Surgery - day 1

Good Morning and Happy Wednesday!  Yesterday, I had a total knee replacement to my right knee.  I will be honest, it's been just under 24 hours and I've had some ups and downs but that is to be expected.

The pain can be quite strong at times but the doctors, nurses and staff have been great at helping with pain management and it's been helpful as long as I stay on top of it.

I've had PT once so far (Yesterday) but they are expected to be back sometime after breakfast this morning and I have had on my TED hose, used the compression machine (constantly) and I have used the CPM machine (aka torture machine), it's a machine that bends my knee for me. They set it to a 60 degree bend yesterday but it was a No Go..... It was just too much so they knocked it down to 50 degrees for me. It still hurts pretty bad but is more manageable.  At some point they will increase the angle so I will try not to complain right now.  Luckily, my morphine button (I've named it Capt' Morgan) is pretty helpful but I understand they are taking the Captain away at some point today.... I'm not looking forward to that.

I'm trying to keep a positive attitude because I know that I will feel so much better in the long run.

That's pretty mychball to report so far. I will update more later....

The countdown has begun....

This time next week, I’ll be getting my things ready to head to the hospital for yet another knee surgery.  I know when I had my meniscus surgery, I was in a rush to get better and get on with my goals and didn’t follow directions and rest and heal like I should have.  As a result,  I over did it and caused more pain for myself in the long run.  This time, I’m having a total knee replacement and I plan to follow all of the orders (or at least try). I know there is a long road ahead and because of my age, I will probably have to have another replacement in my lifetime but  I really want to be able to do the things that I was doing before my knee got to be as bad as it is now.  I miss doing things in the gym like squats and lunges and I look forward to doing them again.  I miss little things like walking and races.  I’m tired of the weight that I’ve put back on because I’ve not been able to keep up the cardio-pace that I would like.

But as I’ve said before…. This will be a time for recovery and for focusing on what I’m eating. 

I’ll be in the hospital for several days and recovery time (at least for work) will be about 8 weeks.  I know that full recovery can take up to a year though.

I had my pre-op on Friday and met with a list full of doctors to go over what I can expect.  If things go well, I might be able to gradually start back into the gym at about 4 weeks but I have to check with physical therapy on that once they are assigned to me.

I’m beginning to get a bit nervous but I know that this is the right decision and I’ll feel so much better (once I have healed). I have done a lot of research to learn about what to expect and I have a class to go to later this week to go over more in depth info, which is pretty awesome.

Another surgery looms around the corner...

After years of pain from my torn meniscus to my quick degenerating arthritis in my knee, the time is quickly approaching.  As you may (or may not) know, my better/healthier lifestyle began a few years ago.  I have literally busted my ass, bled, cried, became frustrated, got overwhelmed, dieted, lost a lot of weight and gained quite a bit back when I had to severely cut back on my workouts.

I have been to countless doctors, I had a scope surgery to repair my meniscus, I have been on daily pain killers for the past 2 years, I have had Steroid injecteions, Euflexxa injections and Stem Cell (PRP) injections and unfortunately.... none of them gave me relief for more than a week or two.  I've been tired of feeling this way.  Tired of not being able to do the things that I want to do to maintain the lifestyle that I have come to adopt and enjoy so much.

After much discussion, a lot of research and every other alternative, my doctor sent me to see another Orth Surgeon, one that literally designed a popular artificial knee.  I met with him earlier this week and it has been decided that I need a total knee replacement.  I am only 42 years old.  Some days that feels ancient... but doctors don't like to do joint replacements on patients this young because it will have to be done again at some point (20-25 years down the road).

As much as having the surgery scares me and really makes me nervous, I know that in the long run, it will help tremendously.  I know that once I have had time to heal and go through therapy (and I will not push myself too hard too fast like I did after my last surgery).... I will be back to my old self, back to my old self again.  Will I ever be 100%?  Who knows.... but I hope so.  I just know that anything is better than what I'm feeling now.

I'm also going to use this time to go back to the basics and focus on food.... I mean, it's not like I will be exercising and I don't want to gain any weight so I will cut back on my calories (because I won't need as much as I do now that I have lifting weights).  I want to do the best that I can and get back to really feeling proud of myself for my accomplishments.  With time, I will begin my therapy and reintroduce cardio, HIIT and weight lifting.  I might not ever leg press 500 lbs again but I'm ready to set some new goals!

My family and friends are amazing and the best support I can ask for and I plan to document my progress to help me more than anything. :)

Day 16..... mid plan review

I just wanted to give a quick update since I'm half way through the 28 day program.  

This plan is very do-able.  I miss a few things that I have cut out of my diet but it's not junk food so that's a plus.  If you have followed the plan, I'm only eating fats for 3 days a week... that is probably the hardest for me and I'll admit that I have snuck some in here and there.  I haven't gone crazy but I have cooked with a little bit of olive oil and/or coconut oil.  I miss milk products but other than a cheat meal where I had a minuscule amount of cheese on a salad on Mother's Day, I'm doing great.

I know that there are a lot of people out there that swear by this and use it as a diet.... that was never my intention.  I wanted to make the scale move.  I wanted to wake up my metabolism and speed it up and I honestly think I'm doing that.  I'm not knocking the people that swear by this and use it like they would other diet programs... not by any means.  If that is what you want and it works for you then that's great!  I just wanted to do my research.  Some might say that I need to find something and just stick to it but it is my opinion that it's best to learn all that I can about diet and nutrition.  

I realize that there are a lot of ways to lose weight and I know that in order to keep it off, you need to stay consistent.  Some people count calories, some track macros, some count points, some eat clean or eat for a paleo or keto lifestyle, some eat high fat and low carb, some cut out wheat and dairy.... blah blah blah...... the list goes on and on.   What is the "best" plan to follow?  Who is right?  What is the answer?   ~ Are you ready for this????   There is no right or wrong answer.  There is no magical unicorn that will sprinkle fairy dust and lead you to the rainbow and whisper all of the secrets in your ear!  Seriously.... there are a lot of ways to go about it and you have to figure out what that is on your own and what works best for you and your body.

The one thing that I will suggest is that you should eat accordingly to your lifestyle.  Do you spend a lot of time in the gym?  If so, you need to fuel your workouts accordingly.  Do you lift heavy weights?  If so you don't want to cut out your carbs.... they are important.  They are the energy that you need to fuel through those workouts.  Could you imagine a kick-ass leg workout without any carbs?  I don't even want to think about that because frankly, it just makes me sad.

So..... what is my mid-way conclusion on this "diet"??  Like I said, my intention was not to follow this forever, not exactly anyway.... I'm not quitting this "diet" I still have about a week and a half to continue but when the time is up, I will make some of my own modifications.  I will probably add back a little dairy (I miss cheese) and healthy fats (vegetables just aren't the same when cooked in chicken stock).  I will probably continue to carb-cycle and I will continue eating clean most of the time.  But for now..... I'm tracking along with the Fast Metabolism Diet and I'm doing and feeling good.

Oh..... and before I close, I want to share a little story with you.

This past weekend, we got together with my family to celebrate both Mother's Day and my dad's birthday.  My sister and I planned everything and split up the cooking duties.  Knowing what I could/couldn't eat, I volunteered to make the grain (quinoa with pineapple and mango relish) and the desserts (paleo cupcakes and key lime tarts).... well, apparently, my taste buds have changed because I personally really like that kind of stuff..... but I was the only one.  My dad ate a tart so that my feelings wouldn't be hurt and I think I'm the only one who liked the cupcakes (I even made homemade paleo frosting!!) But what the hell...... since hardly anyone ate anything that means there are more for me.  Tell me..... who's the winner now??  :)

Day 11 update of the FMD

Week one was a total success and week 2.... but I'm not ruling it out yet.  Currently, I'm holding steady with what I lost during week one and I'm ok with that.

Phase 2 (Wednesday/Thursday) continues to be the most difficult.  It seems that I stay hungry but I've not caved in.  Yay Me!!

Overview of Phase 2.  It's boring.  That's right.  It's the high protein, high vegetable, low carb and low fat phase.  Don't get me wrong, I love meat and vegetables but I'm missing the fruit, carbs and the fat.  Luckily, fat is added to the plan tomorrow and I look forward to that.

Remember when I said that I didn't cheat..... well, I did cheat a little..... and by cheat, I mean, I added a little bit of olive oil to some veggies that I pan fried the other night.  If that is my worst offense then I still consider it a win!

What I'm eating during Phase 2 this week:

Breakfast:
scrambled egg whites with steak, mushrooms and roasted bell peppers

Lunch:
nitrate free turkey or roast beef with pickles

Dinner:
Grilled chicken salad
pork tenderloin with cabbage

Snacks:
Nick's Sticks (Grass-fed, Nitrate Free, Gluten free) snack sticks.... by the way, they're amazing!!

Happy Birthday to my Blog and Week 1 Day 7.... My Review of the Fast Metabolism Diet

Sooo, happy birthday to my blog.  It's 2 years old and what better way to celebrate than to  discuss the Fast Metabolism Diet that I've done all week. Remember, I wouldn't call it a diet, just a way of eating.  I use a lot of paleo recipes; no wheat, no dairy, no refined sugar, etc...
It's a good way to "cleanse" and restart your metabolism.  It is just what I needed to do after all of the crappy eating I have done over the last several months.

Day 7..... I've made it to Day 7 and I've lost 6 lbs. so how bout them apples??  Seriously.... There has been a lot of fruit this week :)

Sooo, Here's my weekly recap...

Monday and Tuesday were pretty easy. It was lots of carbs.... Who doesn't like that?
Hot quinoa cereal with mixed fruit, chicken sausage with brown rice and veggies and chicken with mango and pineapple relish, brown rice and broccoli.


Wednesday and Thursday were the hardest days...
Egg casserole with egg whites, turkey bacon, mushrooms and peppers (yum!)
Meatballs and veggies, grilled chicken with vegetables and pork chops with broccoli

Friday - Sunday. As expected, this has been the best phase.... My favorite!   Mostly because I added fats like coconut milk, olive oil and peanut butter.  I'm still on Day 3 but so far, I've had oatmeal with fruit, meatballs with fruit and veggies,  steak and shrimp, sprouted tortilla, sprouted french toast with fruit reduction and peanut butter, chicken salad, nitrate free deli turkey with hummus and cucumbers

Snacks/Desserts have been: gluten free pretzels, coconut milk ice cream, meringue cookies, orange cream circle milkshake (using coconut milk and xylitol and egg whites) and grass, organic  beef  jerky (nicks sticks from Amazon).

It's safe to say that this week has been a success and I'm looking forward to another week.

It's Day 3 and I'm still alive!

It's Day 3 and I'm still alive.... I'm even down a few pounds.  Who would'a thought!

Actually, I want to say that I'm proud of myself.  It's easy to say "I shouldn't have (insert whatever it is here)" and then say to yourself, "yeah, but a little bit won't hurt"... but I haven't done that.  I know it's early and only day 3 and I totally don't want to jinx anything, but it hasn't been bad at all.

So far, the meals have been:

Breakfast:
  Monday and Tuesday - hot cereal with mixed berries
  Today and tomorrow- Scrambled egg whites with turkey bacon, mushroom and peppers

Lunch:
  Monday and Tuesday - Chicken and apple sausage with brown wild rice and brussel sprouts
  Today and tomorrow - sliced nitrate free deli turkey with cucumbers and hummus

Dinner:
  Monday - Caribbean chicken with pineapple and mango salsa with 7 grain rice and broccoli

  Tuesday - Grilled chicken salad with apples and cranberries
  Tonight - honestly, I'm not sure yet but it will be a lean protein with vegetable

Snacks have been; fruit, gluten free pretzels and fake ice cream (chilled coconut milk, chilled and blended with frozen mixed berries

Here is why I am really proud of myself.... my plan was to grill pork chops for dinner last night but both my husband and I had been feeling under the weather and honestly, I just didn't want to cook.  It happens!   He asked for a Schlotzski's sandwhich and I'll admit, I really wanted one but rather than a sandwhich, chips and a cookie (which sounded much better than a salad).... I ordered a salad instead and I've got to say that I felt really good about myself afterwards.

It's so much easier to stick to a plan that you have set for yourself when you see results.  Unfortunately, sometimes you don't get the results you want or maybe you hit a plateau and need to change things up.  That's sort of what I'm doing right now.... only it wasn't so much a plateau, rather, I was tired of the tracking and wanted to continuously splurge and said to myself, "it's ok that I have (this) because I'll do much better tomorrow".... only, that whole "tomorrow" thing didn't really happen.  It's gone on like this for months and frankly, I'm tired of it.

My husband and I have this thing where we go out on the weekends and we don't have to quit doing that, I just have to make better choices throughout the week so I can enjoy our time together as a special treat.  :)

So here it goes.... the rest of Day 3..... I CAN do this and I will report back with my review and some accountability too.

I've been away..... I've been far far away

Well…. What can I say? It’s been far too long since I’ve posted anything. Did you wonder where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing?  I've been away.  I've been far far away.  Actually.... Life…. I’ve Just been living life. Honestly, I’ve gotten a bit lazy (okay, maybe "a bit" is not even close) and I’m embarrassed about that. I’ve been rocking out my workouts and I’ve been doing a program called Strong Lift and it’s modified to fit me. I love the program and have done it religiously. I’ve gained a lot of muscle and strength and that makes me happy-giddy. I’ve temporarily had to cut out cardio though and that combined with my crappy diet and just being lazy and not tracking…. Well, my metabolism has gone to shit. I’ve gained a lot of weight back and I have been in denial about it. Sure, I’m working out. Sure, I’ve bulked and I’ve added muscle but I can’t hide behind the fluff any longer. I have to take some responsibility and I have to do something. I’m tired of excuses (you know, those excuses that I said I was done making). You can’t go around promoting a healthy lifestyle when you’re eating junk food.

Wait a minute…. Before anyone jumps down my throat…. I know that different things work for different people. I know that there are people that swear by flexible dieting, by eating clean, paleo, counting points and tracking calories, etc. I’ve done it all! I still believe in flexible dieting but I believe in keeping it clean as much as possible and somehow or another, I just wanted it to be easy and I have learned the hard way that there is no easy way…. Unfortunately.

Because of the on-again / off-again diet and meal plans and because I just outright quit tracking anything, I’ve decided that what I need to do is jumpstart my metabolism with the Fast Metabolism Diet. To be honest, I’m no longer a subscriber to “diets” or anything that is a quick fix. I know that it’s something that needs to just happen and it takes time, a change in my habits, etc but I also know that my metabolism is out of whack and I’m ready to get this party started! Is it gonna work? Well, I sure hope so. It’s a 28 day program and after that I can either continue or go back to eating clean, regardless, I have to do something right now! Also, in order to stay accountable, I’m going to track everything; My daily/weekly meals, my progress, etc. I work harder when I’m accountable….. so here it goes!

If you’re not familiar with the plan, each week is split up into 3 “phases”.
• Phase 1 is on Monday and Tuesday and focuses on high-glycemic, moderate-protein, low-fat foods
• Phase 2 is Wednesday and Thursday and focuses on high-protein, high-vegetable, low-carbohydrate, low-fat foods
• Phase 3 is Friday-Sunday and focuses on high healthy-fat, moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, low-glycemic fruits and foods.

Oh….. did I mention that there is no wheat, corn, dairy, soy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, fruit juices, artificial sweeteners or anything that would be labeled a fat free or diet food? Yeah, that part sucks because, let’s face it….. those all taste good AND I love wine….. but it’s cycling different kinds of foods to fool and in turn, boost your metabolism.… it’s 28 days… I can do anything for 28 days!
No, I have not yet purchased the book but I will have it soon.

So…. Here is the basic plan I have come up with that works for ME (note: there is a whole lot of info out there and a lot of recipes and formulas but this is what fits the foods that I like) ….


 

	Breakfast	Snack	Lunch	Snack	Dinner
Monday & Tuesday (phase 1)	1 ½ cups quinoa or oatmeal with 1 ½ cup fruit/berry	Fruit, 1 ½ cup	1 ½ cup grain 6 oz meat  or 9 oz white fish 1 ½ cup fruit Unlimited veggie	Fruit, 1 ½ cup	1 ½ cup grain 6 oz meat or 9 oz fish Unlimited veggie	Protein: Lean meat or Fish: haddock, halibut Nitrate free deli meat Egg white only Carbs: quinoa, oatmeal, brown rice NO fats
Wednesday & Thursday (phase 2)	4 -5 egg whites, 6 oz meat or 9 oz fish Unlimited veggie	Protein: 6 oz meat or 4-6 thin slice deli meat or 9 oz fish	6 oz meat or 9 oz fish Unlimited veggie	Protein: 6 oz meat or 4-6 thin slice deli meat or 9 oz fish	6 oz meat or 9 oz fish Unlimited veggie	Fruit: lemon/lime ONLY Egg white only Sweetner: stevia No grain, No Fats No potatoes Fish: haddock, halibut Nitrate free jerky/meat No tomatoes
Friday – Sunday (phase 3)	1 ½ cup fruit 3/8 cup nuts or 3 tbsp nut butter ¾ cup grain or 1 piece Ezekiel bread Unlimited veggie	Veggie 3/8 cup nuts or 3 tbsp nut butter	6 oz meat or 9 oz fish Veggie 1 ½ cup fruit	Veggie 3/8 cup nuts or 3 tbsp nut butter	6 oz meat or 9 oz fish Veggie ¾ cup grain or 1 pc Ezekiel bread or 1 sprouted tortilla	Fruit can include coconut or coconut milk and berries Protein: salmon, sea bass, shrimp, scallops, whole eggs Grains: oatmeal, quinoa,  healthy fats are OK, stevia ok

Ok….. so, now I’ve got a plan. Now what? Well, It will be much easier, at least for me, to use the above chart as a tool to create my menu. My poor husband will be happy when the 28 days are up, I’m sure….. but it’s what I gotta do! :) If I have a plan to follow…. It makes my life easier. Is meal planning easy? NO ! It’s time consuming. Is meal prep easy? No, not always! I mean, the thought of all of those dirty dishes makes me uneasy especially when the cleaning fairy is on strike…. But I’ll prep what I can ahead of time and I’ll just deal with it!

There are a lot of really awesome resources out there…. Pinterest and Google are Ah-mazing!! But I have also learned that keeping it simple is easy. I tend to over think things and sometimes, that just makes things harder on myself.

Time for change

It's January and all of the "newbies" that have made resolutions are at the gym.... you know what I say to that?? Good for them! I know how hard it is to get up in the morning to go to the gym. I know how hard it is to walk into the gym when you are totally overweight and out of shape and don't know where to start. I have been that person. In fact, I am still over weight but I'm working towards my goals. I have a plan. As I have said before... I don't make resolutions anymore.... now, I set goals for myself. I know what I want. I know how to get there. I know what it will take. I even KNOW how hard it is! It's damn hard..... but if you want it bad enough you will find a way.

I hear a lot of people with excuses for why they don't work out and why they don't eat healthy.... you can't force anyone to do those things. They have to want it for themselves. And when I say they have to want it.... I mean, they REALLY have to want it! It's tough! Don't get me wrong... I'm not dissing anyone who makes resolutions, that is their choice. We are all different and that's totally ok. What is important is that they are making that choice to make changes in their life and I think that's pretty damn awesome!
I applaud anyone who sets a goal and works towards it. I have set a lot of goals for myself... some of them are still from last year but I have not given up on them. They have just taken longer to achieve.

When I began my journey a couple of years ago, I was ready to make the commitment to myself but I have to admit.... I had no clue how hard it was going to be! I worked and I worked and pushed myself some more to meet the goal I had for myself when we got married last June. Once I did that... I was tired and I slacked off... it happens. But I slacked off too much and now I have to live with the aftermath of that. It sucks... it's really does.

Now.... now is time for the change. I'm ready and my head is in the right place. I have said for quite a while now that I feel as though I have my workout/exercise aspect of things pretty much under control.... Hell, that's the fun part for me! Of course, I'm only human and even I have days where I'm just not "feeling it".... but I do it anyway!

Food is my greatest enemy but I have made up my mind and even when faced with several temptations just this week.... just as I'm getting back on track.... just when it's the hardest. I have been able to say No.... No Thank you. And that feels Damn Good!

Sure.... it's not always that easy and I totally believe it's ok for a treat..... As Long as it is planned and not spur of the moment. It's those spur of the moment things that hurt me and will put my in a bad place. You know what I mean.... It usually goes like this:
Hey Lori, How about some __ (fill in the blank)___?
Oh thank you.... I shouldn't.
Oh come on.... one little piece won't hurt.
Well, ok. Thanks.
This leads to me thinking to myself:
Well, I already had one.... one more won't hurt either

It's a cycle... an ugly cycle and I'm tired of it. This week, I have passed up junk food (multiple times) AND Starbucks..... did you hear me? I said Starbucks! That's right..... that's how serious I am! I have my food for the day logged and I have just so much wiggle room and I don't want to blow it on something that I'm not thinking through here. Sure, at some point, I'm sure I may say, "sure".... and that's ok.... but not today. Not right now.