Archive for the ‘Exercise’ Category

200 posts, really?

Posted: March 8, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Goals, Physical activity, Supportive Partner Woman, Weight loss
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Wow… 200.

That’s a lot of posts. I started the blog in 2010, so we’re approaching the 3rd anniversary. Granted, I did take almost a year away from writing, otherwise we might be talking about 300 posts. So, if you counted the actual time period when I did something with the blog, I’m averaging a post every 3-4 days. Some months there are more, some months, there are less.

It’s the nature of the beast, I suppose. If I have something to write about, I write. I hate when I say I’m going to write every day for a month and I find myself struggling to write something because I can’t think of anything to say.

At least on the chosen topic.

I could always go off on a tangent about the infield fly rule, or the designated hitter, or any hot button issue. I could wax rhapsodically on pretty much anything ranging from music to movies to television.

That’s not why you come here, and while I’d like to believe I’d write whether y’all read my scribbling or not, you’re the reason I keep doing it. I appreciate everyone reading this, from friends and family, co-workers, Nigerian princes, and any other subgroup you can name.

So, onto the actual meat of the topic… support group.

We had a session last night and the guest speaker was a psychologist who works with the clinic. She had an interesting graphic showing the circles of support ranging from the center (you) to immediate family, extended family, friends and coworkers, the clinic staff and finally social media and online groups. To sum up, she stated that if you have two or three of these support levels, you’ll succeed. It was also noted that the clinic as a whole has an 85% success rate for people who get the surgery and stick with the program. It was really inspiring and it’s nice to hear that there are so many successes just in one practice.

They also announced that they are looking to pair up post-op patients who have succeeded with pre-op patients who are struggling. That’s a great idea, in my opinion, because these are people who have gone through the same process, have been fat and beaten the odds.

Supportive Partner Woman (Awesomest spouse EVER!) also managed to attend the group session with me, which really meant a lot. She got to see what goes on at a meeting and to meet some of the folks she’s only heard me talk about. She passed on sampling some of Dr. McPhee’s minestrone which was quite tasty, despite the fact that he left the pasta sitting on the counter next to the stove at home. This did make me hope that on my surgery date, he doesn’t forget to reattach anything important. His food is actually quite good, though, and sampling some of the recipes is a highlight of group.

In other news, Bariatric Physician Specialists was just recognized as a Center of Excellence in bariatric surgery, which is a pretty big deal. As comfortable as I was with the procedure, it still makes me feel better knowing they have a national accreditation. I also had the opportunity to speak with Dr. McPhee for a few minutes and he’s pretty excited for me.

In short, it’s been a pretty long road, to get to this point. It’s going to be longer after the operation. This is a change for the rest of my life. I plan to continue blogging about the journey and it won’t always be rosy, I’m sure. There will always be those who don’t agree with me taking that step. To them I say, “It’s OK if you don’t agree with this choice. I just ask that you respect my choice and we’ll be fine.”

After all, it’s my life and if I could do it another way, I would.

My journey is just beginning.

Thank you for reading.

Song of the Day: Candy-O – The Cars

If you really want to be depressed, weigh yourself in grams – Jason Love

Wayne, Part Deux

Posted: March 5, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Foot issues, Physical activity, snow, The Beetus, Walking, Wayne, Weight loss
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As many of you know, Evil Wayne (not to be confused with Vegan Wayne) has caused me some problems of late. Namely a giant blister that left me short a toenail and a good part of toe.

I’m pleased to report that as of 6:00 tonight, Wayne is actually looking pretty good, all things considered. Looks like the wound is scabbing over nicely. This is a good thing that I’m attributing to my much better controlled glucose levels.

It took me a lot to understand what was involved in getting the sugar under control. See, I’m a huge carb junkie. I love carbs and would scarf unbelievable amounts of pasta and bread, not to mention snack foods. That’s a big no-no if you’re battling The Beetus. I didn’t understand that at first, figuring I was OK because something didn’t have much actual sugar in it. Well, maybe not, but the 40g of carbs are an issue. It makes a huge difference. Have I eliminated carbs? No, but I’m eating a lot less of them.

It really came to my mind again today when I was told by a friend that she had been diagnosed with Type-2 (that’s the type I have). I hope that she will use me as a resource, since I’m a pretty good example of what not to do when you’re diabetic. Or, I was. I’m just so excited that the toe is getting better pretty quickly so I can get back to the gym at full speed. I’m just going to make sure that I protect the toe with a moleskin wrap. Blisters just slow me down. Plus, the surgery date is three weeks away. How’d that happen?

I’m still really excited and freaked out at the same time. I think it’s fear of the unknown that get’s me freaked out. I actually don’t mind the anesthesia… it puts me out pretty good and I usually don’t have much memory of what’s going on. This will mark my third time going under general anesthesia, so I’m getting kind of used to it. The part that’s really freaking me out is the possibility of a catheter. I’m just not thrilled with the idea of getting some tube run up through my junk. Of course, talking to some post-op patients at the clinic, not all of them had a cath done. I’m hoping I’m one of the lucky ones. I guess we’ll know in a few short weeks.

So, we’re supposed to get a boatload of snow here in the northeast. If you’re in the area, please be careful when driving and especially while shoveling.

The next post will be #200. Guess I need to come up with something awesome. Wish me luck!

 

Song of the Day: Bright Lights, Bigger City – Cee-Lo Green

The Ballad of Wayne

Posted: March 4, 2013 in cold weather, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Physical activity, snow, Walking, Wayne, Weight loss
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I was so going to parody the Ballad of Jed Clampett, but the only words I could think of to rhyme with blister were Twister and mister, and, well, trust me when I say that nothing good would come of that.

So, I did manage to get to the podiatrist’s office this afternoon. He took one look at Wayne, pulled out the cutters and went to work. Several giant pieces of toenail and whatnot later, I’m down to eight toenails and  a lot of angry looking toe. The good news is that there’s no sign of infection and he thinks it should dry up pretty quickly. Once it’s scabbed over, then I can get out of the Boot of Shame. Out of sensitivity to the readers, I did not take pictures.

Also in the good news department, the wonderful exercise physiologists managed to switch up my workout this morning to include non-weight-bearing cardio and a lot of weight training. So it’s not a total loss. I can do the bike, the rowing machine and the hand cycle, as well as lift weights. Woohoo! Again, I just have to be careful to protect the area. On that note, I ordered the multipack of giant rolls of moleskin. I should probably take to just applying that every time I go to the gym, even after I’m healed. The best part is that you can get it from Amazon really inexpensively and it’s delivered right to the door.

Now, my biggest worry is what’s coming in terms of the winter storm. I’m not sure how the Boot of Shame will handle inclement weather. Maybe I just need to wrap my loot in a trash bag to get through the snow?

At any rate, I think I’ll call it quits for now. Hope you all have a great night!

Wayne has struck again

Posted: March 3, 2013 in diabetes, Exercise, Foot issues, Physical activity, The Beetus, Walking, Wayne
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So, another good workout today. I hit 3.25 miles and averaged 3.12 mph. It marked the second day in a row I waked more than 3 miles. Of course, Wayne was feeling left out and decided to sprout a blister roughly the size of the Hope Diamond. Sigh.

Every time this happens, I’m so tempted to just say, “The hell with it!”

Somehow, I manage to pull it together and keep plugging away.

It’s what I do.

So, tomorrow morning, I’ll call the podiatrist, play my trump card. See, The Beetus is sort of like a head of the line pass at the doctors office. Apparently, they don’t want me to lose another toe, maybe they lose merit badges in Doctor Scouts for dismemberment? No idea. Hopefully he can get rid of the dead skin and we can get the ball rolling on the healing.

So, other than that, I’ve managed to burn some calories, walk some miles and behave.

In other news, I did go to Save Mart and browse a rather impressive selection of protein powders. I picked up five pounds of vanilla and two pounds of banana cream powder. The banana cream mixes well with Greek yogurt and gives you a nice shot of protein in a smooth mixture.

So, until I see the podiatrist, I’m in the Boot of Shame. It sucks, but what can you do? I’ll keep you posted.

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“March”-ing toward health

Posted: March 2, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Foot issues, Goals, Physical activity, Stubby the Wonder Toe, Supportive Partner Woman, Walking, Weight loss
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Did you like that?

See what I did with the quotation marks?

Anyone?

(crickets)

Leaving the lame puns behind, it is, in fact, March. Going to start the surgical countdown. That would make today T-24 days.

24 days until my life changes forever. 24 days until I start leaving the fat armor behind.

Wow.

Today's results

Today’s results

So, all that being said, I’m really focusing on trying to keep the workout intensity levels up. Today was a good example. I managed to burn over 730 calories and cover over 3 miles. For someone who had trouble walking a mile without being out of breath and succumbing to blisters, I’ve made some progress. I almost feel like once the weight is reduced, I’ll be able to do anything. Granted, a marathon is probably out of the question, but I think that 5K is firmly within my wheelhouse. It probably won’t be pretty, and it probably won’t be fast, but I just know that the feeling of accomplishment will make up for the pain.

Pain. That’s an interesting subject. When Stubby reared his ugly head back in 2010, most of the problem was that my diabetic neuropathy prevented me from feeling what should’ve been excruciating pain. As a result, I lost part of a toe. It seems that the more my glucose has been under control, there’s actually been a return of some sensation to my feet. It’s good and bad… good in that I have a little more feedback as to how I’m doing in the blister department, and bad that I know when my feet hurt.

My primary issues with the workout time have been achy ankles and other assorted joints. My ticker feels better than it has in a long time, as does my general health. My hope is that the less weight I’m carrying on my joints, the less pain they will have to endure and the less general abuse they will take. My hope is that it will lead to less likelihood of joint replacement in the future.

In other good news, I’m wearing a shirt from the depths of my closet. It’s one of my favorite Disney polo shirts (anyone who knows me knows that I pretty much live in polo shirts (and I don’t pop the collar) so it’s nice to pull one out of the closet that doesn’t have holes or is so threadbare from constant wear. See, I set a goal for myself when I embarked on this journey to not buy any new clothes unless absolutely necessary. There are a couple of shirts with holes that Supportive Partner Woman (Pyromaniac?) has pledged to burn as soon as I no longer need them.

That does bring to mind something I need to think of. With the speed in which weight can come off post surgery, refreshing the wardrobe can be a tad expensive. Guess I will have to haunt thrift stores and secondhand shops. I’m usually not opposed to wearing loose-fitting clothes, so that’s a plus. I’d hate that some of my favorite t-shirts wouldn’t be worn. I should be able to fit in the baseball jersey collection sometime during the season. That’s a good thing… and maybe even actually close the jersey? That would be awesome.

At any rate, that’s what I have for today. I will continue to keep stuff posted as the date comes closer.

Song of the Day: Talk Dirty to Me – Poison

Currently reading: The Path of the Assassin – Brad Thor

Never, never, never quit. – Winston Churchill

Moving right along…

Posted: February 27, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Physical activity, Walking
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Remember yesterday, when I posted how I was poised to take the next step? And that the coordinator would call one day this week?

Turns out that day was yesterday.

So, after many months, after triumphs and setbacks, hours in the gym and in classes and in support group. After hours of research and discussion and waffling. After many nights wondering if I was making the right choice, I have a tentative surgery date.

You read that right.

March 26 will be the day, assuming all goes well with the preop physical and I continue a downward trend in weight. I have to admit, though… as excited as I am, I’m also scared.

I think it’s natural to second guess yourself when making a momentous decision. Whether it’s buying a house, a car, opting for a double cheeseburger instead of a healthier alternative, or anything, we, as humans, tend to suffer from buyer’s remorse. It is important to note that while I’ve received tons of support from the staff at the doctor’s office, never once did I feel pressured to choose surgery. They were very clear from the beginning that it’s not for everyone and they don’t operate on everyone.

That being said, weight loss is not the prime reason for me to do this. It’s a nice secondary reason, but it’s more about eradicating The Beetus. I think that’s what folks don’t understand about my reasoning. I HATE NEEDLES. I hate that the constant testing has left my fingertips in a constant state of little tiny holes. To put it bluntly, diabetes is not fun and I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. The procedure offers me betting odds of being off insulin within two days after surgery. I’ll take that.

I immediately felt comfortable with my surgeon, and I just love the exercise physiologists. I’m quick to give them the credit for getting me to the gym as much as I go. Not only that, they taught me the right way to work out. I’m not just going to the gym to throw weights around willy-nilly. There’s a right way and a wrong way, and Ryan and Cory have really taught me a lot.

That’s one part I’m not looking forward to… the enforced layoff after surgery. I’m sure I’ll be able to walk, and I will, but between the need to recover and heal, and also the liquid diet, workouts will be seriously curtailed. It is what it is and I’ll just have to work back up to where I am and beyond. My joints will certainly thank me, as will my heart and all the other assorted bodily organs affected by the disease.

My advice to you, dear readers, is to take care of yourself. Eat smart, get some exercise, cook your own food and get yourself checked out regularly. Also, if the doctor says you’re at risk for diabetes, take him/her seriously. This is not something you want. Not even close.

I’ll go into more details over the next few weeks as the journey continues.

In other news, I did something stupid on Monday. When making that yummy buffalo sirloin I managed to broil part of my arm on the oven door. I have a rather half-assed bandage on it, due to size and shape, but it got a little crispy. I haven’t burned myself on an oven since 7th grade home-ec, so that’s 30 years. I’ll post a pic of my wonderfully improvised bandage.

Be careful in the kitchen, folks!

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Archnemesis Scale

Posted: February 26, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Supportive Partner Woman, Weight loss
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Have I mentioned how much I loathe the scale?

It sits there, silently taunting me. Daring me to step on and try my luck.

“C’mon, big boy… you know you want to see how awesome you did.”

Then, without warning, the scale kicks you in the cojones. It’s like Charlie Brown and the football. Good grief.

So, as you can probably tell, I had a weigh-in today. There was good and bad news. The good news is I lost around 3 pounds. The bad news is that I thought I lost a lot more than that. I certainly feel like I did.

All that being said, things are finally progressing to the next step. I’ll need to get a pre-op physical and attend pre-op class. In the meantime, I need to keep a downward weight trend going on. I planned on that, regardless.

They told me I can expect a call from the coordinator sometime this week to get things rolling.

Shit just got real.

In other news, Supportive Partner Woman (fine cook in her own right!) collaborated on a yummy low-carb dinner last night. I made roasted buffalo sirloin and she made portobello mushroom caps stuffed with crab imperial. Topped off with some tasty veg. The nutrition facts on buffalo are crazy. One sirloin has 40 grams of protein! Coupled with low fat and plenty of taste, well, you can’t go wrong. I added a photo of the label. It’s a smidge cut off, but you can see it.

I’ll keep you posted on dates and whatnot.

Have a great day!

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Pizza pizza!

Posted: February 24, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Exercise, Foot issues, Physical activity, The Rec, Walking, Weight loss
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OK, I admit it.

I wasn’t the poster child for a good healthy dinner last night.

For a few weeks, I’ve been craving pizza. Not one of my healthy flatbread veggie pizzas, either. Rather one with real crust. That being said, it wasn’t nearly as devastating to my diet as it could have been. You see, me of eight months ago would’ve swung by Caruso’s and picked up a medium with extra cheese and, well, devoured it. See, pizza is deadly. The medium would’ve been a huge improvement, though, because I used to eat an entire large pie by myself, especially if I was feeling sorry for myself.

Rather than risk that level of temptation, I picked up a DiGiorno pizza for one at the grocery store and got it out of my system. In the interest of evening things out, I did have a salad to go along with it, so it wasn’t a total nutritional loss. Hopefully my craving does not cause too many issues with the weigh in.

I also managed to do 60+ minutes on the treadmill. It wasn’t a lot of fun. My feet and ankles were barking like crazy, but I somehow managed to get it done. I brought workout clothes for today, but I’m not sure I will be able to accomplish much. I just keep telling myself how much better my feet will feel when there’s 160 pounds less weight being carried around.

It’s not all for naught, however. I honestly think that my general cardiovascular health is as good as it’s been in 18 years. I’m climbing steps at home without gasping for breath; I can even get up from my chair at work without having to push myself up. I’ve gained belt notches and done some closet shopping. I just hope that the scale confirms things.

Regardless of what happens on Tuesday, I’m still going to keep this up. I know it takes a time commitment, but the morning workout routine has become a habit. Much healthier than my usual habits, that’s for sure. I’m also going to continue to be smarter in my food choices. Will I still make some dietary mistakes? Yes, probably, but my hope is that the mistakes are the exception, rather than the rule.

Good things are happening.

Hope it lasts.

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Swing low, sweet blood sugar

Posted: February 21, 2013 in diabetes, Exercise, Physical activity, Stubby the Wonder Toe, The Beetus, Wayne, Weight loss
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It was a low point this morning.

No, I didn’t have a food relapse or anything like that.

I stuck a 40 on the glucometer after my cardio. For anyone keeping score at home, that’s about 57% of my suggested low end. The scary thing is that I didn’t really notice it until I got off the treadmill. It was a good workout up until that point. I did about 30 minutes with an average speed of 3.1 mph. I was also wearing my new trainers. They felt pretty good and no evidence of Stubby or Wayne acting up. I’ll give them a good once-over when I get home for the night.

I decided to let off some steam last night and went to see a movie after work. One co-worker was really driving me nuts and I needed the break. I opted for A Good Day to Die Hard. I wasn’t expecting anything socially redeeming and I was not disappointed. It wasn’t the greatest entry of the Die Hard franchise but it was big, noisy and violent with lots of car chases, gunplay, and weapons-grade uranium. If I had to summarize, Blah, blah, blah, kill the bad guys and blow shit up, blah blah blah. If I had to rank all five entries in the series, it would be the first one (Alan Rickman FTW), followed by all of the others.

Another halfway decent food day yesterday. I opted for a turkey wrap for lunch… it was pretty good and not totally swamped in mayonnaise. There was even some bacon (YAY!), which I never complain about. I’m not quite sure why I like bacon as much as I do… good thing I don’t eat it as much as I would like to.

So far today, I’ve had two bananas, a protein shake, and some sugar tablets. I also had some candy to get the sugar levels up. I also had a nice chef salad for lunch that was really fresh. Plenty of veggies and also some good protein. Gotta love that it fills you up and doesn’t kill you calorically. Not sure what dinner will be, but I’m sure I’ll think of something. I was going to do some chili, but I neglected to soak the beans. Duh. All part of my senior moments.

In the good news, I’m still soda and caffeine free. Not sure how I’m managing to do it, but suffice it to say, I’d like to continue. I still feel pretty good, though, and that’s a plus. The blood sugar thing, other than the lows, is also a positive development. I like it being on the low side.

I’m just going to keep moving forward. It’s the only way to fly.

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My best food behavior

Posted: February 19, 2013 in Exercise, Goals, Physical activity, Supportive Partner Woman, The Rec, Walking, Weight loss
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It was a good day, after a bad one. Although, when you’re dealing with a family member with medical problems, that can be the norm. After Supportive Partner Woman (Worker of crazy hours!)’s mother fell and had to go to the emergency room on Sunday, we did manage to get a bit of a date night in on Monday. I won’t say much regarding the fall, just that she wasn’t hurt and we did actually meet an ER doc with a sense of humor. This guy, an osteopath, was wearing a button that said, “Trust me, I’m a doctor.”

We managed to get away from the ER for a few minutes to snag some dinner. We did our typical Sunday run to Chipotle. I had my usual burrito bowl and I’, proud to note that I only wind up eating about 1/3 of the meal. I don’t know how I used to managed to eat a whole bowl, along with a half a bag of chips AND two sodas.

After mom was released, we did head home with a detour to the grocery store. I needed to pick up distilled water for my CPAP machine. Yes, along with the diabetes and obesity, I suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. This thing has done wonders for my sleep habits, but it’s still a colossal pain in the ass, especially for travel. You have to make sure you leave enough room in your luggage for the machine, the mask, the hoses, etc. I usually leave the water tank at home, just to save space. It does require distilled water to operate the humidification, so if you want to have that, you need to bring the water with you or locate it, and since it usually only comes in a gallon, there’s transport involved or you just waste it. The point of the whole story is that we did some grocery shopping, headed home and I looked at SPW and said, “Oh, damn… we forgot the distilled water.”

Sigh… a senior moment.

Anyway, SPW wasn’t working yesterday, so we were going to consider going to a movie. You know, kind of a date night sort of thing. Timing got screwed up, so we wound up taking advantage of a free burger at Red Robin coupon that I had gotten for my birthday. I ordered my usual, a bacon cheeseburger with provolone on a ciabatta roll. I also opted for a cup of chili. I did get fries with my burger, so not the healthiest choice, but when all was said and done, I left about half the fries on the plate, as well as ¾ of the bun. Again… this is usually a place where I’d scarf the burger AND fries, then order more fries. I am making some progress.

After that, we paid a visit to the pet store, just to look at the bunnies. I know it chips away at my manly cred, but I do have a weakness for cute animals, and, well, there was one that I just wanted to take home. He (she?) had an on hold tag on the pen, though, but his little lop ears were just begging to be snorgled. There was also a dwarf bunny that reminded me of a pic I had seen on Cute Overload. I’ll post it along with this entry.

So, moving on into today, I had a really good workout. 47 minutes, averaging 3.00 mph. I did the first five minutes at 2.5, then the rest at 3.1. It was my best average speed yet. I would like to get to a point where I can do the 3.1 for an entire hour. This will make the 5K more palatable, if I can get it done in under an hour. I hope that once I’m free of the 160 pounds of excess weight, I will be able to walk faster and have that much less pain in my joints.

One of the cool features of the treadmills at the rec is that they have a USB port on them. You can attach a thumb drive and store your workouts and results. Supportive Partner Woman went to a conference last year and came home with a really cool promo flash drive that she gave to me. It’s from Dole, and it’s shaped like a banana. There’s also a keychain attached to it, so I can keep it attached to my gym bag. It works perfectly and allows me to track all my workouts at the LifeFitness website. This should make it easy to see how much progress I’ve made.

Technology win? I think so.

So, all in all, a good couple of days on the workout front. I gained a notch in my belt as well and I think I’m getting closer to the first goal shirt. I might even fit in smaller jeans soon. I’m also pleased to report that I’m now a week without soda and I’m trying to wean myself off of artificial sweeteners. This will be an interesting process to say the least. But, if I can get off of soda, I can beat anything.

Until next time…

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