Cam's New Lease on Life Journal (comments welcome!)

[keenercam]

Carole -- I am so happy for you and you must be so proud of yourself! Please, please, please tell me that you are going to sign up for the WDW 2008 Half Marathon and go after that Donald Medal! I know it must be so costly to travel to WDW from Canada, but I really would LOVE to be part of your WISH Scream Team for the Half Marathon next year! My Donald Medal is one of my most prized possessions and I think you'll feel that way too! I was hoping you had a journal here and I could get to know you better. I hope you will chronicle your progress. You have already come so far!

 

[keenercam]

Food today:
B: coffee w/skim milk; banana; fat free cottage cheese w/pineapple
S: raspberry diet snapple iced tea
L:1 hard boiled egg; homemade lentil soup
D: lentil soup, baked, breaded fish; potatos w/garlic & olive oil, oven fried
dessert:

Healthy Eating/Core Guidelines:
2 fat free dairy:
water (48 oz): 55 oz by 9 pm
multi-vitamin:
fruits/veggies (5):
healthy oils (2 tsp):

---------------------------
went to the gym tonight -- 1 mile on the elliptical in 11:38 and one mile on TM in 12:48 (fastest ever, I believe)

 

[CaroleD]

Hi Cam,
I think I will get my own journal going. I hadn't really considered it.
As for the 1/2 marathon at WDW I'm thinking 2009....My 30th wedding anniversary is next year and we are planning a big trip...Hopefully Mediterian so Disney is out next year. There are events around here though that I'm going to look at. I'm starting out small. Just a 2.5 K race for the first one.
Have a healthy day.
Carole

 

[keenercam]

Hi Cam,
I think I will get my own journal going. I hadn't really considered it.

I am going to check for it now and if you haven't started one yet, I will keep looking!

Congrats on that huge milestone anniversary! Very cool! Sorry a celebration trip can't revolve around the WDW 2008 marathon weekend. Are you sure you don't want to do a caribbean cruise leaving out of Port Canaveral AFTER the 2008 WDW 1/2 Marathon?

I'm getting nervous about my appt with the pulmonologist this afternoon. On the one hand, I hope all the tests were fine and I just have to re-learn how to breathe properly after dealing with breathlessness from the heart condition for 10 years and developing strange breathing patterns. On the other hand, I wish there were some medical reason for my inability to sustain breath long enough to run more than 4 minutes at a time. I guess I will soon know.

 

[traceycooper]

Hi Cam
How did the visit to the pulmonologist go?
Hope you got some positive results.
Congratulations on the wi loss

Thats an awesome that you are doing the Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics to raise money! AND very brave too

 

[keenercam]

Cross-posted from the weekly training thread:

I'm back and I really appreciate the posts and PMs and emails asking me how it went. I am really embarassed to tell you, quite frankly. I don't even know where to start. I wanted answers, though, and I guess, I got them.
I guess the good news is :
--->regardless of a person's weight, whatever level a 43 yr old 5'1" female should be able to do, I did 106%. Anaerobically, I am quite fit.
---->I should be proud of myself for finishing the marathon.

The tidbits I remember better, however are these:
---->I should be proud of how far I've come, but really, 65 pounds in two years is really only a bit more than two pounds a month
----->As long as my BMI is as high as it is, I should expect to be out of breath
----->The only way I'll see improvement is by losing weight, and after all, it's a simple matter of math -- I have to take in less calories than I burn, and if I'd just try to take in 100 fewer calories a day, I'd probably see some significant weight loss
---->There are surgical interventions for people who need to lose as much weight as I do
----->"I don't mean to be mean, but let's face it -- it takes a lot more effort to move a family sedan than a 2 seat sports car."

I feel so much better informed now.

So there you have it, my WISH friends. I've been pretty much hysterical since I got to my car. Please forgive the self-pity. I'm persuading myself not to lapse into self-loathing. I'd better hurry over to the weight loss during training thread before I attack the chocolate chip cookies!

So, the good news is that I'm just fat. If I work really hard to lose some significant amount of weight, he's sure that a year from now I won't be complaining of breathlessness.

Oh, but he was really, really nice about it.

 

[CaroleD]

I take it he/she is thin and fit! And ill tempered!!!! That was just no way to tell someone why they are short of breath. Good to know its not something you can't address though.
I had a doctor tell me once I'de be better off with an amputation of my ankle and foot. Because they make such great prothesises now. Now I thought that was a bit extreme...and depressing.
Another doctor I went to told me he could only offer Narcotics but that I was too young to be on chronic Narcotic use so "he couldn't help me." Glad I waited months to see that doctor!
Don't let this person change your positive outlook. After all that must be coming from inside your heart.
Stay focused.
Carole

 

[keenercam]

Thanks, Carole!

 

[goldcupmom]

, Cam! That Dr. was WAY out of line! Celebrate the positive while encouraging is what they are supposed to do. Apparently he flunked 'humanity 101'! Or maybe he was out working on his golf game!

Hang in there! You've come an incredible distance and not idiot with a diploma can take that away from you.

I can't believe you do the Polar Bear Plunge. That's AWESOME!!! Every time I see it on TV or in the paper it amazes me, but truly, you are an amazing woman!

Hope you have an AWESOME weekend and can forget the Idiot! (oh, I mean Dr.!)

 

[keenercam]

Thank you, Julie! We really believe in the awesome work Special Olympics does, so it is an honor to have a way to raise awareness and money for the organization.

Just realized I never posted food today:
B: fat free cottage cheese w/lite fruit; coffee w/skim milk
L: homemade lentil soup

Healthy Eating/Core guidelines:
water (64 oz) -- 40 oz by 4pm
multi-vitamin -- (I just finished the first bottle of vitamins I have ever finished in my life!
Fruits/Veggies (5) --
Fat free dairy (2) --
Healthy oils (2) --

I am planning to head to the gym and continue to work on speed for my 5k time. I know a lot of my WISH teammates are starting Minnie training and it is so hard to focus just on this one goal right now, without looking ahead 3 months to the 15K. But I am convincing myself that progress on this goal will translate to a better performance on the Minnie 15k too.

 

[CaroleD]

I'm going to be at Disney May 8th to the 17th with my daughter and her friend. When is your race? I could be a cheerleader.
I think working on the 5K makes sense.
I like to look into a race of 5 or 10 K. My friend thinks its too far for me yet. She volunteered to do events with me. People around me can be very protective of me. They have seen what I was like in the past and can't quite accept that I'm well and strong. She would like to see me do a 2.5 K first. My feeling is that it will be done in less than 45 minutes because I can do 3 miles in 45 minutes. Any thoughts?

 

[keenercam]

Carole -- the Minnie is on 5/6. Any chance of shifting your trip back a few days? I'd love to see you! There is a 5K that weekend on Saturday and since it is 3 months away, I definitely think you could be ready to walk that by then. I am glad everyone is protecting you, but only you can set the goals and gauge your progress toward them. I'll stop in at your journal tonight to see how you are doing!

Quick post to track my training--
3.1 miles in 41:30 (that may be slightly faster than I've done it before). First mile was 12:20-- my fastest mile yet.

 

[goldcupmom]

Congrats on that 12+ mile, Cam! That's AWESOME!!!

Special Olympics is a wonderful group. When I ran the gym meets, their 'meet' was my fav part. They're such great people!

I'm still waffling on the Minnie. I posted some questions on the Minnie thread in hopes to get answers to sway my decision!

How can you walk on a TM??? I think I'm really uncoordinated or something - maybe scared. But I can't let go! Plus it seems it is harder on my ankle than outdoors. I can walk on it fast - holding on - about 4.5, but I can't let go and can't run holding on. I think with my bad ankle I'm afraid of falling if I catch a toe or some not quite right foot strike.

Hope you have a great weekend! I'd tell you to stay warm, but what must the temp of the Atlantic be right now???

Have fun!

 

[CaroleD]

Gee, had I been more fit back in October when I booked this trip I could have been looking at races. But I had just started the gym then and had no idea where it was going to take me. I'm sorry I 'm going to miss seeing you run! 5 K would have been perfect!
Enjoy your day!

 

[Blueeyes101817]

Hi cam-
Just wanted to stop by and say hello
Have a great weekend!!

 

[toystoryduo]

, Cam! That Dr. was WAY out of line! Celebrate the positive while encouraging is what they are supposed to do. Apparently he flunked 'humanity 101'! Or maybe he was out working on his golf game!

I agree with you, Julie. Some doctors need a dose of their own medicine.

Cam, please don't let what this doctor said get you down. Please think back two years ago.... Your journey from then to now is an amazing one... You have lost 65 pounds... That is awesome! You have been making healthy food choices, you have run/walked several 5Ks and a complete marathon! Those are amazing accomplishments, Cam, that no one can take away from you!

Keep on keeping on, Cam! Have a good weekend!

 

[goldcupmom]

I've been thinking about you, Cam! Have you warmed up yet???

 

[keenercam]

Thanks, everyone! The polar bear plunge was so outrageously cold and my feet hurt worse than I ever could have imagined, even before they got wet! I will not be doing the plunge again, and DH will only do it next year to make it to his 10 year plunge anniversary. I'm glad we did it and our family has raised over $600 so far for this year's plunge. Next year, I will work event registration and security.

So, let's see. The weekend was mostly successful, food-wise, though I only got one workout in - - Saturday morning on the TM.

Saturday's food was all core, except for 4 sugar free chocolate covered almonds for dessert. I definitely ate more than I should, but resisted a lot of my usual temptations.

Yesterday was fine until dinner.
B: core oatmeal
S: apple, banana
L: homemade lentil soup, mixed with barley & corn (pre-plunge comfort food); about 8-10 boardwalk fries

We also bought fresh baked soft pretzels and I ate the equivalent of 1.5-2 of them. UGH! That carb thing!

Dinner was at Olive Garden and I did a lot of things right: no breadsticks, no salad dressing. The things I could have been better on: ate many croutons from my dry salad; tastes of DD's past fagioli with ground beef; ate my entire serving of whole wheat linguine with arrabiata sauce. We also did not order dessert, even though my favorite dessert in the world is their tiramisu.

The plan for today:
B: coffee w/skim milk; weight watchers oatmeal (at 10:45)
L: homemade lentil soup mixed with barley & corn
S: apple
D: veggie burger; green salad w/olive oil, fat free feta, grilled chicken
dessert: bite of soft pretzel; 8 oz skim milk

No gym tonight. It is my only tv evening w/The Class & Heroes. I still have to watch the tape of last week's "Heroes" so maybe I'll do that in the family room and do some floor stretching and exercises while it is on, or get on the basement treadmill.

Today's healthy eating/core guidelines:
water (64 oz): 60 oz by 9:45
fruits/veggies (5):
multi-vitamin:
non-fat dairy (2):
healthy oils (2 tsp):

 

[CaroleD]

I must have missed the part where you were planning this. Good for you for raising 600 dollars. But oh my....(remember I hate the cold)...are you insane...lol. Just kidding. Though it is not something I could ever do.
Have a great day Cam.

 

[keenercam]

Thanks, Carole! In the 9 years we've been involved, I am sure we have raised close to $9,000 for Special Olympics