Surgery Death and Holidays We must Cherish Life

Well it has been a long time since I last posted. It is 2 days before Christmas 2014. Wow has time gone by the last couple of months. 

First I had Varicose vein surgery. I had the secondary vein systems take out of both legs. Then in the same surgery they removed a fist worth of veins from each calf. In the middle of the surgery the Dr said I should look up. I was drowsy from the pain meds and asked him if he was talking to me. He was and I looked up, he held up a vein that he said was the larges he had pulled out of anyone if 25 years of surgery. It was 3 feet long and as wide as a pencil.

The surgery seemed to go well and now 5 weeks out I have stopped wearing my compression socks everyday. I did have an instance where I bled quite a bit from one of the incision sites. That seems to be healed now. I look forward to getting back to my regular exercise routine without all of the pain and swelling. 

Next -  I was out watching a movie with friends the night before thanksgiving and I got a call from my mother. She said "Are you sitting down?" I said no but that I would be fine. Well it turns out I was not fine. My grandmother had passed away that night. So yeah the night before thanksgiving my grandmother passed. She was a huge person in my life and the world will be a little more empty without here. But she is with grandpa in heaven now and I will always cherish her memory.

Then we get into the holidays. I have been really trying not to eat bad food. Especially since I can't exercise as much as I would like. I am up about 4 pounds and plan to take it off before the end of the year.

Man when life hits you it can really hit you. All I can say is we must really enjoy the good times in life. Tell that person you love that you love them as often as you can. Enjoy good food and exercise and seeing the sun. I have started to write out what I am thankful for every night and it's not just a nice thing to do. It will make you think about what is important and what you need to change. 

I will be leaner in 2015 and I will be more healthy. I hope you join me. 

I wish you the best of holidays and that in the new year you get all that you need and much of what you want. 

Thanks for reading.

-Gabe

Fall is here time for Weight to Fall off =)

I have been waiting to post something until I felt like I was losing weight. I am currently at 275. A bit up from what I was at this time last year. I was feeling down until I read a blog from the trucker in Fat, Sick and Nearly dead. He talked about re gaining the weight that he had lost and about his struggle to hide his gain and exclude himself from life. 

It is darn hard to be an overweight person. Many lean people may say that we do it to ourselves and I don't disagree but there is much more to it than being lazy and choosing to eat more than we should.

I know what my triggers are, if I am stressed or sad or tired or stressed I will eat more and I will eat things I should not be eating. The way I eat reminds me of talks with my Grandma Betty she would always tell me about how she was given sweet things when she was sad. This was continued by my late Grandpa Gerald who always gave  grandma chocolates for every holiday and if she was mad or sad about anything. 

Grandma has since lost all of the weight because of her Parkinson's but the idea is still there. We as parents should not do to our children what was done to us. Bad food should not be used as a reward or a crutch when we are emotionally low. 

As we approach the holidays I need to watch out for sugar. If I have one thing I can't control well it is my desert or candy eating when there is a lot around. With kids this gets even worse than for single people. We get as much as 50-60 pounds of candy on Halloween alone.

So this fall I have started watching my intake, working out more and biking to work.

I will be going in for varicose vein surgery soon. It has been causing me pain for some time and even though I have to pay for it out of pocked and I am very nervous I am moving forward. My Dr said it should make working out less pain full and my legs will be less tired.

I also started using my SAD light for the fall. If you don't have one  or have never tried one I recommend it. My light helps me feel more energized and positive when we lose our sun in Minnesota winters.

The most important of all things to do this fall is exercise. Make a plan and stick to it all winter.  Exercise is the best way to lose weight, feel energized, shed stress and overall improve your life.

I put a challenge out there to myself. If I get below 260 ( which I will do) I am buying myself a Framed Minnesota 2.0 bike (fat tire) to try winter bike commuting.

I have started to lose weight again and I have a long way to go but I am positive. I wish you the best in your goals and I hope to see you soon.

Keep up the great work towards a better you!

-Gabe

4 Kids and It's Time to Rock! Varicose Vein Surgery

It has been a long time since I updated everyone.

It might be no surprise that I have backslid a little in my weight loss. I was thinking over what happened and one big thing is I stopped feeling accountable to anyone. SO I will get back into my blog =)

Really what the cause of my weight gain has been is lack of will power. Lack of power to get myself to work out as much as I should, lack of power to eat as little and as healthy as I should and lack of control over many parts of my life.

I could blame the facts that I have 4 kids, a large house, a demanding career and 2 kids in diapers at home who do not sleep enough.

I will take the burden of fault on myself. I have tried my best to keep in shape and I have still gained weight.

Looking back a year when I had 3 kids and a different career it seemed easier to control what I was doing. I am almost 18 pounds heavier than my leanest weight a year ago. Next week I go into my annual check up with my DR and I know he will tell me I need to lose weight. I know I need to lose weight so I am committing to do so. I will lose 10 pounds before the end of the year. I know I can do it with some hard work and dedication. Friends supporting me will also be a big help. So ask me about how I am doing and help me by holding me accountable.

One thing that should help me is varicose surgery. For a long time I have had big varicose veins from lifting and sports when I was heavy. They have turned into a pain when I exercise and my ankles hurt a lot. I have also read that they can contribute to fatigue.  In about a month I go in to get an ultrasound on my legs and soon after that I go in for surgery to get my veins removed. I am excited and nervous, I hope  the surgery relieves some pain and gives me a little more energy.

Other than that life is good. I am getting back on the healthy life bandwagon. I hope you are doing well in your health and weight loss.

Keep up the good work!

-Gabe

Fish Throw Contest Fishermans Picnic Grand Marais Mn 2014

Happy Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras New Orleans Lent in Minneapolis No Sugar an...

YWCA Meltdown 2014 Polar Body Age and Body Geometry Bike fit with a Little Cross Country Skiing

Here we are in the 3rd week of the 2014 Meltdown.  Starting off we weighed in this year with a Polar Body Age test. This took into account our age, weight, body fat, amount of weight we could lift in a static standing position, flexibility and blood pressure. My score was Age 34! I feel relief that my body age is not 50 but also a little upset that with all of the work I have done in weight loss I am not younger than I actually am in body age. 

I jumped into the Meltdown with my goal of losing 16 pounds. 2 weeks in I am down about 3-4 and I think I can hit my goal. I know how to watch what I eat, I know what I have to do to burn weight off and I know I can do it.

I have been realizing how hard it is to lose weight and stay in shape as a parent. With 4 kids everything is hard!

It is hard to have  me time, to have any time in my life that I can do what I want or what I need to do.

 During the work week I wake up before anyone else in the house, get ready for work, go to work, either come home from work or workout, make/eat dinner and hang out with the kids. Then we put the kids to bed and deal with house business. Then I am usually the last person to fall asleep at night. On the weekends I am so tired from the week I schedule workouts ahead of time so I can make myself do them. If I don't get a chance to work out right after work the battle is almost certainly lost. There is no way to carve out extra time to work out after I get home or if there is I can't do a hard workout right after dinner. I can either choose to sleep less or work out more. I guess for now I will sleep less.

Food is also a problem!

Many nights dinner gets out of control. With 4 kids my wife is so tired and busy just taking care of the kids that she is worn out by dinner time. I am also worn out and we find it harder and harder to want to cook good meals. We have turned to scheduling meals as a family on Sunday nights which is a solid idea but does not always work out as planned. I don't want to become the family who eats pizza as a fall back every week.

I work in downtown Minneapolis and there are few really healthy and affordable choices for lunch if I fail to bring one from home. I often bring a PB & J sandwich. I use Ezekiel bread with no sugar PB and Jelly my mother in law makes, so it's pretty healthy and packed with protein. I also make sure to drink lots of water and more coffee than I should during the work day. If I am too tired at night to make lunch it gets to be a big game of what can I eat that is healthy. Sure I can get a salad but paying $10 for a salad at a grab and go place gets old pretty quick and the ingredients are often not very fresh.

On the weekends we don't plan what we eat and I find myself playing run away from all the meals the kids and my wife eat. I feel like Saturdays and Sundays are one big eating orgy, I get really frustrated with all the eating when I am trying to lose weight and make other things a priority.

In general eating bugs me. We easily spend $900 a month on food and we are always running out of something. We eat organic eggs and milk and don't buy things with corn syrup. In a perfect world we would grow most of what we eat or go to a co-op for everything else. Eating is really hard to do right when you live in the suburbs with a family of 4. I am open to any ideas on what other people do when it comes to naturally feeding a family.

I know I need to get back to the VitaMix and my smoothies, but again it takes time and I feel like I am pinched for every second of life. 

What do you do to make extra time or prioritize what and when you are eating?

Right now I am doing my best to eat healthy and exercise as much as I can.

I do Body Pump 2 times a week, Gladiator 1 day a week and Dodgeball every Friday. I also lift or do cardio pretty much every other day. When I work out at home I walk on the treadmill at  3.5-4 MPH at a high incline and do a couple sets of bench after every 10 minutes. I will also throw in spin training around the 4 triathlon's I train for. 

On to the Bike. 

I did a Body Geometry Fit at Erik's bike shop this weekend. It was really fun and it showed me a lot about how I bike. They made my bar further forward and curved up, they gave me a new seat that was firmer and wider and they put shims and supports in my shoes. The fit technician watched me with 2 video cameras and made lots of tweaks over a 3 hour period. I think this will really help me with my back feeling good and with my pedal power on the Red Ribbon Ride and other rides I do.  I love to bike and it is one of the best ways you can train or simply get around with little impact to your joints.

Well I think that's all for now. Back to the food log I go and body pump tonight. Please ask me questions and share ideas you have to help me and others.

   If you are interested in working with me as your beach body coach or meeting up for a workout or bike ride, please click the link below. 

As always keep up the good work, and remember, we are doing this for ourselves and our kids.

http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/GABRIELSKELLY

-Gabe

After - Body Geometry Bike Fit Erik's Bike Shop

Before - Body Geometry Bike Fit Erik's Bike Shop

Swim Indoor Triathlon YWCA Minneapolis January 26 2014

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Polar Body Age Time - 15 Pounds to Lose Triathlon and Meltdown 2014 - Body Pump with kids!

The 2014 meltdown starts at the end of the month. I am setting my goal at 15 pounds to lose. I will be racing in the YWCA indoor triathlon the same week the Meltdown starts. I hope to really drop some fat and reset my diet for the year during be Meltdown. We got a little off kilter with our clean eating when we had baby number 4 but now it's time to get back to it.

My training splits have been gladiator Thursday for an hour, lifting for and hour then dodgeball Friday, body pump Saturday, running or walking on the treadmill and bench / back Sunday and Monday off.  Tuesdays and Wednesdays are up in the air but I usually do a cardio mix. Monday through Friday I walk during my lunch break for about 35 minutes. I walk from the Flour Exchange building (where my office is, join me for a lunch walk sometime) to Macy's through the skyways at a good pace.

I really like exercise in the middle of the work day as it wakes me up and gives me more energy for the afternoon. I also split up my meals during the work week. I never eat one big meal for lunch. Usually I have breakfast at home and coffee, then an Emergenc at work with some water and maybe more coffee. Then An hour later I have some fruit and an hour after that some nuts. This usually brings me to lunch where I eat a medium size portion and go for a walk. I usually get a small depth charge at Caribou on my way back from lunch. Then back to work for two hours before I eat a Greek yogurt and finish off my work day with an apple before I head home. I find eating this way gives me the most energy and leaves me feeling the most full. Eating a little something on my way home helps me stay calm and not in immediate need of food when I get home and everyone needs my attention. If I bike home I make a smoothie as soon as I step in the door.

I really can't wait to measure what I am doing. During the Meltdown we weight in and out with the Polar Body Age test and we document every calorie we eat and every hour we sleep and exercise. I find doing this really makes me take a step back and evaluate what I am doing. If you are a YWCA member I really suggest trying the Meltdown.

Remember I started this blog when I had 2 kids to make me lose weight. Well I have lost a lot and shared what I have learned along the way. I don't  even come  close to knowing everything but I know what has been working for me.  Please join me in my efforts to live a healthy life.

   If you are interested in working with me as your beach body coach or meeting up for a workout or bike ride, please click the link below. 

As always keep up the good work, and remember, we are doing this for ourselves and our kids.

http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/GABRIELSKELLY

-Gabe

What Did the Daddy Say? 2014 4 Kids and the Battle to Keep Healthy and Fit - Dodgeball, Gladiator, Body Pump and Triathlons and P90X thrown in Crossfit Style

Here we are in 2014 what will the new year bring? I hope it brings more health and happiness. I want to set a realistic weight goal for 2014 I was in the high 280's in early 2013 and now I am at 272. I want to drop down to and maintain below 260 by the middle of this year. I think that is a goal I can do. Sure I would love to lose 30 pounds but I want to be realistic so I can really do what I set out to do. I am going to do this more through setting up a great system for eating right and exercise.

My friend Tony put it very clearly about two years ago when it comes to weight loss. It doesn’t really matter what you eat. If you want to lose weight its about calories in versus calories out. I have to agree! The type of calories you consume can determine how healthy you are and how much muscle you build but to lose weight you have to run a calorie deficit. I will be starting the YWCA Meltdown again soon. Working out with a team for 6 weeks to see how much weight I can shed. I really look forward to this, I think this is my 10^th year doing the meltdown. Wow how time does fly! All the team I have done the meltdown with. Eric and Fitz and Kevin and many more partners I can't remember. I know we won 1 time and took second 3 times. It's always a great relief when you weight out in the end and have lost body fat and weight.

 Reflecting on my long journey from being lean coming out of high school to getting bigger than I wanted. I remember having my first child and putting on 90 pounds and much of that never came off. Then I had my second child and 30 pounds went on. When we had my third I was in the process of dropping weight and I lost 20 pounds and now with my 4^th I think I gained about 10. Wow that is a lot of weight to gain and lose and gain.  One thing is for sure now I can stabilize. I won’t be having any more kids in the future so I can work on my long term system of health.

My weight loss tools include healthy eating with lots of healthy smoothies in my Vitamix. The book I just got Angie - Eating On The WIld Side.  Cutting sugar out of my diet, we cut out corn syrup years ago. Some fitness classes including Gladiator, Boxing, Body Pump, Dodgeball and some Triathlons.

 I will be doing a lot of spinning bike training getting ready for my 8th Red Ribbon Ride and I hope to do an outdoor Triathlon this summer. I will be doing 3 more indoor TRI's this winter. I will also be doing P90X and trying to start some Yoga as everyone I know keeps suggesting it. 

I have had some big snags along the way. Injuries and sickness and sometimes lack of will and a little feeling depressed. I know what I want and that is to be able to do with my body what ever I want. If it means jumping, or running or zip lining. I really do want to zip line soon. There is an article in Money magazine this month about people being fat and the surgery options. I know those are good for some people, for me I need to and will kick my own butt in to shape. I have the best reason of all to keep in shape. My kids!. 

Remember I started this blog when I had 2 kids to make me lose weight. Well I have lost a lot and shared what I have learned along the way. I don't know even close to everything but I know what has been working for me.  Please join me in my efforts to live a healthy life.

   If you are interested in working with me as your beach body coach or meeting up for a workout or bike ride, please click the link below. 

As always keep up the good work, and remember, we are doing this for ourselves and our kids.

http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/GABRIELSKELLY

-Gabe

Happy 2014 Time to Be Intentional and Change The World for the better