It's A Double XL Miracle

Just a quick posting today. I had one of those moments during my weight loss journey that I had to celebrate. As I work my way towards a healthier and longer life by dropping my weight, every now and then I have these moments of big success and little successes.

What would I class as a big success? For me this would include reaching major weight loss goals that I've set for myself. So far I've had a few of those when I reached 400 lbs, 350 lbs, 300 lbs and at the point where I'd lost 100 lbs total. My next big success moment will happen when my weight drops to 250 lbs. I'm confident I'll get there eventually but I'm not in any huge rush.

A little success could be almost anything else. A few that come to mind include adding new holes to my belt as my stomach shrinks, dropping from a 6X shirt to a 3X shirt or as it recently happened, fitting into size 46 jeans and vowing never to need my size 60 jeans ever again.

This past weekend I had another little success. I bought clothes from some place other than the Big & Tall store. Okay, I admit there are times when I've found some clothes at Walmart but they were still size 3X which is nice but not what I would call a normal every day size for clothes.

As I've mentioned before, I hope to get to a fitness club this Autumn and Winter to start toning and lifting weights. It's the logical next step while continuing to try and shed the pounds. So on Sunday after a round of golf I decided it was time to try and find some workout clothes.

I knew what I wanted but didn't have a lot of confidence that they would have the sizes I needed at the local athletic store. I had my mind made up that I really wanted to get some Under Armour clothes. It would be nice to wear something trendy and not created by companies that cater to fat people.

After finding the racks containing the gear I wanted I became worried when the largest sizes they had were 2X. I had my doubts that they would fit. But I figured I was there so I should try them on. At the very least it would give me an idea of how close I was to being able to wear them.

The items I picked out were a 2X loose fit UA Tech short Sleeve T-shirt and a 2X pair of HeatGear Dynasty Vented 6" compression shorts. These are designed to take the place of the old athletic supporter and keep everything in place during exercise. It's more stylish as well. They also prevent chafing and rashes, keep sweat away from the body and are lightweight. They kind of look like cycling shorts except the only extra padding in the rear is courtesy of my own big butt.

Modelling my new fitness clothing that actually fits.

You can imagine how surprised and thrilled I was when I tried them on in the dressing room and found both items fit me. The shorts are a bit snug around the waist but they're supposed to be and feel great. The shirt was the big shock for me. I was amazed at how well it hung on my frame. While I still have a hefty midsection it's clearly no longer protruding as much as it once did.

I got dressed and quickly made my way to the checkout and was thrilled to spend the $70 for these two items. They're cheaper than one pair of work pants I bought recently. I think the biggest surprise of the whole experience was coming to the realization that I had actually bought fitness clothing. What has happened to me?

Boat in the Storm

Boat in the Storm
Originally uploaded by *Bundy*

I love when Mother Nature gets all fired up and frisky. When that happens it usually makes for some impressive weather.

Tonight at the trailer by Lake Ontario I enjoyed quite the light show as a massive thunderstorm worked its way down the lake and to the south towards the New York State.

Storms like this are amazing to watch and safe to enjoy as they're quite a distance away yet easily visible across the open water.

The storm didn't produce a lot of visible lightning strikes however. The flashes in the sky were almost non-stop and took in the entire horizon however sightings of actual bolts were few and far between.

This didn't stop me from grabbing my camera and tripod in the hopes of capturing an interesting lightning image. I knew the odds of surpassing past lightning success would be slim with the storm being so far away but I had spotted a sailboat anchored on the lake earlier in the evening and could faintly see it through the darkness.

It was my hope to get a shot of a bolt of lightning coming down into the water near the boat or at the very least within the area I was focused on.

As luck would have it, after taking only a couple of images, I opened my shutter on about the fourth try and down came a bolt of light. It wasn't until after I had the image on my computer that I realized there were actually three lightning bolts striking the water with a couple more fingers in the sky.

As I was editing the image I decided that the final photo would look more dramatic and interesting in black and white. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for B&W photos so any chance I have to make one I usually go for it.

Not only was I pleased with the lightning but considering the image was a long exposure, to see the boat as sharp as it is without any blur from rocking in the waves was a bonus.

I'm still hoping that one day I'll get another chance to capture lightning much closer and more dramatic, as long as it isn't too close and I haven't been electrified in the process.

NOTE: You can click on the image to see it larger.

Bye Bye Belly

So here I am approaching one year since I honestly started to make an effort to shed my massive amounts of fat and reduce the weight I had been carrying around for 20 plus years. Actually, in reality I've been carrying around too much weight most of my entire life. Even as child I was big but after college was when I really started to pack on the pounds.

Fast forward to September 2012 when I decided to give an honest effort to shed some of my excess weight. Topping out at 418 pounds I knew my health and life depended on it. Being as large as I was and having so much weight on my joints I had to ease into the diet. I actually hate calling it a diet as it's more of a lifestyle change but it's just easier to say "diet".

I began reducing my calorie intake per day which automatically reversed my upward trend in weight. I stopped drinking regular pop like Coke and Pepsi which I would easily drink 3-6 cans per day. That equalled a lot of sugar. I switched to diet pop which still isn't ideal but I have no doubt that one move alone was a major factor in getting to a lighter version of myself.

Same jacket fitting differently. Left: 2003 On a cruise. Right: 2013 Too big.

Eventually I got below 400 pounds and began to go for short walks and increase my activity. This continued all winter and my walks gradually got longer and more intense. As my weight continued the downward spiral I would reduce my daily calorie allowance. I would guess at my top weight I was eating well over 5000 calories per day. Today at this current moment I allow myself 2000 calories. If I exercise that will allow me more if I desire it. But to be honest, I have rarely had moments where I felt as though I was starving or ill for lack of food. Sure I have days where I might go over my goal and perhaps eat 100-300 more calories than I would have liked but it balances out because there are days when I might only have 1600 calories.

From time to time and probably more often than I should some cheat meals will take place. I might stop at Tim Horton's and pick up a couple of chocolate chip cookies or I might have lunch at A&W and eat a Papa Burger and fries. But usually when this occurs I will make a point of going for a long walk or go golfing to offset those calories by burning a bunch as well. When it comes to snacking I've really cut down on that vice. My typical night would consist of me sitting in front of the TV watching my beloved Montreal Canadiens playing hockey while devouring an entire large bag of potato chips. Night time snacking is rare for me now but from time to time I will enjoy some chips. The difference is I'll make a bag last 3 or 4 nights or go weeks without any chips at all. I have to allow myself to snack every now and then just to keep my sane.

Whatever I've been doing the last 12 months has worked and eventually I hope to make even more changes. The biggest change I'd like to make is to train myself to eat healthier foods. You know the foods I'm talking about...the food I never eat or hate eating. But if I can learn to like even a few of them and add them to my diet I hope that will propel me to even more success. I'd also like to get a membership at a local fitness club for the winter months. As much as I enjoy walking in the snow and cold, sometimes I just can't will myself out the door to walk on icy roads and sidewalks while braving temperatures of minus 15 or worse.

By joining a gym I also hope to get back to lifting weights and building muscle and toning my body. Believe me, there's plenty to tone. I haven't lifted weights since my days of playing football and rugby in high school. Sadly that's more than a few years ago now.

So as I approach one year of busting my butt to get healthier, I'm proud of the fact that I've lost 136 pounds so far and at the same time I know that losing the next 32 pounds to reach my initial ultimate goal will not be easy. In fact, it might be harder to lose those last 32 pounds than what I lost in the first 12 months but nothing worth having is ever easy and I hope and plan to keep charging ahead with this mission. I may stumble along the way but I won't be denied this if I can help it.

Someone asked me once, "what will you do when you reach your goal?" My usual smartass answer was, "I'm going to run naked downtown to celebrate!" That actually might be a good idea. I hear the food in jail is awful so not eating would help even more. I suppose if and when I reach my long term goal I'll celebrate briefly in some manner and then quickly create another goal to work towards.

Shrinkage Is A Good Thing

I wanted to take a quick moment to give another update on my journey to a thinner and healthier me for those who continue to follow my progress. I promise this won't be a long drawn out affair because it's getting to be late at night and I'm ready to make love to my pillow.

First and update on my weightloss. I am happy to report that I have now lost a total of 135 pounds to date. The progress has slowed some which I expected to happen and I know reaching my long term goal will be a battle I hope to win over the long haul.

The big news for this update centres around my centre so to speak. The all important waistline. This is one of the areas that I hope to continue shrinking not only to look better but for health reasons as well. Other areas I want to shrink badly include my thighs and arms. But this is about my waist.

When I began my journey towards getting healthy and losing weight I was more or less maxed out on the size of pants I could buy locally at the Big & Tall store. The largest size they carried was a 60 waist in any of their clothes. I was able to locate larger sizes in the U.S. but didn't require any at that point as the 60's were still working for me.

Today I decided to try shopping at Walmart for pants rather than the usual store for fat guys. I knew I would still likely be in the 50's at the very least when it came to jeans but I took a chance that they might have some. They didn't.

After a fair bit of time searching through and lifting up the jeans on display to see the different sizes, I came across the largest pair I could find to that point. I didn't have much hope that they would fit but figured it doesn't hurt to zip into the changing room and at least see how close I was to fitting into them.

Surprise! The actually fit me.

I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when I pulled them on, did up the button without having to suck in my gut and zipped the fly. The damn things actually fit!

The young lady must have wondered what the heck was going on when I came out with a big smile on my face. She was probably afraid to go in there. I grabbed a new t-shirt and my new jeans and headed for the checkout.

I left the store with my brand new size 46 jeans and a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. It was a great way to start off my weekend. Dropping from a size 60 to a size 46 was in my plans at some point but I had no idea it would happen that fast. Now I just have to get them hemmed since the legs are about eight inches too long for my short legs. Sadly there isn't any plan I know of that will allow me to increase my height. Not yet at least.

Hungry Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawk in a Tree
Originally uploaded by *Bundy*

This past weekend I was chilling with family at the trailer as I so often do during the summer. Mom and dad have their trailer by Lake Ontario and as a loyal, loving and adoring son I like to spend as much time with them as possible. Plus mom has always been a good cook and I can never pass up a free meal.

Two of my dad's sisters were also out to enjoy the beautiful scenery and my thrilling and charming personality. They can't resist my charm. Can't really blame them...I'm awesome. Okay, enough with me tooting my own horn. I'm starting to make myself ill.

Any way, it was a typical family gathering at the trailer with the usual chit chat and laughs. One of my aunts had walked up to the bathroom with my dad while I stayed at the campsite. A few moments later I saw her hustling back. I thought this was a little odd since I hadn't seen her move that fast in quite some time.

Sure enough she had a reason. She said there was a hawk up by the bathroom eating a snake and it wasn't in any rush to leave even though people were around watching it.

So of course, I grabbed my camera and the two of us made our way to the scene of the feeding frenzy. When I arrived I identified it immediately as a Red-tailed Hawk. It was standing on top of the snake and every so often he would lean over and pick away at it.

He had bits of snake on his beak and it was interesting to watch it as it moved its head back and forth trying to swallow its lunch. The crowd varied in size at times while I was watching. At times I was the only one there and at the most there was probably 15 people including some kids.

One small boy around the age of nine ventured pretty close to the hawk. I mentioned to him that he might want to keep his distance. It's a bird of prey and he might try to make a meal out of you. The boy moved back. In hindsight the bird attacking the kid would have made for a much more interesting photo but I just couldn't let it happen.

I rattled off nearly 100 photos of the bird. He spent a good amount of time on the ground but then as the group of people grew larger I think it got a bit nervous and flew up into the nearby tree. He didn't venture too far though as he wanted to keep his meal in sight.

So far I've edited a couple of photos of my encounter, one of which you can see here, and I was pleased with the result. It's an amazing looking bird and I love how his eye almost looks right through me. Plus the sharpness of his talons is a bit scary. He could do some damage with those. But as long as he doesn't try to grab my beautiful face it's all good.