Derrick's ongoing journey

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Looks like you are still doing awesome man!

Does your scale also tell you how well hydrated you are? The one I have does (no idea what brand it is) and I've noticed that depending on what the hydration level is, it makes a difference for what my body fat percentage is.

Of course what the scale tells me is WAY off compared to what a calculated body fat percentage is for me. And I'm sure a measured body fat would give me still another different number.

I just stick with one (what the scale says - with a note of what the hydration percentage was) and as long as it stays the same or goes down, I'm usually pretty happy.

Stay on course and be strong this last week! I can't wait to see the final pictures after this last leg of your journey is complete!
 
RFL Round 3, Day 12

This morning Tanita said:
205.0 pounds
21% body fat

No worries, I had my refeed last night. The weight spike is normal. I'll be below 200 by Tuesday. Hopefully 197 by next Friday morning.

This is not the final leg of my weight loss journey, just the final week of the challenge. ;) The final leg of my weight loss journey will be trying to reach 185 or 10% body fat, whichever comes first. ;)
 
RFL Round 3, Day 13

This morning, Tanita said:
203.0 pounds
21% body fat

I am hoping for 201 tomorrow morning.

Derrick
 
Thought I'd post a quick update about some other things going on with me lately. First of all, I apologize for not posting in some of your journals/diaries lately. Life is always going 100 mph but the past few weeks it seems to have been going 200 mph at least.

My daughter and I both started medication today for ADHD. Her's is a little different than mine for a number of reasons, including the fact she is a child. I am actually on a generic form of Ritalin. It has only been about 6 hours but I notice some things already. I am not thinking about 20 things at once, I am a little calmer and I can't stop cleaning the house. :eek2: :smilielol5: My wife just might fall in love with me all over again! :D

All jokes aside, I am cautiously optimistic and nothing more. The new doctor that prescribed this for me believes I do indeed have both bipolar and ADD. I believe less than 1% of the population has both. Lucky me! Yea! :jump:
:D

I really do like my new doctor though. He actually pretends to care about me and gave me an entire hour of his time a couple days ago. Any other doctor I have seen has only cared about my symptoms and getting me out the door as quick as possible. This new doctor is hopeful the new medicine will have a dramatic effect on me. So far I would say yes but it hasn't even been a day. If this continues for a month I will be very optimistic.

My daughter has also been doing much better today. The hyperactivity, impulsiveness and noise making has been diminished dramatically. The defiance is still present but not as bad because she seems to be listening to us better as well. I am also only cautiously optimistic.

My wife and I were screened yesterday at a local University for a 10 week instructional class on parenting techniques for children with ADHD or ODD. We are hoping we are chosen.

I am also continuing to see my new Psychologist who is an expert in the area of Autism Spectrum Disorder, which includes ADHD. Finally, my wife and I are continuing to see a marriage therapist once a week. My wife and I are doing ok I guess but there are still some really bad moments seemingly every week. I am praying our relationship will slowly improve as, together, we figure all of this out...us, me, my daughter, etc.

On top of all of this I am trying to get my work done at my job. Last week was a good week but I am still behind on my paperwork, which was all but impossible for me to do with how inattentive I had become.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about trying to lose 30 pounds of fat in 12 weeks! LOL I won't quite make 30 but 24 seems to be within my grasp as long as I can get one more WOOSH before Friday morning! :)

Thank you all so much for supporting me this year. I will try to get over to your journals ASAP as long as you promise to quit posting 6 times per day! I'm a slow reader darn it! ;)

Derrick
 
RFL Round 3, Day 14

Yesterday morning, Tanita said:
201.5 pounds
20% body fat

I honestly felt like I was due for a WHOOSH. I could almost feel it coming all day yesterday. As the day went on my jeans were falling off me more and more. Well, I guess they could have just stretched a bit too. Regardless, I felt thinner and people were saying so as well.

My eating has been spot on. Right around 1000 calories a day, or less. Lots of water, about 3 or 3.5 liters per day. Egg whites for breakfast, tuna for lunch and flounder for dinner. Broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers and lettuce leaves for fibrous veggies. Lite Salt for electrolite balance. Low fat cottage cheese, low fat cheese and protein powder for additional protein. Finally, a little salsa on my egg white/cheese omelette has been helping lately. I was really getting sick of egg whites for breakfast. 12 weeks of this, except for my breaks, has really been getting to me.
 
AnnaGail said:
If my Dh would clean house, I would surely think about marring him again!!
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Hi AnnaGail! I don't know if I should laugh at the possible meaning of Dh or the fact that you miss spelled marrying. :rofl: I am pretty inconsistent with a lot of things around the house. I usually have just enough concentration to try to help out with what I notice. However, I seem to not notice the same things my wife does and that often gets me into all kinds of trouble. I try hard, I really do. I just seem to be oblivious too often. I'm hoping my new ADHD medicine will help me a little bit. The first day I felt great but yesterday I felt pretty bad. Lots of returning symptoms. Today is day 3 on the new med. I'm taking notes each day on myself and my daughter as well since she also is on day 3 of her new med. Hopefully our doctors will be able to make sense of how we both respond.

Hey AnnaGail, have you ever tried offering your Dh a "special" reward if he cleans x amount of the house? Heck, I bet you could get him to clean house once a week if you got pretty creative with the rewards. ;) I'm not trying to be offensive. I'm a dude too and I know how our brains work. :D

Derrick
 
RFL Round 3, Day 15

This morning, Tanita said:
198.0 pounds! CAN I GET ANOTHER WHOOSH?!?
22% body fat
38.75" stomach
38.00" hips


Well, just as I thought, I knew a big drop was coming! I'm very relieved. I will easily reach 197.0 by Friday morning's weigh in, if not 196 or even 195. Assuming I stick to my meals and not break down and have a cheat meal. I am 99.9% sure that will not happen. This is the home stretch and I am the relay anchor! :D It would have been totally awesome to not have gained 9 pounds my last break. I probably would have ended up at 191 or lower, just like I was hoping for all along. But hey, I am who I am. I set huge goals, stick to the plan and if/when I fall short I am still proud because I stuck to the plan and I usually end up doing quite well anyway.

I hope my after photo makes people say WOW at the gym, compared to my starting photo anyway. I have some fairly specific things I am going to do the next few days to prepare for photos. I have struggled with back acne since my original weight loss journey began way back in May of 2008. I swear, as soon as I started losing weight my back skin went from beautiful to disgusting. I have finally figured out that Stridex pads work best. Needless to say I'll be using lots of those this week. So, just a lot of stuff like that, as well as trying to show up fairly dehydrated on Friday morning. Apparently there are ways to do that also, simply by slowly cutting down on water the last couple days.

This week looks like this: Weight lifting today, MMA tomorrow, light cardio on Wednesday and Thursday. Party time on Friday! LOL

Derrick
 
Derrick said:
This morning, Tanita said:
198.0 pounds! CAN I GET ANOTHER WHOOSH?!?
22% body fat
38.75" stomach
38.00" hips


Well, just as I thought, I knew a big drop was coming! I'm very relieved. I will easily reach 197.0 by Friday morning's weigh in, if not 196 or even 195. Assuming I stick to my meals and not break down and have a cheat meal. I am 99.9% sure that will not happen. This is the home stretch and I am the relay anchor! :D It would have been totally awesome to not have gained 9 pounds my last break. I probably would have ended up at 191 or lower, just like I was hoping for all along. But hey, I am who I am. I set huge goals, stick to the plan and if/when I fall short I am still proud because I stuck to the plan and I usually end up doing quite well anyway.

I hope my after photo makes people say WOW at the gym, compared to my starting photo anyway. I have some fairly specific things I am going to do the next few days to prepare for photos. I have struggled with back acne since my original weight loss journey began way back in May of 2008. I swear, as soon as I started losing weight my back skin went from beautiful to disgusting. I have finally figured out that Stridex pads work best. Needless to say I'll be using lots of those this week. So, just a lot of stuff like that, as well as trying to show up fairly dehydrated on Friday morning. Apparently there are ways to do that also, simply by slowly cutting down on water the last couple days.

This week looks like this: Weight lifting today, MMA tomorrow, light cardio on Wednesday and Thursday. Party time on Friday! LOL

Derrick
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WHOOOSSHHHH!!! Great job!! It is amazing how far you have come. I am sure the people at the gym will be very impressed. I know we all are! Got to admire someone that sticks to the plan regardless and powers through!! Congratulations!!
 
Derrick said:
Hi AnnaGail! I don't know if I should laugh at the possible meaning of Dh or the fact that you miss spelled marrying. :rofl: I am pretty inconsistent with a lot of things around the house. I usually have just enough concentration to try to help out with what I notice. However, I seem to not notice the same things my wife does and that often gets me into all kinds of trouble. I try hard, I really do. I just seem to be oblivious too often. I'm hoping my new ADHD medicine will help me a little bit. The first day I felt great but yesterday I felt pretty bad. Lots of returning symptoms. Today is day 3 on the new med. I'm taking notes each day on myself and my daughter as well since she also is on day 3 of her new med. Hopefully our doctors will be able to make sense of how we both respond.

Hey AnnaGail, have you ever tried offering your Dh a "special" reward if he cleans x amount of the house? Heck, I bet you could get him to clean house once a week if you got pretty creative with the rewards. ;) I'm not trying to be offensive. I'm a dude too and I know how our brains work. :D

Derrick
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I hope the new medication works for you!! It must be frustrating as hell to know there are things out there that can help but doctors that don't listen to their patients.

Now about the not seeing cleaning that needs to be done around the house- that has nothing to do with A D H D that has to do with M A N-LOL. We just don't see things like they do. We are wired differently or something. The thing that helped me was that my wife gave me specific jobs to do. I know she cleans on Sundays and she gave me specific jobs and I know what I am responsible for. I just do them. Maybe your wife can do the same for you. Then you will know- God knows it helped me understand what she wanted me to do-lol.
 
Oh I have been given numerous lists over the years. I eventually lose them or forget all about them.
ADHD consists of a number of symptoms falling under 3 categories...
Hyperactivity
Impulsivity
Inattention

Each of those has about 7 to 10 symptoms listed and you have to have a certain number of those symptoms. Furthermore, it has to effect more than one area of your life. Example, work and home.

I had all three as an adolescent. Problem child, hyper child, lose my homework, interrupt, class clown, suspensions, etc. Fortunately I was smart enough to get through, including college. College took me 6 years though. Ironically, ADHD kids are often creative and intelligent. Usually they have high IQ scores, often with an inconsistent margin between their verbal score and written score. Example, mine was 135, 105 with a mean score of 123. About 50% of kids grow out of or learn coping mechanisms for their ADHD. I was able to do that with hyperactivity and impulsiveness but not for inattention. There are lots of other symptoms and behaviors also, including anger, frustration, talking excessively, making noises a lot, etc. Bipolar Disorder has a lot of the same symptoms but there are many other things that go along with Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar is primarily a mood disorder. Having both ADHD and Bipolar is more rare. About 20% of adults with ADHD also have Bipolar Disorder.

Finally, I just typed the above in about 3 minutes. Meaning, I have researched this darn stuff so much that I can now regurgitate it very quickly and probably 100% accurately. Knowing and understanding ADHD and Bipolar has become a huge part of my life.

I do agree though, me MAN, get in trouble with WOMAN often.
LOL :sifone:
 
Derrick said:
Oh I have been given numerous lists over the years. I eventually lose them or forget all about them.
ADHD consists of a number of symptoms falling under 3 categories...
Hyperactivity
Impulsivity
Inattention

Each of those has about 7 to 10 symptoms listed and you have to have a certain number of those symptoms. Furthermore, it has to effect more than one area of your life. Example, work and home.

I had all three as an adolescent. Problem child, hyper child, lose my homework, interrupt, class clown, suspensions, etc. Fortunately I was smart enough to get through, including college. College took me 6 years though. Ironically, ADHD kids are often creative and intelligent. Usually they have high IQ scores, often with an inconsistent margin between their verbal score and written score. Example, mine was 135, 105 with a mean score of 123. About 50% of kids grow out of or learn coping mechanisms for their ADHD. I was able to do that with hyperactivity and impulsiveness but not for inattention. There are lots of other symptoms and behaviors also, including anger, frustration, talking excessively, making noises a lot, etc. Bipolar Disorder has a lot of the same symptoms but there are many other things that go along with Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar is primarily a mood disorder. Having both ADHD and Bipolar is more rare. About 20% of adults with ADHD also have Bipolar Disorder.

Finally, I just typed the above in about 3 minutes. Meaning, I have researched this darn stuff so much that I can now regurgitate it very quickly and probably 100% accurately. Knowing and understanding ADHD and Bipolar has become a huge part of my life.

I do agree though, me MAN, get in trouble with WOMAN often.
LOL :sifone:
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Sounds like you know more than the doctors but I guess that makes sense since you have to deal with it everyday. I have to commend you once again on dealing with weight loss, kids, wife, everyday things and on top of that dealing with ADHD and Bipolar at the same time. Cudos for you on that!! I know you and the family must have tough days but I can tell you have a lot of courage and determination and that you will get through all this- I know you will!!
 
cowboy48 said:
Sounds like you know more than the doctors but I guess that makes sense since you have to deal with it everyday. I have to commend you once again on dealing with weight loss, kids, wife, everyday things and on top of that dealing with ADHD and Bipolar at the same time. Cudos for you on that!! I know you and the family must have tough days but I can tell you have a lot of courage and determination and that you will get through all this- I know you will!!
Click to expand...

Seems like I figure some things out only to fail in another area of life. I had a bad meeting with my boss (my dad) yesterday and it is clear I am not meeting his expectations. The honest truth is my family and our health come first. My wife and I are doing everything we can to make sure our daughter gets the help she needs and gets it as early of an age as possible. My wife's family have helped us tremendously. Thank God for them or who knows what would be.
 
RFL Round 3, Day 16

This morning Tanita said:
199.0 pounds
22% body fat

For the first time, I think, I have gone up in weight from something other than a free meal or a refeed! I'm pretty sure it is due to the increased water consumption yesterday. However, I am becoming a bit nervous about making 197 by Friday. That will be 24 pounds even in 12 weeks. To me that was the minimal amount of weight I expected to lose from the RFL diet and the effort I put into the last 12 weeks. Then again, none of the numbers will matter as long as I am pleased with my before and after photos.

Yesterday I lightened up the weights and increased the reps.
Today I had one hour of Muay Thai in the morning.
Tomorrow I plan on easy swimming in the morning.
Thursday I plan on resting and cutting down water. Perhaps a light massage.
Friday morning is photos and weigh-in.
Friday evening I'm going to get plastered and eat two pizzas and three cakes. LOL Not quite that bad. :D
 
Derrick said:
Seems like I figure some things out only to fail in another area of life. I had a bad meeting with my boss (my dad) yesterday and it is clear I am not meeting his expectations. The honest truth is my family and our health come first. My wife and I are doing everything we can to make sure our daughter gets the help she needs and gets it as early of an age as possible. My wife's family have helped us tremendously. Thank God for them or who knows what would be.
Click to expand...

You being a Dad you would understand that some Dad's have higher expectatins for their kids than they do for an employee. Sometimes when that person is both one bleeds over to the other. Sometimes family issues flow over to the workplace. Sounds to me like you have your priorities in line- family first. Your Dad has to understand that seeing as how he is part of the family-lol. I know what you mean about the wife's family. My family - well let's just say, not a good thing, and leave it at that but my wife's family stepped up and they are all wonderful. Keep the dialog open with your Dad and try to come to an understanding. Remember you are his son first and he should remember that too. Good Luck!
 
cowboy48 said:
You being a Dad you would understand that some Dad's have higher expectatins for their kids than they do for an employee. Sometimes when that person is both one bleeds over to the other. Sometimes family issues flow over to the workplace. Sounds to me like you have your priorities in line- family first. Your Dad has to understand that seeing as how he is part of the family-lol. I know what you mean about the wife's family. My family - well let's just say, not a good thing, and leave it at that but my wife's family stepped up and they are all wonderful. Keep the dialog open with your Dad and try to come to an understanding. Remember you are his son first and he should remember that too. Good Luck!
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I hear ya Cowboy. And I agree. My dad is a pretty unique guy. He's the CEO and creator of a very successful engineering and construction company. The company actually won Exporter of the Year in my state a few years ago. Three years ago he turned his recreational properties into businesses to allow me to work on "the farms" full time instead of at his engineering company where I was hostage to computers, phones and paperwork. He is an amazing person in so many ways. Of course, like anyone, he's not perfect by any means and I understand we are all human. Unfortunately some of his flaws have negatively impacted me in many ways.

My wife's family has been here for us in the ways we need them to be. They have taken a huge interest in our children and know them very well. My parents, unfortunately, only make time for my two sisters' children. Everyone seems to notice it except my parents and my sisters. Extended relatives or family friends will sometimes ask me, "how come I never see your kids at your parents' house?" I don't fully blame my parents. It's my sisters' fault also. Finally, my wife and I just let it be since confrontations with anyone in my family usually leads to very bad things.
 
RFL Round 3, Day 17

This morning Tanita said:
197.5 pounds
22% body fat

I am pretty confident at this point that I will reach 197.0 by Friday morning. I am pretty happy with the way I currently look, in a depleted state however. Once I get carbs back into me, my muscles seem to fill out but I always seem to bloat, even from very little carbs. I guess the solution is either to get to my goal weight of 185, get to my goal body fat percentage of 12 or less, or figure out a different way of eating to avoid bloating altogether. I'm not sure what the key is, other than a near zero carb diet.

Today I am doing some light swimming in the morning and that is it, other than my job. I'm on the computer most of this week for work related stuff so I should be well rested by Friday morning's final weigh-in and photos.

My left shoulder, for the first time in my life, has something weird going on and I'm not very thrilled about it. I have always slept funny on both of my arms so I'm thinking that may be the culprit. If you pretend you are a student in a classroom and the teacher asks a question, raise your hand in the air...my right shoulder is fine when I raise my right arm but my left shoulder hurts and is tight on the outside part when I raise my left arm. In fact, it hurts moderately bad to raise it all the way up. I pray I didn't partially tear something. I don't think I could take another big setback. Hoping it's nothing serious.

Derrick
 
Good job on the weight!! Who knows maybe you will come in at like 195 or so. Sorry to hear about the shoulder. Hopefully you just slept on it funny and it is okay. I have done that a few times for sure.

I understand about the Dad thing. The relationship and expectations between Dads and particularly sons can be trying for both sides. I don't even want to go into the relationship my Dad and I don't have- it is too long a story and it is too bizarre. Sometimes you just have to either accept your Dad and realize he might never change or in my case I had to cut the ties. It is sad but true. Although it sounds like you still have a good relationship with your Dad he just may not really understand you or he would know what is important to you and your family. Actually your situations mirrors mine to some extent. I have a younger sister and brother that have a relationship with him and don't understand why I dont but I am the oldest so I had to shoulder some stuff that no little kid should have to. I never told them why things are the way they are and it is better that way. It is nice to see that you wife's family stepped up just like my wife's family did. It is important to have that and I am glad you do!!
 
RFL Round 3, Day 18

Thanks for sharing, Cowboy.

This morning, Tanita said:
197.5 pounds
22% body fat

Last day before weigh in and photos. I typed my essay at lunch.

I have been researching "tricks" to do prior to my photos tomorrow but haven't really found anything that seems to be a for sure positive thing to do. The only thing that seems to possibly help in this sort of contest is to have a little alcohol the night before. I assume you'll pee a lot during the night, in the toilet hopefully. ;) Come morning you might be down in weight and possibly get rid of that water retention squishy look. That's my guess anyway. Therefore, after dinner tonight I might have a rum and diet (caffeine free), followed by a bud select. Maybe I'll regret it? More than likely it won't have any effect at all. Who knows. I'll just find a mirror and drink with myself in celebration and look at it that way.

Derrick
 
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