ChefChiTown's Rebirth: I'm Back, BABY!!! (In More Ways Than One)...

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I had a doc's ap't yesterday too & my overall cholesterol has gone up a whole one percent. So.....now everyone is saying eat full-fat yoghurt etc, so I did/do. You get so much conflicting advice!
My sister used to get back to feeling great just before her next chemo was due & then whammo, she'd get hit for 6. Chemo sucks more than the Cancer. Your poor Mum :grouphug:
 
This weekend was a pretty good one. We took the kids out and had a fun night on Friday (and also did some shopping for school supplies), the wife and I went to an art fair on Saturday, then we loafed around yesterday and took it easy. It was a nice, relaxing day yesterday. Well, until we watched Game of Thrones and had one big, collective panic attack as a couple. Seriously, that show, dude. That damn show.

Anyway, today is the eclipse so that will be a huge waste of our time. Like, it's cool and all, but realistically it will lose all appeal to me in like 3 seconds. I'll take a quick look, go "huh...cool" and then I'll be done with it.

I'm the only one up right now so I've gotten some writing done. Having peace and quiet is something I don't ever really get here and it's hard to get writing done, so I figured I would take advantage of it this morning. Although, it's been a little difficult. I talked to my mom last night and she mentioned she had to go to the ER for a third time the other day (nausea, vomiting, dehydration). The chemo has been rough on her, obviously. Oh, then she NONCHALANTLY throws this in at the end as we're getting ready to hang up the phone...

She has to go get a brain scan this week because, apparently, the other day when she was walking up the stairs she 'lost' her arm. She said she was holding onto the railing with her left hand then, out of nowhere, it just fell off the railing and her arm felt like it was gone. Then, when she looked down she said she couldn't SEE it. She finished going upstairs, went to the bedroom and sat down. She said she still couldn't see or feel her left arm but, she knew it was there because (when she was sitting) she could feel her arm touching her leg). Yeah, NOT NORMAL. So, she's going to get a brain scan this week - doctors seem to think she might've had a mini stroke.

So, I've had that on my mind.

cate said:
Chemo sucks more than the Cancer. Your poor Mum :grouphug:
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That's what my mom said, basically. "It's not the cancer that's killing me, it's the chemo."
 
Hang in there chef, one of the best things you can do for your mum is to stay strong.
 
Oh, chef! Your poor Mum. It must all be scary, but as Tru said the best thing you can do is to stay strong.
 
I've been meaning to watch Game of Thrones, but have yet to actually do it.

Sorry about your mum :( Hopefully the brain scan helps them figure out what happened and how to help her. That must have been so scary! *hugs*

Remember you don't have to be strong all the time, and it's okay to ask for support. Be strong for your mum, and take care of yourself.
 
Thanks, guys.

Well, so far, so good. The wife and I have had a few talks about our game plan when it comes to this leg of our weight loss journey. We both realized that we both fail for the same exact reason - we do too much. Meaning, we try and do waaaaay too much in order to lose weight - too strict of a diet, too intense of an exercise plan, too unrealistic of a goal, etc. And, although we have immediate results (which are always nice to see) we ALWAYS gain our weight back. Maybe not all of it, but most of it. Why? Because, we burn ourselves out. We go at it really hard for two or three weeks and lose a good amount of weight, but it also tires us out and makes us want to quit...which is exactly what we end up doing...every time.

So, we're doing something different this time - we're taking it slow. We're doing it the right way - the way we should've been doing things all along.

And, so far it's working. Have we seen immediate results? Nope, not really. But, we're also not going crazy nor are we wanting to give up. So, I'll take that as a positive thing.

Today, I'll be working out with the kids at some point. I decided to workout with them on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One of our kids needs to gain a little weight and build some muscle. The other one...well...he's a 10-year old with a dad bod, so he needs to slim down a bit, HAHAHA. So, we've been working out a few times a week. I'm doing "simple" stuff with them - body weight exercises like planks, sit-ups, Supermans and leg lifts, and a little bit of Pilates. Today I'll probably mix it up a bit and have them do some exercises with weights. Not heavy weights, of course, rather some light weights they can use to at least 'feel' a workout.
 
It sounds like you & Jen have come up with a sound plan. I love that you will be having a workout with the kids 0n Tuesdays & Thursdays. What a great idea!
 
Hi Chef.

Slow and steady is a really good plan. Sounds like you have things in place already to help you keep everyone motivated. Like Cate, I am glad you are incorporating the kids. Not only are you showing them how to be healthy but you get to spend time with them at the same time- win- win. I am still sending healing thoughts to your Mom.
 
cate said:
It sounds like you & Jen have come up with a sound plan. I love that you will be having a workout with the kids 0n Tuesdays & Thursdays. What a great idea!
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cowboy48 said:
Hi Chef.

Slow and steady is a really good plan. Sounds like you have things in place already to help you keep everyone motivated. Like Cate, I am glad you are incorporating the kids. Not only are you showing them how to be healthy but you get to spend time with them at the same time- win- win. I am still sending healing thoughts to your Mom.
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Well, the kids "workout" with me. Our daughter does most of the stuff but she doesn't do enough of it to actually count as a workout. Although, she got through a Pilates workout the other day. But, our son? SIGH...well, he's THERE. That's about all I can say HAHAHA. He basically just lays down and randomly moves his body around. Two reasons - 1) he doesn't really "get" the exercises and 2) he's still too young to understand 'pushing yourself.' So, he does like two situps and then gives up because it's 'too hard.' AKA - he's really out of shape, HAHAHA.
 
Update on Mom...

She got the news after her little episode last week that she suffered either a mini stroke or a TIA. The doctors, however, aren't too terribly concerned about it. They're just going to keep an eye on things. Good news though - she's responding better to her chemo treatments now. They lowered her dose of chemo by 15% and upped her anti-nausea medication. So far, so good. She goes in for a CT scan in early October to see if the tumor has shrunk enough to safely do surgery and remove it. So, we'll know more next month.

Update on me...

Kids start school on Tuesday. So, I'm going to start getting up early in the mornings and taking advantage of that extra time by fitting in a daily workout. I physically like working out at night better than working out in the morning, but mentally I much prefer getting up and getting my workout done during the morning. Just knowing I have to work out after I get home from work is mentally exhausting. So, I'll just bite the bullet, tough through my workouts in the morning and get them over with.

I'll also be walking to work from now on. It's not much, but any extra physical activity will help, you know?

And, I was telling Jen this the other day, but I find a weird sense of motivation when I see people who are able to do this...

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Yes, it's just a sit up. Big whoop. But, it's the way that people have such good core strength they can keep their torso fairly straight while doing a sit up. And, they don't struggle just to get their shoulders off the ground. You know, like me. I just want to be able to do that sort of stuff without having to struggle. For whatever reason, I find that specific detail to be incredibly motivating.
 
I got up at 6AM and got my run completed this morning. I'm pretty happy with myself right now. Confident, I should say. I ran yesterday after I got home from work and stopped at the 10 minute mark. I could've went longer but I didn't start running until around 4PM and I didn't want to tire myself out too much - then I would've been too tired to run this morning. So, I just took it easy and stopped at 10 minutes.

Ok, now look at that last sentence.

"So, I just took it easy and stopped at 10 minutes."

I ran for 10 minutes and said I TOOK IT EASY. Just a few months ago (granted, there's been quite a bit of 'down time' between now and then :oops:), I STRUGGLED to run for 10 minutes without stopping. But, yesterday? Running for 10 minutes was "taking it easy." That's the kind of progress that makes me happy. Little accomplishments are big accomplishments when you're trying to get healthy. So, I'm feeling pretty good right now.
 
Nothing I like better than seeing someone else take up the running lifestyle!! Way to go! Maybe you will sign up for a fun run in the future? Shoot for the moon! I am glad your Mom is doing better.
 
Thanks, guys.

I've learned a couple things about my body recently.

1) I ran this week on Monday and Tuesday, took a rest on Wednesday, then went running again last night. I'm going to head out for a run outside once I get back from dropping the kids off at school this morning (I wanted to take them because the 'drop off' system at our daughter's school has been drastically changed and I want to see what I'm up against - plus, I like to be nice to the wife eeeeevery once in a while, so I figured I'd let her sleep this morning).

Anyway, the other day I made a comment about "taking it easy" when I ran for 10 minutes. Well, last night I pushed myself. When I got on the treadmill I covered the display screen with a towel so I couldn't see the time or distance I had been running. I decided to go until I felt I couldn't go anymore. When I got to that "I don't know how much longer I can go" point I removed the towel and was pretty pumped up at what I saw. At that point, I had run for just over 17 and a half minutes. Soooo, since I was so close to it, I decided to push it until I ran for 20 minutes straight.

To put that in perspective, the longest I have EVER ran without stopping is 22 minutes. And, that was way back when I was doing the Super Awesome Mega Challenge (if anyone remembers that, HAHAHA). That was when I ran almost every day for a few months straight. Now, when I haven't been consistent with it, I have still managed to get myself up to running for 20 minutes without stopping.

What did I learn?

Just because I don't see superficial results doesn't mean I'm not bettering myself. I don't necessarily LOOK any slimmer or healthier than I did a few weeks ago. However, my running performance has definitely improved. So, I learned that success in fitness is not always about how you look. It's often about what you can accomplish.

2) This time around I have also decided to not partake in any gimmicky, quick fix, rule-heavy diet. The wife and I are just making better choices (most of the time, HAHAHA) and trying to be consistent. That means, no low carb for me. And, damn...what a difference THAT has made.

When I ate low carb I would exercise and, within a few days, I would be exhausted. Literally exhausted. I had no energy to do anything. I would get on the treadmill after a few days and be so tired after five or six minutes I would feel like collapsing to the floor and taking a much needed nap. However, since I'm not depriving myself of carbs this time around, I've noticed a HUGE difference in energy. For instance, I just ran for 20 minutes last night without stopping. If I was eating low carb I would not have been able to do that.

What did I learn?

Eating less doesn't necessarily mean eating better. The body needs carbs. It needs all kind of nutrients. Overall, it needs fuel. Without fuel, your body will literally eat itself for energy. Now, that's good for a quick fix when you're trying to lose weight, but it's pretty hard to improve your fitness level when you don't have the energy to exercise. So, is it really better for you to do that? No. I don't think so. Not anymore. Now that I've seen - and felt - the difference, I will definitely be sticking with eating a more well-rounded diet. That way I will still lose weight, but I'll also be able to push myself and earn my body a better degree of physical fitness.

cowboy48 said:
Nothing I like better than seeing someone else take up the running lifestyle!! Way to go! Maybe you will sign up for a fun run in the future? Shoot for the moon! I am glad your Mom is doing better.
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I might sign up for a run in the future. Right now, I don't have immediate plans too though - you know, considering it will be winter where we live before we know it. Maybe in the spring. Who knows?

Although, a while back I told our daughter her and I would be going out for runs before her cross country season started but that never happened. I just flaked out on that - no excuse, I just got lazy, quit running for a while and never got around to it. I feel kind of bad about it, so I told her the other day, "you pick a day and, at the end of your cross country season, you and I are going to race. If you beat me, you'll get rewarded with something sweet." So, in the next few weeks her and I will be having a two-mile race. Hopefully that leads into going on and running a little together.
 
Hey, Chef, you ran outside this morning, right?

Yeah, I did.

Awesome!!! Good for you!!! So, how do you feel?


Dude, my lungs are on FIRE. It was 40 degrees, foggy and misting rain. I was feeling all confident after last night, after I ran for 20 minutes on the treadmill without stopping. HAHAHAHA, goodbye confidence!!! I ran for just under five minutes this morning before I had to stop. And, I mean STOP. Not, "take a quick breather for 15 seconds and get back to it," no. I had to STOP. Yeah, I got back to it after a while and did what I could, but the entire inside of my body was like, "FUCK YOU, Chef. Eat shit and die." It was an internal beatdown. Basically, this is what was going on inside my body...

 
ChefChiTown said:
Eating less doesn't necessarily mean eating better. The body needs carbs. It needs all kind of nutrients.
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Yea I learned this the hard way. I was losing weight pretty fast but felt like a walking zombie.

Hope you get some good news about your mom soon....
 
ChefChiTown said:
Thanks, guys.

I might sign up for a run in the future. Right now, I don't have immediate plans too though - you know, considering it will be winter where we live before we know it. Maybe in the spring. Who knows?

Although, a while back I told our daughter her and I would be going out for runs before her cross country season started but that never happened. I just flaked out on that - no excuse, I just got lazy, quit running for a while and never got around to it. I feel kind of bad about it, so I told her the other day, "you pick a day and, at the end of your cross country season, you and I are going to race. If you beat me, you'll get rewarded with something sweet." So, in the next few weeks her and I will be having a two-mile race. Hopefully that leads into going on and running a little together.
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I actually like running the in the Winter better. Footing isn't as good but I am definitely not a hot weather runner. My feet get hotspots and because of that, blisters. I run all Winter and I think our winters are colder than yours normally. Nothing like strapping you your running shoes and heading out at -40 so your nose hairs can become stalagmites - LOL. We have runs and races all Winter long here- considering we get about 7 months of Winter that may be a good thing-lol. This past February I ran the Hypothermic Half( yup that is what it is called-haha). Running together is a great way to spend some quality family time. I am glad you have become a runner again. You won't regret your decision.
 
Sitting here watching football while the wife takes a nap. Neither of my favorite teams are winning right now but I'm used to that. Anyway, I'm also going through some fitness-related stuff, looking at different workouts and checking out some different fitness models/athletes for some visual inspiration, and I realized something...

I'm jealous.

I'm not just jealous of their bodies (that's a given), but I'm jealous of their hard work and effort, the commitment they all have to creating and maintaining a good looking (and healthy) body. I mean, we all know that it takes hard work and dedication to sculpt a well-toned, sexy body, but I think our jealousy often prevents us from truly appreciating that fact. Most of the time, I feel like we look at someone with an attractive body and just hate them out of spite, out of jealousy. You know, like this guy...

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Or her...

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I mean, I used to look at those people and be like, "...fuck yooooooooou" but the more I inch closer and closer to having and keeping the correct mentality needed to create a healthy body I'm looking at those people more and more through appreciative eyes. They didn't wake up looking like that one morning. That's not how it happened. They busted their ass and put a lot of sweat into sculpting their bodies. I appreciate the hard work and commitment those people have put into their bodies. It's amazing. They've EARNED their bodies. And, THAT'S why I'm jealous...because I haven't earned mine yet.

Yet.

Rebel lee said:
Yea I learned this the hard way. I was losing weight pretty fast but felt like a walking zombie.
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That's exactly how it feel. You just feel dead. Like the walking dead. Sure, you lose weight, but it's not worth it in the end. Not for me, anyway.

cowboy48 said:
I actually like running the in the Winter better. Footing isn't as good but I am definitely not a hot weather runner. My feet get hotspots and because of that, blisters. I run all Winter and I think our winters are colder than yours normally. Nothing like strapping you your running shoes and heading out at -40 so your nose hairs can become stalagmites - LOL. We have runs and races all Winter long here- considering we get about 7 months of Winter that may be a good thing-lol. This past February I ran the Hypothermic Half( yup that is what it is called-haha). Running together is a great way to spend some quality family time. I am glad you have become a runner again. You won't regret your decision.
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I just can't do the cold. My body rejects cold air with no hesitation. I've tried, but I just can't inhale really cold air and get through a full run. Not that I turn around and come back home when it happens - it just takes a looooot out of me when I push through it. Oh well...more burned calories, I guess!!!
 
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