Whisper's Diary

Hi. My name is Tom and I am 56 years old. I currently weigh 260.4 pounds and I am 5' 8" tall. I started earnestly to try and lose weight 3 weeks ago. I weighed 268.8 so I am down 8.4 pounds. My mom had high blood pressure and diabetes and I tend to very much take after her.

My Goal: My goal is to get down to 175 pounds and then go from there.

My Current Routine: I eat around 1800 calories a day and try to exercise. Exercise includes walking up to 10,000 steps a day (more like 5,000) and yard work. We live on a corner lot so mowing the lawn is like mowing 2 regular lawns. I use a self propelled push mower, which sounds way more glamourous than it is. It takes me about an hour so on those days I get quite a bit of exercise. Also, we have quite a few trees and being spring, everything is busy growing so there are a lot of excess limbs to clear out. I also started doing the old P90 workouts. I am doing Sculpt one. The goal is at least 8-10 reps before moving onto Sculpt 2. I started at 3 reps and moved to 5 reps this last workout. I use exercise bands. I have very little room to workout so the exercise bands do well. I've done this routine in the past and done well. But after a few months, I end up quitting. I'd like to continue this time.

My Current Situation: I worked in an office for 34 years. Then in 2017, I was laid off. In the course of 9 months, I had 5 people die I was close too and lost a job that was an integral part of who I was. I didn't think I would survive. I moved in with my sister and dad. My sister works 6 days a week and wants me to watch over my dad who is 86. I watch him, I do almost all of the errands, wash clothes, take care of his animals, feed him and so forth. I do not have an income. My sister does give me a little every once in a while, but it's not much. So while it gives me some downtime after working 60-70 hrs a week like I used to, there's not a lot of flexibility otherwise. It is what it is for now.

Challenges - I have/had a tendency toward low blood sugar. I have a lot of anxiety. I get off balance a lot because I hold a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders. I take a stomach med on occasion which leaches magnesium which doesn't help the whole muscle thing. I haven't found a vitamin I am compatible with yet, even though I have tried 20 or so different ones. I used to take a vitamin a long while back, but they discontinued them. I have food allergies and do well if I avoid anything to do with a cow, chicken, bananas, potatoes (I can do sweet potatoes), and wheat. I am allergic to some other things and have issues but these are the main ones.

What I would like to change: 1) Not be so tense all of the time. 2) Have better posture and lose the "Dowager's Hump". 3) Get rid of my stomach and digestion issues. 4) To not worry about blood pressure. I have a phobia from childhood and an intense fear to even have it checked or go to the doctor. I'm 56, why should I give a damn at this point. 5) Have a body I can be proud of when I look in the mirror. 6) a Better posterior. I tend to not have one anyway and when I exercise it gets worse. 7) find a better way to sit. When I sit down, pressure is put on the backs of my thighs and I tend to pool water in my legs. Then when I lay down at night, it goes down, but the excess does affect my weight. The doctor says I sit too much.

Frustrations: The scale. I can easy fluctuate 5-10 pounds at any given time due to water retention. Like this week, On Sunday, I weighed 260.4 I'm so close to going under what I call a 10 pound marker, so I have a goal to be 250 something this week. I usually only weigh twice a week. Thursday is an indicator usually of what I will weigh on the weekend. Today (Thursday), it shows I am up 3.5 pounds so 250 something is even further away at this point. I can't make goals because I can't trust what the scale is going to say. I did well this week and started working with the exercise bands. I also know that starting to build muscle causes some water retention at first. So rather than a destination I really need to work on more joy in the journey which I have never been. Like if I can't climb a mountain, then why bother trying to do any part of it. I"m not a glass half empty person, I'm a the glass isn't even there person.

Where I could use help: Just because things have worked in the past, doesn't mean I'm not willing to try new things. I am a product of my environment and what I've been taught. Everything can change so would welcome suggestions for diet and exercise to achieve my goals.

A Typical day of eating right now: Breakfast - pork/turkey sausage and a piece of toast (white, allergic to wheat). Lunch - Turkey patty, pasta (regular), green beans, broccoli, or maybe carrots and spinach. Dinner - pretty much same as lunch. Snack - unsweet apple sauce or "nutrition" bar to fill calories and/or help with exercising too much.

Tools - I was using an online app, but after a reinstall (suggested), it said my device was no longer supported. Oh well. So it's back to a spreadsheet, I started using Libre Office Calc (excel knock off). I really like seeing what is going on. For 34 years, I worked analyzing and trouble shooting problems. It's in my nature now so a spreadsheet works well for me. I'm working on getting it set up with all of the data I want to track. But I am open to anything else.


Thanks for listening.
 
Hi Whispers, and welcome to the forum!
When I sit down, pressure is put on the backs of my thighs and I tend to pool water in my legs. Then when I lay down at night, it goes down, but the excess does affect my weight.
The effect on your weight should be the least of your worries. Chronic edema can be a sign of inefficient heart function, it can affect wound healing in your lower limbs, lead to infections... Oh, and the reduced blood flow can cause clotting issues, potentially leading to deep vein thrombosis or embolisms. It´s also often tied to high blood pressure, so if you can afford it you should probably get that checked out. At the very least make sure you get up and walk around for a couple of minutes once an hour. (I know I´m being blunt here, sorry about that. People generally don´t listen when I´m nice about these things and I want everyone to be as healthy as possible.)
I can't make goals because I can't trust what the scale is going to say.
You could measure your waist, neck, and arms instead, if the water weight is mainly in your legs.
So rather than a destination I really need to work on more joy in the journey which I have never been. Like if I can't climb a mountain, then why bother trying to do any part of it.
Because hiking is fun. The fresh air and exercise make you feel alive and seeing the progression each time you try is exciting. So basically joy in the journey, as you put it.
Breakfast - pork/turkey sausage and a piece of toast (white, allergic to wheat).
So... what´s your toast made of? Most white toast bread is made of wheat (just not whole wheat). Same with pasta.
Food sounds pretty good to me, although you might want to add some variety to avoid boredom in the long run. Seems to me like all you need is a place to vent when things don´t go your way and celebrate when they do :)
 
Hi Whispers, and welcome to the forum!

The effect on your weight should be the least of your worries. Chronic edema can be a sign of inefficient heart function, it can affect wound healing in your lower limbs, lead to infections... Oh, and the reduced blood flow can cause clotting issues, potentially leading to deep vein thrombosis or embolisms. It´s also often tied to high blood pressure, so if you can afford it you should probably get that checked out. At the very least make sure you get up and walk around for a couple of minutes once an hour. (I know I´m being blunt here, sorry about that. People generally don´t listen when I´m nice about these things and I want everyone to be as healthy as possible.)

You could measure your waist, neck, and arms instead, if the water weight is mainly in your legs.

Because hiking is fun. The fresh air and exercise make you feel alive and seeing the progression each time you try is exciting. So basically joy in the journey, as you put it.

So... what´s your toast made of? Most white toast bread is made of wheat (just not whole wheat). Same with pasta.
Food sounds pretty good to me, although you might want to add some variety to avoid boredom in the long run. Seems to me like all you need is a place to vent when things don´t go your way and celebrate when they do :)


Thanks. Not sure how to do the quote thing yet, so this will be all glumped together. Sorry for that. I did get it checked out. A couple of years ago I wound up in the emergency room with vertigo. I had no idea it was vertigo as I've never had that problem before. They ran a whole lot of test to make sure my heart was okay. I was scared to death. My blood pressure was high. Everything checked out okay. They got the BP down and my blood sugar was 139, border line. They said it could be from stress also. I'm tired of worry about all of this so the weight needs to come off.

Edit: I forgot to mention. I downloaded an app to my PC. It is an alarm that I set for 30 minutes. I try and get up and move around then.

I do a lot of measurements. I am trying to monitor leg measurements each time. I'm down a total of 7 inches so far.

Like you said, the white bread does have wheat in it, but I don't react nearly as bad as like whole wheat. I need to switch to something like 100% rye bread, but it's hard to find and white unfortunately is cheap. I still want to make better carb choices and add more variety as you suggested. i do get bored.

"Seems to me like all you need is a place to vent when things don´t go your way and celebrate when they do :)" This is very true. I just get tired of doing everything on my own. I'll be doing a lot of reading on the forums to see how everyone else does. Ideas and a wee bit of support go a long way with me.
 
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Achievements - To give me some motivation and make me feel like I am progressing. I made a list of achievements to earn.

Here's what I've done so far:

04/25/21 - Started the comeback
05/09/21 - Lost 5 pounds
05/16/21 - 5 Pound Marker (in this case hit 265, next one is 260, 255, 250, and so on)
05/16/21 - Below 40 BMI - I'm officially Obese 2 now down from 3. Ugh. That sounds horrible. But I made it.

(Upcoming achievements, hopefully soon)
Another 5 pounds lost
260 - 10 pound marker
5% body weight lost @ 255
 
Hey Whisper, welcome!

It looks like you are off to a good start, good for you!

I won't try to comment on all your specifics, but will make a few observations.

  • Weight is only a reliable measure of real fat weight loss in the longer run, water retention and other issues have significant shorter term impacts. Its important to find a way to deal with this one that works for you. I weigh every day and have learned a lot about my weight and what it means in the process. When I was losing I used to keep a kind of running average and post it weekly as my "official" weight. Now in maintenance I just keep an eye on it, and I post it every day.
  • Tracking your eating is important, it has been for me anyway. Spreadsheet or app doesn't matter just so you do it. I started using a spreadsheet, but have gone to the myfitnesspal app, I like it for the calorie library. Both worked for me.
  • Exercise is important for your health and finding something you can keep doing, forever, is important. However most weight loss comes from calorie reduction, for weight what you eat matters most. That said exercise can help, if you keep the calories down.
  • This is a great place for support, ideas, and to vent! Keep reading, diary postings are the best place to start. And don't hesitate to add comments or questions to other people's diaries and post.
  • Your goals appear to me to be reasonable, and achievable, I think you can do this!

Best of luck to you!
 
Edit: I forgot to mention. I downloaded an app to my PC. It is an alarm that I set for 30 minutes. I try and get up and move around then.
That´s great. You should be getting some decent steps in that way, too.
Dropping down from obese 3 to 2 is a pretty good start if you ask me, congratulations!
Like you said, the white bread does have wheat in it, but I don't react nearly as bad as like whole wheat. I need to switch to something like 100% rye bread, but it's hard to find and white unfortunately is cheap. I still want to make better carb choices and add more variety as you suggested. i do get bored.
Allergies suck, as unfortunately I know too well. Popcorn cakes (or rice cakes) are pretty cheap around here and they´re not a horrible substitute for bread. Rice would also be a good substitute for pasta if you need to be wheatfree, by the way. Beans are also a good carb source if you like ´em.
 
That´s great. You should be getting some decent steps in that way, too.
Dropping down from obese 3 to 2 is a pretty good start if you ask me, congratulations!

Allergies suck, as unfortunately I know too well. Popcorn cakes (or rice cakes) are pretty cheap around here and they´re not a horrible substitute for bread. Rice would also be a good substitute for pasta if you need to be wheatfree, by the way. Beans are also a good carb source if you like ´em.

Thanks. I will look for the rice cakes and see how they match up. I am not crazy about beans, but it so happens I did make some black eyed peas today. They are much lower on carbs per serving than pasta and more fiber so beans may be the thing for me. I'll probably be doing some experimenting for a while.
 
Hey Whisper, welcome!

It looks like you are off to a good start, good for you!

I won't try to comment on all your specifics, but will make a few observations.

  • Weight is only a reliable measure of real fat weight loss in the longer run, water retention and other issues have significant shorter term impacts. Its important to find a way to deal with this one that works for you. I weigh every day and have learned a lot about my weight and what it means in the process. When I was losing I used to keep a kind of running average and post it weekly as my "official" weight. Now in maintenance I just keep an eye on it, and I post it every day.
  • Tracking your eating is important, it has been for me anyway. Spreadsheet or app doesn't matter just so you do it. I started using a spreadsheet, but have gone to the myfitnesspal app, I like it for the calorie library. Both worked for me.
  • Exercise is important for your health and finding something you can keep doing, forever, is important. However most weight loss comes from calorie reduction, for weight what you eat matters most. That said exercise can help, if you keep the calories down.
  • This is a great place for support, ideas, and to vent! Keep reading, diary postings are the best place to start. And don't hesitate to add comments or questions to other people's diaries and post.
  • Your goals appear to me to be reasonable, and achievable, I think you can do this!

Best of luck to you!

Hi....I was using the myfitnesspal app and that was the app I started having problems with. I've been using it for a while and then all of a sudden I was logged out and couldn't log back in. I went to the website it was suggested to reinstall. I did a search on playstore (I'm using an samsung galaxy 7 - old I know but will have to stick with it a while) and the myfitnesspal app doesn't show up. I went to the website and used the google play link and that's when it says "Your device isn't compatible with this version". So don't know what happened. I was thinking of going premium, but oh well. A spreadsheet is good though. Takes a little more effort until I get it setup.
 
Hi, Tom & welcome to the forum. It's only 8 am here in Australia & my friends, LaMa & Rob have given you a warm welcome already :)
I think you will find you have a good support team here & that helps a lot.
I will say is that if I had ignored my high BP years ago, I may not still be around. I cut down my salt intake drastically & slowed the growth of an aneurysm in the middle of my heart, which I hadn't known I had. Apparently, most people don't know they have them until they burst. I want to live to a ripe old age as healthy as I can be. Please don't ignore any warning signs. It always pays to have a good checkup.
 
Hi, Tom & welcome to the forum. It's only 8 am here in Australia & my friends, LaMa & Rob have given you a warm welcome already :)
I think you will find you have a good support team here & that helps a lot.
I will say is that if I had ignored my high BP years ago, I may not still be around. I cut down my salt intake drastically & slowed the growth of an aneurysm in the middle of my heart, which I hadn't known I had. Apparently, most people don't know they have them until they burst. I want to live to a ripe old age as healthy as I can be. Please don't ignore any warning signs. It always pays to have a good checkup.

Hi. Even though I don't like doctors, everything I have I had checked. I am on BP meds. I'm just tired of not feeling well and want to do something about it (again. I know. I keep telling myself this is it).

As far as salt I shoot for 1500 or less a day. I eat at home mostly. But for quite a while I was drinking a lot of soda and so forth. I'm not drinking soda or anything for about a month now.

If you don't mind me asking, do you take BP meds? I'm wondering about the possibility of getting off of them.
 
I take 3 sorts now as they just couldn’t get it right. I would love to take less, but I want to live more. My Dad was only 3 years older than I am now when he died from a heart attack.
<1500 a day is excellent. Good for you!
 
I'm wondering about the possibility of getting off of them.
Stick with this and you may be able to. Losing weight and getting into better shape can lower your BP. However stay on the medication as long as you have to, better than the alternative. That is a low sodium target, but I think will help you.
 
Week 4 Update:

Start Weight: 268.8

Last Week - 260.4
This Week - 258.1

Lost this week: -2.3 lbs
Total Lost: -10.7 lbs

Achievements This Week: Lost 10 lbs, 10 LB Marker (dipped below 260)

Exercise:
Power 90 (old school) - Mon, Wed, Fri
Ab routine - Tue, Thu, Sat
Additional - yardwork and walking

I felt really good about this week. I stayed within my calorie budget and got quite a bit of exercise. It is getting easier. My stamina is a little better and I'm feeling some better. My clothes are noticiable looser. I'm eating spinach which I can't stand along with broccoli. I'm trying some different things.
 
I felt really good about this week. I stayed within my calorie budget and got quite a bit of exercise. It is getting easier. My stamina is a little better and I'm feeling some better. My clothes are noticiable looser.
Awesome, congratulations!
I'm eating spinach which I can't stand along with broccoli. I'm trying some different things.
I really don´t like cooked spinach but I quite enjoy fresh. Sometimes it just needs the right combination for a certain food to work for us.
 
Awesome, congratulations!

I really don´t like cooked spinach but I quite enjoy fresh. Sometimes it just needs the right combination for a certain food to work for us.

Today, the spinach was steamed. still ugh. lol. But it is a good source of magnesium. I still prefer green beans.
 
Well done on that 10 lb loss :) I add spinach at the last minute to things. Shredded & thrown into soup just before serving, added to a toasted sandwich, in salads....
 
Well done on that 10 lb loss :) I add spinach at the last minute to things. Shredded & thrown into soup just before serving, added to a toasted sandwich, in salads....

I about OD'd on spinach and broccoli yesterday. I'm going to the store this morning and see about getting some green beans (my favorite), cauliflower, squash or whatever else I can find.
 
I about OD'd on spinach and broccoli yesterday. I'm going to the store this morning and see about getting some green beans (my favorite), cauliflower, squash or whatever else I can find.
I eat a lot of spinach and lettuce. Some broccoli as well. You can eat a lot of food for very few calories that way, I use the greens to fill up.
 
I eat a lot of spinach and lettuce. Some broccoli as well. You can eat a lot of food for very few calories that way, I use the greens to fill up.

the only thing I worry about is getting enough calories. when I eat good, nothing gives me many calories. So if I am shooting for 1800 a day, I can easily finish with only 1200-1500.
 
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