Week 23 Summary Operation Get Fit No Excuses

Week 23 of Operation Get Fit No Excuses is officially done and I’m on to Week 24! The time and the weight loss are just flying by. This week I want to talk about heat. Not only is today my own official stop/start day in my weekly blogs, but it is also the first day of summer! That means more heat and hot weather here in the northern hemisphere.

As I’ve lost weight and the weather has heated up, I’ve realized that I am able to tolerate the higher temperatures easier than I did last year at this same time of year. The weather and temperature patterns are relatively the same so I know it’s because of my weight loss. We don’t have air conditioning at home and rely on windows and fans. They have kept us comfortable so far this year and Padrone has felt a little cool even if the temperatures are at 28°C In the house. He has lost 22 pounds (10 kg) as of today and it has definitely made a difference in the way his body adjusts to the temperature changes as well. I have been able to stay very comfortable around the house with no problems so far. I’ll let you know as it gets hotter, how my body reacts and adjusts to the temperatures.

I’ve been trying to exercise exclusively in the morning about 7 am when the temperatures are still nice out, but I haven’t always succeeded. When I ended up exercising during hotter parts of the day, I did an indoor workout with a fan turned on high and pointed directly at me. I make sure to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water because our bodies can become easily dehydrated when exercising in high heat. I always pay attention to my body and it’s needs, especially when I’m doing something out of the ordinary. Try exercising when it’s cooler or in a temperature controlled environment whenever possible. But if you can’t, pay close attention to what your body feels because it’s the best judge of what you need.

Next week will be my weigh in and measurements so I’m excited! I am going to try to talk Padrone into letting me post his progress as well at the same time as mine.

If you have any questions or advice about exercising and weight loss, comment below! I love hearing from you!

Week 22 Summary - Operation Get Fit No Excuses

Week 22 has not been that eventful for me. I’ve been keeping up with my exercise and diet, but mostly concentrating on finding the right combination of food that will satisfy Padrone but fit into his diet restrictions also. I can definitely tell with the changing weather and warmer temperatures that I need to exercise first thing every morning because I don’t do well in very hot weather.

A couple of days ago it got up to about 90° and I decided to do my exercise about 1 pm. We don’t have air conditioning. I had fan set on high,  but after 10 minutes, I had to stop because I literally couldn’t keep going. The heat, even with the fan, just drained me. I definitely have to be careful and mindful of how my body responds to exercise during the summer.

If you are exercising during the summer, which I hope you are, listen to your body and try to exercise during the cooler parts of the day or evening. Stay hydrated with water and possibly use an electrolyte based drink if you need the boost.

I may have to limit my time to 30 minutes a day, depending on my endurance level. We shall see as time passes. I’ve only been active during cold or cool weather, so hopefully, my body can adapt to the warmer temperatures as the summer season comes.

As I mentioned above and in previous blogs, Padrone has struggled to find the right balance and combination of food that will satisfy both his needs and fit within his diet restrictions. I decided we needed to try a pre-made food delivery service for him. After much research, I found a couple that are not cheap, but not cost prohibitive either. The nutritional values are well within the range of what Padrone needs and the quality and variety of dishes makes him happy. So, I am calling it a win all around!

Padrone himself has lost 8 kg (17 pounds) so far and is continuing to lose more at a steady rate. While he has been slacking off on the exercise part for a few weeks, I’m hoping that having resolved his food dilemma will inspire him to get back to a daily exercise program. I’m so proud of him and his progress! He has also been smoke free for 3 months now!

Thank you for continuing to follow our journey to getting fit and living a healthier lifestyle. We are proof that it’s never too late to make the necessary changes to life a healthier lifestyle.

Operation Get Fit No Excuses: Week 1 Summary

Well, if you follow me on Facebook or Google+, you have seen that I started a new lifestyle change. And by Lifestyle, I don’t mean BDSM this time. I have been very sedentary for the past several years and have not walked or done basically any form of exercise. My body started to let me know it didn’t like this a few months ago. Here’s the breakdown of what started me on this journey to get in better shape.

First, my sugar level went crazy. Normally I have low blood sugar, but it decided to go from one extreme to another several times a day. I would develop dizzy spells, have trouble balancing, and get headaches. My eyes wouldn’t focus, even with my glasses on. At first, I chalked it up to some weird Epilepsy symptoms because I do tend to get weird side affects, other than seizures, with my type of epilepsy. I then developed cobweb or shadowy lines in my left eye. That scared me. Padrone wanted me to go to the doctor, but being stubborn, I wanted to try to resolve the issue myself. So we’re waiting to see if my eye gets better with the changes I’m making.

I had my gallbladder taken out over 10 years ago, so I don’t eat spicy food or very greasy food. I also try to avoid tons of caffeine and most fried foods. During the past couple of years, my reflux and heartburn would literally activate at all times of the day and night, no matter if I ate anything or not. Water could give me heartburn. We tried prescription medicine and found out that most of them wouldn’t work on me and the ones that did work broke me out in a rash. Talk about aggravating!

A few weeks ago, I developed eczema on my face. I have never had any form of this before in my life, and I’m 44 years old now. I found a treatment to get it under control, but am afraid it will come back.

I’ve dealt with all these things while having to deal with seizures and all the stuff that goes along with them. It hasn’t been fun. I know that there are many people with much worse and more debilitating conditions than I have, but for me, all of it together was the last straw. It felt like I could almost literally see and feel my body crying out to me to start living better. I like to think my body was giving me a preview of what would happen if I didn’t start to make a change.

So, now you know the back story as to why I got motivated to start exercising, here are some rules I’ve set up for myself.

1. Numbers don’t matter! I don’t weigh myself nor do I care if I actually loose weight or not.
2. No more refined sugar. I did a lot of research and found that many sweetners make the body act the same or worse when used. I need my glucose numbers to be somewhat stable. I found out the best and least harmful sweetner to use is called Stevia.
3. No more normal white bread. I am actually using flour tortillas to make sandwich wraps versus a normal bread sandwich. They have less carbs.
4. I really don’t eat fruits or vegetables so I started taking a multivitamin that actually gives me a large amount of the recommended daily allowance. I also take Vitamins C and D in 1000 mg capsules a day. (Note: just because I take these doesn’t mean I’m recommending you do the same. Listen to your own body’s needs and maybe see a doctor or nutritionist.)
5. Do not make any excuses for not going out and walking. If I have a seizure but am able to walk later that day, I will. I even got waterproof shoes and a jacket to ensure I really don’t have excuses now.

So, that’s why first weekly recap. I do a daily video on my YouTube channel also. Please take a look and subscribe!

Thanks for following!