June, 2014

I haven't posted on here for a while because I have been blogging on the WW site.  I'm not sure if anyone is reading these post but I thought I would update my progress.

So far I have lost 9.5 kilos and I'm feeling fitter and healthier.  I won't say it's been easy because it haven't, it's been hard work and staying focused and being determined to feel better about myself has definitely being a big motivator.

Two weeks ago my feet were killing me, every day I would come home from work and have to ice my foot and rest it as much as I could.  I went to Athletes foot and got fitted for some work shoes, and if haven't had a bad day with my feet since.  It's amazing how supportive shoes have made a huge difference.

I am going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week.  I must say I'm feeling like its getting a bit addictive lol but I do love how I'm feeling stronger in my muscles.  My knees are no long aching at night and I'm not getting out of breath when trying to walk a long distance.

It's been quite a challenge to firstly plan my diet "low fodmap" as well as weight watchers.  I still struggle with why I crave for sweet things that never seem to satisfy.  The IBS is and most probably be an issue with me, with mostly good days and the occosional bad ones.

I love the feeling of my clothes getting too big, I've gone from size 20 down to a size 16.

Feeling very pleased with myself.

Maree

Weigh in week 6

This week I weighed in the same, no loss and no gain.  I've been sick this week with a virus, started off as a tummy thing, then lost my voice and now full on head cold.   Grrrrr 

On a positive note I saw an Exerciseologist who met me at the gym and set out a program for me to do at the gym.  She also set out a water program and a program to do at home.  I was very surprised to see what I can do at the gym seeing I can weight bear on my left foot.

As for this weeks weight loss or lack of, I'm happy that I didn't gain and I realise it's going to take time to shift this weight.

Feeling crook

My tummy has been off now for over a week and it really gets you down.  I've also woken up with a really sore throat so I'm thinking it must be a virus.  I'll just eat lightly and take some panadol and go to work.  

I miss my early walks :(

Weigh in week 5

Last night I weighed in another 1.2 lighter woohoo, that's a total of 5 kilos so far.  I am so pleased with my achievement and it's made me even more determined than ever.  At WW we had a trainer come and talk to us about getting into some kind of exercise.  It has got me thinking that there is a real need for a very easy low impact exercise group for people like myself who are starting out.  Looking around the group every person there had medical reasons which prevented them exercising and going to a "normal class" is just out of the question, they would end up a cripple the next day and would need to start off really slowly.  Maybe someone out there might read this and take up the challenge.

I did a aqua class today, aqua deep, it has to be my favourite class.  I just love the freedom of the deep water.  I had a chat with the trainer and asked her about other aqua classes and is it still possible to lose weight by just exercising in the water.  She suggested I try water jogging.  This is something I would definitely like to try.  Maybe tomorrow afternoon.

I visited my Doctor today who was delighted with my weight loss and she totally understood my frustration at not being able to walk.  She suggested I see a sports physiologist who can cater a program for me with minimal weight bearing on my left foot.  She referred me to one who goes to my own gym and I have an appointment with her on Thursday.

I'm starting to feel like there is ways around this injury. :)

Plan for this week:  try water running, work on the bike and also the cross trainer and try the Pilates DVD I got a few Christmases ago.

podiastrist

I went and saw the Podiastrist today and he didn't have good news for me.  Apparently I've done some damage to my foot from walking on it while it was sore.  He told me I must stop walking for 6 weeks otherwise I will need an operation which will put me off my feet for a whole year.  I have had a burning pain in my toes and a tingling sensation running up my toe, apparently that's nerve damage.  Ok so I have to rethink my exercise plan.  I can use the cross trainer and deep water exercises, so that's my plan, I only hope it dosent set me back in the weight loss side of things.

As for my stomach it hasn't been good either, boy sometimes I feel like I'm really getting old with everything falling to pieces on me.  I don't understand why my stomach is playing up, the only thing I can think of is grapes, as I have had a few problems before, it seems I can only have a few not a bunch of them.  Grrrrr sometimes this IBS really sucks.

My aching feet

This is so frustrating, my left foot has been sore since I started walking, at first I put it down to my foot not being used to all the walking, then I thought it the extra weight that's causing the problem, but it didn't get any better, rather it became worse.  So I consulted Dr Google and followed the suggestion of doing more calf stretches, so I did that and hey it did feel a bit better.

It was worrying me as I was getting a burning pain going along my second toe and into the ball of my foot.  It would wake me up at night with a shooting pain, like a burning sensation.

I took myself off to a real Doctor today who told me to stop walking. I exclaimed in a loud voice that it's impossible to stop walking and explained how hard it has been to set this routine and to keep up with the routine.  He didn't understand and sent me for X-rays and said stop walking or you won't be able to walk on it at all.

He told me to remove the orthotics that podiatrists made for me, and I know for a fact, if I take them out I will be in worst pain (Been there done that).  

So I'm going to make an appoint to see the Podiatrists and take the X-rays and hopefully he can help me.

On a positive note, I'm going to hit the gym tomorrow and work on the bike and then go for a swim in the pool.  Also, the picture shows a beautiful rainbow today.

Weigh in

I weighed in tonight and am happy to say I lost another 1.7 this week.  All the walking is paying off, even if it is hard going and leaves me stiff and sore for the rest of the day lol

My goal for the next week is to keep up the walking of a morning and go for a swim at the gym in the afternoon.  

The colours of the morning

I just love to see what colours of the sky will greet me of a morning, it never seems to amaze me how beautiful it can look.  

I feel very motivated today and my walk was refreshing and energising.  Today I feel I can do anything lol

As for my IBS it has been not so good, no idea why as I am basically eating the same thing.

Walking record

This week I walked just under 18 km.  It's amazing how it builds up over the week.  My IBS has been a bit off the last few days but that could be due to a bit of stress.  I find the weekend the hardest to stick to my diet, I really need to plan the whole days food and just stick to the plan and maybe tick them off as I eat them.  Tonight the family want home made pizza, I can do a WW version of that :)

This morning I came across this beautiful black swan.

Weigh in

Last night I weighed in to WW and lost .2 which was a little disappointing but if I look at the big picture I have lost 1.9 in two weeks and that's pretty good.  It's so easy to be put off by the scales but I am so determined to keep going and lose this weight.  Go me!!!

On a good note my muscles are finally get used to the exercise and I am not as tired any more :)

Morning ducks

Good morning 

Tired

The magnesium seems to be working and my muscles are feeling better and joints rant as stiff.  I've been getting up every morning and walking, the getting up is fine and I love the fresh air and the slight autuum chill to the air, but by about 10.30 I'm ready to have a Nanna nap.  Maybe I need some multivitamins so I think I might give them a try this week.

After the weekend my stomach is finally settling down and I've got back into tracking and sticking to healthy choices.  I have been using the WW app and it makes it so easy to keep track of what I'm eating and maybe choosing a healthier choice.

Tomorrow is weigh in day and although I have been pretty good all week, I am a bit worried about what damage I did over the weekend.

My weekend away

I had a scrapbook weekend away where all my meals were prepared for me and I had no control over what I could eat! I asked for gluten and dairy free with no onions or garlic but today my stomach is really off and I have bad pains in my tummy.  It would be so nice if more people knew about low fodmap, maybe like gluten free people might be more aware of it and understand it's requirements.

On the WW side, the weekend was manageable as I just kept away from the home made cakes and slices and as scrapbookers are notorious for lollies and chocolate saying no to these was easier as most did not fit in to the low fodmap side of things.

I did however really enjoy the location and walking around the beautiful Stanwell tops, I made sure I walked every morning for 30 minutes and dodge the rain.  I managed some scrapbooking even though I have a sore wrist, it was nice to see the beautiful work of other talented ladies.

This mornings walk

Weigh in

I went to WW on Thursday night and was thrilled to have lost 1.7 kg.  All the hard work is starting to pay off.  It's made me so determined this week to keep going and track everything but most importantly keep walking.  I have been getting up at 6 and going for a walk for 30 minutes, it's been tough, I'm managing the early morning but the sore joints and muscles are hard to manage.  I hobble around all day and my knees and feet are killing me.  My thoughts were it will get better as I keep going and after a few days I should be feeling better but it's the reverse.  I visited the Chemist and asked him about Magnesium for muscle and joint recovery and he agreed it worth a try.  So today I took my first Magnesium tablet and let's hope it works.

I'm away on a scrapbook retreat this weekend with all our food provided.  I have asked for gluten free and lactose free with no onions and garlic so let's see how it goes.  So far for brekky we had bacon and eggs and gluten free toast (which was hard and under toasted).  It's always a worry that my tummy will play up when I'm not in control of the food offered so fingers crossed all will go ok.

This morning I went for a walk between down pours of rain, the sky was foggy and misty and the view very pretty.

Maree

Thing things you see while walking

His morning the sky put on a beautiful display for me showing beautiful pink clouds in the sky.  It makes getting up earlier so worth it, although the first part of my walk is a bit unsteady until I wake up lol.  I just love this time of year with the crisp cool air in the morning.

Exercise

The next step is exercise and making it a part of my everyday life.  Last year I fell in love with going for a walk around my neighbourhood.  I love walking in the fresh air and with my music playing it gave me time for me to think and be proud of myself.

I set up a goal for this week to get up at 6am and go for a 30 min walk before work.  It suits me better to walk before work as after work I just want to chill out and going for a walk is low on my priorities.  I would find any excuse to not go walking.

So far this week I have walked everyday.  My muscles are sore and I'm sleeping really well at night.

My weekly goal is to go for a walk everyday and try and set a habit.  They say it takes 6 weeks for a routine to become a habit.  

Maree

What is a mind map?

I have been following a low fodmap diet for the last 18 months and while my stomach is feeling so much better I have gained a large amount of weight.  Looking back I felt deprived and cheated that I couldn't eat certain foods that I used to love, and compensated by over indulging in the food I could have, e.g gluten free bread or gluten free biscuits.

So I needed a plan to do this and I happened upon mind maps, so I sat down and made up a map of where I would like to be in 6 months time.  It pointed me in the right direction and a chance meeting of a friend who told me she was going back to Weight watchers made me think I should bite the bullet and just go.

So I rolled up to a meeting and tried to explain the low fodmap diet, which must come first as I just can't manage everyday life with my stomach playing up and feeling sick all the time.  It's going to take a bit of planning and organising but I feel confident and ready to tackle this head on.

If you would like to know about mind maps click the link below

http://www.tonybuzan.com/about/mind-mapping/

It really does help to see it all down on paper 

Maree

what is Low fodmap?

The information below is taken from Dr Sue shepherds website http://shepherdworks.com.au/disease-information/low-fodmap-diet

What are the FODMAPs?

FODMAPs are found in the foods we eat. FODMAPs is an acronym for

Fermentable
Oligosaccharides (eg. Fructans and Galactans)
Disaccharides (eg. Lactose)Monosaccharides (eg. excess Fructose)
and
Polyols (eg. Sorbitol, Mannitol, Maltitol, Xylitol and Isomalt)

Where are FODMAPs found?

A few examples of food sources for each of the FODMAPs are listed below. The list is not complete. New data has been obtained through Monash University Department of Gastroenterology regarding the FODMAP content of foods. As a result, there have been some changes from previous food lists. Below is a list containing up-to-date information. The dietitians at Shepherd Works can provide you with an up to date list of the full list of foods during a consultation.

• Excess Fructose: Honey, Apples, Mango, Pear, Watermelon, High Fructose Corn Syrup,
• Fructans: Artichokes (Globe), Artichokes(Jerusalem), Garlic (in large amounts), Leek, Onion (brown, white, Spanish, onion powder), Spring Onion (white part), Shallots, Wheat (in large amounts), Rye (in large amounts), Barley (in large amounts), Inulin, Fructo-oligosaccharides.
• Lactose: Milk, icecream, custard, dairy desserts, condensed and evaporated milk, milk powder, yoghurt, soft unripened cheeses (eg. ricotta, cottage, cream, marscarpone).
• Galacto-Oligosaccharides (GOS): Legume beans (eg. baked beans, kidney beans, bortolotti beans), Lentils, Chickpeas
• Polyols: Apples, Apricots, Avocado, Cherries, Nectarines, Pears , Plums, Prunes, Mushrooms, Sorbitol (420), mannitol (421), xylitol (967), maltitol (965) and Isomalt (953).
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