Chasing the Iron Bunny

For those of you who are following my health and weight loss journey, I have encouraging news. First of all, I was completely cleared by my pulmonologist when my CT scan came up clear. He saw and heard no trace of the infection that has plagued me for so long. That said, I went on a fitness program that I designed from my training knowledge of days gone by.

I first started this journey on October 5 of last year. I had plugged all my numbers in (as ugly as they were) and then had a setback when I was told that my father had passed a couple of weeks later. So now that the setback is over, and after getting off the meds for the lung disease, I am back on track. So let me post what I've done so far.


Starting scale weight was 231 (Ugh) and starting bodyfat % was 44.75%. Lean weight was 127.32 and bodyfat was 103.68.

Today... scale weight was 219 (still ugh) with bodyfat % of 33.93%. Lean weight is 144.69 and bodyfat is 74.31.

The tale of the tape is also encouraging. Waist measurement is down 2 inches since starting last year, with most of that loss coming in the last 11 days since adding intense cardio and core workouts in with weight training. Waist to hip ratio is still not where it needs to be, so there is a lot more work to be done.

Things I've noticed: My energy is coming back. I sleep better most nights. I can breathe better. I can focus my mind better. I get more done around the house and in my life. I can walk better. I still feel like I'm dragging my left leg some days (the leg that had the clot in it), but I push through it and then rest it. I no longer JUST push through. I know that rest is an integral part of my well-being and don't intend to be without it ever again.

Changes I've made:

1. Detoxifying my environment. It's ongoing and it's hard. But I feel it is something worth doing. You have no idea how many foods are packaged using plastics, which are dreadful for the body and the environment.

2. Challenging everything that goes into my mouth. That is also difficult, especially when others in the household are having everything from tortilla chips and cheese dip to ice cream. It's okay. You keep eating that. I'm not.

3. Preparing foods from scratch. I do that a lot more now. I've stopped eating out for the most part, making that the exception instead of the rule.

4. I get active every day. I feel like I'm slacking off when I'm not active. I used to be able to climb a rope to the top of a gymnasium and back down. I used to be on the gymnastics team. I may not be able to do those things again, but I'm gonna get close. REAL close.

5. I take much better care of my grooming now. Sounds silly to most of you, but when you're not feeling well, it reflects in your grooming and when your grooming is bad, you feel worse. It's a vicious cycle and I've stopped it.

6. I take pictures of myself much more often. I want to see this journey in pictures. My body has a story to tell.

7. I don't let anything keep me from my workouts now... not even procrastinating like I'm doing right this minute. Don't worry... I'll be in the gym within the next half hour or so and spend 2 hours workin' it.

8. I open up to other people a little more. I'm still very introspective, but am trying to change that.

I know there are more, but for the sake of the workout I'm trying to ignore, I'll leave them for another time. I've got my music picked out for the gym today, and I've got to get out there. It's not gonna happen by itself.

Nazdrowie'

Paczki Puta

Wrapping It Up, Dr. Pierce and More (or Less, depending on how you want to view it)

Wrapping It Up

It's funny how making people accountable for what they write makes them stop writing it. On this blog, I have made it impossible for anyone without an account to post here. So you may read, but unless you have an account, you're SOL. And I still have the option to ignore you if you DO send a comment. Considering the negativity has come from my former family and their "friends" (you know who you are and so do I), know this. You are not in our lives. What you say and do has no effect, and I want no further contact with you... now, or ever. Since I have been the one to send flowers when someone was in the hospital, to call on people's birthdays and send cards at Christmas, I have stopped doing that.

Goodbye and God Bless.

Now, on to better things.

Dr. Pierce

There was an account today of an asthma physician, Trent Pierce, who got in his car in his West Memphis garage, and it blew up. Dr. Pierce is in critical condition at The Med, and our prayers are with him and his family. The authorities have stated that they do not suspect foul play, but you have to wonder, with all the stuff that Hollywood produces, Soprano-style. I once saw a show (or movie, can't remember which), where the hero put a piece of scotch tape on the hood of his car, with one end of the tape on the hood and one end on the top fender. The idea was that if the tape were dislodged or broken, he would know that someone had tampered with his car. It turned out that someone DID tamper with the engine, planting a bomb with a trip wire, so that the car would blow when the engine started. I sincerely hope that someone did not intentionally sabotage the good doctor's car, but he is in the hospital all the same. I do not know him, but can imagine the horror when his wife found him in the flower bed in front of his home. We are praying for you, Dr. Pierce.

Update: 12:48pm Officials have found an explosive device (or parts of it) that were planted in Dr. Pierce's car. They are calling it a "terrorist attack on one person". Hmmm....

More (or Less, depending on how you want to view it)

In other news, I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I weighed in to find that I was a whole 10 pounds down from where I started. This is a milestone, and one I will not take for granted. I have had great success on www.sparkpeople.com, which is unmatched in its program of support, encouragement and tracking tools. And it's all FREE! I don't know about you, but FREE is a magic word for me. I can't wait to log in every morning and track my food and activities. I have 63 pounds to get to where my body will function without hindrance, so I am on my way. It seems like a long way, but I've come this far in only 6 weeks. This is a journey for me, not a destination. This is something I know I can stick with. The first 10 pounds are the hardest, I think. I went through my first plateau... or at least I thought it was a plateau, and broke it. Now the weight is coming off a bit easier.

The thing that is astonishing me... well, two things, actually... is that I am eating SO much, and that I seem to need at least 10 glasses of water daily, to make this change happen. It's all right with me; I love water. And I love to EAT! AND I love to cook! So this is great. As long as I have the time right now, I will continue doing all the cooking necessary. However, when I get one more website project, we may have to re-evaluate the cooking duties. We have so much on our plates right now, that I'm not sure if we can even take on another project, but it's a very happy dilemma to have to solve. Film at 11.

Okay, boys and girls, that's enough for now. I've got work to do, and yoga to practice.

Nazdrovie'

Paczki Puta