DoyCave.com

…where Doy occasionally writes.

Tag: Perseverance

  • My Magic Beans

    Business Man pushing boulder uphillWhen people find out I’ve lost over 100 pounds, the first question is, “What are you DOING? I need to do THAT!”

    I always chuckle to myself because I know that’s not what they really mean.

    What they really mean is, “What magic spell allowed you to snap your fingers and become this thin person?! I need that magic spell!”

    They may not mean that literally, but it’s kind of the sentiment. The reason I know this, my four faithful readers, is that I, too, was one of them. Only recently one of them!

    Anytime someone lost a great deal of weight, I would quiz them about what they were doing, and it didn’t matter whether it was low-carb via Michael Thurmond (bought, paid for and followed…for a month or two), Atkins (lost the weight and gained it back with a vengeance) or South Beach (got 10 pages in and decided it was too complicated) or anything else, I just wanted it to work QUICKLY. I wanted their MAGIC BEANS!

    I would watch “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition,” recounting the stories of heroic, persistent people who would lose almost 200 lbs. I would see them and think, “Look how relatively easy that was!” That’s because I was seeing a montage of workouts, condensed into five minute segments…made for TV.

    When I would begin an exercise journey, it was the waking up in the morning that got me. It was finding the clothes. It was thinking about the exertion and becoming physically sick at the thought. It was all those little hurdles you have to jump through just to make it in front of the TV and push play on the exercise DVD.

    As I write today, I’ve lost only three or four pounds in the last month or more. I will tell you that I’m still eating right. I’m not exercising consistently due to chest pains, bothering me on and off for the past few weeks, but I’m not letting that deter me from keeping up my motivation.

    I will also tell you that THIS is the most difficult part of weight loss…or the most difficult part of anything worth doing, really.

    It’s the day in. The day out. Lose a pound. Gain two pounds. Staying the course even though you aren’t getting the quick results anymore.

    It can truly wear on you, but this is where it’s so important to have made up your mind for good. I’ve had to count the cost of even a small cheat. What will a small cheat mean? A bigger cheat. A week of cheating. Derailment. I refuse to let that happen.

    And so what do I tell people who ask me what I’m doing to have lost 100 lbs?

    I’m on a strict eating plan, making meal-by-meal decisions about what I should eat in order to improve my health. Every. Single. Day. Without fail. That’s what I’m doing.

    Because that’s what it takes.

  • Losing in the Little Things

    “God is in the details,” the old saying goes, and I’m unfortunately learning that one the hard way.

    When you’re adhering to a strict diet, or ANY diet for that matter, it’s the details –the little things! — that can really trip you up and make you want to quit. Sometimes it’s those details that seem like the difference between complete success and utter failure.

    In my case, success is a delicate thread. I still have a branch of my left anterior descending artery (LAD) that is 97% blocked and unreachable with a stent. I’m not eating this way just to lose weight, I’m counting on it both to arrest and reverse my coronary artery disease. This means adhering strictly to this way of life. “No cheating,” as Dr. Esselstyn says…often…and to my chagrin…haunting my dreams.

    This week, I found that one of my favorite dishes, Black Bean Tacos (flavored with packaged taco seasoning), had oil in it. I don’t know what prompted me to finally read the seasoning packet, but there it was…in black and white…soybean oil. It wasn’t much — just one of those little things — but to me it felt like utter failure.

    “How many times have I eaten this,” I thought. “How much damage have I done? How far have I set myself back on this journey?”

    It was a frustrating and somewhat devastating moment for me.

    I started thinking of all the small ways I’d been “cheating” or not following closely enough. I started obsessing over taco sauce and the tofu we ate and how much sodium might have been in this or that.

    I eventually stopped.

    I went back to my loseit.com account, where I’m tracking my weight loss and occasionally tracking my meals. I looked at where I started and how far I’ve come. I thought about what it felt like to carry that weight around on my body and how awful I felt. I thought about how many times I’ve been to the hospital, thinking it was my last day of being alive. I thought about that photo where I look like a bloated mountain man and the awful foods I was eating when it was taken. I thought about how much I hated to be up and around back then, and how much easier it is now to simply take a walk or put away the food after dinner.

    I’ve been losing in some of the little things, sure. But I’m still winning the war, and I won’t let anything change that.

    If you’re on the road to health and find yourself experiencing a blowout, take heart. This is a journey. It’s a way of life, and your job is to keep putting one foot in front of the other until you reach your destination.

    What “little things” are tripping you up in your journey towards good health?

  • The Spoils of Perseverance

    I’m going to tell you with some amount of pride that a “mess o’ ribs” just doesn’t DO it for me anymore.

    Not long ago — only a few months, truthfully — I was a connoisseur of all things meat.

    I low carb’d it, often living on bacon-wrapped chicken and salad (with cheese and lots of dressing) as the staple of my healthy diet. I wasn’t worried about the fat. I just knew I was losing weight, and losing it fairly quickly.

    Inevitably, however, the carb cravings would catch up with me…I would engorge myself with cake or candy bars, and within a week, I was up 10 pounds and feeling awful.

    I initially struggled with my current lifestyle, too, mind you. I haven’t cheated, but getting “creative” with dinners hasn’t always been something I’ve had the time to do. And, to be truthful, this is a diet that requires PREPARATION. I can’t stress that enough to the four of you. Now, slap each other and say, “I love Justin Bieber and play with Barney toys!”

    What were we talking about again?

    Preparation, that’s right. Like preparing a blog entry that stays on topic. Yeah, like that.

    So early on with Esselstyn, I would forget to pack a lunch and, not really knowing what to do, I would just pick up salad stuff and dress it with straight Balsamic Vinegar. It wasn’t the most appetizing thing I’ve done, but I put my head down and took my lumps. It taught me to be more prepared, which I’ve mentioned before…right?!

    These were the most perilous days for me. It would’ve been easy to say, “Geez, I’ll just go to Zaxby’s and get a chicken salad. At least it’s ‘healthy.’” I would’ve been wrong, and I knew the damage it would do both to my body and my progress.

    I say all this to say that, after four months of living this way, I have indeed lost the taste and craving for FAT, and this is a triumph for me!

    I recoil at cheeseburgers with their dripping grease. I’m appalled by a slab of ribs and the pool of thick barbecue sauce and fat-congealing. I know that I would have a violent reaction to those foods if I ate them, and my body reacts accordingly. The smells don’t waft through my nose with the same allure. The sight of their pallid and muted hues hardly compares to the vibrant colors of the food I eat. They don’t hold pleasure for me. At all.

    Why am I telling you all this…as if I’ve figured it all out?

    I’m telling you this to encourage you in this one fact: IT. GETS. EASIER.

    It gets easier to stay away from the “comfort foods” that provide no real comfort at all. It gets easier to avoid the frozen pizza bites because there’s no time and nothing else on the menu tonight. It gets easier to avoid the candy aisle, grabbing something from the produce section instead. It gets easier to avoid the convenience of a drive-thru when you don’t know what else to do. It all gets easier.

    The longer you go, the easier it gets. The more you do it, the more preparation you learn.

    These days, I’m thinking ahead constantly. If I’m invited to lunch, I might direct us to a more vegan-friendly establishment where I might get the food I need. If I’m meeting up with family after work, I might have dinner for myself, so that I’m not hungry and won’t dig into the goodies. If I know we’ve run out of leftovers or the pantry’s getting low, I’ll make sure to call home, check in, and stop at the store to stock up on something I can make quickly (usually rice and beans).

    Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a fear-based motivation. I’m not constantly afraid I’ll screw up if I don’t prepare. It’s RESOLVE. I eat a certain way for very good reason. Therefore, I will prepare my food in every situation.

    I’m telling you all this because there is a point at which it will get easier and easier for you to travel the narrow road to health. One of the reasons so many doctors don’t recommend this lifestyle to their patients is because they believe it’s TOO STRICT. It certainly takes preparation, but people can learn to live in any situation. Just ask the Inuit up in Canada. Jeez.

    I’m also telling you all this because I’m a nobody. I’m a nobody who is doing this everyday.

    And if a flaky, procrastinating nobody like me can do it, you most assuredly can.

    What obstacles do you think are keeping you from healthy living?

  • The Agony of the LBs

    There is nothing requiring more patience than when you’re losing weight.

    It is a slow and tedious process that can easily leave you feeling defeated, deflated and ready to quit.

    I had to decide from the outset that weight wasn’t my true goal. It’s a great by-product and is a fantastic way to see my progress, but every day, and with every meal, I’m making decisions about my health. Every time I eat clean, I’m investing in my future. I’m investing in living another day.

    It doesn’t keep me from the disappointment, though. And I’m sure you’ve experienced it, too.

    However, here are a few things you should know as you’re losing weight. My hope is that they keep you moving forward, pressing on to better health. They’re helping me stay the course, and so I offer them here…for you four faithful readers…because I care…so shut up.

    1. Don’t weigh yourself everyday!

    This is one I will break often, but it’s better when I don’t do it. The fact of the matter is that, as we’re losing weight, it will fluctuate. You will put on a pound and then drop two. You might lose two and put another back on. However, if you’re tracking your weight over time, you’ll begin to see the slow decline. This is the best way to lose it.

    Here’s where I’ll insert a plug for loseit.com. It’s the site I use to track my weight and progress. It’s free (unless you want to upgrade, which I haven’t), and allows you to set goals and track not only the food you eat, but keeps you apprised of an end date if you continue to lose weight at a certain rate. Great little app you can use online or on your phone.

    2. What to do if you’re not losing weight

    So, you’re eating right. You’re not eating oil. You’re not eating meat. Veggies up the yin yang. But you’re still not losing weight.

    First thing you need to do is eat MORE. Yes, more. No, I’m not a recreational drug user, and no my mind is with me…most of the time.

    When your body isn’t getting enough calories (as can happen when you move to a vegan diet), it holds on to the fat it has because it thinks you’re starving. When in starvation mode, your body will hold onto anything and everything it can get, to sustain you through what is obviously a stint on, “Survivor 138: Inner City Detroit.”

    It’s counter-intuitive, but it works.

    If that doesn’t work, you might be eating too much. Watch your portions, and see if that makes a difference.

    Finally, watch your sugar intake. I LOVE non-dairy ice cream and sorbet, but I eat them RARELY. Dr. Esselstyn recommends not eating more than three fruits a day for the same reason. Sugar can really make the weight sneak back on if you indulge too much. Watch your sugar.

    In all of this, loseit.com can be a really handy tool.

    3. Give yourself TIME

    You’ve heard “slow and steady wins the race.” The fact that it’s true is really only aggravating.

    When you decide to eat a certain way, especially if you’ve decided to follow Dr. Esselstyn because of your coronary condition, you have to commit for the long haul. Short stints aren’t going to work. Three months and out will only get you further away from your goals.

    Think in long terms. What will this be like after a year? Two years? How much repair could my arteries experience after three years of eating like this?

    Once you have your mind made up, take it one meal at a time. This is a lifestyle. It’s not a quick fix. Your arteries and waistline didn’t get this way overnight. The solution won’t come overnight, either.

    Did you know that people EAT turtles? That would sure change the tortoise and the hare story, wouldn’t it?

  • The Pebble In My Shoe

    I’ve been following a plant-based whole foods lifestyle for over four months now. I have eschewed all dairy without complaint. I have kicked all meat to the curb and haven’t winced in the process. I have turned my nose up at all processed foods as if it were tripe in my nostrils.

    The one thing I haven’t been able to shake, however, is diet soda.

    Coke Zero to be exact. Oh, how I adore it. Cherry Coke Zero is sheer bliss. Waves of comfort waft over me as I drink it.

    What were we talking about again?

    Now, at this point, I know some of you will point to various videos and articles that detail the many, many ways that diet soda (and the aspartame contained within) is not good for you.

    And may I say, as southerners like myself do, “You’re preachin’ to the choir!” I know it’s bad for me!

    I’ve gone so far as to research the effects of caffeine on the endothelial cells of the arteries. An older article said it helped to heal the endothelial cells. A newer article said it damaged them. AARRGH!

    Dr. Esselstyn warns his patients to stay away from it altogether, so I have, of course, moved to CAFFEINE FREE Diet Soda.

    I’m sure that’s fine, right?

    Let me say, however, that I drink water like there’s a worldwide shortage. I usually get between 64 and 96 ounces per day. Soda? Almost the same, I’m ashamed to say…depending on the day.

    I don’t know how this is hurting or impeding my progress in the fight against Coronary Artery Disease, but I do know it’s a distraction, an annoyance and something about which I can’t remain on the fence.

    I guess I’m documenting my struggle with it here to say it out loud…to be accountable…to acknowledge the folly…somehow hoping it will stoke me into action.

    Maybe a few choice epithets from my four faithful readers will help?

    UPDATE, 6/24/2013: I think I’m two weeks (maybe more?) completely free of soda. I kind of lost count, I guess? I still struggle with it, and sometimes find myself lingering a bit too long at the soda display in the grocery checkout aisle, but I keep reminding myself that I’m moving BACKWARDS when I drink them instead of making progress. I started to notice, too, that my chest pain would increase the more I drank it, so I put a quick stop to it and it’s made a huge difference.

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