My WordPress Blog
I’ll write a full blog about today later, but I just wanted to share this li’l diddy.
Today I walked for 2 hours straight on a treadmill. I walked 5.6 miles at a 3.0-3.5 pace except for my cooldown (last 5 min). According to DailyMile, I burned 959 calories.
Hells yeah.
Me, @roclobster & @bananza
I decided to get a knee brace to help support my knee when I work out. I went to Walgreens and there were a few options. The “sleeve” looking ones looked like they would cut off circulation to my calves so I opted to purchase the adjustable one. The box said “One Size” … as in “One size fits all.” I think it would fit my elbow. NOT my knee.
Are there options out there for people with fat thighs and fat calves? If anyone needs knee support, it’s people like me who weigh 267 pounds. That’s a lot of stress on the ol’ knee.
Jack@sses.
Target’s options weren’t any better. I bought some ace bandages, hoping they would give me good support when I go for walks or do cardio… but I really want a brace or other type of support. Any suggestions?
Not much to report on the weigh-in this week. I was -0.2, which is really nothing at all. I’m ok with it. I’m surprised that I’m so ok with it. Usually, I would be upset about something like this, but I know that I had a big loss last week and I didn’t work out as much this week, so it makes sense. I also had some food splurges (though not as bad as it could have been) so I’m really happy that I basically stayed the same this week. It is just pushing me to work harder this next week. I can do it. I will do it.
My knee isn’t bothering me as much anymore, but I’m also trying to modify my exercises to accommodate it. I’m not doing the higher impact circuits on the 30 day shred, and am focusing on ones that will still get my heart rate up, but won’t irritate the ol’ knee.
This is the knee I had surgery on almost 9 years ago. It’s always been a little beyotch. Right now it’s really more of a dull ache or feels stiff. Totally manageable. I’m going to look for some knee strengthening exercises and some other workout dvds that will be easier on my knee… though I will still do the shred. I love it. I feel good when I do it. I haven’t felt good about myself in a long time, but I feel good about myself when I do this workout. I can feel the changes in my body… even if the scale didn’t show it this week, I know I’m making progress. Next week I will be taking measurements again, so we’ll see what kind of changes I have there. Can’t wait!
Now, on to my health… which is becoming a huge part of this blog, and for good reason. It is my poor health that was a kick in the pants for me to change my life.
So, some fun things to share (as if what I shared yesterday wasn’t enough).
I’ve lost .2 pounds in the last week and lost 7 pounds in 3 weeks. Want previous stats? Click here.
“Whatever you eat in private you wear in public.”
-A WW leader I had a few years back
Today, I learned something.
Something I wish I didn’t know.
But now I know, so I’m gonna share it with you, whether you like it or not.
So, remember when I shared a li’l TMI last week? In case you don’t, here’s a li’l refresher. My doctor took me off “the pill” (you know the one) because she thought it might have contributed to my recent high blood pressure readings (let’s not forget about the tons of stress I’ve been under too!)… anywho, it’s been almost a month since I stopped taking those magical cramp-stopping pills.
And I’ve been feeling different the past few mornings.
Nauseous. Achy. Nauseous.
I was getting ready for work yesterday morning and thought I’d be ok… but then 5 minutes before I was going to leave I threw up. Yup. Sure did. I thought what any other person would think, “Oh, I must have the flu.” So, I called in to work, put my pjs back on and went to bed. My sister bought me Sprite and saltines.
Late morning, I felt a lot better, but I took things easy the rest of the day. By the afternoon, I was feeling great but didn’t want to push it so I had some soup. No problems. I figured it MUST have been a li’l flu bug or something and chilled in bed the rest of the night, catching up on my DVR’d Nip/Tuck episodes.
Then, the alarm went off this morning… and I felt nauseous again. I never threw up but began to wonder… could this nausea be connected with me going off the pill?
A few minutes of Internet searching confirmed my suspicions. Especially if you’ve been on the pill for years (8 or so for me), when you stop taking them, your body goes through some type of hormone shock… and in some cases, you can experience morning sickness.
Yup folks, I have morning sickness… and I’m not even pregnant.
WTH.
One of the reasons why women get symptoms like nausea, giddiness, and general feeling of purging which is very similar to morning sickness in pregnancy is because the hormones are being restored to normal production. Birth control pills have to alter the hormones like estrogen and progesterone in the body in order to stop pregnancy. When a woman stops taking birth control pills the hormones come back to the original level and these hormones are vital for pregnancy. That is why women get similar symptoms to pregnancy when they stop taking birth control pills.
The most common symptoms experienced by women who stop taking birth control pills are:
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Here’s what I’m using right now – my brand new Asics Gel Kushon 2 running shoes, Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day shred DVD, a yoga mat and a pair of 2 lb free weights.
I just got the shoes yesterday at Kohl’s. Already I can feel a difference… the gel cushioning is great for shock absorption, which, let’s be honest… when you weigh 267 and you’re jumping around, there’s BOUND to be some stress to the knees and ankles. I’m hoping that these shoes will help alleviate some of that stress, because my knees are killing me.
I thought that a day of rest would help, but it didn’t. I tried just walking the past 2 days, but it hasn’t gotten better. I’m sure that standing for four hours on cement at the Pettitt didn’t help, but seriously, WTH.
I’ve been using biofreeze and that helps, but I’m not sure what else to do. Do I rest another day? Do I push through it?
I’m sure they just hurt because I haven’t worked out in so long and carrying around 267 pounds can’t be easy.
Le sigh.
Ok, enough complaining. Today I did day 6 of the shred and it was ok. I haven’t done the shred since Wednesday, so I feel like I went backwards a li’l bit. I will have to be more diligent with it to complete my 30 day shred challenge.
I’ve been doing pretty well as far as my diet goes… Friday night I went to Comet Cafe with my sis and I got the Baked Chili Mac… which was ahhh-mazing (see below). I ate less than half of it and felt sick the rest of the night. Lesson learned.
Today was, well, interesting. I had a doctor’s appointment for a checkup and got to talk to her about how I’m trying to change my life. She was very proud of what I’ve done in the past two weeks and even asked, “How did you lose that much in 2 weeks?”
My answer?
“I exercised.”
We both laughed and she replied, “Yeah, well that’ll do it. You’re a step above me!”
I have a long history with my doctor. I have been going to Dr. H. since I was 12; I basically grew up with her. She is my mom and sister’s doctor too, so she totally understands my family and always asks about them when I go for an appointment. She knows I’ve struggled with my weight since my very late teens, and knows I’ve tried every diet in the book (even ones she doesn’t approve of). She’s seen my weight creep up and up and up for the past 8-9 years to where I’m at right now. She doesn’t judge. She is very compassionate and knows what a heartache this is for me. Dr. H. knows about my anxiety issues (and prescribes me Xanax as needed). Bottom line – she is amazing. I can honestly say that not wanting to lose her as my primary care physician has been a thought when I’ve considered moving. I just have a really good connection with her and I know that she genuinely cares about me – this isn’t just a job for her.
But I digress.
(oh, there’s a li’l tmi in the next paragraph: you’ve been warned)
So, today Nurse D. took my blood pressure, to see where I’m at since my physical in December (when it was first documented as being high). Today my blood pressure was 149/96. If you don’t know about blood pressure, I can assure you that is not a good number to see. I had never had even the slightest high blood pressure reading before December 2009. This is all so bizarre. In December, Dr. H. mentioned that the first thing to go if my blood pressure stayed high was the birth control pill. (here’s the tmi) Late in December, she told me to stop taking it, which should make my next “time of the month” a blast. I’ve been on the pill for years to help regulate my lady business. Cramps were out of control and I felt like I was losing gallons of blood. (end tmi)
ANYWAYS, so I went off the pill a few weeks ago in the hopes it would lower my blood pressure, but as you can see from my reading today, it was high again. I am supposed to go back to see Dr. H. in a month for another BP check and if it is still high, I will have to start taking medication. High blood pressure medication at the age of 27. Unreal. I held my shiz together til I got to the car and cried my eyes out. I am TOO young for this. I can’t believe I let myself get this fat. I don’t want to die.
Unfortunately for me, even when I do lose the weight, the high blood pressure problem may continue, as there is a long line of family history of blood pressure issues. My mom and my uncle were both on high blood pressure meds in their early 20s and they were both at very healthy weights when they were diagnosed.
So, I’m scared and upset which I’m sure is not doing anything to help my blood pressure (what a catch-22). My doc said we need to get this taken care of or I could have some major problems ahead of me.
So, there you have it… the good news, the bad news and a li’l tmi.
You may have noticed this li’l graphic in my sidebar:
I signed up for the Pound for Pound Challenge, committing to lose 35 pounds. I thought this was weight you committed to lose by June but I obviously misread… so I could have pledged more but oh well.
Basically, for every pound you pledge, they will send a pound of food to a Milwaukee food pantry. Right now, Milwaukee is #9. So c’mon and join the party!
Right now I feel like doing this (cue 0:46):
Why? Because I lost 4.6 pounds this week!
EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!!!
I have a huge smile on my face today. It’s so wonderful to get validation that my hard work is paying off. I just need to stay focused. If I’m being completely honest, I’d say that what I really wanted to “treat” myself with was a piece of cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. No joke.
I have done the 30 Day Shred 4 times in the past week, and walked for a total of 4.7 miles. Waaaay more activity than I’ve had in the last year (sadly) and I have been very good about watching what I eat.
For example, last night I met up with a bunch of FitMKE peeps at AJBombers for a blogging meeting. I got the Baked Stuffed Mushroom “burger” (sauce on the side) and a small side of onion strings… of which I ate about 10. Talk about self restraint and only eating if you’re hungry. A few weeks ago, I would have cleaned the plate of onion strings. Seriously. And I would have ordered a large.
I think for me to succeed, it’s going to be all about moderation and not depriving myself… which is exactly what I did. 🙂
I’ve lost 4.6 pounds in the last week and 6.8 pounds in 2 weeks. Want previous stats? Click here.
Two workouts/one day.
Yep, I’m certifiable.
Actually, I think I’m on some kind of high. Is this what it feels like to be fit? Is this what it feels like to know you’re doing something RIGHT?
Cuz if it is, I’m down with it.
A few notes:
And… a post workout photo. Gentlemen, eat your hearts out.
