....2 The Journey........... Me 6 Months On................

.........so.............. after six months of gym and portion control, along with a healthy dose of fat cutting and sugar cutting............... there is now change.

Current me on the left in the photos - 6 months ago on the right.

I have lost 11 kgs (23 pounds ) and a further two inches off my waist.

I am over the moon at this progress.

Yes - I have a way to go......... but this is a huge milestone for me.

So............ I am happy......... and I hope you all enjoy my somewhat LESS chubby butt being back on the blog LOL.

Shalom all

Damien

PS To all of you on a similar journey as me - and I know there are some of you doing it - keep at it - it is SLOW work but it really DOES reap the rewards :)




.

..................R U Trying To Lose Weight?.........................

..................if so........... I want to hear from you in the comments section of this post.

One of the hardest things to do is lose weight.

I was ridiculously fit and in-shape until I was 30 - and then I let myself go.

Yes - the Depression and the Anti-Depressants had something to do with it - along with the heavy respiratory steroids I am on for my asthma - but at the end of the day - I gave in.

I actually even remember when I did - it was November 10th 2002 - I had been living in Orlando Florida for 2 months with my husband. We were on our second cruise together. It was a 4 night Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral to Nassau in the Bahamas and back. We were getting ready for dinner on the 2nd night and I had to ditch my plan to wear a certain pair of pants because I could no longer fit into them. I was a 34 inch waist at the time - up from 30 - my partner encouraged me to be careful with my weight upon seeing this at the steroid would make it incredibly difficult to lose it again.

My partner is a big guy and knows a thing or two about weight loss / weight gain and how challenging and painful it can be.

Well............. I had two desserts at dinner that night so I guess I didn't listen. 12 months later and I had reached my heaviest at approx 260lbs (around 120 kgs) - if memory serves me well. Although I think I was probably more than that at the time having developed "cankles" - you know... when you lose the line where your calf stops and your ankle begins.

6 years and 3 months later I am now at 200lbs (100kgs approx) - with a 38 waist.

Needless to say - the amount of work it has taken to shed the weight that I have has been enormous. Unfortunately, it has taken a serious toll on me. My lower back problem which was a minor issue before, is now something that has to be taken into consideration when exercising.

My knees are always sore - and my hips ache if I walk for a long time.

To those who may believe that all you have to do is "exercise and you'll lose it" - try strapping an extra 100lbs to your body and go for a 3 mile walk.

Afterwards - see how your body feels. Then do it the next day - and the next - for a week - always using that extra 100lbs. I think you will be quite surprised by the toll it takes.

Needless to say - I am now at a plateau that is seriously hampering my ability to lose anymore.

Lapband surgery is a consideration right now.

I turn 38 next month - same in years as inches on my waist - I intend to be 34inches on my 40th - that's the goal.

Got any tips? Suggestions? Experiences you simply want to share?

Post em in the comments - or email them to me.

Shalom

Damien
.

......My Previous Post on Measurements........

.

I just re-read the post I did.

Why am I letting this worry me so much?

My partner will still be at home - He will still love me - Less of a waistline won't stop my Nan from dying and it won't cure my depression!

What the fuck just happened???????

I can't believe I had such a shallow moment right then.

Sure we joke about things like this and there WAS a joke in there - but it actually provoked a reaction of anxiety.

ABOUT A WAIST MEASUREMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jesus H - this is not good.

Why are we all so obsessed about this shit? Even those who take the high ground are worried about it - they are just too insecure to show the worry.

Now - partly for me it is a health issue. My father has had multiple heart attacks and strokes but he was a chain smoker and I am not. But I am a chronic asthmatic and excess weight can interfere with the ability of the lungs and diaphragm from working as well as they should.

Is it truly my vanity? My friends don't care - my Mum doesn't and neither does my partner - they just want me to be happy however I am.

But does that mean my happiness is directly linked to my weight?

Oooooooooooooooooooooookay - Baby has some thinking to do now.

Oy vey............. why isn't my Rabbi on speed dial.

.