Fitness Challenged

I have been on the diet roller coaster for a few months now. I'm trying to lose as much weight as safely possible by my 55th b-day. I am still hovering around 250, a number I cannot seem to break. What does 250 pounds mean to me?

When I originally gained the weight back in 1993, it was to protect myself. It was also due to a depression so deep I had to feed it like a monster come out of the closet. The only thing that got me through the day was the taste of a dozen doughnuts or a fruit pie. I no longer need the extra poundage and it's become another form of monster to get rid of.

Ok, that's the why of it, so where is the why not, as in why not drop the weight? I am around a lot of people right now and yet I don't feel threatened. I feel small. Is that why I feel the need to be so "artificially" big? There are more questions than answers.

In my weight loss challenge in TrikkeWorld Magazine I have decided to go back to the simple act of exercising and consuming fewer calories than I burn. The KISS method, as in keep it simple sweetie, is my best bet. What is it about me that returns to militant to get the pounds off?

So I'm easing up on myself and trikking more. Those are very important pieces to the puzzle of losing weight. Oh, and eating less with no unscheduled in-between snacking. No eating my way through a TV session anymore. No filling myself with artificial means to reach that empty pit in the center of my soul, (isn't that after all what this whole issue is really about?).

I'm going to start the visualizing as well. I'll see myself at lower weights, more comfortable weights. I'll see myself carving farther and stronger. I'll see myself with less pain. I'll see myself fly...

A Lesser Anniversary

I have recently hit the ten-year mark with diabetes. So far I have been lucky with the disease because I only take one pill a day, no shots. I also keep my blood sugar levels low. I accomplish that with my Trikke.

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I measured my blood sugar levels four times a day. I ate a good diet and I avoided all the things that I loved. I was scared and I was careful.

My A1C levels were high, (the A1C blood test measures my average blood sugar level over the previous three months). My cholesterol levels were high. I admitted to smoking. My weight was almost 300 pounds.

Then a friend showed me his new toy, the Trikke. I moved heaven and earth not only to buy a Trikke, but to get fit enough to ride it.

It wasn’t long before my A1C numbers dropped to healthy levels, from a 7.4 to a 6.1. My cholesterol number dropped from about 200 to 126. My Body by Trikke has gifted me with some really good test results.

I realize, after taking my health for granted for so many years, I’ve got to stop messing around. Sugar doesn’t have quite the hold it used to have over me, nor do fatty foods. As I eat my vegetable-laden salads nightly, I enjoy crisp, fresh tastes in my mouth. I love the way it makes me feel when I eat healthy foods. I like it so much that I am considering eating (mostly) raw foods. And what that means to me is lots of fruits and vegetables. 

I am also focusing on eating whole foods, those foods that are generally one ingredient, like eggs or oranges or salmon. They are full of valuable nutrients needed for Trikking. That’s the energy I need, not the empty calories from say, a Snickers bar. Skittles will not feed my muscles. Mars bars will not help my organs function. To further my point, researchers have recently discovered Alzheimer’s is diabetes of the brain.

The experts think diabetes can be controlled with diet and movement, and tearing up the sidewalk with the Trikke is a great way to move. The cardio exercise I get on the Trikke is tremendous. I tend to Trikke for longer periods of time, more than with any other form of exercise. That’s got to help!

Trikking has definitely changed my life for the better. It has already extended my life and created a better me.

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Originally published in TrikkeWorld Magazine. For more of my weight loss challenge, visit TrikkeWorld Magazine the chronicle of the carving revolution!

What Was I Thinking?!?

I have been wanting to lose weight since I put it on 18 years ago. Last  year I had a good start when I lost 30 pounds, but then I got sloppy. I think I relied too much on my Trikke for taking the weight off and not enough on calorie control. So I'm taking another shot at it.

Losing weight must be like quitting smoking, in that I must keep trying until my goal is reached. Just because I failed a few times, the only real failure is giving up. So I am focusing on my health, on the calories I shove into my mouth, and exercising every day.

The crazy thing is I am doing it in front of 98 (to date) readers of TrikkeWorld Magazine as well as you, my blog fans! I think the pressure is just what I need to keep my nose out of the refrigerator.

I will be reporting in once a week at the magazine, but more frequently here. I see this as the space where I can blow off the day to day steam from not being able to eat my way through my anger, joy, fear, excitement, disappointment and whatever other feelings I may have in any given moment.

My first installment will be March 24th, and I will focus on why I over eat, how it started, some of the psychology behind my weight gain and my obsession with food. It should be deep, but not so deep that it's uncomfortable to read. That's what I'm aiming for anyway.