Stinking Plateau...

I have been stuck at the same basic weight for the past 6 months. Someone said, "There is not plateau, you just get lazy or stop caring." I do not agree at all! Even though the scale has not really moved, I am losing shirt and pant sizes and still making progress. But I still want the scale to move DOWN! I am not afraid to ask for help, so I have and here is some of what I was told. I need to become a "natural" eater. I need to "accept" that I may be at my comfortable weight; not everyone is skinny.

I will not accept this and I do not understand what half of all of this means. One thing for sure, none of this weight loss stuff even makes sense any more. I spoke with my doctor on Friday and he is so happy with my progress and he does feel I am in a dangerous and vulnerable position to go back to old habits so he spelled some things out for me. What is happening in natural and normal. My body might be comfortable right now but it will not stay at this place and I need to continue to work hard. He drew out this diagram to help my understand.

There are really big words he threw in which I not going to attempt to spell but there are things going on in my body which will try and put the weight back on. The first 6 to 18 months were easy and the weight came of fast. It will come of slower from here on but it will come off! Just do not go back to where I was!

OK: Short term goal...

249 pounds by March 9, 2015

What should my long term goal be? 225? 200?






Shoulder is an issue right now! Hope I can get past this!
Check back and I will try and keep posted on what is happening!

Progress? Well maybe.. yes and no...

Once again, I have fallen off of my blogging band wagon. Same on me!

Yes, I am still working on my weight loss journey and have had some success and not so much at the same time. I am stuck in the dreaded plateau hell for sure. I heard that there really is no such thing as a plateau. "You are just not paying as much attention as your were before" is what I hear from the people which know what they are talking about. I know this: The scale has not really moved in almost 5 months. Have been up and down with in a five pound range so I guess this could be called maintenance time. Yet, I still restrict my calorie intake and have strongly ramped up my workout and exercise routine. So why no loss? I do not know but I think it is a mental thing!

There has been progress though. I am pretty much a solid 2XL shirt now. Remember when I started and I was at a 6X? My pant size is currently a 46 which is down from I have no idea, but I would estimate my waist was in the 70 range (YIKES). I have a 3X Pink Floyd shirt which I thought I would never get into again and when I put it on and it it fit ok (not perfect, a little small), and this is that point where I feel like I might be able to get into an extra large shirt (Depending on the maker). Might feel like that PF shirt. I did purchase a goal pair of jeans, size 44 waist. Unless I start to drop some pounds, it might be a while before that happens.

The exercise is rocking! I continue to challenge my self each and every day and workout. My goal for now is to walk an extra mile, 5 days a week, on top of what I am doing at the gym. It might be a walking the dog type of situation but as long as I can hit that mile, I am pretty happy. Have really piled on the weights as well at the gym. I am looking for heavy and more intensity in my workouts.

No rants for now. I feel good and strong! But I need for the pounds to start coming off again.
Going to work out this mental thing real soon!!

I am a beast now!

I need to do better..

I really need to get back in the swing of things and get back to blogging!

Nothing ground breaking to report. Down 157 pounds, but I have run into the dreaded plateau! Working through it the best I can. Have not been able to exercise quite as much as I like, but we are in food show season. Very hard on the body and mind.

From my last post, I ended up with no big news. I actually sent in an application and video for a contest on "The Chew" and did not get selected. That is the breaks and the way things go. They missed out on a great chef!

Over the past few days, I have seen myself starting to fall back into some bad habits. Once I can get back into my routine, I will feel much betting and be back on track. I am dealing with a bunch on bad emotions caused from stress at work and do not know how to deal with everything. I love my job and what I do, but at the moment, there are people I have zero respect for and they really grind on my nerves. I know they would fire my at the first opportunity and I would not at all be surprised to see this happen in the next few weeks. I just have a hard time answering to people which do not know what I do, think they know everything, and can point fingers while not lifting one to help.

Looking forward to getting over this stall out and getting back on track!

Updates

Check back here real soon because I may have some really good, BIG news!! 

Have a few updates to throw at you! First off, I finally made it past the 150 pounds lost mark; 152 to be exact. Still much work to do but I am stoked how far I have come.

I had another round of blood tests and my A1C came back at a 5.3 which is normal. I was so happy to see this number. Was maybe expecting a 5.7 or 5.5 at the best. Does not mean the diabetes scare is over! I now have to be more diligent than ever! 

Exercise is progressing at a great pace. Sometimes, I tend over to it, so I am still trying to learn. I have to remind myself all of the time that this is not about a number (scale), but about getting healthy. 

So where do I go from here? I think I am just going to take it 25 pounds at a time and see what happens. Another 25, 50, 75, 100? If I can do this over the next 1 year, I will be happy with everything and beyond. My real reason for this journey is to get healthy and break this yo-yo I have been messing with my whole life. If I get to a point where I am completely comfortable, I will leave it there. I really think another 100 pounds is impossible, but I also never thought I would be at this point either! Maybe anything is possible!

Next goals: 
-25 more pounds by March 31.
-50 pounds by June 30. (200 total)
-75 pounds by September 30.
-100 pounds by December 31. (250 total)

If I can get down to that 225 - 250 pounds lost range, skin removal surgery could become a need and option. That would be a really long time! Any way, the money could mean a stop to that, and no surgery at all.

It's been a long time...

Yes, it has been a while since I have posted so there are some good things to update:

My physical therapy did not work, and it did actually make my hip situation a little worse. I did get a few cortisone shots and this has helped greatly!!

I was really not able to do much exercise from July 2nd until just a few weeks ago. I got really tired of not moving as much as I should so I joined up with a gym and my pain situation has improved greatly since then!
I am not really a gym person but I have really enjoyed this experience over the past few weeks!

I am now down 141 pounds and just 10 pounds away from my goal of 299 pounds by my next doctors appointment on November 27. I hope I can get there!

A victory: I dropped another pant size. OK, I know this does not sound like a big deal, but when I started this, I was probably around a 74 (+) inch waist. This equals a 6X pant size. I could not really even tell you what jeans size I was because I do not think I fit into anything I had. Then I did squeeze into a 64 inch pant size, but that was still way too small. Today, I got into a 48 inch pant comfortably. When I left college, I was a 44 inch pant size.

So where do I go from here?? Let me got through this next 10 pounds and then I will make some decisions.
And maybe post another picture as well. It is good to be exercising intensely again!

KCCO

It has been a long week...

Had a colonoscopy on Monday and everything went well. Nothing abnormal was found and one small pollop was removed. My hip is still hurting but I am starting some physical therapy so I hope this helps. My second a1c test results are in and it was the same. Great it did not go up, but disappointing that it was not lower since I have eliminated so much sugar, starch, and processed crap from my daily diet. Frustrated today!. But I feel good and am feeling healthy!

KCCO!!

WOW!

So I had really personally not realized how much of a physical change I have been through over the past year. It has been a long but good year. 120 down but still more to go. The pictures were eye opening.

Still having a few health issues. I am tired of the doctors office, being poked, prodded, and scanned. Maybe this will let off here in a few weeks. Still one big hurdle to tackle. Will fill in more as I get closer to the day.

Have had a few questions about what am I doing? What is my secret? It is pretty simple: Less energy in, more energy out, low carbs. Looks like this: ( - food) + (+exercise) - refined sugar and carbs = weight loss for me. Everyone is different so who knows what works for who?
I know shear determination is the binding force for everything!

KCCO for now!

Jeff

Comparison pictures from 2012 to 2013.

April 2012

June 2012

  

August 2012

August 2013

August 2013

More good, bad, and ugly...

The Ugly: So I have injured myself. I fell a few weeks ago and have been in considerable pain ever since. X-ray said nothing broken and I had an MRI yesterday so waiting for the results of this.

The Bad: I gained a pound last week but that is not all that bad actually. And it hurts to stand, walk, and exercise so that has not been happening for almost 3 weeks and that is bad.

The Good: I have lost 105 pounds!

Other than being injured, everything is moving along. I am doing a low carb lifestyle right now and I love it!!

Ciao for now.

Down but not out...

I have been feeling very depressed over the past few months. Depression is something I have struggled with for most of my adult life and there are just time where I am very down. This is where I have been for a while. I have fought with eating right and exercise over this time, but did not do any real crazy eating. Just had a doctors visit 2 weeks ago and hope to hear some test results soon so maybe I can get a little help. I want to feel better and am tried of this feeling down feeling I have.

But I am not out for sure. This week, I have been back 100%, eating well and exercising hard! I have done some long walks over the past month and am now working on a interval training routine that is kicking my butt! I have tried the low carb thing over the past week and lost 11 pounds and am actually kind of digging the diet. Really trying to restrict the sugar and am not doing a no carb thing. So I actually like the way I am feeling right now. Will continue with this for a while longer to see results.

Blood pressure has been good over this time so I am not planning and more hospital stays in the near future! I am looking to work with a nutritionist to help me along with this journey. So will see what happens there. But I think I do better if I have a monitor and set some goals. Se here are the goals for the rest of the year:

Current Weight: 366
By August 27: Weigh 321 
By December 10: Weigh 290
(these dates are by corresponding doctors appointments.)

So we shall see what happens!
Ciao for now.

Change...

Change is hard. If nothing else, I have shown this over the past few years. It is hard changing a lifestyle to get healthier, and that is most likely the easiest of them all. I decided to take down my chef jeff web site. My time is short and I could just not see paying for more years when I was not really doing that much with it anyway. Heck, this blog is free and I can barely keep up with writing on a regular basis.


So all is well. Got official test results back for the first time in my life and all is pretty good. A few areas to work on but all in all, I am pretty healthy. Just still need to keep on exercising and losing the weight. It is so damn hard. I am determined and I press on. I went ahead and went to the eye doctor and have good eye sight, but because of age, and getting older, I am getting glasses!

So I thought I had something more to say tonight, but alas, my mind is barren. I will rant again soon. Waiting for warmer weather so I can get out walking more and more!

Ciao for now!

Still pluggin along...

Yes, once again I have neglected my blog. But I am still around and on track for the most part. All except that I have been diagnosed with heart disease and just spent a few days in the CCU. I am OK and was never feeling bad but my blood pressure was sky high; hence the name "the silent killer". Am down around 70 pounds since the start which is behind expectations but still a really good thing! With my new found focus, to stay alive, I am expecting things to continue to progress!

So I finally did go to the doctor. If I had not spoken about this before, I have an extreme fear of doctors! There is no reason to have this fear but I do. I was planning on going after I had hit the 250 mark so it would of been a while. Just going down this rabbit hole a little sooner than expected. The good news as I know it right now; my heart is functioning well, my cholesterol is normal, blood sugar is normal, kidneys are functioning well, and all of this is subject to change! I am not 20 and I am still a big tub of goo to my BP is high! I have follow up with the doctor in 2 weeks I hope!

So back to eating like a rabbit, watching the salt intake, and keeping my saturated fat intake in check. Do not need to do much different other than do what I am doing and lose more weight! 

Ciao for today!

Progress and Frustration...

I am completely and totally responsible for any and all frustration! I make the choices and need to live with the results; I am fine with this part. This all comes from today is my official 3 month weigh in. I was originally not going to weigh but decided to go ahead. So I am down 52 pounds in the 3 month period with is awesome and excellent. But I have only lost 5 pounds in the past couple of weeks. That is not such a horrible thing but I still want more. So I am still on track but it looks almost impossible for me to lose 50 pounds over the next 3 months. It is just so damn hard to do on your own. I am really happy Thanksgiving is behind me and only one more major eating holiday to go, but there are some dinners and other crap coming up so I need to be good and try and eat well and better. I was not a terrible bad boy on Thursday but still too much!

Exercise has been going good. Walking a little more and weights are progressing. So I have been doing this 3 days on - 1 day off thing for the past week or so and that feels pretty good. D1: Walk, D2: Weights & Aerobics, D3: Walk, D4: Off, D5: Weights & Aerobics, D6: Walk, D7: Weights & Aerobics. With this crappy cold weather knocking at the door, it will be less walking and more step aerobics, but I miss the walking when I do not do it on a regular basis.

Counting calories is the best and easiest way for me to do what I need to do and I have not done that for the past month. It is just so hard with all things that are going on. I am responsible for what I put in my mouth!

Ciao for now!

Weigh in day...

Yes, the dreaded weigh in day was today. Happy to report that I have lost 47 pounds in 73 days. That is an average of .62 pounds a day. If just some way I can keep this up, my 50X4 (50 pounds every 3 months for one year) would work out perfectly. So I am pretty stoked about what is going on but there is still a long road to travel.  Next weigh in is February 2. So for now, this is a picture on me back in April, at most likely my heaviest. If you notice, this chef coat could barely fit me and this is one big size chef coat. Will not post another picture until I lose the other 50#. Ciao for now!

Progress and Frustration...

Things are still moving along and progressing. But I am having a hard time dealing with a few issues. First, it is had to accept that I am not 17 or 21 any more. My mind says "yes" but my body says "nope, not going to let you do that today"! I have made some physical strides and this is excellent. I am walking more and the other day, I did 25 minutes of aerobics and 20 minutes of weight lifting. So now things brings me to one thing I have had to deal with each time I try and lose weight; I get really hungry. Maybe the key is limiting the exercise while still keeping my calorie intake low? This is not a race so there is no hurry. I just do not know. Speaking of being in a hurry. I took a look in the mirror the other day and did not like what I saw. So I need to be realistic and understand that I have only been doing this for 55 days. In the scheme of all things, this is no time at all. So lets take a little look at some numbers, facts, and other tid-bits...

• I still have a shit load of weight to lose. I have only weighed myself once over the past 55 days and am looking to weigh again on November 3. I want to know but I am going to wait. Maybe I should really wait until November 24 to weigh, my first 3 month mark? If I had to make a guess, I would say I have lost some where around 45 or 50# so far. At this point, who knows?
• I am looking at losing at least 200 pounds, and possibly losing up to 236. That is a lot of weight. It did not come on over night and I will not lose this over night. If I can some way lose 50 pounds every quarter (3 months) for the next year, that would put me at that goal. that is 3.8 pounds a week or 17 pounds a month. Sounds like a tall goal to me.
• I have already moved into a smaller size of jeans and the other day, I wore a shirt I thought I would never wear again. All of my cloths right now are starting to be a little to big. 
• When I walk, I walk by land marks and each time I try and go a little further and a little further. I have hit a couple of goal land marks so that is exciting for me. I hit a major one last night! 
• I have had a few people notice my weight loss already. What I think really sucks is that for a person trying to take off a large amount of weight, a 50# loss does not look like that much at all.  For a skinny bitch that loses 10#, everyone is amazed. Before anyone really takes notice with that I am doing, I would say it will need to lose over 100# before people really start to notice.

So that is all for now. I am on vacation this week so it has been a small struggle to eat well. I have done ok but not great! Have managed to exercise good. I had the first sweet dessert today which makes me sad because I am a food addict and I can not just eat a little of something. This is vacation so maybe I need to treat my self just a little? 

Ciao for now!

A few updates and other stuff...

I have been back on the weight loss train for a little over a month now and things are progressing. I weighed back on September 15, about 3 weeks of being back on the plan and at that point, had dropped 21 pounds. That is 21 pounds in 21 days. Pretty cool and it is still going. Am not weighing myself again until November 3 so that will put me at 72 days. I know there is no way I am going to lose that much weight in that many days. It is a nice thought but lets be just a little realistic here.Will be happy with anything, but if I hit -50 for that time period, I will be more than pleased! Right now, I am measuring my weight loss by how my cloths are fitting. A few chefs jackets which were borderline tight now are loser. A set that I stopped wearing because I could not button are not fitting a little better. Finally, my fat jeans are much loser and I need to start wearing a belt or they will fall down now.

This is all about mindset now, daily routine, and just sticking to what I am doing. 2 weeks ago, I was at Wrigley Field in Chicago and thought that it would be perfectly OK to have a dog and a beer. Really, there was nothing wrong with that scenario at all! But after I got there, just found myself wanting to stick to what I was doing and I partook in nothing. Kind of crazy but this is the place I am in right now. Am completely comfortable limiting my calories, portion sizes, and everything that goes into my mouth. The only excess for me right now is I am drinking a lot of water. 1200-1500 calories a day is working great and am still walking a bit and lifting some weights. I still have struggles and challenges each day but things are good!

Temptation is all around still but am working through it all. I wish I could get the wife on board with me. She just will not jump on board. If she would give me a month, I could help make some serious changes! If she could just give me a week, I know I could show her some great things! But the sodas and fast food rule her life and she will not give up the Cokes and junk. I am still wishing!

I have a real ethics problem at work and have been taken advantage of and really do not know what to do. I have no desire to see ANY ONE lose a job, but it is not right for me to just sit by while I am being lied to and taken for granted. I will figure it out I guess. I just hate to see a company preach values and honesty and there is little to back this up. Frustrated!!

Looking for big numbers come the beginning of November! Check back but I will post before then!

Ciao!

Can you say Temptation? ...

Yes, 2 weeks back into the eating healthy routine and have done a pretty good job. Have weathered 2 all-you-can-eat buffets and a pig roast with tons of wonderfully terrible and yummy foods and a new product introduction with more food than any one person should be able to eat at one sitting, all without killing what I am trying to accomplish. I have been pretty good about staying between 1,200 and 1,500 calories a day so things are good. I am even walking and lifting weights on a regular basis and getting further and stronger each day. With that said, I am still taking it slow because any way you look at it, I am mortally obese with over 200 pounds to lose.

So that is not even the real temptation I am talking about. The fist day back into it, I had to sit through a cutting on chocolate cake, carrot cake, a bunch of yummy fried appetizers, and sausages and other tasty crap. I did all of this with out a bite. This is a pretty typical day for me; showing customers products and not tasting, doing quality control to make sure a product tastes good or meets specs (like pumpkin cheesecake yesterday), and so on and so on each and every day.

This is my burden I must bare and realize that is I do continue to partake and eat like this, I am really just going to be dead. The ultimate price for being a big tub of goo. I am not trying to be dramatic or fluff this up; this is serious business here. I have probably already done permanent and serious damage to my body and mind that I will have to pay for over the rest of my life. My best friend died at 34, so I have been around for a while since he passed. I feel that if I do die tomorrow, I have done pretty good so I have no regrets.
But I am not giving up and am striving to lead a healthier lifestyle. I just need a little more support from the home front and want her to start with me as well so she can be around with me for a long time!

Only weighing in once a month so I will weigh in on Saturday, September 15. Right now it is not about the pounds, but limiting food, exercising, and making better choices of what goes in my mouth!

Ciao for now.

Major temptation...

OK, I am about a week into my new regiment and things are going pretty good so far. Drinking lots of water, exercised in some capacity 5 days in a row, keeping portions and calories in check (around 1,300 a day so far), and I am starting to feel just a little bit better. But I am surrounded by major temptation each day with my job.

Last Friday (the first day back on the plan), I had to sit through a meeting with carrot cake, chocolate cake, dessert bars, sausages, and some great looking fried junk. How can someone look this stuff straight in the eye and not take a bit of something? I did it; tasted nothing! Then preparing lunch for a couple of visiting groups over the past two days and once again dealing with gooey goodness, BBQ, more fried junk, mac and cheese, ham, and desserts abound. Once again, I stuck to the veggies and salad and drank a lot of water.

Man this shit is tough but if I can stick to making the good decisions, stick to the simplified plan, and deal with all of this major temptation, I might be ok. Off to New York for a few days of training. I will leave you with this amazing thought...

- We had to get a new toilet yesterday!

Ciao for now!

If I had a dime...

OK, I know you are tired of hearing me bitch and moan about being fat and a big tub of goo. I am tired of this shit as well. So tonight begins my latest chapter in the adventures of Chef Jeff, trying to lose weight, again. Well, it does begin again. Me and the wife had a little talk, a good talk, about all of this stuff. I tend to obsess about all of this and am trying not to do it this time. So here is my plan:

- Drink lots of water!
- Moderation, particularly when it comes to the meats. 
- Eat more fruits and vegetables. But I am not becoming a vegetarian!
- Exercise! Try to do something in the morning and something at night. Just get moving.
- Lay off the processed foods, fast foods, stuff that is really bad for you!
- Go to bed earlier.

If I can just stick to this simple little plan. Simple plan equals big results? I hope so!

I have a really busy time coming up from the end of August to the end of October. A bunch of traveling for business, training, cooking competitions, food shows, planning, running around. It is going to be a long and grueling two months but it is going to be great!

So I will finish up with this stupid and random thoughts...

- Roanoker's still like to drive in the right lane, stop on green lights, and go on red lights.
- Smoking drives me nuts! I just hate it.
- I hate that people leave children, elderly, and dogs in hot cars. Senseless.
- I wish restaurants had better service!
- I got a hair cut today.
- A picture frame fell on my forehead and now I have a dent on my head.

Ciao for now!!

A sad state of the world...

I think it is terrible what happened last night in Colorado. The monster that did this has a heart and soul filled of pure evil! Thoughts and prayers to each and every victim and person involved and affected by this tragic event.

So have not been good with the eating and diet, not at all. I want to get back to it sooo bad! But it is sooo hard! I know you know this!

So here are some thoughts and things going on:

- I hate getting screwed! I think you should do the right thing and that is it! You know who you are and you know what I am talking about. Just make it right.
- I am writing a book, completely fiction! Based on a few events of my life. I know and understand this will never be published and accept it, but I am still having some fun with this!
- Blue crab is one of the best tasting, most delicious foods in the whole world!
- God bless air conditioning!
- I tried making mozzarella cheese for the first time. Need to practice some more! It is kind of fun!
- In my next life, I want to be a pet dog.
- Even though this mass shooting happened, I can not wait to see The Dark Night Rises.
- Maybe this makes me a horrible person but we have a cat and she is a pain in the butt. I love her but I want her to go away! Really, I do, and I do not care how she goes!
- I find Facebook boring. Twitter even worse. I just can not embrace this social media apps for some reason.
- I enjoy clipping coupons but lately, they really SUCK the big one!! Just no good ones out there.
- I will be on TV again on July 29, on The Weekend Diner.

With all of this said, I wish I had something good and meaningful to say. See you next time!