Living in the Scoot Utopia

I haven't posted about how my weight loss is going in a while. That's because for a while it wasn't. :)

My rate of weight loss had been gradually slowing over the summer, then in early October it suddenly reversed and I started gaining rapidly. By mid-November I had gained 12 pounds and was a full 18 pounds over my lowest recorded 2006 weight reading.

So I switched up my diet and ramped up my fitness program and started losing again. I actually managed to lose weight over both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. As of today I have lost 13 pounds since that peak weight.

At the start of December I was ordered by one of the trainers at my gym to join a new aerobics program they were starting. The goal is to burn 21,000 calories in 10 weeks. I've been going to town with it. By this point in the program I should have burned about 7,000 calories to be on target. I am currently at about 9,600 calories. :) It takes a lot of time and a lot out of me but I have already seen two stunning results:

1. My body shape has altered a little. My legs are much firmer and the only fat that can be found is on the inner thigh. My midsection, while still larger than it should be, is now more straight than pear or apple shaped. All of my clothes are fitting looser. In fact, this weekend I slipped into a pair of size 38 jeans. And I know all you ultra-scrawny waifs out there are thinking "Size 38? What a lardo!" But consider that less than 3 years ago I was a size 48 and I haven't been able to wear pants below size 40 since about 1993.

2. In what is the best news of all, I have not had an abnormal blood sugar reading in the past two weeks. Not a one. Even though I attended 5 Christmas dinners in the past week and had all sorts of sinful, deadly desserts. My body is currently processing carbohydrates like a perfectly healthy individual.
   

Posted by ScooterJ at 09:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This morning I decided to wear a shirt that, back when it was given to me as a gift, was too small for me so I had made it a goal of mine to slim down enough to wear it.

I was eventually able to.... but now I can't anymore.

When I put it on this morning it hung off me like a tent. Now it's way too big.

A tragic yet dramatic reeminder for me that slow, subtle improvements I'm seeing are adding up in a big way over time.

Posted by ScooterJ at 06:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Saturday, June 24, I went on my longest walk ever and have probably found the limits of my endurance. Or at least, the limits of my endurance when the weather is crappy. :) For this walk, I started just outside the northern leg of I-435 and began walking south, bisecting the city, until I crossed the southern leg of I-435. The total time period was 12 hours and 55 minutes, which included a 1 hour lunch break and about 2 hours in rain delays. The total distance covered was 28.9 miles. I took 55,283 steps, burned 3,689 calories, went through 3 pairs of socks, had to dive under shelter from heavy rain 5 times, and got 6 blisters on my feet. :) I took several pictures along the way, scroll down to have a look. You can also click the route map to the left to see a larger version. First off, an overview of the route: My friend Brandon dropped me off at I-435 & North Woodland at 7:45am. That's him driving away. Crossing I-435 the first time... Heading south on North Woodland... The first signs of civilization... A nice little fishing pond in one of the subdivisions I walked across. I took a zig-zag route initially to avoid the lack of shoulders on Woodland and a construction zone on North Oak. A few blocks later a guy who was obviously lost pulled over and asked me for directions to a specific address nearby. "Actually, I'm not from around here either," I said, "but you definitely asked the right person, as I happen to have a detailed map of this neighborhood in my pocket." I then whipped out the page from Google Maps that I had printed out to mark my route through this neighborhood and showed him exactly how to get where he needed to go. I reached North Oak at 96th Street, begining the first really long straight segment. I was surprised to see other people out walking. Crossing MO-152... Construction on North Oak, and my first glimpse of the Downtown skyline... Crossing I-29, which would have been scary if the traffic were heavier since the almost non-existent shoulder turns into the on-ramp... Continuing south past a lovely neighborhood of check cashing places... The first really good skyline view... I was a little worried about getting mowed down going around this bend... The next five pictures are of the New Urbanism development at the north end of North Kansas City, along Swift... The former Osco and future CVS at Armour & Swift... The next two pictures are from a courtyard in downtown NKC where I took a short rest as a jazz band played... Looks like someone ran their car into the front of this building, and it appears to be in extreme danger of collapse. A well-worn footpath heading up to the Heart of America Bridge. If MODOT doesn't think there's demand for a safe pedestrian/bicycle path across the Missouri River, they need to see this photo. Crossing over the railyards... Crossing the Missouri River... When I reached the River Market I took a lunch break, and just as I finished lunch a strong storm erupted. By the time the lightning stopped and the rain let up enough to continue, I lost just over 2 hours of valuable time. From 3rd Street until 67th Street it rained on me non-stop. I pressed on in light rain and made my way south through Downtown... As I entered the Crossroads it looked like the worst of the weather was over. Soaked, I stopped in Union Station to use the restroom, dripping my way right through a wedding party. :) The first set of many steps up to Liberty Memorial as I cut across Penn Valley Park. My God that's a lot of steps! On Broadway, as I crossed Linwood, I got stuck in an extremely heavy sudden downpour. I took shelter under an awning with a couple of locals and was stuck there for nearly half an hour until the rain subsided enough to continue. The rain let up to just a light rainfall, so I continued on South... I only made it a few blocks before another downpour forced me to take shelter again... By the time I got to Westport it looked like I had been in a wet t-shirt contest. This picture came out this way due to rain on the lens. Another heavy downpour forced me to take shelter near Murray's. Since I knew I'd have to take the trademark shot at some point, here's the obligatory photo of my rainsoaked leg. I spent several minutes here wringing out my shirt while waiting for the rain to let up. The rain lightened up again so I continued, and I made it only a few more blocks before another downpour forced me to shelter in a Plaza parking garage... After about 10 minutes the rain got a little lighter again so I resumed my journey south on Wornall. I was certainly jealous of all the people with umbrellas. Brookside in the rain... Finally, by the time I got to Waldo, the rain had stopped and the sun came out. Wornall & Ward Parkway... The sun is setting, gotta hurry! Barely visible in the distance, my first glimpse of my goal... Indian Creek on the verge of flooding... About to cross I-435 for the second time... Looking back at I-435, having completed my goal! Though I was in pain and knew that I had blisters, as long as my goals were ahead of me I kept going forward like nothing was wrong. So it came as a total shock to me what happened as soon as I crossed my self-imposed finish line and got into the vehicle waiting for me on the other side. A wave of pain came over me, and I found myself struggling to take even the smallest of steps. Even a full day later walking is a struggle. Dear Lord am I tired! :) Having completed this walk something has occurred to me. There is no longer anything in the KC metro area that I can claim is not within walking distance. :)

Posted by ScooterJ at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

(I didn't post about Urban Walk #3 -- that was last weekend where I did an 11-mile loop walking the Urban Living Tour.)

Sunday, May 14, 2006

As I hinted late last week, I decided it was time to do something extreme. So, at 10:48 this morning, I was dropped in the parking lot of the Bally Total Fitness at 119th & Strang Line in Olathe, KS. 7-1/2 hours and 42,900 steps later I arrived at my home near the City Market in Downtown Kansas City, MO --
completing a 22-mile walk.

Before I get on with the pictures, a few notes about walking in Johnson County:

1. I was able to find sidewalks pretty much everywhere. There were a few small gaps but nothing major.
   
2. The exception was Mission Hills. I never saw a single sidewalk in Mission Hills.
   
3. Every crosswalk I eencountered required a button to be pushed to get a walk signal.
   
4. While crossing Quivira at a crosswalk I began speedwalking as soon as I got the walk signal and I still had 2 more lanes to cross when the cross-traffic got their green light. There's no way an old person or a family could possibly get across.
   
5. While crossing 95th near Oak Park Mall the crosswalk displayed "WALK" and "DON'T WALK" simultaneously. Then, 3 lanes into the crossing, both displays shut off altogether. I did a quick 270-degree scan then dashed the remaining way across.
   

I'd also like to say a little bit about the walk itself. Not since my teens have a felt as good, physically, as I do now at the age of 36. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it could very well be that getting caught with diabetes -- and doing something about it -- has been the best thing that has happened to me. The thing today that really brought that home was that part of my route took me along an old walking route I used to use 10 years ago when I lived near 85th & Switzer. That particular walking route used to wear me out back then. Yet, on the map above of today's walk, that route barely even registers as a blip just to the left of marker #7. Amazing.

Now, on with the pictures!

Looking back at my starting point...

The first of many parking lagoons I'd cross...

Crossing I-435 at Quivira...

Arriving at Oak Park Mall, where I took a short break...

Crossing US-69 (Overland Parkway) at 91st...

Taking a break in a part at 85th & Switzer...

As I approached 83rd, the homes all took on a funky '50s look...

New roundabout under costruction on Santa Fe
at the south end of downtown Overland Park...

Overland Park Farmer's Market...

The gallery that burned dowwn a couple of months ago. :(
You can still smell the soot...

Massive amounts of flowers landscaping a yard
on Tomahawk just east of Nall...

The most pedestrian-friendly thing I saw in JoCo:
Pedestrians get a nice bridge, cars drive down into the creek...

Brush Creek...

Prairie Village Shops...

This sign completely blocked the sidewalk at the entrance
to Mission Hills. Just beyond the sign the sidewalk ended.
I never saw another sidewalk until I reeached KCMO.

This is the closest thing Mission Hills has to sidewalks,
a painted white line reserving the curb for pedestrians...

Pretty much all of Mission Hills was under construction...

Looking north on Belinder at Tomahawk...

Roundabout (or traffic circle?) at Belinder, Tomahawk,
and a couple of other streets...

Meyer Circle Fountain...

The Church of the Rich Christian...

Filthy stinking rich...

Arriving at Loose Park, and various Loose Park shots...

Civilization! Heading north on Wornall towwards the Plaza...

New tower...

Another new tower... this one north of the Plaza...

43rd & Washington...

Relaxing at the Westport Sunfresh...

Southwest Trafficway, around 38th...

Penn Valley Community College...

31st just east of Broadway...

First full view of the skyline...

From here on out I didn't really take any more pictures because
it's all stuff that's been seen before on my previous walks.

However, I did take this shot to show that the facade of the
Bartle expansion is now going up...

Finally, the best walking shoes I have ever bought...

Posted by ScooterJ at 12:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (1)

A couple of weeks ago someone asked me why I haven't been updating my weight loss progress on here lately. I brushed it off but now I can reveal the reason. When the doctor took me off my diabetes medication, one of the side effects was a sudden increased appetite. Until my body readjusted I could not stop being hungry and I gained 8 pounds in only 2 weeks. I've been working ever since to undo the damage.

As of yesterday I've now officially succeeded -- and then some. I've successfully lost the 8 pounds I gained, plus one more for good measure. That puts my total weight loss at 41 pounds.

I'd really like to lose 18 more by the end of the year... so I'm going to have to step up the pace a little. I may have to do something drastic. Maybe on Sunday. Hmmmmm.

Posted by ScooterJ at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A few months ago I was taken off my diabetes medication. Around the same time I consulted a trainer and got put on a new exercise program that I have adhered to with strict devotion. As a result, my blood sugar readings are now down an average of 20 points from where they were when I was taken off the meds. Fasting is now in the mid-70s to mid-80s, and after meals it's now in the 100s to 110s.

I even ate cheesecake last night and my sugar only "spiked" to 116. Several months ago that same cheesecake would have put it in the 150s easily.

Hooray for exercise!

Posted by ScooterJ at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

After walking from the Plaza to City Market two weekends ago, I decided I needed to up the ante. So this past Saturday I took the MAX to Waldo (74th & Wornall) and walked a 14-mile course that I had plotted back to the Missouri River.

The journey took 4-1/2 hours and consisted of approximately 23,500 steps.

I could teell that I was in better shape than my previous trip, making no stops for rest or for additional water. However, a day later, I definitely feel the burn.

I took numerous pictures along the way, here they are for your enjoyment...

1. Part 1 - Waldo, Brookside, Crestwood
   
2. Part 2 - UMKC, Stowers
   
3. Part 3 - Brush Creek, Art Gallery
   
4. Part 4 - Gilham Park, Hyde Park
   
5. Part 5 - Union Hill, Hospital Hill
   
6. Part 6 - Jazz District, Crossroads
   
7. Part 7 - Downtown Loop, River Market
   

Posted by ScooterJ at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm always on the lookout for fun ways to get my exercise. This past week I decided to issue myself what seemed at the time like a challenge: to walk from the Plaza back home to the City Market.

The direct route is a straight shot, and only a little more than 4 miles long. That was too easy. So I plotted out a course that would take me to several interesting areas and double the mileage.

On Saturday afternoon I took the MAX to the Plaza, fired up my ipod, and started walking my pre-planned route. About 3-1/2 hours later I arrived at the City Market and sat down to a nice burnt ends dinner. Depending on the tool I use to measure the distance the total mileage was somewhere between 9.1 and 10.4 miles. It took 18,113 steps to complete the walk.

The walk proved not to be very difficult at all, and I'm glad I took a twisting route because I think the ease of the straight shot would have been disappointing. I only stopped for water twice (Sun Fresh in Westport and Union Station) and the closest thing I had to a nervewracking moment was getting barked at by a rottweiler. The weather was a little chilly but pleasant, and though it was only about 45 degrees I was far from the only person I encountered in shorts.

Other than being very sleepy last night, I feel great. No soreness whatsoever today. Because this was so easy I now have an even bigger urban walk in the works that I'll embark on in an upcoming weekend.

I took lots of photos of the walk, click the links below to see them:

1. Part 1: Country Club Plaza to the art galleries
2. Part 2: Westport to Penn Valley Park
3. Part 3: New Federal Reserve to Crown Center
4. Part 4: Union Hill to Convention Center
5. Part 5: Convention Center to City Market

Posted by ScooterJ at 03:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Thanks to the benefits of diet and exercise, at my checkup this morning my doctor said I no longer need to take my diabetes medication.

Posted by ScooterJ at 09:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

One year ago today I came down with pneumonia.

I was at the North Kansas City Pro Bowl over lunch watching one of the teams in our league post-bowl, and also watching Seth bowl the best series of his life. It was a Friday, and at about 12:35pm, I felt like I had inhaled something and started coughing. After several minutes the cough subsided but never completely went away.

As the afternoon progressed the cough continued, and by late afternoon I started to get chills. When I got home from work I could tell I had a slight fever, so I took some some Tylenol and laid back on the couch to watch TV.

Over the next several hours I kept drifting in and out of consciousness and when I was awake I had a heightened awareness... noises from the street outside were unusually loud and had a strange echo. Finally around 1:30AM I felt well enough to move to bed. Before doing so, I took my temperature and was shocked to find that it was 105.1. I debated going to the hospital but I didn't feel like I was well enough to drive and didn't want to cause a disturbance by calling an ambulance. So i took more Tylenol, drank some water, put a cool cloth on my neck, and hoped I'd wake up in the morning.

Continue reading "A year ago today: about the sickest I've ever been." »

Posted by ScooterJ at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)