After my last bit of positive news from the doctor (about the weight loss) and his threat to put me on an injectable medication which my weight loss kept at bay I certainly have the desire to keep things going in a positive direction, just lacking in motivation.

So today I set my mind at tackling some overgrown hedges in the front of the house.  It was getting pretty bad, weeds were beginning to overtake it and also starting to grab hold of the wall as well.  I really had only planned on working it about an hour, just enough to make it look okay.  Well as luck would have it, as I’m working one of my neighbors who had moved in about a near ago had parked on my side of the road.  We never really knew each other except for the occasional wave from across the road.  Today wasn’t much different, except a more formal introduction and handshake was involved.  After this brief exchange I went back about my business and actually thinking about calling it quits and grabbing some lunch when the neighbor reappeared fully geared up riding a Snapper lawn tractor like Xena Warrior Princess with one hand and weed whacker in the other like a sword.

Of course seeing this great gesture of neighborly love I couldn’t turn down this obvious offer of help.  So lunch was skipped and several hours (and beers) later I have an awesome looking yard, a great new friend and a nice low calorie day with a great workout behind me!

Funny how things work out.

It really felt as if I’ve been eating much more than I used to cooking for myself.  As it turns out, it apparently makes a huge difference when you drop the frozen processed foods and switch over to real home cooked meals.  Hopping on the scale at the doctors office we were both blown away… a 10-pound loss in 3-weeks with no effort.

Now with that taste of success a whole world of motivation has opened up and I’m really watching my diet again.  Of course I think there’s another whole piece to this puzzle.  I’m really happy.  I feel a good atmosphere and healthy mental state can go a long way to better health.

Recently I went to a regional chain restaurant that I haven’t been to in a while and saw a burger so ridiculous I would have never imagined putting together such a concoction.  It was  basically a standard cheeseburger but instead of being encased in a bun it was flanked top and bottom by a complete grilled cheese sandwich!

Yes, you read that right.  Bread, cheese, cheese, bread, cheese, burger, bread, cheese, cheese and bread.  Which of course comes standard with a side of fries!

Now this was probably not the worst thing nutritionally on the menu, you have many other alternate ways of clogging your arteries if you choose.

My question is why do you choose this?  Sure it’s okay to indulge yourself now and then even when following a strict diet, but this is carrying it to an extreme… which is the point I’m trying to make here.

To agonize over every single ounce of food you ingest will probably drive you insane to the point where you toss your hands up in the air and give up.  Give yourself a little flexibility.  On rare occasions have that special comfort food you really love and don’t feel guilty about.  Just keep things reasonable.

If you’re not on a diet but watching someone who is indulge a little, bear in mind that maybe they’re just taking a brief mental health break and treating themselves to something special to avoid a total breakdown.

So, after my little pep-talk and a long night thinking about it and debating whether I should just tell this person to mind their own business and worry about themselves I realized that the bottom line was they were absolutely right.

With it on my mind all night it was no problem waking up, getting into my walking gear and hitting the concrete pavement.  The weather was overcast and cool.  Radar showed no signs of rain for hours.  I had no excuse. (dang!)

The cool part was that after my little carotid artery scare I have improved my eating habits dramatically, even losing some weight.  Now mind you this weight loss is not dramatic.  I can’t tell you how much I lost because I haven’t replaced my broken scale yet but can tell you I now NEED to use a belt where as before my pants were very self-snugging.

So off I began to do what was going to be a very short starter walk when I realized that I had no problem walking at a brisk pace!  Yea, just a couple of pounds made a difference!  For a moment I even brought it up to a jog but realized that I need to lose a bit more first before putting that kind of beating on my knees.  As I went on the pace did slow a bit but that short walk turned into a reasonably long one.  Not as long as i’ve done in the past when I was in better shape, but far enough to encourage me to quickly reach that level again with a good shot at going well beyond it.

Will I keep it up?  I don’t know.  But for know I feel that I can at least be back in the swing of it for a while.  Let’s see what happens.  (again)

By writing down everything I eat (along with the nutritional information about it) I’m continually aware of what’s going through my system.  Yes, a few things are being consumed that shouldn’t be but now I’m going to think twice before I pick up many things on my next trip to the grocery store.

While nobody agrees on the perfect diet everyone agrees it’s about a lifestyle change.  This awareness will allow me to at least head in the general direction of better nutrition and while may not be perfect, certainly better than I was doing before. 

Now, to get back into exercise!

It was discovered that not only do I have a 70% blockage in my carotid arterie, but I also have “nodules” on my thyroid which were just scanned yesterday. (Results pending)

So not wanting to experience a stroke anytime soon I’ve started readig up on heart friendly diets.  What a sea of information and when you throw in other paramiters like diabetic friendly and weight loss goals the whole thing starts looking like an impossible task.

My initial observation is when it comes to looking at calories, fat, carbohydrates, cholesterol and sodium content…  at least one of those numbers is going to be working against you.  So rather than looking at individual foods it would seem the strategy is to make an overall plan that in the long run the most beneficial to all. 

Combined with some realistic exercies tips and ideas, that is what I hope to bring to you in this blog.

Now remember, I’m just your average middle-aged out of shape guy.  I’m not a health freak (obviously) or a gym rat.  By getting my act together I hopefully will inspire other regular people to follow suit and live a better, healthy life.

Your input and advise is much appreciated, please comment even if you feel what you have to add is obvious.  Lots of beginners here.. .including myself!

It’s been a while since I’ve started this site. It got off to a great start and as with many of the best laid out plans fizzled out.

After my recent physical exam and being reminded I’m not getting any younger, my enthusiasm for a healthier lifestyle has somewhat been rekindled. 

Please join me in my renewed efforts, perhaps we can motivate each other and take action to improve ours lives.