Jack is my CoPilot
I'm almost two months into my quest to drop my weight to 200 pounds. Scale weight isn't anywhere close to that number at this point, but that doesn't mean that my body is static. I feel stronger and lighter. In this week alone I've had many signs that all the walking, running, stair climbing, and lunges are teaming up to complete the job. I'm sleeping better than I have in a long time (which I attribute both to exercise and the use of CPAP). Many of the foods I crave are different now (more on that later), and the thought of eating a Value Meal anywhere along the Interstate just makes me ill. I'm no longer bursting out over the waistline of my Size 40s; I'm still muffin-topped, but not near the amount as before. On Monday I wore a belt to work that was too small for me once; I'm now on the second belt hole in. My stomach is getting in the way less and less. Tuesday Shirt continues to feel bigger each week. In the summer I was not able to fit into the shirt I'm wearing today; that in itself is an amazing marker on this journey. It's also like getting a bunch of free clothes, because I have older/smaller stuff in my closet that fits now - instead of
But the biggest indicator for me was actually something small.
Each morning I have a habit of stretching, rubbing my hands together, and then rotating my wedding ring around on its finger. I do it without thinking. Done it for the nearly twenty years we've been married, in the same way that I used to go straight towards the refrigerator when I got home from work. This morning - for the first time in over two years - the ring came off my finger completely. With all the bigger things that are proving weight loss right now, this little thing had me stunned. In fact, it made me want to go out and walk some more. So after David got on the school bus, that's exactly what Jack and I did.
He doesn't have school on Wednesdays, so Jack and Henry the Octopus like to ride copilot in the Jogger while I navigate a larger loop than usual (about 4 miles). Once we got about 1 1/2 miles from home he said, "Daddy go faster." That's my queue to start running. Today, while pushing the Jogger, I was able to run farther than I had in a couple weeks. I think it might have been a mile. Didn't notice the distance, since I was enjoying the lack of Exploding Lung Sensation. It was yet another indicator that the workouts are accomplishing good things; my endurance seems to be increasing now. Probably because of the lunges, which are becoming an addicition. Lunges and steamed vegetables. I'm hooked on both now for some reason.
This solves the complaint, "But I wanted to drive the Element today..."
We always see interesting things when Jack and I are out in the neighborhood. Sometimes it's a stunning sunrise (like this morning). Or other times it's a site that catches me as needing a caption (like the picture above). And then ultimately the seasonal appearance of slimy pod-like fungus at the base of a stop sign (like the picture below) pretty much wipes out any joy the sunrise brings, and takes away anyone's appetite for several hours.
I think I also saw these in "Invasion of The Body Snatchers"
A quarter-mile from home, it was time to do more lunges. Yeah....addicted. Ever faithful, Jack counted off for me. He was so good at it that for the final set I asked him to hold the camera phone and document his counting skills while I lunged. Link to the video is HERE. It's the best "Middle-Aged-Guy-Doing-Lunges" video on the Internet. No, not really. Okay, well maybe a little.
Anyway, the results are starting to show. This proves that you can combine exercise and fun to make changes. I've taken a lot of little steps to get here, and unlike the past I've resisted beating myself up if I backtrack a bit on a hot dog or a short walk. What I've discovered is a lifestyle that seems to be maintainable and fun. We're approaching the "Grey & 40 degrees" season here - five months of dark and cold. I feel that if I can continue this through that season then I could be home free and closer to 200 pounds.
We'll see!
----------------------------------------------
Video Link: http://www.twitvid.com/4E2E5
Blog Link: http://www.clarkblog.net
No comments:
Post a Comment