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[J-Carr]

Congrats.  That's the hardest thing in the world.

I had a drug problem in my teens.  I cleaned up on my own (30+ years).  I smoked for 25 years (From 9 years old).  I Quit on my own (11 years now).  I weighed 350+.  I tried and failed a thousand times to lose weight.  I finally did bariatric surgery.  I lost 150.  Put 50 back.  Now I'm stable at 250 for 5 years.  It's still a struggle just to stay only that fat.

When you quit drugs or alcohol or tobacco you quit.  You don't partake in it at all.

When you fight a food addiction you still have to eat.  Every day.  As a major part of your life.

[MIKEYTEE]

I retired 5 1/2 years ago and am too damn busy to hold down a part time job!
I did start a diet this winter and even after Memorial Day weekend in Virginia and 6 days on the road and Ribfest, I have still lost over 30 lbs. I would like to loose another 30 by Maggie Valley. Dan, I too follow the low carb diet. I recommend it to people that love to eat
but starve on other diets. I never go hungry because I can eat all the protein and fried pork skins I want.
My A1C is down from 6.7 a year ago to 5.6 last month's visit. I do take a pill for that, but the diet helps more.
My doctor says I am the healthiest old fat man he has ever seen.
Mike
 
 

[J-Carr]

That's just cause you an A-Hole Unc!  A-Holes always are always healthy.  That's why so many people grumble "that A-Hole is going to live forever." 

Seriously, that's a good A1C!

[MIKEYTEE]

That's just cause you an A-Hole Unc!  A-Holes always are always healthy.  That's why so many people grumble "that A-Hole is going to live forever." 

Seriously, that's a good A1C!

 
Mike
 

[SBB]

That's just cause you an A-Hole Unc!  A-Holes always are always healthy.  That's why so many people grumble "that A-Hole is going to live forever." 

Note to self!
Store this away for future use!
Thanks JC!

SBB

[J-Carr]

No problem Chip.  I've been hearing it for so long that I don't think I can take credit for it though.

[03Lightningrocks]

That bariatric surgery option scares me. i am too darned chicken for that option. I have lost somewhere around 500 pounds in my lifetime...LOL. 20-30 pounds at a time. Up we go...down we go...it never stops!

I am fortunate enough to be the majority owner in our family business. My daughter and SIL run it. My paycheck just magically shows up in my account every Friday. Funny thing is, theyy would rather I stay away from the office... wonder what is really going on there?

[FLSTFI Dave]

Are we all old "Old Folks"

Well, I sure am not, I'm a very young 52.  Got my first CVO seven years ago. 

Mikeytee, nice job on the A1C.

[MIKEYTEE]

Are we all old "Old Folks"

Well, I sure am not, I'm a very young 52.  Got my first CVO seven years ago. 

Mikeytee, nice job on the A1C.

Thanks Dave.
Mike
 

[Dan_Lockwood]

I retired 5 1/2 years ago and am too damn busy to hold down a part time job!
I did start a diet this winter and even after Memorial Day weekend in Virginia and 6 days on the road and Ribfest, I have still lost over 30 lbs. I would like to loose another 30 by Maggie Valley. Dan, I too follow the low carb diet. I recommend it to people that love to eat
but starve on other diets. I never go hungry because I can eat all the protein and fried pork skins I want.
My A1C is down from 6.7 a year ago to 5.6 last month's visit. I do take a pill for that, but the diet helps more.
My doctor says I am the healthiest old fat man he has ever seen.
Mike
 

Mike,

That's really great.  I had hoped that my A1C would have gone down more after losing 50#, but at least it dropped over a point.  I've been lucky in that I don't take any medications for the diabetes and have never pricked my finger.  A couple weeks ago a vendor brought in some chocolate covered long johns and I had one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  I would guess that a true diabetic would have had some type of sugar crash or spike from that, but it does not effect me in the slightest.  So I was really taken a back when my doc told me.

I've always been hypoglycemic from as young as I can remember.  You don't have to be diabetic to be hypoglycemic.  I can go all day without eating if I'm busy and nothing happens to me, but if I eat a bagel in the morning and nothing later, I start to get the shakes about 2:00 in the afternoon from a low blood sugar crash.  As long as I can remember I've been this way. 

I haven't stopped eating carbs, but have just cut way down and eat in moderation now.

I would like to think that I'm not on a diet, but a new life style of eating.  As I said before, we eat LOTS of salads and just a veggie with a "meat" product of some type for dinner.  I have a fruit cup in the morning and afternoon and for lunch I have a can of Progresso Light soup.  I get full and that's enough.  But man, if I'm at a long weekend with friends, I can gain about 8 to 10 pound over three or four days.  It usually takes me a week to get back down.

I tipped the work loading dock scales a year ago last Christmas at just over 290#.  Right now I fluctuate between 235 and 240#.  I went from a 40/42" pant down to a comfortable 36".  My goal was 50# and a 36" pant.  When I graduated HS I was 210#, 5'-13" and wore a comfortable 32" pant.  Boy those were the days....

J, I'm really happy for you and your weight loss.  I is a struggle everyday and you do have to eat to stay alive.  I quit drinking Diet Coke cold turkey when I started my new life style.  I was drinking about 4 to 5 cans a day.  My resting heart rate was in the high 80's when I started and now after a year my resting heart rate is in the mid to low 50's.  I just took it and it was 52 sitting here at the computer.  One thing that has crept up on me has been my blood pressure and my cholesterol.  I used to be in the 117 range over the low 70's.  Now I'm low 140's over mid 80's.  The doc wanted to put me on blood pressure medication, but I wouldn't let her.  She did put me on Pravastatin for my cholesterol though.  Just the weight loss got my cholesterol down a lot, but with diabetes blood pressure and cholesterol affects you differently than a non-diabetic.  So even lower numbers are recommended.

Enough about this crap...  I'm just glad that we're all here and able to shoot the bull like this.  We're all young in spirit. 

[Streetglide1]

I'll be 66 in October.  I've been riding since my dad taught me how to braze when I was 13.  He helped me make my first mini bike and the rest as they say is history...

I'm still in good shape for the condition I'm in.  I was pushing 290# over a year ago and was told by my doctor that I was type 2 diabetic.  She didn't have me checking blood or anything like that because my A1C was not that high, 7.5.  But suggested exercise and a healthier diet.  I blew that off and the next 90 day blood work was still the same, go figure.  I did that two more times until she laid down the law to me and I took her more seriously.

Over the next 6 months I lost over 50# and my A1C came down to 6.4 which is pre-diabetic.  All my wife and I did was to cut down on things and we've cut out a LOT of carbs.  We do very little pasta, no bread to speak of and not spuds.  We still do pizza, but instead of maybe once a week we do it once a month.  So we've also added lots of salads to our evening meals too.  My wife lost 40# by default.  She cheats more than I do. 

I've still not started to exercise any other than normal riding the Harley, working a bit in the garage and mowing the yard.  I bought a Bowflex Ultimate Gym about 4 years ago of Craigslist for $100 and not used it yet.  I keep saying I NEED to get off my fat butt and start, but never do.

So my plan is to work until 70 and then retire.  My wife is still cleaning houses and is always complaining about aches and pains, but still does it.  Her work schedule is very loose and that's what she likes about it.

Right now I'm looking at a two week work schedule in Henderson NV.  I'll be working at one of our customer's plant supporting our equipment while they do their thing with their blow molder.  I'll stay the weekend and fly the wife out for about 4 days and we'll have the weekend in Vegas.  The last time I was there for a week I went to Counts Kustoms and did his museum little tour.  It was okay, but nothing to write home about.

So anyway, 70 and out.  That should give me some more riding time.

Just a question for the retired guys here; do you work part time to keep busy and have a little extra income?  I see myself taking about the first 3 months off, I'll be retiring the end of 2019, so that Jan, Feb, and Mar will probably be in a warmer climate and then I'll be thinking about getting a part time job for play money and to keep active.  I could consult back to my company, but I don't want to keep doing this, it sucks the big one, so why consult??

Sorry for rambling guys.

I went through the same stuff as you with the A1C last summer, Mine was 7.1 and the doctor told me he was going to start me on medication and wouldn't renew my prescription for high blood pressure for a full year unless he put me on the A1c meds....he gave me a choice, eat healthy and cut down on the carbs and he would check my blood in 90 days, my choice so I went on a carb diet and lost 25 lbs and that don't sound like a lot but I am short...5'6 and I weighed 194 and had a beer gut from hell, smoked and was a drunk, I stayed on the carb diet and my A1C dropped.

In Sept I quit drinking and it dropped again....the doctor was happy and I was happier. In November I started going to the gym 3 times a week,  I quit smoking after 42 years in December, I didn't look back after that, I increased my work-out and now my A1C is 5.4 and that was in March. I have all the energy in the world and I want to ride like crazy long rides, the doctor lowered my dose on my high blood pressure meds and I might end off that totally this year.

Its been a hard fight for me but I feel great and don't even want to smoke or drink anymore, I weigh 176 now and no beer gut and gaining muscle instead of fat. with all that said I don't eat junk food anymore.

IMO its all worth it!

   

[SDCVO]

In dec 2011 my AC1 was over 14 and I was 372 LBS. I have been going to the same DR for over 20 ears and we have become friends. He called me at the beginning of jan 2012 and asked me if I had a fax machine at work. I said of course but why? He told me that he was sending me a list of other DR's because since we were friends, if I dropped dead he would go to my funeral and everyone would hate him because he was also my DR and let me get so bad. I asked him to give me 3o days to try and do something about it. He asked me what was different after 52 years (been fat my whole life) and I said maybe nothing but I think Im ready. On Jan 15th I took my normal 32 pills and 2 injections (diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol etc..) but I also started my first day of Medifast. By Xmas of that year I lost 162 LBS and my AC1 was 5.4 and best of all, zero medication. My waist went from a 60 to a 34 and ohh, by the way I went from my obsession being food to being motorcycles!
Still at the same weight today (before 2012 the last time I weighed 210 LBS I was in elementary school) and still obsessed with motorcycles specifically CVO motorcycles...
Fight the good fight every day and hope to God I never slide back to my old habits! Everytime I see a public figure that lost major weight and gained it back it scares the sh-- out of me and I will never be cocky about it not happening to me. Really not sure I could have done it without being able to fix my obsessive personality to motorcycles and being able to go to this forum each night is definitely part of that obsession.

[MIKEYTEE]

Dan, I was 300+ pounds in February and this morning 270 pounds. I would like to get to 240 pounds by Maggie Valley in September. I should be able to reach that goal. Getting off of the soft drinks works wonders. The only time I drink Diet Cokes is with my Bourbon. The hard one was to give up Diet Mountain Dew. I drink Diet Green Tea now and usually drink 6 or 8 a day.

Streetglide 1, I too quit smoking 2 years ago. I was ready and  beat the craving in 2 weeks using the patch and never looked back. I did start eating more and gained the 50+ pounds. So now I diet. I know you fought the good fight and it's paying off. Keep up the good work.

SDCVO, you win! Fighting the good fight every day is hard but worth it. we fat and ex fat boys need to stick together. It is easier to diet when you have others dieting with you and cheering you on.

Mike
 

[J-Carr]

That bariatric surgery option scares me. i am too darned chicken for that option. I have lost somewhere around 500 pounds in my lifetime...LOL. 20-30 pounds at a time. Up we go...down we go...it never stops!

I am fortunate enough to be the majority owner in our family business. My daughter and SIL run it. My paycheck just magically shows up in my account every Friday. Funny thing is, theyy would rather I stay away from the office... wonder what is really going on there?

It should scare you.  They told me I wouldn't live until my son graduated from high school after my heart attack.  That was 10 years away at the time.  I quit smoking within the month and went real healthy on my diet, but I was too far gone between the diabetes and the way quitting smoking affects your metabolism so I did the surgery.

I spent two years throwing up more meals than not.  I hated every meal I hate not knowing what was going to be the outcome.  I'd run out of rooms and people would be asking awkward questions.  It was a nightmare.  I discourage it for anyone who just thinks its an easy way to lose weight.  Bull.  Its the hardest thing I've ever done.

However, My son graduated 2 years ago.  He's a successful Coast Guardsman set out on life.  I may make another 50 years or I may die tomorrow, but I beat the odds, and was here for my son while he grew up.  So no regrets from me.  It was worth it.  Under those very specific circumstances.

[Dan_Lockwood]

I congratulate all of you guys for your hard work and determination...     

I still drink an occasional Diet Coke if we're out to eat or at friends for the weekend.  But during the week and most weekends I drink water with Crystal Light powder mix.  I drink about 64 oz a day of the stuff now.  Man does that ever make a guy pee though...     

I think at our age we need to stop thinking of us being on a diet and think more as a life style change.  Because lets face it, if we make the effort to change how and what we eat, we need to stay on this the rest of our lives, not just a few months.

You don't have to be over weight or obese to be diabetic, but most are.  Like sleep apnea, there are skinny people with it, but more are over weight than skinny.  So use stocky guys need to become less stocky.

I feel lucky that my doc "worked" with me and finally got through my thick head that I needed to take my situation seriously.

I've read lately that the NEW thinking about older people and elevated blood pressure is that it should not be treated unless it's very high or there are other factors.  They're saying for older people that 140's over 80's is elevated, not high.  This is a grey area for me as I'm in the lower of that range and it's considerably higher than it used to be.  And as I said earlier, blood pressure and high cholesterol affect diabetics differently than non-diabetic people.  I feel that with my 6.4 A1C that I'm in the pre-diabetic range, but I'm still "diabetic" and I need to do more than a normal person.

I think you guys have been doing great with the drinking and smoking reductions etc.  Unfortunately (fortunately) I've never smoked or been a drinker, never tasted beer or whiskey.  I know that's pretty lame, but it never interested me.  So I don't have them to quite to jump start my excitement on my path to wellness.  I'm sure there are lots of triggers that temp you all to have just one smoke or that extra drink, but being tuff and determined is the key. 

I've been at my target now for over 6 months, but would like to get the blood pressure, cholesterol and A1C lower.  At this point it's got to be exercise.  I'm just not yet motivated enough to just go into the basement and get my Bowflex Ultimate gym setup and start doing high reps of rowing and other flexibility exercises and work up from there.  I get short of breath now very easy and I know it's from being a big fat couch potato.  As John Pinette says in his Say Na Na comedy routine, "the doctor told me to go to the gym and exercise.  Once you get used to it it will drive you even more to workout. I don't think so!  I have will power, I can quit this exercise stuff anytime I want."  I would highly recommend anyone into comedy to look John Pinette up on YouTube and watch the I say Na Na routine.  You will be rolling off the sofa, he's really funny.  A lot of his routine is about his weight and his journey to lose weight, so I really found it hilarious.

Again I digress and just rambling on and on and on and on, just slap me!!!

GREAT JOB GUYS!!!