Egull1's Journal, 06 Jan 19

Maintenance Calorie Trajectory ----> Week 16 ---> Exercise Addition

As y'all can see I took out the chart. There's no reason to add it at this point. If by chance I lose any weight, I will only consider an increase if I can see that low 2 weekends in a row. And, in that circumstance I will increase it by about 1%.

There may be a point this year where I release 1-2 lbs. In mid March, I am making it a goal to increase the cardio. This kinda naturally happens in the spring time. We have a swimming pool and I like to swim up to a half mile or a mile at a time come June. I also decrease the level on the recumbent bike and increase the time to 45 minutes. Time outside increases and one might be surprised how many cals can be burned through mowing the lawn and yard work in addition to strength training and weight routines. Any weight lost will be an advantage as my Mother and I want to take a road trip to Canada this summer. We live so darn close, it's a shame we haven't gone sooner! lol

Road trips are great because I can take the resistance bands and weights along and still do the routines. However, I also allow myself to eat about 2400 cals/day on vacay. So, basically I lose a couple pounds before the trip in order to account for the gain. I did this last time we took a trip to the Oregon Coast and it worked. I lost a pound before I left, and gained one pound on vacay, and basically maintained.

I have also revamped my current workout routines. Last weekend, I had a bit of a scare. I think I've stated before, I deal with what is known as MS fatigue. This kind of fatigue is not quite the same as the normal "eye burning" fatigue we might feel if we stayed up to late. It's hard to describe, but it's like the power goes out and the body turns on a back up generator, only the generator can only power so much energy to keep things going, so some things work and some things don't work as well.

I always know when it comes on because my vocal cords start to feel weakened, which apparently is a common symptom of MS fatigue. It makes sense, vocal cords are powered by muscles and if ya don't know - muscles tend to be the most common thing impacted by MS aside from the optic nerve. Anyhow, it actually feels difficult to talk. And, then of course I feel very tired, but it's not just a "sleepy tired", it's like my whole body feels off, coordination becomes sloppy, and slow. And, muscles don't quite respond in a timely manner if that makes sense. I can usually rally, but I just have to slow down a bit and take on tasks mindfully.

However, last weekend it hit very hard after a cardio routine. I thought these legs might just collapse from underneath me. I found myself scared to walk down the stairs. The part that scared both my Mom and I the most is that I wasn't able to rally the way I normally do. I did go straight to bed and made sure I got a good night's sleep. I didn't work out the next day as it was already scheduled to be a rest and repair day.

Anyhow, what I've since done is break up the workout routines a bit. So, now cardio has its own day. Weights have their own day, and resistance and strength training will remain the same. Yoga, as usual is interspersed throughout these routines.

Friday, I had resistance and strength training. This time, I took things slow and measured - making sure to really engage the muscles and be mindful of where I'm feeling the exertion if that makes sense. I took longer rests between sets, focused on form, and generally made an hour and 10 minute workout into and hour and 30. When I felt the fatigue come on, I just waited until I caught my breath and then continued until I finished.

This worked well and I had a nice calorie burn to boot! Tomorrow is cardio and the goal is to focus on keeping a steady pace during the intervals. On high octane I can do about 71 RPM's at level 16 resistance. On a steady ride, I can do 67-68 RPM's at level 16. I burn less cals, but I prefer to burn less, then collapsing.

I really don't know why the fatigue hit so hard last weekend. There's a million stories this mind might drum up. Has the white blood cell count dropped, due to the meds? Low B12 or anemia? The last blood test did indicate I had low levels of B 12, so I doubled the dose. Did I just push too hard? Is this just how MS works? I'm still kind of newbie to this condition.

Geez Louise, anyhow - in the mean time, I just take deep breaths, let this heart remind me that no matter what, it's all good, and focus on the present moment. And, so far I haven't felt that way since last Sunday. I've had the typical fatigue, but the kind I can rally from. And, if anything it's forced this girl to slow down and take "measured" steps with regards to exercising, which is probably a good thing. The reps are increasing at this point and focusing on proper form is a must.

Anyhow, have a blessed weekend everyone. I'll post weigh-in on Monday morn! :-)


Week 16 of weight maintenance - Hanging Steady
Monday - 1670 --- Target 1686
Tuesday - 1709 --- Target 1854
Wednesday - 1670 --- Target 1686
Thursday -1948 --- Target 2023
Friday - 1670 --- Target 1686
Saturday - at Target 1349
Sunday - 1517 --- at Target
Average TDEE 1698 (Once this maintenance cal is reached - hang steady for 6 weeks to see what scale weight does)