Getting Back in Shape (after chronic illness)

[Kitty Tantrum]

Story time first:

 

I want to say that I've struggled with my weight for my entire life, but I really haven't. It's more like there was a long stretch of time when I just didn't care about it. I STARTED caring pretty quick after having kids, lost a bunch of weight and got in pretty great shape. At my best I was about 135 lbs with quite a bit of muscle. Only 5'4" so not super skinny, but I was FIT. I could even do pull-ups and chin-ups.

 

Then I got divorced, had to find a job, and ended up working as a baker. Surprisingly, that only tacked back on about 10-15 lbs - and some of that was muscle, too (commercial baking is heavy lifting). I held steady between 140-150 lbs for a few years. And I thought I felt fat THEN... HA!

 

Then I picked up a tick at some point on a road trip across the country. By the time I found it and removed it, it had been attached for about three days. I also didn't realize what it was at first (when they say they can look like poppyseeds, they aren't kidding - that's what I thought it was), so I probably squeezed its entire contents right into me when I was scratching/pulling on it.

 

I started getting sick right away (in fact, symptoms started before I found the dang thing), but I didn't think I could get sick that quickly from the tick bite. I assumed the incubation period would be longer, so I chalked my early symptoms up to travel, etc. LOL NOPE. Within a few weeks, I basically felt like I was dying.

 

"Lyme Disease" is something I grew up hearing about, even though I don't live in an area where it's endemic, so I was really surprised when I finally accepted what was happening, and got myself into a doctor, and said "I had a tick attached to me for three days a few weeks ago, and I think I got an infection" - and the doctor looked at me like I had just said "vaccines cause autism." Tried an Infectious Disease Specialist, and got the same treatment. I was basically told that it was depression/all in my head.

 

Both of those doctors gave me antibiotics anyway (oral doxycycline, 100mg twice daily, standard treatment). Two weeks the first time, then four weeks the second time (a few months later). Both times I got better, but both times it came back. I went to see a "Lyme Literate" naturopathic doctor, which I had to pay for out-of-pocket (not sure how I feel about these doctors, but this one didn't seem too quacky), and she gave me TWO MONTHS of antibiotics, along with a bunch of herbal stuff to take in conjunction. Again, I got better. But AGAIN, it all came back within a few months after I finished treatment.

 

After nearly two years, I FINALLY found a (local!) doctor who takes my insurance and doesn't treat me like I'm crazy. By that point I knew I needed a stronger course of antibiotics, and I came prepared with some recent studies to back up my position - and she actually listened to me! Apparently she COULD NOT give me a higher dose of doxycycline without getting in trouble. But she COULD give me another three weeks of standard-dose oral doxy, paired up with a single intramuscular injection of ceftriaxone. I also happened to have a handful of extra doxy capsules leftover from a previous round of treatment, where the pharmacy must have mis-counted them. I had enough to take a double dose for about ten days, so I did (shhh, don't tell my doctor).

 

That seems to have done the trick. Every other time, when I was treated with doxy alone, I still had one or two lingering symptoms by the end of the course. This time, every single symptom is GONE. It's been a few weeks since I finished treatment, and I finally actually FEEL like I'm not sick anymore. Cue the chorus of heavenly angels.

 

But I AM horribly out of shape. Near as I can tell, the infection got right into my nervous system and was working its way up my spine/into my brain. The biggest/worst/most consistent symptom was excruciating nerve pain that would radiate outward from my spine. It would start out feeling like I had "pulled" something somewhere in my back, and within a day or two would be full-on shooting/stabbing/crackling/shocking/burning. Like blowing on hot coals. Or sticking a fork in an electrical socket. No position offered relief. Lying down made it worse. Moving made it worse. Breathing made it worse. Gravity made it worse. Painkillers wouldn't even so much as take the edge off. There are full stretches of days and weeks over the last two years that I don't remember at all, aside from the vague memories of being jolted out of sleep in the middle of the night, and sitting there leaning against the wall, trying to figure out a way to escape from the pain, and just sobbing.

 

LYME DISEASE IS SERIOUS BUSINESS. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Even during the periods when the nerve pain would subside (it would go away for a little while and then come back somewhere else, usually further up my spine), I couldn't think straight, and I had all sorts of motor problems. Twitching, weakness, dramatically clipped gait (I usually have a long stride for a short person, and this was an almost comical sort of shuffling - not due to pain but just because my legs would NOT move that far).

 

Needless to say, my physical activity levels dropped to almost nothing. I'd try to get back into walking and exercising after each round of antibiotics, when I was feeling pretty good, and there would always be consequences for it. Lots of sharp pains in joints and smaller nerve pains throughout my body. A few times I had symptoms which, looking back, could have been heart-related and I stupidly dismissed them because the doctors weren't taking me seriously anyway, but I PROBABLY should have gone to the ER.

 

Also, I don't usually have a sensitive stomach, but every time I had to take antibiotics, I had to eat a ton of food just to keep them down. I was only eating twice per day so that I could split ALL of my food between the two pills (AM/PM), and I still had to eat a lot more than I normally would.

 

The antibiotics caused photosensitivity, too, so every time I was taking them, and for a few weeks after, I had to avoid sun exposure, or end up with basically really bad allergic reactions. One time at the height of my most recent round of treatment, where I was doubling up on the doxycycline, I didn't take this seriously enough and I took a 2-hour car trip with my fiance, sitting in the front seat with the sun coming in through the windshield. That's when I REALLY found out that photosensitivity is a lot more than burning easily. Even with sun protective clothes and a wide-brimmed hat and no direct sun on me, about halfway through the trip I started to feel shaky and my whole body felt like it was being constricted by my skin, everything kind of started "buzzing" and I had to throw up. We were meeting up with my fiance's cousin because he was in town and we were going to go see some garden-type exhibits, but I ended up having to take a nap in his cousin's hotel room while the two of them went without me. I was holed up indoors for quite a while after that.

 

All of that is more or less to say, I have a lot of really good reasons for being fat and out of shape. At the worst, I was nearly back up to 200 lbs.

 

Fingers crossed, those reasons seem to be gone now. Hopefully for good. I've already lost some weight just from being able to move around and spend time in the sun without feeling like death. It's tempting to think that I'll just revert back, easy-peasy, to the level of fitness I attained before, just by not being sick. But I know it's going to take more than that. My "normal" habits are a lot healthier than they were half a lifetime ago, but not as strict as they need to be in order to get back there as effortlessly as I'd like.

 

So here I am. I'm pretty addicted to these forums, so I'm hoping that posting about my progress here will help me stay accountable and on track. I've done it before, so I know that at least for me it's not really PHYSICALLY hard to lose weight and get in shape, but MENTALLY it's pretty challenging.

 

 

--------------------------

 

 

Here's what I'm working with, as of this morning:

 

Weight: 178 lbs

Waist: 32.5"

Hips: 43.5"

 

Diet plan is to have only coffee in the mornings (with half and half, so some sustenance in there), water during the day (snack allowed only if I expend enough energy to warrant it), and then dinner at least two hours before bedtime. I don't adhere to this perfectly yet, but am getting better and better at following it more strictly in the weeks since I've started recovering. This seems to be a "sweet spot" for me in terms of eating a lot less and not really feeling hungry, so I'm sticking with it.

 

I'm also going to be MOSTLY eliminating grains and starches from my diet (again) because they make me feel slow and bloaty. Not really cutting carbs specifically, but I find I feel a lot better when I get most of my carbs from fruits and vegetables - or even CANDY - rather than grains, potatoes, etc.

 

For exercise, I mostly walk. It's incredibly effective for me. Strap on a backpack full of water bottles, hit a trail, zone out, and walk for ~15 miles. I've been doing it once or twice per week, and would like to do at least three times per week.

 

I've also had good results in the past from Jillian Michaels' "30-Day Shred" and have those videos to workout with. But it's hard to do that because we have a house full of people, and no dedicated space that allows for the required range of movement, so I have to clear space every time I want to workout, and then there's the issue of having people around all the time WATCHING me workout - which is absolutely intolerable to me. Can't do it. I have to be alone. Gym membership is also out of the question (don't look at meeeeeeee).

 

I'd really like to get down to 127 lbs. That represents exactly 100 lbs down from my absolute fattest (non-pregant, anyway ), and 51 lbs down from where I am right now. I was pretty thin at 135-140 (hard to find decent clothes that weren't baggy without shopping at expensive skinny-girl boutiques or dressing like a 12 year old), and I think I have more muscle now, so I don't know if I'll LIKE being THAT thin - but I wanna find out.

 

Fitness advice and fat shaming are both VERY welcome here. I might post a "before" picture of my midsection if anyone wants to hassle me about being squishy. Anyone who wants to tell me I'm "not that fat" can just GTFO. I don't know why people do this, but nearly everyone I know in real life does this - "OMG YOU'RE NOT FAT YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL YOU DON'T NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT." No. Get out of here with that. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life.

[d0nnivain]

I am so glad you are feeling better but I don't think that is enough calories. Use an app on your phone. There are tons of them. They take into account your size, your goals, your activity level etc & set a calorie goal for you. Mine was the lowest, 1200, & I found I was hungry a lot. What I learned was it was better to drink lots of water & eat small low calorie snacks throughout the day. You need to track everything you put in your mouth & really pay attention to portion size.

 

Typically I'd do the following:

 

tea for breakfast & a yogurt ( high protein, < 100 calories)

 

mid morning snack, usually some fruit, sometimes a granola bar or 1 string cheese (90 calories)

 

lunch soup or a frozen entrée like Smart Ones (350 calories)

 

midafternoon snack, carrots, fruit or nuts

 

dinner 6-8 oz of protein, lots of steamed veggies

 

I had trouble ingesting enough fiber so I ate Fiber One bars. The 90 calorie brownies also quelled my cravings for sweets & helped me not feel deprived of dessert.

 

My downfall was always alcohol so if I worked out, I'd treat myself to a low cal drink like -- vodka & soda; the hard water drinks didn't exist then.

 

Movement, any movement helps. I now "step" or do leg lifts while I brush my teeth. I know that seems silly but it also promotes good oral hygiene because you brush for 2+ minutes. As a woman, make sure you add some weight training. Cadio alone isn't enough. You need to keep your bones strong too.

 

Don't stave yourself or you will set yourself up to fail. Remember you are trying for a lifestyle change not a diet. the word diet alone makes you feel deprived. You don't want that.

 

Best wishes!

[Kitty Tantrum]

Thanks for the support!

 

I counted and logged calories REALLY strictly (MyFitnessPal) for a couple years to lose weight before, so I'm pretty familiar with portion sizes. Nobody ever has to worry about me starving myself; I like food way too much for that. Although I did find that when my diet was the "cleanest" it's ever been, I actually had trouble eating ENOUGH to get all the way up to 1200 calories. I'd feel too full. Hence why I tend to go for candy on the days when I know I need extra fuel. Goes down easy, lots of calories, doesn't feel like I'm lugging a sack of potatoes around in my gut.

 

I dunno, it's easy for me to ignore or even appreciate that hungry feeling if I'm fasting, but as soon as I eat ANYTHING, and my stomach gets going, it's always like "MORE NOW PLEASE, GIMME" and it's way easier for me to go off the rails if I'm eating several times per day.

 

That DID change, and I suspect it will change again as I get thinner. In my current condition, I can occasionally (not regularly) go an entire day without eating and feel fine. I probably would have fainted if I tried to pull that off when I was skinny, unless I was literally just lying around all day.

 

I don't get much of an ARM workout when I'm walking, so I have to target those separately, but it's definitely not just cardio. In fact, I don't even know if it qualifies as "cardio" given that my heart rate doesn't go up much. With the slowish pace and the heavy pack, it really IS more like strength/weight training. I've also never had trouble packing on muscle, to the point where other women would come up to me and be like "OMG look at your biceps, how did you get muscles like that???" and it makes me really self-conscious, so I can't actually promise I'll exercise my arms at all.

[Mr. Lucky]

Fitness advice and fat shaming are both VERY welcome here. I might post a "before" picture of my midsection if anyone wants to hassle me about being squishy. Anyone who wants to tell me I'm "not that fat" can just GTFO. I don't know why people do this, but nearly everyone I know in real life does this - "OMG YOU'RE NOT FAT YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL YOU DON'T NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT." No. Get out of here with that. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life.

 

You've already won the first battle, recognizing the problem exists. It's amazing how many overweight folks are in denial.

 

In my current condition, I can occasionally (not regularly) go an entire day without eating and feel fine.

 

Not what you want to do, even occasionally. Proper diet is more about eating the right things as opposed to eating less, especially if you'll be active and exercising.

 

I personally am not a gym rat and don't enjoy solitary activities like running. I also find working out with other people brings accountability in ways most people don't have the discipline to impose on themselves. Team sports, biking groups, tennis, etc., the social aspect helps keep me involved.

 

It's all about finding out realistic approaches that work for you ...

 

Mr. Lucky

[Kitty Tantrum]

I don't see anything wrong with occasionally going without eating. It's a common religious practice I've observed (on certain days) in all two of the religions I've been involved in. But no, not something I would do as part of a "diet."

 

I'm too solitary for group activities. I'm so much more likely to find excuses not to even leave the house unless I'm pretty much getting away from people. Long walks are perfect for me. After about four miles on a trail going away from the population center, most everyone else has already turned back. My younger brother has expressed an interest in joining me, though (he wants to get in shape, too), and that would be cool! I like my brothers.

 

I tried to upload a picture to an album, but that's not working, so here you go, here's my BEFORE picture:

 

https://i.imgur.com/YO2Kvrf.jpg

 

I know I'm TOTALLY SEXY, so I apologize in advance for getting everyone all hot and bothered.

 

(That shirt used to be loose on me. )

[GorillaTheater]

Is it weird that I want to poke my finger into your belly button?

 

I'm not a gym rat, either, but like you more inclined to solitary activities. Walking is outstanding, and I also try to live a lifestyle of doing things the hard way (my personality tends to run pretty contrarian, anyways). So I take the stairs instead of elevators/escalators, park in the Outback whenever I'm out and about, mow almost two acres with a push mower, water my young trees with a 5 gallon bucket I lug around instead of a hose (I use rain water and AC condensate I capture instead of tap water which around here is pretty saline and alkaline). Basically anything which tends to burn a few more calories than doing something else.

 

Good luck!

Edited July 24, 2019 by GorillaTheater
Hiding my apparent illiteracy

[Eternal Sunshine]

I envy your ability not to eat much and feel fine. I am the opposite. I have no problem mentally handling not eating. My body for some reason doesn't handle it. I get dizzy, weak, develop a headache and as a bonus irregular heartbeat if I don't eat regular meals. In fact, when I get absorbed in work, it's easily 5pm and I realize I haven't eaten at all that day when my heart starts skipping beats and I feel like I am about to faint

 

 

 

So I am stuck with doing it the harder way: by very heavy exercise - which weirdly my body handles fine.

 

 

 

I have had extensive tests done and everything came back normal sooo..no clue why.

[Mr. Lucky]

mow almost two acres with a push mower,

 

Throw in heat and humidity, that is indeed a workout...

 

Mr. Lucky

[preraph]

Sorry you went through that. I know what you mean about having to eat extra to take pills. I'm having to do that now too. And at times I wouldn't normally be eating.

 

I can tell you the diet I have lost a lot of weight on (but I put it back on eventually, and I did lose a lot of weight on it more than once. I was older. If you were younger and didn't have foot and leg or back problems, you 'd be more likely to maintain an active lifestyle and keep it off.

 

I would have a fruit for breakfast. I cut out all caffeine. Remember that artificial sweeteners turn to carbs in your system, so they're not totally blameless. I would eat a late-day lunch, between 2 and 4 o'clock with a meat and vegetable and not covered in sauce. I tend to be able to eat as much meat as I want and still diet as long as it's not crusted or sauced heavily. So it's okay to do a comfortable portion of meat. Better to do more on that than the rest.

 

Then at night, I didn't have dinner but would have a lettuce salad with either light dressing or a smaller amount of "good" dressing or a smallish cookie or something low cal like sugar-free jello, just to not go to bed hungry.

 

I exercised every day. I tried to do 2-3 times a week a quick guy workout (like Curves) or water aerobics for an hour, which is so nice and relaxing. I walked every day, increasing how far I walked as time went on. I don't start exercise until I'm about 3 weeks in on the diet, because to keep losing, I have to keep increasing exercise, and there's not enough hours in the day. It's just my metabolism. Then once you hit a plateau, you walk further or do something extra.

 

If I got tired of this diet after some weeks, I could switch out to eating lean cuisines or something like that for 1200 calories, maybe working in a granola bar as a snack. I usually got tired of that pretty quick, but it's easier than always cooking.

 

I didn't count calories on the fruit/meat/veg diet because it is fine just the way it is, and it leaves room for a couple of cheat days. I have to have cheat days. I love to eat out. On cheat days, I could eat once a day but eat whatever I wanted (limiting it within reason, like just one meal -- not that you would go stuff yourself at a buffet or eat two meals). I would go have Mexican food and then I'd eat a dessert before bed.

 

If you don't want a cheat day to go eat out (or maybe have a special Sunday dinner at home where you eat more), then you could add another fruit or something under 200 cal. to the diet, I think.

No alcohol.

 

My doctors approved this diet.

[Mrin]

I won't address the diet side but on the exercise side of the equation consider:

 

1. Aerobic is great. But work in some strength training. The beauty of strength training is that you will burj calories for up to 48 hours after training as you recover. Make sure you're keeping your protein levels high enough.

 

2. Since a gym is out of the question try these workouts. they are all based on body weight movement so you can do it in a very small confined space with no equipment necessary.

 

3. This is my favorite for when I travel. Sets of: 10 situps, 10 squats, 5-10 pushups. Get some coins. Each coin represents one set. See how many sets you can do in 15 minutes with only a 30-60 second break between sets. Each time you do a set move a coin out of the pile. Pretty soon you'll figure out what your average number is - say 4-6. Then keep doing it every other day and each week or so add another coin. I find that 10 coins/sets is a good goal to shoot for eventually and you should be able to do that in about 18-20 minutes.

 

4. Another easy one to do (maybe on your off days) are burpees. Pick a number - like 20 - and do that every day. Then work that number up as you get stronger and lighter.

 

5. Give yourself some reinforcement. I particularly hate burpees. With a passion. I also don't respond to positive reinforcement very well. So one thing I've done in the past is set a goal of doing 50 burpees each day and if I don't I had to donate $10 to a cause that I detest. I personally detest Donald Trump. So I said 100 day program of 50 burpees a day and if I missed a day I would have to donate $10 to Donald Trump's campaign. I never missed a day. Ha!

 

6. Google "travel WOD" for other ideas.

 

What I've described is basically a form of high intensity interval training. Google that is well for some other workout ideas. The key is to find something you can do in under 20 minutes that's going to spike your heart rate and stress your muscles.

 

Best of luck!

[Kitty Tantrum]

Is it weird that I want to poke my finger into your belly button?

 

LOL! The older of my two kids used to do that when he was little, and it was actually one of the things that got me motivated to lose weight the first time (cause his whole finger disappeared in there), so thanks for the visual.

 

I'm not a gym rat, either, but like you more inclined to solitary activities. Walking is outstanding, and I also try to live a lifestyle of doing things the hard way (my personality tends to run pretty contrarian, anyways).

 

Yeah, that sounds like me. Living in a rental townhouse on a small lot means there's not much work to be found in the yard, but there is a little patch of dirt in the back patio area that has been calling to me since we moved in. I've been wanting to clean up back there but couldn't do much when I was sick. I did pull out a mattock and a rake a few days ago, pulled all the weeds, and leveled it all out (it was pretty bumpy and uneven, like they just threw some dirt out there after building the house and called it good). That was a workout! But now there's nothing left to do out there unless I wanna spend money on stuff for landscaping, which I'm ambivalent about - because we're kinda poor, and it's a rental.

 

I would have a fruit for breakfast. I cut out all caffeine. Remember that artificial sweeteners turn to carbs in your system, so they're not totally blameless. I would eat a late-day lunch, between 2 and 4 o'clock with a meat and vegetable and not covered in sauce. I tend to be able to eat as much meat as I want and still diet as long as it's not crusted or sauced heavily. So it's okay to do a comfortable portion of meat. Better to do more on that than the rest.

 

I'm the same way with meat. One of the best things I ever did for my health was to STOP BEING VEGETARIAN. Blew my mind because I was raised thinking that meat was bad, but it sure FEELS like it's pretty much my most optimal fuel. If I eat just a chunk of meat (just salted and with its own natural fat, nothing else added), it somehow feels similar to drinking water when I'm thirsty, or basking in the sun when I'm cold - like it just soaks into me.

 

I've pretty much cut all added sugars out of my diet (no sauces, no sweet beverages, and pretty much no prepared foods) unless I'm actually eating a dessert or using sugar for workout fuel. Artificial sweeteners all taste horrible to me, so I've never fallen into that. I love my coffee, though. I had two cups this morning - which means four shots of espresso and about 10 oz of half and half. It's not really caffeine addiction that keeps me on it, that's pretty easy to quit. But then I miss my coffee, and so I try decaf, and it always tastes bad (even the best roasters can't make good decaf beans for espresso, it seems), so I go back to regular. The making of it is such a ritual for me as well, giving it up almost feels like a personal apostasy.

 

I exercised every day. I tried to do 2-3 times a week a quick guy workout (like Curves) or water aerobics for an hour, which is so nice and relaxing.

 

I did water aerobics a few years back when I got in shape the first time. That was the only group fitness thing I've ever tried and actually liked. It was me and a bunch of old ladies, and that was pretty great. I get on well with old ladies. I also love being in the water and swimming and such for exercise. Unfortunately, the only pools in my area now cost way too much for what you actually get with membership. The place I lived before had a rec center less than 5 minutes away where I paid $35/month for access to a small (usually empty) gym, pool with a couple dedicated lap lanes and lots of open swim times, and a whole bunch of classes for no extra charge. Here it's like $100/month for crowded facilities with limited access.

 

If I got tired of this diet after some weeks, I could switch out to eating lean cuisines or something like that for 1200 calories, maybe working in a granola bar as a snack. I usually got tired of that pretty quick, but it's easier than always cooking.

 

I didn't count calories on the fruit/meat/veg diet because it is fine just the way it is, and it leaves room for a couple of cheat days. I have to have cheat days. I love to eat out. On cheat days, I could eat once a day but eat whatever I wanted (limiting it within reason, like just one meal -- not that you would go stuff yourself at a buffet or eat two meals). I would go have Mexican food and then I'd eat a dessert before bed.

 

If you don't want a cheat day to go eat out (or maybe have a special Sunday dinner at home where you eat more), then you could add another fruit or something under 200 cal. to the diet, I think.

No alcohol.

 

My doctors approved this diet.

 

Alcohol is really easy for me to cut. I rarely drink anyway. I'm also pretty fortunate, I guess, that I DON'T really like going out to eat. I like to cook at home. We'll usually go out maybe once or twice a month, if we get the hankering for something that's too fussy to bother making at home (Mexican, ramen, and sushi are the big ones). I also don't really get bored eating the same foods over and over. I actually have a pretty set list of foods that I eat which I don't usually deviate from: Meats, eggs, almonds, greens (pretty much ANY green vegetables/herbs, leafy or otherwise - I eat a lot of cabbage and kale because they're cheap and hold up well in the fridge), carrots, apples, tomatoes, citrus, berries, stone fruits when in season, butter/cream/half and half (but very little milk/yogurt/cheese because I don't handle milk proteins as well as milk fats), coarse/whole grain mustard, vinegars, unsweetened fermented/pickled stuff, soy sauce, salt, pepper, dried herbs/spices... I avoid most grains and legumes but keep frozen corn and peas on hand, and will let myself have a little bit of rice, or oats, or corn tortillas here and there.

 

My biggest downfall in the diet department is that we're sharing a house with my younger brother, and he loves to bake bread and make pasta from scratch - and he's really good at it. Also, my boys (fiance and sons) all love grains and have no particular reason not to eat them. It can be HARD to not tuck into all of the delicious bread-type products when they're right there in front of me and everyone else is eating them. It's dangerous, not just because bread kinda disagrees with me, but because I could literally eat 2000 calories worth of bread in a sitting and it just makes me want MORE.

 

3. This is my favorite for when I travel. Sets of: 10 situps, 10 squats, 5-10 pushups. Get some coins. Each coin represents one set. See how many sets you can do in 15 minutes with only a 30-60 second break between sets. Each time you do a set move a coin out of the pile. Pretty soon you'll figure out what your average number is - say 4-6. Then keep doing it every other day and each week or so add another coin. I find that 10 coins/sets is a good goal to shoot for eventually and you should be able to do that in about 18-20 minutes.

 

4. Another easy one to do (maybe on your off days) are burpees. Pick a number - like 20 - and do that every day. Then work that number up as you get stronger and lighter.

 

Thank you! This is exactly the sort of thing I need to supplement my long walks, I think. I need to get into a routine where I'm familiar enough with all of the movements/forms that I can just sort of do it mindlessly. The "30-day Shred" workout kind of gave me that, but a lot of it honestly feels a little superfluous and not terribly effective. Or the movements are so complicated that it's more about coordination than exertion. I've never been able to get behind things like Zumba or dance-type workouts for the same reason. By the time I get one thing right, they've already moved onto the next one. I've never done a burpee in my life, but I guess I should learn, because everyone seems to say that they're HORRIBLE but very effective.

 

And big thanks to all of you, because for whatever reason, talking to people about what I'm doing really DOES make it easier to stay on track.

[preraph]

Yeah, it's really hard to diet when you live with people. OR when you have to cook for a family. Really hard. You know what I used to do back in my 20s when I was on the Dr. Atkins diet? I'd just tell myself about bread and pasta (that's just not my food, like I'd imagine it kind of like dog food, just not for me. ) Psyched myself out that way.

 

Of course, that's why you can switch over to some Lean Cuisine and do 1200 calories a day to get a break because you CAN have pasta on that. Just a scant amount. I would choose all dinners that were under 300 calories, preferable 230 to 270 and that way I didn't really have to count and could still have maybe a normal cookie and a little glass of nonfat milk or whatever. I do like to keep milk in my diets. It makes me feel good and it is good for you. I have to have a cookie about every day. I was such a chocolate addict that I used to, before dieting, make up some nonchocolate desserts and just get off chocolate for about 3 weeks before starting the diet. But then I usually still let myself have a chocolate chip cookie, a medium, like 130 cal one just about every day. When on Jenny Craig, I would have that instead of their boring "health bars" that also cost a million dollars.

 

You can stay on caffeine. When I was first on Jenny Craig decades ago, they said no caffeine, and it was the best thing I ever did for myself.

 

I will say that Jenny Craig is too expensive, but if you can afford it and like structure, you can lose weight on it without being very hungry. They snack you regularly in between meals. I just worked out the protein ratio and all that from their meals and began substituting Lean Cuisine to keep the price down. I still have that spreadsheet somewhere. Mainly you just don't pick the ones that are low protein and high carbs but stick with high protein and lower carbs.

[Kitty Tantrum]

I definitely can't afford any pre-made meal programs. Even Lean Cuisine is really expensive compared to my usual food costs. I've thought about making my own pre-made meals to certain specifications, but it's a lot of hassle.

 

 

I like the idea of thinking of bread like dog food. I'm going to try that.

[Kitty Tantrum]

Just a quick update. The battery in my scale is dead, and it's one of those dumb button batteries that I don't keep on hand, so it's anyone's guess how many pounds I'm down, probably not a huge number. But I'm feeling pretty good, my illness certainly seems to be gone permanently, I'm looking a little leaner in the mirror... and I guess I didn't notice because the bras I've been wearing are unlined/stretchy, but when I put on one the same size with more structure to it, it's loose/gappy. Definitely lost an inch or two off my waist as well.

 

And that's mostly from focusing just on diet lately - exercise hasn't been happening as much, between visiting my sister last month to help her with some website/graphics work (sitting on my butt a lot) and a couple of colds I've caught so far this season.

[Kitty Tantrum]

Well, I'm definitely in better overall shape than I was when I started this thread. I've been walking a lot, and using the exercise bike my husband got me for Christmas. I can definitely feel the muscles in my legs getting bigger. I have a lot more stamina. Weight is about the same.

Sucky thing is that this morning I woke up in pain again. That same darned nerve pain that I had when I was in the depths of my illness - just not as severe. Yet?

It's so discouraging. Everything I've read (peer-reviewed articles and studies in credible publications, yes) suggests that I was infected with a "slow-growing" variant of the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease. I really thought the last round of antibiotics had kicked it, but maybe not. It seems like every time I treat it a little more aggressively, it just takes longer for it to come back... but it always comes back. 😧

There's a third antibiotic I haven't tried, which has apparently proved effective in studies on mice (in combination with the two I've already taken; ugh). I don't know yet if there will be any applicable guideline anywhere that will actually allow my doctor to prescribe it to me. Fingers crossed.