The Amazing Adventures of Duke, the (Stevie) Wonder Dog

Saturday, January 30, 2010
Early this month, I noticed that my dog was having a hard time finding toys when I threw them, and was bumping into furniture. When he missed the chair he was jumping on and fell on the floor instead, I called the vet. Diagnosis--SARDS. Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome. Quite simply, he's blind. It happened in a matter of days. One weekend he could see, the next weekend he could not.

In the past 3 weeks, I have watched my little guy adapt to his newly dark world. I am completely amazed at the resilience he has shown. At the beginning, he was understandably confused, scared, and uncertain. He refused to leave my side. He slept most of the time. But as time went on, I started to see signs of the Duke I knew and loved.

He's made a "mental map" of the house, and can now find his way around without bumping into things (for the most part). He can find his way from the back door to his "potty spot", and back to the door to come in. He's even started to scamper back to the house again, rather than the slow, careful plodding. He once again greets me at the door on 2 legs, dancing to say "hi Mom!" He's even figured out how to steal my shoes! Yesterday he spent the day at "camp"--the place where he boards has doggy day care, and I took him over for the day for a "tryout". He did great! He played with the other dogs, hung out with the owner, and basically acted the same as he always has when there. (this is a great relief, since it means he will be able to board there when we travel.)

As I've watched Duke adapt, it made me think of my own journey. I, too, have had to adapt to a very different life. Thankfully, I can still see, but the changes I've made are pretty significant. And, like his, my changes are permanent. They won't go away in a week, or a month, or a year. They've become part of who I am now. I was a couch potato who ate too much of the wrong stuff, making me obese and unhealthy. Now I am an exerciser who eats healthy foods in moderate quantities, making me much slimmer and healthier.

OK, sure, my changes have been for the better, while Duke's have not, but they've still had a huge impact on both of our lives. They've changed how we live. And you know what? I think we're both adapting pretty well!

Random Thoughts About Food

Sunday, January 24, 2010
The sodium level in restaurant food is incredible. I had lunch at PF Changs today, and for a 1/2 order of a Chicken with Almonds & Cashews Lunch Bowl, there were 2085 mg of sodium! That's nearly an entire day's worth. I usually don't come close to that on a given day. I wonder what affect it will have on the scale tomorrow.

Sometimes I feel like I just have too much food to eat. I had my snack late, and even with waiting 3 hours to have dinner, I wasn't hungry. I tried to eat, starting with the protein, since I really need to get that in. I couldn't do half of it, even with eliminating the salad I had planned. It's not that I didn't try, but if I eat another bite I will literally be sick. What was that thing about eating Chinese food and being hungry again in an hour?

The next couple of weeks are going to be insane for me. Sticking to my food and exercise plan is going to really really difficult, and at times downright impossible. I am giving myself permission to do my best, even if it isn't perfect.

Why is it as I get older, so many foods I used to love (peas, shrimp, salmon for example) no longer taste good? I can see my tastes changing to healthier foods. But for my old favorites to become undesirable? Weird.

I spent time this evening making food for my dog (he has to eat homemade food for medical reasons). Ground beef with pureed green peppers, spinach, and diced tomatoes. It looked pretty good, and smelled great too. Darn dog eats better than I do!

One Week Down, A Lifetime to Go

Monday, January 18, 2010
It's been a week since I returned to SparkPeople and my healthy eating plan. I've lost 6 pounds, and I feel SO much better! I went to the gym twice last week and rode the bike a little, and did some elliptical. It went pretty well, so I am going to add the gym into my routine, and increase it slowly to my tolerance. Hopefully I can get back to my trainer in about a month.

I'm reading The Spark and enjoying it. I laughed out loud when I came to the part about your tastes changing, and all of a sudden you "get it', that healthy food tastes better. I thought, hmm, yeah, that's true. And on the very next page, under that same heading, was the quote from ME! Funny, I thought it was a new concept. Guess I was wrong.

I'm reconnecting with some old SparkFriends, and it's interesting to see that we all are struggling. I suppose that just goes to show that this journey is NOT easy, and it's all too easy to stumble off track. The important thing is that we realize we've strayed, and find our way back to the right path before we do serious damage.

16 pounds out of 113. I can live with that. That's great progress.

Back In The Saddle Again

So, I've spent the last 3-4 months eating my way into a 16 pound weight gain. Eating all the things I know are not good for me. And loving every minute of it.

But along the way, I noticed (NOT for the first time) that as much as I enjoyed eating those foods, I didn't much care for the way they made me FEEL. Tired, headachy, bloated, nauseous. It wasn't pretty. Oh, and did I mention my pants didn't fit? I even had to buy new jeans, a size bigger.

Now, I have a valid excuse for lack of exercise--I had a total knee replacement in October, and I'm still doing Physical Therapy, so going to the gym is not an option yet. But, as I've learned that I CAN ride a bike now, I am itching to get in there and actually DO it! I see the doctor in 2 weeks and am hoping he will clear me for that.

Anyway, around Thanksgiving, I decided that after the holidays I was going to return to eating no dairy, no wheat, and no eggs. As much as I don't like eating that way, I do like how I feel when I am. I figure I'll do a total elimination for a month, and then really limit how much of those things I eat while sticking to a healthy eating plan.

The holidays for me end January 7 (Russian Christmas), and we had a Sweet 16 party on the 9th, so I opted for Monday January 11 as my start day. I hopped on the scale Monday morning and was pleasantly surprised to see that I've only gained 16 pounds, and I'm only 12 pounds over goal range. I had feared it was much worse.

I am absolutely blown away by how much better I feel after only 3 days. My headache is gone, I have about 3 times more energy, I just feel better all over! I know I said the same thing in my last blog, but I really do wish I could remember this when I feel like eating garbage.