Balance

I didn't really start to gain weight until I started working. I was doing many 12 hours shifts, and then playing all night. My energy was being burned off too fast and I got tired. It was easier to just fix something quick as long as it had lots of flavor, cheese, and other fat laden foods.
When I started sleeping in because I wasn't getting enough sleep, the weight went up.
So, when I lost my balance, I gained weight.
What are those things that I needed for balance?

• The proper mindset - This one is key. If we had no emotions, weight loss wouldn't be an issue.
• Sleep - Many people think they can get by with less sleep. Wrong. They are probably so fatigued that they are shortening their life. I am a firm believer in getting a nap every day as well as a full night's sleep.
• Schedule - I am a firm believer in maintaining a schedule. I get up early, even on the weekends. My body and mind are happier. The one thing I do, is to not use an alarm clock. That allows me to sleep just a little longer. If I find that I am sleeping more than an hour later than usual, I know that there is something wrong. It's a great signal to help me fix things before they get too bad.
  
• The physical body - Everyone is built slightly different. We have different blood types, we are different sizes and shapes. Our chemical makeup can cause problems, as well as helping us.
  
• Location - Living in this particular part of the country (Central Pennsylvania), I have been told, exposes us to almost all of the bugs that exist in the United States to make us sick. For a person living here all their life, they adapt by getting sick and developing immunities. So, this is a benefit. For folks coming here from other areas of the country, this may not be a good thing. Many of them get sick, and some of them die. My cousin moved here from Florida. He got sick and almost died. He spent weeks in the hospital.
  
• The seasons - We gain weight in the fall. We are animals. Our bodies store fat which is converted into food, when food isn't available. It also insulates our bodies so we burn that food slower. This is not something we can control. I am not sure if the folks who live in a non-seasonal area have the same problems. I know I do. As the spring arrives, we should begin to become more active and thus burn off the extra fat, but you know how that works.
• Available food choices - The key word here is choice. That little word can really mess us up. (or is it us who are doing the messing?) If we had no choice but to eat a pre-arranged caloric/nutritious meal, we wouldn't have the problem. But, we have choice. And that allows us to cheat, or get lazy.
• Our beliefs - if you think you can succeed or fail, you are right. Don't blame anyone except the one you see in the mirror every morning.
  
• Support - this is the smallest part of the balance unless we are being abused. If we are being forced to act in ways that aren't conducive to acting as close to normal, we might have a problem. But, most problems we experience, can be controlled, or changed. If we are being abused, physically or mentally, we can always leave. We may make excuses to not do so, but then that becomes our problem. This is the smallest part of the balance system, as I said above. We are supposed to be the ones in control of ourselves, so think twice about blaming others before you look at yourself. (sounds like a song)
• Health - how badly have you messed up your system before you started this diet? If you are morbidly obese, you probably have other health problems caused by your weight. You may or may not be able to overcome these problems. If you can, good for you. If not, God bless you.
• Faith - your religious beliefs can help you.
  

So, balance consists of all of the above, and maybe more that I don't know about. If there were just 3 or 4, it would be easy to balance yourself. Add on the variations, and unknown factors, and you are lucky to have found bariatric surgery.
I sure was.
Life is good!

Can you give up fast food?

I sure couldn't do that before my surgery.
I am a big fan of the lousy beef burgers at McD's, Wendy's, BK, and all the others. I didn't care what they were made of. If they were burgers, I ate them.
I used to go to McDonald's and get their single cheeseburgers. I would buy 4 at a time, add super sized fries, and a large chocolate shake.
Wendy's was even better for me, because I could get a double, everything but onions and mayo, with cheese, a large order of fries, and a large bowl of chili. Oh, and don't forget the large chocolate frosty.
When I was finished, I could barely move, but I was oh so full!
I got started with this eating habit way back when I was a teen. My friend and I would ride our bikes to the Gino's, or to Dick's deli, and fill up. We would be coming back from getting paid for our paper routes, and would spend a large portion of the $15.00 on junk food. Then, we might ride in the other direction for about 10 miles, and buy plastic models (cars, ships, etc.).
I was learning how to wrestle too, so I was burning lots of calories. I never noticed the weight gain, because I was burning it off as fast as I was taking it in.
I can walk right past these places now. I feel good!
Life is good!

What is a diet?

A diet is something that I've heard of, but have found to be impossible to follow for any length of time.
It is impossible to reach the goal listed at the beginning of the diet.
I just can't do it.
Richard Simmons came out with a book on dieting back in the early 80's.
He renamed the diet. He called it the "Live it!"
He told his story and how he had gone on a crash diet after getting a note that someone wrote and put on his windshield.
It said "Fat people die. Please don't die".
He lost weight the wrong way. He fasted until he was ready to drop. But, for him, it worked.
He lost most of his hair and the fast threatened his health.
Then, he decided to help others who were fat, to lose weight.
So, he came up with his "Live it" program.
It incorporated using your brain, your body, and common sense eating.
Every morning, I got up, and did a series of stretching exercises. I had to take the book and look at the pictures for the first week or so. After awhile, I started to get the hang of it. I started to feel better, but I still didn't like exercising.
I never worked up a sweat doing the exercises, but I knew they were doing me some good. My heart would be beating and I would feel awake all morning, instead of feeling like I needed more sleep.
I also followed his diet plan, which was very diverse and offered no chance for boredom.
But then, life caught up to me. I started cheating on the diet because of laziness and fatigue. I was working a split shift and starting about 4:15am and going until 9pm. I had two kids and a wife, and all kinds of other stuff going on. So, I cheated. Not only that, but I stopped doing the exercises, and I gained back the 35 pounds I lost.
Now Richard Simmons had some great ideas. They work if you don't quit and don't cheat.
The "Live it" was supposed to be for life, but, life had other plans.
Richard Simmons had a series of other diets and he made a good living helping people to understand exercise and nutrition. I learned a lot from him. But, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stay with him.
So, in conclusion:
A diet is unattainable for me. I can't lose weight and keep it off without help.
I found that help through gastric bypass surgery. It is incorporated with a support group, an exercise plan, and a dietitian.
The fact that I now have an empty nest, also helps. I have fewer distraction, although my wife's health has been threatening the plan.
I have maintained my weight loss since I started this plan. I still haven't lost all the weight I wanted to lose, but that's OK, because I am still following the plan.
July 2008 until now, I am down 102 pounds, and will never gain that weight back as long as I have this little pouch instead of a two gallon stomach.

Walking and driving

I rode the Helix today for about a half hour. It was very cold on the bike since I like to ride fast. I hit speeds up to 74 mph. I was dressed warm with Silk lined leather gloves, a T shirt, sweat shirt, and jacket, and my "Buff" over my head and under the helmet.
It did warm up this afternoon to around 60 degrees, and the sun was very strong.

We went for a walk on the Junction Road rail trail. My wife used her Oxygen and it worked well, but she was unable to go much further than the first quarter mile. We turned around and headed back at a very slow pace. But, we got to walk in the sunshine.

Much of our time this weekend was spent in front of the TV watching the House and garden channel and dreaming about finishing the kitchen and bathroom which we have no money to do. But, we have ideas about what we would like to do.

I've eaten turkey in some form every day since Thursday, and plan to thaw and cook another turkey in the next few weeks in order to open up the freezer and save money. I can add it to my chili instead of the beef this time around for a bit of variety.

I took another walk this afternoon when we got home. This allowed me to walk at a much faster pace. My body is still adjusting to the weight loss, and I pop and crack as well as meander along the street. I walked last night too.

And, I started a search for a new dog. We went to the Humane Society to see what they had. I'm looking for a dog that can walk with me with as little control as possible. I am thinking about a German Shepherd, or other larger dog. I had a collie and a border collie, but they both passed on a few years back. Now that I have the energy, I would like to have a companion to walk with, and someone who can stay with my wife when I can't be here.