New Year's Resolution Goals!

It's something I've done for a few years now because I think it makes more sense than the traditional way. Today is my 36th Birthday and, yearly, on this day, I generally make whatever resolutions I plan to make for the year ahead. I feel that I'm in the fortunate position, this year, to just stay on track and keep working toward the goals that I have already set. My course is layed out for me and I know with hard work, dedication and a little patience with myself I will be in a fantastic place in a year and during the year I will continue to feel better about my self and will enhance my joy and zest for life in all aspects.

The few things I will work on are...

1: Being patient with my weight loss and looking for positive signs of improvement rather than focusing on lack of progress in other areas.

2: Try harder to value my worth and to remember that I am worthy of being happy. I want to approach certain social situations with more confidence and be aware that if things don't work out the way I hope it's not the end of the world or a comment on my self worth.

3. Organize, Organize, Organize!

4. Attempt to be a better brother and son and friend. (there's always more we can to do include our family and good friends)

5. Plan more seriously for my financial future.

I don't expect to start a resolution revolution here. This is just how I do it and you can adopt it if you like.

In other news. I had my appt with Dr Wong last Thursday. He's my new sleep disorder specialist and while he said that I don't have ALL of the traditional Symptoms of Narcolepsy he did say I have enough of them including some variant symptoms that he would prescribe the recommended medication for Narcolepsy and order more conclusive tests. I'll also be going back to the sleep lab to have tests to calibrate my bi-PAP machine for my sleep apnea (bi-pap and c-pap machines blow air in to your airway while you sleep so that you don't stop breathing....fun huh)

The medication I'm taking is called Provigil

For info Please visit www.Provigilweb.com

(From Provigilweb.com)
A Different Kind of Stimulant

Unlike caffeine and older prescription stimulants that affect the entire central nervous system which in turn leads to jitteriness, insomnia and prolonged bouts of sleep to make up for lost sleep, Provigil only seems to effect the part of the brain that keeps you awake. A person's sleep patterns will usually revert back to normal after the effects of Provigil wear off. U.S. clinical trials have also demonstrated that Provigil is less likely to cause nervousness or withdrawal-like symptoms.


I started taking it on Friday and will be increasing from 1 to 3 tablets daily by thursday and after a few days of that I'll let you all know how I feel. As it is I can already tell that my daytime alertness is a little better but it does feel like it's chemically induced...and I'm still not sleeping that well at night, however When I finally do get to sleep...(sometimes as late as 4am or 6am...I can sleep for about 3 1/2 hours so that's about 1 1/2 hours more than before. If I can start getting to sleep around 1am and sleep for 5 hours I'll be back in charge of my life again and then watch out world...haHaahAahhhaaa! *cough*

Ok...so that's about it for now. I'll be starting my 365day picture project Today and will post the link to my Photo host in a couple of days. Also I'll be weighing in again around the end of the month because I was trying to get another 10 lbs off (no worries if it doesn't happen). I'll let you know. Also let me know if you think I should add another counter that shows actual Fat loss as well as over all weight loss. I was thinking about it.

Have a good day all, and a great New Year! =0)

Walk a mile in my shoes...no, seriously...go ahead!

Hey there!

So I mentioned in my last post that I had gotten some new shoes and that they seemed to be doingthe trick as far as providing the support my foot needs and the comfort I need when I'm on my feet!

I really have to give the credit to my buddy devin. Or more specifically to his malfunctioning usb port!

Ok...let's rewind... (are you making a rewinding sound with your mouth...? yes you are...I caught you ;0)

I get a call from Devin..."Dude..usb's on the fritz! Wanna go to the Mac store? I got an appointment with a genious!" (if you don't know what I'm talking about I urge you to get a Mac. Or you have a mac and you've never had to get service...which is more likely the case and if that's so..."MACINTOSH REPRESENT!")

But I digress..."Yo "D" I'm on it foo! I'm fixin'tah gass up the ride and I peep you in 10...Peace!" (ok sometimes I'm a little lax with my english...)

Ok...maybe fast forward a little...(I heard that...)

The main reason I wanted to go with Devin to the mall is so I can check out "The Walking Store" for shoes Devin had been raving about. He just got back from an extended trip out of the country and kept saying how much his shoes saved his feet. Well, knowing how much he walks I figured I should look into these magical shoes.

So we get to the mall with time to spare before his appt at the mac store and we head straight to the shoe store. There's not really much more to tell...I told the guy what I was looking for he brought them out, I slipped those bad boys on and all of a sudden...no pain. Perfect fit.


Keen Portsmouth



Top



Bottom


Waterproof leather upper with Secure-fit leather Achilles support.

Classic Wallabee lace design.

Leather and moisture wicking synthetic lining.

Removable multi-density metatomical cushioning footbed.

Compression molded EVA midsole.

Anti-slip, oil-resistant outsole with semi-aggressive lugs.

What can I say? Best shoes I've ever had (so far). They fit great. My foot feels sooo much better and I feel less tired after a day of walking around.

Check this link for reviews

That's about it! Maybe you have some wonder shoes that you would like to share with the group...let us know! =0)

"Would one of you please get off the scale!"

I figure we can just get right to the numbers:


6/08/06
Total Weight: 527.6lbs (239.8kg)
Body Fat: 51.5% or 271.7lbs (123.5 Kg)
Fat Free Mass: 48.5% or 255.9lbs (116.3kg)

7/04/06
Total Weight: 533.8lbs (242.6kg)
Body Fat: 50.4% or 266.7lbs (121.2 Kg)
Fat Free Mass: 49.6% or 262.5lbs (119.3kg)

7/19/06
Total Weight: 532.4lbs (242.0kg)
Body Fat: 46.8% or 249.2lbs (113.3 Kg)
Fat Free Mass: 53.2% or 283.2lbs (128.7kg)

8/31/06
Total Weight: 525.6lbs (238.4 Kg)
Body Fat: 47.0% or 247.0lbs (112kg)
Fat Free Mass: 53% or 278.6lbs (126.4kg)

10/14/06

Total Weight: 519.4lbs (236.09 Kg)
Body Fat: 47% or 241.4lbs (109.73kg)
Fat Free Mass: 53% or 278.0lbs (126.36kg)

The numbers show a Total Loss of 6.2lbs
if you look at the Body fat...
on 6/08 My body fat was at 271.7 lbs
on 10/14 My Body fat is at 241.4lbs
Total fat Loss 30.3 lbs
Total lean Body gain 22.1lbs

Total loss of 6.2lbs

***********

Measurements

*********** 8/29*******10/14
Neck:**********20.75****19.75***-1.00
Upper Arm:****19.75****19.75***no change
Forearm:*******14.75****14.75***no change
Chest:**********68.50****66.50***-2.00
Waist:**********71.50****70.50***-1.00
Hip:************75.00****75.00***no change
Thigh:**********37.25***37.25***no change
Calf:************25.50***25.50***no change
Measurements are in Inches

Ok so there you have it! Finally a bit of progress! I'm hoping that my plateau is over and we can get down to some serious weight loss now..or at least when I get this sleeping thing in hand. But I'm happy with this little jump so Yay for me! I still want to focus on losing another 10 lbs by the end of the month and with my foot feeling better thanks to my new shoes (which will be the topic of my next post) I think I may even try some road walking instead of on the treadmill...maybe even a little really light jogging...10 feet here, 10 feet there...nothing big but I want to just get myself moving more.

Alright...enough about that. I'm pretty happy with this progress. I don't want to go over talking it.

In other news..I thought you all might get a kick out of this picture. Now if you've seen something like this before it may not seem odd to you but I had to do a double take and then I had to take a picture because I couldn't imagine the train of thought that brought this to be...

I mean...does one often find themselves in need of 10 pounds of Ice while in the Burger King Drive-thru? What's next? "Boy oh boy I feel like a bacon burger but the grass is looking a little brown. I only want to make one stop...I sure hope that Burger King is still offering a 10 pound bag of fertilizer at their drive-thru!"

365

I've been trying to think of ways to make myself post daily and I think I may have a plan. Recently I've been using Flickr.com to store my photos online. I was looking around flickr the other day and I noticed that quite a few other flickr members were doing a project where they were taking a self portrait every day for 1 year and I thought that that would be a great idea and a great way to show my weight loss once it kicks in gear. At the end of the year I would be able to put them all in a slide show and literaly "watch my loss" lol! So starting 10/24/06 (my birthday by the way...*wink*) I will start taking a photo a day and I might also try to take a random shot of something important to me each day so that at the very least I'll have something to show you or discuss if no topics come to mind.

Check out some of the other folks on Flickr and their 365 day photo projects...

realistic goals...

I know that you fine folks have been waiting for a weigh-in and I plan to get you the data by the end of the week. Yay! thanks for being so patient. The last two weeks I've been sort of lax in my work-out routine but I have been hitting the pool quite a bit and I feel that that may be at least keeping me on track. I don't know if I feel like I've lost anything substantial but I know I haven't gained anything.

This is gonna take off one day and I won't feel like I need to explain myself so much LOL!

one thing I'd like to do after the weigh-in is focus really hard on losing 10lbs by the end of the month. I think I can really do it if I focus on my pool cardio and really focus on eating even better than I have been. My first major goal has always been to get under 500 lbs and lord know what's been going on with my body these last four months but I feel like I'm on the verge of a break through of some kind. My stamina is getting better and I've found that I can really push it in the pool and I feel like I'm getting a good workout. The last time I really lost a lot of weight I did it with daily jogging but I was under 450 and my legs could take the pounding. I have a serious feeling that I'm like 40 or 50 lbs away from light jogging and when that happens I'm gonna kick this things butt so hard. First things first though...stay tuned for the weigh-in.

An artfull cure!

Some of you mayh remember that Candy Minx, one of the readers (watchers) here, had started a painting some time ago intended to be sold on ebay to benefit diabetes research through my fundraising effort. Well she is finished and the painting is up on ebay for bidding at this very moment! EBAY

I want to take a moment and thank Candy Minx for her unique and wonderful creativity and for finding her own special way of contributing to my efforts to raise funds for the American Diabetes Association!

So, if you have a moment swing by her blog and she what else she's up to and post something nice to help me show my appreciation! And, don't forget to check out the auction on Ebay! Let's find this painting a good home!

Stop and smell the wild flowers...

I found this thing through someone's blog and thought I'd try it out. I have to say that It's pretty damn accurate....LOL j/k anyone else think I look like Keira Knightley? ;0)

In other news some friends and I decided to go to the beach on tuesday. It was fantastic to get out of town and get lost on highway 101 with some good friends.


Road Trip! Devin, Justin and Me.
(Justin's Girlfriend Kerry is there too but I've never gotten her permission to post photo's of her)


Painter at China Camp

Takin' a moment to just be...

Kerry's collectin' sea glass

Gull...

Walking in the sand is quite the workout!

Devin sings a good-bye ukulele tune to Stinson Beach, our third and final beach of the day!


I've got to remember to do things like this more often. We all should.

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is (withheld) and I joined your club about 2 weeks ago. Previously I swam for 4 years at Calif. Family Fitness. I observed somethingin the pool today, that concerned me. I am an R.N. and also a formerly mobidly obese person. I observed a trainer with a name tag (name?) helping train a morbidly obese gentleman in the pool today. He started him out running and lifting his legs and after 1 length he was so out of breath he would rest for 4-5 minutes and sprint and rest. As I was in the lane right next to him I could tell how out of breath (therefore how high his heart rate) and I became concerned that I did not observe a pulse rate being taken. The trainer would push this guy like one would push someone 200+lbs lighter in my opinion. What I know about people that big is that intense increase and sudden decrease in pulse like that could cause a heart attack - having worked in Intensive Coronary Care for many years, I have seen it before. Obviously I'm not a fitness instructor, but when I see something that seems so technically off I have to speak.

Thank you,
(name withheld)

*********************************

So, that's the letter we received. We called and spoke with her about her thoughts. Obviously the letter was written from a place of concern and as such we responded taking her concerns in mind but making sure that she knew that we had been doing this for a while and were aware of my physical limits.

I do want to correct one thing she wrote in the letter though. She stated that she observed me take one length of the pool and rest for 4-5 minutes while I caught my breath. It was more like 1 lap with a pause and then after the return lap I took maybe one and one half to two minutes break before begining the next exercise. And yes...I was quite out of breath but as we explained to her we're in the pool so that I can get my heart rate up without too much impact on my sore foot. The rest of the workout was pretty steady as far as heart rate goes but I don't think she was there for more than about 10 to 15 minutes of my 45 minute session. (I could be mistaken)

All I can say is that I do appreciate her concern and her professional opinion but in the end I kind of wish she would have just leaned over and asked if everything was ok. I really felt bad for Kendrick, my trainer. There has never been a time when he wasn't very conscious of my heavy breathing. He constantly checks on me and allows me to rest as needed and even when he pushes me he never pushes me past my limit.

I'm not sure what else to say...what are your thoughts.

"I love the pop-in!"

Nothing much to report. I'm still trying to get back to posting daily and I think what I might do is post Mondays through Fridays and not post so much on the weekends when the readership is really low. I think that'll be a good balance because I think that daily posting pace (though I haven't done it in a couple of weeks) was burning me out. We'll try that for a while.

I do want to let you know to make sure to check back on Wednesday morning for my Tuesday post because I think you might find it interesting. I was working out in the pool the other day with my trainer and apparently another member thought that my trainer was forcing me to over exert myself, so much so that she went straight to the gym management and wrote out a statement to the fact. After my session my trainer was confronted with the letter and he came and spoke to me about it. We ended up calling the woman who wrote the letter and discussing it with her and she gave me permission to transcribe the letter for my journal for everyone to read. (I promised I'd leave her name off of it)

I'd do it tonight but I think I might be able to catch the ole sandman express if I close my eyes soon and I don't want to miss what little sleep i can get if I can help it.

I'll type that out tomorrow and we can discuss it if you're interested.

So, until then...sweet dreams!