How Diet and Exercise screwed me over!

Interesting title, I know. And I mean it. Well, sort of.

WARNING: This blog deals with lovely girly issues. So if you think it'll be TMI, don't read it. It's won't bother me if you don't. :-) (it's not graphic, just a lot of info)

On January 18, 2009, I decided I didn't like my life or my weight. Some of it was born out of boredom, some out of resentment. I decided that if I wanted a new life, I could have it. Nothing was stopping me except for myself. So I did. In a year I lost 50lbs, got a better outlook on life, and made some big plans, all because I changed my diet and exercise.

That stupid little phrase has haunted me my whole life. I have stomach issues. Well diet and exercise. My back hurts. Diet and exercise. My knee feels out of joint. Diet and exercise, and my favorite came when I was 14, when I still hadn't yet had my first period. Diet and exercise. Thankfully, I am child of pop culture, and when my mothers Womans Day magazine told me, when I was 16, that there might be an underlying problem more severe, I listened. And they were right. Another trip to the doctor, this time to see one who specialized in Womens health, she confirmed my diagnosis. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrom. Big words for this: I make too much insulin, the insulin shuts down my horomones, I don't have a period. This was the major issue, but what would help? Diet and exercise.

Still, I never stuck to a diet long. The syndrom remained a problem for the next, oh 9 years. Menstruation was random, unpredictable, and always light. Until I started losing weight. And since about 30lbs, I have been somewhat regular. Often up to a week late, but nowhere near my old schedule of months late.

But there was another change as well, starting around 50lbs. The week leading up to my period, is AWFUL. I have horrible mood swings and awful depression. The likes of which I have never had before. I spend days lying around wanting to do nothing, contemplating calling in sick to work, despite the fact that I am fine. I don't want to talk to anyone or see anyone. I cry, I yell, I'm snarky, I'm lazy. It's awful! It feels like I am some alternate personality, and the real me is inside watching, knowing that this is so wrong and not really me.

About 2 months ago I began to talk to a doctor about it. She told me to keep a journal. How I felt each day, and at about what point in my cycle I was in. Sure enough, the last two months have matched. She can't treat me, or officially diagnose me because I am not really seeing her as a doctor, but as a friend (thanks to my lack of health insurance), but she says that I absolutly hae PMDD, Premenstral Disphoric Disorder, or Killer PMS.

I've begun taking St. John's Wort and B-12 to help. Today I can concentrating better and am in a much better mood then I was in yesterday. So the effect is already taking hold. The last thing she prescribe was the good old standard, diet and exercise. Figures. She says I need to cut caffine and chocolate, as they will contribute to my mood swings. If I didn't love this woman for all her free help, I would hate her so much!

I asked her, "so diet and exercise got me into this, and now it's going to get me out."

She laughed. "Yep, sorry kiddo."

She's also helping treat me for my foot, and has told me to not do the shred again (at full capacity at least) until Mon. I also have fancy new inserts for my shoes (which are helping!) and that I need to exercise with shoes on (lame!). So I have been doing strength, abs and yoga, no jumping. I am going to buy C's cardio yoga DVD tonight too, which should help.

I hate not doing the shred because despite the few negatives, I have so many positives. I generally like the way it make me feel, and I love the results. I've decided I am going to add 5 extra days to my 30 days. I feel like I need it. I want to do this fully! I want this to work!

Day 16? 17? I've lost track!

So I have no idea what day we are on! Anyone?

All I know is that level 2 seems to be aggrivating my plantar fasciitis (that is the actual spelling.) My darn foot is killing me today, I'm actually limping from it, I've never limped before! So I am out for the full workout today. I did, however, do many of the strength exercises and all of the ab exercises from both level one and two. Problem is, it doesn't feel like a workout. I think later on I am going to try and go for a bike ride. I figure it's a good way to get my cardio without putting the strain on my foot.

Good news is that I can feel the inflammation going down again, so I should be back at the workout tomorrow. And this time around I am going to wrap my foot before I workout, hopefully that should take care of it.

I have to say though, I did so well on the workout yesterday! I felt great! I wish I could feel that way everyday, and not be in the pain I am in today. :( Oh well.

Still kicking!

I am alive, albeit barely. This work out is kicking my ass again. But my new pants that I bought last month don't fit, so that is lovely. However, my weight has gone up. But I know I am supposed to be measuring how I feel and how I look and how my clothes fit.

And when I do yoga and I lift my arms, I can see my side in the mirror and it looks really nice. Just how I want it to look. Of course it goes away when my arms are down again, but the point is, it's slowly getting there.

I'm exhausted today, so that is all I am writing.

Day 11 & 12 & Pole Dancing Clumsiness

First comes the admittance. I have not started level 2 yet. I know, I know.

Yesterday after an early wake up call and a long day travelling I was in no mood to start something new, so I went for routine and did Level 1 again. Then I napped for several hours. Then I pole danced. And I sort of went for it in pole dancing and tried to step outside my box a little bit. Which worked and seemed fine, even though I did fall a few times. Until this morning when I could hardly walk on my left knee and right ankle, they were both stiff and slightly painful.

So this morning I hobbled around on both injuries until they loosened up and went to look at work out 2. I decided again to go back to one, but one jumping jack told me that wasn't going to work. So I did the strength and abs in level 1. But that feels like a half assed workout, so I think I am going to go back and do the strength and abs in level 2 as well.

Otherwise the knee and ankle are being iced and elevated. And my mood is low, probably with a combination of little work out, dull rain, pain and the anti-climax that is being home. Not to mention (gentlemen, stop reading here), I think this work out is messing with my cycle. I have all the tell-tale signs of starting the next 2 days when I shouldn't start for another week.

Day 10

So day 10 has been so easy and normal it almost feels like there is nothing to write. I did the workout sans dvd again today since I am still in California, then because again I felt like it, I went down to the gym and worked out there for awhile. I just did about 15 minutes on the treadmill and another 15 on the bike. Then some yoga and I was done. It felt good, but it'll be interesting to move onto the second level tomorrow. And there is pole dancing tomorrow. Shit, this might be hard.

On a related note, can one suffer from low altitude sickness? Shifting even between Alamosa and Denver, I feel changes, though never major. And going up to Mt. Evans I have to be very, very careful and make sure I hydrate like crazy. But today I feel very strange. Not bad, but different. Could it be low altitude sickness, or am I crazy? I do feel this way everytime I go here or LA or anywhere under about 1000 ft (Oakland is 42!!), so it's not a one off thing. I just don't know.

Day 9, coming to you from Oakland, CA

Let me start by telling you I am consuming a snowball at the moment. Let me add to that by say I freaking deserve the hell out of it! Here is the list of activity I had today. First, I walked all over DIA. Then I walked all over the Oakland airport. Both of these trips include lugging around my suitcase which is close to 40lbs and my carryon which probably is 40lbs. Then I walked around Mills College for 2 hours. When I got back to the hotel I took the stairs (to the 3rd floor) and I did that a couple times because I forgot stuff in the car.

Then I did my workout. Well, mostly. I couldn't bring the DVD, so I wrote down the workout and did it to the best of my ability. It was easier though, so either the altitude is effecting me, or I didn't do it well enough. Possibly both.

After workout I ate dinner, and since I am in glorious land that is the land of In-N-Out burger, I ate that for dinner (but I had a really good sandwich for lunch!). Then after dinner I was still bursting with energy so I headed down to the gym and biked for 10 minutes (because it sucked) and then walked/ran for 15. Then did some weights, then pushups and sit ups, then yoga.

After all of this and a long hot shower I discovered something. I was hungry for something sweet. Vending machine had snowballs. It's a slippery slope. And I had a chocolate croissant at the airport. This is a bad food day. But a good workout day! So....I'm even?

Hmm....

Week 2, Day 8

So a whole week of my 30 days has passed and today I started the second week. It has become so routine to me to get up and do this on the weekdays. The weekends are hard because so much goes on. Now my only concern is doing this the next couple days in Oakland. I think tomorrow I'll have to get up and do it before the flight, then I can take the DVD with me and play it on my computer. That is my theory at least. We'll see what happens.