Sunday, December 2, 2012

EXERCISE ROUTINE

Hi Everyone,

I have noticed that as more weight comes off, it comes off slower. That can be very discouraging to many of us. Exercise must be incorporated into our new lives if we want to continue to succeed. Even if all you are doing is walking every day, at least you are getting out and moving your new body around.

Having served in the United States Navy, I used to run every day. That was something that I definitely missed about being able to do with my body. I had gotten so big that I could barely walk from the couch to the door...much less to the park to go for a run. But now, with my new body and attitude, I was ready to get back to running. I started off slowly at the gym on the treadmill doing the Couch25K program. Then I realized that the weather outside was so nice that I decided to take my running outside.

I go to my local park and there is a path that all the way around is approximately 1.5K. I downloaded a pedometer on my iPod, turned on my music and away I went. I find that as the days go on I am able to run a little more each time. My schedule nowadays is to run around it one time and then sit for about 2 minutes and then run around it again. I am slowly working on the stamina to not have to stop during my time around. I am slowly building myself up to run a 5K at the end of March 2013.

However, one thing I have discovered, running is not enough. Our bodies tend to get used to the same treatment that we put them through every day and that is also where the plateaus find us. I decided to go back to my gym and take advantage of the free 1 hour meeting with a personal trainer. She went over all my measurements and what my heart rate should be at as well as what kind of schedule I should put my body through.

When I completed the meeting with her I set up a meeting with another employee from the club who took me through a one-hour orientation of how to use the strength-training equipment. Some of the equipment I knew how to use, but there were quite a few machines that I did not know how to use. It was also a very enlightening meeting!

So for now, my schedule is Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I do strength training and then a run; Tuesdays and Thursdays I only do running. Turns out your body needs 48 hours in between strength training so that you have less injury and soreness. I also found out that strength training burns the same amount of calories (and sometimes more) as cardio does. The trainer said that approximately an hour of strength training burns between 800 and 1000 calories!! WOW!! One of the reasons is because your body continues to burn calories even after you leave the gym.

I can attest to one thing...when I don't work out for a few days, I do NOT lose any weight. My body has definitely decided that it wants me to be healthy and active...and really, that's A-O-K! ;)

Cheers and Much Love!
Ellen

Four Months (24 weeks) Post-Op

Hi Everyone,

I am feeling so guilty for not keeping up with the blog so that many of you will know how our daily lives change post-op. My last blog was in July just about a month after my surgery and so much has happened since then.

I can tell you that it has been a series of ups and downs. There was a period post-op from about 4-8 weeks where I suffered from some depression. From what I understand, that is normal. Our bodies are going through so many different changes and this can also mess with our minds! The first few weeks of eating nothing but soft foods is also very difficult because even though we had surgery to curb our way of eating, it's hard to change the mind to thinking of things differently. My mind was still saying it wanted pizza or hamburgers, but I knew that my tummy would reject all junk!

I followed the diet almost exactly to what the doctor and nutritionist said to do. The only problems I had then (and still have now) are getting any enough proteins because I am not crazy about the protein drinks. I was allowed to drink the Boost with no sugar added or the Premier Protein shakes that are found at Costco. I did not like the flavor of any of them so I learned how to make my own and that has helped some. I am still tweaking the receipe, but I am determined to get it right. I will post a different blog with some recipes on making your own shakes later.
Tomorrow will mark 24 weeks since my surgery date. I have had my 3 month post-op to the nutrionist and all went well! He would like me to get in more protein, but was happy with my results. All of my bloodwork came back great so I guess the vitamins are working their magic.

The last four months have definitely been a rollercoaster ride, but so worth it! I am still learning what I can and cannot eat. There are days that chicken agrees with me and days that it does not. I am also still learning when I am full. Some days I will stop eating thinking I am full and then within a half-hour to hour I am hungry. I try to stay away from the bad carbs and things I should not eat. I have no tried steak since my surgery. I am too scared! I have tried a little pulled brisket bbq and it did not bother me at all. I am trying to learn that I must chew the food to death before swallowing or I suffer from dumping syndrome. That for me most days is where it feels like the food is stuck. I know that some people will make themselves throw-up in order to get rid of that feeling, but I have been unable to do that. I usually just try to drink a lot of water and belch up the feeling.

I cannot think of any bad side effects that make me regret having this surgery. So far I am still completely happy with my decision. I have lost a total of 87 lbs; having gone from 268 lbs to 181 lbs. I would do this again because it has made such a huge improvement to my life and health. I no longer have diabetes...my blood pressure is under control and I can run and exercise nowadays! The health benefits alone have been worth it! :)

Cheers and Much Love!
Ellen