Beginning to Exercise Again!

Beginning to exercise again.  I have a love hate relationship with exercise.  Once I "get into it", you know, begin a routine, do it every day, and start to see results, then of course I love it.  It's getting to that seeing results part that sucks.  Last spring, I was down to my lowest weight in almost 10 years.  I was at 177.  Then I broke my damn foot.  I know, excuses, excuses, blah blah blah.  I keep thinking, "Where would I be if I hadn't broken my foot?  Where would I be if I still broke my foot but kept my eating on track?"  Ah, there is no easy answers, only today that I can move on and keep trying.

I have been a little nervous to start exercising again since I started taking phentermine just because I have heard that so many people have troubles with rapid pulse, etc.  I have been feeling great since I took it.  I wired up my heart rate monitor and hit the treadmill.  I know, treadmills are sort of boring, but I have a special treadmill treat!  I am not a huge tv fan, but there are a few shows I like.  Most are cop shows I watch with my husband.  My guilt pleasure, shhhhh, don't tell anyone, is Desperate Housewhores.  I mean Desperate Housewives.  HAHAHA!  I love that show!  Watching those gorgeous skinny women keeps me chugging along like you wouldn't believe!  I have the first few seasons on DVD and I am into season 3 now.  I NEVER let myself watch it on tv, never seen it once, and I can ONLY watch it on the treadmill.  

Anyway, back to starting with phen again!  I found that I had to be VERY careful or my heart rate went way too high.  According to all the date I put into my heart rate monitor (height, weight, age, and a resting heart rate test) my absolute maximum heart rate should be 181 BPM (beats per minute).  To lose weight, I should be exercising a minimum of 6 hours a week.  My heart rate monitor works with three zones.  Zone 1 is 109-126 BPM, Zone 2 is 127-144 BPM and Zone 3 is 145-163 BPM.  I should spend a little more than half of my time in Zone 2, and the rest in Zone 1.  Right now, to lose weight, I should avoid Zone 3.  Normally, a nice brisk 4.0 MPH (miles per hour) on the treadmill keeps me right at the upper end of Zone 2.  Now, with taking the phentermine, I need to stay under 3MPH to keep my heart rate there.  Interesting, and concerns me a bit, but I kept it down.  I was surprised because I really don't think my pulse had increased with taking the phen, but it's a common side effect that I am keeping a very close eye on!  I HIGHLY recommend a heart rate monitor to anyone taking phentermine.  Very useful tool to keep a close eye on your health.

So, I walked on my treadmill yesterday, and Conor (my middle son) and I did his paper route this morning.  40 minutes, 404 calories!  WOOHOO!  I know my heart rate was in Zone 3 for a lot of it because there are a couple big hills on our route.  It feels good to be on track again.  I am hoping that I will once again start going to the YMCA after Thanksgiving.  I know when I get into the routine of going there every day, I succeed so much faster.  Anyway, I decided I would start logging in all my HRM stats on a Facebook photo album, and anyone that wants to peek at them can see them here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=139475&id=719202063&l=5899b4df60

I just take a photo with my cell phone and upload it straight to Facebook when I am done exercising.  Gives me a nice record of what I did!  And keeps me accountable!

I do not want to be on the phentermine forever.  I am only using it temporarily to get my eating back under control. I am trying to use this time to work again on portion control and getting back into my good exercise habits!  My weight has gone up and down this week, but I really am not sure I lost anything.  My friend and I are doing Wednesday weigh ins, so I will try to check in here then!

A Full Week In And.....

I am feeling great!  I was 203.2 today.  Not as much of a loss as I'd hoped for in my first week (a total of 3.4 pounds) but I am damn grateful for those 3.4 pounds!

I feel SO empowered to have my eating under control.  I feel like I am eating like a normal person.  I have a lot of guilt issues surrounding food (mostly overeating then kicking myself for it....I am sure many of you can relate) and it feels SO good to look back at my week and know that I ate the best I could, that I made all over pretty good choices and that I am hopefully building good habits that will carry over when I stop taking my phentermine.  

I had a fairly stressful week, and normally when I am stressed, I overeat or don't eat enough.  This week though, food wasn't part of the equation.  Hard to explain, but it's almost like the emotion has been taken out of food for me.  That isn't quite what I mean, but it's the best I can put into words.  

More soon!

Just Checking in

Ah! Sunday mornings! I love them. Everyone at our house is so relaxed and refreshed. We have a crazy busy week ahead of us, but that is the norm when you have a house with three teens!

I have been on the phen since Wednesday, but I started cleaning up my eating before that, and I am really starting to feel the effects. I've been eating SO good. I think the cholesterol screening pretty much scared the shit out of me, and so I've been an angel with my food! I also started taking my vitamins again. I take an obscene amount of vitamins and supplements to be totally honest.

After several years of being on just about every diet, every exercise plan, ever diet pill, I've done a lot of research. I know what makes MY body tick. Yours is different, and I can't advise what you should take, but I know how my body functions best. I know how to lose weight. I know how to be healthy. I just have aforementioned mental issues that hold me back. I have to overcome those.

But, more about supplements. Over the years, I have read a lot of books on medicine, health, weight loss and fitness. I take a lot of things that I have learned I am lacking due to restricted diet and the fact that our soil just doesn't have the minerals and vitamins in it that it used to have. Also, thourgh cooking, freezing, etc food loses a lot. So, I try to put it back as best I can. I take extra fiber because when I do, it really helps my IBS, and fiber is good for you to help clean out your system and lower your cholesterol. I take fish oil supplements. I think everyone has heard how awesome these are for you! Someday I will list everything that I take, but I think most people would be shocked and I don't want to freak you out. LOL! Let's just say that it works for me :)

Anyway, side effects from phenterime. Well, Wednesday was my first day so that makes 4 full days on it. I am quite sure that if anything bad was going to happen, it would have by now. My side effects are actually awesome ones.

1. I am never hungry. I have to make myself eat. I can see how someone who didn't know anything about food or nutrition would take this and go for days barely getting any food. It's a dangerous thought. I have heard the noise of my stomach grumbling, but felt nothing. It is hard to explain but it was more like I could hear it growling, does that make sense? I felt no hunger pangs and my brain sure wasn't telling me to eat! I have been trying to eat every 4 hours just because, through my research, I know that this is how my body functions best and loses weight.
2. Speaking of weight, in the four days I have been on it, I have lose 3 pounds. Very nice. Understand though, the medicine itself doesn't make you lose weight, what you do or don't put in your body does. This medicine has given me the control and will power to decide what goes into my body!
3. I have noticed that I feel colder than normal. This is a joyous thing. Most overweight people would agree with me I am guessing. When you are carrying around an extra 30,50,90 pounds, you are always warm. You have this disgusting laying of blubber insulating you all the time and always feel hot, damp, sweaty. Disgusting. I have noticed that I am acutally chilly and have been losing actually snuggling up with blankets!
4. I am thirsty for water. Specifically water, not just "thirsty". I am loving this one! I know that I normally don't drink enough, so this is another fabulous benefit.
   
5. One weird one, and I am keeping a close eye on it. About once or twice a day, I get a weird sensation in my cheeks like they are numb. It's a minor irritation, and it's not constant, and with the benefits I am seeing, one I will gladly take.

Other than those 5, I really haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Blessedly, I haven't had jitters, crankiness, or any of the more serious side effects that other have reported. I am hoping that this will finally be what I need to get control of my weight back once and for all. 40 will be here April 3, and I want to look and feel amazing on that birthday!!!

Happy Sunday and have a great week!

Cleaning Up My Act

I know that this phentermine is not a magic pill. Oh, wouldn't that be great if it were? LOL! But, I know it's not. I know that I need to clean up my act. I need to clean up my eating. I need to clean up my alcohol consumption. I need to clean up my refrigerator. I need to clean up my pantry. I am not going to talk about exercise here. Of course I need to do that, but I can't conquer it all in a day or I will fall.

Hell, for all I know, this pill is a placebo, but it's giving me the desire to get it together, and that's huge for me. I don't know why I have been so lazy, helpless, falling into my old habits as I always have. I think I know, but it's too emotional and heart wrenching to even think about, much less write for the world to see, but let me just say, we all have issues, right?





Anyway, this week I cleaned out my fridge. I filled it with a rainbow of things. Lots of berries, fresh veggies, eggs, lean turkey, apples, Fage yogurt and got rid of the junk. You know, junk. Low fat cheese (the low fat stuff is filled with so many preservatives and chemicals that it not only tastes bad, it's horrible for you!) I've been doing a lot of reading on nutrition.... (HERE'S MY SHOUT OUT TO MY AWESOME FRIEND MECHELLE WHO BOUGHT ME THE BOOK "Master Your Metabolism" By Jillian Michaels. This book is a wonderful resource on what not to eat and what to eat. Thanks again, Mechelle for being the wonderful friend and inspiration that you are in my life!!!!)

So, as I was saying, I've been reading a lot about nutrition and it boils down to the stuff that I already know, but I love how simply Jillian Michaels puts it, "If it grows from the ground or has a mother, it's probably good for you." I know that when I cut out processed foods full of chemicals and go back to eating 100% whole grains, organic foods when possible, fresh fruits and veggies and eggs and lean meat, especially lots of fish, I lose weight insanely quick. So here I am again!

I also started taking my vitamins again! When I am "on my game" I take several supplements daily. Trying to get my body back in whack and cutting calories is good, but I will take any help I can. I really hate taking supplements, but I know that when I do, I feel better, sleep better, my skin looks better and they help my over all health. My skin has been just horrible lately. I am almost 40 and I look like a 16 year old boy! UGH! I take a wide range of supplements including a multivitamin, a fish oil supplement, calcium and extra fiber. I have one of those neato pillboxes that you fill up for the week. I feel like my mom, but at least mine is full of vitamins, while hers was full of prescriptions that were all somehow related to her obesity. (Diabetes, heart medicines, etc.)

So, I am feeling good today! I haven't experienced any negative side effects from the phen yet, so that is a big bonus :) I am also logging my food again. I highly recommend the program from http://fitday.com. I love it! It has a wide base of foods, but also lets me add my own custom foods, and keeps track of my weight, measurements, goals and more.

Signing off for now, but as always, there is hope ahead. My wish is that you see that hope, cling to it and make a change for the better for you today!

Phenterimine Day 1!

Okay, took my first pill about 3 hours ago.

Waited one hour for breakfast then had a bowl of Weight Control Oatmeal made with skim milk and a banana.

I am journaling my food again so that I can keep an eye on my calories and my cholesterol intake. I always lose weight when I journal my food. Why the hell do I ever stop?

Anyway, I feel okay. I feel a bit jittery like I had too much coffee, but it's not entirely unpleasant....

I am a little nervous about everyone telling me that people tend to have anger issues with this. That scares me....

EEEEK! The Importance of Seeing Your Doctor

I am obese, but I feel good so I never really worry about going to the doctor. Well, the nurse practitioner I saw wanted to run several tests before I started my phentermine. They checked my thyroid, that was fine. They did a blood panel and my white cell count was fine. My kidneys were fine. My EKG was fine. Everything was fine up until we go to my lipids or cholesterol....

My triglycerides........... 96. Should be below 150.

YAY.

My HDL (good cholesterol) 74. Should be above 40.

YAY.

My LDL (bad cholesterol) 151. Should be below 100.

Eff.

Should be below 100. Eff, eff, eff, eff. I am borderline high risk.

*sigh*

My doc called me tonight and told me that she wants to see what happens with the phen and will retest my cholesterol in 3 months...........

So, while all in all, the test results were good, I am upset about this. I have a new worry now, one I've never had before. Bah humbug.

BUT, at least now I know, and it's up to me to change it. I got up this morning and took my first dose of phentermine so I am on the correct road for change I hope! I will let you know how my first day goes. I am starting with the 30 mg dosage...

Getting a Little Help Along the Way....

Ah blah. Ever feel like that? I have been bouncing back and forth for so many years, I finally decided to ask my doctor for help. Actually, I have asked my doctor twice now about getting some help with my weight, and he has just said, "No, you have to eat less and exercise". Really, ya think? UGH. He did not offer anything beyond that. No nutrition counseling, no offer to run a thyroid test, nothing. Just smiled and said I was on my own.

Look, I know there is no magic pill, but I do know that there are prescriptions that can help some people get jump started and get on the right track. All I have been asking for was some help, no a cure all. So, I called my clinic and asked to speak to someone else. I was given an appointment with a nurse practitioner. Well, after waiting for over 2 hours, I finally got to see the nurse practitioner.

Anyway, this woman was a little more open to it. We talked for a long time about the history of obesity in my family, and my reasons for wanting to change. My BMI is about 33 right now. Eeek, very bad. She was not thrilled about prescribing phenterimine, but ended up doing so.

We talked a lot about nutrition and exercise and how a pill alone wouldn't be my salvation. I think she was a little surprised how much I knew about nutrition. She wanted to run a bunch of tests just to rule out anything before I start.

I have been fasting for 12 hours now, and have to leave soon to go for all my tests. She is doing a complete blood panel, a thyroid test, a lipids (cholesterol) test, and a baseline ekg. Wheee, fun day. If all is well, I will start taking the phenterimine tomorrow.

I will be blogging constantly about my experience with this!!!