My body is falling apart... sort of

Last night one of my toe nails popped off...

I guess that makes me an official runner!

hahaha :) No, but I've known I was going to lose two of my toe nails, the other one still looks like it's ready to go at any time. If toes had the same names as their corresponding finger, I would be talking about my pointer toes. (Second in from the big toe) But in the world of toes, those ones would probably be ring toes, that's where I always wore my toe rings.

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In other news, I finally made it to the doctor to check out my gall bladder. My doc was already talking surgery before he even sent me to get my ultrasound. Which freaked me out. On my health history I had checked off weight loss, so he asked me about it. When I told him I had lost 86 pounds his immediate response was, "On purpose?!"

Who accidentally loses 86 pounds, really? I could see 5, 10, 15, maybe 20... but 86? It takes a lot a freaking hard work to lose 86!

Anyway, I think he could have handled that situation a little better. I didn't really dig him from the start. He had on a gold chain and some of his chest hair was poking out of his scrubs. He totally struck me as the kind of guy that would have been a lot nicer if I had blonde hair and fake boobs.

But who does this guy think he is? He does colonoscopies for a living?

Meh, now I'm just being mean. Needless to say, I'll be looking for a new gastroendenologist.

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I had an ultrasound on Wednesday and I got to see my stones on the monitor... they're going to be soccer players!

I have two small stones, and apparently the small ones are the more painful ones. I asked my ultrasound technician if my stones and me can have a peaceful coexistence; one where I don't feed them anything that makes them angry, and inturn they don't make feel so sick I want to die.

She said it is possible. My gallbladder is not infected, so it doesn't have to come out.

There's a little ray of hope! :)

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Normally I don't think I know more than doctors. In fact, I know I don't know more than doctors. But I really don't want to have surgery if I don't have to. If they remove my entire gallbladder it'll mean an overnight stay in the hospital (something I've never had to do), and at least a month before I can return to any form of strenuous exercising.

Even though the pain is pretty bad I know I can control it through diet. And I know I can get through it for at least the next two months.

I'm pretty much refusing to let surgery get in the way of my training for the portland marathon. I've worked too hard and I just want to make it to Portland so that I can take a break afterward. A real one.

In the mean time, my mom is researching my holistic medicine options, and I'll be avoiding Cheez-its, french fries, and excessive amounts of dairy. We can get through this!

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Even though it seems like my body is falling apart, the rest of me is incredibly healthy! Blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, my insides... all in terrific shape! The guy who took my blood pressure was surprised at how "normal" it was. He asked me if it's always that low...

I dunno? I guess so, right?

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That concludes this health update :) Hope everyone else is feeling as healthy and vibrant as possible!

Who am I?

Yesterday I was walking over to Jessica's apartment and I saw it...










They are building a TACO BELL less than a block from my friggin' apartment! This is going to be the ultimate test!

Most people who know me know of my deep and profound love of the bell. Even the logo is so inviting with it's hip, fresh colors, to match it's hip fresh(?) food! Even a glimpse of the logo can get my salivation glands going like one of Pavlov's dogs.

Mmmm... bean burritos, chalupas, mexican pizza, mexi-tots, Cheesey bean and rice burrito... MMmmmmm.... listen to my inner-fatty roar! RRRaaaaaarrrrr yom yom yom!

The good news is the Bell has not opened yet... It looks like we're still a few weeks away before the test begins.

Damn! And I had been doing so well... is this going to be my kryptonite?





I think I'm going to be OK. I haven't been to Taco Bell in over seven months. If this had happened last year I think it would have been a real problem. But now I know the only days I can visit the Bell is after running for 2 hours so I can quickly burn through all the APs I'm earning. I'll have to get a shirt with the Taco Bell logo and a line that says, "This is why I run!"

Then it hit me, I'm referring to myself as two different people.

Old Me

and

New Me


Old me would be ecstatic that I don't have to drive 15 minutes to the nearest taco bell, and I can waddle down the street into cheesey goodness.

New me is frightened by the idea of Taco Bell being so close to my home, and was immediately grateful that it is out my back door instead of the front door near subway.

Wow!

I think I've made the transformation into thinking like a healthy person. Well, healthier... When I started to think about everything that I've changed in the last year it all made sense: I've become a different person!

A year ago if you had told me I was going to run a half marathon on the hottest day of the year, I would have told you you were full of it! There's no way I could even run a quarter of a mile! Well, Matt maintains I would have said, "Shut up and hand me a piece of pizza, don't forget the ranch!" Which is probably more accurate... :)

I've noticed how I'm physically becoming another person, I don't even recognize certain parts of my body anymore. My hands are so strong looking and have bulging veins... instead of the chubby 12-year old hands I've had my entire life. I'm starting to see and feel muscles in my legs that I've never seen before!

I still feel like I'm me... but I'm in a different me suit. And with different priorities. A year ago a friend asked me what the top five things were that make me happy... was it sad that three of them were food?

5. Tup Tim Thai's Pad See Ew
4. Chicken Tikka Masala
3. Anything with cheese melted on it
2. My friends
1. Matt and my family



What would be five things that make me happy now?

5. Design and excelling at work
4. Finishing a long run
3. My friends
2. Matt and my family
1. Feeling confident and proud of all that I have accomplished


Well, now that I realize I'm transforming into a new person, it's time to decide who I want to be. There are definitely different areas of my personality that could stand to be improved. And I've learned how to make changes in my life. Start small and before you know it, you've turned your whole life around! Besides, it's never too late to be who you could have been!

They don't make 'em like they used to!

Surprise surprise!

I can't eat like I used to...

Not that it's a bad thing, by any means!

Its probably a good thing that I had to spend half of the Mariners game in the bathroom because I ate 10 garlic fries. And I wish it was just diarrhea or something I knew how to control...

I'm about 95% sure that I have gallstones. I know I'm totally a self-diagnoser, but I've been doing some research and it's all pointing to the same thing. I've had six "episodes" in the last six months. Initially I thought it was just really bad gas from being lactose intolerant. But how do you research "cramps" and "gas"? Those are symptoms for just about anything that's fun!

Then I stumbled upon an article on gallstones.

(they're so cute in their little dish)

Here's how wikipedia describes the attacks:

A main symptom of gallstones is commonly referred to as a gallstone "attack", also known as binary colic, in which a person will experience intense pain in the upper abdominal region that steadily increases for approximately thirty minutes to several hours. A victim may also encounter pain in the back, ordinarily between the shoulder blades, or pain under the right shoulder. In some cases, the pain develops in the lower region of the abdomen, nearer to the pelvis, but this is less common. Nausea and vomiting may occur.

Sounds pleasant, right?

I totally freaked Matt out when I had a terrible attack at the Las Vegas airport while we were in line to get our tickets. I started getting the pain in my stomach, and I knew what was about to happen. I started feeling really woozy and light headed. Then all the blood in my body rushed up to my head, I was barely awake standing up and I had the chills, yet I was dripping in sweat.

Matt took care of our bags so I could go to the restroom where I curled up into a ball and just waited it out. That's really all I can do. I was fine an hour later.

I blame the box of cheez-its I ate a half an hour before.

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There was no way I could have gallstones, right? I mean I eat really really healthy most of the time. WTF? I'm supposed to have less health problems, not new ones!

I was on a walk with my friend, Holly, and she had mentioned that she came across an article saying that people who lose weight too quickly run the risk of getting gallstones.

So I immediately looked for the article.

It has been confirmed, I've developed gallstones from losing weight too quickly. I have lost 85 pounds in 9 months. Basically all that crap I ate before I decided to get healthy is still in my body. My poor gallbladder couldn't process it fast enough to keep up with my digestion. It probably doesn't help that I haven't been very good about getting my healthy oils in (which lubricate the process... get more of that *ish out of my system).

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So what have I done about it?

Nothing.

I keep putting off making a doctors appointment. I'm not scared to go. I really want to! I'm just a complete slacker about making appointments. I don't like using my phone for personal conversations in my office with 10 people and no walls. And I don't want to do it on my lunch break because I'm usually with co-workers.

I'm blogging about it, so anyone who reads this will harass me until I make an appointment. I already did research and picked out a doctor, I saved the number in my phone... no excuses.

Also, I guess this is sort of a public service announcement. Just raising awareness :)

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Luckily, I only get these attacks when I eat absolute crap disguised as food. I know to avoid super greasy and really high fat foods. Because, frankly, none of that crap is worth the amount of pain it causes.

So now I'm stuck in this healthy world I've created for myself. Whether I like it or not :)


Let's go have some veggies dipped in hummus!

Heart Rate and Fat burn (heart burn and fat rate?)

Although I haven't been to the gym in months, I was always mystified by the heart rate scales on the treadmills and elliptical machines. For some reason if your heart rate stays lower you are in "Fat burn" territory. However, when your heart rate gets higher your workout is considered "Cardio."

WTF?

I thought the whole point of doing cardio workouts was to burn fat?

I read this fantastic book, Marathoning for Mortals, which I highly recommend to anyone even remotely interested in running. Here's a section from their book that breaks it down:

"You run all of your tempo workouts just below your anaerobic threshold, that is, the level at which your body begins to burn the short supply of glycogen or sugar in your system at a higher rate. Your muscles can burn one of two types of fuel–fat or glycogen (stored carbohydrates). At lower intensities–such as walking–your muscles prefer to burn mostly fat for fuel. However the higher your intensity, the more glycogen your muscles burn.

"You can go for days on fat stores but only a few hours on glycogen. The body is always using a ratio of both, but for the purpose of a successful and comfortable race, you want to burn a higher rate of fat.

"Your tempo workouts will allow you to raise your threshold. Ultimately, your body will burn a higher percentage of fat for a longer period of time at a higher intensity. This not only helps you lose weight; it also bolsters your endurance. The more your body burns fat for fuel, the more it conserves glycogen and the longer you can run without feeling tired."

Hey, I'm a fan of burning fat, So I think I'll keep up the tempo runs!

I mean, it makes sense that you can build endurance by increasing your threshold. And really I've seen evidence in my own running career.

Presently I am reading The Complete Book of Running for Women, where I discovered that women store the same amount of glycogen whether we eat a diet containing 60 or 75% carbohydrates, but we burn more fat than carbohydrates or protein compared to men. Which means our glycogen store will last longer.

So.... if I keep up the tempo work and maintain a healthy amount of carbs and fat in my diet I will be able to run forever...

Or cover the same amount of distance in less time...

I prefer the latter. Even though I totally agree with C.S. Lewis when he said, "If one could run without getting tired I don't think one would often want to do anything else," let's face it, comrades, the best part of distance running is when you're finished.

The hip bone's connected to the... ?

"You've got your ubulus muscle, connected to your upper dorsimus. It's boring, but, it's a part of my life..."

I'm nursing an injured... knee? this week. Well, it's the inside of my leg, next to my knee. It's the muscle that extends and contracts my leg. Based on my (and Matt's) expert googling skills, we've deduced that I've strained my MCL.

I really should leave the diagnoses to a professional, but that's just not how I roll :)

It all started Tuesday during my tempo run. A tempo run is where you run at 90% of your capacity for 20 minutes, then follow it up with a 30-minute easy jog. I've been doing my tempo runs on the treadmill because I find that it keeps me honest... but maybe I don't need to be kept so honest.

Near the end of my tempo run I felt a soreness in my knee. It felt a little worse as my slow jog progressed. Then on the walk home I could feel it start to cramp and tingle like it was going numb. I came home and iced for a while.

Wednesday it was a little sore, but I couldn't tell if it was the kind of sore that can be worked out over a run, or made worse by running on it. I decided to try it out on my interval run, which starts with a 50 minute warm-up run. I ran out 30 minutes, and when I hit my turn around point I was in a lot of pain. The problem was, I was a 30 minute jog away from the car...

In the sake of time I decided to jog back. I was able to run on my leg for a little over 20 minutes, but then I finally convinced myself to walk. It took me about 20 minutes to hobble that last mile. I couldn't believe how painful it got.

I finally made it back to the car, and went to safeway to pick up some dinner. I also picked up a huge bag of party ice intending to just sit on that for the rest of the evening.

Much to my chagrin, I was talked into missing my long run this weekend. I know it was for the best, but I was really excited to run the course we had planned for this week. It was 8 miles through Interlaken Park and the Arboretum. I guess I'll have to run it on my own sometime :)

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Today my leg is feeling much better. I'm definitely going to yoga tomorrow. But I don't think I'll run there again. I think I'm going to wait until Tuesday before I run on this leg of mine again. I went for a 3 mile walk this morning, and it was feeling pretty good.

Sometimes I need to remind myself not to be an idiot. It's better to sit out for one run, than to push yourself and miss the big race. I probably should have taken it easy on Wednesday. I'm not invincible and there are some serious injuries (potentially permanent ones) that are looming if I don't take care of myself.

I need to learn the difference between mild discomfort and actual pain...

It also wouldn't hurt to know anatomy of the leg a little better, either :)

Pillow Fight!

Ha! If only the Northwest Woman's show was so sexy... :)

It was such an interesting mix of women, and vendors... tea parties with psychics, or window installation... I had access to information on it all.

What we did find were these amazing bras! Their slogan was to "quit sagging and start bragging!" They had you put stickers on where your nipples naturally fall in your current bra. Then you try on one of theirs and there was seriously like an inch or two difference! And the straps weren't huge! I didn't get one, yet... but I will once I'm at a size I'm maintaining.

AND, I got tested for all the grown-up things like cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc... and

I'M HEALTHY!

I have good blood pressure and blood sugar, my bad cholesterol is really low, and my good cholesterol is a little low. So I really do need to start incorporating more healthy oils into the diet.

It was kind of funny, the nurse was going over ways to get your good cholesterol up and one thing she mentioned was maybe intensifying my work outs... hahaha... I ran almost 8 miles yesterday, lady! Then I got up and ran two more :) But it was good to see the benefits to having healthy oils in your diet.

All in all, a nice morning out with Amanda and Leanne. I haven't even sorted through all the pamphlets yet... I'll add more info if I find anything totally great :)

Oh, in other "yay me" news, they were giving out free mint n' chip dreyers ice cream! Northwest Woman's Show you know the way to my heart! I didn't, however, partake. I can't be so frivolous with my points anymore! There will be another time that I can have mint n' chip ice cream, it doesn't have to be today.

The difference a year makes...

So I recently came across pictures of Matt and I at a St. Patty's Day Party, and we've come a really long way!

Here's a glimpse:

"My first book is fit or fat"... or Fit and Fat

Randomly, I saw mention of this book, "Fat Fallacy" on a message board, and immediately ordered it in Amazon. The premise is that Americans eat a low-fat diet and manage to be the fattest people in the world, while the french eat rich indulgent foods and maintain their slender frames and this book will tell us what the secret is.

Even though I strongly recommend reading this book, I'm going to tell you the secret anyway (I don't think you'll be surprised): The eat real food, we eat chemicals disguised as food that manage to ruin our nervous system, give us heart disease and cancer, and make us... fat.

It seems as though nutrition scientists are looking for he one element that can cure us from fatness. They notice that people who eat vegetables have lower chances for cardio-vascular disease. The scientists realize the veggies draw their super power from beta-carotene. So they find a way to extract the beta-carotene, but it in pill form (with other synthetic properties), and viola! We can get the effects of eating vegetables without having the suffer through all those greens.

Now, here's where it get's tricky. Of course scientific tests can show a plethora of results, but in people who took beta-carotene vs. the placebo there was not a significant difference in people who got heart disease.

So once the book teaches you to look at nutrition data in our country with a skeptical eye, you start to think about all the fad diets. Remember when butter was bad for you? Aren't carbs the devil? We were supposed to avoid nuts and oils, and now we're told we should be consuming at least two teaspoons of oil a day. Now we're knee deep in good fats vs. bad fats. The funny thing is natural fats aren't bad for us, it's the fats created by to help extend the shelf life.

What I took away from the book was that our body was created to process a certain amount of fat. By eating a fat free diet, our body goes into fat starvation mode, so it holds onto what fat you already have. It requires so many chemicals to remove the natural fats from wonderful food like cheese. And artificial sweetners that have terrible chemical reactions when they enter our bodies, or can be linked to cancer, heart-disease, and diabetes. We should be avoiding aspartame, dyes, high-fructose corn syrup, olestra... I'll get to that in a different post.

It has a little bit of a diet to follow; more like guidelines. But overall it initiates a first step in establishing a better relationship with our food.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY: If it's not food don't eat it.