My career change, and my relationship with food

the great nightmare for my son

Its been said already on this blog and on my Daily Mile profile, that I am responsible for my own weight gain. It took me years of sedentary lifestyle and extremely poor food choices to get here.  When I was in business for myself, I was a big user of fast food.  I traveled all over the US, mainly by car, and stayed in hotels away from home.  Much like Morgan Spurlock in the Movie Super Size Me!, I super-sized my drive thru experience.  In hotel rooms, I ordered whatever take out was available.

It would be one thing if I left this behavior on the road.  But when I returned home, I would continue for the sake of expediency and spending time with my family.  Rather than give up one hour a day to exercise, I would watch my favorite Food Network programs like Iron Chef and Diners, Drives-Inn's and Dives.  My relationship with food boils down to a simple fact;  all my life, I used fast-food to fill a void; often is was loneliness.  In Norfolk, Boston, DC, San Francisco, I would have short-term relationships, and would often go out to eat. After having a family, quick eating became habit and convenience.  Its time to change that dynamic.

Six months ago I began to cook more.  As I began to cook, I found I enjoyed the experience and ate less than I did before. When looking back, I realized that anytime I worked in a kitchen (Navy, KFC, Togo's) I was at my happiest.   I have earned two undergraduate degrees and an MBA. However I've have always felt that no job is beneath anyone regardless of education.  And the idea of becoming a chef is something I have always considered but my parents discouraged. But as I prepare food, I can feel my relationship with food beginning to change. I find myself respecting it more, and seeing it as something that is more just fuel, but something that can change an attitude when made properly. It can make one healthier when prepared right, and can soothe the soul without clogging the heart.

Health and fast food aside, since exercising, I have felt happier than I have in years.  The last two days at work have only amplified this feeling.  Simply put, for the first time years, the various aspects of my life are all coming together in the way I have always wanted.  Lets hope this continues.

Places I want to Jog: Entry 4 - Chicago Lake Front

Chicago Lakefront Trails

I've lived in Illinois for several years, and have made several trips to Chicago in the past. My last trip to Chicago was on St Patricks Day, when the river ran green and the beads were thrown about.  One thing I've always loved about the city is the walking/running trail on the Lakefront. Say what you like about the city (cold, loud, and corrupt, etc...) but one thing they got right were the running paths. With 24 miles of lakefront, much of it with a continuous running trail, the city even has 263 different areas for walking and running. Sometime before San Francisco Marathon 2012, I hope to hit the Lakeshore for practice runs.

Sample of a Chest X-Ray

Great news today! My doctor called with my lab results and found my heart was not enlarged. In addition, my cholesterol and blood sugar are well within normal ranges. Oddly enough, both my HDL and LDL are in the upper ranges for lowest levels of estimated heart disease. Given this information, I am puzzled by the diagnosis of Arteriosclerosis, and what is the underlying cause beyond genetics? I plan to keep these levels low by working harder at my fitness plan and continue changing my eating habits. Lets hope the good news continues. Wish me luck!

Work by User:BorisTM, Wikipedia

Here are my current stats:

Age: 33

Height: 5'6"

BMI: 52.6 (Calculate your BMI)

Weight: 325.8 (as of July 26, 2010)

Resting BPM: 93

Resting BP: 120/85

Blood Sugar: 89

HDL/LDL/Total Cholesterol Levels: 35/92/149

Fat Ass Nation, Fat Ass Habits - Week 4 of Training - Thoughts and Progress

My greatest fear for my son, is him looking like this

Lets be frank, articles confirm what many already know; we are a fat nation. If the title disturbs you, its probably because you may realize that it is a true statement.  Its such an issue for the US that our own First Lady has chosen to make it a priority during her husbands term in office.   You could avoid watching Super Size Me and live under the assumption Morgan Spurlock is a "Radical Liberal" in the same vein as Michael Moore if you like.  But one trip outside your door on a 30 minute walk will quickly reveal the size of our nations appetite (pun intended).  I noticed it long ago, but buried my head about my own weight in a plate of donuts.  It would take personal disgust with myself, concern for my son, and a lack of energy to push me to do something about it.

I am now entering the full fourth week of training.  In less than four weeks, I have lost at least 14 lbs, if not more since this past Monday.  I have increased my endurance while both walking and lifting weights.  Working out does not see to be a chore now and more habit that my brain wont allow me to avoid. The Daily Mile has been a great tool for not only keeping track of my workouts, but keeping me motivated.  As I move forward, my workout regime is taking shape for weeks five and six, as I ramp up my endurance on the first full phase of my Mesocycle.  I am using periodization as a method of both overall fitness and weight loss.  Often used for sports, periodization is a method of working out that address three of overall areas of fitness; endurance, muscle building (muscular hypertrophy), and strength.  Soon I will begin planning for building muscle mass. The more muscle I have, the more calories I burn per day just maintaining it.

The combination of daily exercise and weight loss have made me painfully aware of food labels.  On every piece of food we buy, however they are something that is rarely reviewed. A look at this sample label shows that this product is 1/3 fat. Eat the entire container, and you have taken in 360 calories, 120 from fat.  Looking at these labels, now causes me to pause before taking a bite, and made me aware of what I put in my body.

I have been using Diet Analysis Plus 8.0 to track my diet, and it measures each aspect of the food I eat. It also makes me think even more about what I eat as I enter the information. I am now firm in the belief that if we took the time to read the labels we would avoid a lot of foods bad for us more often.

As I move fully into the fourth week, I feel stronger, and more fit.  I feel I am getting thinner. Thanks to everyone on DM for all the motivation thus far.

Looking at my Heart - Chest X-Ray Today - Lost More Weight

Example of Labeled Anatomy In a Chest X-Ray

I went in for my chest X-Ray today. The doctor is trying to diagnose how bad my heart is given my diagnosis of Arteriosclerosis.  The issue most likely to be diagnosed using such an x-ray is Cardiomegaly, or an enlarged heart.  In all likelihood, there will be some enlargement as it is commonly associated obesity.  Again, I have to acknowledge, I brought this on myself.  Genetically, I know on my mothers side, being overweight is common, and on my fathers side they have bad hearts. The double whammy. I should have been working on this everyday of my life to stave off heart problems; but I didn't.  Now I have to work twice as hard and be twice as aware of what I am eating.

On the positive side, I lost weight again. A little over two pounds since thursday.

Here are my current stats:

Age: 33

Height: 5'6"

BMI: 52.6 (Calculate your BMI)

Weight: 325.8

Resting BPM: 93

Resting BP: 120/85

The Good, The Bad, and the Not So Attractive

I went to the doctor today and got some good news, and some really bad news.  The good news was, I have lost more than 14 pounds, and now weight 328.  The bad news is I have been diagnosed with Arterial Sclerosis. This is a condition of the hardening of the artery walls due to cholesterol.  My doctor has advised me to continue my exercise regimen, and to take cholesterol lowering medication to help.  I was given a full physical and go in Friday for a chest x-ray, and back in two weeks for another workup. I would be lying if I said I wasn't terrified. But the only way to deal with it is head on.  

Here are my current stats:

Age: 33

Height: 5'6"

BMI: 52.9 (Calculate your BMI)

Weight: 328

Resting BPM: 94

Resting BP: 120/90

I am glad I went in to face it, but now the issue of weight loss has become more critical and immediate.  Something must be done, otherwise I wont be around to see my son graduate high school, let alone see grandchildren. Wish me luck.