The Pia Project

I pretty much went from bad to worse. I haven't exercised in a few days, and although I have been eating healthier (soups, salads, light sandwiches) I've just been eating more than I should. I can blame it on being sick and not feeling well, but I know that even if I haven't been feeling my best, I still should have been more careful with watching the amount I eat. I'm feeling better now, so I'm just cleaning my room (gotta wash out all those germs I rubbed all over my blankets and pillows :ack2:) and then I'm going to head to the gym this afternoon/evening. Definitely need to make up for lost time, so I'll be pushing myself hard.

I think I need to be more strict with myself. I know that I just started, but already I can tell that some things need to be changed. I'm pretty good about eating 'healthy' now. I mean, I'm not one of those super-healthy eaters; not everything I eat is raw/organic, gluten-free, unprocessed whatever. But I eat a ton more fruits and vegetables now. I don't drink soda anymore, and when I want something with more flavor, I drink (home-brewed) iced tea. I still get 'munchy' foods, but instead of potato chips, I get lightly buttered popcorn, rice cake/pop chips, pretzels and whatnot. Its not perfect, but its a huge step-up from what I was eating before. That being said, I think I'm going to set a daily calorie goal of 1200-1500. I need restrictions, because I know that if I give myself too much freedom, then I won't get anything done.

Along with that, I'm going to exercise EVERY day. I know, rest days are important too, but those days will be more along the line of 'light workouts'. Nothing too intensive, but enough to keep my body moving. Its like the law of inertia; a body at rest tends to stay at rest while a body in motion stays in motion. And that's what I want - too keep going. To keep moving. To not let anything get in my way.

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a-n-g-e-l: So far, every day seems to be the worst day, but I'm pushing through.

-Cory-:Yeah, getting sick is sort of a given at the moment. All the 'right' factors are in play: the weather here has been bouncing back and forth across the thermometer, continuously shocking my body from hot to cold; I haven't been getting enough sleep at night; I work around hospitals and nursing facilities; its all working against me. But yeah, it happens. Veeery guilt inducing. But just gotta get through it and move past.

ChefChiTown: Slow days are actually the worst. I'd rather be moving at a fast pace the entire shift, instead of waiting anxiously for hours, getting that rush when I finally get a call, and then crashing afterwards because I have nothing left to keep me going. I've been trying to eat more consistently on shift, even if I'm not feeling particularly hungry. Because I know sometimes, we'll start off slow with nothing to do, and then we'll continuously be ran and get no time to eat. I always bring a sliced apple and a power bar with me in my bag, along with my lunch, so that I can munch on those whenever we have spare time or when we're driving to and from a call. Its definitely helped with the stress. Anyway, thanks! :)
 
30! (Or Pia), I remember you. :)

Ms. Pia said:
I think I need to be more strict with myself. I know that I just started, but already I can tell that some things need to be changed. I'm pretty good about eating 'healthy' now. I mean, I'm not one of those super-healthy eaters; not everything I eat is raw/organic, gluten-free, unprocessed whatever. But I eat a ton more fruits and vegetables now. I don't drink soda anymore, and when I want something with more flavor, I drink (home-brewed) iced tea. I still get 'munchy' foods, but instead of potato chips, I get lightly buttered popcorn, rice cake/pop chips, pretzels and whatnot. Its not perfect, but its a huge step-up from what I was eating before. That being said, I think I'm going to set a daily calorie goal of 1200-1500. I need restrictions, because I know that if I give myself too much freedom, then I won't get anything done.
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Good job changing your eating habits :). Just make sure to do it at a pace that is comfortable to you (I.e: avoid frustration), so you are less likely to binge.

I also seem to need restrictions... I just don't do well without a clear objective to aim for. For me, without them, I usually obsess about everything I eat or I just binge (Both awful options).

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I'm glad you are feeling better! Good luck with your project and take care of yourself :)
 
As long as you learn from your set backs, they are not failures! It sounds like you have a very sensible approach to things. Good job. You can do it!
 
You learn as you go, you know? I don't think anyone on here started perfectly from the get go. As long as you are trying and working to improve yourself, you should feel good. I started out much like you did. Step one was shifting what I ate to more fruits and veggies and less meat and carb and then I started working on portion size (still working on that one).
 
Don't feel bad! It takes a while to get back on track. Just make changes slowly so as not to overwhelm yourself or make you crave everything all at once. It's hard to cut everything out cold turkey and stick with it. I've been working on getting better foods too. Making more whole foods, trying new light meal plans, more whole foods, more fruits and veggies, etc. It's not something we can do overnight. Just try to make steps towards your goal and stick with them. Eventually you'll find things will get easier and easier. :)
 
I've been bad with keeping up with diaries. You had a great first day and went a little downhill from there. I hope now that you are feeling better you are doing better with the exercise and eating.
 
I don't exactly know where to begin..

I guess the easiest way to go about it is to just say it: I lost my job due to my inability to safely lift patients on the stretcher. I've been working hard on getting stronger, putting in time at the gym, lifting weights, eating right. I've had good improvement; I can tell that while I haven't necessarily lost weight (in fact, I've GAINED) I'm much stronger than I was when I initially began. That being said... there are just some things no amount of time spent at the gym can fix... and that's underlying injuries. And I have a very long, very extensive history with knee injuries. Going back to 7th grade when I was first injured playing a game of basketball, I have sprained my knee an innumerable amount of times and went through 3 surgeries to repair my ACL and meniscus during high school.

I've had a lot of trouble with my knee in recent years, and while I stubbornly tried to ignore the obvious, I knew my knee was wearing down once again. Even at rest, without bearing weight, I experience a continuously dull throb in my knee. When I stand, there's an audible cracking of joints, and when I walk, I can sometimes feel my bones rubbing against one another. And bending.. that's where most of my issues came up, and consequently, it was these issues that cost me my job. I'm sure you all know how to squat, and when you lift weight, you lift with the legs. I can't do that. Just getting into the squatting position causes my knee to explode in pain, and while on the job I was able to muscle my way through it (lifting with my upper body instead - which is poor technique, and unsafe, I know), it was continuously noticed by my supervisors and eventually they came to the decision that it was too much of a safety hazard and I was let go.

Its been about a week since that happened. After moping around the house for a day, I decided that I was tired of letting my physical capabilities dictate what I can and cannot do with my life. I stopped playing basketball - the sport I LIVED for - because of my knee. I was rejected from the military - something I'd aspired to join since I was young - because of my knee. And now, after realizing what I really want to do in life, its about to cost me my career before it even begins.

That's it. No more.

NO. FUCKING. MORE.

I'm not giving in this time. If I have to have another surgery, so be it. I will. If I have to through physical therapy, so be it. I will. If I have to sleep on the couch for a week or two after surgery because I can't walk upstairs to my room, so be it. I will. If I have take showers with a plastic bag over my leg, so be it. I will.

I will.

I'll do whatever it takes. Because I'm not backing out again. I'm not shying away. I know what I need to do, not just to succeed in my career, but what I need to succeed in life as well. I've already visited my doctor, had an X-Ray done, got my referral to see a specialist and my next appointment will be on the 26th of this month. Until then, I'll keep hitting the gym and doing what I gotta do. As for work, I can put it on hold until I get my leg figured out. I'll keep up with my studying, and just make sure I'm strong physically and mentally, so once this is all over, I can get back into it. And I'll be the best damn candidate anyone's seen.

No one can tell me that I can't do something. Because a few months down the line, I'll be shoving a big, fat, "I proved you wrong!" in your face.
 
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