Comments | gwyn_r: getting there is only half the battle

gwyn_r

getting there is only half the battle

Jun 15, 2009 23:47

Started off week 3 of the exercise effort with a trip to the gym with mlyn to help me figure out how to work the elliptical machine. I got brave last week and tried it out, but it was excruciating and left my thighs a burning mass of rubber. A bunch of people barked at me this weekend about how I needed less resistance and a lower level, but I hit ( Read more... )

teefs, fat fat water rat, lifestuff

Comments 13

kirbyfest June 16 2009, 12:05:49 UTC

Go you with the exercise and healthy eating! It sounds like you have a great attitude about it.

gwyn_r June 16 2009, 19:17:39 UTC

When I get there, my attitude goes right out the front door as I enter. But I want to deal with this weight more, so that wins. It's so hard!!!

imkalena June 16 2009, 16:25:49 UTC

OMG it's my retainer.

I didn't know what Invisalign was, so I looked it up. They gave me one of those to use as a retainer after my braces. Admittedly, it worked real well, esp after the surgery where they cut my tooth-holding ligaments. :) A YEAR? They think they can get one's teeth straight in a year with that? It took me two years with regular braces, and my second orthodontist called my first orthodontist a sadist.

The first orthodontist had promised me I'd have my braces off by my wedding; the second withdrew that offer and wouldn't do it. Sigh.

gwyn_r June 16 2009, 19:22:16 UTC

Oh, no, it's definitely not just one year -- they have me down for 18-24 months. But they may still put the metal ones on instead of it being Invisalign all the way, and that bums me out completely. I just despise the idea of metal in my mouth again. The first time was a terrible experience that I am loath to repeat.

Apparently some people keep their final set of Invisalign trays as retainers, but there are also harder, more long-wearing retainers that are clear -- it just depends on the orthodontist's preference, I guess. I'll know more about that a lot farther down the line.

One of the cool things I found out about clear ones is that you can use them to put whitening gel in and lighten your teeth! The dental hygienist told me yesterday to make sure that they don't go above the gum line, though, because it can burn your gums. But still! I'm such a heavy tea-drinker that I think it will be great.

ixchel55 June 16 2009, 16:30:17 UTC

(I was watching those minutes tick down like a buzzard waiting for someone to die)

This is exactly my feelings toward exercise. I've managed to keep doing it on a fairly consistent basis but I will never, never be one of those people who enjoy exercise. But you're right, whether you lose weight or not you'll feel better.

My suggestion is to get yourself an MP3 player to listen to music or podfic. It does make the time move a little less slowly.

I'm a grazer, too. Having diabetes this is both good and bad for me. Being a diabetic you're encouraged to eat 5-6 small meals instead of large ones, but to wait 3 hours or so between 'meals' to keep your blood sugar even. But once I start eating I want to keep on and that keeps my blood sugar at an elevated level. When I become distracted I can easily go for hours w/o the desire to eat, especially during the day. But that will make my blood sugar spike, too. So I eat something small but then have the insane urge to nibble for hours *sigh* Kinda sucks. Having to re-teach myself how to eat ( ... )

gwyn_r June 16 2009, 19:28:33 UTC

I really hate exercise. I mean, I hate the whole going somewhere to do this sort of thing, but clearly walking everywhere and eating less and whatnot aren't working. At some point, if I ever have money again, I will buy myself some kind of cardio machine to use in the garage, but that time is not now ( ... )

ixchel55 June 16 2009, 20:05:02 UTC

One of the things I've learned about diabetes is that if you don't have the gene for it, no matter how over-weight you are or how bad your diet, you're not going to develop it. Unfortunately you don't have a way to check for that history.

Loosing weight is important and will help deter diabetes if you're prone, but watching your carb consumption which helps keep your blood sugar from spiking and your body from developing a resistance to insulin is more important.

Fortunately that means if you're not diabetic or pre-diabetic (that can be tested for), you can indulge a little bit with fat content. It's when you can't have very much fat or very many carbs that things begin to get kinda boring. ):

Has your doctor checked your fasting blood sugar?

klia June 16 2009, 17:29:57 UTC

I'm glad you're sticking with it, despite the pain and everything.

(I was watching those minutes tick down like a buzzard waiting for someone to die)

Boy, I know that feeling well. That's why I ended up buying an elliptical trainer: I watch stuff that's on my TiVo while I put in my time, and it goes SO much faster because my brain is somehow sufficiently distracted by a/v (but not just a; I've tried just listening to music, and 5 minutes feel like the Bataan death march) to disengage from the OMG... GAHHH... BURRRNNNNSSSSSSS! mantra to allow me to get through a workout.

I used to love stuff like yoga and racquetball, but I can't do either anymore, so I'm kind of stuck with what I'm able to do, which doesn't leave a lot of room for choice.

gwyn_r June 16 2009, 19:32:05 UTC

It's good though that even with all your pain, you're still exercising. Go you!! I wish I had room in this house for some kind of machine and a TV. Since I love TV anyway, it would make stuff a lot easier. At some point I'd like to get something to put in the garage, but there won't be any tv in there!

And I get what you mean about a/v being important -- a doesn't really distract me, either, on its own. I would much prefer to have pretty men doing interesting things on my screen (and some pretty women, too).

klia June 16 2009, 23:44:04 UTC

There are times I can't exercise at all, so I definitely need to do a LOT more.

mackiemesser June 17 2009, 04:09:13 UTC

Well, having only recently gone through Invisalign teeth-straightening (I had 'em in for a bit under 2 years and am on the retainers now) I can give you my impressions ( ... )

gwyn_r June 18 2009, 06:59:38 UTC

This is all extremely helpful. Much as I love the interwebz, there are a lot of people out there saying stuff that does not always help when one needs it -- I keep reading all these horror stories about people's experiences with them. And since most of them seem illiterate, it's hard to know what to really expect; you get either stupid pissed off cretins or marketing stuff that's clearly done by people who want to sell them to others ( ... )

mackiemesser June 18 2009, 07:34:00 UTC

Well, like I said, my orthodontist would constantly call me his "star Invisalign patient" because I wore them enough that they actually worked the way they were supposed to. I can imagine if you have to keep starting over it would be a complete nightmare ( ... )