Remember How Far You Come!!!

Sometimes you got to stop and look back of where you came from !!

A week ago I ran my second half marathon. The 1st one was back on Labor Day 2013  this day it was like 80 plus degrees at race time and  the humidity was insane I'm sure it was in the high 80's also . Now kept in mind I'm running this race a year and a half to the day that I started on my weightloss journey at 380 pounds and I was only running less than a year. Well I made every mistake possible in training   and the weather that day didn't help. So what was going to be my day to celebrate  me losing at this time 130 lbs turned into me sucking down water at every stop to just get through this thing. Well I must have walked more the last 5 miles then I ran but I got it done  in a time of 2 hours and 53 minutes.  Well everyone was so proud of me  but  to myself this race sucked and I was far from satisfied.

So I signed up for the Norfolk Harbor Lights Half Marathon  and I put down a time of 2hrs 20 mins..  Leading up to this race  I ran a 10k and finished  with a 9:17 pace a month early .  I also changed up training and started working in Leg workouts at the gym and riding the spin bike .  These two things were helping to make me feel faster and stronger than I ever was before.  I would go run 6 -7 miles and hold a under 10 min pace with no problem.  Just months earlier I would struggle to hold a 10 min pace for 6 miles .  2 weeks before the race I went running with my No Meat Athlete running group  the first 5 miles I did I  ran like 9:20 pace with my friend Heidi than the second 5 miles we meet up with the rest of the group and I ran another 5 that day and finished with a 9:45 pace.  A couple of more fast short 3-5 miles runs  of 9:30 or better . And than its almost race day.

Like in every race the talk before is what you  want to run …  While I signed up to run a 2:20 race very doable. But based on my short runs  I start thinking 2:05 sounds good . You know I can run 10 miles for a 9:45 my mind says . So with the excitement of the race 9:30 -9:45 pace won't be no problem  I'm telling myself.

So the race starts and bam there I go  first mile 8:46, mile 2 9:08, mile 3 9:12 mile 4 9:14..  While I kept it under 10 min pace till mile 10 then I went down hill fast mile 11 11:11,mile 12 11:14  miles (keep in mind the last marathon after mile 10 my times were  all in the 12,13 and even 15 min pace) miles 10 and 11  I was like in my head Idiot why you run so fast in the beginning why didn't you stick to your game plan( not sure what that game plan even was lol). While I picked it up some at the end and hit a 11:03  mile 13 and finished up the  last 4th of a mile  guess I wasn't running in a straight line   with a 10:41.

So I finished up with a race time of 2hrs and 14 mins and a watch time of 2hrs 11 mins . Not even close to my 2:05 ( even though I signed up for 2:20 time duh so i really finished 6 mins better than planned ). I was like ya I'm happy with it  I take the 2:14 but I really wanted that 2:05.  

We hung out for a while and even cheered on the runners coming in with times over 3hrs and 30 mins. By the way if you run a race go do this you will be so encouraged. Then we headed to the car and in my head everything is going what I did wrong.  Oh and a few weeks earlier I decided to run a full marathon in March also so my head is now questioning can i do that.

Well we get in the car and my phone rings  and It my friend Josh who like me lost tons of weight  for him over 200lbs and he just finished the NYC Marathon.  And he goes  Dude a few years ago you were 380lbs and you just ran a 2:14 half marathon I'm so Proud of you  !!!!!!!!!!  Oh by the way when I loaded my watch data  I had personal best in 10k,15k,10 miles,20k, and beat my previous best half time by more than 15 mins.  Ya I had reason to whine right .

Well That woke me up! . How many people in that race  where only running for less than 2 years were 46 years old and lost 150 lbs in the last 32 months. Who was I comparing myself to Josh who is 36. My friend Al who is 40 and running races way before I even lost 1 lb Or other in my age group or the people passing me towards the end that where half my age? Than I thought back to those people we watched at the end of the race walking in after 3 and a half hours  I am sure there weren't saying I missed the time I wanted by 6 mins.

Its great to set goals but at the end of the day  when we are done we need to look at where we came from and  what we achieved. If  3 years ago you would have told me I was running a Half Marathon in 2:52 minutes I would have told you  you were nuts. A 2:14 half marathon  even more nuts . Now looking back I realize what a great race I ran.

So now I am in week 2 of Marathon training  and my goal is to finish with the best time for me based on where I am at the time of the race. So what every the outcome of the Marathon I will remember every step of the way that 380 pound guy who just climbing 15 steps in the morning to get to the office or walking around the block and begin out of breath. 

The old me would come up with some time based on what  other people have done that I know but not this time !

Sounds good now right but check back with me come mid March :)  .

People,Films and Books that Helped Me along the way.

If I never watched Fat Sick and Nearly Dead where would I be today ? But I watched it and that started me on my journey.  Here is a short list of some of the resources I used In the early stages.

Like I said Fat,Sick and Nearly Dead  opened my eyes with the Story of Phil and I realized if this guy can change so can I. This film is about doing a juice cleanse to loss weight but the main point I got out of it was that we are so overweight and sick cause we eat so much food with no nutritional value !!

http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/

Forks Over Knifes: http://www.forksoverknives.com
Probably the most Important film any one can every watch. This film will change everything you ever knew about heath. After watching this I had to question everything I was every told by doctors, the government, in school, society and of cause on TV. You will learn quickly how MILK doesn't do a body good.  I learned  how most disease: heart attacks, diabetes,cancer ,osteoporosis  and a host of other are caused by eating a diet heavy in animal fats and proteins. But the good news is you will see stories of people that reverse they path by changing to a plant based diet.

Dr Fuhrman  book Eat to Live isn't a diet book but a book on how to live life to the fullest by eating a diet full of nutrient dense foods. He says " The more nutrient-dense food you consume, the more you will be satisfied with fewer calories, and the less you will crave fat and high-calorie foods" . He promotes a Diet of 80-90% whole plant foods and 10 % everything else. He also shows in this book people with all different weight issues and health issue that they path was reversed just by Eating a Whole Food Plant Based Diet.

This is the program I basically started my weight loss journey on and the weight flew off. The great thing about his program is you are always eating you aren't counting calories.

So what you do after you start losing all this weight and have all this energy. Exercise of cause so I took up running. I am a big believe in you need to keep yourself motivated by books, films and videos. And I came across this next guys book.

So here is this guy Rich Roll in his 40's, 50 pounds over weight,workaholic fast food junkie walking up the stairs to go to bed on night and is out of breath. That was his wake up call. So he decides to change. Does some fasting and gives up meat. Than the amazing thing happens he has so much energy he takes up running and within a year enters a race called UltraMan (It's a three-day race covering 320 miles on the big island of Hawaii, including a 10-kilometer ocean swim, more than 260 miles by bike and a double marathon run.) oh and with no experience he finished 11th .  Its never to late to change .......
Rich has a great podcast also that is so encouraging 
http://www.richroll.com/

Their are so many other resources that I used over the last 2 years .  

Here are some other great books :

Whole  by Dr. Colin Campbell

The Starch Solution by Dr McDougall (yes starches are good for you )

The 80/10/10 Diet by Dr. Douglas Graham

Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brenden Brazier

Approaching the Natural: A Health Manifesto by Sid Garza-Hillman (This is a great simply easy to read book )

Eat to run by Scott Jurek

No Meat Athlete: Run on Plants and Discover Your Fittest, Fastest, Happiest Self by Matt Frazier

Remember just because something works for someone else doesn't mean it will work for you. But it is your responsibility to educate yourself and figure out what works best for you so you can live a healthy,happy long life.

IT WAS TIME TO CHANGE

 

On Feb 28th 2012 I was 44 years old , weighed in at 380 pounds and had been on Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Medicine for at least the last 15-20 years.I couldn't walk up the stairs at work without being out of breath and was probably couple of buffet meals away from begin 400 lbs. My Doctor always told me not to worry about my weight because medicine can keep you alive.(this is the biggest issue with our medical system today they treat the symptoms but not what is causing it. They want you healthy enough not to die but sick enough that you need to stay on medication your whole life).

That night I found a Documentary on Netflix's by Joe Cross called Fat,Sick and Nearly Dead that changed my Life forever. Joe shows his journey on a 60 day juice fast and the amazing results that it had on his health. Joe's story wasn't what changed me it was the story of Phil Staples a truck driver he ran into at a truck stop. Phil was way bigger than me and in worse health and he did a 60 day juice fast and lost over 100 pounds and got off most of his medications. After 10 months Phil lost 200 lbs on a mostly plant based diet . After watching this I said to myself If this guy Phil can change why can't I change also !!

The next day March 1st, I said its time to change ! One of the main points in the movie was we don't eat a nutrient dense diet, because of this we need to eat more food to get nutrients in. One of the Doctors in the movie was Dr Joel Furhman  and he was the one speaking about this nutrient problem we have. So I got his book the next weekend called Eat To Live and then I was off. Another great resource I watched early on was Forks Over Knives.This documentary is amazing and it promotes how eating a plant based diet  will reverse and prevents most diseases.

Dr Fuhrman  promotes a lifestyle of eating a diet of 40% fruit 40% veggies (half cooked half raw) and don't worry about the other 20%. The more good stuff you eat the faster your weight will decrease and sickness will go away. My diet turned into eating a ton of fruits,vegetables,sweat potatoes with some grains and a little bit of meat. This cause the weight to fly off.

After 2 months of eating this way I was down  48 pounds and the thing was I slowly started making that 20 % smaller and smaller.In early April I did a 5 day juice detox. That really got ride of a lot of built up toxins in the body. It took me around 6 months to lose 100 lbs and by the one year mark I made it to 130 lbs lost. After 3 months I was able to come off my blood pressure and cholesterol med (of course my doctor thought it wouldn't hurt to stay on it longer).

August 2013 I decided to give up eating meat altogether. The only thing I was holding  out on was some cheese and eggs and milk in baked goods. Than Jan 2014 I went all the way and went 100% vegan with my diet after watching the documentary Earthlings.

So that leads me to today 2 years into the journey that changed my life. I went from 380 to 238 pounds and no more medications. I took up running after I read the incredible story of Rich Roll in his book Finding Ultra than I ran in 5 races and even a half marathon and ran a race in a banana suit. 2 years ago going up the stairs felt like a marathon. 6 months ago I took up yoga now I am able to touch my toes, two years earlier tying my shoes was a chore. Now I feel the greatest I have in my whole life. All this is only possible for me because I changed my thought process of eating and I gave up the word DIET.

DIETS don't work its lifestyle change !!

Some of the biggest things you can do to change your “diet” and life ;

1)Eat a Whole Foods Plant Based Diet!!!!
2)Limit processed foods

3)Cut out soda(yes Diet soda too, most studies say diet soda makes you add weight )

4)Cut out Dairy (Milk doesn't do a body good)(I would eat meat again before I touch dairy products)

5)Cutback on meats big time.

6)Get out and exercise .

7)If you are looking for weight loss and health advice look at people who are fit, there are a lot of fat unhealthy people out there giving health advice.

 Rock and Roll Half Marathon

My goals for this year.

Get to 200 lbs  and get in the greatest health and shape possible

Write more blog posts … what do you want me to talk about ?

The next one will be about the resource books, video’s etc I used  to get to this point.

If I can Change anyone Can !!!!!!!!

Thanks to all who helped, motivated and supported me over this last 2 years!!!

John

https://www.facebook.com/john.dempsey.923