Working it out

     As of today, I have lost a total of 10 lbs.  I began my new journey at the highest weight I have ever been, and I vowed that I would change those extremely scary numbers.  I am doing well so far!  What I feel proudest of is the fact that I am doing it all the "hard" way.  There are no pills, no meal replacements, no starvation, no silliness whatsoever.  There is  plain old hard work and nutrition knowledge.  I have progressed from knowing what healthy choices to make to actually making those choices!  I find myself refusing calorie-laden dishes in favor of veggie filled ones, and diet (which I used to vehemently detest) soda if I absolutely must have one at all, but I prefer water or plain tea.  This is BIG! I have known for a long time which choices I should be making, but I just never had the willpower to force myself to do it.  I would say things like "oh, I know I should have the roast chicken with mixed veggies, but I've been good all day, so I think I'm going to have the alfredo instead, it won't be so bad".   When you say that every single day, there's no evidence left to prove that you ever did anything right.  All of those "not so bad" choices add up to a great big pile of "yeah, that was a huge mistake", when you step on the scale.
      Another thing that I have learned to do, is to take baby steps.  I do my workouts at our local Y, and I know that in order to be successful at this venture, I need to burn off some calories.  To balance the workout, and to keep myself in shape plus keep my joints moving freely and stay within a good range of motion despite my arthritis issues, I also maintain a fairly decent strength routine.  Back in December, I complained to my doctor that my cardio workouts were just not easy to do.  I'm too heavy and it hurts way too much to run or jog.  The treadmill is nice for walking, but my knees were giving out after about five minutes.  Three things happened when I voiced my frustration.  1)My doctor indicated that she understood my pain.  2)She also made it clear that she knows when I make excuses.  3) She gave me the key step to making it all work.
      Did she give me some sort of miracle answer to my problems? Did she prescribe a drug that would ease my pain, making it simpler to get through those monster cardio days?  The answer is NO!  What she did do was to give me the straight talk on the problems that my excessive weight can lead to, and point out where I am already showing signs of some of these issues.  She also told me that there IS NO MIRACLE CURE for weight loss, there is only hard work and determination to get the job done.  The best advice that she gave me was to keep trying.  She said that if I could only walk 5 minutes on the treadmill today, then do it; tomorrow, walk 6 minutes.  Her advice has stuck in my head and reminded me each step of the way that if I can't walk miles at a time or hours on end each day, it's OKAY.  So long as I keep trying to improve and do not just give up.  Because of this I was able today to complete 1.30 miles in 36 minutes!  I started out spending 5 minutes at a time on the treadmill and with each workout I challenged myself to do a little bit more.  I'm still gearing up for that March for Babies walk at the end of April, but I'm a whole lot closer to believing that I won't keel over than I was when this all started in January :)

I want to hear how YOUR fitness goals are coming along! Chime in with a comment to tell us what you're motivation is and how you're doing so far!

New year, new rules!

   Welcome to 2012!

   

   What are your health or fitness goals for this year? Are they new or being revisited from the list you "never quite got around to"  in 2011?  For me, my main goal is to get rid of a large portion of this extra weight I carry.  No, I'm not throwing hubby out, that's a little more than I can afford to lose!  What I am doing, though, is making a plan and taking action.  

     For years I went about this just like a lot of people, making a "resolution" each January to shed some pounds.  Every year ended with the same result; resolution forgotten, weight gained instead of lost.  This past year, however, I  learned some valuable lessons about goal setting.  In order to achieve our dreams, it is necessary to stop thinking of them in a future sense, ie "some day" or "one of these days" .  Writing resolutions, or dreams, down in terms of achievable goals makes them much more obtainable.  This means that instead of saying "I need to lose some weight this year", I say "I will (or I commit to) lose 50 pounds by Dec. 31, 2012".    Voila, I have just made a commitment.  I set a specific goal, with a deadline!   Now if I don't stick to it, there is a much higher sense of guilt involved.  It actually feels like I failed; and it is the most important person in the world I am failing--ME! I am the one making the commitment, I am the one responsible for keeping it, and I am the only one who can make me do it--although others can certainly offer some highly appreciated motivation. 

     Okay, enough about how to set goals.  I have set mine.  I will lose 50 lbs. by Dec. 31, 2012.  This is going to be fabulous for my psoriatic arthritis!  My aching joints will thank me!  In order to achieve this long-term goal, I have created smaller goals to accomplish along the way.  For instance, every week I will increase the amount of cardio activity I do at the gym by going either 1/4 mile farther or 5 minutes longer than normal.  I understand that there are days I hurt severely and therefore I will not always be able to complete the same amount of distance in my walk, but time spent doing the activity must also be taken into account.  At this beginning point, a 30 minute 1-mile walk is quite strenuous for me (and actually netted some rather serious blisters on my feet last week).  After having a dose of the Norovirus this week, I managed to do 3/4 of a mile today in 20 minutes and felt that was enough.  Next week it's back to adding time/distance.  As another milestone, I plan to participate in the www.MarchforBabies 5K walk happening here on April 28.  Hubby and I did this in 2010 and planned to do it in 2011, but were unable to since I was still off of my meds at the time.  This year I will do it.  This year I will not be the last walker across the finish line.  This year I will be proud of my accomplishment! 

Tofu time

     The challenges brought about by a no-corn diet are many.  There is corn, or a corn derivative in a large percentage of our food products.  I am certainly glad that what I {possibly} have is an intolerance and not an allergy.  If it were an allergy, I quite possibly could end up starving myself, or at least feeling like that is the case.  The one thing that has been the absolute hardest to give up, has been pop (or soda if you prefer).  When I was on simply a low-calorie diet I could work in the occasional glass of Pepsi so that I did not feel completely deprived.  No corn = no high fructose corn syrup = no Pepsi, period.  Ahhhh!!!!

    So, it's already been both frustrating and fun trying to find things that I can still eat.  Today I decided to try some tofu for lunch. This is something I have had a few times in the past, but mostly in Miso soup or at the Chinese buffet where we like to eat.  Today, however, I decided to fry up some for myself.  I used a non-stick spray on my skillet instead of oil to make it even healthier.  Tofu is like a sponge, it absorbs the flavors of whatever it is cooked with, and will soak up oils which will add unnecessary fats to your meal.  We had rajma masala over white rice,with spiced chicken breasts for dinner last night, and the flavors were so delicious I decided to incorporate them into my lunch.  It was delicious!  I am listing my little recipe here, it's nothing special but it might help if you've never tried cooking your own tofu before. 

You can add this cooked tofu to a salad, ramen noodles, broth, or serve it with rice.  There are probably a million other things that can be done with it as well!  I had mine with a half package of ramen noodles, some cheese, and a touch of salsa, for a total of about 220 calories! :) 

     So far it is hard to tell if the new diet has had any effect on my psoriasis or PA.  I  have lost 4 pounds and do have a bit more energy.  Some of my stomach troubles seem to be clearing up as well.  Overall it appears to be a good thing at this point, but we will watch how things develop. 

 

Fried Spiced Tofu:

Ingredients:
     3-4oz Tofu (may be sliced, diced, chopped, or however you prefer)
     Chili powder
     Cumin
     Ground ginger
     Garlic powder
There is really no measurement for the dry ingredients. I simply
used a pinch of each, with the chili powder being a bit larger pinch than
the others.

Directions:
     Mix all dry ingredients together and rub onto tofu slice, or pour over diced/cubed tofu and mix gently with wooden spoon until all tofu is covered with seasoning.  Spray 8 inch skillet with non-stick cooking spray and preheat for one minute.  Add tofu to skillet and cook until hot; approximately 3 minutes for
a 3oz slice--about one and a half minutes on each side.  (You can cook a bit longer if you prefer, but the tofu will start to brown just like chicken, so be sure not to overcook or it will turn into a mushy mess! )  

To learn more about corn in the foods you eat, I suggest reading The Ominvore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. 
    

Interesting choices

Hubby and I stopped by the store today for our first venture into the world of no-corn.  As I said before, this is not necessarily going to be easy.  I did manage to find some foods in the allergy section, mostly near the gluten-free items.  What I found was:

Tortillas
Ian's Alphabet Tater Tots
Amy's  Burrito
Keebler Flat

Cutting out corn

     Today my doctor informed me that I should cut out all food products containing corn from my diet.  As if I don't have enough to deal with already.  She said that she's had experience with people who cut out corn and it completely cleared their psoriasis.  This is NOT going to be easy!  We will be talking about this journey in upcoming posts as I learn what foods are available that do not contain corn. 

I've also got some other issues for which we may have to cut out wheat if cutting corn doesn't fix them.  This is going to be a long journey...hope you will stay with me and learn what our foods are made of as well as how they can affect our bodies. 

Disclaimer:  Everyone reacts to things differently, so what works for me may or may not work for you...please discuss any major diet changes with your doctor.

Support

     My husband and I attended a seminar sponsored by the National Psoriasis Foundation and entitled "More Than Skin Deep", in Washington, D.C. last weekend (July 16th).  At this seminar we met some truly wonderful people and gained valuable information for our fight against this disease.  Not only did we learn about the disease itself, but also about treatment and support options, as well as had the opportunity to meet others who suffer from this disease.  We are both very glad that we went.
      Support for people who have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis is very, very important.  That is one of the main reasons I started this blog, along with reaching out to spread awareness to those who do not understand the kind of struggles that someone with this disease faces.  In addition to my blog, and the newly developed line of awareness jewelry, I am in the process of starting a local psoriasis support group.  I really feel that there is not enough that I can do to help find a cure for this.  I struggled for so long without any answers, and have been dealt both good and bad cards along the way since being diagnosed. It is by the grace of God that I am where I am today.  I want others to know that they are not alone in this fight, to show them that there is someone who understands their pain, but also revels with them in their joy over the smallest of victories. 
     I will do everything in my power to help find a cure.  My husband and son have both agreed to join me for an NPF Walk for Psoriasis, in D.C. on September 17th.  Between now and then we will be working on various fundraising efforts for the walk.  Stay tuned to your inbox for more info. :)

A new direction

     After a long and bitter struggle, I finally received my medication on June 30th.  As per the doctor's orders, I took two shots the first day and one shot a week later (June 7th). I will now begin taking them once every two weeks.  I am one of the lucky people who does not have to wait forever to notice a difference with my meds.  I immediately started noticing a change, not only in my mental attitude and feelings, but also in my physical condition.  My husband also noted these same changes. 
     As I previously mentioned, I was approximately 85% covered in thick, flaky, itchy, and ugly psoriasis patches.  The patches have thinned quite a bit and are much less flaky than before; the percentage of coverage has dwindled maybe 5% already.  I am in shock that it's working this fast, but of course am not complaining!
     It is so amazing to me how many things we do everyday that are taken for granted until there comes a point that we can not do them.  For instance, I am thankful now that I can get dressed by myself, fastening a bra (in the back) and even putting on shoes that tie without assistance from my husband.  Just a few short months ago I spent days refusing to wear anything but a nightgown because it was just too frustrating to try to dress myself and too humiliating to have to ask for help all the time.  My hands would cramp and hurt when attempting to fasten my jeans, my arms ached to the point that I could not even begin to reach behind me to fasten a bra (I only own one front fasten kind), and bending down to tie my shoes, even while sitting, was nearly impossible.  There were days I even had to have assistance taking a shower.
     I am very grateful that I started feeling better when the weather warmed up, and even more so with my Humira.  There are still so many "little" things I look forward to being able to do: sitting on the floor to play with my son, playing outside for more than 5 minutes at a time, going shopping without having to use the wheelchair, wearing dark colored blouses and not worrying about flakes, and I am even looking forward to being able to properly shave my legs again!  I never asked for miracles, I don't want to run a marathon or lift a hundred pounds, or anything fancy...I just want to be able to say "Yes, Mommy CAN  do that with you," for a change instead of having to explain to him about pain and chronic fatigue, things a 3yr old should not have to try and understand.