It is never too late to start and so I have.  I try to exercise 6 days a week now.  I do at least 3 days of cardio and 3 days of strength training.  Sometimes I do more than just 3 days of cardio.  With that, I try to do at least 3 days of Yoga.  I have never felt better and the weight keeps slipping off my bones.  I cut the crap and stopped giving myself excuses.  I took the bull by the horns and now I'm in control.  God bless.

Look at what is truly important

Be blessed

Exercise is extremely important.