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[pbwalker]

Nothing San Antonio specific, but the breakfast taco's don't help!

My health issues are of my own doing (well, and genetics). Blood pressure was too high (190/110) and I found out I am pre-diabetic. At 32, that was a bit of an eye opener, so now my diet changes. I have a horribly bad sweet tooth, so it's not surprising. To quote one of my favorite musicians, "I drink a lot of soda, so they call me Dr Pepper".

Luckily, we're moving out of the city and getting a new place up off of Smithson Valley Rd and 1863. 1 acre lot, and I've got the hankering to tackle gardening...so being able to go out and pick a fresh salad will be pretty cool. Now if I can just eat it without the 1/2 cup of dressing. haha!

[UpTheIrons]

I finally decided I had to do something, too, as I see what my genetics have in store for me if I continue down the same ol' same ol' road. Paternal Grandfather had Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease (+ bypass surgery) and prostate cancer, Dad has the beginnings of heart disease, Mom has arthritis, both paternal grands had joints replaced...

All the extra weight adds complications on top of the underlying issues. Luckily, my BP and cholesterol have been the envy of my doc, so hopefully "gravitational pull reduction" will solve most of the problems.

As for eating a salad with less dressing, I think the fresh veggies from the garden will probably help. Home-grown veg always seems to taste better than the shipped-in stuff from H.E.B. To me, anyways.

Enjoy the new place. That's pretty country out there!

[Dave2]

Luckily, we're moving out of the city and getting a new place up off of Smithson Valley Rd and 1863. 1 acre lot, and I've got the hankering to tackle gardening...so being able to go out and pick a fresh salad will be pretty cool. Now if I can just eat it without the 1/2 cup of dressing. haha!

Try making a grilled chicken salad and use balsamic vinegar as the dressing (with a bit of extra virgin olive oil if you really want the body). You won't use a 1/2 cup of it, and nothing particularly horrible would happen if you did.

Regular pasta and most breads are just below candy on the list of things to avoid -- too many simple carbs. Whole Wheat* pastas and breads are fine, though, because their complex carbs take more time to turn into sugar so they never give you that sugar spike. I've never had my mom's fantastically awesome pasta salad made with whole wheat pasta, but I just called her and she thinks it'd work well. Lemmie know if you want the recipe. (should we start a Tasty Healthy Food recipe thread?)

*"Whole Wheat" has become a marketing buzzword. Look at the ingredients... if it has "enriched" anywhere on the list, it's not what you're looking for put it back on the shelf.

[Dave2]

As for eating a salad with less dressing, I think the fresh veggies from the garden will probably help. Home-grown veg always seems to taste better than the shipped-in stuff from H.E.B. To me, anyways.

Dunno about veggies, but the best tomatoes and oranges I've ever had come out of my parents' garden.

[The Annoyed Man]

Well, I'm down about 20 lb all told, but it has been real slow, going back to last May when I joined a gym. I work out 3X a week, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings at the Anytime Fitness located a few blocks from my home. Been also......for the most part.......watching what I eat, and using Herbalife protein shakes.

The weight loss has been slow partly because I've been putting some muscle back on. Before my back blew up, I used to keep myself in pretty good condition, and I don't think I had realized how much muscle atrophy I had. Right at the moment, I'm at a plateau. I lose 2 or 3 and then gain them back, then lose them again, then gain them back again. But I know it will pass. I just need to push through and keep following my plan.

The thing is, I have to take some painkillers pretty much every day, and without fail before I go to the gym, or I'm in too much pain to get much done. But I am pleased with my progress. I have a personal trainer, and she woops my butt pretty good and makes sure that I get both aerobic and weight training in. And I am able to do more sets with more weight than ever before, so I also mark my progress by that as much as I do by my weight loss.

I have another 100 lb to go before I can declare victory.

[UpTheIrons]

Woo Hoo! I did it!

Well, the first step anyways. I (re)set a goal a while back to be down 10 pounds (to 232) by Christmas. Hoping against hope that Friday's scale reading wasn't wrong, I checked again Saturday, and this morning. Average of all 3? 231.2 pounds. Got it! and two weeks early! Now it is on to the next goal, 222 by Valentine's Day, with another goal of 212 by my birthday in May.

How did I do it so far? Started exercising regularly and slowed down on the mouf-stuffin' at late hours.

Breakfast is a piece of toast with a slice (or a few tablespoons of shredded) cheese on top, topped with a fried egg covered/drizzled with salsa.
Lunch is something sensible and not too big. Most of the time a sandwich and bag of chips like the kids take to school.
Dinner is the usual fare, just not a pile of it anymore.
I often have a small mid-morning snack, and another little one when the kids get home from school. I even save room for some Blue Bell or a bit of candy some days.

I've been going to the gym regularly, focusing right now more on cardio and core muscle strengthening exercises. I don't really want to 'bulk up', but I'm sure that in the course of things, the weight will level off and I'll 'reshape' myself more that just keep dropping pounds.

I've been down to 200 in the past and 215 or so more recently, so I know I can do it, I've just got to maintain the discipline and keep after it as each benchmark is reached. The nice thing is I've got a whole 'nother set of pants that are ready for IWB carry again!

[74novaman]

Congrats! Feels good to be going down instead of up, doesn't it?

[Dave2]

The weight loss has been slow partly because I've been putting some muscle back on. Before my back blew up, I used to keep myself in pretty good condition, and I don't think I had realized how much muscle atrophy I had.

That right there is why a certain percentage of body fat is my actual goal. Any weight goals that I'm trying to achieve are just there because weight is easier to measure, and I'm not gaining muscle mass fast enough for it to make a difference yet. Maybe in 50lbs I'll recalculate my target weight, but I'm not really into the whole body-building thing so don't expect it to change by more than a few pounds.

[UpTheIrons]

Congrats! Feels good to be going down instead of up, doesn't it?

Oh, yeah, you bet it does!

[XnTx]

Just found this thread and had to share. My weight loss actually started July 2010. Start 335. Goal 200. Current today 238. No I'm not a Jedi master of weight loss. I had the same stomach surgery as Nate Newton. Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I can eat or drink anything I want except beer and soda (carbonation) in moderation. The surgery did not do it all. I workout 3-5 days a week doing cardio and weights. Trying to build up to running 5ks. It's tough after 35 years of smoking and a couple of heart stents. IWB has been challenging with my changing wardrobe. BTW, cholesterol is below normal, BP 116/68 and HR 52.

[74novaman]

That's very impressive! Congrats on your turn around... You're literally saving your own life.

[UpTheIrons]

Wow! Congrats XnTx!

[XnTx]

That's very impressive! Congrats on your turn around... You're literally saving your own life.

Exactly!

[XnTx]

Wow! Congrats XnTx!

Thanks. Highly recommend VSG if everything else has failed.