Upper Endoscopy done

Well, one procedure down, the worst one yet to come. Feeling a little tired even after taking a long nap this afternoon. Read my discharge instructions and I'm not supposed to exercise for THREE DAYS! :-( So not a happy camper. But since they did take biopsies, there's a chance of bleeding, that's why. Sigh. They gave us printouts of the pics they took down my esophagus and in the stomach. Woohoo. Lovely shots.

Exercise Challenge

Yesterday was a little hectic so I didn't make my check in post.

260 minutes of cardio
3 buns & thighs workouts, 1 with upper body
6 days of exercise

Measurements are the same, but I just started my period so I'm a little bloated. :-P Weight hasn't gone down either. Still doing the yo-yo thing all week. Feeling a little yuck today with the start of a migraine and back cramps.

I'm super, super happy, though. Cuz last night I went to my Weekender's friend's house and got well over $1000 of their fabulous clothes for just $230. For those of you who don't know, Weekenders was a direct sales company with great women's clothing. They declared bankruptcy a couple of weeks ago so all of their coordinators are out of business. So last night was several coordinators putting out their inventory and selling stuff at really great prices. I was able to get several pieces in smaller sizes (YAY!!!!) I took along some Dove Dark chocolate martini mix for consolation. It was much enjoyed. ;-)

Cycle smart

How did Denise Austin know I just got a bike???? ;-) Here are her tips:

Cycle Smart!

Taking a bike for a spin — indoors or out — is a great way to get active and burn calories, according to the experts at the University of Texas Medical Center. However, they say that thanks to cycling's popularity, injuries are on the rise. So be careful! If you plan on going for a bike ride, they advise the following:

* Wear a helmet when biking outdoors.
* Adjust your bike for a proper fit. Too low seats or handlebars can strain your knees, back, neck, arms, and wrists. You don't want this!
* Check pedal resistance. Too much resistance strains your quads and knees, while too little can hurt the back and pelvis.
* Wear padded shorts and make sure the seat is a good fit to avoid saddle soreness.
* Minimize blisters with shoes and socks that fit properly and absorb moisture.
* Stay hydrated! Drink water on rides lasting less than an hour. Bring along sports drinks or energy bars on longer rides.

Progress photos

Photo on left is "before" shot from April 15th (same weight and measurements as June 1 when we started the exercise challenge) in size 14 jeans. Photo on right is "after" taken on June 26th in size 12 shorts. I don't have the exact same stance and lighting so not sure how much difference it shows. But at least it's the same shirt. ;-) And I absolutely HATE my knees, so I will be cutting those off in any photo I take! :-P Riding the bike, I can really feel my thighs working, so maybe it will start firming up and taking inches off there.

I FORGOT TO TELL YOU!!!

I got my fuji bike!!!! WOOT! Thanks, Lipton! It came a few days ago but we've been too busy to do anything with it! My hubby put it together tonight and I took it for its inaugural spin. Hubby did his walk and I rode back and forth and did circles around him. My butt and thighs will be killing me tomorrow or the next day! :-D They sent a helmet with the bike, too. Sweet!



OK, you really need to take the picture before I run into you, honey!

Today's weight - 190.8

190.8 - yay! I think the upswings this week were from the lack of good sleep I was able to get each night! I'm getting over 10,000 steps in every day - except Sunday on the range, which was a lot of standing in one place. Our range experience is now posted on my family blog with photos!

Pulmonology visit

This visit was MUCH better than the GI one! The doctor doesn't think there's anything to be concerned about. He thinks I had pneumonia and it caused some scarring that can pull at the wall of the lung and give me those stabbing pains I've been having. He said they should get less and less severe all the time. So my concerned husband is certainly resting easier. He was worried about the lung issues. I really liked the doctor and he used to work with our son's pulmonologist. We told him we were pretty experienced in all things lung-related due to Kendall's CF. We may see if the next admission Kendall needs can be done down here in the Springs with this doctor.

Lots of health news

OK, first I'll do my Healthy You Challenge check in. Weight has been inching up again, but it's that time of the month so that's par for the course for me. Still keeping up with exercise and eating pretty healthy. We had a busy weekend with our pistol course so that can be hard on the diet, but for my one meal of the week where I can eat anything, I enjoyed the salad bar and 3 yummy, yummy bread dips at the Italian restaurant we all met at after the long day on the range. (I'll post more details on that experience on my family blog.)

Saw a GI doctor yesterday and the one thing I didn't think was a big deal (diverticulum behind the stomach - no symptoms at all) has turned into two procedures. I have to have an endoscopy due to years of heartburn and a colonoscopy due to years of constipation. Urgh. My paternal grandpa had colon cancer when he was rather young. So that definitely ups my risk factor.

I love my pedometer. I never realized how much I walk every day! I'm recording it every day in my food journal, too.

OK, I know I shouldn't do this on my HEALTH journal, but I have been telling you the benefits of dark chocolate and you read the info on the websites, RIGHT????? ;-) So I wanted you all to know a
bout our really cool June customer special with Dove Chocolate at Home. It's just $40 (plus shipping and tax), regular $56, so it's a 30% savings! Shipping on one special is $10 - they send it UPS, 2nd day air, so it gets to you fast and in great shape. If I get 5 people to each order one of these, I can draw a name to give someone the $25 in FREE product and 1 half price item for the hostess benefit. If you want to get 5 of your friends together to each order one, I'll give YOU the hostess benefits. If everything is shipped to one person, shipping is only $7 per order.

This special includes some of our yummiest product. The Mousse mix (MY personal favorite) and dark chocolate to make it, plus some leftover, the Truffle Fudge Brownie mix (my husband's personal favorite) and the Double Chocolate Chip Cookie mix (which my kids really love!)

But I have to get the order in by Sunday. If you want to email me at Junes_Chocolate@yahoo.com, you can do that. Give me your full address, phone number and let me know a good time to call you to get credit card info. We take M/C and Visa only. :-D I win a challenge if I can get 2 more parties in by Sunday so PLEASE help me!!!! :-)

Friday Check in for June Exercise Challenge

Keeping up with the exercise. Have the 3 days of strength training. Just 201 minutes of cardio this week. But 6 days of exercise for the week. I took Sunday as a day of rest again. My measurements are still the same. But I can definitely tell that the buns & thighs workout from Bender Ball is really working.

I got a pedometer yesterday. As of 9:30pm tonight, I have walked 12,001 steps, 6.25mi, burned 664 calories over 2:37. I never realized how many steps I take around my house before I leave for the day! It was quite eye-opening. Oh, and it's a talking pedometer and scared the crap out of me more than once throughout the day! LOL

I posted the original update this morning. SO I guess I should officially add at least 30 minutes more cardio. We took a brisk walk around the neighborhood this morning. It got brisker on the way back when the lightning started! LOL

Thursday check in

Continuing to get my exercise, but have pulled back on the cardio a bit this week. My ankle has been sore. Back down to 190.8 this morning, which surprised me because I had very little sleep last night. Went to bed at a decent hour, but laid there completely and totally awake, so I got up at 1am and had some herbal tea and a small glass of wine. And got to watch some silly TV with my kids and hear them laugh. I always love that! Went back to bed at 4 and still laid there for quite a while wide awake, but finally dozed off and had REALLY weird dreams.

I don't THINK I'm worrying about the doctor stuff. I was surprised to get calls from the specialists with appointments for next week. So they are moving quickly on this and I thought, "Hmmm, should I be worried?" But I'm not gonna. My husband said he's pretty worried about the lung thing, but won't obsess about it with me.

I got my iodine pills yesterday and started those. SO I was wondering if that was why I couldn't sleep - with all of the new supplements I'm taking. It had some funny stuff written on the insert that I'll go into later. It's a HUGE dose compared to what you read about on the supplement websites that have liquid iodine, which is 75mcg. I'm taking 50MG per day!!!! My chiropractor is taking that much, too. So that helps.

Reality Check

OK, my pity party is over. Check out my family blog reality check post if you want to know why!

Bit of a rebellion

Sigh. I'm dealing with some anger against my body. Exercising almost every day and eating well doesn't seem to bring any results, so I find myself thinking, What's the POINT? and digging into the bbq chips or the Chips Ahoy. So it's somewhat of a self-sabotage. But I've had all these weird health issues come up when I'm living a healthier lifestyle than I EVER have and it's ticking me off! So I need some kind of kick in the pants to keep going, I think. Anyone have good kicking boots???? ;-D

OK, coming back to edit. I can't say there have been NO results, because I AM wearing a size 12 in many things. And everyone keeps saying I look younger and younger all the time. So I am getting SOME results and NSVs, but I guess I just want to see it on the scale, too.

More health news

Got a call from the Academy hospital regarding my ct scan. They are referring me to pulmonology and GI. The cyst still shows up in my lung and there's something in the diverticulum which could also be a cyst. Yeah, I'm prone to cysts. Tell me something I don't know. :-P Stay tuned.

Kitchen-Aid mixer giveaway

How cool would it be to win a Kitchen Aid??? Figured I might as well enter, maybe I'm on a winning roll. ;-) My Wooden Spoon is sponsoring the contest.

Chocolate

OK, for those of you with unending chocolate addiction, I have a solution for you - become a Dove chocolatier! :-D REALLY, it works. I don't eat or crave nearly as much as I used to. Making it frequently pretty much kills the cravings. And there is so much evidence for the health benefits of dark chocolate. It's high in MUFAs and helps burn belly fat. And the Dove (chef quality!) dark chocolate is soooo rich and creamy and yummy. And no parafin, like there is in the store bought stuff that is made to last for a long time on the store shelves. Here are some websites for you.

Chocolate and your health

Good News for Chocolate fans

Chocolate can do good things for your heart, skin and brain

Chocolate parties!

Here are some of the things we taste at our Dove Chocolate at Home parties.
The chocolate mousse is probably my favorite of all the products we carry. Especially when it's served in the dessert cup made out of chocolate! ;-)

Heart fondue set for dipping strawberries, pretzels, marshmallows, apples, etc.

The Truffle Fudge brownie mix is my husband's favorite product. They are pretty tasty!

Friday Exercise Challenge Check-In

Got in 302 min of cardio this week by exercising 6 days, took Sunday off. Did the Bender Ball buns & thighs strength training 3x, 2 of them adding arms.

Thursday check-in

Weight today - 190.8 Looking forward to getting out of the 90's for GOOD!

Yesterday's exercise - the Bender Ball buns & thighs workout plus Level 1 of the core training (abs crunches mainly.)

Today's exercise - 33 minutes, 1.77mi on the treadmill first thing.
At 6:15, hubby and I went for 32 minute walk. I did interval pacing.

Bought more size 12s at Walmart. Needed some new shorts. WOOT!

Here's the results chart for last week - the first week of the June exercise challenge.

Healthy You Challenge weigh in

Yesterday was a little busier than I expected, so I'm a day late. Weight today was 191.8. Down from last week, but I didn't post it, so I can't remember the exact amount. Today was our first chance to sleep in a bit in quite a while, so it felt good. We've designated today as a DOWN day with no making of chocolate or running around. :-)

Found out that the liquid iodine I've been taking is not nearly enough to get my levels back up. My chiro checked with the chemist at the lab where they do the testing and I'd have to take 300-400 drops to get the amount I need! So she's looking for some tablets to get for me.

Tuesday exercise - 40 minutes on stationary bike in the morning, 50 minutes cardio in the evening doing intermediate waltz lesson.

From Denise Austin today:
Bust That Plateau!
Are your results slowing down despite your devotion to the plan? Try these tips to get things moving again:

* Make sure you're not skipping meals. If you deprive your body of the food it needs, you'll activate a starvation response and your body will hold on to every ounce!
* Stop getting stressed by the scale! Muscle weighs more than fat. Water fluctuations can add pounds, too! Instead, use a tape measure or how your clothes fit as your guide.
* Switch workout strategies! If you've been walking, shake it up with biking or swimming. Always using the same machines at the gym? Try something new. Snap your body out of its routine!
* Pick up the pace by adding 15 more minutes to your workout or going up a notch on each weight machine.
* Keep track in your Journal. Are little snacks adding up to extra calories? Follow the plan exactly and measure out portions! Don't guesstimate!
* Drink your water! Make eight to 10 glasses a day the minimum!

Your plateau will soon be a memory!

Keeping up with the exercise

Friday - abs on ball
23 minute Buns & Thighs Bender Ball workout (B&T on BB)
Upper body weight lifting
No walking

Saturday - LOTS of minutes of cardio due to ballroom dance!
In the morning, we did an hour lesson, 30 min waltz and 30 min samba
If you want a good cardio workout that kills your abs - take samba lessons! Whooee!

In the evening, we went to a dance. Of the three hours, we spent probably at least 60 minutes dancing, which is pretty good for my husband just 4 1/2 weeks out from surgery!

Sunday - day of REST!

Monday - abs on ball
23 minutes B&T on BB
Upper body weight lifting

Talked more with my chiropractor. Besides the iodine, she's recommending Natural Change cream, DHEA and Adrenolyph. My progesterone is way low and so is my adrenal function.

June Exercise Challenge check in

I did great this week. 158 minutes of cardio (I walk) and 71 minutes of strength training. Woohoo! Weight this morning is 192.2. A little up, but it's that time of the month, so I'm not going to sweat it.

I forgot to post my starting measurements, so I will do that now.
Bust 38
Upper Arms 12.5
Upper Abs 31.5
Waist 32
Lower Abs 37
Hips 38.5
Thighs 23.5

Exercise challenge

Got in our 30 minute walk tonight, even though I'm falling over tired. Two mornings in a row with too little sleep is hard on this body. I'm going to get in the hot tub for a bit then go to bed.

Get your beauty sleep!

From Denise Austin's email today:

Get Your Beauty Sleep!
If you have kids, you know all too well that if you disrupt their sleep routine, you'll pay for it the next day. But don't forget that a lack of sleep takes its toll on adults too. Not only is lack of sleep likely to make you irritable, sluggish, and less productive the next day, it can also have a negative impact on your health in the long term. If you don't spend enough time in the deep phase of sleep, your body doesn't get a chance to replenish cells and restore energy. Some research has even connected a lack of sleep to weight gain.

So to feel and look your best, it's crucial to make time for sleep. Get into the healthy habit of waking up and going to bed at the same time every day — that's right, on weekends too! Maintaining a regular sleep schedule will help you reap all the benefits of a good night's sleep. If you get enough sleep each night, you'll not only feel well-rested, you'll look fresh-faced and feel ready to conquer the day. Remember, bedtime isn't just for kids!

IT'S MY THYROID!!!

Talked briefly with my chiropractor today, will be going in for in-depth test results on Monday morning. According to the hormone panel I had done, I AM deficient in iodine and I AM estrogen dominant. (I'm also perimenopausal and no longer ovulating.) We'll discuss what it all means and the treatment options on Monday. But I did already get the liquid iodine and started using it as soon as I got done with the collection of saliva and urine for the detailed panel.

So there may very well be a physiological reason for my inability to lose weight. And maybe it will just start falling off once I start treatment? Hey, a girl can dream, can't she? ;-)

And, you know, I have to wonder how many women out there have a "totally normal" thyroid blood panel, but have these other things going on that the blood tests don't target?? I'm going to wait a few weeks before scheduling the ultrasound/fine needle biopsy of the nodule in my thyroid.

Soooo tired

We had a long day today with an afternoon chocolate party in Aurora, near Denver. When we got home, hubby and I took a 30 minute walk. Then I did the 23 minute buns & thighs bender ball workout. Gotta get up early tomorrow for a ct scan at 9am. So I really need to get to bed.

Tuesday check-in

Not counting my weight today. I had less than 5 hours of sleep, so I know it was higher than it normally would be. We'll see what happens tomorrow morning. I'm on track with exercising and eating healthy. :-)

We didn't get our walk in last night, we were too busy making chocolate for the parties this week! Started my day today with a 23 minute, 1.25 mile walk on the treadmill.

Exercise Challenge Goals & a Reward

With the return of the pain in my rib, I'm not going to be too ambitious because I don't want to have to take another doctor mandated rest! :-( So I will make the minimum my goal - 400 minutes of cardio and 3 strength trainings per week. I'll add abs crunches every other day or so. My reward will be a massage at my favorite spa.

June 2nd Exercise Challenge

For those of you thinking 400 minutes of exercise in one month is a lot - it's only 15 minutes a day. And the 400 minutes are just for cardio. I usually do 30-40 minutes on the treadmill on 5 or 6 days, so it should be pretty easy. My husband and I started going for walks around the neighborhood in the evening. I power walk and then we meet back up.

Yesterday I took a 30 minute walk with the hubs.

This morning I did the Bender Ball Buns & Thighs workout. Very similar exercises to the ones listed by Swizzlepop. It takes 23 minutes to complete that workout. Then I did 3 sets of 15 reps of Bicep Curls, Pull Downs, Tricep Curls, Bench Press, then crunches on the stability ball. With a 30 second rest between each exercise, it took me 25 minutes.

My husband and I walked around the mall for a bit after I found the Turquoise Crocs I wanted at Dillards. (Dove chocolate colors are brown and turquoise so I've been stocking up on the clothes in those colors and needed the shoes! ;-D) We'll be going for a 30 minute walk again after dinner. He was able to keep up with me last night. He's doing GREAT in the recovery from his hip replacement.

Last night I had the stabbing pain in my chest again. (Down on the lower rib.) So I called this morning to schedule the follow-up CT scan. I just don't think it's muscular or cartilage. It was a stabbing pain when I inhaled, so I suspect it's something with the lung. But maybe it's just our experience with lung things that make me suspect that. ;-)