Update... Post Torn Rotator Cuff...or Something Like That

Today is June 29th.

Today is the last day of high school for my 4th child, TeenBoy.

It has been a long time coming...
13 1/2 years, since the first day of kindergarten, to be exact.

And I am very sad to report that today...

I weigh more than I did the day he was born 18 1/2 years ago.

I weigh more than I did when child number 5, BratChild,  was born 17 years ago.

I weigh almost what I did the day I gave birth to SIX 15 1/2 years ago.

Just how much do I weigh today, right now, this very minute????

Let's just say that I have to lose  more than 10 pounds to be at 200.

A year ago I was holding steady between 190 and 195.
Working nights and not spending as much time running in the pool last summer had my weight creeping into the 200-zone by September.

The abnormally cold and snowy/icy/yucky winter saw me sitting around 205 by February...

And then disaster struck.

I injured my arm and tore the rotator cuff.

Did you know that you cannot walk on a treadmill without tipping over or being  in excruciating pain with a torn rotator cuff?

Neither did I.

And sleeping is best done sitting up on the sofa with pillows to prop the affected limb and keep it from moving during the night.

And doing any sort of aerobics is out of the question...

just swinging the bad arm to maintain balance is painful...
and then the neck and upper back/shoulder blade pain and limited mobility...

Well, suffice it to say, it sucks.

Steroid therapy added weight in days.
A cortisone injection a few  weeks later probably did not help.
Two months of  "let's see if therapy helps..."
It. Did. Not.

So, surgery was done  in April.
I spent 2 weeks with the arm in a sling and not doing anything to undo the repair.
And then Physical Therapy began.

And let me just say that I HAD NO PAIN AFTER SURGERY!!!!

None. Nada. Nyet.

And then...
4 weeks and a day into my, ahead of schedule,  rehab...

Pain, and the inability to move my arm in any direction, hit.

PT was stopped and another cortisone injection was done.

Apparently, bursitis had developed...
which happens in 50% of post-surgical patients with my type of injury...
according to the surgeon...

Yeah Me!
Not.

So, back to PT after 2 weeks of rest and...
I  am still in excruciating pain.
I am still unable to use my arm normally.
I am resolved to get in shape regardless.

The weather has broken and finally I can get in my pool.
I can run in the pool because...
Water supports my bad arm while I run and allows me to move it gently through the water without too much pain.

Yesterday I ran for an hour and a half before going to PT.
My arm hurts like heck since PT...
but after 2 weeks without it I expected nothing less.

So, I am starting from square one...
I am still sleeping sitting up on the sofa...
3 1/2 months into this and the words of a co-worker come to mind...
"the healing...it is a process"

Yes.
Yes. It. Is.

Coffee...It's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore

Watching Kelly and Mike on TV this morning I heard them mention coffee consumption.

So, of course, I perked right up because...

I drink coffee....A Lot Of Coffee!

According to some statistics they had, the coffee consumption in the U.S. per person has gone down by more than half what it was right after World War II.

But!
The amount of caffeine consumed per person annually has risen by nearly double that of World War II.

What?

So...in my caffeine induced sense of clarity I thought to myself...

Wow! How did they get more caffeine in the coffee?

And then I realized that it's not just from coffee because...
SODAs have tons of caffeine...
And ENERGY DRINKS have tons of caffeine...
And WEIGHT LOSS SUPPLEMENTS have tons of caffeine...
And HEADACHE  MEDS have tons of caffeine...

Dr. OZ says that cutting out coffee and drinking Green Tea instead....thereby cutting out or greatly reducing caffeine consumption...will help to shrink fat cells.

But maybe it's not really the coffee that is the problem?
Cutting out all those other things makes sense too...
Right?

So if I cut out soda and energy drinks and weight loss supplements and headache meds...
I can keep drinking my coffee, right?

Great!

Too bad I don't use any of those other things, isn't it.
So...I am reducing my coffee  intake to 1/2 a pot...
and those who know me know that I drink a whole pot before HeMan Hubby even gets out of bed!

To help meet this goal I have found a few tricks that seem to work...
and I'll share because they may  help you too.
( and I'm nice like that)

1)   Only make 1/2 a pot or use single-cup servings to reduce the temptation to keep topping off your cup

2)   Use a smaller cup...wean yourself down if needed...I had to and here's how I did it:
my normal 52 oz jug was replaced with the 32 oz super-sized mug...
which was then replaced by a giant 20 oz mug...
which was then replaced by a big 14 oz mug...
which has now been replaced with a regular sized 10 oz mug

3)   Stick to your guns! If you are only having 1/2 a pot figure out how many refills in your size mug that is and
ONLY HAVE THAT MANY CUPS OF COFFEE!
- down-sizing your mug  helps...
 because I can have 3 cups of coffee in the smaller mug instead of 1 or 1 1/2 cups in the bigger mugs...
 and it's still just 1/2 a pot--it just tricks me into thinking it's more!

4)   REPLACE COFFEE WITH WATER!!!
For every cup of coffee you drink- drink 2 cups of water.
Coffee is a diuretic.
It makes you get rid of water...
but not just the excess making you weight 3 pounds more than you did yesterday...
but all water, even the water your body needs to function properly...
And this can lead to severe dehydration..
.which makes you retain water and the vicious cycle continues!

5)   Don't drink coffee past early afternoon. 
Caffeine does affect your ability to sleep Restfully!
Not enough sleep or poor quality sleep makes it harder to lose weight...
and that adds to your stress and that leads to stress eating and that leads to...
Well you know what that leads to.

Now that I have cut back my caffeine intake...
per Dr. OZ's 2 Week  Rapid Weight Loss Plan...

I just have to work on cutting out wheat, white sugar, alcohol, dairy, and eating between 8pm and 8am...

Yeah...I'll let you know how that works out...

Diet Update or UnDiet Update...It's Your Call

I was going to make Saturday my weigh in day...

Big emphasis on WAS.

Then I realized that even though I was eating healthier foods...
I was still eating...A Lot!

So...new plan.

I am eating health foods.
I am  just eating less of them...
I mean smaller quantities...
and less often.

I also noted I have been drinking more coffee...
black, no sugar, but none the less caffiene laden coffee...
than I have of water or as I call those pour-in-a-bottle powders...
colored-flavored-water...

I was drinking nearly 4 quarts of colored-flavored-water a day...
and now, barely 2 quarts.

So.
New Plan in place.

Drink more water-like beverages---check
Drink less coffee---check
Eat healthy foods, just less of them---check

Alrighty then...Update Complete.

I'll  let you know how this one goes next week!

When IS Enough...enough? ( And a RECIPE)

I  refuse to get on the scale until Saturday.

That is now my official weigh in day.

Why?

Because why on earth would I want to weigh in the day after the weekend???
Weekends are filled with Pizza and Ice Cream and Oreos ( we even had real ones!) and ...

Well, you get the picture, right?

So, instead I will weigh myself on Saturday mornings.
After a week of healthy eating and drinking the right amount of water and doing the exercises that I can do with only one arm...

Maybe then I will see a difference in not just my weight, but my attitude about my weight.

A change for the better...

Oh, and for those of you who do give up something for LENT...

I am giving up PIZZA and ICE CREAM...

Yep, last year I gave up everything white...
Potatoes, bread, rice, dairy...
So not ever doing that again!

I am also thinking about keeping a food diary...
I'll let you all know how that one goes!

RECIPE FOR HEALTHY CHICKEN FAJITAS

We had these for dinner last night and they were yummy

I use corn tortillas for me but the kids use the flour ones... the small ones, not the huge ones!
1 bag pre-cooked grilled chicken strips...unbreaded people
taco seasoning-- about 2 tbs
salsa- about 1/2 cup---or you can throw in a handful of cherry tomatoes and chopped onions and cook until the tomatoes pop open and the onions are see through
Just throw all those things in a skillet and simmer until the meat is saturated with the seasoning...add a couple tbs of water to keep meat from drying out.

Now just build your fajita...
we used sour cream...but the low fat option is PLAIN GREEK YOGURT!
and lowfat shredded cheddar
and fresh shredded lettuce

and fold
and eat.

Yum!

Half The Battle... just not sure which battle I'm winning

Well, the last dose of prednisone has been taken...
and my arm is feeling...better?

Okay-to clarify- it feels better than it did but still is not feeling so great.

So,  where does that leave me?

No longer on steroids ...YAY!
And...
I actually lost 3 pounds during the week of steroid therapy!

YAY ME!

But I have been eating junk for the last 5 days...
BBQ chips
A Wendy's double cheeseburger and fries ( and large frosty)
Pizza ( home made but still...)
ice cream-- in multiple forms...
root beer floats
brownie fudge sundaes
coffee milkshakes

Yeah... Ice cream is my achilles heel...

But, today I am able to move with only a little pain...
as long as I move carefully and limit the amount of movement...

My Weight Loss Hero- no, really!

And my  legs feel just fine.

So, walking in place is the plan.

What? I know it's on your lips to ask, but...

In the words of the GREAT SUSAN POWTER...

"Keep moving, keep breathing..."

That is how you win the battle...
One  breath,  one step at a time...

And, hopefully, without any more steroid therapy!

Not Getting Any Thinner... Maybe I Should Do Something About It?

Like I don't know I'm a bit over weight.
Thanks Doctor's office paper work that spells it out...

BMI-33
Morbidly Obese

Again, Thanks!

Okay, this time I really mean it.

That 15 pounds I have gained since September has been bothering me.
And I have intended to do something about it.

Once I wasn't  so tired all the time.
Once I had better weather to go walking in.
Once...oh, who am I kidding.
Just like planning the perfect time to have a kid--- you can NEVER afford them on paper  no matter how much money you  make!
There is never the perfect time to start a diet and fitness routine.
There's always something that will deter you...

IF YOU LET IT!

So I am not going to let the snow or the ice or the ankle deep water from the glacial melt deter me...
Or the steroids I was put on this week for my shoulder injury...

Okay...that might be a deterrent...
Cuz steroids are hell on everyone's weight...

But No!
I will lose weight in spite of a week of steroid therapy...

I WILL!

I will let you know how this works out...

And the winner is... ????