Day 217 - Setbacks and Looking Forward

It seems that every month or two along this journey, I need to take a break for a few days.  And, I appear to be at one of those breaks right now.  I missed exercise yesterday because of Valentines Day.  It wasn’t a big deal since I have always built a little leeway into Thursdays.  But then today I ended up doing something that is going to throw me off track for a few days, but for a very good cause.

I had a doctor’s appointment this morning to talk with him about my lack of progress this past month.  He believes that part of the reason I haven’t been losing much despite my best efforts has to do with toxins interfering with my thyroid function.  He backed this up with lab results and reflex tests.  So, immediately after the appointment, I ended up doing a five hour vitamin C IV.  It’s supposed to be a really good detox method and hopefully will remove some of the roadblocks to my progress.

Unfortunately, the IV really wiped me out.  There was no way at all I could exercise tonight.  I actually made it to the gym and was on the treadmill when I realized I had no business being there.  So, I came home and decided that I needed to respect what my body was telling me.  I am going to get to bed early tonight and sleep late tomorrow.  If I feel better, I will be back on track tomorrow.  If I need an extra day, I’ll take it.  If this works and I can get rid of any accumulated toxins, my body should start working better and this journey should be more fruitful.  If nothing else, I’ll be better prepared for my trip to the resort next month.

And, since they pumped me up with a ton of water as part of the IV, I am going to skip my weigh in tomorrow.  I will most likely push it off until Monday and give my body time to get rid of the extra liquid.  It just won’t help my mood to get on the scale and see a gain that I know is due to the IV. 

I know this post seems negative and like I’m giving a lot of excuses, but today I really think I made a big step forward for my health.  It isn’t going to be instant, but I really have hopes that I will start feeling better and start seeing bigger losses on the scale.  If not, it’s been a really, really long day.

Day 215 - The start of a new routine?

Well, tonight I tried the BodyWorks class at LA Fitness.  Since Healthtrax cancelled the Wednesday night muscle challenge class, I needed to find another source for a weight training class.  I was really surprised to find that the only weights they used were 2.5, 5, and 7.5 pounds.  So, the class used light weights but a lot of reps.  I guess I’ll find out tomorrow whether or not any of my muscles got a really good workout. 

But, I got an excellent workout on the elliptical this afternoon.  I don’t think I have ever pushed myself so hard on the machine, for so long.  By the end of the hour, I had burned off 825 calories!  I wasn’t consciously doing intervals, but I think that’s what I ended up doing.  I would go really hard until I needed a break, then take a rest at a slower pace, and then pick up again.  I really love how strong I am feeling these days!

Tomorrow is Thursday, and Valentines day, so I am not sure what is going to happen.  I might be happy to take the Thursday option, or I might get back on the elliptical again.  I guess it will depend on how well it goes at work tomorrow and whether or not Steve has any surprises for Valentines Day.

Day 214 - Rest and Reflection

Today was a rest day, and a thinking day.  Tomorrow is my first Wednesday without my two hour class combination.  I am still not sure what I am going to do.  LA Fitness does offer a class similar to the muscle challenge class that I love so much.  But, like everything new, it makes me nervous.  I don’t know the people there.  I don’t know the instructor.  I don’t know if I can handle the class.  But, like I keep seeing, the magic is outside your comfort zone.  So, I am going to drag my butt to the BodyWorks class tomorrow night. 

Of course, they don’t follow the class with a yoga class, like Healthrax does.  So, I have to come up with something else to do for my second hour of exercise tomorrow.  I am hoping that I will be able to do an hour on the elliptical at lunch time.  Then, it would definitely be a high calorie burn day.  So, even though I am still really sad that my favorite class was cancelled, I am looking forward to trying something new.  I can do this.

Tomorrow is also the first day of Lent.  So, I am going to give up my favorite diet soda, Zevia, for Lent.  It’s a healthy soda since it doesn’t have aspartame or splenda, but, it’s still not as good as water.  So, for the next forty days I’ll be soda free.  Again, I can do this.

Day 213 - Tired and Sleepless

This is going to be really brief.  I did my two hours of exercise today, with my favorite two classes.  And I’m completely exhausted.  I don’t know what it is about Sunday night/Monday morning, but I just can’t seem to sleep that one night of the week.  It really stinks because then it sets me back for the entire week.  I am going to try to change that by getting right in the sauna and then right to bed.  Wish me luck?

Day 212 - Burning 1,000 Calories

Today I paid attention to the calorie numbers on the machines as I exercised.  I burned over 700 calories on the elliptical in an hour and over 300 calories on the bike in an hour.  So, for the day, I burned more than 1000 calories.  That’s amazing!  So, I know that I have been burning a LOT of calories with all this exercise.  I just never paid attention to the numbers before.  And, it really reinforced the value of the elliptical over the bike.  I’m still going to do both, but will try to make the elliptical my go-to rather than the bike.

Otherwise, it’s been a fairly uneventful day.  We took Michael to his music class this afternoon, then came back and did chores around the house, and exercise.  Steve cooked most of the food for the week, so we are pretty much prepared.  I still have to hard boil some eggs to have on hand, but that’s fairly easy.  I have to say, planning ahead and having meals pre-prepared really does make a difference.  Each night, I just have to get some veggies cleaned/cooked and we have a healthy meal ready to go.

The best part of the day was definitely sleeping in this morning.  Michael has stopped waking me up first thing Sunday morning, and that is a wonderful thing.  I really appreciate my brother-in-law watching him for us, too!  Between Dan watching him and Michael not waking me up, I feel rested and relaxed today.  That never happens!

Day211 - Thirty Week Results

I officially hit the 50 mark today – an official weight of 298! It’s taken me thirty weeks to get there, but it still feels good.  I am not sure if I can lose another 50 before the end of this year, but I am going to try my best.  And, even after the year mark, I will keep going until I reach my goal. 

 

 

Today was a pretty good day.  I took Michael to a yoga class this afternoon, then came home and did half an hour on the elliptical and half an hour on the bike.  I would have done more, but I was really tired today.  So, two hours seemed like enough.  Who knows, maybe tomorrow will be another three hour day.

The best part of the day was the yoga class.  I really appreciate that they have a class for kids on the spectrum that is still a real class.  Although I have to admit, I worked up more of a sweat than Michael did.  It is amazing to me how flexible he is.  And, I definitely want to encourage him to keep his flexibility.

Day 210 - Branching Out, Feeling Great

What a long, strange day it’s been!  I did manage to get in three hours of really intense exercise today, but in a rather disjointed way.  I did about 40 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes on the elliptical at lunch time, then did a personal training session for half an hour, and about half an hour on the treadmill.  Then, I followed it all up with an hour long yoga class. 

The funny thing is, all the exercise left me much more energized tonight than I’ve been in a while.  I really wish I knew where the line between being totally exhausted after working out and being slightly energized really was.  There doesn’t seem to be much consistency.  But, the days that I end up energized are really, really good.

The best part of the day was when I realized that I really am stronger than I think.  I was able to handle more on the treadmill than I expected, and I was able to do more exercises than I expected.  I think this journey really is helping me find out just how strong I am, mentally and physically.  I am so glad that I am pushing myself.  Even though the weight is coming off more slowly than I’d like, I am learning more about myself every day.  This journey is taking me in different directions than I had ever anticipated, but I am loving it!