http://drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=23108&start=150Well, I didn't think it was going to last, the gigantic primitive staying away from politics.
But once he started politicizing his plight again, he's fair game.
The backstory is that the gigantic primitive had gotten down to 333 pounds, looking fit and trim enough to get a job. However, he's more worried about the wife Jeanette bringing home the bacon; she applied for a job with a cellular telephone place, but didn't get it. And inbetweentimes, the gigantic primitive, Jeanette, and roommate Joe moved into a new apartment.
Ege Bamyasi
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:40 pm
Location: Las Vegas, NV
06/26 - 339
07/10 - 337 -2
07/17 - 333 -4
07/24 - 337 +4
07/31 - 343 +6
That isn't a typo, and as far as I can tell there is nothing wrong with my scale.
Two things to consider concerning this:
First, my bowels are still acting really weird. I'm in this pattern where, for as many as 3-4 days, I will only have a small BM here or there. Then, the floodgates open and I'll go as many as 6 times in a single day with huge ones. After that is done I'm left with this feeling like I've been sucker punched in the gut. Then that feeling passes and it's lather, rinse repeat. Truthfully I have always been a little bit like this, but lately it's like the process has gone quantum on me. Right now I'm about to enter the "floodgates open" phase. So, were I to weigh in tomorrow, I would probably be 340 or slightly under. In fact, I will do just that and post the results here.
The other thing is that my muscles are so badly atrophied that there just isn't anything there to really burn off the fat. When I say that I have lost about 180 lbs. doing almost no exercise at all, maybe what I should amend that to is no activity at all. Pain has limited me, and still does, but I am at least to the point now where I can walk indoors on a carpeted floor with reasonable certainty that I won't wear all the skin off my feet and end up with more ulcerations like I almost certainly would in shoes if I had any that even fit properly.
A comparison between 12 years or so ago, and now:
I was about 375 lbs. or so back in 1998, when I decided that I needed to try and get serious about getting in shape, losing weight, and eating better. So, I began walking from the trailer park along the main highway where I lived, up to the (at the time) one and only stoplight in Pahrump, NV, and back. The distance was almost exactly one mile each way. On day one, I made it down to the light and back, and just to push a little extra I walked half the distance and back for a total of 3 miles. By the time I got home, I needed to grip the rail of the little metal stairs up to the door for dear life with one hand, and brace my other hand against the wall just to be sure I could get up three little steps without falling and busting my head open. My legs were literally quivering like Jell-O, and when I got inside I went immediately to the couch and just sat there for a good 20 minutes to get my breath and stop the shaking in my legs. There was only muscle pain for a while, but my joints seemed fine.
The next day I went out and did it again, and by the end of the first week I was up to two complete trips to the light and back. Six days a week I kept doing this, and I built my distance up to an average of 6 miles per day and a maximum of about 9.5, while my weight dropped from 375 to about 302. At that point, I was forced to return to Vegas for work and the onset of major depression led to me giving up on all that hard work. Sucks, doesn't it?
Now just today. I gave it my all and walked laps around the living room and kitchen for 30 minutes. My legs had that rubbery feeling after only 20 but I put in that extra bit with the old adage, "no pain, no gain" in mind. The muscle fatigue has mostly abated now that I've been typing for a while, but my knees, hips and lower back are all screaming in pain and much of this is joint pain instead of muscle pain.
Now, I'm determined to fight to rebuild my atrophied muscles, to the point where I can function as close to normally as possible (and in the hopes that my feet will heal enough to make wearing some of my old shoes plausible again). I believe that this will be the only way I can continue losing weight at a regular clip without limiting my calorie intake to a point which could be harmful. Living with a very low income and no access to medical care has me terrified of causing myself some sort of serious injury, but my rational mind accepts the fact that there's simply nothing else I can do at this point. I'm up against a brick wall that will only come down with major effort on my part which ideally would involve the help of doctors and physical therapists. But bitching about this epic flustercluck of a medical system we have here in the US (we're now 37th in the world in overall health care and 50th in overall life expectancy, while in many counties -- mostly rural -- women have had their average life expectancy drop in recent years), while certainly cathartic, isn't going to get me where I need to be.
So, with that all having been said, I'll be pushing as hard as I think I can get away with to accomplish something every day towards a decent level of rehabilitation. Today was my first half hour, and there may be more if I can get myself moving again. And the rest of this weight is coming off whether it wants to or not.
And then this, from another member over there, pointing out something that of course the gigantic primitive had known a long time ago. The gigantic primitive's been riding on the social security disability gravy train for a long time now, first-class.
With your medical problems you are surely eligible for Social Security Disability. That would make you eligible for Medicare too after 2 years (but the 2 years are retroactive to the date SS determines you became disabled, I believe up to one year lookback).
