My wife is quite a few years younger than me, and we have two of the cutest girls in the world. I often joke with my friends I did this so when I'm old I'll have someone to care for me. Although I was joking, I really wasn't far from the truth.
Having kids, and a younger wife, is even more of an incentive for me to stay in shape. To me, though, staying in shape doesn't necessarily mean being ideal body weight. I think the IBW system is flawed anyway, and is only good for medical workers doling out medicine and tidal volumes. This system doesn't take into account muscle mass, which to me is a major flaw, considering I'm 100% muscle anyway (so I lie).
Anyway, having kids is an incentive to keep in shape. For one thing, my 11-year-old is at an age I can go out every day and play catch with him in the summer, or play catch with a football, or in the winter go sledding. I find if I'm out of shape I waddle around and this sort of takes the fun out of these activities. They become a job more so than fun.
That's why back in February of this year I decided to make good on my promise to get into shape. I started the body for life program once again. Only this time, instead of my wife doing it with me, she's carrying an unborn baby around. I'm also doing it without the friends who normally get in shape with me.
I tried working out when during previous pregnancies, although I ended up gaining weight right with my wife. This time, however, I was bound and determined. I think one of the things that really helps me along is all the pessimism. I've had more than one person tell me I will never do it, that I will fail. So, that alone provides me the incentive.
Yet, despite that, I have lost 10 pounds since February. Again, my goal is not to lose weight, but to get in shape. To me, the two do not go hand in hand. Yet, losing weight is a good incentive to keep going, considering if you are losing weight you know you're doing something right.
That said, after losing almost 10 pounds after signing up for the biggest loser contest at my work, I dropped zero the next month. And, despite losing zero, I have continued to work out. And, even though I have hit a rut, a plateau, I have continued to muscle it. This is proof to myself that I can do it not just on my own, but without losing weight.
However, even though I've lost up to 40 pounds 4 times doing the bfl, I have basically completed the 12 week program once again, only losing 10 pounds this time. Yet, to give credit to myself, I took a few more days off because a) I have kids and they come first, 2) I have a wife and she comes first, 3) I work and that comes first, 4) I have a life, 5) I'm doing this alone.
So, considering all the obstacles, I'm actually doing quite well. This brings me to the greatest question of all regarding working out and eating well: How do you keep it off.
I actually think I've found the answer to that: don't lose weight to fast; don't give anything up; take some days off; enjoy life; do the best you can with what you have.
I think if you do a crash diet, you're going to gain all the weight back. Yet, if you eat well every day you can, and take a few days off here and there, and continue this year round, you can keep it off. That's the hard part: keeping it up.
So, instead of quitting my workouts and my diet now that the 12 week mark is up, I've decided to start another 12 week workout. Lord knows I'm not going to be perfect, and that might be the key to a lifetime of success -- at least for a normal person like me.
Yet who knows, I might fail again.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Monday, May 03, 2010
Beer and socializing
I love beer. On some nights when I know I don't have to work the next day, I like to sit in my recliner, watching my favorite news program, sipping on a nice cold one. Or, in the summer, out on the deck bantering with a neighbor.
When I was a kid my grandpa would give me a quarter to fetch him another. Occasionally I'd take a sip. It's neat how times change, because I usually wait until the kids are in bed before I click the tab, and I rarely send my kids to fetch another.
Although I think drinking responsibly in front of your kids is a good thing. Okay, so debate me on that if you want. Since we can't protect our kids from everything, I think the best thing we CAN do is show how to responsibly do things, like drinking beer (or spending money is another good example).
My dad and grandpa owned a car dealership, and they always kept beer in the fridge at work. When work was done, they'd sit among employee and play a game of pinachle, and drink a beer or two. I don't know if there was ever cooler bosses than dad and gramps.
Like my dad and grandpa, I am a happy drinker. Well, I am. I remember my dad telling me once that if you aren't a happy drinker, then you better not drink. If you're one of those drinkers who gets angry, or let the alcohol control you, or drink too much, you better not drink at all.
I remember dad letting me go to hunting camp when I was 10, and there was one guy walking around slobbery, grossly, inappropriately drunk, and screaming ribald advice.
Dad took me aside, smiled, breathed his beer/cigarette smelling breath on me, and said, "Don't ever get like that. All that does is make you look like a fool."
That's all dad ever said, and I heeded his advice, and example.
I don't have the luxury of having a job that I can drink while working. You can't even smoke where I work anymore, not that I've ever smoked. I never drink the night before I work either. I mean, I can't. If alcohol for some reason is in my system, and I so happen to get pulled over for a urine test, I'd lose my job. We have a no tolerance program here, which is actually a good thing. Of course this is another sign of how times have changed.
Drinking is a lot worse in the movies. I remember watching Guiding Light once and some lady drank one time in her life and was considered an alcoholic the rest of her time on the show. Usually alcohol gets a bad rap on TV, and is associated with wife beaters and wife beater T-shirts. Some people associate drinking with evil.
Well, not all people drink irresponsibly. Some people who drink are irresponsible, and they tend to show alcohol in a bad light, and get all the media. Most drinkers are responsible.
Dad is now retired, and at 4 p.m. every day he has happy hour with his friends. Still to this day I've never seen him drunk. Happy yes. Drunk no.
A few years ago I visited him. One of his cool neighbors, I observed, had a cup of vodka at his side from the time he woke to the time he went to bed at night. Now HE was a true alcoholic. He was fun, but he was killing himself with the Vodka.
Last year when I visited dad this guy had quit drinking. He had to have surgery, became belligerent because he had to go through detox, and vowed never to drink the stuff again.
Dad said, "That's what happens when you abuse the stuff. If you're wise like you and I, you won't have to give it up like he had to. Now he'll never be able to enjoy this gift again."
Wise is my father. And still the good example he was 30 years ago when I was a kid.
Still, if drinking was like it was portrayed in the movies, I don't think people would have a problem with prohibition.
However, in real life, most people do not drink to get drunk. They drink because they have kids, spouses, and stresses, and it's nice to sit down at the end of the day and knock the tip off the stress. It's nice to end the day happy.
We never drink anywhere but at home, unless there's a guaranteed designated driver. We do on occasion visit the cabin, but we have a rule: "Once you go to the cabin you have to stay at the cabin."
The problem with that is, I have to make sure my asthma is under control if I go out there. Because, not only is the cabin an asthma trigger for me, so is beer.
That's why I wrote this post. I didn't write it so some of you can say Rick Frea is a drunk because he drinks beer on occassion. If that were the case, I'd keep it to my self. But this blog isn't about keeping secrets. It's about asthma. It's about being honest about asthma.
So, beer causes asthma. Beer, while it brings joy at the end of the day, also causes asthma. So, here I am writing at 5:00 in the morning -- woke up tight. No matter how well controlled my asthma is, beer always makes me tight the next day. It's like clockwork.
Beer has fungus in it that can trigger asthma. Likewise, beer dries out your system, including your lungs, which can trigger asthma. And if I drink beer in a bar, or at the cabin where there's lots of dust mites and molds, this can make my asthma even worse. Except it's not so bad now that I'm on Singulair and Advair.
Still, though, while we want to be as normal as possible, we asthmatics still have to be careful all the time. We have to know what might cause asthma, and be wise about exposing ourselves to these things.
I like to be normal, and to socialize like the normal people in my life. Although it's always good to be a little extra cautious, and a little extra responsible whether you have a chronic disease or not.
When I was a kid my grandpa would give me a quarter to fetch him another. Occasionally I'd take a sip. It's neat how times change, because I usually wait until the kids are in bed before I click the tab, and I rarely send my kids to fetch another.
Although I think drinking responsibly in front of your kids is a good thing. Okay, so debate me on that if you want. Since we can't protect our kids from everything, I think the best thing we CAN do is show how to responsibly do things, like drinking beer (or spending money is another good example).
My dad and grandpa owned a car dealership, and they always kept beer in the fridge at work. When work was done, they'd sit among employee and play a game of pinachle, and drink a beer or two. I don't know if there was ever cooler bosses than dad and gramps.
Like my dad and grandpa, I am a happy drinker. Well, I am. I remember my dad telling me once that if you aren't a happy drinker, then you better not drink. If you're one of those drinkers who gets angry, or let the alcohol control you, or drink too much, you better not drink at all.
I remember dad letting me go to hunting camp when I was 10, and there was one guy walking around slobbery, grossly, inappropriately drunk, and screaming ribald advice.
Dad took me aside, smiled, breathed his beer/cigarette smelling breath on me, and said, "Don't ever get like that. All that does is make you look like a fool."
That's all dad ever said, and I heeded his advice, and example.
I don't have the luxury of having a job that I can drink while working. You can't even smoke where I work anymore, not that I've ever smoked. I never drink the night before I work either. I mean, I can't. If alcohol for some reason is in my system, and I so happen to get pulled over for a urine test, I'd lose my job. We have a no tolerance program here, which is actually a good thing. Of course this is another sign of how times have changed.
Drinking is a lot worse in the movies. I remember watching Guiding Light once and some lady drank one time in her life and was considered an alcoholic the rest of her time on the show. Usually alcohol gets a bad rap on TV, and is associated with wife beaters and wife beater T-shirts. Some people associate drinking with evil.
Well, not all people drink irresponsibly. Some people who drink are irresponsible, and they tend to show alcohol in a bad light, and get all the media. Most drinkers are responsible.
Dad is now retired, and at 4 p.m. every day he has happy hour with his friends. Still to this day I've never seen him drunk. Happy yes. Drunk no.
A few years ago I visited him. One of his cool neighbors, I observed, had a cup of vodka at his side from the time he woke to the time he went to bed at night. Now HE was a true alcoholic. He was fun, but he was killing himself with the Vodka.
Last year when I visited dad this guy had quit drinking. He had to have surgery, became belligerent because he had to go through detox, and vowed never to drink the stuff again.
Dad said, "That's what happens when you abuse the stuff. If you're wise like you and I, you won't have to give it up like he had to. Now he'll never be able to enjoy this gift again."
Wise is my father. And still the good example he was 30 years ago when I was a kid.
Still, if drinking was like it was portrayed in the movies, I don't think people would have a problem with prohibition.
However, in real life, most people do not drink to get drunk. They drink because they have kids, spouses, and stresses, and it's nice to sit down at the end of the day and knock the tip off the stress. It's nice to end the day happy.
We never drink anywhere but at home, unless there's a guaranteed designated driver. We do on occasion visit the cabin, but we have a rule: "Once you go to the cabin you have to stay at the cabin."
The problem with that is, I have to make sure my asthma is under control if I go out there. Because, not only is the cabin an asthma trigger for me, so is beer.
That's why I wrote this post. I didn't write it so some of you can say Rick Frea is a drunk because he drinks beer on occassion. If that were the case, I'd keep it to my self. But this blog isn't about keeping secrets. It's about asthma. It's about being honest about asthma.
So, beer causes asthma. Beer, while it brings joy at the end of the day, also causes asthma. So, here I am writing at 5:00 in the morning -- woke up tight. No matter how well controlled my asthma is, beer always makes me tight the next day. It's like clockwork.
Beer has fungus in it that can trigger asthma. Likewise, beer dries out your system, including your lungs, which can trigger asthma. And if I drink beer in a bar, or at the cabin where there's lots of dust mites and molds, this can make my asthma even worse. Except it's not so bad now that I'm on Singulair and Advair.
Still, though, while we want to be as normal as possible, we asthmatics still have to be careful all the time. We have to know what might cause asthma, and be wise about exposing ourselves to these things.
I like to be normal, and to socialize like the normal people in my life. Although it's always good to be a little extra cautious, and a little extra responsible whether you have a chronic disease or not.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Life happens
This is going to sound funny, but after my daughter was born in April of 2003 my wife and I went on the body for life workout of our lives. I was dropping weight fast, and since my wife was breast feeding, she lost weight faster than me. Usually it was me who lost weight faster.
She said breast feeding causes women to burn carbs faster, and for that reason breast feeding, coupled with a good workout, can get a woman in shape in no time. By the end of the year I was down to a slip 172 and she was down to something like 106 pounds.
Now, here's the part that might sound stupid. At least it does to me as I think back. I waltzed into work one day, and two of my co-workers told me I looked too skinny. Can you imagine that? And both of them were really had no room to talk, as they were way more out of shape than me.
I actually maintained my weight loss this time, although I fluctuated between 170 and 180. Yet I decided 180 was about right for me. I could handle that. Yet, just because of my two goofy (and probably jealous co-workers) I stopped the body for life program, of which if I had continued would have lost even more weight and got down to my ideal weight of 164. (not that that's my goal, I'm just saying).
My wife and I actually maintained our weight loss until we got pregnant again. And then the weight slowly came on. You know how it is: slow and slow and slow so you don't even realize it. then you wake up one morning and you're a bloated pig again who gets short of breath every time you walk down the hall or up the stairs.
Of course you know this dyspnea is not due to asthma, but you ARE also using your rescue medicine more. This is proof positive to me that when I'm a slim version of myself my asthma is in much better form. Yet how do I let myself get so out of shape. Well, I'll tell you how, life happens.
Hmmm, I wonder if that happens to anyone else?
She said breast feeding causes women to burn carbs faster, and for that reason breast feeding, coupled with a good workout, can get a woman in shape in no time. By the end of the year I was down to a slip 172 and she was down to something like 106 pounds.
Now, here's the part that might sound stupid. At least it does to me as I think back. I waltzed into work one day, and two of my co-workers told me I looked too skinny. Can you imagine that? And both of them were really had no room to talk, as they were way more out of shape than me.
I actually maintained my weight loss this time, although I fluctuated between 170 and 180. Yet I decided 180 was about right for me. I could handle that. Yet, just because of my two goofy (and probably jealous co-workers) I stopped the body for life program, of which if I had continued would have lost even more weight and got down to my ideal weight of 164. (not that that's my goal, I'm just saying).
My wife and I actually maintained our weight loss until we got pregnant again. And then the weight slowly came on. You know how it is: slow and slow and slow so you don't even realize it. then you wake up one morning and you're a bloated pig again who gets short of breath every time you walk down the hall or up the stairs.
Of course you know this dyspnea is not due to asthma, but you ARE also using your rescue medicine more. This is proof positive to me that when I'm a slim version of myself my asthma is in much better form. Yet how do I let myself get so out of shape. Well, I'll tell you how, life happens.
Hmmm, I wonder if that happens to anyone else?
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Body for life and the greatest vacation ever
So the first time I worked out was in 1998, and by the time I met my wife at my work in 2000 I had gained it all back, or at least most of it. I was a bloated 210 pounds and feeling sluggish. Although that cute, intelligent nursing student still fell for me.
I tried to continue to workout I did a few years earlier, but I kept slipping. That was when my wife talked me into doing the body-for-life program. This is a program where you eat a carb and a protein every 2-3 hours, and you work out every day. The great part about this program is you get to take one day off every week where you don't work out and you can eat whatever you want.
It sounded kind of stupid at first (of course I though any exercise was stupid before I lost weight a few years earlier), but I ultimately agreed to try it.
This first time I tried the body for life to get into shape was during the run-up to my Wedding which was to be on May 18, 2002. For this event, I ended up losing 35 pounds in less than 12 weeks. It was a major success. I went from 119 to 180. Once again I was feeling trim.
So as I look over at our wedding picture, I'm looking great, and so is my wife. The problem with that diet was that after my wedding we went on a four day cruise where we left Miami on day #1, went to Key west, Cozumel, and then back to Miami. This was the best vacation of my life; of both of our lives.
One of the neat things about this cruise is everything was all inclusive, including the food. And food there was lots of it. There was food everywhere. There were buffets that were open 24-7, and then there were many restaurants, and also places for fancy dining.
I remember getting up one day and eating breakfast, having brunch and then lunch, and then lunch-dinner, then snack, then dinner, then after dinner snacks, then snack again, then snack again, and then midnight meal, and then getting back to our rooms and ordering room service just because it was available and it was free.
At about 1:30 a.m. my wife and I were startled by the sound of the door bell. Barely able to muster the strength, I got up and opened the door. "Yes!" I mumbled. A well groomed guy was carrying bags. "You ordered room service?"
"Ah!" I mumbled again. "Yeah, I guess we did." I shut the door, and turned to my wife, "Get up, honey! It's time to eat again."
She smiled. For the next hour we ate.
By the end of this glorious vacation I had gained 10 pounds. In retrospect, I would do it all over again. Only, if I did, I would get down to 170 pounds instead of 180.
Within the next KK was in the oven, and while I started a workout program when we got pregnant, I ended up gaining weight right with her. Once again both my wife and I succeeded in losing weight, and failed at maintaining it.
I actually remember thinking once during the course of this diet, as I was feeling awesome and in the best shape of my life, why anyone would want to be out of shape. Well, my wife and I were leaning, even someone who knows how to lose weight, and is aware that losing weight is needed, struggle in this effect.
Hmmmm, I wonder how many people have that problem? There's this old saying that eating is the hardest addiction to get over, because -- unlike cigarettes -- you literally NEED food.
I tried to continue to workout I did a few years earlier, but I kept slipping. That was when my wife talked me into doing the body-for-life program. This is a program where you eat a carb and a protein every 2-3 hours, and you work out every day. The great part about this program is you get to take one day off every week where you don't work out and you can eat whatever you want.
It sounded kind of stupid at first (of course I though any exercise was stupid before I lost weight a few years earlier), but I ultimately agreed to try it.
This first time I tried the body for life to get into shape was during the run-up to my Wedding which was to be on May 18, 2002. For this event, I ended up losing 35 pounds in less than 12 weeks. It was a major success. I went from 119 to 180. Once again I was feeling trim.
So as I look over at our wedding picture, I'm looking great, and so is my wife. The problem with that diet was that after my wedding we went on a four day cruise where we left Miami on day #1, went to Key west, Cozumel, and then back to Miami. This was the best vacation of my life; of both of our lives.
One of the neat things about this cruise is everything was all inclusive, including the food. And food there was lots of it. There was food everywhere. There were buffets that were open 24-7, and then there were many restaurants, and also places for fancy dining.
I remember getting up one day and eating breakfast, having brunch and then lunch, and then lunch-dinner, then snack, then dinner, then after dinner snacks, then snack again, then snack again, and then midnight meal, and then getting back to our rooms and ordering room service just because it was available and it was free.
At about 1:30 a.m. my wife and I were startled by the sound of the door bell. Barely able to muster the strength, I got up and opened the door. "Yes!" I mumbled. A well groomed guy was carrying bags. "You ordered room service?"
"Ah!" I mumbled again. "Yeah, I guess we did." I shut the door, and turned to my wife, "Get up, honey! It's time to eat again."
She smiled. For the next hour we ate.
By the end of this glorious vacation I had gained 10 pounds. In retrospect, I would do it all over again. Only, if I did, I would get down to 170 pounds instead of 180.
Within the next KK was in the oven, and while I started a workout program when we got pregnant, I ended up gaining weight right with her. Once again both my wife and I succeeded in losing weight, and failed at maintaining it.
I actually remember thinking once during the course of this diet, as I was feeling awesome and in the best shape of my life, why anyone would want to be out of shape. Well, my wife and I were leaning, even someone who knows how to lose weight, and is aware that losing weight is needed, struggle in this effect.
Hmmmm, I wonder how many people have that problem? There's this old saying that eating is the hardest addiction to get over, because -- unlike cigarettes -- you literally NEED food.
Friday, April 30, 2010
The decision to work out
Staying in shape is a lifelong battle. No matter who you are, or where you work, you'll have to deal with life forces and stress. As I wrote about yesterday, the first time I realized I needed to do something was during my brother Dan's wedding where I barely fit into my tux and felt like a bloated pig.
Of course that wedding was back in the mid 1990s. A few years later I went to hunting camp and got blitzed. Of course the next morning my asthma was acting up. Of course the dust and molds at the cabin were one thing, but what I didn't realize back then was that beer has stuff in it that can irritate asthma and allergies. It also dries out your lungs. At some point in the near future I'll publish a post I wrote about that.
As I wrote yesterday, there are certain moments in life that separate the wise from the not so wise. A wise person will notice the weight gain, and decide to stop it. The wise man will notice the dyspnea with any exertion, the gloominess that goes with weight gain, and the sluggishness.
Of course having asthma the decision was a little easier for me. I knew if I kept up this pace, I would be dead. I was creating a breeding ground for the asthma beast.
So, feeling a bit hung over and bloated, my best friend Sammy called me up and said that since I was home anyway I ought to go with her and about 10 other friends from work at the health club for a good workout.
I hesitated, but I ended up going. The workout was terrible. For the next week I couldn't even move. Yet, I went back every day the next week with the group. I rode the bike, and pumped weights in what was some sort of weight lifting class.
Before we knew it, Sammy and I had dropped weight. Sammy was looking slim. I had gone from a bloated 218 to a cozy180, and I felt as though I could now glide up steps at work and down the halls. The asthma was never better.
Of course this was the first time we both experienced the down side of working out: How to you maintain the weight loss? Hmmm, I wonder how many people have that problem?
Of course that wedding was back in the mid 1990s. A few years later I went to hunting camp and got blitzed. Of course the next morning my asthma was acting up. Of course the dust and molds at the cabin were one thing, but what I didn't realize back then was that beer has stuff in it that can irritate asthma and allergies. It also dries out your lungs. At some point in the near future I'll publish a post I wrote about that.
As I wrote yesterday, there are certain moments in life that separate the wise from the not so wise. A wise person will notice the weight gain, and decide to stop it. The wise man will notice the dyspnea with any exertion, the gloominess that goes with weight gain, and the sluggishness.
Of course having asthma the decision was a little easier for me. I knew if I kept up this pace, I would be dead. I was creating a breeding ground for the asthma beast.
So, feeling a bit hung over and bloated, my best friend Sammy called me up and said that since I was home anyway I ought to go with her and about 10 other friends from work at the health club for a good workout.
I hesitated, but I ended up going. The workout was terrible. For the next week I couldn't even move. Yet, I went back every day the next week with the group. I rode the bike, and pumped weights in what was some sort of weight lifting class.
Before we knew it, Sammy and I had dropped weight. Sammy was looking slim. I had gone from a bloated 218 to a cozy180, and I felt as though I could now glide up steps at work and down the halls. The asthma was never better.
Of course this was the first time we both experienced the down side of working out: How to you maintain the weight loss? Hmmm, I wonder how many people have that problem?
Thursday, April 29, 2010
From fries and burgers to chicken and veggies
In high school I was a stick; a pathetic 150. I was likewise small and skinny in college. I remember being so hungry one Sunday in my dorm that I ordered a large pizza and ate the whole thing in one sitting, and was still hungry. Then I went to the store and got a 24 pack of beer and chugged it down with my friends. I did all this, and I never gained a pound.
I had the metabolism I yearn for right now. I had a meal plan that allowed me to go to the cafeteria any time I wanted, and I took full advantage of it. I was in the cafeteria after nearly every class, and meal times.
During the summers I worked at an A&W in Shoreline, Michigan, and when the boss wasn't looking I'd slip fries and burgers into my mouth. One day I bet I ate about 5-6 large boxes of fries, and 2-3 burgers, some cheese sticks, mushrooms and throw in a few other odds and ends. I bet I ended up eating thousands of calories per day when I worked there, and never gained a pound.
I played sports with my brothers, but, relatively speaking, didn't exercise any more than I do today. And I never gained a pound.
Of course it should be noted here I was a late developer. My dad was this way too, so I can't blame it entirely on the asthma. So I don't think I stopped growing until I was about 24. And, as you might guess, it was at the age of 24 where all this started to catch up to me. As is the case with most people, when I stopped growing up I started growing out.
Suddenly my friends noticed a gut, and teased me about it. Of course they had no right to judge, because there was a similar bulge on the front of them too. I think this is a part of life we all experience. We eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and never gain wait, and then we continue eating at the same pace, only to have it all of a sudden catch up with us.
Here is where you separate the dummies from the wise people. A wise person will notice that something is inherently wrong and try to stop it. I wasn't FAT by any means, I was merely very out of shape, winded, felt bloated all the time, and was a whopping 220 pounds. I felt miserable.
The final straw was in 1994 when my little brother got married and I felt miserable in that tux. Looking at pictures of me in at that wedding I don't even recognize myself. I see a pathetic moron with no self esteem who was fat. Well, I'll say I was fat because if you look at the body mass index calculator I was obese.
My asthma was bad too then. It really wasn't terrible, yet because I was so out of shape I got winded easy, and this irritated my already inflamed air passages. And considering I was going through one of my goofus asthma phases, my asthma was a bit out of control. I was using my rescue inhaler more often than I should.
Fast forward a few years to 1998. I waddled through RT school feeling fat. And now I'm working at Shoreline in the pool. And one of my best friends, Sammy (also an asthmatic, I never did write about her yet did I. Hmmm, note to self) finally talked me into joining her and other co-workers at the health club.
Initially I hated the idea. But soon I was no longer eating fast food every day but was eating chicken and veggies instead.
I had the metabolism I yearn for right now. I had a meal plan that allowed me to go to the cafeteria any time I wanted, and I took full advantage of it. I was in the cafeteria after nearly every class, and meal times.
During the summers I worked at an A&W in Shoreline, Michigan, and when the boss wasn't looking I'd slip fries and burgers into my mouth. One day I bet I ate about 5-6 large boxes of fries, and 2-3 burgers, some cheese sticks, mushrooms and throw in a few other odds and ends. I bet I ended up eating thousands of calories per day when I worked there, and never gained a pound.
I played sports with my brothers, but, relatively speaking, didn't exercise any more than I do today. And I never gained a pound.
Of course it should be noted here I was a late developer. My dad was this way too, so I can't blame it entirely on the asthma. So I don't think I stopped growing until I was about 24. And, as you might guess, it was at the age of 24 where all this started to catch up to me. As is the case with most people, when I stopped growing up I started growing out.
Suddenly my friends noticed a gut, and teased me about it. Of course they had no right to judge, because there was a similar bulge on the front of them too. I think this is a part of life we all experience. We eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and never gain wait, and then we continue eating at the same pace, only to have it all of a sudden catch up with us.
Here is where you separate the dummies from the wise people. A wise person will notice that something is inherently wrong and try to stop it. I wasn't FAT by any means, I was merely very out of shape, winded, felt bloated all the time, and was a whopping 220 pounds. I felt miserable.
The final straw was in 1994 when my little brother got married and I felt miserable in that tux. Looking at pictures of me in at that wedding I don't even recognize myself. I see a pathetic moron with no self esteem who was fat. Well, I'll say I was fat because if you look at the body mass index calculator I was obese.
My asthma was bad too then. It really wasn't terrible, yet because I was so out of shape I got winded easy, and this irritated my already inflamed air passages. And considering I was going through one of my goofus asthma phases, my asthma was a bit out of control. I was using my rescue inhaler more often than I should.
Fast forward a few years to 1998. I waddled through RT school feeling fat. And now I'm working at Shoreline in the pool. And one of my best friends, Sammy (also an asthmatic, I never did write about her yet did I. Hmmm, note to self) finally talked me into joining her and other co-workers at the health club.
Initially I hated the idea. But soon I was no longer eating fast food every day but was eating chicken and veggies instead.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Body for life and the greatest vacation ever
The first time I did the bodyforlife program to lose weight and get into shape was during the run-up to my Wedding which was to be on May 18, 2002. For this event, I ended up losing 35 pounds in less than 12 weeks. It was a major success. I went from 215 to 180.
So as I look over at our wedding picture, I'm looking great, and so is my wife. The problem with that diet was that after my wedding we went on a four day cruise where we left Miami on day #1, went to Key west, Cozumel, and then back to Miami. This was the best vacation of my life; of both of our lives.
One of the neat things about this cruise is everything was all inclusive, including the food. And food there was lots of it. There was food everywhere. There were buffets that were open 24-7, and then there were many restaurants, and also places for fancy dining.
I remember getting up one day and eating breakfast, having brunch and then lunch, and then lunch-dinner, then snack, then dinner, then after dinner snacks, then snack again, then snack again, and then midnight meal, and then getting back to our rooms and ordering room service just because it was available and it was free.
At about 1:30 a.m. my wife and I were startled by the sound of the door bell. Barely able to muster the strength, I got up and opened the door. "Yes!" I mumbled. A well groomed guy was carrying bags. "You ordered room service?"
"Ah!" I mumbled again. "Yeah, I guess we did." I shut the door, and turned to my wife, "Get up, honey! It's time to eat again."
She smiled. For the next hour we ate.
By the end of this glorious vacation I had gained 10 pounds. In retrospect, I would do it all over again. Only, if I did, I would get down to 170 pounds instead of 180.
So as I look over at our wedding picture, I'm looking great, and so is my wife. The problem with that diet was that after my wedding we went on a four day cruise where we left Miami on day #1, went to Key west, Cozumel, and then back to Miami. This was the best vacation of my life; of both of our lives.
One of the neat things about this cruise is everything was all inclusive, including the food. And food there was lots of it. There was food everywhere. There were buffets that were open 24-7, and then there were many restaurants, and also places for fancy dining.
I remember getting up one day and eating breakfast, having brunch and then lunch, and then lunch-dinner, then snack, then dinner, then after dinner snacks, then snack again, then snack again, and then midnight meal, and then getting back to our rooms and ordering room service just because it was available and it was free.
At about 1:30 a.m. my wife and I were startled by the sound of the door bell. Barely able to muster the strength, I got up and opened the door. "Yes!" I mumbled. A well groomed guy was carrying bags. "You ordered room service?"
"Ah!" I mumbled again. "Yeah, I guess we did." I shut the door, and turned to my wife, "Get up, honey! It's time to eat again."
She smiled. For the next hour we ate.
By the end of this glorious vacation I had gained 10 pounds. In retrospect, I would do it all over again. Only, if I did, I would get down to 170 pounds instead of 180.
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