Plateau? or Flatline?

Well, I have been in the low 290's and upper 280's for a few weeks.  I am bored with my diet and am willing to cheat at every turn!  What to do?  What to do?  If I were on the Biggest Loser, I would have been voted off weeks ago.  I have lost 60ish pounds since April.  I should be happy and motivated, but this is a "can't see the forest for the trees" time for me.

Steep slope

Well, I have been doing the "bariatrics" diet for about six weeks and except for the week I spent in Texas, I have managed to post great weight loss. I did not gain any weight while in Texas, and I did eat good food while there so I tally that up as good! I have managed to lose about 35 pounds in 6 weeks and almost 50 pounds since I started this blog back in April. When I get to 300 (in about 7 pounds) I will have made it to where I was 2 years ago. But when I make it below that, I will be in the 200's which I have not seen since I quit smoking 10 years ago this Christmas.

I was about 300 back then and I told myself I could eat what I wanted if I quit smoking, and I'd worry about taking the weight off "later." Well, it is later. I have been fat my whole adult except for two times. The first time was when I lived in Colombia, South America and walked everywhere and didn't eat junk food and the second time was when I lost almost 90 lbs in graduate school and was teaching aerobics at the U of A Rec. Center. Both times I was not heavy, I had adopted a healthy life style. I am basically lazy but if I put myself into situations where I need to move my ass then I can and do maintain a healthy weight. I just need to do that again.

My long range plan is to put myself into healthy life patterns. I have made a deal with my friend, Diana Jones, who I taught aerobis with back in the day and who still teaches group fitness at the U of A that i would try to get back in teaching shape. There are Zumba classes at the Rec. Center and I want to be able to teach them! When I lived in Colombia, I learned how to dance these dances and I know I can have a good class.

I also plan to go on a pilgrimage in Spain next summer or fall. There is an ancient christian pilgrimage across northern Spain called El Camino de Santiago de Compostela or the Way of St. James of Compostela. Here is an excerpt from a site I found that does walking trips that tells how long it is:

"The main Camino route is the Camino Frances. This part of the Camino de Santiago traditionally starts in St Jean Pied de Port (in France) and finishes in Santiago de Compostela about 780km (500 miles) later."

I would really like to do this and am saving my money to go sometime during my 50th year on this planet which starts in October. Wish me luck!

The Bottom Line

I ain't gettin' no younger or thinner! My weight is at an unacceptable level. I am morbidly obese, and I need to do something about it. That is what this blog has been about since I started it a few months ago. Up to this point I have been losing slowly by eating right and exercising. But now it is time to bring in the big guns.

Based on the great results I have seen some of my friends achieve with recent weight lose (Americans in general are fat #noexaggeration #realfact), I, my friend Diana and her son , Winton have decided to join a local physician monitored bariatric program for weight loss, The Tuscaloosa Bariatric and Wellness Center. We will go there once a week to be weighed and counsel about weight loss. I am glad my friends are doing this the same time I am so we can keep ech other in check! If "bariatric" is a new word for you, read my previous blog posting for a definition. I have already signed up and had my initial physical exam and orientation meeting to the program.

I am almost a week into the process, one that will be about six months, and I think I am doing fine. Compared to last Saturday's scale reading, I have lost almost 8 lbs. This is to be expected the first week or two, but once I settle into a rhythm I should lose 3 to 5 pounds a week.

OK, so here is the deal. This weight loss program involves eating a minimal amount of calories a day and drinking a shit-ton of water (96 oz) a day and NOT really exercising, at least not the first few weeks until your body is used to the reduced caloric intake. The reduced calories per day are managed by eating food prepared by the bariatrics program - read "buying their food."

The food consists of packets of everything from cereal and soups to protein bars and dehydrated hot entrees you cook on the stove or in the microwave. So far, I have found the taste to be quite acceptable, and they are filling. I am glad nothing tastes like those old diet bars my mom used to get - chocolate covered saw dust... yuck!

The shear variety of the food choices is astounding and of course there are "real" food freebies you can have on a daily basis besides the "supplements" you must eat. You can have two pickle spears, a small 60 calorie fat-free yogurt or 1/2 cup skim milk, 2-3 sugar-free, fat-free Jelloes, 60 calories of fat-free Saltines (about 4 or 5), and chicken or beef boullion . And you can have one or all of these freebies a day. I have only enjoyed the jello, pickle spears and yogurt so far. I will leave the boullion to the French.

If you would like to get a view of the shear magnitude of the food chices available to me, go look at this online bariatric food site www.bariatricchoice.com I will be ordering my food from them at discount prices instead of buying from the Tuscaloosa Bariatric Wellness Center. I need to eat six (6) supplements a day, drink 96 ounces of water, take a multivitamin and a potassium pill and that's it. Women under 60 eat only 5 supplements a day.

OK, now let's talk about what this is costing me. There was an initial fee for joining and getting a checkup and lab work done of $175. This amount also covered the orientation meeting, doctor consult (Dr. Evans is a hoot!) and a bag of samples which was enough for a week and a half of supplements. I will pay $26 weekly for "weigh in" and consultation plus whatever food I buy. The food boxes have anywhere from 3 servings (the big entrees) to 7 servings (the bars and everything else) and range in price at the bariatric center from $12 to $15 a box. If I bought six $15 dollar boxes with 7 supplements each, I would spend $90 a week or $360 a month in fo0d at the Wellness Center. That with the "weigh in" fee and $10 for potassium pills is about $475 a month. I checked my quicken files and last month I spent $430 on food which was grocery store and dining-out receipts which does not incluse anything I bought with cash or as part of a gasoline purchase or such other "snack" opportunities. The bariatric food site I mentioned above has its boxes of supplements priced from $8 to $12 for the same items and after you order a certain amount shipping is free and you begin to get bigger discounts. I figure if I order all my food online, I may actually come out spending less every month for the whole program than I spent on just food previously. We shall see.

Well, there it is in a nutshell - so far so good. I have not felt hungry. I have not felt dizzy or had leg cramps. If I was moody or short tempered the first few days, nobody said anything about it (much) the first couple days. I have set up six alerts on my iPhone to tell me when it is time to eat. When ever I actually feel a need to eat it is usually within 15 minutes of the time I have set to eat. As my friends, Susan Goode, pointed out, "It is always almost time to eat!"

More to come...

What is bariatric?

To quote a Dr. Blackstone, "Bariatric means weight, means large, and it basically refers to people who are large. You know, there’s a lot of terms that we use and obesity itself is a term that covers the whole spectrum of early obesity which is really a Body Mass Index 30 to 34, severe obesity which is called class 1 obesity now, which is 35 to 39; class 2, 40 to 45, and then class 3 is above that.

So, you know, that word, bariatric, refers to people of weight basically."

I am class 3... what used to be called morbidly obese. I can't lose the weight on my own, so...

I have started as a patient at Tuscaloosa Bariatric and Wellness Center and we shall see what happens. More on this in future posts.

Maintaining a plateau?

My weight hasn't changed in about three weeks. I haven't really tried to lose weight during this time. I have done moderate exercise with walking and doing the Rec. Center at the University. We have also started choreography on The Drowsy Chaperone so rehearsals have been active.

However, I have eaten at restaurants several times and had late night snacks of ice cream a few times as well. We had a visiting trainer for our new website at work. I went to lunch at City Cafe (fried southern food) and Dreamland (ribs and sides). But other meals were salads and light eating. I tried to compensate for heavy eating with light eating.

With all of that going on, I managed to stay the same weight when I could have very easily gained. In the past I would have gained... definitely.

Slow going

In the two weeks since the tornado disaster, I have not really concentrated on losing weight. I have been able to maintain even though there have been some huge weight gain opportunities and at least that is something.

For one thing, I met Lisha and her family in New Orleans for a weekend and had a blast. We ate at several restaurants. I ate (I think) responsibly and chose fish or chicken over beef or pork. I ate three meals a day and did not snack. I hade a glas or two of wine with the evening meals and had one Hurricane on the carriage rise we took around the French Quarter. I walked all over the place. I tried not to just let go because I was in NOLA and I think I came through well.

I have had Dominos plain wings once and went out to Lone Star with Robin, Diana and Winton to celebrate Robin's raise, Winton's making the Dean's list and Diana's upcoming retirement. I did have a big fat steak (prime rib) and that was quite satisfying.

I have only been able to get out the the Rec. Center to exercise about twice a week because of this that and the other coming up in the afternoons. I shall try to do better.

Diana and I may be starting with Weight Watchers soon. More on that later.

Disaster Strikes

This has been a difficult week, to say the least, for weight loss. On Wednesday a very large (EF4 to EF5) tornado ripped through the center of Tuscaloosa. We were without power for two days and as I write this some folks in the direct path are still without power or water. Several people that I know had moderate to severe damage damage to their homes including Evan Hisey whose home was obliterated. The city schools lost two elementary schools, University Place and Alberta Elementary, while the county schools lost one, Holt Elementary. Power is still out in about 7 of our schools. Classes were dismissed Thursday and Friday. City Schools will not open Monday, and I have not heard about County schools yet. The University cancelled finals and postponed graduation until August.

I have been trying to eat sensibly. I sometimes have to take whatever is available especially when I am out working at the school. I think the increased physical activity has compensated for that as I have continued to lose weight even through the crisis. I understand that the Rec. Center will be open from 10AM until 6PM starting Monday so maybe I can get over there after work.

As the concentration turns from search and rescue to cleanup in the affected area of the storm, my physical activity will probably be mostly involved in helping clean up where I can. And of course, New Orleans and Lisha's Birthday celebration is next weekend.

Post Easter post

Yesterday was Easter and I went to Montgomery to my mom's house to spend the holiday with family. Everyone was there. Pat and Ferrin even made it down from South Carolina. Unfortunately John, Pat's son, wasn't there since he is still overseas with his mom. I was happy to meet Aaron's girlfriend, Jade, and a friend of Dickie and Rachel's named Jacob. All together I did not over eat. I enjoyed a plateful of all my favorite foods including my mom's real potato salad. I did not feel stuffed afterwards and did not "graze" on all the goodies. So hopefully I didn't gain any weight.

Slight change of plans for this week. Mom called to say that the weather between here and Chicago was going to be too awful this week to risk going up to Cedar Lake, IN for my Aunt Mary's funeral. So I will be back on the regimin this week without a traveling interruption.

So we shall see how this week goes.

Five Days In

Well the new scale is proving to be an interesting part of my latest attempt to get my weight under control. I purchased a Withings wireless scale. It sends your weight and other statistics like Fat and lean mass content and BMI (Body Mass Index) to your computer everytime you step on it. It can be configured to report any one or more of these stats as you choose. You can also have multiple users. I am not sure how to set this up or how it would tell (besides the obvios weight differences) but maybe I will set up an account for my cats just in case one or more of them decide to sit or lay on the scale.

As you can see from the chart at the top of this blog, the weight meter is fairly consistant. I have lost almost 10 pounds since I started using the scales 5 days ago. I'm sure that is mostly water weight. However, the Fat meter is all over the place. The directions say that it measures your Fat portion by sending light electric shocks through your feet when you stand on it. The wetness of your feet (i.e. if you just got out of the shower or just took off you shoes or have perfectly dry feet) effects the reading because it messes with the conductivity. So I will have to pay closer attention to the moisture on y feet in future and try to replicate the same conditions every time.

The Withings folks recommend weighing yourself at about the same time under the same conditions once or twice a week. Ideally you should weigh within a half hour of waking first think in the morning. You should wear as little clothing as possible and have relatively dry feet. So there is some info about the device I am using to report my weight loss.

This week I have made it a point to get to the University Rec. Center everyday (except Wednesday when my good friend Lisha and her husband Victor were in town and we went sight seeing in the afternoon) and do a half hour cardio on the eliptical. I want to work up to a half hour on the eliptical and a half hour on the rowing machine for a hour long cardio workout. I also plan to take classes (aerobics, step, spining, and zumba) as I can. I need to start looking at the schedule and plan to be there on the days and times they are offered just to add variety to the cardio workout. When I get about 50 or 75 pounds off I would really like to start going back to Yoga class. Many of the poses are just too uncomfortable for "big folks," and I am embarrassed to be in a class with all the skinny university kids.

I have been eating a sort of "cleansing" diet this week. I have had a nice salad with meat on it everyday to get some protein in. I have had fruit smoothies that I have made at home for breakfast everyday. I usually through a banana, apple, orange, strawberries, blueberries, and some walnuts in the blender with 2 cups of water and puree that mixture into a large smoothie. It tastes good. For supper this whole week I switched between steamed veggies and pureed raw veggie smoothies. I would mix spinach, asparagus, green beans, tomatoes, a small potato, avocado, a scallion, and celery in the blender. The taste was not the best but it filled me up. If I needed a snack later in the evening I would have a small cup of peanut butter (Jiff sells small individual containers of smooth peanut butter) and celery or carrot sticks.

During the day I tried to drin more water. I have taken a water bottle to work to keep in the refrigerator so I can have water instead of buying a coke. I still drink coffee in the morning, but if that is my sole indulgence daily, I can live with that.

We shall see if I can keep this up. I have to go to Indiana next week. My mom and I are going to my Aunt Mary's funeral and will be gon late Monday to mid day Thursday. That will be a challenge to eat right and get in some exercise daily. We shall see. Wish me luck!

My Committment

I can only commit to myself. I can let others observe, but in the end if I succeed it is because I do it and nobody else. Others can't lose this weight for me. I put it on myself, and I will take it off and leave it off myself. I will try to eat better. I will focus on fruits and vegetables and lean meats in portions that are appropriate and healthy. I will also increase the amount of exercise and sleep I get daily. I will try to drink more water daily. These are things I can do. If I have a bad day, I will not give up. I will seek to do better the next day and I will over time succeed, It took years to get my body into this state and I realize it can't be fixed overnight. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." Lao Tzu

I start today. 353! Oy!