Good morning!
Before reading any further, please hit "PLAY" on this:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bPmVhyHBRAM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It sets the mood so well for today's journal. :)
...
First of all, I want to
thank you all for all the support yesterday.
I was dreading the day, it's not every day you get a shock to your heart, but it turned out - as the doctors and nurses had told me - to be nothing at all.
The most dreadful thing of the whole seance was the waiting.
As I have talked about here a few times before, I was there to have an uneven heart rythm fixed. Basically, they give you an electric shock to the heart, which is supposed to "knock" the heart back into regular rythm.
...
Wife and I arrived at the hospital at 8:30 AM, and I guess I was expecting them to get going right away. Well, I was wrong. A dozen preliminary tests had to be done, talk to doctors, blood tests, EKGs and what-have-you. It was A LOT.
Then, waiting. I was told that they were gonna do the procedure at 10:30 AM, so we were basically just there waiting for everyone else to get ready.
I asked Wife to take a picture of me, for today's journal, and she gave me this:
Yup. There's a reason I'm nuts about her. :)
...
So, the doctors come and we get going. They put like a gazillion patches on me, more than I have already from heart monitors and other strange machines, and then the BIG SCARY patches from the defibrillator (not sure if this is what they call it when it's not to save lives, but to fix conditions like mine, but it's basically what it is).
One more scary thing... the patches are very sticky, especially those last, very large ones. And one sits right on my chest. On top of the chest hairs. I was DREADING having this taken off again. Not only all the little patches, they already were pulling everywhere, but this would be a b**tch to take off.
...
So, they put me under. I just lie there, comfortably, eyes closed. Suddenly I feel that I get light headed. Then I suppose I pass out, because the next thing I realize is that I wake up.
I'm always great entertainment for the hospital staff when I wake up, because I speak English (Danish is my first language, I live in Denmark). They are all puzzled by this, but the reason is that Wife is American and we speak English at home. She's the one on my mind the most, I think, and my language is leaning so much towards English in my everyday life.
So, the nurses always have a good laugh. I'm happy to entertain. I'm just happy I'm not like this:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/IqebEymqFS8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I can watch this video again and again. SO FUN!
...
So, anyways... I wake up, and I have no idea what time it is. My best bet is that I've been under for about an hour. It turns out I was under less than 4 minutes! :)
I feel great, and there is absolutely no discomfort. They even had the courtesy of removing the big scary stickers from my chest hairs while I was out. Thank you!
After the procedure, I had to have my heart monitored for 4-6 hours. I spent that time sitting in the waiting room, as they had a LOT of patients and not enough beds. I volunteered that I didn't need one. It's not like my life was in danger or anything.
We were sitting there for HOURS. Boy am I glad the gods gave us smartphones.
So, the result? I feel great. I have absolutely no discomfort.
The big change is that I no longer feel my heart pounding. It's a very different feeling for me. I have ALWAYS been aware of my heart, because of the uneven beating. I have always felt it beat. I guess because my body has been alerting me of the uneven rhythm?
Obviously, it's too early to know if this is anything life changing. There will ALWAYS be a risk that my heart will jump back into the "wrong" groove again, and there is nothing life threatening in it doing so.
If it happens, then I basically have to evaluate for myself whether the "right" rhythm truly felt better than the wrong one. Does it give me a higher comfort/life quality to have the heart beating correctly?
If not, then there isn't much point in nudging it back. It's all up to me.
Personally, I like having it beating right. Duh. But they're right. I don't want to have to go to the hospital constantly to have it fixed. We'll just have to see.
...
Considering it was a very slow day, I did good on everything.
I had planned to do a fast day, but I opted out. I didn't REALLY need one, and I was so bored there that I decided to snack a little. Nothing bad, a couple of protein bars and some fruit.
Also, it was hard to do a fast as Wife was munchy too.
We decided, since the fast day was off, to go out for dinner to celebrate that things were done and over with. We opted for Running Sushi. I love that place, and the whole concept.
I did really well there, and my day ended up with 1900 calories consumed, 2900 calories burned. Much better than needed, and with no trouble.
...
This brings me to a new era of my weight maintenance journey, starting today.
Today is the first day that I have reached status quo on my calories in and calories out. This has been a goal since my surgery a month ago, and today I have accomplished it.
Looking back over the last 28 days, my calories in and my calories out are now completely even, within 2 calories per day. It's perfect.
The result?
Well, let's compare numbers. All numbers that I post are AVERAGE numbers for the previous 4 weeks, read 28 days ago, on the 14th of December (before), as they read today (now) and my actual weigh-in today (today). I hope this makes sense.
Weight:
Before: 82.7 kgs
Now: 83.3 kgs
Body fat:
Before: 10.6% (8.7 kgs)
Now: 10.4% (8.7 kgs)
Muscle mass:
Before: 70.4 kgs
Now: 70.9 kgs
Fluid:
Before: 65.1%
Fluid: 65.1%
Abdominal fat:
Before: 4.9
Now: 4.8
...
I find it REMARKABLE that all numbers are virtually unchanged. Being in weight MAINTENANCE, this is absolutely BRILLIANT!
I'm not looking to lower my physical weight. If anything, I'd like to nudge my body fat percentage down just a tad. It's not all that important. I'm at a GREAT level at 10%. I have to be aware that my mind is probably simply chasing a lower number because I have had lower readings before, just light when I was chasing unrealistic, low body weights.
There is simply no need.
...
Since the fitbit measurements of calories burned match with my recorded calorie intake pretty much 100%, then I can once again conclude that this very well might be the way to record my activities and estimate my calorie burns in the future. At least for the time being.
This is perfect.
...
So, today things are a little different. I am no longer chasing lower numbers in calories. I should eat at maintenance mode. This would mean consume the calories that my Fitbit dictates that I burn. If I don't reach that intake, I will be rewarded with a higher RDI over the next 28 days. If I blow it and go over, I will be "punished" by having a lower, compensating RDI for the next 28 days. Over some time, this should hopefully all even out.
I like that I can check the app for my Fitbit through the day, and then conclude the limit of my calorie intake. The more I move, the higher the number, and the higher RDI. It's really that simple.
Waking up in the morning, and not having exercised or moved at all, the Fitbit will give me a very low number, assuming that I won't move at all today. The number is close to 1700 calories. This is the amount of calories that my Fitbit assumes I burn with no activity. It doesn't take much to nudge it up a little though. Then, as I am more or less active, the number will increase.
My goal will be reaching 2800-3000 calories burned per day, to give me a 2800-3000 calorie allowance on an everyday basis. It's a nice place to be for me, and super easy to maintain. Obviously, it takes some dedication to exercise for me to reach this level daily. But then again, there are days where I go WAY over 3000 calories burned, and those days can compensate for lower days. It's not the end of the world to NOT reach the calorie burn a day here or there, as long as it doesn't become a bad habit - and if the bad habit DOES happen, then my RDI will adjust accordingly. Smart, innit? :)
...
Oh oh oh! I almost forgot the GOOD NEWS!
I asked the doctors about exercise. They were actually surprised to hear that I was told to NOT exercise until my heart procedure had been done. I can exercise until I am blue in the face, as long as it's okay with the surgeons that did my skin surgery.
I am pretty much healed in regards to this. I had a little setback because of the fluid, but I should be okay to slowly start by now.
So, I can start working out!
The approach to getting back on track is simple, but it's gonna take some time. I'm told to be careful and to not do too much for too long, so I have come up with a good plan:
Before surgery, I would typically go through the 16 machines at the gym twice, 6 reps on each per round. Going as heavy as I do, this is PLENTY to push me forward, and to get the heart going. I like this approach a lot.
So, I am told to NOT go nuts. I'm told to slowly get back on track.
My plan is to start going three times weekly, as I always do.
The first week, I will simply do ONE rep per machine, per round. So, the first day I will basically do two lifts per machine in total.
I will do this Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Rest through the weekend.
Week number two, I will do TWO reps per machine.
Week three, THREE reps.
You get the picture.
This will give me 6 weeks to get back in the groove, to finish healing, and to not over strain any muscles that might not be prepared for this.
I'm very curious to see whether there is a chance in my strength or not.
I'm told to NOT lift less weight, but to pick up where I left. If I go lower (unless I absolutely have to), then my muscles will adjust to the lower lifting requirements, and not push me back to where I want to be. It'll take longer time and more work, and who wants that, right?
Looking at my numbers, there is no significant change in muscle mass. Over the last 28 days, my average is actually HIGHER, but I doubt that I got stronger from not working out for a month at a half.
If I look at my muscle mass average for the last week, which is probably more in line with what I should be looking at, then it's 70.4 kgs - the same as the 28 days average from before surgery. I just might be lucky and it's pretty much unchanged. I just need to get my body back into the strength training habit.
...
Today WILL be a relatively lazy day.
Wife and I are gonna go shop, and have lunch at the little buffet, as we like to do on Saturdays.
We have arranged to have chicken soup for dinner, so there will be plenty of calories to spend on lunch, and maybe an afternoon snack for later. I will have full focus on protein and fat intake, to make sure to reach my goals.
I'm allowed 2800 calories today, according to my spreadsheet. It should be absolutely no problem doing this. The tricky part might be to more enough to burn the 2800 calories.
If I don't burn enough, I will just compensate, either by lowering my intake today, or by taking the "punishment" over the next days.
I will make sure it doesn't get out of hand.
...
Today, I'm thankful for:
- A great feeling after resetting my heart. I can't wait to take it for a spin at the gym and see how it feels different.
- A weekend with Wife! I only have one thing scheduled, playing with the band tomorrow. Other than that, it's her and I all the time. I think I need this, and so does she.
- Morning coffee! Having fasted before the procedure yesterday made me realize how my important my first cup of coffee is to me. :)
- You lot! Once again, thank you for all your support yesterday.
Happy weekend! Life is good!
