Lost 150 pounds in 17 months - all natural

Back in June 2015, I had made a decision to improve my health and lose weight. At the time, I weighed 405 pounds (having peaked at an incredible 428 lbs the summer before). I changed my domestic circumstances, moved into my own apartment, was once again 100% in control of the food I bought and prepared and ate. I deliberately put myself in a position where I HAD to walk to work (it was only 2/3 mile, but it was better than not walking at all). I started walking everywhere, hiking and climbing small mountains (for fun!) 

In May 2016, I attempted (this time unsuccessfully - but it won't always have me beaten) to walk 100 miles next to the Pacific Crest Trail (not actually on the PCT because there was too much snow, at the end of May!) I left my desk-bound job of five years in September and moved to Sidney, MT. I started working in a grocery store, expending A LOT more energy than I have in a long time (but also eating more, and more carb-laden foods than normal). Now, it's the middle of November. I've been on this new program (new regime, metamorphosis, call it what you will) for 17 months, and I've lost 150 pounds (68 kg, for my continental cousins). 

I'VE LOST 150 POUNDS IN 17 MONTHS!

I moved house again last week, this time to my "spiritual home" of Missoula ("a place where you feel you belong, although you were not born there, because you have a lot in common with the people, the culture, and the way of life.") I still need to find a new job, but that will come very soon.  The good diet continues now. The increased exercise continues. The improved health continues. In two week's time I will be turning 50, and I'm determined not to slow down or go back to where I was. 

Me, at the 'M' on Mount Sentinel in Missoula, yesterday

As the brilliant Zig Ziglar used to say, "See you at the top!" 

Losing inches, not pounds, for now

It's been more than three weeks since I last blogged about my progress, and tomorrow it will be two weeks since I moved to Sidney, MT. In some ways it feels like I've been here longer than that - it's been so busy.

I'm still hovering around the mid-270s pound mark, the same as two weeks ago. The big change that I've noticed is that my new pants (trousers) are fitting better than when I bought them seven weeks ago.

In terms of diet and exercise, I know I'm burning way more energy now than I ever did before. I'm working two jobs at the moment - both requiring a lot more physical exercise than I've been used to for a few years. At the moment, I don't have an accurate way to capture all the daily steps, but I'll estimate that I'm easily exceeding 12,000 steps a day at the grocery store, and my newspaper delivery route easily adds 8,000 steps to the tally. I'm also riding my bike half a dozen times a week, which is good too. I know I'm eating a lot more than I used to, and that a greater proportion of what I eat is carbohydrates. I'm trying really hard to stick to salads and green vegetables.

More steps

My weekly average number of steps has increased recently to the point where I did more than 70,000 steps in both of the last two weeks:

> 70,000 steps in both the past two weeks

Slow going up Refrigerator Canyon (PCT d - 17)

My friend Marie and I decided to go up Refrigerator Canyon (http://www.visitmt.com/listings/general/national-forest-trail/refrigerator-canyon-trail.html), part of the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area. The first quarter-mile is interesting, as it enters a narrow canyon (10 feet wide) with 200-foot high limestone walls and a small, shallow stream running through the middle of it.

Fallen trees everywhere

Just like my experience at Bear Trap Canyon, three weeks earlier, the trail was full of fallen debris, only this time is was mostly fallen trees not large rocks. There must have been a dozen or more places in the first couple of miles where very large trees had fallen across the path, necessitating either climbing over the large obstacle or walking around it. It was not always easy.

Me, with a 32 lb backpack

It felt like we were constantly walking uphill, which 98% of the time was accurate. It wasn't super steep in any one place, but it was uphill all the way. In broad figures, the trailhead was at about 4,647 feet elevation, and the point at which was stopped was at about 5,270 feet. A quick bit of math here: a 623 foot gain over 10,560 feet is equal to a 5.9% grade (that's quite a bit). We had to stop after a couple of miles because of a large fallen tree blocking the way and because of the light rain, which was making the trail a bit muddy and slippery. We decided, afterwards, that it had been the right thing to do to turn around. We still gotten a really good workout. Our heart rates had gone up to aerobic levels, and our legs had definitely felt the three and a half hours of activity.

Female Rocky Mountain wood tick

After I got home, I discovered yet more fellow travellers, as I spotted a couple of small female Rocky Mountain wood ticks (I think that's what they were).

So, we walked 4 miles altogether in 3.5 hours - not especially fast. Would I do it again - sure! Later in the season, when the fallen trees have been cleared, and when it's not so muddy. I'd make sure to set off very early in the morning, to give myself the maximum chance to hike the entire 9.5 miles that I had plotted out, including making time for a picnic/lunch at Bear Prairie (near the end), before returning the same way to the beginning again.

There are signs warning of the presence of bears, and I did have my bear deterrent spray with me, but we didn't see any large animals. I did have an opportunity to discharge the spray for a fraction of a second, just to make sure it actually works. In fact, since I was practicing for my Oregon hike, I took an almost full backpack with me yesterday to emulate conditions there. It weighed 32 lbs.

There are more photos at https://goo.gl/photos/wbNRTE9Kgushd9SeA.

GPS tracking points recorded every minute

Reaction to hiking in Arches National Park (PCT d - 21)

Coming back to work again after being away for three extra days was an anticlimax. I would have loved to have stayed in southeastern Utah for a few more days and really explored the national and state parks in that area. The conditions were nearly perfect for the visit - not unbearably hot during the day or cold at night; not wet but breezy. 

I would definitely contemplate going again some time, not in 2016 but maybe in a couple of years time. I would go for a whole week instead of just three or four days, and make it in late March or early April, not the end of April, when everything is already in full swing down there. To break up the 11 hour car journey from Montana, I would try to find somewhere in Salt Lake City to do something fun on the way. 

You can read more about my Arches trip at this link: Hiking in Arches national park. Photos can be found at these links: https://goo.gl/photos/HpFLpqcBL9ZfZ6wa8 and https://goo.gl/photos/588cTuY3tkpbGCWGA. 

Now (Wednesday, April 27th) there are only three weeks until Birdie and I head off to Oregon (on May 18th). I've been preparing for that for the past seven months, and soon it will become a reality. Soon, we will be dodging black bears, and getting soaked in the rain, and tending to blistered feet - or, we might not see any bears at all, we might have glorious sunshine, and we might escape with NO blisters whatsoever. And that's part of the fun - pitting ourselves against nature and the elements, and overcoming adversity to triumph in our 100-mile journey. 

Bought train tickets today for Oregon trip (PCT d - 35)

Two days on a train to get there

With only five weeks to go until our 100-mile PCT adventure around Crater Lake in Oregon, I bought our train tickets today.

After the "excitement" of the Norris hike last weekend, there's not long before the Utah trip. This time next week I'll be on Interstate-15 heading south approaching Salt Lake City. We'll be camping outside the national parks near Moab (only because they don't have enough trees to hang a hammock - a bitter lesson learned), but the plan is to see the sunrises and sunsets in the Arches and Canyonlands national parks, and take lots of photos of the sandstone arches and needles. There'll be many miles of hiking too. It should be great!

Weekly average steps keeps going up

My weekly average number of steps keeps going up!

Three-week moving average is almost 60,000 steps now

That's good, because I'll be needing to do 30,000 a day for seven straight days when I'm in Oregon in less than six weeks time!

Bear Trap Canyon hike is today and tomorrow

In just over an hour I'll be setting off on a 100 mile drive towards Norris, MT, to start an 8-mile hike in Bear Trap Canyon by the Madison river. It's part of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness, a recreation area created by an act of Congress in 1983. After hiking down the canyon (there's only one way in for hikers), I'll hang my hammock overnight, then hike the 8 miles back again the next morning. It'll be my first night out under the stars in my new hammock - a good test for what's to come in six weeks time when Birdie (my daughter) and I go to Oregon to hike 100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail near Crater Lake.

Some of the gear I'm taking with me.

I've got some home-made food, plus some Mountain House freeze-dried food; an MSR Micro Rocket stove with isobutane fuel; anodized aluminum cookware; a Sawyer Mini water filter, Aquamira chlorine dioxide water purification drops (as a backup); a First Aid kit with extra blister treatment supplies; Luci solar powered LED light; a couple of chemiluminescent light sticks; a trowel and toilet paper; 100 ft of 550 lb-rated Type-III paracord; a couple of 50 ft lengths of thinner cord for hanging tarps and fly sheets; sunglasses; bug repellent bracelet (no DEET); 130 dB ear-piercing Storm whistle; bear spray; spare laces for my hiking shoes; Gorilla tape; my camera and spare batteries; solar charging panel with cables; Leatherman multi-tool; Anker battery pack for charging devices; my Moto X Android phone; my new Delorme inReach GPS locator/communicator; a notepad and pen for writing; reading glasses; daily medication; my wallet with (not much) money and ID; (maybe a thermometer, and maybe a Bluetooth battery-powered speaker for listening to tunes this evening). 

Holy cow! That's a lot of sh**..tuff. There's also a backpack, with hammock, bug net and fly sheet; a thermal sleeping pad; a down top quilt; a hydration bladder with 2 liters of fresh water, and a drinking bottle for more water. I'm sure I've forgotten to list something (a spoon and fork, a towel of some sort). 

It'll be a good test of my preparedness for the great outdoors. It'll be a great hike, communing with nature. It'll be a great time to get away from the phones ringing at work, and clear my mind of any of that stuff. It'll be great to have time to think about my future, reflect on the successes of the past ten months (losing 92 pounds is a success, I'd say!), and to contemplate what I want in the coming months and years. 

To see my progress, later today and tomorrow, you can go to https://share.delorme.com/share/janesdaddy and enter the password (the name of the neaby town with Hot Spings - I mentioned it in the first sentence). Initially, there'll be blue dots (and a blue line connecting them) every 10 minutes once I start walking. After I get home and transfer the recorded data, you'll see the dots every minute (closer together). 

There'll be lots of photos after I get back, of course, and a full description of the journey itself. Have a great weekend, everyone! I will!

Late sprint needed for victory (PCT d - 52)

After last week's epic 57,000 steps (well, it was epic for me!), this week will be another 50,000+ steps week.

** Sunday evening update: At 57,800, I managed even more than last week!! **

317.8 lbs, a new low

My week started with some terrible overeating on Monday (http://blog.ergoob.org/2016/03/even-superman-had-bad-day-sometimes-pct.html), which caused me to miss walking in the evening and to have to skip swimming too. I made up for it on Wednesday and Thursday with two 9,000+ steps days. Then, yesterday, I walked to Vans Thiftway and back, which is 3½ miles from my apartment. So 7 miles altogether, which made over 14,000 steps. If I go to Albertsons (1 mile away) later this morning, or to the movie theater (the Myrna Loy Center is 1.7 miles away), I'll easily exceed 50,000 steps for the week again.

Having so "easily" reached my February target of 321 lbs four weeks ago, it's been a struggle to shift any weight off since then. I haven't been quite as strict with the low carb diet, as I've been experimenting with backpacking food for my upcoming hiking trips. It's taken until today to hit a new low of 317.8 lbs (144 kg). If I'm to make my end-of-March target of 312 lbs, I'll have to be extra careful what I eat and extra focused on burning calories through exercise.

Stepping up the steps (PCT d - 59)

I walked 57,000 steps this week, more than any other week in the last nine months. Actually, it's probably more than any single week in the past five years, maybe more!

Weekly steps measured using two Android apps, with a 3 week moving average

I've been steadily increasing my weekly number of steps, from about 25,000, through 30,000 and 35,000. Three times I've hit 47 or 48,000. Today was the first time past 50K, and boy did I shatter that personal best mark!

With less than 9 weeks to go until my Oregon adventure; less than 5 weeks until my 3-night Arches/Canyonland NP trip to Utah; and 3 weeks until I spend the night in Bear Trap canyon near Norris after a 9 mile hike, it's good that I'm able to step up my steps. Not only is the quantity of steps going up, but I'm deliberately tackling steeper terrain. It's still hard work. I'm still getting out of breath sometimes, but I don't stop altogether now. I might still take 15 to 20 seconds to catch my breath sometimes on the really steep parts and let my pulse rate settle down a bit, but I press on.

Through all of this, I am so thankful that my feet haven't given me any significant problems. My Moab Ventilator walking shoes (got mine at The Base Camp) have performed really well. I'll probably end up buying a second pair, so that there's a seamless transition when the first pair inevitably wear out. The only fault I can find with them right now is the laces that came with them both broke after just a few months. If I had to give them a rating out of five, it'd have to be ***** five stars. They are a solid, reliable piece of gear for me.

Speaking of reliable gear, one of the very first pieces of gear I bought, back in October 2015, was my trekking poles (http://blog.ergoob.org/2015/10/trying-out-walking-with-trekking-poles.html). They are a very lightweight (80% carbon fiber/20% aluminum) set of an unknown brand ("Flyingbird" is woven into the hand straps) for $50. With the exception of an occasional tiny slip of the locking mechanism (easily fixed), these poles have performed amazingly well. You can still buy them from my favorite online retailer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y82IYGS). Today, I had to replace the rubber "feet" at the ends. The old ones hadn't quite worn out, but I was beginning to hear a metallic-sounding clank from time to time as the tungsten-steel tips hit the paved road. I expect that, later this summer, I'll invest in an upgrade  to a pair from Black Diamond or Leki. For anyone looking to get into using trekking poles for the first time, I would certainly recommend these (***** 5 stars).

About ten years ago, I bought a Berghaus (European brand) 20 Liter day pack for little local hikes around the Berkshire countryside in England. It served me well at the time, and I brought it back to the States with me the following year when I moved back here. Then the plastic buckle broke. I contacted Berghaus, who didn't reply, so I more or less stopped using the pack. Today, thanks to Bob at The Base Camp, I not only have a new buckle for that, but also an extension for the "fanny pack" that is the lid of my new 60 Liter Osprey Aether backpack. That worked out really well, and for under $5 each.

Speaking of my Osprey Aether backpack, I was surprised that the hydration bladders were as reasonably priced as they are. I got the Osprey brand 3 liter reservoir for $36, although I doubt that I'll ever fill it all the way to the top. Now I'll have a way of carrying, say, 5 pounds of water (5 pints) on my back without any bulky bottles. I'll have a separate 16 ounce "dirty" water container for use with my Sawyer Mini filter, and a re-purposed Gatorade bottle for my immediate drinking needs. On the Oregon trip, at the end of May, there are plenty of lakes, and the streams will still be flowing with spring runoff (melted snow). The dry season won't be for a month or two after I've been there.

Four miles around Bompart Hill (PCT d - 62)

I took advantage of the lighter evenings, now that we're back in Daylight Saving Time, to walk for two and a half hours after work on Wednesday:

Route around Bompart Hill in the South Hills of Helena

The elevation gain was about 510 feet - a good workout.

Elevation profile

Given the name of this blog, "Eat Right, Get Out Of Breath", I was thinking to myself that I'm certainly getting out of breath during the uphill sections of the hike. I was carrying 21 pounds of weight in my backpack too, close to the kind of weight I'll be carrying in Oregon in nine weeks time.

From humble beginnings (PCT d - 70)

I may have mentioned previously that it's been almost two years since I first joined the Capital City Health Club, in an attempt to get my healthy sorted out. When I first started going, I was in such poor shape that I had trouble walking to the end of the driveway at home, or walking to the end of the street.

At the time, I was keeping a journal (diary) of sorts. Here is an extract of what I wrote at the time (April 5th, 2014).

"So, I arrived at the club at about 5.20-ish. I was lucky enough to find a parking spot close to the building. After 4.00 pm, you're lucky if you can even park within sight of the club, it's so full. At that early hour though, there weren't that many other fools about. I checked in (they didn't have a key fob with barcode for me on Monday). I went in to the changing area and put my 'stuff' in a locker. After an obligatory shower (more like a lick-and-a-promise), I walked into the pool area. The floor was very slippery, especially with wet feet.

My first destination was the therapeutic pool. Unlike the lap pool, the water is warmer and they have a neat little circular area where the 3½ foot deep water current flows in a clockwise direction. The idea is that you walk counter-clockwise and have to overcome the gentle resistance of the water. It felt really good to be in the water after such a long time.

The first thing, before any walking, was to let the water carry my weight and to just float for a minute. The water came up to my neck. It was so warm and felt so good. My shoulders began to relax right away.
I started walking my laps around the circular pool. The current wasn't very strong. Eventually, I figured out that the jets were in the outside wall of the doughnut shape, and that walking along the outer edge produced greater resistance. I didn't count the laps. I had to keep my eye on the small clock to make sure I wasn't late for work.

After a while it was time to try the hot tub. At first it was quite hot but I quickly got used to it. The heat on my arthritic knees felt really good. I sat there for about five minutes before heading back to the therapeutic pool.

By now, the hard-core early swimmers were leaving and I was almost on my own. There was a wall with water jets and bubbles coming out of it. I sat in front of the jets for a couple of minutes. The tiny bubbles would get trapped in the hairs of my back and chest, and would tickle when they eventually escaped. That was fun. After a few more laps around the doughnut it was time to get out and head to work. When I finally got onto firm ground again, my legs felt really heavy for a moment, like an astronaut who has been in space so long, his muscles have started to atrophy. When the astronaut first lands back on Earth and is subject to gravity for the first time, he can't even hold up his own body weight and has to be physically carried out of the re-entry capsule.

I didn’t say anything about how it felt to walk through water. With the water depth being 3½ feet, it comes up to your elbows. If you hold your arms up you can keep your hands out of the water, which reduces the ‘drag’. Either way, with the increased resistance of the water compared to air (where we normally walk), I felt like a big T Rex or Godzilla, with the bulk of my weight in my lower half. On Wednesday, my second day, it was slightly different. Then I felt like a robot, with very angular movements, not smooth and fluid; and certainly not natural-feeling. After that, it simply felt like I was a little bit drunk, with mostly straight and forward movements but the occasional sideways falter.

I figured out an easy way to keep track of how many laps I did of the doughnut-shaped therapeutic pool. Every time I passed a certain point, I’d use the tip of one finger to wet the concrete edge. On the fifth pass, I’d use my whole hand to make a print; like tally marks on a sheet of paper. It was then easy to see when I’d reached 20 laps. I counted the steps in each lap – 40 – so I knew that I’d walked the equivalent of 800 steps. Even with a reduced stride length of just over a foot, say, that would be 300 yards. Those are some tangible, measurable numbers that I can use as a baseline to measure my progress. On a typical morning I can comfortably repeat the 20 laps three times.

When I’m standing at the ‘deep’ end of the therapeutic pool, there is a curious flotation effect on my stomach, and my swinging man-boobs touch my stomach in a way that they normally wouldn’t. Normally, gravity makes everything hang down lower. In a medium where everything feels four-fifths lighter, my stomach floats up, thus making my moobs touch my stomach. Weird! Sometimes, I can really feel the arthritis in my left knee. After swimming a few times, it felt swollen, as if I’d been walking many miles and it was wanting to be rested. No chance! It’s taken years to get myself up and motivated. A little discomfort isn’t going to stop me now. Of course, I also know I should pay attention when my body is talking to me. A five minute dip in the hot tub each morning was well received."

So, from those humble beginnings, I am now at a point where I'm contemplating walking 100 miles in seven days; a quarter of a million steps versus 2,500 or fewer. I'm walking to work regularly again. I've started hiking up hills and mountains. I've come a long way since 2014, and I know there's still a long way to go (sixteen more months until July 2017).

I'm grateful to all the people who have helped me along the way, some with tangible help, some with moral support and encouraging words, some with sound practical advice.

My heartfelt desire is to reach my own next important major goal (being 178 pounds by July 2017), then figure out how to motivate and inspire others to achieve the same kind of results. With two-thirds of the American population being overweight, and one-third being clinically obese, honestly, there's a fair possibility I'm talking about you. With sufficient will and motivation, YOU can do it too! I'm not that extraordinary, really. I just have a fierce determination to succeed this time, and I'm not going to let anything stop me!

I also want to learn more about "metabolic syndrome", "insulin resistance syndrome", or simply diabetes. Having worked in the British NHS (National Health Service) and seen what effect it can have on a person's life, I want to help people avoid some of the pitfalls of it and lead healthier lives. Perhaps there's a career change ahead for me? Who knows? Having been pre-diabetic myself, and come back from the brink, I want to help others do the same.

No gym required (part 2) (PCT d - 71)

In another blog post (http://blog.ergoob.org/2016/03/elevation-training-no-gym-required-pct.html) I mentioned that: "It'll soon be the second anniversary of my joining one of the local gyms in town. .... As my contractual obligation draws to a close, I'm looking at ways of getting the same (or better) workout for free (versus c. $50/month at the health club)." If you weren't already into the healthy, outdoor lifestyle you'll find that it's an expensive business, equipping yourself with the "gear" needed to enjoy it more. Sure, you can try to do it on the cheap, with ordinary cross trainer shoes instead of sturdy hiking shoes or boots, for example. You might save $50 here or there, but it won't be as comfortable, or as much fun, and you'll risk injuries that you might not otherwise have sustained, had you been properly kitted out. So, I'm quitting my gym membership at the end of March, and using the money saved to offset some of those costs.

The only thing I'll really miss is the swimming. I love swimming. It makes me feel so light and fat-free because of the buoyancy in the water. Just like some people say they do their best thinking in the shower, I find that I do my best thinking in the swimming pool. When I feel the overwhelming need to swim again in the future, I'll pay the price (usually about $10 a day), and I'm okay with that.

Otherwise, I can get (need to get) my walking exercise out in the "real world", on proper terrain, with real undulations and ups-and-downs, and real obstacles. It might be colder and windier and wetter from time to time than walking/running on an indoor treadmill, but standing atop a steep hill or small mountain gives you a buzz and excitement that's like a drug. It happened to me when I reached the top of Buttercup Hill (the 200' hillock outside my apartment) for the first time. It happened when I reached the top of Mount Ascension last Sunday. It's a great feeling - and if you experience it once, you'll want to experience it again and again. The views over the Helena Valley are fantastic.

For my strength training, I have some resistance bands, and I have my 1 gallon Arizona Tea jugs, filled with water (8.5 lbs each when filled with water, 12 lbs when filled with sand. I haven't measured yet them with wet sand). I have some band exercise charts that I will publish soon, so that you can do them too, if you're interested.

Rocky training on the steps of the
Philadelphia Museum of Art

In my fantasy world, where I emulate Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky movies and run up and down the 72 steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (or whatever the Helena equivalent is), I optimistically bought myself a jump rope (skipping rope for my English readers). I was talking to a friend recently who tells me she enjoys boxing, which is not something I'd thought much about doing before, but I can imagine there's something primally satisfying about beating the sh*t out of a 80 pound sand-filled canvas bag. Add that (boxing) to my list of things to do in the next 12 months.

There's a new exercise coach that started work yesterday at the state employees' health center here in Helena. As soon as he is settled in and finished his training/orientation, I will be making an appointment to see him and develop my exercise plans further.

The adventure continues! Stay tuned.

Dizzying heights and under 320 (PCT d - 72)

At the top of Mount Ascension on Sunday morning

 

Part of my preparation for the 100-mile hike coming up in ten weeks time is walking up hills. There are few bigger in the immediate Helena area then Mount Ascension, which I climbed for the first time on Sunday morning (thanks Ann!) To be fair, I didn't start from the very bottom, but it was still a good 1.6 mile round trip in 55 minutes. It was a bit windy in the exposed parts, and a bit muddy underfoot in places, but it was fun. I'm looking forward to exploring more of that area, using its extensive system of paths and trails. What an excellent resource we have, right on our doorstep! 

I was carrying my backpack, laden with 20 lbs of "stuff" (hammock and bug net, sleeping pad, heavy clothing, first aid kit, bear spray, solar panel charger and battery pack) to simulate the kind of bulk and weight I'll be carrying in Oregon. 

319.8 lbs (145 kg)

The exercise, and the continuing low carb diet, helped me get below 320 pounds for the first time in ... I don't know how many years, maybe five years. My target for the end of March is to be under 312 lbs. I have a good feeling about that. 

My life - in text messages (PCT d - 88)

It occurred to me recently that if I ever fell over and banged my head, losing all of my recent memories, one would easily be able to recreate my life by looking at the text messages from my phone. Unfortunately, the messages are all to different people, so no one individual gets the whole story, but between them all, they all get pieces of it. So, when I say to you, dear reader, "I can't remember if I've told you this before or not", it's true. I probably can't.

Saturday was a great day. Apart from not having to go to work (always a bonus), my English football team - Reading FC - won their FA Cup 5th Round match, which means they get to play in the next round in the second week of March. I shouldn't entrust my happiness to the fortunes of a soccer team, I know, especially a team with such crappy league form (16th out of 24 teams, having won only 9 of 31 league matches this season). But, today they beat a Premier League club by 3-1, finally reaching their full potential and playing together really well.

I had recently had success, too, with a little computing hobby thing that I was working on. At https://flightaware.com/adsb/stats/user/janesdaddy you can see the results. I bought a new Raspberry Pi recently. It's a low-powered, single-board computer for $35 that can be used for learning programming, or for cool home automation projects (which is what my first Pi is doing), or this new one is taking the transponder signals from airplanes that are flying above Helena and feeding them into a huge database (ADS-B flight tracking), so that I and others can see the call sign, origin, destination, height speed and direction of planes in our area.

Yesterday (Friday evening) I went to a Helena Bighorns ice hockey game, which was exciting (even though the team from Helena lost 2-3 in the LAST SECOND of the game). Beforehand, I had dinner at a local 24-hour restaurant (Shellie's Country Cafe) without realizing that Friday and Saturday evenings are their Prime Rib evenings. I hadn't had prime rib in ages, so I treated myself. The plate was as large as a car tire, and the steak was massive. Having, therefore, pushed the boat out so far, I figured I would treat myself and have some lemon meringue pie too. I haven't had anything like lemon meringue pie in eight months now, and it tasted pretty good, but I was WAY TOO FULL afterwards, and it was reflected on the weighing scales this morning 😢 .

Nearly 13,000 steps walked,
or 7 miles

After last Friday's successful 10 mile walk, I know I have to keep up the momentum before I go hiking 100 miles in seven days in May, so I arranged to go on a long walk with my friend Traci. I walked to her house (3 miles) then walked 3 miles more in her neighborhood. It was good, but my legs were tired after I sat down at the end of it. Also, she's a bundle of energy who is capable of walking at a much faster pace than my dawdling 2.6 miles per hour. Still, I did it. Now I just need to keep challenging myself to do more of these 5 and 6 mile walks, and eventually some more 8 and 10 mile walks, until they become almost second nature. There are 88 days until we leave for Oregon, so there's time to build up my strength and endurance.

If I walk to work and back on any given day (0.75 miles each way) and do an hour on the treadmill at the gym (2.5 miles, let's say), that's about 4 miles or so. After throwing in a mile more for other incidentals, I can sometimes manage 10,000 steps per day, but only on a couple of days per week. My objective now is to regularly exceed 12,000 steps in a day, like I did today.

It's all A LOT better than a year ago, when I was such a slug that I could barely reach the end of the driveway without being out of breath. Walking just one city block was a major ordeal at the time. I remember not wanting to go to Helena's fantastic annual Symphony Under The Stars because it involved walking a few blocks. Now, I have so much more energy.

I keep saying to myself, now that I'm getting fitter, "I wish I'd started doing something about my health sooner than I did". More than that, too, I wish I had never allowed myself to get into the shape I was in the first place. But, it is what it is. I'm doing it now - one small step at a time. I have the support and encouragement of a great team of friends who all help and support me in different ways. If you are reading this blog, there's a good chance you are one of those, and I sincerely Thank You for all that you have done.

Some of you who are reading this blog are on your own journey to better health. I salute you for grasping the nettle and doing it, even when you're tired or hungry and simply don't want to. Don't give up! It's worth it! You're worth it! It's worth the fantastic feeling that you get when you can wearing clothing that's "normal"-sized. It's worth it when you can bend over to tie your shoelaces. It's worth it when you can walk or swim or do other exercises that you haven't been able to do for years before.It's worth it when you catch yourself checking yourself out in the mirror.

Self checkout

I know that I personally still have a long journey ahead of me. I've been living this new lifestyle for eight months now, and it'll be another 16 months before the transformation is complete. I'm still morbidly obese at 324 lbs (well, 329 pounds after that pie yesterday!), but I'm definitely headed in the right direction.

Meal Measure portion control tool

My sister, living in Singapore at the moment, recently pointed out this product to me: a Meal Measure portion control tool (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Z0SDXC).

Within each of the three smaller holes are graduation marks to indicate a half cup measure of food. Filling the hole up to the top is a full cup. One is designated for fruit, vegetables and starch, and the bottom, open hole is for protein, all according the USDA My Pyramid suggestions. I'm going to give it a go and see how useful it is. 

I was reminded of a blog post I'd made a few weeks ago in which I was talking about the need for cosmetic surgery after losing substantial amounts of weight, when a friend pointed out that the TLC network has a TV show called Skin Tight, that deals with exactly that (http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/skin-tight/).  OMG! That's some scary sh*t right there! I knew it was a real problem, and it may be one that I'll be facing, myself, in a year or two's time. Before I contemplate any kind of surgery though, I would want to prove to myself, and a potential surgeon, that I can keep the weight off for a year or more (although I'm sure some cosmetic surgeons [not all] are probably more interested in the income than in a patient's welfare). 

I had spoken in this blog before about having a couple of opportunities in April to test my hiking gear in real-world situations. One of those will be here in Montana, but our state doesn't lend itself too well to outdoor sleeping above 38 °F in April. Few other nearby states do (not Washington or Oregon or Idaho, nor Wyoming or Colorado or the Dakotas). Really, the best bet is going to be in Utah. I was e-mailing another friend recently who has been to some of the national parks in Utah, and it sounds like that might work - except for the obvious logistical problem of getting there! That might be solved now too. Since I deliberately took time off work during National Park Week (http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm) when the usual entrance fees ($30-40) are waived, it's a great opportunity to see some spectacular countryside (iconic stone arches, for example) as well as stress test my backpack, hammock and down quilt, cooking equipment, shoes (and feet) and other clothing, and everything else that I'll be using four weeks later near Crater Lake. I haven't really looked at Arches or Canyonland National Parks fully yet, or any of the other state and national parks in southern Utah, but it'll be a great experience, I'm sure. I just hope there are places to hang a hammock! 

I'm sure there was more to tell, but that'll do for now. 

80 pounds lost in 8 months (PCT d - 92)

324.8 lbs, a new low,
the app on my phone says

It was on June 16th, 2015, exactly eight months ago, that I signed the lease on my current apartment. I had mixed emotions about it at the time (it's a long story that some of my supporters know). Since then, I've chosen to follow a very low carb diet, and I've been walking increasingly further distances. Last Friday I walked 10 miles in one go, something I hadn't done in the previous 10 years. In May of this year, I'm going to be walking 100 miles in seven days, down by Crater Lake in southern Oregon together with my daughter. It's a huge adventure, involving months of planning and preparation. I'm feeling really good right now about our prospects for success.

When I first moved in to the new place, I weighed 405 lbs. I had a hard time walking up the hill from work to meet the landlord and get the keys to the apartment. These days, the ¾ mile walk is much easier. As we look forward to the spring/summer and the warmer weather, things will only get easier and better from here. At this morning's weigh-in, I tipped the scales at 324.8 lbs (147.3 kg), 80 lbs less than eight months ago.

There's still a long way to go - probably another 17 months - but I'm going to do it! I will succeed!

First test of shoes and feet and legs ** PASSED ** (PCT d -95)

I took Friday off work in order to do the first significant test of my readiness for the long hike in May. I had planned to walk 15 miles from my apartment in the South Hills to Sierra Rd in the north valley (7.5 miles away) and back again. In the end, I managed 10.3 miles in four and a half hours, which was okay.

10.3 miles in four and a half hours

Knowing a week beforehand that the weather was going to cooperate, I waited until the sun came out to melt any traces of black ice that might make conditions slippery. I set off at 09:00. The first break came at 4 miles, when I stopped at the Natural Grocer to buy some bananas (for energy and potassium), chocolate macaroons (tasty and no too carb-laden) and a couple of flavored drinks. I already had a couple of bottles of water with me, plus a few Mozzarella sticks.

Averaging about 2.5 miles per hour until lunchtime, I made it to Sierra Road in three hours. A leisurely lunch followed, then a slow start to the journey back. As the bright sunshine came out, and with a couple of short breaks, I made it to the area around Custer and Montana Avenue before deciding to stop.

Physically, I felt like I'd managed well. My thighs could tell that I'd just walked ten miles. My feet felt good - no rubbing, no hot spots, no blisters, no aches, no discomfort. The shoes and socks performed well. First test ** PASSED **!

It was also a test of the longevity of my phone's battery and the performance of the UnderArmor MapMyHike+ Android app. With the Wi-Fi and cellular data turned off, only GPS was still on. I did play music non-stop for nearly three hours and the battery went from 100% down to 62%. I took my Anker Astro E5 battery pack with me and re-charged the phone to 75% while eating lunch. On the way back into town I listened to an Audible audiobook (a biography of Albert Einstein, which was serendipitous given the science news about the confirmation of gravitational waves, something that Einstein had predicted in 1916).

325.2 lbs - lowest in a long time!

On Saturday morning, I'm doing okay. The muscles can still tell that they've had a good workout, but no trauma, no strains, nothing adverse. Stepping on the scales this morning, I was at 325.2 pounds, the lowest I've been in a very long time.

First test of PCT readiness will be this Friday

I'm looking forward to the warmer weather this week (high 40s °F and into the 50s°F on Friday), and my first chance to test myself with a long-distance walk in Helena to see how intensive my next three months of preparation have to be. I've taken the day off on Friday so that I can do 15 miles in one (long) day. I won't have my 25 lb backpack on. It probably won't be here on time (being ordered from the Base Camp in Helena). Still, it'll be a good test of how my legs and feet stand up (!) to the pressure. 

I'm also looking forward to getting some more gear; a new backpack (rucksack) is on its way, and a can of bear spray to deter the black bears (although ground shipping will cause that to arrive a few days later). A couple of backcountry practice runs in April will be a full "dress rehearsal" for the real thing which starts with a two-day train journey on May 18th. The next thing for me to acquire will be my "sleep system" (hammock, bug net, rain fly, tree straps and pegs), followed by a lightweight down quilt (only 1.7 lbs!), and then the train tickets. Then it'll just be a few small things ("Kleinigkeiten" as they say in Germany) and I'll be ready. 

Now I really need to start stepping up my muscle-building (weight lifting) exercises to shape and tone the muscles that are hidden under my slowly-diminishing rolls of fat. I want to be able to close that Gore-Tex jacket before I leave! 

Good workout last night

I had a really good workout last night, walking almost two and a half miles:

A whole hour at an average of 2.4 mph

and swimming for a long time. Not all of it was vigorous swimming but sometimes I like to relax and simply float in the warm water. I can get a lot of good-quality thinking time in while I'm floating, almost weightless, in the pool, with the water blocking the noise out.

This morning I had some positive affirmation from one of my fitness apps on my phone: 12,249 steps. After a bit of a blip, the weight is coming down again too. 333.2 lbs this morning. I should be below 330 this weekend.

The weather is going to be slightly warmer this week (i.e. above freezing during the day), so the roads outside should be mostly free of snow and ice soon (well, until the next snow at the weekend). That should enable me to get outside and walk "in the real world", where there are undulation and varied terrain. On a treadmill, the speed is relentlessly constant, and the point at which your heel strikes the ground is the same every time. In the real world, that same spot on your foot gets a reprieve from time to time.

I'm really looking forward to the day (in the next week or two) when I can do a 10-15 mile test walk, just to see how I manage with that now, and whether or not I need to step up the intensity of my exercises. If that works out okay then the next thing will be to repeat the feat with a loaded backpack.

Third visit to the gym in three days - two more scheduled this week!

This is going to be a real post-holiday step buster week. I made the mistake on Sunday and Monday of eating too many beans (I'd made a Brazilian-style black bean and pork stew on Sunday), with predictable results. On Monday evening my stomach felt really bloated and walking was not comfortable, so I stopped after just 1.5 miles.

1.5 miles in 41:21 minutes on Monday

Tuesday evening I felt much better. I was easily able to complete a whole hour again, clocking up 2.23 miles. Including my walk to work and back, today I walked over 11,000 steps (44,200 in the last seven days)!

2.23 miles in 1 hour on Tuesday

I have been using the "Interval Training" setting on the treadmill, so that the incline goes up and down every few minutes. That makes the workout more intense. And, today for the first time, I even picked up the pace a bit and ran for a minute (literally). I normally have the thing going at 2.2 or 2.3 miles per hour, sometimes up to 2.5 mph, with an incline of about 1.0%. Today, after I'd hit the 2 mile mark, I cranked it up to 5 mph and ran for a whole minute. Now, compared to the fit people around me, who regularly run at 6, 7 or 8 mph, my little effort was nothing; but for me it was HUGE.

I'd like to think that I stopped running to spare the machine from being pounded to death by my weight, but I couldn't manage a whole lot more, perhaps another 30 seconds at that pace. Slowly, I'll built up my speed and strength. I told a friend that I'd tried the "Weight Loss" setting on the treadmill, but it didn't work. When I got off, I was still fat!

Slowly, slowly, I can tell that I'm improving. From day to day it's difficult to see, but every now and then I'll notice that my shirts are looser, or the drawstring on my sweatpants needs to be tightened. OMG, I even bought my first two pairs of NON-sweatpants in ages recently. I no longer have to feel like white trash because I'm too fat to fit into anything else. I no longer have to buy 4X clothing from a Wisconsin-based trading company because that's all that fits. I can now wear 2X and 3X clothes. Once you get down to 2X there's no longer a "big and tall" premium price to pay, woohoo!

Next time I go to the Civic Center to watch a music concert, I'll actually be able to get my ass in and out of the narrow seats without a crane or a crowbar. I'm looking forward to the day (soon) when I can take my daughter contra dancing, like we used to five years ago, and I can do more than one dance without gasping for breath. Having lost 70 pounds in six and a half months, I know I've still got a way to go (more than 12 months), but there's nothing in this world that will stop me now. To paraphrase a certain Dr Martin Luther King (thanks for the holiday in two weeks!), "I have seen the Promised Land. I WILL get there."