The Newest Progress Pics

Good Evening Team Captains!

How are you doing?  How is your summer going?  Are you doing the things this summer that you said last summer you wished you had done?

As far as health, fitness, overall wellness, and life in general...What is working?  What are you currently struggling with?  What are you working towards?  And lastly, what are your goals as we progress through the third quarter of 2014?

I've been away from corresponding with you all for a bit of time now.  I decided today I would take the time to give all of you an update.  The Team Jake is still going strong.  At this point, The Team Jake is still winning at life.  There have been some hiccups a long the way as I will discuss in greater depth.

- As everyone already knows, I have Multiple Sclerosis.  Since the beginning my Neurologist has been very open and honest about that.  He has always stated, "You have MS and we are going to treat as such, but in the eyes of insurance companies and those at the forefront of researching this disease, I am unable to give you the official diagnosis on paper until certain criteria have been met."  What he meant by this was that a greater length of time was needed to see how things went. 

To be officially diagnosed with MS you need one of the follow...1. my doctor had to experience me having at minimum two clinically isolated events that were due to the disease.  Fortunately for me,  I have not had another exacerbation since I got my speech back last year.
2. Two MRI scans one year apart with Contrast injection.  If this has been done and active brain lesions are found...You can now be diagnosed as having Multiple Sclerosis. 

This is how I just received my official diagnosis.  I had an MRI in June, which I promptly put into my laptop to view.  From there, I clearly saw 6 new active lesions.  You don't need to be a doctor to see them when they are this notable.  I immediately brought the disc to my Neurologist.

Long story short, I had another handful of active brain lesions that had formed since last year.  So I have Multiple Sclerosis even to insurance companies now.  The benefit of knowing this is that it officially clears me of the possibility the lesions are brain tumors.  Hurray for that at least!!!!

As I finish for tonight I want all of you to know that I have made huge progress in the way becoming healthy.  Aside from MS, I am the healthiest I've been in my entire adult life.  Even my latest medication for cognitive function is aiding in me going back to school.  I am currently taking classes to go for my real estate license.

What are you goals for Fall?  I want to hike more now that the heat will be dissipating.  Do you have any plans?

What are you going to strive for?  What can you improve upon?  What can I help you with?  What can you help me with.  As always, let's learn together!  Let's celebrate together!  Lets share and help each other!

 

First post at the age of 30! SPRING CLEANING!

Good Evening Team Captains!

I hope that you are all well this evening!  Hurray, its almost may!  Warm weather is slowly rolling in.

How are your team journeys going?  What ideas are you playing around with right now?  What changes are you looking to make?  Anything specific that you need help with?

Its that time of year where we focus on Spring Cleaning.  Spring Cleaning doesn't need to be just for your home. Sometimes it is true that a clean house is good for a clean head. 

Realistically, we all have opportunities for individual improvement...LOTS OF OPPORTUNITY FOR MYSELF.  This is the time we should be working with our teams and creating the plan that we need to succeed.

Some of the current goals that I am working on are as follows:

1.  Hike a minimum of one mountain every week until its cold again.  So far It has worked.  I hiked some dune bluffs on Cape Cod for 5 hours this week.  Last week, I hiked Blue Job Mountain in Strafford, NH.  Next up???

He/she is a buddy of mine that I met while hiking during
 my b-day vacation in Provincetown, MA.
The newest member of The Team Jake

2.  Increase the amount of cardio activity that I am doing outside.  For many months now I've spent a great deal of time inside the gym.  Its the perfect time of year to enjoy the outdoors.  So far I am successful with this.  I was actually able to lose weight while on my birthday trip to the Cape.  Teaching myself moderation and priorities really has helped.

3.  Increase my muscle building routine.  As I lose more weight I am going to need to replace the fat with extra muscle to prevent any excess skin.

I have taken great strides already but I do want more.  I know that pushing myself is going to be something that I always want to do.  Call is being wiser as I've aged but I want to be better!

What is working for you?  What are your goals for Spring and Summer?  Are you planning on doing anything different from previous years?

THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING THIS JOURNEY WITH ME!!!  I have the best team ever.  The Team Jake is amazing!

Last post from my 20 ' s

Good Morning Team Captains!

I hope that all of you are well on this relaxing Sunday morning.  It has been a bit since my last post.  The Team Jake has had some wonderful accomplishments and a few hiccups.  Overall my team is still very successful.  How is your team doing?  Is your Captain doing all that can be done?  If not, it's not too late to begin. 

Since I last write, I have hit my 100 lbs milestone weight loss.  I began last fall at 385 lbs.  Now I'm at 285 and still dropping.  This has had the added benefit of being able to fit into very expensive clothes I purchased 5+ years ago.  I bought a blue coat back then that never fit but I wanted it anyways because I knew one day I could wear it.  Sadly, I won't be able to wear it long.  It's now looking baggy.  I think this is a problem I can deal with.

Overall, my health is great and I feel great.  Not bad as I'm turning 30 tomorrow.  I'm currently in Provincetown, MA celebrating this event.  This will likely be my last post from my 20s.  This celebration is actually two fold...I'm turning 30 and because last year on my birthday I woke with the inability to speak, leading to my diagnosis of MS.

Friends let's celebrate together.  What is working for you?  What are you struggling with?  Let's learn together. Let's share together. Let us win together!!!Good Morning Team Captains!

I hope that all of you are well on this relaxing Sunday morning.  It has been a bit since my last post.  The Team Jake has had some wonderful accomplishments and a few hiccups.  Overall my team is still very successful.  How is your team doing?  Is your Captain doing all that can be done?  If not, it's not too late to begin. 

Since I last write, I have hit my 100 lbs milestone weight loss.  I began last fall at 385 lbs.  Now I'm at 285 and still dropping.  This has had the added benefit of being able to fit into very expensive clothes I purchased 5+ years ago.  I bought a blue coat back then that never fit but I wanted it anyways because I knew one day I could wear it.  Sadly, I won't be able to wear it long.  It's now looking baggy.  I think this is a problem I can deal with.

Overall, my health is great and I feel great.  Not bad as I'm turning 30 tomorrow.  I'm currently in Provincetown, MA celebrating this event.  This will likely be my last post from my 20s.  This celebration is actually two fold...I'm turning 30 and because last year on my birthday I woke with the inability to speak, leading to my diagnosis of MS.

Friends let's celebrate together.  What is working for you?  What are you struggling with?  Let's learn together. Let's share together. Let us win together!!!

Blood work Results - pretty good news

Good Morning Team Captains!

I hope that you are all well today!  I hope that, leading into spring, your weeks are full of achievements.  What successes have you had?  What about set backs?  Are you trying anything new?

Today, I'm writing for all of you to know what tangible effects that current lifestyle changes have had on my blood work results.  

Last week, for the first time in a few years, I had a complete physical by my primary physician.  I knew going into this that I would receive some good news but also, judging by my past health issues, I might not be completely happy.  For some reason I always have a fear with receiving my CBC results.  Maybe its a fear of cancer after years of smoking.  Who knows...

...In any event.  I received great news.  As I've said on here before, I am officially in the two hundred pound club.  I am still in the high 290s.  This will change though.  My vitamin D levels are completely normal with my once per month supplement.  My testosterone levels are normal without any supplementation (THIS IS HUGE...NO MORE INJECTIONS OR CREAMS).  My overall cholesterol results were great.  The only, very tiny, issue was my bad cholesterol.  It was 8 points over good.  My doctor isn't concerned and neither am I.  This is likely due to the large amounts of eggs and turkey bacon I had the day before.

Once again...AWESOME NEWS!  I love continuing to have reasons to celebrate as The Team Jake!

What great news have you had?  Whats working for you?  What do you need help with?

Let's learn together.  Let's celebrate together  Let's WIN TOGETHER!

Progress Pics

Good Morning Team Captains!

I hope that you are all well today.  Have you had any successes this week?  What struggles have you had?  Is it time to regain focus on the objective?

You all have been able to see different foods that I eat, restaurants that I frequent, and my gym routine.  You all know that I feel much better by making the changes that I have.  What most of you don't know is how much different I look now.

Because you are all amazing people that are part of The Team Jake, I wanted to share my progress pictures with you.

I only started making changes in August 2013.  The change visually since then is staggering.  What do you think?

I am proud of the progress that I have made.  What progress have you been able to achieve?  What is working for you?  What do you need help with?

Let us all share together.  Let us learn together.  LET US WIN TOGETHER!!!

Another Celebration - Go TEAM JAKE

Good Morning Team Captains!

I hope that you are all well on this frightfully cold March morning in New England...If you are not reading it here please don't mock us to bad for living in the frozen tundra, known as New Hampshire.   But I digress...I came here to announce another celebration for The Team Jake.  

As you all know, from reading past posts, I began a journey of running just a few months ago.  It has been a slow journey yet rewarding at the same time. 

When I began running it took me closer to 45 minutes to complete a 5k.  This whole time I've made it a personal goal to run a 5k sub 30 minutes.  For months now I've tried and tried to do, with no luck.  I was, for weeks, stuck at 30 minutes 15 seconds for those 3.1 miles.

Well my friends and teammates....I did it...twice in the last week I have been able to complete a 5k in 29 minutes 45 seconds.  And through all of the running and eating very clean I have dropped 85 pounds total.  I am in the 200 Club finally after several years.

For many of you this is probably trivial and that's ok.  I began my journey a few months back much heavier and much slower then I am today.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ME AND THE TEAM THAT HELPED ME ALONG THE WAY!!! 

What successes have all of you had?  Any journeys that are just beginning?

Let's share together.  Let's learn together.  LET'S WIN TOGETHER!

Recipe - Scrambled Eggs and Turkey Bacon

Good Morning Team Captains!

I hope that you are all wonderful on this fine winter day.  It's a new week...do you have any specific goals for this week?  Is there anything that didn't go so "hot" last week that you are going to try again?

As I've stated in the past, my goal with this blog is to present new and positive information based on restaurants, products, recipes, and behaviors.  Thus far,  I've done several of these.  This, however, is my first recipe.

Anyone whom has attempted a healthy lifestyle through dietary changes know that there are many times where your hunger is insatiable.   This likely has to do with one of two reasons.  Lack of protein or boredom.  This recipe helps with the first...

...Today's recipe is how I make my scrambled eggs.

Ingredients:

1 large egg
1 cup of egg whites
3 slices trader joes uncured nitrate free turkey bacon
2 tbsp  diced onion
1 tbsp Herb De Prevance
1 tbsp olive oil


I make this breakfast every time I have a day off of work.  I know on my days off I'm usually busy running errands and completing tasks and I refuse to let my hunger get in the way of eating well.  This meal accounts of 428 calories and 45 grams of protein.  I am always satisfied until lunch after this meal.

Are there any specific meals that you love to make that fulfill all of your hunger needs and are very well balanced.  If you have any questions please let me know.

We will learn from each other!  We will succeed together!  We will win together!

Doctors Appointment - Another Achievement

Good Morning Team Captains!

I hope that you are all well on this fine winters day.  I hope that you are starting to see progress on some of your team goals.  Is your team winning yet?  If not, that's ok.  We can begin again or build off of what is working.

Firstly, due to an issue with the application I use to post all of these posts, my last two attempts at posting were deleted.  This is the first one since I got it fixed.

Since we were last updated I had another weight loss.  I dropped another ten pounds.  Woohoo! That puts me at a total of 63lbs since August 2013.  This lose in weight is just the added bonus of the real goal, feeling better.

As I've stated before, weight has never been part of my goals...Health and wellness are!  It is thrilling to see all this positive progress towards both.   I met with another teammate yesterday; my primary care physician.   He was absolutely thrilled to see the weight loss, normal blood pressure, and a visibly more dedicated team captain.

Dedication in one's self!  In years past, I've gone into doctors appointments and nodded my way through appointments as I though I'd always come back to health issues needing to be fixed.  This never worked nor was it ever done.  In the last full year I've decided to become an expert in my body.  I read, read, and read some more.  I feel I should be the most knowledgeable person in my health.  I'm close to that.

I now direct my teammates in the conversations about my health and what needs to be done.  Their response..."you have this under control and your head and body are heading for the right places."

This was another successful week/month.  I had great news.  What accomplishments have you had?  What is working for you?  What can you teach me?  Let's share.

We will learn together!  We will win together!  We will be successful together!  I hope that you become Captain of your own team!

How are you today?

Good Evening Team Captain!

I hope that you are all having a fantastic week with lots of fulfilling activies...

...In the next few days I will be posting some healthy and wholesome and not to forget, yummy recipes, that I like to make.

After that,  you will also see an additional restaurant review.  Where have you eaten lately that you rave about the quality and healthy food?

Together we will learn.  Together we will share.  Together we will win!  It's not too late to become a Captain of your own team.

Healthy Options - El Rodeo - Portsmouth, NH

Good Morning Team Captains!

I hope that you are all having a stellar week thus far.  One desire I've had with this blog is to update people of healthy alternatives available at certain restaurants while at the same time reviewing the restaurant's food

This is my first..

...Two days ago I went to El Rodeo with a friend for lunch.  My buddy spoke very highly of the food there.  Anyone who enjoys Mexican food also knows it can be harder to find healthy alternatives at a Mexican Restaurant.

My first impression at El Rodeo was that the place looked and felt like an authentic Mexican restaurant unlike most local TexMex places. 

As with most Mexican restaurants the meal began with chips and salsa.  This is where I first experienced their quality food.  Even though I eat a very clean diet I couldn't say no to a few crisp tortilla chips especially given that their homemade salsa was just how I prefer; blended without chunks, lots of cilantro, and not overly spicy.

Next up was their tableside guacamole.   Their presentation and preparation of the guacamole was nice.  The volcanic rock mortar and pestle used for preparation was also the vessel used to present the food.  I would give the overall flavor of the guacamole an 80 out of 100.  It was a quality dish but done a bit on the bland side.  In the future I'll be sure to ask for more salt, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeños during the making.  Though bland it was still a decent guacamole.

Lastly, came the lunch entree.  I was searching for items on the healthy side.  It wasn't plainly obvious what would match my dietary needs.  All the items on the vegetarian section contained dairy in everything.  Finally I came onto Pollo Yucatan.  It was to be a chicken breast marinated with roasted vegetables and citrus.  When the dish finally came out I was pleasantly surprised.  The chicken had been butterflied ensuring it to be cooked thoroughly.   This also increased the space to have marinated.  It was a nice touch.  The vegetable side on the plate was avocado with fresh Pico de gallo.  It was all very light and flavorful.  I would recommend this dish to those avoiding dairy, beef, and saturated fat.

Overall I would recommend El Rodeo for their presentation and quality.  The décor itself is a little cheap but well made up for by their food.  I will definitely be eating there again.

As always team captains…Let me know if you have any additional ideas.  Together we will learn.  Together we will win.

One week view of my fitness.

Good Morning Team Captains!

I hope that your weekend was filled with achieving many successes.  If it wasn't, well thats ok too.  Its a brand new week in a brand new month.  Take control of your team and make a plan for success.  Start small with simple achievements...i.e. to feel better, to be active 30 minutes 3 times per week, or to eat low carb for one month (Anything that you want to change that will help with your end goal).  With these small manageable objects we can all be successful and support each other.

This post is a snapshot of what my fitness week was like last week.  Periodically as my routine changes I will update you on what I am doing.  I hope that you will do the same for me and the other Team Captains.  Together we will learn.  Together we will win!

Monday: Extra Day

This day is not on my schedule for the gym.  Instead, it was nice out so I took a 4 mile walk with a friend.

Tuesday: Leg Day

4.1 Miles 63 Minutes Eliptical Machine Level 3

Leg Press Machine -  3 sets of 12 Reps @ 170 Lbs

Leg Extension Machine - 3 sets of 12 Reps @ 110 Lbs

Leg Curl Machine - 3 sets of 12 Reps @ 90 Lbs

Calf Extension Machine - 3 sets of 12 Repts @ 125 Lbs

Crunches - 1 Set of 20 Reps with 20 Lbs  (I should tell you that I'm very wimpy with my abs...I, likely, could break a leg and still cry less then if I did a normal day of ab workouts.  I tend to err on the side of caution and limit my ab workout until I get used to the pain.)

Thursday:  Chest & Back Day

4.58 Miles 65 Mins Eliptical Machine Level 3

Butterflys 1 sets of 15 Reps @ 70 Lbs

                 1 set of 12 Reps @ 90 Lbs
                 1 set of 10 Reps @ 100 Lbs

Row 3 sets of 8 Reps vertical hand placement @ 50 Lbs
         3 sets of 8 Reps horizontal hand placement @ 50 Lbs

Chest Press 1 Set of 8 Reps 60 Lbs
                    1 Set of 8 Reps 70 Lbs
                    1 Set  of 8 Reps 90 Lbs

Lat Pull Down 1 Set of 8 Reps 110 Lbs
                        2 Sets  of 8 Reps 90 Lbs

Crunches 1 Set of 20 Reps with 20 Lbs (See Tuesday)

Sunday - Arms and Shoulders

5.15 Miles 68 Minutes Eliptical Machine Level 3  (This one I'm especially proud of.  I started off just a few weeks ago looking to do a 5k.  I was able to complete just 3/4 of it.  I worked at it each time at the gym.  Finally I've exceeded that 3.1 Mile goal (5K) and I'm up to 5.15 Miles.  Maybe I'll work on a 10K next.

Curls 3 Sets of 12 Reps @ 70 Lbs

Military Press 3 Sets of 12 Reps @ 60 lbs 

Incline Chest Press 3 Sets of 12 Reps @ 80 Lbs

Crunches 1 Set of 20 Reps @ 20 Lbs

Where to go from here?

Good morning leaders!

When you hit a milestone where do you go from there?  As I stated in Monday's post, I dropped another ten pounds.  That puts me at a total of 50lbs dropped since August.

At any other point in time when I've lost weight or attempting to get into shape, I would have celebrated this win.  Today I feel different.  I am happy to have shed those pounds but I don't really feel like I did much to do so.

The biggest change, I made, to make this positive impact was changing my mindset.   In the past, like most people, I dieted.  This time I never dieted.  This was all about a series of small individual changes I've made to my life that, lucky for me, have made me drop some weight. 

This whole health regimine that I am on has so little to do with my weight and so much more to do with how I feel.  Right now I feel good but that's not my goal.  My goal, I want to feel great.  I will settle for nothing less. 

Don't get me wrong...I'm very proud of myself and my team, but I have even higher aspirations.

As I step off my soapbox, what are your goals for your team?

Jacob Normandeau

Team Captain

The Team Jake

We are all successful for taking the steps towards our goals!  JN

Neurology Appointment - Successful Day!

Good Afternoon Team Captains!

Today I had my quarterly Neurology appointment.  Walking into the appointment I planned to speak to the doctor about the following list:

1. Exhaustion and dizziness at the gym.

2. Excessive Yawning after the gym.

3. Extending my new MS medication choice for another three months.

4. Putting me on LDN at the moment.

5. My repetitive bad steroid reaction.

6. The greatness of Ritalin helping me get through the day.

7. Lastly, when my yearly MRI will take place.

Actual Appointment Results

1.  As far as exhaustion and dizziness goes...he said exactly what I already knew, which is that; with MS raising your core body temperature can have an effect like exhaustion, dizziness, and instability.  He said I'm fine to continue doing what I'm doing but to know my limits as not to pass out again.

2. Excessive Yawning after the gym.  Once again likely from raising body temp but it is likely benign so not to worry about it.

3.  He was fine with me pushing out starting a new Disease Modifying Drug for another three month since I'm doing so well right now.

4. He is fine with putting me on LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone) but wants me to look into pricing before making the commitment.  He said he has seen mixed results but if it's cheap enough he's fine with me starting that treatment.

5.  Steroid Reaction...well he agreed that I shouldn't be put on steroids again as I'm obviously very sensitive to it.  The doctor stated that he doesn't believe that I'm allergic to that class of drugs just highly sensitive to it.  He said fortunately there are other choices for any future exacerbation.

6.  He feels the same as I, that the Ritalin is having the desired effect on my cognitive function.  Lets get a cheer for limited fatigue.  

7.  As far as my yearly MRI...He said we will start scheduling that when we meet in April.

8.  One last item came up during our conversation.  I dropped another 10 pounds! 

Success!!! 

Overall, this Neurologist appointment went well.  I am happy and he is happy!  This all makes Team Jake very happy.

What good news have you had in your recent Doctors visits?  Lets celebrate all the wins in our lives!

Healthy Me: Soon to be - Part Two

Good evening team captains!

I hope that all of you are having a great time reaching for the stars trying to better yourselves!  I stated two days ago that I would complete part two of Healthy Me: Soon to be.  Here it is.  It's better late then never.

This post would not be complete without acknowledging that I was able to run a 5k yesterday and a follow-up 5k today.  It is my goal to do these 5-7 days per week until the 5k Road Race that I am running on April 5^th, 2014.  This single achievement is evidence of my aspiration to feel better, live better, and be better.  All it takes is incremental steps…

As I stated in my first post, I became most committed to making changes this past August.  After months of feeling terrible and living a stagnant life I knew I needed a change.  With my diagnosis of MS, now months behind me, I went into action trying to find physical and mental outlets.  My first task became organizing a team for a MS Society Walk in October.  This was very successful; nine of Team Jake teammates walked after having raised more than $1500.00.

Though this was an important step for me in my goals of feeling better it wasn’t where I ended.  I hiked more mountains and trails this past fall than I likely had my entire 29 prior years.

While improving my activity levels I also began watching my food consumption.  I followed a weight watchers diet for about three months.  This was boring to me as it was so regimented.  By November, 2013 I was off Weight Watchers but instead making smart food decisions.  I eliminated as many starch and flour based carbs as possible.  If I didn’t have to eat bread then I wasn’t going to.

As this progressed I became slightly more militant.  I started following the philosophy that if it comes in a bag or a box at the grocery store you probably don’t want it.  Obviously, this wasn’t easy.  I am still not 100% with this but I make every effort I can.

My final dietary change came at the end of December.  Up until this point every document I read on the subject of Multiple Sclerosis pointed to diet change up to and including a Paleolithic diet.  The Paleo diet seemed too structured and without any glory for me.  While researching alternative ways to cut out bad things I found even more damning evidence against dairy and beef.  There I had my answer…With the overwhelming evidence that Dairy and Beef are bad for inflammation within the brain of MS patients I was done.  I gave up beef and dairy.  This was the single hardest change I’ve made.  This was also the single greatest change I have made.  I feel so much better already in just the month I’ve been without it.

Lastly, I made a vow of becoming even more active and physically fit.  For one month now I’ve been going to the gym three to four times per week.  I focus on cardio for 30-50 minutes each time and the rest weight training.  I have no idea if I’ve lost weight.  I refuse to jump on a scale.  In fact, my father and I, shot our scale over 100 times (I know…guns…but we are from Maine after all).

I don’t know precisely how much weight I’ve lost.  Honestly, I don’t care.  At the end of the day I feel so much better!  This is worth more than anything else.  As this blog progresses I will let you know in greater detail the things I do for myself and the things my teammates do for me.  Until then…Captains gear up…Its an all hands on deck game tonight.

Completed my first 5k!

Congratulations to me on completing my first 5k Run

My goal today was to complete part two of "Heathy Me: Soon to be".  Unfortunately, this didn't happen.  I'm going to pat myself on the back anyway...I completed my first 5k Run today, albeit at the gym rather then the street.  Regardless of the location, for the first time in my life, I ran a 5k.  This was part of my training to run an actual 5k Road Race on April 5th, 2014.  Whatever your goal in life, we all get there the same way...STEP BY STEP.  What did you achieve today?  Lets together celebrate our wins!

Healthy me: Soon to be - Part One

For about six years now I've experienced weird, and up until recently, unexplained health issues. I collapsed at the gym on Christmas Eve three years ago. At that time, I couldn't type, nor write a letter at work. (I could compose the letter, however, I could not get my hands to work, which meant I could not physically handwrite or type said letter.

On three separate occasions I was left unable to feel the right side of my face and hand.

The latest time, on April 26th, 2013, I woke up again unable to feel the right side of my face.  The next day the sensitivity in my right hand was affected. And on April 28th, my birthday, I woke unable to speak. It wasn't that I couldn't form the words...it was more like I had an overload of Novocaine that wouldn't get better.

At best, I was slurring my words.

At worst, I was damn near unable to form any discernible words.

One week after that I lost hearing in my right ear.  

Over the next few months I was unable to work...it's not possible to be in a retail leadership position without being able to communicate with your staff and customers.

Throughout that entire time I underwent test after test. A total of three MRIs, a CT scan, Evoked Potentials (visual, auditory, and sensory), and cognitive testing.

Officially, I was given a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.

To most, this type of diagnosis, would lead to sadness and depression.

Most grieve after such bad news.

In ways, I celebrated it.

I didn't jump for joy, but I did realize it was a better diagnosis than any of the things mentioned to me over the years.  Up until that point, a heart defect, stroke, and brain tumor had been thrown around.

I celebrated because my diagnosis was none of those things.

The Discovery!

After processing my diagnosis in my mind for a few months, I had an "Aha!" moment.  I realized up until that point I had been abusing my body every chance I could...

I started smoking at 12 years old.

I had my first drink around the same time, followed by excessive drinking at 15.

That all pales in comparison, though, to the damage done to my body because of my dietary choices. 

At 18, I began making really great money. As most irresponsible 18 year olds do, I spent it all. Rather than buying lots of fun and distracting things, like cars and TVs, I bought food. High end, flavorful, and mostly terrible dietary choices followed me around until May of this year.  Once I was out on short term disability, I decided I needed to make better choices on what things I chose to spend my money on.  Living on 60% of my pay seemed ominous.  

It wasn't until August of 2013 I had my awakening moment.

I realized food was KILLING me.

I  weighed 375lbs....and I looked awful, to say nothing about how I felt.

I had my health and financial answer...STOP EATING BAD FOOD!

Done!

I finally had figured out an answer to my financial mess...and with hope, my health mess, as well.

Eat better and exercise!

The goal of the Team Jake blog is discuss the choices I have made to live a healthier life.  Also, if I am able to help anyone else on their journey I will be thrilled!

Be sure to check out part 2 of this post to see a more detailed account of the steps I'm taking to feel better, live better, and BE BETTER!