View Full Version : GOD , please let me be just half the man I once was .
I wasn't too bright as a child and that situation seemed to get worse as I became an adult. I managed to get a high school education through the benevolent generosity of my teachers. Although I believe they simply wanted to get rid of me.
...................................to be continued .
Upon graduating High School I went to work in a packing house killing cattle and hogs . The place was a work house , non stop heavy labor but being halfway OCD I loved it . It was 1970 , height of the civil rights movement and I was one of two white guys working with thirty something blacks , it was........interesting . I went to work on drilling rigs in 72 , year I got my son .
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/108_0059_zpsddfe8bfd.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/108_0059_zpsddfe8bfd.jpg.html)
I had doubled for roughnecks wanting a day on the weekend going to High School . Solid labor back then seven days a week rain or shine . LOL I remember in was near freezing and raining with a high wind , three crews were sitting in a 'dog house' waiting for the rain to slack off during a rig move . Toolpusher came in and screamed ....ALL YOU HANDS WITH SLICKER SUITS GET OUT THERE AND GET THIS RIG UP !! AND ALL THAT AIN"T GOT A SLICKER... ...GET OUT THERE AND HELP EM !! I loved the oilfield work , it was fast and furious and as usual hard labor . Got 3 or 4 ribs broke when a hand hit me in the right side with a 14 pound maul while hooking up a blow out preventer . His name believe it or not was John Wayne , easy to remember . Got the small bones in the the front of my feet broke when an idiot loosed a boomer holding the load from the other side of the float but I finished the day and went to the emergency room after an 80 drive back to town. Broke my right wrist handling the back up pipe tongs and we'll not count the every day cuts , bruises , sprains and what not . Saw two men killed on a rig before my eyes , cleaned up after another two more were killed on the shift before mine . But ya know what I loved working on rigs . I made an ace hand because I had pride ! (<take note of that word) Yes sir ! You just pert near couldn't stop me ! (do you see a pattern emerging here ?)
.......................To be continued later .
duckey
03-22-2016, 07:49 PM
Good honest hard work! I do believe it pays off down the road.
nagantguy
03-22-2016, 08:03 PM
I can appreciate hard work, 40 is in a few months but today was a typical day, up at dawn to take care of animals and start a fire, still cold here in MI
8 hours working on a remodeling job, drywall trim and painting, gym after work, the neighbors pasture had dried out so when I got home I took the trailer over and hauled out the fire wood I cut Last weekend, unloaded the wood, took care of livestock, put paneling up in our master bathroom closet, ran a new line for the new toilet and after my reading posting here I'll load the work Truck for tomorrow and start supper, wife will be home late tonight and I make a point to have something hot for her to eat on her late nights...tomorrow will be a repeat of today only the fire wood I have to pick up tomorrow is further down the road...
yes sir I see the pattern :) I have lived it. Work harder,faster,longer. "worked for everything I have" But I'm going to stop and let you tell the rest of the story
trails4u
03-22-2016, 08:34 PM
I have more appreciation for you as a human being every time you post. You are a good man.
rancher1913
03-22-2016, 09:00 PM
just left the oil patch and I got to help on a workover rig just enough to know it was real work, almost non-stop. when I got assigned to a coil unit I was worried that I was to old to keep up but with the exception of 1 guy the crew accepted me and we were a good team, hurt me to leave them but the work was going bye bye and I needed to support the ranch. the 1 guy was a 20 something knowitall that thought an old man like me would hold them back, he was really mad when I left because after awhile of showing him smarter ways of doing things he was starting to respect me.
I was born in 1952, I had caring,, loving parents , I don't remember not going to church . I walked down the aisle in a small Baptist church when I was 7 years old feeling my savior within in me . It was a hot summer day , there was no air conditioning back then . Old black Emerson oscillating fans were turning and blowing around the sanctuary . Women were pumping handheld funeral home fans and there was total silence and accepted my Lord and savior Jesus Christ . I remember in like it happened in slow motion . I remember the pastor brother Earl holding his arms out to take me and we both cried .I have never looked back as far as my belief in the one true living GOD , I have never doubted or had a crisis of faith.
Grew up in a bad neighborhood local folks called Dogpatch and with dad's help learned to fiend for myself . Growing up it seemed like we were surrounded by evil folks but there were good people that helped each other too . My dad was born in a dugout near Stagestand in Oklahoma Territory in 1901 . Mom was born in 1912 in San Angelo , Texas. They lived a hard life , made it through the great depression but they were good solid people with a firm belief in Jesus Christ . All they knew was work to survive , they taught us to take pride (<There's that same word!)in our work also .
I threw in this little bit because it all adds up to the whole .
...................................To be continued .
buckwheatpaul
03-23-2016, 07:32 AM
Boaz, Hard work definitely tested your metal. God has led you and will continue to lead you through the trials of life. Many here know about hard work and staying the course, you just put it down for us to undersatnd. But God is there as the compass to keep us on course. Thanks for the post.....Paul
Paul the title to this thread is intentionally misleading , wait for the rest of the story .
castalott
03-23-2016, 07:57 AM
Another worm hand on daylights here ( long ago).....I wish I was 1/2 the manI thought I was.....
lol, we all had to be a worm Castalott to begin with ! (Oilfield Definition; WORM = lowly, worthless new hand that aspires to be a roughneck , generally relegated to doing the stupid jobs requiring little to no common sense . Often the victim of cruel pranks, verbal abuse and considered highly expendable .)
nagantguy
03-23-2016, 09:55 AM
lol, we all had to be a worm Castalott to begin with ! (Oilfield Definition; WORM = lowly, worthless new hand that aspires to be a roughneck , generally relegated to doing the stupid jobs requiring little to no common sense . Often the victim of cruel pranks, verbal abuse and considered highly expendable .)
Never worked an oil rig but the pranks verbal abuse and being expendable I sure can relate to, sounds just like being a boot pfc in the fleet Marine Force in a front line infantry unit, then later in a high speed direct action platoon. Please continue your story I'm enjoying it !!!!
castalott
03-23-2016, 11:07 AM
I was a worm for years...I can flip chain but it wasn't pretty. We could dig to 6000 feet in 7days. Tore down. move, and set up once a week.. for years..... I knew every drill collar by name....
I worked for Halliburton so I have fracked, squeezed, and cemented. 1 day on a pulling unit and 2 years on a 'H' Cardwell Spudder. A few days as a 'roustabout' .
Oilfield is honest labor....I ran an 'endless rope' for 4 hours making up pipe. At the end of the day I couldn't unclench my hands or make my arms stay at my side....
God blessed me with the best and safest drillers known.
I did it all . Deepest hole I worked on was west of Vici Oklahoma 14000 ft deep. Workin derricks for Verson And Cockron Drilling , believe it or not we were drilling for salt water ! I drilled a good bit but preferred to work derricks .
aspangler
03-23-2016, 11:42 AM
UMMM... 1952. We share a birth year. Worked all kinds of jobs both as a kid at home and as an adult. Most if not all were the "hard labor" kind but Jesus came into my life in '68 and has helped me for all these years. Ain't God Goood?
My oil field experience was very short,my wife had a Uncle that was a tool pusher and had me to come in on one of his jobs and do a motor/pump alignment one time.He got frustrated with a hand that was suppose to be a Millwright and could align equipment but couldn't get it going that day I went out and spent a couple of hours got him out of a bind got paid and went back to the house.
Blackwater
03-23-2016, 05:20 PM
Well, Boaz, you might be heading to a twist here - I'll wait for the end to see - but as to the title, I hope it's tongue in cheek, because I doubt any of us here are worse off, whatever our physical condition is now, than we were a couple or more decades ago. Being a real "man" is a lot more involved than being strong and unafraid of things that we probably should have respected more than we did back then. So as to the title at least, I have my doubts that you're "half the man" you once were. Now I'll settle in and await your completion. I'm sure it's gonna' be good. People today just aren't much into testimonials and stories of other people's lives. They're mostly into "I want results and I want 'em RIGHT NOW." This is really unfortunate, because I think if we all look back, it was our search that gave us the most satisfaction and appreciation for what we have and are now. And I'm betting every one of us has a similar story. Only the details, personalities, circumstances and locales differ, really. Life is just life, and we all get dealt differing hands to play. But I've seen enough who were dealt the most horribly imaginable hands in life, play them according to God's will, and come out shining like a fresh cut diamond. Most didn't get a formal education, but the kind they DID get was ..... I don't have the right word for it, but it was truly impressive to a guy like me who'd been much more fortunate.
And BTW, I did some water well drilling with my father in law after I was discharged from the Navy, but also have a friend who was a roughneck for a good while like you, and his stories from those days area a constant source of both my and his amusement. Water well drilling is NOTHING like what you guys did. The tooling on his rig was all based around an old tractor mounted on the frame of a big truck, and he built the rig and everything in and on it himself. And it actually worked better, in at least some ways, than the very expensive bought rigs they kept trying to sell him.
Did you get in as many fights as my friend did back then?
Getting into 'altercations' was part of being oilfield trash , yes it was pretty regular . lol , I always used my term of ......sins of association. Lots of crazy men out there in the patch back then . If you didn't accommodate em you were thought little of and we all had pride ( <pride?). I only started one fight that I remember with a driller who stole a near new Gerber lock blade knife from me , He said he didn't take it. I left the rig that morning with my knife back in my pocket.
I started a Rig Mechanic service and practically lived in my pickup for about 2 years on drill sites, took a lot of pride(<One more time !) in my work . OPEC fell apart in 1979 and the boom was dead . I had been making $18.00 an hour including time driving , overtime before 8 am , overtime after 5 pm , double time on weekends and holidays , 50 cents a mile driving fee , all expenses paid , sold parts and added $4.00 an hour for any contract labor I had to hire . I was makin doctors wages , looked like I might get rich till the bottom fell out ............yea.........till the bottom fell out .
Within a year I was welding up garbage can racks and goin door to door selling them with free installation . lol !
There were no jobs in 1982, the oilfield going down had men walking the streets looking for work . I was sitting at the kitchen table because it was beside a window thinking . I had the lights turned off , the refrigerator had been off for a couple of months flat broke and eating mayonnaise sandwiches . My pick up had $5.00 worth of gas in it and I walked everywhere to save that gas in case someone called on one of the many job applications I had out .
My mom and dad were still alive then , dad had Alzheimer's and mom begged me to let them help . It shamed me because I should be helping them . They were living on social security and scraping by . My sister and brother in law tried to help to but I said no , I still had my pride ( <Proud of what?). They still brought in no more than a sack of grocery's every once in a while so I wouldn't get mad at em . I couldn't even feed myself , my parents were failing and had to help me , would have rather starved to death. But I clung to the pride (<Still got it?) I had left and refused all the help offered by anyone . Somehow it made me feel better although it hurt the one's closest to me . I was use to steady work and sitting around nearly dove me crazy , I wanted to work.
I started thinking hard and came up with a plan . Sold what little was left of things I didn't need for cash. I had dang good credit and made a signature note at the bank for $2000.00 . I was going to start a new business !
Waiting!!!! Thanks Boaz for sharing, life can throw some challenges. Will read to the end Brother.
Terry
Thank you Terry , who knows you might learn something ?
The local economy was bad , money was hard to come by . I checked it out and seemed like the few second hand shops were doing a fair business . I leased an old vacant convenience store on a well traveled road within walking distance from the house . I had always been pretty good at buying , selling , trading so I opened the ........TRADING POST. Scrounged in construction dump boxes for lumber and building material to build displays etc . Started making auctions , watching the paper for anything that might make a buck . Hand painted signs , cleaned the old building up , made it look as good as I could . Ran an ad to haul off non working washers , dryers , refrigerators and started fixing them up . Evaporative air conditioners were still being used a lot so drove the alleys looking for them sitting in backyards , hauled em off for free . Started figuring out how to rebuild em . Well in short just anything I could sell or do to turn a dollar .
I still had my Lincoln cracker box welder so set up to do small welding jobs . Knew how to work on small engines from the rig mechanic service so geared up to do that .
Anyway I was steady , constantly working , planning and was the better for it . But this thing was going to have to fly pretty quick , the money went fast. Had a problem dealing with the public though . Had several fist fist fights the first year with people that said I lied or cheated them when I didn't . I would worry about it several days afterwards . I finally figured out that I couldn't fix the problem , I couldn't whip em all .(<Huh ! Sounds like the pride was still there at least !)
Flash ahead 13 years . I had a pretty good business going . Would never get rich but was hackin out a decent living , the struggle/gamble worked out. I took a lot of pride (< There it is again?) in what I (<He did it ?)had done .
I'd like to add that all this time I was active in church . I still never wavered in my faith in GOD . I knew he was still there . I still tried to do good work .
But you might notice I never mentioned asking him for help during my trial .
rancher1913
03-24-2016, 01:13 PM
things sure have changed in the oil patch, we could pull on a pad and be rigged up and drilling in a couple of hours (record was 40 minutes) and we had almost 3 miles of 2 inch tubing on the rig, if we were just doing a wash out we could be to 14000 feet in about 3 hours.
sorry for the hijack boaz but the side stories have been almost as interesting as your story, please continue.:D
1989toddm
03-24-2016, 01:50 PM
I am enjoying this immensely. Hope to learn lessons from the older ones!
scarry scarney
03-24-2016, 01:56 PM
Boaz
I really feel your story so far. My Grandfather raised in the Oil patch in OK & TX. He was a wildcatter, and small time oil man. I had been in the patch most of my youth and that's all I knew. He wanted me to join thee military so I could grow up, and to "take over the business" when I got out. My time was up in 1980, and you know that story. I was lucky, I was able to re-enlist and ended up retiring from the military in the 90's.
Please continue your story....
jmort
03-24-2016, 02:07 PM
"Please continue your story...."
Yes, please
I agree . Was workin for Linmor Drilling Just west of Bartons Chapel Tx . We were changing bits and goin back in the hole , got about 2/3 of the long string in the hole headed for bottom . Already mudded up mixing bar , suppose to a gas several possible gas zones.
We started smelling gas then drilling mud started flowing out the rotary table , In was a double pole job , no way to get out of the derrick except to ride the blocks down . The derrick man (his name was James , later killed when he ran into a concrete embankment drunk , his car ran on propane , had a 20 gallon tank in the trunk , blew him to pieces) was screaming ...Get me down , get me outta here ! The driller had tied the brake down and him and the other floor hand took off running and disappeared into the mesquites . The toolpusher was there for the bit changin , he ran up to the rig floor screaming Get that man down , get that man down ! I untied the brake handle and tryed to let the pipe in the hole , didn't like but about 10' to be able to set the slips and unlach the elevators . Drill string didn't want to move , it was trying to go up ! Hydrolic pressure from the gas . Set the blocks on the top of the pipe and it slowly went down , set the slips and Started up with the block to get James , he jumped on the elevators and got him down on the floor. And he ran off the location lol ! Toolpusher and me killed the draw works engine and light plant (It was night), mud and gas were blowing about 30' high out of the rotary . We got under the sub and started trying to close the antique blowout preventer , it was a piece of junk . It was the law that you had to have one but no body ever ran maintenance on em . We were struggling with cheater pipes try to turn the wheels to close it and John just stopped and stood there , the gas was so bad you couldn't draw a full breath . I said .. shut it turn that wheel! He said .. I don't remember if it's got rams in it ! My heart sank and I knew we were goin die . Dying in a gigantic fireball wasn't how I want to cash out .The rams are what grabs the pipe to keep it from blowing out of the hole and seals the mud off to stop the blowout . Long story short we got it shut in ......kinda . The rams were junk but they held till Haliburton got there with the bar wagon to get the weight up on the mud . And everyone lived happily ever after !
rancher1913
03-24-2016, 03:59 PM
heard several stories like that after I asked why we bothered to test the BOP each time we rigged up. our BOP was usually 20 feet in the air and ran off hydraulics.
did you ever have to deal with the poison gas, heard stories about that in training classes but it was not encountered in our area very much.
Yea drilled a few that we had 'sniffers' . They trained us well . Said if a sniffer went off to run up wind . That was all the training we got . Never hit any I know of .
castalott
03-24-2016, 06:41 PM
I wasn't there but...... The derrick hand jumped off the A legs into the mud pit. He went in up to his knees ........and he dove in head first. He was trapped and would die shortly. One of the hands ran over and tied the cat line around one of his legs and the driller jerked him out of the mud.... This was told to me as a true story anyway....
Castalott I think there may have been a truth or basis to the story ...........BUT ! Assuming it was long ago they used earth pits (pits dug in the ground to circulate the drilling mud and let the cuttings/sediment settle out before being pumped back down hole) they would have been farther out in the 'yard' . A man falling or jumping off the a legs of the derrick ............no way . The pits would have been at least 30' away to accommodate the placement of shale shakers, desanders and the like .
But as I said , probably an event that got changed as it was told , probaly some basis for it .
We did have to catline an old man out of the blowout celler because he got mired up in chest deep mud and there wasn't room to get in there to get him out . Lol he was a preacher , Preacher Fuller . He had a son I was showing how to work the derrick and I knew he wouldn't make it . Lol , he fell off the board 90' up about 6' twisting on his safety rope like a big ol spider screaming like a woman . Me and an old man named Raymond had to climb up and hand over hand him back up . Raymond was a mean old cuss and didn't like the boy because he thought he was lazy , Raymond was in his 70's , had had many heart attacks and problems but he was determined to pull his weight ....no free ride .
Ahh well lets move on , it's not an oilfield tall tale thread . Most here don't know the terminology associated with it and they are better off actually .
In 1995 I bought a better location for the business , better located and more traffic flow . I had learned how to make fiberglass and latex rubbers molds and we started wholesale ornamental concrete (bird baths , bench's , statuary , planters , etc). started a custom shipping pallet/rebuilt pallet place . I dumped the general used merchandise washers , dryers , furniture and the like , the rent to own joints came in and killed that . I had to change and remodel the business , I was in hog heaven with all the work I could impossibly try to do. In didn't even care about the money it was the enjoyment of work and pride ( <wow 15 years later, same word ) of accomplishment . I made it work and it was fulfilling but I needed more work .
Then in 1999 My Lord gave me more than I ever though I would have . A gift that took my heart and renewed me. A gift that made me cry with happiness .
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/IMG_0746_zpszodpasiu.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/IMG_0746_zpszodpasiu.jpg.html)
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/IMG_0751_zps3wk2lf8u.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/IMG_0751_zps3wk2lf8u.jpg.html)
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/IMG_0750_zpsbaamapkc.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/IMG_0750_zpsbaamapkc.jpg.html)
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/IMG_0747_zps4rlhbgon.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/IMG_0747_zps4rlhbgon.jpg.html)
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/fishing011.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/fishing011.jpg.html)
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/rangenov132011002.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/rangenov132011002.jpg.html)
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/rangenov132011013.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/rangenov132011013.jpg.html)
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/DSC00082_zpsma7wqnao.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/DSC00082_zpsma7wqnao.jpg.html)
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/DSC00086_zpsb2pskn9t.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/DSC00086_zpsb2pskn9t.jpg.html)
Blackwater
03-24-2016, 09:41 PM
Maybe so, but I enjoyed 'em anyway. I bet lots of others did, too. Most folks don't have a clue what an oil rig is all about, but they don't call those boys "roughnecks" for notin'!
I don't think they call themselves Roughnecks now days , they call themselves 'riggers' . Sounds more like a disease ?
fast ronnie
03-24-2016, 10:14 PM
Let's see! Fishin pole (with fish) Cap lock, cuttin torch, Good lookin, too. God blesses us in ways we sometimes take for granted. Looks like you taught her some of the best in life, especially working on that cross. I have 3 great-granddaughters, but have only seen one. Going to be seeing her in a couple of weeks as my granddaughters' husband is now stationed about three hours from us instead of on the other coast. Every Cristian has a great story. They may not even realize it, but everyone who turns to Christ is a miracle created by God Himself.
P.S. I enjoy your posts.
Ron
castalott
03-24-2016, 11:01 PM
Short note...The rigs I was on used dug pits and were only 2 or 3 big steps away. I wish everyone could see the absolute ballet of roughnecks , catskinners , truck drivers rigging up...
You are truly Blessed with a girl like that!
Lol , we'll have to start an OIL PATCH thread in off topic some day. We all saw enough out there for a lot of stories what with all the different ways and methods just to end up with a hole in the ground .
Your completely right about watching a crew of men rigging up a big rig in a short time . It was impressive .
I'll tell a story . Might be pertinent to the ultimate decision you could use to justify a reason for ...........? If not then it's just a story told .
The old convince store I leased belonged to an old man , his name was Haskel . He had several farms , chain of filling stations , commercial property he leased out, oil royalty off his farms , many stock and bond investments .
Haskel was a good man . He always wore old coveralls , he was quiet almost shy . He could talk intelligently on almost any subject , he liked to read. It was all he did for entertainment . Every Saturday morning he went to the public library and checked out the maximum of 3 books . We both liked to read and he stopped fairly often to talk .
He had a septic tank business 2 doors down from my place and he was there daily working , they poured the tanks and installed them . He had one steady old hand named Burt . I was amazed to watch him and Burt work, I watched them load a ton and a half dump truck one day with shovels out of a gravel pile in half the time it would have taken normally
Now the kicker here is that Haskel and Bert both only had one arm apiece . Don't know about Bert but Haskel got his ripped off by a leather belt when he was working in a cotton gin as a teenager .
My question is , why did Haskel keep working so hard after he was successful and had the money to retire long ago ?
On a sad note , Haskel was hit driving his old late 60's model pick up on the driver side by a guy that ran a stop sign . Haskel refused medical treatment at the seine and drove the pick up home . He died that night with a punctured lung with , his wife begging him to go to the hospital .
A man that knew Haskel asked me one day .
Do you know why GOD took Haskel's arm ?
I thought it was just a sick question and said ; I don't know .
The other guy said ;
So he wouldn't work himself to death.
He was serious .
Blackwater
03-25-2016, 07:12 PM
Another great story, Boaz. Some of us have been graced to know people like that, and have thought about what they showed us. Many see it and never consider what people like him really mean. I've known some similar folks, and if we'll but pay simple attention, and think about what they show us, we simply could not become as jaded and cynical as so many have allowed themselves to become today. I pity them, really, but I've never found any way to really get through to them. When you try, they just clam up tight, as though they were afraid of anything but their cynicism that they get to know all too well, all too soon in their adoption of that attitude.
And all we have to do is show a little interest, ask a very few simple questions, and just plain care about others, and what makes them the way they are, and what make them that way, or rather more appropriately, what they allowed to make them the way they are. Perception is a powerful thing. Failure to perceive things that are right before us can be even moreso.
People once cared about and knew their neighbors. Now, they're just somebody who's either snooping or "secretive." And we don't know why, so we make up reasons, and assume they "must" be true! How willful and assumptive can a people get? And all any of us really have to do is simply just care about others, make no assumptions, and just allow ourselves to find out. There's a story in ever person we know, but hardly anyone cares any more. All they care about, it seems, is their own poor excuse for a life, and whether they're getting everything material that they want, and likely feel "entitled" to. Madison Ave. advertising has a lot to do with that, but it's always up to us what we allow ourselves to give ourselves over to. Always.
I look back at the folks I've known, both high and low in life, and I marvel at the lessons I learned from all of them. I may not be the brightest bulb in the room, but I HAVE at least tried hard to pay attention. And I've learned a lot from all the stories I've known about others who've tread entirely different courses than I have. And in the end, it all makes sense if we just don't go making too many assumptions about things we really know little to nothing about.
This is why I appreciate your saga here, Boaz. Nobody gets to do enough to learn all the lessons we need to know, and people discussing their own paths gives us insights we can only gain vicariously. Thanks. It means something, and it's good.
I agree . Most folks in the days past looked around them , they saw and took note of others . Now they look down at the ground as you pass them walking . They avert their eyes to not make contact , they will not return a greeting , you are a potential danger .
I remember going to town with mom in the late 50's to pick up a few things and pay the utility bills . We were walking from paying the electric bill to pay the phone bill and a man in a work uniform was walking past us and mom just said ..Hello . how are you ! He just kept walking , I said ...he didn't even answer you . She kept walking and in a bit she said ...Boaz you should not be mad at him , pity him ...he doesn't even know how to give back a friendly greeting . Every day I deal with young people and say Well what do you know today ? How are you doing ? Well what do you know today ? The most used answer they give is..............Huh ?
Folks are hiding , scared , paranoid , whatever . They have withdrawn themselves . Even the folks my age are sometimes shocked when you just ask common questions or try to carry on a conversation . People don't know whats going on around them , they don't want to know .
1989toddm
03-25-2016, 09:40 PM
I agree . Most folks in the days past looked around them , they saw and took note of others . Now they look down at the ground as you pass them walking . They avert their eyes to not make contact , they will not return a greeting , you are a potential danger .
I remember going to town with mom in the late 50's to pick up a few things and pay the utility bills . We were walking from paying the electric bill to pay the phone bill and a man in a work uniform was walking past us and mom just said ..Hello . how are you ! He just kept walking , I said ...he didn't even answer you . She kept walking and in a bit she said ...Boaz you should not be mad at him , pity him ...he doesn't even know how to give back a friendly greeting . Every day I deal with young people and say Well what do you know today ? How are you doing ? Well what do you know today ? The most used answer they give is..............Huh ?
Folks are hiding , scared , paranoid , whatever . They have withdrawn themselves . Even the folks my age are sometimes shocked when you just ask common questions or try to carry on a conversation . People don't know whats going on around them , they don't want to know .
So so true. I'm not even 30 but man I dislike town for this reason. I do enjoy giving a smile, saying good morning, some sort of greeting, but so often there's no eye contact or no response, not even a smile. Now in my small town, I'd say 65-75% of folks do respond, it's encouraging, but larger towns around..no way.
Well enough off topic . DANG ! Forgot where I was at ! Actually had to go back and see where I left off . Age plays heck with recollection .
The year was about 2005 I started having trouble with my right ankle , hurt all the time . Got worse all the time , tended to just roll over , started falling down in about (I didn't write the dates down as this progressed so bear with me) 2007. Too much pain , started getting Novocaine shots in it about once a week to function , still working just hurt like heck doing it . Fell down often it was embarassing and hurt your pride (<We have seen that word a lot) Seen I was going to have to do something to fix it , I'd have been bout 54 years old . Been on arthritis medication since I was about 40 , was always very pain tolerant . I started saving what I could and checking into getting it fixed , no medical insurance , price shopping . Well long story made short I made a home equity loan and with what I had cash got an ankle fusion on 1-19-2009 .
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/IMG_0752_zpsjrbumrru.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/IMG_0752_zpsjrbumrru.jpg.html)
I was determined to not be a bother to others and didn't even tell most of my family and folks at church I was having this done . I was the one always ready to help , I was the one that helped them , I was the go to guy to make things happen , I was the one could get er done, I was self sufficient , I was exempt from needing concern , I wanted no pity , I needed no help (<Wow ! He forgot to put pride in!)
Well the following month was pretty hard (<Might have been easier if he had some help ?) I stayed at home and pretty much dealt with it myself . I had saved up gun magazines , bought several books I had always meant to read to have something to do . I was in my own home , tv , computer , was a mod/admin on 3 different forums , plenty to eat , etc. Well the point is I had 'stuff' I could do . I was suppose to stay in the bed for a week with my leg elevated , had a balloon looking device strapped to my leg dispensing pain killer through a shunt . Third day I got up at 4 am and made coffee on crutches , was going nuts laying in bed . Still smoking then and was kockin out 4 packs of Camels a day at the house , nervous , nothing to do , couldn't even work , that was my life ....non stop work . On the 28th day at home and by 10 am I had had 2 panic attacks , I didn't think I was capable of have a panic attack ! I was too strong and hard headed (<Hey! There's a new descriptive term, he's actually PROUD of being hard headed !) to have panic attacks , that was for the weak . In my whole life I had been moving fast , never a lax moment and now I was a prisoner in my own home .
Handloader109
03-26-2016, 09:47 AM
Panic attacks, codeine based pain killers (Tylenol 3) they do it to me at about day 3 or so....... Whewwww what a feeling!
nagantguy
03-26-2016, 10:31 AM
Boaz, your tale has struck another cord with me, to hard, to proud, stuipd?, self reliant to ask for or except help I'm guilty as well. Last year folks here helped me me pay some medical bills for my daughter, I didn't ask I was selling stuff to make some of the funds, the folks here got together and sent me money, I was humbled and shocked to tears. I mean the guy who helps, gives, sacrifices for others it was a life changing experience to be on the other end...I hope I've made one person feel as good and as blessed as the good people here made me feel.....sorry to drift the thread futher, thought you'd understand.
Your comment/testimony was not thread drift . Thank you .
Boaz
At 10 am I called my son who was watching the shop and told him to find a used twin size bed and put it in the storage room adjacent to the office . He tried to argue and said ; Your supposed to be home , you don't need to be here . I just said ; GET THE BED !! I'll be there in the morning !! I hung up .
He called back and said he couldn't believe it but a man had a hospital bed in the paper free if you would haul it off and they had already went and got it , had it set up .
The next morning I was there with my pee jug . (<Dang ! This guy ain't even 'right'!)
Blackwater
03-26-2016, 03:12 PM
Boaz, you just continue to make me smile. Thanks.
Preacher Jim
03-26-2016, 03:22 PM
Boaz are you sure we ain't twin brothers change the type of work and you are writing about me
jmort
03-26-2016, 03:27 PM
Great thread. Unfortunate for you it ain't all unicorns and rainbows, but real life can bite, hard.
We will flash ahead to September of 2014 . In abut four years I was diagnosed with an enlarged heart , congestive heart failure , deterioration of the circulatory system , 3 blood clots at different times in my legs , high blood pressure , fell down and cracked a coupe of ribs , put on blood thinner , sleep apnea , put on oxygen at night (they want me to carry a tank, told em no way), steroids, and well heck a few other things Was taking over 15 pills a day , throwing up a lot if I didn't space em out right . Lot of pain , they offered me demurral patches or Oxycontin , told em no way. The steroids were making me hold unbelievable amounts of fluid , legs stay swollen twice normal size with support stockings , couldn't but barely walk , time I walked to the car I was pulling for air . Hernia , 2 slipped disc's , biceps ripped up and damaged rotor cup , right wrist fused it's self after being broken 3 times .
In September of 2014 I didn't think I was going to die ..........I knew I was . Thought I might finally get to use this .
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/headstone001.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/headstone001.jpg.html)
Had it made in about 1985 , didn't want anyone else to have to pay to bury me should anything happen , have a plot also . (<WOW ! Taking pride all the way to the grave ). I use to keep it in the front yard by the porch as a sick joke but some found it disturbing . It's out back of the shed.................just waiting .
smokeywolf
03-27-2016, 01:24 AM
Did my time on the opiates after a back injury. Leaned on them for several months. Like you, I can't stand the idea of something controlling me. Put them in the medicine cabinet, set my jaw and slogged through the pain.
The opioids will bring on depression and feelings or thoughts that your end may be not so far off as you once thought. They're also pretty tough on the liver. Especially if they're the ones with Tylenol mixed in.
Boaz, just as it makes you feel good to help others, sometimes you need to return the favor and let others have some of those good feelings by letting them help you. Accepting help can be just as important to being a good Christian, as giving it. I know I don't need to tell you that God wants us to lean on each other.
Sometimes I don't write my thoughts or feelings well. I'm trying to be supportive, not condescending.
Your writing is fine . You hit the nail on the head , I have always feared losing control of myself , seen how drugs and alcohol work . Helped in different ways at 3 drug rehabs local , revolving door situation , cure rate was pathetic .
I was given a prescription for hydrocodone , 10 ml tablets 3 times a day . I would get a months worth go home and cut em in half , that would last 6-7 months . Never took over a half and only when it got completely intolerable or mornings I couldn't get going . I still showed up for work daily .
Practically everyone I have ever known that used em for an extended period of time got hooked on em . They lose effectiveness after a while and you just want a bigger dose . Oxy and patches generally with time will give you more trouble than the cause your taking them for. There are exceptions but most don't know what they are getting into taking these pain relievers , there is a price to pay . I never even came close to getting dependent on them , still got the better part of a prescription from two years ago .
I was brought up taught it was more blessed to give than receive, combined with GOD helps those who help themselves . Your are spot on about being able to accept help, that's the way it should be . Sharing , caring and helping should be a mutual humbling and gratifying experience .
Thank you !
At this point I was not in pain I was suffering . I was riding the electric scooters at Walmart , grocery store , it shamed me . I'd see someone I hadn't seen for a long time and you could tell they were shocked to see me riding one of these things and didn't know what to say . Any small effort was painful , couldn't breath . Sent Becky in to shop , do business while I sat in the truck . For 2 years I couldn't attend her activity's , just couldn't walk far , couldn't get up the handicap ramp of the bleachers at school . Couldn't sleep till I just got so tired I would more or less pass out . Threw up at least twice a day from all the medicine , stomach hurt all the time . I knew Becky was worried , she tried to cover for me , she never complaint , she offered to do things in advance to keep me from trying . It bothered me greatly . I know she saw how bad it was . Her mother had Alzheimers and her dad was dying . I felt so guilty and seemingly nothing I could do . I didn't blame GOD , I wasn't mad at GOD . I thought long and hard , I had plenty of time to think , I was going to leave her . The thought broke my heart , The pain it would cause her , her life would be destroyed . I had no one I wanted to raise her , GOD gave me that privilege and responsibility when he gave her to me . I love her so much it killed me to think about it . There was no good answer , I begged GOD to help her and at the same time I plead for him to help me . You know what ? I have knelt at the bedside of the sick and prayed for them . I have held the hands of the dying and prayed to GOD to take them home and relieve them of their pain . I have tried to do his work . I have prayed for others for so long but I never asked for help for myself . I thought I was sufficient, I just assumed because of these things he would just do it without me asking . I figured out why this was happening , I had never needed GOD ! GOD wasn't punishing me , fact is he still gave me work , I believe he helped me with others . GOD had cut me loose , GOD had cast me adrift , I was on my own since I didn't seem to need him . I started thinking about what I told others , that GOD wants a personal relationship with you , GOD loves you and wants you to ask him for his help . GOD wants you to have a good life and be with you every day . My pride had led me to believe I more or less had the special privilege of not asking for his help . I plead for him to help me and Becky . I apologized , I asked for his grace again , I thanked him for what he had given that I was foolish enough to take for granted . He had given me a substantial physical body and I had without thought managed to destroy it needlessly through my pride in my ability to work . GOD didn't put me in trial , I did .
rondog
03-27-2016, 04:25 PM
Interesting stories! I grew up in Enid, OK, and did a brief stint on a rig in the late 70's. I quickly decided that job wasn't for me, I don't have the hard-drinking, bar-fighting personality, I hate pain, and I'm rather fond of my fingers and toes. I ended up in the machine shop world, making and repairing all kinds of oil field stuff. I was much better suited for that kind of work, and I miss it!
You made the better choice . You should have mentioned you got to be out of the weather .
rondog
03-27-2016, 04:32 PM
You made the better choice . You should have mentioned you got to be out of the weather .
Eh, depended on the shop! Some of 'em weren't much more than unheated barns, and semi-dry.
I need to wrap this up , taken too much of your time with oil field stories and the like . Didn't mean to drag it out . The reason I put it up was to solicit your prayers to finish the work GOD has started in my life , prayer is heard , prayer does help. I am also not encouraging anyone to do what I did in so much as changing or discontinuing any medicines or treatment prescribed by a doctor, don't be stupid . I do encourage getting second opinions though . Thank you for being with me as I try to give praise to our Lord by the telling of his work in my life .
I weighed 402 pounds , couldn't breathe , couldn't work , my business had nose dived , I stayed nauseated and sick , hurting 24 hours a day, there seemed to be no future for me here. . If GOD wanted to take me I was more than willing to go but leaving my work unfinished with Becky was an unbearable thought .
With GOD helping me I started weaning off the medicine , steroids went first, I know GOD showed me what to do . Take it on faith or not , up to you . Started in September of 2014, January second of 2015 I started a diet , before I had to eat something steady to attempt to keep the medicine down . I could go into detail on the period between then and now but no purpose would be served .
I have quit the oxygen at night a while back , I will attempt to quit the cpap (Sleep Apena) machine soon . I am still taking three pills in the morning and two at night , I hope to eliminate two of those in a few months . I haven't thrown up in almost a year. I weighted 243 pounds this morning , lost 159 pounds . GOD is guiding me , he is renewing me . The title of this thread was intentionally deceiving , I don't want to be 25 years old again But I would like to get the weight down to 200 , half the weight I was a short time ago .
Left on my own I'd be dead by now , GOD saved me from myself . Like the old hymn says ... I will follow you , no turning back , no turning back . I have shared this to remind you to check your personal relationship with him and at the same time refer to the book of James in this passage
James 5 ; 16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James is the most read book in my bible . James was plain spoken , James didn't mince words . The book of James is short , I recommend you reread it often . He was threaten with being thrown off a two story building if he didn't stop preaching the Gospel , he refused . When he survived the fall he was put to the sword . James may have been hard headed like me.
I would appreciate any prayer you could afford me , my journey is not complete to be half the man I once was but I'm gettin there with his help .
Thank you
Boaz
square butte
03-28-2016, 06:32 AM
You are in my prayers
Thank you boaz for your story. I love you and of course you have our prayers, i can't wait for the day I get to shake you hand. You have taught me so much in thise last few months.
You our know as well as I your size your job is not who you are.you are the man who showed your daughter to trust in Christ,you are the man who has been helping me with my pride, you are so much more then boaz you are a child of God
Thank you square butte , I need all I can get.
rl69 losing the pride took more weight from me than losing the pounds . I'm not restricted in my walk with him after losing the pride . The pride is still within me but my Lord has bound it . I still feel it stir at times wanting to be set free but I'm the one that controls it instead of it controlling me . Thank you !
jcren
03-28-2016, 09:03 AM
Thank you. Prayers sent
jmort
03-28-2016, 10:10 AM
"I put it up was to solicit your prayers to finish the work GOD has started in my life , prayer is heard , prayer does help. "
I well be praying for you Brother. I need to lose 40 lbs, you have done that 3 or 4 times over, very hard to do, but if God is for us, who can be against us? We can be our own worst enemy. Thank God for your grand-daughter and the hope and inspiration she gives you. Great thread.
"I put it up was to solicit your prayers to finish the work GOD has started in my life , prayer is heard , prayer does help. "
I well be praying for you Brother. I need to lose 40 lbs, you have done that 3 or 4 times over, very hard to do, but if God is for us, who can be against us? We can be our own worst enemy. Thank God for your grand-daughter and the hope and inspiration she gives you. Great thread.
jmort you touched on something I should have more than mentioned . This has not been hard , it has not been hard at all . I have sailed through the last year and 3 months feeling only relief . I actually layed it down and gave it to GOD . He did the work , it was easy .
Pine Baron
03-28-2016, 10:55 AM
Boaz,
You need to know. In the short time that I have been a member of this wonderful site, I have come to regard you all as family. I am humbled and blessed to be here, with you all. Most here, and you in particular have brought the WORD to a brighter light. I am inspired and strengthened by all, as you are. God bless you.
Yours in Christ, Ted
Preacher Jim
03-28-2016, 12:46 PM
isn't it nice to live the song, I am so glad I am part of the family of God.
Boaz keep up dating as the pounds go and we will keep praying then celebrate God's victory with you.
Blackwater
03-28-2016, 02:43 PM
You know you're in my prayers, Charlie. You're one of the real good guys, and we can't afford to lose any! They're rare and getting rarer by the day, it seems. We can't AFFORD to lose you. And BTW, had a friend not long ago who died of apnea. It is NOT just a nuissance. It CAN kill you, so take care of yourself. Becky and we need you, and I know there are others who do, too.
FWIW, I too have apnea, and sleep with O2 because I can't tolerate the CPAP. Have lost some wt. but need to lose more. Being diabetic makes that a lot harder, but it's doable, as you already know. Just keep up the good work, and the Lord will hold your hand and lead you where you need to be.
And BTW, my own life isn't all that different from yours, except in the particulars. When I got out of college, all I wanted to be in the whole world was to be a state trooper. It was as close to being a real cowboy as I was likely to get. You just ride herd over traffic instead of cows, and try to rein in the strays. And the promise of some excitement kind'a appealed to me too.
I was just cocky enough to think I could handle whatever came up, or at least more likely to than most. But God seems to have had other plans for me. I wound up in probation, then parole, and then quit the state and went to work in other fields.
And I found plenty of opportunity to at least try to make a difference in people's lives for the better, and I now look back and am thankful I never got what I thought I wanted. I'd never have been home enough at critical times when he needed me there, for one thing, so I couldn't have raised my son as I was able to when I DIDN'T get what I wanted.
In life, I've come to the conclusion that we many have our own plans, but the more we go with what God puts in our pathways, the better off we wind up being, in the end. Ain't it funny how all that works?
But I think we were given advice about that some 2,000 years ago, weren't we? Life is not a playground, it's a test, and we have to pass it to get the happiness and satisfactions it really is that we actually seek.
Money comes and goes. So do friends sometimes. Even family leaves us eventually. Christ is our only really constant friend and companion. And the only one who'll never fail us. Even though we may often fail Him, He always stays true to what He taught us.
We just so often fail to realize what He's saying and doing in our lives. Mostly because we really aren't paying attention to Him, but to our own petty wants and desires. Are we a real piece of work, or what?
When left to our own desires, we can't seem to make a hill of beans of anything. But when we submit to Christ's will, we can't not prosper. That realization almost always comes later in life for most of us, but again, He tried to tell us this. We just didn't have the frame of reference from which to truly understand it.
But as Sonny and Cher sang, "The Beat Goes On," and if we have enough days in our lives, and at least try to pay attention once in a while, we CAN learn. We're just typically kind'a slow at doing so. But it's always worth it, in the end. Always.
Boaz,
You need to know. In the short time that I have been a member of this wonderful site, I have come to regard you all as family. I am humbled and blessed to be here, with you all. Most here, and you in particular have brought the WORD to a brighter light. I am inspired and strengthened by all, as you are. God bless you.
Yours in Christ, Ted
We are on the same page Ted , I depend on all you guys . This is not a church , I hope it never is . One of the advantages I had doing oilfield work was was working out of town . I was always curious sbout other churches, how they worshiped GOD . . Carried my suit and tie and visited many . There was never one that didn't welcome me in . I discovered we share the same GOD ,just different ways of going about it . In my own family we had Seventh Day Adventist , Catholics , Baptist's , Methodists , Grandma was Pentecostal , Heck everybody got along and visited the others church when they visited that person . I don't know how many travlin tent revivals I went to as a child , mom loved em . Heck I'm a Fundamental Baptist ..........but maybe with a better view of the bigger picture . Even among Baptists you got Primitive Baptists , snake handling Baptists , Southern Baptists , foot washin Baptists , Independent Baptists , Hard shell Baptists. Gets kind of confusing ..huh ?
I want folks to go where GOD wants you to be , the name on the building means little to me .
In this place we gather to support and encourage each other in prayer and praise ,commend and encourage good work. Denominational differences are layed aside.
Jesus Christ never wrote a book , he taught by example .
isn't it nice to live the song, I am so glad I am part of the family of God.
Boaz keep up dating as the pounds go and we will keep praying then celebrate God's victory with you.
Jim I'll post every time I lose 10 pounds , it will take a while , GOD wants it to happen slow . I'm not riding a dang scooter anymore , I'm getting around a heck of a lot better . My breathing has improved about 300% , little pain except my back , sleeping good , optimistic again I have attended every activity Becky has had since the beginning of this school year . Becky can see how much better I'm doing , she doesn't worry about me anymore . Every morning I thank GOD for today, wasn't but a while ago I wondered every night if I'd wake up dead . Makes you appreciate another day here .
Hickok
03-28-2016, 03:24 PM
I have greatly enjoyed this posting and have been visiting it regularly.
Charlie, I say this from having come to know you and being able to converse back and forth with you. God has helped you become far more "than half the man you once were."
Brother, you are farther along than you may realize. The Good Lord has to be well pleased with the progress He sees in your work and service to Him!
You friend, are much more than you ever were in the past. God's best to you. I will be praying for you continually.
I have greatly enjoyed this posting and have been visiting it regularly.
Charlie, I say this from having come to know you and being able to converse back and forth with you. God has helped you become far more "than half the man you once were."
Brother, you are farther along than you may realize. The Good Lord has to be well pleased with the progress He sees in your work and service to Him!
You friend, are much more than you ever were in the past. God's best to you. I will be praying for you continually.
Thank you , the association of folks like those here should inspire all to do even better . We encourage one another , we share holding our Lord up in praise , we help each other and we care for each other. How many places can you go to get that done ?
I appreciate all the prayer I can get, GOD is renewing me . I'll just be an old rebuild model , I didn't leave him much to work with but It's gonna work out !
Thank you sir !
Hickok
03-28-2016, 08:07 PM
Boaz, I get the gist of your title, "half the man I once was". I am very glad to hear of the progress as to your health, and my prayers are with you, and Becky.
But friend, I am not a "sir", just an old common WV hillbilly!
Blackwater
03-28-2016, 08:27 PM
Hickock, you too are a lot more than you seem to realize. You're a real MAN, and I mean that in the completest and most complimentary context possible. REAL men aren't just overgrown kids who are still concentrating on getting what THEY want. They've realized God has His plans for all of us, and is on the same page with God in the process of life. None of us will ever quite understand it all, but we CAN, if we are diligent, understand quite enough to receive many blessings, most we didn't even know enough to even ask for. They don't call it the "mystery of life" for nothin'!
Guys like you set an example that's indispensable in our world, and maybe especially in these times in which we live. Thanks to both you and Boaz, and more here, just for being what you are as men and Christians. It matters.
LOL, I understand , I'm not much a 'sir' either . We can use those prayers Hickok, we all need help time to time . I could have asked here and gotten it but Pride is a barrier with no purpose served except to hurt those the closest to you . We are warned about pride in many scriptures .
Thank you !
Boaz
OK ! You wonder why I brought this old thread back ..........don't blame ya . After the 'spell' I had down back by the shed I have had to get off the diet to an extent . I have been eating 'normal' since then to kind of get back .
BUT I am ready to commence the diet again . Weighed this morning and weighted 249.2 by my Walmart electronic scales . I'm hoping you keep me straight ! I'll start posting my weight daily , when I fail torment the heck atta me ! Giving you a shot , put on the pressure ! Make me hold to the furrow ! Throw a binder on me . MAKE ME SUFFER !
The Texas summer is bout here , I don't have air conditioning were I work and need to LOSE .
I weigh when I get up .Present weight ;
249.2 pounds !
square butte
05-25-2016, 08:23 PM
Doc's say divide your body weight in half - That number equals the number of ounces of good clean water you should drink each day. It'll help you loose - And you will be P ing all day. Just thought I would irritate you a bit. You asked for it. Smiles....
I start the day at 4am and got a pot of coffee in me when I leave the house . Make another pot soon as I get to the shop . PLUS I'm on water pills .....Yes ! That is putting a fine edge on insanity ! I pee plenty ! But I evaded your recommendation , I don't drink enough water...........I'll work on that , got a Texas summer comin . If I don't lose weight one day (which is inevitable) Start your comment with ...HEY ! Pork butt ! Get my attention .
We live out of town , power went off 1;30 am Monday morning . Dug my sterno stove out from under the counter and my old percolator I carried in my truck while in the oilfield . Ain't nothin keepin me from getting my coffee .
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/IMG_0933_zpsyngifqj3.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/IMG_0933_zpsyngifqj3.jpg.html)
Ate really light yesterday , no salt .
246.6
Pine Baron
05-26-2016, 09:06 AM
Hey pork butt (you asked for it) drink water, cut out all sugar. Be careful, your body needs the salt especially when your sweating like a pig. :kidding:
I appreciate that pork butt greeting Pine Baron ! Apply the pressure !
Thanks !
Prairie Girl
05-26-2016, 09:46 AM
Dad told me about his post to get ya'll to help him lose weight, and I think it is a great idea! Please call him a pork butt as much as possible when necessary!!! Maybe it would be a good idea for him to change his forum name to pork butt... Since yesterday I have been calling him pork butt at the house and at work. I am out of school now, so I can watch him like a hawk! Hey Pork Butt, I'm watching you!!!
Dad has come a long way since the beginning of this diet that we have been on, and I am very proud of him for losing all the weight he has. He just needs to lose the rest of what he wants to lose to be able to weight the amount that he wants to weigh. He says his goal is a long ways off... but he can do it even if he is a pork butt! Thank ya'll for helping him! I'm sure he appreciates it! -Becky
jcwit
05-26-2016, 10:07 AM
Losing weight is a real job to say the least. I too am on water pills, but am restricted to 1 cup of coffee a day, why, I have no idea. I'm guessing most of my weight is retained water as my kidney's are down to around 25%, not good.
Best of luck to you pork butt, may you win the race.
Blackwater
05-26-2016, 07:13 PM
I'm on some meds myself, including Lasix. Sure keeps a fella' busy, and always concerned about where the closest bathroom is. Also, I've been directed to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. I almost always have a glass of ice water with me or nearby, and just sip it all through the day. Take bottles of chilled water with me to town. It's an aggrevation in a way, but if it's what it takes to keep me on this side of the grass, I consider it a privilege.
As to the eating, I'm kind'a lucky in that I like ALL food. Can't eat biscuits, grits or potatoes - some of my traditional favorites! That's really got my lips pooched out, but again, if that's the price for staying on this side of the grass, and keeping my eyesight, feet, etc., I'll take it. A lot simply has to do with attitude. Once I got over the "pain" of not being able to have some of my favorite foods that pleas me SOOOO much, I got a handle on reality, and just found out after a little consideration that I've been so lucky, really, that lamenting these things too much seemed rather un-honorable on my part. So, I just set about finding ways to stay close to the doc's directions. I avoid beef usually, but allow myself a bit now and then. Cut down on all my meat intake - and THAT was hard too! Always been a "meat and potatoes" kind'a guy, mostly. But I love my veggies, too, though, and I've been experimenting with substituting things like eggplant, squash, zuccini, etc. where I might have used potatoes previously. The taste isn't the same, but well done, it's good, and kind'a interesting to boot.
Being one who's able to resist anything but temptation, I've kind'a had to become more honest with myself than I'd really like to have to be, and more judicious than my nature generally tends to display, but what's life without a challenge, and something to set our shoulders against and push, so we can get stronger? it's actually become a bit of an adventure learning to adapt what I can eat to making up some really enjoyable meals that satisfy without violating my health's requirements now. Like I said, it's all about the attitude. And once in a while, allow yourself some guilty pleasure. One of my docs, and one who's given me a lot of very good advice and offered a lot of insight, told me this. Just be HONEST about how often you do this, though! Whenever you do it, you're really kind'a playing with fire. I've been kind'a shocked, really, at how much difference there really can be in different forms of carbs in veggies. And it really DOES make a difference. And I usually eat a lot of salads, which I'm fortunate to really love. Lettuce, cucumber, tomato, coarsely grated carrots, bell pepper (usually finely diced, more as a spice than it's usually used), broccoli, and some grated cheese is my normal choice, and I never seem to tire of these. Changing dressings helps with this, I think.
Just find what you like, AND what fits into your diet and workday well, and use spices to make it more "interesting" and satisfying, and it's really not that heavy a burden to bear - certainly nothing like what our Lord bore for us! It really IS possible to eat well and still keep within a reasonable diet. Crash diets just don't work because they just simply demand of us more than we can long withstand. Just lay in for the long haul, and you'll get there, kind'a like in the story about the tortoise and the hare.
I learned early after being diagnosed that the endocrine system, of which the pancreas is only one part, is a very complex system, and all the hard and fast "rules" we hear for diabetics just don't quite cut it in actual practice, and my doc gave me the best advice I could ever have received when he told me to use my meter & to let IT tell me what I can eat and what I can't. Just avoid the things that it showed me spike my blood sugar the worst, and keep the stuff that spikes it less as limited as I can. There are actually some good stuff you can eat to avoid eating something else. Dill pickles is one, but I like the sweet gerkins more, of course. Keep mixing up things so you don't get bored with what you eat, and never forget that image of yourself weighing 600 lbs.
You'll make it. Guys like you who've been where you have and done the things you've done aren't pushovers to temptation ... at least not always or consistently! Now get your attitude straight, Fatso, and ENJOY what you CAN have!
I'm on some meds myself, including Lasix. Sure keeps a fella' busy, and always concerned about where the closest bathroom is. Also, I've been directed to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. I almost always have a glass of ice water with me or nearby, and just sip it all through the day. Take bottles of chilled water with me to town. It's an aggrevation in a way, but if it's what it takes to keep me on this side of the grass, I consider it a privilege.
As to the eating, I'm kind'a lucky in that I like ALL food. Can't eat biscuits, grits or potatoes - some of my traditional favorites! That's really got my lips pooched out, but again, if that's the price for staying on this side of the grass, and keeping my eyesight, feet, etc., I'll take it. A lot simply has to do with attitude. Once I got over the "pain" of not being able to have some of my favorite foods that pleas me SOOOO much, I got a handle on reality, and just found out after a little consideration that I've been so lucky, really, that lamenting these things too much seemed rather un-honorable on my part. So, I just set about finding ways to stay close to the doc's directions. I avoid beef usually, but allow myself a bit now and then. Cut down on all my meat intake - and THAT was hard too! Always been a "meat and potatoes" kind'a guy, mostly. But I love my veggies, too, though, and I've been experimenting with substituting things like eggplant, squash, zuccini, etc. where I might have used potatoes previously. The taste isn't the same, but well done, it's good, and kind'a interesting to boot.
Being one who's able to resist anything but temptation, I've kind'a had to become more honest with myself than I'd really like to have to be, and more judicious than my nature generally tends to display, but what's life without a challenge, and something to set our shoulders against and push, so we can get stronger? it's actually become a bit of an adventure learning to adapt what I can eat to making up some really enjoyable meals that satisfy without violating my health's requirements now. Like I said, it's all about the attitude. And once in a while, allow yourself some guilty pleasure. One of my docs, and one who's given me a lot of very good advice and offered a lot of insight, told me this. Just be HONEST about how often you do this, though! Whenever you do it, you're really kind'a playing with fire. I've been kind'a shocked, really, at how much difference there really can be in different forms of carbs in veggies. And it really DOES make a difference. And I usually eat a lot of salads, which I'm fortunate to really love. Lettuce, cucumber, tomato, coarsely grated carrots, bell pepper (usually finely diced, more as a spice than it's usually used), broccoli, and some grated cheese is my normal choice, and I never seem to tire of these. Changing dressings helps with this, I think.
Just find what you like, AND what fits into your diet and workday well, and use spices to make it more "interesting" and satisfying, and it's really not that heavy a burden to bear - certainly nothing like what our Lord bore for us! It really IS possible to eat well and still keep within a reasonable diet. Crash diets just don't work because they just simply demand of us more than we can long withstand. Just lay in for the long haul, and you'll get there, kind'a like in the story about the tortoise and the hare.
I learned early after being diagnosed that the endocrine system, of which the pancreas is only one part, is a very complex system, and all the hard and fast "rules" we hear for diabetics just don't quite cut it in actual practice, and my doc gave me the best advice I could ever have received when he told me to use my meter & to let IT tell me what I can eat and what I can't. Just avoid the things that it showed me spike my blood sugar the worst, and keep the stuff that spikes it less as limited as I can. There are actually some good stuff you can eat to avoid eating something else. Dill pickles is one, but I like the sweet gerkins more, of course. Keep mixing up things so you don't get bored with what you eat, and never forget that image of yourself weighing 600 lbs.
You'll make it. Guys like you who've been where you have and done the things you've done aren't pushovers to temptation ... at least not always or consistently! Now get your attitude straight, Fatso, and ENJOY what you CAN have!
I am cursed with liking pretty near all food , sugar is not a weakness but don't wave a fried pork chop in my face . When I was a kid you ate what was put on the table and better not say anything about it except it was good . Kind of encourages a lot of 'acquired' tastes .
After being on this weight loss journey for a year and a half my eating habits have changed a LOT . Only thing I miss is fried food , we fry a little but danged little . Have discovered a lot of lower cal food and seasonings , seasonings make or break it . I don't feel cheated in the least , being able to walk far outweighs a piece of pecan pie (can't believe I said that). My lifestyle as far as eating has defiantly changed . GOD enabled me to do it , part of the reason I dug up this old post, the explanation is in there . All credit goes to him and it has been easy , he will help if you let him believe me . I would be dead by now if he hadn't . I get NO credit . There are a lot of folks out there with the same or similar problem . If I can help by showing that it can be done why would I not . I want no compliments or self glorifying praise , I do not deserve or warrant it . To him goes the glory of his blessings to us . We are suppose to help one another .
I still need help , basically 50 lb.'s to go . It's not over yet , he is with me and I am determined . I messed up and tried to lose to quick and cut the meds too soon a while back . He has made it clear to me what to do and I tried to speed it up . Had to take a break but it's time to do it and I'm ready . I would like you to be there and help me finish this .
Blackwater
05-26-2016, 08:45 PM
Yep. Kind'a reminds me of the old story about the fellow who prayerd for patience, and ended his prayery with "... and I want it right NOW!" We're all like that, Boaz. The only thing that varies is the degree at any given point in time and situation. Self discipline will NEVER come to us easily or well, but it's been our salvation in so many ways. It's really all God wants of us, in at least a way, really. We just don't LIKE having to forego our own will, even when we know we really, really need to. Sure keeps a fella' humble, don't it?
pcolapaddler
05-26-2016, 08:50 PM
Encouragement to you guys. Sticking to more healthy eating is tough. Ditto with regular exercise.
I had bypass surgery about 2 1/2 years ago. At first the diet changes and exercise was pretty easy to do. I tend to stress eat and work in a stressful business - a bit of a bad combo. When work pressures increase, I also tend to neglect exercise - a perfect storm of sorts.
Tell you what... let's pray for each other in this regard. Hold each other up and accountable.
Sent from my HTCD200LVW using Tapatalk
Encouragement to you guys. Sticking to more healthy eating is tough. Ditto with regular exercise.
I had bypass surgery about 2 1/2 years ago. At first the diet changes and exercise was pretty easy to do. I tend to stress eat and work in a stressful business - a bit of a bad combo. When work pressures increase, I also tend to neglect exercise - a perfect storm of sorts.
Tell you what... let's pray for each other in this regard. Hold each other up and accountable.
Sent from my HTCD200LVW using Tapatalk
I'm in total agreement on helping each other . Prayer will be offered !
MaryB
05-26-2016, 10:11 PM
Stop the carbs! Eat all the meat and veg you want. I lost a lot of weight that way. Gained it back the last 2 years do to the neck injury and fusion.
And I know the pain of hard work all your life! My right foot has been broken so many times the last doc panicked when he saw the xray, rotator cuff both shoulders(right one surgery twice...), carpal tunnel both wrists, knees are chewed, bone spurs in all my joints and especially my spine... all the medical issue forced me to retire at 46... felt useless until I figured out a part time business that brings in a little extra each month.
Lower back lumbar decompression surgery in 2008, neck fusion in 2015, low back needs a fusion, repaired right shoulder in 2006 and 2007(exactly 1 year apart), right wrist rotator cuff repaired twice, left hip I had a nerve sheath tumor removed that left me with nerve damage, right knee scoped to remove bone spurs and chewed cartilage, right thump the bottom joint opened and cleaned and the tendon shortened and reattached... Still have the left wrist carpal tunnel and left should 80% rotator cuff tear.
I finally settled into a simpler life, I get by on very little(SSDI of $1266 a month), I garden in summer to get exercise and keep my joints moving, do a little laser engraving... and decided to just enjoy what life brings. I have cut way back on the narcotics because they aren't doing much anymore and just learning to live with the pain. If I have a bad day no big deal anymore, I watch movies, read, tinker with the radios(ham radio)... I do something that doesn't require me to do physical activity. Collecting tools to do leather working so I have another winter hobby... I stay busy, I raise most of my own veg now, considering raising chickens for meat...
cbashooter
05-26-2016, 10:32 PM
Eat less food,move around more.no great secret.yes processed sugar is bad and so are animal fats but in moderation you can still enjoy them.
I'm 50 and was crushed in an auto accident 10 years ago and got out with most bones damaged and a ripped aorta.I'm a mess and if I don't keep my weight in check and exercise I am in pain.
Hang in there, get on the scale everyday and it will.come off.
Weight today (5-28-16)
244.8
I thank you for the encouragement . I would also encourage anyone with a weight problem to get on the wagon . It can be done . With GOD and your friends helping it is easy .
Stop the carbs! Eat all the meat and veg you want. I lost a lot of weight that way. Gained it back the last 2 years do to the neck injury and fusion.
And I know the pain of hard work all your life! My right foot has been broken so many times the last doc panicked when he saw the xray, rotator cuff both shoulders(right one surgery twice...), carpal tunnel both wrists, knees are chewed, bone spurs in all my joints and especially my spine... all the medical issue forced me to retire at 46... felt useless until I figured out a part time business that brings in a little extra each month.
Lower back lumbar decompression surgery in 2008, neck fusion in 2015, low back needs a fusion, repaired right shoulder in 2006 and 2007(exactly 1 year apart), right wrist rotator cuff repaired twice, left hip I had a nerve sheath tumor removed that left me with nerve damage, right knee scoped to remove bone spurs and chewed cartilage, right thump the bottom joint opened and cleaned and the tendon shortened and reattached... Still have the left wrist carpal tunnel and left should 80% rotator cuff tear.
I finally settled into a simpler life, I get by on very little(SSDI of $1266 a month), I garden in summer to get exercise and keep my joints moving, do a little laser engraving... and decided to just enjoy what life brings. I have cut way back on the narcotics because they aren't doing much anymore and just learning to live with the pain. If I have a bad day no big deal anymore, I watch movies, read, tinker with the radios(ham radio)... I do something that doesn't require me to do physical activity. Collecting tools to do leather working so I have another winter hobby... I stay busy, I raise most of my own veg now, considering raising chickens for meat...
MaryB sounds like a lot of us have a similar problems . I have talked to many that enjoyed or did hard work all their lives and slowly put on pounds as they became less able to do hard labor . As I accumulated medical problems and had to slow down I ate more out of boredom or just having to do something when sitting . The weight compounds the problem causing MORE sitting so therefore MORE snacking . It snowballs before you know it , it's a common story .
I gave up starch and sugar a year and a half ago except in very limited amounts . Will not hardly eat a sandwich because of the bread . I have never had a weakness for sugar which is a great blessing (it's what makes most fail). Biggest thing I tend to or would overeat would be 'down home' style food .
Blackwater
05-27-2016, 08:40 AM
Pcola, great idea! I don't believe there's a one of us here who doesn't need prayer of some kind. Being diminished in stamina and capacity makes us HAVE to use whatever wisdom we've managed to accrue along our ways, and that's not our favorite thing to do. Most of us got this way from challenging ourselves just a step or two TOO far. It's said that judgment is gained from experience, and most experience is gained through bad judgment. Are we humans a willful lot or what??? Sure keeps me humble thinking of all the things I assumed I could get away with, and couldn't. It seems almost all of us wind up starting to try to take care of ourselves AFTER we've damaged ourselves. Ain't it funny how that works? But mostly, it's our passions and determination that makes us this way, and what would we be without those? I've long thought that God particularly loves those who are passionate, like Kings David and Solomon rather especially, even if we don't always use those passions very wisely sometimes. I think this explains why He dealt with both David and Solomon, as well as us, in the way which He does. Truly, he is one more marvelous God, is He not?
Pine Baron
05-27-2016, 08:45 AM
Hey pork butt,
Keep going, attitude is 99% of the battle. God will take care of the rest.
I hear you about fried foods. Try a little vege. oil and bake in the oven. Works for me.
Hey pork butt,
Keep going, attitude is 99% of the battle. God will take care of the rest.
I hear you about fried foods. Try a little vegi. oil and bake in the oven. Works for me.
Pine Baron your veggie idea is good . We already make potato and turnip fries in the oven . Thanks !
Blackwater
05-27-2016, 04:01 PM
Boaz, I noticed you talked about eating baked french fries. I hate to tell you this, I really do, but most folks can't lose weight and still eat potatoes or the other simple carbs. Veggies have some carbs, but they're a type that takes a lot more energy to convert to starches the body can use, so they don't have near the impact on us when we're trying to lose weight. You're getting rid of the fats by baking them, but you're still feeding yourself an awful lot of pure energy with them that converts almost totally into sugars in the blood, and that makes losing wt. that much harder.
The toughest things I found I HAD to give up were biscuits, grits and potatoes - three of my favorite foods EVER! No, it wasn't pleasant, but I allow myself one, single but extremely scrumptious biscuit a month, and I haven't had any grits in well over a year. Grits are like cocaine to us country boys here in Jawja, and a staple of life, but .... I bit the bullet, swallowed hard, and have virtually forgotten about them ..... well, almost. Got a fellow over working on the house for me, and he mentioned he was having shepherd's pie, and I hadn't thought about it in a long time, and MAN! Did it ever more fling a cravin' on me!!! But I just won't give in.
I've even reached the point where I can get a vicarious thrill from just hearing someone talk about things like that. Yeah, it's tempting, but not at the stage I'm at now. At least not enough to give in. It's as hard as having Sophia Loren, Dolly Parton or Raquel Welch proposition you, when you're married already. Hard to resist, but one's duty is clear, no matter HOW tempting it is. Not everything in life is easy nor pleasant, and it seems some of the most worthy things are the hardest.
You'll have to work it out for yourself, because no two endocrine systems are alike, and that's essentially what you're fighting, and it's too complex for easy, pat, universal answers to work for eveyone. It's just not destined to work that way. I don't have it all figured out, but I let my tester SHOW me what works for me and what doesn't. Then, the only thing left is that self discipline and determination thing. That's the hardest part. But with a little work, ingenuity, imagination and determination, it CAN be worked out. Here in the summer, I could almost go totally vegetarian .... almost. Love them veggies! Been on a fried squash kick, and have found I'm simply eating too much of them. One step forward, two steps back again! Oh well, nobody said it'd be easy, did they? Not even God.
But it IS worth while, and THAT, if we can bring it to fruition, is VERY satisfying. After all, how could we ever be proud of ourselves if we were simple stimulus-response organisms? We have a choice, and making the right ones, even when it goes against our natural grain, is the only thing that really CAN let us think better of ourselves, and have a little pride when we overcome temptation. And heaven knows, temptation when it comes to food puts us in direct competition with our very survival instincts, some of which are hard-wired into our systems. It's a tough nut to crack, but it CAN be done. I've concluded, at least for now, that the key seems to be doing it gradually, and conditioning our bodies to a slightly different fuel system. But it'll work IF we can just resist overeating. And that'll always be my main challenge.
I guess I'm a good example of "athlete's disease." All my life, I was a perpetual motion machine, always doing something, and loving every moment of almost all of it. Then, when I hurt my back so badly, I slowly waned in my activities, but was left with the same appetite. That was a bad mix for me! But I refused to recognize it, and dang near let it kill me! But I CAN be humbled, and I DO want to be here to see my grandboys graduate at least high school, and to do that, I've got to be very careful and very serious about how and what and how much I eat. I'm doing a lot better, but now that I don't get around nearly as much, it's hard, and I mean VERY hard NOT to overeat for the amount of activity I can show today. As I've eaten less and less, I've also been able to move around less and less, and it's kind'a like chasing a goal that keeps moving further away. But even so, it's doable, and I keep working on whatever is before me to work on.
I did the opposite, and pretended I could still do what I'd done in my younger days, and that just didn't work out very well. I may not be that bright, but I CAN learn when the Lord slaps me up beside the head and grabs my arm, and shouts in my ear! Sure keeps me humble these days! And rightfully so. And I'm thankful He thought enough of me to DO that for me, too. Like Kings David and Solomon, and others in the Bible who were passionate, we CAN let it all get in our way rather than work FOR us. Stay humble and get thin again .... or if not thin, then "thinner!" It's worth it. And you'll NEVER regret doing it, either. Hope this provides you a little motivation and assurance. Wish I had something more pleasant and easy for you, but that's all I have to offer that's really true, as far as I've been able to see it. Go with faith and you'll git-r-done.
Preacher Jim
05-27-2016, 04:16 PM
Boaz, i admire your courage to open yourself up to get the help that you need. Most of the human race is to stubborn to admit they have a problem or are working on a problem. I pray you exceed your goal.
J.
Yea , I understand starch and all , we don't eat the oven fries much . I prefer the turnip oven fries over the potatoes . Lower cal and dang good , you have to coat em with olive oil which has more calories than the turnips . Good eatin though .
I like cucumbers and they are extreme low cal , with vinegar , mustard , 0 calorie dressing they are very filling . What you have to eat (or not eat) to lose weight isn't that bad if you change it up often . Cooking methods and seasonings are the ticket .
Boaz, i admire your courage to open yourself up to get the help that you need. Most of the human race is to stubborn to admit they have a problem or are working on a problem. I pray you exceed your goal.
J.
Jim I'm trying to help by example and receive help at the same time . Being overweight is purely a negative in your life . More health problems , social problems , esteem problems and premature death for many . I stated in this thread my pride is taking a backseat , I could care less about being overweight as far as talking about it ...........it's reality . My fervent hope and prayer is that my experience can and preferably will help a brother or sister . Just trying to testify through example. I have lost over 150 pounds through GOD, he has helped me and it has been easy .GOD will help you , to him goes the glory .
MaryB
05-27-2016, 10:23 PM
Try oven baked kale chips, they develop this nutty flavor... I spray with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic salt and bake at 450 until crispy crunchy. Good fat, good kale, garlic is good, the little bit of salt isn't an issue for me but it might be for some...
Yea , I understand starch and all , we don't eat the oven fries much . I prefer the turnip oven fries over the potatoes . Lower cal and dang good , you have to coat em with olive oil which has more calories than the turnips . Good eatin though .
I like cucumbers and they are extreme low cal , with vinegar , mustard , 0 calorie dressing they are very filling . What you have to eat (or not eat) to lose weight isn't that bad if you change it up often . Cooking methods and seasonings are the ticket .
I'll keep that in mind , kale is hard to come by in my parts . I love any kind of greens .
So now I'm thinking collard chips , plenty of collards in Texas .
Weight today 5-28-16
243.6
Yesterday I ate ;
Calories
1 grapefruit 95
soup 280
2 nectarines 126
ham sandwich 152
3 jalapenos 36
Total calories 689
Pine Baron
05-28-2016, 09:31 AM
Hey pork butt...keep up the good work...+1 on the kale chips, MaryB. Never tried the collard chips.
Be careful that don't should like enough food to starve a crow. I understand wanting /needing to lose weight but you have to stay strong
rl69 yours is good advise ! I have had to slack off the diet 3 times because of it . The last time (down by the shed incident) was pretty bad . Thought I was having a stroke . I have lost quite a bit in the last 3 days but most of that is fluid , I have cut out salt , weather has been cool so I'm good for now .
Yea I'm going to take it slow ! Thanks
Pine Baron
05-29-2016, 09:04 AM
Cutting out the salt surely is helping with the water retention. Keep it up, brother.
Oh and good morning pork butt. :mrgreen:
Cutting out the salt surely is helping with the water retention. Keep it up, brother.
Oh and good morning pork butt. :mrgreen:
I appreciate the encouragement . I weighted 243 when I started this thread , I gained back 6 pounds when I had to start eating 'normal' again . I was 242.8 this morning , I am now back in uncharted territory for weight loss . We shall see .
jcwit
05-29-2016, 11:37 AM
Good for you, keep it up.
I lost 4 lbs. since yesterday, pretty sure it was all fluid.
4 pounds is a LOT in one day . I agree it's fluid mostly . Are you trying to lose JC ? I wish A few more would get on board , make it a fun thang .
Blackwater
05-29-2016, 08:29 PM
Unfortunately, Boaz, it'll NEVER be a FUN THING for ANY of us, I suspect? But it might help. "Misery loves company," according to the old adage, and laughing at our trials tends to help keep us strong, and focused. And when it comes to losing weitght, we all need all the help we can get! I've backslid some, when the good, fresh veggies started coming in in earnest. But I'm doing better now. For the past several years, I've been trying different things to see what worked and how well, and how consistently I can carry the load - and it IS a load, and a HEAVY one to try to fight your survival instinct - and I've found that the best way is to let yourself have a tiny bit of leeway on occasion, but NOT (and this is the hard part) to let it get to be TOO regular! Ultimately, it's not unlike having to balance something on your nose 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week. Good luck, bro', and I mean that sincerely. I think luck CAN be a part of it. Surely the temptations and wants don't go away! I believe I cold eat a whole plate full of biscuits right now, but it'd be a sort of delayed suicide, probably, and my only salvation is in knowing that, and having enough faith and determination to resist at least much of it. And that surely ain't easy! With the Lord's help and support, if we'll but use it, we CAN do it, though. Thanks to God for that! Keep the faith and determination both strong, Boaz. You'll make it.
Weight today 5-30-16;
242.2
Lost about half a pound , sad the water loss is gone . You start with big pound losses to begin with if you cut back or quit the salt . Consolation is that you know your actually losing fat when the initial big loss stops .
Pine Baron
05-30-2016, 08:15 AM
Hey pork butt,
If indeed your at the end of your water loss, time to get out and sweat off the fat. Be careful, stay hydrated, start out easy and work up to it (my personal hard part...that pride thing, don't you know :wink:). You might want to NOT check your weight everyday, maybe once a week from now on. Don't want you getting discouraged. Your doing good, my brother.
I have a daily log on what I weighed every day since I started this about a year and a half ago . Weighing every day reminds me to stick with it . The days you don't lose or break even encourages me to be mindful that day to try harder . But everyone is different , not weighing daily could work for many . Not knowing if your losing could make you try harder each day also .
I will not get discouraged , there will be set backs but I realize that but you don't quit . I'm too hard headed to quit lol . It's been an amazingly cool spring this year with a LOT of rain (raining right now) but summer will be here in a few days and the heat will help the weight loss . You are right about drinking more water that's something I don't do but I'm working on it .
I thank you for the ideas !
Blackwater
05-30-2016, 01:15 PM
Don't let it bother you too much when you don't lose. I have a friend making extraordinary efforts to lose wt. on a VERY limited diet, and he'll lose a while, and then hit a plateau, and won't lose for a while, and then suddenly, for no apparent reason, he'll begin losing again. I think it's got something to do with the body's survival mechanisms and how the endocrine system works in changing situations.
Back when we ate like garbage disposals, the endocrine system adapts to THAT, and when we stop, it RE-acts to the new circumstances, and sometimes complains, and reaches out and slaps us up 'side th' head, and complains that we're trying to play tricks on it. It doesn't seem to realize that we're not really happy with the situation either! But if we can just stick to the regimen, it'll go back to work again, and adapt to the new circumstances, once it realizes that we're committed.
Sure ain't much fun, though! I guess we can't have everything, but it's in the striving that we get our greatest results and edification. We CAN be greater and better than we really WANT to be, but it doesn't come easily to us at ALL!
HABCAN
05-30-2016, 07:32 PM
Gentlemen all, I salute you! I am SO enjoying this thread.....Boaz, Blackwater, all.....as an overweight diabetic I appreciate the 'food' tips', but I have to witness about God's Greatest Gift to me. After two divorces from marriages that never should have happened, God has brought my (widowed)High School sweetheart back into my life after 60 years (!!!) which has turned my entire wasteful Life around. Very devout (there are no atheists in foxholes!) but almost totally irreligious, I thank Him daily for the Miracle He has thus granted me and try to make my spirit and body worthy of His gift. Maybe I didn't say that very well, but............thank you all, prayers, and Hallelujah!
Thank you HABCAN . I'm glad the Lord is working in your life .
Weight today 5-31-16 ;
241.6
Had turnip fries last night , about 140 calries;
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/IMG_0934_zps2zy59jbx.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/IMG_0934_zps2zy59jbx.jpg.html)
Blackwater
05-31-2016, 06:37 AM
Keep up the good work, Boaz.
And Habcam, is our God great and loving, or what?
Pine Baron
05-31-2016, 09:38 AM
Boaz, Now I'm hungry, any leftovers?
(no "pork butt" today!)
No pork butt !! I'm disappointed ! I actually only got half of em , Becky snagged the other half .
Hey Mr. Boaz, Great job. A quick question on the subject at hand; does your weight go up and down with the moon? Don't know if that is the right way to ask the question? Do you weigh the same time every day?
Keep up the GREAT JOB,
Terry
Thank you Terry ! I weigh every morning when I get out of bed .
We all have weight fluctuations I think . Poor heart and circulatory problems cause me an immediate water weight gain if I eat or drink anything with salt . I have to be aware of salt intake all the time . There is no way to control the salt on a diet unless you cook most of the food in my opinion . Processed food just don't get it .Everyone is different and have to get a plan together according to medical , personal habits and routine . It can be done!
Blackwater
05-31-2016, 03:07 PM
Amen! It CAN be done. It's just not easy nor pleasant fighting our wants, and even our survival instincts while doing it! It's about as hard as a true addict's quitting smoking! The biggest problem is, we're lazy, and have so many places to spend our time, and so easily led by our "wants." It all adds up to a big challenge, and it's SO hard for us to be consistent, and not "give in just a little bit" "now and then." But we learn as we go, and the price for us now is too high NOT to pay the price. It may be an exhorbitant price, but we can't afford NOT to pay it. Life sure is "interesting," isn't it? And BTW, tried some turnip fries for the first time recently, but they were round, like fried squash, and I really loved them! It's amazing how we limit our foods intake until we HAVE to start searching for good stuff to eat, that'll fit within our diets, isn't it? There's SO much out there that's good, AND fits within a good diet. And like you said, there's little to nothing that's canned that doesn't contain lots of salt now, and like you, I've been on a low salt diet that I just simply chose for myself when I realized how much salt I'd been used to tasting. Now, I can't hardly eat anything with a lot of salt in it, and I swear, food tastes better now with the barest minimum of salt. The flavors shine through without being overpowered by all that salt. I also use more black pepper, too, and that perks up some of the milder flavors I like. Garlic and onion powders are a staple here, too, and I'm learning to use paprika, and some others as well. Anything to perk up the flavor. I've found if I can just enjoy what I eat, it's not nearly so hard to stay on a good diet.
I'm even considering foregoing my monthly biscuit! And THAT is something I absolutely LOVE! I think I could still eat a whole plate of them, with a good dose of butter! But of course, that would be suicide, eventually, so I'll only do that in my dreams. And may forego that monthly one as well? We'll see.
Whenever you get "weak," and fear you're about to falter, just give ol' Becky a paddle, and I'll bet she can change your mind! HAR! ;^)
MaryB
05-31-2016, 07:59 PM
Celery seed ground is a good salt replacement, as is lemon juice.
I always gave myself a cheat day, Sundays I could have carbs of some sort(only 1 though!). I need to drop a bunch of weight myself, it would be easier on my poor spine.
Weight today 6-1-16
239.6
(Broke into the 30's !)
I got to the 30's today . It's really a victory if your dieting to hit a 10 pound increment of loss by the scales. Tried really hard yesterday , only ate a small bowl of cherry tomatoes at lunch and nothing else . Haven't eaten any meat (protein) for 3 days I have to today ...could get a bounce back by trying too hard , been there before . Lost two pounds yesterday and that's too much , it can come back to haunt you .
I'll pick the food for today and try to hang on to the loss but got to get some protein in there .
Celery seed ground is a good salt replacement, as is lemon juice.
I always gave myself a cheat day, Sundays I could have carbs of some sort(only 1 though!). I need to drop a bunch of weight myself, it would be easier on my poor spine.
Thanks MaryB ! I'm going to try it , never heard that . The store bought salt substitutes are trash . They don't taste like salt at all and actually make whatever you cook taste bad . Just personal opinion .
Blackwater
06-01-2016, 08:46 AM
Good going, Boaz, but you're right. The hardest part about dieting is the patience part - losing it a little at a time over a long period. We tend to be impatient, and overdo, and then rebound. It's our human fallibility coming out, I think? But you're a real trooper, and I'm proud of you. I need to get down to your level. I was, but gained more. Guess how? A little at a time! Ain't it funny how that works?
Pine Baron
06-01-2016, 09:27 AM
Hey pork butt (yeah back on the case),
Good job recognizing the protein thing. Please be careful, don't want another "shed" incident.
Pine Baron you are right on both counts . NO MORE 'SHED' incidents ! In the reporting of it I didn't mention one funny thing (well it's funny now anyway) . I was leaned over the ace fence trying to breath , really pullin for air and my pants fell down around my ankles while Becky ran to get a chair . Couldn't let go of the fence or I'd go down . LOL , Becky got back with the chair and saw we had a new problem . She was confused and scared and now for some reason I'm standing there with my pants down , lol . She got my pants back up , she was embarrassed , LOL .
Blackwater
06-01-2016, 10:20 AM
Isn't it good to have a daughter that CAN and WILL deal with a scary and embarrassing situation EFFECTIVELY and without any real hesitation? You've got a great young daughter, Boaz! Many would have simply run for "help." She didn't. She handled it. In time, I think you'll come to realize just how significant that really is. She's one fine and strong young lady!
Pine Baron
06-01-2016, 11:43 AM
LOL, now I understand her naming you "pork butt". :shock:
mold maker
06-01-2016, 01:45 PM
Pine Baron you are right on both counts . NO MORE 'SHED' incidents ! In the reporting of it I didn't mention one funny thing (well it's funny now anyway) . I was leaned over the ace fence trying to breath , really pullin for air and my pants fell down around my ankles while Becky ran to get a chair . Couldn't let go of the fence or I'd go down . LOL , Becky got back with the chair and saw we had a new problem . She was confused and scared and now for some reason I'm standing there with my pants down , lol . She got my pants back up , she was embarrassed , LOL .
An overweight friend attempted to chang a bulb under the overhang. He foolishly stood on the top step and his pants did the same. Only they continued down around the top of the ladder not allowing him to step down. That's how his wife found him when she returned from the bank.
Blackwater
06-01-2016, 06:36 PM
Thanks for a real belly laugh, MM! I got this image in my mind that just won't go away, though! Still chuckling anyway though, in spite of it.
MaryB
06-01-2016, 09:31 PM
Protein is not bad for a diet! And your body requires a lot more the older you get! Low fat meat like chicken breast(skinless) sauteed with spices is pretty tasty actually! And very few calories.
Thank you MaryB . Had some lean oven cooked pork loin tonight , when you go without meat a few days it tastes twice as good as usual . Bought some giant turkey legs today . To me a turkey leg is a meal in itself . We have a lot of chicken sausage we made and it's low cal . Going to make some bean soup tomorrow with buckboard bacon . Also try smoking the turkey legs again to make em 'pretty' instead of drawn up .
Pine Baron
06-02-2016, 08:39 AM
Good morning pork butt,
Keep up the good work. How about adding some fish to that diet? This coming from a guy from the Jersey shore.
Good stuff from Mary B.
Blackwater
06-02-2016, 12:04 PM
I think you already know, but don't let those plateaus worry you when you hit one. Wt. loss seems to be an on again/off again proposition, where our bodies natural survival mechanisms create these plateaus periodically, where loss of wt. just doesn't come, but if we sustain the diet, all of a sudden the wt. will start falling off again. I don't understand the process fully, but it's observable, repeatable and predictable, so it must really be true whether I understand the mechanisms that cause it or not. It's the thing that often makes us over react when we suddenly don't lose wt. any more. I guess it's just like Christianity, and in the end, is there to keep us humble and to test our faith and humility level, and commitment to the process. Ain't it funny how these parallels work?
I have lost about 10 pounds in 8 days . No way I can keep that up to the end . I restarted so it came off quick but it is slowing down if you look at the weight each day. There will be bounce backs but you regroup and deal with it . Posting here helps ............I like pressure .
Good morning pork butt,
Keep up the good work. How about adding some fish to that diet? This coming from a guy from the Jersey shore.
Good stuff from Mary B.
We both like fish . I have offered to make it (broiled) but Becky likes red meat ........huh ........magin that . Can't figure out who she got that from , lol .
We have fish in the freezer , it's commin up quick .
Pine Baron you are right on both counts . NO MORE 'SHED' incidents ! In the reporting of it I didn't mention one funny thing (well it's funny now anyway) . I was leaned over the ace fence trying to breath , really pullin for air and my pants fell down around my ankles while Becky ran to get a chair . Couldn't let go of the fence or I'd go down . LOL , Becky got back with the chair and saw we had a new problem . She was confused and scared and now for some reason I'm standing there with my pants down , lol . She got my pants back up , she was embarrassed , LOL .
When I read this this morning I thought it was a new episode.I've been chomping at the bit all day.tring to think how I was going to chew you out for letting yourself get this far down. I'm glad I re read the post.
Keep up the good work but remember your health is as import as your weight " eat drink and be merry for every thing else is foolishness "
Don't worry rl69 with my life being based on the fact that I am stupid you'll get to chew me out probably sooner than later . Thank you for being ready and willing to do it ! Be on standby .
lol siting by the keyboard ready to pounce
Blackwater
06-03-2016, 06:50 AM
Boaz, you're my hero! What you're doing ain't easy by a LONG shot, but you're getting it done. Just be careful with it. As the old saying goes, never let your lofty ambitions outweigh your better judgment. 1 lb/day is an awful lot to lose if sustained, so expect a little "feedback/backlash" from your body. Might be a good idea to ease up one day a week to keep your energy level up, and prevent at least some of that backlash? It's really different for each person, and it's something each person has to work out for themselves, and it's a frustrating process. Not trying to mess up your achievement, just trying to "give yo an out" once a week or so, so you can sustain the effort with a minimum of consequences. Many don't realize the consequences of such longer termed efforts, but there are some. I'm proud of you and what you're doing. I know how hard it is to sustain the effort. Yew go guy!
Blackwater I thank you for the encouragement , many have encouraged me here and I appreciate it . But you keep telling me it's hard and it is not . Read back a few pages on this thread , GOD is with me , I still pray daily for him to help me and guide me losing weight . HE is the one to give praise ...not me . Losing the weight has been easy with him leading me . All things are possible through him , he will help if your honest and try to do what he wants for you ! I have not had to fight or struggle to lose since this diet started . The only time I get in trouble is when I try to push or speed up his plan . Let me say again this has been and is still easy with his help . My whole point in reviving this thread is to show how he is working in my life , it is a praise to him .
So far I have lost 163 pounds , yea....Praise GOD !
Pine Baron
06-03-2016, 08:19 AM
Yea, pork butt. 163 Lbs! That's a whole person, dang, there's a punchline in there somewhere.
Keep with God's plan, you're doing great!
Blackwater
06-03-2016, 08:26 AM
I understand, Boaz, and you're amazing. I weighed 158 lbs. when I got married. For many years, my wife complained that I never gained wt. and people would think she wasn't a good cook. Then when I DID start gaining, she made fun of me! Women! There's just no pleasing them!
I understand, Boaz, and you're amazing. I weighed 158 lbs. when I got married. For many years, my wife complained that I never gained wt. and people would think she wasn't a good cook. Then when I DID start gaining, she made fun of me! Women! There's just no pleasing them!
When I was 13 years old I shot my first coyote at night using a Weem's All Call . Took it home skinned it to cure it and hang on the wall in my room . Cleaned up the skull as much as possible . Dad was going to help me with the head , wanted to clean it up .
Mom was suppose to be gone most the day so me and dad were sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee . Had the coyote head boiling in a big Folgers coffee can on the cook stove . Can was a little short so we had to flip it over every once in a while . We were enjoying just talking about the best way to proceed once we got all the meat cooked off ...enjoying the project . And then..........
We heard the front door open and we kind of drawed up . Mom came home early , she walked straight in the kitchen , the cookin coyote head smelt really bad . She walked straight over to the stove and looked into the can with the coyotes snout sticking out . She stood there for a second and said , "Good Lord, what are ya'll cookin!" I locked up , gonna let dad handle this. Dad slowly pulled the Little Melba cigar out of his mouth and explain what we were doing . Mom just kept looking at him and then back at the coyote head .
She stood there a second and said "Claud, I don't expect much from him (like I was retarded) but you ought to have better sense than this ." She picked her purse up and left!
Me and dad had a few minutes of silence then he started explaining how intolerant women can be . We finished cooking the head and got it out of the house .
I still have it !
http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g353/chuckr1952/001-2.jpg (http://s1097.photobucket.com/user/chuckr1952/media/001-2.jpg.html)
Protein is not bad for a diet! And your body requires a lot more the older you get! Low fat meat like chicken breast(skinless) sauteed with spices is pretty tasty actually! And very few calories.
We eat a LOT of chicken but we like it . Always trying something new in the way of spices and such . Ginger is good on baked chicken with lot of black pepper , salt and a little soy sauce . Tried that the last time and will do it regular .
I like to brine the breasts overnight and cook em on the grill , brining really makes m juicy instead of being dry . Sear both sides when you start .
MaryB
06-03-2016, 09:23 PM
I do a lot of chicken stir fry, cube up skinless chicken, marinate an hour or two in garlic, soy, rice wine vinegar, pepper flake.. A quick cook in a wok then add the veg(I buy bags of frozen stir fry veg) and cook until the chicken is done. Serve over a little rice or chowmein noodles.
Weight today 6-4-16 ;
238.2
Only lost 2/10th's of a pound , lowest increment my genuine Walmart electronic scales will read . It's always sad when you don't have a big loss like when you first start . But heck I have lost 11 pounds in 11 days ! That's a good run , you can't hold up to that kind of loss long . Regroup , recalibrate , rethink , pray and keep after it .
Lord thank you for being with me . Thank you for all the he help you give me every day . Guide me on my weight loss . I ask for guidance and patience . You have already given me the strength to do it but you know I fail in patience with myself . I know your plan for me is right Lord because I fail on my own . Give me forbearance of myself . Thank you father . In Jesus name I ask it . Amen
Pine Baron
06-04-2016, 07:17 AM
Amen.
Good morning, pork butt,
Don't be discouraged, my friend. You knew you were eventually going to plateau. Keep up the good work. You're doing great.
I do a lot of chicken stir fry, cube up skinless chicken, marinate an hour or two in garlic, soy, rice wine vinegar, pepper flake.. A quick cook in a wok then add the veg(I buy bags of frozen stir fry veg) and cook until the chicken is done. Serve over a little rice or chowmein noodles.
Haven't done stir fry in a few years , it's a good idea . We did curry quite a bit last winter but found out not to make a big pan full . We would over eat , we just make enough for a meal now. Stir fry would be the same way , moderation .
Made some experimental bean and buckboard bacon soup last night . It was 'ok' but nothing to brag about . One cup of pintos 2 slices of bacon (minced), Half a large onion and spices . Didn't add enough spices but it was edible . Some low cal veggies like celery and carrots would have helped .
Blackwater
06-04-2016, 11:47 AM
Well, Boaz, now you've gone and done it! You've got me motivated to lose again. I lost a good bit of wt., but "compromised" due to the lack of energy I had, and started eating some carbs. Not much, but a little. Sure enough, the energy came back, but so did the wt.! I'm back up to @ 270 again! It sure doesn't take long to put it back on again!
So, I guess I ought to be thanking you, but gee golly wow was it good to have some carbs again!!!! But I'll get over that. I did before, and I guess I can do it again. Might still let myself have a biscuit now and then, but maybe I'll need to limit it to one every 6 months now? But what's life wihtout a challenge, eh? Thanks for the motivation.
Blackwater I'd be proud for you to get on the wagon ! I know first hand and full well the debilitation and lack of life being over weight can and will bring . You can only better yourself in every way by losing . Fat kills and it's a downhill hellish ride to release . I was nearly to the bottom when the Lord intervened through fervent prayer. My hope and prayers are with you . I know you have medical conditions that have to be considered but it can be done .
Use this thread , start one for yourself but let us be with and help you . I wish many would .
Amen.
Good morning, pork butt,
Don't be discouraged, my friend. You knew you were eventually going to plateau. Keep up the good work. You're doing great.
Thank you my friend . Naw too hardheaded to get discouraged . I bout got this thang whupped . The run lasted longer than I thought it would . Regroup/pray .
Weight today 6-5-16
237.4
I occurred to me that posting what I had to eat the previous day might give a slight insight to the loss for the 'todays' weight . It's not a guide but could give an idea of the result ?
Yesterday ;
2 small apples
1 microwave cooked acorn squash with fake 0 calorie butter and Splenda
1 large turkey leg (half at lunch time , half at supper)
Pine Baron
06-05-2016, 07:16 AM
Good morning pork butt,
Please be careful using the "Splenda", I'm not a big fan of artificial anything. For instance, you might be better off adding carrots to the squash as a sweetener substitute. Just sayin'.
Good morning pork butt,
Please be careful using the "Splenda", I'm not a big fan of artificial anything. For instance, you might be better off adding carrots to the squash as a sweetener substitute. Just sayin'.
That's a good idea ! I will try it . Tell you another way to sweeten and change acorn and butternut squash . Microwave a cup of chopped/diced apple and just mix it with the squash , it's dang good ! I use very little artificial anything but will occasionally just to change things a little .
MaryB
06-05-2016, 11:10 PM
A little real maple syrup would be better and not much needed because of the intense flavor..
That's true MaryB ,I have been so against sugar I never considered it . Thanks !
Gained back a pound point 2 . Been here many times , if I continue to cut back on food/calories I'll just get weak and sick . Time to coast a few days and attempt to maintain till my body catches up to the weight I have lost . I expected this , I was hitting it pretty hard trying to lose all I could . What would you do to try and get back on track fast as possible ? Suggestions ?
Blackwater
06-06-2016, 07:15 AM
You're a lot further along this path than I am, so it's hard to give advice. But FWIW, if anything, I'd just find a point where I had just enough energy to get through the day, and then just stick with it, long term. When losing wt., one hits those plateaus where wt. doesn't come off. It's when our internal survival facilities kick in that work when we're in a starvation situation. But stick with it, and it'll start to come off again. A friend of mine who's always been a huge eater has been on a very extreme diet, and he's hit those plateaus semi-regularly, but it's working. He just hits those "hard spots" where he doesn't get a lot of reinforcement via wt. reduction, but he's stuck with it, and suddenly, for no apparent reason, he'll just start shedding the pounds again for a while, and then he hits another plateau. He's really in the last stages of diabetes, so he's fighting for his very life in it, and knows it. It's a rather bleak existence for an old country boy who loves to eat, but he can get around now, and his health has improved dramatically, to the point that he can get out to fish or hunt semi-regularly. And he virtually lives for that, which has been a tremendous motivator for him. That, and going to his grandkid's ball games. His grandaughter is a real star on her ball team, and he gets tremendous satisfaction from the games. He's helped her by giving her some very good advice. She's a really tough competitor, and very aggressive and determined.
Without these motivations, I dougt he'd still be with us, and certainly not with all his feet and legs. So keep motivated, and don't keep your nose on the scale's readouts. "Lift up thine eyes" and find whatever motivates you. Stick with the plan, modify it as it truly appears to be needed, and just keep on keepin' on. You'll reach your goal. How could you miss if you simply do that?
GOD is with me . It isn't hard not to eat , as a matter of fact it's easy not to eat for me . That's kind of a problem because it tends to make me go too far not eating enough . I'm not discouraged at all just need to get back to a new starting point and not have a 'shed' incident . That shut down the weight loss for a good while . I don't need that .
Pine Baron
06-06-2016, 08:31 AM
good morning pork butt,
Well we knew this would happen, didn't we? Try matching caloric intake to exercise (burning calories) and stay hydrated, for goodness sake!
Lord please give Charlie the strength of conviction to stay the course you have laid before him. Give him patience to recognize it all happens in Your time, not ours. In Jesus name. Amen.
good morning pork butt,
Well we knew this would happen, didn't we? Try matching caloric intake to exercise (burning calories) and stay hydrated, for goodness sake!
Lord please give Charlie the strength of conviction to stay the course you have laid before him. Give him patience to recognize it all happens in Your time, not ours. In Jesus name. Amen.
Thank you , your advice is sound and I will use it . I thank you for asking for help for me .
rondog
06-06-2016, 11:43 AM
I recently found out about a book by Isabel De Los Rios, nutritionist/exercise specialist/author. I'm going to check it out, you might look into it. Just Google her name.
rondog I will defiantly check into it !
MaryB
06-06-2016, 08:34 PM
I took off 100 pounds via exercise(walking, situps...), and no carbs except on Sundays my cheat day when I would have a potato or eat a sweet. You need to treat yourself once a week to eating some of your favorite foods. That gave my body the tiny carb burst needed to burn off the fat the rest of the week...
rondog
06-06-2016, 08:53 PM
rondog I will defiantly check into it !
Did I mention she's a cutie too? http://www.beyonddiet.com/lm/40478/m?food=mustard&=
I took off 100 pounds via exercise(walking, situps...), and no carbs except on Sundays my cheat day when I would have a potato or eat a sweet. You need to treat yourself once a week to eating some of your favorite foods. That gave my body the tiny carb burst needed to burn off the fat the rest of the week...
I occasionally slightly have some extra of something I like that's lo cal . Also have a small potato every once in a while ......things like that . Kind of what your talking about . Would love to have a saddle blanket pork steak cooked on the grill , lol would take 3 days to get back on track though .
Exercise is a problem . I'm pretty well broke up , back is about gone . BUT you are right ! I will promise to start doing regular exercise , I need to . Thank you !
Weight today 6-7-16;
238.6
Just trying to break even for a few days , eating more meat . I'll gain a little but make another run at it toward the end of the week .
Pine Baron
06-07-2016, 09:06 AM
Good morning pork butt,
I'm sure you meant 238.6 (unless, of course you did eat that "saddle blanket pork steak" :kidding:)
As far as exercise, back problems are a real limitation. I would think that anything that helps to work up a sweat would be in order.
Keep up the good work my friend, you're a inspiration to us all.
Good morning pork butt,
I'm sure you meant 238.6 (unless, of course you did eat that "saddle blanket pork steak" :kidding:)
As far as exercise, back problems are a real limitation. I would think that anything that helps to work up a sweat would be in order.
Keep up the good work my friend, you're a inspiration to us all.
lol , thank,s for noticing that 'small' typo ! Yea , that would be the end result of my pork steak fantasy . Must have had a flash back to 2 years ago .
I actually got on the floor to exercise this morning in accordance with my commitment made to MaryB . lol , I'm gonna try to weasel out and ask her if I can trade out the exercise for a beating with an axe handle every morning instead .
Blackwater
06-07-2016, 12:59 PM
[smilie=l: I understand. On as severe a diet as you're on, you just don't have the energy (calories) to do much of that. You can't do both at once - starve AND exercise - so when you're extreme on one side, the other has to suffer. And from what I've seen and been able to infer from that, it seems that overdoing on as restricted a diet as yours can even be very dangerous. The big problem when dietings is knowing just where the line is between "enough" and "too much." And you seem to be on the ragged edge between the two. I admire what you're doing because I know something of what you're going through, and how hard it is. In reality, you're really, at least in a way, very much putting your life on the line in order to save it. Who among us couldn't admire and appreciate that kind of courage and determination and faith, all rolled into one?
I'm not gonna croak . I ain't suffering and not even hungry. This is all going to shake out for me in the long haul ......guarantee it ! MaryB is right , need to get my stove up butt ta movin although the axe handle therapy sounds more appealing . It's all playing out fine as long as I don't revert to thinking on my own and let him guide me . Left on my own I would never have got this done , I was checkin out when I started . He saved me . I could not have done this myself .
MaryB
06-07-2016, 11:04 PM
My back is destroyed, bone on bone in the lumbar area, massive bone spurs in the rest, plate in my neck... I gardened for an hour today, it is good healthy exercise and I get to eat good healthy food! My lettuce patch went nuts this year!
I occasionally slightly have some extra of something I like that's lo cal . Also have a small potato every once in a while ......things like that . Kind of what your talking about . Would love to have a saddle blanket pork steak cooked on the grill , lol would take 3 days to get back on track though .
Exercise is a problem . I'm pretty well broke up , back is about gone . BUT you are right ! I will promise to start doing regular exercise , I need to . Thank you !
rockrat
06-07-2016, 11:56 PM
Man , I would love to weigh 243. Down 13 lbs so far, 87 to go. Shooting for Christmas next year. Its TOUGH
My back is destroyed, bone on bone in the lumbar area, massive bone spurs in the rest, plate in my neck... I gardened for an hour today, it is good healthy exercise and I get to eat good healthy food! My lettuce patch went nuts this year!
I understand MaryB , It's a bummer when you have been active all your life . Sheer force of will can carry you for a long time but ultimately the pain wins out . Glad your garden is doing well , going to be a dang good year for gardening here .
Man , I would love to weigh 243. Down 13 lbs so far, 87 to go. Shooting for Christmas next year. Its TOUGH
What do you want to get down to ?
Weight today 6-8-16;
239.0
Doing pretty good , thought I'd gain more back quick but trying to build up and maintain best I can . I'll hit it again Friday , It's unrealistic but I'd love to knock out another 10 pounds in the same time as the last . In the mean time more protein/ meat .
Yesterday had ;
Baked chicken leg quarter
Around a 1/4 pound of pork loin baked
Two yellow squash
I'm looking forward to going back hardcore on Friday !
Pine Baron
06-08-2016, 08:24 AM
Good morning pork butt,
Still in the 230's, that's encouraging. Tomorrow is "hard core" Friday. Are you feeling up to it? Sure wouldn't want you to over do it too soon.
Good morning pork butt,
Still in the 230's, that's encouraging. Tomorrow is "hard core" Friday. Are you feeling up to it? Sure wouldn't want you to over do it too soon.
I'm good . Optimistic , looking forward to it , it's happening Friday ! Didn't want to take a break anyway , just needed to .
Lord be with me and guide me . Please help me finish this . Stay with me Lord . In your name I ask it . Amen
Pine Baron
06-08-2016, 01:31 PM
Amen.
Weight today 6-9-16 ;
239.4
Yesterday had ;
Big turkey leg
2 small summer squash baked
1 sliced large tomato with dressing
4 jalapenos
Blackwater
06-09-2016, 07:25 AM
Boaz, I have to admit, I'm amazed at how little you're getting by on. You're a real inspiration, brother! Thanks. Examples like yours MEAN something to many, even if we don't post it very often. Thanks.
Pine Baron
06-09-2016, 09:21 AM
Good morning pork butt,
Well, "hard core" Friday is upon us. Get crackin'.
I'm good to go . Looking forward to tomorrow . Shouldn't even say it but am hoping to hit the 20's in this run , probably 'jinxing' myself by talking about it lol. Attitude is good , goal oriented , determined , we shall see ! He is with me .
Lord be with and guide me . You have given me strength and confidence , you have held me up . Continue to be with me in this and sustain me . In your holy name I ask it . Amen
Pine Baron
06-09-2016, 09:45 AM
Amen, my Brother, Amen.
Weight today 6-10-16 ;
239.2
Yesterday I had ;
2 big homemade pickled sausage
big salad with turkey and used mustard for dressing
2 nectarines
1 small apple
Starting back in earnest today . I maintained pretty good while taking a break , didn't gain but a couple of pounds back so it's a good deal .
Blackwater
06-10-2016, 10:03 AM
Boaz, you've become a hero to me. How you say it's "easy" is mystifying to me. If I ate like you do, I'd have the shakes constantly! But I'm trying to chase you as hard as I can go and keep the shakes to a bare minimum. Keep up the good work, but take care of yourself. Don't want any more shed incidents! And don't let the plateaus make you impatient. The lower your wt. gets, the harder it is to lose further. It's the body's many mechanisms working. They think you're starving, and can't tell the difference between willful wt. reduction and famine circumstances. That makes it harder to lose wt. and harder to just keep the hands steady on the throttle and steering wheel, but the wt. will just suddenly start dropping again. As in the old song, "keep your hands upon the throttle and your eyes upon the rails."
I have repeated many times that GOD is helping me . It has been easy .
Pine Baron
06-10-2016, 03:52 PM
Hey pork butt,
I'm a little late to the rodeo today, but good job. Welcome to "hard core" Friday. Keep it up, my friend.
gunoil
06-10-2016, 04:52 PM
if one can afford a recumbent tricycle, l lost 20 lbs., ain't even trying. Ride in neighborhood late evening wihen sun dwn,, hour bout 4 days week. Mine was catrike 700. I stepped up a lil with one l have now.
I replaced milk w/choc almond milk,,, ice cream with dannon plain yogurt (add fruit). No chicken eggs pork shellfish (allergies w/last two). I eat beef potato's, i eat tuna salad l make. I quit eating out. I do not buy from frozen section in market. I eat all the bread l want. Lots of fresh fruit. Found a hamberger noodle (yoke free) casserole dish on google.
Breakfast is sourdough bread toasted w/honey-& butter, quaker oats with bananas, coffee. For at least 5 years. Sometimes a piece of country ham.
eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, supper like a pauper.
You haf to eat to loose weight, you need protein.
My answer is a recumbent trike. My friend has this one: & his YouTube channel below.
Buy: http://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/172018840717
http://youtu.be/L8B3ZGCAeDI
______________________
pay me know or oay me later but the riding is only way. It must be you new deal. Diets do not work. Your riding after 60 will change your life. Stamina, lungs, sleep, etc.. So enjoy ride a lil' in evenings.
pm if ya want, i will always ride. iam 63
I thank you for the advice . I agree the protein (meat preferably) is a deal breaker , I really don't eat enough meat but planning on adding more on a daily basis . I'm sure the trikes are nice but a little out of budget right now. I appreciate the input !
Boaz, you've become a hero to me. How you say it's "easy" is mystifying to me. If I ate like you do, I'd have the shakes constantly! But I'm trying to chase you as hard as I can go and keep the shakes to a bare minimum. Keep up the good work, but take care of yourself. Don't want any more shed incidents! And don't let the plateaus make you impatient. The lower your wt. gets, the harder it is to lose further. It's the body's many mechanisms working. They think you're starving, and can't tell the difference between willful wt. reduction and famine circumstances. That makes it harder to lose wt. and harder to just keep the hands steady on the throttle and steering wheel, but the wt. will just suddenly start dropping again. As in the old song, "keep your hands upon the throttle and your eyes upon the rails."
With the medical conditions you have you must take it slow . Going too fast would be very bad . I have faith in you and know you can . Just take it slow and pray for his help , he will help you . With GOD all is possible .
Here in this Chapel we pray daily for each other . We praise him . We tell each other that GOD will help you through prayer and love for him . GOD IS helping me and I'll not deny him the praise . I am inconsequential , I deserve no praise or recognition. Christians are always stating as a fact of his intercession and help but when it gets real many back off suspicious of the claim of receiving help . I have received no power of prophecy , power of healing the sick , I can't turn water into wine.......without him intervening I would have been dead a year ago .
In my own church when I claim he is helping and healing me some go silent , a direct claim that GOD is working in your life can be suspicious . Why ? I am physical evidence of his work ...not mine . It bothers me when fellow Christians doubt or scoff of his power and love . I'm pretty dang sure I'm not a special example , I'm not special in any way .This is a daily occurrence for many . Take it on faith or not , when anyone tells me he is working in their life in a good way I'll listen . Think about .
Blackwater
06-10-2016, 08:04 PM
Amen, Boaz. The hardest part for me is believing He'd even WANT to help me, but I know He does. And you're right. Most folks tend to believe only what they see, but part of that is because they don't look deep enough or often enough to see an awful lot that goes on all around them. And, I suspect many of them don't really want to, actually. At least not really. If they did, they'd look into things enough to delve them out. Most legitimately don't have a lot of time, but I suspect many of them are really kind'a glad of it. Many don't have any faith in their ability to interpret scriptures, so they don't even try! It's kind'a the self-fulfilling prophesy. But it's there for those who'll simply take a long, honest look, and simply LET themselves see the things that they've been ignoring and not noticing for so many years. Christ is always there.
This always reminds me of that old story about the guy walking down the beach with Jesus. He looks behind them, and sees only one set of footprints in the sand. So he turns to Jesus and says, "Lord, I notice that behind us, there are places where there are only one set of footprints. Why did you leave me alone at those times?" Christ answered him saying, "My child, those are the places where I carried you." There's an awful lot of Truth in that story. Sometimes we just don't see how much Christ really does for us because we view it through a filter of our "I wants." He's not some sugar daddy in the sky, and though he DOES indeed provide for us lavishly, we usually don't really appreciate it, and just complain that we don't have more! I've really come to appreciate what I have. It's all a total gift, and nothing we could possibly do could ever merit any of it.
That's why, like you say, all glory and honor goes to the Lord. We're all His to begin with, but some fall away and decide to be simply on their own without Him. And He lets them go, if that's what they choose. But those who stay faithful, even though trying his patience at times, He rewards richly - far beyond anything they could ever "earn." Do we worship a wondrous and awesome God or what?
Yesterday had ;
Turnips for lunch
small turkey leg (last leg I had cooked , sad)
About 400 calories for the day
Signs of progress .
A year and a half ago I was wearing a size 68 in pants and overalls . I'm wearing size 50 pants now and they are too big . I only buy 2 pair of pants and one pair of overalls when going down in size . I find it gives me more incentive to get to the next size down . Becky bought me two pair of size 40 Levi's for my birthday 2 months ago ...smart move on her part ! I'm trying to get there .
Wore a 5x tee shirt when I started , I'm now wearing a 2x . I can buy clothes at Walmart instead of having to order online from a fat shop ... it's pretty nice and a third of the price .
When I change to a smaller size the old one's go in the Salvation Army box . Burning bridges...no turning back .
It was just about sunrise a couple of months ago . Carried a big kitchen bag of trash out to the trash can . It was pretty heavy , lifted the lid with my left hand and heaved the bag up with my right . Was wearing some old fat shorts and they fell down around my ankles . I'm standing on the front porch bare to the world . I guess that's progress ?
I had to get a new vehicle last August after a guy pulled out in front of us and trashed the old Mercury . First thing I had to do when checking out a prospective new ride was see if I would fit in it .
Bought a used Hyundai Sport SUV and with the seat jacked all the way back (looked like I was driving sitting in the back seat) and the tilt wheel all the way up I barely fit in . Since then the wheel is in half position and seat is pulled up about half way . It's a good deal !
Pine Baron
06-11-2016, 07:12 AM
Good morning pork butt,
I'm back on schedule. So here goes.
Yup, I agree with you and BW, all Glory goes to God. I KNOW that I should be dead, but I'm NOT, thanks to the Grace and Mercy of our Lord. I know my Salvation is assured, by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. My Faith is strong, thanks to the conscience gained through the Holy Spirit. All Glory and Praise goes to God.
I want to thank you, Charlie, for the opportunity to follow and lend support to your current journey. I just know you are going to be successful. Oh yeah and thanks for that freakin' visual "on the porch".
Keep up the good work, now that your turkey legs are gone, try some fish. I will continue to pray for you.
Teddy (punchie)
06-11-2016, 09:02 AM
Just read most of this post. So glad your losing weight. Thank God !!
What I tell (as if I'm one to talk) people is fiber, and lean proteins eat as many vegetables. Stay way from starch, potatoes, corn, carrots and the like have sugar. Now that said they do have fiber and you do need carbs.
About salt. Ask doctor about it. He said if you eat one processed food a day, you have no need to use salt.
I came back with how about long days in the hay field. He said you still have no need for the use of a salt shaker.
Pop and sweets are my are my short coming. I like chips too. Heck I think we all do. I know diet is a change in life style . Not just a short term in staying away junk food. Liken to a going up a scale, want to stay low don't do some of the things that lead to gain.
I'm only looking to loss 20-30 pounds as I'm that much over weight. 40 would be ideal.
Just read most of this post. So glad your losing weight. Thank God !!
What I tell (as if I'm one to talk) people is fiber, and lean proteins eat as many vegetables. Stay way from starch, potatoes, corn, carrots and the like have sugar. Now that said they do have fiber and you do need carbs.
About salt. Ask doctor about it. He said if you eat one processed food a day, you have no need to use salt.
I came back with how about long days in the hay field. He said you still have no need for the use of a salt shaker.
Pop and sweets are my are my short coming. I like chips too. Heck I think we all do. I know diet is a change in life style . Not just a short term in staying away junk food. Liken to a going up a scale, want to stay low don't do some of the things that lead to gain.
I'm only looking to loss 20-30 pounds as I'm that much over weight. 40 would be ideal.
All your advice was good and I thank you ! Junk food is always a problem , we are surrounded by it . Becomes too easy to give into fast , easy and frankly it's pretty dang addictive . I also thank you for the encouragement !
Good morning pork butt,
I'm back on schedule. So here goes.
Yup, I agree with you and BW, all Glory goes to God. I KNOW that I should be dead, but I'm NOT, thanks to the Grace and Mercy of our Lord. I know my Salvation is assured, by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. My Faith is strong, thanks to the conscience gained through the Holy Spirit. All Glory and Praise goes to God.
I want to thank you, Charlie, for the opportunity to follow and lend support to your current journey. I just know you are going to be successful. Oh yeah and thanks for that freakin' visual "on the porch".
Keep up the good work, now that your turkey legs are gone, try some fish. I will continue to pray for you.
You don't realize how much I appreciate your words Pine Baron .
Blackwater
06-11-2016, 08:34 PM
Thanks for the stories, Boaz. Had an appt. with my kidney doc yesterday and one thing we determined was that I needed to use my meter more. Today at dinner, I checked my blood sugar and it was 51! It's not difficult to take dieting too far when you're diabetic, so .... looks like I need to recheck my lofty ambitions and use better judgment. That's tough with all the garden stuff coming in now! But .... when a man's got to do things .... he'll find a way. I wish I could say I was having as easy a time of it as you do! Maybe it's just God's way of keeping me humble????
You can't afford big fluctuations in your sugar level . Did you ask your doc for a plan to lose ? I understand the complications but as I said go slow . Check with him/her to see what could be feasible . Losing should help your medical situation . Don't even think of hitting it like I am .
Pine Baron
06-12-2016, 08:32 AM
Wow, Boaz. You are hitting it hard! Please be careful (like you need me to remind you). Stay hydrated, water is our friend!
BW, You can do this. I want you to know that you have more support and prayers than you realize.
To all, go in peace, my friends.
Yea I'm motivated to get to the 'twenties' . Yesterday had about 2 cups of cherry tomatoes and a bout half pound of baked lean turkey breast . I'm good !
At this very second I'm making fresh green beans southern style with onion and smoked turkey breast . NO BACON ! Trying out the turkey and bet it will work to stay lo cal . I need reminding on the water , I don't drink enough .
LOL , hit the jackpot at the supermarket bargain bin yesterday . Bought about 15 lb of fileted turkey breast for $1.19 a pound .....good deal !
square butte
06-12-2016, 09:08 AM
If you are full of water it will keep you from eating. And you will lose weight running back and forth to the bathroom. I got up to 68 ounces day before yesterday. Should be about 87 ounce for my body weight. Lost 1.5 pounds that day. But could not duplicate the water intake yesterday. One thing to remember - Coffee causes inflammation. It's a cortisol producer in the body which is a major producer of inflammatory response. Naturopaths say that the main causes of disease are Dehydration - Inflammation - and Malnutrition. Water intake makes everything work better in the body - Except if you drink to much, You will die.
Blackwater
06-12-2016, 09:37 AM
You can't afford big fluctuations in your sugar level . Did you ask your doc for a plan to lose ? I understand the complications but as I said go slow . Check with him/her to see what could be feasible . Losing should help your medical situation . Don't even think of hitting it like I am .
Yeah, and it's basically boiling down to doing it just like you said - slowly. Kind'a hard for a guy who's always been plagued with IMpatience. But it's the only game in town for me now, so ..... I'll play it as best I know how. She also verified that the pancreas is just one of several parts of the endocrine system, and that's why some diabetics can eat things that others can't. My initial contacts with my GP, who is a bit of a specialist in diabetes, resulted in part in his telling me to let my meter tell me what I can eat and what I can't, and that's been the best single piece of info I've had. It's been a revelation to me, and very surprising in some instances. For instance, I have no idea why, but I can eat a Snickers bar, like when I'm hunting or fishing and need some energy, and it doesn't spike my blood sugar much, and gives me energy in an on-going basis. Potatoes, grits and any form of flour (biscuits!) spike my blood sugar by far the worst. I'd trade all the Snickers bars in existence for the ability to eat biscuits, but that's just not an option for me.
The kidney failure was apparently caused by an oversized bladder that can't be emptied fully, allowing any infection (which sugars feed, of course) to grow, and it simply backed up to my kidneys and almost killed them. Was on dialysis for @ 3 mo., and they managed to get my kidneys back working again. Boy! Was THAT a BLESSING!!! Having always been 10' tall, bulletproof and immortal (or thinking I was), I'd never even given the slightest consideration that my kidneys might ever be a problem. Very humbling!
So I've got to be very careful of what and when I eat, and how much. For me, eating something that's flavorfully satisfying helps a lot. I can't eat like I once did when I was a virtual perpetual motion machine, but I'm just glad to still be here. After the initial crisis, the doc who literally saved my life said he had no idea why I hadn't had a stroke or heart attack, my potassium level was so off the charts. I guess the Lord thought I needed to be humbled, and boy, did He ever succeed in that!
My docs also said that if I can get the wt. off, I would probably be able to quit the meds and control the diabetes with diet alone. So that's my goal. It's just confusing HOW to get there! It's really kind'a frustrating balancing all the factors I have to deal with now, but it's the only game in town, so I've got to play it, or else.
You're a real inspiration to me. And that matters. Thanks. Our solutions may differ, but it's good to see someone succeeding. And I'm VERY jealous of how easy you say it is for you! It's not for me. Us ol' country boys LOVE our dinners! And resisting temptation has never been my strongest suit! That's why it matters.
If you are full of water it will keep you from eating. And you will lose weight running back and forth to the bathroom. I got up to 68 ounces day before yesterday. Should be about 87 ounce for my body weight. Lost 1.5 pounds that day. But could not duplicate the water intake yesterday. One thing to remember - Coffee causes inflammation. It's a cortisol producer in the body which is a major producer of inflammatory response. Naturopaths say that the main causes of disease are Dehydration - Inflammation - and Malnutrition. Water intake makes everything work better in the body - Except if you drink to much, You will die.
I'm in total agreement on the water . I have noticed it helps when I drink more , I need to work on that and will . Makes sense .
I agree
Yeah, and it's basically boiling down to doing it just like you said - slowly. Kind'a hard for a guy who's always been plagued with IMpatience. But it's the only game in town for me now, so ..... I'll play it as best I know how. She also verified that the pancreas is just one of several parts of the endocrine system, and that's why some diabetics can eat things that others can't. My initial contacts with my GP, who is a bit of a specialist in diabetes, resulted in part in his telling me to let my meter tell me what I can eat and what I can't, and that's been the best single piece of info I've had. It's been a revelation to me, and very surprising in some instances. For instance, I have no idea why, but I can eat a Snickers bar, like when I'm hunting or fishing and need some energy, and it doesn't spike my blood sugar much, and gives me energy in an on-going basis. Potatoes, grits and any form of flour (biscuits!) spike my blood sugar by far the worst. I'd trade all the Snickers bars in existence for the ability to eat biscuits, but that's just not an option for me.
The kidney failure was apparently caused by an oversized bladder that can't be emptied fully, allowing any infection (which sugars feed, of course) to grow, and it simply backed up to my kidneys and almost killed them. Was on dialysis for @ 3 mo., and they managed to get my kidneys back working again. Boy! Was THAT a BLESSING!!! Having always been 10' tall, bulletproof and immortal (or thinking I was), I'd never even given the slightest consideration that my kidneys might ever be a problem. Very humbling!
So I've got to be very careful of what and when I eat, and how much. For me, eating something that's flavorfully satisfying helps a lot. I can't eat like I once did when I was a virtual perpetual motion machine, but I'm just glad to still be here. After the initial crisis, the doc who literally saved my life said he had no idea why I hadn't had a stroke or heart attack, my potassium level was so off the charts. I guess the Lord thought I needed to be humbled, and boy, did He ever succeed in that!
My docs also said that if I can get the wt. off, I would probably be able to quit the meds and control the diabetes with diet alone. So that's my goal. It's just confusing HOW to get there! It's really kind'a frustrating balancing all the factors I have to deal with now, but it's the only game in town, so I've got to play it, or else.
You're a real inspiration to me. And that matters. Thanks. Our solutions may differ, but it's good to see someone succeeding. And I'm VERY jealous of how easy you say it is for you! It's not for me. Us ol' country boys LOVE our dinners! And resisting temptation has never been my strongest suit! That's why it matters.
I was in serious condition when I started , near death . I had to go slow , that's why I'm still losing a year and a half later . It's been a long ride with several rest breaks along the way to keep from going down . It's just in the last 6 months I have lost enough to speed up the diet without doing damage . I was misdiagnosed and the medication was slowly killing me for 4 years . Had to wean myself off taking 16 pills a day , down to 4 a day now and praying I can get rid of 2 of those . The arthritis and water pills will be there till I die most likely .
I enjoy food as much as you do . I could live on Mexican , down home cookin , fried , whatever you can name . The Lord has helped me through my PRAYING for strength (including craving food) and guidance , HE WILL HELP ! He is responsible for the healing ...NOT ME . Use the good sense he gives us and seek his intervention through prayer . He is close by .
Go slow , keep him on your mind and on your heart , pray often . Talk to him . You have the rest of your life
Blackwater
06-12-2016, 02:12 PM
Amen to that last! I've also come to the conclusion that when you get old and challenged, if you don't have a good and sometimes wry sense of humor, you'll never get through it, and certainly wont' enjoy much of it. But a sense of humor tends to make it the most enjoyable and interesting segment of our lives. Some people wonder if God has a sense of humor. I'm convinced He does. If he didn't, why would he have created us???? But we walk along, picking up what pearls we can, and seeking them unendingly, life takes on a whole new flavor, and this enables us to take what most consider serious things, very lightly, and it makes us focus on how serious what's generally considered to be "the little things" truly are. As the old saying goes, "too soon old, too late smart." But it's one heckuva' ride, isn't it? I don't think folks who don't have a sense of adventure and daring in them can really appreciate life fully. I know that view is filtered through my own personal experience, of course, but it's what I've found in my own time and in my own way. I'm just proud the Lord has seen fit for me to be able to "fight the good fight," and has been so patient with me along the way. Truly, He's SO beyond our meager capability to understand Him, that any pearls we get along our way are only a bare hint of who and what He really, truly is. And how powerful He is, if we simply let Him work within us. Very humbling. VERY humbling!
Pine Baron
06-13-2016, 08:56 AM
Good morning Pork butt,
Lookin' good, old man (that would be the pot calling the kettle). Keep up the good work. You are indeed an inspiration to us all. (and some pretty darn good stories too)
Life is a story. We all got em .
The day I got lost in the pines .
In 74 I lived lived in Tacoma Washington for 7-8 months . Suppose ta go to work for Vorheves Rig Moving based there . They moved land oil rigs in Alaska and moved offshore rigs around . Being young and dumb I went to Washington state on their promise to hire me . They kept putting me off after I got there with one excuse or another so it never panned out . Time wasted except for some great fishing .
It was deer season thought I'd go deer hunting , lots of public land west of Tacoma. Didn't take a deer rifle but I did take an old pump 12 gage Ithaca with a 28'' barrel . Didn't take any 'good' guns because thought I might get em stolen . In theory I was going to be in the field most of the time . Bought two flat box's of slugs and next morning started up the Nisqually river on logging roads in the dark .
It was breakin daylight when I pulled over and loaded the 12 gage , took off walkin fast , wanted to find a clearing . Just weaving through the underbrush and trees thicker than I thought was possible . Being brought up mesquite brush country I roamed miles out as a kid hunting . Couldn't find a spot you could see more than 20 feet ahead . About 10 am I came to the conclusion I was lost . Couldn't see the sun or sky This was a new deal for me . I was heading north when I left the truck . No one was going to come looking for me because no one knew . Started back in the direction I "thought" the truck was . Started taking stock of what I had on me . Had nothing to eat except a piece of smoked salmon big as your hand wrapped up in a piece of tinfoil . Had a good heavy coat but night was gonna be tough , snow on the ground , gonna get cold . Lots of thoughts . Had the better part of a pack of Camels and a new pack in my coat pocket . I had filled my Zippo lighter up the night before so was good there for a while . Shrade skinning knife and a 3 blade case pocket knife . 3 slugs in the shotgun and 5 more in my pocket . Sure did wish I had a box of 12 gage 4 shot about that time .
Blackwater
06-13-2016, 03:26 PM
Well ..... did you find the truck or did th' injuns gitcaha'???
I walked a good way . After about 2 hours I hit a logging 'road' . My pick up was about a quarter mile back east . LOL , put my gun behind the seat and went home . Only been lost 2 times .
MaryB
06-13-2016, 11:57 PM
Take some nice lettuce leaves(romaine works well for this), put a few slices of turkey on, some sliced or chopped tomatoes, onions, carrots etc(whatever you like on a turkey sandwich), drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil(will help weight loss!) vinaigrette. Roll up like you would a tortilla wrap and munch!
Yea I'm motivated to get to the 'twenties' . Yesterday had about 2 cups of cherry tomatoes and a bout half pound of baked lean turkey breast . I'm good !
At this very second I'm making fresh green beans southern style with onion and smoked turkey breast . NO BACON ! Trying out the turkey and bet it will work to stay lo cal . I need reminding on the water , I don't drink enough .
LOL , hit the jackpot at the supermarket bargain bin yesterday . Bought about 15 lb of fileted turkey breast for $1.19 a pound .....good deal !
Thanks MaryB , that sounds Good !
This thread is kind of taking a lot of Chapel time up right now . I'll take a break but be back to report when I hit the 'twenty's' . Keep me in your prayers . Thank you
Pine Baron
06-14-2016, 08:37 AM
Okay pork butt, I will leave you with this, WATER, WATER WATER. God bless you and keep you strong and focused.
Blackwater
06-14-2016, 12:50 PM
Pine Baron, what with his success so far in reducing his wt., we may have to start calling him something besides "pork butt." Maybe he's now more like Yosemite Sam or Taz???? But he's too mild mannered and thoughtful for those two. And he's certainly more intelligent and thoughtful than Daffy. We need to get him a new moniker, and I can't settle on one that fits. He's still too big to qualify quite for Tweety, but he's about that smart. Can't think of just the right character. He seems to be one of a kind. Y'all chip in and let's get a moniker that seems "right" for him. I doubt we'll ever find one in the realm of cartoons. Maybe the cowboys? Like "Shane" or "Hondo?" Y'all help me here. Surely there's got to be one that gives him credit for what he's doing, and still keeps him humble enough to keep him sticking to it.
Pine Baron
06-14-2016, 01:53 PM
BW, check out post #87. Who am I to argue with Prairie girl?
Blackwater
06-14-2016, 08:04 PM
[smilie=l: OK. I concede. Point well taken. Pork butt it is!
Thank you ! I am a pork butt ! But not for too long , enjoy it while you can !
Blackwater
06-15-2016, 01:21 PM
Keep going for it! You're doing great! And you're a real inspiration to us who are "diet challenged." I'm having some wierd meter readings that don't make sense, and lots of others here are "eating challenged" too, I'm sure. Keep waving the flag as high as you can.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.