The tale of how my feet suck

I’m spending my lunch writing this post alone in my office. Mostly because I don’t want to have to repeat this story a million times, but also because I’m feeling a little sorry for myself.

Two years ago I had surgery on my right foot to remove one of my sesamoid bones. 

It started out as a stress fracture, but went untreated for a while. I was so overweight at the time I figured my feet just hurt from holding me up all the time. Eventually the bone shattered into a bunch of pieces. It was in so many tiny pieces that it showed up as normal on an X-ray. It took months of tests to rule out everything from gout to lupus. Finally, an MRI revealed that my sesamoid bone was destroyed. I went off to surgery to have the bone fragments removed and a tendon rerouted to take its place.

About a month ago I started feeling a familiar pain, this time in my left foot. I kept telling myself it would get better. Nope. I went to my doctor today and he confirmed I don’t have a stress fracture, but I have broken a sesamoid bone in my left foot. I went early enough that this one hasn’t shattered, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. He put me in an air cast and told me to not do anything for the next three weeks. After that he will determine if I need surgery or not.

There was nothing I could do to prevent this from happening. My sesamoid bones are basically defective, meaning I was just made this way. The right one probably broke under the pressure of all the extra weight I was carrying. My left one probably broke under the pressure from exercising all the time. Bottom line is that it would have happened eventually. Nonetheless, it’s heartbreaking to hit this roadblock after working so hard and coming so close to my weight-loss goal. I only have 20 lbs to go. Am I going to take a time out from exercising and gain a bunch of weight?

I don’t know how to take a break from exercising anymore. The longest I’ve gone in the past year without working out at all is five days. Three weeks is an eternity. After that I will either be having surgery or doomed to a bike or the pool. Just like that, I’m no longer training for a half-marathon.

Let the waiting game begin.

Adventures

As most of you know, Eli and I love to travel. We try to take at least two or three trips a year. We figure this is a luxury we won’t be able to enjoy as much once we have children. We budget for our vacations every year, and only have one rule: no financing. All trips must be paid for in full at the time of booking. One trip always includes the beach in another country and the other is usually a little closer to home. This year we got lucky and Dell (Eli’s work) paid for a trip to San Diego in April. The Gatlinburg trip (detailed below) was our second trip of the year. Next stops are Destin in July and a cruise in September. We <3 traveling.

Our third anniversary present to each other was a new Cannon Rebel T3i DSLR camera and a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS10 digital camera. The DSLR speaks for itself; better-quality pictures and we can finally take some awesome sunset photos at the beach. The Lumix is cool because it’s a 14.1-megapixel camera, waterproof to a depth of 10 feet, shockproof from falls up to 5 feet, freezeproof to 14 degrees and dustproof. I can take it snorkeling, rafting, drop it and bury it in the snow. Plus, it takes great pictures. This camera came in handy in Gatlinburg.

Gatlinburg was our adventure trip. This marks the first trip we’ve ever taken together that we didn’t plan on sleeping in and relaxing. We had action and adventure planned for most of our time there. It was awesome.

We stayed at the Fun & Games 53 cabin in the woods, courtesy of Alpine Chalet Rentals. It was clean, dog-friendly (Khalie was so happy to join us) and on the side of a mountain. It was a bit of a scary drive to get to it, but well worth the million times I had to remind my husband he was driving a little too close to the death drop.

After our drive in, it was a little too late to start a new adventure, so we headed to the Tanger Outlet Center in Sevierville. We managed to do a little damage at the Lenox (new silverware) and Under Armour (new workout wardrobes for both) stores. We headed to dinner at a familiar favorite, The Chop House, but it did NOT taste like the one in Murfreesboro. Huge disappointment.

We went Ziplining at Wahoo Ziplines, which was way better than Adventure Works in Kingston Springs. We definitely went completely hands-free and upside down on a couple of the highest lines.

Next up was the biggest fail of the trip … tubing down the Pigeon River. While the staff at River Rat was super nice, the tubing itself was very boring. The water was not deep enough and we kept getting stuck on rocks. The lazy river float is not our cup of tea at all.

We decided white water rafting was more our speed and headed to USA Raft. We had originally planned on rafting the Ocoee (thanks to a Groupon deal), but a technical error or their website made us think we were closer that we really were. We decided not to make the three-hour drive and stick close to Gatlinburg. We plan on using our Ocoee coupon soon, though. I know going down the Ocoee would be a lot more fun, but we had a blast on this 1 ½ hour rafting trip. It was a great beginner’s ride, and now I know what to expect next time.

A trip to the mountains didn’t seem complete without a little horseback riding at Smoky Mountain Riding Stables. We opted for the hour ride, and boy am I glad we didn’t sign up for two hours. If you’re not used to riding a horse, it can be, um, a little uncomfortable. It was a lot of fun, except I had a horse that moved kind of slow. Apparently, you’re supposed to kick them in the side to get them to speed up. I refused to do this, because I convinced myself Skippy was moving slow so I wouldn’t get mud splashed all over me.

We didn’t have a lot of time to fit in formal workouts, so one day we decided to hike up to Clingmans Dome. It’s a half-mile pretty much straight up. We saw bears and trees as we passed them, but not a lot more. It was very cloudy, so we didn’t get the million-dollar view promised online, but we got a small workout in just the same.

On our last night, we did a go-cart tour of Pigeon Forge. Basically, we paid $25 per person to ride at five of the best tracks on the strip. Eli and I both frequented the go-cart tracks when we went to Pigeon Forge as kids, so we were excited to battle each other. I would say we are about equal on the track. At least we didn’t get in a huge fight like two extreme rednecks we saw.

It was nice to get away for a few days and a great way to use up a few vacation days that expire in June!

No Turning Back Now

Updates: I’ve now lost 112lbs and am in a size 12. Not a lot of difference in pounds over the last two months, but I lost weight somewhere because I dropped a whole pant size! I try to keep in mind that I’m toning and won’t necessarily see results on the scale. The slow-down is normal at this point after surgery, but it’s still frustrating.

I still stick to my low-carb, high protein diet. I don’t really have (or need) cheat meals or days, but I do allow myself something sweet once a week. It’s usually frozen yogurt with fresh fruit on top. But, once a month, I eat something like cheesecake or carrot cake (my weakness). I still don’t ever eat bread, pasta, rice or potatoes. I keep myself fueled with lots of chicken, grilled fish and vegetables.

In other news, I’ve officially lost my mind. I was convinced to run a half marathon in October. Afterwards, I convinced Eli to join me. My motivation comes from a number of places:

1. I still need to lose 28lbs to be considered a healthy weight.

2. Thinking I can’t do it is not a good enough reason to not do it.

3. I’ve lost 112lbs in 10 months. If I can have enough willpower and discipline to do that, I can do anything.

4. Eli is going to train with me, not to mention about 10 coworkers. Only one of us has run a half-marathon. Only a few of us work out regularly.

So, how am I planning to do it? Lots of training.

I’ve been doing boot camp for about three months with Niki G's Fitness. I go four days a week (when I’m not traveling) at 5:15 a.m. I don’t know about you, but I give myself extra fit points just for getting out of bed at 4:45 a.m. I wish I could explain to you how physically insane these classes are. Have you ever crab-walked up several flights of stairs? How about run backwards up a big hill with weights above your head?  That’s just two examples of the beating I get from my amazing trainer, Whitney. I don’t remember the last time something wasn’t sore! If you’ve never taken a boot camp class, do it.

Eli and I are also running in the evenings after work. So far, we’ve been sticking to a couple of miles at a time, but we’re going to bump it up slowly.

Just to recap, my schedule is:

Monday: Morning boot camp, after work run

Tuesday: Morning boot camp

Wednesday: After work run

Thursday: Morning boot camp

Friday: Morning boot camp, after work run

Saturday: Longer run/walks (yet to be determined, but I’ll figure it out tomorrow)

Sunday: Off

So, this starts a new journey for me. Surgery seems like a million years ago, but I’ve come a long way as far as my health and the way I think about food.

I’ve disciplined myself to work out at least five or six days a week. I’ve proven I have willpower over food. All I have to do now is work a little harder each day toward my goal. Will I be able to run 13.1 miles in six months? Maybe not, but I’m not saying it’s impossible. What if I have to walk part of it? Well, then I think I’m still doing better than most people who never get any exercise. No matter what the outcome is, it’s going to be hard to be disappointed in myself for setting a goal and trying my best. 

Besides, I used to look like this:

And now I look Like this:

  

You’re support has meant the world to me over the last 10 months. I hope you will keep following my journey as I continue to strive towards being a healthy person.

Today

Today is the day I decided (with a lot of encouragement) to train for a half marathon in October. There's no turning back now. Maybe it will help me lose this last 30 lbs!

April 30, 2011 -- Exactly 10 months after surgery

105 lbs gone!

It’s been an interesting month. The big news is that I’ve lost 105 lbs! This means I’m no longer obese, just overweight. I need to get to 147 lbs or below to be considered at a healthy weight.

I actually hit the 100 lb mark several weeks ago, but delayed making it official until I was done traveling. I wanted to be sure I had lost it for good! This was the goal my surgeon set for me to reach by the one-year anniversary of my surgery. It’s been eight months, and I’m still going!

The first trip was rough, because I had a hard time completely sticking to my diet, especially the drinking water part. The low point was grabbing some cheese sticks while running to catch my plane on a layover home. We had a 10 hour travel day, and zero time between flights. I can’t take protein shakes (my constant back-up plan) on airplanes because of the whole 3 ounce liquid rule. We didn’t have time to search for a better place, so I made the best decision I could. Cheese is something I can have, but it’s not supposed to be fried. I only ate three, but it still felt so gross.

When I got home, I felt very dehydrated and drank a ton of water, which I’m fairly confident is related to the 2 lb weight gain I had. Not working out for a week and eating dinner out every night did not help anything either. Even if I eat items I’m allowed, I can’t weigh the proper portions or control everything that goes into preparing my food. Restaurants tend to use a ton of salt, and that’s not good when I’m not drinking enough water. 

I spent the next week getting back into my workout and eating routine, only to leave again the following week. I was able to shed the 2 lbs I had gained and was back at 100 lbs lost before my second trip. This trip went much better. I stuck to my diet, except for a half a piece of carrot cake, which was my March treat. If you don’t remember, I allow myself one dessert a month. I was able to work out on this trip and drink lots of water. Fortunately, I was able to maintain my weight.

So, here we are a week later, and I’ve lost another 5 lbs. It’s been a rough week, though. I had an adjustment to make my band smaller on Monday. The reason they made it smaller, was because while traveling, I noticed I was able to eat more than I should be able to. I only eat out about once a week normally, so it’s not that big of a deal that I can’t weigh out the right portion. The point of the band is to stop you from eating too much.

When you have adjustments you have to go on liquids for two days, then mushy food for two days. After that you start adding in meat. I was fine on Monday, but started noticing a problem before my workout on Tuesday morning. I usually chug a protein shake before my boot camp class, but it wasn’t going down too easily. I thought I was going to throw up my shake. I’ve never had a problem with liquids before, but know how much your stomach can swell after an adjustment. After all, they are tightening a band around my stomach.

By Thursday, I was still having problems with liquids for a couple of hours after I got up. Usually by the time I get to work, I’ve had 50 ounces of water and a protein shake, so this was really strange. I called my doctor and they told me to come in immediately.

Apparently, I’m normal. My band is now exactly where it was supposed to be all along. When I asked how this went unnoticed and I was still able to be successful, I was told, “It’s because you’re just so disciplined.” Because I don’t eat out, I stick to my diet and weigh out the right portions, I was doing just fine. Usually, people rely completely on the band to stop them from eating too much, which isn’t the right way. You are supposed to weigh your food and not let yourself get too full. The point of eating is to feel satisfied, not stuffed. The reason I’m having so much trouble in the morning is because when I sleep my stomach swells a lot, and it takes a couple of hours for the swelling to go down. I also have a sinus infection right now, and drainage makes my stomach swell, too.

Don’t get me wrong, my band has been working this whole time, just not to its fullest potential.

So now, I have to go back to the basics … making sure I chew everything really well and eating tiny bites. I’m not supposed to be able to gulp my water, only take tiny sips. The doctor offered to take some fluid out of my band to make it looser, but I am dead set on adjusting to my band. I paid $12,000 for it, so I’m going to get everything I can out of it. Plus, my weight loss has slowed so much; I need all the help I can get.

The doctor assured me my two-month plateau is not really even a plateau. Technically, a true plateau is when you do exactly everything right and don’t lose an ounce. I’ve been losing weight here and there … about 17 lbs in the last two months. I know that sounds like a lot to you, but it’s been a struggle for me.

Eli won a free trip to San Diego in two weeks. We plan on going snorkeling, so I have to get a bathing suit. That should be great for my self-esteem. Is any woman ever comfortable shopping for a bathing suit? I remember being self conscious about bathing suits when I was like 12. Oh well. If I can buy a size 24 surely I can handle buying a large or 14 or whatever I require.

Until next time …