Geo - Eye's Wide Open 2012

[geo]

Day 58

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: mex veggies with corn and salsa
Banana
herbal tea
S: herbal tea
D: baked potato and sweet potato
orange

E: no exercise today. total steps for day - 2532
M: 10 mins

Felt better today. Ankle is not hurting quite so much. Still have to walk gently on it and taking 2 aspirin for the day. So overall better than expected. I may take a walk tomorrow just to see how it goes. I think its healing much quicker than expected...another McD side-effect?

Another person at work that I don't often see came up to me and commented that it looked like I was losing a lot of weight and was looking really good for it While its great hearing that, but its also embarrassing realizing how bad I looked and felt for so long before finally doing something about it. At least I'm one of the lucky ones that has learned

[geo]

Day 59

B: oatmeal and flax and cinnamon
2 cups herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: mixed veggies with salsa
herbal tea
banana
S: herbal tea
D: rice and mixed veggies with corn and salsa
orange

E: 52 mins of walking - 5877 steps. Total steps - 10156
M: 10 mins

Felt great today. My sprained ankle is significantly better. virtually no pain at all. So I did my walking routine and it was great! Made good time and had no pain. I even went grocery shopping today as well that helped me hit that 10000 step mark. Now we'll see if I regret it tomorrow

One tip about walking - walk after you eat, not before. Walking increased my appetite if I did it before eating. That made me hungrier and made me want to eat more. However walking after eating did not make me hungrier or want to eat more. In fact it seemed to help digestion and kept bloating down. So eat first, then do your exercise.

Today is 60 days I've been on strict MWL. I can say it hasn't been hard at all maintaining this woe. It beats the hell out of any diet that makes you count calories or carbs or points that's for sure. Weight loss has been tremendous to date - avg 3.4 lbs/wk. I've got plenty of energy and actually look forward to my walks. But really its the health changes that I've seen that have convinced me this is the proper way to eat. Just little things, like gerd is gone, aching joints are mostly gone, much higher energy levels, improved disposition/mental attitude, etc...and NO hunger. In fact most days I feel too full!

In another 30 days I will take some more blood work and we'll see if this woe has changed that as well...

[geo]

Day 60

B: nothing
L: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
D: baked potato and sweet potato with mixed veggies and salsa
Orange
S: apple

E: 47 mins - 5905 steps, total steps - 14402!
M: 10 mins

Felt great today. No pain in ankle at all. Actually felt so good doing my walk that I did it a second time, though did not time or record the steps. The second time around definitely made my legs tired and lower back a bit sore. But I did it with no problems I think 14,000+ steps in a day is pretty darn good. That should be around 7 miles or so. It was quite cold outside so that probably helped a lot. I prefer walking in the cold over heat.

I walked before breakfast and so that and some early morning shopping kept me from having any breakfast. But surprisingly I wasn't hungry at all. Had an early dinner and then a little snack later on to hold me over night. Slept well as usual. The rest of the day though my legs were really very tight due to all he walking.

[geo]

Day 61

B: Nothing
L: baked sweet potato and mixed veggies with salsa
orange
D: Baked potato and sweet potato
S: Apple

E: 10,573 steps - 92 mins. Total steps = 15,212
M: 10 mins

Was quite tight when I awoke, but that soon worked itself out. Decided to try for 10,000 steps in one go today. Now I know I can do it in about 90 mins of walking. I'll see if I can do that everyday now. Legs were tight afterward and some lower back soreness but otherwise felt great.

Started reading a book that MikkoL posted. Its really excellent at explaining the science (with many references) of eating very-low-fat vegan. He also seems to promote the GI and is supportive of some supplements but for a deeper understanding of the very low-fat vegan diet science its quite good. He also praises Pritikin, Ornish and Essy's diets as well. Haven't read enough to see if he mentions Dr McD, Furhman or Bernard:

Low-Fat, Low-Salt, Whole Food Vegan: Staying Lean and Healthy into Ripe Old Age, by Mark F. McCarty

http://www.nutriguard.com/eattolive.pdf

[geo]

Day 62 - week 9

Its been 8 weeks now and here are my numbers:

Weight: 224.8 down from: 228.0 started at: 261
BP: 125/81 up from: 121/75 started at: 153/92
Pulse: 52 down from: 53 started at: 88
BMI: 30.5 started at: 35.4

Down another 3.2 lbs this week. That a total of 36.2 lbs in 9 weeks or 4.02 lbs/week on avg. Still doing great, but slowing down in weight loss even with addition of walking exercise. BP is still up a bit and still having problems using my cuff. You really need a second person to tighten it up on your arm to make proper measurements. If its too lose it definitely screws up the readings. My pulse remains in the low 50's which is not at all unusual for me. And my BMI keeps dropping. I hope to be below 30 in 2 weeks and you know what that means!

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: mex veggies with corn and salsa
herbal tea
apple
S: herbal tea
D: 2 baked potatoes
orange

E: no walking today. 2373 total steps
M: 10 mins

Felt great today no soreness in legs/feet or back. But I could not take my walk as it rained all day long I've noticed that my wife has been eating more of my food lately, especially my sweet potatoes and my dau is eating a ton of frozen blueberries. She goes through a 3 lb bag in less than a week They are both still meat and junk food eaters but I think I'm starting to make an impression on them.

I got my dau a new bicycle. Its one of those mountain bikes. She loves it and bike riding in general. Now shes on me to get one for myself so I can ride around with her. I think she doesn't believe I can ride a bike. She doesn't realize that I used to ride a lot and had a custom made bike when I was in my twenties. But it has been almost 30 years since I've been on one. So maybe it is time to get one afterall

[geo]

Day 63

B: multi-grain hot cereal with flax and cinnamon
Herbal tea
L: 3 small baked potatoes and mixed veggies with salsa
banana
D: large baked potato and mex veggies with salsa
orange

E: 88 mins walking - 10,069 steps. total steps for day - 11692
M: 10 mins

Felt great and energetic. Was restless all day to go out and take my walk. Seems like my body wants it now. During my walk I felt very clear headed and seemed to go faster than normal (which my time indicates is true). I was less tired after I was done. But it only takes about 15 mins of sitting for the old muscles to let me know they were worked out good

I'm still debating on getting a bicycle to add additional variety to my exercise. I used to love riding when I was young and actually did a bit of bike touring in my 20's. But then stopped riding before I was 30 due to work and other interests. So I'm hesitant to buy an expensive bike today to just putter around on. Maybe one of those cheap mass-market bikes will let me get my feet wet again. I think I'll ask on the exercise forums...

[geo]

Day 64

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: mixed veggies with salsa
Banana
herbal tea
D: 5 small baked potatoes - 22 ozs worth of pure white russets, mmmmm
S: orange

E: no walking today. total steps - 2983
M: 10 mins

Good day but legs and lower back sore and tight. Expected from the walking I did yesterday. Unfortunately did not get a chance to walk today...family matters take precedence. I was itching to get out there but I didn't get home till after 9PM and really didn't want to walk in the dark or stay up that late. Oh well, tomorrow I should have no problems

The new bike I got my dau is already falling apart. I've had to adjust the brakes twice already and today a pedal fell off. <sigh> Its all easy enough to fix but I just hate shoddy workmanship. Oh well once I get all the loose bits tightened up it will hopefully last the next few years till she grows out of it.

Had 2 more people at work mention that it looked like I was losing weight One even asked me if it was purposeful or am I sick
I had to reassure them that I was quite healthy...we've had a rash of people with coronaries and diabetes lately in the office.

[geo]

Day 65

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups herbal tea
L: mex veggies with corn and salsa
banana
herbal tea
S: herbal tea
D: Fresh pineapple

E: 75 min walk - 8656 steps. Total steps - 11602
M: 10 mins

Great day, at least for most of it...typical day at work, not a lot of stress. However, it was hot today for the first time this year, ~90F and windy. So my walk was very difficult today and I way over exerted myself. I could barely get through my walk and when I got home I basically just collapsed on the couch. Dehydrated and probably suffering from too much heat and a bit of sun over-exposure. Oh well live and learn...

Since I have a great interest in CRON now I've started buying up a few of Dr Walford's books. They are all at least 10 yrs old but still contain a great deal of knowledge and wisdom on maximizing life extension. Something that I think MWL performed properly and strictly will accomplish.

And since I got them used, they were only a few dollars each (I buy most of my books today used). If I didn't I wouldnt be able to afford them all). If the books are priced right I get them for my Kindle. Which is what I did with his latest...by the way did anyone notice the kindle price of The Starch Solution jump up almost $3...what a racket book selling is.

And while I was at it, I went ahead and got DrM's early McDougall Plan and his 12 day book as well. I have all the rest of his popular books already. I got his earlier works so I could compare how much his diet has changed over the years. Just waiting for The Starch Solution in 5 more days

[geo]

Day 66

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
2 cups of herbal tea
S: herbal tea
L: steamed Chinese vegetables with steamed brown rice
S: banana
D: baked potato and sweet potato
orange

E: 89 mins walking - 10,298 steps. Total steps - 13989
M: 10 mins

Felt good today. A bit tight all over but back is better. This time I walked in 73F temps with a good bit of wind and it was comfortable. Had a pain in my upper back/shoulder that progressed through my walk but stopped after I was done and rested awhile.

I think its a posture issue as it comes and goes depending on what I'm doing. If I sit at my desk hunched over for a while it comes back. It seems to be stronger after I've walked for a few mins.

Went out too lunch today with my friend. I think he's finally seeing the light. He had the same lunch as me, thought it didn't look like he enjoyed it so much. He's seen the changes in me and really wants to change as well since he's T2D for past 2 years. 2 months ago Iwas probably 20 lbs heavier than him. Now I'm almost 30 lbs less...he continues to gain We'll see if I continue to rub off on him.

[geo]

Day 67

B: multi-grain hot cereal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
L: baked potato and sweet potato mex veggies with salsa
orange
D: 2 bakes potatoes
banana

E: 94 mins walking - 10,694 steps. Total steps for day - 12,505
M: 10 mins

Felt good. Had difficult time finishing walk today as I developed a qurter sized blister on the ball of my right foot yesterday. The pain was pretty bad and I probably should have stopped sooner. I was hobbling a bit by the time I finished my walk and the rest of the day was difficult walking. I'll probably need to take a few days off to let it heal <sigh>.

Went to the movies with wife and dau and saw "The Hunger Games". It was ok and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It was very difficult to sit for 2 hours and not have some popcorn and coke. I was fairly restless the whole movie as the food smells were pretty overwhelming. Next time I'll try to sneek in some baby carrots or something

Got another book also, Brain Power: Improve your mind as you age. Its all about the latest science on keeping your brain working in top form as you age. Just started it but seems to be really interesting.

[geo]

Day 68

B: oatmeal with flax and cinnamon
herbal tea
L: Baked potato and sweet potato with mixed veggies and salsa
orange
D: Baked potato and sweet potato with mex veggies and salsa
orange

E: 110 mins - 11002 steps. Total steps for day - 13780
M: 10 mins

Good day. Blister bothering me when I got up so I held off walking till noon. Wore extra thick socks and shoes with a lot more padding and walked fine. No pain from blister and no new blisters. It seemed to be healing very quickly. I don't know if I'm just imagining it but it does seem as if my body heals itself faster these days.

Limited my walk to 2.5 miles as I didn't want to aggravate the blister too much. Later that evening was bored and still felt good so I went and took another 3 mile walk instead of watching tv Felt good and strong with no pain in foot.

Spent a little time outside as well killing off weeds. Mixed up a batch of natural weed and grass killer (1 gallon vinegar, 1 cup salt, 2 TBS dish washing liquid) and sprayed the weeds in the flower beds and stuff growing in the cracks of the drive way and sidewalks. Went out and looked at them about 2 hours later and the weeds were definitely dieing off. So the mixture really works well and is kid safe.

[purplerain]

Thanks so much for keeping up your daily journal, I've just read through it with great interest. I am still just getting started and am learning so much from reading successful Mcdougallers food plans. I think I will feel better once the book comes out tomorrow and I can read all the details.
I wanted to ask about your salsa please. Do you make your own or buy it in. I've only ever had shop bought and I can't imagine it tasting very nice without all the olive oil, which gives the creamy texture. My main problem, so far, is food amounts and erratic eating times and I'm learning quickly that it's not good enough just to eat all MCD foods, some kind of more settled meal times and a certain restriction of amounts is going to have to be considdered. Thanks for giving me a lot to think about and keep writing!

[working at it]

After reading about your success with your pedometer, I got one too, and it really is great. Had been using one from 4-5 years ago that worked well, but it relied on a clip to stay in place, and it has come off while doing yard work. The old pedometer was also bulky. Anyway, this new one is inexpensive and easy to carry in a pocket. THANK YOU for the recommendation!

[geo]

Hi Purplerain! I generally buy store salsa. Most slasa doesn't have any oil at all in it. They generally are not much more than tomatoes (maybe tomato paste) some onions, jalapeno's and some spices/salt/pepper. The real issue with store salsa is they can be heavy on the salt so I try to get the lower sodium ones. But its really easy to make your own salsa and I have done that on occasion and will probably move in that direction soon simply because its easy and cheaper.

I don't restrict the amount I eat, but I stay 100% on plan with MWL. Over time I have settled into a fairly regular eating schedule but I'm never hungry. I eat to satisfaction. My bigger problem is getting over the fear of not eating enough. I know in the past when I got hungry, all self-control went out the window. So I'm constantly aware of not eating enough to be satisfied. Yet this woe is more than satisfying to me even though a lot of people tell me I'm not eating enough!

We each have to find what works best for ourselves and right now I'm having a great time eating this way and the weight is coming off as expected.

Good luck with your efforts and thanks for the comments!

[geo]

Hi Working at it! Your welcome! I really like the pedometer and keep it on me all the time now...kind of habit forming to pull it out and look at the number of steps I walk

Thanks for stopping by!