The Year of The Kat: 2/6/11

Wrapping Up The End of 3rd Week

Tomorrow is the end of the 3rd week. I have been quite sick with a cold and congestion and haven't been to the gym in 3 days! I have been feeling a bit better today, so I will get back to the gym on Monday. I am still eating very well with today being my cheat day.

My husband and I are planning to go to the Olive Garden tonight for our Valentine's celebration. Boy, am I glad it's cheat day! I hope I am feeling up to it by 8:00 p.m. The last couple nights I have taken NyQuil and been ready to go to bed by 8:00. We will just see how I feel. I know my husband would be up for anything or nothing, he is SO awesome like that.

I weight in, take measurements and take a pic to post tomorrow. We will see how I progressed, if any, this week with it being such an off week for me.

First Measurements, Yikes!

My first measurements to use as a starting point are:

neck: 15"
upper arm: 15"
chest: 45 1/2"
waist: 37"
hips: 53 1/2"
thigh: 34"
calf: 19"

We will see on Sunday how I progress throughout the week. I will post my measurements along with a new pic every Sunday.

I also went to the grocery store today and checked my blood pressure. A couple weeks ago at my doctor's appointment where I was determined to have high cholesterol at a count of 250 (under 200 is considered healthy), I also had high blood pressure of 160/90. It had never been that high, EVER. It is now 125/75, so it's improving drastically and quickly. the 125 is considered borderline, but the 75 is at a healthy range, now.

I also found a list of foods from a Prevention Magazine article that are purported to lower LDL cholesterol substantially, and raise HDL (the good fats that flush out the bad LDL). That list is:

Oats (eaten daily) / 5.3% reduction in LDL in 6 weeks
Red Wine / 12% reduction in 3 months, I think it said
Salmon and Fatty Fish / raise HDL by 4%
Raw Nuts at 1.5 oz. a day / 9.3% reduction in LDL
Beans like Black, Kidney and Pinto / 8% reduction in LDL
Black Tea / 10% reduction in LDL in only 3 weeks
Dark Chocolate / raise HDL a good 24% in 12 weeks
Heart Healthy Margarine like Promise Activ or Benecol / 35% reduction in LDL
Raw Spinach
Avocado
Garlic
Olive Oil

The last four they didn't list the study/test group percentage, but it looks like how I eat! We will see what my blood cholesterol shows after 3 months of eating right and good like this.

I am still not making progress on the scale. My foot stretches are helping the Plantar Fasciitis, but today it really hurts and I am suppose to work my lower body, so I will probably skip the gym today and give my foot a rest and resume tomorrow with the lower body work out.

Plantar Fasciitis? Sheesh...

Okay, so I was reading up on foot pain so I could manage my workouts better.

What I found out is that I have Plantar Fasciitis. This is where the ligaments and tendons in the arch of the foot have small tears from pressure and they cause swelling and inflammation, which, in turn, causes the pain in my foot pad and heel on my right foot.

I looked up ways I can make it heal and I found some stretches that I can do. They seem to be working as I am getting some immediate relief and my cardio workout today wasn't as bad on my foot. I do have to lay off the treadmill as it has some hard impact on my foot, which has been the main cause of my pain.

So, no treadmill, only low or non-impact machines like the elliptical or incline cycles. I can still get a good workout and rest the arch of my foot at the same time so that it can heal better/faster.

I am really looking forward to my cheat day on Saturday. It's the Saturday before Valentine's Day and my husband and I are going to Olive Garden, yummy!

OH, and I finally bought a cloth measuring tape. I will be measuring by tomorrow and posting my first measurements here.

Beginning of 3rd Week...Discouraged

I have worked out 4 times this week instead of 6. My right foot has pain on the foot pad again, limping around.

I gained 2 lbs. this week, but have been very strict with the eating plan. I had good weight workouts, so I am thinking the muscle fibers being developed are adding weight faster than the fat is shedding. I shed 1/2 lb. by the end of the week, so I am at a 10 lb. total shedding, so far since I started.

Still not bad, but not what I was hoping or planning for.

I feel a little discouraged. I had my "cheat day" yesterday and really didn't eat much sweet stuff, except the creamer in my coffee. I find if I do, I don't feel very good.

Here is my weekly picture for comparison:

So, the first picture was 2 weeks ago, the picture of me in the gray tshirt is today. My belly is starting to disappear! Woohoo!

I still haven't found my cloth measuring tape. I will buy a new one.

I also feel the need to plan my workouts better, write them down, keep track of each weight I do, how many reps, sets. That way, I can make sure I do the same weight, or more, the next time I work each machine.

I have been having cravings again, but I am managing them with protein bars and protein drinks. They are rich and sweet, so they help.

I just want my foot and hip to stop hurting for good. I may need to shed 10-20 more lbs. before that happens. I may need to just deal with the pain and work out anyway, like gymnasts or ballet dancers. They deal with a lot of physical pain while getting into shape for their sport. I just deserve to be careful to not hurt myself permanently.