Twelve Days of Sabotage

Not a very good picture, but this is my den

December, 2010

Take away all the Christmas decorations in the picture and you'll have a pretty good idea of what I've been staring at since last Friday afternoon.  I am sitting/laying on a sofa that faces the fireplace and matches the one you can see to the right.  What you can't see and is my bright spot, are the huge picture windows that are on the left.  Since I can't be out in nature, at least I can see it!  About all I've seen since Friday is rain, snow, fog or clouds, but at least I can see outside while I continue to wallow in my misery.  The only time I have been dressed and out are the three hours I was gone to the doctor.  Neither Mr. B nor I can remember the last time I was sick for this long!  My ENT with a few questions, pokes, prods and things stuck up my nose and in my ears, pretty quickly identified this as not just a sinus infection, but an entire head infection that was probably viral and related to my severe mold allergy. I know I have some readers who are nurses and other medical types, so if that doesn't makes sense, just remember I felt to bad to care what he told me.  I just wanted relief!  And I got it in the form of a potent anti-viral medication and the dreaded drug from ------ for anyone trying to lose weight - PREDNISONE!  I've been down this road many times before and the good news is that it will work, but the bad news is that it is almost impossible to take prednisone for any length of time and NOT gain weight.  And for some reason (this is all documented online), the weight doesn't just automatically fall off when you stop taking the medication.  You have to lose it the old-fashioned way!  

So how's that for the odds conspiring against me?  Last week, I would've said, "yippee, I have a built-in excuse to let go and I'll just fix it when I'm better."  Well, that's not gonna fly this week, because I have not been this excited about getting back on track in a long time.  Monday's post, your encouraging comments and thoughts of spring have really gotten me motivated.  So armed with lots of information found here and here, I'm going to fight the dreaded Prednisone weight gain for all I'm worth.  After 36 hours, I can already tell I'm feeling a bit better and am hoping to be able to take a short walk sometime today.  In two weeks, I return for a CT scan and long-term plan to prevent this from happening again.  

In a nutshell, Prednisone causes water retention, increased appetite and since it is being taken to combat an illness, there is usually a decrease in physical activity.  The recommendations are to reduce sodium intake, eat several smaller meals instead of three larger ones and do whatever it takes to keep some level of physical activity in your schedule. What struck me is that these are no different than the healthy eating tips we should be following ALL the time.  So, the only changes I plan to make while on the Prednisone are these:  1) no restaurant eating, 2) try my best to eat nothing out of a package or box, 3) no table salt, 4) drink extra water and 5) starting today, find some way to get some physical activity unless it's just not safe to do so - I'm feeling better enough that I should be able to take a short walk.  Eating smaller meals and snacks is not a change because that's what I've been doing anyway.  So we'll see how the great Prednisone Challenge goes for Sharon.  I'll keep you informed!  

Still haven't decided how I'm going to post my accountability on the blog between now and July 30, but for today, I'll just report that I've had several excellent eating days with no problem. Nutritionally, I can already feel my body telling me "thanks!"  l have lost weight each morning since Sunday.  

Just wanted to mention and say "thanks" for the concern of those who were bothered by my setting a specific date (July 30) for reaching goal and who thought my calorie target might be too low.  Those who've read my blog from day 1, know that I set goals frequently and enjoy the challenge, but also don't get bent out of shape if the goals aren't met.  The joy comes in trying and it just seemed significant to me that my "ah-ha" moment came on Mr. B's birthday and its ending could easily be achieved by mine.  What a great story that will be!   As for the daily calorie target, the important thing to see is that I meticulously track both calories and nutrition using CalorieCount.com and I know that closely monitoring meals and food combinations can net me a "perfect" day nutritionally somewhere around 1200 calories.   Monday, I ended the day at 1243 calories and Tuesday, at 1266.  Both days were "A+" days and met all recommended nutrition values. 

It is January 19 and I cannot believe I've yet to HIKE a single mile in 2011!  Between our horrid weather and now, my illness, it just hasn't been possible.  Here's hoping I may be able to do something short next week.  I'm afraid to mention it in case I jinx it, but our weather is forecasted to be somewhat tranquil over the next couple of weeks.

Well, this has made me tired, so think I'll lay my head down on this pillow and stare out these wonderful windows which BTW, you can watch the sunrise over the hills in the distance.   If only the sun would rise......all I see are more clouds!

Have you ever taken Prednisone?   Did you gain weight?