Cheech Marin as Romeo in Tin Cup.
<<<(Not me, but close enough.)
I am reluctant to blog about losing weight, because it's something I talk about and think about a lot and then never really do. But I really, really need to lose weight. Being fat (obese sounds too nice) is going to kill me, and I would really prefer not to let that happen. I would also like to spend at least some of the rest of my life not being a fat person..
I already have type 2 diabetes, a disease that is definitely made worse by being overweight. My doctor has told me to inspect my feet each day so that I don't end up getting them amputated. I lose some feeling in them already sometimes, because diabetes affects your circulation. Also, my right foot hurts when I first start to walk on it, then feels better once it warms up, and I have to think that carrying 300 pounds with every step is not good for it. I also have sleep apnea, which is another condition that can affect thinner people but is exacerbated by being heavy.
One big problem with losing weight is that everyone thinks you should do something, but everyone has a different idea of what that should be. My doctor suggested gastric bypass surgery and gave me a referral. Ugh. You should exercise, of course, only some people say that doesn't really help. You read that everyone should drink 8 glasses of water a day, except I have read more credible information that says that's bunk. Vegetarian, low fat, low carb, no prepared foods. Only weigh yourself once a week; weigh yourself every day. I once saw a website with 110 ideas to help lose weight. I'm pretty sure that at least 98 of them were worthless; I just don't know which 98.
I have seen pretty persuasive evidence that low carb actually works, but I already don't eat many carbs because of my diabetes. I think I have learned to compensate.
The one thing I am pretty sure of is that I need to eat less. I definitely eat more than I need to even when I am not hungry, but it's not so easy to stop doing that.
If you want wisdom and inspiration, it's hard to beat Cheech Marin playing a fictional character in a comedy. In any case, time to quit fucking around. Let's do this.
Hey Dennis,
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of what you say. I feel for you and your situation. But in most cases, many of these thing do work. The simplest is calorie counting and exercise tracking. If you are consistently putting out more calories than you are taking in, you WILL lose weight. There is no other possible outcome. The trick is to be consistent. My personal problems are related to will power. I can do a diet for about a week, maybe 2. Lately I've cut out adding sugar to anything. That seems to be working as I've keep that up for more than a year. Now I don't even know where the sugar is. I've also managed to stop altogether drinking sodas of any form. But I find that I am compensating by just eating more. My next step is to lower my alcohol consumption and stop having multiple servings. Pamela has managed to keep most of her weight loss (She dropped 70 pounds last year) by increasing her workout at the gym. I'm still jiggling around 240. I'm getting good at carrying around an extra 40 pounds. I do drink a lot of water, at least a half gallon on an idle day. It's good to "run clear" at least once a day. I get headaches if I don't. Good luck to you Dennis!