OMG My body has gone to hell.  In a hand basket.

Sitting here at my computer every day I don't notice the little things that are slowly going downhill.  Well, except for being stiff when I get up. 

Before I lost my job in 2004 (and I consider that the big turning point in my health - I was 30 pounds lighter and much more physically fit) I used to walk 6 miles a day.  2 from the train station to the office.  2 at lunch.  2 back to the train station after work. It was fun.  Sometimes I'd leave the office and 4:30 and not get to the train station until 7:30 because I had to walk down the Magnificent Mile to get there. (And pass two 'malls' - Chicago Place and North Bridge).  But I always enjoyed my walks.  Sometimes I'd listen to books on CD.  I was also a member of a health club that was part of a hospital complex.  I would go there every night after work.  Monday, Wednesday and Friday I would do a full body workout (strength training) and Tuesdays and Thursdays I'd just do Aerobics.  I worked with a trainer once a week.  Although I needed to lose a lot of weight and was diabetic, I was pretty fit - I had definite sculpted muscles that you could see in my arms, legs and shoulders.  And under the keg there was a six-pack.  My abs were stronger than they had ever been in my entire life. 

I never got back that energy after I lost my job.  First thing that had to go was my gym membership ($85 a month).  Next thing that went was the lady who came to clean every other week.  I did try to keep up my walking and was successful for a while, but eventually that fizzled out, too.

Okay, so I've had 8 years to get myself back on track and instead I've gone to flab and gained back 40 pounds (although I'm down 10 from my highest point.)

My doctor has been on me to be a little more aggressive in my weight loss efforts and getting exercise. 

First things first.  I needed to get used to taking my meds like I am supposed to - until it becomes a habit and forgetting them is not an option.  Done.

Next I had to get used to eating differently.  I've become LotsaStuffIntolerant.  Milk and most dairy products make me ill.  Beef makes me ill.  Animal fat makes me ill.  So I've gone ova-vegetarian.  No more dairy - now I get my dairy from soy (cheeses), coconut (coffee cream) and almonds (almond milk for cereal).  I've switched to eggbeaters instead of eggs.

I have lost some weight - I think that thinking about other alternatives, like surgery, made my body put on the brakes and say "um. no way." and so I lost some weight.

Finally got the treadmill out and started walking on it half an hour every morning. This is where the OMG comes in!  I used to walk 3.5 to 3.7 mph on my walks.  I could walk 4 to 4.3 mph on a treadmill for short bursts (like maybe 3 or 4 minutes).  I am now walking 2.6 mph.  TWO POINT SIX.  That's slower than when I first started walking back before when I was so out of shape. (back then I started at 3.0)

So it's like I'm in a hole that I have to climb out of just to land at ground zero. 

But I am determined that I am going to live to my mid-eighties at least (although if I could keep my health I would want to live forever), so I guess every little bit is one step closer to being healthy enough to make it that far.

I added a follow-up to my last protected entry.  Send me a message if you don't have access.

I'm going to write a protected entry immediately after this.  If you don't have access, please send me a message.  I just don't want it to be searchable.

Thanks

I check Xanga 2-5 times daily (depending on the kind of day I'm having) and have noticed that some older posts keep bouncing back up to the top.  Like this one.

If your post isn't getting enough attention, do you turn into a time stamp whore and adjust the date and time so it pops back up to the top of your friends' lists?

(Note: If you are offended by the word whore after time stamp, then I can assume your answer is yes.)

This is where I am right now.  Except usually when one is between a rock and a hard place it's because there is a tough decision to be made.  I'm not sure there is even a choice here.

Rock - Low Thyroid that makes weight loss difficult.  Medicated  to bring things back to normal, but my last test showed my thyroid level a little higher than it was previously.  Also, being diabetic and insulin resistant, my body is prone to weight gain.

Me - need to lose weight because of diabetes, thyroid, fatty liver disease

Hard Place - The liver is what moves fat out of your body.  When it is overworked, fatty deposits can build up in the liver.  This is mainly caused by insulin resistance.  When this happens, it can lead to things such as fatty liver disease and it has a hard time moving fat out of the body.

Can you see where I am?  So, I need to lose weight.  I'm having a really difficult time because of my diabetes, thyroid and liver.  and ONLY weight lost is going to help any of those three.

I am not eating much now.  Breakfast is either egg-beaters veggie omelet with whole grain toast or oatmeal with berries (~300 calories).  Lunch (when I remember to eat it) is generally either a peanut butter & Jelly sandwich (~325 calories) or Tuna.  Dinner is some kind of meat substitute and veggies (~500 calories).

So right around 1200 calories.  My weight dropped five pounds in the beginning and is just sitting there.  I've tried to increase my activity level, but even that is so freaking difficult to do.  When I get up in the morning I can hardly move.  If I walk a mile my legs are really sore (the saddest part of this is that I remember being about to walk 10 miles without hardly breaking a sweat.)  if I sit more than a half an hour at a time, I am really stiff and have to walk around for a few minutes to get the stiffness out.

I'm turning into a geriatric patient in my 50s!

After reading Tyche's entry that included a bit about the Hunger Games I decided to read them, so I put them on my "Kindle Books" wish list for Christmas.  I am currently reading the third book.  The first book was very engaging - it read like a futuristic Philip K. Dick novel.  The second book wasn't quite as engaging, IMHO.  So far the third book is not grabbing me.  I hope it does!  I'll continue reading to the end. 

This is a series put out by Scholastic Books.  They should have a PG-13 rating on them, though.  They are quite violent.  Harry Potter is definitely safe. 

In protest of PIPA and SOPA I have turned my blog black.  See what Google has to say about it.

(Pushing older content down.)

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Last night a friend and I went to a Sweet Adelines rehearsal nearby.  There were five of us who were new, and the director took us out in the hall and had us sing "Row Row Row your boat" in several keys.  Because I could hit the lower notes so strongly, she suggested I sing "Bass"

Sweet Adelines is a barbershop group and the music is written for tenor, lead, baritone and bass.  It's like the melody accompanied by a three part harmony.  So tenor is like high soprano (although it really doesn't get that high - maybe the G above the staff if you read music.)  Lead is like mezzo-soprano (and as the name suggests, sings the melody).  Baritone is like a high alto, and bass is a low alto.

I have a 2 1/2 octave range so I could have sang any of them, but I guess they need strong voices at the bottom, so she suggested bass.

It was fun.  There is no accompaniment, just a pitch pipe for the key.  The director is very good at sight singing and was able to sing all the parts for each section on a new song they were learning.  I was standing next to the assistant director who also sings bass and at the end of the night she complimented me and said I did an awesome job and that I must be a 'reader' because I was able to sing the right notes of a song I didn't know.  I guess my sight-singing and ear-training class my last semester a few years ago is coming in handy

So they want newbies to attend at least three rehearsals before committing, then they have to 'audition' by singing their part of a four-part harmony, although they will have someone with them who sings the same part for help if needed.

I'm not used to standing for so long.  My feet were numb and tingly after two hours.  I was glad we got a break!  I took my friend Sheri with me.  She used to sing in a different chapter of the Sweet Adelines.  She had degenerative disc disease and is on disability retirement because of it so after an hour she had to sit down.

I think this is going to be fun.  They have a performance coming up in February at a hockey game for one of the Michigan minor league teams.  There is a competition in May in Dearborn.  I don't know if it's regional or national. 

Someone posted in a pulse about the race to become a True Xangan.  They were shocked that I've been on Xanga almost 10 years and did not have the True badge.

I think it's because although I am here every day, I'm more of a peeping tom/nosy neighbor than a social butterfly.  I rarely update, and don't post very many comments.  I read a lot, but only comment if something really compels me to do so.

So I will probably be here another ten years and the only badge I'll ever have is "Life".   And evidently, a "Lifer" is not necessarily a True Xangan.

My favorite quote:  A goal without a plan is just a wish. --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

So here are my goals and plans:

Goal #1: Lose weight (doesn't everyone make this goal?)

Plan: Follow the plans for goals 2 and 3.

Goal #2: Lower Cholesterol

Plan: Since I can't take cholesterol meds because of my liver condition, I need to eat better - so I'm going to go vegetarian (cholesterol is from animal products) and exercise more.  Roger got me an XBox 360 for Christmas, as well as a Dance video and a Workout Video.  I plan to do them every day, working up to one hour a day (maybe two 1/2 hour sessions.)  I tried the dance video last night and it was a blast (if you overlook that I have two left feet!)

Goal #3: Have an A1c that is less than 6.5

Plan: Get back to eating only healthy foods, monitor my glucose levels OFTEN (every morning, every night and before every meal and even more if I get the urge to check), take meds without fail as prescribed.  I've put a kit in the kitchen (meter, test strips, lancets, glucose pen) as well as one in the bathroom so I should never forget.  And when I go somewhere, I can easily grab the one in the kitchen so I have no excuse not to inject before a meal.

These are not just "I should do these" goals.  These are "If I don't accomplish these, I'm probably not going to be around next year to see how I did."