Tuesday, August 30, 2011

I Won't Back Down

Hello fellow fat folks. You've heard me call myself obese and fat many times in this blog. I've been perfectly honest about exercising yet not dieting properly.
Early on in this blog I also mentioned I was fortunate to not be starting from complete lack of exercise. My history has been one of extreme exercise and thus being able to eat a lot. The last four years however I gave in to some personal and family stress that was an excuse to only exercise to much less degree yet kept on eating. Pretty easy to understand gaining weight then right?
Now before I go on let me mention that any thing I have been, am now or hope to be in the future that can be deemed good or positive is something I humbly give thanks to God for. I know I'm fortunate in many many ways.
So I'm fat. I'm also thick skinned and have laughed to myself at the stalker type "Anonomous" person who has been very negative to the bloggers and fat folk in general. He, and yes I'm convinced its a male, last week finally decided to jump on my case. I've wondered why, other than perhaps sexism, he has been so tough on the ladies in this blog and mostly left me alone. Oh well, I'm relieved he finally has chosen me for his redicule. Gives me something to blog about. Thanks Big "A" or should I say "Bad A". Anyway, BA (Bad A) took exception to my indication that I was "fairly fit for an almost 60 year old man". BA says nobody can be fit and fat.
I contemplated this Sunday while doing my 3 sets of 40 push ups and 3 sets of 50 situps and 3 sets of 10 curls using 30 pound dumbells. I continued to contemplate it as I walk/jogged my normal hilly 3.25 mile course. Yesterday as I was loading and unloading 60 pound bags of marble rock and 80 pound bags of concrete at my mountain cabin (driveway work) and then mowed the property with a push mower up and down a steep incline. Yep. I'm sure out of shape.
Hey BA, I said I was "fairly" in shape...I didn't say I was in fantastic shape like I was just 4 years ago. I also qualified the statement by saying for an almost 60 year old guy. So get off your high horse dude. You must really be insecure and stuck on yourself boy.
So all my fat buddies out there lets not let others dictate who we are or will become. Do it for yourself. Next blog I'll talk about how some "fit" people are not always same as healthy people.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awesome - you can't lose weight so you lash out at others and then post your incredible pushup numbers. Why don't you post your A1C, HDL/LDL ratio, triglyceride, blood pressue, etc?

These blogs were supposed to be about weight loss. Instead they have turned into blogs essentially about nothing. Your last three months have been a long litany of excuses followed by "but I'll get serious next week."

I'm always dubious of people who say they are extreme athletes. I know extreme athletes who do insane competitions. What qualifies as extreme for you? Ironically, the most extreme athletes I know have never used the word extreme to describe their accomplishments.

Dan said...

I have normal blood pressure. No known heart problems. A strong back and sturdy knees. I have not said I will get serious next week nor have I even hinted at being currently an "extreme" athlete. In fact by my standards I am a long long way from being in " good" shape. Again I said " fairly" good shape for a 60 yr old guy. Further more you " lash" out at the loggers and ill fill you in on Friday as to what defines being morbid obese since you like to mis- use that phrase all the time. You are wrong about me and probably wrong in your rush to judge others.

Amy said...

Good job Dad! Keep doing the work and you will see results. It might not be as quick as you would like it to be but you'll get there. Most importantly, keep working on improving yourself. I wouldn't get too defensive in trying to reason with this "Anonymous" poster as he appears a little unreasonable. He probably thrives on getting a rise out of people:) The best thing you can do is to keep working on yourself and your health and use that to prove negative people wrong! I love you!

Anonymous said...

Nice dodge on the extreme athlete. Does running a marathon 20 years ago count? Nope. Have you signed up for Thunder Road yet?

I was excited when this blog came out to see three people who had a ton of weight to lose begin. I assumed you had been vetted and were serious. One quit. I don't know what's happened to the other these days and you have all but given up, instead musing about being a Vegan like that would be simple.

A close friend started his weight loss journey last November. He has lost over 50 pounds. He goes to six intense workouts (cross fit, boot camp) a week and has totally changed his diet. That is how you lose weight, period. Losing weight involves actually doing things, not writing about them.

Maybe the Observer will do a better job next time at picking people who have a plan, have seen a doctor, have a trainer and can practice what they preach.

Dan said...

Great job by your friend. Sounds like he is working as hard as I did six years ago when I lost 75 pounds in nine months. Held onto it for two years until l allowed life to get in the way. I am really struggling with the part I hate....diet. l will not give up and will not pay somebody to train me...yet. before I cry uncle and give up is like to arrive at the right mental state to get there on my own. I was inspired by a married couple at church this week the guy in particular had a lot to shed and he has dropped 50 pounds since Jan by portion control and walking six miles per day. He beats the heck our of my stalled lack of diet willpower.

Anonymous said...

An unfortunate common thread of the three bloggers is the reluctance to engage professionals in their weight loss journey. If your health isn't worth expending money on , then what is?

Why have none of you seen a doctor and received a full physical? That is a no brainer as you begin.

Second, all of you struggle with eating. Seeing a nutritionist is also an easy thing to do.

Lastly, a trainer or a fitness class is money well spent. They not only motivate you but also expose you to different types of exercise and better/safer ways of exercising. There have been studies after studies that show successful weight loss comes with accountability, often to a workout or trainer. It is a lot easier to let down yourself versus others.

I don't feel any of you three ever took the time to map out a plan involving the basics of weight loss, which is why all three of you came derailed so quickly.

My goodness, you are 60 and 240, give or take, and want to run a half marathon. That's a big undertaking. Why you didn't consult a trainer or doctor prior to beginning is beyond me.

grannyc said...

Dan and Nancy, I think something that we don't pay attention to is the amount of sodiumn in our food without picking up a salt shaker. Our processed food is soooo full of sodiumn.
Take a look at the salad dressing that we put on our "diet" salads. Few dressings have sodiumn levels as low as 40- 120mg per 2tbsp...take a look in your frig.
Also when you have a few minutes look at the other items that we generally eat at the sodiumn amounts in our food. I had no idea....amazing!!!or shall I say shocking!
I started cutting back on my reg.soda, red meat and sugar items.
Started eating more skinless chicken, more tuna, fish, turkey,fresh veggies, fruits, potatoes, and jasmine rice. Using lots of spices that have no sodiumn. Drinking water and more water. Eating three average size meals and eating three small snacks of fruit, veggies and 2oz of protein. Also trying to eat on a regular schedule of every two to three hours.
Even without exercise I have dropped 14 lbs in two months.

Keep on Keeping on. Trying and dropping a few lbs is better than nothing.

Changing habits are not easy and especially at our age.

Anonymous said...

Dan--What is refreshing about the way you write is that you admit to being human. Why should your blog read like a sports page of stats--your personal health numbers, the amount of weight you can lift, etc.--just to prove yourself to others? Your journey is a human one, and like all of us, we experience ups and downs. Rigidity, anger, negativism, and a defeatist attitude have no place on a journey to be HEALTHY--which is what you should be focused on; weight is only one component of health. Keep up the great workouts and just focus on what healthy food can DO for you (give you energy, stave off disease, lower cholesterol, etc.) as opposed to what you perceive it can't (satisfy cravings, taste good). Knock the word "diet" out of your vocabulary and you'll have an easier time with it! Good luck!!

Dan said...

Ok big a guy, everything your last post you said is valid. Except assuming you know all about me. I get a physical every year and did so again this past Feb and all....all my blood work was fine. A lot of folks, including me, would find working out with a group much easier. I will even go that route if I can't get my eating under control. I know " how" to eat and I do not lack exercise motivation. Maybe overrated group for me. Willpower is a mystery as to why in one area of life. we struggle with certain things and yet are " good" in other areas. By the way in full disclosure I now weigh 221 and due to lack of miles would risk injury to run a half marathon two months from now. So I'll. Have to check that off as a failure for now and stick to shorter distances "until". After all just shuffling through one unto itself isn't the ultimate goal. Your cross fit and boot camp buddy doing better with his routine than if he only ran.

grannyc said...

Also as an extra note....after reading someone else's note, my husband and I did get our yrly check up and were encouraged by our wonderful doctor who suggessted that we read, Getting Younger Next Year, (as christians we did not agree with all things in the book) but the idea of getting started and started MOVING with some type of exercise/activity daily is necessary. So now that we have a better handle on the eating part (we too don't like diet) we are just starting on the activity part. We both ride motorcycles but are now riding bikes for added activity, something that I had not done in 40 yrs. I have used a trainer in the past and have found them good to get me started and motivated. There are so many types of exercise that one can use to keep active. So I agree seeing your doctor and starting some type of activity and adding on to is important, but should be a life time thing. My dad is 87yrs of age and active every day.

Our doctor has challenged my husband and I and also offered for us to stop in once a month just to weigh in (free) as encouragement.
He is a wonderful family doctor/DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) in McAcdensville, NC that we have used for 10 yrs. And we have since moved a little outside of Charlotte and it now takes us an hour to just get to his office, but a doctor that has an interest in our real health is worth it.
We are not just another number to him. So it will be a nice little motorcylce ride once a month.

So keep an open mind on types of exercise, video, group, trainer, paid, not paid...key is DO IT. We do seem to find the money for things that we think are important some how some way....and if we don't have the money then we have to make up our minds to do. (I am actually unemployed first time in forty years so I understand)but walking, bending and moving are free.

They are right, we are not who we were yesterday but who we are today and who we make up our minds we will be tomorrow....if alive....healthy and able to get around on our own? OR unhealthy and someone else having to take care of our ever need? which will it be? Only I can make that choice.

This blog is not just to you or about you this is about all of us on a journey and struggles that we face with weight control, health and exercise. So hopefully someone will read something they have not tried and be encouraged to try one more time and maybe this time will be the right time....who knows...
best to all of us humans that are trying, right?

Dan said...

I shed a tear in gratitude at your wisdom granny. I will think upon your words as I walk up and down the mountain tonight. A peace offering to big a.... Let me know if you wo like to establis personal contact as I have a proposal to swift you and me. Peace to you dude......yld

some guy said...

Good job on the workouts. I finally had some time to catch up on your progress. And you are progressing. Maybe not as fast with the weight as you'd like, but it's not all about weight. It's really more about health, right? For millenia, no person really cared what they weighed, but they would care about their health. Weight and health are generally related, but it's not the only thing in the equation. As a guy in the Army, I know lots of skinny guys who can't get through a PT test. Are they in better shape than you? I highly doubt it.

And to anonymous, calling Dan "morbidly obese" is "morbidly" wrong. To be morbidly obese, you need a BMI over 39. Dan's is about 31 or so. So he qualifies as obese, but only by about 10 pounds. In fact, if Dan loses about 10 more pounds, he won't even be obese anymore. He'll just be overweight. So if you want to argue, then that's fine and entertaining for me, but at least be factual. It really hurts your argument.

Anonymous said...

Bottom line, if Dan weighed 170 or 180 with the same fitness level he'd be able to run his marathon that he's crowing about and be in overall better health. If he wants to remain fat and brag about how fit he is, that is fine but he's missing the point that being fit at a healthy weight is a far superior option.

Look, everyone knows a fat person who is athletic but, in general, that is not the case. Give me 100 healthy weight people for a 10K and I'll bet you any amount of money the will outperform 100 fat people. It's not about a group of 1, it's about the entire group.