Archive for the ‘Walking’ Category

It feels good to be working out again

Posted: March 14, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Exercise, Physical activity, Walking, Weight loss
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It does feel good to be working out again. Funny how I’ve become such a fan of the gym that I hardly went to the first five years I was a member. I never actually tried to quit the gym, unless I was moving to another gym. I’m always reminded of the clip from Friends when Chandler was quitting the gym. Classic stuff.

I had the pre-op nutrition class today. Filled with a lot of interesting information, primarily what can be expected before during and after my operation. The before is the fun part. I get a week of full liquids. That means, starting next Tuesday, no real food for me for three weeks.

Let’s recap…

Brian with no soda, caffeine, or real food = grumpier than usual Brian. Be warned.

There’s a whole bunch of paperwork to be done, not to mention the pre-op bathing ritual. Apparently, I need to shower the night before and morning of using a special soap called Hibicleans. This is part of an infection-reduction initiative. I also can’t shave that morning, and no manscaping four days prior to the surgery. Apparently, they no longer shave whatever area is being operated on. Good and bad… the good is that it won’t itch nearly as much as it grows back, but the bad part is that it will be a cast-iron bitch to remove the heart monitor leads.

Speaking of hearts, I have to go get a pre-op EKG. It won’t be the first one I’ve ever had, but they really aren’t that much fun. Primarily due to the leads getting stuck on your hairs. Last time I was in, I yanked one off and it looked like it was wearing a toupee. Not a lot of fun. I also have to get the requisite blood work done. I guess I know what I’ll be doing Monday morning.

Immediately before surgery, you get to put on a lovely gown, meet the anesthesiologist, and your surgeon comes and autographs where he’s going to do the deed. They give you an IV and it’s off to the cold table. I will also apparently leave the hospital weighing more than what I started at They give you an IV and it’s off to the cold table. I will also apparently leave the hospital weighing more than what I started at, due to the fluids they pump in to keep things clean. They also inflate the abdominal cavity with CO2 to make sure there’s room to work. That gas apparently works its way out of the body eventually. I’m hoping it doesn’t exit through the normal route, because I don’t need to be sitting in the room cheesing like a defective rocket.

The rooms are apparently nice. They are singles on the seventh floor and there is room for a family member or loved one to stay the night. I will be in for two nights, if all goes according to plan.

The surgery itself is pretty involved. One of these days I’ll have to post a diagram. Basically, they create a stomach pouch, take part of the small intestine, and create a “Y” which allows for most of the food taken in to bypass the biggest piece of the stomach. The malabsorption creates a bypass and you lose weight. There’s a lot more to it, but that’s the short of it.

28998_10200855151807645_1127838705_nSo, had a good run at the gym. While I forgot to take an actual picture of yesterday’s results, when I uploaded it to the website, I did manage to capture a screenshot. Improvements are good.

Tomorrow will be busy. Preop physical with Dr. McPhee, EKG and a workout session. That’s all before bedtime. Yikes! My last session with Ryan and Cory will probably be on Monday, since liquids start on Tuesday. They don’t let you work out if you’re on liquids, although you can do some relaxed walking. No strenuous cardio, which I guess I understand. Not a lot of calories going in the tank. I’ll let you know how things go tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Back in the saddle again

Posted: March 12, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Exercise, The Beetus, The Rec, Walking, Wayne, Weight loss
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Today's summary

Today’s summary

After doing a night on third shift, my first stop was the Rec. Did a smidge over 30 minutes of cardio, which is 10 more minute than I did yesterday. Maybe tomorrow will be 10 more minutes. We shall see. Wasn’t my best distance or time, but I still need to take care of Wayne while getting my work in. If I don’t, then bad things happen and I get even fatter. I don’t want to be that guy.

The hardest part of the shift change is going to be establishing a time when I should go to the gym. Ideally I should go before my shift, get the endorphins going and that will make surviving third shift that much easier. The downside is sleep, or lack thereof. I often joke about plenty of time to sleep when you’re dead, but I’ve grown to appreciate some quality shuteye.

I also thought I forgot my insulin kit last night. As much as I am looking forward to never needing to use it again, it still keeps my going for right now. Turns out I left it in the gym bag. Another stellar recall achievement by me!

At any rate, I need to grab some of that shuteye I was talking about.

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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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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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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Day four, or I want pizza, dammit!

Posted: February 15, 2013 in Bariatric surgery, diabetes, Physical activity, Supportive Partner Woman, The Beetus, Walking, Weight loss
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Day four of no caffeine.

I won’t lie… it’s been very hard. I actually dropped a coin in the vending machine yesterday, but got it back. The headaches have pretty much subsided. The worst day was Wednesday. It felt like there was a little man jackhammering away inside my skull. I’ve found that the best way to get through is to drink so much water that you wind up irrigating yourself like a personalized Tennessee Valley Authority.

I did take precautions against water intoxication. I’ve discovered the joys of PowerAde Zero. This stuff is like liquid crack. It really helps quench the thirst after a workout, and it doesn’t have any sugar or carbs. Highly recommend the orange flavor. Just a warning… it doesn’t mix well with protein powder.

Today started out on a down note. I managed to sleep through my alarm, so I didn’t make it to the gym. I brought my workout clothes, so I can go after work. I’m breaking in my new trainers that arrived the other day. So far, pretty comfy, but not suitable for gym use until broken in. I’ve made the mistake of being too eager with new sneakers… the blister on Wayne was not too much fun, nor was the time I had to spend wearing the Boot of Shame.

I’m pretty proud of myself, though… I managed to start working my way through the DVR backlog and didn’t eat any snacks whilst parked in front of the tube. I went to bed, my sugar was 83, so I had a little snack (a carb balance wheat tortilla, some shaved ham and a piece of cheese), I also succumbed and took some cough syrup, as I’ve been suffering from a nagging cold these last few days. Well, I woke up with a sugar reading of 204, all from a dose of really nasty tasting cough medicine. Sigh.

Today is a Friday, which means no meat. I have to wonder, though… why are eggs allowed, but chicken is not? What are eggs, other than unfertilized chickens? Regardless, I have some of my yummy clam chowder. I’m really pleased with how well it turned out. Supportive Partner Woman (also trying to quit caffeine!) liked it as well. Always glad when a recipe is a crowd pleaser.

Not sure what I will do for dinner. I guess we’ll see how I feel after my workout. I’m really craving pizza for whatever reason, but that would not be a smart move. It would be fine with one slice, but I’m sure there would be a whole pie in my future and that is not cool. I’d like to think I could control myself, but probably not.

Anyway, that about does it for the day. Hopefully I have a good workout tonight, and can get a couple in over the weekend.

Hope you have a great weekend, everyone!

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