Lost weight again this week! I lost 1.8 pounds for a total of 24 pounds.
Despite my unrelenting exhaustion, all-over achyness, and sore hips, I started walking the dogs again this week. I told myself that if I got up before 6, I'd walk the dogs. That happened on Thursday. Off we went . . . slowly.
It had been months since the dogs and I had sauntered forth so they had lots of catching up to do. We ambled around the neighborhood for about 20 minutes, Amy & Cody sniffing up the news they'd missed.
We walked yesterday and today, too, always slowly and for about 20 minutes. The good news is that the walks have not made me feel worse afterward. I gave up our walks because they exhausted me (the formal name is "exercise intolerance"). My doctor recommended I start with a 5-minute walk and increase it by 15 seconds a day; Zaphod suggested I use my treadmill; I was so exhausted that I couldn't find the energy to do even that.
So, why can I walk for 20 minutes now? My fibromyalgia hasn't let up much and my sleep isn't any better. I think I've got the energy because I'm not exhausting myself by sitting upright at work. The office recliner I bought about a month ago has made a difference in how I feel at the end of the work day.
I'm still spending most of my time working and recovering from work, but getting out with the dogs is progress.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Decimated!
Woo Hoo! I finally made it past the 10% mark this week! I lost 2.2 pounds, for a total loss of 22.2 pounds.
And why is this post titled Decimated!? The original meaning of decimate was "to kill one in every ten" or to reduce by a tenth. In recent years the word has been used to mean "to kill in large numbers" or "to reduce by a lot." I like the precision of the original definition, so I try to use it that way -- not that anyone else (besides Zaphod) knows what I'm talking about!
When I told Zaphod I'd been decimated today, he shot back, "Oh, so you've tithed!" Ah, another 10% word. If you follow the hyperlinks, though, you'll find that tithe has so far managed to hang on to the "tenth" portion of its meaning. Hmmm, I wonder why?
I've been looking forward to getting my 10% keychain . . . then I had to look online to figure out how to add my 16-week charm to it! For those of you who are wondering, you pull up then twist the round part of the keychain.
The bookmarks and Bravo stickers have never done much for me, except in the beginning. Karen, my favorite leader, puts the Bravo sticker on the back of your hand instead of just handing it to you. I sometimes wear my Bravo sticker a full day or more before peeling it off. It acts as an anchor for me.
Karen was terrific when I hit the magical 10%. She has long reinforced me for my commitment to attending a meeting every week. She was delighted when I let out an enthusiastic "woo hoo!" when I realized I'd finally hit the 10% mark.
I've been attending Weight Watchers since October 20 of last year -- 36 weeks! Good heavens, that's 8 months! (I suppose, technically, it's 9 months of 4-week months.) No wonder I'm so excited by losing 22 pounds!
As a reward for finally getting the 10% keychain, I took myself off to Border's and bought Hungry Girl a book by the founder of hungry-girl.com. I've been getting her email newsletter for a while and knew that I wanted her book. I'm looking forward to delving into it.
I also bought Fibromyalgia for Dummies because I've wanted it since I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and read that it's a good book for the newly diagnosed -- but I don't consider it a reward for hitting the 10% mark. My weight loss motto is currently "I'm sick and tired but I'd rather be sick and thin." Another WW veteran's motto is "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." I like her motto better than mine.
And why is this post titled Decimated!? The original meaning of decimate was "to kill one in every ten" or to reduce by a tenth. In recent years the word has been used to mean "to kill in large numbers" or "to reduce by a lot." I like the precision of the original definition, so I try to use it that way -- not that anyone else (besides Zaphod) knows what I'm talking about!
When I told Zaphod I'd been decimated today, he shot back, "Oh, so you've tithed!" Ah, another 10% word. If you follow the hyperlinks, though, you'll find that tithe has so far managed to hang on to the "tenth" portion of its meaning. Hmmm, I wonder why?
I've been looking forward to getting my 10% keychain . . . then I had to look online to figure out how to add my 16-week charm to it! For those of you who are wondering, you pull up then twist the round part of the keychain.
The bookmarks and Bravo stickers have never done much for me, except in the beginning. Karen, my favorite leader, puts the Bravo sticker on the back of your hand instead of just handing it to you. I sometimes wear my Bravo sticker a full day or more before peeling it off. It acts as an anchor for me.
Karen was terrific when I hit the magical 10%. She has long reinforced me for my commitment to attending a meeting every week. She was delighted when I let out an enthusiastic "woo hoo!" when I realized I'd finally hit the 10% mark.
I've been attending Weight Watchers since October 20 of last year -- 36 weeks! Good heavens, that's 8 months! (I suppose, technically, it's 9 months of 4-week months.) No wonder I'm so excited by losing 22 pounds!
As a reward for finally getting the 10% keychain, I took myself off to Border's and bought Hungry Girl a book by the founder of hungry-girl.com. I've been getting her email newsletter for a while and knew that I wanted her book. I'm looking forward to delving into it.
I also bought Fibromyalgia for Dummies because I've wanted it since I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and read that it's a good book for the newly diagnosed -- but I don't consider it a reward for hitting the 10% mark. My weight loss motto is currently "I'm sick and tired but I'd rather be sick and thin." Another WW veteran's motto is "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." I like her motto better than mine.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Progress?
This week I gained 1.2 pounds, so my loss is back down to 20 pounds, but I think I'm making some progress.
I knew I would have a weight gain because I succumbed to carb cravings last weekend. Once I gave in to them last Saturday, I was a goner for the rest of the weekend. I did manage to control the cravings during the work week, but they never really subsided.
Carb cravings were once a sign of hormonal changes for me, although I've always loved my starchy carbs. I'm well into perimenopause, though, so one might think that they'd start to fade. Yeah, right.
Last night I had to stay up late (for me) to continue saliva collection I'd been doing throughout the week. Then I had to wake-up-but-not-get-up at 2:30 a.m. for the final collection, which in my grogginess took a full half-hour. I was a wreck this morning (still am, but at least I'm marginally coherent after a nap).
I got moving earlier than usual this morning because I'd had such a lousy night's sleep after the collection, so I stopped by Target after doing the laundry and before my WW meeting. After selecting some wine glasses that were relatively inexpensive (fibromyalgia has been really hard on my glassware) and would fit in my dishwasher, I cruised the snack aisles before realizing that -- of course! -- I was there for Fritos! I'd been smelling them in my memory. I long ago gave up Fritos as an indulgence because they're too salty and have too much fat.
I snatched up the smallest bag I could find and went off to my WW meeting.
And it was there that I finally figured out part of what might be going on. After limping through the early part of the week, on Thursday I learned that I've developed arthritis in my left hip and in my spine. I probably have it in my right hip, too, but not as badly. My grandmother had arthritis. My mother had arthritis. My mother also had a weight problem, an underactive thyroid, chronic fatigue, depression, and (probably) fibromyalgia.
At today's meeting, we talked about how we indulge ourselves. It was during the discussion that it dawned on me that I was craving Fritos because they were a comfort food from my childhood. Fritos and Squirt were a favorite treat of mine. (Squirt is a citrus-y soda pop.)
I came home, weighed the Fritos I ate, then entered them into eTools instead of taking the bag to my favorite chair and dipping in while I read the Saturday paper. That's progress.
I knew I would have a weight gain because I succumbed to carb cravings last weekend. Once I gave in to them last Saturday, I was a goner for the rest of the weekend. I did manage to control the cravings during the work week, but they never really subsided.
Carb cravings were once a sign of hormonal changes for me, although I've always loved my starchy carbs. I'm well into perimenopause, though, so one might think that they'd start to fade. Yeah, right.
Last night I had to stay up late (for me) to continue saliva collection I'd been doing throughout the week. Then I had to wake-up-but-not-get-up at 2:30 a.m. for the final collection, which in my grogginess took a full half-hour. I was a wreck this morning (still am, but at least I'm marginally coherent after a nap).
I got moving earlier than usual this morning because I'd had such a lousy night's sleep after the collection, so I stopped by Target after doing the laundry and before my WW meeting. After selecting some wine glasses that were relatively inexpensive (fibromyalgia has been really hard on my glassware) and would fit in my dishwasher, I cruised the snack aisles before realizing that -- of course! -- I was there for Fritos! I'd been smelling them in my memory. I long ago gave up Fritos as an indulgence because they're too salty and have too much fat.
I snatched up the smallest bag I could find and went off to my WW meeting.
And it was there that I finally figured out part of what might be going on. After limping through the early part of the week, on Thursday I learned that I've developed arthritis in my left hip and in my spine. I probably have it in my right hip, too, but not as badly. My grandmother had arthritis. My mother had arthritis. My mother also had a weight problem, an underactive thyroid, chronic fatigue, depression, and (probably) fibromyalgia.
At today's meeting, we talked about how we indulge ourselves. It was during the discussion that it dawned on me that I was craving Fritos because they were a comfort food from my childhood. Fritos and Squirt were a favorite treat of mine. (Squirt is a citrus-y soda pop.)
I came home, weighed the Fritos I ate, then entered them into eTools instead of taking the bag to my favorite chair and dipping in while I read the Saturday paper. That's progress.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
I Think I Can, I Think I Can
Woo hoo! Lost 3.6 pounds last week for a total of 21.2! I'm sneaking up on that 10% mark again.
I can't take all the credit, though. I increased my Ritalin dosage, which seems to make weight magically drop off. That's one side effect that does not bother me. (Oh, really?)
I did track pretty carefully all week and it does make a difference.
The WW person who weighed me (Are they called "receptionists"? Silly name) told me I'd lost 2.4 pounds. That made me pretty happy. Then I started to look at the numbers and I could tell that something wasn't right. It took me a while to figure out where the problem was (FibroFog this a.m.): her math. She's had trouble getting the weight change correct in the past. Now I know I need to check her math every time. Otherwise, she's fine.
My fibromyalgia is acting up this morning, so my brain is pretty slow despite the morning dose of Ritalin. And I ache all over, even though Ritalin has another nice side effect of reducing my achyness. Ritalin helps me to think more clearly and concentrate, but it doesn't make me any less tired. For Ritalin to be truly addictive for me (it's a Schedule II drug, which means it's addiction potential is pretty high), it would have to give me some energy. OK, OK, maybe it will when I increase the dosage again, which I'll probably have to do.
Small Victory of the Week: I saw my PCP, Allison, this week. She actually asked if I'd lost weight! She hadn't seen the weight the nurse recorded. I thanked her for noticing, then we found that I'd lost 20 pounds since I'd last seen her. It's nice to know that a 20-pound weight loss is noticeable.
I can't take all the credit, though. I increased my Ritalin dosage, which seems to make weight magically drop off. That's one side effect that does not bother me. (Oh, really?)
I did track pretty carefully all week and it does make a difference.
The WW person who weighed me (Are they called "receptionists"? Silly name) told me I'd lost 2.4 pounds. That made me pretty happy. Then I started to look at the numbers and I could tell that something wasn't right. It took me a while to figure out where the problem was (FibroFog this a.m.): her math. She's had trouble getting the weight change correct in the past. Now I know I need to check her math every time. Otherwise, she's fine.
My fibromyalgia is acting up this morning, so my brain is pretty slow despite the morning dose of Ritalin. And I ache all over, even though Ritalin has another nice side effect of reducing my achyness. Ritalin helps me to think more clearly and concentrate, but it doesn't make me any less tired. For Ritalin to be truly addictive for me (it's a Schedule II drug, which means it's addiction potential is pretty high), it would have to give me some energy. OK, OK, maybe it will when I increase the dosage again, which I'll probably have to do.
Small Victory of the Week: I saw my PCP, Allison, this week. She actually asked if I'd lost weight! She hadn't seen the weight the nurse recorded. I thanked her for noticing, then we found that I'd lost 20 pounds since I'd last seen her. It's nice to know that a 20-pound weight loss is noticeable.
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