Project David 2.0 ended on July 17th. But there was one last goal to accomplish. My last goal to reach was to be able to get off of my medications for my Type II Diabetes. I was diagnosed over 8 years ago and have managed to keep my numbers in check with medications and eating better. Each year my A1C has dropped. I had my annual A1C check a month before I decided to start this project. Numbers were good. Down a bit from the previous year. Then 90 days into my transformation I was tested again and it had a significant drop. I was near the bottom end of the normal range, if I wasn't on meds. I wondered, once I hit my goal weight, could I actually fall below the normal range, and without meds, fall into the normal range? A little over 4 months ago I went off of my medications. Last Friday I went in for a complete lab workup. Today I met with my doctor to review my results. After he talked with the nurse, and reviewed my results he came in the room. "You are a miracle man!". My unmedicated A1C was in the normal, non-diabetic range. My doctor said all my hard work had paid off. I watched as he updated my records, deleting all of my medications, and then the next change he made was something I never expected to see. He pulled up the box that said Diabetes, Type II, and cleared the check box. I was no longer diagnosed as diabetic.
Genetics come into play, and while today I am no longer considered diabetic, the possibility exists that no matter how successful I continue to be with weight management, diet, and exercise, the possibility exists that I could again become diagnosed as diabetic and have to go back on medications. I will continue to have my A1C tested every 6 months to see that I am staying within the normal levels. I'm ok with that for today I am no longer diagnosed as a diabetic. Final goal reached.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Project David 2.0: Lessons Learned
July 17th. My birthday and the go live date for Project David 2.0. Can't really call it the go live date since this project really went live on the day I started it, August 14th, 2011. It's really the project completion date. The target date to deliver all of the results scoped for Project David 2.0. This project has been a huge success. We came in under budget, we finished a head of schedule, and we delivered more to our shareholders then we committed to last year. :-)
Let's recap. There were two primary areas of focus - Professional Transformation and Personal Transformation.
Let's start with Professional Transformation. The goal was to determine what I wanted to be when I grew up. What my professional aspirations were, and how to attain them. Could my professional goals be reached if I continued down the path of a consultant? If not, where could I find what I was looking for? This goal moved much quicker initially than I expected. By the end of August I was interviewing with Best Buy for the role of Program Director for Global Business Services. The focus was on IT, specifically Infrastructure. My sweet spot, having spent the last 20+ years working in various IT roles, usually around Infrastructure. In this role I would be able to achieve what had been missing for me as a contractor. Being able to help define the strategy, implement the solution, and be able to mature and refine the solution. That is, release 2.0 and so forth. I accepted the offer and joined Best Buy on November 28th. It's been a challenging and rewarding experience so far, and a lot of challenges and opportunities a head of us.
The Personal Transformation. It started out simple. Lose 61.6 pounds in 11 months. That was it. Then came scope creep. With success came the desire to add to the requirements. First was to increase the total loss to 71.6. I hit 72.8 on June 22nd. At the end of September I started walking 6-7 days a week, 3-4 miles a night. In January I was up to just over 400 miles, and I started the C25K program. I added a goal to walk or run 1,000 miles. In March I ran my first 5k. In June a 4 mile race, and so far in July I've completed a 5 mile and a 4 mile race. Another 4 mile coming up this weekend. I've also entered the lottery for the TC10 in October. As for the 1,000 miles? 1,001.32 miles on July 15th. Two days to spare. One other goal I set was to get off of the medications for my Type II Diabetes. I'll know where we stand with that next week when I see my doctor to review the results on my lab work later this week.
Always nice to bring a project in under budget, and a head of schedule.
I could not have done this without my wife and kids, who provided support all along the way. They have been my fan club at each of my races. Their words of encouragement and their excitement as I bought each 10 pound sack of flour, representing my weight loss progress. Nothing offers more encouragement than a 4 and 7 year old saying "daddy, you're getting healthy." Thank you Deb, Anna and Jacob. I love you and I couldn't have done this without you and your support and encouragement.
I also want to thank my friends who offered their encouragement and support along the way, particularly my good friend Bob Stanke. He inspired me to share my story through this blog and through Twitter. Last year Bob set a goal to run 1,000 miles. He shared his journey on his blog and other social media avenues. Sharing created accountability which helped drive him to reach his goal. I found the same thing. When I didn't update my blog I heard from people asking how the progress was going. I was already driven to reach my goals, but the added accountability helped provide incentive. It has also given me the opportunity to share my story and help others start their own journey. To those that are on their journey, I wish you success in the pursuit of your goals.
It's been one heck of a journey. I never imagined what the end state would feel like. All I can say is it is an amazing feeling. I look forward to the next phase of this journey. As with any project there are release updates, maintenance fixes and enhancements. This next year will be about building on the results of David 2.0. Maintaining my new weight, improving my running - longer distances, faster times, and overall fitness, and continuing my professional development.
Thank you to all of you for your support, words of encouragement, and just listening to me tell my story.
Let's recap. There were two primary areas of focus - Professional Transformation and Personal Transformation.
Let's start with Professional Transformation. The goal was to determine what I wanted to be when I grew up. What my professional aspirations were, and how to attain them. Could my professional goals be reached if I continued down the path of a consultant? If not, where could I find what I was looking for? This goal moved much quicker initially than I expected. By the end of August I was interviewing with Best Buy for the role of Program Director for Global Business Services. The focus was on IT, specifically Infrastructure. My sweet spot, having spent the last 20+ years working in various IT roles, usually around Infrastructure. In this role I would be able to achieve what had been missing for me as a contractor. Being able to help define the strategy, implement the solution, and be able to mature and refine the solution. That is, release 2.0 and so forth. I accepted the offer and joined Best Buy on November 28th. It's been a challenging and rewarding experience so far, and a lot of challenges and opportunities a head of us.
The Personal Transformation. It started out simple. Lose 61.6 pounds in 11 months. That was it. Then came scope creep. With success came the desire to add to the requirements. First was to increase the total loss to 71.6. I hit 72.8 on June 22nd. At the end of September I started walking 6-7 days a week, 3-4 miles a night. In January I was up to just over 400 miles, and I started the C25K program. I added a goal to walk or run 1,000 miles. In March I ran my first 5k. In June a 4 mile race, and so far in July I've completed a 5 mile and a 4 mile race. Another 4 mile coming up this weekend. I've also entered the lottery for the TC10 in October. As for the 1,000 miles? 1,001.32 miles on July 15th. Two days to spare. One other goal I set was to get off of the medications for my Type II Diabetes. I'll know where we stand with that next week when I see my doctor to review the results on my lab work later this week.
Always nice to bring a project in under budget, and a head of schedule.
I could not have done this without my wife and kids, who provided support all along the way. They have been my fan club at each of my races. Their words of encouragement and their excitement as I bought each 10 pound sack of flour, representing my weight loss progress. Nothing offers more encouragement than a 4 and 7 year old saying "daddy, you're getting healthy." Thank you Deb, Anna and Jacob. I love you and I couldn't have done this without you and your support and encouragement.
I also want to thank my friends who offered their encouragement and support along the way, particularly my good friend Bob Stanke. He inspired me to share my story through this blog and through Twitter. Last year Bob set a goal to run 1,000 miles. He shared his journey on his blog and other social media avenues. Sharing created accountability which helped drive him to reach his goal. I found the same thing. When I didn't update my blog I heard from people asking how the progress was going. I was already driven to reach my goals, but the added accountability helped provide incentive. It has also given me the opportunity to share my story and help others start their own journey. To those that are on their journey, I wish you success in the pursuit of your goals.
It's been one heck of a journey. I never imagined what the end state would feel like. All I can say is it is an amazing feeling. I look forward to the next phase of this journey. As with any project there are release updates, maintenance fixes and enhancements. This next year will be about building on the results of David 2.0. Maintaining my new weight, improving my running - longer distances, faster times, and overall fitness, and continuing my professional development.
Thank you to all of you for your support, words of encouragement, and just listening to me tell my story.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
GOAL!!! - 1,000 miles
Tonight I passed that magic number. 1, 000 miles. 1,000 miles since September 30th. 9 1/2 months. A combination of walking and running. Not my every day, walking between buildings, walking around the mall miles, but focused cardio sessions. I started on September 30th, walking 45-65 minutes a night, 6-7 days a week. Started running in January, and decided later in January that I wanted to get to 1,000 miles before the end of Project David 2.0 on July 17th. Today I did it. 1,001.32 miles.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
12 days to go, and only one goal remains
The last goal you ask? Yes. But wasn't there another goal to be completed? When I wrote my last entry there were two remaining goals - 1,000 miles and my revised (upward) weight loss goal of 71.6 pounds. Well, happy to report that on the morning of June 22, as we were getting ready to leave for our road trip to Oregon, I stepped on the scale and learned that I had lost - drum roll please........ 72.8 pounds!!! An extra 1.2 pounds!! 10 months, 7 days. More to come on that as I am preparing my Project David 2.0 "recap" blog entry for July 17, my "go live" date.
As always, thanks for stopping by!
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