My Recovery from Obesity

Isn't it weird rolling out of bed and jumping right into exercise? I've done that a few times with taebo. I wish I had more time to do that during the work week because it does kind of set the mood for the rest of the day. You know it's gonna be a good day. I'm glad your arm is getting better. Keep up the good work. You're awesome! :)
 
Mandy, it really is strange. Yesterday, a friend (and father to twin girls in my youngest son's class) asked me to meet him at his house and walk to the school with the kids. It's only about 3/4 of a mile, but in a very hilly area. It was early-ish, about 7.30am and the walk there was pretty easy. On the way back though, he and I diverted from the regular path and went up a much steeper path through a forested park. When we got to the top, I was fine and talking and he was winded and had a little glisten to his skin. In 4 months, I have surpassed his overall conditioning! And to think, he was the healthier guy in December! He commented that I was "really moving" going up the hill. :D

Thank you guys for the great support! I really am feeling good right about now: Healthier, stronger, more clear-headed and focused.

Weighed in down 1.0 pounds today at 371. Lowest point to date, and back into "new low" territory for the first time since Saturday. I seem to be working through the 'roid weight gains.

I am now 90% done with the chicken coop/run. It's 12 feet wide and 24 feet long, has 7 foot tall half-cedar & half-wire walls, and a 4x7 foot coop that looks like a real house. :) It has been keeping me busy. Considering I broke ground on Saturday, I feel pretty good about my progress. I'll snap a pic or three in the coming days and post them.

I went to the farmer's market yesterday a.m. and bought $40 worth of yummy delicious veggies.... baby turnips with the greens (turnips are 1" diameter and are GREAT raw), three kinds of chard (great stir fried or quickly blanched), watercress for my salad, green garlic (which ROCKS in everything so far), very young (3/4" diameter) leeks, asparagus, and some baby kale (so tender you can eat it raw like a salad). I also found strawberries for $1.48 per 2 lb. container, so i bought 12 lbs. I topped them, halved them, and froze them on cookie sheets. Today I'll put them in bigger containers and we'll have them for the rest of the year for smoothies and the like.

I love this time of year!

Well, time to go work on the Chicken Fortress. Have a good day, all.


EDIT: I forgot to mention that I finished my 2nd and was successful at losing my 4% in 28 days. That's 2 wins in a row (yea!) and I've now won about $50 for just losing weight. I signed up for another a couple of days ago, so I have about 25 days to lose another 13 pounds. Wish me luck.
 
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Chicken Fortress sounds awesome. Will you be buying chickens to nom or just for eggs? Or do you already have chickens? I remember seeing photos of chickens but not sure if it was your thread or not. Chickens. Maaaan, I said chickens a lot. Not going to edit as I've rather amused myself reading back my post. Chickens are awesome.

Hope you've had (or are having; can't work out time differences) a great day. Winning $50 is awesome. Gonna treat yourself to something weight loss related?
 
It's amazing how quickly the initial improvements in fitness and health come. I remember no more than a month after I started, being astounded in the change in my fitness and energy levels. It's a great early reward and motivator when you have a bunch to lose.

And it's not like "you know Shirley, I just feel so much more refreshed and energetic." It's more like "holy crap, Shirley! I can't freakin' believe how much better I feel."

You're doing fantastic work here Donny. Enjoy your travels through the 300s as much as I did, as you're never coming back this way again. :D
 
Great job on the 1lb this week. That Dietbet site is pretty neat. Lose weight AND win money..awesome. lol! Good luck on your next 13lbs! :)
 
You are literally bursting of positive energy! I am so happy for you!!
Farmer's market sounds fab! I wish we had a decent one around here!
& you walk, you build the chicken fortress, you win bets & you lose weight - awesomeness!

Have a fab weekend Don!
 
Sunflower said:
Chicken Fortress sounds awesome. Will you be buying chickens to nom or just for eggs? Or do you already have chickens? I remember seeing photos of chickens but not sure if it was your thread or not. Chickens. Maaaan, I said chickens a lot. Not going to edit as I've rather amused myself reading back my post. Chickens are awesome.

Hope you've had (or are having; can't work out time differences) a great day. Winning $50 is awesome. Gonna treat yourself to something weight loss related?
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You crack me up, Hana. :D AFA chickens, I plan to raise chickens so I can have fresh chicken eggs and also so my kids can learn a little about the responsibility of raising chickens, and they can maybe make a few bucks selling the chicken's eggs to neighbors. There. Did I say chickens enough? :D My Dietbet winnings will stay in my account until I finish using their website, then I'll cash it out and go visit all my British WLF friends. ;) Actually, before Dad passed away last year, he did ask me to return a small urn of his ashes to Birmingham and spread them at his parents graves, so maybe that last thing wasn't a joke...

MrVee said:
It's amazing how quickly the initial improvements in fitness and health come. I remember no more than a month after I started, being astounded in the change in my fitness and energy levels. It's a great early reward and motivator when you have a bunch to lose.

And it's not like "you know Shirley, I just feel so much more refreshed and energetic." It's more like "holy crap, Shirley! I can't freakin' believe how much better I feel."

You're doing fantastic work here Donny. Enjoy your travels through the 300s as much as I did, as you're never coming back this way again. :D
Click to expand...

You nailed it, MrVee. That is exactly how I feel. Not slightly better, but waaaay freakin' better.

Thank you Jen & Mystic! I love the support you two have shown, so thank you!

Justina said:
You are literally bursting of positive energy! I am so happy for you!!
Farmer's market sounds fab! I wish we had a decent one around here!
& you walk, you build the chicken fortress, you win bets & you lose weight - awesomeness!

Have a fab weekend Don!
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Justina, I am not a negative guy normally, but I tend to stay kinda reserved about my own accomplishments. But I feel really, really positive about myself lately. :D I literally feel as though I'm 10 years younger and that accomplishing my goals isn't an IF but a WHEN.

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Weighed in at 370.4, down 0.6 pounds. I'm a bit dehydrated, as the heat is arriving locally. That usually means I'm retaining extra water. I'll drink more today and balance it out. Yesterday, the Fortress was a bust (too many things came up) but I did de-weed my lawns, trim several trees, fix a fence, go to my daughter's track meet, and work with a sub contractor in my yard. Today is Chicken Fortress Day.

I finished Month 4 with a total loss of 19.4 pounds, more than I lost last month. :)
 
Hey there :) I gotta say I love the approach you take to parenting! I've always thought parents who taught through experience and instilling responsibility were completely kick ass. I wish my parents had done more of that growing up.

Almost 20 pounds over the last month...ugh, you are freaking awesome.
 
Thank you Camila! I have to admit, part of it is just that today's parents are generally more involved... often to an excessive degree,... in their kids' lives. We try to expose ours to almost everything then parent them through the meanings and options. :D

Down 1.0 pound today and OUT of the 370s!! Goodbye, nemesis.

I am worn out from yesterday. I may have hit my limitations. But the bulk of the Chicken Fortress is done. Now I'm down to the detail work.

Have a great day all. I plan to have fun, but work like a rented mule.
 
Sounds like a Craig's List ad:

"Experienced handyman needed for help detailing my Chicken Fortress™. Serious inquiries only."
 
I had a bad fall yesterday - my daughter made chocolate chip cookies and they were available when my husband and I got home from a 35 hike! Bad news. Gotta do really well today to make up for it. I know I can do it.
 
Post Weekend Check-in:

Good Lord I worked a lot this weekend. Pressure washing, lawn mowing, Fortress Building, Gravel Shoveling... all on the hottest days of the year thus far. I also had some Daddy-Daughter time with my soon-to-be 12 year old, who wanted to go to yard sales and wander the Farmer's Market, and some Daddy-Son time with my 10 year old, who wanted to go see Iron Man 3. I also went to Indian food for dinner on Saturday... man, is that some salty grub.

I didn't eat too much all weekend, but because I was so busy during the days, I ate most of my calories at dinners. The end result is that I weigh the same this morning as I did Friday. Up one day, down two others equals a wash after three days. I'll take it, considering how much I accomplished.

Today, I try to get back on the Weight Loss Express. Loads of water & greens, NOTHING after 6 pm. Good luck all. Fight the good fight.
 
Hey Don, sounds like you had a great weekend!! Same weight is not too bad after the weekend - and that note: congratulations!!!!!! You are in the 360s!! Well done!!
Your plan sounds good: water, greens & exercise express!!!
You will do great again!
 
Nothing after 6pm? What time do ya'll have dinner? We don't eat until 730-8pm in the evening! Maybe I'm doing it all wrong!! Dinner that early sounds so wrong to me! Although, admittedly I don't have kids--I guess you have to eat earlier with sprogletts in the house.

Enjoy the sun my lovely! I sure have been! I look like a lobster! A manatee shaped lobster! My poor pale skin :(
 
Thanks Justina & Hana! Still working hard outside in the heat, sweating a lot, and having a hard time staying hydrated. Must've drunk 5 liters yesterday. Hana, I try to eat early 6-7pm latest, as I've found my weight loss is greatest when I do. I'm up until midnight typically, so that gives me 5-6 hours of being up and active after my last food of the day... which I'm hoping means that the calories I burn during those hours (and after bedtime) are coming from "reserves" than from food. I try to eat about 40-45% of my calories for breakfast, 30-35% for lunch, and 20-25% at dinner, or thereabouts. It's not a hard and fast rule, but it is part of my mental game. Also, when I DO follow it, I find myself hungrier in the morning, which makes it easier to eat the big breakfast... which traditionally has been hard for me to do.

Weighed in at 368.8 lbs, down 1.6 pounds. That's a new low by about half pound. I managed to lose some of the water weight I've been holding. By the way, THREE more days of steroids left. I squeaked in a 9 mile bike ride after working outdoors all day, so I felt GREAT for doing that. Today? Second verse, same as the first.
 
Don I love your meal plan! I wish my schedule would allow for me to do the same, but I work from 7:30am (out of the house at 7:15am) to 5pm (home between 5:30-6pm). I don't have the time in the morning to cook a big breakfast and I don't want to start cooking as soon as I walk in either. I usually eat dinner by about 7pm and go to bed around 10-11pm. You've got me thinking though. Maybe I can get up earlier (which makes me cringe) for a few days to see if I can get in an omelet or something like that for breakfast. I love your way of doing this. :)

Congrats on getting to a new low weight! Cant say it enough... you're doing amazing! :)
 
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