Another weekly update...

This week the scales were a bit kinder to me, showing a 2 lb loss.  It's not what I had hoped for, but I'll take it. 

Starting out this week, I had to miss our 2nd Biggest Loser meeting because of the ice/snow storm on Monday.  I was worried that I would be disqualified, but I emailed the lady in charge and she assured me that I would not be, as this was a legitimate reason to not be able to attend.  If I lived right in Macomb, I would have been there. 

On Tuesday, I met with Trainer Justin for my first actual workout with him.  It was everything I had hoped for!  We started with 20 minutes on the elliptical, which I abhor.  I do it because it's one of the cardio machines that doesn't hurt my knee too bad, but I hate my time on it.  He and I talked while I did it, so it made the time fly by.  I need to have someone chat with me every time I have to use that hated machine! 

Next we headed over to the training room for some back squats.  I hadn't done those in a while, so I wasn't sure how it would go, but I gave it a try.  I did some pretty light weights, but I could feel it in my knee a bit, so I didn't want to push it.  After that, we did some straight-leg deadlifts, which were fun, but I can definitely do heavier than whatever I was doing. 

We then had to go downstairs to the weight room for some leg extensions and hip abductors and adductors.  The whole time he was really pushing me, which is what I love.  He had his phone out to use the timer and made sure I only took 45 seconds to 1 minute rest between sets.  Sometimes I sit and daydream and take a little longer, so it was good to have someone that stayed on top of that and kept me focused. 

He offered to stretch with me or let me finish with some more cardio on the bike.  I chose the bike.  I hate stretching.  I don't know why, but I absolutely abhor it.  I know it would help and it's good for me and blah, blah, blah...but I still don't like it. 

By the time I finished, I was soaked in sweat (LOVE) and my Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor showed that I had burned a little over 960 calories in 90 minutes.  YES! 

On Wednesday, I saw Jennifer, my HyVee dietitian.  I told her about the gain I had last week, how it made me feel, etc.  She reviewed my food journal and she could not figure out why I would have gained.  She said that everything looked good, I was getting a good balance, and there was no reason why I should have gained.  I felt good, knowing that she thought my food was pretty good.  However that still doesn't explain why I'm not losing weight!

We talked about making sure I get enough water, so I made a mental goal for myself to drink at least ONE of my Casey's 33 oz bottles of water before I leave work every day.  So far, so good.  We also talked about my thyroid and how it may be contributing to this problem.  My endocrinologist lowered my dosage of my meds in August.  Since then, I've fought tooth and nail to lose and my weight has crept up.  So we agreed that I should call and request some labs to be sure I'm in the therapeutic range.  If I'm not, I can eat nothing but lettuce and would probably not lose because my metabolism has almost ground to a halt.  It's a very frustrating disease to have.  However, if I have to suffer from a disease this one is much better than others.

I called my endo's office and requested lab work to be done.  I was fully prepared with my arguments, reasons, and logic because I expected the resistance that I've found with other doctors in the past.  Much to my surprise and delight, they immediately agreed to do the labs and asked to what facility I wanted the orders faxed.  They called me back 2 hours later to let me know the orders had been faxed and I could go get it done any time I wanted.  I did, and now I'm expecting a call tomorrow (Monday) with the results.  If it shows I'm out of range, then we'll adjust meds and carry on.  It will take a while for my body to adjust to the new dosage, so I don't expect any immediate results. 

If my labs are fine, then when I meet with Jennifer again on Wednesday, we'll have to explore limiting my carbs at each meal to a certain number of grams.  I do not want to do that.  If I am presented with a situation/diet plan/eating plan - whatever - where I know "I can't have that," then guess what?  I WANT TO HAVE THAT!  I don't like the restricted diets and I mentally fight them every step of the way.  It takes me back to when I tried to follow the Paleo way of eating, where you cannot have breads/pastas/etc.  Knowing that I "couldn't" have them made me want them more.  It was all I could think about and it drove me nuts.  I do NOT want to live the rest of my life like that.  It works for some, and that's fantastic for you.  However, that's not how I wish to live.  Life's too short to be miserable like that. 

I'm hoping I just need a tweak in my meds and all will be well.  I hope I find out tomorrow.  Or at least by Tuesday!

On Thursday I was sick and had to miss my training session.  I was so disappointed, but there was no way I could have worked out even if my life depended on it.  I'm still fighting that sickness off and on, and I'm ready for it to go away.  One minute I feel fine, and then suddenly I'm chilling and have a temp.  Right now I feel great, but last night before I went to bed, I looked like I had the worst allergies ever.  My eyes were red and watery and I couldn't stop sneezing and I felt like dirt.  It's been like this since Wednesday, actually. 

I can't wait to hit the gym tomorrow and get a good workout because yesterday I got some new running shoes!  I've needed some but did not have the time or energy to go to Springfield to find some shoes.  I've been fitted before and I know I have a neutral gait, but the choices are so overwhelming that I just put off finding some.  I decided to try J C Penney's in Macomb, so I checked out their selection online.  They had some Asics that looked attractive and were inexpensive (for running shoes).  I did some research and they are for people with a neutral gait (ME!) and for low-mileage runners (ME!).  Since I'm not able to actually RUN right now, I thought they were perfect.  So I went and tried them on and they were good.  I hate other shoes, but I love running shoes. 

So that was my week-in-review!  Right now I'm putting off a paper that I have to write and a website I need to review/write about.  I guess I'd better get my butt in gear because time waits for no one.

Oh, I just wanted to add - one of the things that has been incredibly helpful for me to stay on track and make my food journals look so good for Jennifer is that I've planned all of my meals.  I used to do it faithfully, but then got lazy.  So I've been doing that for the last 3 weeks and it's been a HUGE help.  If you are in this battle with me, start planning meals if you aren't already!  If you already know that on Wednesday, you're having baked chicken, salad, and green beans - then you don't have to worry about figuring it out at 6:30 on Wednesday night when everyone is hangry (hungry+angry because they are hungry) and fall to the temptation of getting take out or fixing something that is fast, but less-than-healthy. 

AND - I was almost moved to tears on Wednesday afternoon when my husband sent me an email and told me he wanted to get on board with me more than he has been.  He said he stepped on the scale and didn't like the number that it showed, and he wants to change that.  I cannot fully convey how happy and excited I was to see those words from him.  He's always been supportive of me, but having him take this journey with me is even better.  I'm just going to let him do his thing at his own pace and be there to cheer him on.  He knows that if he wants more help, I'm here. 

How has your week been?  Is your family supportive of your healthy journey?  How do you deal with those that aren't?  Are you able to keep them out of your life?  Do you have a good support system in place?  I hope you all do.  It makes a huge difference!