My Diet.. The FAQ. (Long Blog)

Okay, so unless you've been living in a cave, you know I'm on a diet. To say that my diet is going well is an understatement. I've lost 10% of my body mass in 5 weeks. I've been very public with my diet and have gotten a LOT of questions. The purpose of this post is to answer the collection of questions I've gotten (and possibly a few that people are afraid to ask).

So let's get started.

I. Personal Questions:

1.) So you're losing weight. Is this some kind of mid-life crisis. Are you going to get a Motorcycle and a 20 year old girlfriend now?

Nope. Not a mid-life crisis. And I doubt my wife will let me have the bike or the 20 year old. I'm doing this for health reasons. According to The Obesity Society, 90% of people with diabetes are overweight. Since it runs very strongly in my family, I am losing weight to prevent this from happening to me. My mom died due to complications of diabetes. I have an uncle that is suffering from complications of diabetes.

Diabetes is not just "the sugar disease". It opens up a whole can of worms and other problems. Understand that if it runs in your family, and you're overweight and not doing anything about it, you're probably going to die of it. Just deal.

Statistically speaking:

68% of people with diabetes have heart-disease.
75% of people with diabetes have high-blood-pressure
Diabetes is the Leading cause of Blindness among 20-70 year olds. (12,000 to 24,000 cases a year).
Diabetes is the leading cause of Kidney Failure (44% of all reported cases)
60-70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage.
On average, over 70,000 limbs are amputated in America every year as a result of diabetes.

Now I know.. 100% of people die. But I've got a lot to live for. I have an amazing family to live for and I think seeing my grandchildren would be a good thing. I've seen this disease wreak havoc on people. I'm not going down like that. So that's my motivation.

Okay long answer. That was kind of a Public Service Announcement. Move on.

2.) You weren't "That Big". um.. (gulp). well... How much did you weigh?

Calm down. It is okay to ask this question. If you've read my blog, YOU KNOW that I have no problem discussing personal topics.

Well, I'm 5'7" and When I started, I weighed 236, which according to most doctors and BMI indexes is "Severely Obese".

3.) Hummm.. What would you like to get down to?

Well, I'm doing this in 'steps'. My first goal is 180. So I gotta ditch 56 pounds. I think I would be happy with that, but I'm going to keep losing till I stop I suppose.

4.) That's a lot.. How far along are you?

Well in the first 5 weeks, I've lost 22, so I'm off to a good start.

5.) That's pretty good. How are you doing it?

This is bar-none the most common question I get. I'm attacking this problem 3 ways. I am under a doctor's supervision and on medications for weight loss. I am exercising at least 5 days a week. I am also on a strict diet as to what I can eat. Now I'll answer questions regarding each of these categories.

6.) How do you feel?

Honestly, I feel amazing. I feel healthier, stronger, faster, better, etc.. Better than I can remember feeling since middle school. Getting the bad foods out of my diet has made an amazing improvement.

II. The Doctor

1.) A doctor? What the heck?

I am seeing Dr. Bonnie Green at "The Weight Place" in Starke. She specializes in weight loss. She came highly recommended after some members of my family have had great success with her.

2.) Okay, how much does that cost you?

My first doctor's visit was $150.00. Each follow-up (monthly) is $50.00. The medications cost me about $30.00 per month.

3.) Medications?

I'm on two pills a day. Half of an Adipex (which is an appetite suppressant), and a Zonegran (which is a seizure/migraine medication that she prescribes 'off-label' because it has weight loss side affects. But on the positive side, I've not had a migraine since I started this diet. :) )

Adipex is a stimulant and a controlled substance. It will show up on a drug test and is technically an amphetamine. That's why I have to go back every month. Controlled substances can't have refills apparently.

4.) Do the pills make you feel funny?

Not really. I have a lot of energy, but it's not 'jittery energy'. I just feel awake and alert. My hands don't shake. I don't feel like I've had 17 cups of coffee. I am simply alert. I do not crash, but I do have a bit harder time getting up in the mornings I think. Otherwise, I'd say no change.

III. Your Diet.

1.) So you're on pills, what kind of diet are you on?

Lots of protein. Included with the first doctor's visit is a long sit-down with a dietitian. She got me on a very lo-carb diet for the first 'phase' of my diet. So now I eat a lot of meats and cheeses. I also drink a lot of protein shakes. I try to keep it under less than 40g of carbs a day but rarely make that.

2.) Of all the diets out there, why lo-carb?

Well, (all this is according to the dietitian lady). When you eat carbs, it turns to sugar. When it turns to sugar quickly, your body produces a spike of insulin to compensate. When your body is producing insulin, it does not burn fat. She said that a lot better than I did, but that's the general point.

3.) Hey now, wait a second. I saw you eating a..... (insert food here)

I occasionally cheat. But I try to cheat in a 'good way'. When I do eat carbs, i try to eat carbs that are 'brown'. Like brown rice, sweet potatoes, wheat bread, etc.. This kind of carb takes longer to break down into sugar and will not produce that insulin spike that prevents fat burning.

When I'm on my own during the week, the diet is easy. Resturants and group gatherings make it a bit harder to follow.

IV. Exercise

1.) What's with all this running?

The second most common question I get. I have friends that run. They seemed to enjoy it, so when it came time to pick an exercise for me.. this is the way I went.

2.) So do you like it?

I know this is going to sound odd. But I'm starting to crave it. I've been doing it about a month and I look forward to it now.

I like the feeling of beating my last time, going farther/faster/longer than I did my last run. I like that feeling of pushing my body harder than I have before and making progress. I like the knowledge that with every step, I get farther and farther away from my mother's fate.

I also like keeping up with my runs and looking at numerical progress. It's becoming like a game to me.

3.) How do you keep up with your runs again?

My shoes talk to me. ...... ...

Okay not really. So I bought a PAIR OF SHOES that has a place in it's sole for a MICROCHIP that will communicate wirelessly with my iPod Touch.

For more information on how this works. You can click on THIS LINK .

It also automatically posts my runs to Facebook when I sync my iPod. (Sorry about the spam). I even get a screensaver featuring my "mini" (blog picture) making comments on my running (or lack thereof).

4.) How far do you run?

Right now my standard workout is 5k. I'm doing it in about 35m. (Which breaks down to about 11.5min a mile if you do the math).

And before you ask. No, I don't run the entire way, I walk some. My goal is to run more than I did the day before. I'm up to running over a mile on the first stretch, and then walking till I catch my breath and going at it again.

5.) How far do you want to take your running?

Well, I have a secret desire to do the GATE RIVER RUN next year (March). So I'm going to start working towards running a 15k. My goal is not to win. But to finish. It's a good goal, and will keep me on the weght-loss train.

6.) So, all you're doing is running?

No, I start weight training today with Hal. (wish me luck).

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So that's pretty much it.

The pills help, but I'm sure anyone can do well without them. If you've got a question that I didn't address, feel free to ask.

So now I'm recruiting. If you'd like to join me down this road and there's something I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask.

The plan I'm on is not for the feint of heart.

This is for people that discover that they have more to live for than what they put in their mouths.

This is for people that are willing to deny themselves those things that society says is fun, okay, or a 'treat' so that they feel better than they ever have.

This is for people that will take pain, soreness, etc in exchange for spending more time with their children.

Basically, this is for people that aren't going down like that.

This might be for you.

The Summer Blahs

Yep, I've got a case of the "Summer Blahs". It's hot outside and although my life has been busy, it hasn't been particularly interesting. So for that reason, I don't have anything to write.

Sure, I've got a few drafts for posts out there. I've written a post about how to use Facebook and not look like an idiot that I'm still editing. I'm also working on one about how there is no connection between playing World of Warcraft and sacrificing your soul to the devil. But otherwise, I'm fighting a severe case of writer's block.

So I'm going to let you (both of my loyal readers) set the tone of my next blog. Much like the last post I did on what you learned, but this time I'm going to answer your questions.

So, you have homework. Ask me a question, any question. It can be silly, about me, about life, totally random, something stupid, critical for the survival of our species, etc..

Just go to http://www.formspring.me/Whiplashmtb and ASK.

You can ask without logging in or making an account, so it'll be completely anonymous.

I'll post the questions and answers on the blog.

I might have a prize for the best question. Who knows....

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What are you still doing on this page, click the link and come up with a question. Ask more than one if you like, help me get over the blahs.

All I really need to know, I learned this week.

Thank you for submitting little tidbits of knowledge to my "What did you learn" experiment. I really hope it got you thinking and maybe forced you to learn something that you otherwise wouldn't have.

Of course, I could not ask others to take note of something they learned without forcing myself to do the same thing. So I'll start today's post with things that I have learned over the past week.

- I learned you can convince a 4 year old to sleep on the floor, and he enjoys it.

- I learned what Epistemological means.

- The sidewalk 'loop' at MSBC from the rear entrance of the FLC to the back of the Sanctuary is approximately 579 feet in length. If you were to walk it 9 times and then back to your car, that's a mile.

- Hard boiled eggs make your refrigerator smell like fart. It's a good weight loss incentive.

- I forget the most common words when I'm put on the spot but I improv better in front of a large crowd.

- I'm told I "bounce" when I'm nervous.

- It is actually quite fun watching two girls beat each other up in a parking lot. Especially in a room full of guys laughing and shouting “ooooooooohhh” every time one of them lands a good shot.

- Chapter 61G17 of the Florida Administrative Code states that “A survey Map’s horizontal positional accuracy must be stated. The stated accuracy is a plus or minus tolerance that encompasses 90% of coordinate differences between map displayed values and ground truth.”

And although It says that it must be stated. I have never seen a surveyor put it on the map.

- I also learned that KFC Has the “Double Down sandwich” which is coming to our area. It has Bacon, and cheese but uses fried chicken instead of bread.. Sounds amazing, right?

- Apparently, storing my credit cards in a magnetic billfold is not a good idea. It seems it gets denied quite regularly that way.

Now, as promised, here are the interesting things that people submitted (along with what I learned from them).

I learned how to spell Azalea
(you live in the South and are just now learning that??)

-today i learned that i am a florida young scholar and that it is really hard to color good on concrete

-today i learned that one of the best places to hide an egg is in a cars exhaust pipe

-today i learned that when you get super glue on your hands it is really annoying and hard to get off

-today i learned that i stink at mario bros on the ds

-yesterday i learned i dont like mcdonalds chili sauce

(This young person taught me a great deal, such as not to color on concrete, to check my exhaust pipe around Easter-time, to not play with super-glue, and that McDonalds even HAD chili sauce. They also taught me that even Florida Young Scholars don’t like using the shift key or punctuation).

What I have learned~ that in your 4th pregnancy you start to feel things ALOT earlier than all the others. I didnt realize it would be this early. ha ha Oh my hips and back.

(this person taught me to appreciate my vasectomy).

My boss still believes my degree is useless and I am not worth a damn, even though I prove myself time and again.

(I’m sorry, do you work at my office?)

Today I learned that three dogs is a bad number of dogs to have and also that we have to get grass in the backyard if I ever want to have a clean floor.

(wow, my floor is always a mess and I don’t have any inside dogs.. I should plant grass)

I learned the Matt has 2 beautiful children and a wonderful wife....well I already knew that just trying to earn some brownie points. Did it work? I learned that my son has turned into a man the good and the bad of that. (reminds me of his father when we first got married)

(The coffee drawing is random, kissing up will get you nowhere but thank you. I fear the day my little boy turns into a man. He’s so cute and awesome now).

A week is NOT enough time off from work. I wish I could be a stay at home mom again! I worked hard but I loved every minute of it!
(I learned I need a week off to test this theory)

- I learned that the Anglicans in North America (most of whom separated from the Episcopal Church), because they are under the direct oversight of the Nigerian Anglican church, permit their ministers a little more room for charismatic expressions than do some of their European counterparts.
The body of Christ truly is beautifully diverse.

(One day I need to look up the Nigerian Anglican Church)

Today I learned Easter originated as a pagan holiday worshipping Eostore, goddess of fertility in the spring. Eostore was symbolized by....you guessed it, a rabbit and an egg, both symbols of fertility. The Christians tried to take over another holiday and focus the pagans to Christ and accepted/mended the spring holiday worshipping Eostore making it a Christian holiday and slowly changing it over time.

(Well, that’s interesting.. But Christ died the day before Passover, which is a very old holiday. Unless the Original Passover was during another time of the year.. This is going to require some research. 10 points to the person who looks it up.)

Today I learned that to be a train conductor in India, you must pass a test of 200 "everyday" knowledge questions like, "Who won the Aus women's tennis cup in 2002? And what is laughing gas made of? I think Venus Williams won and laughing gas is NO2 nitrous oxide.

(I believe that there is a similar test to be able to work for any technical support firm in India as well).

I am reading "the Heart of God"..Daily Meditations on the Goodness of God by Lloyd John Ogilvie and came across this very interesting analogy in my devotion. I have really pondered on it since...
In his book In Quest of a Kingdom, Leslie Weatherhead invites us to trace our call into God's vineyard by correlating a life of seventy years with the waking hours of a single day, from 7:00 A.M. until 11:00 P.M.

If you are age 15, the time is 10:25 A.M.

AGE: 20 " " " 11:34 A.M.
25 " " " 12:42 P.M.
30 " " " 1:51 P.M.
35 " " " 3:00 P.M.
40 " " " 4:09 P.M.
45 " " " 5:16 P.M.
50 " " " 6:25 P.M. .
55 " " " 7:34 P.M.
60 " " " 8:42 P.M.
65 " " " 9:51 P.M.
70 " " " 11:00 P.M.

No matter when you met the Lord, whether in your youth or in your midnight hour, you're elected by His love. We don't earn our salvation. Whether we walk with him one day or forty-five years (me) before He calls us home, our wages will be the same....Eternal life with Christ. In the liberal world that we live in, people will call this unfair. But my heart goes out to those who did not meet my Jesus until after their children were raised and much of their mistakes in life had hurt everyone they ever loved and could not be repaired. I know that my life has been so much richer and fuller and secure since I gave my life to Jesus May 13, 1965.

(Thank you for submitting this. I learned that when I need to hear something the most, that’s when it arrives in my inbox.)

Today I learned that my personal policy of not "tech talking" down to people not only makes people more comfortable but also makes a long lasting positive impression.

(I agree wholeheartedly with this statement, people who use big words to make themselves look smart nearly always fail. But on a non-related subject. This submittal was the random coffee winner, shoot me an e-mail if this is yours and let me know if you prefer Starbucks or Ellianos. I know how to get it to you.)

Today I learned that the Whig Party is attempting a serious comeback, in my district no less...

(Now I know that the Whig party is not the fore-runner to “hair club for men”)

The human head weighs an average of 8 pounds.
(I wonder if the person who submitted this put their head on a scale….. maybe..)

I learned yesterday that being a 'gardener' is very hard work..can't imagine how it was for Adam and Eve those first couple times working with the ground without tools..ugh

(I blame Eve…)

I learned that vultures/buzzards 'go to the bathroom' on their feet to keep cool when they get too hot..and if they are approached (as a defense mechanism) they will run at you and start vomiting...lol cool huh?!

(I learned that I will never approach a buzzard again. Period.. … well, at least not in my good shoes)

12 percent of the world's population uses 85 percent of its water, and these 12 percent do not live in the Third World.
(Yep, I’m the guy who leaves the water running when I brush my teeth).

I learned during SIDS training that over 2,000 babies die each year nationally from SIDS.
(I learned that I check to see if my baby is breathing more now that I have read this post)

Ok well I learned that when I wake up and say "I'm gonna have a good day no matter what", it doesn't always work but hey I try!
(Murphy’s law tends to be in effect more when I decide that)

Well, that is all of the submissions. Thanks again for submitting to my little experiment. See you again next week!

(Random number for the coffee winner provided by www.random.org. Oh and the points work just like they do in Whose line is it anyways.)