My (Quasi)Retirement from Hiking
Dates: November of 2011 to July of 2012
Date Published: 12/19/2012
I ended my last recap by writing about my disgust for ticks and how they forced me to vow never to hike again. I apologize for leaving you hanging like that. But, I needed you to feel what I felt on that day. 11/11 will always be Veteran’s Day…but, in our house, 11/11/11 is also known as “the day Roscoe had all of those ticks on him”. It goes without saying that Jaci wasn’t happy about the tick situation…and she was right to feel that way. But, the truth about our dog is that he is never happier than when he is out there in the woods. Okay…maybe he is happiest when he is curled up on the couch with Jaci…but, he is only happy with me when we are out in the woods. His instincts kick in and you can almost see a switch being flipped. I imagine I probably look the same way just before hitting the trail. So, as most of you probably already figured out, I did eventually go back to hiking. But, I wanted to take a break from recapping my hikes to talk about my brief break from hiking. The reasons I want to talk about the break will become clear as we go through it. But, for now, please bear with me as there is a lot of set up involved.
I’ll start by saying that a lot happened in the months in which I wasn’t hiking. Looking back on it now, I can say that I was at a very bad place in my life…the lowest of lows, if you will. It wasn’t all bad, but it needs to be posted here since I’m intent on making this blog an open book of my life. The craziest part, for me anyway, is that during this whole stretch I never felt unhappy. But something was definitely not right. I’m usually the guy who finds the silver lining in everything. So, this stretch of months was weird for me. I don’t think I was depressed, but the truth is I don’t know. I only know that I wasn’t very motivated and that it wasn’t that typical wintery, “hibernation mode” lack of motivation.
I have to point out that I had absolutely no reason to feel the way I did during those trying months. Most people who go through these things can point to some catalyst. I can’t. Maybe it was an early mid-life crisis. Who knows? But, for whatever reason, I just decided I didn’t care anymore. I stopped hiking, stopped walking the dog as often, and started eating every meal like it would be my last. It wasn’t outside of the ordinary for me to eat a whole large pizza, mozzarella sticks, and drink the better part of a two liter bottle of soda. I recall Jaci telling me, in her own way, that she was concerned about my health…particularly with the history of heart condition on both sides of my family. But, I didn’t want to hear it…and, there were a lot of “I have to die of something” responses. Stupid.
The natural progression for someone who stops exercising and starts eating the way I was is to gain weight. And, gain weight I did. Before the binge, I was hovering around anywhere from 330 to 345 pounds. Not exactly healthy to begin with. But, I’ve always been a big guy and I never felt like I couldn't go out and run a mile if need be. However, being 345 pounds meant that I'd gained over 100 pounds since I left CT for Dallas in the summer of 2004. 100 pounds in eight years. That’s how obesity happens, folks. You don’t suddenly wake up one morning and weigh 100 more pounds than you did the night before. It is a long, slow process. Which means the walk back to a healthy weight is going to take some time as well.
Thankfully, at some point in the early months of 2012 (after gaining even more weight), I woke up. I won’t say it was a “New Year’s Resolution”. We all know those are made for the sole purpose of breaking them. It also happened too late in January to be considered part of the New Year’s festivities. Regardless, I had my moment of catharsis and decided to reach out to the family doctor. I hadn’t been to see him in almost ten years, and he wasn’t taking “new” patients but, he took my in…proving that miracles happen every day.
February 28th, 2012. That was the date of my appointment. Before he and I discussed my health concerns, I went through the usual weigh-in and blood pressure check they do at the doctor’s office. Before stepping on the scale, I thought maybe I was somewhere around 350 pounds. I was shocked when the numbers came up. 368 pounds…BP of 130 over 90. Scary.
We discussed how I need to eat more fruit and exercise more. And, I have to stop here to point out that this isn’t rocket science. Let me be clear, there isn’t a magical pill I could take to help me lose weight. I was going to have to do it the hard way. But, as I would find out, the “hard way” wasn’t actually all that hard.
He suggested I start by taking what I was eating, cut it in half and substitute the other half by eating as much fruit and veggies as I could stomach. Okay, his words were “nine servings of fruits and veggies a day”…but, if you know me, you know that wasn’t happening…so it became as much as I could stomach. He also said something that really struck a chord. When I said “I can eat a whole large pizza in one sitting”, his response was “So can I, but I don’t”. Again, not rocket science…but I needed to hear those words.
I have to go a quick tangent here to express how much I love my wife. I called her with the details of my doctor’s visit and how he said I need to eat more fruit. Well, guess who came home from work that day with a basket of fruit?
It was the dawn of a new day. Fruit for breakfast, salads for lunch, and smaller portions for dinner…a complete 180 from the life I was leading prior to that day in February. At first, the progress was slow. But, I kept reminding myself that I didn’t put on all of that weight in one day…so it wasn’t going to come off in one day…or even two days…or a week…or a month. I took eight years gaining 100+ pounds…it might take eight years to take it off. And, I was fine with that. Someone in my condition shouldn’t be looking for a quick fix. South Beach, Atkins, etc…none of that stuff was going to work here. I had to change my life.
I think another pitfall of the weight-loss deal which eventually leads people to fail at their goals, is they aren’t open with others about what they are trying to do. I would encourage you, if you are looking to lose weight, to build a support system. Don’t be afraid to talk about it with those who are closest to you. Friends (assuming they are good friends) and family will help you get through it. It doesn’t need to be a secret and, to be honest, you probably won't be able to do it on your own. I wrote earlier about how awesome Jaci has been throughout this process, but my mom has been a huge motivator, too. We would talk about how the weight would go down after one weigh-in but back up the next, and she would remind me not to get frustrated. There were also countless times when I would go to work and the people I work with would tell me how good I look…and these are people who see me every day so it was hard for them to see the weight loss. But, those words of encouragement went a long way to motivating me to do even better.
A few weeks in, the pounds started to fall away. Five pounds turned to ten…ten to fifteen…and so on. When I went back to the doctor for a follow up appointment on June 25th, I had lost a total of 29 pounds. And, my blood pressure was getting back to normal levels…120 over 80. More importantly than what the numbers were telling me, my body was telling me that I felt great. Thanks to an old high school friend, I had joined a recreational softball team. At the start of the season, I felt like the blob trying to beat out a throw at first base. By the end of the season, I was stretching singles into doubles and I wasn’t completely out of breath by the time I reached second base. I still had a very long way to go, but I was on my way.
At the time of this publishing, I’ve lost somewhere between 50 and 55 pounds. I’m not exactly sure because the scale changes every day. For the record, yes, I weigh myself every day. I can see where some people would get discouraged by doing this, but it works for me because it helps keep me in check. I noticed when I was weighing myself weekly that I would gain a pound or two…and I would be in danger of giving up completely. So, by weighing myself every day, I keep myself on track. But, if you are reading this and considering the same, I will tell you that you should do what works for you. There has been a lot of trial and error along the way…but the best thing you can do is not completely give up when something doesn’t work. There were many times throughout this whole process where I could have thrown in the towel. But, I prepared myself mentally at the start and I think that has made all the difference.
I celebrate the victories and use the “failures” as motivation to do better. This past Sunday, after hiking 8.5 miles, I stepped on the scale to see 311.8. I celebrated like I just won the World Series. I haven’t seen numbers like that since I was living in Baltimore four years ago…possibly even before then. I’m a realist, so I recognize that part of the reason that particular number was so low is because I lost a lot of water weight earlier that day due to sweat. But, this time of year is usually the most challenging for me. And, typically, I’ve gained five or ten pounds by now. Fortunately, back in October (after softball was long over and the weather started to change), I realized I needed to find a way to just keep the weight off. If I can make it through the winter and stay “around” the same weight, I am sure I will start having those big weight losses again in the spring. So, long story short, I started hiking again. And, I've rediscovered how much I abolutely love it.
There was a quick hike in July, which I’ll recap in my next posting, but the full-blown “going-out-every-weekend and hiking” hiking didn’t start until October. I’ll get into the details of why there was another long break between my July hike and these every weekend hikes in a future post. But, for now, let’s just say that waiting really worked out because this is really the perfect time of year for hiking (remember what I wrote about silver linings?). Most of the other hikers are gone, so you get to enjoy the trail pretty much to yourself. The trees have all shed their leaves so you are afforded much better views than you would get in the summer. It isn’t terribly hot, so you don’t have to worry as much about how much water you are taking with you. And (perhaps most importantly), while it is cold outside, it is too cold for those pesky ticks.
Dates: November of 2011 to July of 2012
Date Published: 12/19/2012
I ended my last recap by writing about my disgust for ticks and how they forced me to vow never to hike again. I apologize for leaving you hanging like that. But, I needed you to feel what I felt on that day. 11/11 will always be Veteran’s Day…but, in our house, 11/11/11 is also known as “the day Roscoe had all of those ticks on him”. It goes without saying that Jaci wasn’t happy about the tick situation…and she was right to feel that way. But, the truth about our dog is that he is never happier than when he is out there in the woods. Okay…maybe he is happiest when he is curled up on the couch with Jaci…but, he is only happy with me when we are out in the woods. His instincts kick in and you can almost see a switch being flipped. I imagine I probably look the same way just before hitting the trail. So, as most of you probably already figured out, I did eventually go back to hiking. But, I wanted to take a break from recapping my hikes to talk about my brief break from hiking. The reasons I want to talk about the break will become clear as we go through it. But, for now, please bear with me as there is a lot of set up involved.
I’ll start by saying that a lot happened in the months in which I wasn’t hiking. Looking back on it now, I can say that I was at a very bad place in my life…the lowest of lows, if you will. It wasn’t all bad, but it needs to be posted here since I’m intent on making this blog an open book of my life. The craziest part, for me anyway, is that during this whole stretch I never felt unhappy. But something was definitely not right. I’m usually the guy who finds the silver lining in everything. So, this stretch of months was weird for me. I don’t think I was depressed, but the truth is I don’t know. I only know that I wasn’t very motivated and that it wasn’t that typical wintery, “hibernation mode” lack of motivation.
I have to point out that I had absolutely no reason to feel the way I did during those trying months. Most people who go through these things can point to some catalyst. I can’t. Maybe it was an early mid-life crisis. Who knows? But, for whatever reason, I just decided I didn’t care anymore. I stopped hiking, stopped walking the dog as often, and started eating every meal like it would be my last. It wasn’t outside of the ordinary for me to eat a whole large pizza, mozzarella sticks, and drink the better part of a two liter bottle of soda. I recall Jaci telling me, in her own way, that she was concerned about my health…particularly with the history of heart condition on both sides of my family. But, I didn’t want to hear it…and, there were a lot of “I have to die of something” responses. Stupid.
The natural progression for someone who stops exercising and starts eating the way I was is to gain weight. And, gain weight I did. Before the binge, I was hovering around anywhere from 330 to 345 pounds. Not exactly healthy to begin with. But, I’ve always been a big guy and I never felt like I couldn't go out and run a mile if need be. However, being 345 pounds meant that I'd gained over 100 pounds since I left CT for Dallas in the summer of 2004. 100 pounds in eight years. That’s how obesity happens, folks. You don’t suddenly wake up one morning and weigh 100 more pounds than you did the night before. It is a long, slow process. Which means the walk back to a healthy weight is going to take some time as well.
Thankfully, at some point in the early months of 2012 (after gaining even more weight), I woke up. I won’t say it was a “New Year’s Resolution”. We all know those are made for the sole purpose of breaking them. It also happened too late in January to be considered part of the New Year’s festivities. Regardless, I had my moment of catharsis and decided to reach out to the family doctor. I hadn’t been to see him in almost ten years, and he wasn’t taking “new” patients but, he took my in…proving that miracles happen every day.
February 28th, 2012. That was the date of my appointment. Before he and I discussed my health concerns, I went through the usual weigh-in and blood pressure check they do at the doctor’s office. Before stepping on the scale, I thought maybe I was somewhere around 350 pounds. I was shocked when the numbers came up. 368 pounds…BP of 130 over 90. Scary.
We discussed how I need to eat more fruit and exercise more. And, I have to stop here to point out that this isn’t rocket science. Let me be clear, there isn’t a magical pill I could take to help me lose weight. I was going to have to do it the hard way. But, as I would find out, the “hard way” wasn’t actually all that hard.
He suggested I start by taking what I was eating, cut it in half and substitute the other half by eating as much fruit and veggies as I could stomach. Okay, his words were “nine servings of fruits and veggies a day”…but, if you know me, you know that wasn’t happening…so it became as much as I could stomach. He also said something that really struck a chord. When I said “I can eat a whole large pizza in one sitting”, his response was “So can I, but I don’t”. Again, not rocket science…but I needed to hear those words.
I have to go a quick tangent here to express how much I love my wife. I called her with the details of my doctor’s visit and how he said I need to eat more fruit. Well, guess who came home from work that day with a basket of fruit?
It was the dawn of a new day. Fruit for breakfast, salads for lunch, and smaller portions for dinner…a complete 180 from the life I was leading prior to that day in February. At first, the progress was slow. But, I kept reminding myself that I didn’t put on all of that weight in one day…so it wasn’t going to come off in one day…or even two days…or a week…or a month. I took eight years gaining 100+ pounds…it might take eight years to take it off. And, I was fine with that. Someone in my condition shouldn’t be looking for a quick fix. South Beach, Atkins, etc…none of that stuff was going to work here. I had to change my life.
I think another pitfall of the weight-loss deal which eventually leads people to fail at their goals, is they aren’t open with others about what they are trying to do. I would encourage you, if you are looking to lose weight, to build a support system. Don’t be afraid to talk about it with those who are closest to you. Friends (assuming they are good friends) and family will help you get through it. It doesn’t need to be a secret and, to be honest, you probably won't be able to do it on your own. I wrote earlier about how awesome Jaci has been throughout this process, but my mom has been a huge motivator, too. We would talk about how the weight would go down after one weigh-in but back up the next, and she would remind me not to get frustrated. There were also countless times when I would go to work and the people I work with would tell me how good I look…and these are people who see me every day so it was hard for them to see the weight loss. But, those words of encouragement went a long way to motivating me to do even better.
A few weeks in, the pounds started to fall away. Five pounds turned to ten…ten to fifteen…and so on. When I went back to the doctor for a follow up appointment on June 25th, I had lost a total of 29 pounds. And, my blood pressure was getting back to normal levels…120 over 80. More importantly than what the numbers were telling me, my body was telling me that I felt great. Thanks to an old high school friend, I had joined a recreational softball team. At the start of the season, I felt like the blob trying to beat out a throw at first base. By the end of the season, I was stretching singles into doubles and I wasn’t completely out of breath by the time I reached second base. I still had a very long way to go, but I was on my way.
At the time of this publishing, I’ve lost somewhere between 50 and 55 pounds. I’m not exactly sure because the scale changes every day. For the record, yes, I weigh myself every day. I can see where some people would get discouraged by doing this, but it works for me because it helps keep me in check. I noticed when I was weighing myself weekly that I would gain a pound or two…and I would be in danger of giving up completely. So, by weighing myself every day, I keep myself on track. But, if you are reading this and considering the same, I will tell you that you should do what works for you. There has been a lot of trial and error along the way…but the best thing you can do is not completely give up when something doesn’t work. There were many times throughout this whole process where I could have thrown in the towel. But, I prepared myself mentally at the start and I think that has made all the difference.
I celebrate the victories and use the “failures” as motivation to do better. This past Sunday, after hiking 8.5 miles, I stepped on the scale to see 311.8. I celebrated like I just won the World Series. I haven’t seen numbers like that since I was living in Baltimore four years ago…possibly even before then. I’m a realist, so I recognize that part of the reason that particular number was so low is because I lost a lot of water weight earlier that day due to sweat. But, this time of year is usually the most challenging for me. And, typically, I’ve gained five or ten pounds by now. Fortunately, back in October (after softball was long over and the weather started to change), I realized I needed to find a way to just keep the weight off. If I can make it through the winter and stay “around” the same weight, I am sure I will start having those big weight losses again in the spring. So, long story short, I started hiking again. And, I've rediscovered how much I abolutely love it.
There was a quick hike in July, which I’ll recap in my next posting, but the full-blown “going-out-every-weekend and hiking” hiking didn’t start until October. I’ll get into the details of why there was another long break between my July hike and these every weekend hikes in a future post. But, for now, let’s just say that waiting really worked out because this is really the perfect time of year for hiking (remember what I wrote about silver linings?). Most of the other hikers are gone, so you get to enjoy the trail pretty much to yourself. The trees have all shed their leaves so you are afforded much better views than you would get in the summer. It isn’t terribly hot, so you don’t have to worry as much about how much water you are taking with you. And (perhaps most importantly), while it is cold outside, it is too cold for those pesky ticks.