I sat in the back seat of the four-door truck while Scott and his wife carried on a conversation in the front seat. "Sure, no big deal," I thought to myself, "I've been to Wendy's plenty of times before, and I've been to Wendy's in this truck many times before, AND I've been there with Scott and his wife before many times too, none of this is unfamiliar to me, so why is it so uncomfortable?" Deep down inside, there was a heavyweight bout ready to rumble. In the red corner, the once heavyweight champion of my gut, the Craving. In the blue corner, the newcomer to the circuit, who doesn't have a lot of experience, but is a new fan favorite, the Diet. In 2010, the Diet is stepping into the ring undefeated, but the Craving has been working hard just waiting for his next chance to get his belt back from the rookie.
As Scott pulled his truck towards the drive-thru, my mouth watered thinking about smashing a chicken sandwich in the middle of a double stack, and washing it down with a frosty. Of course, Wendy's has a great salad menu, but really, how am I going to go through and get a freakin' salad at Wendy's? While I'm contemplating my order, my guilt gave me third option...the door! I seriously glanced at the door handle and wondered how funny it would be to just open the door, jump, tumble to my feet, and start sprinting in the opposite direction. Ding, ding! Round 1, and the Craving looks hungry to take down the Diet. The Diet, looking a little unsure in the ring, blinks just in time to catch the Craving's hard-brought haymaker right upside the temple. It wasn't even a fight. The one-swing king Craving takes his championship belt back from the Diet and hoists his hands high in victory. "I'll have a Chicken Sandwich, no mayo..." (because I'm watching my weight) "...a Double Stack, no onions, and a Small Frosty."
Well, that's my colorful recollection of my first fast-food trip in the 2010 calendar year. And since that day, I've eaten fast food 4 more times...it opened the flood gates! And yes, smash the chicken sandwich between the Double Stack, we call it a "Red-headed Step-Sister" in reference to Wendy, and it's more delicious than it sounds...a little something some high schoolers taught me...
So, in order for me to explain my fast food breakdown of late, I feel I should explain what I've been experiencing, and what I've been learning from it. It's been a crazy couple weeks...and I apologize for not keeping up to date with my blog. There is no excuse, I wish I made the time to keep up with it, not only for my loyal readers (which are growing!), but also for the sake of the accountability that it provides for me. I guess I learned a few things the last couple of weeks amidst my busy life.
The first is that when I am stressed, one of the first ways that I react is by eating. My whole life, I've excelled at throwing down food, and surprisingly enough, it's one thing that I'm comfortable doing when I'm stressed. It's like I find unmatched pleasure by engorging in delectible delights, particularly pizza, fast food, and steak. These are the three things that seem to find their way down my throat when I'm attacked by the busy bug. So there's two things I learned about this. One, if I find myself amidst crazy times, still have the discipline to make the time to eat correctly, and plan for the day...pack healthy snacks or lunches so I don't HAVE to make my way through a drive-thru. Two; JUST SAY NO! Not just to the fast food, but I've been a YES! man for as long as I know it...I can't courage up to say no to people I like, and I love to have my hand in a little bit of everything. Now, not only as a married man, but also as an over-weight, hungry man, I need to learn how to say NO to people who ask of my time so that I don't get so busy that I find myself in the situations where I make bad food choices, and can't get into the gym.
So, I've been helping with Leadership at South, and we had our "Winter dance" on Saturday, Feb. 6. I also help with off-season football workouts, keep score at home basketball games, and volunteered to not only play the bass at two services of Church on Sunday, but also to cook some of my almost famous teriyaki beef for a Superbowl Party for some Saxon Football boosters. See how many chances I have to practice saying no?
So, Tuesday night, there was a basketball game...Wednesday night we did a butt-load of grocery shopping, because it was the only chance we had to do so (primarily so I had what I needed for the Superbowl party on Sunday). Thursday night I had worship band rehearsal, Friday after school I had a football meeting from 2:45 to 4, dance decorating from 4 to 7, and then a basketball game at 7. Saturday, I had to prep the beef (and thankfully my awesome wife was able to help) in the morning, and then run around town getting last minute decorations, raffle prizes, etc., just before I met kids at school at 1 to decorate more for the dance. I stayed there until the DJ showed up at 6, just in time for me to rush home, change, pick up the wifey, and hustle back to the dance. Got home at 2am Saturday night, after cleaning up and having something to eat at Shari's (for the first time since noon) with my wife and another (awesome) chaperone couple, Muli and Susie, just so I could wake up and be at Church by 7:30am for a last minute rehearsal before 9am and 10:45 services. It was the absolute first time I played the bass in about 7 months, so I was a little nervous about it, which doesn't help when you're exhausted and running on fumes.
After service, I ran to school and helped get some of the A/V stuff ready for the party, ran home and barbequed 100 teriyaki beef skewers (thank God for the beautiful weather on Superbowl Sunday), and got back to the party just in time. Got to sit around and enjoy the party for a bit, but was exhausted. I had been on the go non-stop from the time I woke up for school on Tuesday morning until Sunday night after the Superbowl. It was an absolute crazy week, and NOTHING about it was helpful for my health. And I ate fast food. It was a horrible week of diet and exercise, and I was exhausted. I didn't even bother weighing myself, until Tuesday, and I was surprised that I was at 290.8. I bet if I weighed myself on Sunday I would've been at least 5 pounds more than that. But it's encouraging, I'm almost to the 280s! Just about 10-15 more pounds to get to my baseball season goal of 270something!
Well, the good news is on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, I brought home my own personal CPAP machine, and have been sleeping with it since. When I don't rip it off my face in the middle of the night (which I don't realize I do until the next morning), it's great sleep! I'm still taking time getting used to sleeping with it on my face every night, but once I do, I'll be getting a better quality sleep every night, and a better quality life to go with it!
Well, this week has been busy in anticipation of baseball starting next week. I'm nervous for my weight loss plan when baseball starts. It's going to require some dedication with some early mornings in the gym, and some creative cardio plans. I'll probably need to watch The Natural, Major League, Field of Dreams, The Sandlot, and Fever Pitch this week to help get in the baseball mood. Fever Pitch only makes the list because Fallon is a Geometry-teaching Red Sox fan...my kind of guy!! Anyways, I'll fill you in with a more normal (and shorter) blog next Sunday.
Until then, to HEALTH and WEALTH!
Aloha,
Isaac
Monday, February 15, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
a new life...
So last night I slept at the sleep clinic with the CPAP machine, and it was amazing!
First of all, falling asleep wasn't all that bad. The application of the "mask" was not that uncomfortable. At first, getting used to having a continuous stream of air being pushed into your nose was slightly uncomfortable, but it's amazing how fast your body adjusts! I actually had a pretty easy time falling asleep, and the air pressure helped me to focus on my breathing and slow down my thought process. I think a lot of times when I have a hard time sleeping, I let my brain race about so many different things. With the CPAP therapy, I was able to clear my mind and just focus on breathing, and my breaths were deep.
Well, I recall having to adjust a few times in the middle of the night, but the technician overseeing my therapy said that I slept well. At first, I started with a pressure level of 5. Over the course of the night, I started to snore occasionally, and the technician finally leveled me off at 9. I guess at a level 9 I had a pretty steady, consistant breathing pattern. The doctor said that I should expect to feel better immediately, and in fact, today was amazing!
I have to admit, I had a harder time waking up and getting out of bed, which is typical because I had experienced a deeper sleep than usual, and it took longer to awake. However, once I was up, I was alert like no other! My senses were like on overdrive, and I could actually feel myself think and process better. My first thought was, "Well this can explain a lot...what might I have been able to achieve had I known that this is what life is supposed to be like!?" I told the technician last night that had I been more educated about this, I might have done this study 10 years ago! I seriously want to become an advocate for helping people identify their sleep disorders. Your quality of life does not have to be the way it is, with proper treatment for sleep disorders, we can all appreciate life as it is intended!
From 6:15 until now, I had no urgings to want to nap today. On most regular days like today, I could easily fall asleep for 30 minutes or so by 2pm. Today, there was no way that I was going to fall asleep. I was too alert and too awake to be able to nap.
The technician (who is now my buddy), said that my oxygen levels were at 95-98% last night...up 22 percentage points higher than last week! My brain was able to actually REST for a whole night...without having to be on guard to wake my body up because of obstructed airways. It was by far the best sleep of my life as I know it, and it was done in a strange bed, with wires connected to my body, with a mask on my face for the first time, and with someone watching me sleep all night long. I can't wait to experience the quality of life this experience will bring to me once I get use the CPAP on a regular basis!
Well, I thought I'd just share that small tidbit of information from my experience last night...look for my normal blog next week Sunday or Monday!
A shout out to my first two official "followers" of my blog...Jake and Conrad! Thanks!
First of all, falling asleep wasn't all that bad. The application of the "mask" was not that uncomfortable. At first, getting used to having a continuous stream of air being pushed into your nose was slightly uncomfortable, but it's amazing how fast your body adjusts! I actually had a pretty easy time falling asleep, and the air pressure helped me to focus on my breathing and slow down my thought process. I think a lot of times when I have a hard time sleeping, I let my brain race about so many different things. With the CPAP therapy, I was able to clear my mind and just focus on breathing, and my breaths were deep.
Well, I recall having to adjust a few times in the middle of the night, but the technician overseeing my therapy said that I slept well. At first, I started with a pressure level of 5. Over the course of the night, I started to snore occasionally, and the technician finally leveled me off at 9. I guess at a level 9 I had a pretty steady, consistant breathing pattern. The doctor said that I should expect to feel better immediately, and in fact, today was amazing!
I have to admit, I had a harder time waking up and getting out of bed, which is typical because I had experienced a deeper sleep than usual, and it took longer to awake. However, once I was up, I was alert like no other! My senses were like on overdrive, and I could actually feel myself think and process better. My first thought was, "Well this can explain a lot...what might I have been able to achieve had I known that this is what life is supposed to be like!?" I told the technician last night that had I been more educated about this, I might have done this study 10 years ago! I seriously want to become an advocate for helping people identify their sleep disorders. Your quality of life does not have to be the way it is, with proper treatment for sleep disorders, we can all appreciate life as it is intended!
From 6:15 until now, I had no urgings to want to nap today. On most regular days like today, I could easily fall asleep for 30 minutes or so by 2pm. Today, there was no way that I was going to fall asleep. I was too alert and too awake to be able to nap.
The technician (who is now my buddy), said that my oxygen levels were at 95-98% last night...up 22 percentage points higher than last week! My brain was able to actually REST for a whole night...without having to be on guard to wake my body up because of obstructed airways. It was by far the best sleep of my life as I know it, and it was done in a strange bed, with wires connected to my body, with a mask on my face for the first time, and with someone watching me sleep all night long. I can't wait to experience the quality of life this experience will bring to me once I get use the CPAP on a regular basis!
Well, I thought I'd just share that small tidbit of information from my experience last night...look for my normal blog next week Sunday or Monday!
A shout out to my first two official "followers" of my blog...Jake and Conrad! Thanks!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Week 4 and maybe snore no more???
Well, this week I didn't eat as well as I could have. I had a muffin at lunchtime on top of my lunch one day, AND had a lot of Subway sandwiches (we had a platter ordered for a football meeting) for lunch on Friday and then ate pizza for dinner after that...not the best week of eating in relationship to what I've been doing. However, I guess my workout regime picked up the slack. I got my swims in for the week, and one bike ride, and I even met my goal of swimming 0.75 miles on one of them! It actually felt pretty good.
The result: -2, down to 293.4. So I've officially lost over 10 pounds now...and hopefully I'll see the 280s soon! Maybe the 270s by the time our first league baseball games at the end of March.
Today, I went to my follow-up check-up with my sleep doctor from the overnight study I did last week Sunday. He confirmed that I do have sleep apnea, and we looked over some statistics that helps him decide how bad of a case it is. He found that I had a "restricted airway" that required my body to adjust/wake-up 23 times PER HOUR over the course of the 6 hour study. That's pretty crazy to think about. As my brother noted, that means I'm "waking up" in some shape or form every 2-3 minutes...my brain never gets to rest for more than 2-3 minutes without having to alert my body to move or wake to keep breathing! It's not easy being my brain!
The second statistic we looked at was my oxygen level. The doctor said that someone my age should expect to have an oxygen level of 95% or higher overnight. My level was at 76%...a slight deficit in oxygen.
With these two factors together, the doctor said that I am a candidate for a CPAP machine to help regulate my breathing and oxygen levels. If you don't know what it is, it is a Continuous Positive Air Pressure machine, which means it puts a pressure into my airways so that when I inhale slightly, the pressure keeps my airways open. This will hopefully fix my snoring/restricted breathing, which would then not only supply me with enough oxygen overnight, but also allow my brain to rest and actually go to sleep, instead of always being on alert to keep me alive at night.
So, tomorrow night (Tuesday) I get to go back into the lab, and spend another night there. This time, I get to wear the CPAP and let them adjust the amounts of air I get. I'll let you know how it goes sometime later this week!
Until then, to HEALTH and WEALTH in 2010!!!
Aloha,
Isaac
The result: -2, down to 293.4. So I've officially lost over 10 pounds now...and hopefully I'll see the 280s soon! Maybe the 270s by the time our first league baseball games at the end of March.
Today, I went to my follow-up check-up with my sleep doctor from the overnight study I did last week Sunday. He confirmed that I do have sleep apnea, and we looked over some statistics that helps him decide how bad of a case it is. He found that I had a "restricted airway" that required my body to adjust/wake-up 23 times PER HOUR over the course of the 6 hour study. That's pretty crazy to think about. As my brother noted, that means I'm "waking up" in some shape or form every 2-3 minutes...my brain never gets to rest for more than 2-3 minutes without having to alert my body to move or wake to keep breathing! It's not easy being my brain!
The second statistic we looked at was my oxygen level. The doctor said that someone my age should expect to have an oxygen level of 95% or higher overnight. My level was at 76%...a slight deficit in oxygen.
With these two factors together, the doctor said that I am a candidate for a CPAP machine to help regulate my breathing and oxygen levels. If you don't know what it is, it is a Continuous Positive Air Pressure machine, which means it puts a pressure into my airways so that when I inhale slightly, the pressure keeps my airways open. This will hopefully fix my snoring/restricted breathing, which would then not only supply me with enough oxygen overnight, but also allow my brain to rest and actually go to sleep, instead of always being on alert to keep me alive at night.
So, tomorrow night (Tuesday) I get to go back into the lab, and spend another night there. This time, I get to wear the CPAP and let them adjust the amounts of air I get. I'll let you know how it goes sometime later this week!
Until then, to HEALTH and WEALTH in 2010!!!
Aloha,
Isaac
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