Should I put gym on hold?

Thursday, April 28, 2011

My dog, Max and I, have been going on walks at least once each day this week. The past few days, we have done our walks in the evening, but this morning I was up early so I decided to give a morning walk a try. We went to the park only a couple miles from my house and he LOVED it! It was really windy this morning so of course he was having loads fun chasing everything blowing across the trail ahead.



I'm starting to really like going on walks with Max. He can slow me up from time to time, but it's the fact that I'm not only working towards my health, but my dogs health too that keeps me going! If I were just going on a walk for myself this morning, with the wind the way it was, I would have just stayed inside and done Wii Fit or possibly nothing at all. He is a little bundle of motivation!

Now I am wondering if I should put my gym membership on hold. It would save us $150.00 to put the membership on hold through the summer months, but, on the other hand, I really like having the gym available for those really humid days/nights. I think that I will talk to my husband a little more before I act on anything. Any opinions are welcome here, too!

Well, it's time for me to jump in the shower for work! Have a great day, sparkers!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

LHLADY517 4/28/2011 1:08PM

I don't have a gym close and the expense to get to one, let alone the gym membership cost would be too much now. So I walk--a lot, I use DVD's, free weights. Report Inappropriate Comment

MRSKOSITZ 4/28/2011 9:17AM

I agree with BREWMASTERBILL... See what kind of results you get by the walking and wii... although walking is good..Eventually it wont be enough to see the scale move. You have to get your heart rate up an extended period of time and after awhile, walking shouldnt do that... now if you can run with the dog then that would work. Plus you're going to need strength training and not just cardio. Its all about finding what works... its a process, you'll figure it out! :) Report Inappropriate Comment

BREWMASTERBILL 4/28/2011 8:30AM

It depends on a number of factors, I guess. I don't know much about you and what exactly you're trying to accomplish. If you're just getting started, diet is king. Light walking is good for your heart, but doesn't accomplish much in the way of weight loss and nothing in the way of gaining or preserving strength. If you already have a strength training plan in place, ditching it for a light walk with a dog that slows you down seems like a pretty significant downgrade. If money is a factor, there are plenty of things you could do at home with far less funds for both cardio and strength training. I've never set foot in a gym. Report Inappropriate Comment

Salmon Recipe

Sunday, April 24, 2011

I made salmon for the first time tonight and it was delicious. I sort of made up my own simple recipe and wanted to share it:

(2) 4 oz. fresh salmon
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tbsp. dill
2 lemons

Mix salt, garlic powder and dill. Rub salmon with seasoning mixture. Squeeze 1/2 lemon on salmon. Heat grill on high, place salmon directly on grill plate for a minute on each side. Remove salmon and layer grill with tin foil. Place salmon on tin foil and cover for 10 minutes. Every few minutes, uncover salmon to squeeze more lemon juice on top. Garnish with leftover lemon slices.



The husband loved it! I'll be making this again!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CURVYMAYA 4/24/2011 7:29PM

Yummy, I love salmon. Nom, nom, nom. If a boy eats it, it must be good, lol. Thanks for sharing! Report Inappropriate Comment

New Goal - Blue Dress Challenge

Sunday, April 24, 2011

An invitation in the mail has me setting a new goal for myself. My husband is going to be a groomsman in his friends wedding on June 18th. We received the wedding invitation yesterday. My husband just had his tux fitting not too long ago. The tux is black and there is a navy blue vest. I have a navy blue dress that would match my husband's tux perfectly; the only problem is that I was 20 pounds lighter the last time that I wore it.

My new goal is to be able to fit in to the blue dress for this wedding, and to weigh 245 lbs. by June 18th.

The Invitation:



The Blue Dress:



The Plan:

I'm going to set weekly goals/plans for myself until June 18th.

The Terms and Conditions:

~ Weigh-in's will be every Sunday morning
~ Dinner plans are to be posted for each week
~ Exercise plans are to be posted for each week

Today is Easter Sunday. I have a very Italian family on my dads side, and traditions are everything to them. It's a tradition for my dads side of the family to have Easter brunch. There is more food there than anyone could possibly eat in a week. Today is going to be a challenge. I need to remind myself that this brunch will only last a couple of hours. I will drink at least two glasses of water with my brunch, and I will not have "seconds". I will only have dessert if it is something that will be easy to track nutritionally.

Weekly Weigh-in:

Date: 4/24/11
Current Weight: 265.2 lbs.
Goal Weight: 245 lbs.


Dinner Plan for the week:

Sunday: Salmon w/ Broccoli and Rice
Monday: Chicken, Potato, and Vegetable Bake
Tuesday: Shrimp w/ Broccoli and Rice
Wednesday: Steaks w/ Potatoes and Corn
Thursday: Chicken Stir Fry w/ Rice
Friday: Sushi
Saturday: Pizza


Exercise Plan for the week:

Sunday: Wii Fit
Monday: Wii Fit
Tuesday: Gym
Wednesday: Wii Fit
Thursday: Gym
Friday: Wii Fit
Saturday: Rest

Blue Dress Challenge starts NOW!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CURVYMAYA 4/24/2011 7:45PM

Great goal and great dress. Your dinner and exercise plans sound great and will definitely help you reach your goals. Keep posting pics of your dinners too. I love seeing what other people eat, lol. It always gives me ideas too. Good luck! Report Inappropriate Comment

ROZELL99 4/24/2011 9:27AM

A manageable goal, you can do it! Good luck! Report Inappropriate Comment

Trying it, again.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

It's almost been two weeks since I last blogged. After the news from my neurologist, I kind of went in to hiding again. I need to work on pushing through the tough times, to continue eating well and making good decisions for myself even when the going gets tough. Lately, it's been more like when the going gets tough, Kalyn gets going... far away from everything. I want to change that, I do.

I've gained the weight back that I tried so hard to lose at the beginning of the month. If there is one thing that I am proud of, it is that I always come back to try again. If I didn't do that, who knows how high of a weight I would balloon up to. The great thing about life is that each day is a new chance. I've decided to come out of hiding and refocus on myself, again. I'm not going to assume that this is going to be "the time" when I finally lose "the weight" and ride in to the sunset happily ever after. If this journey has taught me anything, it has taught me that there is no waiting for that sunset, and that the happily ever after is now. It's all in how I live each day.

I had an MRI for my spine on Thursday and it was the first time that I had to get an MRI in a closed machine. Our hospital has the really small closed machine. I couldn't believe that I even fit in it! I'm not claustrophobic, but I believe that everyone can be claustrophobic if you try to fit them in a tight enough space! My arms had to lay on top of my body because the machine wasn't wide enough for me. Then, the machine wasn't tall enough for my arms to be on top of my body. They drug along the top of the machine as she pushed me in, and my shoulders were flush with the sides of it. I was afraid that they wouldn't be able to pull me back out. I asked her to try to pull me out a couple of times before I agreed to laying there for 45 minutes. I didn't finish my entire scan. It was suppose to take 1 hour and 30 minutes and I only lasted for 45. I almost passed out when she pulled me out the last time, I had to sit down for a few minutes. It was a horrible experience and I don't think that I could bring myself to do another closed MRI... not at this weight. Unfortunately, I am going to be on annual MRI's for this disease. Maybe even more than once a year. Losing this weight isn't an option, I need to do it, for my health.

  

Days 11-12: Disappointment

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

**Warning: This blog isn't going to help anybody but myself, I apologize in advance!**

To recap, since December 2010, I have been having dizzy spells or these weird "attacks". My eyes have been bouncing, blurry, and even doubled at some times. I started getting tremors down my arm and legs, with weird numbness that comes and goes. I've been having some memory loss, mixing up words, and a lot of neurologic issues. My family doctor suggested an MRI. It was relatively painless, aside from the needle injecting dye in to me. (Let me also state that I hate needles.)

So, the MRI came back with an arachnoid cyst in my brain and non-specific white matter. They set me up with a neurologist, which was really scary for me. Well, this was the least of my worries. At the appointment he informed me that he believes that I have an early onset of Multiple Sclerosis. Okay, fine... I have an aunt with MS and if she can deal with it, so can I. Well, in order to diagnose me, I had to go through a series of tests. I had to get blood work, go through evoked potentials testing, and I had to get a spinal tap. (Remember how I hate needles?)

The spinal tap was the worst thing that I have ever had done to me in my life. They had to go in three times and it was extremely painful. (NOTE: It's not painful for everyone, so if you have to get one done, please don't go running. It's different for everyone!) They were unable to get my spinal fluid out, so they kept pushing around in there and I was screaming and crying. It was extremely tramatizing and I still have nightmares.

After recoving from the spinal tap for a week, I then had to get evoked potentials testing and bloodwork. Once I had all of that done, it was 6 weeks later which brings us to the present. Today was my neurologist appointment, the one where he said we should have definite answers. I have been so nervous and anxious about this appointment, yet so hopeful for some REAL answers.

To sum up the appointment, he had no definite answers for me. He actually is referring me to a specialist in Pittsburgh who specializing in sarcoidosis and multiple sclerosis. My neurologist told me that I definitely have either MS or Sarcoidosis, he just isn't able to tell which because they are so similar. So, basically, still no treatment. I am so totally disappointed, I don't even know what to do with myself. I want to hide from the world and just give up on all of my future appointments/testing. My neurologist has me now getting blood work done three more times, he has me on an extremely high dose of vitamin d because of my past bloodwork results, and he has me signed up for another MRI (this time of my spine) and a chest x-ray.

I have used so much time from work to get me to this point, I don't know what I am going to do about future appointments. Also, speaking about this point, what IS THE POINT? I am at the same place where I was at my first appointment with this guy 6 weeks ago. WE ARE STILL IN THE MAYBE STAGE! I went through so much pain and so much anxiety for nothing. I am so discouraged, and frankly, I am pretty depressed over this. I feel helpless, hopeless, and alone. Even though I have the most supportive husband in the world, I feel alone in my symptoms.

Again, sorry that this blog isn't helpful to anyone else. I just needed to vent.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CURVYMAYA 4/24/2011 8:01PM

Omg, I don't know how I missed your update on this. I'm so sorry you've been going through all this. If the two are so similar do they have similar treatment too. It seems crazy that they aren't doing anything at all to help with your symptoms. Anyway, I'll keep you in my prayers. Stay strong and hopefully they will have answers for you soon. Report Inappropriate Comment

C4CHRISTINE 4/14/2011 9:23AM

oh girl, I'm so sad for you! This MAYBE game is the hardest. "Keep on keeping on", "this too shall pass" and all the rest...but mostly, you should know that you're not alone and you're worth keeping your chin up for. Thinking of you and Nick, hope for some speedy answers. Report Inappropriate Comment

JERRI82 4/12/2011 7:50PM

oh, honey... i am so sorry for your frustration and pain... i know how frustrating it can be to wait on a diagnosis and treatment... not for myself right now, but for my mother.... she had a neuro/psych exam at the end of january and is still waiting to see a neurologist... her appointment is the 28th of this month... we actually got a moved up a month by calling and catching a cancellation!... so... no diagnosis and no treatment and we're dealing with the beginning signs of alzheimer's.... well enough about that... you hang in there ... be strong... you can get through this! beat it! i am praying for you. God bless... jerri . Report Inappropriate Comment

CONFUSEDBIRD 4/12/2011 6:49PM

I am thinking of you! I hope you are able to fight it like Tyme2beme. I have aspect related to lupis and when it started occuring in my early 20's I did not take it well. I stopped exercising and started eating badly out of depression and felt really alone as well. Take things one day at a time and always remember that exercise and eating well will make u stronger. Even if you can't stop whats happening to you. You can fight back and be the strongest you can be. Don't forget your hubby is there to lean on. Report Inappropriate Comment

TYME2BME 4/12/2011 6:38PM

You aren't alone in your symptoms. I was fine one minute and I could feel my body shutting down. I went to the hospital and I lost all feelings on my left side. They did an MRI on me and I had a lesion on the little stem that connects the brain to the spine so the brain signal couldn't go through. My first neurologist told me not to give up and work toward keeping my muscles strong and get moving. For the following year that is what I did and had many, many MRI's. My first MRI I had lesions on the brain and the spine but the one that took me down was the one on the stem. The lesions disappeared and I haven't had any more lesions since. That was 10 years ago. You aren't alone and please don't give up. Do what you can to keep yourself strong and keep living. I have MS and I chose to fight it, make myself strong and keep my muscles strong. I don't take the shots that is available. You aren't alone there is so many people walking around that has MS. Report Inappropriate Comment