Why I Lost 180 Pounds in 18 Months

On January 1, 2014 I was fed up with being fat and decided that "enough was enough."  I had let myself get to a slovenly 394 pounds and that is FAT... even for a 6'1" big man.

I could not walk more than a few steps without getting shortness of breath and if I walked much more than 50 feet I was exhausted.  I knew that I had to do something or I was going to die, and I had to do it fast.

My immediate goal was not to lose a huge amount of weight, but rather to stop gaining weight.  If I could do that, I could then begin to consider short and long term goals, but I knew I had to make some changes in my life or I was not going to live much longer.

I won't bore anyone with the morbid details but I have a weak heart which was at approximately 20% functionality due to some undetermined (by my cardiologists) disease or infection that I had experienced in my adulthood.  It was only after some pre-op testing that the seriousness of my heart condition became an issue.  I was going to have a simple shoulder operation to repair some damage and remove some bone spurs that were the result of a terrible 18-wheeler accident that I had been involved in years ago.  When the EKG came back abysmally abnormal the surgeon postponed the surgery in lieu of a full examination by a cardiologist.  Further testing by a cardiologist found the extreme heart damage and the surgery was put on a back burner as my heart problems were being addressed.

Subsequent cardiology testing resulted in my being classified as "Totally Disabled" and thus my working career as a truck driver came to an end.  I was now a retired man whether I liked it or not.

The surgery was planned in 2006 and my eventual classification of total disability came in 2007.  At this time I was already a big man... too big... but not as big as I was about to get.  Since I could no longer do any physical activity I was pretty much relegated to being a couch potato.  Maybe that is a stretch but it is what I became and since I didn't make any effort to change my eating habits I began to gain weight.

Like most of us, eating has always been one of the pleasures of life that I really enjoy.  I absolutely love the taste of a good hamburger, tacos, pizza, bacon, cheese, bbq pork, and you can fill in the blanks from there on out.  Oh... don't let me forget how much I love the taste of a Snicker Bar... or even maybe a bag of the small ones.  Wow!  I love my food.

Needless to say my weight climbed and climbed until that day in January of 2014 when it approached 400 pounds.  The last weight I can actually remember seeing on the scale was 394 but I am sure I was heavier than that before I dedided that I had to change my life.

Over the next 18 months I lost 180 pounds and I felt like a new man.  There is no other way to put it.  I have a life again.  I now am back to doing things I really love to do and I am getting out and visiting friends I hadn't seen in years.  I have my life back and I am a happy man.

BUT... I am confused.  I have told quite a few people... I even posted on Facebook about my weight loss... and I am absolutely flabberghasted that NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON has asked me how I did it.  Wow!

The 180 pound mark was hit in July 2015 and now it is only a couple of days away from being October of 2015 and not one person has asked me about how I did it.  The thing that amazes me is that even after I told everyone that I did it without one single bit of exercise (because of my heart condition), I STILL did not get any questions from anyone.  I have thought about that and I have a theory which unfortunately I am thinking is right on the money. 

Here is my theory:

PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT.

Yes, you read that right.  People simply do not want to lose weight because it does include sacrifices... actually, a LOT of sacrifices.  People wish they weighed less, but they simply do not want to go through the process of losing weight.  Am I wrong?  I might be... but I don't think I am.

That's okay and I can not be judgemental, because I ate my way to an enormous weight and was classified as being "morbidly obese" and if there had been a higher classification of obesity I would have qualified for it.  The simple fact is that a person can not and should not think that they can lose weight simply because they think they would like to lose some weight.  People who lose a lot of weight usually have to have some sort of event in their life to make them realize that they simply do not have a choice and that they absolutely MUST lose some weight and will do WHATEVER it takes to do it.  Otherwise you are simply kidding yourself and you know it.

I hope those of you who have gone through this can identify with what I have done and I applaud you for what you have done.  Life is great, isn't it?

How to Choose a Hummingbird Feeder

It's that time of the year again and I'm back to writing about one of my favorite subjects... Hummingbirds.  The following is a basic guide to selecting a hummingbird feeder.  I hope you enjoy it.

Are you considering the purchase of a new Hummingbird Feeder and are confused by the myriad of different design models available?  Read the following and make your decision a little bit less complicated.  You will see some of this information in my previous blog posts, but sometimes information is important and repetition is not necessarily a bad thing.

First... are you looking for a "Yard Ornament" or are you seriously looking for the best and most efficient Hummingbird Feeder?  Unfortunately, most of the choices available at your favorite retailer are aimed at the less informed and are little more than a yard ornament.  Yes, almost all of them will allow a hummingbird to get a drink of nectar, but most of them are poorly designed and actually ATTRACT insects instead of REPELLING them.  Read on for more information.

In the simplest of terms, Hummingbirds are attracted to RED, Insects (Bees, Wasps, etc.) are attracted to WHITE and YELLOW.  That is all you need to know.  If there are pretty flowers on the feeder that have either the color white or yellow incorporated into their design then you are looking at a veritable INSECT MAGNET.  A high-quality will not have either of these colors in it's design and construction.  A true hummingbird lover will stay away from feeders that have white and/or yellow on them.  The insects attracted by these colors will invariably cause problems that quite simply are detrimental to the health of your hummingbirds.

Does the feeder have a perch?  Sure, hummingbirds can hover and feed without a perch, but why make the beautiful hummingbirds work so hard for their food when their life is already a balancing act?  A quality hummingbird feeder will have a perch that allows the hummingbird to rest while drinking nectar.

How many feeding ports does the feeder have?  Feeders with only a few feeding ports cause more infighting among the hungry little hummers and, even though there is going to be some territorial squabbling anyway, why invite more problems for them?  We should be making life EASIER for them... not more DIFFICULT.  A well-designed feeder will have a MINIMUM of six feeding ports with eight to ten being more optimal.

Are the feeding ports "Bee-Proof"?  Many poorly designed hummingbirds have feeding ports that allow insects to simply climb down into the nectar.  Not good!  The insects invariably drown and pollute the nectar, turning it into a toxic solution that can and will cause sickness and even death to a hungry hummer.  There are "Bee Guards" that are available that will fit on some hummingbird feeders, but even these allow the insects to squeeze down part-way into the port.  Very few hummingbird feeders actually have ports that are designed to be "Bee and Wasp Proof."  That is a shame.

Regardless of how well the feeder is designed, there will always be the occasional small insect that will get into the nectar and the only way we can be sure to have healthy nectar is to change it regularly.   If you have a poorly designed hummingbird feeder you should consider changing the nectar EVERY DAY.  With a well-designed feeder you should change the nectar at least twice a week.  Of course, people that have a lot of hummers feeding in their yard don't have to worry so much about the nectar going bad because it is consumed very quickly by the hummers.

ANTS are a HUGE problem with hummingbird feeders.  Some feeders like the Hummzinger line of feeders from Aspect have a built-in ant moat and it is effective.  However... the built-in ant moat is down near the ports and even when I use this type of feeder I prefer to hang a separate ant MOAT above the feeder to keep the ants as far away from the nectar as possible.

Adding a red dome to keep the rain, sun, and falling debris off of the feeding ports is also a good idea.  An added bonus is that the red color of the dome will make the feeder much easier for traveling hummers to find your feeder and many of these may hang around and make your yard their new summer home.

NEVER use red food coloring in your hummingbird feeder.  Quite simply, red food coloring can cause health problems for your hummers.  Yes, some will say that this is not proven and that some red food colorings are not as bad as others.  I will simply say this.  It is NOT necessary to color the nectar to attract hummers, so why take a chance?  A hummingbird will find your well-designed red feeder without the nectar having to be colored red.  I always say that people who color the hummingbird nectar are doing for their own vanity and are not putting the health of the hummingbird as a first priority.  If you are not serious about the health of the hummingbirds you should not be feeding them. PERIOD!

How to make Hummingbird NECTAR...
Mix 4 parts WATER to 1 part Cane SUGAR.

I can go on and on and on about what to use and what not to use... about whether to boil or not to boil the nectar, and maybe I will in a subsequent blog, but it simply is not necessary to boil the nectar.  Doing so is fine, but is not absolutely necessary.

If the sugar you buy at the supermarket does not say CANE sugar on the label then it is most likely made from the sugar beet.  Sugar made from sugar beets is fine but experts say that they have found that, when given a choice, hummingbirds will choose the cane sugar nectar over the beet sugar nectar.  Either will work... I use Cane Sugar marketed by Domino.
NEVER use honey, confectioner's powdered sugar, or brown sugar to make your hummingbird nectar.  These are not good choices.  Keep it simple and just use white granulated sugar... preferably cane sugar.

Look at your Hummingbird Feeder as an investment into your happiness and for the health of the beautiful hummingbirds.  You wouldn't invest in anything that was poorly designed, inefficient, and basically a disposable commodity would you?  That is what most of the hummingbird feeders on the market today are.  They are nothing more than objects designed for profit to the distributor.  Be discriminative when you are choosing a feeder and don't waste your money on junk.  If you want to save some money on a nice feeder you can make it yourself.  You will need to purchase a good base for the feeder because this is the most difficult part to make, but you can make a nectar reservoir from a plastic pop bottle, an empty Nyquil bottle, or even an empty glass bottle if you have the right tools to drill through glass.  I enjoy making different types of feeders... my favorite is one I made using an empty "Orange Blast" spray cleaner bottle.  I made a nice red dome from a red plastic punch bowl and added a red ant moat and a good base for the feeder to make the Hummingbird Feeding Station.  That is a picture of it at the top of this page.  If you need any hummingbird supplies or if you have any hummingbird questions (and are too lazy to Google the answer...lol) give me a shout any time.

My favorite Hummingbird Feeder base is the one made by Best-1 with 8 Bee/Wasp-Proof feeder ports and a double-ringed concentric perch.  This base can be used with almost any threaded plastic or glass bottle and also can be purchased with their own glass bottle.  I usually have at least three different brands of feeders hanging in my yard and my hummers seem to like the Best-1 base the most.  As I mentioned earlier, Hummzinger is also a really good brand of feeder but their feeders do not allow the use of recycled bottles.

Enjoy your Hummers...
Arbuckle Bill
wsikes1@gmail.com

Getting Ready for the Ruby Throats

It is April and the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird northern migration is in full swing.  Although no new 2014 sightings have been recorded in West Virginia this year, several have been made in northern Virginia and it won't be long before we begin seeing the early arrivals.  I have seen Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds in my yard as early as April 1, but that was one of my regulars (Rube) and he was always one of the first to arrive.  Most of my hummers show up later in the month and some don't arrive until early in the month of May.  I want to be ready for them, especially the "early birds" because they will be fighting some chilly weather and will need some serious calories to get through the cold nights.
I have already put up a couple of feeders and am watching them closely.  I think it is a great idea to go ahead and put the feeders up BEFORE, rather than AFTER the first hummer is sighted, simply because I may miss a bird or two and they will go hungry if I am negligent.  There are very few insects and virtually no natural nectar available for food in my area in early April, therefore it is CRUCIAL that we get our feeders up early for them.  
In earlier blogs I have listed some "Do's and Don'ts" relative to feeding hummingbirds and you may or may not want to glimpse back and take a quick read.  For those of you who don't care to do the research right now, I am going to list a few things I do and/or don't do with my hummingbird feeders.
Here is a Short List:
1. Mix your nectar using 4 parts water to 1 part table sugar.  Bring it to a boil on the stove to kill any bacteria and to help make the nectar a viable solution.  Let it cool off before pouring it into the feeder.  I know... you already knew that... lol.  If you make your nectar any stronger that this 4:1 mixture you run the possibility of causing dehydration in your hummers. Hummingbirds love clean, clear nectar that is mixed 4:1 and that is the only recipe/formula you ever need to use. 
2. NEVER use HONEY in your feeder.  Honey will not provide the calories that the hummingbirds need to sustain life and could cause their death within a short time if they fill up on Honey Nectar.  Look it up on Google if you have any doubts about what I am telling you.
3. Never use FOOD COLORING in your nectar.  Red Food Coloring (especially #7) has been shown to cause cancer in some lab animals and the jury is still out on the #40 red food coloring.  Modern hummingbird feeders are red and there is simply no reason to color the nectar.  I know it is pretty, but why take a chance with the health of the hummingbird.  If you want more RED on your feeder simply add a red DOME or a red ANT MOAT, both of which are both colorful AND functional.  Please do not use red food coloring in your feeder.

In previous blogs I have discussed which colors attract bees, yellow jackets, and other insects.  Check it out if you are having a lot of bees and other insects on your feeder.  You might be surprised what you find out.

If you have any questions and would like to bounce it off of me, feel free to shoot me an email at wsikes1@gmail.com.

Watching CBS Promo's aka "Trying to Watch the Golf Tournament"

I am biting my tongue.  It is all I can do to keep from cursing CBS.  Okay, so I'm watching the NASCAR race on ESPN and I only flip over to CBS during the commercials.  I have flipped over to CBS four times now to get caught up on the action and three of those times CBS was showing promo's... not commercials... promo's.  I got one brief glimpse of Tiger Woods holing out on the 18th hole before CBS cut away to commercials and promo's.  To top it off, I have had to watch CBS promo's of the PGA Championship all week long and now when I flip over to catch a little golf I am getting more promo's.  Wow.
CBS is missing a great opportunity to televise a MAJOR golf tournament.

Lazy Pot Smokers

I get sick and go to the doctor.  The doctor gives me a prescription which I get filled and take as per the instructions.  I get well.  Did I get well because I went to the doctor?  Ask any doctor.  Sometimes we do get well because we went to the doctor and followed his advice, but the fact is that we probably would have gotten well if we had just stayed home, taken aspirin, rested, and drank plenty of juices.
What does that have to do with Lazy Pot Smokers?  I'll tell you.  There are lazy people in this world... always have been and always will be.  It is a part of our "culture."
So... what does a lazy person do?  He/she sits around and watches tv and does as little as possible.  Sometimes they read books instead and sometimes they do drugs... usually somebody else's drugs.  So... does the tv make them lazy?  Do books make people lazy?  Does pot make people lazy?  If so, let's just elect someone who will crusade to rid the world of television, books, and drugs.
Come on people.  Get real.  Yes... pot does give you the munchies... a friend of mine told me that.  Pffffffft...

Definite UFO Sighting

So, you STILL don't believe in UFO's?  Watch this film clip.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2013/08/09/dnt-ufo-in-florida-pool.wbbh#/video/us/2012/11/13/co-ufo-sightings-in-denver.kdvr

Bandits in the Kitchen after Midnight

Sissy (our dachshund) and Miss Kitty have had a voracious appetite lately and Wanda just could not keep enough food in the bowl for them. They eat during the day and before Wanda and I go to bed at night we fill their bowl up for them only to find it empty in the morning. We have been wondering how in the world these two are eating so much food? Well, we finally figured it out.
Last night Wanda got up at about 2:30 and walked into the kitchen get a midnight snack when she noticed that we had visitors. There were two large pretty raccoons having a feast of cat food and they did not even flinch when she approached them. She finally convinced them to walk out the back door and to go find another restaurant. They are regular visitors to our back door but that is the first time that we have caught them inside the house. Needless to say they are very fat because we usually leave food out for the stray cats that come by pretty regularly.
I guess we will have to start closing the back door at night now when we go to bed. That's a shame because we like the fresh breeze that flows through the house when the back door is open. Oh well, I guess the crime is getting pretty bad out here in the boonies when we have to close our back door at night.