I can move again

[Dogbert199]

Some of you know I was laid up with a major inability to move due to a disc herniation in my cervical spine.

Well, after shot number two, Lyrica, Mobic, and some very large blue pain killers, I can move again. Managed to do 30 min on the EFX today and while I was in a lot of pain after, it was nothing a blue pill couldn't take care of.

Mrs Riggs, by the way, suggests I not use the term Happy Blue Horse Pill so as not to confuse others with a little blue pill that makes people happy. . .

So I'll be back in the saddle again, eating six meals a day, managing my carb intake to reflect low glycemic foods but not totally doing induction.

I came across, during my non-movement, The Atkins Diabetic Revolution CD's and "the ABSCP" (Atkins Blood Sugar Control Program).

It seems that after his death, the doc's at Atkins have gone Zone-ish. . . which is welcome to me.

So I'm now documenting my meals on here, my exercise on here, and hope that those of you, men particularly, visit from time to time.

[j13]

Glad to hear you've had some improvement. I hope you can keep to the diet. Good luck.

If you're interested in men's issues, there's a men's thread here:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?p=6456983#post6456983

-j.

[Charran]

That is great news Dogbert! I hope that as you lose weight, you will be able to experience more freedom of movement and maybe even give up the pain pills! Good luck with your eating plan and exercise!

[Dogbert199]

Kicked butt again yesterday at the gym on the EFX for 30 min.

It's not an hour but for someone nearly 400 pounds, 30 min is kick ~ss!

Met with my doc today and we're going to do one last shot. If it doesn't fix things, then I'm off to someone who specializes in spinal surgery on the morbidly obese.

I'm hoping the third shot is all I need so I can drop the 100 pounds I need so my doc will do the surgery (if I even need it at that point).

It just feels good to be able to move again.

[j13]

Kicked butt again yesterday at the gym on the EFX for 30 min.

It's not an hour but for someone nearly 400 pounds, 30 min is kick ~ss!

Met with my doc today and we're going to do one last shot. If it doesn't fix things, then I'm off to someone who specializes in spinal surgery on the morbidly obese.

I'm hoping the third shot is all I need so I can drop the 100 pounds I need so my doc will do the surgery (if I even need it at that point).

It just feels good to be able to move again.

Awesome, Dogbert - now keep with it! You CAN lose the weight.

-j.

[MicheleK]

Kicked butt again yesterday at the gym on the EFX for 30 min.

It's not an hour but for someone nearly 400 pounds, 30 min is kick ~ss!

Met with my doc today and we're going to do one last shot. If it doesn't fix things, then I'm off to someone who specializes in spinal surgery on the morbidly obese.

I'm hoping the third shot is all I need so I can drop the 100 pounds I need so my doc will do the surgery (if I even need it at that point).

It just feels good to be able to move again.


WOW Way to go!! That's awesome!! You are a true inspiration to us all :)

[rabrijumo]

Awesome Dogbert, you are inspiring me to get off my butt and start curves. even if I am as heavy as I am you have demonstrated that you can still get out there and move. Thanks for your comments on my thread too

[Dogbert199]

Well, we go in for injection number three tomorrow. . . so the goal is to get in a good workout today, work hard in PT tomorrow, because after the spinal shot, I'm pretty much out of commission through the weekend.

[j13]

Good luck, hope it works out.

-j.

[fatnfedup]

You go DOG!

[montanasun]

Good luck! I hope the shot works.

Way to go with exercising!

[Dogbert199]

Well, I didn't get into PT because I had to run my almost 75 yo mom to the doc this AM, and I didn't get in my workout yesterday because of work obligations.

The BIG plus is that diet wise I was right on the money.

It's becoming much easier to manage what I eat because I've been using MyP.L.A.N. here on the site to keep a food diary.

I had a nutritionist once tell me that whether you do low carb, low fat, low taste, low whatever the one thing that worked better than ALL of them combined was keeping a food diary.

It simply keeps you aware of what is and isn't going into your body.

I'll post again after my nerve root injection.

[fluffybear]

I am glad you are doing better. Hope you continue to improve.

[Dogbert199]

Under the title "It's a sad dog who won't wag his own tail" I had a weak weekend (a free day that became a couple of free days) and a VERY strong week.

I'm taking it so very easy on my upper body but today I was able to do a freestyle stroke in the pool for the first time since June.

It didn't last long, barely a lap, but 50m is better then zero, and that's what it's been for months.

After I hit the EFX for a mile (13:00) and feel awesome.

Back to tracking my foods, and no change in weight so far. That's fine. I'm working on strengthening the muscles in my inner and outer legs to support the EFX training and I expect to simply have clothes fit better than see a drop in scale weight.

If I'm not dropping pounds in three weeks, then I'll know something needs tweaking.

[j13]

I had a weak weekend (a free day that became a couple of free days)

Seriously, Dogbert, why are you giving yourself "free days?" Look at what happened last time - you allowed yourself to eat buns with your dinner and then everything went to hell. You've got to stop it! Either do it, or don't. Stop giving yourself outs!

One important point is that you're even referring to it as a "free day." The implication is that the rest of the time you're NOT free - which is just not the case in any way, shape or form. I am free to go to the store and buy 6 reese's peanut butter cups right now, like I used to regularly on my way home from work - I choose not to. I don't eat those things because I choose not to. I am free, I make choices. You are free, you make choices. Own your decisions! Every time you eat something, say to yourself "I am choosing to eat this." Think of what it means, and why you're doing it. If you're in ketosis, 99% of the time you're NOT doing it out of real hunger.

Don't get me wrong - it's good that you're at least doing physical therapy. But come on, man! This is a lifestyle change - especially for people in the hole that you're in and, aknowledging that I still have a way to go, the hole that I've managed to pull myself out of since I started in January.

Believe me when I say that I really want you to succeed - if I didn't I wouldn't even post. It's just so depressing to me to read your posts sometimes because it reminds me so much of the way I used to think, and I really recognize a lot of the same things going on with you that were going on with me. I just hope you don't get to the point that I hit, which was a complete physical and emotional bottom, before it breaks. I can see in myself that I honestly could have very easily ended up dead before 30. Now I'm giving myself a shot at a life. I hope you can do the same.

And again, keep up the PT - good work there. Just imagine how much better it would be going if you could get yourself to start shedding the weight big-time, which WILL happen if you get yourself into low-carb in a big way. Even if you don't exercise, you won't be able to AVOID losing weight if you drop the carbs, if only in the form of 30 lbs of water weight.

-j.

[Dogbert199]

j.,

I know you wouldn't post if you didn't support what I'm trying to do.

And I appreciate what you're saying, but free days are something that's allowed on the program.

And the concept of a free day is a very real part of the program.

I'm not doing Atkins, I'm doing BFL.

I'm on about 1,500-1,800 calories a day, with a protein to carb ratio of about 1:1 and about 20% coming from fats.

That's a LOT different than the 45/45/10 protein/fat/carb ratio when I'm doing low carb.

And I like what I'm doing.

I feel good.

I'm getting stronger.

I'm moving again, which is more than I can say before, even pre-injury.

So if I'm feeling better physically, mentally, and emotionally, I'm going to stick to it for now and judge by results, not preconceptions.

The free day is basically one day per seven where you throw out all the rules. You want pancakes and waffles and bacon and eggs for breakfast topped off with Krispy Kremes? Go for it.

You do that and you'll be sick. And you won't do it often.

Well, I had six awesome days, and a free day. Then a free day, so I'm looking at six more awesome days followed by six on top of that.

The plan is to get through Thanksgiving Day (including TG Day) on track, on target, on caloric goals, and on exercise.

I'm never hungry unless I skip two meals; I eat six meals a day.

And the Friday after Turkey Day? I get to hit a NY deli in Houston called Kenney and Ziggy's! It's not the Carnegie Deli, but it'll do. . .

Pastrami and Knishes and Egg Creams are in my future.

And then, j., I'm back on for six days.

Some people get it. . . some people think it's doomed.

Me, after no real exercise since June, I've gotten it.

And I'm never taking exercise for granted again.

[Dogbert199]

Another day, another workout.

Mrs Riggs and I went last night to buy goggles and a snorkel.

Well, I got to swimming with them on (never done it before) in the gym pool. Looked a little funny but I was able to swim a few laps for the first time since June. I imagine I'm gonna have a lot of "first time since June"'s in the next few weeks.

Combine that with yesterdays swim/run, I know my workout routine is now going to try and combine at least two of the three elements of a triathlon. Not that I'm going to compete in one (at least not anytime soon), but mixing up running on an elliptical with swimming with cycling can only be a good thing.

Hopefully soon I'll be able to do upper body work and then watch out!

[j13]

Sorry; I'm not familiar with the program, and I didn't recognize that you were on it, so I didn't know that a free day was anything other than you just letting yourself do what you want. I wouldn't be able to do it because I'd have the problem of free days turning into john lennon-style "lost weekends." :) Regardless, I hope it works out for you, and congrats on the exercise - keep it up!

-j.

[Dogbert199]

Another weekend, and NO free days (yaaayyyyy!!!!!).

Actually, had a major scare.

Friday night i had some serious symptoms and so i called into the on-call doc at back institute I go to.

He's some new kid and I swear he's got a Power Rangers watch who had no idea how to respond, didn't have my chart, didn't know anything about my case, all he knew was i showed signs of spinal chord compression.

So it's the day before my 1st anniversary (my God, we made it a year), and Mrs Riggs is crying in the ER next to my gurney, i'm cracking anniversary-to-remember jokes, and the ER said since the symptoms went away, we won't do anything.

Then they did a blood pressure (normal), diabetic sugar test (seriously normal) and I began doing the Dance of Joy!

But what a way to get there.

Last night, me and the Mrs went swimming in cold water (like hell the pool is heated) and I managed to swim 30 min straight for the first time in six months!

I still haven't lost weight, but was told not to judge that for at least another week (the whole muscle / fat thing).

[Dogbert199]

Hey, check that, I went from 394 to 392.

[Dogbert199]

Guess I'm feeling gabby today.

The big thing with the Dance of Joy is that in June I was diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome.

You have Metabolic Syndrome (aka Syndrome X) if you have:
Fasting hyperglycemia — diabetes mellitus type 2 or impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or insulin resistance;
High blood pressure;
Central obesity (also known as visceral, male-pattern or apple-shaped adiposity), overweight with fat deposits mainly around the waist;
Decreased HDL cholesterol;
Elevated triglycerides;
Elevated uric acid levels.

So in June I had fasting hyperglycemia; High blood pressure; Central obesity; Decreased HDL cholesterol; Elevated triglycerides; Elevated uric acid levels.

Low carb eviscerates high triglycerides. . . but since I'm not doing low carb now, I don't know where that stands. And there's nothing thats gonna happen with central obesity at nearly 400 pounds.

But if you eliminate essentially any 1 of those, you no longer have Meta Syndrome.

On Saturday we discovered I eliminated two.

Oh, and j., BFL is Body for Life - www.bodyforlife.com. It's nothing more than a standard pyramiding weight training program combined with six protein/carb balanced meals a day of about 300 calories.

The first time I did a free day many moons ago I fell so badly I swore I could never do the diet successfully. Now, I pre-plan them. Otherwise, I'll fail.

If I don't start losing pounds at a serious pace in the next week or two, I will likely move back to Atkins. The exercise program I'm on has been key and for me, it's been more important getting physically active again than anything else.

Because it's my belief that ANY diet will work if you're seriously exercising.

[Dogbert199]

Last night, on the way home from work, I had to make the decision to go swim laps or go run errands.

I swam laps.

It's the best decision I've made in awhile. I just feel like a recommitted athlete in training.

Once upon a time I was lean, trim, strong, and could run 6 miles a day without a problem. Now I'm just strong, and that's been stopped by the herniated disc.

So the doc's today have told me I need to drop the 100 pounds before we can talk surgery, and there's nothing more for them to do until then. . .

Now it's Rocky time!

[j13]

Good man, Dogbert! Keep it up. Success is a series of good choices, failure a series of excuses. Good to see you're on track and committed to making good choices.

-j.