Model Heavin A recent picture I took of a young lady
Drum Roll Please………. 15.6 pounds down since August 19th. No, that’s probably not healthy to lose this much in one week but consider this, it’s mostly fluid. I started taking a drug known as Metolazone which is a booster drug to Bumetanide. Bumetanide, or Bumax for short, is a drug to get the excess fluid off the body. When taken with Metolzone, it’s like Bumax on steroids. There is a certain way I have to take it in order for it to work. It doesn’t take but a week or two to get all the fluid out from inside the body. Now, if I have confirmed fluid in my lung cavity then I have to get rid of the fluid another way, Bumax won’t help there.
Not only did I take the booster drug this week, but I’ve also cut carbs, and salt and I’ve done a little bit of exercise. While on the drugs to help get rid of the fluid, I can lose upwards of 2 pounds a day. Once off the drug, I’ll be good to lose less than a pound a week.
I’m off the drug so we’ll see what happens next week.
I turned 59 a few days ago. I did not go into a dark, deep depression. It was just another day for me. As many health problems as I have, I consider it a blessing just to wake up in the mornings. My wife, on the other hand, has an issue with each birthday she comes across. She’s a little over a year older than me and when she turned 60, let’s just say that she turned into a different person. It took a few days for her to get out of her slump. I’m not looking forward to next year.
I know I’ve written about it before but one of my health issues is that I’m having issues with my breathing. This has been an ongoing thing for several years. It started off as a side effect of one of my cancer medications. The medication was causing fluid to build up around my heart and lungs. I had to have fluid removed from around my lungs on four different occasions totalling up to around 5 liters. The first time I had it done they weren’t sure what was causing my breathing issue and it took several weeks of testing before they found out. During this time I wasn’t able to do much of anything without getting out of breath. Even walking a short distance became a struggle. Remember now, I was still trying to work through all of this.
Like I said, this has been an on going struggle for a couple of years now but after several medication changes it got better. Now it’s back but with a difference. There is no fluid around my lungs. X-rays have proved it. As with the other times, my weight would go up dramatically, and it’s doing the same thing now. I’ve gained upwards around 30 pounds in about a months time. That’s not normal. I’m on mediation to help relieve the fluid but I ran out last week. I had to wait until this week before I could get it refilled because of the insurance.
I think a big contributor to this is salt. I’m supposed to be on a low sodium diet but that’s hard for me to do. I’ve greatly reduced the amount of salt but I need to reduce it some more. Another thing that is not helping is, of course, my diet. I’ve got to do better. I’ve committed myself to a weightloss program for the next six months. But, until I get this fluid undercontrol, I will just continue to gain weight. Losing weight for me right now will definitely be a challenge. One, I get out of breath so easily so walking is a challenge even the treadmill will be a challenge. Two, the fluid. If I only knew the cause then I might could do something about that.2
On August 15th, my birthday, I weighed in at 287.2. On the 16th I weighed 287.4, 18th 288.5, 19th 290.5, also on the 19th I received my medication and the next day, the 20th I weighted in at 286.6. Of course I peed every thirty minutes or so. I haven’t weighed in this morning so I don’t know if I’ve lost any weight or not. BTW, I know I’m going to get some people telling me not to weigh everyday but this is what my cardiologist wants me to do. I should weigh about 275lbs once I get all the fluid off.
I’m planning on posting weekly to let everyone know how I’m doing on my weight loss.
When I started riding back in 2013, I rode a total of 1700 miles. I know, to some of you that’s a drop in a bucket but I was pretty proud of my accomplishment. 2014 is when I was diagnosed and because of my health issues, I was only able to ride 530 miles. I was able to increase my mileage somewhat to 890 miles in 2015. 2016 was a different story. I stayed in the hospital for several weeks because of complications and I never had the energy nor the strength to ride therefore I rode zero miles that year. In 2017, I was determined to start again and I did get a decent start with 150 miles but it soon faded because I was plagued with complications again. In the next two years, I was lucky to get 100 miles or less because of fatigue and weight issues. Because of this challenge that I’ve signed up for, I’ve pretty much-given caution to the wind and I’m going to ride if it kills me.
Today I was able to ride six miles, most of it pretty well. I did have some issues going up against some steep hills but I think once I lose some weight and get more in shape, I’ll get better with the hills. The only way I’m going to get better is to keep doing it. In 2013, I had worked up to 25 miles every time I got on my bike and I was riding close to four days a week during the Spring and Summer. There’s no way I can do that now but that’s my goal.
I hope you got a chance to visit your mother today or at least made or received a phone call. I got to visit mine for a few minutes. We practiced social distancing while visiting her on our porch. My mom is in her mid 80’s so she won’t be here with us too much longer so I want to spend as much time with her as possible, front porch or not.
My family spent the afternoon last Saturday taking pictures at the University of Alabama, where my two daughters graduated. I’m so proud of both of them. The one on the left will go into advertising while the other will be going into childhood education.
Off-topic…The person I’m seeing in the mirror in the mornings as I’m getting into the shower is beginning to disgust me once again. You and I both know what that means. My gym will be opening soon and then there is that treadmill downstairs. In the meantime. I’ll be watching what I eat and walking on the treadmill. I’ll need all the encouragement I can get. The goal…10 pounds in 10 weeks.
How is everyone doing during the quarantine? I’m doing fine I guess. I did something stupid the other day and I really hope that it doesn’t come back to bite me. I’m expecting a house painter to come early next week to start painting my house. In order to do the front, I had to get rid of my hedge bushes.
They’ve been there for years and have grown quite big and tall. I took a chain saw to them which made for quick work and after the front was exposed I noticed a large hole that went underneath my front stoop. I had to purchase some bags of dirt to fill it in before the painters showed up. The stupid part is when I went to Lowes to purchase the dirt. The place was packed. It looked like they were going to have some sort of give-away. I should have turned around then but I didn’t. When I went to check out the line was over twenty people long. With my health the way it is, I should’ve turned around but instead, I stood in line with all those other people. I won’t be doing that again.
The house looks bare now but at least they’re cut down now. The only thing I have to do now is pull up the stumps. I’ll do that later on. The grounds too wet to get in there with my truck and I don’t want to ruin my yard with ruts or worse get my truck stuck.
As of this morning, I’ve lost 9.2 pounds. I’ve got to get back on my treadmill so I can lose the other five pounds so I can get on my bicycle. Plus, with the virus going around and us being quarantined, I’m making more and more trips to the refrigerator which is not good. I’ve still got this nagging cough which when I get out of breath makes it hard for me to breathe and I have a coughing fit. I’ll either start back this evening or wait until Monday to start.
I have a doctor’s appointment come Wednesday. I’m sort of excited about going. I’ve been keeping up with my sugar and it’s down from 9.9 to 7.2. I’ve already seen the medical test report. So I’m pretty excited about that. My triglycerides are high and I need to do something to get it lower.
I’m near to 400 followers now. When I started this blog I never thought it would be this high. I’m about to go through and delete a few because some I have found are nothing but spam and sex promo sites. I have no idea how I got those followers. Anyway, thanks for following me.
I’m a couple of days late. I’m still quarantined and I’ve come down with not only the flu but a bad sinus infection, self-diagnosed of course. There is no way I’m getting out of this house and getting tested. I’ve been taking the Tamiflu as my wife’s doctor prescribed and I’m getting better every day. My daughter, who has also been quarantined with us has not shown any symptoms as of yet. My wife has nearly gotten rid of her aliments with the exception of her cough. That, I’m afraid, will stick around for a while.
I’ve slept more in the last week than I’ve slept in a month. I’ll be watching something on the television and what seems like moments later, something else will be on. I can’t stand going to sleep during the day and waking up. I feel like crap afterward.
I’m down 6.2 pounds as of today. That’s a little over a pound from last week. Not being able to go to the gym is going to be a drag if this quarantine lasts much longer. Around here the government has closed all nonessential business, gyms being one of them. I really haven’t felt like getting on my treadmill lately but I know I’ll have to soon if I want to continue to lose weight.
I hope everyone stays safe and I hope no one gets this virus.
My wife has come down with the flu so I’ve been quarantined for seven days. That means seven days without going to the gym. I’m glad I went ahead and bought that treadmill. One of my daughters is here while she’s on spring break, she’s also quarantined. In fact, her college has made the determination that school is canceled until further notice or at least until this virus is contained. We have no idea how they’re going to do graduation.
My wife was diagnosed today and was given several shots. I, as well as my daughter, was given a prescription for Tamiflu which I’ve already taken one. Right now I feel fine. My wife is not feeling well. She has a sore throat, low-grade fever, and a dry cough. If her condition worsens she has the paperwork to go get tested for the virus. The doctor does not think it’s anything more than the flu. I know that if I get the flu, because of my health conditions, I’ll probably be admitted into the hospital. That I do not want. I’d rather stay at home and let it run its course. I know I”ll get more rest that way.
“Slow process is better than no process”. This week’s totals are in. I’ve lost a total of 5.8 pounds since I’ve started at the gym. It’s been nearly four weeks since I’ve started and it’s still too soon for me to tell if I’ve lost weight or not. My clothes still fit the same. All this exercising and dieting has got to be doing something. it’s just going to take time I guess.
I’m having to drive the misses around this week and part of next week. My son wrecked his car last week and now it’s in the shop being repaired. We’re hoping that it’s repaired this Wednesday. I’ve had to make slight adjustments to my daily schedule to make sure I’m there in time for me to pick her up in the evenings.
This COVID-19 is something else, isn’t it? My daughter’s school is closing just after spring break, my wife’s school where she teaches will be out for over two weeks, churches not having services but streaming them over the internet instead, people hoarding toilet paper (which I don’t understand), just people in a panic all over. Personally, I’m not going to fall for the media-hyped panic that the rest of my state is going through. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing to keep me from being sick and I hope everyone else does the same. Everyone needs to turn their TV’s off and calm down.
It’s definitely been one roller coaster of a ride this week. I gained a pound, lost two pounds then I gained a pound. All in all, I lost 1.4 pounds this week. I’ve got 15.4 pounds to go before I can get my big butt on my bicycle.
I went every day this week to the gym. I spend on average 30 minutes each on the treadmill and the cycle. I walk away with my clothes soaked in sweat and my legs heavy as lead. Twice this week I’ve worked with the trainer learning how to operate the machines correctly. Next week I’ll be adding at least some of the machines to my daily routine.
I had to change my routine somewhat to accommodate my wife. This was due to my son having a car accident late Thursday afternoon. It messed his car up somewhat and it had to be towed to a garage. So, being the generous parents we are, we’ve given my wife’s car to him to drive during the next three weeks while his car is getting repaired. This requires me to get up in the morning and take my wife to work in the mornings and making sure I’m there in the afternoon to pick her up. This also requires me to pick her up during the day to take her to her doctor’s appointments which I had to do today. The things we do for our kids.
Back to my weight loss. I’m a little disappointed that I haven’t lost more weight than I have. I’ve read that when you start exercising like I have, you tear or damage the muscles which become inflamed. When this happens the body retains fluid around the inflammation which aids in the healing process. This also adds weight to your body. This is all new to me so I can’t tell you if it’s true or not. I did read this on the internet so it’s got to be true, right? lol.
As promised here is the latest on my new weight loss adventure. I’ve been to the gym every day this week since Sunday with the exception of yesterday. I had so many errands to do that I just didn’t have time to get to the gym. One of my errands was to go look at another treadmill. The one I own will not work while I’m on it. I had to make sure I find one that would carry my weight. The one I found is rated up to 360 pounds. I checked it out and decided to get it but as luck would have it, it will not fit through the door to get into my workout room. I’ve got to figure out how to disassemble it to get it in there. Right now it’s in my garage and my wife isn’t too happy about it because she has to park outside in the cold. I will be spending tomorrow removing my old treadmill and trying to get the other moved.
Last night after I ate supper, I tried out my new-to-me treadmill. It has speakers that I can plug my mp3 player into and of course, it has a multitude of workout options. I spent thirty minutes on the treadmill and worked up quite a sweat. Over 400 calories burned. That may not be a lot for some but to me, that’s a lot. The best thing is that when I woke up this morning I had lost 1.8 lbs. I know that maybe water weight but that’s the first loss since I’ve been working out. I’m excited about it.
I met with a trainer two times this week. I meet with him for thirty minutes then I hit the cycle for thirty and then the treadmill for thirty. On the days that I don’t meet with the trainer, I just do an hour’s worth of either the cycle or the treadmill or a combination of both. Today after my hour and a half workout, I got on my treadmill and did thirty minutes after supper. I know this may be a bit much but I’ve got a lot to lose.
There’s a young lady that is standing behind the desk as you come into the gym. She’s the one that I spoke with when I signed up. She looks to be about 24 years of age. She showed me a picture of herself before she started working out and I couldn’t believe the transformation. She asked me how old I thought she was, I told her about 24 to 25 years old. She said that she was 42 years old. You could have knocked me down with a feather. Today I asked her just how long it took her to lose that much weight. She said it only took her six months to lose it. She said that I could be fit and trim in six months if I stuck with it. We’ll see in six months.
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