Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

[geo]

Day 169

B: gluten-free hot cereal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
L: chili with mixed veggies
banana and clementine
D: baked potato and sweet potato
1/4 honeydew melon and grapes

E: 88 mins walking - 10,570 steps. Total steps for day -11,570 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Great day. Worked from home today so no stair climbing. Stress levels were low. But did do morning and evening walks that went very well. No issues with pain or stiffness and had lots of energy.

Did some food shopping with dau at lunch time soI at leastgot outof the house for a little while. Did a little web surfing on hotels and such for our planned mini vacation at the end of the month and some reading on food to have on hand during the trip to make sure I stay on program. Its bad timing on my part as I want to go on vacation the day before I was to get my bloodwork so I don't want to mess that up by eating anything sad the day before. I may just have to test a day earlier than I wanted too just to make sure. I know I'm stressing over nothing really but I want to make sure I do this right

[geo]

Day 170

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cupsof herbal tea
L: chili with veggies
banana
herbal tea
D: baked potato and sweet potato
1/4 honeydew melon and grapes

E: 45 mins walking - 5,321 steps. Stair climbing - d/u/d/d 17 floors.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Great day today. Did my stair climbing non-stop in the morning for 17 floors without issue. This was the easiest effort I had so far and could have done several more floors if needed. Recovery was 5 mins. Also did 2 more downstairs/building perimeter walks during day. Finally did my usual walk in the evening that went well also.

Stress levels not too bad today just the usual workload and issues. Ate a bit too much at dinner and felt bloated. Spent some time discussing out upcoming late summer trip. Everyone seemed excited about it. So it should be a good time.

Also went out and ordered up my next blood work. I plan to take it on Friday, 24 August. A couple days early because of our upcoming trip. So one more week to go. I'm hoping for some more significant improvements and hope my cholesteral and trig's are finally at normal levels...we'll see!

[geo]

Day 171

B: gluten free hot cereal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups of herbal tea
L: chili with mex veggies
banana
herbal tea
D: baked potato and sweet potato
1/4 golden delicious melon and nectarine

E: 44 mins walking - 5,295 steps. Stair climbing - d/u/d 17 floors. Total steps for the day - 9,694 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Felt great today. Felt strong with lots of energy. Did my stair climbing as usual and for the first time actually looked forward to it rather than dreading it. That tells me that I'm finally becoming comfortable with the exercise and getting use to the energy and effort it takes. Thats a good thing for me It also tells me I'm getting stronger and fitter and I think I can see that in my legs, especially my calves and thighs. Also did my evening walk with no issues. Weather was nice and cool, perfect for walking.

Work was good today. Stress levels moderate and overall not a bad day. Didn't work late or anything, but got caught in 2 traffic jams on the way home on both my primary and alternate routes. Typical for a friday I guess

Did some work on my computer last night and finally ended the night watching a couple dvr'd shows with the wife, while dau was at her dance studio helping out with the "Princess Camp" for young girls which they hold every year to get new girls involved in Dance. Its the second year shes helped out and really seems to enjoy it alot.

[geo]

Day 172

B: gluten free hot cereal with cinnamon and flax
herbal tea
L: basmati rice with mex veggies
1/4 golden delicious melon
D: baked potato and sweet potato
2 ears of corn
1/4 golden delicious melon and nectarine

E: 90 mins walking - 10,645 steps. Total steps for day - 12,231 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Great day. No bloating this morning and felt very good. Lots of energy and feeling strong. Did morning and evening walks as usual. Morning walk went very well. Evening walk was feeling not so well. I was getting hungry and felt a bit light headed. Not sure what was going on, but I ate dinner as soon as I got home and felt much better afterwards. I was probably just low on energy since I did the walk before eating rather than after. I seem todo better on the evening walk when I do it after eating than before. Its just the opposite in the morning. Then I do better walking before eating. Interesting what you learn about yourself even after 6 months of doing this

The rest of the day was a pretty lazy day. Looked at a bunch of recipes for energy bars and such I could make for our up coming trip. To be honest, none really sounded all that appetizing so I'll probably do some experimenting. Also looked at some recipes for vegan ice cream (non-frozen banana variety) which I may make some today for the family. It should be good enough that they won't shy away from it if I don't tell them whats in it And I'm sure my dau will like it anyways. Gotta have a summer indulgence once in a while

Spet some time working on my computer, compiling software and such...I know sounds boring but its and old hobby for me Finally just relaxed a good part of the day catching up on a few shows with the wife. All-in-all nice and restful

[geo]

Day 173

B: nothing
L: baked potato and sweet potato
mango
D: baked potato and mex veggies with salsa
grapes and clementine

E: 88 mins walking - 10,608 steps. Total steps for day - 13,533 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Good day. Lots of energy and felt strong. Did my morning and evening walks fast with no issues. Weather was cool to cold so that motivated me to go faster I definitely enjoy this cooler weather. I wonder if summer is over now?

Went food shopping, twice, today. Once for everything I thought we needed and then again for all the things I ws reminded I forgot
At least it was a good walk and dau came with me second time so that was fun.

I made ice cream today - McDougall friendly too (though not MWL). Something I haven't done in a few years. I think it came out great! Though I only tasted a teaspoon of it My dau thought it was great! She said it tasted like a brownie

It was a dark chocolate ice cream, made really simply:

3 cups of plain soymilk
1/2 cup demerara sugar
1/4 Special dark cocao powder
2 TBS Corn starch

Mix all in a pot. Wisk well. Heat till it starts to boil, then take off heat and let cool. Put it in the fridge to get real cold (3-4 hours). Then churn it in an ice cream machine. When churning is done, put it in freezer for a few hours to firm up and then enjoy

Next time I'll try it with homemade rice milk instead, though with its lower fat content I may need to up the corn starch a bit to thicken it. We'll see...

Also spent some time working on my computer again and surfing for recipes. I want a great granola-type bar recipe. Just haven't found one yet that both looks good and is McD friendly - got to be crunchy on the outside but chewy in the middle... the search goes on...

[geo]

Day 174 - Week 25

Its been 24 complete weeks now and here are my latest numbers:

Weight: 180.8 down from: 184.4 started at: 261
BP: 98/54 down from: 106/63 started at: 153/92
Pulse: 46 down from: 50 started at: 88
BMI: 24.5 started at: 35.4

Total weight lost after 24 full weeks on MWL - 80.2 lbs!

WhooHoo! I've met another goal. I am officially no longer an overwieght statistic anymore. I am now at a "normal" weight

Another 3.6 lbs down this week. Definitely dropped some stored water I was holding on too. Which is why I do my official weigh-ins once a week. The daily variability is just too great (or too little depending on your expectations ). I probably held onto 1.5 lbs of water bloat the past week alone. I've lost on average 0.46 lbs per day since I started MWL, thats amazing I think

And look at my BP and Pulse! Both are new lows! Some might even say they are too low. But I know from experience that they are now in my normal range

Now I have to set another goal and that will be to get into the "thin" healthy BMI range, (18.5 - 21.9). I will reach that range at a weight of 161 lbs, which is just another 19.8 lbs away. At my current weight loss that will take about 3 months. So my prediction is just after Thanksgiving Day I will reach this next goal.

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
L: mixed veggies with salsa
nectarine and clementine
D: baked potato and sweet potato
grapes
S: baby carrots and nectarine

E: 45 mins walking - 5,362 steps. Stair climbing - d/u/d/d 17 floors. Total steps for day - 10,857 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Felt great today. My stair climbing has started to become routine. I'm no longer wiped out after I climb 17 floors. My legs don't give out anymore. And I know I have plenty of energy to do a few more floors. I'm definitely getting stronger and healthier everyday. What more could I ask for

In 4 days I take my next bloodwork. I'm hoping for some great results based on all my efforts and current stats or at least to have all my numbers in the normal range instead of wildly out.

I feel real good today about where I'm at. My mood is decidedly better and I just feel happier. Isn't that what this is all about?!
Even work didn't get me down today, what more can I say I just feel real good now!

[WeeSpeck]

Oh my gosh! You are really getting this done. I have to say that your steady consistent progress and commitment to this life style has impressed me so much. I hope you don’t mind that I drop your name to my husband and son all the time as the perfect representative for the McDougall Plan. Congratulations on your latest milestone.

[working at it]

Yes, George, congratulations! Your approach to weight loss is impressive for simplicity and persistance. You are a role model!

Your goal setting success reminds me of the main character in the book Touching the Void, a great read about a climber, Joe Simpson, who falls and breaks his leg on a climb of a significant mountain peak. He manages to save his life by getting himself off the mountain and back to base camp, in spite of great pain, through the same tools you are using: setting a series of goals, by a certain time, and then focusing all his energy and will on accomplishing it. Joe's is a remarkable story, and he has become a legend in the mountain climbing community. Yours is a remarkable story too! Congratulations!

[geo]

Thanks Weespeck and Workingatit for the kind words! I still have another 20-30 lbs to lose but I know I'll get there in a few more months Thanks for the motivation!

[geo]

Day 175

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
L: mex veggies with salsa
plum and clementine
D: baked potato and sweet potato
watermelon
S: grapes

E: 45mins walking - 5,359 steps. Stair Climbing - d/u/d/d 17 floors. Total steps for day - 10,783 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: none

Felt great today. Everything is going well and I'm very happy with my progress so far. Had lots of energy. My stair climbing continues to get better everytime I do it. I'm trying to add another walk down the stairs everyday just to get out of my office a bit more and keep moving. My evening walk went well as usual. Everything right now just seems to be clicking and going as well as I could expect.

Work was a bit stressful but nothing to out of the ordinary. I'm trying to take a break every hour to just stand up and walk around a bit and get the blood moving. 3 more days till I get my bloodwork done. I'm really getting excited about that strangely enough. Keeping my fingers crossed that everything will come out good finally. I definitely feel 100% better today than 6 months ago and nothings going to stop me from getting to my goals! A few more months and I'll be there!

[Millie34]

Hey Geo,

I'm glad that everything is going so well for you. I will definitely be checking your thread so I to see those bloodwork results. I'm sure that you will be very pleased with them .

M34

[geo]

Thanks Millie34! I'm taking my bloodwork tomorrow morning. Not sure if I'll have my results back on Sat or Monday. But I'll report them as soon as I get them. I'm most interested in my cholesterol and triglycerides since those were the numbers that were still too high from my last test, but improving. I hope they've gone down below that magic number range of 150

[geo]

Day 176

B: gluten free hot cereal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: mex veggies with salsa
plum and apple
herbal tea
S: baked potato
D: basmati rice and mixed veggies with salsa
2 ears of corn
watermelon

E: 45 mins walking - 5,301 steps. Stair climbing d/u/d 17 floors. Total steps for day - 9,103 steps.
M: 10 mins
TM: 1 x forearms and shoulders

Good day today. A little stress at work but nothing bad. Did all my stair climbing in the morning as my afternoon was too busy. Did my evening walk earlier than usual, about 5:30 pm and it went well. The sun was out a good deal today but it was only in the 70's so it was nice.

Today I got hungry again about 3PM which is very unusual. I was going to just tough it out till dinner ~6 pm but changed my mind and had a baked potato as a snack. It felt good to just "eat when your hungry" as DrM says to do. I was full enough after that that I even had enough energy to do my 45 min walk before I ate dinner. Then at dinner I ate a bit more than normal to keep myself full

My daughter finished off the rest of the icecream I made the other day. She loved it! Said it tasted to her just like brownies and wants me to make it again Maybe next week. Theres some other flavors I want to try like maybe strawberry or blueberry or mango made with the real fruit. Now I'm making myself hungry...

This weekend we are taking our little summer vacation so I'm getting excited about that. Dau has already packed up all her swimming stuff 4 days in advance She can't wait to go. Even the wife is excited to go so should be a real good time for all.

[geo]

Day 177

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
L: baked potato and sweet potato
Watermelon
D: basmati rice with mex veggies and salsa
mango
S: baby carrots

Great day today. Got to work from home so stress levels were low. Lots of energy and felt good. Did my morning and evening walks with no issues. It was a nice, warm, sunny day, getting cooler in the evening which was a great time to take a walk.

I notice a lot of the same faces out on the walking path these days, mostly folks just walking their dogs. But some older couples out there doing the health thing as well. Its interesting that most of the people I see are either younger <25 or older >50 out there walking/jogging daily. Everyone in mid-life is missing and thats where we start seeing all the effects of chronic disease...

I take my bloodwork in the morning, so I have to fast for the next 12 hours. Seems like a long time, but I mostly sleep right through it generally. I seem to do best when I don't eat for 12-14 hours after my dinner meal...I guess thats why its called a break-fast With all the buzz around the idea of "intermittant" fasting being some new important way of weight-loss, I think its funny that I've been doing it all my life And no I don't think its important, new, or yet another miracle cure to weight-loss. Remember, a calorie is just a calorie!

[fulenn]

Thank you for the kind comment about my pictures! I hope to have better ones when I finish, maybe in March.

I have never tried millet or other grains as a part of my chili, I think I will give it a try. My girls are reading over my shoulder and have informed me that they want to make your dark chocolate ice cream, so, I guess I know what we are doing this weekend. I'm glad it turned out well for you.

I have so enjoyed your daily postings. I think it is very important for that segment of our population who needs to know everything that they can about what is going to happen to them. This gives them a place to look and see what can really occur. Keep up the good work!! (Of course, you will, but I wanted to cheer you on....)

Fulenn