Hello all! This week hasn’t been perfect, but I’ve been tryin’. The fourth just killed my routine.
Monday was spent sleeping in, packing up, and driving home from a real pleasant but quick trip to Hood Canal. Belfair to be precise, in case anyone is interested. I ate fast food for the first time in a very long time, as in, I can’t affix a date to the last time I gut-bombed. When you aren’t used to fast food, it really isn’t as satisfying or delicious as you remember it to be. Anyway, I went swimming with the family Monday evening. Not really swimming, just fooling around, but we spent 1 1/2 hours in the water, and I moved around quite a bit, so I’m counting it for 30 minutes of aerobics. (Little sparkly flower sticker for me)
Tuesday, I just did physical therapy.
Wednesday I did physical therapy and a hula video.
Thursday was physical therapy and my 2 mile walk. (I kicked butt. I think I walked the fastest ever. This is very exciting for me, because I have somewhat of a gimpy leg that keeps me from walking as fast as I’d like)
Friday I did upper and lower body weights and my physical therapy exercises.
On that topic…… (Warning- a very long rant follows, feel free to skip it) This is my first time going to physical therapy. I had no idea what to expect, other than a long routine of tedious physical movements that are supposed to help my bodily discomfort. I knew that part by reputation. Anyway, it appears that I am highly strong and flexible. I’ve always known that I am really strong for a woman. (Mostly in my lower half, I think my upper half is pretty wimpy.) Every doctor, specialist, and exercise equipment salesman I go to sees a very overweight stay-home mother of three small children and makes assumptions. (That is my guess anyway). Once they get around to actually examining me, they all say things like, “Wow! You’re really strong!” and, “Wow, you’ve got good muscle tone.” “Most women can’t do that.” Etc, etc. So, I’m in the physical therapist’s office for our first meeting a couple of weeks ago, and he’s asked a bunch of questions about my pain and lifestyle, and starts in on the physical examination. Once again I get the shock and surprise at my strength. The thing I wasn’t expecting was shock and surprise at my flexibility. It appears that I have full range of motion and extreme flexibility throughout my body that most people don’t have, including the therapist and his assistant. (I had a great PE teacher in junior high school that graded very heavily on stretching, and I’ve benefited from it the rest of my life) The therapist said that I was going to be a “fun and interesting case” for him, because I’m already strong and incredibly flexible, and he’s not exactly sure how to help me. They have me doing some good stretches and strength building in my upper/mid back that I think will help, but we haven’t done much with my hip and the base of my spine yet. (I have a torn disc.) I’m just wondering this….. If I am so strong, so flexible, exercising (my resting heart rate is about 52 beats per minute), drinking a gallon of water a day, eating well, and have remarkably good blood pressure, WHY IN THE DEUCE AM I FAT?!!!!!
(OK, back to our regularly scheduled Health Group meeting.)
Food-wise this week, I did pretty good. Not as wonderful as last week, but still pretty darn good.
And the scale? 229.5. Score. I’ve been in the 220’s most of the week. I’m pretty stoked about that.
Your turn………… Or you can just sing me a happy “Hooray For You” song. Whatever tickles your fancy.
July 10th, 2004 at 2:31 am
Hi Laura! Well, you sure are doing great! It’s wonderful that you are able to have such variety in your everyday exercise! You are lucky indeed to be so very flexible! I know for sure that I am not, and I am only somewhat motivated to work on that aspect. I could do my own little rant about my gyne Dr. this week. I think it’s been two years since my last exam, and he seemed to hurry through the exam just so he could lecture me on my weight. He went on and on about how I need to learn portion control……..had he but actually looked at my chart, with a hiatal hernia and acid-reflux, I cannot eat alot of food at a time. Anyone who has eaten with me, knows I can’t finish and eat really slow. When I brought up the subject of exercise, he told me flat out that no amount of exercise could ever help me, and that I need to be a fanatic about portion control!! He also went on to say that soon…..get this….I will need help in everyday activities, because my knees will go, quickly followed by both my hips! Instead of offering guidance, I felt like he was really into fat-bashing. I wonder, too, why I am fat when I cannot stuff myself at any meal. I feel like Alice in Wonderland….running as fast as I can to stay in the same place (by changing my diet more and more and more…….).
July 10th, 2004 at 4:10 am
OK, works for me. . .
Hooray for you,
Hooray for you,
Hoo-ray for you!
(I guess you can tell I made up the words to that one. Feel free to insert your own melody, as long as it doesn’t sound like Happy Birthday 😉
July 10th, 2004 at 4:26 am
ps-In all seriousness, though, good for you. I can’t pretend to know you well, but I would think this would have to take some bravery every week. Keep up the good work.
July 11th, 2004 at 6:26 am
another Laura – Thank you very much. It is an unbelievable amount of work and sacrifice, every day, to try this hard.
Jenny – I’m so sorry you have an evil dr. My weight gain happened freakishly fast right when I got married, (poor husband of mine. I was horribly depressed for the first two years of our marriage. I think he’s a saint for sticking with me) and I finally went to a doctor that came highly recommended to see what in the world was going on. He told me that everyone gains weight when they get married, and to start dieting. That was it. I burst into tears in his office and asked if it was normal for everyone to gain 30 POUNDS in the first TWO MONTHS of marriage ending in a total of 80 pounds gained in the first six? He brushed me off and left the room! Jerk. Unfortunately, that horrid incident has permanently tainted the medical profession for me. I have since seen some good doctors, but realize that they are all human, there is no textbook answer that will be right all the time, and if a dr. isn’t listening to me, I have to pitch ’em.
July 11th, 2004 at 11:14 am
Hi… I know you do not know me from the woman on the moon, but I read your blog on occasion… I am a mom of 6 and not small but any stretch.. but in the last 6 months have lost 15 pounds… I found out that my thyroid was not working!.. have you had your thyroid tested?? If not think about it. It’s NOT a miracle cure but if it’s not working or is sluggish you will not burn calories. There are all sorts of other funky signs of low thyroid, andif you want to chat about it feel free to drop me a line.
Maddie, knitting/homeschooling mom from Chattnooga
July 11th, 2004 at 2:43 pm
Hi Maddie! Thanks for stopping by! I have had my thyroid tested. I’ve had a lot of blood work done by two different doctors. No one has found anything yet. I know that there is someone out there somewhere who has a piece of info for me that would be beneficial, but I haven’t found them yet.
Congrats on YOUR success! I hope it continues. Staying home with children and finding time to exercise and take care of yourself is difficult to balance. I love seeing my young children imitating my exercise though. It is very cute, and hopefully teaches them to take care of themselves when they are older.
July 12th, 2004 at 3:45 am
laura, could you be insulin-resistent?
http://www.wdxcyber.com/ngen10.htm
July 12th, 2004 at 3:53 am
I don’t know what that means, exactly. I have had my blood sugar tested. When I’m pregnant, they do a routine test for gestational diabetes. I’ve been normal on that test. I believe I’ve had other blood sugar tests done, but I’m not completely sure. Is there a specific test for insulin resistance?
July 12th, 2004 at 11:09 am
Laura,
The reason I thought Thyroid was that mine was hard to dignoise… it was all the other symptoms that were the cincher… Since the TSH test is just an average it’s not the right ball park for each person. The other symptoms include, being cold when others are comfortable, funky female problems ( mostly VERY heavy periods), low sex drive, dry itchy skin, hair falling out, and bowel distress. Heck I thought I was just a big whiner and in fact I was sick! <G>.. for me it was hard to tell since for 14 years straight I was breastfeeding or pregnant so who knew what was up or down with my body. But in hindsight like most with low tyroid when I was preg. I felt better.. ( baby makes tyroid for you…you scam off of it until your deliver)… for me the real kicker was that I had an awful time gaining weight while pregnant… and still had huge babies ( my bigest was 12 pounds).. but soon as I gave birth… SLAM..the weight just flew on… 5-7 pounds in the first month!… SO glad I figured out my thing… best of luck with yours!
Maddie
July 13th, 2004 at 6:31 am
the thing with insulin resistance is that you *will* test normal, but your results will be in the high range for your insulin level. and it’s a syndrome so there is no hard and fast indicator. here are some better links:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/59/66846.htm?lastselectedguid={5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348}
also:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/59/66834?z=1667_50910_6504_00_12
i’m not saying you have this, but it’s worth thinking about. i do have it, but for me it is part of also having pcos (polycystic ovarian syndrome). i can guarantee you that part of my weight gain was due to this. i wasn’t eating well before, but i wasn’t very hungry. i was a skinny thing who would forget to eat. all of a sudden, i’m STARVING all the time. i’d eat a huge meal that would make me sick, but 2 hours later, i’d be insane for food. that’s the blood sugar thing. i also suspect it has something to do with my depression, but i don’t have any proof of this. it’s just a gut (har!) feeling.
checking your thyroid out seems worthwhile, also.
i hope i’m making sense. i don’t want to send you off in a wrong direction.
July 14th, 2004 at 3:41 am
Athena- Thank you for the information. I have read the articles and it doesn’t sound like me, but it was interesting.
Maddie- I have wondered about those “ranges” that are supposed to be normal in blood tests. I have had extensive blood work done in the past (about 4 years ago) and some of those ranges are huge. The doctor said everything was fine, but I wasn’t so sure. How do all those numbers relate to each other? If I’m on the high side of one, and the low side of another, what does that mean? Alas, I still don’t know.
July 16th, 2004 at 2:46 pm
Hip! Hip! Hoo-ray!
Bicep! Bicep! Hoo-ray!
Ankle-bone! Ankle-bone! Hoo-ray!
Way to go Laura!
I figure the hips just get too much as it is.
Seriously. I am very happy for you. I still have to confess, I have not started working out yet and wonder why, other than being a loyal fan, why am I writing in on the health blog? Another week of being ill. Another week of set-back. Frustration has set in.
I am so proud of you! You go girl!