Are you looking for support on your health and fitness journey? If you are, then this thread is for you.

There are no expectations in this forum. Post as often as you like. Post anything that you feel is relevant to your own personal health and fitness goal. Here are some ideas:

• Monthly health and fitness goal
• Daily health and fitness goal
• Progress (or setbacks) in reaching your goal
• Personal stories about why you are joining this topic
• Healthy recipes that you feel others will enjoy
• Links to articles or books that you feel others would find helpful
• Food Choices (healthy or unhealthy)

Remember, your health and fitness journey is your own. There is no one program, method, or philosophy that is right for everyone. This thread is for support only.

Happy 1st day of November !! Hope this month is off to a good start for you. What are you going to do this month to help reach your goals?

I'm starting out the month at 252.1, which is 1.6 lbs. less than I started out Oct. at. I yo-yo'd within a 5 lb. range all month, so this month I'm going to be working on staying more consistant with how much I eat, and cutting out as much extra sodium as I can. I'm also getting my apt. decluttered still for my son & daughter-in-laws visit the last week in Nov. so I'm getting a lot more exercise/movement, and that has to help. As sore as I am, it has to be helping a little bit.

Great job, Vicki!

The swelling did seem to be going down, but the scale didn't move, so that is worrisome.

Yesterday started out great! I decided I had to have a shower, and I was able to use the strap I learned about in the previous PT session. Then I had a good visit at the PT, and learned a new exercise which is very hard work but feels productive. Then we were so excited when the Amazon package came with my wedge pillow came. Finally (we thought) I can elevate my leg.

Warning: graphic disgusting topic ahead!

Nope. It was a squashed to death item that supposedly will puff right up in 12-24 hours. May some time today, but now I'm in real issues. My body decided it was finally time to deal with the lack of bowel movement since surgery. I wasn't too worried at first, because I was passing gas and I had not had super formed movements since colonoscopy, so I figured it would work out. A couple days ago I started taking extra fiber, but no good result. Today it is clear: I am severely constipated! I have sat for hours on the stool yesterday afternoon and evening, but straining is not going to handle this. I took a Dulcolax, just more straining. I took another. I swear whatever is stuck is right at the anus and it is so uncomfortable to do anything. I didn't do my last set of exercises for PT because I was too miserable.

Finally I went to bed. My room stays very cold compared to the rest of the house if my door is shut. Right now my door has to be shut because I can't interact with my cat due to the whole walk in the litter and track it everywhere problem. So I've been using an electric blanket. Now they said not to use heat on the leg they operated on, and I have been careful to stick that leg out so it isn't under the heated blanket, but last night I didn't care about anything except being warm, so I fully snuggled down. I thought I would turn off the blanket as soon as my feet were not ice.

oops, I fell asleep. I woke with an extreme need for the toilet, didn't get there quite in time so just at on the toilet in my Depends and peed and peed and strained but only some poop came out. Enough to be a little more comfortable, but there is still something big that is stuck. Since it was in the middle of the night, I had to take care of myself creatively. I cut myself out of the Depends with a nail clipper, because it was saturated and I couldn't take it off the normal way without a house mess. My foot is totally swollen, probably from the heated blanket, and it had been so much better yesterday. So I turned off the heat in the blanket but I am so miserable. I've been up several more times just to strain and it just hurts too much for that final push. And now I'm very cold on top of that. I guess I'll put on socks, though I can't sleep in socks. I should just try to get something productive done, but I'm exhausted.

Thanks for listening to me vent.

Finally I passed a large amount a couple of hours ago, but I know there is more to come.

The scale says down almost 5 pounds this morning!!! And no visible improvement in swelling. The wedge we ordered from Amazon was ready for a trial run, so we finally got the leg elevated without me screaming in pain.

Update several hours later: it's all passed now. I was going back to PT routines but now I'm having a migraine.

You have really had a rough time Margaret. Glad it finally passed though. Hope your migraine eases up. Those are no fun.

Hope your swelling goes down over the weekend so you'll be more comfortable.

Thanks for the good wishes, Vicki! If the swelling would go down I could do so much more.

Hope it's a little better today.

I'm 252.2 today so up 1.8 lbs. since last Sunday. I really hope this week will be better. So tired of all the yo-yo-ing.

I see slow improvement. Kind of nervous about the doctor visit where they will take off the clear covering that covers the padding over the incision so it can't get wet.

I'm glad you're seeing improvement. It'll be a lot easier for you to move around once the covering and padding is removed. I remember when a friend of mine had the surgery. She couldn't hardly walk with all the padding but once removed she was able to get around a lot better.

I'm 250 today. Like I said I'm yo-yo-ing, but today it's in the right direction. Hopefully it'll keep going in the right direction now. I'd really like to have a few pounds off by the time my son & daughter in law visit in a little less than 3 weeks.

PT went exceptionally well today. I also bent the knee pretty well. And weight steady at 232. Not sure I'll really lose any till I can move more but I hope not to gain much.

I forgot to watch this thread! But here I am now.  I did a major grocery shopping the other day. I'm up a couple pounds as usual after a shopping because I tend to buy goodies out of my normal routine. So it will take a day or two to get back to my normal eating routine. This is why I have to portion and freeze goodies right away.  If I could go back to eating the old way I'd eat a loaf of bread a day!

Since I'm stuck at home, I'm not going through drive-throughs! But today we did get a treat from Culver's on the way home.

then for lunch I had leftover soup that was given to us by ladies from church. Yesterday on Buy Nothing someone was giving away chili because not as many people showed up at a big event as was expected. So my daughter went and got some... we have at least one meal of that left for tomorrow.

Teri, I know what you mean about the bread. I love it and on grocery days I do buy those few extra things I shouldn't so my weight will go up.

Margaret, I know that chili had to be good. I love it when the temperatures are low. And Florida does get cold at times. Just doesn't last long. I'm 249.6 this morning.

I tossed out half a bag of Cheetos today. I've enjoyed my treat but now it has to go!

WTG Teri!!! I end up doing the same thing at times. My biggest issue doing that is I always buy the family size bag so I'm throwing away money I can ill afford to throw away. I need to either stop buying things like that or buy the smallest bag of them I can.

Current weight 249.8

Been there done that with the buying of too much of something, then tossing it so I'll eat healthier, then kicking self for wasting food and money.

Surgeon followup today, found out that the bandage that has been impeding me was supposed to be taken off earlier! Oh well, kind of glad I didn't see incision till now. It really looks good, like the scar will just be a thin line. But the PT is so tiring and I don't seem to improve much... except I really can do more each day.

Weight down to 228.8, it was 228.6 before surgery and then I had all that swelling and it went up ten pounds! But I only have a little swelling left.

It sounds like it's healing well.

My weight is up today, what else is new!? Hopefully by Sunday it'll be back down. Currently 251.2.

I'm done in. I should do more exercises and I'm just pooped.

I've got one week to finished getting the apt. cleaned up the way I want it. My son & daughter-in-law will be visiting. First time meeting Macy in person and 12 years since seeing my son, so I want everything to look nice. I tend to put of things like dusting and mopping floors til I can't stand it any longer, so that's got to get done before they get here. My DIL is from the Philippines and just now will making her home in the US with Chris. Going to be a change for her. Just can't wait to get my arms around both of them. They're in Denver currently for a job conference over Macy's job. She works from home but it's an American job. That's how she was able to get to the US ( on work visa). She'll have to apply for a spousal visa within the next few months but the work visa will keep her here until that comes thru. They'll drive from Colorado to here to visit then go to SC. to stay with friends til Chris has his job, then they'll move into a house their friends mom is going to rent them. They'll also loan them a car so they can turn in the rental. But in the next few days I want to get the apt. in shape. Want to give my DIL a good first impression.

As of this morning I'm 249.6. Have a good weekend.

I'm down 3.6 lbs for the start of this week. Current weight 248.6. Have a good week everyone!

I overdid it yesterday, but I'm feeling a lot better now. Had trouble sleeping last night. We went to Mom's to watch the football game and it's a bit of a walk from the parking lot to her apartment. Then we drove 20 miles to see my in-laws who were there visiting from New Mexico. My ankle got swollen from the sitting with my leg down in the car, but it was worth it.

Ate a huge amount of food at the Mexican restaurant we went to, but weight did not change.

Sounds like you had a lot of fun even if you did overdo it a bit. And isn't it nice when we can eat a lot and the weight stay the same. It is for me. I'm down another 0.1, so 248.5 today. I'll take whatever losses I can manage. Every little bit helps.

PT went great today! Flexion finally to 90 degrees, which was the two week goal, and I'm just a bit over two weeks out. Both seated and supine... last measured seated was 85 degrees but last measured supine was 69, so exercise is starting to pay off. Extension only 7 degrees, goal by two weeks was 5 degrees but I'm feeling better because they admitted that most people have 8 degrees right after surgery but I started at 14, so I actually have made decent progress. And I have a new exercise to do! Walk with a cane!
 

To celebrate, I got a shake at Steak and Shake. After all the scale was down almost 2 pounds today, so a splurge won't hurt much. I am not running marathons, but the PT exercises leave me drained, and I'm sure my body is using calories at night for more healing, and there is still some swelling in my knee, some I'm hopeful I can lose a little this month.

You're doing great Margaret. And I know you'll continue to improve.