Lance Armstrong...

Tonight I got on the bike and rode for 7 miles.  It took about 30 minutes and I felt pretty good afterwards.  But then Mr. Muscles got ahold of me and 45 minutes of non-stop weight lifting turned me into Gumby! And then, because I "did so well", I "got" to do abs...crunches on the ball with a 15 pound weight.  Good times were had at the gym tonight!

Before I had my surgery and was researching what people ate after the band, I read that dry meats were probably going to be hard.  And they have been, so I've really stayed away from red meat and most chicken.  Instead, I've become a hard core fish eater.  I had no idea that there were so many kinds of fish to eat and that I would enjoy most of them.  Tortilla crusted tilapia, lemon salmon, tuna, potato crusted cod...they are all delicious.  But I am craving a big juicy steak.  I'm trying out a new Mexican restaurant on Saturday...maybe some steak fajitas are in order!  Hopefully I'll be able to eat them. :)

Day off...

Today is my day off from the gym...and I'm missing it! I had dinner plans tonight that were cancelled and I thought...hmmm...maybe I'll just go to the gym instead! What in the world has happened to me?  I like the gym??  OH NO! I'm turning into one of "those" people.  Those people who say they miss it if they don't go.  Ugh. 

Instead of going, I made a delicious salad for dinner and really took the night off.  My knees needed the rest anyway. After that shot yesterday, they are both achy. 

I worked on getting more to drink today.  Unfortunately it was a Diet Dr. Pepper.  Probably not what Mr. Muscles had in mind, but it was oh so good.  I didn't work on getting more to eat, but it was a busy day and I didn't really have time.  So tomorrow that's the goal.  Eat before my workout so I have more energy and stamina and am not starving when I'm done.

The final chapter in the Knee saga...

Today the incredible Dr. Rapley gave me an injection in my "good knee".  I put good knee in quotes because it's the one that isn't horrible, but it has taken the brunt of my activity for over a year.  Both knees have had cortisone injections in the last few months and Synvisc injections in the last few weeks.  Unless something dramatic happens, they are as good as they're going to get!

As I was leaving Dr. Rapley's office today he shook my hand.  Come on...really?  After all I feel like we've been through together?  So I gave him a hug and the poor guy hugged me back but then let me know he's not much of a hugger.  Whoops! :) So, my apologies Dr. Rapley. 

As usual, I worked out tonight with Mr. Muscles.  Arms, abs and a mile on the treadmill.  Just as I'm feeling stronger, Mr. Muscles throws in a new arm exercise that just about does me in.  But that's why I'm paying him the big bucks!  I got home from my workout tonight and crashed.  Unless I eat immediately, I'm so exhausted I need a nap.  I'm not sure if that's good for me or not, but it probably has to do with the lack of food I'm eating.

I'm definitely struggling with food...eating enough to give me the energy to work out for two hours.  And not eating too much to make me sick.  I'm so afraid of throwing up that I'm not eating as much as I should.  Especially during the day while I'm at work.  I need to figure out a way to eat better and more often during the day.  Because a two hour workout on one container of yogurt and one cup of macaroni and cheese isn't working for me.  And thank goodness Mr. Muscles doesn't read this blog or he'd be super mad at me!  He wants me around 1,500 calories a day and I'm eating about 800-1,000. 

I'm not sure which is more important; to work on eating more or drinking more water.  I can't do both. I'm not hungry all the time and I can't drink all the time.  The more I eat, the less I can drink.  The more I drink, the less I can eat. 

But I guess I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing...learning how to live around this lap band. 

Weight Loss...

YEA!!!!!! I just had my first official weight loss! I'm so excited!  Before surgery I lost 18.7 pounds.  Then immediately after surgery I lost another 12.5 pounds.  I don't really consider that 12.5 an "official" weight loss because for that first week, I barely ate.  Then I gained some.  I thought it was only 2.2 but I just looked and it was actually 3.2.  Oh well.

But then today I weighed myself.  I was hoping that the combination of the fill last week and my menstrual cycle, I'd see a loss.  And boy did I!  I lost 7.4 pounds! WOO HOO!!!!

So that makes my total since surgery 16.7 pounds and my grand total 35.4 pounds! OH MY GOODNESS!!! I'm finally happy! I'd been worried that I wasn't putting up any weight loss numbers, and with the dramatic cut in food and the dramatic increase in exercise, I should be.  I guess it just took a little time for it to show. 

Go me!! :)

Not for the men...

I'm sure the guys out there reading my blog don't want to read about my period! :)

I have a condition called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).  It's a hormonal imbalance that affects my menstrual cycles.  In fact, I haven't had one for a very long time.  It's been so long that I can't even remember.  One of the best ways to correct the effects of PCOS is to lose weight.  Well, I've lost weight many times in the last 5 years and it never helped. 

However, the day of my lapband surgery I started my cycle.  I was still in recovery when it started.  At first I was worried they had put a catheter in me and when it was removed, I bled.  But when I found out that didn't happen, I assumed somehow the anesthesia started my period.  Whatever the reason, it was the first time in probably 5 years I had an actual cycle.  And now, a little over a month later, I'm having another one. 

I am so hopeful for all the things that lapband surgery is going to provide me...health, physical fitness, more places to shop :).  And now, a balancing of my hormones.  Surgery was a good decision.

A Good Day...

Had a great workout today!  Mr. Muscles and I worked on legs all morning, after my 500 crunches, of course!  My knee felt pretty good...so good that I walked on the treadmill for a mile.  Of course it took me a half hour, but I felt good afterwards! 

I went to First Watch for lunch with my mom and ordered the salad that I usually get and today I could eat about a quarter of it.  Having a fill in my band is definitely making a difference.  Then I went to dinner with friends tonight and instead of ordering my own meal, I just ate a few bites of theirs! HA! Makes me a cheap date. :)

Tomorrow's my day off from it all!

Judgement...

I had an interesting thing happen at work yesterday.  I walked out to the lobby and there was a man in his 60's waiting for his appointment, a woman in her 60's waiting for her appointment and what I assume was the woman's pre-teen granddaughter.  I was speaking to one of my co-workers when I overheard the woman mention my weight and size to her granddaughter.  She was "whispering".  She told the girl that I was really big and although I didn't catch the entire next part of what she said, it was something to the effect of not letting herself (the granddaughter) get that way. 

I turned around and looked that woman right in the eye.  And she was clueless because then she started up a conversation with the man about losing weight! OMGoodness! I couldn't believe it.  I'm a big girl.  I know that.  And I'm sure that people talk about me behind my back.  But to be so blatant about it...I almost spoke up.  But I didn't because she was a patient and I can't be rude to a patient.  Even though she had NO issues being rude to me!

And then I thought about it and decided I don't really care what she thinks.  I am trying to fix my weight, but she can't fix her stupidity. 

Now I have to go to bed.  Mr. Muscles woke up this morning with one thought in his mind...torture Sarah...so that's what he did tonight.  And I have to see him again in less than 12 hours!

First Fill...

I was nervous for nothing! My first fill was easy peasy! Tim the PA rubbed a little iodine on the spot to clean it and used a small needle.  He poked it right through, pushed a little and injected 2.5cc's of saline.  I have been doing a little research about the fills and how much saline people have in their bands and it literally is a personal preference. 

The first fill is pretty standard with 2.5 cc's.  My band can hold anywhere from 12-14 cc's.  But after that, it all depends on how fast I'm losing, how comfortable I am and how I'm tolerating food.  And as I lose weight, I'll need more saline in the band.  Tim explained it to me like this:  Imagine an inflated balloon with a belt around it.  As you let air out of the balloon, the belt slips and needs to be tightened.  Same thing with losing weight.  As I lose, I'll need the band tightened to stay in place. 

Immediately afterwards I could tell that I have some more restriction.  Tonight for dinner I had two scrambled eggs with some cheese and turkey and I could only eat one.  Yesterday I could have eaten both and then something else.  So that pleases me!

Especially because I was weighed today...and I gained 2.2 pounds in 4 weeks.  Double Damn.  Yes, as all of my friends have said, I've been lifting so many weights that I've definitely added some muscle weight.  But I eat 1/3 of what I ate before surgery so why am I not losing?  I asked Tim if that was normal and he said yes.  My body is just trying to adjust to everything.  And I lost so much right off the bat that after I started eating again, my body held onto what I fed it.  Blah Blah Blah...I just want to lose weight. 

So I went to the gym tonight and worked super hard with Mr. Muscles! Saturday morning when I have a little more time I'm going to get on the treadmill and see how my knee does.  And as long as I do okay, I'm going to take my bike out on Sunday for my first ride!  Sunday's are supposed to be my off days, but I have a goal in mind for Hawaii and in order to get there, I'm going to need a little more cardio.  :)

First band fill...

All of my plans for my weighing at my first fill just went out the window.  I had to reschedule my appointment for July 12th.  When I called I didn't want to push it out any farther because I feel like I'm ready now...so I'm having it tomorrow! AHHHH!!!!!

I guess I'll be weighed tomorrow.  I'm not looking forward to it.  All of my friends who see me regularly say they can see it.  However, I'm just sure I'm not losing.  I do know that I'm gaining muscle mass from the 6 hours of weight training each week with Mr. Muscles and that counts for something.  But I'll be totally shocked if I do have a loss. 

And then the fill...I'm not going to lie.  I'm nervous about it.  A fill changes how much food I can take in as well as changes my ability to tolerate certain foods that so far I haven't had any issues with.  And the biggest complication with all this is vomiting.  And I REALLY don't want to vomit.  But, I need the fill.  I didn't go through all this to not have the band filled. 

So tomorrow at 12:40 I'll get my first fill.  Wish me luck that I handle that as well as I've handled everything else so far.  And wish me luck that I post a loss instead of a gain on the scale!

Feeling Good...

I had a nice workout tonight...all about hamstrings and back, with 500 crunches thrown in! :) My abs started seriously hurting around crunch 200.  Last week they hurt around crunch 100, so hopefully that means they are getting stronger!

I am still not weighing myself until July 12th, but to find out if I'm getting results, this morning I tried on a skirt I bought this winter.  It was a clearance skirt that didn't fit, but I hoped it would at some point.  Well, this morning it zipped! Woo-Hoo! Sure...it was still a little too tight to wear, but before surgery it barely fit over my hips. 

That was a nice little confidence booster.  It also helps validate all the salad's I've eaten!  Tomorrow I'm having lunch out with a friend so I'm going online beforehand and picking out what I'm going to order.  This way, when the waiter asks what I'd like, I'm not tempted to get something that sounds yummy but is bad for me.  And since Wednesday's are my day off at the gym, I want to make sure I'm extra good since I won't be burning anything off tomorrow night!

Oh my aching arms...

Holy Toledo my arms are sore! I said on Saturday that the burn felt good.  I lied.  HA! I was in the car with my mom tonight and when I turned a corner, I barely moved my arms and she laughed at me! I told Mr. Muscles on Saturday that I needed to be able to wash my hair.  I'll just say that was quite a challenge this morning.  And after tonight's workout, I don't think tomorrow morning will be any easier!

My workouts are going well again, even if I'm not doing any hard core cardio yet.  And my eating is okay.  I can probably eat more than I should so I can tell I'm ready for a fill in the band.  When Dr. Hoehn placed the band, it was empty.  The lap band can have up to 11 cc's of saline.  As I get more saline put in, the more restriction I have.  So right now I definitely have restriction, but not as much as I need.  The good thing is that I'm making better choices.  Mostly because I want to, but there is one thing that has changed and I'm not too happy about it.

Diet Coke doesn't taste the same.  I don't understand!  It used to make me very happy and now it tastes kind of flat and uninteresting.  :(  How could surgery change my taste buds?  I don't know, but it did.  So it makes me worry about root beer.  For those of you that know me, I L.O.V.E. Barq's Root Beer.  It's like heaven in a glass.  The thought of it makes my mouth water and lifts my spirits.  And I don't have it very much.  Not because I don't want it all the time, but because it's so many empty calories that I don't allow myself to. 

So here's my dilemma...what do I do?  Do I have a glass now and see if it's changed?  And then if it has, I'll know.  I'll be sad, but it will be better for me in the long run because it will be one less craving.  What if it hasn't changed?  Then I drank some again and it will be so good and I'll be craving it even more! UGH! 

It's 9:00 and I'm going to bed.  Depriving myself of the root beer, even if it doesn't taste the same anymore, is depressing me. 

Arms and Abs...

I did so many arms and abs last night that I came home and I couldn't even blog about it! Mr. Muscles and I worked out my arms to failure!  I did some 5 pound stuff over my head, some 10 pound stuff over my head and then like 100 tricep things.  I don't know the names of the exercises...but I don't need to. :) Then, after he'd sufficiently tortured me enough, he had me do 500 crunches.  No, that's not a typo...500 crunches. 

I was so sore last night that I went to bed with my ponytail still in my hair because it hurt too much to lift my arms up to pull it out! 

So this morning I got up and went to the gym again.  That's right...Mr. Muscles was the last person I saw last night and the first person I saw this morning!  We did a bunch of arms again today.  Different from yesterday, but the same muscles.  Luckily there weren't any more crunches.  We did what he likes to call power lifting.  It's lifting at a fast pace so my heart rate goes up, which is good since I can't do any cardio yet.  But it also means way more reps of any one exercise then I would ever want to do! 

I feel pretty good.  The burn when I'm lifting my arms up to talk on the phone or tuck my hair behind my ears is a nice reminder that I'm actually doing something worthwhile.  Of course, I would love to have instant results, I know that this is a loooong process.  So I'm hopeful that each day is worthwhile.  I'm also hopeful that I'm losing weight.  I haven't gotten on the scale again, no matter how many times I've wanted to.  But I definitely know I'm building some serious muscle mass. 

And since I can't go an entire blog post about my knee, I will say that it is feeling much better.  I'm wearing this brace all day long and the stability it gives me is such a nice comfort.  It also stops me from bending it to 90 degrees, so I don't have the popping or the pain.  So that's nice too.  I'm hopeful that next week I'll be able to get back on the elliptical!  And if it feels as good as I want it to, I'm going to get the injection in my other knee because that one takes the brunt of this body.  Then maybe I'll be close to "pain free".  As close as I'll get until the weight starts coming off. 

Until then, I'll just remind myself of two things each day.  1.  Weight loss does not offer instant gratification like a one hour episode of The Biggest Loser does.  2.  I am going to Hawaii in September.  That second one is what sends me to the gym every night. :)

Lecture...

I got a lecture today from Mr. Muscles.  I drove over to the gym tonight to visit with him about my knee.  After I left the doctor on Tuesday, he wasn't there for me to give him the low-down, so I just told the gals who work there that I wouldn't be back until tonight because of my injury.  I was hoping to work out tonight, but I still can't bend the knee to 90 degrees without the pain, so there was no need to go to the gym.  Well...I was wrong!

Mr. Muscles looked me up and down in my street clothes and said...what's going on?  Why aren't you in workout clothes?  So I thought that maybe Phylis or Angela hadn't told him that I stopped by?  Um...no.  They told him.  But he still wanted me there.  He said, I'll sit you down on a bench and we'll work upper body and abs.  There's no reason to completely stop working out just because you have an injury.  We'll work around it. 

And that is why I'm paying him. 

So thanks, Mr. Muscles.  I'll be at the gym tomorrow after work again.  We'll work upper body.  We'll work abs.  And most importantly, we'll work on changing my life. 

New Brace...

This afternoon I got my new brace for my knee.  I wore it all afternoon and evening and it gave me so much stability.  I'm super happy.  It's not the most comfortable thing, but the gal from the brace company told me to wear it for a few days and then let her know if I wanted to keep it or maybe try something else.  I guess the real test will be tomorrow in my workout. 

I had substantially less pain today.  However, I'm not really bending my knee to 90 degrees so that helps too.  Because when I accidently bend it I get the pain when I go to straighten it out.  But I have faith it's going to be even better tomorrow!

I certainly would like for this to be the end of "The Knee Saga of 2010-2011".  :)

Now maybe some relief...

I went to see the orthopedic extraordinaire today...and now that he's read my blog, I'm only allowed to say good things about him.  Luckily, that's easy.  He's not only a really nice guy, but I think he's an incredibly good and caring doctor.  If he had a single brother who traveled 30% of the time, I'd want to marry him! HA!

Anyway, I went to see Dr. Rapley because after my workout last night, this darn knee got the best of me.  I even cried in public.  And I've never done that before.  So I was lucky enough to get an appointment this afternoon.  He drained some fluid off and gave me one of those miracle injections.  At least, I hope it's a miracle. 

I just sat in that exam room today and cried.  It's such a struggle.  I constantly feel like people hear me complain about my knee and think that I'm just using the "pain" as an excuse to not work out...to not lose weight.  But that's the total opposite.  It's not like I love to workout (even with Mr. Muscles), but I know it's the only way I'm going to lose weight.  So I want to do it.  And it makes me feel good when I do.  When Jillian and I trained for the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day in 2006, we had a blast walking all over the city.  Sure, we were exhausted and sunburned for like 6 months, but we got to see so much of Kansas City.  I couldn't even do 1/10th of that now. 

So I'm taking tonight off and Wednesday's are my usual night off.  But Thursday I'll be back at the gym, working out again, hoping the injection works it's magic.  I have to give a major thank you to Dr. Rapley for listening to me cry, praying for me and caring about my health.  I like you, but I hope I don't have to see you for a while! :)

Maybe some peace...

By the end of this workout today, I was Sweaty with a capital S!  But it felt oh so good!

I had a realization today.  I can't focus on my weight.  I know...seems kinda bizzare since that's what this whole thing is about.  But I am getting so caught up in the pounds lost that if I don't see the right number, I get depressed.  And depressed Sarah isn't happy and makes bad decisions...new shoes, handbags, dessert.  So I'm not going to focus on the number.  Instead, I'm going to focus on eating well and working out hard core.  And the next time I weigh will be July 12th when I go for my first band fill. 

I work in a physicans office and about 15 steps outside of my office is a scale.  It's an overwhelming reminder of what I'm trying to do each day.  But not a good reminder.  A scale has never been my friend.  Even when I was losing weight it still wasn't my friend.  So I'm putting it out of my mind.  I'm going to turn right instead of left when I come out of my office and turn my back on the scale. 

Hopefully I'll have something amazing to report on July 12th.  But until then I'll be focusing on eating well and working out 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. 

Weekend...

It was a good weekend.  I ate well, I exercised, I bought new workout shoes.  And I had a brownie. :)

I had to work on Saturday morning so I didn't get much of a workout in with Mr. Muscles.  Instead I did an hour of cardio and then visited with him about Women in Religion.  He's a hoot.  He is a minister and preached to me about my faith.  He's preaching at a church in a few weeks and I'm going to go see him.  I think he probably goes to one of those churches where the women get dressed up and feel the Lord from head to toe and it's so powerful, they shout about it! Sounds like a good time to me.

This afternoon I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.  I'm sure everyone has been there and knows how extensive their menu is.  I chose it thinking I was going to get a salad, but then realized they had a brunch menu and had a monte cristo on it, which is my favorite!  I ended up getting some bbq glazed salmon because it was a healthier choice then the monte cristo.  But I really wanted the monte cristo.  So I felt very deprived.  Sure, the salmon was good and I should have been been happy with it, but I wasn't.  I got full, but could have cared less.  I still wanted that monte cristo. 

This is the part that is most challenging to me.  How to make the right decisions when the wrong ones taste better.  Sure, there's the large amount of money I've invested and that's a big help.  But there are some times that it won't matter.  I don't want to completely deprive myself for the rest of my life (obviously...I had a brownie tonight) but just a few days ago I was complaining that I am not losing weight.  It's so hard.  I've never been an alcoholic and I've never been a smoker, but I don't know how losing weight could be easier then quitting either of those things.  I've said it before, but it's so true.  I still have to eat.  I have to make that decision 3-5 times a day.  If I was an alcoholic, it's cut and dry.  Don't drink.  Heal yourself. 

I know this is going to be a lifetime struggle, but I hope as time goes by and I start to see the numbers on the scale go down, it will become easier. 

More Calories...

In my attempt to eat more calories, I had a small banana for breakfast (90 calories).  Then for lunch I had a side salad at a restaurant (150 plus dressing, about 300).  I had 3oz of beef burnt ends at 3pm (240 calories).  So I had 630 before my two hour workout tonight. 

My workout was good!  Again I did 30 minutes on the elliptical (1.62 miles) and then we worked lower body.  200 crunches and a bunch of leg exercises.  There was one that was pretty painful so I had Mr. Muscles put his hand on my knee while I was doing it and I think he understood.  I have so much bone on bone in this darn knee that I feel like there's so much I can't do.  But leave it to Mr. Muscles...he came up with different exercises for me to do.  :)  After 45 minutes of weights I got back on the elliptical for 30 more minutes (1.70 miles).  I did 10 minutes of stretches and finally left. 

It's a big transition, going from being sedintary during the week to hitting the gym 5 days a week for 2 hours each day.  I'm still getting used to it.  Tomorrow is another day at the gym and then I get Sunday off.  Yea!

After I left the gym I had a serious arguement in my head about what to eat.  I wanted to eat healthy because it just feels wrong to eat crap after all that work.  But healthy didn't sound nearly as good as Taco Bell or Sonic.  So I was trying to talk myself into another salad.  But in order to make a salad for dinner I needed to go to the grocery store and really didn't want to.  So I drove towards the grocery store, which is in the same direction as Taco Bell and Sonic. 

I was sitting at the stoplight to turn onto the street the grocery store is on, which is opposite of Taco Bell.  So I won that battle.  But the grocery store is directly across the street from Sonic.  I pulled into the grocery store, still thinking about chili cheese tater tots when I saw the very first parking spot was open at the store.  :)

So thank you God for opening up that parking space and showing me it was MUCH better for me to buy lettuce then get chili cheese tots.  I made a yummy salad and I'm guessing it was about 500 calories. 

1,130 is much better than the 700 I ended up with yesterday.  I'm hoping by eating more calories, it will help me lose some weight.  Mr. Muscles keeps telling me you can't burn calories without eating calories.  So I'm putting him to the test!

And now, although it's a Friday night, I'm going to bed at 9pm because I have to work out again tomorrow.  This new life is going to take some getting used to...

Finally...

I got to see Dr. Rapley today who told me my knee is fine...well, relatively speaking.  I have no new damage. So that's good news! But why has it been hurting?  Because my IT band is super tight.  Okay.  I can deal with that.  I need some serious stretches and wouldn't you know it, Mr. Muscles can help.  So Dr. Rapley printed out some physical therapy orders that I gave to Mr. Muscles tonight. 

Monday night I walked the treadmill and it wasn't good to me.  Tuesday night I rode the bike and it felt great on my knee but sweet heavens it hurt my butt! So tonight I did the elliptical and did pretty well.  I think if I switch between the elliptical and the bike, I'll be golden. :)

As for what I did tonight, after 30 minutes of cardio, I did about 45 minutes of weights with Mr. Muscles.  Then another 30 minutes of cardio before Mr. Muscles and I sat down and for 20 minutes of stretches.  He told me that if I do them twice a day, he'll guarantee me that I'll feel better within a month.  And you know what?  I'm going to! I hate feeling like my knee holds me back and I don't want to use it as a crutch not to do something.  So hopefully when I wake up in the morning I'll remember what it is he showed me tonight. 

And I'm feeling much better today.  I'm not as down about the weight gain and the knee pain.  Dr. Rapley helped with the pain and my dear friends helped with the gain. 

I decided that maybe I'm not eating enough so today I decided to add up my calories.  Um...yeah...I'm starving myself. :(  No wonder I'm not losing any weight, my body is going into starvation mode.  Before 5pm today I'd had a total of 280 calories.  A body can not survive on that, certainly not mine.  Then for dinner I had a healthy salad (for the 4th night in a row).  So I added about 450 calories to my day's consumption for a grand total of 730 calories.  Not enough.  Especially because I burned close to that in my workout. 

So tomorrow I'll be eating a little more.  I'm not sure how I'm going to get more food in, but I'm going to try my hardest.  The good thing is I am having lunch with some great friends so eating out is always more calories.  And I think I'm going to add back in some protein shakes. 

What a difference a day makes, right? :)

Frustrations...

I know my body has been through a lot in the last 3 weeks.  But one of the things I was sure would happen was each time I got on the scale, I'd see a loss.  And I did the first week after surgery.  But not anymore.  I keep seeing the scale inch up. 

I know I'm eating healthy.  Sure, I've had some ice cream that I probably shouldn't have, but not enough to make me gain 4.2 pounds in the last two weeks.  Yep.  4.2 pounds.  After eating only 700-900 calories a day, I don't understand it. 

And today I didn't get to see Dr. Rapley because his office screwed up and scheduled me with the wrong doctor.  So now I have an appointment with him tomorrow morning at 9:30. 

It's just one of those days when I feel that all the decisions I've made have turned from great ones to questionable ones.  So I'm going to bed.  And hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Sarah vs the Treadmill...

Last night I got home, blogged about my workout and then had dinner.  Well...it took about an hour for my knee to share with me how it was feeling; and it wasn't nice.  Needless to say, I had to ice my knee and sleep with it propped up on pillows all night. 

So tonight at my workout I was a little nervous about the knee.  First, I spent a little time with Mike going over some nutrition information.  He has never worked with anyone who's had lap band surgery so as we were going over things he'd like me to eat, I had to remind him there are things I can't eat.  But he's very understanding and is learning along with me. 

He then offered up the treadmill.  I wasn't sure I could do it with how much my knee hurts...and I was right.  So I got on the bicycle instead.  I rode for 40 minutes, or 9.21 miles.  After that I worked with Angela, Mike's right hand woman.  We did arms, arms and more arms.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to raise my arms high enough to shampoo my hair!

But before that great workout, I was whining to my dear friends who allowed me to go on and on about the disappointment of my knee and my anger at my therapist.  Well, my former therapist.  I thought I had everything worked out before surgery.  Knowing that this journey is going to have some major ups and downs, I thought it was smart to build a realtionship with someone who would be there for me the entire time.  But three weeks ago he decided to eleminate his evening appointments.  Thanks Dr. Fellows. :(

And one month before surgery I had Dr. Rapley give me cortisone injections in each knee with the hope of the relief lasting a few months. 

But instead of having great knees and good mental health, I have knees that bring tears to my eyes when I'm walking up and down the stairs at home and no one to cry to about my frustration.  So I guess I'll just use this blog as my therapist.  The good news is that blogging is cheaper than therapy.  The bad news is you'll have to hear about my feelings all the time. 

First Workout...

First thing this morning I called Dr. Rapley to tell him my knee is a big ole mess.  They made me an appointment to see him on Wednesday afternoon so all day I walked around with my knee out of place...until 3pm when I was walking down the hall and it just popped right back in! I was starting to get nervous about my workout tonight, but my body must have known so it gave me a little help. 

I had my first workout this evening.  It was really good! I really do like Mike...or as I'll be calling him...Mr. Muscles.  I got there and Mr. Muscles put me on the treadmill to get my heart rate up.  I walked for 10 minutes at a 2.4 and didn't have my heart rate up enough so he bumped me up to 2.8 and I walked another 30 minutes.  After 40 minutes of walking, I got off and started on some weights.  Because of my knee issues, I did some ab work.  Then I did some leg work, but back of leg muscles so it wouldn't hurt my knee.  And then I finished it off with 20 more minutes of cardio.  So all in all it was a good workout! I can do alot more than Mr. Muscles had me doing cardiovascularly and weight wise so tomorrow I hope he pumps it up just a little bit.

Tomorrow is more of the same?  Totally different?  I don't know!  But I'm excited about it!

Ugh...

I spent a great afternoon and evening at my sisters, hanging out in her pool with Alissa, diving for sticks and rings for like 3 hours! It was a blast, but something happened to my left knee while I was in the pool.  And now...it makes this horrible popping noise with every step, it's swollen and it's painful.  I just walked through the grocery store looking foolish with my limp.  It kinda looked like I was trying to be a pimp! HA!

Then last night as I was pulling into the driveway, my hybrid died. :(  Luckily it didn't happen 5 minutes earlier when I was on the highway driving 55mph, but now it's stuck at the bottom of the driveway.  A tow truck is coming tomorrow to take it to the dealer where it looks like they'll have it for a few weeks because it's a huge part that broke.  And it's a well documented defective part.  So much that a class action lawsuit was filed in March against Toyota from a substantial number of Highlander owners.  If this part breaks after 100,000 miles, it's not covered and it's a $7,847 part PLUS labor! Thank goodness I only have 60,000 miles on it so I should be good. 

However, it means that tomorrow until I get it all worked out with the dealer, I don't have a car.  And I'm supposed to start my training with one huge bodybuilder who doesn't accept excuses...no matter how real they are. 

I guess I'll call the orthopedic surgeon in the morning and ask him about this crazy knee.  Luckily my dad is taking the Highlander to the dealer.  And I'll strap on my knee brace, pop some aleve and head to the gym at 5:15! Wish me luck everyone.  Actually...pray for me.  This isn't the way I wanted to start next week.  I wanted to be clear headed and ready for the physical punishment.  Instead I'm going to be worried about my knee and transportation. 

But I'll get through! Nothing is easy; if it was we'd all be wildly successful, thin and rich!

New Trainer...

Well...I just hired a new personal trainer.  And he's hard core.  Like, I think he might make me cry...that hard core! And I'm very excited about him! His name is Mike, he owns Mike's Main Event and he's a former body builder.  I'm diving in, full force.  We are going to meet 5 days a week for an hour and a half each day.  WHAT??  I'm going to be so sore!! HA!

But seriously, I'm incredibly excited about this.  I need someone to really motivate me and kick me into shape.  This summer is all about me; me working out and me concentrating on food.  Which is good because with how much this is going to cost me, I won't have any money to spend on anything else! :) 

So today and tomorrow are the end of my rest and relaxation...Monday at 5:15 begins a whole new summer!

My day...

Today I had one more serving of that yummy tuna noodle casserole I made.  I really like it, but I'm kind of over it! So tonight for dinner I made a piece of salmon with some scrambled eggs and cheese.  It was interesting.  I thought maybe they would go together like salmon eggs benedict...but they didn't! So although it was a filling dinner, it was very odd.  I guess I won't be eating that together without some hollandaise sauce, wilted spinach and an english muffin...just like at Succotash!

I called the orthopedic doctor today and they are getting the ball rolling on my insurance authorization for a Synvisc knee injection.  According to Dr. Rapley, this will be my knee savior.  So hopefully I'll get a quick response from Coventry and I'll be able to do all those squats that are required to get a good tush! :) But for now, I joined Snap Fitness and will be doing some cardio there.  A little walking and maybe some elliptical machine work. 

And speaking of cardio; today I signed up for a 5k in Waikiki for my trip to Oahu in September!  Dr. Rapley doesn't think I'll ever be able to run on my knees, but maybe I'll be able to do a fast walk/slow jog! And even if I'm just able to walk it, I'll still get to have a nice 3.11 mile walk through the streets of Honolulu. 

Goals for tomorrow...get to the bookstore and pick up the Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook for Dummies. 

First day of exercise...

I had some of that yummy tuna noodle casserole I made for lunch today.  It was definitely filling so I had it for dinner too!

Tonight I went to the gym for the first time in a long time.  I haven't been since winter time, after my knee surgery.  And boy could I tell that my knee isn't much better. I walked on the treadmill for about 40 minutes at a slow pace; I still have steri-strips on my incisions and could feel the incisions stretching with each big step so I took it easy.  I ended up walking 1.3 miles (I said a slow pace!) and had to come home and put a little ice on my knee.  So tomorrow I'll be calling my dear Dr. Jay Rapley, orthopedic extraordinaire, to get some shots to help. 

I bought this great bicycle a few months ago and am excited to take it out on the road, but I'm nervous.  I need my incisions totally healed and no pain on my belly before I go hitting the open road.  When I bought the bike, I asked Mark Pace at Pace Bicycle Haven to put it together and teach me how to ride it.  He was so great...he put the bike together, suggested a few parts to be replaced (including the seat), showed me how to work it and then rode around with me in a parking lot giving me pointers. 

So until I feel comfortable getting out on the road, I'm going to join the Snap Fitness that's just a few miles down the road.  I just need Dr. Rapley to get my knee in line!