Half of Me:The Story of Fat Girl Slim

Great stuff! Looking forward to your new thread. You can do this!!!

Hmmm, Steve, you are indeed a wise one, hehe.
 
Hi!!!

I am stll here and still alive :)

Work has been stupidly busy but I am pleased to say that I have gone to the gym consistently this week (Tues-Fri, I walked Mon at home) and worked through some rough patches physically that seem to have come from my lack of consistency.

There has been a slight loss of strenght as far as my WT goes but nothing of great concern, I know that if I get back to that on a consistent basis, it will come back.

Still going to do the new thread, I need to think of a title :)

Last thing I need to do is fill my house with good food again to make eating the way I need to a little easier.

I feel good about this. I know that even if I don't see a change right away I am making better choices than I have and that is where you have to start. The rest will follow.

Thanks Steve for the suggestion about postponing workouts instead of cancelling them, it is a good way to keep your head in the game, last week it was much harder to get in the gym and I just kept telling myself that I wasn't cancelling things, just rescheduling them.

I am going to be making an appointment with my Dr. to talk about my breathing issues, I did go for a run with a friend two Sundays ago and by the end of 15 minutes outside it felt like I was trying to breathe through a straw. There is no way that is normal. I couldn't take a deep breath on top of all that. So, gotta find out what's happening with me on that front.

I will keep you all updated :)
 
I am going to be making an appointment with my Dr. to talk about my breathing issues, I did go for a run with a friend two Sundays ago and by the end of 15 minutes outside it felt like I was trying to breathe through a straw. There is no way that is normal. I couldn't take a deep breath on top of all that. So, gotta find out what's happening with me on that front.
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hopefully you'll get a better answer on that problem than I got...
 
maleficent said:
hopefully you'll get a better answer on that problem than I got...
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Brian had pointed out to me that you had a hiatial hernia, is that right? I gotta go back and read...

It is really frustrating, feeling like I can't get a deep breath and then not being able to breath at all - I think I run as badly now, some 80 pounds less, as I did when I was gigantic...totally infuriating to me.
 
hiatal hernia and a ruptured diaphram... two for the price of one...

I can't take deep breaths - ever... even sitting at my desk it's difficult -so you can normally take a deep breath without a struggle -it might be something correctable with an inhaler...

One ofthe tests I was given was a lung function test - where you basically breath get all the air out of your lungs and blow out really hard into a tube and your lungs are monitors - I passed that with flying colors... Doctor wasn't ruling out exercise induced asthma though...

it wasn't until the Xray and the CT Scan came back - and the hugeness of the hernia and the damage to the diaphram was visible ...
 
maleficent said:
hiatal hernia and a ruptured diaphram... two for the price of one...

I can't take deep breaths - ever... even sitting at my desk it's difficult -so you can normally take a deep breath without a struggle -it might be something correctable with an inhaler...

One ofthe tests I was given was a lung function test - where you basically breath get all the air out of your lungs and blow out really hard into a tube and your lungs are monitors - I passed that with flying colors... Doctor wasn't ruling out exercise induced asthma though...

it wasn't until the Xray and the CT Scan came back - and the hugeness of the hernia and the damage to the diaphram was visible ...
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Two for the price of one, eh? That sucks...I can take a deep breath just sitting still but if I am moving it is one of those things where I have to kinda hunch over and take the breath - it looks like I am trying to swallow something. Once I start doing that, it feels like I am never getting enough oxygen. I thought it was just a matter of getting used to running, etc but then you see people heavier than yourself just chugging along not looking like an asthmatic elephant (which is how I was feeling).

After I ran with my friend and his first comment to me after we stopped was, you need to see the Dr., I came to the conclusion that this most likely isn't going to get better on its own. Hopefully an inhaler will help.

What are they doing for you?
 
contemplating surgery other than that - there's nothig that can be done.

If you're breathing thru your chest and shoulders.. from all the research I did when trying to find a solution for myself -the problem there is how you'r breathing - and retraining yourself to breath properly...

somewhere in my diary I've got a link to breathing exercises - fairly recent - that might help... there's a similar exercise in the book Yoga For Regular Guys... and yoga itself also teaches the deep breathing - the breath thru your belly technique.
 
Diaphragmatic Breathing
The diaphragm is the most efficient muscle of breathing. It is a large, dome-shaped muscle located at the base of the lungs. Your abdominal muscles help move the diaphragm and give you more power to empty your lungs. But chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may prevent the diaphragm from working effectively.

When you have pulmonary disease, air often becomes trapped in the lungs, pushing down on the diaphragm. The neck and chest muscles must then assume an increased share of the work of breathing. This can leave the diaphragm weakened and flattened, causing it to work less efficiently.

Diaphragmatic breathing is intended to help you use the diaphragm correctly while breathing to:
  • Strengthen the diaphragm
  • Decrease the work of breathing by slowing your breathing rate
  • Decrease oxygen demand
  • Use less effort and energy to breathe

Diaphragmatic breathing technique
1. Lie on your back on a flat surface or in bed, with your knees bent and your head supported. You can use a pillow under your knees to support your legs. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other just below your rib cage. This will allow you to feel your diaphragm move as you breathe.

2. Breathe in slowly through your nose so that your stomach moves out against your hand. The hand on your chest should remain as still as possible.

3. Tighten your stomach muscles, letting them fall inward as you exhale through pursed lips (see "Pursed Lip Breathing Technique"). The hand on your upper chest must remain as still as possible.

When you first learn the diaphragmatic breathing technique, it may be easier for you to follow the instructions lying down, as shown on the first page. As you gain more practice, you can try the diaphragmatic breathing technique while sitting in a chair, as shown below.

To perform this exercise while sitting in a chair:

1. Sit comfortably, with your knees bent and your shoulders, head and neck relaxed.

2. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other just below your rib cage. This will allow you to feel your diaphragm move as you breathe.

3. Tighten your stomach muscles, letting them fall inward as you exhale through pursed lips (see "Pursed Lip Breathing Technique"). The hand on your upper chest must remain as still as possible.

Note: You may notice an increased effort will be needed to use the diaphragm correctly. At first, you'll probably get tired while doing this exercise. But keep at it, because with continued practice, diaphragmatic breathing will become easy and automatic.

How often should I practice this exercise?
At first, practice this exercise 5-10 minutes about 3-4 times per day. Gradually increase the amount of time you spend doing this exercise, and perhaps even increase the effort of the exercise by placing a book on your abdomen.
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Try practising that and see if it makes a difference.
 
hi all!

just wanted to touch base and let anyone who reads this oh-so-exciting diary o mine that i haven't died (ali.sonotdead for those of you who get the joke).

my back on trackedness needed to be tweaked a bit and i am back to counting calories. i have written down everything i have put in my mouth for the past three days and was rewarded with a 179 on the scale this morning.

i am aiming for 1500-1700 per day and for the most part am satisified with this amount of food. when i get really hungry i am eating sf jello and that seems to be doing the trick.

i am running a 5k next weekend and have been practicing at the gym, just focusing on dealing with the breathing problems (went to the dr last night, have to get some bloodwork and xrays done) and ran a 5k two days in a row at the gym. times were 39:08 and 38:37 respectively. not setting the world on fire but better than i ever hoped for.

hi!
 
Ali!
Ali?
Ali is back!!
Hi Ali- missed you! :D

I am back to counting cals also. Amazing how the simplest things are the ones that you need to focus on.
I hope you get your breathing sorted out- running is such a big part of my workouts that I don't know what I would do without them. Those 5k times ain't too bad anyway.

Hope to have you back here posting regularly again.....
:D
 
:waving: Hey, Ali! Good to see you again.

The 5k is so great. Do some outside running to get ready for it. I find it to be so different then the treadmill.
 
Bigguy said:
Ali!
Ali?
Ali is back!!
Hi Ali- missed you! :D

I am back to counting cals also. Amazing how the simplest things are the ones that you need to focus on.
I hope you get your breathing sorted out- running is such a big part of my workouts that I don't know what I would do without them. Those 5k times ain't too bad anyway.

Hope to have you back here posting regularly again.....
:D
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Hi Brian!!!

you missed me? yay! missed you too :)

looks like we had a similar problem and came to the same solution - good to know that at least i am on the right track.

i got a script for an inhaler to hold me until i get the testing done, hopefully that will give me some interim relief until i get all of my test results. i am excited about improving and i hope this helps me.

times ain't to bad, eh?
well, since you appear to be the resident expert i will take that and be very happy with it :)

i am going to give it an honest shot - how long does a post take, anyway?

i checked out your diary, glad to see that things are going ok with you.
 
Trops said:
:waving: Hey, Ali! Good to see you again.

The 5k is so great. Do some outside running to get ready for it. I find it to be so different then the treadmill.
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My one experience with outside running was less than stellar, although i know i need to - i am a little gun shy right now so i want to get a little stronger with the running in general and then i will take it on the road, so to speak.

good to be back - have to make a better effort to stay :)
 
Hi all...

Got on the scale this morning and saw 178.0 - won't know if it is real until tomorrow but hell, two days under 180 and i'm not complaining one bit :) Been keeping the ole cals in check, there is a certain comfort in that structure that is helpful.

I am going to run again tonight - got my inhaler so we will see if that helps.

Most of my bloating is gone, so hopefully I can move on to the fat-loss part of the presentation soon :)

Hope everyone is well, yay, it's Friday :)
 
That's next Saturday. You better hit the outside track. It might take two or three runs outside before you are hitting your stride like on the treadmill. :gnorsi:
 
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