tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75926582913734713362024-03-05T07:23:51.569-08:00The Cozy CoconutThe Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-27761473866056907812015-11-27T09:38:00.002-08:002015-11-27T09:38:52.253-08:00Band removal recommended for meI visited the gastro surgeon. He said my reflux and inflammation is being caused by the band. He said the ultimate fix is to remove the band and have a gastric bypass. Remove the band to eliminate reflux issues and gastric bypass to address weight issue. He doesn't think insurance would cover it b/c my BMI is 29 and it would be hard won to convince the insurance company that someone of my weight would need gastric bypass but that he'd be wiling to try. The gastric sleeve he said isn't a good option b/c it basically just would still have an acid issue b/c I'm just reducing the stomach size but not addressing the acid issue. A gastric bypass reduces acid b/c it bypasses the bile duct. <br />
I happened to have open enrollment at my job this past week and found out that they have a bariatric rider, my husband's insurance that I'm currently on does not. So I signed up for insurance through my work, even though its more expensive than my husband's just to have the bariatric rider, just in case. <br />
I don't want to have a gastric bypass. I also don't want my band removed. All you saw this coming, right? I am surprised, even though I knew this was a possibility. The thought of losing my band doesn't freak me out, it makes me unhappy. I love having the band and to be totally honest I love having the appetite suppression I feel as a side effect from this hernia. My acid issues are currently in check b/c I'm on prescription acid reducers. It's strange to have to be faced with this when I actually feel the best I ever have since I got the band.<br />
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Keep in mind, y'all, that I don't have a lot of fluid in my band. It's not even <br />
The Dr said, it just happens sometimes and is (as we all know) a known complication from the band.<br />
He want to perform him own endoscopy. I'm having that done on Monday.<br />
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I'm not sure what I'll do or what decision I'll make. I simply don't have all the fact or details yet. I have to do something and that something is likely going to be having the band removed and no gastric bypass.<br />
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On a side note, Thanksgiving is done, it was nice to spend time with family (hubby's first Thanksgiving since his mother passed away last Jan). We were busy preparing one Thanksgiving at our house for his family and then traveling to my mom's in the afternoon for Thanksgiving with my family. We have great leftovers and I plan to spend the entire day in my PJs eating my sister's potato salad and some turkey and gravy!<br />
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Christmas is only 4 Fridays away. Yikes. We have a lot of work to do to get the house decorated and gifts bought and wrapped for the kids and everyone else. This is our xmas card picture...<br />
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Hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend and get to do all the things YOU really want to. I hope all of you out there take at least a few mins or a few hours or few days doing what you really want and find happiness in doing so!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-67976812791651514692015-11-11T14:51:00.002-08:002015-11-11T15:56:19.855-08:00I'm 162! Lowest ever in my adult life!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm writing an update, unsure who is really out there. But I remember when I started this journey, I scoured message boards and eventually came to a certain group of bloggers (those I talk with here) and I wanted so desperately, the success that I saw in others. I kind of stalled around 190, went up and down and figured my weight loss story was written.<br />
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Then, I get an endoscopy because of my concerns around my persistent long-term acid reflux. One day after the endoscopy, I had a terrible pain and muscle cramp in my stomach. That's when I'm personally certain that I developed my stomach hernia. I know this because my eating changed immediately and has not been the same since. I also lost, for the most part, my hunger pangs. I've been wanting to write something specifically about this, because Amy W has written about this before and I really think she's right. She asserted that the band isn't all about limited how much we can eat, but also about stimulating the vagus nerve and eliminating that "need" to eat all the time. The constant thinking about and obsessing about what we're eating. With this hernia, I just don't think about it. It's not my central thought most of the time and it's much easier to plan how healthy I want to eat. And I've been eating very clean and able to control my calories consistently. I have almost eliminated dairy from my diet because I wanted to see what the hoopla was all about and my stomach feels less bloated, but I'm not convinced eliminating dairy is the reason why. I also consciously choose my calories to be very clean and eat almost no processed foods. I feel better. I look better. And I weigh the least I've ever weighed that I can remember. This hernia has been a real blessing and I am actually grateful for it. <br />
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It has made me realize that exercise, running half marathons, and all of that is not going to make me lose weight. For me, limiting my calories and consistently keeping my calorie intake low with higher calorie days thrown in every week to keep my body guessing has been key to my weight loss. Exercise is absolutely necessary - to keep me from losing muscle and because it's simply the right thing to do and healthy for my body. But for some reason, I thought the more I worked out the more weight I would lose. I realize now that limiting my calories was primary to my weight loss. I didn't always eat healthy, sometimes I was weak and ate Chef Boyarde Ravioli, but I still kept my calories low in the 1200-1400 range regardless of what I ate. I made sure I got in 60-100 grams of protein and I also found that because my hernia seems to relax sometimes, I was able to eat MORE than my consistently low calories usually once a week. On the days I ate a more calories after a couple of weeks of consistently low calories, I dropped pounds. Keeping my body guessing on how many calories it was going to get seemed to really make a difference. I track my weight and my food intake religiously and it allowed me to realize my natural pattern for losing weight and when my body holds on to weight, as long as I stay consistent, it's a sign that my body is about to let go of a few pounds. Instead of being discouraged and giving up and blowing it b/c my weight ticked up a little, looking at my weight loss chart made me realize that bump in weight is actually the precursor to my dropping a pound or two. <br />
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As for exercise, it is just plain healthy and keeps me toned. And I don't do it as often as I think I should and want to. Instead of exercising always at such a high intensity (so that I would burn enough calories) I've found I don't have to work myself to death daily to lose weight. I exercise so I can be strong and not because I think running will burn the most calories. It has changed my outlook on exercise, removed the pressure, and I actually do the things I like to do and I don't kill myself with crazy intensity and then give up over time b/c I can't keep up the schedule when life happens. I take it easy on myself and walk, bike, do yoga, and I do the activities I enjoy, not the ones that I think will burn the most calories in the least amount of time. It's a completely different approach for me. For some reason, I thought exercise and limited calories had to be equal in focus. <br />
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Then this hernia takes away my appetite and limits my calories basically for me. And I've lost 30 lbs! My gastroenterologist watches me closely and agrees that I can continue to wait to have surgery as I'm still able to lose weight and I'm losing it very slowly. It's taken me 8 months to lose 30lbs but wow is it awesome to feel successful finally. And I enjoy wearing clothes. I enjoy how I look in clothes for the first tim. I feel healthier because I am.<br />
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I need to post some pictures of myself. It's surreal to try clothes on from last winter and last summer that literally fall off me. All of my tops are droopy. I never conceived that my tops could be too big. I love trying on clothes and the sales person the other day said "you're picking too large a size" NO ONE EVER has told me that. I smile and pretend being smaller is normal for me because I've always wanted to know what that felt like. It feels really great and totally worth it. For those of you struggling to get there, don't give up. It may take you a long time like me, but I'm here and it's pretty awesome!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-50836309725567120652015-07-11T08:34:00.000-07:002015-07-11T09:24:39.067-07:00I'm actually 174? Me?? Scale said 174.8 this morning. Really? My scale? MINE??? How can this be? I have not seen the scale say anything in the 170's since I can even remember. I seriously don't ever remember weighing in the 170's b/c I've always weighed in the upper 190's and eventually the mid 200's. I can't even believe the scale says this.<br />
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This hiatal hernia is causing my stomach to be smaller and I'm eating a lot less. I don't eat much for a few days, then I'm able to eat a lot for a few days, and I do. I think the constant change of eating and not eating is helping my body to keep guessing. It's not sure if it's going to get a lot of calories or a little - I'm starving it and feeding it on different days not because I want to, but because my stomach dictates it. And it's making me lose weight. I work with a serious body builder, and he actually does a similar diet when he is training for a competition and is trying to lose weight. Maybe this is why it's working? And the weight is dropping slowly - I've lost 20lbs since March, that's 5 lbs a month.<br />
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I have had monthly endoscopies, my stomach hernia doesn't require immanent surgery and she said as long as it continues to look good and I'm healthy and losing at a healthy pace, I can wait and see what happens and not jump right into surgery to correct it.<br />
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I did go to my chiropractor and asked him to pull it out if he could. My friend had a hiatal hernia and her chiro pulled hers out and she's never had a problem since. So I decided to give it a try. I asked him, he said it was possible and he proceeded to push his fingertips into my abdomen just below my ribcage and made a quick move downward. It felt like you think it would, kind of nauseating. I got up, no real difference and then bam! I felt a strong sliding sensation like my intestines moved, only it was below my ribcage and it was definitely my stomach! I went home and proceeded to be able to eat much more volume than I had previously and that continued for at least 2 weeks. Then I slowly began to feel stomach pains and got hiccups a lot, and my stomach slowly returned back to how it was before. I had an endoscopy done and she said the herniated stomach had gone back up through my diaphragm. She subsequently lectured me not to do that again, but I'm glad I tried. I won't be doing it again, my weight loss is continuing now slowly but surely.<br />
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I am wearing all the clothes in my closet that are the smallest sizes I have. I am still a 14 but actually zipped up an uncomfortable size 12. My life goal, as you can see on my sidebar, is 165. I'm 10 lbs away from that!!! <br />
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I know many of you have gotten to your goals much sooner than I have. Somehow, for me, moving from 195 to 175 has made a considerable change in my body and clothing size. When I weighed over 200, 20lbs before changed a size, but now just 10lbs down changes a clothing size for me. That's pretty exciting and motivating!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-91454655852872260742015-05-30T19:09:00.003-07:002015-05-30T19:09:53.045-07:00Breaking into a new weight range! Yeeehaw!I can't really believe it and I didn't even post about it because I figured I was dehydrated and wasn't going to stay there but I actually hit 177.7 two days ago. I can't flipping believe it. I really can't. I haven't weighed in the 170's since in about 20 years. That's crazy. Tonight I hopped on the scale ( we all know the only time to weigh ourselves is after we pee and with little to no clothing on first thing the morning) but I weighed 179 at 9:30 at night which means, I'm in the 170's for real!<br />
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I've been trying all kinds of summer clothes on from last year and I'm just shocked at how loose they are and some are so baggy that I don't look good in them. I keep trying clothes on because I really can't believe shorts and tops that were tight last year are too big this Summer. How awesome is that? I have an entire new wardrobe of all the clothes that were a little too snug last year and they fit really well. It feels amazing to feel like I look 'acceptable' to my own standards in my clothes. That's a very foreign feeling to me. I keep squashing the negative thoughts that this is only temporary and that I"m going to gain it all back once my hiatal hernia is fixed.<br />
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The crazy part is my reflux is essentially gone. I still cannot eat much at a time but it's exactly like restriction was in the beginning. No acid issues at night and no waking up. I'm also not hungry hardly at all and I'm able to fresh raw fruits and vegetables, something I could not do at all before. I just don't eat a lot of it. It's actually quite perfect and I'm still losing weight.<br />
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My surgery consultation is Monday. It's kind of hard to consider surgery when things are going so well right now. I am taking the surgery seriously, it's just ironic that things are going so well and I"m going to have hiatal hernia surgery which I know will change it. It's the right thing to do, but it's just hard to give up on this all new weight loss I've never experienced before. I've lost 60 lbs total from my highest weight. Unbelievable. And while my eating is minimal and I have days (if I'm close to getting my period) where my stomach really doesn't want to accept much. But on most days, I'm really good and able to eat whatever. My calories are too low, but gosh, it's working. I am eating about 800 calories (always >=60g of protein) for about 2 days and then on the third day (on average) whether it's because of my hormones or something else that I don't understand, I'm able to eat almost anything I want. And I eat about 2500 calories. I honestly think the very low calories for 2 days followed by a 3rd day of high calories is keeping the weight loss going. I'm keeping my body and perhaps my metabolism guessing and since my body is only in what I call starvation mode for 2 days, maybe that's why my metabolism isn't completely shot ? Otherwise, I'd stall in my weight loss, right? Gosh, I don't know but it sure is working for me!<br />
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I'm walking at work daily and since it's warmer, Stand up Paddle boarding is next. I bought myself one for my birthday last year and I just love it. So I'm also doing well with getting enough sleep and exercising! All good momentum. <br />
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My heart of hearts want to get to 165, that's 15 lbs from where I am now. Why does that seem impossible? It's 15 lbs. for goodness sake. I have to get that negative voice out of my head telling me this loss is only temporary, just like all the previous weight loss attempts I've made. I have to believe I'm not going to gain this weight back and find myself back at 195 which is where I was in January. I am enjoying my clothes so much I really don't want to go back there. I CAN DO THIS!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-7323340292015112852015-05-26T15:59:00.001-07:002015-05-26T15:59:35.067-07:00Fun Weekend! Weight steady and stomach getting better!What beautiful weather we had on the East coast this weekend! We spent the weekend fishing, crabbing, making tie dye shirts, and running around in a patriotic decorated golf cart! We went on our annual camping trip and really had a lot of fun. Not having my buddy Lola there this year was tough. But we had a lot of laughs about our last trip there together. She passed away from brain cancer last July and this is the first year there without her. It wasn't the same but we made new fun memories in her honor as she would not allow us to have it any other way!<br />
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My stomach issues have gotten much, much better even though I've done nothing except take the Prilosec 40mg that I've been given. My stomach is no longer "shut down" as I call it and I'm able to eat fibrous vegetables like broccoli, carrots, lettuce, etc. I've not had issues overnight and I'm able to eat first thing in the morning. That wasn't possible before. I'm actually hungry and have cravings again, so it's feeling better and better each day. I'm not sure I want to go through with the surgery and it is optional. I have an appt in another week to discuss it and I'll make a decision later.<br />
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I also got the postcard in the mail telling me the stomach polyp was benign. So THAT was awesome news!! I must admit, there was a little something in the back of my brain a little worried about that. I think it's because there has been a lot of deaths recently and so I realize how something like cancer could so easily happen to me. My best friend passed away in July from brain cancer, my husband's mom passed away in January from lung cancer complications, and I just learned my son's friend at school - their father passed away Friday from a heart attack. He was my age. It really makes me appreciate today, the beautiful weather and the fact that all the relationships in my life right now are good. Unfortunately, my MIL was difficult to deal with as she was a bit self centered and often dramatic about things. We all have people like that in our lives, and while she wasn't always that way, but she was often enough that it made my life harder than it needed to be and there always seemed to be conflict even when I didn't understand it. So not having any conflict in my life is really wonderful. Having had conflict with her most of all my married life, I truly appreciate NOT having that in my life. While I'm not looking to discuss the state of my previous relationship with my MIL, my point is that we all know life is short, YOLO, blah blah, whatever. But what do we really do about it? We need to do WHAT MAKES us HAPPY! It's that simple. <br />
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Getting banded was the first thing I'd ever really done for myself. And it made me happy to take care of myself. It was taking time and money to take care of me. I put myself first and I'm healthier for it. I'm happy when I do take the time to do what makes me happy. I plan to keep focusing on that and taking the time to ensure I'm doing stupid stuff that I like to do - not BUYING the things I want to buy. There is a big difference in the satisfaction shelf life. Buying something is fun at first, and I certainly enjoy buying what I want, but DOING the things that make me happy lasts much longer and I recall it and think about it more than a new outfit, expensive make up, or the latest whatever. The issue of death is just coming up in my life for whatever reason and it's making me appreciate and recognize when things are good. <br />
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Hey, wait.....Is that what middle age is?!? Eeek! <br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-84369304151984546712015-05-06T18:13:00.000-07:002015-05-06T18:17:54.496-07:00Diagnosis: Hiatal herniaHad another endoscopy yesterday. I learned that I have a hiatal hernia and a polyp that needs to be surgically repaired. UGH! <br />
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I did the research and the procedure looks like it's not so much fun. I'm very concerned about the recovery process. Surgery means 2 days in the hospital and you have to be on a liquid diet for about a week and slowly introduce solid foods back into your diet over the following 6 weeks or so. <br />
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I'm going to go get a second opinion from a lap band doctor just to make myself feel better. I'll learn more details in the next few weeks after I go back to the doctor to learn more.<br />
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Good news is my weight is hanging around 182 which is great. I've been picking up the pace on walking more and was considering joining Pure Barre, but now that I have this possible surgery and long recovery, I'm not sure I want to spend so much money on that. I'm picking up and doing more yoga classes and meditating more. <br />
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The weather has been awesome lately and I hope all of you are out there enjoying it! Hope you moms out there off all kinds (human and animal) have a great Mother's Day!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-33900985846259333972015-04-16T18:51:00.002-07:002015-04-16T18:56:55.795-07:00Gastro follow up today and some interesting new infoI had my first follow up appt since my endoscopy last month. As you may recall, I had a lot of issues after like stomach muscle cramps, and a total stomach shut down for days at a time. My stomach did not want to accept anything and I was rudely awakened to throwing up water out of a deep sleep multiple times per night. In the last week, I have suddenly gotten better. A lot more restriction than previous the endoscopy, but I imagined that was likely due to the inflammation after the procedure. Well, it's still very consistent restriction and as a result, I've lost 7 lbs. I'm down again to 183.5 but today I able to eat after 7pm which hasn't been the norm for me since the endoscopy. <br />
So wow, that was a longer paragraph than planned. Anyway, on to the interesting new info. Well, the gastro doc again said she was surprised I was able to wait that long to seek treatment because the esophogitis was severe. And because the inflammation was severe, she used a balloon and expanded the band opening between the pouch and my stomach. I was like, whaaaa? I blurted out - how and why? She said she had a balloon, expanded it and stretched the band because she thought the food was getting stuck in the pouch too long and that's what was causing the reflux? I looked confused how that would work and she said, she has to be careful because too much expansion of the balloon and the band could break! <br />
Before I expand on the latter part of that last statement, let me first say how dumbfounded I am that she made that decision without my consent. Did she say that at some point and I missed it? She does have a heavy accent, so I thought, maybe? Then I thought, how in the heck could a balloon expansion stretch the band if the band is filled with fluid? Won't it, by design, simply bounce back like a water bed? And if the pressure on the band expansion is so strong that it would actually stretch that hard plastic band on the outside, how is that a good thing? Wouldn't that cause a major pinch of my stomach tissue? Know WONDER my stomach was so irritated and "shut down" as I refer to it. GEEZ! Am I crazy here and just don't see any upside to this revelation? <br />
The only positive I can think of is maybe she's right. She is a professional after all and studies stomachs for a living. Maybe that was causing my problem and maybe this new "adjustment" is a good thing. While my restriction is still greater than before the endoscopy, my concern is that I will lose that and once my stomach heals from the reflux, will my band then be super lax and ineffective? I can't change the fact that my band was stretched, I just have to see what happens and proceed accordingly. I'm not going to worry about something before it happens, but I am going to ask the doctor in May at my next endoscopy not to expand the band again and if it's protocol to expand the band as well as ask about restriction concerns in the future. I'm not going to be a jerk, but I'm going to find out and seek to understand what is stirring in me now as some pissed offedness at her assuming I wanted that done. <br />
Ok, hope all of you are having a great week. I'm having a hard time eating the foods I should because fibrous vegetables take so long for me to eat. I'm having a hard time avoiding peanut butter and Nutella, and I still have not started working out. I am thankful that I have lost some pounds and am at this weight. I need to take advantage and work out just for my heart, lungs, and mood - not to build muscle or meet a goal. I need to do it just because it's HEALTHY to do so! I'm getting there, to being more healthy, because my stomach is healing, I'm feeling better, sleeping better and now my next step is working out. I did take a 30 min walk at work today, so at least I got UP from my desk today!! Pure Barre by my work is offering $100 unlimited month. My sister has had such amazing success with them, I had considered joining them since I really liked the class I attended with her once. I think I'm going to do it and make myself go at lunch each day! Stay tuned!<br />
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So my girl is after my own heart, she wrote this: "If you give a kid a book, he'll want to read it. Before he'll read it, he'll get something to eat" Yes!!!!</div>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-27819765722158184682015-04-11T04:45:00.003-07:002015-04-11T04:45:54.787-07:00New Low and stomach is healing and getting better!I'm at a new low for me. I weighed 183 this past week and that's almost 17lbs I've lost since November! I'm at 184.5 today, but my water weight is fluctuating. The initial 8 lbs was from stress of family member passing away in late Jan (stroke after lung cancer diagnosis/treatment) and the other 9 have been a result of my reflux and subsequent endoscopy. Seeing 183 on the scale was monumental for me! I'm wearing a size 14 because I'm not well toned because I'm not working out. That's my focus - to get started and stay consistent. Oh, Amy Cheese and Sunkist, you're my inspiration!<br />
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I actually slept all night last night without waking up or puking acid/water in the middle of a deep sleep! I've found if I take my Prilosec around 6pm, I have a better night than if I take it in the morning. I'm just so damn happy to have slept all night! YeeeHawww!<br />
I've also been tracking my calories and am a little too low most days. That's why I'm losing. It's so easy to slip into eating what is comfortable and easy - but my energy is very low so I've not exercised. So, I bought some protein shakes and focused on taking in protein and green vegetables to get my nutrition back in line and energy back.<br />
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I'm going to a She Crab Soup Contest today. Samples from about 18 competitors are judged by people who buy tickets to attend. I love she crab soup and am very picky having grown up around it all my life. That's going to be a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to attending it with my mom and daughter. And as with most seafood events, they'll have craft beers there too. I wanted to share a new one I discovered, UFO's Big Squeeze Shandy which is beer with grapefruit. It's actually quite awesome - just a citrusy hint of grapefruit which I love! This is a seasonal beer you can only get in the Summer, but if you like Shocktop's Orange or Fat Tire, you'll like this one!<br />
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My goals for this week are to continue on my quest to get to 180 by Memorial Day. I have to start working out in the gym with weights and running to build muscle and muscle tone. I just have to get myself to a place where I'm not as fatigued as I'm feeling now. Increasing my protein is going to make the most impact here - so I'm focusing on that and making myself eat whole foods, not soup or mashed potatoes which I have been eating because it was all my stomach could take! My follow up appt with my gastroenterologist is next week. I'll be discussing my major eating issues with her then and worried about the after effects of the next endoscopy I'm scheduled for in 2 weeks. UGH! I'm a little freaked out worried about having the same after effects as the last.</div>
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Hope everyone had a nice Easter. It rained here so I planned an Easter Tea party for my daughter and my nieces (and one little nephew!) We had cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, apricot tea, fruit salad, mini quiches and other silly little tea party snacks!<br />
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Cucumber and cream cheese tea sandwiches. First time I've bought white bread in years! lol!!<br />
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My sister made little coconut nests with chocolate eggs (middle tier).<br />
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We also made Peeps houses out of graham cracked, royal icing and edible easter grass!<br />
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<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-2824885456851448652015-03-30T19:00:00.000-07:002015-03-30T19:05:45.428-07:00I survived puking out the window while driving....So, I slept pretty good last night, propped up on my multiple pillows so that my upper half is elevated to avoid the reflux waking me from a dead sleep puking water and acid. My stomach was on lock down, coffee - nada!, milk - nope!, water - yes, a little. I figured, it's just too early and it will subside. So I made my wonderful iced coffee with milk and a little half and half for my breakfast while driving to work. I get on this long and winding road - and suddenly begin to salivate. My stomach is starting to cramp and more salivating. I search for a plastic bottle, a cup, anything to puke into. I have NOTHING and NO WHERE to pull off. So I quickly press the window button to get that window down as fast as possible and I puke out the W-I-N-D-O-W! Can you believe that?!? I'm driving at 45 mph, on a two lane road in the woods and wrecking was a definite possibility. I had slimed the side of my car, my hair, my shirt, the side of my face. <br />
This is the same cramp I had before, also in a car, a few days after my endoscopy where I frantically signaled the driver (because I had a mouth full of spit) to pull over and I subsequently puked. There was no nausea and this happened quickly. It's like I have a charlie horse cramp, those cramps you get sometimes in your toes or calves, but in my stomach. I puke and suddenly life is good, cramp goes away and it's like nothing ever happened. My stomach and band are just a little sore.<br />
And since this is the 2nd time this has happened in less than a month and it's never happened to me like that before, I decided it HAS to be the endoscopy. Something happened b/c things are so irritated and different now. I recall the gastroenterologist telling me she was a little worried that the camera might be too big, and if so she had a smaller one she could use. I advised her that my band was relatively loose compared to most and so she said she'd try the larger b/c it was a better camera. She told me afterwards that she was able to use the larger one. What if she forced that larger camera, with good intent, but that force moved the band like it would if it slipped? Something definitely changed, and I chalked it up to swelling after the procedure. But it's not getting better. I have some days that are better than others, but for the most part my stomach is on LOCK DOWN. I'm not losing a lot b/c when I can eat, I'm eating the wrong things. But not anymore.<br />
I'm on the path to losing 10lbs by Memorial Day and I'm going to eliminate chocolate and Reese's Peanut Butter Easter Eggs. We go camping (drinking, dancing, cooking) with a bunch of friends to a really fun place on the Bay every Memorial Day and I want to look good in a bathing suit and shorts. It's a campground where they serve a buffet breakfast you can walk to, karaoke, fireworks, crafts, and a 24x7 ice cream store on premisis so it's not really CAMPING camping, but it's a ridiculous amount of fun!! I'm going to eat clean and am already increasing the exercise. I'm also doing a Color Me Rad run in a few weeks and Summer is right around the corner. I'm smaller, but need to tone up! I'm ready and I WANT the thrill of losing again and the thrill of wearing a smaller size!!!<br />
It was SO great hearing and seeing comments from you guys. Thanks for that - what an amazing community of supporters you guys are!!!<br />
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This weekend with my husband drinking Orange Crushes.....so awesome!<br />
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He got shrimp, I got she crab soup and couldn't finish it all due to LOCKDOWN mode....<br />
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Have a great week everyone!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-82496128655204357092015-03-28T07:13:00.002-07:002015-03-28T07:14:31.050-07:00Endoscopy and ready to lose 10lbs!Hi Everyone!<br />
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It's true that it's been quite a while since I've posted. Lots of life stuff going on, one of my best friends passed away (brain cancer), my stressful, high level responsibility job, in-law passing away (stroke while being treated for stage 3 lung cancer), son's surgery (broken collar bone), life in general gets pretty busy. That pic above was from our family apple picking trip we take each fall in Central Va.<br />
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My weight increased to 201 and I freaked out worried that I was going to gain all this weight back. I have a very low level fill unlike many people. I like it this way because it does make me less hungry - just having the band does that for me. There are times when I can eat a lot and times (like when I have PMS) that I cannot. So it works for me.<br />
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Work stress and the death of my husband's mother was very stressful and I lost 10lbs because I simply wasn't eating much. I dropped to about 190. I had stomach pains from work stress and home stress and it was unusual for me because I just couldn't eat. I have also had increased problems with reflux and was worried my consistent stomach aches were most likely an ulcer. I was also a little freaked out because I worried that perhaps the band had eroded. <br />
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I went to a gastro-enterologist, had a endoscopy done (they knock you out for about 15 mins, insert a small tube with camera down your esophagus and evaluate it and your stomach for any issues). The results of the endoscopy were that I had grade C esophogitis - which basically means that on a scale of A-D (D being worst) - that it was a serious problem. The best part is that there was no ulcer, no precancerous lesions, and while a grade C is serious enough, medicine should improve it. I think as I get older I am processing stressful situations a little differently. The anxiety we all feel over stressors seems to now go to my stomach. I get a stomach ache and can't eat. I never understood people who lost weight when they were stressed because I always ate more and gained weight when I was stressed. Having experienced both, I can tell you, they both suck!! <br />
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I've been taking Prilosec for almost a month now. But that's not the whole story......<br />
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Ever since I have had the endoscopy done, my stomach and my band are so tight that I am having a heck of time eating at all. Even liquids. About 2 days after the procedure, I actually had to pull my car over and throw up after an intense nausea and a cramping pain in my stomach and band. If I eat or drink less than 2 hours before I go to bed, I don't sleep because it just keeps coming up my throat. Last night, the water in my stomach just came up and out my nose while I was in a dead sleep. I can feel the food or liquid sitting before going through the band, my stomach begins to contract and move the food through but it's like the band is irritated or inflamed and just won't accept it. I can feel my stomach and literally foam is created and I spit it out OR these micro burps, little bits of air move up my esophagus and come up all on their own. My stomach is creating a lot of air when I'm trying to digest food which leads to bloating and air in my stomach which HURTS!<br />
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I'm not sure if perhaps the folds of my stomach inside the band which were happy and perfect before were disturbed when they passed the camera through it or what is causing these pretty difficult problems. I thought it was perhaps just a little irritated from the procedure which is understandable. But, they have not subsided and it's actually getting worse. I have a follow up appointment soon and hopefully I can put this behind me.<br />
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The fun part of having lost this weight again is that I'm trying on all the shorts and pants that I couldn't wear last year because I was consistently in the high 190's. And they FIT!! I told myself I'd never allow the scale to go over 200 again in my life. Reaching 201 really freaked me out! Unfortunately, stress was the catalyst to get me to lose 10lbs, but I have to say, I really LOVE having those 10 lbs off. I am comfortably wearing a size 14 again! I simply cannot believe what a HUGE difference just 10lbs makes. Its such a huge difference that it motiving me to lose 10 more!<br />
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Scale said 188 yesterday. I"m struggling to eat healthy with my stomach issues because ice cream, milk, soups (too much sodium!) all make my stomach feel better. I cannot eat fruits and veggies that are high in fiber and that's a BIG problem. I don't want to be in that place, I want to eat healthy foods. I want to eat clean and what my body needs to thrive on, not chemicals, salt, sugar, and fat!<br />
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I've been doing yoga. But haven't had the energy to run. I am ready, however, to get things going again and break into a new personal best of losing 10lbs and getting to 178! I know I can do this because I've done it before. I know the formula - work out consistently and plan my meals. It's that simple, but really hard to put into practice with all that life brings us everyday. It takes making it a priority and letting other things fall to the wayside. I've learned I can't do all the things I want/need, so I have to pick. And I'm picking focusing on losing another 10 lbs!<br />
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The pic below was a few months ago - we took our kids on their first cruise, we had a blast and will definitely do it again with them.<br />
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Hope everyone is doing well out there!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-46822754062492237642013-03-11T17:23:00.001-07:002013-03-11T17:23:44.013-07:00Last week before a tropical vacationThe countdown has begun. I packed my suitcase this weekend, made all the necessary trips to Ulta to buy travel sized cosmetics and shampoo and tanning lotion! I even bought a new bathing suit. No pictures, sorry.... Anyway, 4 more days and I'll be in paradise with my DH!!! I packed a lot of beautiful lingerie that he's bought me over the years, always too small to fit. I can wear most of them now and its like shopping at Victoria's Secret without all the cost! TMI, I know. But I'm really excited.<br />
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I've not done a great job working out, my work days have been extremely long - didn't leave work until 630 tonight even though I went in early. I'm thanking my lucky stars that I've made it to March 2013 and am still saving according to plan! 9 more months until I can be truly free. 6 more months after that and I'll have saved enough to buy the luxuries I've always really wanted but don't want to spend $$ on:<br />
1. Tummy tuck<br />
2. New couch and chairs (I love to decorate)<br />
3. Stand up paddle board<br />
4. various home improvement projects<br />
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I've still got some knee pain but I'm ready to get in gear and increase my running schedule. I need to get the miles increased and get the time in. I'm sitting still - not gaining or losing - so I need to increase the exercise. And I'm ready to do that. Changing the time has really helped-I love all this daylight in the afternoon/evenings!! That will allow me to go for runs when I get home from work b/c it will still be light out.<br />
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Hope everyone is doing well!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-86519672819589822062013-03-04T19:02:00.001-08:002013-03-04T19:02:15.692-08:00Just getting through the weekHope you all are having a great week. I've been busy cleaning since my mom will be staying at my house to watch the kids in 2 weeks while hubby and I enjoy Mexico with friends. I do feel a little guilty leaving the kids at home, but I also know I would only be happy with my Mom here. Knowing she's going to be here puts my mind at ease. The place we're staying (perhaps all places do this now) offers unlimited calls to the US for free. So I can call anytime and talk as long as I want without fear of an outrageous bill.<br />
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I still have so much to do to prepare to leave. Not just packing, but getting all the kids stuff ready so my mom doesn't have to do much at all. Washing all their clothes, buying all their meals, buying stuff for the kids lunches, etc. But I'm happily doing it knowing in just a couple of weeks, I'll be poolside!<br />
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I've not found many clothes to take with me. I can't find anything cute and I don't feel very cute with these extra 15 lbs on me. Only my bigger shorts fit and my shirts just don't feel as good since I gain in my stomach.<br />
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I've hurt my other knee and hamstring- now that the one that gives me trouble is all good. So, I've not been running. No excuses, I need to figure some other sort of exercise out. I've got weights under my desk at work and a yoga mat. I could easily do planks and arm work while sitting at my desk or on conference calls. Every little bit counts! <br />
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Have a great week everyone!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-67284313585559992472013-02-22T15:14:00.001-08:002013-02-22T15:14:17.088-08:00So happy its finally FRIDAY!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the first thing I did went I got to La*guna B*each 2 weeks ago. Adjusting back to East coast time is always hard for me. My friend and I went to this great little place that overlooks the Pacific ocean and has the most amazing Mexican food. I know I shouldn't post food pics, but my goodness it was so good! Fresh squeezed margaritas and fresh made salsa and guacamole! My favorite!<br />
Running 30 mins on the treadmill means I can enjoy this stuff!!<br />
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Since the chiropractor has been adjusting my knee, it has really made all the difference. He said my tibia or fibula can sometimes get out of alignment, like your back can. Makes sense. All I know is that I have NO KNEE PAIN at all. I even ran the half in CA with no pain during or after! Fantastic!<br />
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I'm feeling much better emotionally/stress-wise since yesterday. Looking forward to the weekend and getting a few good runs in! I'm focused on eating well and making my awesome green shakes. Hope you have a great weekend as well.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-7600561057840890622013-02-21T17:47:00.000-08:002013-02-21T17:47:53.421-08:00Tough week - its going to get betterI cannot wait for the day that I have saved enough to finally get to stay at home. I realize that having that option is something not everyone can do - heck, I've not been able to to that my entire life. There will be sacrifices, but the gift of just time at home and choosing what I want to do seems like a dream come true. Such a high stress job, being responsible for so many people, and all the overwhelmingly large decisions that I have to make and be accountable for are just too much stress sometimes. And bringing that stress home b/c I just can't stop thinking about the problems I have to solve sucks! I've been up at 4am and 3am respectively and can't get back to sleep these last two nights. <br />
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I've been having issues with my sleep lately - I've also had issues where I simply could not get enough sleep. Sleep issues suck too! My son is having sleep issues, even though the blood pressure medicine he's taking is supposed to make him sleepy. He is taking blood pressure medicine because the side effect is that it decreases tics. <br />
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His situation is very emotionally stressful for him and for me. It's difficult to see your child suffering in this way. He is in counseling so that he learns how to deal with stress, ridicule, ostracizing, etc. as a result of having tics he cannot control. We will get through this and he's a great kid. I just wish he didn't have to face this. He's only 11. Its a lot for a 11 year old to deal with.<br />
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On a positive note, only 3 more weeks to Mexico! Hubs and I are going. I'm going to drink. A lot. My mom is going to come to my house and stay with my kids. They love her and I lover her for doing this so that we can go!<br />
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I'm not on track to lose the 10lbs I wanted to before Mexico. I've been stress eating at night b/c I run out of time to eat during the day. No excuse - I need to take control and make time for it.<br />
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I'm wondering if I'm Vitamin D deficient again. 6 mos ago, my blood work showed I was deficient - which is crazy. I drink milk like a crazy person (I love milk!) and get adequate sunlight. My doctor gave me prescription Vitamin D - 50,000 IUs per pill to take 1x per week for 4 weeks. My energy level increased and general 'fogginess' lifted after week 2 of taking the pills. It definitely made a difference in how I was feeling. I researched this deficiency - and learned its an indicator of a thyroid disorder. I'll go back to the doctor for my cholesterol check up and blood work this week.<br />
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Hope you all have a wonderful week! <br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-33755884122691875062013-02-13T17:00:00.001-08:002013-02-13T17:00:49.969-08:00It's the night before Valentines...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And we're making Spiderman Valentines for school tomorrow. LaineyBug is having a good time writing all the names. A jellyroll pan of Red Jello is cooling in the fridge as we speak -waiting for us to press a heart shaped cookie cutter and make Valentine's Jello Jigglers. I sure hope it works out for us~<br />
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Staying within my calories was very hard today. I am craving sweet stuff so I'm eating Trader Joe's chunky applesauce. 160 calories in a cup. I heated it up in the microwave, topped it with some cinnamon and it tastes sort of like apple pie filling.<br />
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Oh, and I woke up late and didn't run on the treadmill. I need to to it tonight to fit it in!<br />
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Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day! I've planned a dinner at my favorite - a really incredible restaurant - this Friday with a bunch of couples. Had to make reservations 1 month in advance. I can't wait!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-32226823494688507592013-02-12T18:36:00.003-08:002013-02-13T17:04:51.116-08:00I sure do miss you Dad!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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*Edited to add - I got the pic to load! I took this on a business trip to Las Vegas where I made my Dad go with me- we drove to the Grand Canyon while there. This was literally a week before the cancer crap started up again.</div>
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I cannot seem to get the picture to load of him that I wanted to share with you all. Dang it. I took a picture of the picture I have on my wall of him. And it won't import from my cell phone to my Mac. No idea why. Perhaps my Dad is being shy......Ha! Never! I've had a pretty normal day, and I don't dwell on today's date - b/c the date doesn't matter. I miss him everyday. <br />
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I still cannot believe I haven't talked to my favorite person in the whole world in so long. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like that long ago, but today at 10:45 a.m. marks the day and time my Dad died from 'non life threatening' skin cancer 15 years ago. Not melanoma, no he won the odds lottery by dying from squamous cell carcinoma. You know, the one that's not deadly. Those little white scaly bumps everyone typically just get cut off their noses, tips of their ears, sometimes from getting a little too much sun when they were kids when no one used sunscreen. He died at home, we all were around him and with him when he died. There were no moments of saying goodbye while he was still conscious - my Dad was a proud and stoic man. Either he didn't want to talk about it directly or we didn't really want to accept all of it was really happening. He died the way I know he wanted to - at home, with all of us there with him. I am so very thankful of that. <br />
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He wasn't a typical man who wouldn't go to the doctor. He put up with a lot of bullshit, treatments, IVs, surgeries, radiation, you name it, he did it without complaint even though he was a tough and strong man's man at 6"4". He didn't want to leave us and did anything that was asked of him no matter how embarrassing, emasculating, or painful. My Dad was only 55 when he died and he put up with a lot in his last 3 years. I was 28 when he died. My youngest sister was only 17. I feel so bad for her for that and guilty that I got to have him in my life longer than her. He missed giving her away at her wedding. He missed all but one grandchild (my older sister's) - there are now 8 in total. My kids can't ever understand how cool he was, what great stories he told, how kind he was, how hard he worked to support us, how funny he was, and what stupid songs he always made up and sang around the house that made us all laugh at his absurdity and humor. <br />
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Thank God my mom is a strong woman. She met someone else, they are married and she is happy. He's a nice enough guy, good enough. That made my life and grief so much better to know I didn't have to carry the burden and guilt of my mom's sadness too. She's handled it well for the most part. Better than I could have. My Mom and Dad were married for 32 years and my Mom's a pistol so that's no small feat! Haha!<br />
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What a great Dad I had/still have. And I sure do miss him. Today, I'm sad and a bit pissed about it. I cover up my grief by reminding myself I'm living my life to honor him. And I am. But sometimes this really sucks. Sometimes I think that in order to get so lucky to have such an amazing Dad I had to pay such a high price in grief. You know, with great highs come great lows. Newton's 3rd Law of motion: with every action there is an equal opposite reaction. Whatever, he was worth it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-35958117168967809512013-02-11T17:56:00.003-08:002013-02-11T17:56:39.467-08:00The best massage is when you're soreI've been so sore since the half marathon a week ago. Today was my chiropractor adjustment and 60 min massage afterwards. It's absolutely heaven! I really was never an advocate nor against chiropractors. I really had no opinion. Since I've been going over the past year and a half - it has really helped me. I only have to pay a co-pay - and my insurance covers an adjustment and a 60 minute massage 20x per year. Its fantastic. Thank goodness my husband's insurance covers it. Tonight she really stretched out my hips and lower back. I feel so much better!!<br />
I've been drinking my green blended drink every morning - which has been a focus of mine - to ensure I'm getting the protein in each day. It tastes so great really packs in the protein. <br />
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Tomorrow its back to running on the treadmill. The only way I can get the runs in are at home in the mornings. Back to 530 a.m. wake ups! <br />
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I want to lose 10lbs by March 16th. I'd love to get back down to 185 in time for Mexico. Lets see what I can pull of in 5 weeks. Probably not 10lbs, but 5-8 would make me happy too! I want to enjoy Mexico and not have my shorts too uncomfortably tight. I'm going to do it - just watch me!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-73171978147033051642013-02-08T13:06:00.000-08:002013-02-08T13:06:03.824-08:00Slacker and I ran a half marathon on Sunday!I've not posted or even looked at my blog in over 6 months. I really want to know how everyone out there is doing, so I'm going to start looking at some blogs this weekend while the Northeast braces for all this snow.<br />
Since it's been a while, I'll give you a few updates about me:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I was at an all time low of 185 and am now at 195. I stopped running for about 6 months and gained the weight. (I'm now ready to shed these 10lbs and get back down there and then some!)</li>
<li>I'm having a harder time eating now than I have in the past. I find myself eating soup, peanut butter, and bad things which led to my weight creeping up.</li>
<li>I'm still at the 'new' job - *remember, I'm the one who went through all the personal turmoil over deciding whether to re-locate to Charlotte, NC or stay in VA and take severance from a job I was at for 17 yrs. I ended up choosing severance, banking the $, and getting a new job within 3 weeks making more $. I'd planned to only stay at this *new* job for a year, well, its been 1.5 yrs. Why am I staying? I'm staying with a strict savings purpose to be able to quit my job and stay home with my kids for the next 10 years or so. I'll be able to do that by June 2014. So the plan is to save, save, save! I can't wait, actually, and am excited about that goal! </li>
<li>My marriage is really great. I went through some personal doubt - likely part of my anxiety over 'losing my job' after so long. In hind sight, I was questioning everything, including my marriage and my long term happiness. Maybe that's more to with being in my early 40's? I don't know - maybe it was a lot of things. What matters now is that I truly appreciate what I have, we have a great relationship, and I have a lot of respect for him. We are more of a couple than co-parents now. I will be married 19 years this Summer. wow.</li>
<li>My 11 yr old son was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome. It's personally so devastating to have a child who has to deal with such an embarrassing condition. He's so charming and friendly and very smart - and to see that in jeopardy due to some stupid physical tics is just devastating. He's just beginning puberty and as a 'gifted' learner his whole life, he is now struggling b/c he's concentrating on not having a 'tic' and being embarrassed vs. paying attention to the teacher. To think what he may have to deal with ridicule, bullying, shyness with girls, social withdraw at such an important age (first year of middle school and high school next) is heart wrenching. Because he is such the opposite kind of kid. Anyway, that's been really tough and sad to try to handle. I do feel fortunate that he does not have verbal tics - but it could still escalate to that level. I'm going to cry and be a complete mess if that happens because he tries so hard to control it.</li>
<li>I'm re-energized to lose 10lbs and get back to running and racing in half marathons. I just finished up a half marathon - the S*urf C ity M ara thon last Sunday. I walked a lot of it b/c I didn't want to injure myself and had a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to my next half in September. Running is what helped me finally break the 200 barrier and get down to 185. It's what is going to get me to the next level and get these 10lbs back off and get back to 185!</li>
</ul>
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Well - I need to share some photos. I just got back from Lagu*na Beach and enjoyed paddle boarding so very much in the Pacific Ocean. Paddle boarded with dolphins and seals - it was surreal and soul soothing! I love the west coast!</div>
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I hope all of you are doing wonderful. I'm looking forward to setting goals for myself and achieving them. Once thing I've learned about myself. If I just set a path or goal - there is some fun for me in planning how to get there and carrying it out. And I usually do. I'm looking forward to new goals and making them happen!!!</div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-41702032476898447122012-07-31T17:37:00.002-07:002012-07-31T17:37:17.770-07:0060 mins running! woot!Ran for 60 mins tonight!!!! wooooooot! I only planned to run for 30, but I felt good so I kept going. Made it to 45 and thought I could make it to 60. Then at 50 mins, I hit a wall and had to distract/talk/convince myself I could make it 10 more mins. And I DID!!!!!<br />
<br />
I have about 4.5 weeks left until the half marathon. I know I won't be able to run the whole way, like last time (what an accomplishment that was) but I'm getting stronger and being able to at least run an hour to an hour and a half of the 3 hours its going to take me to finish will be a GREAT thing!<br />
<br />
I'm still tracking what I'm eating on Livestrong - and doing that plus running = weight loss. Go figure. Eating 1200 calories and running actually works. Ha! I'm down to 195 today - that's 3 lbs down, so I'm very pleased.<br />
<br />
I can't seem to update my weight tracker - anyone else have this problem? I get an error when I link to try to update it. <br />
<br />
I also want to share with you all a little about my band and restriction since I think I'm a bit different than most. I don't have a lot of saline in my band - I can eat anything and I prefer it that way. I can eat homemade crusty bread, steak, honestly anything. The band DOES curb my hunger and the constant thinking about food that I used to have. The band DOES slow me down when I eat. I have a hard time eating in the morning sometimes and if I eat late, heartburn haunts me at night. That's not always the case - but its consistently the case dependent on my hormones. The reason I always went with low restriction is that I felt really scared when I got stuck and didn't like having a hard time eating raw vegetables or really tough veggies (like broccoli, carrots, celery, etc). It means I've really been a slow, slow loser. But I like it this way. <br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-89508147927763148022012-07-29T11:52:00.003-07:002012-07-29T11:52:47.514-07:00Catecholamines - sprinting a secret to weight loss?Running is kicking my butt. My muscles hurt - and my back hurts. But I know I'm building the foundation to being stronger - so I'm willing to not complain about it much.<br />
I've been reading Runner's World and wanted to share this article. I think I'm going to add small sprints to the end of my runs to try to get this effect going and especially to get rid of my abdominal, visceral fat!<br />
<br />
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<div class="post-472 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-uncategorized" id="post-472" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 28px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
<h1 class="entry-title" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 21px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Sprinting for Weight Loss: Are Catecholamines the Secret?</h1>
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margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | </span></td><td style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #cccccc; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="articleFunctions" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsweatscience.runnersworld.com%2F2012%2F07%2Fsprinting-for-weight-loss-are-catecholamines-the-secret%2F" style="background-attachment: initial; 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margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="articleFunctions" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsweatscience.runnersworld.com%2F2012%2F07%2Fsprinting-for-weight-loss-are-catecholamines-the-secret%2F" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1d71a8; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">LIKE</a></td><td style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #cccccc; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | </span></td><td style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #cccccc; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="articleFunctions" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?status=Sweat+Science%3A+http%3A%2F%2Fsweatscience.runnersworld.com%2F2012%2F07%2Fsprinting-for-weight-loss-are-catecholamines-the-secret%2F+via+%40RunnersWorld" style="background-attachment: initial; 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margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;"><a class="articleFunctions" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?status=Sweat+Science%3A+http%3A%2F%2Fsweatscience.runnersworld.com%2F2012%2F07%2Fsprinting-for-weight-loss-are-catecholamines-the-secret%2F+via+%40RunnersWorld" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #1d71a8; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">TWEET</a></td></tr>
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Over the past few years, the big buzzword in exercise circles has been "high-intensity interval training" (HIIT, or some variation on that general theme). Study after study has shown that really hammering for short bursts produces the same (and sometimes better) adaptations compared to a typical long, slow "cardio" session. I haven't seen all that much research on HIIT for weight loss, but<a href="http://runningmagazine.ca/author/rebeccag/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">blogger Rebecca Gardiner</a> pointed me in the direction of an interesting new Australian study (<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/fitness/forget-the-jog-slog-and-fit-in-a-sprint-for-maximum-weight-loss-results-20120628-215a4.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">news article here</a>; <a href="http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobes/2012/480467/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">free full text of the journal article here</a>).</div>
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The study itself is encouraging, thought not really earth-shattering. A group of 46 overweight men were assigned either to a control group, or to an exercise program consisting of three 20-minute workouts per week for 12 weeks. The workouts were simple: alternate 8 seconds of sprinting (on an exercise bike) with 12 seconds of easy pedaling, keeping the heart rate in the 80 to 90% of max range. By the end of the program, the participants had dropped 2 kg of fat, and added 0.5 kg of muscle, plus various other positive effects like 17% less visceral fat and improved aerobic fitness. Pretty much what you'd expect, I think.</div>
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One thing that caught my attention was the researchers' explanation for why sprinting works better than longer, slower workouts than burn a roughly equivalent number of calories:</div>
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Fast sprinting caused the body to release high levels of a specific group of hormones, called catecholamines, which drive the release of fat, especially abdominal and visceral fat, from fat stores so it can be burned by working muscles.</div>
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''We don't know why, but moving limbs very fast generates high levels of catecholamine,'' Dr Boutcher, whose findings are published in the <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Journal of Obesity</em>, said.</div>
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That's interesting, and new to me. The journal article cites several earlier papers that have documented this effect, so obviously the idea has been out there for a while. I'll be interested to see what other factors affect catecholamine release, and how big a difference these hormones really make.</div>
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As for the workout itself, 20 minutes of alternating 8 seconds hard with 12 seconds easy actually sounds pretty challenging -- that's 60 sprints, albeit short ones! The rationale:</div>
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Sprinting for eight seconds raised a person's heart rate while keeping lactic acid release, which make muscles tire quicker, to a minimum, he said.</div>
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Hmmm, I thought the "lactic acid makes muscles tired" idea was history by now. Oh well. Still, perhaps the idea of an 8-second sprint is less intimidating for people who haven't done high intensity exercise before, akin to the <a href="http://peakperformance.runnersworld.com/2012/05/new-workout-the-30-20-10-produces-impressive-results/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">30-20-10 workout</a> that Amby Burfoot blogged about recently</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-style: initial !important; border-top-width: 0px !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-18501205635192759332012-07-25T18:11:00.000-07:002012-07-25T18:11:31.689-07:00Running with a cold = not fun!Stupid cold! I've had it since last weekend and all the pseudophed I'm taking is drying me out. Today was a battle between feeling tired and knowing I had to run today. I got on the treadmill and ran for 35 mins without walking at 8pm tonight. GOT TO GET IT DONE. I've lost 2 lbs, over the last 2 weeks which is great.<br />
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Tomorrow is an all day meeting with some visiting clients, my VP flying in to present also, and then I have to have dinner said clients. These clients are NOT pleasant - they're arrogant jerks, in all honesty. So tomorrow is going to be a long day and I won't have time to run so I'll have to exchange it for my rest day and get the run done on Friday.<br />
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Hope everyone is having a great week!!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-39745450985340823752012-07-24T10:40:00.001-07:002012-07-24T10:40:15.970-07:00New shoes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNWRb6nh_P9J0h8_WcM94WZjWokYRD8cmCoBZPljdWt2tCLpI52rsrEaSyEEOVPD_i6jOlgBQZEuW-xSxYLKYAwv4kQURB3-tt0fXLnRomyXTldaP595WOlR7VEq2uYrnG9AWOiGqRPCp/s1600/IMG_1435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGNWRb6nh_P9J0h8_WcM94WZjWokYRD8cmCoBZPljdWt2tCLpI52rsrEaSyEEOVPD_i6jOlgBQZEuW-xSxYLKYAwv4kQURB3-tt0fXLnRomyXTldaP595WOlR7VEq2uYrnG9AWOiGqRPCp/s320/IMG_1435.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
I bought a couple pairs of new shoes last week. I'm short - at 5'4" - so I can use all the height I can get from a pair of shoes. I don't like to wear high heels - mostly because they're impractical, I tend to always walk fast anywhere I go (esp in the office) and because they're usually not comfortable. Well, I tried these on and they felt like normal sandals. So comfortable! And they were on sale, so I picked them up. They're brown and the heel is made from a jute like material - so they're casual. I can't wait to wear them out! It feels better and better, the more I lose, to wear pretty shoes. Before heels really hurt my feet. I'm sure its a combination of losing weight and the fact that platforms are back in style. Regardless, I'll take any NSV I can get!<br />
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On the running front, I missed my long run of 60 mins on Saturday because I was so sore from running last week and all the standing at the concert. I'm not worried about it, I just remember what my running coach told m which was to NOT make up runs, just pick up where you left off. I can't tell you what a relief that is - allowing myself to just let it go and pick back up where I left off. I would usually just beat myself up about missing the run, feel lazy or some other negative emotion. Keeping it positive really and him 'giving me permission' to just pick up where I left off is so refreshing and new for me. I'm really focused in the last year on positive emotions, positive self talk and living in the moment. Really just soaking up the current moment and letting the past and the future go! Its a constant struggle to really focus on that - but it really works well for me. I enjoy much more of life this way. <br />
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I read something Deepak Chopra said and it struck a chord with me - he said thinking about the past is a waste of energy and time. We can't change the past. We spend so much time thinking about something that happened, thinking about someone who did something that upset us, and then we think about the future and what can go wrong, what will go awry and angry about the situation or angry at the person who did something wrong. But why? We can't change it. We also can't affect what that person does in the future. We also spend and waste soo much of our time living in the future. We are always thinking about what we need to do next, what we're going to do, where we need to be, how someone else is going to feel about something, who is going to be upset. Focusing instead on the current moment as it is and enjoying the people around us, the things that we're doing and appreciating the moment we're in is a much more richer experience and more personally satisfying. It doesn't mean we shouldn't plan the future -we all have hectic schedules. Its just a reminder to stop fretting and worrying about what's going to happen and instead focus on what you can do today, right now, at this very moment. Its in those current moments that change happens. Its in those moments that I get my butt off my bed and make the decision to go run and enjoy the run - and I work to enjoy every minute of it. I work to focus on not thinking about the past that I can't change, and I don't worry as much or spend all my time thinking through all the possible scenarios of what will happen in the future. What has already happened, has already happened. What's going to happen is going to happen - I'll deal with the outcomes then - when they actually happen. I'm not going to spend minutes and hours thinking about all the possible things that are going to go wrong or how they could go wrong. I realized I do that A LOT! So I thought I'd share it with you too. Stop and just enjoy the seconds that you're in right now! Its kinda, well, peaceful and it settles me. I know I can't do it all the time - but I can do it some of the time and thinking and practicing enjoying the single moment I'm in and appreciating the people I'm with has had a positive effect on me. I hope you take a minute and just exhale and enjoy a few moments today!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-style: initial !important; border-top-width: 0px !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-23977985830131097302012-07-21T11:31:00.002-07:002012-07-21T11:36:22.797-07:00The KILLERS and I'm back on the RUNNING track!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGmIZJxtr7fiF9UipubAyPME0vLX95wq4FHSlLZ9l49xkV8k1xHqKXAoUkInrFk8ZAyuynkzUa3UOMgVxwDwNEv55PdjwcXu8fvZfmPh0-xee-IHzGbZqHMv1SyxMWGTzMzUEfxozMxRX/s1600/IMG_1475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGmIZJxtr7fiF9UipubAyPME0vLX95wq4FHSlLZ9l49xkV8k1xHqKXAoUkInrFk8ZAyuynkzUa3UOMgVxwDwNEv55PdjwcXu8fvZfmPh0-xee-IHzGbZqHMv1SyxMWGTzMzUEfxozMxRX/s320/IMG_1475.JPG" width="320" /></a>I think many of you know how much I enjoy music and live shows. I've not talked about many of the concerts I've been to lately, but I've GOTTA tell you about the THE KILLERS at the National last night in Richmond. The National is a beautiful old theatre complete with old wood floors, marble, columns and its just a small venue but has so much charm! The Killers - for some unknown reason - decided they were going to play there on their way to their normal huge venues (they're playing some Sat and Mon). They've not toured in a while and decided to get back together and I guess this was just a practice run at a tiny venue for them. They were AMAZING!!!!!!! My sisters and I had so much fun - we ate and had drinks at a wonderful underground bar beforehand talking in amazement about the fact that we were in store for what we knew was a once in a lifetime show. I'm sure they'll never play at this tiny of a venue again - which made it even more incredible! I took these pics with my cell phone:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpRs6fn9t_oBC-W1mvonBDsILp-ZoEAsXLt9ZGGEB9MyyDTKNEZanwgai45E8dZABkEtmfT44VJtNzcZGvwbHj07eTwjzB40vijym2mXVkMyU0I2BheufReG1vul7VRuKbhDRtBhOMT7K/s1600/IMG_1552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpRs6fn9t_oBC-W1mvonBDsILp-ZoEAsXLt9ZGGEB9MyyDTKNEZanwgai45E8dZABkEtmfT44VJtNzcZGvwbHj07eTwjzB40vijym2mXVkMyU0I2BheufReG1vul7VRuKbhDRtBhOMT7K/s320/IMG_1552.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFisEqPlQsvb5sxvouJugfuyqBD2H6bfCpBMY15jCFdZllwRrDExjbSD3l2TfvHXMAKVKv7_t3D2M3ajg_DnCQZLO46xSyEMChVoUbtK98DNfWmZN9soTNZT8De2g3H1ewxt6SsKBWMX3R/s1600/IMG_1541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFisEqPlQsvb5sxvouJugfuyqBD2H6bfCpBMY15jCFdZllwRrDExjbSD3l2TfvHXMAKVKv7_t3D2M3ajg_DnCQZLO46xSyEMChVoUbtK98DNfWmZN9soTNZT8De2g3H1ewxt6SsKBWMX3R/s320/IMG_1541.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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We stood for 4 hours prior to the show and during the show. But it was worth it! We were right there at the edge of the small stage. I definitely got a good workout doing all that standing and dancing alone! But yesterday morning I also got 3 miles knocked out on the treadmill!! That, combined with 4 hours of standing yesterday, means I'm very fatigued and sore today. My back is especially sore. But I really feel back in the groove of running and I'm so proud of myself! Its nice to feel positive vs. beating myself up with negative thoughts about how lazy I am or how I don't have it together like all those super successful career moms out there who have big jobs and are athletic and make real time to connect with their kids. You know and their houses are clean too and all the clothes are washed and pressed. As silly as I know that is, why do I hold myself to those standards? The great thing about being 43, I think is that I know and actually give myself a break while connecting with my kids in less 'perfect' ways. I wasn't like that in my 30's. I wasted a lot of time resenting my inability to be perfect and have it all the way I thought it was supposed to be. And I have learned in the last few years to appreciate what I have and more importantly appreciate living in the current moment. Moments like these below where my sweet girl made friends with the dog outside of the breakfast place we love. *Note she's wearing her doggie ears and pretended she was Wes' (the dog) doggie buddy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBLLs7BripCg-KiS0p1ej5EtEkReHLyzXaD3otQnOKMrmU8fr8VNCOE35u4wOQ599wq99hdUVHIqa8ZSkNJ6orDZT-hCVm4tGwPLFd4Yktly2CZuhxqoCqtqwG9Ap_xaRfIUqQdtGanzx/s1600/IMG_1450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBLLs7BripCg-KiS0p1ej5EtEkReHLyzXaD3otQnOKMrmU8fr8VNCOE35u4wOQ599wq99hdUVHIqa8ZSkNJ6orDZT-hCVm4tGwPLFd4Yktly2CZuhxqoCqtqwG9Ap_xaRfIUqQdtGanzx/s320/IMG_1450.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-61615778771620187002012-07-18T06:54:00.001-07:002012-07-18T06:54:16.640-07:00Got up and RAN today!I kept feeling unmotivated and kept finding excuses not to run for weeks now. This morning I was feeling all sorry for myself after glancing at my agenda for today. I have meetings literally every single hour today back to back with no breaks. STRESSFUL! I know that I NEED to run to relieve the stress and make myself feel strong and get those endorphins in my system. So I cancelled my 930 call while laying on bed (I used my iPhone) after getting fully undressed for work, pearls and all. I put my running shoes on and got on the treadmill.<br />
It felt GREAT!! No pain in the ankles, or knees as I would have expected. I also was able to run for a full 30 mins without walking. How can that be? My pace was normal for me at 13 min miles. But what matters is I'VE STARTED OVER! The new running program has officially STARTED! Woo hoo! Now I can't wait to take credit for my running on my calorie tracker and synch with Nikeplus and daily mile! Yay - the hardest part - the beginning is now over!!!!!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/398/132595F22D7BAEA045867A15CFD7794D.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-style: initial !important; border-top-width: 0px !important;" /></a>The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7592658291373471336.post-34881151498631208752012-07-16T17:13:00.002-07:002012-07-16T17:13:47.808-07:007 more weeks til the halfOnly 7 weeks left until the half marathon that takes place in September. Funny how the panic I feel in the pit of my stomach isn't about how difficult its going to be b/c I'm not ready......its because September is really only 7 weeks away? What? Where did my summer go?<br />
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This was a free concert I attended last night at the oceanfront. It was hot out - but it was nice! We went out on the boat early, docked and ate breakfast. Then we spent a few hours out on the water and got to see quite a few pods of dolphins playing around. I love that!<br />
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I ate well today, I'm focusing on making sure I'm eating breakfast and tracking everything as I should. I've still not gotten my behind up to go hop on the treadmill and start a run. <br />
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I hope all of you have a wonderful week!The Cozy (not crazy) Coconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05475229833528879552noreply@blogger.com1