Week 37 - Progress

Well, it's another week down, and another week of positive results.  This week I lost 1.5 pounds, to weigh 273.6 pounds total for an overall loss of 60.3 pounds.  I suppose this goes to show that if I stick to my workout plan and continue to track what I eat (and make smart choices where I can), the results will happen.  I just need to be patient.

60 pounds down is a fantastic result, and I am extremely happy to be here.  But I can't help but look at the flip side of that number, namely, that I still have more than 108 pounds to lose.  Put another way, that's an entire gymnast's worth of weight that still needs to go.  The thought of that is depressing, so I am instead going to focus on the 60 pounds that is gone, which is the weight of a small child. 

To reframe the focus on the good results, let's look at a graph showing my weight lost since I started this journey:

It's not all smooth, and I don't lose every week, but the overall trend is definitely down.  And my weight is significantly down from where I was.  I have lost 18% of my starting body weight, and 36% of my overall weight loss target. 

I am generally feeling pretty good, physically.  My left knee is still dodgy when I am walking, but mostly only when I am thinking about the mechanics of walking, so if I can just stop thinking about my knee possibly giving out, I will likely have a better time with it.  My back is almost entirely back to normal, thank god.  I do not do well with back pain, and having a sore back for a mere week and a half was a reminder of how physically compromised I was before I started working out. 

My fasting blood sugars were high all this week, which was disappointing.  Not super high, like they were before, but consistently in the 6.3-6.4 mmol/L range.  Since I haven't changed my diet at all this week, I am not sure what it triggering this.  Perhaps there is something in the Rogan Josh curry that I have been eating all week that is setting me off?  Not sure, but it's something we'll have to watch for next week. 

I donated blood this morning, and it was a fun experience - - all the staff at the clinic are very nice, and I left with a feeling of goodwill (and just a little tipsiness).  I did not bleed as quickly as I have in the past, but that is perhaps due to the fact that I have a much lower resting heart rate - - at 60 bpm there are simply fewer beats to push out the blood.  I have to accept that it is not a competition, and leave it at that.  There is no prize for being the fastest bleeder, and in fact, holding on to my blood is probably a good survival skill if I ever get cut or stabbed, if you think about it. 

So, the objectives for this week are to keep doing what I am doing, and stick to my workout and eating plan as much as possible.  This weekend is Thanksgiving here in Canada, so there will be the obligatory turkey dinner at my parents' house this Sunday.  It is also my nieceling's 8th birthday, and there will be 2 - count them - 2 different cakes to avoid.  My mother does birthdays to excess, but it's fun, so we run with it. 

I will have to try not to get discouraged if I do not lose weight this week, what with all the turkey, gravy and cake around. 

Took a little walk through NYC on my way to work this morning

Photo courtesy Pascal Subtil, licensed CC-BY-SA

This morning I had the opportunity to walk through New York City on my way to work.  This would not be too unusual, except that I happen to live in Toronto.

Toronto is known for many things - its thriving theatre district, miles of green space and parks, and of course, for being the perfect replica U.S. city.

I know from seeing the notices and films that Toronto often stands in for New York City (see Suits, and Alphas), as well as Chicago (Red), Washington (Covert Affair), and generic U.S. cities (Nikita, Total Recall).  For some reason, my neighborhood is often the location for many of these shoots - perhaps it is the perfect anonymous location. 

I am not sure what being filmed this morning, but the alley behind my bedroom was closed off and full of equipment, and the street was lined with NYC police cars and yellow taxi cabs when I was working out on my elliptical trainer.  In fact, the alley was a veritable hive of activity, unlike its normal state.   

As I walked down the street behind my apartment to get to work I even had to step over the camera rig - - one of those mini railway tracks on which the cameras ride for certain shots.  It looks like the parking lot across the street from my place and the sidewalks along the way were being used for the shot.

As always, I was impressed with how many  people are involved in filming - - the street and alley were crowded with lighting technicians, grips, production assistants, camera assistants, electricians, drivers, caterers, sound technicians and gaffers.  There might have even been some actors out there, but I was too taken with staring at the New York City cars to notice.  Yes, it is clear that I am a nerd.

On a completely unrelated note, I will have to work out early tomorrow morning so that I can get out the door in time to walk over to my appointment to donate blood.  I haven't donated in 5 years, which is too long.  On the good side, I am now healthy enough that my blood pressure, resting heart rate and iron levels in my blood should all be normal, so hopefully donating blood will not be fraught with the same issues that I had the last time I donated.

Back in 2007 (after articling, but before starting work full time as a lawyer) I was probably not my heaviest, but I was definitely not in shape.  I was likely heavier than I am now, and I certainly was more physically compromised than I am now.  I took the bus up to the blood donor clinic, and even though the walk from the street up to the clinic was a short one, it was enough to make my heart race.  Back then, my resting heart rate was more than 120 beats per minute - - in fact, it was pushing 130 - 140 bpm most of the time.  Canadian Blood Services will not accept you as a donor if your blood pressure is too high, or if your heart rate is too fast, and at first, my heart rate was well in excess of the cutoff.

But I have AB- blood (the most rare blood type around), so the staff nurse told me to rest for 15 minutes in the hopes that my pulse rate would come down.  She blamed my elevated heart rate on the cup of coffee that I had drunk that morning, rather than my obvious unfitness, bless her heart.

At any rate, I was able to get the heart rate down to 1 bpm below the cutoff, so I was permitted to donate blood.  But the experience shook me, and I knew that I would not be able to donate blood again for a while, until I had done something about my fitness.

Fast forward a mere 5 years, and here I am.  It turns out there is a blood donor clinic only a couple of blocks away from my office, and they encourage appointments.  So that's where I will be tomorrow morning, going off to bleed for a good cause.