Headed downward again. :-)

[rmaynard 15,458]

On 11/28/2021 at 8:32 PM, ebinmaine said:

@rmaynard and @sparkie333

Keep checking in. 

I'd love to hear how things are going for you guys.  

As if this morning:

227.4

[ebinmaine 67,487]

1 hour ago, rmaynard said:

As if this morning:

227.4

Thanks for posting!

 

I'm still hovering where I was. 

In some sense I'm ok with that. 

 

Been having a tough time with body pains for a good 2 months again. 

Does ok some days. Others. Not so easy.  

 

On the plus side I went to a new doc's office this past week so I can get it figured out.  

 

 

[rmaynard 15,458]

Body aches and pains are common to me. Tylenol does little, can't take NSAIDS like Motrin or Aleve, so I tolerate the pains. If I find they are interfering with my day to day activities, I'll pop 1/2 of a Tramadol. There are some of us that a little extra weight isn't all that bad.

[Snoopy11 5,714]

19 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Thanks for posting!

 

I'm still hovering where I was. 

In some sense I'm ok with that. 

 

Been having a tough time with body pains for a good 2 months again. 

Does ok some days. Others. Not so easy.  

 

On the plus side I went to a new doc's office this past week so I can get it figured out.  

 

 

You take some Tylenol Arthritis there, old man?

 

The female lady women here on the funny farm recommend it to you. 

 

EDIT: Bob @rmaynard beat me to it...

 

Don

Edited January 18, 2022 by Snoopy11

[ebinmaine 67,487]

5 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

Body aches and pains are common to me. Tylenol does little, can't take NSAIDS like Motrin or Aleve, so I tolerate the pains. If I find they are interfering with my day to day activities, I'll pop 1/2 of a Tramadol. There are some of us that a little extra weight isn't all that bad.

 

5 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said:

You take some Tylenol Arthritis there, old man?

 

The female lady women here on the funny farm recommend it to you. 

 

EDIT: Bob @rmaynard beat me to it...

 

Don

 

I do use Tylenol. I avoid ibuprofen but occasionally use it. 

Heating pad is my friend. 

Stretching helps a little. 

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

1 minute ago, ebinmaine said:

Heating pad is my friend. 

The female lady women here on the funny farm recommend sunbeam heating pads (according to them, they are MUCH better than the oldschool pads)

 

https://www.qvc.com/catalog/search.html?keyword=Sunbeam

 

... as well as this:

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y2SS2SD?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

 

Don

[Snoopy11 5,714]

8 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

I do use Tylenol

I know... the old man used to use Voltaren... he said it worked...

 

Can't ask him now... no longer with us...

 

Don

[Snoopy11 5,714]

I know one thing for sure, when I get to the age of arthritis... I will be well-educated on what works. All y'all old folks have good experience.

 

Anyhoo, I have seen how arthritis can effect people... pretty rotten stuff.

 

Don

[ebinmaine 67,487]

Early onset arthritis is well known within the mother's side of my family.

I was "lucky"  enough to get it even earlier than anyone else I know at the age of 46 or 47. 51 now.

 

I haven't exactly been diagnosed specifically with arthritis. Several tests have been inconclusive and I'm due for another one at some point this winter or spring.

 

Two different doctors now have said that they could just call it a blanket term of fibromyalgia and treat it as such but they would rather actually figure out specifically what is causing it and try to go from there.

 

I could potentially go on some light duty muscle relaxers which would alleviate most of the problem but then I'd have to stop driving commercially.

As long as I can hold off doing so, that's out.

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

19 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

fibromyalgia

Interesting that you mention that, Eric. One of the female lady women here on the funny farm has that... actually.

 

The side-effects of the medicines are worse than the condition...

 

Don

[ebinmaine 67,487]

1 minute ago, Snoopy11 said:

Interesting that you mention that, Eric. One of the female lady women here on the funny farm has that... actually.

 

The side-effects of the medicines are worse than the condition...

 

Don

Not the first time I've heard that and a primary reason why I want to stay away from those meds. 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

Just now, ebinmaine said:

Not the first time I've heard that and a primary reason why I want to stay away from those meds. 

As far as I know... very few people can actually take the medicines without side-effects.

 

And it still does not actually solve the problem...

 

BUT, what you say about good days and bad days... sometimes worse... sometimes better... that sounds very familiar.

 

Don

[ebinmaine 67,487]

I've been holding off updating this thread for a few months now because as mentioned in other places I've been diagnosed officially with fibromyalgia and I'm trying a new med called gabapentin.

 

I think I started taking it back in March so it's been about 4 months now.

I also did some in office physical therapy for six weeks back in March and April which I've been continuing to some extent at home. 

 

The treatments are making a HUGE difference.

 

One of several highly impactful things I've learned during PT is that for most humans our entire existence is in front of us and our posture suffers greatly because of that.

My posture has changed so significantly that I've been told several times I appear to be thinner even though up until recently I've been hovering around the same weight.

 

Here's a neat experiment for you.

Stand like you always stand and don't make any changes. Take a nice deep breath, in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Now, without moving any part of your body I want you to consciously recognize the position of your hands and arms. Most of us will be standing with our hands down at our sides and the palms facing in against our legs which orientates our thumbs towards the front of us.

 

Do two things.

Simply turn your hands so that the palms are now facing forward which turns your thumbs facing outward away from your sides.

Second, imagine that you are against a flat wall on your back and press your shoulders back thereby tightening the muscles in between your shoulders on your back.

 

Now take that same deep breath.

 

Note that this doesn't work for everyone ... many of us will notice a significant increase in airflow because you've just opened up your chest cavity by expanding your rib cage.

 

This simple breathing exercise has definitely made a difference in my hiking abilities combined with the above mentioned treatments.

 

I've been using a particular Mountain nearby my home to clock my progress.

 

The first time I hiked that hill this past spring I did 4 miles at about 3 hours 10 minutes. 

Next 3 hikes we added a side trail. 5 miles total. 
1st trip. 2:53. 
2nd. 24 minutes shorter. 
Recently?
Another 11 minutes shaved off. 

 

Since March I've shaved nearly AN HOUR off of a 5-mile hike!! 

[Pullstart 62,861]

4 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

just opened up your chest cavity by expanding your rib cage.

I used to wrestle and in the breaks I’d stand with my hands on my knees to breathe.  My mom pointed out that opens up my chest cavity as well.  
 

feel free to poke fun of my breakfast leftovers on my shirt, my goofy face or my amazing shorts and boots style, but here’s the posture I’m talking about.  It also puts an ease on your lower back!

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,487]

Well folks here I am battling back n forth again.

 

My weight has been consistently in the mid 260s for a year or so with some deviations here n there.  

 

Back in June I was feeling good with increasing endurance. 

Late that month myself decided to kick my own @$$. 

 

Lost energy. Lost endurance.

Pains increased. WTH ??!!?? 

Gained a few pounds to 270. 

 

 

Well I'm back at it again. 

signed up on the same programs at work as last year. 

Weight loss goal for this time is 8 lbs. From 268 I'm down 3 to 265. 3 weeks to go. 

BBT and I have been moving my me a little more. Walking up this mountain side is a great workout.  

Let's keep it going!!

🐻 🤠

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,487]

I've been considering trying a part-week daily fasting program for quite some time. 

I hadn't done it yet because one of my body unfriendly issues is fatigue. When I eat or drink I regain energy. As we should.  

I've been tested as non diabetic so being high or low on sugar for a few hours won't hurt me.  

 

 

Wednesday I was pretty busy at work and when that happens I tend to eat less due to a simple lack of time.  I'd had a sammich/semmech/sangwich of the peanut butter variety and then about 11 am a couple protein bars.  

Around 4 PM I realized I still wasn't hungry. 

Neat. 

16+ hour fast. 

 

Today (Thursday) similar pattern. 15+ hour fast.  

 

 

[lynnmor 7,305]

I have had ups and downs myself with knee replacements interfering with exercise.  Two things that helped me was a ready supply of nuts to provide some good fats that suppress the appetite, and I took up bicycling.

It’s always diet and exercise, no way around it and no, I haven’t been behaving lately.  I was a 40 to 50 mile per day rider, then down to 0 till the knees healed, now up to only 15 but gaining.

[ebinmaine 67,487]

1 minute ago, lynnmor said:

I have had ups and downs myself with knee replacements interfering with exercise.  Two things that helped me was a ready supply of nuts to provide some good fats that suppress the appetite, and I took up bicycling.

It’s always diet and exercise, no way around it and no, I haven’t been behaving lately.  I was a 40 to 50 mile per day rider, then down to 0 till the knees healed, now up to only 15 but gaining.

Excellent 👍👍.  

 

Keep it cookin.  

 

Nuts are an absolute staple to my intake. A LOT of them.  

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,487]

 

 

 

263

 

 

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,487]

@rmaynard how's it going? 

[ebinmaine 67,487]

This past Saturday and Sunday I tried not to eat and snack quite so much. Reasonably successful. Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday during work hours I ate next to nothing. Couple of protein bars and an apple or Rice krispie square. I find that the next two or three days are going to be the most challenging for me. Hopefully I can keep this on track.

 

 

This morning I was down around 3 or 4 lb.