Dizzy, tired and no heartbeat... SSDD

So I went to the hospital for a week at the end of February though the beginning of March. I was there a week. I had had surgery on my big toes for a chronic ingrown toenail thing. 2 nights in a row I did not sleep due to pain, but i worked out anyway because the doc said it was ok. On the second day after surgery I went on the elliptical for 45 minutes, full height and full resistance with plans to hit a full hour the next week. I had felt cranky and tired befoe the workout, felt great after for about 2 hours. Then I got cold, I never get cold. (Open the windows and turn on the window ans when it is 38F outside, I will be happy with a sheet and the compforter.... )Anyway, After I got cold, I got dizzy and my heart rate started dropping and my blood pressure started dropping too. Long story short I was in the hospital the next night with heart rate dropping as low as 44 BPM and blood pressure at 90/55. I slept a lot and was on an IV with antibiotics for a week. My blood sugar als spiked into the 200's for most of the week and some even now. I had MRI, MRA, Echocardiogram, EEG, EKG, blood drawn, blah blah blah. Doctor when I was released said "We don't know what happened, but aren't you glad you're not dead?" (Too paraphrase) So I have been drained, tired, and dizzy a lot since then. It seems to get really strong when I am lacking sleep. The wife is leaning towards dysautonomia as being the diagnosis. I am going for a tilt table test and a stress test next week. I went ahead and have gone full on vegan after reading the China Study. ummm... Yay?

It's amazing how my life so revolves around food....

I am hungry. I have a pound (literally) of carrots bulging out my tummy, making it uncomfortable, and my brain is stil saying "for gawsh sakes son, eat something!" Until a month ago, I did not eat like this. Yes, it was nothing to down 4000 calories or more a day, but when plate of noodly alfredo goodness is front of you for 1200 calories and a couple 150 calorie breadsticks... So now I feast/gorge on 1800 - 2000 calories a day. I log everyone of those bad boys and girls. Popcorn, carrots, hummus, whatever goes in, gets logged. I don't know if it is a deprivation thing or what, but I wish it would quit. Brushing my teeth has the best result on staving off the bad habit of eating until Mr. Pain shows up, but sometimes, it's just fun to finally feel full. Some new yummyness to me - Wholly Guacamole! has 100 calorie Snack packs They make some seriously yummy guac, I like it with the Guiltless Gourmet Baked Organic Corn Tortilla Chips . I was at Costco and I found a box of Tribe Hummus 100 Calorie snack packs, 16 2oz packages. Now, I have never, ever, ever liked salad dressing. I hate the smell of vinagrettes and have gotten fired from working at an A&W in the 1980's for refusing to even touch mayonaise to put on someones burger. I have always eaten a salad plain or with olive oil and parmesan. I obtained a Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing packet (Dry seasonings) and added it to 2 cups of plain nonfat organic yogurt. Umm, ok yum! That stuff clings to my leaves and Bac'uns and is yumtastic. Apparently if you make it with the mayo and milk, each 1Tbsp serving is 110 calories. With the nonfat yogurt, it is not quite 19 calories per Tbsp. I pour almost a half cup on my gallon of salad.

How to lose weight fast!

So earlier this week I was working out, drove up the intensity a little, got my sweat on, you know the good stuff. After work out I was starving (I work out during lunch, have a snack before, eat lunch after). I mean it was a hunger that spoke to me as if God were my co-pilot and I was Moses. I was so hungry that I could not wait to get back to the office to nuke my veggie burger or soup, whatever was on the menu, so I didn't. I went to the Western on Highland Ave and bought a six pack of Sugar Free Jello Chocolate Pudding. I mainlined that shit. If they had been tennis balls, I would have felt sorry for the garden hose. Yum!
Fast forward three hours later, the Apocalypse came. The Four Horsemen came and spoke the numbers of the Dark Lord "666" upon my bowels. For the next 6 hours I swore that I would bring food with me from now on, that all good things in moderation. That I would never let any more puppies die at the pound and adopt them all. That I personally would end all human suffering on this planet, if this horrible affliction upon me would stop. It finally did. The next morning I was down 5 more pounds. I celebrated by having a couple Sugar Free Jello Chocolate Puddings.

Cheese and biscuits!!!!

I started in December on the recumbent bike, January on the Treadmill. So I was ready, Yesterday I started with a 10 minute warmup on the treadmill, stepping up and down on the weight bench, on to crunches on the ball, dumbbell work, walking lunges, more dumbbell work, more crunches and finishing with walking lunges. 1 set, wow and mostly ow, I am out of shape. My thighs are burning. My triceps are sore. TO top it all off, all I wanted to eat this morning was a big greasy soy bac'un, egg, and cheese biscuit. I had oatmeal and yogurt with berries. Not as yummy, but good.

I can has soyzburger...

Mmmmm... soyburger, with soy cheese, soy mayo, soy bacon, whole wheat bun! Umm, ok, maybe I'll have the Minestrone soup instead with a whole wheat crostini. Yes, I miss the cheeseburger, but that is from being vegetarian already, but I cannot stand the "let's try and recreate it in a soy fashion." It pales in comparison. I would musch rather something incredibly delicious and fresh than trying to eat overprocessed plants that try to resemble meat, dairy, and eggs. Soup, squash casserole, onion pie, salads, cornbread and beans. All comfort foods and all yummy. (Note to self, onion pie, make one, I demand it!) So weigh in this morning, 239.5. I am in the 230's, yay! I actually have been coming up a little short on calories the last few days and need to eat a little more. I have been eating around 1400 and need to eat 1800. Oh, and I lied though, I could not get by without my soy Bac'uns for salad (and by the handful).

Ya I know... I'm not Vegan...

I am a cholesterol free vegetarian. The fat free organic yogurt is my one vice, sorry. But that's it. I could cut it out and I might, but right now it does not seem to be hurting me. 241.5 w00t! I am going on a date with the wife tonite, gonna try and make sushi with brown rice and veg. Whee!

I got a carrot and I am not afraid to use it!

242 this morning. Breakfast every day is oatmeal and FF yogurt with berries. Gonna do 30 minutes on the treadmill at lunchtime. Yay! Thank you Microsoft for my Zune! I watch tv on my Zune and only when I am on the treadmill.

Food Food Food!

Jim Gaffigan asked once, "Have you ever been so full that it literally hurts? Isn't that the best?!" I could not eat enough yesterday. I downed 2 pounds of carrots, bags of popcorn (Thank God for Orville!), oatmeal, berries, hummus, and the list goes on. I still ate less calories than I metabolized, yay!

Salad with a side salad with a salad as a side....

Down to 243 this morning. It was really day 2 and 3 that it was like I truly needed some chili cheese fries. I have never really cared for salad dressing at all so I have always used olive oil and Parmesan cheese, but I was at Cub Scout BALOO training for adults yesterday and we were having a taco salad for lunch. I spoke to them while they were shredding the lettuce, I was like hey, are you going to put meat in that? They were like yeah, why wouldn't we? So I was like hey, can you leave the meat out? Sure! While you're at it, can you leave the Russian dressing with mayo added? Sure they can! Oh, wait, can you not put any cheese in mine either? Uh... we guess? Great, hey, while you are at it will you leave the Doritos out too? Are you some kind of nutty Californian mister? No 'mam, I 'm Texan! So end result a huge plate of lettuce, tomato, kidney beans, raw onion, and olives. I added like a cup of salsa to the salad and wow, were it yumtastic. I have a new favorite.

I am eating constantly, I can't seem to shovel enough food in my mouth, it is emotional eating though. Thank Orville for popcorn! Other snacks; salad with tomato's and Frontier Bac'uns, frozen berry mix with Splenda, and more popcorn.

I am working out again tomorrow following a week off, the head cold is clearing up. I might even go to the pool with the kids tonight. Love that one. I strap the kids to my back and run in the pool back and forth using them for resistance. 15 minutes of that and I am ready to sink to the bottom and die. Good stuff and I don't have the sweat thing. Oh yeah, fat and sweaty, the things I cannot stand about myself.

Is there a Doctor in the house?

So I went to the After Hours Clinic I love going to so much 2 days ago. Never an appointment, hardly ever a line. They are open 12:30 PM to 8:30 PM. They sent me away (even though their card says diabetic testing etc, which was what I was there for), so I went to my primary care doctor yesterday. He was absolutely non-plussed about the numbers, said I did not fast before taking the test which can skew them. He arranged for a lab visit next week, gave me some spendy gold plated Amoxicillin for a sinus infection and said "See you in three months" Well, this is after I told him I was going strict vegan and had had a coming to Jesus about food with myself. He said take a multi vitamin and flax seed oil every day and he is good with it. No drugs, no insulin, no lipitor, W00t! No exercise this week, but I have lost 1.5 pounds. I bought an updated copy of Iambic's Health & Diet Manager bundle for Windows Mobile and Windows Desktop. I am counting calories and eating healthy. (And I am eating a lot of Organic Spring Mix and Tomatoes with Soy Bac'uns. Full tummy, less than 100 calories)

I'm fat, I'm Forty, and I have a favorite chair

I am fat. I am at least in my fortieth year, but I really don't have a favorite chair. I am unhealthy. I got a bunch of numbers back from a health screening yesterday that my wife is freaking over. My wife, the calm, soothing, oasis in a desert of stress, is freaking out about 650 plus triglycerides (correct spelling) very high cholesterol, etc. Apparently I am now diabetic.

I've been a vegetarian for over a year now, but a grilled cheese sandwich and fries one. I am starting my diet boot camp today. My father passed away a year ago due to complications of surgery and well, because he was fat. My mother is alone, during the time they were ready for fun and travel, she has to work a minimum wage job. I can't do that to my wife. So now I seriously start a new relationship with food.

And this... bloggie thingie, this is just a record of what I am doing. I am 5Ft 9In and weigh 250lbs. I am going Vegan plant based diet and exercising 5-6 days a week. Yay! I have been exercising already for 2 months, I just need to kick it to the next level. Videos are for an office biggest loser contest, ignore them.