Physical Check-In

Thanks Christina,

I'm bandaged up and have had cold compressions on it. Currently lying on my sofa feeling old lol. Been feeling dizzy today too.... this never happens. So no idea what is going on

Bob Ross is so awesome. I always love sharing things I loved as a child with my children. Bob busted out a live squirrel in the first episode we watched together. They were hooked after that!

I wonder if there are any bob ross vids on you tube. he is so calming to watch.

We watch him on Netflix, but there is a Bob Ross channel with full episodes on YouTube. Enjoy and relax with Bob!

I'm having a healthful day. I did a bunch of chores this morning and had a healthy breakfast and lunch. I completed my workout for the day and then sat in the sun for about 10 minutes to get some vitamin D. I have some more chores to do and then plan to spend time outside playing with my little ones. It is super hot out, so I am thinking bathing suits, squirt guns and a sprinkler are in order.

I have leftover grilled chicken from last night, so I plan to throw that into a salad for dinner. Easy and light.

I'm still holding steady on my weight loss, but my new video is kicking my butt. Hopefully I'll see the scale move soon. These last two pounds just don't want to go. My muscle definition is much better though, so I'm not worried.

I put a link to this in another thread, but I watched this Dr. Tracey Marks video on meds and weight gain the other day. It helped shed light on why we all have to work so hard to see small changes in our weight. Check it out if you're interested.
YouTube

What a great idea for a thread this is. I'm happy to join in.

Like many others on psych meds I struggle with weight gain. Until my forties I was underweight (5' 6", 110lbs.). Around age 48 I began taking Seroquel. Seven years later I weighed 230lbs. I now have chronic pain, high blood pressure, and high (bad) cholesterol. I have finally convinced my pdoc to take me off Seroquel, especially since it never did anything helpful for me except cause me to sleep better.

So, I'm down to 12.5mg. and hoping to be off by this time next month. I feel so discouraged because a medication that was supposed to help me has caused serious problems with my physical health. (I'm replacing Seroquel with Navane, which is helping me and doesn't cause the amount of weight gain that Seroquel causes.)

So. There's that. Today in particular I have my left wrist wrapped up with a cloth bandage because last week I had a rage episode and smashed into my desk. Hurt my wrist. Then yesterday I was trying to open a jar and twisted the lid hard. Guess the injury that was already bothering my wrist didn't take the twisting motion well. So I have a nasty sprain. Been icing it, Advil...both help a bit, but I think it'll just taken time to heal.


So there's my long check-in

Hey Beth, so happy to have you join us. Its a great group and I have found a lot of wonderful support here. It is mind boggling to me how so many of us suffer from med related weight gain. It takes a lot to turn it around and you were so smart to advocate for a med change. I hope you find that the new medicine is more weight neutral for you.

I'm sorry about your wrist. That does sound painful! Hopefully it will heal soon. I look forward to your check ins.

will do! thanks!

Hi! Just a quick check-in.

I LOVE Bob Ross! I used to watch his show a lot as a child. So calm, so mesmerizing!

My grandmother, now deceased, painted two incredibly beautiful oil paintings by following him/his instructions in a painting class she was taking.

I would think that 20 people following the same directions, would turn out very similar paintings. Not so. Fascinating!!!

I am not doing well keeping on my plan for eating. Have been too stressed
Tomorrow is a new day, thankfully!

wish I could have slept longer. a bit sluggish today. had coffee. not too much anxiety. no need for klonopin. I was up late watching movies. just didn't get too sleepy until late. knee pain gone. sore throat today because my Cpap mask keeps slipping off. need new supplies. running errands today but nothing that'll take all day. going to rest after I get back home. but not napping. don't want it to affect my sleep tonight. hope you are all well!

I had a headache for most of the day yesterday. I rested for a while on the couch and then decided to get up and work out once I felt a little better. I'm glad I stuck with it.

I've been following the same plan for roughly two and a half months now. I wasn't sure if I would notice a difference, but I'm finding that exercising regularly and eating well is helping me mentally. I feel focused and positive most of the time. I'm no longer as worried that my psyc meds are damaging my body(I can't prove they aren't, buy I stress about it less). I am able to deal with things that trigger me fairly easily and I rarely have to lean on my coping skills. I am handling stress a little better. I actually feel better than I did before I had my first episode last year.

I'm investing 30 minutes a day 6 days a week. I also find myself being pretty active at other times because I have extra energy to burn now. It feels like a tiny price to pay for the benefits. The workouts were painful in the beginning, but now I miss them on the days I take a break. I didn't change much about the way I eat, but the tracking has kept me from eating too much sugar which I struggled with from time to time.

Moose72 has made some compelling points that mental health is physical health. I think I am proving that to myself. Only time will tell, but I am hopeful this lifestyle will help me to avoid any serious relapse in the future. My thinking is that I will be better equipped to catch and deal with mental amd emotional shifts early on if my body is in more optimal shape. I love science and so far this has been a good experiment. My plan is just to continue with this as a new way of life.

slept great last night. over 8 hours with just OTC sleep aids. no klonopin. woke up refreshed. got a lot of reading today and I am still reading. feel more focused and clear headed. I am so very grateful. no feeling like a nap either, staying awake.

A Warm Hello!

I love to read at this thread!

I have been ultra busy! Too busy for my own good. Had to meet some deadlines this week. Can pace myself more next week.

I have been in my head most of the time. Thus, no so present in my body!
I have done okay with calories, but I have not eaten the healthiest. I need to do better. I also need to get in more exercise, somehow. I need my bike! My feet are in tough shape right now. Psoriatic arthritis is flaring BIG TIME in my feet, especially.

I have not been sleeping. Night terrors. I hope tomorrow will be different! I will make it different!
Love to all ~

some knee pain tonight because of some pruning I did today. still glad I did it though, the foliage was blocking my backyard gate and my lawn guys couldn't pass thru lol. bit of a neck ache but I rubbed some balm on it. not so bad now. can't complain. feeling ok. hope everyone is well! hoping to get another good night's sleep. wish me luck!

I've been under some stress lately. The stress has sabotaged my dieting. I have had plenty of energy, though. That has mostly kept me from gaining back weight.

Another study that proposes eating dark chocolate is a helpful tool for our health.

Dark Chocolate Tied to Better Mood, Fewer Depressive Symptoms

I've decided to report here rather than the daily check-in thread. I've been pretty dedicated to cycling over the last two or three weeks. The loop I ride is a descent and climb which initially took me an hour and fifteen minutes. Today I timed myself and I was only on the road for an hour. I am progressing! It makes me feel good. It was an especially good ride today since I caught a truck on the descent and so was slowed by him over the remainder of the descent. So I really made some time up on the climb.

That's really awesome progress and such great exercise. Are you finding that the vigorous exercise lifts your mood?

I feel like I would freak out riding on an incline like that. You're so brave!

Rather than "brave" I think I should call it foolish.
The whole ride lifts my mood in a number of ways. First, the descent is a serious adrenaline rush. Then the workout of the climb generates serotonin so it's good for me, too. There's another endorphin released, but I can't recall it now.


To give you a sense of how steep and curvy the descent is, I have in the past overtaken cars because the car has to slow down for the curves but a bike can lean into them and keep a higher speed. I have done this more than once. Not smart. Today it was a conscious choice to stay behind the truck despite the fact that he was slowing me down.

Maybe it is foolish, but it made me smile to think of you enjoying your ride. I'm sure you can find a way to continue to engage in this positive behavior while keeping things relatively safe. I find your story inspiring and hope you keep updating us.