Day 3 of "Maintenance Break"
Weigh in yesterday - 188.2 (within normal range)
Weigh in this a.m. - 189.2 (within normal range)
I expect I'll be fluctuating as I increase the calories. Increased intake also means increase in sodium and in turn increase in water weight. Although right now, there is likely an increase in inflammation in the body as well.
Yesterday was another good learning experience and one in which I was reminded of my minimums. Minimums were another suggestion Heather Robinson put out there when it came to approaching weight loss and weight maintenance.
So, what are minimums?
A minimum looks something like this...when I was in the hospital last July, I realized aside from the fact that there was no sensation in my waist and legs, that I was going to be sedentary for 5 days. It occurred to me I wasn't going to be able to strength train in the hospital ward, much less ride the recumbent bike. Given the levity of the circumstance, one might have thought I might just throw the WOE and exercise out the window and say, "screw it all!"
C'mon, no one was going to hold it against me. As SMP stated, weight doesn't really matter to the person that can't move their arms or legs.
But, we also know when tough circumstances fall upon us, whether psychologically stressful or physically stressful, it's often at a moment when our bodies need us to try and be the healthiest.
And, this is what I kept in mind at the hospital. It was also the reason why I cut my calories back to 1000 during my stay, which given it's hospital food wasn't that challenging. However, keep in mind they had me on 5 days worth of potent intravenous steroids, which are known to cause intense appetite cravings. I was no exception to the rule, but understood I wasn't going to die if I denied the cravings. I also grabbed the walker and did a mile around the hospital ward at least once each day. The nurses cheered me on so it was good incentive and frankly I was a bit freaked out about not having any sensation in my legs. Part of me was hoping I might WALK some sensation into them! It never happened, but at least it reassured me I wasn't paralyzed.
The point is, these things were my minimums under circumstance of duress. I didn't focus on what I wasn't able to do, but chose to focus on what I was capable of doing. Part of what inspired me to explore those minimums at that time was remembering Heather's mention of the wheelchair bound man she sees at the gym every times she goes. As she states, he has no use of his lower limbs, but he has the most amazing upper body one has ever seen. He's not focused on what he can't do, he's focusing on what he CAN and is able to exercise and develop. And, as result it likely increases the health and over all well being of those parts that aren't working so well.
The point of minimums is to entertain the minimal amount of effort one is willing to put in to maintaining their WOE and/or fitness (if exercise is involved) when sh$t hits the fan. I think Heather's minimum is exercise 3 days/week for 30 minutes doing some form of fitness. I liked that minimum because it's doable. As for the WOE, she recommends during stressful times, people just worry about maintenance rather that weight loss, which I feel is very pragmatic, but also reinforces the notion it is important to know how to maintain a current weight, because when sh$t hits the fan, the last thing a person wants to worry about is what their maintenance calories are much less how to maintain weight loss on their particular WOE, thus the other essential reason for "practicing maintenance".
Yesterday, Mom and I decided to wake up early to go see the sunflowers at sunrise. I did okay and made sure to bring my cane this time to navigate the uneven ground. We also decided to go to Chaps after and try one of their gourmet breakfasts. I had worked out the day before and for some reason was feeling intensely sore. This was a bit disturbing to me because Friday's workout was cardio (which is actually my least challenging). I didn't increase any reps for the push ups, and had a "cog fog" moment and forgot to increase the time for the plank. In short, Friday's workout was no different and probably less intense than Wednesday's workout, but my body felt incredibly achey like I did 200 sit ups.
I also felt very fatigued like I was coming down with something. By the time we got home, I went straight to bed and slept for a couple of hours. I felt better when I woke up, but decided strength training was out of the question. The increase in dosage on the immuno-suppressives is catching up and I'm pretty sure my white blood cells are likely flipping me the bird. I don't get the rash anymore if I take the baby aspirin, but my skin stings at times and feels sensitive to the touch, and hot. A wave of nausea came over me as well and I had to sit down for a bit and drink some ice water. It did help, but I knew I wanted to get my minimum in, so...
After I felt up to it, I went and swam a half a mile in the pool and made sure to take some motrin afterward.
I feel better this a.m. and the goal is to fit in strength training today and maybe, just maybe another half mile in the pool or perhaps a quarter mile. We'll see what I'm up for...
Still, as this body adjusts to the meds and continues to try and adapt to the challenges of MS, it was a good reminder to remember my minimums. Speaking from experience, It's a lot less challenging to bounce back into a WOE from a minimum than to climb back into that moving wagon once we've stumbled off.
Have a beautiful Sunday, everyone.
