Virginia: It is the end of February in 2012 and we have not blogged for a long time. I have been back up to 235 and today am 10 lbs lighter at 225. This is a considerable distance from my 199 weight of 20 months ago.
Tim: I am in the 8th grade and struggle to maintain my health, weight, and fitness.I have been off and on several "diets" (laugh out loud) and have consistently indulged and nurtured my food addiction. My highest weight so far is 89.9 pounds. Are you laughing? I am 3.1 inches tall and I am a triple amputee. I should probably weight 70 lbs or even a little less. I have a "paunch" My mother gave my brother-in-law a book called "Advance your Swagger." I believe in my case there should be a book entitled, "Advance Your Swagger by Losing Your 'Sagger'". With only a torso and one arm, there is no place on my body for extras calories to be stored except on my belly and my butt. But of course, there is extra fat stored on all of me, including my face and chin. So don't laugh at my being overweight at 89.9 lbs. I am excited about finding an IPhone application that will take my weight and height -- it a big help. It is called "Lose It!" Get it on IPhone from the App Store. I started back on the daily logging of food and maintaining a calorie limit and eating healthy foods. I do note that my Mom doesn't get sick; she enjoys really good health. She would laugh at this -- she is so healthy that if she got to her goal, she would become "super woman."
Virginia: I have spent some time this weekend reading Sean Anderson's book, Transformation Road. His inspiration inspired by first 85 pounds of weight loss. While I was beating myself up this morning, I realized that even though I have not paid enough attention to my eating addiction, I have maintained some of the good habits I developed: a) I have never eaten a carton of Hagen Daz ice cream again; b)I have quickly lost 10 of the 35 pounds I gained after moving to the Northeast and taking an extremely high stress job; c) I have continued to eat nutritiously dense and very healthy foods and to encourage that eating at home for children; d) I have continued to eat a healthy breakfast every morning. To begin the "transformation road" doesn't require a brand new map, just a return to the main road.
Tim: There are many people in the United States who have addictions of all kinds. Addictions come in all sorts of forms. Sean Anderson was addicted to food and to (at points in his life)television and online poker. Writing and focusing changed all of that for him. I love food. Food tastes amazing as soon as (most of it) hits my taste buds. But I do not get excited about vegetables, salads, and many fruits. Being a teenager is hard enough already. Now throw in my physical challenges, and then top it with obesity. Eating doesn't solve any problem that I encounter. I can't escape the world or the future by eating. I'm no different than any other boy of almost 15. I dream of having a girl friend, being popular, and having good adult life. That's can't happen unless I manage my eating, and other addictions (phones, computer, computer games and television (if my Mom would allow it). Eating is the big one, because when I am heavy, I don't move around enough.
Reading Sean Anderson's book has given me so much to think about and relate to. His description of his middle school life and adolescence was shocking and terribly important for me to read. His blog never revealed how really sad his story was and what he faced to make the change last and to build his life around something besides food.
Virginia: Tim and I started back on developing a real friendship with food -- and making every bite as delicious and as worth it as possible. I have never really lost my taste for nutritionally dense foods: avocados, vegetables, blueberries, eggs, and Greek yogurt (to name only a few things). But I relapse easily and Tim relapses with me because he seeks an eating "buddy" excuse. Sean's description of his relationship with an eating buddy and its destruction makes me feel really guilty. There is no reason to continue living a sedentary life and gaining weight again. The elusive goal weight is still out there for me to find and maintain.
It's feels good to be blogging again. It feels good to be enjoying food again -- the ultimate irony.
Tim: Having an eating buddy is no excuse and certainly isn't the way to go. If my Mom eats a hamburger, I get one. If she eats a grapefruit, I may put up a fuss, but I eat one too. She is my example, but that is no excuse. The only role model I need is myself and maybe I could be a role model for her too. Food is like all addictions -- the choice of the addict. And addicts seek people to show them that it is okay to smoke, use drugs, drink, or do other addiction things which are not moderate and are destructive. An addiction is defined by a dictionary as: physical and/or psychological dependence on psychoactive substances which cross the blood brain barrier, once ingested -- altering the chemical milieu of the brain. It now applies of physical or psychological dependence on other activities which have adverse or life-changing consequences. Currently there are many computer, video game, gambling, and other types of addictions. We live in an addictive society that supports all sorts of behaviors which are not healthy to the body or the mind. 80% of the illnesses which involve cardiovascular health would be eliminated by good diet and healthy lifestyle. I guess that means that I have to get moving. How does triple amputee exercise? I have a mini-trampoline rebounder, but I hurt my hip when I used it too aggressively. I started back on it again yesterday and went slowly.
Tim and Virginia: Check back to see how this new beginning unfolds.
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