5/4/08 – WE’RE IN A GYM ROUTINE!
Missed one day this week, April 30th was my 55th birthday, didn’t get to the gym because we went out to eat to celebrate the birthday. But otherwise, we went to the gym or exercised every day this week. Max is determined. On Friday, I said that, since I had done the weights on Thursday and would only be walking the treadmill, that I would go for a walk. Max had already been to the gym, so I though a nice walk would be good. He offered to go to the gym again with me if I needed him to. I walked 40 minutes instead. It was hot out, it makes a big difference in the nice air conditioned gym!!! I had a treadmill workout on my iPod that I took and listened to while I walked. I need to find a walking audio that I can use to keep my pace up while walking outside, the treadmill workout slows down and speeds up too much for walking outside. However, I really enjoyed the walk. It seems kind of ludicrous to me that we drive to the gym, which is a mile or so away, then get on a treadmill to walk. Why not walk to begin with, work the weights, then walk home? Plus, it gives some variety, so not making it to the gym is still no excuse to not do something. I don’t want to get in to the mindset that it’s the gym or nothing. The biggest accomplishment this week is getting the exercise commitment ingrained – 30 days makes a habit, so we’re halfway there! I still want a bicycle; it would give another outlet, change it up now and then, and I could ride to the gym to get warmed up. Plus, save on gas… I rode the motorcycle today, gassed up, paid $4.09 a gallon – I’ve NEVER paid that much…sheesh! I’ve improved my weight training portion. It was too disorganized, and I’m still struggling with just wandering from machine to machine, so I’m trying to make it more organized. I do 2 sets on each machine, with 20 reps at a light-medium weight, then 12-15 at a heavier weight. I try to do a weight where 12-15 is all I can do without sacrificing the form to get the weight moved. The part I'm not doing well is abs, I have no plan yet for those. I'm thinking about setting up the second session so we can concentrate on ab routine and on setting up a focused routine for upper body, and a focused routine for lower body. Then I would alternate those on the gym visits, and do abs every time.
I am definitely sleeping better, my backache has disappeared, and my breathing is better. PLUS, it takes a lot more effort to get my heart rate into the zone on the treadmill than it did when I started. I put the incline at 2.5 or 3.0 and do 3.0 mph, so I’m getting better. For some reason, I can see a change in my neck since I’ve been doing the weights. WOOHOO!
What I haven’t been doing is watching what I eat. Too many carbs. One day I made garlic bread for no apparent reason. Why? Another day I had a donut, some chips, and other carbs. What’s the point of going to the gym if I’m going to undo it with bad food choices? But I had purposely worked the gym without working the food so I could change one thing at a time. Now time to work the food. Need to be more consistent with what I’m going to be doing with the band. More protein and high quality carbs of fruits and veggies, minimal white or processed carbs …
The Saga of Weight Loss Surgery Continues...
So, I finally got my letter from my primary physician. The Bariatric Surgeon's office contacted Allergen, the maker of the LapBand, to start the appeal process with Obesity Law. I had sent my info to OL when I was rejected; he sent back and said I have a case, and that if my surgeon gets a referral from Allergen, the legal fees are paid. So, I confirmed today that the process of appeal has started -- Allergan has the info and is contacting Obesity Law. We'll see where this goes.... it's just a matter of keeping up with the progress and keep things going forward with the surgeon and the doctor. It will happen...
In the meantime, I'm going to the gym almost every day. Max is the motivation -- he never misses a day. I worked late today, so I had him meet me for dinner tonight so I can go to the gym tomorrow night instead of going out to dinner. My goal is at least 5x each week, and no more than 1 missed day in a row. At the gym yesterday, I used a treadmill workout from my iPod. I defintely can't do it all, but I did as much as I could -- when the speed increases too much or incline higher than I can do, I elevate and/or set the speed less than she says but still an increase. I got the incline up to 5 and mph to 3.5 - which is a lot for me -- and I'm up to 30 minutes on the treadmill! I concentrate on keeping my heart rate in the 80% zone, and slow down and speed up in short routines to keep it interesting. On days I don't do weight training, I do the treadmill for 30 minutes now; on days I do weight training I do 20-25 minutes on the treadmill in two increments before and after the weight training.
Even with the exercise dedication, I haven't lost any weight, it is so frustrating. I've gained 2 pounds since we started... I'll keep working it, but it gets discouraging. I'm on Day 16 in the Beck Diet Solution workbook. I've been there for 5 days - working the issue of unplanned eating. But, otherwise life is good, so I keep plugging along!
