Rob's Diary
- Thread starter bensanon
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I've been thinking a lot about the upcoming New Year and what that signifies for me. On some level I'm already changing in anticipation of implementing a new plan. I've done some reflection on what has worked throughout this process and what hasn't. I've tried a lot of different things here. It's time for round two.
Posting everything helped me. That's the beauty of this "diary" space and the many non-judgemental people willing to share. I spewed a lot of emotion while losing all that weight and spared minimal detail. It may not have been pretty, but it worked for me. I've grown throughout this process and I'm shoring up more of the damaging behavior I developed but it's an iterative process.
I have a lot of things I can implement that I know work and I'll do those again. I'll drop some of the detail that's not helpful. I'll think more about what I can work out here including the proper exercises to deal with the sciatic pain, monitor my mood, share diet and fitness progress and learn more from others and the information buried here. I've got more than a week before I start so I'll continue to think about it.
Posting everything helped me. That's the beauty of this "diary" space and the many non-judgemental people willing to share. I spewed a lot of emotion while losing all that weight and spared minimal detail. It may not have been pretty, but it worked for me. I've grown throughout this process and I'm shoring up more of the damaging behavior I developed but it's an iterative process.
I have a lot of things I can implement that I know work and I'll do those again. I'll drop some of the detail that's not helpful. I'll think more about what I can work out here including the proper exercises to deal with the sciatic pain, monitor my mood, share diet and fitness progress and learn more from others and the information buried here. I've got more than a week before I start so I'll continue to think about it.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Rob, you got me thinking. My times of worst back pain have been when I lost weight, I don't know why, but it has been true. So far no problem, but if it doesn't start soon it will be the except for me.
Looking forward to hearing more about the New Year plan.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Happy Holidays and Merry X-mas!
This is a really great podcast that just came out. Food, We Need To Talk
This is a good article too on the benefits of strength training as it relates to weight loss. A Funny Thing Happened When We Asked Nutrition Experts For One Piece Of Advice
This is a good article too on the benefits of strength training as it relates to weight loss. A Funny Thing Happened When We Asked Nutrition Experts For One Piece Of Advice
overlandflyer
Well-known member
interesting... i listened to all three. left a few suggestions.
podcasts... is there any way to stop and replay a minute or two? i'm new to the concept. you can pause, but i wish you could go back a few seconds. like with reading, sometimes my mind wanders off for a bit.
Good day today.
For breakfast I had organic eggs and a smoothie made with strawberry, banana, orange juice and Greek yogurt. Also a multivitamin and a supplement to help prevent colds or the flu. The supplement had black elderberry, vitamin C, and zinc in it. Breakfast calories were 540. Lunch and dinner were the same dish, chicken tortilla soup. Lunch calories were 1109 and dinner were 735. I had ]walnuts and pistachios for snacks in the evening which were 365 calories. Total calories today were 2749.
I ran 4 miles and walked Cam about 7 miles. 32.7k steps. 4.6k calories out per my Fitbit.
57 RHR. 4 hours, 7 minutes sleep. 10 minutes meditation.
Sleep is suffering quite a bit lately so I'm winding down earlier and going to make an effort to limit my screen time. Mood was good today. I went running earlier and went on walks throughout the day and that all seems to have helped.
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I'm going to pick one thing at a time and work on it here. First, I'll take a look at my warm-up. This was my warm-up today which incorporated some exercises for my sciatica.
- 7 minutes elliptical (I alternate days on bike and elliptical; first thing I do when I get to the gym and it gets my blood flowing)
- quad stretch (dynamic)
- hip opener (dynamic)
- calf stretches (static)
- hamstring stretches (static)
- walking lunges 2 x 30 feet, alternating
- band walk 2 x 30 feet, each side
- 1 mile incline walking
I'll need to replace the static stretches with dynamic but those areas are good to target before I run. The resources below will have more ideas.
For future reference:
Functional Training for Runners | Functional Training Workout
Pre-Run Warmup | 5-Minute Warm-Up Do Before Running
5 Dynamic Stretches to Do Before Every Run | Runner's World
5 dynamic stretches for your running warm-up
Dynamic Warm Up | Warm Up Exercises
A Runner’s Guide to Warming Up | Runner's World
For breakfast I had organic eggs and a smoothie made with strawberry, banana, orange juice and Greek yogurt. Also a multivitamin and a supplement to help prevent colds or the flu. The supplement had black elderberry, vitamin C, and zinc in it. Breakfast calories were 540. Lunch and dinner were the same dish, chicken tortilla soup. Lunch calories were 1109 and dinner were 735. I had ]walnuts and pistachios for snacks in the evening which were 365 calories. Total calories today were 2749.
I ran 4 miles and walked Cam about 7 miles. 32.7k steps. 4.6k calories out per my Fitbit.
57 RHR. 4 hours, 7 minutes sleep. 10 minutes meditation.
Sleep is suffering quite a bit lately so I'm winding down earlier and going to make an effort to limit my screen time. Mood was good today. I went running earlier and went on walks throughout the day and that all seems to have helped.
-------------
I'm going to pick one thing at a time and work on it here. First, I'll take a look at my warm-up. This was my warm-up today which incorporated some exercises for my sciatica.
- 7 minutes elliptical (I alternate days on bike and elliptical; first thing I do when I get to the gym and it gets my blood flowing)
- quad stretch (dynamic)
- hip opener (dynamic)
- calf stretches (static)
- hamstring stretches (static)
- walking lunges 2 x 30 feet, alternating
- band walk 2 x 30 feet, each side
- 1 mile incline walking
I'll need to replace the static stretches with dynamic but those areas are good to target before I run. The resources below will have more ideas.
For future reference:
Functional Training for Runners | Functional Training Workout
Pre-Run Warmup | 5-Minute Warm-Up Do Before Running
5 Dynamic Stretches to Do Before Every Run | Runner's World
5 dynamic stretches for your running warm-up
Dynamic Warm Up | Warm Up Exercises
A Runner’s Guide to Warming Up | Runner's World
I'm not sure how you're listening, flyer, but on my phone and even on that page directly, there are little arrows to skip back or jump forward 15 seconds.
Cate
Long term member
I have been walking every day, even in the heat & I'm sure it's key to me feeling better mentally. I try not to look at my screen for a couple of hours before bed. It sucks that you're not sleeping well again, Rob. Is your brain over-active at bed-time?
Is Cam settling in well?
overlandflyer
Well-known member
well no arrows, but i did discover that if i click on the "cloud" (is say to "download") it opens up this sort of window...
like a regular video window without the video.
...so that works.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Hey Rob, good to see you posting, hope you have a good 2020.
I have a question for you, I have been reading about Kefir, I did a search on the WLF and see you have eaten it more consistently than most. Where do you get it? Do you culture your own? Do you like it?
I have a question for you, I have been reading about Kefir, I did a search on the WLF and see you have eaten it more consistently than most. Where do you get it? Do you culture your own? Do you like it?
Hey Cate! Awesome re the walking. Now you need a 4 legged companion to come along to help boost the mental benefits a little more. Cam is doing well for me that way. I have to walk her a lot to keep the destructive behavior in check but it puts me in a much better mood overall. I could get in a funk more often on my own without her to take care of. Re my sleep, it's still the disruption from that medication dependence. I can tell and I just have push a consistent behavior change without bingeing in the picture in order to resolve it I think. It fits the pattern of this whole experience. Other things have gotten better and I believe this will eventually too. The healing timeline is beyond anything most people expect but it's consistent with others who have gone through it.
Hey Rob, Happy new year! I used to get the kefir at the farmer's market. I liked it but it upset my stomach a little bit. It's just milk with a consistency like a smoothie. The taste is distinctive and a little sour.
Cate
Long term member
Rob, I think I have talked myself out of getting a dog for now. We have ourselves well set up to be able to go away without having any responsibilities & I know what I would be like if I had a dog. I wouldn't want to go anywhere. We also love having wildlife come right up to our house & that wouldn't happen if we had a dog. My walks are through our bush & I love seeing wallabies. I think our place has become a haven for wildlife. If things change, like moving into town or if I end up on my own, then I think I will get one then. I love that Cam is really helping you.
I seem to get strong reactions to many medications & am very wary of any mood-altering ones in particular. Walking is doing me so much good, plus I have been doing some Tai Chi. I hope you start getting better sleep soon.
I seem to get strong reactions to many medications & am very wary of any mood-altering ones in particular. Walking is doing me so much good, plus I have been doing some Tai Chi. I hope you start getting better sleep soon.
Today was OK.
For breakfast I had organic eggs and a mango, banana, orange juice, and yogurt smoothie. Also a multivitamin and a cold/flu supplement. Breakfast calories were 605. Lunch was chicken noodle soup, pistachios, and a berry, banana, yogurt, orange juice smoothie. Lunch calories were 1255. For dinner I had chicken and berry, yogurt, orange juice smoothie. Dinner calories were 1235. I had walnuts, pistachios, and yogurt for snacks which were 1167 calories. Total calories today were 4261. 347 grams of protein.
I ran 4 miles and walked Cam about 4 miles. 23k steps. 3.9k calories out per my Fitbit.
My weight this morning was 198.8 pounds. 55 RHR. 6 hours, 37 minutes sleep. 10 minutes meditation (after posting).
I did well until this afternoon when I crashed. My energy was sapped because of all the exercise and I had one too many smoothies. All that caught up with me and I had to take a quick nap. Calories were high but my calories out are going to be in the same ballpark and I'm just starting fresh with these changes. I probably shouldn't have had so much fruit when I'm not used to it.
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Here was my pre-run warm-up today.
- 7 minutes recumbent bike
- quad stretch (dynamic)
- calf stretches (static)
- figure four stretches (static)
- pull across planks
- sciatic nerve stretches
- 1 mile incline walking
For breakfast I had organic eggs and a mango, banana, orange juice, and yogurt smoothie. Also a multivitamin and a cold/flu supplement. Breakfast calories were 605. Lunch was chicken noodle soup, pistachios, and a berry, banana, yogurt, orange juice smoothie. Lunch calories were 1255. For dinner I had chicken and berry, yogurt, orange juice smoothie. Dinner calories were 1235. I had walnuts, pistachios, and yogurt for snacks which were 1167 calories. Total calories today were 4261. 347 grams of protein.
I ran 4 miles and walked Cam about 4 miles. 23k steps. 3.9k calories out per my Fitbit.
My weight this morning was 198.8 pounds. 55 RHR. 6 hours, 37 minutes sleep. 10 minutes meditation (after posting).
I did well until this afternoon when I crashed. My energy was sapped because of all the exercise and I had one too many smoothies. All that caught up with me and I had to take a quick nap. Calories were high but my calories out are going to be in the same ballpark and I'm just starting fresh with these changes. I probably shouldn't have had so much fruit when I'm not used to it.
-------------
Here was my pre-run warm-up today.
- 7 minutes recumbent bike
- quad stretch (dynamic)
- calf stretches (static)
- figure four stretches (static)
- pull across planks
- sciatic nerve stretches
- 1 mile incline walking
Makes sense, Cate. They are quite a responsibility and need to be looked after. That's so neat you have so much wildlife close by. I imagine your walks are restorative being so close to nature.
Today was OK. I fell into the same pattern again as yesterday. I crashed in the afternoon. My calories were up again, pretty close to the amount I expended. The crashes are pretty tough to get through and the naps have sent me into a hypnotic state that affects me through the evening. Doesn't help that I'm struggling with my sleep.
For breakfast I had organic eggs and a blueberry, banana, orange juice, yogurt, and almond milk smoothie. Also a multivitamin and a cold/flu supplement. Lunch was chicken noodle soup and mango, banana, blueberries, yogurt, orange juice, and almond milk smoothies. For dinner I had turkey and yogurt with pistachios and walnuts. Total calories today were 3887. 261 grams of protein.
I ran 4 miles and walked Cam about 4 miles. 23k steps. 4k calories out per my Fitbit.
My weight this morning was 197.2 pounds. 55 RHR. 4 hours, 46 minutes sleep. 10 minutes meditation (after posting).
-------------
Here was my pre-run warm-up today.
- 7 minutes recumbent bike
- quad stretch (dynamic)
- hip opener (dynamic)
- deep squats
- band walks
- side bridges
- hamstring scoops (dynamic)
- single-leg dead lift
- single-leg lateral swings, bent and straight
- 1 mile incline walking
My sciatic pain in my leg is still bothering me and it's worse since I've been running every day. It doesn't stop me like it did before. Overall I don't think I'm any better off because it's gotten worse in other areas. It's been 4 months. I have an MRI next week.
For breakfast I had organic eggs and a blueberry, banana, orange juice, yogurt, and almond milk smoothie. Also a multivitamin and a cold/flu supplement. Lunch was chicken noodle soup and mango, banana, blueberries, yogurt, orange juice, and almond milk smoothies. For dinner I had turkey and yogurt with pistachios and walnuts. Total calories today were 3887. 261 grams of protein.
I ran 4 miles and walked Cam about 4 miles. 23k steps. 4k calories out per my Fitbit.
My weight this morning was 197.2 pounds. 55 RHR. 4 hours, 46 minutes sleep. 10 minutes meditation (after posting).
-------------
Here was my pre-run warm-up today.
- 7 minutes recumbent bike
- quad stretch (dynamic)
- hip opener (dynamic)
- deep squats
- band walks
- side bridges
- hamstring scoops (dynamic)
- single-leg dead lift
- single-leg lateral swings, bent and straight
- 1 mile incline walking
My sciatic pain in my leg is still bothering me and it's worse since I've been running every day. It doesn't stop me like it did before. Overall I don't think I'm any better off because it's gotten worse in other areas. It's been 4 months. I have an MRI next week.
You may be right, Cate. I hope not too.
Today I've been feeling better. I got 7.5 hours of sleep last night and my run this morning felt great. I implemented a few things all of a sudden and abrupt change is always hard. I hope it'll get easier and today's a good sign. I'm glad to have caught a break earlier on. I think it speaks to how much work I've been doing and my progress to date. In spite of the bingeing even.
I was reading about monitoring my heart rate variability. It gives you an idea of the level of stress you're experiencing and it's not too difficult or time consuming to measure. It'll be more objective than many of my other indicators. With what I've been through, it's been hard to gauge when I'm experiencing too much stress and give myself more rest. When I do rest, I can't always tell if it works. It may be a missing piece for me.
Today I've been feeling better. I got 7.5 hours of sleep last night and my run this morning felt great. I implemented a few things all of a sudden and abrupt change is always hard. I hope it'll get easier and today's a good sign. I'm glad to have caught a break earlier on. I think it speaks to how much work I've been doing and my progress to date. In spite of the bingeing even.
I was reading about monitoring my heart rate variability. It gives you an idea of the level of stress you're experiencing and it's not too difficult or time consuming to measure. It'll be more objective than many of my other indicators. With what I've been through, it's been hard to gauge when I'm experiencing too much stress and give myself more rest. When I do rest, I can't always tell if it works. It may be a missing piece for me.
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