Gym Update……Back on Track :)

I finally went back to the gym today.  The last time I was there was 3 weeks ago!  Hunter and Hayley were home for a week until their summer program started and I had no one to babysit.  Then I spent a week getting everything ready for my Paris trip and ultimately it was off to Paris!

Even though I wasn’t exercising as much, I was running around a lot.  While in Paris I enjoyed wonderful food each day, but there was a tremendous amount of walking so I felt I was walking off whatever I had indulged in.

Once I got home, I immediately started to watch what I was eating for the most part (yes I had a nice slice of Hunter’s birthday cake).  I knew I had to get back to the gym, but on Sunday I started thinking about all I needed to do and was leaning towards waiting another week.  Thanks to my trainer, she emailed me yesterday saying she set me up for an appointment  this morning at 9:30. I am glad she took the initiative.  I knew then that I needed to go or I risked not going back at all.

Glad I went, worked out on the machines for 30 minutes and felt good about it.  I am now looking forward to going again on Thursday.  I also wanted to get weighed today so I would keep myself accountable.  Guess what?  I didn’t gain any weight at all!!!!  I was so excited to actually see what I thought to be true. Now it is just picking up where I left off and am really looking forward to continuing my weight loss journey.

Now, what to do about Hayley’s birthday cake on Saturday…………………………..

Over the hump! Gym update :)

It has been difficult this past month. First, the pain in my foot was hindering my exercise to a point, not to mention my right knee that has arthritis and always hurts.  I finally went to the doctor after I hurt my left knee at a wedding.  Yup, arthritis in the left as well, but the doctor said the intense pain I was experiencing in that knee was caused by a broken bone spur.  The end result……I was given the all so painful cortisone shot in both knees.  WOW, I am really good with pain but this was way over the top.  I will say the knees are feeling a lot better.  If the excruciating pain comes again, the doctor will give me a gel shot medication in both knees.  Uhhhh, I get goose bumps thinking about it, I hope this doesn’t happen.

Anyway, last Tuesday I hobbled into the gym and was only able to do the upper body workouts while sitting down.  On Wednesday, I got the shots and because I didn’t listen to the doctor and go home right away and ice my knees,  the pain became twice as bad.  Dave had to put ice packs on both knees when I went to bed.  So, on Thursday and Friday I took better care and iced my knees on and off and didn’t run around as much.  Of course, this prohibited me from going to the gym on Thursday.

I felt my eating was going pretty well, yet I kept imagining that I was gaining each pound back that I lost.  Not being able to exercise was starting to depress me, I didn’t want to start over again.

Alas, today was the gym!  I knew by yesterday that I was feeling better and ready to go back.  I even signed up for another 12 weeks of personal training.  Jess had me do some light leg machines, then we worked on the upper body and abs.  It felt really good to be back and with a lot less pain.

After the workout, I asked Jess to weigh me because I had to know for good or for bad how I have done.  After a deep breath and closing my eyes, Jess said I could look……………………2 lbs.!!!!!!!  I couldn’t believe my eyes, I was sooooo excited.  I guess I really did watch what I ate.  Now I feel pumped up again.  I even walked two miles on the indoor track after my workout.

I guess I learned to take it day by day and not to obsess over the weight or exercising.  You can still do it!!

Now I am ready to tackle my punching bag downstairs 🙂

Overdue Gym/Diet Update………

The above picture was taken last Friday before we attended a wedding.  It was the first time in years that I have worn a dress.

Now for the update……I am glad to say that I lost 1 lb. over the last few weeks.  I hadn’t lost anything and was definitely in a funk, but I think that funk is over!  My exercising has been limited because of the swelling on the bottom of my right foot, but I did what I could.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel much better, so probably a cortisone shot will be in order (HATE them).

My eating has been questionable at best over the last few weeks, but at least I didn’t gain anything.  I will admit to having the occasional pity party for myself and indulging in some…..ahem….not so good food choices.

Then at last Friday’s wedding I over extended ligaments in my left knee.  I would like to say it happened as I danced the night away, but the true fact of the matter is I stood up too fast in the restroom which resulted in a pain across my knee that almost made me faint.  I really didn’t think I would be able to walk out of the restroom, but I did hobble.  As soon as Dave saw the whiteness of my face, he came over and asked what was the matter.  I told him while breathing heavily and he suggested I try to get outside for some air.  Wow, the pain was excruciating.  I did hobble outside and sat for a few minutes (of course through the pain I still called Katie to share details of the wedding and reception) until I knew I could walk again.

I did very minor slow dancing with Dave because of the pain in my knee.  The next morning when I woke up, I had a huge swelling on the side of the knee and it ached.  Dave and I had stayed down at the Jersey shore overnight and then took a  scenic drive all the way up the coast on our way home.

Once home, I iced my knee both Saturday and Sunday.  I called the Orthopedic doctor’s office on Monday morning and was asked if it was urgent or a follow-up.  I said urgent and told the scheduler what had happened and how I felt.  Guess what?  Their first “urgent” appointment is next Thursday, May 26th.  I dropped my jaw in disbelief and repeated that it was URGENT and was having a hard time getting around.  I was told the same thing, Thursday, May 26th at 1:00.  It is very apparent that health care is going down the tubes.

I hobbled into the gym this past Tuesday and through tears, told my trainer what had happened.  She spoke with her boss who is very knowledgeable about sports injuries (I guess bathroom injuries too) and he had me put an icepack on my knee while I  did upper body workouts sitting down.  After I was finished he looked at my knee and described what was wrong and told me to get a new doctor!  He told me to take a bath 2 times a day with 2 cups of epsom salts to relieve the swelling as well as ice on 20, off 20. I followed his direction as best I could (very difficult to sit with 2 autistic kids).

In any event, things in life are never going to be perfect.  I know there will be ups and downs.  It is important that I stay focused on the goal.  I do feel much better than I did and look better too.  I have a way to go to get where I want to be, but am confident that even when life throws me a curve ball, I will be able to cope and go forward.  Just by losing the 1 lb. shows me I can do it.

Also, I keep telling myself it is 48 days until Paris!  Definitely do not want to be a fat American woman in a sea of thin French women……………..

Glitch in my Exercise Routine :(

I have been doing so well on my diet and exercise routine for the last few months, 32 lbs.!  Working out with my trainer 2 days a week and then another 3 or 4 days walking on my treadmill at home. 

 Well, today I had to go to the “foot” doctor, better known as the Podiatrist, and BAM a glitch. I have been having a lot of pain on the ball of my right foot.  Also, I have been experiencing terrible aching in my second and third toes.  I explained this to the doctor so he proceeded to examine my foot.  He pushed on the sore spot and I almost flew out of my chair.  He asked “Is this where it hurts?”  I wanted to say “no, I always scream in pain and jump in my chair when my foot is touched”.  I calmly said yes that is exactly where it hurts.  He proceeded to pull, bend and tug on my toes, as I sat there and stared at the wall willing this visit to be over.

I had an xray taken of my foot to rule out any type of fracture, and thankfully there was none.  Then he gave me an ultrasound of my foot to see if there were any tears in the joint, there were not.  He did tell me I have something called “capsulitis”.  This is the inflammation of any joint in the body, but most commonly the foot.  Mine is right under the second and third toe which is called the second metatarsal head (don’t ask).  He said the joint was very inflammed.  I asked him what causes this,  and he said it comes from excessive pressure on the forefoot.  Like Plumbers that squat and are on the balls of their feet alot, wearing very high heals for long periods of time, certain dancing etc.  I looked at him as if he got to be kidding.  I do none of those things. I live in flip flops, oh and I have to give them up for now too.  Anyway, who knows how it happened.

Now for the treatment.  The doctor said the best way to relieve the pain and help it heal is staying off your feet for a few weeks and taking anti-inflammatory pills. But he did say that is not practical.  So right now for me, he gave me metatarsal pads to keep on the inflammed area to take the pressure off the joint, prescribed me an anti-inflammatory drug to take twice a day, and said NO TREADMILL or excessive walking.  This is where the glitch comes in.  How am I going to do cardio at home if I can’t walk on the treadmill?  I will have to cut down on certain walking elements in the gym etc.  I feel like I am being sabotaged!  This can’t happen!  I have been doing so well I don’t want to get into a funk and backtrack, yet I don’t want to damage the joint any further.  I go back in 2 weeks and if it isn’t better then I need a cortisone shot (horrible, had them before in my knee), if that doesn’t work surgery!

I can’t let this get to me.  I don’t want to fail or get into the mindset of  “Oh well, pity me” and stop my progress.  Please, everyone reading this, think about me, pray for me, because this is going to be a difficult two weeks.  I can’t fail now…….

Weekly Gym Update – 4/28/11

Easter

Weigh in day again.  I was a little nervous about the weigh in because of being in Florida last week.  I didn’t go crazy eating and I did exercise, yet anytime I am away, I usually gain weight.  Plus, I must admit there was a little indulgence on Katie’s and my part.

First, I weight trained for 30 minutes with my trainer. She really worked me.  I am still sore from my Tuesday weight training session so watch out tomorrow :).  Then the weigh in. My trainer set the scale to what I weighed two weeks ago.  I took a deep breath, stepped on the scale, and found out……. I lost 1 lb.!  I thought that was fabulous since I hadn’t been to the gym for two weeks and I vacationed some.

I was going to ride the recumbent bike for 15 minutes today after the weight training.  But, I was so happy and uplifted, I wound up riding for 40 minutes!  Boy, do I feel good about today.

The picture above was taken this Easter.  I am 32 lbs. lighter.  If you compare the picture above of me with the picture  (the WORST ever) on my blog “Another weekly weigh in at the gym 🙂 Lost 3 lbs. for total loss of 22 lbs.” you can see the difference.

I am marching forward and am not going to look back.  I am feeling much better then I did before and want to continue on.  My goal is to lose another 30 lbs.  I know I will achieve this, I have no doubts.

PS.    Did I tell anyone I asked for a punching bag for Mothers’s Day?

OOPS! Gym update from last week – 4/14

I really don’t know where this past week has gone.  It has been a rough and tumble week, all kinds of things going on for good and for insane.  Hunter and Hayley have certainly been keeping me on my toes.

Anyway, the week preceding the gym went very well.  In addition to going to the gym, I continued walking on my treadmill at home.  I watched what I ate and felt pretty good.  When I got to the gym on Thursday, Jess said “we” needed to take it to another level.  This means more weight on the machines and a more intense workout.  Wow, I felt like I was training for a triathalon!  Whether it was lower body or upper body, she kept piling on weights and I thought I was going to die.  By  the time I got to the last reps, my limbs were literally shaking, I didn’t think I would finish. I was dripping in sweat and felt muscles that I didn’t even know I had.   Now it was time for the weigh in.  I marched into the room with the scale figuring “oh I bet I lost 3lbs”.   Jess set the scale to what I weighed last week, I got on……..O lbs lost.  I was shocked, it couldn’t be! I had been consistently loosing EVERY week!  Once I calmed down, Jess explained to me that yes, I had been loosing consistently but there will be times I  will not lose anything.  She told me not to give up and not to go home and binge or anything like that, just keep doing what I have been doing and I will continue to lose weight.

I have been fine since then. I have watched what I consumed and was able to do my treadmill twice.  I am unable to go to the gym this week which has me a little nervous.  I am leaving for Florida today and will be back on Saturday.  Although the trip isn’t primarily for pleasure, I can do some damage while I visit with Katie at night  🙂  Hopefully she will hold me accountable!! I plan on taking a walk on the beach each day and am looking forward to doing that.

Who know what this next week will bring but I plan on giving it my best shot.  Losing 30 lbs. is tremendous for me and I don’t want to blow it.  I am confident that once I get back on my regular schedule the pounds will continue to “melt” off 🙂

30 lbs the Gym and the Doctors Appt :)

Yesterday morning I went to the gym.  Healthquest was having a “member appreciation day”.  All kinds of things were going on.  Upon entering the facility there was a “Jester” there to welcome me.  I personally dislike clowns (another blog), they are so evil and creepy.  The problem with Jesters, they too much resemble clowns, so I only was able to give him a brief glance and hurry away. A DJ was playing music, the place was decorated with colorful balloons, lots of free food and beverages plus free water was given to you before you started to exercise.

I entered the track area and was bombarded with crazy LOUD music and about 100 women doing zumba on the first floor.  It was interesting to watch as I walked around the track. I came to the conclusion that I really wouldn’t enjoy doing it.  I wound up walking 3 miles and then I was ready for the gym itself.

I met up with Jess and she had me work primarily upper body.  She is no longer lenient with me, pow!! she brought it on.  By the time I was done, I thought my arms were going to fall off.  This is okay though because my football player arms are shrinking to a normal size.

Next was the weigh in.  I was nervous.  I felt I did well with my eating and at home exercising, yet I kept thinking about the restaurant we went to with Linda and Rich Saturday before.  It was no holds barred, I had whatever I wanted including the chocolate giant brownie with whipped cream.  I will say though, I was too full and afterward as I lay like a beached whale in bed, wished I didn’t eat so much.

I got on the scale, closed my eyes and she said “look!!”, 3 lbs!! I am now officially down 30 lbs!!!, I never thought I could do it.   I am so happy and am definitely feeling and looking better.  Next, week I will post a picture.

I had a doctor’s appointment following the gym.  I need to get my blood pressure checked every few months. I have been on blood pressure medication for 14 years. Even on medication my pressure is on the high side.  The nurse took my pressure twice and both times it was 118/69.  I haven’t had a low blood pressure in years.  When the doctor came in and saw me he was shocked.  I was such a mess both physically and mentally the last time I saw him in November.  When I go in the nurse usually takes my pressure and I don’t see the doctor.  This time he wanted to see me.  He couldn’t believe how much weight I had lost and doing it on my own.  After speaking with me and reviewing my chart he decided to take me off one of the blood pressure medications.  I was thrilled.  I have to go back in 1 month to check but if the pressure is still low I can stay off it and possibly work coming off the other one.

I am proud of my self and energized.  There is no doubt I am going to do this because for the first time in my life, I WANT to do it for me.  I know I am down at least 2 sizes because the jeans I bought a few weeks ago are now too big.  I am glad I only bought 2 pair.  I look forward to the day I can go shopping for normal clothes.  I am going to Paris in July and will need new clothes.  So Dave, credit card here I come!!!!

Weekly Gym and Weight Loss Update

Went to the gym yesterday and signed up for another 12 sessions with my trainer.  The first 12 were over on Tuesday and there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to do it again.  Left to my own devices I would fail miserably. I would never remember how to work the machines (or the dumbbells for that matter), how many repetitions to do and probably wouldn’t be able to start the treadmill :).  I have a hard time remembering the how and what when Jess trains me, on my own I would be a disaster. The first 12 sessions went by so fast and I really enjoyed it. Especially the progress I made.

After “challenging” me with harder routines, it was time for the weigh in and measurements.  They were taken the first day I started 6 weeks ago so I was really excited.  First I got weighed and lost 1.5 lbs.! Now I am down 27 lbs! Then came the measurements.

I lost:    Chest 1 in.,   Arm 1.5 in.,   Waist 2 in.,   Hips 2 in.,   Thigh 2 in.,  Calf 1/2 in.  A total of  9 inches!!!  I was soooo excited! The workouts definitely have paid off.  This has given me the determination to keep moving forward.  Dave is proud of me, he didn’t think I would follow through going to the gym as well as walking on the treadmill at home.  Previous times I always stopped but this time is different.

The dress I bought is hanging right in front of me when I open my closet door.  I am confident that I WILL be wearing it this summer.  Maybe even in Paris?…………………………………

Another weekly weigh in at the gym :) Lost 3 lbs. for total loss of 22 lbs. !!!!

I am really embarrassed about this picture.  It was taken at the Florida house this past August.  I look absolutely horrible.  Not only am I fat, but the hair?  Wow.  I finally decided to post a before picture of myself, because it can only get better from there.   As time goes on I will post pictures of me as the weight loss journey progresses.  I have been very diligent about my diet and exercise routine for the past week.  

 Last Thursday, my trainer had me do a lot of leg work.  At the time I felt fine, no pain at all, but I really paid for it Friday thru Monday.  I have arthritis in both knees, the right one being the worst.  I hobbled around, popped Aleve and held an ice pack on my knees a several times. I continued to exercise at home, but just on my upper body.  When I went to the gym on Tuesday, I told her about my knees.  Even though they were feeling better,  we decided just to work on the upper body, abs and waist to still rest my knees a few more days.  Now this is a good thing because I am really looking forward to getting rid of my man arms.  I haven’t had normal arms in a very long time. Also, I need the ab work because I to get the belly down some more. And at least now my boobs are back to being bigger then my waist, hence I still need work on these areas.   When I finished with the upper body workout, the trainer had me ride the recumbent bike.  I still was working my legs yet there was no pressure on my knees.   So I did weight training for a half hour and rode the bike for a half hour.  I am so enjoying it, I never thought I would ever say that.  I really surprise myself  by actually wanting to exercise!

 Yesterday I did an upper body workout on the universal gym in the basement, then did 3 reps of crunches using the exercise ball.  I had a lot of errands to accomplish afterward.  At each stop I parked in the furthest parking spot so I would get somewhat of a workout on my legs.  Before I left home to go out, I brought a banana, granola bar and a water just in case I got hungry.  Surprisingly, except for being thirsty and drinking the water, I wasn’t hungry at all.   As a matter of fact I didn’t even think about eating! This is extremely new to me.

Today was weigh in day at the gym.  First my trainer had me do some light legwork.  My knees felt pretty good but I didn’t want to overdo it.  Then I worked the chest, back, shoulders, abs and waist.  Once that was done, Jess led me into the room with the scale.  I stared at it a few minutes because I was a little nervous.  It seems unreal to me that I have been losing weight.  I would say I have tried a million times and it didn’t work.  I now realize I definitely was not trying hard enough nor was I motivated enough.  Jess set the weight on the scale to what I weighed last week and once I stepped on the scale it was quite obvious the slide needed to go down.  And down it did go, 3 lbs.!!! I was so excited.  Now I am down a total of 22 lbs!!!  I am so proud of myself.

That dress in my closet is looking better and better.  I am already down a size, one more size and no more plus sizes for me!  I can’t wait to get back into normal size clothes.  Like I have said before, I am not striving for a size 4, a size 12 would be wonderful. I am already looking and feeling better and am excited for summer to come and maybe actually not loath myself this year.  I also want to look good for Dave.  He has always been supportive of me no matter what my weight, he loves me unconditionally.  But I want to show him I can still be “one hot mamma”…….

 

BENSI RESTAURANT and a first

Today I had to take Hunter to a few doctor’s appointments.  Because one was in the morning and the other in the afternoon, I kept him home from school.   Hunter enjoys the occasional “Mommy – Hunter Day”.  They are few and far between.  Between appointments, Hunter and I went to Bensi for lunch.

I like Bensi’s food, I don’t love it, like I love “Ninos on the River” in Clinton, but it is very good.  The reason I chose to take Hunter to Bensi is I knew he could get buttered pasta there (one of like 3 things Hunter eats). We arrived at the restaurant and was seated in a nice booth toward the back. 

Of course, no need for Hunter to look at the menu as we already knew what he wanted.  I on the other hand had to choose.  The server had put in front of me, the specials sheet, lunches of the day and the HUGE regular menu.  As Hunter sat across from me asking, “who would win the fight, Sponge Bob or Wubbzy, what about Star Trek vs. Lord of the Rings, Nova or Bernie………..as his voice faded in the background I sat paralyzed looking at the unopened menu.  I knew all the delicious dishes that were in there, White Pizza with fresh mozzarella, garlic and olive oil, Prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and roasted red pepper italian sandwich, Chicken Francese with artichoke hearts, Parppardelle with shrimp, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic sauce……………the list goes on.

Finally, I became aware of my surrounds again.  Hunter is now telling me about the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movie that we as a family watched last weekend and Hunter watched multiple times everyday since, mostly by rewinding and replaying all his favorite parts. Here is the dilemma about choosing, do I order whatever I want because it is a special day and worry about the diet later? The problem with this is my mindset later would be “I blew it anyway, what’s the harm? I will go back on tomorrow!  In my life, tomorrow will never come.  Do I order what I want and not eat dinner?  This doesn’t work because it is the first time Dave is home all week to eat dinner with us so I need to make dinner.  A shocking thing all of a sudden popped into my head!  I could always order one of the low-fat dishes on the menu. I started to laugh in my head because I thought, “this is ludicrous, I have NEVER ordered a low-fat dish EVER from a restaurant. It can’t be done, why would you even go out to eat if you had to order low-fat. NO, NO WAY, I WON”T DO IT!!!!   Finally I shook all the evil thoughts out of my head and came to my senses.  Whew, clarity came back.  I just found out I lost 18lbs total yesterday, this morning I walked on my treadmill for 40 minutes and then did 20 minutes of weights. Why in the world would I want to blow all that hard work for food that will be forgotten about an hour after eaten.

I immediately went to the low-fat section of the Menu and decided on, Grilled Chicken over a vegetable medley with a herb, lemon and garlic marinade.  Done!  When the server came for the order Hunter told her he wanted the “adult lunch size” spaghetti with butter and a milk.  As she turned to me, I sat up straight happy with my decision and ordered the grilled chicken over vegetables and a unsweetend iced tea. Wow I can’t even express how good I felt about that.

Hot crusty bread with a pillow soft inside came to our table with that yummy oil with spices for dipping.  I ate one piece while  Hunter polished off the rest of the loaf.  Then came the salad which I had vinaigrette on the side, never did that before either.  Our main dish came and I was pleasantly surprised, my dish consisted of, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots with nice crispy (no breading) grilled chicken on top. The marinade was wonderful.  It was delicious!!! I was so very happy I made this decision. In addition, I only ate half and had the other half packed to bring home which is now in the refrigerator.  Hunter enjoyed his spaghetti and the fact he had me cornered for an hour talking non-stop 🙂

We then continued on with our day and I felt so happy! In addition to losing weight and exercising, I accomplished another first,  ordering a healthy meal for the first time in my life and feeling really, really good about it. I didn’t over stuff, I felt very comfortable and satisfied for the rest of the day.  Tonight is “movie/pizza night”, I already made a salad and have decided to have a big salad and 1 piece of pizza.  Why would I want to blow all the good choices I made today.  I want to go to bed proud of myself and know I really CAN do this……