New Adventures Exploring the Amazon & the Ghost of the Fat Man
I recently visited Skytor’s site (http://www.skytor.blogspot.com/) and got quite a shock. He had posted a meter download of his BG. It looked like the graph of an earthquake. Sharp, jagged lines, like horizontal lightning bolts.
I’ve gotten use to the organic meandering lines of the continuous traces. What at first seemed un-orderly to me has now become natural and normal, and the striaght mechincal lines I used to love now look artificial and strange. Funny how quickly we humans adapt, isn’t it? These traces, which seemed so alien to me at first are now so beautiful to the eye.
So I’m trying to figure out why a man who only owns three pairs of pants has no room in his drawers. At first I had suspected an intrusion of overflow female clothes from you-know-who. But that is not the case. It turns out I own three pair of pants that actually fit. It turns out I own a significant wardrobe of descending sizes that no longer fit. Thank God for $9.95 jeans at Wal-Mart, or I’d be broke! My current, and slightly baggy pants are 36. I can wear a 34, but not comfortably yet. So I guess my waist is actually a 35. The largest pants still in the drawer are a pair of 48s (relaxed fit at that!). I try them on, just for fun.
Oh. My. God.
Was I ever really big enough to fill this mountain of cloth?
I can’t remember if I’ve even told you this story, and I’m too lazy to re-read the whole blog, so if I’m re-telling this I apologize. When it was finally settled that I was, in fact, a very late to the party T-1, I started reading up on T-1s. I found over and over that T-1s are typically described as thin, angular, ectomorphic if you like. So I asked my Endo, so why am I the only fat T-1?
Just wait, she told me.
Sure enough. I melted. Like magic. No real effort on my part. I don’t know if the disease ate the fat, or if the carb counting and healthier eating did it, but 60 pounds went away in about ten months.
Now my wife and her family worry and tell me I’m too skinny. (My medical team says they won’t worry until I lose another 20 pounds, so I don’t think that I’m really all that thin, just so much thinner than people were used to seeing me). But last night as I was walking past a mirror I caught a glace of my reflection. I had to stop and stare. Yeah, there I was standing there in front of the mirror, checking myself out. Like most heavy people, I’d learned to look in a mirror and comb my hair and trim my beard without really looking at myself.
But now I’m looking. Wow. I gotta tell you, I like what I’m seeing. I like this being thin. I’ve been heavy most of my life. Well, I can’t recommend the D-diet, given all else that comes with it, but at least I’ve been given one perk.
I used to be a fat, out of shape middle aged man. Now I’m a skinny, out of shape middle aged man. My new goal: to be a skinny, in shape middle aged man!
I’m loving the bike, but, yikes! It has really shown me how pathetically out of shape I am. My current work out (don’t laugh): I ride the long way to work. About 600 yards. Up and down and around rocks and cactus, but more or less flat. Then I do another 600 yard loop at “lunch.” And a final returning home at the end of the day. I’m getting slowly better, but that 600 yards leaves my heart pounding and me panting for breath. Pathetic. Lance Armstrong is laughing his ass off right now. Oh well.
Hey, Lance, no prickly pear on the Tour de France!
I’ve gotten use to the organic meandering lines of the continuous traces. What at first seemed un-orderly to me has now become natural and normal, and the striaght mechincal lines I used to love now look artificial and strange. Funny how quickly we humans adapt, isn’t it? These traces, which seemed so alien to me at first are now so beautiful to the eye.
So I’m trying to figure out why a man who only owns three pairs of pants has no room in his drawers. At first I had suspected an intrusion of overflow female clothes from you-know-who. But that is not the case. It turns out I own three pair of pants that actually fit. It turns out I own a significant wardrobe of descending sizes that no longer fit. Thank God for $9.95 jeans at Wal-Mart, or I’d be broke! My current, and slightly baggy pants are 36. I can wear a 34, but not comfortably yet. So I guess my waist is actually a 35. The largest pants still in the drawer are a pair of 48s (relaxed fit at that!). I try them on, just for fun.
Oh. My. God.
Was I ever really big enough to fill this mountain of cloth?
I can’t remember if I’ve even told you this story, and I’m too lazy to re-read the whole blog, so if I’m re-telling this I apologize. When it was finally settled that I was, in fact, a very late to the party T-1, I started reading up on T-1s. I found over and over that T-1s are typically described as thin, angular, ectomorphic if you like. So I asked my Endo, so why am I the only fat T-1?
Just wait, she told me.
Sure enough. I melted. Like magic. No real effort on my part. I don’t know if the disease ate the fat, or if the carb counting and healthier eating did it, but 60 pounds went away in about ten months.
Now my wife and her family worry and tell me I’m too skinny. (My medical team says they won’t worry until I lose another 20 pounds, so I don’t think that I’m really all that thin, just so much thinner than people were used to seeing me). But last night as I was walking past a mirror I caught a glace of my reflection. I had to stop and stare. Yeah, there I was standing there in front of the mirror, checking myself out. Like most heavy people, I’d learned to look in a mirror and comb my hair and trim my beard without really looking at myself.
But now I’m looking. Wow. I gotta tell you, I like what I’m seeing. I like this being thin. I’ve been heavy most of my life. Well, I can’t recommend the D-diet, given all else that comes with it, but at least I’ve been given one perk.
I used to be a fat, out of shape middle aged man. Now I’m a skinny, out of shape middle aged man. My new goal: to be a skinny, in shape middle aged man!
I’m loving the bike, but, yikes! It has really shown me how pathetically out of shape I am. My current work out (don’t laugh): I ride the long way to work. About 600 yards. Up and down and around rocks and cactus, but more or less flat. Then I do another 600 yard loop at “lunch.” And a final returning home at the end of the day. I’m getting slowly better, but that 600 yards leaves my heart pounding and me panting for breath. Pathetic. Lance Armstrong is laughing his ass off right now. Oh well.
Hey, Lance, no prickly pear on the Tour de France!
posted by Wil | 1:25 AM
2 Comments:
Hey Wil!
Boy, I am sure glad you posted about your weight loss. I had remembered you mentioning somewhere about losing 60 some pounds, and I meant to ask you about it. I couldn't find the post where you mentioned it, and was just going to e-mail you.
Going from a 48 down to a 35'ish. Man, that's really great. I'm pushing 42-44's here, and working to lose the weight. I'm a big guy (6'1" & 265), and I'm told I carry the weight well, but I don't want to carry the weight at all!
A couple weeks ago I decided that I was going to aggressively attack the weight issue again. You always hear these success stories and people have these "before & after" pictures. So I decided I needed to take my "before" pictures.
I snapped off a bunch of shots, using the timer on my camera because I was too embarrassed to ask my wife (how silly is that?).
Looking at those pics was/is a really rude awakening. I'm really FAT - and not that new fangled "Phat" as in "cool", but the good old fashioned "F.A.T." as in "pinch an inch, foot or yard".
It's such a slow thing that requires much mental discipline and continued motivation. Hmmm, that sounds a lot like BG management. It's all related.
So, consider yourself a role model for others! One day you'll be reading about my weight loss too. Then we can get together for a mountain bike trip somewhere and be two skinny out of shape guys, working to get in shape.
Labrat--my A1Cs are pretty good too, I never thought to ask the doc why. It's not universal, see Scott below. Of course he's been T-1 longer than we...maybe it's an adult DX thing...oh well, at least we have one blessing to count, huh? My only compaint is that I no longer have a butt, and some chairs that used to be comfortable I can't spend much time in now!
Scott--I'll take you up on that bike trip. Can't think of a better way to spend a day. Riding, talking BG & Insulin...cool. Maybe we should start the Tour de Diabetes.
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