Rob's Diary
- Thread starter bensanon
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Wow, I got an astonishing 8 hours and 45 minutes of sleep last night. I had a hard time getting up this morning. Felt pretty odd. I have been using valerian root and it's helping. I'm a little concerned about it because I think it affects the same receptors that were affected with the medication I was on. My justification is that, "it's natural," so I should be OK. I don't feel drugged or groggy in the morning and it does exactly what I need it to do. I'm hoping I can just use it to course correct and then slowly stop using it.
With the increased sleep, I think I'm healing faster. My right knee seems to be getting better, knock on wood. I ran 2 miles yesterday and I was on the elliptical for about an hour. I've also been lifting a little bit and doing lots of functional exercises for my hip and core.
The stress has passed for now. I keep recording my HRV data but am still uncertain how to use it. The days leading up to the stressful event I had, showed up in the HRV data but other stressful stuff like very little sleep or eating too much or my fluctuating mood doesn't seem to show up in the data. That all could be there and I just don't know how to read it. I keep recording the data anyway and I will have to do more research.
Everything else is going pretty well. I keep feeling like I have a handle on what I'm eating. There are days when I eat too much. I don't know about the pattern but there seems to be one there still. I believe if I keep on like this, it'll die down further. The exercise, I know, is key to keeping the cravings in check. It's the effect of it on my mood.
With the increased sleep, I think I'm healing faster. My right knee seems to be getting better, knock on wood. I ran 2 miles yesterday and I was on the elliptical for about an hour. I've also been lifting a little bit and doing lots of functional exercises for my hip and core.
The stress has passed for now. I keep recording my HRV data but am still uncertain how to use it. The days leading up to the stressful event I had, showed up in the HRV data but other stressful stuff like very little sleep or eating too much or my fluctuating mood doesn't seem to show up in the data. That all could be there and I just don't know how to read it. I keep recording the data anyway and I will have to do more research.
Everything else is going pretty well. I keep feeling like I have a handle on what I'm eating. There are days when I eat too much. I don't know about the pattern but there seems to be one there still. I believe if I keep on like this, it'll die down further. The exercise, I know, is key to keeping the cravings in check. It's the effect of it on my mood.
Hey Cate, I have taken in the past and it's always worked but I stopped for a long time to avoid interaction with the medication I was on. Now that I'm off, it's the only thing that seems to help and it's sometimes hit or miss. I've been using the capsules but I may switch to tea now that you mention that.
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I rested yesterday but hope to get back to it today. I think maybe I'm not stretching enough. I watched a couple David Goggins YouTube videos. I'm not that insane but it seems that he stretches a lot and that's helped him in the past with range of motion and pain in his legs, hips, back. It's interesting to hear him talk about how he changed things for himself and what helped and it's on a whole different level than what I normally hear. I like the perspective and it gives me some ideas about what I could do. Oftentimes, I just don't have the right understanding of how to resolve problems like the sciatica and knee pain I have and when I seek help, it's usually just a bunch of noise like with the PT guys. I think I might benefit more from a re-thinking of my entire approach. There's always risk involved but it has usually worked out for the better in the past.
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I rested yesterday but hope to get back to it today. I think maybe I'm not stretching enough. I watched a couple David Goggins YouTube videos. I'm not that insane but it seems that he stretches a lot and that's helped him in the past with range of motion and pain in his legs, hips, back. It's interesting to hear him talk about how he changed things for himself and what helped and it's on a whole different level than what I normally hear. I like the perspective and it gives me some ideas about what I could do. Oftentimes, I just don't have the right understanding of how to resolve problems like the sciatica and knee pain I have and when I seek help, it's usually just a bunch of noise like with the PT guys. I think I might benefit more from a re-thinking of my entire approach. There's always risk involved but it has usually worked out for the better in the past.
OK, the valerian causes problems for me. The symptoms are like what they were before with the medication I was on. 3 days of using it and I noticed yesterday that I had no motivation and was feeling really depressed along with several other symptoms. The symptoms overall were subtle and my thinking was off.
I caught it just because I realized I wasn't keeping up with my normal healthy behaviors and routine I've put into place this past year. Sleep was helped initially that first night, I got almost 9 hours but Thursday and Friday, I got 6 and 5 hours despite continuing to use it. I haven't run in 3 days, which is probably good btw because I need to rest my right knee, and I binged last night. The binge felt really good, like relief, and I feel better this morning.
My weight, my diet, all of it has been because of that medication and that supplement is just a mild form of it. I have to stay away, I'm certain now. I will just have to suffer with sleep until it resolves itself. It sucks because sleep is probably the biggest hindrance to further progress. I know what works finally with the bingeing though and I can re implement it. So far, it was just one binge in reaction to that supplement. I think I can get right back on track.
I caught it just because I realized I wasn't keeping up with my normal healthy behaviors and routine I've put into place this past year. Sleep was helped initially that first night, I got almost 9 hours but Thursday and Friday, I got 6 and 5 hours despite continuing to use it. I haven't run in 3 days, which is probably good btw because I need to rest my right knee, and I binged last night. The binge felt really good, like relief, and I feel better this morning.
My weight, my diet, all of it has been because of that medication and that supplement is just a mild form of it. I have to stay away, I'm certain now. I will just have to suffer with sleep until it resolves itself. It sucks because sleep is probably the biggest hindrance to further progress. I know what works finally with the bingeing though and I can re implement it. So far, it was just one binge in reaction to that supplement. I think I can get right back on track.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Hey Rob, sounds like you are doing well. No major cravings and getting sleep, big improvements!
I'm back on track today. I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to being able to live healthy consistently. Stopping the bingeing has gone well except for the recent relapses due to the valerian.
I took off running for about 6 days and today I ran a couple miles. My right knee started bothering me about 1.5 miles in. It kept feeling like it was going to give out which is a common symptom of an lcl tear or pull. There was no pop, no swelling or redness/heat when it originally happened so I think it's minor and will recover as long as I take it easy. I'll try a brace. The left knee is OK but I still feel lumbar/sciatic pain. I created a running plan and it builds very slowly and increases mileage about 10% per week. I should get up to where I want to be in about 18 weeks.
Food is fine. I'm going to reduce my calories further. I don't want an over-focus on numbers so I'm not going to post them although I'm tracking them. Today was good and I was in a deficit. I'd like to aim to lose a small amount of weight weekly.
I took off running for about 6 days and today I ran a couple miles. My right knee started bothering me about 1.5 miles in. It kept feeling like it was going to give out which is a common symptom of an lcl tear or pull. There was no pop, no swelling or redness/heat when it originally happened so I think it's minor and will recover as long as I take it easy. I'll try a brace. The left knee is OK but I still feel lumbar/sciatic pain. I created a running plan and it builds very slowly and increases mileage about 10% per week. I should get up to where I want to be in about 18 weeks.
Food is fine. I'm going to reduce my calories further. I don't want an over-focus on numbers so I'm not going to post them although I'm tracking them. Today was good and I was in a deficit. I'd like to aim to lose a small amount of weight weekly.
Oh, good! That's what we're all aiming for.
Good plan - quite a few of us have found that too close a focus on numbers can get in the way of a more comprehensive view of overall healthy life.
Cate
Long term member
All of this sounds really good, Rob, as does gradually building your running back up to where you want it to be. It's all good to hear
alligatorob
Respected Member
Hey Rob, that sounds good. Always makes me feel better to see you doing well.
Went running another 2 miles today, my 3rd day this week for a total of 6 miles. This first week will be 10 miles, next week will be 11 miles, 3rd week will be 12.1 and so on. 10% increase per week. My right knee didn't bother me very much at all. The brace helps and I'm sure the low mileage is key here.
I've been doing the reverse hyper for my lower back/lumbar discs. I stupidly overdid it today. It's been helping and I thought for some reason, I should try to increase the resistance and hit it hard. It bothered me during the run and is a little uncomfortable right now. I won't use resistance tomorrow or I'll stay away altogether depending on how it feels. I think I'm learning to change this very entrenched and stubborn mindset of going out as hard as I can. It's only taken the past 6 months after 2 injuries, 1 quite significant, to figure this out.
For stretching and warm-up activities, I think I'm figuring out how to open up my leg muscles - hips, glutes, core, hamstrings and calves. I kind of have a feel for what being loose is like. Another benefit of keeping it low mileage here in the beginning. My lower back/glute area is the hardest to get at but when I do, I find the runs more enjoyable. My calves are tight and seem to be in knots quite often I think bc of the nerve injury so I spend a good amount of time on the foam roller and stretching them.
Food is going OK. I have overeaten a couple times lately with frozen fruit and pistachios. I feel like I'll start getting more control over it as I get more into the running.
All this change and progress requires a significant amount of time and trial and error. I've learned so much. I've taken a couple steps back with weight but I believe I'll get back to where I was and make even more progress. The injuries have been significant and I haven't known how to help myself and so I'm learning how to do it all better now. I've been through the worst I think with my injury. The bingeing too - getting that under control by substituting lots of fruit for the refined sugar has been a huge step for me and I believe it was the key to getting it under control. As I get my fitness built back up, I'll be in a better place to apply these tools to keep the bingeing and injuries away and I can go on to lose more weight. This is the healthy way for me. Forcing it at all costs by restricting for example or countering with way too much exercise is just too damaging and not sustainable for me in the long-run. It doesn't adequately address the behaviors that got me into trouble in the first place. This is the smarter way for me.
I've been doing the reverse hyper for my lower back/lumbar discs. I stupidly overdid it today. It's been helping and I thought for some reason, I should try to increase the resistance and hit it hard. It bothered me during the run and is a little uncomfortable right now. I won't use resistance tomorrow or I'll stay away altogether depending on how it feels. I think I'm learning to change this very entrenched and stubborn mindset of going out as hard as I can. It's only taken the past 6 months after 2 injuries, 1 quite significant, to figure this out.
For stretching and warm-up activities, I think I'm figuring out how to open up my leg muscles - hips, glutes, core, hamstrings and calves. I kind of have a feel for what being loose is like. Another benefit of keeping it low mileage here in the beginning. My lower back/glute area is the hardest to get at but when I do, I find the runs more enjoyable. My calves are tight and seem to be in knots quite often I think bc of the nerve injury so I spend a good amount of time on the foam roller and stretching them.
Food is going OK. I have overeaten a couple times lately with frozen fruit and pistachios. I feel like I'll start getting more control over it as I get more into the running.
All this change and progress requires a significant amount of time and trial and error. I've learned so much. I've taken a couple steps back with weight but I believe I'll get back to where I was and make even more progress. The injuries have been significant and I haven't known how to help myself and so I'm learning how to do it all better now. I've been through the worst I think with my injury. The bingeing too - getting that under control by substituting lots of fruit for the refined sugar has been a huge step for me and I believe it was the key to getting it under control. As I get my fitness built back up, I'll be in a better place to apply these tools to keep the bingeing and injuries away and I can go on to lose more weight. This is the healthy way for me. Forcing it at all costs by restricting for example or countering with way too much exercise is just too damaging and not sustainable for me in the long-run. It doesn't adequately address the behaviors that got me into trouble in the first place. This is the smarter way for me.
Alright, well, I deviated from my running plan. Today was supposed to be an off day and then I would pick up again with 2 miles runs starting tomorrow. However, I went running today and I went 6 miles. It felt awesome and I would have kept going but I don't want to push it more than I'm already pushing it.
I am under a lot of stress right now and running is the antidote. I don't feel like I have any other options and all other cardio activity just doesn't do it for me.
So, the good news is that my right knee didn't bother me at all. My left leg where the sciatica is, did bother me a little bit. The pain on the side of my knee didn't come on but I wonder if it may or if I'm past that healing point, I'm not sure. It's been 6 months since I had this injury so that's quite a bit of time for tissues to rearrange and heal themselves. I think the recovery from today will be super important. I will have to try to get loose before everything tightens up and restricts those nerves in my lower back.
I will try to get back on track but I'm not sure. I don't think I'm at risk of major damage, just a little bit longer healing time. I'm not as hopeless about these injuries as I have been. I feel like I'm on the mend and just need to be careful for a couple months at least.
Life is better when I run. Everything is better including the food. It's all good when I can run.
I am under a lot of stress right now and running is the antidote. I don't feel like I have any other options and all other cardio activity just doesn't do it for me.
So, the good news is that my right knee didn't bother me at all. My left leg where the sciatica is, did bother me a little bit. The pain on the side of my knee didn't come on but I wonder if it may or if I'm past that healing point, I'm not sure. It's been 6 months since I had this injury so that's quite a bit of time for tissues to rearrange and heal themselves. I think the recovery from today will be super important. I will have to try to get loose before everything tightens up and restricts those nerves in my lower back.
I will try to get back on track but I'm not sure. I don't think I'm at risk of major damage, just a little bit longer healing time. I'm not as hopeless about these injuries as I have been. I feel like I'm on the mend and just need to be careful for a couple months at least.
Life is better when I run. Everything is better including the food. It's all good when I can run.
Well, I went running for about 6 miles on Tuesday and then about 5 miles on Wednesday. My right knee is not bothering me very much at all. I use a brace and it makes a huge difference. My left leg, the one with sciatic pain, has started to hurt a little. I used the cream my doctor prescribed yesterday. It helped. My back is otherwise not bothering me and I continue to do reverse hyper exercises. I think those are starting to help a bit. Today I rested and boy did I need it. I'm actually feeling healthy and OK. I know I had plans to go slowly and carefully but maybe I didn't get my baseline right. I ran 19.5 miles this past week so next week, it should be no more than 22 miles total.
I got a letter from a company that partners with my insurance company. They wanted to know more about how my injury happened so they can try to recover money from anyone who may be at fault. My insurance was weird about it when I called. Had no experience before with subrogation. An example of our litigious society I guess. It was an overuse injury but what if there was some question of liability here? How would any of this impact me? Hmm... It won't for me, but I can see how this could disincentivize people from getting the medical care they need.
I got a letter from a company that partners with my insurance company. They wanted to know more about how my injury happened so they can try to recover money from anyone who may be at fault. My insurance was weird about it when I called. Had no experience before with subrogation. An example of our litigious society I guess. It was an overuse injury but what if there was some question of liability here? How would any of this impact me? Hmm... It won't for me, but I can see how this could disincentivize people from getting the medical care they need.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Its good to see you running again, and doing better with your eating. You weekly mileage is very impressive!
I have done a little work for insurance companies, enough to know their primary objective is usually to figure out how not to pay. Distinctivizing is a good way to save money. Getting someone else to pay is as good as not paying too. Good luck with it.
I have done a little work for insurance companies, enough to know their primary objective is usually to figure out how not to pay. Distinctivizing is a good way to save money. Getting someone else to pay is as good as not paying too. Good luck with it.
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