kingkeld's Journal, 02 April 2012

Good Monday Morning! :)

It’s the day before the day, and I gotta start preparing. Tomorrow is my meeting with the doctors regarding my skin removal surgery. This is when I should know whether I qualify for the surgery or not, and what the next steps hopefully are. I’m confident that I DO qualify – from what I can tell I have ticked all the boxes when it comes to rules and regulations. All I need is the evaluation from the doctor. I hope I can pass what ever requirements he/she goes after.

Tomorrow is also the day I consider my LAST real weight loss journey day. This is the day that I have been waiting for, eager to get to. This is the day where I want to be below my goal weight, in the normal weight range, qualifying, and mentally prepared and there.

Status today is that I am at my goal. This morning I weighed in at 76.7 kgs, 300 grams under the max for "normal weight". It’s a climb since Saturday’s 75.9, but I do think this was an extremely low weigh-in. I’m okay with being higher.

I will, however, try to push it down further for tomorrow’s weigh-in. I think it would be cool to finish strong, so I will do my best and use all the little tricks I have gathered, just to get a little lower than what I am this morning.

I doubt that I’ll be lower than 75.9, though. That’s a tough one to beat. I’d just like to be a little bit further away from 77, if at all possible.

I do think this is accomplishable.

This weekend went okay, I think, though I could have done better on a few things. I skipped my Saturday Indulgence Day, to not kick up my weight for Tuesday. I will have my Indulgence Day tomorrow instead, when I’m done at the hospital.

We went out to do some shopping, bought a chopper/grinder kitchen machine for Wife at 70% off, and just did a few things that needed to be done. It was a nice day, but too cold to really stay out all day. Of course, this means most of the day was spent at home, and that is where trouble is for me. We watch movies, and hang out, and I want snacks. Most of the urge was taken care of with protein bars, though, they were pretty satisfying, and I didn’t do too bad. I stayed within RDI on both Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday was much harder. We stayed in all day, and I did more protein bars. I did have a serving of ice cream, simply because it was gnawing at my mind. It was good, I enjoyed it thoroughly and I moved on afterwards. I also enjoyed a couple of cookies, keeping an eye on the calorie count to not exceed RDI. I did well.

Of course, I am UP a few hundred grams today. The question is, of course, if this is because of cookies and ice cream, or if this is because of the über-low weigh-in Saturday readjusting a little. Who knows, right?

My smart smart scale gives me great pointers (when it works right – I still get that ”Our of bounds” error constantly), and it tells me that my body fat percentage today is 6.1, and that my visceral fat (from why I understand, this is the fat around my intestines) is at 5, so it’s supposedly REALLY low. There is no way I can take more off this.

Which again begs the question: How much skin will be removed by the surgery, how much will it weigh (and, essentially, will I lose), and how will that affect both fat percentage but also the functionality of my scale? I hope it will make it read me more easily, so it can get back to normal.



My buddy Ryan75 asked a little while back what motivated me to get going efficiently on my weight loss journey this time around.

I don’t think I really have a real epiphany-story to tell, more simply a voice of reason within me that helped nudging me along.

I’ve tried out FatSecret twice before this time. First time was really half-assed. I downloaded the app for my phone – this is how I found FatSecret in the first place – and tried it out. I couldn’t get a grip on it, and let it go. It lasted less than a week.

Second time was a few months later, I think. I went for it full blast, like this time, but lasted about a month or so. I think I lost about 10 kgs, which really is good. I just didn’t have the motivation to go for it. I knew I needed it, but I didn’t feel that I needed it enough to actually do something.

Then I went to see my doctor. He asked me why I didn’t lose weight any longer, and I told him that it was tough when I was working night shifts (which I was – at the time. It was a different job I had back then). He just looked at me and said ”You know… all those reasons… they’re nothing more than excuses for you to not do it. What are you waiting for?”. Then he ordered blood samples to just check my general health, as planned.

I went back to see him a few weeks later, to hear about the checkup. He told me that he was very surprised to see that my colesterol numbers were fine, and that I did not have diabetes. He had be sure I had diabetes. And of course, he was a little concerned that I was on two types of blood pressure medication. He just left it at that.

I went home and thought about things. What hit me was that he was suprised that I didn’t have diabetes. It runs in my family, so there is a chance I can get it, maybe more than some other people.

I figured, that if I was to have diabetes, then I’d need to completely change my life style, eat right, lose weight. WITH diabetes. Then I realized, that if I did it NOW, then I could simply design my diet on my own, take it in my own pace, and do it WITHOUT diabetes.

Might as well get going, right?

Well, I re-installed the FatSecret app, got on the website and google and started reading, reading, reading. I wanted to learn. I wanted to find out what works. I wanted to do this right – and efficiently – from go.

I already knew that it was fairly easy to count calories using FatSecret, so this was my initial approach. I just wanted to learn more about how many calories, how low I could go without plateauing, how much water to drink, etc. – yes, I get REALLY nerdy about things when I dedicate.

So, I ended up realizing that did NOT have to live without the foods I really like. I did NOT have to say no to all the fun stuff. I just had to moderate and compensate. That’s all. I just had to not go overboard when it came to the goodies. This was accomplishable.

First week I lost 5 kgs! How’s that for efficiency! This of course motivated me to keep going. I essentially did this for about 9 months, losing a LOT of weight. Then in July 2011 I stalled, and had to find other ways. It turned out that I wasn’t eating enough calories! Who knew that would EVER be a problem? Right? :)

Anyways, I then got nerdy about it again, and the result is my Indulgence Diet. It works wonders for me, and I keep hearing from people who’s getting results with it too. Nice!

I’ve been doing the Indulgence Diet ever since, and it still works. I have changed my numbers around a little to not lose as much weight – since I’m done – but I use it to moderate my ways still. It’s a good way to keep in check.

So there. That’s my story, briefly.

….
Now, the next step is to slowly ween off counting calories, and get back to ”real life” outside FatSecret. I want to be able to NOT count every calorie I eat, but instead have a good idea of what I am eating and what I can allow myself to do. I’m half there already, I just need to handle letting go of the calculators. Nerds like me HATE this. :) It’s such a good tool, but I really don’t want to be a slave to it for the rest of my life.

My game plan on this is simply to let go after I have been under the knife and have recovered. This is when my ”real” weight will show, and this will be my starting point.

I will then allow myself a few kgs of ”overweight” to climb, but not more than 2 or 3. I will weigh in EVERY morning, to keep things on a short leash. If I reach my upper limit, I will have to get it back down to where I want it, either going back to counting calories, or – preferably – to simply do better, make wiser food choices and exercise more.

I can do this. It really shouldn’t be TOO hard.

Anyways, here’s me babbling.

Today I am thankful for:
- STILL being under 77 kgs.
- Having had a great weekend mostly at home and stayed under RDI.
- Easter coming up! 5 day weekend! (only working today and Wednesday this week. Nice!)
Have a great day, everyone. Tell someone that they look great today – and mean it! Life is good!
169.1 lb Lost so far: 172.6 lb.    Still to go: 0 lb.    Diet followed reasonably well.

Diet Calendar Entries for 02 April 2012:
814 kcal Fat: 20.73g | Prot: 73.51g | Carb: 78.65g.   Breakfast: Rye Bread, Egg. Lunch: Tuna in Water (Canned), garden salad, pita bread. Dinner: Salmon, Mixed Vegetables (Solids and Liquids, Canned). more...
3137 kcal Activities & Exercise: Bicycling (moderate) - 13/mph - 30 minutes, Standing - 8 hours and 30 minutes, Walking (moderate) - 3/mph - 30 minutes, Sleeping - 8 hours, Sitting - 6 hours and 30 minutes. more...
gaining 4.6 lb a week

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Comments 
Good Job King! I am glad you have a handle on the future. I am not sure I would give up your calculators, but perhaps. I do not know what I will do after the journey. Tracking food input is a key part of maintenance I think, and i am sure we will mentally keep track. Of course there will be days we indulge, and days we cut back. Good thing to think about. Any idea of the recovery time or how ambulatory you will be after surgery? When do you think the surgery will be? 
02 Apr 12 by member: posterchild66
JP, I do think that it's eventually NEEDED to let go. But it's a scary thing to do. I've been relying on these calculators for 18 months now, and being without them is honestly a little frightening. However, I do think the ultimate goal (other than losing weight) will have to be to live a normal life where we are aware of the foods around us, and what they do to us.  
02 Apr 12 by member: kingkeld
Regarding the surgery - I do not have a date yet, but I hope to get that ASAP. I belive that tomorrow is about qualifying, and then I suppose I will get a date afterwards. There is a general rule in Denmark - if they can't supply a needed surgery at a public hospital within 30 days, then you may (or may not) qualify for surgery at a private hospital at no cost for you. I gotta say, I kinda hope for this option. :) I know there will be some weeks of healing afterwards, but I have no real impression of how long this will take. This is something to ask tomorrow.  
02 Apr 12 by member: kingkeld
WOW. I will think good thoughts for the surgery. You are sooo inspirational! Everyone should read your journey because of your honesty with yourself and your clear understanding of a weight loss journey. Your writing is truly a gift--I always learn something and appreciate your input for me. I don't want to sound corny but you should write a book or something about the weight loss journey. You mentor so many people! Keep going and again, I will think good thoughts. I love the idea of an indulgence day. I never thought of it but what a great thing to do. I will add that as part of my plan.  
02 Apr 12 by member: vrbh0882
Kingkeld, I've started and stopped my journey so many times that I've definitely lost count. I just joined FatSecret today and truly find your story inspirational. I wish you luck with your potential surgery, and thank you so much for sharing your journey with the rest of us! This is a great way for me to start my new journey.  
02 Apr 12 by member: missoptimistic
So exciting... Can't wait to hear how your meeting with the doctors :-) 
02 Apr 12 by member: Sk1nnyfuture
Missoptimistic - I appreciate it. I hope your journey is gonna be as pleasant a journey as mine has been.  
02 Apr 12 by member: kingkeld
vrbh0882 - The Indulgence Day is a great thing, if you can handle it. Make sure to read the instructions I have put on my bio page, it's not just a free-for-all day. Also, make sure to brace yourself for GAINING weight for a few days, before you see things happening. This can be VERY frustrating until you learn what's going on - especially if you weigh yourself daily. :)  
02 Apr 12 by member: kingkeld
Kingkeld - Thank you for sharing so much of your story and journey with the rest of us. It is inspiring. I have dieted on and off over the years, reaching an all time high weight of 215 pounds. I always put the weight back on. I had been thinking about getting back on the wagon over Christmas and just happened to see an ad for Fatsecret while browsing online on January 3 this year. That's when I started my current journey. I can't really say what has made this time different, but I am very motivated to lose the weight and am staying on track. Typically by now I would have reverted back to old ways. I really do feel like this is a lifestyle change and not a diet. My initial goal is to hit 160 and then reevaluate. For some reason I just feel that 160 is achievable! I agree with you that you have to make room for the fun foods in life - it's learning how to incorporate them without overdoing it. I also think we should not beat ourselves up for the occasional slip...tomorrow is a new day! I also agree with getting to a point where once you reach your goal, you can wean yourself off of the daily calculators and start "living" a healthy lifestyle. I hope this is possible...and although a little scary...it really means that we have finally adopted a healthy lifestyle. I figure you can always go back to counting calories for a couple of weeks if and when necessary....that's life...deal with it as it comes. I had a doctor visit last week and she was thrilled with my weight loss so far. (It was so nice to see someone as happy about it as I was!) I was on three blood pressure medications and have now dropped to two - with the goal of dropping to either a one lose dose pill or possibly none. I also have diabetes in my family and I saw first hand what it did to my mother and her quality of life. When I have a low point in this daily journey - I try to think about that and put things in perspective. Our body is truly the only thing that we own and have control over, and yet so many of us abuse it and take it for granted. I'm trying to be a little kinder to it and more aware of how I treat myself. Congratulations on your success. Please keep being motivational. And good luck with your surgery. Sounds like there are good times ahead. 
02 Apr 12 by member: mlb98
soooo, excited! 
02 Apr 12 by member: puhpine
Wahoo!!! I'm so excited for you!!! Can't wait to hear how the doc appt goes, I'm sure it will be great and you will absolutely qualify! (Can you hear us all chanting??: 'Kingkeld, Kingkeld, he's our man, if he can't do it, NO ONE CAN!!!!") :) I've also thought about the future and 'letting go' of the food tracking/calculators - I'm not there yet, but I think you have a great plan in place and I'm excited to see how it works out for you!! 
02 Apr 12 by member: erika2633
Great job, Keld and great story. Thanks for sharing. 
02 Apr 12 by member: Helewis
Looking forward to hearing the report AFTER your doctor visit!! Thank you for your comment to me recently. Much appreciated!! 
02 Apr 12 by member: madaboutmoose
You're a BADASS! Your story sounds so familiar... too familiar. Thanks for sharing, Mr. Inspiration! 
02 Apr 12 by member: ZippyDani
I had a skin removal surgery 17 months ago. Just the tummy, not circumvential or thigh/arm. Not sure what you're planning. My total pounds removed was 4.5, so what just over 2kg I guess? Good luck with your doctor appt.  
02 Apr 12 by member: JessWhatINeeded
How exciting. Good luck at the Dr. We all know you will get approved for the surgery. You have come to far to get denied. Can't wait to see the after pics after the surgery and to see how much lower your body fat goes. That should be interesting. I hate to hear the you are weaning your way off of FS :( Can't imagine it without you. Way to stay under RDI all weekend.  
02 Apr 12 by member: M.Trublu
I had 6lbs of tummy flab removed, and 3lbs of boob...Best thing EVER. Had my Abs reconstucted back where they belong, that was the worst part, the actual incision was a peice of cake. Im cut from hip to hip. The first 2 days were the worst, I was medication free by the 5th day. Its been 34 days and Im back to working out as I did before, and feeling wonderful! You will be fine, and YES I agree with private hospital, I paid additional for that and am so happy I did. My surgery was only partially covered - but worth every penny. Im so excited for you K I cant even tell you how amazing you will look and feel! Shower with Zest every day for a week before surgury and every day after- cuts down infection by 80% according to my surgeon. Take it easy, eat lots of fiber, you will need help to do EVERYthing the first 2 days, and then its slowly back to normal. Get a recliner to sit in, and sleep in. Getting up stairs, and out of bed is tough for a few weeks. Thats all I can think of for now... And Have I mentioned today how proud I am of you- and how much I show you off to my friends? You are amazing. OH my body fat percentage droppped 10% YAY 
02 Apr 12 by member: NewSarah!
Gotta be getting close to heading in. Good luck!! 
02 Apr 12 by member: Dani_Suave

     
 

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