Struggles on the road to health

He's doing a LOT better. When we first got together, he was addicted to those Little Debbie snack cakes. At times he'd consume a box a day, or every two days. He also drank cokes and other sources of caffeine NON-STOP, and since he drives a truck during the day, as his job, he'd eat out, with big, greasy meals, for breakfast and lunch. He said once he went three weeks eating at McDonald's every single day for breakfast, then having a huge truck stop lunch.

Well, he's doing a lot better, and had lost around 20 pounds over the past year, just eating better stuff. He gained 10 of it back recently, due to eating out for breakfast again. But he may be back on track. For breakfast most days he'll take one of those Nature's Valley granola type bars, and a little 140 calorie Rice Krispy treat bar. For lunch he'll have two sandwiches...usually light bologna and cheese with mustard, or turkey or ham and cheese, also usually with mustard, and a 100 calorie granola bar for a snack. He's also down to one Sprite a day, whereas before it was two or three 20 ounce bottles of Coke. Or more. I'm working on dinner....it's a struggle.

I think if we could incorporate more fruits into his daily diet, and get him active, it'd be easier. The active part is the hardest part...he goes to work at 4 am and usually doesn't get in 'til after 5 p.m. By that time he's been up so long a workout is not in his plans.
 
Hi Mindi,

My dh and I both used to eat a lot of those snack cake thingys. It was a habit we started when we first got married. It wasn't until about 8 yrs ago that we quit buying them. Well, I would say at least it was then that we started being more conscientious about buying them. Now we don't buy them at all, not even for the kids. They still do get their hands on them though - their grandpa buys them. :) He's just now getting a little pudge, but he's in his 60's. I hope the kids have his metabolism.
Of course they do stay active.

My dh would lose weight on and off, but then he was diagnosed with diabetes. And now he is more in tune with loosing weight and keeping it off. He eats right and exercises. I think once you hit your 30's or mid 30's the weight doesn't come off so easily. :ack2:

It is much easier when both partners are in the same mind set.
 
Oddly enough, SweatPea, my update today was going to center on my husband. Mine is working on all kinds of health problems if he doesn't get going on something. He's about 6'2", but he weighs 280 pounds and according to the various things I've found online, he's anywhere from 60 to 100 pounds overweight. I personally think he'd be a beanpole if he got below 220.

But anyway, he's one of those people who truly doesn't realize how much he really eats, because he has no concept of serving sizes and the like. I'd been telling him to keep track of stuff he eats, just to see, but he's never done it. So on Monday I did a little research, and then did it for him.

I discovered that, to maintain his current weight, he's probably consuming around 3,300 calories per day. He does get a little activity at work, but not enough to eat like that. To lose a pound a week, he needs to get 2,500 to 2,700 calories per day.

Monday was a meeting night for me, so I had all of an hour to do dinner, and we had hot dogs. Which is bad all in itself, I know. But there's a little bad, and then there's a lot of bad, which is what he had. He's also a truck driver, so all his food during the day has to be portable. And not heated, which limits things a lot.

On Monday, I calculated his food consumption at:
Breakfast/Snacks
1 Nature's Valley Granola bar: 180 cal., 7 g. fat
1 Rice Krispie Breakfast Bar: 100 cal., 3 g. fat
1 Quaker Granola Bar: 100 cal, 3 g. fat

Lunch
2 ham and cheese sandwiches w/mustard: 540 cal., 14 g. fat
1 small pkg. Fritos chips: 160 cal., 10 g. fat

Dinner
3 beef hot dogs: 360 cal., 30 g. fat
3 hot dog buns: 330 cal., 6 g. fat
1 c. Chili: 410 cal., 10 g. fat
2/3 c. shredded cheese: 220 cal, 18 g. fat
Baked fries (2 servings): 300 cal., 10 g. fat

Total: approximately 2,700 calories, 111 g. fat

That shocked him, all by itself. Then he got in the truck again the next day and saw the package of donuts he ate (400 calories, who knows how much fat), and remembered he'd had two more of the Rice Krispie things after dinner (he's a sweets addict I think), which bumped him into the 3,300 calorie range, at minimum.

So he decided he wants to start working out, and I'm hoping the shock of that amount of food will make him want to eat better. But we'll see. I can help him out with his lunch and snack stuff that gets sent with him, as well as dinner. But I can't stop him from getting junk during the day.
 
Well it sounds like you are right there to help your dh out and that's wonderful.

My dh is 6'1". And I think at his heaviest he might have been 280? I'm thinking?

He is just wanting to be to about 200 - no matter what the "charts" say. He's gotten there once. But then put back on 20 lbs. So he's working on getting that back off.
 
Wow....sounds like your husband did well, SweatPea! At least he caught the gains at 20 pounds and is working it back down.

Mine, yesterday, when I asked about his progress, told me "We all die sometime." Like he's not sure anymore if he WANTS to do it. I told him he didn't have to help it happen any faster. I think maybe he's just humoring me and isn't really serious. Because he did ok at dinner...then ate a couple of Rice Krispie bars. He had been at 2,600 or 2,700 calories for the day, but those probably pushed him closer to 2,900 or 3,000.

One of the reasons I'd NEVER wanted to get married, particularly after my mom died, was because I knew I could love the man I married with all my heart, and invest everything in our lives together, only to have him taken away. I didn't want to become like my dad...married for years and then suddenly alone at nearly 60. Looks like I'm well on the road to being like my dad WAAAAAAAY earlier than 60.

Maybe I just need to give up...his "I don't care" attitude is rubbing off on me, and I don't want it to derail my progress. But at the same time I can't give up. It's just depressing....
 
You are doing so well. You never know when your transformation will just inspire him to do better. Don't ever give up.

I know my dh did not change all the way until he was diagnosed with diabetes. I think for men, that's sometimes how it goes before they will change their ways. Unless they've always been athletic or something like that.

Some days I think why am I working so hard to live a few more years? But then I remember I'm not doing it for the end, but for the moment. So that I can feel better now.
 
Maybe the husband's getting closer to being inspired. He keeps saying how "skinny" I'm getting...he's even about to the point where he thinks I've lost enough.

I'm not going to go all crazy about the weight loss, here, but at the same time, why stop now? This is the first time I can remember, since elementary school, where I was just "overweight." I've been in the obese range with my BMI for years. Now I'm about 20 pounds overweight. Who would've ever thought I would be celebrating being Overweight instead of Obese? :hurray:

I may think I'm too thin once I reach 160, as well. But we'll see. I've still got a while 'til I get there.

I think I'm also officially a solid size 12. :blush5: There's a big banquet coming up this Thursday, and I was going through my closet this past Friday looking for something to wear. All of my nice clothes are now WAY too big. So I had to go shopping on Saturday. I found a couple of nice shirts, one for the banquet and one to wear when we go out on my birthday Feb. 2, and went on a search for some nice pants, or slacks. Whatever you'd call 'em.

I found myself at JC Penney. I love the store, but I was SO mad when I left there. I wasn't sure what size I'd wear so I loaded up on size 12 and 14 pants in shades of gray, and black. I was comfortable in the 12s, but I liked a gray pair AND a black pair. So I was going to get them both since they were on sale.

Went to the counter and stood in line FOREVER. Got to the checkout and the gray pants rang up at $24, like the sign above 'em had said. The black ones rang up a $36, and should've been $24. I called it to their attention, and they didn't care. Just asked if I still wanted them. I said no, I'd find cheaper ones. So I went through again, tried on black pants and this time found a pair on a rack for $17.99. This pair was identical to every single other pair on the same $17.99 rack. Took 'em to the checkout, stood in line FOREVER and they rang up as $24. I called it to their attention and was told the pants would have a sticker (a flimsy, half-stuck-on little price tag) on them if they were on sale, and the pair I had didn't.

I was so fed up I got the pants and left. After all, that was what I was going to pay for the first pair. But I'm more than a little disillusioned by my favorite store.
 
Hey it sounds like you are doing great. I love it when people tell you you shouldn't lose anymore weight!

Usually when we have a price question around here the clerks will go check or have someone else do it. I'm surprised they didn't especially at JCP, but I guess everyone has there day. I don't like shopping on the weekend especially when they are having "sales". It's like a madhouse and for some reason everyone wants to be in the action.

Anyway, Woot!Woot! for a solid 12! :hurray::hurray::hurray:
 
Well, JCP was DEFINITELY a madhouse on Saturday. So I suppose I'll forgive 'em. This time.

I could just KILL the husband. Over the weekend, his mom made a cake (yellow cake with chocolate fudge frosting...SO good). She and his brother weren't going to eat it all, so she sent the remaining 3/4 of the thing to my house. Because HE asked her to. So every time I walk into the kitchen I'm faced with this giant, delicious cake. I asked him to just get a piece, or go to his mom's to eat it. But no.

His lifestyle change, as far as food goes, was short-lived. Yesterday he ate his breakfast bars, his sandwiches, chips, and then got a Milky Way and a cheese danish. THEN came home and ate a huge supper. It's not like there are NO other options for him. I've got bananas, apples, rice cakes and other sweet, yet healthy (or more healthy than what HE gets) stuff right there in the house. Maybe one day...I'll keep working at it. It may take me packing part of his lunch for him at night, but I'll do it if it'll help.

The scale this morning said 182 after reading 180 all weekend. Not sure why. I've noticed that ever since I've increased my number of calories burned per week (according to sparkpeople), my losses have slowed down and my weight has fluctuated a little more.

For weeks I was consistently burning around 1,800 calories a week, and for the past month or so I've upped it to 2,000 or more with combinations of the bike and elliptical five days a week. I'm drinking water like a fish (if a fish drinks water), and eating about the same amount of stuff as before. Should I tone the workouts back down to 1,800 calories or so a week, or eat more, or wait and see, or what?
 
How many cals per day do you consume?

Weight does fluctuate. Since you are burning more cals. are your doing different workouts? That could be it as well. Who knows?
 
I've been eating a minimum of 1,400 calories a day, but with the drinks (sweet tea mostly, and water) I consume, I'd put it above 1,500, easy.

This morning the weight was STILL 182. So I'll give it through next week, and if I'm still stuck, then I'm either going to up the calories a little, or exercise a little less to meet the level I was burning before (1,800 then as opposed to 2,000+ now). We'll see what happens.

I haven't been doing anything different, though, SweatPea. The "gym" I go to is severely limited in its equipment - two treadmills (which KILL my legs, in a bad way, so I don't use 'em), two recumbent bikes, a nautilus machine, free weights and an elliptical trainer. I use the bike and the elliptical, and weights. I'm trying to vary to cardio routine, breaking it up between the bike and elliptical every day, and hitting the weights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

I kind of wonder if I should be doing something different. Maybe that'd jump start whatever got stalled out.
 
It sounds like you are doing fine. Do you use sweetners for your tea or sugar? If it doesn't matter, I'd opt for the sweetners because then you aren't drinking the extra cals. that you could be eating (and getting more nutrition from.)

As far as the cardio goes, I guess it depends on how much you are doing. I would say that on the days you do weights (as long as it's a "complete" weight lifting routine), then you could skip the cardio. Maybe aim for cardio 3-4 days a week and weights 2-3 days?

And as always a plateau is just a part of losing weight. It is your body adjusting.
 
I'll think of it as just that...my body adjusting.

As for the sweeteners, I've really considered trying to find something we can use in tea, like Splenda. Problem is...the husband can't stomach the taste of Splenda. So maybe something else....I'll have to look next time I'm at a real store, with a selection of things, and not our little local grocery store.

What would you consider a "complete" weight lifting routine? I feel goofy because I don't know the names of the types of lifts I'm doing, or really what they're working. I'll try to find out what all I do....

On a positive note, I'm SO happy that I "found" this little restaurant here in town that I'd never been to before. Well, maybe once. But not since then. They've got a "Loser's Plate," of grilled chicken strips, a baked potato and a salad. I could eat chicken every day, so this is a good place for me when we eat out here in town. The husband was working in town today because of the weather, so that's where we went to eat. SO good....
 
Sounds like a great "losers" plate.

I don't know what a full routine requires, but I guess just making sure you are doing plenty of reps to fatigue (where you can't do anymore) and making sure you are targeting all muscle groups.

Sparkpeople has some really good videos and exercise recommendations.
 
I've maybe been slacking off too much on the weights...I'll pick it back up today if I even have time to go!

Usually I'll go at 6 a.m., but the weather Friday had forced a meeting I had to get rescheduled to 6:45 a.m. this morning, so I couldn't make it. Then I've got another meeting to cover at 6 p.m. this evening...so if I can get a lot done and get out of work at 3:30, I can get a workout in, cook dinner, eat and get to my meeting. Wish me luck, because I don't want to miss a day at all!!

Well, maybe my little mini plateau has broken...scale said 181 this morning!! So I'm sticking with it and changing the ticker. Maybe it'll stay that way all week long.

I've been dropping "eat healthier" hints to the husband for about a week now, rather than asking him outright to lose weight. Now he's starting to notice how his clothes are fitting, and that he doesn't like that his pants are getting tighter. I'm wanting to make it HIS idea. Like I told him...he can't quit smoking or lose weight if HE doesn't WANT to do it. So keep your fingers crossed for that, too.

Gotta get workin'....
 
Way off topic with weight loss here, but I thought this was just about the cutest thing ever.

My husband is this big, 6'2", 280 pound manly man who drives a truck, hauling metal, for a living. He's got this little 1 1/2 year old nephew who's all into cars and trucks and things. The husband has been wanting to buy his nephew a little toy 18-wheeler that he can use to haul his little cars around in, but we hadn't been able to find one.

Well yesterday the local department store (which is going out of business) had a 50 percent off sale, and lo and behold, they had a little toy truck. So I bought it and took it home. The husband got home before I did, which was expected.

Much to my surprise, however, I opened the front door to find him lying in the floor, playing with the truck, which he'd opened himself. I laughed when I opened the door and asked him if the top of the truck opened, so the little boy could put cars in it. He opened it and showed me...he'd been hauling his cell phone in it. :biggrinjester:

And before we went to bed, instead of putting the truck up in the toy box we keep for nieces, nephews and kids of friends, he brought it to the bedroom and put it on the dresser. Seems as though I've got to find a new truck for his nephew....
 
Yeah...his nephew loved the truck and took it home. So the husband may end up getting another one...:blush5:

I normally don't like getting on the scale during my "time of the month," because the numbers are just usually wacky. But I did this morning. 177, it said. I nearly fainted. It's been YEARS since I saw a 17-anything when I stepped on a scale. In fact, I may never have seen the 170s at all because I gained weight so fast after I hit puberty (at 10), and finally got tired of looking at the scale numbers getting higher and higher, and just stopped weighing in at all.

So yay for me, even though it's likely to go back up to 180 by Monday, with the period wackiness ending and my birthday tomorrow. :party:

Birthday plans are to go out of town, see this World of Wheels thing that's only around this one weekend, that the husband has been DYING to go to for years, get our eyes checked, eat lunch/dinner and maybe, MAYBE see a movie if anything good is playing. Nothing too major.

But yay!! 27 tomorrow!!
 
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