Positive Health Steps

Drum roll please... did I make the mini goal of being under 90 kilos by the 1st of October? Well this morning I weighed in spot on 90 kilos. Now that is not under 90 kilos so I suppose I didn't make my target goal, but on the positive side it is a great result.

Last week I weighed in at 90.5 so I did lose half a kilo for the week, which is spot on target. I continue to eat healthy and am feeling great so can now look forward to continued weight loss by living sensibly.

I was hoping to get the results of my cholesterol test today but couldn't get in to see the doctor until Wednesday morning. I'll let you know how it went as soon as I get home on that day. I am hoping to see the cholesterol level has dropped as I am taking medication plus doing the things that should lower the bad cholesterol levels in my blood stream naturally.

Moderate exercise has become quite easy. Yesterday I went for a 30 minute walk and then went back to the car, got the camera out and went photographing in the Mackay Botanical Gardens for more than 3 hours. This morning I awoke early and after weighing myself, went and walked for an hour. I am really enjoying being out from behind the computer and today will go and look at tents as I am thinking of spending time out in the country, photographing scenery and walking in the open air.

Life is great and losing weight makes it feel so much better.

Okay, so I better set another mini goal and this time my aim is to be under 85 kilos by December 1st. That's 2 months to lose 5 kilos. I think I can do it. Have you set some mini goals for yourself yet?

Exercise leads you to many thrilling things and today was no exception.

It was raining this morning so I missed my usual game of golf and decided that I would go out later in the day and take some photographs at the botanical gardens. There is a lovely lagoon with a shelter nearby where I can keep the camera dry yet take some good shots of rain making ripples on the water.

After parking the car and sprinting as fast as I could to the shelter I really knew that I was exercising. Nothing like a bit of rain to make one hurry. As soon as I got my breath back and set up the camera, the rain stopped. Oh well, change of plans, instead of ripples in the water I could take some shots of ducks or flowers. There is always something interesting when you have your camera at the ready.

A young girl came by and dived in the water! Got that shot. A pelican flew past, got that also. What a good decision to come to the gardens today. I started walking around and before I knew it, I was exercising, walking along the paths looking for other interesting shots. (you can see the photos here)

Within the flowers section of the gardens I noticed a strong smell of garlic and there was a patch of wild garlic with the most beautiful violet flowers. I took many shots of this, bending down, laying on the ground, twisting to get the best angle from which to photograph this delightful show of nature. Yes, I was exercising again.

My wife came over to see what I was doing laying on the ground and when she smelt the garlic she hinted that it reminded her of a mushroom and garlic sauce I sometimes make and how well it would go with the lamb chop she had planned for dinner.

See what I mean about exercise leading to other things?

Just got back from the doctors and the results are fantastic. My bad cholesterol level is down to 3.4 and the good cholesterol is up to 1.4. This is a great result and very pleasing to both my doctor and myself.

The reduction in the cholesterol level was achieved by a combination of medication, healthy eating and exercise. Proves you can do anything with a positive mindset, realistic goal setting and a desire to improve.

I also found that I might need a new set of scales. I was a little down on myself for not making the mini goal of being below 90 kilos on the first of this month. By the doctor’s scales I am not only under 90 kilos, I actually weigh in at 87 kilos. Love his scales. Last time I visited the doctor I weighed 94.5 kilos and the weight loss even put a smile on his face.

Makes me determined to continue this program of healthy eating and fun exercise. I want to get that cholesterol down under 2.8 and my weight under 75 kilos. Life is great and I will be around longer now to fully enjoy it.

Do you like music? I love music of all types, even the stuff that my son plays is nice to listen to most times, yet sometimes it can grate on the nerves when it's a little too loud.

It's great to know that for the main part, music is really good for your health. Music can relax you, relieve stress and have a positive effect on your emotions. Sometimes you might like a jazzy upbeat type of music and other times slow and meaningful music.

Dancing to your favorite music is a wonderful form of exercise, even if your partner is a broomstick. Think of the calories you burn to 2 or 3 rock and roll numbers, or the ecstasy of dancing to a slow romantic number can benefit your breathing. Yes music can really boost your health.

Have you ever gone for a walk in a forest, sat down quietly and listened to the sounds of nature. There is no better music to the ears than to hear birds singing, a stream gently rippling through the country side or the waves of the ocean crashing against the shore.

Even shouting at your kids to turn their blaring music down is good for your lungs and gets the adrenalin flowing, so remember when ever you hear music, it is one of natures natural medicines.

I had a bit of a problem with scales this week. The digital scales I have been using each week don't seem to want to weigh less than 99.4 kilos. Last week they seemed to work fine and weighed me in at 90 kilos then on the Wednesday when I received my cholesterol results, the doctor’s scales weighed me in at 87 kilos.

Don't get me wrong here, I am not saying that the doctor’s scales are incorrect but I truly didn't feel as if I was an 87 kilo human yet. Yes, I feel fantastic and have lost weight, I just doubted if I had lost that much. So I took myself down to the Chemist and put a coin in their large scales and okay, I wasn't the weight the doctor’s scales said.

Armed with this information I searched the shop for a decent set of scales and they had a nice large set which would be good for my purposes. Of course I tried them out and they weighed me at the same weight as the large scales. So these are the scales I will use from now on for my weigh in day.

So after all this, today I stepped on the new scales and my current weight is 89.0 kilos. That is a loss of 1 kilo for the week and I feel fantastic.

I was so happy to receive a few emails during the week from people who have been excited to tell me of their weight loss progress. They have accepted the fact that to lose weight they had to actually do something about it and stop kidding themselves that a small change in their diets was good enough to make their weight lower.

Here is a couple of excerpts from the emails:

"Thanks for being so blunt and giving me such a simple formula to lose weight: Less food + more exercise = weight loss. This has really given me something to work to and I have lost 7 pounds in 4 weeks. I have a goal of losing 2 stone and I will get that weight off."
Dreamcast. Sydney.

"I thought you were very brave to post your photo on your weight loss webpage and I really looked at myself in the mirror and was disgusted with the way I looked. Was this why you started the weight loss website? Whatever the reason, I just want to let you know that I have started a weight loss program just because of your bravery and guidance. Keep up the good work."
Brian P. Minneapolis, USA

Thanks for the positive feedback and I feel so glad that my ugly fat belly could motivate someone to join the program and make a change in their life. If you missed the photo of how I looked at the beginning of my weight loss program you can find it here.

I think it is a good idea to get a photo taken of how you look before starting to lose weight. Strip down to underwear and get someone to take your photo. Look at it often and if the image disgusts you like my image did for me, or how Brian was disgusted with his image in the mirror, don't you think it is then time to do something about it?

If you are too ashamed or embarrassed of how you look in your underwear to get somebody to take that photo, then you certainly need to do something to correct what's wrong soon. I challenge you to take a photo, start a weight loss program and then take another photo say 3 months from now. You will be amazed at the results if you stick to it.

This week seems to have gone really fast and here we are again at weigh in time. Good news again and another kilo taken off with sensible diet and moderate exercise.

My weight today is 88 kilos. Remember my starting weight was 97.2 kilos, which is a total weight loss so far of 9.2 kilos or just on 20 pounds.

Yesterday I was enjoying my hobby and was out taking photos and I found a great place to enjoy a walk. It is at the end of a beach and as you round a headland there is a track leading into the dunes that then take you up a steep path to a fantastic lookout overlooking the Whitsunday Islands. This is somewhere I will love going once or twice a week and it will give a great workout, plus break from the boredom that can creep in walking the same area day after day. You can see the photo of the steps here!

And that leads me to another observation. You need to vary what you eat so you won't get bored with the same thing time after time. This week I enjoyed 2 full meals with just stir fry vegetables. No meat of any kind, just any vegetable that was in the fridge.

If you had said to me about 3 months ago that here is a meal of just vegetables, I would have said you are kidding. But I actually enjoyed them and made a nice soy and chili sauce to go with the dish and can honestly say it was delicious. Losing weight isn't all that hard after all.

You might remember that I advocated finding a healthy hobby that will give you some physical activity and then using this hobby as a form of exercise. At the time I thought it was a good idea, now I am convinced that it isn't just good, it's great.

A couple of days ago I went with my partner on a photo shoot to an out of the way area not far from our town. It is called Cape Hillsborough and there is a dustry, bumpy track leading into an area they call Hidden Valley. Without the weight loss that I have done so far I would have missed some magnificent nature photos.

Just because I feel so good and alive losing almost 10 kilos already, I felt I could tackle a walk among the mangroves and see what I may find. I had to walk down a fairly steep slope to get to the foreshore and then clamber over rocks, through some muddy patches and then finally onto some sand bars exposed by the low tide. Honestly, just 8 weeks ago I may have attempted such a physical walk but the next decision I made I certainly would not have tried.

Through the mangrove canopy some 50 meters from the open area was a craggy outcrop that really took my eye. I thought it may make a good photo point overlooking the ocean so I set out to climb over the mangroves, rocks and other obstacles between myself and this vantage point. Low and behold, in amongst the canopy of mangroves was a juvenile green sea turtle, lying in the shade waiting for the tide to return. You can imagine my excitement as this is one of the most beautiful sights to me, nature at it's finest.

Well of course I took some photos, not great lighting but hey you can't complain. I went back through the mangroves and called my partner to show her and went back again for more shots. I did finally reach that rocky outcrop I was heading for originally and the views were a grand reward for the effort involved.

And to think I would have missed all of it if I had not decided to lose weight and to turn a hobby into exercise. We kept taking photos throughout the day in other locations and probably walked at least 10 kilometers for the day. We were not a bit tired, we were exhilarated at the fantastic shots we got in one of the countries most beautiful areas.

Remember the weight loss formula? Less Food + more exercise = weight loss. Try it with a healthy hobby and you will be amazed how good it is.

Many weight loss books or health related websites advocate the use of scales to make sure you keep to an accurate portion size when following a weight loss program. It is a good idea to do this, but would involve extra expense if you haven't already got kitchen scales.

An easier way is to get to know what a serving size looks like by buying a weight watchers meal. You will then see just what they suggest as a serving size. The plate doesn't look very big, but you know that it has been measured correctly for weight loss purposes.

Following the serving sizes on food labels can tell you how many calories there are per serve. Another good way to roughly judge portion size is, for example, if you are making chicken noodle soup from a packet, the nutrition label will state how many servings there is in one packet and how many calories per serve.

I personally don't weigh food, I simply judge the amount and roughly calculate the calories contained in my head. This way I feel confident that I stay to a good portion size to ensure weight loss.

If you do go and eat say McDonalds, or some other fast food type thing, make sure you order the smallest serving size, not the large size. Those fries will contain enough calories and fat on their own to ruin your daily allowance.

Another kilo lost this past week confirms that counting calories is certainly a good way to lose that flab I carried around for a few years.

Todays weigh-in shows the scales at 87 kilos or 13 stone 12 pounds. Down 1 kilo or 2 pounds from last week. Another good result and a plus for eating healthy food and sticking to around 1500 calories per day. At this rate I will meet my mini goal of being under 85 kilos by the 1st of December easily.

Just a few observations for the week.

Whenever I feel hungry, having a drink of water seems to satisfy the hungry feeling. I have read that sometimes you might feel hungry but what you are is actually dehydrated. Drinking water is a good thing anyway as most of us do not drink enough water.

I seem to be able to eat all the vegetables I want and still lose weight. I have large servings some nights of stir fry vegetables, certainly more than an average serve and this satisfies me for a few days.

I caught my wife looking at me in a way she hasn't for a long time. Could be some romantic weekends coming up if I lose a few more kilos!

Wow, this week seems to have flown since I made the last entry to the blog on Monday. Here it is Friday already and the weekend is looming large.

I have kept busy this week and think I could be on the verge of a big weight loss figure at the next weigh in. I feel so good and even like to see that reflection in the shops windows when I go out. I hated it once; it seemed that I was looking at someone else.

Short, fat and ugly, that was the person who was in the mirror. I'll never be tall or handsome either for that matter, but I can do something about the fat part, so goodbye to that forever, I am learning to control my weight and will now make that a lifetime commitment.

It's a choice we all make. Do we want to live a better, healthier life or go around hating who we see looking back at us in the shop windows? I have made a choice that the short, fat, ugly person looking at me is going to be gone forever.

This week I lost 1 kilo. Today I weight 86 kilos or 189 pounds. I like it. :-)

I really haven't exercised as much as I normally do this week. Apart from playing golf twice, I didn't go on any long walks for various reasons and look forward to getting back on the track for this week. I did go to the beach Saturday, walked the length, climbed a steep hill to a lookout and walked back to the car, but I was taking photos so didn't actually notice the walk at all. Even going up to the lookout was easy and I wasn't puffing at the top, so don't count it as exercise as such.

The main thing is, I kept counting those calories and kept them around 1500 per day, which makes me lose weight.

It is amazing how good I feel. Everyday I seem to be able to do something with ease that required effort just a month or two ago. Tying my shoelaces, stepping into pants, walking up stairs, all have become so easy. Just little things, even getting in and out of a chair is that much easier.

I certainly will hit my mini goal of being below 85 kilos by the first of December and my overall goal of 75 kilos by June next year is certainly reachable earlier than that. I almost need to go and buy some new clothes as my pants are getting a bit baggy. I just might wait until another few kilos are gone yet as I won't want them for long. I will lose more weight yet.

Just some thoughts:
I don't miss sweet things anymore, in fact I see them as terrible things to eat. There is no way would I be tempted to have sweets, chocolates or soda drinks that are not sugar free.

The more vegetables and salad I eat, the better they taste. I know that I am eating them for my health. By losing weight I am becoming healthier and putting less risk into having a stroke, heart attack or getting diabetes.

Losing weight is the best thing I can ever do for myself. Not losing weight was the most selfish thing, because if I died early, it would be the people that love me that I would hurt. Would your parents, partner or children miss you if you die before your time? If you are obese, your chances of dying young are high.

How are you going? Have you done anything towards becoming a new, slimmer and sexier person yet? It's really all in the mind. If you make your mind up to lose weight, you can.

There is an old saying:
If you think you can, you’re right. If you think you can't, you’re right.

Think positive, think you can, and look forward to losing kilos. You can do it if you set your mind.

I went shopping with my wife yesterday because her clothes were getting too baggy. She was all excited, yet didn't want to buy too many clothes because she knows that there is more weight to come off yet.

I loved the way she tackled the clothes shopping. She would try something on and come out of the fitting room flushed with satisfaction that she was fitting into clothes a full 2 sizes down from when she last went clothes shopping. And I must say that she is looking fantastic.

I asked her how she feels and the answer surprised me somewhat. I thought I would get the reply about how good it is and how great it feels to be fitting into clothes that much smaller. She answered that she felt somewhat disappointed in herself for allowing so much weight to go on. She said that she must have really forgot that looking good means feeling good about yourself. And if you really felt good about yourself, you would never allow yourself to get so fat and lazy in the first place.

She has a good point there. For many men and women, we allow ourselves to put on weight because we don't think about the consequences of our lifestyle choices. We make excuses that we are busy, the kids come first, oh you know... you probably have made a few excuses that I won't even think of. We eat the wrong things, too much of everything and get lazy.

The big thing is, if we really cared about ourselves and those that love us, we would never allow ourselves to look so fat and ugly in the first place. (I am speaking for myself here!) We owe it to our partners, our children, our family, to look as good as we can. I don't want my children to be embarrassed being out in public with me. I don't want to be known as the short fat man who is so and so's father. I know my children and my wife love me, but I want them to be proud to be with me in public.

First you should lose weight for yourself. This selfish act can give your loved ones so much enjoyment also.