One thing that I have discovered on my quest to reduce my weight is that people treat you different depending on what you weigh.
I have noticed that in losing 25 pounds people are more friendly. I get more head nods, hellos and casual conversation then I used to get 25 pounds lighter. Initially, I thought maybe it was because I was more confident but a lot of it is not initiated by me. Of course, maybe before they were worried about me taking their lunch or something. But really, it makes me think about my personal judgements passed on people. Am I that way? Do I base my interaction with people based on appearance? I would hope not, but I don't know.
I think the reality is, if others are judgmental like that, it's no wonder there are so many self-esteem issues. How many of us contribute to those issues unsuspectedly?
Anyway, food for thought...
So, I have been SERIOUSLY dieting for a while now and I have come to discover that I am a recovering food addict…
What do I mean? My food habits have been horrible. I equate it to an addict of any type that says, “I am not an addict, I can stop whenever I want.” They can justify their situation by saying, I just don’t want to stop right now.
I have taken an I CAN’T eat that approach to dieting, as opposed to a “I won’t eat this now so I can have that later approach.” What is my current diet plan? A restrictive calorie diet eating only lean meats, fruits and vegetables, while taking HCG drops (I will address Why HCG, momentarily). Anyway, the diet is tough because you CAN’T eat certain things while doing HCG or it renders the HCG ineffective and basically you are just starving yourself.
What I have found is that when you are evaluating everything you take in, you realize how much crap you have been eating. Now, I am not referring to the obvious junk food, but things that you would consider good for you that you don’t eat in balance. For example, finding out what four ounces of meat is and how many calories it contains. An I am referring to lean meat, not a Mickey D’s Quarter Pounder. Let me show you…
Chicken Breast 4oz = 120 calories (5.6g Fat/26g Protein) (Link)
Quarter Pounder PATTY = 220 calories (17g Fat/19g Protein) (Link)
It’s like that all over the place. I also found that I was really only considering what calories were in the main item being eaten and not what was in the dressings, spreads, extras that I added to what I was eating. Or the drinks I was drinking with it. So, for example…something I liked to eat NOT on a regular basis but OCASSIONALLY…my favorite In and Out:
Double-Double Cheese: 670
French-Fry: 395
Chocolate Shake: 590 (Yes, 590 in the shake alone…)
TOTALING: 1655 Calories (LINK)
Anyone else out there realize that? Now granted, that wasn’t a regular occurring meal for me, but I am almost embarrassed to say I have eaten it.
That kind of eating, and add into it snacking, two other meals and any other drinks through out the day and it is no wonder the US has staggering obesity rates.
So, why HCG for me?
I consider myself fairly healthy. I have a body screening and it came back at 26 percent. Which was a little high, but in reality that meant I have 60 pounds to lose. I have been making excuses that for my build, activity, etc, there is no way I could lose 60 pounds. I couldn’t SEE it on my body.
After some research, I discovered that even looking fit an HEALTHY, your body actually stores fat in you muscle tissue and for all intents and purposes, you can’t see it. What you see hanging from you cheeks and mid-section is the fat your body can no longer work into you muscles. In fact, the more muscle you have the more fat your body can store in it…
Think about buying meat from the butcher….its marbling…a lean cut of meat has less fat in the meat itself…a marbled fattier piece of meat has fat within the tissue. Great for grilling…but shouldn’t be your body make up.
So, after reading a few things, I decided to try HCG to see if it could release some of the fat I have been storing…what I have found though, is that in trying to do the diet, I discovered that it wasn’t my body that needs help as much as my eating habits.
I discovered, that most diets are critiqued because after stopping the diet you gain all the weight back. It isn’t the diet that causes that. It is returning to poor eating habits after you are done.
Would I recommend HCG to someone, absolutely! But, only if you consider all aspects of what you are going to be doing and make a change in your eating lifestyle. HCG is really just a jump start to changing your life style. I have found that to be true in both losing the weight AND thinking about what I eat. I hope I will remember that, the next time I pass by an In and Out…I may need a sponsor though.
Wikipedia describes gluttony as “derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, intoxicants or wealth items to the point of waste.”
The term has continued to role around in my mind the past several weeks, so I am taking a moment to write down some of the thoughts that I have had regarding the subject.
I think the initial spark for me was tracking calories for what I ate. I have always felt like I ate decently, until I actually started reviewing calorie consumption. After all, how can I determine if I am eating right if I have no idea where to start. To do this, I went to have a BodyPod review of my body make up which included a nutritional review.
What I found was that I was higher than recommended in body fat percentage (no surprise). The kicker was that I was told to maintain my weight, I only needed 1800 calories a day and to lose weight, I should only consume 1500 calories a day. I actually had to ask, the nutritionist, “Hey, I thought all the labels on food say I can have 2000 calories a day.” After a chuckle, she explained that the government picked that arbitrary number based on an active healthy person in a good body make up. She explained that MOST people don’t need anywhere near that many calories because they aren’t as active, and their metabolisms don’t support that because the muscle to fat ratios aren’t where they should be to burn those calories.
In a nutshell, you don’t have enough muscle and activity to burn that, so what you eat over that will be waste. The waste will be passed or stored as fat.
I have to admit, it made sense. So, I began trying to bring my calories down to the lose some fat level. Guess what, I was eating WAY too much. When I actually began to evaluate what I was eating, I discovered I was gluttonous. In fact, I discovered that many meals I was eating in one sitting, contained my total needed caloric intake. It wasn’t intentional really, I just had no idea how many calories were in what I was eating. Another shocker was that I was actually getting enough calories in just the drinks I was drinking. I was baffled.
I actually downloaded an application for my phone that tracked calories for me. The application actually broke down the calories that I ate into helpful information on what those calories consisted of, sugars, proteins, fats etc. Another discovery, its not just how many calories you eat, its what nutritional value they contain.
I guess, in reality, I had heard all of this in grade school. But I had never applied it into my life. So, here I am now trying to break 38 years of bad eating habits. Why do I share this in a blog, because, I would bet that there are those out there that may find this information useful, and why not learn from my mistake.
This year was my 20th reunion, I didn't go. I wish I had, moving on.
Looking through all the pictures posted of the reunion, so many thoughts and
questions ran through my head. Seeing people but not being able to sit down
with them and hear about their lives, I can't help but wonder what they have
experienced, what they have gone through to become who they are today. Would
their stories, be ones of success and dedication, would they be stories of
trial and heartache.
Even further, would they be confident and secure enough in whom they are
now, to share the stories of who they truly were in high school? I know that
when I was in high school, I hid SO MUCH from my peers. We were so, so poor. My
father was an alcoholic, and home life was abusive with strangers and disarray
frequenting my home. Would they understand that is the reason I avoided trying
to make friends? Would they understand, that those who I did let close to me, I
treated with contempt and jealousy when I was concerned about keeping my
secrets safe or abandoning me?
I wonder how many of my classmates stories would have similarities between
me, or amongst them. How many of them like me have changed SO MUCH from who
they were then? How many of them haven't changed at all?
You may wonder why, I would even consider such things, what does it matter?
They truth is, it does matter. The experiences we have in life not only define
you, but they continue to affect you for the rest of your life. I would like to
think that my experiences are not entirely unique. I want to know about the
lives of others, to learn from their experiences, in some cases to share in
experiences I never had.
For me, things are great. My life is fantastic. I have discovered that my
experiences have made me conscious and sympathetic with others situations. It
has made me a better father and husband. I am also willing to help and not
stand idle if I can effect a positive change in the life of another.
Did I realize all my dreams, did I become who I thought I would...not at
all. I did better.
So, what's your story?
UPDATED: My step-father was able to get sober and bygones are bygones. I
have a wonderful relationship with them now and love them dearly.
Today, I had one of the worst headaches I have had in a long long time. I have no idea why, and it has been so long since I have had one of that magnitude, that I had forgotten how bad they can feel. It took me to the point of prayerfully considering my existence while consumed in a porcelain halo. (TMI, I know.)
What really frustrates me, is that I wasn’t always like this. Quite to the contrary, my mom used to get migraines all the time and I couldn’t understand them incapacitating her from doing anything. Mine weren’t brought on until after I was married…um, that sounds horrible, so let me explain.
I had been married for a while and we were expecting our second…that literally has nothing to do with why but it gives a time reference. Anyway, I got a REALLY BAD case of food poisoning and went in to the doctor to see if he could give me something to stop vomiting (yeah, twice in one blog). He prescribed two prescriptions for me. I took them as directed. About 24 hours after taking them, I stopped most my symptoms and felt ok enough to go to a meeting with my wife.
As I sat in the chair, I turned to my wife and said, “Something is wrong…” She replied, “What is wrong with you face.” Unbeknownst to me, the left half of my face had lost its muscle control and began to slide downward, at the same time, my body began to tighten and curl to the left. I would later find out that, I was suffering a chemically induced stroke.
A 911 call, a blood geyser from an IV and an ambulance ride later, I was wheeled into the emergency room and given several shots. As I lay there waiting for the medicine to kick in, the nurse asked me how I was doing to which I replied, “Mmmmf, Crusmes frsss…” Which loosely translated meant, “My tongue feels funny.” She somehow figure that out, a screamed at another nurse to get her some amount of something as my jaw began to hurt from being forced open by my swelling tongue. I can honestly say, no shot is as piercing as one stuck directly into your tongue, with whatever needle size they have handy.
I ended up spending the night so they could continue to flush my system and make sure all the prescriptions were out of my system. But the best part was when I was told that the doctor I went to see for my food poising had given me something my charts clearly indicated I was allergic to and a second prescription that was a synergist for that drug. Shortly after I was told, that doctor came into my room and said, “I heard you had a bad reaction to the drugs I prescribed…but your food poising is better right?
I swear, if I didn’t have three or four different machine attached to me, I would have gotten up and hit him.
What was the point of this long doctor’s story, since that day, I have been able to very clearly understand what a migraine as I got them every few months after that. The frequency has diminished greatly as I mentioned, but they don’t appear they will ever go away and every time I get one, I think to myself, “at least my food poisoning is better.”
I have been seeing more and more of these lately and decidedly, I don’t really think that I have one. Of course, I have a ton of things that I want to do before I leave this mortal sphere, but a goal unwritten is simply a wish. That being said, I need some help…what are some lofty goals to have?
- …
There are so many things in this world that I am grateful to have in my life. I have always loved music. For so many years, it has been my escape. Something about it, just resonates within me. I also can appreciate so many different genres and do cycle through what I consider favorites, each standing out at different times in my life.
Having said that, there is nothing more uplifting to me than hearing my daughters play the piano. They are mostly self taught, being pushed solely by their love of music. My wife is also a wonderful piano player, and with her guidance, the girls keep playing.
I hope that it will be something they continue with for their entire lives, I hope that it will stir in them emotions and feelings that bring the peace and joy.
And now, I must adjourn this post, as I listen to “Stars,” from the musical Les Miserables playing beautifully from the freshly tuned piano downstairs…
I am so lucky in my life. Today was a wonderful day, not because anything out of the ordinary happened or because any specific special event. No, actually what made today great was the realization that everything I experienced is available to me everyday.
I took a walk with four of my five children. We laughed, sang and simply enjoyed each other's company. We smiled together...how lucky am I. I hope I never toe that for granted.
I put my Joey to sleep. My sweet little two year old laid in my arms and fell asleep, peacefully, calmly...I sat there for a while after she was asleep, listening to her breathe. She is beautiful and I am blessed.
Sometimes, just sitting back and enjoying things available to us everyday is the greatest blessing of all.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
To give you a little background, I have some family that called me (no names) that are not Mormons, that were very offended by some things that were said about my family and faith. I am writing this to make sure that they don’t waste any more thoughts or time worrying about what someone says about me…
Now moving on, let me explain something…I am a Mormon. I am well aware of the stigma, rumors, ups and downs that being a Mormon has and I accept that. Whether I agree with you or you agree with me, it makes no difference in how I live my life, other than being conscientious enough of what you believe to not intentionally offend or disrespect you.
Mormons are all over the media and have been since the foundation of the church. We have been in the news for a strong stance on defining marriage, potential presidential nominations, and things that our leaders say about homosexuality. But understand those things are such a minute part or my faith (though definitely still part), that they are almost irrelevant to me on a daily basis, even if it the only things that someone can bring up to describe Mormons.
I thought I would take the opportunity to define myself to anyone out there interested and in doing so, I could actually stir up contention between Mormons and Non-Mormons alike.
There is no such thing as a Mormon Jesus, the Jesus I believe in was born a Jew and died on the cross and was resurrected three days later. What he did after may differ from what you believe, but that is historical, there are many different perspectives…I have read many perspectives and chosen my own direction to believe. If you think I am wrong, so be it, I read many and decided what believe.
Secondly, I do not hate people who live homosexual lifestyles. I personally have no reason to deny, right to judge or preference with you “entertain,” “love,” or “cohabitate.” I do in fact have gay friends, who are very dear to me and whom I still have friendships. I do not wish to deny any rights pertaining to couples from anyone who lives that lifestyle. HOWEVER, I have always believed AND NOT BASED ON BEING A MORMON, that “TRADITIONAL” marriage is between a man and a woman. If that confuses you or you think that somehow having both views I am screwed up, I am ok with that.
On a side note, those that are overly descriptive or public share their sexual escapades whether gay straight or whatever, I have a problem with. I believe in being morally chaste and monogamous in a one on one relationship. I think the topic overall falls in the abortion, politics, religion realm. You agree to disagree and walk away with respect for someone standing by what they believe.
Next, my religion is to help me raise children with hope and at the same time accountability. I believe that my family is more important than anything else in this world. I believe that for me Mormanism, has so many wonderful things to offer to help me raise children in a world whose morals are constantly degrading. I have made my choice for them. I am not brainwashing my kids or forcing some crazy cult-like system into their lives. You may disagree, but, again, I am ok with that.
So, please, don’t waste any of your precious time here in mortality, praying that I will come around. Don’t waste time looking for references to prove me wrong or try and draw me into and argument. Use what time you feel you have available to become a better you…I promise, I will keep working on me.
I am so not a fan of help desks. It seems like more often than not they have merely say someone in front of an FAQ on their website and told them to look up whatever someone is calling in about. I CAN DO THAT!.
Secondly, the seriously have no desire to “help.” I should say, it is my opinion that they have no desire to help. I feel like the person on the other end, is watching the clock, counting away the hours and my phone call disturbs their counting.
I also hate when you call and discuss something at length with one answerer and call back later and there is no record of what was discussed.
I honestly think that customer service is dead.
