Thursday, June 27th, 2002

Welcome to Hughdini.com | home

Thursday, June 27th, 2002

Back to Journal Page

I weighed in at 618.8 lbs yesterday bringing my total loss to 82.2 lbs, which is good, but it also means that my rate of loss has slowed down. The reason for the slowdown is muscle gain. The increased exercise is building muscle tissue and that weighs more than fat. Sometimes people get frustrated by this type of slowdown and at times maybe no loss at all during this process is possible, maybe even weight gain. I have been through this process before and it was the main reason I quit on myself back in 1997. I had gone through a stretch of 12 weeks in which I maintained my weight. Even though I was doing everything that I needed to do to continue weight loss.

Diet and exercise had taken me from 613 lbs to 538 lbs in a nine-month stretch and there was no payoff at the scale. However, I did not stop to think how much better I was feeling and how much more active I was, so I got mad and quit doing it. That's how I ended up in the hospital this past January with severe sleep apnea and excessive edema in my testicles and limbs that ultimately caused the beginnings of congestive heart failure. It was my rock bottom and my wake-up call. Believe me when I tell you, nothing wakes you up faster than having your testicles swell up to the size of cantaloupes.

So, the slowdown does not faze me in any way shape or form. Its part of the deal. What is important is that I feel great and continue to eat right and exercise daily and keep fighting the good fight. My doctor is very pleased with me right now and said I should be proud of my accomplishments. I assured him that I was and thanked him for guiding me through and giving me the tools to succeed.

The Doc examined my feet and recommended a blood draw and a urine sample to make sure my organs are operating okay, and that the meds I am taking are not doing any internal damage. I am also scheduled for an eye exam. These are precautions one must take when stricken with diabetes. The Doc also told me that the long term goal is to rid me of all meds with diet, exercise and weight loss, and eventually the diabetes will disappear, since I developed type 2 diabetes due to my obesity. My, what an ugly word that is, obesity!

After the appointment with my Doc I went to the lab downstairs for my blood draw. After getting on the elevator I was feeling very good about myself for all the hard work that has paid such huge dividends to my health and well being. Three young black men entered the elevator on the next floor; one of them had an eye problem in that his eyes were bugged out looking, like a fish. They all went very silent after they got in the elevator and I could feel them looking at me and then at each other. After I got off the elevator they all let out a big laugh that was obviously at my expense. I turned the corner after getting off the elevator on my way to the lab, and sitting in the hallway were three Arabic children ages 6 to 9. There was an adult with them talking on a cell phone. As I passed by them the oldest one looked directly at me and pointed me out to the others speaking in Arabic. But you could tell by the emotion in their voices that they were heckling me. After checking in at the lab I seated myself, and as I settled into my chair, which was a double chair. Two Spanish-speaking men came into the room and immediately started to whisper between them and sneak looks at me, but also tried to avoid eye contact because they knew they were wrong, but continued anyway. Now, I am big, strong and swift enough to have crushed all of these people for their disrespectfulness. But, years of counseling has helped me to overlook their stupidity and lack of socially acceptable behavior.

But you know, that has to be the lowest of the low. To come to a hospital and make fun of the people that are going there for help. That is the most morally bankrupt, reprehensible and unforgiving act of disrespect that I could possibly imagine. The kid's parents should have stopped their behavior in its tracks. But more than likely those kids don't know any better because their parents taught them this sort of behavior by example. But the adults that ridiculed me and the fact that they are all minorities is puzzling, because you'd think with all the racism in the world. Of all people, they should know how it feels to be disrespected by someone for something they cannot help. Especially in the very place were they are seeking help. But, obesity is not considered to be a situation in which one cannot help from becoming in this country or anywhere else in the world. Being fat is a choice we make by eating too much. But the reasons behind the eating run much deeper and without the proper help we cannot begin to figure out what those reasons are.


	Welcome to Hughdini.com \| home Friday, May 03, 2002 \| Saturday, May 04, 2002 \| Wednesday, May 07, 2002 \| Thursday, May 16, 2002 \| Wednesday, June 05, 2002 \| Tuesday, June 25, 2002 \| Thursday, June 27th, 2002 \| Friday, July 12, 2002 \| Thursday, August 1, 2002 \| Wednesday, October 2, 2002 \| Wednesday, November 20, 2002 \| Thursday, December 5, 2002 \| Tuesday, December 14, 2002 \| Tuesday, January 07, 2003 \| A random thought \| Tuesday, January 28th, 2003 \| Monday, February 03, 2003 \| Thursday, February 06, 2003 \| Monday, February 10, 2003 \| Wednesday, February 23, 2003 \| Tuesday, March 04, 2003 \| Tuesday, March 11, 2003 \| Wednesday, May 7, 2003 \| Wednesday, May 14, 2003 \| Wednesday, May 28, 2003 \| Monday, June 23, 2003 \| July, 23, 2003 \| July, 24, 2003 \| Monday, September 29, 2003 \| Wednesday, October 29, 2003 \| Friday, December 12, 2003 \| Monday, December 29, 2003 \| Tuesday, January 20, 2004 \| Wednesday, February 4, 2004 \| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 \| Thursday, April 22, 2004 \| Tuesday, July 27, 2004 \| Saturday, February 12, 2005 Thursday, June 27th, 2002 Back to Journal Page I weighed in at 618.8 lbs yesterday bringing my total loss to 82.2 lbs, which is good, but it also means that my rate of loss has slowed down. The reason for the slowdown is muscle gain. The increased exercise is building muscle tissue and that weighs more than fat. Sometimes people get frustrated by this type of slowdown and at times maybe no loss at all during this process is possible, maybe even weight gain. I have been through this process before and it was the main reason I quit on myself back in 1997. I had gone through a stretch of 12 weeks in which I maintained my weight. Even though I was doing everything that I needed to do to continue weight loss. Diet and exercise had taken me from 613 lbs to 538 lbs in a nine-month stretch and there was no payoff at the scale. However, I did not stop to think how much better I was feeling and how much more active I was, so I got mad and quit doing it. That's how I ended up in the hospital this past January with severe sleep apnea and excessive edema in my testicles and limbs that ultimately caused the beginnings of congestive heart failure. It was my rock bottom and my wake-up call. Believe me when I tell you, nothing wakes you up faster than having your testicles swell up to the size of cantaloupes. So, the slowdown does not faze me in any way shape or form. Its part of the deal. What is important is that I feel great and continue to eat right and exercise daily and keep fighting the good fight. My doctor is very pleased with me right now and said I should be proud of my accomplishments. I assured him that I was and thanked him for guiding me through and giving me the tools to succeed. The Doc examined my feet and recommended a blood draw and a urine sample to make sure my organs are operating okay, and that the meds I am taking are not doing any internal damage. I am also scheduled for an eye exam. These are precautions one must take when stricken with diabetes. The Doc also told me that the long term goal is to rid me of all meds with diet, exercise and weight loss, and eventually the diabetes will disappear, since I developed type 2 diabetes due to my obesity. My, what an ugly word that is, obesity! After the appointment with my Doc I went to the lab downstairs for my blood draw. After getting on the elevator I was feeling very good about myself for all the hard work that has paid such huge dividends to my health and well being. Three young black men entered the elevator on the next floor; one of them had an eye problem in that his eyes were bugged out looking, like a fish. They all went very silent after they got in the elevator and I could feel them looking at me and then at each other. After I got off the elevator they all let out a big laugh that was obviously at my expense. I turned the corner after getting off the elevator on my way to the lab, and sitting in the hallway were three Arabic children ages 6 to 9. There was an adult with them talking on a cell phone. As I passed by them the oldest one looked directly at me and pointed me out to the others speaking in Arabic. But you could tell by the emotion in their voices that they were heckling me. After checking in at the lab I seated myself, and as I settled into my chair, which was a double chair. Two Spanish-speaking men came into the room and immediately started to whisper between them and sneak looks at me, but also tried to avoid eye contact because they knew they were wrong, but continued anyway. Now, I am big, strong and swift enough to have crushed all of these people for their disrespectfulness. But, years of counseling has helped me to overlook their stupidity and lack of socially acceptable behavior. But you know, that has to be the lowest of the low. To come to a hospital and make fun of the people that are going there for help. That is the most morally bankrupt, reprehensible and unforgiving act of disrespect that I could possibly imagine. The kid's parents should have stopped their behavior in its tracks. But more than likely those kids don't know any better because their parents taught them this sort of behavior by example. But the adults that ridiculed me and the fact that they are all minorities is puzzling, because you'd think with all the racism in the world. Of all people, they should know how it feels to be disrespected by someone for something they cannot help. Especially in the very place were they are seeking help. But, obesity is not considered to be a situation in which one cannot help from becoming in this country or anywhere else in the world. Being fat is a choice we make by eating too much. But the reasons behind the eating run much deeper and without the proper help we cannot begin to figure out what those reasons are.