Staying the Course -- 04/30/18

[Superbob]

Greetings! Welcome to the start of a new Staying the Course week!

I am going to open with a little report on weight (unusual for me, I know; it is a subject I like to avoid). I weighed this morning, and I have stayed the same weight for 3 weeks now. Neither gained nor lost. That is a kind of course stayed, right? I know that losing more weight would be a good thing for me, but we struggle at our age to prepare simple nutritious meals on a regular regular schedule. We eat out too much. So not gaining is an accomplishment. BUT here is the best part:

I weigh 5 pounds LESS than I did when I finished cardiac rehab after my OHS in 2005. Now I am going to pat myself on the back and claim that as a Staying the Course accomplishment. My modest goal is to lose another 5 pounds and then hold that loss. This is not a challenge to others, just my new goal. And of course in the process, not doing any yo-yoing in weight anymore. Going no higher, and gradually coming down another 5.

Okay, looking forward to hearing from one and all this fine week. It's off to exercise class tomorrow. Think I will throw everyone for a loop tomorrow by being just a quiet conscientious boy and not the class clown. : )

Cheers,

Superbob

 

[honeybunny]

I don't eat out very often but I do eat quick-to-prepare junky food. Like the nachos I scoffed down this weekend (tortilla chips with a dollop of refried beans, shredded cheddar, and pinch of sour cream, nuked for 1 minute). I did make some pork chops earlier in the week, so that was good. Weight-wise I have been stuck at 153.6 for at least two weeks. But I'm not going to get discouraged. I'm back to focusing on keeping my glucose levels in check. That seems to be the trick for me.

What's even better is I did a 1-hour hip hop cardio class Saturday morning. It was taught by our line dance instructor's sister, who drove 90 miles from her home to our location. The sisters were hoping for a big turnout, which would make the long drive financially worthwhile. But there were only four of us in attendance, including our instructor, so it is unlikely the class will continue, which is too bad because it was an intense workout with no breaks, not even for water. I may looking into the early morning Zumba class at the studio.

Have a great week y'all ~

 

[Paleowoman]

We never eat out, or rather, it is extremely rare as I find it a) difficult to find foods that fit my way of eating (low carb), and b) expensive. I'd rather spend money on getting good quality ingredients, but I don't find I have to spend very much time preparing food - I'll buy top quality meat or fish which I'll fry quickly as it is, and have that with quality veggies, again sautéd or whatever quickly. If we have guests I'll spend more time preparing food, but even a roast chicken is so easy - I always get organically reared meat which tastes really good, I just shove the chicken with a bit of coconut oil on the skin in a hot oven and leave it for 90 minutes and it's done, and really good. I'll probably spend time doing a more elaborate vegetable dish. One top Michelin French chef once said that it's the quality of the ingredients that makes food taste extra good, not all the elaborate preparation, and it's true !

Our mini heatwave that we had here in the UK the other week has completely reversed - we now have winter type temperatures again. Today it managed to reach 6C in London, that's 42F, with rain and wind - horrible !

I'm having an ultraound guided steroid injection in my left shoulder this week as the pain there is just getting worse despite rest, exercises and physio....

 

[Superbob]

Hope the injection for your shoulder helps bring pain relief, Paleowoman!

Real slow on STC this week, which probably means life is really hectic on the courses being stayed.

We had a sub teacher in core fitness just now who put us through about a 20-minute non-stop cardio warmup -- yes, just the warmup. Feel like I just passed cardiac rehab again. Then all sorts of new stretching and strength exercises, but she got so into it, she ran out of time and forgot our planks! Our regular teacher is at a huge trainers conference in NYC learning all sorts of new exercises for us, and she'll no doubt add extra planks now.

Cheers to all -- we'll leave the light on if you want to drop by anytime day pr night.

-- Superbob

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi SB - I had the injection this morning. No pain relief yet but at least the steroid flare isn't too bad - the rheumatologist told me that one can get an ache from the injection for a few days so it's not something unexpected.

The rheumatologist is having the same injection on his shoulder tomorrow ! He was an olympic weight lifter when he was younger and his shoulders, spine and hips are shot with arthritis now due to too much lifting, so he keeps having to have these injections. He is very positive about them, preferring them to surgery which is a 'one way street' , as he put it, and not always successful. It's nice to have doctors who have experience of the treatments they give ! Like me he can't tolerate Naproxen as a painkiller too, and he told me he sees a cardiologist at Barts where my new cardiac surgeon is based !

 

[Superman]

Slow to post this week. I was diagnosed with atypical pneumonia (walking, they called it). Means I have a bit of a lung infection with nasty cough, but not sick enough to stay home from work. On antibiotics, so hopefully it clears up soon. It's really been going on a couple weeks now. I finally went in to my Dr on Monday. Put the exercise on hold until I can take a deep breath without sounding like Val Kilmer's characterization of Doc Holiday in Tombstone. Of course, he had tuberculosis, and I'm not coughing up blood yet.

Hopefully this will clear up soon so I can get back to staying the course.

 

[MartinF]

Checking in after a busy week. Had a heart echo last week. Call on the answering machine said no change from last year. I need to call and see if I can get a printout of the data. Another doctor visit went well too. Just need a new crown on a tooth (Monday) and then make an appointment with my dermatologist for a yearly cancer screen.

Ran the 5K on Saturday and happy with it. Completed it 4 minutes faster than last year and actually ran most of it. Finished faster than I started. My wife got first in her age group! I was 5th and out of the medals. I'm starting to feel less tired and hope that means I can run more and walk less.

Our work started a walking challenge and now everyone is counting their steps.

Rain this week in Southern California. We needed it. Weather will turn hot soon.

Have a great weekend everyone.

 

[epstns]

Good grief! Here it is Friday and I'm just now checking in. Shame on me.

Well, in my own defense, this IS my week to work this month, and I've been paddling steadily upstream, trying to catch up a bit and get the critical tasks done for this cycle, while also doing some training of subordinates to get them started on the major items for next month. I guess I'm just trying to cram too much into my work days and have no time for social interaction.

I almost don't have time for the gym, either. That part isn't going to get any better as the months go on. I used to be a member of a fitness center about 5 minutes from my office, but since I'm now working only one week of the month, the geography doesn't work well for me. I have switched my membership to a different club that is about 5 minutes from home. That way I have easy access for all the weeks when I'm not working, but the one week when I do still work, I will have time for only an abbreviated workout - unless I want to skip dinner. If I leave work at 4 PM, drive to the fitness center, do my new-normal hour workout, shower, etc., I will get home between 6:30 and 7:00. In my wife's book, that is too late for dinner. 6:00 is her cut-off time, so I will need to shorten my workout for the week that I am in the office. Such is life.

Otherwise, things are just going along pretty normally. I really have not established a new routine for the weeks that I am "retired" but I really wasn't trying to just yet. I planned to give myself a few months just to realize that I am not working every day, and to think about what I would like to be doing with my time. I also have settled most of the "administrative" things that pop up when you change your working status (medical insurance coverage, etc.) and have most of my dental work now complete (well, the final appointment is next Monday).

I also had my latest round of "status consultations" with my cancer care team, and we are all pleased with where I "am." Test results are, while not stellar, well within expectations for the present, and I do not need to see them again for another 6 months. My annual echo isn't until July, and based upon results of the past couple of years and how I feel, I don't expect any surprises there, either.

So. . . I'm stayin' the course. Not losing any weight, but really not gaining any either. I did lose a couple of pounds while I was off work for the three weeks (eating more at home, working out more) but oddly enough, once I went back to work for one week, the couple of pounds magically re-appeared. I'm guessing it has more to do with fluid retention driven by more restaurant food than anything, and that any lasting weight loss from more exercise will take more than a couple of weeks to present itself. I'm not going to beat myself up for now - at least not unless I see something really troubling.

The weather is finally beginning to turn toward spring. We did have some days that were quite nice, warm and sunny, but now we are back in the 60's (F) with strong winds and rain. Typical. One day soon somebody will flip the switch and it will be summer.