Day 11 - Brownieville

I do not consider it a setback that I had brownies and milk last night. I treated my self and am still in beast mode.

5:47am 🎥

I can't wait to peel away all that fat

10:47am - Sandwhices for brunch!

Day 10 - Step Up

Come on people I'm doing my part now do yours!  Tell me how I look!

6:38 - Switched to turkey bacon (Yup!)

8:38am - And the people spoke...

#Cyn

#Phil B

10:59pm - All I have is each day

Day 9

I know this is going to be a very long journey and there will be times where I feel like I may not be able to do it. especially because I've tried so many things in the past you have not been able to follow through.

but I have faith in myself

Day 8 - The Process

For 4 weeks just do the process and let the chips start falling

6:50am - Step right up, step right uuup. Let me know if you like what you see, folks! Don't be shy, step right up, step right uuuup!

6:55am -  Wow.  I mean I'm not surprised but Jesus this is why there was only minimal movement during my heavy fitness stretch last year.  Blew the diet almost daily, yo!

3:02 I love my family. The deserve to see me right. Focus man, do yourself a solid.

4:59pm - Yes, I want liquor but..

5:22pm Redshirt

test

Workouts

I

Thursday  9/12/13 - first 5am workout

My Runs

10/28/08 - 2

2/4/09 - 2 (245)

4/21/09 - 1 mile

4-22/09 - 1.25

11/30/09 - 2

1/2/10 - 2 (246)

11/4/10 - 1 mi (clearly trying to get back in it)

3/2/11 - 1.25

5/2/11 1.5

5/29/11 - 2 mi

6/4/11 - 2 (247)

Day 7 - Health

Obesity

Obesity contributes to numerous and varied comorbid conditions. Complications can occur in many organ systems, ranging from cardiovascular to respiratory to orthopedic and even ophthalmologic. Overweight and obesity are known risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and other breathing problems, and some cancers (uterine, breast, colorectal, kidney, and gallbladder). In addition, obesity is associated with pregnancy complications, high blood cholesterol, menstrual irregularities, psychological disorders, and increased surgical risk. Social discrimination against obese persons has a strong negative effect on their quality of life.








Visceral Fat




Visceral fat, or abdominal fat, is a type of body fat that exists in the abdomen and surrounds the internal organs. Everyone has some, especially those who are sedentary, chronically stressed, or maintain unhealthy diets. A different type of fat — subcutaneous fat — which builds up under the skin, has less of a negative impact on health and is easier to lose than visceral fat. In fact, excessive deposits of visceral fat are associated with many serious health problems including cardiovascular disease, types 2 diabetes, and increased blood pressure. Though it is possible to lose, it requires a larger commitment than spot exercises, like sit ups or crunches; a combination of cardiovascular activity and a lean diet is typically required.







Causes of Development


People gain abdominal fat for a variety of reasons, including eating lots of high fat or high sugar foods, and maintaining an inactive lifestyle. Not exercising for long periods of time often leads to a cumulative effect in which people gain more abdominal fat quicker over time, but a little exercise can greatly inhibit its development. Lifestyle factors, like not getting enough sleep or being stressed also increase the chances of developing this type of fat. Some studies show that people who routinely experience discrimination or harassment are prone to develop deposits of this fat.





Diabetes



What is It?


Type 2 diabetes, once known as adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar (glucose), your body's important source of fuel.

With type 2 diabetes, your body either resists the effects of insulin — a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into your cells — or doesn't produce enough insulin to maintain a normal glucose level.




Nerve Damage


Diabetic neuropathy is a nerve disorder caused by diabetes. Symptoms of neuropathy include numbness and sometimes pain in the hands, feet, or legs. Nerve damage caused by diabetes can also lead to problems with internal organs such as the digestive tract, heart, and sexual organs, causing indigestion, diarrhea or constipation, dizziness, bladder infections, and impotence. In some cases, neuropathy can flare up suddenly, causing weakness and weight loss. Depression may follow. While some treatments are available, a great deal of research is still needed to understand how diabetes affects the nerves and to find more effective treatments for this complication.










Kidney Failure



Obesity contributes to numerous and varied comorbid conditions. Complications can occur in many organ systems, ranging from cardiovascular to respiratory to orthopedic and even ophthalmologic. Overweight and obesity are known risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and other breathing problems, and some cancers (uterine, breast, colorectal, kidney, and gallbladder). In addition, obesity is associated with pregnancy complications, high blood cholesterol, menstrual irregularities, psychological disorders, and increased surgical risk. Social discrimination against obese persons has a strong negative effect on their quality of life.








What Is Diabetic Nephropathy?


Diabetic nephropathy -- kidney disease that results from diabetes -- is the number one cause of kidney failure. Almost a third of people with diabetes develop diabetic nephropathy.


People with diabetes and kidney disease do worse overall than people with kidney disease alone. This is because people with diabetes tend to have other long-standing medical conditions, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and blood vessel disease (atherosclerosis). People with diabetes also are more likely to have other kidney-related problems, such as bladder infections and nerve damage to the bladder.


Kidney disease in type 1 diabetes is slightly different than in type 2 diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, kidney disease rarely begins in the first 10 years after diagnosis of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, some patients already have kidney disease by the time they are diagnosed with diabetes.


What Are the Symptoms of Diabetic Nephropathy?


There are often no symptoms with early diabetic nephropathy. As the kidney function worsens, symptoms may include:
Swelling of the hands, feet, and face
Trouble sleeping or concentrating
Poor appetite
Nausea
Weakness
Itching (end-stage kidney disease) and extremely dry skin
Drowsiness (end-stage kidney disease)
Abnormalities in the hearts' regular rhythm, because of increased potassium in the blood
Muscle twitching


As kidney damage progresses, your kidneys cannot remove the waste from your blood. The waste then builds up in your body and can reach poisonous levels, a condition known as uremia. People with uremia are often confused or comatose.


How Is Diabetic Nephropathy Diagnosed?


Kidney damage can be detected early by finding protein in the urine. Treatments are available that can help slow progression to kidney failure. That's why you should have your urine tested every year if you have diabetes.


How Is Diabetic Nephropathy Treated?


Lowering blood pressure and maintaining blood sugar control are absolutely necessary to slow the progression of diabetic nephropathy. Some medicines called angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors can help slow down the progression of kidney damage. Although ACE inhibitors -- including ramipril (Altace), quinapril (Accupril) , and lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril) -- are usually used to treat high blood pressure and other medical problems, they are often given to people with diabetes to prevent complications, even if their blood pressure is normal.


If a person has side effects from taking ACE inhibitors, another class of drugs called angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) can often be given instead.


If not treated, the kidneys will continue to fail and larger amounts of proteins can be detected in the urine. Advanced kidney failure requires treatment with dialysis or a kidney transplant.




Sleep Apnea



Why does sleep apnea happen? Much of the reason is a structural problem. In many instances, the soft tissues of the lower throat and neck are being pulled by gravity while the patient is laying flat. As the tissues are pulled down, the airway gets smaller. They may snore or they may be very restless during sleep. Their partner may notice that breathing stops during sleep, and their body jerks them awake.


Sleep apnea is actually linked to several chronic diseases [Source: Goldman]. An obvious problem that comes from poor sleep is fatigue. This can become dangerous in situations such as driving. Unfortunately, sleep medicines don't offer a cure. Many people with resistant high blood pressure suffer from sleep apnea. Some might try three to four medicines before diagnosing sleep apnea as the problem. This condition is also related to other heart conditions such as coronary artery disease, irregular heartbeats and even stroke [Source: Connolly]. Sleep apnea may also play a significant role in mood and anxiety. Poor sleep will really effect every aspect of life, including one’s vitality and general outlook. It's also easy to see how patients can become anxious since the body is constantly trying to keep the body breathing; a process that should not require much effort. Even loss of sex drive may be linked to sleep apnea.


Another major issue with sleep apnea is weight gain, and the near inability to lose weight. Patients often have very little energy to actually go exercise. This becomes a vicious cycle leading to more fatigue, greater weight gain and worsening sleep apnea. Being overweight may predispose a patient to sleep apnea. Large, thick necks may aggravate the problem, as can extra weight around the mid section of the body.


Sleep apnea is diagnosed by the patient’s symptoms (or by the symptoms described by the partner) and by a sleep study test. A sleep study is done in a hospital setting using monitors that can detect the number of apneic episodes that occur. The sleep study can also follow the depth of the patient’s sleep and can determine possible treatments that might be helpful.









Arteries


Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood rich in oxygen throughout your body. They go to your brain as well as to the tips of your toes. Healthy arteries have smooth inner walls and blood flows through them easily. Some people, however, develop clogged arteries. Clogged arteries result from a buildup of a substance called plaque on the inner walls of the arteries. Arterial plaque can reduce blood flow or, in some instances, block it altogether.


Clogged arteries greatly increase the likelihood of heart attack, stroke, and even death. Because of these dangers, it is important to be aware, no matter how old you are, of the causes of artery plaque and treatment strategies to prevent serious consequences.


What causes arterial plaque?


Plaque that accumulates on the inner walls of your arteries is made from various substances that circulate in your blood. These include calcium, fat, cholesterol, cellular waste, and fibrin, a material involved in blood clotting. In response to plaque buildup, cells in your artery walls multiply and secrete additional substances that can worsen the state of clogged arteries.


As plaque deposits grow, a condition called atherosclerosis results. This condition causes the arteries to narrow and harden.


Although experts don’t know for sure what starts atherosclerosis, the process seems to stem from damage to the arterial wall. This damage, which enables the deposition of plaque, may result from:
High ''bad'' cholesterol and low ''good'' cholesterol. High levels of ''bad'' cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL), are major contributors to arterial plaque formation. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Everyone also has ''good'' cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL), circulating in the blood. HDL is believed to remove some of the bad cholesterol from plaque in clogged arteries and transport it back to the liver, where it is eliminated.
High blood pressure . Having high blood pressure increases the rate at which arterial plaque builds up. It also hastens the hardening of clogged arteries.
Cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke seems to increase the rate of atherosclerosis in the arteries of the heart, legs, and the aorta -- the largest artery in the body.
Diabetes, or elevated circulating blood sugaris also a major culprit. Even people who have elevated sugars not yet at the level of diabetes, such as seen in the metabolic syndrome, also have increased risk of plaque formation.







Plaque often starts to develop during the childhood or teenage years. Then clogged arteries develop in middle age or later.

Day 6 - The Weekend

Good morning, Joe

this is a great opportunity to be same and manage my weekends differently than I have before. Because quite honestly the weekends I want typically set me back.

7: 42am -  Off to the gym

2:05pm - Choices

4:41pm  -   Roadmap

Here is what needs to be done:

• By May 23 -  4 weeks of  "the plan" and I should be around 257lbs
• By June 27 - I should be at 240 lbs with my metabolism, diet, habits kicked in
• By August 1 - 220lbs
• You know the rest
• 217
• 215
• 210
• 205
• 200
• 185

Day 5 - Move The Needle (272)

There. We lost some weight.

Now lets cross over into the 60's

5:45am - Work hard

3:57pm - So I can confirm 100% that some of my erection problems are due to stress and mood. Because here I am still as happy as it ever been but I'm also as lively as I've ever been down there. I just need to repair my nerves so I can be harder and lose all of this belly fat so I can be closer to it

5:07pm - Tony's! Funny how it works - my mind is right so I have ZERO temptation being here! Having ribs instead of Calzone.

8:07pm - Shave

Day 4 - Zone

One thing I've always said during this battle, during this journey is that God willing as long as I wake up another day I have that opportunity to change. You hope that you do it earlier in life but again plenty of examples out there show that it's never too late to change. The point was that is that this is only my second day of waking up at 4 AM to go to the gym but I feel like it's a habit I woke up actually at 4:20 because my alarm didn't go off but I knew that I had to get there. last night I used discipline and went to bed at 9 o'clock and that's what helped me get up this morning so good job to me!

I just want to feel that "difference"

Sparkpeople blog for 2012
It's all about trackability

6:04am -

4:07pm - not tempted today #mindisright

5:30pm - Good food, ya?

Day 3 - Told Me

Last night I was in bed at 9 PM and I dreamt of this moment

5:30am - think like 185lbs

7:08am - My feet tingle - not a good sign but I am having a good overall start. Looking for that change

11:52am - Feedmyself right

5:36pm Cook Right please

Day 2 - Weight

so yesterday was a very very reflective day. I spent a lot of time trying to live in the past but find some source of inspiration based on what I've done before that worked out successfully.

i've got a very long way to go but what I really need is that spark that spark to get me going that sparked the keeps things exciting the beginning of people talking about my progress and I think I found it.

less than 10 pounds. I may have dropped a few more than that but really that's all it took was a 10 pound weight loss for me to take some pictures and rejoice and people notice of my clothes fit better. and because of gained so much weight over the last year when I get back down to this weight 254 pounds people are going to absolutely freak out.

today I need to kickstart it was some low carb.

6:37 am  - I really feel like I am going blind.  Need to get my eyesight back


8:38am -    Blindness, Kidney damage, Stroke, Heart Attack, Impotence, Lose of Limbs

Not sure why those things are not as motivating to me as they should be.  I do look forward to rectifying them

So one of the big changes I need to make is learning how to stay in control when having "fun."  Wife just said we should do somehting fun this weekend and in my mind that always means

• Drinking
• Eating
• "Starting over Monday (the 1st, etc)

No carb means no carb 

5:51pm - Yes to bad

Carl's Jr dinner w/soda😁
Choices

7:51pm - are used to lay in bed and dream of being at the gym the next morning I was so focused

Day 1 - Ready (276)

The last 2 weeks have been wild.  They have contributed to this whirlwind of a year (it's only April!) but there have been elements of debauchery that are tought to get past.

Drinking, eating, drinking, eating....


But I'm ready.

I'm ready to get to where I haven't been able to go. The struggle has been real since 1995.  So many failures that what would it look like if I erased it all?   THIS YEAR!

Current:
Blood Sugar: 187
Waist: 50"
BF: 32.77%
Weight: 276lbs

Goals
Blood Sugar: 109
Waist: 32"
BF: 15%
Weight: 185lbs


7:09am -  I want people to freak out when they see me.  That feeling where everyone is commenting so you know just KNOW other people are going to chime in at any moment

8:21am -  So interesting.  I'm very overweight, damaged nerves and all of that but yet I am very "lively" down there.  Morning woods on the regular.  So that is very very encouraging but would love to know why.  Eliminating everything else...it has to be STRESS related.  It is minimal in my life at the moment (knock on wood)

9:11am -  Get back to the old gym rate exercises -  lungers, turkish getups, kettle betl, jump rope, jumping jacks, etc

 Tabata


10:13am -  I need to actually track and review my nutrition progress




11:26am  - all those fat jokes, boyeeee.  Oh man, it's on.   I can feel my stomach hanging over the belt, it really is unhealthy and grotesque.  I am damn near blind from the diabetes

11:54am -  Learn to eat right and log it all -  no starting over until the next clean day - that's insane!


Food Journal



12:30pm  -  flashback!  Skinny as shit but still fat! #perspective

12:56pm - wow

109 weeks ago

12/18/13