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!