Eating Changes - 1 Year Later

I have been eating zone style for a year now and I feel it plays a big role in the wonderful changes to my body. 

In the past I ate for comfort, I was in a depressive, nothing I can do, state of mind, and food was used to make me "feel better", although in reality it just masked the pain and did more damage to my body and overall health.

In journaling my efforts to increased health this past year, I have realized the effects of eating zone; I can see the added energy during workouts, I can feel the beneficial results in recovery after workouts - food is amazing. Not in the this tastes amazing way (although a lot of it does), but in a look what this food can do for my body way.

I drive a vehicle that requires the highest octane levels for optimum performance; one day that hit me, I notice when I change the quality of the gas I put in my vehicle, and choose to use the higher priced premium grade because it performs better - why oh why wouldn't I do the same for my body?

I think looking at food for more than taste, or memories, etc. (an emotional eating experience), and realizing the basics about what food is, has allowed me to make the transition to a healthier style more easily.


What do you find enables you to eat healthier? Any advice you can give to those trying a new eating style for better health?

FAITH

SATURDAY IN THE PARK

Today found me back on the track, the same track I recently walked for my second 5K this year.  Walking still proves to be my biggest challenge and I will not lie, seeing the track again brought some anxiety this morning.

The workout involved pushing a prowler (picture a wooden sled on wheels, with 260lbs of weight inside, plus a 100lb kid for good measure) for 100 yards, then rotating to the next person in the group, then the next, etc. – all athletes in my group, and they began not only pushing it, but doing so while running.

I was quickly dropped and feeling a little out of place and unfit, when I remembered the graffiti on the skater ramp (a butterfly that had reminded me of my lippy sisters being on my journey with me back during the 5K).

I was looking forward to seeing my butterfly, but then I saw something new.  Larger than life, expanding across the top of one of the ramps, the word FAITH was spray painted in purple paint.  I reminded myself that I was not alone.

Just then I heard my husband/coach from across the track, “we’re coming to you and then it’s your turn.”  It didn’t take long for them to reach me and then it was indeed my turn.  I lowered myself to the prowler and with my strong body I began pushing, and did so half way around the track.

I finished up and they began rotating their last lap, and I walked proudly for mine.  At the end, when they were recuperating, and as I reached them, I told them I was going for one more lap and I was taking the prowler with me.

One of the guys said he was coming, too, if I didn’t mind his company. I told him I wanted the company, just not any help; I wanted to do it on my own, and I did.  Not just with his, but with my husband and another man in our group walking beside me and cheering me on every step of the way.

TIP OF THE WEEK – Have faith.  You are not alone, and you will get there if you just keep trying.

An Advantage to Our Size

Shhhh, I have a secret to share with you today.  Did you know that we, as larger bodied people, have an advantage when it comes to fitness?

Did you hear me?

WE HAVE AN ADVANTAGE over those smaller humans we share this world with, but don’t tell them. 

The advantage is that we have “built-in weight” that we move every second of every day.  When we choose to move our bodies, we become stronger than someone doing the same movements, because we are carrying around extra weight that they do not.

A good example of this was during my workout today, the others in my group were doing box jumps (picture jumping onto a surface 24 inches off the ground and then jumping back down), but it is a movement I cannot do.  My modified movement is step-ups (picture stepping up, one foot at a time, then stepping back down the same way).  You could choose to look at that modification as me not being able to do as much, but guess what, not one of those in my group could have done a box jump carrying the weight I naturally carry.  In fact, I would bet they might be able to do the step-ups carrying the extra weight, but they wouldn’t do them as well as I do – because I am used to carrying the weight.  That is the benefit; our bodies have grown accustomed to carrying weight, which makes us stronger than those who do not.

If you would like to try this movement at home and have some stairs (with a railing preferably), you can do so on just the first step – use the railing for support.

This week we lost a great man; Pat O’Connor, who created Lymphedema People and his, was the first support group I found after being diagnosed in 2007.  If you never had the privilege of reading something from Pat, I share with you that he was both comforting and informative and he would remind you often that life is not about what you can’t do, but what you can do.  I dedicate this post to Pat, thanks for everything.

TIP OF THE WEEK:  Try to look differently at our bodies.

Saturday In The Park

Maya Angelou said it best, “you want me to do something… tell me I can’t do it.”  That pretty much sums me up to a T.  Hi, my name is Pattie and I am stubborn.

So when I realized that I had been listening (and believing) statements like, “there is no cure”, “diet and exercise won’t touch the lippy fat”, etc.  I got pissed.  Pissed at myself because it had been almost 10 years since being diagnosed with primary Lipedema and secondary Lymphedema and I found myself sitting in my chair with my legs up (in an effort to keep the fluid from pooling in them), while my family lived their lives around me.  I decided my story was not going to end that way.  I was going to take control and make some changes.

It started slowly, a less than 5-minute walk from my car to my new job, climbing a flight of stairs one step at a time, etc.  Then before I knew it I was walking further, climbing quicker and today I workout in the park every Saturday morning with crazy fit athletes.

I was honored when the creator of one of the support groups I belong to asked me to start writing a weekly fitness post.  It was created to highlight fitness tips for others with Lipedema and/or Lymphedema, to hopefully inspire them to take back control of their lives and make some small steps at improving their fitness, and since it is a closed group I wanted to share the words here in the hope that, just maybe, it might help you, too.

TODAY’S TIP:  find a cheerleader.

It can be your mom, a significant other, or even an online buddy.  My cheerleader today was an elderly gentleman who approached our fitness group at the park and proceeded to give us tips on how to run.  We listened with respect, understanding his need to share, even though most there were runners themselves, but it didn’t stop there.  As he ran his laps on the track outside the field where I was doing my laps, squats & push-ups he would say little words of encouragement, “everyone would be here if it was easy”, “your doing great”, etc.  It may not seem like much, but hearing words of encouragement for the effort you put forth gets you back there next week and the week after.

Lipedema Fitness: Getting Diagnosed

In 2007 I was diagnosed with Lipolymphedema (primary Lipedema and because I had gone so long not being diagnosed properly, I also had secondary Lymphedema).  I was 38 at the time, and a few years prior to my diagnosis I had given birth to our only child, Noelle, via Cesarean section. Basically Lipedema deals with fat and Lymphedema deals with fluid.

A nurse in the hospital during my recovery was the first medical professional to inquire about my legs. They were large and swollen, more so than was typical with pregnancy, and the questions she asked of me, I would later ask of my primary care physician.

I was familiar with asking my Doctor questions regarding my inability to loose weight.  For most of my life, even in my early 20's (when at my lowest adult weight), I would loose weight from the upper part of my body, but not from my hips and legs.  I continually asked her about weight loss, because I was extremely active and my physical appearance didn't match my efforts, but what I should have paid attention to was how I felt.

My gym routine was mainly cardio; typically elliptical for 45 minutes to an hour, then the treadmill for another similar time frame (even the bike on occasion to switch it up).  I would adjust the incline, speed it up, even walk backwards.  In addition to cardio, I did some resistance training on the universal weight machines, and took some boxing classes - although only a few, as it was right about the time I found out I was pregnant.  Prior to that I was spending my mornings before work at the local pool doing laps - I had always been a water baby growing up.  The picture I attempt to paint, is that I was very active.

I wasn't overly focused on nutrition, but I also wasn't an over eater.  I love good food, but I don't love to cook.  I would diet, being careful of consumption, typically of carbs, and recall being on the carbohydrate addicts diet with my husband, prior to our wedding.  My husband dropped 40 pounds quickly, myself about half that, and I recall my wedding dress seamstress being frustrated as I was loosing inches in my mid section, which was already drastically smaller than my hips, and in my armpits (so strange).  We ended up creating a two piece gown to save her sanity.

The one constant was not "seeing" any result (seeing being the operative word).  My Doctor would see me at the gym, as she was also a member, and could see the effort I was putting forth.  My husband would not see me eating excessive amounts, and once stated "unless you are in the closet eating late at night, I don't understand why you are not losing weight."  His words rang loudly and I began to question what could be wrong.  My Doctor would test me for whatever we could think of (thyroid, kidney function, etc.) to try to find a reason why I was not seeing any weight loss.  I stress weight loss, because at the time I felt fantastic, I could do any activity that I wanted, but I kept gaining weight and noticing my legs looking more and more swollen.  She even had me on a diuretic during the summer months to help with the swelling, or so I thought.

After the birth of my child I noticed my legs were not only swollen, but looked deformed; no leg shape - no calf, no ankle, etc. just big, shapeless legs - like a column.  I asked my doctor about this, and of course she tested me for clots, and heart issues - typical post pregnancy exams.  It scared the hell out of my husband and I and whenever the results came back normal she was thrilled and sent me on my way, but we were stumped, if not X, Y, or Z, then what was it?

One stressful, no answers day, I went home and googled "big legs" and when I hit the image button I found some photos of women with legs like mine.  I was so grateful to have found a couple websites that had a name for what I had.  Lipedema.

My husband printed out the materials and together we went to see my doctor.  We left being told I should see a specialist, and I went back to trusty old google and found a physical therapist with lymphedema experience in Albany and made an appointment.  Within a matter of minutes, I was officially diagnosed with Lipolymphedema (primary Lipedema and secondary Lymphedema).  I was told there was no cure but there were some things they could do to help, and information I would need to try to keep the symptoms at bay.

The first step was seeing a Lymphedema Therapist with knowledge of MLD (manual lymph drainage) and compression therapy (bandaging and garments), and while they had some trained Therapists in their facility, it was a 45 minute drive each way, and this would be a daily appointment to start.  Luckily they knew of another Lymphadema Therapist located about half the distance, in Clifton Park, who I began seeing.

MLD does not hurt, it is gentle, and actually so gentle I was pissed leaving the first few appointments. How could something so light do anything to improve my legs?  But surprise, it did.  The bandages on the other hand were mentally challenging.  I would be wrapped from toes to groin, a long process after MLD, that would inevitably fall down as I walked to my car.  Frustration was killer, but I survived, and they were able to get a lot of fluid out of my legs (they began bandaging just the lower leg, which held up much better).

When my measurements showed there was little to no more reduction occurring, I was told they could do nothing further for me (stating there is no treatment for Lipedema), the next step would be to wear compression garments to try to keep the fluid from coming back.

My luck would show up once again, when one day I found there was a local person who specialized in Lymphedema.  I was her first patient and I still see her every 6 months; more actually, as she became more than my Therapist, she became a great friend.

Diagnosis is just the start, and a lot of people struggle to get diagnosed, mainly because most doctors don't know about the disease.  I hope with this blog to show my process and progress with Lipedema, but know each case is unique and just because something I do works for me, doesn't mean it will work for someone else - I just hope it can shed some light for someone, like those websites and blogs I found early on did for me.  I was so grateful that I wanted to return the favor, if I could.

Happy Independence Day!

Independence means many things to many people, for me (in regards to this post) it means taking a stand for myself.  I sent the following "letter to the editor" to my local paper and it was not published, but instead of leaving it in their hands, I've decided to take action myself and started this blog.  In upcoming posts I will share my journey with Lipedema in the hopes of helping others like me.

For most people losing weight involves eating healthier and exercising.  While not everyone can do so easily, most can lose weight if they try.  But what if you couldn’t?  What if no matter how strong your will, how sincere your efforts, you couldn’t?  What would you do?

Lipedema is a fat disorder primarily found in women, and while first diagnosed in the 1940’s at the Mayo Clinic, over 70 years later it is still grossly unknown and regularly misdiagnosed as obesity.

Around 11% of the female population has Lipedema, which equates to around 17 million women in the US, most of which probably don’t even know they have it.  The harsh reality is that these women are being told they are just fat and they need to lose weight.  Bariatric surgery seems to be the answer they are given, but sadly a Lipedema patient who undergoes weight loss surgery will lose weight almost entirely from the upper half of their body.  It will not touch the Lipedema fat.

Luckily, people are starting to pay attention.  The New York State Assembly recently introduced a bill to establish a grant program for all Lymphatic disease research (which includes Lipedema).  We need to train our doctors to recognize and properly diagnose Lipedema, so we can ensure future generations take action to prevent the later stages of this disorder.

June was Lipedema Awareness Month so I am bringing this to your attention in the hopes that we can enlighten you dear readers and spread awareness.  With greater awareness we can hopefully someday even find a cure.