Power Foods Extravaganza

I have dubbed this week “Power Foods Extravaganza.”  I made a commitment with myself to focus more on Power Foods and Good Health Guidelines.  My leader Donna talked in our meeting a few weeks ago how shifting her focus has helped her lose some weight and maintain below goal.

I updated you on what was going on with my back injury and I am fully prepared to pay for most of the month of October.  I am not stressing over the scale.  I gained a good amount between Vegas and being in a pretty bad funk.  This won’t be "I will stop attending my meetings."  It doesn’t matter how long it takes to bring my weight down and right now I just want to focus on healthy eating.

I never have trouble getting in my 30 DPA and most weeks I have been eat ingover my WPPAs.  I don’t always focus on Power Foods and that is something I want to change.  This week has been a mishmash of protein and veggies.  After eating off plan for a few weeks veggies sound good to me!

 

I was a chopping fool in the kitchen earlier this week and prepped veggies for meals for the week. I have eaten many a stir-fry and also added veggies to other meals. I forgot out much a recipe can stretch when you add cut up veggies.

Fresh green beans from my brother/parent’s garden

Zucchini

Cabbage

Celery

Carrots

 

Broccoli

 

I like veggies, sort of!  To make them go down easier I picked up some Mandarin Sauce at the store.  Yes, I am aware my veggies are no longer 0 PPVs but they sure are tasty!

And, we all know veggies alone might fill me up but they won’t keep me satisfied for long.  I picked up a turkey breast, pork chops, lentils, ricotta and polenta.

Now, if only I can get this bloat feeling and excess gas from all these veggies to go away!

It has been a really good clean eating week.  We are having our October Birthday Celebrations in dispatch on Friday.  I am making two different kinds of cake balls and a coworker’s wife is making a pumpkin roll.  I do plan to enjoy some treats but will stay mindful and accountable!

An Update On My Back

I got some bad news when I saw the orthopedic doctor last Thursday. I guess it wasn't bad per se but it just wasn't what I was expecting.

My PT had been treating me for what he thought was bulging disk. We have been working on building my core and until I got home from my Vegas trip, I was feeling really good. The pain was only minor and I still had trouble sleeping and sitting for long periods of time.

After looking over my x-ray, the orthopedic doctor says my alignment is “abnormal” and “there is evidence of a transitional L5 segment more pronounced on the left than the right.” He says my body just formed differently in that my 5^th vertebra at one point tried to fuse with the sacrum, the bones that continue down to the tailbone, but never actually did. He described this as similar to arthritis. The doctor's notes say “enlarged transverse process of the transitional L5 vertebra and superior sacrum.”

This was not the news I was expecting and the doctor really didn't have any answers or provide me with any insight. He left me with a feeling of "this is just how it is going to be."  He said I could get a back brace if it is bad enough or injections into the back. A worse case scenario would be seeing if the two bones could be fused together. He also didn't think I should resume my exercise classes at the Y. I think that was the hardest news to hear. I miss my active lifestyle.

I will be seeking a second opinion and I am going to ask for an MRI. I have an appointment set up with a second doctor on Monday. I have been on a roller coaster of emotions since my doctor visit and mostly I am in a pretty dark place. I was happy to see the PT the other day so I could get some sort of insight and start to sort out my two different diagnosis.

My PT, who I have been seeing for four weeks now does believe that both his diagnosis and the doctor's are centralized in the same area, the L5, and also describes the same symptoms. However, he is not comfortable with the doctor's diagnosis and also encouraged me to seek a second opinion.

I sort of feel like what was the point of losing all the weight to then be almost 34 years old and have a “bad back.” But you know what? I can't really think like that. If I was still 304 pounds this would be that much more complicated. I am in a better place now even if this is something that will never fully go away or that I will not live a pain-free life.

There is still hope and my PT has shown me lots of exercises to continue to strengthen my core. As I said earlier, my back has been feeling much better then when the pain started six weeks ago. There are also many other exercises I can explore and ways to modify my activity. 

I will continue to gain information and I am eager to see the second doctor. This is a doctor I know and I have seen him on a prior occasion when I broke my foot several years ago. He has performed surgery on my dad's shoulder, as well as other family members knees. He is a great guy and I feel very comfortable going to see him. I didn't like the first orthopedic doctor I saw and I will not be returning to that practice for any reason.

I believe in the power of positive thinking so that is what I must do.

Idaho Wine Run 10K

My friend Danielle and I walked the 10K and our friend Eric ran the 5K at the Idaho Wine Run at St. Chapelle Winery Sunday.

What better incentive to walk 6.2 miles then wine?

The 10K course was a loop course with a few different hills so it was a nice calorie burn.  I finished in 1:36 but my Garmin only said I had walked 5.99 miles.  Whoops.  Looks like the course was a little short!  I earned 10 APs during my walk and was able to keep my heart rate in the zone for most of it.  Since I am working through my back injury right now and I was happy to still be able to complete the full 10K.

There were a few booths set up and also food venders to purchase food.  The check in process the day before the race was disorganized.  I had not held high hopes for the race being organized.  It turned out to be pretty good.  Since we were near the last of the runners/walkers to cross the finish line there wasn’t really any free food left.  That was a bummer.  The lines to taste wine were also very long and not well organized either.  Those were really my only complaints.

Along the course was Zhoo Zhoo wine from Hells Canyon Winery which provided wine shots to keep you going.  It gave us a burst of energy and also some muscle power!

 

 

At the end of the race six different wineries were set up for tastings and our race entry included a wine glass and a bag to hold two bottles of wine (I think that was a hint they wanted you to buy wine).  You could purchase wine by the glass and also bottles to enjoy while you rested and visited.  The wild weather made it tough to just relax with some wine and since I was the driver I also didn’t need to drink much!  A few wines were delicious.

 

We tasted wines from St. Chapelle Winery (un-pictured) which is one of my favorites as they have many sweet wines for tasting.  At large events, however, they limit the wine choices so I didn’t get to sample my favorites.

Sawtooth Winery (also un-pictured) is another beautiful winery to visit.  I enjoyed their sweet wines and they had two different ones to try.  We also sampled a chocolate wine made with champagne and I think maybe brandy.  It was interesting.

Williamsons Orchard and Vineyard also didn’t have any real sweet wines.  This is actually a family whom I know and grew up with.  I attend school with their daughter Bev that is now a part of the business.

Indian Creek Winery had a DELICIOUS sweet wine.  It was $12 a bottle and very tempting but I didn’t purchase any to take home.

HAT Ranch Winery was not a winery I am familiar with.  They didn’t have any sweet wines to taste.

Fujishin Family Cellars is a winery I have not heard of and is a small family owned winery.  They had an AMAZING sweet wine that was $20 a bottle.  That is a little steep for my cheep budget so I didn’t purchase any.  I might be regretting this later because I am not sure if you can get this in the local stores.

Despite the cold weather, high winds, and a slight drizzle a good time was had by all.  When wine is involved you always have a good time!