Walking Away From It All!

That's it!  I'm walking away from it all!

No, I'm not giving up on my weight loss efforts.  I'm walking away... from my former self.  Not figuratively... literally.

About a month and a half ago, I started taking daily (or almost daily) walks around my neighborhood or in the middle of the day at work.  It started as small walks, but now I walk about 2.5 miles a day.  This has significantly helped with my weight loss.  So quite literally, I'm walking away from it all.

My daily walks have had some unintended results as well.  It seems to have significantly impacted my sleep cycle and how I wake up... for the better!  Starting a few weeks after beginning my walking routine, I started to wake up earlier and earlier.  I've never been an early riser in my life and now I find myself willfully waking up at 6:00 am.  I sleep much better now and I don't need to keep hitting the snooze button.

I've also never been one to be excited about exercise, but that has also changed.  I now find myself excited to take my daily walk.  It gives me a chance to think, relax and slow down.  Perhaps it's fatherhood.  Perhaps it's middle age.  But it has become one of the favorite parts of my day!

Kicking the Brown Dragon....

Hi, my name is Charles and I have a problem...

I have an addiction to diet soda.  I would drink it liters at a time from waking up to going to sleep.  I couldn't imagine a meal without it.  It was a habit that I didn't believe I could kick, but things change.

Last December, I gave it up cold turkey and haven't been drinking it since (with a minor exception for an alcoholic drink mixer on occasion, because I can't stand the regular soda).  I stopped drinking diet soda and replaced it with drinking water and a 50/50 mix of 100% fruit juice and seltzer.  I noticed the changes quite quickly.  I felt much better overall.  I had more energy.  As a big surprise, I didn't feel as hungry.  There was definitely something in diet soda that made me eat more.  It is now much easier to regulate my hunger and eat at a more regular pace.  In addition, I sleep much better now without all the caffeine.

I'm not going to delve into the science of why it's bad.  There are many different studies that have identified significant issues with drinking this stuff.  The bottom line is it's real bad stuff and I'm glad I don't drink it anymore.

I've learned that commercially produced "diet food" is perhaps the worst thing you can eat for a healthy life style.  Most of the time it's filled with horrible additives, which confuse your body and cause you to eat more.  If you're looking to lose weight, I recommend eating "real" food that is healthy, limit your portions and getting more activity.

Using Social Media for Accountability and Encouragement

For those of you who are friends of mine on Facebook, you will have noticed that I use social media extensively to track my health progress.  I post my weekly weight loss (or gain), when I'm excited (or dismayed) about my exercises, foods that I enjoy that are healthy, and even some of my vital stats (for example blood sugar) from doctor's visits.

Why do I do this?  Two reasons; accountability and encouragement.  First, by posting regularly and seeing that other people are following my journey, it makes me more accountable.  It's very easy to lie to yourself, but very difficult to lie to hundreds of your friends.  Second, hearing positive feedback from my friends gives me a lot of encouragement.  I'm always stunned to see the number of friends that "like" my weekly updates and leave great comments.  My friends also share their own experiences, which makes me feel that I'm not alone in my journey to better health.  To my friends out there who have given me some great feedback in the past, I thank you!

This blog is also another example of social media that I use.  I've been happy to see that it has helped.  Since I started the blog in April of 2014, I have lost more than 20 lbs.  I took a look at my post history and I saw that I mostly posted from April 2014 to June 2014 and then again recently for the past two months.  It's no accident that my greatest losses were during the same time that I was posting to the blog (as you can see below).  Accountability and encouragement works!

Six Months to Berlin

Today is March 20th.  We are scheduled to leave for Berlin on September 20th.  That means that we're exactly six months away from the trip.  Time to take stock.

I have lost 48.8 lbs of my 100 lbs so far, which leaves me 51.2 more to go.  At 26 weeks away, I will need to average 1.97 lbs a week until we leave to reach my goal.  This is a healthy and realistic average for weight loss.  What makes this even more realistic is that we're approaching the spring and summer months, when my activity jumps up and it's the start of grilling season.  These two aspects of the warmer months makes it much easier for me to lose weight quickly.

Here's to the next six months!

Staying on Track while Sick

One of my biggest difficulties has been staying on track with my healthy eating while feeling ill.  When my normal routine gets disrupted by being bed-bound and not working, it has been far easier in the past to simply order some fast food and not track.  Since the progression from sick to well is not a sharp transition, this has always been a problem for me to start eating well again, because it was far easier to keep eating badly.  Essentially, being sick has been a traditional point where I would typically fall off the wagon.

Unfortunately, I found myself in a situation again where I am not feeling well.  On Tuesday, I started to come down with a head cold and sore throat.  Today, I have lost my voice.

Fortunately, I haven't fallen into old habits this time by pushing my Weight Watchers tracker to the side and eating what was easiest.  Instead, I recognized this bad habit and continued to eat fruits and vegetables, while tracking all items that I ate.

The big lesson here is that it is important to recognize and visualize past difficulties in order to change those behaviors and make new routines.

As an additional note, I'm spending this morning watching European travel videos, which is a good reminder of my ultimate goal - 100 Pounds to Berlin.

Not Just Berlin Anymore...

Another update to the plans surrounding this blog is our travel itinerary, as well as who is taking the trip.  In addition to my wife and daughter, my mother will be coming with us for the entire time and my brother will be flying in during the middle of the trip for two weeks.  Instead of traveling only to Berlin, we're planning on traveling a little more extensively.  Here is a breakdown of our upcoming travel plans.

Berlin

We're flying into Berlin via New York and staying there for a little less than three weeks.  We're renting a nice apartment in Pankow through AirBnb (I'll have a post about AirBnb coming up).  My brother will be arriving our last week there.

Paris

In the middle of our time in Berlin, we will be flying to Paris for two evenings.  We're renting an apartment in the 10th ARR near the République Metro Station.

Prague

After Berlin, we will take a train to Prague and stay there for a week.

Munich

After Prague, we will take a train to Munich and stay there for a week.  In the middle of this stay, we may take a day trip to Austria.  At the end of this stay, we will fly from Munich, back to New York.

Long Overdue Status Update

It's been awhile since I last posted to this blog and I've got a lot of catching up to do.  I fell off the blogging wagon mainly because of being so busy with the birth of my daughter, Clara, last July.

With her now approaching eight months old, life has now started to even out and I've been focusing on my weight loss again.  Luckily, I didn't fall to much off track during her first half year and I didn't gain weight since then.  Now that I have a bit more time and freedom, I plan on updating this blog frequently with my progress to 100 pounds to Berlin.

Errrr.. Well, my goal has changed a bit.  Instead of waiting until I lose the hundred pounds before planning the trip, I'm hoping to hit the hundred pound mark by the time we leave for Berlin.  Due to several factors, we decided to plan the trip for this coming fall, so I have until Sept 21 to hit my goal.  I believe this is very possible.  Wish me luck and follow my progress.  Let the adventures begin!

Meine Lieblingsstadt... My Favorite City

I came across this great stop-motion video of various sites in Berlin today.  It's a fantastic look at all the wonderful places that Berlin has to offer throughout the course of a single day.  This video captures the energy, life, colors, and vitality of this amazing city!

With about forty-five more pounds to go, videos like this help me to focus and keep me on track.

Getting back on the bike... literally

Although I have tons to write about in this blog with being a new dad and how life with a newborn has affected my weight loss effort (surprisingly its been really positive), I wanted to take a moment and make mention of a personal success that happened today.

After several years of collecting dust, I got my bicycle up and running.  This entailed a little minor maintenance, which was luckily simple.  After a full day of work, I went for a short ride around Middletown.  Altogether it was a short, flat 1.23 mile ride, it was a lot of fun and only moderately difficult.  This non-scale victory will have a resonant effect, because it is not only a great milestone, it also opens a fantastic type of activity that I enjoy and fuels my thirst for adventure.

This was a big milestone for me.  Two years ago (and 50 pounds more), this wasn't possible.  I had gotten so big that it was unsafe to ride my bike and I couldn't stay upright.  In addition, my knees hurt so bad that peddling was extremely painful.  Today, this wasn't a problem!  I'm hoping that at this time next year, I'll be riding a bike in Berlin!  

The important part about falling off the wagon is... getting back on again

This blog isn't just about reporting and celebrating my successes.  It's also about being truthful about my mistakes, so that others may profit from my journey.

The past two weeks have been difficult.  Things have been busy at work and I had some major events that I was coordinating that required significant attention.  Additionally, preparation for the coming baby and another major responsibility that I'm not at liberty to discuss have weighed heavy on my mind.  These bumps in the road caused me to fail off the wagon a bit with my weight loss efforts.  I missed my last two Weight Watchers meetings and I haven't been tracking.

This journey isn't about being perfect and it isn't about beating yourself up for past mistakes.  In a Weight Watchers meeting a few months ago, I heard from a fellow member "Turn your setback into a comeback" and that is what I intend to do with this latest deviation.

My plan is to reboot and to once again focus on tracking and boasting my activity.  In addition, I will specifically schedule my next Weight Watchers meeting for next Saturday.  I'll keep you posted!

Monbijoutheater - A cool place I want to visit

Lately, whenever I feel like my weight loss resolve is being compromised or I need a boast to keep me going, I do some virtual sight-seeing to remind me what I am working towards.  For me, Berlin isn't just a place to take a vacation.  It represents adventure and the freedom to have new experiences.  This is also a big part of my motivation to loss weight.  Nothing fuels me more than imagining myself 100 lbs lighter, being able to roam and explore this city rich in history, meeting new people and experiencing a multitude of cultural events.  It may sound odd, but it works for me.

Yesterday, while I was doing my virtual sight-seeing, I came across the Monbijoutheater.  This open amphitheater is located on the eastern bank of the Spree River across from Museum Island in the Mitte District of Berlin.  This is essentially the very heart of Berlin in an area filled with museums, boat tours along the Spree, fantastic restaurants and beach parties complete with sand on the river.

The design of the theater has the look of a Elizabethan playhouse complete with wooden benches and open timber.   The performances range from concerts to Shakespearian plays.  In fact they are performing Ein Sommernachtstraum (A Midsummer Night's Dream) this July.   The entire venue is in the shadow of the Bode Museum at the tip of Museum Island.  It looks incredible and I'm looking forward to attending a show there when I hit my 100 lbs mark!

Half way to Berlin! - Two milestones in one week

Last Saturday, I had my weekly weigh-in and I came in at 299.8 lbs.  This marks a double milestone.  First, I crossed the 300 lbs mark.  Second, this weigh-in puts me at a 50.8 total lbs lost.  That is over half way to my goal of 100 lbs and puts me half way to going to Berlin!

Sometimes I like to picture my success in physical terms.  I imagine the distance I have traveled between here and Berlin on a map relative to the amount of weight that I have lost.  Since I am now at the half point, I used a website called "Let's Meet in the Middle" to show me where exactly that is.  The map below shows that I am currently in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean just past Greenland.

The first time I went through Weight Watcher, I hit this same 50 lbs mark and received a success token.  Because I rebooted my weight loss after gaining it all back, I regained this success token this week.  It's nice to feel that I've truly earned this reward again.

The Power of the Anchor

Last week at our weekly Weight Watchers meeting, we talked about anchors.  Not the heavy, iron kind.  An anchor is a reminder that helps you stay grounded and focused on your goals.  This object could be real or in your imagination.  As long as you can turn to it in your time of need.

Included in our weekly bulletin was a series of questions to help guide a member through selecting and using their anchor.  I decided to take the opportunity to make a blog post where I responded to these questions.  Here we go..... (my responses are underlined)


What's you trouble spot?  Think of a situation where you typically struggle to avoid overeating.  It could be dining out with friends, the weekly lunch meeting at work, or when you're stress or upset.

My trouble spot is when I am at work and things are very hectic, but I have not planned ahead and packed good options for the day.

How do you want to feel in that situation?  Confident?  In control of your choices?  Determined to succeed?

I want to feel calm and not stressed.  When I'm stressed or short on time, I simply grab something quickly.  If I'm calm and collected, I can think of ways to make better choices.

Now conjure up a past time when you had those positive feelings and you totally nailed it.  for instance you might have felt determination as you did your first 5K race.  Immerse yourself in that time: See what you saw, hear what you heard, and feel what you felt.

How I felt: I'm thinking back to my first year on weight watchers, specifically in the meetings that I attended.  I did very well during this time and lost almost 60 pounds.  I felt extremely confident and that I could face all the challenges ahead of me.  I saw the new possibilities available to me and heard the success stories of other members.

Now pick your anchor.  Anything that reminds you of that feeling - a gesture, word, or object - will work.  Perhaps the 5K medal you were awarded at the end of the race?

My anchor is my 33rd Degree Masonic ring.  This object reminds me of my hard work and brings me confidence.  It reminds me of new possibilities and of the successful brothers that I know.  It helps me to remember that I can overcome the challenges before me.

Make the positive connection: Look at your anchor (or think of it if it's not a physical thing) and call up those good feelings.  Keep doing it, and over time it'll become second nature.

How is this working for me:  Very well so far.  I always wear my ring, so it's always on me.  When I face a challenge that I need to face, I rub my ring between my fingers.  I have used it to fend off the wicked candy bowl that coworkers leave in the beak room and to fight the urge to pillage the snack cabinet in the office.

Finally, practice using it as defense!  Imagine the challenging situation, then wield your anchor - and focus on the feeling that helps you make good-for-you choices.  Rehearse often so anchoring is automatic and helpful.

Tips from members and my leader:  Make the anchor something visual that you can always turn to when you need it.  One member recommended her weight-loss chart on your WW phone app.

The past two weeks

The past two weeks have been a little packed and I haven't had a chance to write an update.  Although, I fell off the wagon of writing a positive thought publicly each day, I made it a point to focus on this internally, which was very successful.

As for my other goals, here's a quick look at how I did:

• Track my Weight Watchers PointsPlus each day. - Mostly successful.  I did have 2-3 days where I didn't track each day (because of the Memorial Day weekend and multiple events).  However, I still made good choices and didn't fall off the deep end with what I ate.
• Schedule a specific time to get activity every other day and keep to this schedule. - Successful.  I have continued walking almost ever day and have found specific times to go out and get active.
• No cigar smoking during the workday. - Mostly successful.  I have significantly decreased my cigar smoking, however I did have two days last week where I went out for one during the workday.  I'm going to refocus on this goal and attempt to scale back even more this week.
• 7000 steps per day - Successful.  I have been meeting this goal consistently and on days where I schedule extra activity, I can get into the 12,000-15,000 step range.  Unfortunately, my pedometer somehow reset itself and I lost all my data :(

These efforts continue to produce good results.  At my weigh-in on Sat. 5/24, I lost 1.6 lbs.  At my weight-in on Sat 5/31, I stayed the same, which isn't a bad result after a holiday weekend with several events.

Daily Positive Thought - Friday, May 23

"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity...."

 My daily positive thought today is about my brothers.  Not my brothers of blood, but my brothers of spirit.  Fourteen years ago, I became part of a worldwide brotherhood of men dedicated to the ideals of brotherly love, relief and truth.  As Freemasons, we understand that we are imperfect men, but that it is our quest for an unobtainable moral perfection which makes us good.

I can walk into an country or city on earth and find a brother who will greet me as family and in whom I can trust.  From these men, I gain incalculable strength and to these men, I dedicate my energies.  I am truly blessed to have joined in this fellowship.

Daily Positive Thought - Thursday, May 22

My daily positive thought today is about my great family.  I've been blessed with a wonderful and supportive family.  They are always there when I need them for support.

Within the next two months, my family is going to grow by one.  I'm looking forward to welcoming this new person into our family!

Daily Positive Thought - Wednesday, May 21

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. – Nelson Mandela"

My daily positive thought is to remind myself of the many times that I have had setbacks in life, but was able to pick myself up, dust myself off, and kept going.  I didn't let these failures stop me and I learned from them.

My character isn't measured by my successes, it's measured by how I faced my failures.

This week's goal - Recording Daily Positive Thoughts

I am not a positive person.  At best, I could be considered a realist, at worst, a pessimist.  I focus on the negative elements in life.  I've never been one to look on the sunny-side and just simply enjoy myself.

Thankfully, I have been blessed with a focused personality and I work hard to change the negativity around me.  My pessimism is masked by dedication, which leads a lot of people to think that I'm actually a positive person.  I do believe that with hard work, a person has a chance to change their situation, but overall I agree with Thomas Hobbes when he said, "the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."

Unfortunately, I've learned that this isn't the best outlook on life and doesn't help with my weight loss struggle.  Focusing on the negative can wear down your resolve and make your challenges difficult to overcome.

This week, I'd like to try to focus on the bright side of life by setting the following goal.  Each day, I'll write a short blog post that relates some positive element of my life that I am thankful for.

Like last week, I plan on keeping up with my past weekly goals in addition to this new goal:

• Track my Weight Watchers PointsPlus each day.
• Schedule a specific time to get activity every other day and keep to this schedule.
• No cigar smoking during the workday.
• 7000 steps per day

Weekly Weigh-In - Saturday, May 17th

I had another good week at the scale this week on Saturday!  I weighed-in at 3.6 lbs down for a total of 45.4 lbs.  It looks like my focus is continuing to pay off :)

"7000 Steps a Day" - Weekly Goal Wrapup

Last week, I set the goal of walking 7000 steps per day and recording it via my Pedometer.  I was not strictly successful in meeting this goal.  The main problem I had was that mid-week I became ill due to side effects with my new diabetes medication, Victoza (I'll write about that soon), which left me resting for a few days.

Although I did not meet my per day goal of walking 7000 steps, I did manage to average 8828 steps per day, which was over my daily goal.  This was mainly due to having a very active day on Sunday, when Illa, some friends and I went down to New York City and did a lot of walking.

Here's a breakdown of my daily progress:

Day	Steps	PointsPlus
Monday	10041	6
Tuesday	12195	7
Wednesday	222	0
Thursday	4994	2
Friday	3682	1
Saturday	6433	3
Sunday	24231	17
Total	61798	36
Average	8828	5

I also set the goal of sticking with my previous weekly goals.  Here's a recap on how they went.

• Track my Weight Watchers PointsPlus each day. - I tracked every day except for Wednesday when I was feeling very ill.  (Partial Pass)
• Schedule a specific time to get activity every other day and keep to this schedule.  - I set and kept activity on Monday, Tuesday and Sunday.  Unfortunately, being sick also made this difficult.  (Partial Pass)
• No cigar smoking during the workday. - I didn't have a single cigar during the workday all week (Pass)

Although I had a few bumps in the road this week, I tried to stick to my goals as well as I could.  I'm not going to let these hurdles stop my continued progress.  I found this quote today that should help me keep focused:

"The game has its ups and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals and you can't let yourself be beat because of lack of effort."  -  Michael Jordan