Archive for the ‘Walking’ Category

Reality

Posted: April 7, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, Lego, Supportive Partner Woman, Walking, Weight loss
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It’s one thing to see numbers on a scale. It’s quite another to realize you fit in pants you haven’t worn since 2010.

Yet that’s what happened yesterday. After visiting my mother on Friday, she remarked on how baggy my jeans were looking, so I decided to try the next size down. I dug into the recesses of my closet and :behold: the 44 jeans actually fit and fit well.

This, my friends, is real progress. The number is just that… a number. Size is not just mass, it’s volume, too, and I am physically smaller.

I am not complaining.

So, other than the smaller pants, how else has weight loss manifested itself since surgery?

1) I can actually close my jacket
2) I can buckle the seatbelt in my car
3) I can fit comfortably in a movie theater seat without having to lift an armrest.

It’s actually really cool.

So, yesterday, I sat here and attempted to write a post. All I could come up with was pretty much crap. So, I figured I’d give it a day and see what emerged. Other than that, I managed to get some stuff done around the house. I got us a new scale and had to install a new toilet seat. I know… exciting stuff! I also finished the latest Lego project… the Palace Cinema. It was a fun build and I was ably assisted by Supportive Partner Woman (becoming an experience Lego builder!) who did most of the roof. Her next project is the Farnsworth House, from the Architecture series. I think I’m going to have to build some display shelves.

521900_10200991424894387_1326894639_nI also managed a visit to the gym. For those of you keeping score, that was four straight days. I’ve been trying to up my time by five minutes every day, at least until I can get some real food in me. I have an exercise appointment tomorrow. so we will see what the boys have planned for me.

At any rate, today’s agenda should include some yard work and cleaning. I’m going to take out the front screens and clean them, since that’s way overdue. I’m still not able to lift, but a little cleaning shouldn’t cause too much of an issue.

Tomorrow’s report will include a preview of pureed food. I know… exciting stuff!

Song of the Day: I Got a Feeling – Black Eyed Peas

Letting it sink in.

Posted: April 5, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Physical activity, Walking, Weight loss
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By now if you saw last evening’s post, you know I lost a bit of weight.

This is a good thing.

It’s also not the end.

There’s a long weigh (get it?) to go, a lot of pounds to be shed and many years of poor food decisions to be atoned for. It didm’t go on overnight and it sure as hell won’t come off overnight.

So, last night was support group. Our guest speaker was a medical doctor specializing in non-surgical weight loss and he talked about vitamins. I’ve alluded that I would be on vitamin supplements for the rest of my life, now I learned more about the what and why. I’ll spare you the details, but simply put, post surgically, my body cannot get the vitamins and minerals it needs from food alone. This is primarily due to the bypass of the majority of the stomach. I’ll be short on B12, calcium, iron, D, and folic acid. It’s just how it works. When I return for my followup on Wednesday, I’ll get more information on dosages and such. There was also clam chowder that Dr. McPhee prepared. I did not have any of it, but it smelled awesome. Also met up with a guy in group who is the younger brother of a high school classmate. Small world.

I also stopped at the fitness center to see Ryan and Cory. I do get to go back there next week for some walking. No weights until I’m cleared by the docs, but it will be a nice change of scenery. Plus, I know that they’ll be able to offer some other exercises that I can do and won’t be too hard on the gut. In the meantime, back to the Rec for more walking, at least until it warms up.

That is the real downer, being cold all the time. I was never really cold… now I’m walking around with my hands up my sleeves seriously considering gloves. In the house.

Something is NOT quite right with that.

At any rate, time to get the day underway. Off to the gym for some treadmill time, then off to Mom’s. I picked up 10 pounds of apples that she’s going to turn into applesauce for me. It will be nice to have once I transition to purees next week. The store bought stuff is just too sweet and loaded with extra sugar that I don’t need. Plus, Mom makes some banging applesauce.

 

A Grand Day Out

Posted: April 3, 2013 in 5K, Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Food porn, Lego, Physical activity, Supportive Partner Woman, The Beetus, Walking, Wegman's, Weight loss
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Greetings!

Sorry I never got to write yesterday. We got busy with doctors appointments and errands and whatnot. It happens.

I did manage to spend most of the day out yesterday. First off, I had a foot doctor appointment. I managed to keep Stubby in check, but Wayne’s next door neighbor is a little ulcerated. Dr. Miller unroofed it and we’re doing the Betadyne and bandaid treatment until it dries up. This was a regular appointment, so I also got the toenails trimmed and all that.

Afterward, we went to visit Supportive Partner Woman (Practiced good eating habits!)’s mother. Had a nice visit over lunch, well, Mom ate, SPW and I kind of watched and chatted. Afterward, we took the car to the Three Minute Car Wash. This is a Reading, PA institution. You drop your car at the entrance and they clean it inside and outside, and clean it well, all for around $12 without any extras. It”s in a sketchy part of town, but the quality of the cleaning is far superior to some of the other full-service car washes in the area (cough, Cloister, cough) AND it’s less expensive.

Then it was off to the Lego Store at King of Prussia. It’s like Mecca for Lego geeks. We looked around and considered the new Architecture series release, the Imperial Hotel, but opted instead for the Palace Cinema. It’s pretty cool and bears a resemblance to The Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I think that’s the real reason we went with it. It was a double points period, which means more VIP points for later. It’s like free money, so you can’t turn it down.

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Some really yummy tomato soup at Wegman’s

After that, we went looking for a place for SPW to grab a bite. I had my trusty pudding and Jell-o in the car, so I was good, but she needed to forage. We swung by Gino’s, which was a big fast food joint in our youth, recently resurrected as an “upscale” burger joint. It smelled fantastic, but SPW was underwhelmed by the menu and we hit the road for Collegeville and Wegman’s (insert choir of angels singing). This is a rather new Wegman’s and it’s in a huge retail complex that features an Eastern Mountain Sports, Best Buy and a Movie Tavern location. This Wegman’s actually has a pub with a sit down menu, and a huge cafe area. SPW managed to located a few tasty items and we found an organic tomato soup that was right up my alley. It was spicy instead of salty and really sit well with the pouch, which I think we will call Joe. I also brought in my pudding cup. Shhh.

It was my first meal out since Red Robin a couple of weeks ago and while it was only soup, it really went down well. I couldn’t finish it all (no surprise) but that’s OK. I have some more of that yumminess for today.

On today’s agenda will be registering for the 5K in January.

Yup… I’m we’re really going to do it. And you’d better believe that when we get those finisher medals, we’re wearing them. Other than that, not sure what’s on the agenda. A walk, for sure.

OH… one other thing that I wanted to share. The last three days, my blood glucose has been at 88. It’s weird, but three days in a row, slightly different times, same number. I guess consistency is key.

Have a great day and get out for a walk!

 

Taking steps

Posted: March 31, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Exercise, family, Physical activity, The Beetus, Walking
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Happy Easter to everyone!

Hope that your day is filled with family, friends and food. I’ll settle for the first two 🙂

8549862800_7ea4c5bc75_bI’ll even throw in a cute picture of baby bunnies and a chick. Literally.

So, yesterday was a good day. Still no progress on the pressing issue, but maybe if I stop obsessing about it things might just move along. My mom and sister stopped by. They were suitably impressed by how well my incisions are healing up. They think I look healthy.

I actually even managed my recommended fluid intake yesterday. I managed to down two liters of water. That was the first time since the procedure I accomplished it. It took all day, but that’s too be expected. Small sips on a regular basis. I also attempted pudding, and that went down well, and tasted pretty good to boot. Not only that, my sugars came in at 101 (even though I’m off the meds, I need to stick once a day to make sure things are staying where they are supposed to be). The coup de grace was that I managed to sleep flat in bed and scored over 7 hours of solid zzzzz.

One other thing I accomplished was to take a walk last evening. I was bored and thought maybe I’ll walk to the end of the block. When I got there, I decided to keep on going and got in a half mile. It wasn’t very fast, but it was the most I’ve walked since the middle of last week. It felt pretty good, actually. I still need to be careful due to the reduced amount of intake, but I’m going to try to do it again. I chose to take the uphill portion first, rather than later in the walk, just to make sure I’d be OK. And yes, I tool my phone with me.

That’s always a good habit to get into. I always have my phone with me while I’m walking. Not only does it provide music, it’s a good thing for security. If you fall or are otherwise injured, you can contact someone readily, or if you see suspicious activity. It’s also useful if you go walking in natural areas and see something photo-worthy.

At any rate, I’m going to go and get started on today’s fluids. I hope that you all have a happy Easter, or if you don’t celebrate Easter, a happy Sunday. And I’ll leave you with one of my all-time favorites:

Song of the Day: Gimme Some Lovin’ – The Blues Brothers

Overwhelmed

Posted: March 29, 2013 in Foot issues, friends, Mickey Miles podcast, Team AllEars, Walking, WDW Today, Weather
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I spend a lot of time pondering things while I’m sitting around. It’s easy to get discouraged and feel alone when you’re trying to make a major change in your life.

Well, I am most definitely NOT alone.

Really made me smile (and tear up)

Really made me smile (and tear up)

I posted about joining Team AllEars and doing my first 5K in January. I didn’t realize the emotional impact this would have on me. The kudos have poured in from my new teammates and team co-captains Mike & Michelle even sent me a lovely mug of flowers and a balloon which really made me smile and made me even more determined to do this.

In addition, our friends at WDW Today and the Mickey Miles podcasts were kind enough to give me a shoutout on their most recent episodes. I can’t tell you how much that means to me and really encourages me to get better as soon as possible.

I managed to go for a walk today. Not far… just up to the mailbox and back, but it felt good to be outside and get some fresh air. I’m looking forward to better weather and walking outdoors soon. I’m also looking to start swimming as soon as the incisions heal up and the doctor gives me the OK for immersion. I think that will do wonders for general core strength and there’s a pretty good chance I won’t get blisters from the water.

At any rate, Supportive Partner Woman (best sports editor EVER!) and I were talking and she asked what I thought I would name my pouch. I looked at her quizzically and she clarified by pointing out that since we already have Stubby the Wonder Toe and his evil twin brother Wayne, then my stomach pouch should get a name of its own. So, feel free to suggest  names and we’ll post a poll and see what people think.

I’ve been talking about my goals a lot. My first goal was to get the surgery done. I think I can check that off the list. My second goal was to get rid of the meds. Done. My next goal is to get a reading other than “error” on our bathroom scale. I think that will be coming soon, too. After that, I’m taking the weight loss in small increments… 10-15 pounds. I know I can do that.

At any rate, I think I might go and have some Jell-o. Or a protein shake. Or both. After all, I’m a rebel 🙂 I’m going to move to chicken broth tomorrow (want to be meatless for Good Friday).

Song of the Day: Synchronicity II – The Police

It’s good to be home…

Posted: March 28, 2013 in 5K, Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, liquid diet, Supportive Partner Woman, Team AllEars, Walking, Weight loss
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Greetings from the Nerd Lair!

I arrived home earlier this afternoon via chariot pulled by unicorns. Or a Honda Civic. Close enough. Either way, it felt awesome to walk out of the hospital, get in the car and then be in our own house. I get to go back to full liquid diet, which meant I could have a protein shake for lunch. Woohoo!

Best part of my discharge instructions

Best part of my discharge instructions

The biggest news, which left me stepping lighter, is that I have been released from the insulin scourge. As you know, that was my primary reason for having the operation done. Pretty drastic, but the end result was what I wanted, no, needed to have happen. I needed to be off the insulin.

Everything seems to be healing up nicely. I’m limited to light activity for a couple weeks until I go back to see Dr. McPhee. Have to give the belly time to heal. I would post a picture of it, but it’s a little off-putting and I’d rather not gross anyone out.

My diet has returned to full liquids. I can go to pureed foods in a couple of weeks. Basically, I have to learn to eat again. To figure out what I can and can’t handle. So far, I’m able to handle a protein shake, so that’s a good thing. I’m going to try some soup for dinner… again, nothing major in terms of quantity… I just need to remember that it’s most important to stay hydrated

My other big news is that I committed to join Team AllEars. I’ve been toying with the idea for quite some time, but I could never seem to get myself in good enough shape. I’m planning on running/walking in the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 5K. I know it’s not a long distance, but for someone who’s never run in his life, it’s huge. I’m excited because I’ll be teaming up with some of the finest people I know and in support of Avon breast cancer charities. Both Supportive Partner Woman (considering going Paleo!) and I know people who have survived and who have succumbed to breast cancer, and its hard to think of a more worthy charity. As I told my co-captain, “It won’t be fast and it won’t be pretty, but I’m going to finish it.”

I’ll post more about that later.

So, I’ve said it before, but this is when my life is really going to start. It’s not going to be easy… believe me that bariatric surgery is never the easy way out, but I’m determined to get my body in shape and to keep it that way. I’ve wasted a lot of years (and part of toe) in service to food and poor habits. Now that I see how good it feels to be active, I’m going to grab that lifestyle and go as far as I can with it. It’s not going to be easy, but how many really good things are?

I’ll keep you posted, and, for the record, the happiest moment on this blog is going to be when I can post a picture of myself crossing that finish line.

Lessons from the hospital

Posted: March 28, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Walking, Weight loss
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So, after a couple days in the bastion of healing, I’ve come up with a couple of hard, incontrovertible truths.

1) Sleep is important to healing.
2) It’s damn near impossible to sleep in a hospital, unless they have you under anesthesia.

I learned this when they get me up every four hours to go for a walk. This is to prevent blood clots, or so they say. It is a good idea, since blood clots are bad… Very bad. However, while you’re sleeping, they have these things on your legs that inflate and deflate to do exactly the same thing.., prevent blood clots.

So after you do your mandatory constitutional, you lay back down in bed and by the time you finally drift off again, one of the vampire crew shows up to collect blood, waking you up again. It’s about that time when you give up, opt to sit in your chair and blog.

Speaking of walking, Supportive Partner Woman (great motivator!) and I calculated my laps from yesterday and realized that I walked almost 2.5 miles. In slipper socks. No wonder my feet are hurting a bit. But in the good news department, I get discharged today.

Yay!!! (Insert happy dance)

Things are actually feeling pretty good. I still ache, but I’ve not taken any painkillers since yesterday. I’ve also started expelling the surgical gas. I know… No one wants to hear about farting, but it is an unfortunate byproduct of laparoscopic surgery. The other side effect showed up when they weighed me last night. I’m 11 pounds heavier than when I checked in on Tuesday morning. That too is cycling out, but it will take a few days to unload all that retained fluid. Plus, they have me on a pretty constant IV of Ringer’s lactate. That stuff should be familiar to anyone who watched the 70’s TV show Emergency! Seems it’s used to help pump up blood volume. I think it’s also used to keep me chained to an IV pole.

I am ready to go home and get on with the process of healing. Dr. McPhee seems to think ill be able to be off all of my diabetes medications. This makes me very happy. No more insulin? That would be spectacular. Not to mention save a lot of cash. I’d even willingly sacrifice the full vial in the fridge. I’m pretty happy about the prospect of no longer being a human pincushion.

In the other cool news, we got to see a helicopter land and drop off a patient yesterday afternoon. It was pretty cool to watch. I’ll include a picture from my window. Hopefully the victim is OK. I did not find any details in the media, but it was kind of cool to watch.

At any rate, back to being bored for the last few hours of my confinement. More later!

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Good morning

Posted: March 27, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Walking, Weight loss
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So here I sit.

I’m in the chair in my very nice hospital room. I overlook the emergency room helipad, I found this out when I was sent on my first forced march yesterday. See, walking is a key. It helps to keep the blood flowing and avoid any clots.

The operation was no picnic, at least from my end. I remember being in recovery in a blanket of mental fuzziness. I don’t even recall being taken to my room. I remember a raging thirst, which I can only slake with a water-soaked swab, and also pressing the pain med dispensing button. I vaguely remember Supportive Partner Woman (Best wife Ever!) watching me drift in and out of wakefulness. I remember drifting in and out.

I remember the pain.

Yes, there is pain. I felt like I did about 1,000 crunches in very short order. It still hurts like a bastard.

The incisions themselves look pretty good. They are small and they glue them closed with some kind of surgical super glue. I couldn’t see all of them, but the one I could see was about 1/2 inch. There’s a bigger one that has a drain in it. That’s to help get rid of the sterile fluids and excess blood leftover. They will remove that before I go home on Thursday.

Today, they will be removing the dreaded catheter. I can’t wait. I’m not looking forward to getting that thing yanked out of my junk, but I’ll be glad to get rid of it. I also get to have some fluids today. Woohoo! It’s going to be a big change, having to eat and drink as slow as I’m going to have to. But I’ll adjust. I also think they are taking off the heart monitor this morning, too. That means I get the joy of taking off the leads. So, word of the day will be ouch.

I get to see Dr. McPhee today as well. He’ll want to check the incisions and go from there. I even get a shower!

The nursing care has been awesome. Heather, my day nurse, and Summer, the night nurse, have been super nice and super professional. Summer is actually in the program and goes for her procedure next week.

I’m sure I’ll post more later today, so I’ll stop right now.

Thanks again for all the awesome support. I’ll include a picture of my bed.

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Maybe it’s not all that bad…

Posted: March 21, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Cooking, diabetes, Exercise, liquid diet, Novo Nordisk, Walking, Weight loss
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but maybe I’m deluded.

See, the liquid diet goes on. There are plusses… such as I lost another 3.5 pounds since Friday. I’m also sure it was more, as on Friday I was wearing workout clothes. In addition, since I started the liquid diet, I haven’t had to take any of my heavy duty insulin. I’ve been doing one injection a day of Levemir and it’s controlling things pretty well. So, yay on that front.

I had an appointment this morning with Rachel (awesomest primary care provider in the county!) and she was pretty pleased. It was odd, though… I didn’t step on the scale with that sense of dread that I normally have.

In other news, the blood pressure was 128/82. Still a smidge high, but part of that could be white coat syndrome. My resting pulse was 68, which is far better than what it used to be. I can only imagine how it will be when I’m thinner and working out again. Plus, once I’m a little smaller, I can start swimming again.

Look out world, Brian is getting healthy!

The real downside is that I’m cold all the time. Like the body doesn’t have quite fuel to keep it as warm as it used to be. I might need to invest in some long sleeve shirts at some point.

So, I’ve been having Unjury Chicken Soup protein powder for my lunch/dinner. It’s really not too bad, taste-wise. I’m not a huge fan of the sodium content, but the protein is more important, IMHO. I’ve also seen that some people recommend mixing plain protein powder with tomato soup while on the liquid diet. It also just dawns on me that I could mix the plain powder with salt-free chicken broth and get the whole enchilada… taste, low salt, AND protein. Woot!

In the good news department, I was able to toghten another notch in my belt and close my coat for the first time in, well, forever. I love my coat. See, Supportive Partner Woman (awesomest sports editor ever!) and I went to Cabela’s about 7 years ago and found a whole rack of mice winter coats on clearance. I bought this navy blue coat, with a hood for around $35 and it’s kept me warm ever since. I just haven’t been able to close it, because I was too fat. Lo and behold, when I went to zip it up yesterday, it was missing the zipper pull, which does not make me happy, but I’ll need a new coat by next winter anyway. A smaller one. Maybe Cabela’s will have another clearance sale… that would be cool. I’ve lucked out at their store from time to time. I once got a pair of $58 gloves for $7.50. Thinsulate and Goretex and big enough to fit my hands.

At any rate, that’s all I have at this juncture. Hope that you all have a great day. I’m getting a haircut after work… that’s much needed, believe you me.

 

Full liquid glory

Posted: March 19, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Food porn, Physical activity, Supportive Partner Woman, Walking, Weight loss
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Day One of the liquid diet has commenced. I was told many things about it, but somehow, they didn’t do it justice.

It sucks.

Profusely.

The lovely liquids... vanilla cream protein shake, beef broth and plain yogurt. Yum!

The lovely liquids… vanilla cream protein shake, beef broth and plain yogurt. Yum!

So far, since midnight, I’ve had 16 ounces of protein shake (probably the highlight), ½ cup of Jell-o, ½ cup of sugar-free pudding, 6 ounces of beef broth, and 5.5 ounces of plain Greek yogurt with some banana cream protein powder added to make it somewhat palatable. Oh, and unlimited water. I’m also having some orange PowerAde as I write this. That’s pretty good stuff.

I have to do this for three weeks?

WTF was I thinking?

It also dawned on me that 7 days from now, I’ll be post surgical and my life will have changed forever. I should be out of recovery and in my room with the PCA morphine drip going strong. Also, hopefully the catheter will be out. Yes, I know it was a fear of mine that will apparently come to fruition. They place it when surgery will be over an hour, which a bypass will be. I’m not going to lie… I’m still pretty freaked out about it.But I know I’m making the right move.

So, went with Supportive Partner Woman (most supportive!) to what we were calling, “The Last Supper.” Since we were close to Red Robin and we were both approaching stupid hungry, we opted for a burger and fries. I was a kind of good boy… I ordered mine wrapped in lettuce. It really hit the spot, though, and was sobering, as I have no idea if I’ll ever have fries again. I realize that the grilled fish at Red Lobster had the most votes, but we weren’t close to a Red Lobster. Maybe I’ll make that my first post-surgical meal out.

So, to sum up, it’s not been a particularly auspicious beginning to liquids. I can only hope it gets better.

I’m also going to attempt a visit to the Rec tonight before work and see how it goes. Figure I’ll stroll for a while and hopefully not feel too bad that I’m not totally killing it. It will seem really weird that I’m trying NOT to break a sweat. Go figure.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Song of the Day: Carry On – fun.

Currently reading: Red Storm Rising – Tom Clancy

If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results. ~ Jack Dixon

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