Just got back from a checkup with my Endocrinologist. She's thrilled that I've responded so well to the medication so far, and was a bit surprised that I had such a dramatic change with such a low dose. They did a blood test on me, to see how my blood numbers are doing and we got a very strange result.
In July?, my TSH was 2.91. Not very high, but definitions of "high" vary. Some people say over 6 is high, some say over 2 is high. Under.5 is very low.
In October, my TSH was 2.3 or thereabouts.
This week, after 8 weeks of treatment, my TSH was 3. This is weird. It should have gone down.
TSH is the messenger hormone that is produced by the pituitary to stimulate the thyroid and is believed to be the hormone that indicates how the thyroid is doing. So, if your body feels a bit short on thyroid hormone your body sends out more TSH. The thyroid reacts to this and makes more hormone. If your body feels like you have plenty of thyroid hormone, your body sends out very little TSH, and the thyroid makes less hormone.
With me so far?
Well, of course things can go wrong. If your thyroid is sick, your body might have to send out a lot of TSH to really get it cranking so you can make enough of the good stuff. Do this enough and you can stimulate the thyroid to grow. Twice as much thyroid, working half as hard as healthy tissue, should maintain healthy blood levels. As time goes by, and the gland packs it in, even a high TSH can't rev things up enough, and you become deficient in hormone and hypothyroid.
Well, my thyroid has supposedly been keeping up pretty well considering its injury. By supplementing thyroid hormone, the thyroid should have been able to rest a bit. However, my TSH is higher. What the? This means my body is asking for more thyroid activity, not less. We expected my TSH to drop.
Now, I've stated before that TSH is important to know, but really truly doesn't tell us everything. This redoubles that assertion.
My doc was surprised my TSH was up, and when I asked why it was higher, she shrugged and said that she really didn't know. I was glad she said that, I don't mind a doctor saying "I don't know", I do mind a doctor saying "I'm not interested" but that's a rant for another day. She is interested, so I'm satisfied with that.
My theory is that the low dose I've been taking has revved up my body to the point where it wants even more. We gave it an inch, it wants a mile. We'll see...
So the upshot is that she's upping my dosage! We're rechecking my blood numbers in 8 weeks. Yay!
She said I don't need to avoid so-called "goitrogenic" foods (cabbages, sprouts, almonds, etc.). Yay! Turns out that I don't have that kind of goiter. She did say that I have to make absolutely sure that I get enough iodine in my diet, but that she wasn't concerned since I take a multivitamin and eat seafood and seaweed (I have a little scrap a few times a week). We mix iodized salt with our kosher salt for cooking at home too.
She said my chance of recovery is 0%. I've got this for life. My thyroid will slowly continue to fail over time, and my need for supplementary hormone will only increase with time. This doesn't mesh exactly with some other information I've seen, so I'll do some more reading.
She also said that my thyroid should shrink, and that eventually it will probably atrophy almost completely. Much as this makes me sad - I'd rather it heal, I'm pleased that the goiter will shrink away. I'm self-conscious. I don't mean that I'm embarrassed by it, heck, I whip it out at parties and show all my friends. I just mean that I'm continually aware of it - I notice it in mirrors, especially at the gym where the light above the treadmills makes it especially apparent. Husbeast and I see it too often to be able to judge if it is shrinking, but my Mum says it is. Thanks Mum!
Go go gadget goiter!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Thursday, December 06, 2007
So Sumo Me
Buttercups, 3 rounds for time
Run 200m
15 Sumo Deadlift Highpulls : Broomstick or 15#
15 Thrusters : Broomstick or 15#
Started at 20#, and to prevent puking I went down to broomstick for the next two rounds. Luckily I'd read up on this workout and it is a metabolic conditioning workout. Work it, and work it hard, and keep the weight light enough to do so. With a higher weight, you slow down and you get a very different result.
I was still pretty slow 6 minutes, 8 minutes, 5 minutes.
It did mark the first time EVER when the run felt like rest. I was bright red, sweating bullets, and Mr Oh-It's-So-Amusing-That-You-Are-Red came by with a couple of smart comments. On the last one I just said, panting, "You try it". He is very good-natured, and does mean well, but Jmz (brother) will hopefully agree that it is hard to think of full, socially graceful sentences mid-workout.
Sumo Deadlift Highpulls are fun. Sumo means wide leg stance. Deadlift means, um, deadlift. Highpull means you get it up to your chin.
Important points of note:
Deadlift form stipulates that you can lightly drag the bar up the fronts of your legs as you stand. Logically, when doing the highpull, you do this up to your shoulders. Unfortunately, I discovered that my boobs are very effective barriers to progress and just about unhinged my bra. Note to self, hoik the bar out a bit.
Second note to self. Don't hoik the bar too much, lest you punch yourself in the chin with a barbell.
Third note to self. Hair in bun does not survive this workout. Hair fell down. All of a sudden had five (yes, five) random men smile at me a say hi as I walked by. Gym rats do prefer blondes, I guess. Well, long hair at least.
Fourth note to self. Flipping through Muscles 'n Gonads or some such similar publication at the reading table, I noticed something. There was a proportion of the women who didn't look like women. There was some key element of femininity missing - a hardness to the face, a squareness to the jaw. All of these women had tremendously impressive bodies, and very oily tans, but this perfection seems to have sapped something from them too. That got me a-thinkin'. All of the uber-buff ladies on the Crossfit site have really impressive bodies too, but they are all stunning. Beautiful and healthy looking, and undeniably feminine, even if very lean and very buff. Makes me wonder about the hormonal effects of the Crossfit program.
Fifth note to self. Remember that this workout gives ya jelly legs.
Run 200m
15 Sumo Deadlift Highpulls : Broomstick or 15#
15 Thrusters : Broomstick or 15#
Started at 20#, and to prevent puking I went down to broomstick for the next two rounds. Luckily I'd read up on this workout and it is a metabolic conditioning workout. Work it, and work it hard, and keep the weight light enough to do so. With a higher weight, you slow down and you get a very different result.
I was still pretty slow 6 minutes, 8 minutes, 5 minutes.
It did mark the first time EVER when the run felt like rest. I was bright red, sweating bullets, and Mr Oh-It's-So-Amusing-That-You-Are-Red came by with a couple of smart comments. On the last one I just said, panting, "You try it". He is very good-natured, and does mean well, but Jmz (brother) will hopefully agree that it is hard to think of full, socially graceful sentences mid-workout.
Sumo Deadlift Highpulls are fun. Sumo means wide leg stance. Deadlift means, um, deadlift. Highpull means you get it up to your chin.
Important points of note:
Deadlift form stipulates that you can lightly drag the bar up the fronts of your legs as you stand. Logically, when doing the highpull, you do this up to your shoulders. Unfortunately, I discovered that my boobs are very effective barriers to progress and just about unhinged my bra. Note to self, hoik the bar out a bit.
Second note to self. Don't hoik the bar too much, lest you punch yourself in the chin with a barbell.
Third note to self. Hair in bun does not survive this workout. Hair fell down. All of a sudden had five (yes, five) random men smile at me a say hi as I walked by. Gym rats do prefer blondes, I guess. Well, long hair at least.
Fourth note to self. Flipping through Muscles 'n Gonads or some such similar publication at the reading table, I noticed something. There was a proportion of the women who didn't look like women. There was some key element of femininity missing - a hardness to the face, a squareness to the jaw. All of these women had tremendously impressive bodies, and very oily tans, but this perfection seems to have sapped something from them too. That got me a-thinkin'. All of the uber-buff ladies on the Crossfit site have really impressive bodies too, but they are all stunning. Beautiful and healthy looking, and undeniably feminine, even if very lean and very buff. Makes me wonder about the hormonal effects of the Crossfit program.
Fifth note to self. Remember that this workout gives ya jelly legs.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Now that is interesting...
Well then.
I was naughty this weekend. With the husband away at a Judo thing, I went a little nuts. I had bacon sandwiches, ice cream, brie and grapes, and a small tub of asian pasta salad.
Husband returned, and we had pizza at a friends house.
Then yesterday we had French onion soup.
Carby carby carby. Granted, at no point in this little oo-I'm-being-naughty diversion did I overeat, but I still expected there to be some damage.
I weighed myself and I measured myself.
Weight is the same. Yay!
Measurements are down. Yup. I'm surprised.
Thigh: 27.25" to 26.5" (starting measurement to today's measurement)
Belly: 44.5" to 42.5"
Bum: 46.5" to 46"
Boobs (No Bra): 47.75" to 47.5"
Chest (Above Boobs): 44.5" to 43.5"
Upper Arm: 14" to 14" (bigger!)
10/30 total is 224.5"
11/27 total is 221.25"
12/4 total is 220"
Belly and Upper Arm dropped since last measurement. Boobs are up a bit, but boobs do that.
So, I had an awful lot of fun, and didn't do too much damage. This is good.
I was naughty this weekend. With the husband away at a Judo thing, I went a little nuts. I had bacon sandwiches, ice cream, brie and grapes, and a small tub of asian pasta salad.
Husband returned, and we had pizza at a friends house.
Then yesterday we had French onion soup.
Carby carby carby. Granted, at no point in this little oo-I'm-being-naughty diversion did I overeat, but I still expected there to be some damage.
I weighed myself and I measured myself.
Weight is the same. Yay!
Measurements are down. Yup. I'm surprised.
Thigh: 27.25" to 26.5" (starting measurement to today's measurement)
Belly: 44.5" to 42.5"
Bum: 46.5" to 46"
Boobs (No Bra): 47.75" to 47.5"
Chest (Above Boobs): 44.5" to 43.5"
Upper Arm: 14" to 14" (bigger!)
10/30 total is 224.5"
11/27 total is 221.25"
12/4 total is 220"
Belly and Upper Arm dropped since last measurement. Boobs are up a bit, but boobs do that.
So, I had an awful lot of fun, and didn't do too much damage. This is good.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Michael's Back!
I celebrated my return to Crossfit with my favorite workout. Wait... no, scratch that. Second favorite workout. My favorite is the dumbell swinging one. That's fun!
As a reminder, my Michael is:
Three rounds for time of
400 M run
10 back extensions
20 situps
Reflections compared to last time? Last time it took me 7 : 9 : 8 minutes (I think). This time it took 7:9:7 minutes (I think). Overall, I did it one minute faster this time.
Here's the funny thing, I made an effort to rest a lot less. I ran a bit slower, at 8 to 8.2 kmh rather than 8.3 to 8.5 kmh. I didn't take a moment to recover after running, and I went straight to the followup exercises.
So, I think I did each individual component a bit slower, but rested less so my overall time improved.
Weird.
Oh, and the situps got easier as time went by. Explain that one to me.
Other things of note...
Had trouble having a brief conversation with my friend Tom during my third run. I could get about two words out at a time. Also got a wicked stitch. OW.
There was a two-person kettlebell class in the back room. That looks like fun! They were really sweet and didn't mind if I snuck in to do my situps. I was going to chat to the lady teaching it and ask about the classes, but she was swinging a kettlebell vigorously and I was trying not to toss my cookies, so I didn't have a chance to ask her.
I was, again, the only person in the gym who was all red and sweaty. Again. There were a couple of guys on weightlifting contraptions who were grunting plenty, but no sweaty. No red.
The closest I saw to someone suffering along with me was one of the ladies in the kettlebell class, she didn't look like she was terribly fit -pretty much, she looked like me- but she was working really hard. She was pushing her limits and it made me really happy to see her! I think she's going to be sore tomorrow.
As a reminder, my Michael is:
Three rounds for time of
400 M run
10 back extensions
20 situps
Reflections compared to last time? Last time it took me 7 : 9 : 8 minutes (I think). This time it took 7:9:7 minutes (I think). Overall, I did it one minute faster this time.
Here's the funny thing, I made an effort to rest a lot less. I ran a bit slower, at 8 to 8.2 kmh rather than 8.3 to 8.5 kmh. I didn't take a moment to recover after running, and I went straight to the followup exercises.
So, I think I did each individual component a bit slower, but rested less so my overall time improved.
Weird.
Oh, and the situps got easier as time went by. Explain that one to me.
Other things of note...
Had trouble having a brief conversation with my friend Tom during my third run. I could get about two words out at a time. Also got a wicked stitch. OW.
There was a two-person kettlebell class in the back room. That looks like fun! They were really sweet and didn't mind if I snuck in to do my situps. I was going to chat to the lady teaching it and ask about the classes, but she was swinging a kettlebell vigorously and I was trying not to toss my cookies, so I didn't have a chance to ask her.
I was, again, the only person in the gym who was all red and sweaty. Again. There were a couple of guys on weightlifting contraptions who were grunting plenty, but no sweaty. No red.
The closest I saw to someone suffering along with me was one of the ladies in the kettlebell class, she didn't look like she was terribly fit -pretty much, she looked like me- but she was working really hard. She was pushing her limits and it made me really happy to see her! I think she's going to be sore tomorrow.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
On Guilt and Rest
Well, I skipped the workouts for Thursday and Friday, and am probably skipping today too.
I hate doing that, it makes me feel guilty. It makes me feel like I deserve the body shape I've got. It makes me feel lazy.
However, I've had a bout of stomach upset. I'll save you the gory details, but will say that I didn't trust myself not to embarrass myself with exertion in public. Today I'll be shovelling the driveway and helping a friend move a concrete mixer - that'll be plenty. Back on the bandwagon tomorrow.
This is my confession, because I seek forgiveness. I do know, however, that the point of exercise, the point of Crossfit is not to never miss a workout. The point is to make it your lifestyle, make it the default. Who cares if you miss a few days or a week, if in general you're at the gym, taking your lumps, and doing the work.
So tomorrow, barring further intestinal woes, back atcha.
I hate doing that, it makes me feel guilty. It makes me feel like I deserve the body shape I've got. It makes me feel lazy.
However, I've had a bout of stomach upset. I'll save you the gory details, but will say that I didn't trust myself not to embarrass myself with exertion in public. Today I'll be shovelling the driveway and helping a friend move a concrete mixer - that'll be plenty. Back on the bandwagon tomorrow.
This is my confession, because I seek forgiveness. I do know, however, that the point of exercise, the point of Crossfit is not to never miss a workout. The point is to make it your lifestyle, make it the default. Who cares if you miss a few days or a week, if in general you're at the gym, taking your lumps, and doing the work.
So tomorrow, barring further intestinal woes, back atcha.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
I was right... it does hurt today
Don't make me laugh. Abs in bad shape today.
The brother told me a while back "The simpler the workout looks, the more in trouble you are." You ain't kidding.
Take, for instance, yesterday.
Warmup almost as usual, but finally had the strength to go to the next level with developing a solid pushup. Until yesterday, I'd start laying down, push up, descend wobbily, recover for a moment, rinse, repeat. Yesterday, I had the strength to start up in plank pose, at the "up" portion of the pushup, descend wobbily, push up, and recover up in plank pose. Massive difference. It means my core was engaged the whole time. Getting up I thought, gee... that's gonna hurt tomorrow.
I was right.
The workout for yesterday was tremendously simple - scaled down to buttercup level it was "5 pullups 5 times" subbing as necessary if you can't do a pullup.
I can't do a pullup. If I was at my ideal body weight, I think I'd be close, but I'm about 60 pounds overweight right now. I had been working on doing pulldowns, and have tried unsuccessfully to work on jumping pullups. Then I discovered the standing pulldown. Really engages your core - I can't lift as much standing as I can sitting on the squashy seat.
So I start with something easy: 110# 5 times. Work, but not too hard.
Again 110# 5 times. Harder, but not hard enough.
120# 5 times. Um. Have to jump a bit to get it started.
130# 5 times. Gosh, I must look ridiculous. Have to jump quite a bit to get it started. Really working at controlling the nadir before letting the weight down.
140# 5 times. Even with jumping, I failed on the final three.
Ow.
Onto other news. My weight today is officially EXACTLY the same as it was on 10/30/2007. You don't get to know the number though - state secret.
The good news is that my body measurements are down by 3.25 inches
Thigh: 27.25" to 26.5"
Belly: 44.5" to 43.5"
Bum: 46.5" to 46"
Boobs (No Bra): 47.75" to 47"
Chest (Above Boobs): 44.5" to 43.5"
Upper Arm: 14" to 14.75" (bigger!)
10/30 total is 224.5"
11/27 total is 221.25"
If this continues, I might just be out of plus sizes by summertime!
The brother told me a while back "The simpler the workout looks, the more in trouble you are." You ain't kidding.
Take, for instance, yesterday.
Warmup almost as usual, but finally had the strength to go to the next level with developing a solid pushup. Until yesterday, I'd start laying down, push up, descend wobbily, recover for a moment, rinse, repeat. Yesterday, I had the strength to start up in plank pose, at the "up" portion of the pushup, descend wobbily, push up, and recover up in plank pose. Massive difference. It means my core was engaged the whole time. Getting up I thought, gee... that's gonna hurt tomorrow.
I was right.
The workout for yesterday was tremendously simple - scaled down to buttercup level it was "5 pullups 5 times" subbing as necessary if you can't do a pullup.
I can't do a pullup. If I was at my ideal body weight, I think I'd be close, but I'm about 60 pounds overweight right now. I had been working on doing pulldowns, and have tried unsuccessfully to work on jumping pullups. Then I discovered the standing pulldown. Really engages your core - I can't lift as much standing as I can sitting on the squashy seat.
So I start with something easy: 110# 5 times. Work, but not too hard.
Again 110# 5 times. Harder, but not hard enough.
120# 5 times. Um. Have to jump a bit to get it started.
130# 5 times. Gosh, I must look ridiculous. Have to jump quite a bit to get it started. Really working at controlling the nadir before letting the weight down.
140# 5 times. Even with jumping, I failed on the final three.
Ow.
Onto other news. My weight today is officially EXACTLY the same as it was on 10/30/2007. You don't get to know the number though - state secret.
The good news is that my body measurements are down by 3.25 inches
Thigh: 27.25" to 26.5"
Belly: 44.5" to 43.5"
Bum: 46.5" to 46"
Boobs (No Bra): 47.75" to 47"
Chest (Above Boobs): 44.5" to 43.5"
Upper Arm: 14" to 14.75" (bigger!)
10/30 total is 224.5"
11/27 total is 221.25"
If this continues, I might just be out of plus sizes by summertime!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Just occurred to me
It just occurred to me that my brother and I were the only ones at the gym yesterday sucking wind and sweating buckets.
Granted, there weren't many people there, and there was a guy sweating a bit as we were leaving. However, I'm constantly amazed at how often I'm at the gym and I'm the only one who is red faced, sweaty, and breathing hard. Was very glad to have brother along.
Misery loves company. ;)
Granted, there weren't many people there, and there was a guy sweating a bit as we were leaving. However, I'm constantly amazed at how often I'm at the gym and I'm the only one who is red faced, sweaty, and breathing hard. Was very glad to have brother along.
Misery loves company. ;)
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Oh My, Michael
Today's workout is something called the Filthy Fifty. Think of a dozen evil exercises, and do about twenty of them each. Yikes.
Luckily, I missed yesterday's workout. A deceptively simple one called "Michael". The buttercup version looks pretty darned easy.
Three rounds for time of:
Run 400 Meters
10 Back Extensions
20 Situps
(from http://forum.brandxmartialarts.com/)
Easy peasy, right? Riiiight. Just you try it.
Well, in another stroke of luck, my brother also needed to do this workout today. He joined me. He's an absolute monster and can do the full workout:
Three rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters
50 Back Extensions
50 Sit-ups
So we go to the gym. We compared notebooks and it looked like my times from the last attempt were pretty close to his. Nice! Of course, he's doing a bigger workout, but I'm pudgy and unfit so it's fair.
I ran the first 400 m. Felt pretty good. Ran at 8.8 kmph which is an improvement over my last run at 8.5 kmph. 8.8 kmph = 5.46 mph = 10.97 minute miles. At the end I walked for a minute, and by then brother was done with his 800 m.
Back extensions were awesome. I think they're fun, and am sorely tempted to do 20 and then just do 10 situps. V. naughty.
Situps sucked, but so very much easier than last time!
Second run, less fun this time. Went down to 8.5 kmph. Again, walked a bit at the end.
Back extensions still fail to feel like exercise.
Situps sucked so much more. Still did better than last time where I failed partway through. At this point I'm panting hard. Not gasping, and not puking. Both are positive points. Brother seems to be hurting a similar amount, so I taunt him when I finish a couple of seconds ahead of him.
Third run. Not pretty. 8.2 kmph, then 7.9 kmph, then 7.5 kmph, then walk with a stitch, and finish last 100 at 8.5 kmph. Pretty close to gasping at the end, with a wicked stitch. Walk for a moment, and leave the treadmills a mere moment before brother does.
Back extensions become a lovely rest time. Love 'em. Brother suffers mightily during them, so as I leave to do my situps, I mock him again. Luckily he was tangled up on the back extension rack and couldn't reach me to hit me.
The situps went better than the second round, but I had to grunt on the last ten to finish. How ladylike! I did finish a few moments before brother.
All in all, I improved my time from last time by over a minute a round. Yay! Brother did well too, wasn't a personal record, but it was a highly respectable showing.
He also gave me a ginormous compliment - he said it looked like I was really working hard. That's nice to hear - I don't want to waste my time out there, and it's fun to have someone notice. He also gave me a molasses cookie, which was awesome.
It was really fun to do the workout with someone who knows what's going on, and has an idea of how I feel. Even though my workout was a much easier version of his, I was proud to even remotely keep up. I could have done even better for time if I hadn't taken a minute at the end of each run to recover a bit, but I'm still pleased with how I did.
Let's see how Michael the Third goes when it comes back up in the queue. Will have to invite brother along again and see how we both do.
Luckily, I missed yesterday's workout. A deceptively simple one called "Michael". The buttercup version looks pretty darned easy.
Three rounds for time of:
Run 400 Meters
10 Back Extensions
20 Situps
(from http://forum.brandxmartialarts.com/)
Easy peasy, right? Riiiight. Just you try it.
Well, in another stroke of luck, my brother also needed to do this workout today. He joined me. He's an absolute monster and can do the full workout:
Three rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters
50 Back Extensions
50 Sit-ups
So we go to the gym. We compared notebooks and it looked like my times from the last attempt were pretty close to his. Nice! Of course, he's doing a bigger workout, but I'm pudgy and unfit so it's fair.
I ran the first 400 m. Felt pretty good. Ran at 8.8 kmph which is an improvement over my last run at 8.5 kmph. 8.8 kmph = 5.46 mph = 10.97 minute miles. At the end I walked for a minute, and by then brother was done with his 800 m.
Back extensions were awesome. I think they're fun, and am sorely tempted to do 20 and then just do 10 situps. V. naughty.
Situps sucked, but so very much easier than last time!
Second run, less fun this time. Went down to 8.5 kmph. Again, walked a bit at the end.
Back extensions still fail to feel like exercise.
Situps sucked so much more. Still did better than last time where I failed partway through. At this point I'm panting hard. Not gasping, and not puking. Both are positive points. Brother seems to be hurting a similar amount, so I taunt him when I finish a couple of seconds ahead of him.
Third run. Not pretty. 8.2 kmph, then 7.9 kmph, then 7.5 kmph, then walk with a stitch, and finish last 100 at 8.5 kmph. Pretty close to gasping at the end, with a wicked stitch. Walk for a moment, and leave the treadmills a mere moment before brother does.
Back extensions become a lovely rest time. Love 'em. Brother suffers mightily during them, so as I leave to do my situps, I mock him again. Luckily he was tangled up on the back extension rack and couldn't reach me to hit me.
The situps went better than the second round, but I had to grunt on the last ten to finish. How ladylike! I did finish a few moments before brother.
All in all, I improved my time from last time by over a minute a round. Yay! Brother did well too, wasn't a personal record, but it was a highly respectable showing.
He also gave me a ginormous compliment - he said it looked like I was really working hard. That's nice to hear - I don't want to waste my time out there, and it's fun to have someone notice. He also gave me a molasses cookie, which was awesome.
It was really fun to do the workout with someone who knows what's going on, and has an idea of how I feel. Even though my workout was a much easier version of his, I was proud to even remotely keep up. I could have done even better for time if I hadn't taken a minute at the end of each run to recover a bit, but I'm still pleased with how I did.
Let's see how Michael the Third goes when it comes back up in the queue. Will have to invite brother along again and see how we both do.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Hungry
Back to the new normal now, just about. Energy level is high again, and the bloat seems to be on its way out. Tummy is still bigger than it was, but my cheekbones have re-emerged from the podge, and I'm very glad to see them.
It's still hard to say for sure if I've lost weight, since it fluctuates so much on a day to day basis. It seems to be averaging about 2 pounds down from the beginning of this adventure. However, since the advent of the Big Bloat of '07, it's hard to tell.
Today has been a really hungry day. Woke up hungry, was hungry again for lunch, and was hungry enough when I got home that I had a snack. I'm already really looking forwards to my dinner. I'm really enjoying the hunger, and I find I delay eating a bit to revel in the novel sensation. I'm also trying hard to eat moderate portions of high quality foods (especially given the sins of last week), so pushing the hunger just a little bit is just fine. It helps me gauge my eating, and I hope it indicates that I'm not overeating.
Last time I had a truly hungry day was the day after my workout included a run. Yesterday, my workout included a run. Ding ding ding! This requires further testing, but I think I'm going to modify my workouts slightly, and add a bit of running to the warmup when appropriate. If running is the secret to triggering hunger, and if hunger is some kind of indicator of a metabolism, and if a metabolism will help me de-fattify, then all is good. That's quite a stack of if's though.
I didn't run much, mind you. I ran as prescribed in the buttercups portion of the workout of the day - 400 meters three times. 3/4 of a mile, total. I ran at 8.5 km/h, or 5.28 mph. 11.5 minute mile pace.
In other news, I checked myself out in my workout gear and though my figure wasn't impressive in general, I've got a great butt. :)
I announced this to husband, upon returning home, and he grinned. He also said that my "shape was different." I asked him if my shape was "better" and he grinned. He's not one for splashing around compliments, and doesn't tend to tell me things that he thinks I should know. I've told him that, being a girl, knowing isn't enough. You need to tell us again and again - not every day, and not every week, but just once isn't enough for girls. Aren't we silly? However, I'm taking this one as a big ol' compliment, and am subsequently fairly pleased.
Trainer dude was at the gym again yesterday, and as I was walking the gauntlet from the treadmills to the back room, all red and sweaty, he asked grinningly if I was having fun yet. I replied "Of course! I'm red and sweaty, aren't I?".
It's still hard to say for sure if I've lost weight, since it fluctuates so much on a day to day basis. It seems to be averaging about 2 pounds down from the beginning of this adventure. However, since the advent of the Big Bloat of '07, it's hard to tell.
Today has been a really hungry day. Woke up hungry, was hungry again for lunch, and was hungry enough when I got home that I had a snack. I'm already really looking forwards to my dinner. I'm really enjoying the hunger, and I find I delay eating a bit to revel in the novel sensation. I'm also trying hard to eat moderate portions of high quality foods (especially given the sins of last week), so pushing the hunger just a little bit is just fine. It helps me gauge my eating, and I hope it indicates that I'm not overeating.
Last time I had a truly hungry day was the day after my workout included a run. Yesterday, my workout included a run. Ding ding ding! This requires further testing, but I think I'm going to modify my workouts slightly, and add a bit of running to the warmup when appropriate. If running is the secret to triggering hunger, and if hunger is some kind of indicator of a metabolism, and if a metabolism will help me de-fattify, then all is good. That's quite a stack of if's though.
I didn't run much, mind you. I ran as prescribed in the buttercups portion of the workout of the day - 400 meters three times. 3/4 of a mile, total. I ran at 8.5 km/h, or 5.28 mph. 11.5 minute mile pace.
In other news, I checked myself out in my workout gear and though my figure wasn't impressive in general, I've got a great butt. :)
I announced this to husband, upon returning home, and he grinned. He also said that my "shape was different." I asked him if my shape was "better" and he grinned. He's not one for splashing around compliments, and doesn't tend to tell me things that he thinks I should know. I've told him that, being a girl, knowing isn't enough. You need to tell us again and again - not every day, and not every week, but just once isn't enough for girls. Aren't we silly? However, I'm taking this one as a big ol' compliment, and am subsequently fairly pleased.
Trainer dude was at the gym again yesterday, and as I was walking the gauntlet from the treadmills to the back room, all red and sweaty, he asked grinningly if I was having fun yet. I replied "Of course! I'm red and sweaty, aren't I?".
Monday, November 12, 2007
Three Dog Night
Three Post Day. Slightly different, but I digress.
Am feeling a bit better now. If, that is, you intend "better" to mean; shaky legs, sweaty, weak arms.
I was a good girl, took the bitter pill, and went and worked out. Couldn't quite remember what I was supposed to do as I left my note in the car. Ah well.
I was supposed to do:
Complete as many rounds as you can in twelve minutes of:
3 Handstand Push-ups
6 L Pull-ups
9 Steps, Walking Lunge
(from http://forum.brandxmartialarts.com/viewtopic.php?t=3592&sid=ae4aa62e1845a6c3e0bbb84ae37926a7)
Instead I did:
Complete as many rounds as you can in twelve minutes of:
3 Ugly half push-ups with my feet up on a bench.
3 Pull-downs
15 Steps, Walking Lunge
I only made it two rounds in the twelve minutes, but I think I'd have made it three if I had only done 9 walking lunges. D'oh.
I also forgot to practice L-Sits at the end, so if it is compatible I'll add that to tomorrow's workout.
The first 3 pull-downs were 120#, the second 3 were 130#.
Total case of shaky leg right now.
I'm still Ol' Bloaty right now, but as I was changing in the locker room I noticed a bit more definition in my deltoids. :) Squee! My legs look lumpier too. Lumpier in the good way.
My destiny may still be fat girl, but at least it will be fat muscly girl. That's a much happier girl to be.
Am feeling a bit better now. If, that is, you intend "better" to mean; shaky legs, sweaty, weak arms.
I was a good girl, took the bitter pill, and went and worked out. Couldn't quite remember what I was supposed to do as I left my note in the car. Ah well.
I was supposed to do:
Complete as many rounds as you can in twelve minutes of:
3 Handstand Push-ups
6 L Pull-ups
9 Steps, Walking Lunge
(from http://forum.brandxmartialarts.com/viewtopic.php?t=3592&sid=ae4aa62e1845a6c3e0bbb84ae37926a7)
Instead I did:
Complete as many rounds as you can in twelve minutes of:
3 Ugly half push-ups with my feet up on a bench.
3 Pull-downs
15 Steps, Walking Lunge
I only made it two rounds in the twelve minutes, but I think I'd have made it three if I had only done 9 walking lunges. D'oh.
I also forgot to practice L-Sits at the end, so if it is compatible I'll add that to tomorrow's workout.
The first 3 pull-downs were 120#, the second 3 were 130#.
Total case of shaky leg right now.
I'm still Ol' Bloaty right now, but as I was changing in the locker room I noticed a bit more definition in my deltoids. :) Squee! My legs look lumpier too. Lumpier in the good way.
My destiny may still be fat girl, but at least it will be fat muscly girl. That's a much happier girl to be.
*laughing*
Just had to share this. Very very few people visit this blog, and that's fine with me. Ultimately I write this for myself, though I'm incredibly honored and flattered when *anyone* else comes for a visit. Welcome!
I've had a few random visitors, and they found me by googling the following:
"vici shoes" 2 visitors
"abnormal swiss cheese thyroid" 1 visitor
"alentejo pork head cheese" 1 visitor
"breadfast nooks" 1 visitor
"gondoliers shoes" 1 visitor
A lot of the googlings involve shoes, so in that honor, I give you a Feets shot from Portugal, and one from Venice. Enjoy!
Red Shoes in Lisbon
Red Shoes in Venice
I've had a few random visitors, and they found me by googling the following:
"vici shoes" 2 visitors
"abnormal swiss cheese thyroid" 1 visitor
"alentejo pork head cheese" 1 visitor
"breadfast nooks" 1 visitor
"gondoliers shoes" 1 visitor
A lot of the googlings involve shoes, so in that honor, I give you a Feets shot from Portugal, and one from Venice. Enjoy!
Red Shoes in Lisbon
Red Shoes in Venice
It was bound to happen eventually...
It was bound to happen eventually. Didn't have a good day yesterday. I was draggy all day, even had a three hour nap in the afternoon. Bleah.
There are various points of note, however, that I'd like to mark down for posterity.
1. I used to feel like that all the time, and I don't now. This was a short sharp reminder of how wonderful things are now, in general.
2. I do feel much better today, not totally back to 'awesome', but definitely coming out of the blahs. I'd like to note that this isn't a mood swing - my mood has been fine, this has been an issue of energy level.
3. *girly part* I got my period last Thursday evening and it ended this morning. That's a four day period. Massive improvement over the 8 day festivals I've been having up until this month. The blahs could be related. *end girly part*
4. Today, I weighed in at my all time highest weight EVER. Last week I was starting to think I'd lost some weight, since my average seemed to be down a couple of pounds. Now, my belly is swollen, my face is very round again (cheekbones! I miss you cheekbones!). This seriously feels like a twelve pound bloat. I'm afraid I'm not exaggerating.
5. In all fairness, I've eaten like crap lately. Pizza last Thursday, Indian food Friday, party food (including cake, crackers, grapes, and other crap) on Saturday, and chips yesterday. Writing this down horrifies me. I'm mad that I might have done this at myself, and as of this moment am going to toe the line a bit better.
The good news is that it's a Crossfit day, so I've got that to look forwards to. I really enjoy the workouts. Today it's lunges (love doing lunges!), handstand pushups or the closest you can manage, pullups or the closest you can manage, and l-sits (at which, I suck). Should be fun!
There are various points of note, however, that I'd like to mark down for posterity.
1. I used to feel like that all the time, and I don't now. This was a short sharp reminder of how wonderful things are now, in general.
2. I do feel much better today, not totally back to 'awesome', but definitely coming out of the blahs. I'd like to note that this isn't a mood swing - my mood has been fine, this has been an issue of energy level.
3. *girly part* I got my period last Thursday evening and it ended this morning. That's a four day period. Massive improvement over the 8 day festivals I've been having up until this month. The blahs could be related. *end girly part*
4. Today, I weighed in at my all time highest weight EVER. Last week I was starting to think I'd lost some weight, since my average seemed to be down a couple of pounds. Now, my belly is swollen, my face is very round again (cheekbones! I miss you cheekbones!). This seriously feels like a twelve pound bloat. I'm afraid I'm not exaggerating.
5. In all fairness, I've eaten like crap lately. Pizza last Thursday, Indian food Friday, party food (including cake, crackers, grapes, and other crap) on Saturday, and chips yesterday. Writing this down horrifies me. I'm mad that I might have done this at myself, and as of this moment am going to toe the line a bit better.
The good news is that it's a Crossfit day, so I've got that to look forwards to. I really enjoy the workouts. Today it's lunges (love doing lunges!), handstand pushups or the closest you can manage, pullups or the closest you can manage, and l-sits (at which, I suck). Should be fun!
Friday, November 09, 2007
One Month
Today I took the last pill in my first 30 day supply of levothyroxine. I am continuing to feel awesome. I'm sleeping though the night better. I have fewer sugar cravings. I wasn't eating a huge amount of sugar before, but if I walked past exquisite pastries or similar, I wanted them. Now, not so much. Sometimes they look really scrummy, sometimes not.
My appetite is still really changeable, most days are low appetite like before, but I get the occasional day when I get hungry three times. I like those days, dinner is extra delicious.
My energy level remains high, but not stressy high like grad school. It's awesome. I only had two naps this month, and those were on days following very short nights of sleep. It used to be a good week if I only had two naps.
My self-esteem is higher too. This one is hard to quantify, but rather than looking at things I haven't done and seeing them as a personal failure I just see them as things I ought to do. That's an important distinction. I'm also much more likely to say 'just deal with it' when someone presents me with a personal flaw or mistake. My poor husband has to withstand more practical jokes now too. Poor guy.
I'm warmer in general, I wear fewer clothes and no longer have to sit wrapped in a blanket on the couch. This one's a bit harder to quantify as well since we're deep in late fall/early winter here in Minnesota. It's getting chilly! We had a little bit of snow while I was writing this, and all of the trees I can see right now have lost their leaves except for my gorgeous little red maple. That is a stubborn tree!
I have been told that I look a bit thinner and seem more energetic. I'm not much lighter - maybe averaging a pound or two down, but I've been exercising a whole bunch so I'm willing to accept that I might be thinner but not lighter. I'm definitely more muscly.
All in all, it's been a good month. I'm thrilled with my progress, and incredibly grateful for everyone's support. Thank you!
As a postscript to yesterday's workout. I am quite uncomfortable today - legs a bit sore, lower back very sore. It's not the bad sore, like I've hurt myself, just good sore. I'm also feeling it in my hips a bit.
My appetite is still really changeable, most days are low appetite like before, but I get the occasional day when I get hungry three times. I like those days, dinner is extra delicious.
My energy level remains high, but not stressy high like grad school. It's awesome. I only had two naps this month, and those were on days following very short nights of sleep. It used to be a good week if I only had two naps.
My self-esteem is higher too. This one is hard to quantify, but rather than looking at things I haven't done and seeing them as a personal failure I just see them as things I ought to do. That's an important distinction. I'm also much more likely to say 'just deal with it' when someone presents me with a personal flaw or mistake. My poor husband has to withstand more practical jokes now too. Poor guy.
I'm warmer in general, I wear fewer clothes and no longer have to sit wrapped in a blanket on the couch. This one's a bit harder to quantify as well since we're deep in late fall/early winter here in Minnesota. It's getting chilly! We had a little bit of snow while I was writing this, and all of the trees I can see right now have lost their leaves except for my gorgeous little red maple. That is a stubborn tree!
I have been told that I look a bit thinner and seem more energetic. I'm not much lighter - maybe averaging a pound or two down, but I've been exercising a whole bunch so I'm willing to accept that I might be thinner but not lighter. I'm definitely more muscly.
All in all, it's been a good month. I'm thrilled with my progress, and incredibly grateful for everyone's support. Thank you!
As a postscript to yesterday's workout. I am quite uncomfortable today - legs a bit sore, lower back very sore. It's not the bad sore, like I've hurt myself, just good sore. I'm also feeling it in my hips a bit.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Dead
I can't decide if I feel great or awful right now.
Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3
So off to the gym I go, do the warmup. Good news there. Though my pushups are still mightily ugly, they are less ugly than they used to be. We're all about the less-ugly round here. Everything else went fine. Got bored with the back extensions so instead of having my arms at cross-your-heart I went up to hands-behind-head. The goal is to work up to the full superman.
While I was doing the matwork portion of working out there was a woman getting a training consult from a guy and she never stopped talking. Never. Not once. I was in awe. She also prefaced all exercise with either 'I can't do that' or 'Can I really do that?". Now I'm all in favor of modesty and trying to be reasonable up front about anticipated limits, but I hope like heck I've never done *that*. Dude was being great with her though and saying awesome things to her like "Yeah you can do that", "See, you've got muscles!".
So I pop next door in buffdude central, the room with all the big weights and bigger fellas.
Fwaw.
There are two barbell stations where you can do deadlifts, and one of them has three big gorgeous fellas at it. They're doing big lifting.
Chin high, trying to look cool but not bitchy, I go over to the other station and I've got to set up the barbell. Last time I did this, my brother helped me. This time, I've got to solo it because there's NO WAY IN HECK that I am asking for help. Unless I crush a toe.
Okay, first things first, the 45# bar. Good, it's already there.
Next I need the lever bar thing for holding it up. Check.
Okay, I'm aiming for 135# for the first lift, so I find the 45# doughnuts, grab one and lever up the bar. Stabilizing it with my foot, I put on one doughnut, then the other. So far so good.
Get all lined up. I'd watched the instructional video today, so I knew in theory what to do. Feet under bar, shins 2" away, bend, grab, arch back for the duck butt, deep breath, look up...
and they're all looking at me.
Great. Let's hope that I can lift this, that I look tidy doing so, and that I don't break wind or similar.
135 135 135
Ok. Not so bad. Put it down. They're all off doing their own things now, so am much less self-conscious.
135 135 135
Starting to feel it in my back a bit. Still, going to step it up a touch.
145 145 145
Okay, that's feeling like exercise.
145 145 145 145
Got a little back rounding on the third one, so aborted the put down. Stood back up, then did it properly. Then lost count and did it all again. Whoops. Are we seeing a theme here?
Last one now
155 155 155
Back is on the verge of failure, arms have a bit of a tremor, and a forgotten hamstring injury just woke up.
Okay, I admit it. I feel great.
:)
I managed to put the bar away without embarrassing myself and then got to enjoy the walk to the locker room with the feeling like my back has just relaxed from a huge cramp. Hard to describe the feeling. I felt great, but awful. Mostly great though.
Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3
So off to the gym I go, do the warmup. Good news there. Though my pushups are still mightily ugly, they are less ugly than they used to be. We're all about the less-ugly round here. Everything else went fine. Got bored with the back extensions so instead of having my arms at cross-your-heart I went up to hands-behind-head. The goal is to work up to the full superman.
While I was doing the matwork portion of working out there was a woman getting a training consult from a guy and she never stopped talking. Never. Not once. I was in awe. She also prefaced all exercise with either 'I can't do that' or 'Can I really do that?". Now I'm all in favor of modesty and trying to be reasonable up front about anticipated limits, but I hope like heck I've never done *that*. Dude was being great with her though and saying awesome things to her like "Yeah you can do that", "See, you've got muscles!".
So I pop next door in buffdude central, the room with all the big weights and bigger fellas.
Fwaw.
There are two barbell stations where you can do deadlifts, and one of them has three big gorgeous fellas at it. They're doing big lifting.
Chin high, trying to look cool but not bitchy, I go over to the other station and I've got to set up the barbell. Last time I did this, my brother helped me. This time, I've got to solo it because there's NO WAY IN HECK that I am asking for help. Unless I crush a toe.
Okay, first things first, the 45# bar. Good, it's already there.
Next I need the lever bar thing for holding it up. Check.
Okay, I'm aiming for 135# for the first lift, so I find the 45# doughnuts, grab one and lever up the bar. Stabilizing it with my foot, I put on one doughnut, then the other. So far so good.
Get all lined up. I'd watched the instructional video today, so I knew in theory what to do. Feet under bar, shins 2" away, bend, grab, arch back for the duck butt, deep breath, look up...
and they're all looking at me.
Great. Let's hope that I can lift this, that I look tidy doing so, and that I don't break wind or similar.
135 135 135
Ok. Not so bad. Put it down. They're all off doing their own things now, so am much less self-conscious.
135 135 135
Starting to feel it in my back a bit. Still, going to step it up a touch.
145 145 145
Okay, that's feeling like exercise.
145 145 145 145
Got a little back rounding on the third one, so aborted the put down. Stood back up, then did it properly. Then lost count and did it all again. Whoops. Are we seeing a theme here?
Last one now
155 155 155
Back is on the verge of failure, arms have a bit of a tremor, and a forgotten hamstring injury just woke up.
Okay, I admit it. I feel great.
:)
I managed to put the bar away without embarrassing myself and then got to enjoy the walk to the locker room with the feeling like my back has just relaxed from a huge cramp. Hard to describe the feeling. I felt great, but awful. Mostly great though.
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