Archive for the ‘Physical activity’ Category

Shifting focus…

Posted: July 25, 2012 in Disney, Exercise, Physical activity, Walking, Weight loss
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I realized this morning that while I was getting my work in, real world walking isn’t the same as an elliptical or arc trainer. Since one of my goals was to be somewhat remotely in shape for our next trip to Disney (two months from tomorrow), I decided that on my non-ass kicking days, I would concentrate on the treadmill.

Now, the distance around World Showcase Lagoon is 1.2 miles, so I should be able to walk that at a leisurely pace with no problems. That’s my starting point… I’m happy to report that I was able to do 1.4 miles on the treadmill this morning in 30 minutes, AND have my heart rate stay under 122. I had the machine set for random hills, too, to add some challenge. Yes, I’d love to get to a nice hilly 5K in an hour. I think I can do it, but not this week. Baby steps.

I don’t think that this will impact my regular training routine. It’s cardio, and cardio is good. However I get there, I want to avoid the Disney equivalent of the death march. It’s a vacation… it’s supposed to be fun, not torture.

The other big event of the day was our second dental visit of the week. Supportive Partner Woman (possessor of numbed tongue!) and I both had fillings that needed replacement. Mine was upper teeth and didn’t require nearly as much Novocaine as SPW. The sad thing is that SPW was still feeling the aftereffects of the Novocaine she got on Monday during our other dental visit. Also found out that Doogie Howser, DMD is actually 38, married with kids. I’m totally flabbergasted… but I’m betting he still gets carded at the liquor store.

At any rate, that’s all I have for today. Talk to you tomorrow after the Thursday ass-kicking.

Eating better=better results

Posted: July 16, 2012 in Cooking, diabetes, Physical activity, The Beetus, Weight loss
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I’ve known for some time that you are what you eat. I always figured that was crap, since I never turned into a giant bag of snack food or a big loaf of bread.Fact is, there’s truth to it, something that I am seeing almost every day. Since I’ve started to really monitor what it is I’ve been eating, I notice that not only am I losing weight, I feel better. Better physically and far better about myself mentally.

It’s also enabled me to make some changes in my lifestyle that I probably couldn’t before. I’m now much more able to get up and go for a walk than I was just a few weeks ago. Even after totally getting arc trainer-ed to death today, I still went out for a walk. Was it an intense walk? No, but it was activity and I didn’t feel the need to sit around and eat. That’s a huge plus.

So, changing what we eat has been a huge part of the success I’ve had so far. Eating more protein and less carbs. Being mindful of the sugar content of what I do eat and its glycemic value. Being active and thinking of stuff to do to avoid raiding the fridge. Every one of these small changes is helping me toward a bigger one and a healthier lifestyle.

Fresh local corn, steamed broccoli, balsamic marinated asparagus and sautéed scallops with a side of tomato/mozzarella salad.

Now, Supportive Partner Woman (bestest wife in the whole wide world!) and I have started a bit of a Sunday tradition. She’s been working most Sundays while I’ve had off. So, I try to think of a nice, healthy dinner and prepare it so she can come home, eat something that’s not breaded, fried or otherwise prepared elsewhere, and we actually get to eat at our own table.

This past week, SPW (shopper of great skill!) came across scallop pieces at a good price. These were gorgeous, though… they might have been pieces, but they looked like real sea scallops. Since I needed to use them, I sautéed them in some olive oil, made some local sweet corn that we picked up at Root’s Market, added some steamed broccoli and as SPW is a far of asparagus, threw together a quick and dirty balsamic marinade, then sautéed the asparagus. Turned out rather tasty.

To make the marinade, I took 1/2 cup of olive oil, about 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, added a touch of oregano, garlic powder and basil. Mixed them together and put the marinade in a Zip-loc bag with the asparagus spears. Put it in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes. Only change I will be making is to let it marinate longer… the flavor was good but not completely married.

The other item I threw together was a quick tomato and mozzarella salad. I seeded and diced some Roma tomatoes, then diced 8 oz. of mozzarella. Added some Italian salad dressing (I said it was quick) and finished it with some basil. After stirring it, I covered the bowl and put it back in the fridge. It makes a very easy, light and refreshing salad.

I did that whole meal in around 25-30 minutes. Can’t argue with it. It’s fun to create and to tweak recipes. The only thing I won’t change is my chocolate chip cookie recipe. I tweaked it a few years ago and hit a home run, so I do it the same, even using the same baking sheets. If anyone wants my recipe, feel free to ask.

Until next time…

It must be really hot outside…

Posted: July 6, 2012 in Exercise, Physical activity, Weight loss
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because I’m actually thinking of going to the gym.

I know, you’re waiting for it to snow. I am, too. I’m thinking a half hour of cardio, maybe some light weights. Nothing much, but I’m starting to get to the point where I feel I should be going on my off days. I guess that’s a good sign.

See, I haven’t really been able to take walks at work these last few days. It’s been too dang hot. I really don’t want to come back completely drenched and smelly. This way, I can get drenched and smelly and if the opportunity presents itself, I can maybe squeeze in a short walk later in the evening.

You’re probably saying, “Uh, dude? There’s like a big mall not far from you.”

I know that, but the sad fact is that with my weight as high as it is, walking on the hard tile really wears on my ankles and knees. So, this way I can hit the elliptical, sweat, and all that good stuff.

Now, where did I put my membership card?

It’s Thursday, must be time for another butt whuppin’

Posted: July 5, 2012 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, Exercise, family, Physical activity, Weight loss
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Greetings!

Having just returned from another session at the gym, I’m feeling pretty good about myself. In just three sessions, I’ve managed to get my cardio up to 30 minutes without totally feeling that my heart is going to say “Oh, hell no!” and jump out of my chest. That’s a good sign.

Seriously, I’m starting to feel some small changes in myself. Not only am I actually being active, I look forward to these sessions (does that make me a masochist?) and I’m finding myself able to dig deep into my psyche and pull out an extra rep or couple minutes on the elliptical.

The elliptical… quite possibly my favorite piece of cardio equipment. I get a good workout and it’s not as hard on my knees and ankles as the treadmill. They’ve also had me up on the arc trainer as well, which I don’t care for as much due to chafing. Might need to invest some money in a case of Bodyglide. Our friend Mel swears by the stuff. She’s like the Bodyglide queen… as she should be. She runs marathons and stuff and knows all about this sort of thing.

In the good news department, I was able to up the weight on my strength training and the intensity level on the cardio. It’s a good sign and both Cory and Ryan seem very pleased with my progress. I’m nowhere near where I want to be, though, but all good things take time.

Tonight was also my first visit to support group. I’ll surely go again… I found it very informative. I would like to stay longer the next time, but I had a lot of prep work to do for my next group of trainees. The program consisted of a brief talk by a success story, in this case a woman who dropped 175 pounds. There were before pictures and the after was quite astonishing. After her talk, Dr. Ku and Dr. McPhee took the floor for a Q&A with the guests. It was interesting, as both men seem very down to earth and very positive. They were following it up with a snack sample, but neither Supportive Partner Woman (sitter in uncomfortable chairs!) nor I were really into a tuna and white bean salad. I did manage to score a couple of interesting recipes that I will have to try. One is for a chicken chili that seems like it could be quite tasty. I’m always up for good chili.

So, that’s all I have for today. I hope everyone is staying cool as we have a few brutal days ahead. So much so that the Yard Sale of Doom, Part Deux, has been postponed. I’ll miss seeing everyone, but I won’t miss the yard sale all that much. We still have a picnic to go to in the afternoon with my side of the family. This time, no surprise party that I am aware of. Yay?

Until next time.

Another Monday, another butt kicking

Posted: July 2, 2012 in Cooking, Physical activity, Weight loss
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It’s Monday… and it’ll be a hot one. I spent an hour this morning getting my butt kicked at the gym. This time, Ryan took the reins and added some new stuff into the mix. We added the elliptical and the arc trainer, as well as some free weights. It certainly was a decent sweat. They are also very mindful of any issues you may have. It really helps to know that there’s a pro in your corner.

See, besides The Beetus, sleep apnea and a host of other aches and pains, I suffered a partial tear of my right rotator cuff a few years ago. This makes working overhead a real challenge and it’s only recently that it’s healed up enough for me to do any work with it. I’m gradually regaining some range of motion, but I do not have much strength in the joint. Knowing that, both Ryan and Cory are having me do light weights and are modifying the exercise as to not aggravate the injury. I’m really thrilled with being able to work out again… it’s even better that this isn’t a public gym. I need to get some of my confidence back before I darken the doorway of Hempfield Rec again.

I also managed to make my way back to the driving range last night. I went as the sun was setting, which meant it was a little cooler, and there was a nice breeze blowing. No, not enough to improve the quality of my shots, but enough to make for a pleasant evening. The slight reduction in the general size of the Buddha has improved the experience. No longer do I feel like I have to alter my swing to avoid brushing the belly. Also, the shoulder is feeling a lot better when I swing a club. I’m not a golfer, hardly even a duffer, but I do enjoy hitting golf balls. It’s enough to really help clear my head.

Before setting off to the range yesterday, I made some dinner. I plank grilled the sockeye we got at Wegman’s, along with some Ronzoni Smart Taste noodles and broccoli. The Smart Taste was recommended to us by the nutritionists at LGH when I was in for my toe. It’s a regular white pasta with extra fiber and calcium. That means it has decent flavor and doesn’t taste like cardboard, as many whole wheat pastas do. For a topping, I added Olivio instead of butter. I find I like the flavor and you get the added benefits of Omega-3. The sockeye was wonderful. If you ever feel the need to make your own, it’s really easy and can be done inside or out.

1) Get ahold of some cedar planks. Many grocery stores sell them, as do Williams-Sonoma and other kitchen supply houses.

2) If planning on grilling, soak the plank. I usually immerse it in a salt brine bath for around four hours. This allows the wood to smoke and release the flavor without igniting the plank. If using the oven, rub the plank with olive oil.

3) Start grill, set for a medium heat or set the oven for 400 degrees.

4) Once grill has preheated, place the plank on the grill, without the salmon. After a few minutes the plank has stabilized and you can place the fish on the plank. If using the oven, just put your fish on the plank and stick it in. I usually place foil on the over bottom as the fats will drip off the plank.

5) Keep an eye on internal temperature. Once your fish reaches around 120 degrees, it’s time to remove it from the heat. Let it rest a few minutes before serving.

I didn’t give any prep instructions for the fish, but any light preparation should work. I usually spray it with some olive oil and season with a touch of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. I find you get a pleasant smokey taste that complements rather than overwhelms the flavor of the salmon. Also, when buying salmon, wild caught usually has far better color and taste than farm raised, and they don’t add color to it.

So, off to work in a couple of hours, with a nice break in the middle of the week for the Independence Day holiday. If you’re attending any parties, drink responsibly (and eat responsibly, too).

I’m feeling very psychic today…

Posted: June 29, 2012 in Exercise, friends, Physical activity, The Management, Walking, Weight loss
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I’m going to predict that between 1:00 and 5:00, the air conditioning will not be running.

OK, OK… there was a call last night from PP&L saying that they would be cycling the AC off due to expected load concerns. See, in an effort to save $8.00 a month, we let them install a switch on the AC that would allow them to cycle the AC. Maybe we should go shopping or go to work early in an effort to stay cool.

The primary focus of today’s post is the recovery from yesterday’s visit to the gym. I ached in quite a few places, and while my ankles are a little tender (you try carrying 368 pounds), the only other part I’m having issues with is my quadriceps. And only when I try to sit down. I blame the squats. I felt so good yesterday that I even took a 15 minute walk last night during my second break.

I was really pleased to see that the efforts of Supportive Partner Woman (user of the elliptical!) and I have inspired one of our friends to start a major weight loss effort. She’s even started writing about her process on her blog, which you can check out here. We are so proud of you, April… keep up the good work!

I never really compiled a list of what my process is for losing the weight. So, I’ll take a stab at it.

1) Exercise. Even just a regular walking program. We’re not talking Olympic speed walking, but a nice 3 mph pace… something to get the heart pumping and blood flowing.

2) Physical Activity. Take extra steps. Make two trips instead of one with the laundry. DO SOMETHING!

3) Nutrition. Be mindful of what you put in your mouth. As a diabetic, this can be quite challenging for me. Keep the carbs to a minimum and lots of fiber. Fiber kind of counteracts carbs, so if you eat a Mission Carb Balance wheat burrito wrap, it may say there’s 32g of carbs. There’s also 26g of fiber, making a total of 6 net carbs. It’s tough for somebody like me who could (and often did) eat a dozen potato dinner rolls at one sitting. Does this mean you can’t have any carbs? No! Just exercise some restraint. Also, when you’re jonesing for a snack, consider an alternative. Instead of reaching for the chips, grab a half cup of pistachios and get the protein instead of empty carbs.

4) Fluids. Fluids are important. Water is your friend. I was guilty of swilling Diet Pepsi the same way that a wino swills Boone’s Farm. It was nothing for me to drain six 20 oz. bottles of DP in a day. I’ve gotten that down to two. I’ve reduced my consumption by two-thirds and I’m still managing. That means I’ve also reduced my daily caffeine intake by a corresponding amount. Instead, I located a 64 oz. water bottle in an insulated case and I’ve been trying to drink that much every day.

5) Support and Goals. This has been the biggest struggle. I’ve found that having SPW on board has helped a lot, as has the support I’ve received from you, the readers. Many of our friends in the Disney community have expressed support, even volunteering to do a 5K alongside us when we reach such a point. That might be many months into the future, but it’s one of my goals. My immediate goal would be to keep losing and keep learning how to keep it off.

The author in 1998, right around 400 pounds.

So, there you have it. It’s not scientific… it’s mostly common sense. This is stuff that I always knew and just chose to ignore. You can only ignore the 800-pound gorilla in the room for so long (or the 400-pound fat guy in my case). My advice is to face the gorilla early and avoid the struggle later. Your body and your self-esteem will thank you.

Enjoy the weekend!

I survived!

Posted: June 28, 2012 in Bariatric surgery, Exercise, Physical activity
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Greetings!

I survived my first session with the exercise physiologist this morning. I currently ache in some muscles I forgot I had, but it’s a good ache. Hope tomorrow will be the same story.

I arrived at the Bariatric Physician Specialist office at 10:00 and Cory came out to get us. There were several of us in the session, and I figured I’d be the one in the worst shape. Cory, one of the trainers, took us back to the workout area. It’s a well-appointed space with several treadmills, ellipticals and rowing machines, as well as some machines and free weights. There are lots of windows to look out over the parking lot at the health campus. (For those of you not familiar with the health care systems in Cow Country, the Health Campus is a sprawling cluster of buildings containing all sorts of medical offices… in addition to the bariatrics suite, there’s a women’s and babies hospital, a rehab center, a hospice facility, and soon to be a cancer center and forensics lab.) Not the most awesome view, but nice to get some sunshine.

Cory started things off by explaining their procedures. They require diabetics to bring their glucometers and test before and after workouts. There’s locker and shower facilities, and clean towels provided.

They wanted to get a baseline on me, so Cory started me out with 20 minutes on the treadmill. It was a little choppy at first, but I soon got going up to around 3.1 mph and on a slight incline. Not too bad for someone who hasn’t set foot in a gym for the better part of two years. After I was done on the treadmill, Cory took me over to the weight machines and had me do some chest work. They are able to modify the form, which is a good thing since I have a partial tear of my right rotator cuff. After a couple of 12-13 rep sets, we started with the “S” word. Squats. Or, the enemy. He was smart and broke up the squats with reps on a pulldown machine. After more squats and pulldowns, it was back to the treadmill for a ten minute cool down period.

After the workout was done, we checked blood glucose again. Before I started, it measured 110. Afterward, I stuck a 97. Both are good readings, but I did take a glucose tablet before I started the workout, since the 110 seemed a little low. Next time, I’m going to just see how far it drops, especially since Cory or Ryan will be there to monitor what I’m doing.

I can’t thank those guys enough… For the first time I actually feel like I might get something out of going to a gym. At the very least, I’ll learn the proper form for lifting. The funny part was I didn’t want to leave the gym. Oh, well… little steps are a good thing.

I have another session on Monday… I’ll be sure to tell you all about it.

On today’s menu

Posted: June 27, 2012 in Cooking, Exercise, Physical activity, technology, The Management, Walking
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Good morning!

To all my Facebook peeps, I know I just posted a piece this morning… that was actually done last night. For whatever reason, WordPress doesn’t seem to like to post to Facebook automatically.

June 26 route

I set a new distance record last night on my walk. I’m posting a picture of it… gotta show what you do and a picture is worth a thousand words or something like that. The red is what I travelled and when I reach my goal, I will have covered the blue. Supportive Partner Woman (getting healthier in her own right!) tells me to take my time getting there and she’s right. After months of inactivity, my feet are still a little tender and it would be good to not get a blister again. You will note that there’s a little hiccup into a store. As it turns out, I won $100 through our walking challenge at work and I stopped to pick up some Propel Zero Kiwi Strawberry water for our team captain.

So, moving on to today’s menu. One of my favorite things to grill is pork tenderloin. I usually do a simple spice rub, mainly seasoned salt, garlic powder, and thyme.This time I’m going to try something new. For years, SPW’s sister has done a beef preparation that simply involves slathering horseradish on the meat before roasting it. The serious bite of the horseradish is pretty much roasted out, leaving a slightly zesty flavor that permeates the meat. I’m going to try this on the pork tenderloin. Since I have two tenderloins defrosting, maybe I’ll do one of each preparation and see which tastes better.

I also have soaked a bunch of black beans to make chili again. Since it went over so well the last time, I never got to freeze any of it, so I hope to this time.

Due to the prodding of SPW (aka The Management), I’ve started making use of an iPhone app called LoseIt. This helps me track my daily calorie consumption and subtracts calories burned through exercise. One of the neat features of the app is that you can use it to scan barcodes of your food and the app will pull in the relevant nutrition information. It’s not perfect. there’s some things you have to guess at, for example, it might take a while to enter a Chipotle meal, because each element of your burrito bowl needs to be entered separately. It allows you fo add custom foods, though, so theoretically you could easily total up what your burrito was and add a burrito line. I’m still exploring the app, but so far so good. There are many other apps out there to assist you in tracking calories… you might need to try more than one until you get one that suits you. That’s part of the fun.

One othe rthing I’m considering is posting a series of pictures of me and my weight over the years… from the good to the bad to the orca fat. I’d like the opinions of you, the readers, so I added a poll.

Until the next time, have a great day!

Back in the day

Posted: June 16, 2012 in Bariatric surgery, Exercise, Physical activity, Weight loss
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With my current situation, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much thinner I was back in the day, especially compared to now. I was so active in my high school years that I didn’t have time to work on my Jabba the Hutt physique. One of the surprising activities that helped keep me in shape was marching band. We had a band director who wasn’t real fond of marching, but knew it had to be done. He was much more of a jazz nut. So, we marched in three parades a year, unless there was something special in town. We also marched for the football games. You never quite realize how much lung capacity you need to march and play at the same time, I tell you what.

The Management will often quote the line from American Pie… “I am a band geek. I just never joined the band.”

It’s amazing how much that HS band stuff sticks with you. Choir, too. When we go to see the Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World every December, I still remember every word and every note of the bass part in the Hallelujah Chorus. It’s been 23 years.

Regardless, I don’t think you can discount the value of being physically active. I’m not advocating giving up exercise, but rather the use of physical activity to help keep you in shape. During his talk the other day, exercise physiologist Ryan said you have to do both to be a successful bariatric patient. I’ve at least upped the physical activity part of my daily routine. See, my place of employment is located near what is known in the biz as a “retail power center”. Or, as everyone else likes to call it, a shopping center. Basically, it’s a strip mall with big box stores. I’ve made it my mission to walk every day and try to go a little farther each day during my allotted break. One day, I walked to Home Depot and back; the next day, HomeGoods and back. My goal will be able to go all the way around the perimeter of the shopping center in 30 minutes. Hope I get there.

So, Monday brings a visit to the regular doc’s office. This is all part of my bariatric program. I must have my weight monitored by a regular doc for six months. Then I could go on to have surgery done. I’m hoping for good news… my last visit there wound up with me weighing in at an immense 374 pounds. I’ve been trying to eat right and get my physical activity in… I’m hoping it reflects in the number on the livestock scale. It’s really scary that the number has gotten so high as I was as low as 270 last January. I guess the wheels don’t fall off as much as just disintegrate. That’s the main reason I haven’t been giving a weight update… our home scale doesn’t go that high.

Oh, and the chili I made the other night has been given the seal of approval by The Management. As such, I’ll post my recipe here:

Brian’s Beef, Bean and Beer Chili

Ingredients
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (might as well get the Omega-3)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 cluster fresh garlic, smashed or minced
  • 2 teaspoons cumin, ground
  • 2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 8 oz of fresh black beans, soaked and boiled
  • 1 cup of beer (I use Sam Adams Boston Lager)
  • 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped*
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 handful cilantro, chopped
    * If you are short on time or don’t want to mess with a real chipotle, just dump in Tabasco Chipotle sauce to taste
Directions
  1. Heat a large sauce pan over medium heat.
  2. Add the ground beef and brown, breaking it apart as is cooks, drain any grease and set the beef aside.
  3. Add the oil in the pan, add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic, cumin and chili powders and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
  5. Add the tomatoes, beef, beans, broth, chipotle and oregano, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20-50 minutes. I then put it in a crock pot on low for 4-5 hours to really saturate the flavors
  6. If you want to make things healthier, use leaner beef. I will use 96% lean beef. It also makes for less grease to drain

If you are feeling like a big batch, double up on the ingredients, use a full bottle of beer and perhaps a can of beef broth or a packet of flavor enhancer. For those who like their chili with more heat, add hot sauce to taste.

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