Ramblings of an individual trying to get in shape.

[Jonathan_s1]

The title pretty much sums up my current state. Three years ago, I was in some of the best shape of my life. Work sort of over-whelmed me and before I knew it, I was in the worst shape of my life. I knew I needed to eat healthy and exercise but no matter how much I tried, I just couldn't motivate myself. I've just crept over 50 and for someone who was an athlete in their younger years, it's embarrassing to see the Stay-Puff marshmallow man in the mirror. In early February of this year (2021), I tested positive for Covid. 

I could handle the fever and chills aspect of it, but the raspatory bit hit me hard. I was never hospitalized but it's scary when you are out of breath simply walking across the room. I kept reading news articles about Covid patients who go into the hospital and die on the ventilator. I would lay in bed and think of myself like a death row inmate. If I had to go to the hospital, I felt like 'Dead Man Walking' should be yelled out. Do I write my children a good bye letter or a letter giving my best advice for the rest of their lives? Will I be able to return to work? All sorts of these life altering things raced through my mind. 

I got better. I no longer felt out of breath walking across the room. Going upstairs no longer felt like I was scaling Everest. As I quickly got better, it became apparent that changes were needed and after seeing the doctor and being cleared to go back to work, I realized that I had lost 15+ pounds in about 3 weeks of being sick. I recharged my Fitbit and vowed never to be put into that position where my lack of health could kill me. 

I changed my diet and began walking. Now, I have a 3 1/2 mile loop I walk 5 times a week. (Oh my sore knee's.) I have eliminated soft drinks from my diet and 98% of what I drink is simply water. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables, I have cut portions of other foods and just generally eat what I consider of much better healthy diet but I just can't seem to lose weight. I seem to fluctuate between 5 to 6 pounds. One day it will be down and the next three it will go up and then down again. All within this 5 to 6 pound range. 

This week I finally decided to use the tools on Fitbit and log my water and food intake, so I can't really draw anything for that right now. I am rambling on with this post because it is depressing, to drag my aching knees out on a walk, come back feeling like I put in a good workout. Eating better and then stepping on the scale and seeing my weight gain a pound or two. Now this depression isn't enough to make me give up. No matter what the scale says, I am starting to feel much healthier. Someone recently told me that my face looked like I had lost some weight. When I looked in the mirror, alI I saw was the marshmallow stay-puff guy. I just wish I would see some tangible results on the scale. 

[Heybales]

Good to see you got recovered from the worst - hopefully you won't have some of the lasting effects some are seeing, or get the ones that may come later.

You mention cutting out some high sugar sodas. Though you also mention eating high sugar fruits.

Unless you log - you have no idea if you merely traded the source of carb calories.

For weight loss, it doesn't matter if the fruit has more nutrients that are good for the body, if it has the same calories.

Vegans have put on fat.

Vegetarians have put on fat.

Keto dieters have put on fat.

Intermittent Fasters have put on fat.

Name your way of eaing (WOE), you can both lose weight, or gain fat with it.

What matters is eating less than you burn.

And not once did you reference logging foods or knowing if that is occurring.

Perhaps you figured that should be assumed - but I find when it's not mentioned, it's usually not done or known.

You have to start there.

Log everything that goes into your mouth.

Weigh everything (but liquids) - because calories is per gram, not per cup, spoon, or "about 2 servings per package".

Confirm the label in your hand matches the database entry.

Pick a reasonable deficit - fast is a great way to make an extreme diet and become a stat of the 80% that fail to reach or maintain goal weight.

Reasonable also doesn't stress the body, though at this point yours may not be the same as another healthy body.

How much to lose to healthy weight?

Exercise BTW isn't for weight loss, but body improvement and heart health - side effect is actually water weight gain for many reasons.

If you are merely doing the exercise to lose weight - how sustaining will it be when you reach goal weight?

Also the extra calories from an hour walk can easily be wiped out with a pop-tart.

You getting a calorie burn estimate from that walk from the Fitbit?

Compare it here, because by distance-formula is more accurate than by HR-formula.

https://exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs

Good desire to figure this out, because if you can reach goal weight, Fitbit can help with the life lesson about weight management.

You do more you can eat more.

You do less you sure better eat less.

In a diet, a tad less in either case.

[Jonathan_s1]

Thank you so much for the reply. In my last paragraph, I actually mentioned logging what I am eating. Going back and looking over my chart, my calorie intake for the day would range between 1200 to 1800 calories with most days closer to the 1200 calorie number than the 1800 number. In every case though, because of my exercise, the Fitbit chart would list a number way above (well to me anyways. I am sure a guy like Michael Phelps when he was training was in a whole different orbit of calorie intake.) what I was intaking. I was just using 2000 calories a day as a rough guide and trying to make sure I stayed below that number. 

Again, thank you for the advice.  

[YojanaFitbit]

I think that you're doing a great job @Jonathan_s1. Maybe you can't see it on the scale right now but if you're feeling some changes in you body I encourage you to keep working out and taking good care of your daily routines. I'm sure you will see results soon. 🤗

[Jonathan_s1]

Thank you. It just seems frustrating at times. Today my breakfast consisted of 673 calories [fat 23.4 - Fiber 9.7 - Carbs 83.2 - Sodium 934 - Protein 31.6]. I had a great walk. I felt really good and had probably one of my best times. I was feeling really good. When I did my daily weigh in, I actually gained .4 of a pound from the previous day. Yesterday I finished with 1020 calories eaten for the day with 11741 steps. Now .4 of a pound could be that I drank a little bit more water than I did yesterday but it just seems almost like a let down. My calories are down, my exercise is up yet I gained .4 of a pound instead of seeing some small weight loss I can rally around. As you pointed out, I am feeling healthier but I just wish I had some type of tangible evidence I could take pride in.  

[Heybales]

---

@Jonathan_s1 wrote:

Thank you so much for the reply. In my last paragraph, I actually mentioned logging what I am eating. Going back and looking over my chart, my calorie intake for the day would range between 1200 to 1800 calories with most days closer to the 1200 calorie number than the 1800 number. In every case though, because of my exercise, the Fitbit chart would list a number way above (well to me anyways. I am sure a guy like Michael Phelps when he was training was in a whole different orbit of calorie intake.) what I was intaking. I was just using 2000 calories a day as a rough guide and trying to make sure I stayed below that number. 

Again, thank you for the advice.  

---

You say in last paragraph you mentioned logging what you are eating, which is great - and indeed 1 week isn't long enough.

I just wanted to confirm you appreciated the how much, as in calories, is all that matters for fat loss.

Nutritional aspect certainly helps body from having problems.

But just as you could eat so bad as to have vitamin and mineral deficiencies and stress the body out, and that could take awhile to show some side effects to discover that's what's up - you can also eat too low and have too much calorie deficiency and also stress the body out.

There is a reason why men are given a low of 1500 calories for minimum intake for avg sedentary male. Just as women have 1200.

But you aren't sedentary.

And you hopefully don't want minimum results from your effort.

Just below 2000 is probably good enough goal - way below, like trying to reach sedentary female minimum level - not good.

You have likely been having water weight fluctuations, for one reason the stress on your body and knees doing something newish.

But if you've been eating that low, meaning that much deficit, for awhile, a second reason for water weight is increased cortisol from stressing your body out - you can slowly gain 20 lb that way over the whole body.

How many lbs of fat would be hidden by that water weight increase?

So to that end - are you measuring in several spots too?

Looking in the mirror not a great method - subjective view that can change depending on your day. Objective measurements of several spots best.

But if that 2nd reason is involved - not good to have the body stressed like that.

Body will adapt, your calories in can effect your calories out so easily.

Less spontaneous movement, less movement in general, loss of muscle mass, body slows processes down - all an effort to conserve calories if the body doesn't like how little is coming in, it feels threatened.

Unless you are very short and light, 1500 should be bottom of the barrel level, with the knowledge that's what you'll be scraping for results too.

Only exercise is that walking? Which is fine and great, I just didn't want to read more into that, and next advice will have a bearing on the walking.

You mentioned losing 15+ due to being sick.

How much do you still need to lose to a healthy weight?

[Jonathan_s1]

Thanks again for the information. There is a lot to digest there. On the personal side, I am 6'4'' tall and would probably need to lose at least 50 lbs. to be down to a healthy weight.  

[emili]

@Jonathan_s1 for what it's worth. I started my weight loss journey, seven years ago. I lost close to 70 pounds and I have kept it off all this time. Thank you for the applause, but here is my actual point.. I am vain. Not my best trait, but honesty is one of the better ones.  I hated what I looked like. My face looked like a fat suit. I was 43 and miserable. I didn't do anything physical or remotely good for myself. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it. I was on 2 different blood pressure pills and my doctor called in the first week of March, to tell me I will need cholesterol management ( I was eating cold fries from the fridge while listening to that bit of news). But that wasn't what made me do it. I really just wanted to be smaller. I went from 200 pounds to 130 pounds. It wasn't super difficult, I didn't hate it, I just did it because I wanted to be "pretty". Now.. here is my real point.. every March I celebrate my healthaversary. Not my size, not how I look or don't look, not the good vibes from people who have known me when.. I celebrate no medication at all for anything. I celebrate being a bad ass in the gym lifting and not being intimidated by others. I celebrate my healthy heart that allows me to cardio like a mad woman. All of that has nothing to do with size. It has to do with my health. You are seeing results in your health. Stop being the marshmallow and celebrate your health. Keep eating right, keep moving- do the things your body craves. All the time. The size will come and if it doesn't- a healthy life will for sure. 

[Jonathan_s1]

@emili I can relate, understand...appreciate (?) what you said because in many ways, I am probably that same person. My problem is that I am no where near the, I look good neighborhood. My original posting was a result of feeling better. I've been noticing that I need to synch my belt a little tighter. I am not tired all of the time. I am starting to actually feel good about myself. All these things which are great. I then step on the scale and suddenly my weight is stuck in this +/- five pounds and that is frustrating.  I will add this. This coming Thursday, I was going to post an update. Right now, since posting my original rambling, my weight has held steady and gone down. In fact, one night this weekend, I went out with some friends. For the most part I held firm to my eating but then I said oh what the hell, and indulged just a tad, nothing over the top. I didn't get a walk in and I expected to pay for it on my next weigh in. What do you know, my weight dropped to the low range of where it was holding. Talk about sending mixed signals. The day, I eat low calorie and have big walk/ work out, my weight goes up. The day I don't work out and eat some crap, my weight goes down. 

To me this is more like a marathon than a sprint. A month, two month and three months from now, I fully expect to have dropped a lot of weight and be that person craving a good day at the gym. It's just at the beginning, besides a feeling in my clothes, I just wish that there was something tangible, like the reading on my scale which I could hold on to which says all of this changing I am doing is actually working. 

[shipo]

Hey @Jonathan_s1, I can relate to your situation in so many ways it isn't funny.  Briefly, I got COVID at the end of January 2020 and had many of the symptoms you described, but of course it was so early on I had no idea it was "The Rona" (blood tests last fall confirmed it), so I never had the anxiety you had during my sickest days.  What I found most interesting about your issues were your "over 50" weight challenges (I'm about to turn 64 and can relate), your painful breathing, and your painful knees; last year I kept walking and hiking, to the tune of over 1,200 miles, and while my breathing issues did improve a bit, my knees kept getting worse and my weight kept climbing.

Something in the back of my brain started nagging at me last fall, the little nag center kept saying, "Since walking isn't working, what do you have to lose if you start running?"  My knees got so bad I couldn't stand long enough to cook dinner, and sleeping was exceedingly difficult due to the pain; no position was comfortable for more than a few minutes.  I finally gave in to the nagging, quit walking for about a month, and then started very tentatively slow-jogging (slogging?), maybe a mile every day.  Nope, that didn't work well, but the pain was different enough to give me come encouragement, so I took two more weeks off, and then two days before Christmas I started slogging every-other day, and whaddya know?  The pain in my knees started abating on an almost daily basis.

It is nearly three months since I started the every-other day slog thing, and the difference in my body is night and day, not only is the pain in my knees almost completely gone, but my breathing, which really didn't like the increased activity, has improved dramatically, and best of all, I am already down two belt notches!

I have no idea if this would work for you, but I am thanking my lucky stars I started running again.

[Jonathan_s1]

@shipo - I am the last person in the world to give exercise advice but let me toss this out anyway. First, you are a bit up the ladder on me in that I am trying to work up to slogging. I don't know if it is a mental thing but right now I am still pretty much walking. There are a few areas where I jog (I feel like my jogging form more resembles Elaine Benes dancing [If you are a Seinfeld fan, you'll know what I mean, if not simply Google Elaine Benes dance.] than actual jogging. As I get stronger, on my usual course I will say, I will jog around the cul-da-sac and then walk to the 3rd utility pole or jog five utility poles and walk 2 utility poles. As I get more and more comfortable I plan it increase the distances. That is what I did a few years ago and I found that it worked. Here is hoping lighting strikes twice. 

Now for my advice. If you were walking and hiking 1200 miles, that is really great. Have you tried bicycling? The weather is really just starting to turn nice enough for me to want to take my bicycle out. The cycling is much easier on my knees than either the walking or the jogging. There are some draw backs to cycling. First, a head wind can be a workout killer. Add in the factor that you can travel much further on a bicycle than jogging or walking and finding that you are 12 miles from home and you are facing an uphill ride into the wind can make it miserable. Second thing is make sure you have a good saddle. Even then, I remember from years ago, my butt would really hurt from all of the miles of riding. It's also really embarrassing when everyone is asking you why you are limping.  

Another exercise which for me was easy on the knees was swimming. In my youth I was a tall lanky swimmer (Oh how I wish for my old swimmers body.) The draw back is that you need to have access to a swimming pool. My old work out from a couple of years back was with a 25 yard or meter pool doing 500 yards or meters  which is ten laps (A lap is going to one side of the pool and back. Simply going across the pool is called a length.) The goal is to do 500 in 10 minutes or less. As I said, swimming is much easier on the knees. I should have said, try and do the laps using a free style stroke. But there is a trade off for being easier. You are dealing with a partial oxygen deprivation. That means while you are working out, your head is underwater. You and I both understand what not being able to breath means. For swimming, you need to learn to exhale underwater and then inhale when you turn your head so that it is all part of your swimming stroke. As I said, easier on the knees but can be exhausting. 

I don't know if any of that will help. Thank you for sharing your experience, it really means a lot to me. As I travel through this journey, I have really drawn inspiration from everyone who has replied to me. 

Thank you!
 

[Heybales]

---

In fact, one night this weekend, I went out with some friends. For the most part I held firm to my eating but then I said oh what the hell, and indulged just a tad, nothing over the top. I didn't get a walk in and I expected to pay for it on my next weigh in. What do you know, my weight dropped to the low range of where it was holding. Talk about sending mixed signals. The day, I eat low calorie and have big walk/ work out, my weight goes up. The day I don't work out and eat some crap, my weight goes down. 

---

So one day you moved less and ate more - so your deficit was smaller.

And you lost weight.

Obviously fat weight is not that fast - you lost water weight. Still some fat weight if in a deficit of course.

So back to what I wrote about stress on the body if not taking a reasonable deficit.

With 50 lbs about left to healthy weight - you are at the point that a 750 cal deficit is reasonable, about 1.5 lbs weekly.

You have some nice options for some heart health exercise there.

Just confirm you log it correctly so you get a decent calorie burn estimate - bigger deficit is not what your body sounds like it wants right now, if it's willing to increase stress water weight that easily.

It may better be able to heal better too with less deficit, may find you feel like doing more in better state.

[shipo]

@Jonathan_s1, first off, thanks for the laugh!  😄

It sounds like you are approaching your recovery in the exactly correct manner, a little of this, a little of that, and tomorrow, maybe a little more of each.  Have you ever heard of the C25K program (aka, Couch to 5K), the whole "jog five utility poles, walk two" thing is pretty much the foundation to that program.  As for lightening striking twice, in my extensive experience of rehabbing from injury, illness, over work, extended business travel on expense account, and general flab inducing malaise, yes, it can strike as many times as you want it to; I've been there more times in my life than I care to count.

Regarding my options, as a late teen through my early 30s I rode my bicycle across the United States, Europe three times, and then threw in New Zealand for good measure, also in my early 30s I was a triathlete and did LOTs of swimming and cycling, then marriage and family put the kibosh on all that fun stuff.  Given the time limitations while my kids were growing up, running was pretty much my only option as I could get in a pretty hard workout in an hour and be on with the rest of my day.  In my early 50s I started running again in an effort to rehab from a badly broken leg (my second) and partially torn off foot, and after about 6 years of trying, I finally discovered running on dirt trails was the elixir I needed to get over the hump, by the time I was 57 I was burning through a half marathon in the hour-thirty to hour-forty range, depending upon the course.  Then Mr. Murphy got into the act just as I was about to change age groups at 60, pneumonia, then a badly fractured big toe, then a torn arch, then my third broken leg, and then COVID.

Also during my 50s I tried cycling and swimming again, the former blew up my knees, which is odd because running does not, and the latter reaggravated a dislocated shoulder I suffered in the middle of a triathlon back in 1990 (yeah, that sucked, a half-mile out into a very cold glacial lake and "POP" goes the shoulder).  So, it looks like I'm left with running.

I'm not sure what it is about running which has allowed my knees and lungs to heal so rapidly, but since 23-December I've managed to run about 225 miles; these days my usual run is a very slow 6-miler in the 11-minute per mile range, and my longest so far has been a very slow 10-miler (more like 13-minutes per mile) on a perfectly groomed snowmobile trail (around here the snowmobile clubs use these very heavy sledges to pack the snow down which in turn makes for an almost perfect running surface).  If I can keep up with this level of training, in another month or so I'm considering dialing up the speed maybe 30-seconds per mile.

Circling back to your recovery, have you noticed the more you run versus walk the better your knees feel?  That was one of the observations I'd made last fall which coaxed me into ditching the walking entirely and attempt all slogging.  Good luck on your continued recovery and keep us posted.

[Jonathan_s1]

@shipo Let me say that I am amazed a the activities you have done and continue to push through. Hey, when I grow up, I want to be like you. Right now, I am not sure if running, walking or slogging feels the best. I can say that I am starting to feel the routine. Take care and keep on slogging!!!!

[shipo]

Thanks @Jonathan_s1, stick with it, recovery from COVID hurts, but it is worth it!  Please keep us posted on your progress.

[Jonathan_s1]

@shipo - Thanks!

[Jonathan_s1]

So, it has been one-week since I originally posted, and I have lost, wait for it…3 pounds since last week. [ I was excited about that number. Last week I posted my ramblings because I seemed to fluctuate between 5 pounds. This week my weight was rather steady, with small declines from day to day. Remember I was looking for something tangible I could wrap my mind around that changes are happening and not just psychosomatic changes.

One of my complaints last week, was my knees. Well while scrolling through Facebook, what do you think showed up on one of my scrolls? Advance knee brace with spring support. Like a moth to the flame, I was quickly drawn in looking at pictures of old guys looking happy while they were running with these blue and gray tentacles stuck to their legs. There were a whole lot of testimonials and in no time at all I was clicking away. I used the rush shipping option, and the knee braces were delivered to me two days later.  

I must admit, the brace made my knee feel better. I really liked the way it held my knee and as the days went by, I noticed that my knees did not hurt as much. One concern of mine is how tight the brace clings to my leg. When I finally peel the brace off, I can easily see the impression on my leg, so I am slightly concerned about blood flow. I have no idea if that is something to worry about or not so for right now, I will just leave it alone.

While also scrolling around Facebook, I found an advertisement for Hyperbolic Stretching. The advertisement basically shows an average dude with his legs apart and then with the Hyperbolic Stretching routine where for 8 minutes a day in four weeks it shows the after picture of the dude doing the splits. So, I was thinking to myself, who could not use some more flexibility in their life. I will be honest; my hamstrings are about as tight as guitar strings. I seriously think that if Eddie Van Halen where still alive he could play a pretty darn good rendition of Panama on my Hammie’s. So, in as little as four weeks, I could be bar room betting by as Lil Jon say’s, ‘Getting Low.’ All by doing Hyperbolic Stretching. I was in the process of opening my Paypal account when I began having doubts. ‘What in the Hell does Hyperbolic mean anyway’ I asked myself.

Help was just a click away, “Siri, what does Hyperbolic mean?”

I watched the multicolored dot at the bottom of my phone gyrate like it was something straight out of the Wizard of Oz and then Siri’s calming voice replied, “Hyperbolic is relating to, or marked by language that exaggerates or overstates the truth.”

“Huh,” I said to myself. Is this some type of April Fools Joke? Is this a scam where they say it is in a scam in the title? I am not going to lie to you, I was really looking forward to being able to be doing the splits before Tax Day. I decided to hold off on that purchase.

Just as I was beginning to feel so proud about my 3-pound weight loss for the week, one of my fraternity brothers posted something that came across my Facebook feed. He is doing something called 50x50 and he posted a before and current photos of himself. He said that in the last three weeks he has lost 23 pounds! It appears that he is wearing the same shirt, but I do not know if he was in Arizona three weeks ago. I know that I should be happy for his tremendous weight loss, but it is sort of difficult to be happy for his 23 pounds which dwarfs my 3 pounds for the week. My fraternity brother wants to lose another 25 pounds and I applaud him for his efforts, but it still feels like a kick in the groin. I feel like one of the stepsisters at the ball and then suddenly Cinderella comes waltz into the room and steals the show. Oh well the fight continues. I really am thankful for individuals like Haybales, YojanaFitbit, Emili and Shipo who have taken time to respond to me and offer words of encouragement. My favorite hoody is really starting to feel excessively baggy on me. I cannot think of wearing my jeans without synching my belt all the way up. I am feeling well about myself. Thank you everyone.

[shipo]

@Jonathan_s1, don't get disheartened, some folks, myself included, seem to build a lot of initial muscle as they are burning fat.  In my case, I've only lost maybe 10 pounds since I started running before Christmas, however, and this is a huge HOWEVER for me, I've lost two belt notches!  Maybe it's just me, but I'll take lost belt notches over lost pounds any day.  😛

[Jonathan_s1]

@shipo - I may feel a little blue for a little bit but that is not enough to distract me or change the course I've plotted out. Like you, I am probably two notices in on the belt. I feel those things and maybe unrealistically expect that to be accompanied by a corresponding number on the scale. I just have to learn to be a little bit more patient. I am sure before to long I will be struting around and bragging about my weight loss. I guess just think of me as a young kid in early December continually asking when will Christmas get here. Once again, thanks!!!!

[shipo]

So, back in 2013 I went through pretty much the same thing you and I are both going through now.  Back then I'd been trying to recover from my second broken leg, which was a baddie, clean bread of the tibia, a spiral fracture of the fibula, and a badly dislocated foot (meaning LOTS of soft tissue damage).  The surgeon who screwed me back together proclaimed my bones well knit after only three weeks and basically healed after six, however, the damage to the ankle was so severe I was non-weight bearing for six months!  It took ten years of fits and starts, making some progress here and there and then being knocked back by either injury because of the lack of range of motion in that foot, or HUGE hours at work.

In April of 2013 I left one of my two contracts, which was 75 miles south of the other, and went to work full-time with my current company, and with the hours that move freed up, I started getting serious about running again.  By September I was running well over 200 miles per month, and when the folks I'd previously worked with had a bash, I walked in and they didn't recognize me, I mean literally walked right past me without a second glance.  I think in the end I lost more than five inches in my waist and about 60 pounds of weight.