Health Update: Week 1.5

Initial Weigh-in (January 31): 301 pounds

2/11/13 Weigh-in: 296.8 pounds

2/11/13 exercise update: 20 abdominal crunches done today, mainly out of curiosity

I can't say that the above weight loss-- about four pounds-- is good news. I can vary by several pounds in a matter of hours, so it's almost as if I've lost no weight at all, despite eleven days on a Taubesian regime. I wonder whether I should resign myself to the fact that, given what I know about how I've lost weight in the past, the key for me may be exercise, not diet. I lost a tremendous amount of weight while living in Switzerland because I was hiking literally every single day: the walk to the university went way downhill, then way uphill, so like Bill Cosby, I walked uphill both ways. What's more, I hiked relentlessly during my free time. I also lost around 50 or 60 pounds during the three months of my 600-mile trudge in 2008. Constant physical effort really seems to be the key. My body responds more quickly to that than to changes in diet-- especially diets that say, "Hey, don't worry about how much you eat!" I still pack in a voluminous amount of food, even though there are almost no carbs in it anymore. I'm sure that, despite the pooping, my guts remain full of partially digested meals, which is one explanation for the modest weight loss.

I can say, though, that the radical reduction in sugar has had some salutary effects. There have been fewer headaches, for one thing. And while I have no clue what my blood pressure might be, I'm guessing it's ever so slightly lower than it was. I've also generally enjoyed the challenge of figuring out low-carb solutions for my diet. While it sucks to realize that most of the grocery store becomes your enemy the moment you switch to a Taubes/Atkins paradigm, you've still got some friends on those food shelves, and the new diet is a good chance to make new acquaintances as well. Spaghetti squash, which was suggested to me by several people, has turned out to be pretty good. While not the most satisfying alternative to pasta, it's good enough to work in an Alfredo. In fact, I'll be attempting a bleu-cheese twist on that Alfredo later today.

I do plan to include more data in future updates, especially regarding exercise, but perhaps also regarding things like resting heart rate and, assuming I buy a home kit, blood pressure (though I need a larger-than-normal cuff for my bear-sized arms). I know my blood pressure has gotten frighteningly high; it's past time for me to pull myself out of my nosedive.

My phone has several free exercise apps: Ab Workout, Arm Workout, Butt Workout, Pushups, Situps, and the very comprehensive JE Fit; the latter must be used in conjunction with gym equipment, but the first five apps require nothing but a soft surface on which to do one's workouts. I plan to start by mastering the first five apps-- which constitute the basics-- and only then will I move forward into the gym for higher-level resistance training. On the side, I may use my bunk bed's pipe frame as a way to do easy, inclined pullups. (No app for that, alas.) And I'll need to start walking again. Walking is key.

Expect more info next week.


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