A fellow firefighter who served as president of the fire company for a bunch of years, retired. He had been with the company for years, and still is.
I don't know what he does or did for a living, but he seems to be retired from that job too.
Every year during the Christmas holidays, he decorates his home with all the latest gadgets. His is one of those places that takes days to decorate and there is not any space anywhere on his home or the lawn, that doesn't have lights, or something.
He has regular older stuff, and then whatever he can find that is new and exciting. The LEDs are really colorful. he also has a slide show on his wall. Lots of Santas, and Manger scenes, etc.
He was a bit on the hefty side when I saw him a few years ago, and I didn't recognize him when he walked past my house about 6 months ago. He had lost weight by walking. He and his wife like to walk together. He has lost 75 pounds by walking around our thriving metropolis of 4000 residents. East Petersburg is split down the middle by Route 72, which runs North and South. This split has produced a different series of homes. Its as if the builders used the Manheim Pike as a dividing line between the Hatfields and McCoys, without the feuding part.
There are mostly one and two story brick ranchers on our side, and slightly larger and older brick homes on the other. We have very few new homes, and they have lots of them.
Our rancher has about 1100 square feet and that is the norm for our side. The other side gets bigger, even though they are also brick.
All this variety makes it fun to take new routes to see new or old homes.
So, back to our walker.
How could he lose 75 pounds by walking?
Well, the technical details are that he changed the way he ate. He eats better, and healthier. He exercises by walking. If you walk 4 miles a day without changing your diet, the experts say you can lose a pound a week. 2 miles a day will not split into a half pound a week because you just aren't getting enough walking in to make a difference, although you will still lose weight.
So, he designed a course through the Borough and he follows it, with certain variations for a change of scenery. I know he can't walk through all the different weather we have had, but he still lost the weight.
Taking a break for a few days won't hurt until you start walking again due to lack of the use of those muscles. It will take time to get back up to speed, but it can be done.
He walks quite fast and seems to enjoy that. When I walk, I do it at a pace that allows me to breathe. I found that I can go faster than I did, but I won't power walk because to me that is defeating the purpose of walking, just like Golf!
When you walk, the largest muscles in your body are helping the heart to pump the blood. This gives the heart a break until you start pushing things hard, and then the two sets of muscles work together to keep things working. You heart and leg muscles are a team for the time that you need them.
That is probably one reason why people have heart attacks when they suddenly stop after a long hard walk. The leg muscles stop helping the heart and it gets overwhelmed. So, I guess you should slow down before you stop so the heart has a chance to catch up.
Now, I get to talk once more about my wife's situation. She and I used to enjoy walking, but over the years, she has had trouble with her lung capacity. So, she has slowed down and eventually stopped walking altogether.
She didn't gain weight because she ate like a bird because of her stomach problems, and the fact that her spine had sagged a bit causing her body to hunch over and stop the food from getting to it's destination. She got "full" too fast because of that.
Now, you connect the air intake reduction with the increased amount needed to help the muscles in the legs and heart to operate at an increased rate, and there is the problem. The system breaks down.
So, my thought about all of this is that while she has been immobile in the hospital since February, her body has been deprived of everything it needs to keep going. Add the cancer, and not so perfect medical technology to the mix, and you have eventual death due to inactivity.
My conclusion would be for the future patients to be forced somehow to walk. There is no need for intense exercise. The people just need to get walking.
My wife had a terrifying experience while she was in the hospital. This caused her to get quite excited. Her heartbeat went way up. Her breathing got to sprinting levels. The day after the scare, she was more alert than she had been before the event. It got the blood circulating, as they say (who are they?).
Now, the pain (my pain, not hers) I see when I look at my wife is unbearable at times. She has refused to do what she needs to do in order to move towards improvement. The amount of drugs they give her is amazing. Thank God she is not in pain. But, she has become so lethargic, that it hurts me to see her that way. Oh what I'd give for a decent argument with her. I would love to walk with her again.
Hey Doctors! Get her butt out of bed and force her to move. She would get better, I know it for sure. She may not survive, but at least she will live until she dies. Now, she is just a slab of meat with a brain.
There is a lesson here on many levels.
- The guy who lost weight by walking had the time to do it because he wasn't working. So, walking won't work unless you can juggle the rest of your life and force yourself to fit it in. If you are too tired from work, and taking care of your family, walking probably won't work. Your energy level will go up, but you probably won't be able to maintain it. If you are retired with not much else to do, this is a great way to lose weight and keep it off. Walk, or swim. As you age, it is not good to run because you are too likely to injure yourself and that will bring you down too quickly. I've always wanted to be able to run, but I will avoid it because of the chance for injury. Walking is just fine for me.
- Gastric bypass is a great way to lose weight and keep it off no matter what your daily situation. Even if you are working and taking care of the family, you can take the time off, get the surgery, and get back on the horse again. It becomes a chore to eat properly, but the surgery teaches you how to do it, and won't let you cheat unless you really work at it. My stress levels messed with me a bit, but I know I am eating better than I ever have, and I still get out there and work. The fatigue I feel is emotional and will go away with time.
- Activity is the way to stay alive longer when you're sick. Cancer patients should be forced to work out. Even if they invent machines that do the movement for you until you can do it yourself, it is better than just laying there. Any movement is better than no movement. I don't know why they haven't thought of this before. Maybe they have and I just haven't seen it.
- You have a much better chance of losing weight and keeping it off if you attack it from all sides. Mind, Body, and Spirit. Fuel, movement, and getting rid of the psychological baggage that brought on the problem in the first place. Tackle them all, and you won't need the surgery.
I believe I have the best chance of surviving because I had the surgery. My psychological baggage is being taken care of, and the emotional situation will resolve itself soon (sadly, I will lose my wife and best friend in the process).
I pray that this wisdom finds the right person who can use it to eliminate the problems my wife went through. The future looks good.
Life is good!
