I've been going through some minor medical issues over the past couple of months. Long story short, I have the worst veins that my doctor has ever seen (based on my age and sex). While this is certainly correctable through laser surgery and sclerotherapy treatments (where they inject a solution into my legs that closes off/repairs my broken veins), it still got me thinking. I don't want to bore you with the medical details and shit. If you really want to know what I've been dealing with, talk to Doctor James Gariti of the Vein Clinics of America Brookfield location. (Quick side note - I highly recommend them if you have vein problems. The staff is incredibly helpful and friendly and they have made me feel at ease about this whole thing. I was worried about this mess, but I got through it. I've never broken anything and never had any kind of surgery. This was my first real medical issue. But hopefully everything is fixed with me now and I won't have to worry about this anymore).
I haven't really talked about it a whole lot unless you're really close with me. No offense, but people didn't need to know and I didn't want to make you worry. I wasn't dying and this issue was easily able to be fixed. But it did get me thinking. One of the reasons I had to go and get these procedures done is because of the possibility of blood clots due to vein and circulation problems. Blood clots can lead to heart attacks and strokes. And that's nothing to mess around with. Even though I'm not in the greatest shape, I'm way too young to be worrying about something like that. So if I could do something to fix it it, it was the right choice to make regardless of how much money it cost me. You can't put a price on a life. I'm not ready to die even if it costs me every dollar I have and every dollar I could possibly borrow from any bank or any government that will lend me money. That's where this month's experiment comes into play.
Followers of this blog should know that I sometimes do weekly or monthly entries when I get bored. Over the course of the last couple of years, I have done experiments like Go Bananas, The Write Month, Pickle the Day, The Drive to Stay Alive and It's in my Head. This recent health scare got me thinking that I need to try something different. Its no secret that I'm overweight and it affects every single aspect of my life. From mobility, to confidence, to sleeping and even just being alive - I can't live life like any of you normal people. I'm just different. It wasn't always like this and it doesn't always have to be. But I've fallen into a cycle that is too hard to break. Exercise isn't the problem. I don't spend hours at the gym and I'm certainly not ready to run a marathon. But I stay active enough despite my desk job. Ever since I got my new phone in February, I noticed that it keeps track of my steps. So I set a daily goal and I stick to it no matter what it takes. I've even started to raise that goal and push myself on a daily basis. I could certainly do a lot more, but it is a step in the right direction. Which leads us me to this monthly challenge.
I have a problem with food. I love it more than anything else in this entire world. I'd give up just about anything before I give up my favorite foods. I love all of the bad ones. Pizza. French fries. Mashed potatoes. Dry cereal. Gummy bears. Toast. Mac and cheese. Anything with sour cream (especially tacos and and nachos). Salty foods are a staple of my diet. Salt for days is my motto. I can't eat healthy. I can't say no to snacks. I certainly can't say no to free eats even when I'm not hungry. I'll eat until I'm tummy sick and still I'll try and eat some more. Moderation is not a word in my vocabulary, even though it is one of the keys to life. I've tried and failed a thousand times at regulating my diet. I can't do it. I hate to admit defeat and capitulate to my bad habits. But there is is a way around this. Or at least I hope that there is.
When it comes to doing something, I'm all or nothing. I love to gamble, but I can stay away from the casino. What I set foot inside the Casino, I lose control. Before I know it, I'm visiting the ATM for the second time and losing money that I can't afford to spend. But for the most part, I can keep myself out of the casino. In my eyes, that's what separates me from being a true addict. I can live without it, but it totally overtakes my life in the moment. So I decided to take the same approach with food. And that is where the Even it Out idea came to fruition.
I'm all or nothing. Once I get one bite of food, I want to eat everything that's within arm's reach. I want I want I want I want. I need I need I need I need. And I won't be satisfied until there is nothing left. But if I don't take that first step (put that first morsel of food in my mouth), I can control myself. It's easier for me to not eat it all then it is to eat only what I need to survive. Once I start eating, I don't stop even if my body tells me that it's had enough. I love food. And I'm going to show that food a night out on the town. I will wine and dine that food with the corporate credit account. But then I'll charge it to the Underhills. That is where this plan makes so much sense. Time to stop burying the lead -
My goal is that I will reduce my calorie intake in half because on the even days, I will not eat at all. Since I will continue with my exercise plan, I hope that this will lead to weight loss. Everyone knows that the key to weight loss is expending more calories than you take in. If I'm exercising everyday and only eating every other day, I shouldn't have a problem losing weight. I have no idea if this is healthy or even if this will work. But that's the best part about it. It's an experiment. I'm doing a trial run to see if this sort of thing works for me. So I'm going to give it 31 days. As of October 1st, I weighed 369 pounds. The only way to tell if this experiment was a success is to weigh myself on November 1st and compare the results. So until then, there's not really much I can do to know if this is the right thing for me.
But in order to keep this blog interesting, I've decided to write an entry every other day (on the even days) and talk about what I did that day instead of eating. Because when I get bored, I eat. Something else needs to take that place if I don't allow myself to eat. So let's see what happens folks. I have no idea where this is going to go. But that's the beauty of this. That's why you do experiments. You keep doing tests until eventually one of them works. You can't fault a guy for trying. So check in every other day here at the blog for an update on where this thing is going. If there's ever anything I have learned from my life it's this - there's no way to tell what's coming next. And that's what makes waking up to a brand new day so incredibly exciting. I'm sure that this, like everything else in life, will all even out in the end.
For the month of October I'm only going to eat on odd days.
My goal is that I will reduce my calorie intake in half because on the even days, I will not eat at all. Since I will continue with my exercise plan, I hope that this will lead to weight loss. Everyone knows that the key to weight loss is expending more calories than you take in. If I'm exercising everyday and only eating every other day, I shouldn't have a problem losing weight. I have no idea if this is healthy or even if this will work. But that's the best part about it. It's an experiment. I'm doing a trial run to see if this sort of thing works for me. So I'm going to give it 31 days. As of October 1st, I weighed 369 pounds. The only way to tell if this experiment was a success is to weigh myself on November 1st and compare the results. So until then, there's not really much I can do to know if this is the right thing for me.
But in order to keep this blog interesting, I've decided to write an entry every other day (on the even days) and talk about what I did that day instead of eating. Because when I get bored, I eat. Something else needs to take that place if I don't allow myself to eat. So let's see what happens folks. I have no idea where this is going to go. But that's the beauty of this. That's why you do experiments. You keep doing tests until eventually one of them works. You can't fault a guy for trying. So check in every other day here at the blog for an update on where this thing is going. If there's ever anything I have learned from my life it's this - there's no way to tell what's coming next. And that's what makes waking up to a brand new day so incredibly exciting. I'm sure that this, like everything else in life, will all even out in the end.
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