Happy Sunday! So far it has been a pretty good weekend. I spent some time with my family yesterday which I always treasure. Then, my husband and I got to have some alone time and did some shopping together. I took my son to the community pool today. That is three Sunday’s in a row and I’m putting this in my going well column.
I did have one small almost embarrassing moment today in the locker room. After swimming and coming back to the locker room, I could not get my gym locker off. I tried over and over and it still would not open. I kept thinking about how embarrassing it would be to trudge out to the front desk and ask to use the phone to call for help. I’m not sure what kind of help that would have been….Never the less, I took a deep breath tried again and poof, it opened. I was so thankful. This then required a stop on the way home from my favorite coffee house for a drink.
I am glad to be getting more activity though. I’ve been sharing with you about my Charcot foot and how this has limited my mobility. I used to walk and sometimes jog a bit almost every day. I am allowed to use my steps to continue working at my job. Any extra walking is frowned upon. The reason for this is because of the shape my foot is in now and it’s at risk for fracture or ulcers in this weakened state. My foot doctor agrees I need more physical activity. I am allowed to swim as much as I like and use my recumbent bike. My sister bought me a chair exercise DVD as well. I also purchased myself a very low impact dance DVD that puts very little strain on my feet.
When I committed to bariatric surgery I knew that exercise is a big part of getting the weight off as well as making me healthier. I had my surgery on May 30, 2019. I could use my steps to do some walking right after because I was not working. I took small walks every day and this was a huge part in my healing from surgery. When I went back to work though I was fairly tired for a month or so just trying to get back in the groove and still recovering. I lost a lot of weight really quickly the first two months. Sometime around the middle or end of the third month, I stalled. This is completely normal. To pull myself out of this, I vowed to get more activity.
I’m still not where I want to be in terms of activity on a consistent basis. That said though I am happy that I’m swimming 1-2 times per week and then in between one other form of my allowed exercise. I also walk my little Yorkie around my yard when we have nice weather. It’s raining here now, but a week or so ago, it was nice out. We had perfect Fall days. I took Penny outside and we crunched through the leaves together.
When I had a plateau with my weight for about four weeks. I just stuck it out, increased my protein and activity and then it took off again.
Some days I really struggle because I want to walk and walk like I used to. At least knowing I can swim though and do chair exercise, I can at least move my body. I have so much more energy now that I’ve lost some extra weight and to be able to put that to good use makes me happy.
I’m taking the frame of mind it’s okay to go slow, move when I can, and be happy with small achievements. I read a book once about a woman who woke up one day and decided she had to lose weight. She used to walk just one block at a time until she could do more. She lost most of her weight from simply watching her total fat intake. I have done this in the past as well with good success.
In the coming weeks, I will post more about what some people have shared with me in terms of barriers to getting more activity. I will also share more about my surgery experience and what recovery from bariatric surgery is like. I plan to share some of the other programs I’ve used in the past to lose weight.
Please feel free to leave me a comment or message me on Facebook. I would love to hear your favorite activities too and the progress you have made. We can all learn from each other and support one another in our journey to be healthier. Wishing you all peace and health.
Mandy