Almost 15,000 Steps, and Britches.

11.21.2013

After a week of taking it easy (thanks to being stupid while working out), tonight saw Gina and I back on the track at the high school. My focus was to cover some distance opposed to Gina's normal lightning quick pace.

Well, maybe not exactly lightning quick, but the girl walks a lot faster than I do. I can make up lots of reasons, but mainly I'm stuck in "mosey".

Gina's arm was a little sore from what sounds to be an interesting future story once everything isn't hurting. This bode well for me as it slowed her down. I got in some extra walking today during a trip to the mall to unsuccessfully get some smaller britches (more later). Thanks to our slower pace, Gina and I walked most of 2 laps around the school instead of the lap + meander that we often do.

Most of 2 laps because there's this 1 section on the back side of the school that neither one of us like. It's hard to explain, but it just seems boring and long 0 and it's maybe ¼ mile long. Tonight when we reached this section we cut around to the front of the school. A full 2 laps is roughly 3.2 miles, and our circuit measured just over 3 miles on Gina's phone app.

I felt a little guilty for not walking, or at least not walking enough to really count, over the past week. Luckily today made up for it by being the farthest I've walked in a day since I started tracking it. So I don't feel as guilty now. Plus, my feet are sore so that quells some guilt as I'm sure I'll still feel it in the morning.

My trip to the mall was to buy some new jeans as the ones I've been wearing (52 waist) are big enough on me I have to keep pulling them up to my gut when I stand up so they'll be tight enough to stay on. I thought I had smaller pants in the storage building, but when I checked yesterday I found 7 pair of size 54 waisted pants. To all of you normal sized folks out there, these 54's and 52's probably sounds huge, but 2 months ago I was testing the constraints of a size 58. Hoping to find some better fitting, not gut requiring jeans I went to Madison Square Mall on the way home.

Madison Square Mall is a sad place compared to the last time I bought clothes there, which must have been years ago. Although I'm shrinking, I'm still steadfast in the big section of the Big & Tall's. Dillards, my normal Big & Tall go-to place, is no longer Dillards but instead some type of clearance specialty store that's got crap everywhere, but nothing I want. I walked down to Belk and they have a Big & Tall section, but only if you don't blink while walking by. In the 6 racks of Big & Tall clothes I found, I'm between pant sizes of the brands they had in stock. The brand I've been wearing comes from Casual Male (i.e. Over-Priced But It Fits), so I'll end up back there sometime next week for jean shopping.

I could go now, or tomorrow, but I'm too frustrated with my shopping experience, and cinching up my pants around my gut will just give me the "I'll show them/I don't need their stupid pants attitude" that will make me feel even.


diet

Raw 11.18.2013

11.20.2013

This past Monday was my first post-surgical road trip of note, at least the first trip that I stayed overnight. Seeing has how road trip meals were one of my favorite past times, it was a little weird not to stop and pick up some fast food when hitting the interstate.

The main purpose of this trip was to see Jason as WWE Raw hit Nashville. A little over a year ago (or maybe a year and a half), I cut back on my wrestling-watching when I got rid of cable. I catch the abbreviated version of the Monday night show about 90% of the time, but that's more to stay up to date in case anything important happens. Usually, nothing important happens. When I saw that Raw was coming to Nashville, I saw my chance to see Jason and catch up a little not because I was the wrestling fan that's known worldwide as the keeper of Russellmania, but because I knew where he was going to be and it was within easy driving distance!

Gina was tagging along, so this added the previously mentioned overnight aspect as we would stay in Nashville and get a little shopping in (which I owed her from taking care of my butt after last years surgery). Since Jason was going to be busy "working", we didn't try real hard to get to the show when it started at 6:00. In fact, I picked Gina up around 6:00. And then we were off to Nashville!

... for about 10 minutes, when Gina remembered she had forgotten the candied/chocolate apples she was supposed to take Jason. We were already on the interstate, so we had to trek 8 miles before we could turn around and pick up the apples. So around 6:30, we were off to Nashville! Again. Which was all fine since Jason was "working".

We made it to the arena in Nashville around 8:00, at which point security wouldn't let Gina in with the apples. We could leave the apples, or someone from inside could come get them. Thanks to Jason's high ranking stature in the company and some liberal text messaging, he was able to send a lackey to fetch the apples, and us along with them. Sometime around 8:30 we made it all the way inside to our seats.

For the next hour and a half we watched some wrestling and Jason would come talk when "work" slowed down. Once everything was wrapped up for the night, I think we stood around talking for another 30-45 minutes. This was the best part of the night, as Jason is one of those guys I wish I could just hang out with and talk to because he's so interesting. Of course, that would run the risk of him finding out what a nerdy dork I really am behind the cool and studly facade I'm able to fake during the moments I'm around him.

After all of our hugs goodbye Gina and I made it back to the hotel and I got to hear about what a cutie pie Jason is. It was similar to how I heard about what a cutie pie he was 2½ years ago at Wrestlemania in Atlanta. He is a cutie pie, so I'm pretty sure I was just adding on to everything she was saying (Jason is lovable, I can't help it!).

The next day brought on shopping at Opry Mills and REI. Unfortunately, I started the day with some new Dr Scholls inserts that I shouldn't have been using (they were poking my feet in the wrong places). Halfway through the day I trashed the inserts and hobbled through the rest of the day. Gina racked up on her post-butt-care prizes as she scored some shoes and another purse from the outlet stores.

When we got back home, I was worn out. I thought I was worn out from my feet hurting from those damn inserts, but this morning on the scales I saw what may have been a better reason. While gone, I didn't have any protein shakes and my eating schedule was off kilter, plus I wasn't drinking enough water. On average, I lose ½ pound per day, so weighing in at 357 on Monday should have me at 356 Wednesday morning. Instead I weighed 352 this morning, losing 5 pounds instead 1. While this is good for those weight loss numbers, it's 500% of my normal over the past 4 weeks. Today I've been focusing on drinking more, and fully expect to wake up tomorrow with a scale hovering in the 355 range.

Or maybe cutie pies make me lose more weight?


road trip wrestling

Post Op Week 7

11.18.2013

Another week, another 4 pounds. Although to be honest, my weight dipped a little lower over the weekend.

Today's weight pushes me past losing 40 pounds since surgery, 43 pounds actually, and a total of 83 pounds since all of this started. It also puts me within 10 pounds of my 21st century low weight of 348, which was over 7 years ago when I was semi-successful with Atkins/South Beach.

I reached my first real hurdle this past week when I overdid my exercise routine and threw my back out. I'm not sure if "overdid" is the right word since I think I was just being a little too aggressive with an exercise and just strained a back muscle a little. After multiple visits to the chiropractor it's been decided it's a muscle problem, not a bone problem. As such, I've been taking it easy since last Wednesday and slacked off on lifting weights and walking. To be honest, the slacking bothers me and I'm ready to get back into my routine.

The weather has been part of my excuse for the hiccup in my routine as it's been raining more. I could walk on the treadmill, but (1) it's incredibly boring and (2) I walk harder (not pace/effort, but physically pounding) which hurts my feet and legs more). I could use the bike or @#%! elliptical machine, and I don't have a good excuse for why I haven't done that.

This evening I take Gina to Nashville to see Jason at Raw. It's been a couple of years since I went to a wrestling event, and this is more an excuse to see Jason than to watch wrestling. This mainly means there will be no walking around the school track tonight, so I'm going to force myself to get some exercise before we leave. Light weights, bike, actual walking - don't know what it'll be yet, but it's going to be something.


diet gastric sleeve

Post Op Week 6

11.11.2013

Another week, another 4 pounds. I'm ok with that, too. That's a rate I'm happy with losing weight at. Within the next week I should hit a total of 80 pounds loss since I maxed out in January!

This past weekend I began my weight exercise program. One of the big worries with bariatric surgery is loss of muscle tone and the flappy skin that comes with it. After quickly learning a self-made workout plan wasn't going to cut it, I went to the Wellness Center and got a properly prescribed workout. 3 workouts, in fact. Today was workout #2, plus it's the one day of the week I have a workout plus walk in the evening.

I'm still in the first pass of each exercise, so I'm tweaking the numbers of what I should do with what I can realistically do. For most weight exercises, I'm trying to do 3 sets of 15. Sometimes I can do all 3 sets with the same weight, sometimes I can't. I'm still learning.

But right now I'm a little sore. I think mostly from the 3.2 mile walk I just finished. Time to lay down for a little bit.


diet gastric sleeve

Post Op Week 5

11.04.2013

I have got to clean those scales. After 3 years I should clean them at least once.

Much like last week, I'm down another 4 lbs for the week. Also much like last week, I actually weighed less on Friday than on Monday. It seems my metabolism can kick into reverse when I seriously rest.

This weekend had some serious rest. Last week Gina and I skipped walking on Halloween because of the weather. I made up part of it with a new fitness assessment at the Wellness Center on Friday. The assessment wasn't much of a workout except for 13 minutes on the treadmill where, thanks to the heart monitor strapped beneath my bosom, I reached 3 target heart rates. I heart rate was "you may think you're going to have a heart attack, but you're not". The good news is that I made it through, which 2 years and 40 lbs ago during my first assessment we skipped all of this and I was just assessed as Barely Mobile. Tack on the usual Friday walk afterwards and I was tired Friday night. And most of Saturday. At least through 4:30 in the afternoon when I finally committed to getting all of the way out of bed.

This Wednesday I go back to the Wellness Center to find out what my computer tabulated regimen will be. I'm going to shoot for a thrice-a-week workout, yet still keep the walking schedule Gina and I have.

On the food front, I fixed a burrito this weekend, although it was folded over more like a quesadilla. Now you can share in my label watching and see what was in it:

For my burrito, that gives me:

It's the most calories and carbs I've eaten at once (although it did take me half an hour). I think the protein to sugar/fat ratio is pretty good. The old Atkins-Me still worries about carbs, but I try to focus on avoiding the sugar-carbs now.

I've still got 3 more of these things wrapped up in the fridge waiting for me to heat up this week :)


diet gastric sleeve

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