After trying to utilize WebMD and other online medical sites to diagnose and treat my Achilles Tendon (with no luck), I broke down yesterday and went to the doctor.
My diagnosis was spot on: Achilles Tendinitis.
The doctor prescribed me a megadose run of steroids to knock out the inflammation, daily exercises to stretch my calf and strengthen the tendon AND...YEP, no walking for 1 week.
NO WALKING FOR 1 WEEK WHILE I'M TRAINING FOR A HALF MARATHON!!!!!
(Look, it never gets old saying I am training for a half marathon!)
I explained to the doctor about the half marathon - she thought that was fantastic - and we discussed other exercise options that wouldn't aggravate my tendon. I settled on swimming.
Swimming will allow me to burn calories, stay on track with my workout regimen AND strengthen my legs. So, I am not totally worried about this set back on my training program because, bottom line, if I don't get this tendon issue taken care of, I won't be walking a half marathon - and no amount of training will change that!
I started my prednisone treatment today, and seriously, I don't know if it is psychological or what, but my tendon felt so much better by mid day! I was able to walk without limping, and I had to give 2 presentations at work today and was able to stand without it really bothering me.
PROGRESS!!! I am really hopeful this will work and I will be back on track for the Halloween Half.
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In other news, tonight we had an in-home demonstration of SaladMasters cookware. The sales representative comes to your house and cooks you a full meal using their product. Our meal tonight was chicken thighs, a vegetable medley, cabbage salad, mashed potatoes and pineapple upside down cake. It all tasted wonderful - especially the chicken, which was cooked without any oil or water...just chicken and a pan.
Has anyone out there heard of it SaladMasters or used it before?? We thought it was awesome, BUT, all that awesomeness comes with a not so awesome price tag. We had to pass right now, but it is definitely something we would consider in the future.
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Final thought today - earlier this week spent some time catching up on Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition - I am so addicted to this show! Anyway, the episode that aired on 08/05 with Jonathan - who lost an amazing 270 lbs in one year - moved me to tears. I couldn't take it. What a story! If you haven't seen it, you should definitely watch it. His transformation is amazing. At the end of the episode I wanted to scream from the rooftops - THIS IS POSSIBLE! I CAN DO THIS!
I think Extreme Makeover is SO much better than Biggest Loser CAUTION, CAUTION, RANT BEGINNING - Biggest Loser, in my opinion, takes a life and death struggle - some may even call it a disease - and turns it into a game. Consider this, if Biggest Loser replaced obese participants with participants suffering from cancer, or multiple sclerosis, or AIDS and had them compete for a chance to be cured - but most would be sent home, never getting the help they needed - systematically voted off by their co-participants who are trying to win a cash prize...well, I'm pretty sure it would be universally condemned as completely BARBARIC. I refuse to watch it any more! RANT ENDED.
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Overall I am feeling really good this week - focused and in the zone. No, every bite of food that I put in my mouth is not nutritionally perfect, but I am managing my portion size AND my calorie intake - and that is a huge accomplishment. I am also getting regular workouts in, despite physical challenges, and that is pretty awesome too!
ONWARD!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 - ACCOUNTABILITY
NUTRITION
Great calorie wise (overall). I had a huge lunch, but it was oh so worth it. Adobos, Sandy, UT - If you haven't been, you MUST go! The Ropa Vieja and Tostones are to DIE FOR! Wow, I am so totally a food addict! UGH!
EXERCISE
Swimming
33 minutes
I have no idea how many laps I did...I just know I swam up and down for 33 minutes - and my legs felt like they were going to fall off! Seriously, what a burn!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012 - ACCOUNTABILITY
NUTRITION
During the week, it is really my goal to stay at 1800 calories - I went over a bit today, but I still consider the day a success. OK, yeah, I could have skipped the Nacho Cheese Doritos, but you know what, I like being able to build that kind of stuff in sometimes. I makes me feel like - yeah, you can have stuff like that sometimes (as long as it is a small bag and there isn't any possibility I could eat more than the serving given - a large bag in my home will be consumed in the blink of an eye).
EXERCISE
WALKING
1.6 MILES
35 MINUTES
21:55 MILE/MIN PACE
The pace here was MUCH slower than I wanted it to be, but that has a lot to do with this darn achilles tendon issue I am dealing with. You know, SERIOUSLY, I am trying to get healthy and do the right things and I am rewarded with this issue! COME ON UNIVERSE! HELP ME OUT!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012 - Accountability
NUTRITION
Breakfast & lunch were eat outs - UGH. I had a free lunch at Cafe Zupa's - it included dessert. I was so shocked when I tracked the calories!! It adds up so dang fast! AND, who knows how accurate my calculations were! BUT, I rallied and made sure to eat a light dinner to make up for the horror of breakfast and lunch! Brought the calories in at 1826! YAY!
EXERCISE
Back in the saddle walking. Pretty good walk last night. My achilles tendon is still giving me problems. I had hoped the time off would help, but when I got back it was so sore. This morning it was even worse. I am going to have to break down and go to the doctor - I was hoping to avoid it, but I don't think I can any more.
Monday, August 13, 2012
DEVIATION
This last week has proven one thing to me...
DEVIATING FROM THE PLAN AND GETTING OFF TRACK IS SO EASY TO DO! SO EASY THAT IT IS ACTUALLY FRIGHTENING.
...And it usually starts with something really small - something insignificant that shouldn't be a big deal in the overall scheme of things - but at the end of the day, it really is.
Last Wednesday we had a good friend over for dinner. We hadn't seen her in a while and so we ate and chatted. By the time she left, we didn't have much time for exercise AND I was exhausted so I didn't end up tracking my dinner before I went to bed.
FIRST SMALL DEVIATION - DIDN'T TRACK THE DAY FULLY, DIDN'T COMPLETE EXERCISE THAT WAS PLANNED FOR THE DAY.
Then, on Thursday, I started on program and was doing fine (except I didn't really eat enough during the day). That night my husband and I went out - we had planned to grab dinner (a healthy dinner), but ended up having to wait until later. By the time we were able to eat it was 10:45 pm and nothing was open - and we were STARVING. We made poor choices (we ate at Beto's - a local Mexican joint that is open 24 hours), and the next morning woke up feeling like gum on the bottom of a shoe! And of course, it was late, and I didn't track the rest of the day, didn't post my accountability AGAIN.
SECOND SOMEWHAT BIGGER DEVIATION - DIDN'T TRACK AGAIN, ATE OUT - AT A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT!!!
Friday rolled around (TGIF, right!!!). I was rushing in the morning and didn't grab a lunch before I left - so I ate out AGAIN (eating out is like a fast spreading disease with me) - Brick Oven Pizza. I had a salad, some soup and a few slices of mini pizza. Not terrible, but, not great either. BUT IT GETS WORSE...THEN, my dear friend Rebs had free tickets to see 'The Bourne Legacy' (great movie BTW) - and those free tickets included free popcorn and free drinks - AND OF COURSE - we had to make a night of it, so we ate out too. So, 3 eat outs in a 24 hour period AND popcorn AND a drink (I drank Diet Coke, so not terrible, but overall I am really trying to avoid soda, period). OH YEAH - no tracking, no accountability, no exercise.
SPIRALING...
SPIRALING...
SPRIALING....
THIRD MUCH LARGER DEVIATION - DIDN'T PACK LUNCH, DIDN'T TRACK, DRANK SODA, NO EXERCISE, ATE OUT - AGAIN!
On Saturday morning when I woke up I was dreading the scale, but I decided that no matter what, I was getting on. I was SHOCKED when I stepped on and saw this:
And then all I could think was "How much better would that number have been if you hadn't screwed up the last 48 hours!!!"
BUT, I determined to make the day better - I ate a good breakfast and then headed outside with the Hubs to do yard work. We mowed the lawn, pulled weeds, planted trees. For lunch we decided that because we had worked SO hard, of course, we should reward ourselves with an eat out. TACO TIME! Not good, not good at all. I tried to choose well - I wasn't totally worried because I knew I was burning a lot of calories working in the yard - but in the end - the food I chose was CRAP, and did nothing to fuel my body and help me get through the grueling work we were doing in the yard. That night we celebrated my brother's 50th Birthday - family BBQ - hot dogs, taco salad (a family recipe), chips, cake. I didn't go nuts, but I also wasn't super careful.
FOURTH NOW HUGE DEVIATION - ATE OUT AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME AT A RESTAURANT THAT IS A TOTAL TRIGGER, DIDN'T TRACK, DIDN'T EXERCISE ON PLAN (YES, I GOT SOME EXERCISE IN FROM THE YARD, BUT MY HALF MARATHON TRAINING IS DOWN THE TOILET RIGHT NOW)
BUT, the point here is...AN ALCOHOLIC DOESN'T GO OUT AND TAKE A SIP OF ALCOHOL WHEN THEY ARE GETTING CLEAN - AND STAYING CLEAN...AND I SHOULD NOT BE EATING ANY OF THIS STUFF WHILE I AM TRYING TO GET HEALTHY - AND STAY HEALTHY!!!
Sunday played out pretty much the same - not wanting to cook, eating out, poor choices, no exercise.
FIFTH COMPLETE MELTDOWN OF PLAN - NO TRACKING, ATE OUT - TWICE, NO EXERCISE.
DANGER - DANGER - DANGER - KABOOM!
That brings me to today. I logged on this morning and looked at by last blog post - I was floored that my last accountability post was on TUESDAY! How in the heck did that happen! I couldn't believe it!
Although I realize that I have to celebrate the small victories and identify the things I do well, I also have to admit that I AM BASICALLY AN ADDICT - MY DRUG OF CHOICE - AN UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE. And making change means identifying triggers and staying away from them - maybe forever!! It also means following a routine - diligently - to try to break the bad, addictive behaviors that have built up over the years.
Meth addicts aren't told - Hey, it's OK to have a little meth, don't beat yourself up if you do!
Alcoholics aren't told - Hey, a little alcohol won't kill you - It's OK to have a little every once in a while.
THIS IS NOT ANY DIFFERENT. This is an addition, and breaking it is just as difficult as breaking any other addiction.
It is not OK to let the very behaviors that have gotten me here sneak back in - it isn't OK to indulge them in anyway. No, I can't beat myself up and I do have to pick up and move forward - but every time I indulge in these behaviors, I set myself back! CRITICALLY.
So, today is a new day - YES IT IS.
I am tracking - I will be walking tonight - I will be cooking at home this evening...and you will see an accountability post - come hell or high water!
END DEVIATION.
DEVIATING FROM THE PLAN AND GETTING OFF TRACK IS SO EASY TO DO! SO EASY THAT IT IS ACTUALLY FRIGHTENING.
...And it usually starts with something really small - something insignificant that shouldn't be a big deal in the overall scheme of things - but at the end of the day, it really is.
Last Wednesday we had a good friend over for dinner. We hadn't seen her in a while and so we ate and chatted. By the time she left, we didn't have much time for exercise AND I was exhausted so I didn't end up tracking my dinner before I went to bed.
FIRST SMALL DEVIATION - DIDN'T TRACK THE DAY FULLY, DIDN'T COMPLETE EXERCISE THAT WAS PLANNED FOR THE DAY.
Then, on Thursday, I started on program and was doing fine (except I didn't really eat enough during the day). That night my husband and I went out - we had planned to grab dinner (a healthy dinner), but ended up having to wait until later. By the time we were able to eat it was 10:45 pm and nothing was open - and we were STARVING. We made poor choices (we ate at Beto's - a local Mexican joint that is open 24 hours), and the next morning woke up feeling like gum on the bottom of a shoe! And of course, it was late, and I didn't track the rest of the day, didn't post my accountability AGAIN.
SECOND SOMEWHAT BIGGER DEVIATION - DIDN'T TRACK AGAIN, ATE OUT - AT A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT!!!
Friday rolled around (TGIF, right!!!). I was rushing in the morning and didn't grab a lunch before I left - so I ate out AGAIN (eating out is like a fast spreading disease with me) - Brick Oven Pizza. I had a salad, some soup and a few slices of mini pizza. Not terrible, but, not great either. BUT IT GETS WORSE...THEN, my dear friend Rebs had free tickets to see 'The Bourne Legacy' (great movie BTW) - and those free tickets included free popcorn and free drinks - AND OF COURSE - we had to make a night of it, so we ate out too. So, 3 eat outs in a 24 hour period AND popcorn AND a drink (I drank Diet Coke, so not terrible, but overall I am really trying to avoid soda, period). OH YEAH - no tracking, no accountability, no exercise.
SPIRALING...
SPIRALING...
SPRIALING....
THIRD MUCH LARGER DEVIATION - DIDN'T PACK LUNCH, DIDN'T TRACK, DRANK SODA, NO EXERCISE, ATE OUT - AGAIN!
On Saturday morning when I woke up I was dreading the scale, but I decided that no matter what, I was getting on. I was SHOCKED when I stepped on and saw this:
411.2
4.4 lbs. lost
BUT, I determined to make the day better - I ate a good breakfast and then headed outside with the Hubs to do yard work. We mowed the lawn, pulled weeds, planted trees. For lunch we decided that because we had worked SO hard, of course, we should reward ourselves with an eat out. TACO TIME! Not good, not good at all. I tried to choose well - I wasn't totally worried because I knew I was burning a lot of calories working in the yard - but in the end - the food I chose was CRAP, and did nothing to fuel my body and help me get through the grueling work we were doing in the yard. That night we celebrated my brother's 50th Birthday - family BBQ - hot dogs, taco salad (a family recipe), chips, cake. I didn't go nuts, but I also wasn't super careful.
FOURTH NOW HUGE DEVIATION - ATE OUT AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME AT A RESTAURANT THAT IS A TOTAL TRIGGER, DIDN'T TRACK, DIDN'T EXERCISE ON PLAN (YES, I GOT SOME EXERCISE IN FROM THE YARD, BUT MY HALF MARATHON TRAINING IS DOWN THE TOILET RIGHT NOW)
BUT, the point here is...AN ALCOHOLIC DOESN'T GO OUT AND TAKE A SIP OF ALCOHOL WHEN THEY ARE GETTING CLEAN - AND STAYING CLEAN...AND I SHOULD NOT BE EATING ANY OF THIS STUFF WHILE I AM TRYING TO GET HEALTHY - AND STAY HEALTHY!!!
Sunday played out pretty much the same - not wanting to cook, eating out, poor choices, no exercise.
FIFTH COMPLETE MELTDOWN OF PLAN - NO TRACKING, ATE OUT - TWICE, NO EXERCISE.
DANGER - DANGER - DANGER - KABOOM!
That brings me to today. I logged on this morning and looked at by last blog post - I was floored that my last accountability post was on TUESDAY! How in the heck did that happen! I couldn't believe it!
Although I realize that I have to celebrate the small victories and identify the things I do well, I also have to admit that I AM BASICALLY AN ADDICT - MY DRUG OF CHOICE - AN UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE. And making change means identifying triggers and staying away from them - maybe forever!! It also means following a routine - diligently - to try to break the bad, addictive behaviors that have built up over the years.
Meth addicts aren't told - Hey, it's OK to have a little meth, don't beat yourself up if you do!
Alcoholics aren't told - Hey, a little alcohol won't kill you - It's OK to have a little every once in a while.
THIS IS NOT ANY DIFFERENT. This is an addition, and breaking it is just as difficult as breaking any other addiction.
It is not OK to let the very behaviors that have gotten me here sneak back in - it isn't OK to indulge them in anyway. No, I can't beat myself up and I do have to pick up and move forward - but every time I indulge in these behaviors, I set myself back! CRITICALLY.
So, today is a new day - YES IT IS.
I am tracking - I will be walking tonight - I will be cooking at home this evening...and you will see an accountability post - come hell or high water!
END DEVIATION.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012 - Accountability
NUTRITION
I stayed within my calorie range, although during the week my goal is to really stay right at 1800 calories per day - so I was a little bummed about that. My lunch was much higher in calories than I had thought, and that really got me.
Somebody brought in Salt Water Taffy at work - it is the death of me. Every time I walk by the desk, I grab one. UGH. Thankfully they have all been consumed, so that should help my calorie count!!
EXERCISE
1.56 mile walk
33:23 minutes to complete
21:25 min/mile pace
The walk was good - continues to be tough for me though. It just irks me that I am out walking at a pace that, let's face it, is pretty slow for most - and I am huffing and puffing and really having to work at it!
I have to cut 3 minute off this pace in order to be ready for the marathon!! That makes me pretty nervous! When I walk on a treadmill I can definitely get my pace up much faster. Maybe I need to do some work on the treadmill to increase my pace??? I don't know!!
I am having some trouble with my left ankle. I completed my own diagnosis on Webmd (boy, I'm sure doctors just love to hear that) and am pretty sure that I have Achilles tendinopathy. Before and after the walk I made sure to stretch and have been taking Ibuprofen. I also iced it when I got home. I really need it to stop hurting. It is definitely slowing me down!! It is so frustrating that when I decide to get going and get in shape, I have something stupid like this flare up!!! BOO!
Zero Gratification Marathon
In light of my recent half marathon announcement, a good friend sent this to me...
HILARIOUS! I wish this was the marathon I was prepping for!!!
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