Still in

Wow, so it's been a month since I've updated.

I haven't been to the gym in a couple of weeks. Upsetting? Not really. The weather has been amazing lately, so I've been spending a lot of time out there. Today was still a really nice day but I felt like going to the gym anyway.

I feel great. I've got more energy, my mind feels sharper, and even when I'm physically exhausted and burnt out I still feel fantastic.

This whole "exercise" thing beats lethargy anyday. Really, why I've let myself slip so far into such a shape as I'm in now, I may never understand.

So in a couple of weeks, I'm going to have health insurance again. I haven't had insurance in well over a year, so I think as soon as that comes in I'll be scheduling myself for a physical. I'd REALLY like to know how much I weigh now, and get some bloodwork done to determine my cholesterol and whatnot.

I went to give blood last week and the nurse at the blood center said I have "perfect" blood pressure. Which is great, because last time I gave in February, they noted that my blood pressure was a little high. Downside: I couldn't give double-units of red blood cells because my Iron was a little bit low. Up until I heard that, I've always thought I was in great health despite being more than double my ideal weight and smoking two packs a day.

So...what else is new...

After the nurse noted that my iron is a little bit low, I decided to start taking supplements. No, I'm not taking Creatine or Hydroxycut or anything like that (although, when I was 16, back when Hydroxycut had Ephedrine in it, I lost a *ton* of weight combining that with diet and exercise) . I started taking a daily multivitamin with iron, plus a daily Vitamin E supplement (for my bad skin) as well as 3x 1200mg Fish Oil caps and 3x St. John's Wort caps. I've been taking these for almost a week now and I think I'm noticing some differences, though it may be psychological. My skin is clearing up a bit, my dandruff has cleared up almost entirely, my hair actually has a nice luster to it, I'm full of pep (I only have to hit 'snooze' once now!), and I notice myself smiling with my head held high a lot more often. Some of these things may be due to the sudden shift in diet and exercise though.

I've got shirts I bought at the Big & Tall a month ago that fit better now than they did the day I bought them, and they were 100% cotton! I've gone down 1.5 belt notches (man, if there's anything that's always been a missed blessing when losing weight, it's been being in between belt notches).

All in all, I'm feeling fan-effing-tastic. Sorry I haven't been around to update lately though. Oh, and I almost forgot...I'll be posting an updated picture soon, but I left my camera in my car and it's currently at the mechanic's being worked on. A reason to post!