My life, version 2.

So did you know that dogs can benefit from acupuncture? Well, my vet recommended that I try it on my 12.5 year old chocolate lab, FR. She suffers from arthritis and lately has been knuckling over in the back and stumbling a bit. It really breaks my heart to see her body give out before her spirit does. While she can’t join B and I on our fitness walks, she does enjoy many play sessions indoors that usually involve teasing of some sort. Typically the weapon of choice is an expired cardboard toilet paper roll. Oh how she loves to torment B who covets anything that the “other dog” has. FR uses said toys in strategic manipulation by enticing B to come and get it and surrender the preferred seating on the dog chair. By the time B realizes what has transpired, FR is as snug as a bug in a rug - or in this case, a chair.

But I digress… so I take FR to this new vet that specializes in holistic remedies that work in conjunction with traditional meds and therapy. She is a nervous wreck (nothing surprising) but they make us wait in the cat room. I mean there were at least 20 kittens in crates right in the very room. FR is not a fan. Now add to the equation that I have cat allergies. So I politely explained that the room would not do and asked for a new one. Eventually, when one opened up, the request was fulfilled and FR relaxed and waited patiently. Dr. H enters, introduces himself and shows her a little love. After a quick assessment, he explains that we have several avenues to explore. He showed me that her feet do reposition themselves when “asked” and that was positive evidence that there is no serious spine damage. What a relief. I was afraid that with no muscle left in her legs it might be futile.

So we complete the session with no incident - she was actually pretty good about it all. Even when they added some electricity to the mix. I suspect it felt good as she was very relaxed? So after writing a rather big check, I now wait and see how she does and report back later in the week for more needles and funds. But in general, I am excited to think she may get some deserved relief so I feel it is worth every penny.

Edamame hummus with homemade spicy pita chips (Elle Kreiger); Morning Glory vegan flaxseed muffins (modified-Cooking Light); Soy meatball soup (modified-Simple Everday Diabetic Meals); Black bean and sweet potato enchiladas (Vegan Planet) with fresh salsa; Fruit and Soy (Spiru-tein) smoothies. Comment this entry for recipes.

I was suffering last week from this ridiculous plateau. I mean after all my hard work at the gym, you would think the numbers would decrease eventually - but no… not even a tenth of a pound. I really worked hard at staying positive but when M asked me how I was doing on Friday, all my suppressed anxiety came rushing out. I blamed hormones. It’s always the hormones! He gave me some valuable advice… relax. I was wound up, doubting all my food choices and being too hard on myself as usual. He chastised me for getting on the scale everyday and then being disappointed with the lack of loss. I agreed to avoid it for two weeks starting Sunday. It is amazing but that little bit of advice really lifted my spirits about it. I made better food choices following that workout and just got through my day without stressing.

I think the whole issue was compounded as it followed my doctor’s appointment earlier that day. I discussed with Dr. S my recent lab work feeling that my results had not significantly changed in 3 months. While she was relatively happy with my progress, I was not. She increased my Lipitor (cholesterol) from 10 mg. to 20 mg. daily. While this is not a big difference, I am trying to eliminate medicines, not increase dosage! I feel her LDL goal for me is a bit unnecessary - ultimately I agreed to stay healthy on medicine until my body can take over.

I am consistently hearing the same criticism from 3 trusted sources - JG my lifecoach, trainer M and Dr. S - that I have to go easier on myself and give myself credit for the progress I have made to date. I have lost over 30 lbs., become a vegan, lowered my A1C to 6.6% (almost at goal!) and added a regular exercise routine to my schedule. That does look good on paper and is beginning to look good on me.

Well. Here it is another Sunday evening and I am thinking about the week ahead. How will I improve my diet. Once again I got on the scale this weekend to discover I am the exact same weight as I was in July! It is soooo frustrating. I am waiting for my new exercise regime to break through this plateau. In the meantime I am trying to figure out how to integrate M’s suggestions for cutting down on the carbs and get in enough protein. I can see from food journaling that although I think I am eating good carbs, I am in fact not most times. I am eating out where choices are limited and therefore suffering from inferior food. I need to eat at home! I found a good description of amino acids and “complete proteins” online - apparently you need to combine specific non-meat foods together to get their full nutritional value. So my goal this week will be to eat only good carbs, and fewer of them, add more veggies and stop eating after dinner. if I walk in the evening that should help occupy me and settle the cravings as I don’t usually like to eat afterwards - especially after seeing that I only burn about 300 calories on my 30 minute walk.

M encouraged me to bite the bullet and increase my beginner 20-minute walk back to the full 30. It was bit intimidating as it has been so hot here lately (90+ degrees with humidity). The last 20-minute walk my lab, B, and I took about killed us. I was so worried she would get heat stroke I couldn’t relax.

This time it wasn’t as hot so I just headed out on the old path and didn’t think about it. Once we reached the one-mile “canine cocktail” watering hole/turnaround point there was no point in quitting or shortening it. Afterall, we had to get home and the second mile is the shortest distance back.

During mile one, B pulled eagerly on the leash… but in the next mile she was like a different dog. Fading fast, she was panting and dragging her feet - all four of them. I actually had some pep in my step where she was a mess! (I can see it is good we are both getting healthy together). But other than a mild “surprise” lunge - compliments of a German Shepherd hiding behind a diner’s chair - we had no unusual incidents to report. In fact, we caught our second winds and made it back refreshed.

After a huge tanking up of water on our return, B collapse like a ragdoll onto the wood floor under the fan and panted for quite a while. As she slipped away into a deep recovery sleep, I swear I saw her tail wag. I suppose she was looking forward to tomorrow’s walk.

I just had a delish lunch at an old veg restaurant that I hadn’t gone to in years. I had forgotten how good it is. It is so great to have choices and know that it is all vegan friendly. Quite a treat. When I lived in Chicago we had several places - but at that time I wasn’t a vegan. Ironic I guess.

I followed my tofu breakfast burrito with a trip to the local health food store. I picked up some pantry staples and some Ezekial products which M told me to try (in lieu of wheat products) to encourage more weight loss. I am not convinced in giving up wheat altogether, but eating my good carbs before dinner time makes some logical sense. That way my body can burn them off during my more active hours and not store them through the slower nighttime hours.

It is really hard to balance all the diet advice that is out there. One expert tells you one thing and another contradicts. I just have to use my new Food Diary. With it I can keep tabs on my body’s response to particular foods and go forward from there. I will be so happy when I get in that diet zone and weight seems to fall off. Over the years, I have really done myself a disservice by holding on to these extra pounds, as now that I am in my forties, it is super hard to get off.

One day at a time.

So I am getting in the groove of going to workout with my trainer. Now I just need to do my daily cardio to really get in the full groove and see/feel the payoffs. I hear it takes 30 times to form a habit so by next month I should be set. I am planning to hit the gym on my own tomorrow to take advantage of the machines and skip the heat.

Today’s workout included the dreaded hopping reach exercise. It looks so easy but kills me every time. I still don’t see the point but figure if it is hard to do, it probably is helping. And that !@#$% elliptical machine. I never did like it. Three minutes seemed like a lifetime to me. My trainer (now to be called, “M”) was very encouraging to tell me that you have to start somewhere. It will be nice when I improve and can look back and laugh at how easy 3 minutes feels.

M always knows just how far to push me before I feel on the brink of collapse. And it does feel good when I am done. I always liked to exercise so am happy I am fitting it back into my schedule. The last few years I have been consumed with work and money - or lack thereof. It is nice to focus on myself again. My life coach tells me that it will help my overall attitude and perspective on those basic stressers. More on this later.

I get so frustrated with my scale. I try and limit my weigh-ins to once a week, but I obsess and hop on more often. I torture myself over this ridiculous relationship. Why oh why do I do this? I get encouraged when I lose yes, but more often than not I am the exact same - down to the tenth of a pound. Then all of a sudden for no apparent reason (water!) I am up 2 pounds. Then it takes a few weeks to get back down to where I was again. In fact, I just looked at my weight journal and I am at the same weight I was in July! I feel better overall, but get so mad at the numbers. I just need to keep looking at longer periods of time and realize I have already lost 30 pounds this past year. Slow yes, but that was by simply making better food choices overall and not really dieting at all. Now that I am working out and “tweaking” my food plan with my trainer, I hope to speed up the process.

One of my biggest changes this year has been my conversion to veganism (”dietary” veganism, that is). I still wear leather and occasionally consume non-vegan items if eating out. It’s hard to avoid eggs in baked goods for instance. But overall I give it my best attempt to follow the rules.

My conversion came about when one of my best friends sent me an autographed book by Dr. Neal Barnard that outlined the benefits for me. At first I was skeptical until he pointed out the healthy results you could expect - lower blood pressure, blood sugar and weight loss. Well, when he suggested trying it for 3 weeks I thought I might. I mean I am a professional dieter afterall… how hard could this be?! He said that you really only needed about nine different meals to feel a variety in your diet. I thought about this and agreed that I probably ate the same things over and over anyway. I knew I could get on board with at least nine meatless meals that I already liked - hummus, falafel, pasta, salads, soups etc. So I began.

Whew! I had forgotten how intense a workout with my trainer can be. At my beginning fitness level, that 30 minutes was very intense. Squats galore. I was okay the day after until the evening… then the doomed soreness kicked in. By the next morning I was clearly have trouble getting up from a seated position - ouch my legs were so tight. And of course, as dogs do - they demanded my attention constantly at very low heights causing me to get low, get up, get low get up. They killed me! Too bad they can’t walk on the hind legs.