Agent 99 Reporting for Duty

99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer...  Oh, wait; that's the wrong 99 LOL!  I weighed in last night down only .4 lbs but that put me at 99 lbs total loss.  Here's to surpassing the 100 lb mark at next week's weigh in!  Benny's more and more frequently saying that I don't need to lose any more.

Wrapped up Femme Fitale Fit Club's DietBet this weekend.  I was the most generous liker and my sharing of the inches lost was the most liked comment.  I also won the $25 gift card for inviting the most to the DietBet!  My Becoming the True You DietBet was a bust; nobody signed up for it, placing their bets.

I am officially tired of the Combat 30 Kickstart workout.  This morning I only burned 202 calories according to my HRM.  So now I'm switching up the Les Mills Combat schedule and swapping any left for one of the other workouts.  There are 27 days (including the built in rest days) left on the schedule.

I still went ahead and started the squat challenge.  Day 1 was more of an intro to squatting from Tony Horton with weighted and plyo versions.  Day 2 was 30 dumbbell squats.  Day 3 (today) is repeating yesterday but adding 5 Bulgarian Dumbbell Split Squats (per leg).  I'd never tried this one before today and had a little difficulty getting my foot in place on the corner of the couch.  Is there a squat (no barbell or machine) you'd like to see me try?

Monday I took the car to ABRA Auto Body & Glass to get the estimate for repairing the car.  Before looking at everything the guy said because of the age of the car (1992) it most likely would be totaled.  He quoted $1730.26 for the visual damage and said there probably would be additional damage to repair once they disassemble the back end.  Yes, I wanted to get a newer car but didn't want to be in an accident to get one LOL.

The total loss department called me before heading out for my walk today.  They valued the car a lot higher than we expected so I went ahead and settled.  Tomorrow we'll bring the title up to the claims office on the north side and pick up the check.  I'll get a rental through next Wednesday also.  Friday the salvage crew will be by the house to pick up the car. So I have a week to find another car or Benny has to drive me everywhere LOL.

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Power Morcellatation: What You Should Know

What is a Power Morcellator?

A Power Morcellator is device used in hysterectomies to cut tissue into small pieces to be removed from the body. However, uterine cancers sometimes go undetected prior to the procedure. In these cases, the morcellator dices up and spreads unsuspected cancer inside the woman's body.

Scary Statistics

• Hysterectomy is the 2nd most common surgery among women in the United States
• By age 70, one out of three American women will have had a hysterectomy
• 90% of these surgeries are done to remove Fibroids (non-cancerous tumors found in the uterus)
• The average life span following accidental morcellation of sarcoma is only 24-36 months
• Only 15% of women who have leiomyosarcoma (LMS) that has spread (stage 4) will be alive after 5 years
• Women with sarcoma who are morcellated are about 4 times more likely to die from sarcoma than if they had not been morcellated.

Because of the serious risks associated with the usage of this device the FDA is discouraging the use of the Power Morcellator, and are even considering a ban.  Johnson & Johnson's division that manufactures the devices has actually suspended sales worldwide pending research.  This will probably lead to a total recall of the Power Morcellators already in use.

So What are the Alternatives?

Traditional hysterectomies involve the complete removal of the uterus; this still remains the most common surgical choice.  If only fibroids need removed surgeons can do a myomectomy instead.  Both procedures require a single abdominal wall incision.  For details on what all is involved in this procedure, check out WebMD's Hysterectomy and Oophorectomy Directory.

Laparoscopic hysterectomies can be more complicated than the traditional method because there are multiple abdominal wall incisions.  They could still end up requiring the use of a Power Morcellator to remove large pieces.

Other surgical and morcellation options do exist but they all have their own set of risks.  The whole idea scares me so I hope I never have to even consider having a hysterectomy!

Lawsuit

Just like with the vaginal mesh damage there are lawsuits popping up, although I haven't seen anything class action yet.  For more information on the existing lawsuits or to receive a free case review please visit the American Recall Center.

For those of you who have had a hysterectomy, what method was used?

Do you know of anyone who developed cancer after having a hysterectomy?

The Aftermath of Being Rear-Ended

I didn't expect to lose the 3.2 lbs I had left to reach the 100 lb goal but I did lose 1.8 lbs, which leaves 1.4 lbs to go!  TOM is creeping in so I don't expect to hit that number for a couple of weeks but you never know....

Inches Lost in July - 7.5 TOTAL!

Waist -1.5

Hips -3

Chest -1.5

R Arm -.5

L Arm -.5

R Thigh -0

L Thigh -.5

 

The official loss matched the amount for the DietBet so maybe things are starting to level out.

 





Friday will end the 4th week of  Les Mills Combat.  It's hard to believe I've already been on this program for this long!  Burpees are my enemy; almost every time they appear in the workouts I get lightheaded.  I'm not even doing their version; I'm doing the modified version learned from an earlier DVD (don't remember if it was the 21DayFix or one of Jillian's).

There are just 5 more days until the Becoming the True You DietBet starts.  I've got a handle on the 7-day squat challenge I'm doing along with it.  Each day I'll show a different type of squat and leave it up to the participants to add weight, squat deeper, jump, etc.  If the interest is there it'll be expanded to cover all four weeks of the DietBet. Now to select the 7 squats....



I was rear-ended on the way in to work this morning.  Lady said that her foot slipped off the brake.  We share the same insurance company and she admitted fault to them so everything's under her coverage.  A headache hit me as soon as she did (anything jarring me like that would cause one).  My neck and shoulders are stiff.  Unless these things worsen I don't plan to seek any medical attention.  I can't really see that my bumper was dented but it pushed up my trunk so that it looks open but it's still latched.  A reflector was broken on the bumper along with the cover on the left tail light.

The repair shop has called to schedule the estimate; they can't look at it until Monday.  I think that means Benny will have to drive me on rainy days so the water doesn't get in the trunk...that is unless he thinks of a way to cover it so he doesn't have to LOL

 

 

I just couldn't get in the 2+ miles on my walk today.  The weight of my haul in combination with my stiff neck and shoulders slowed me down.  I picked up tomatoes, zucchini, and tequila bell peppers (sorry, they don't taste like tequila).  I've done PT for my past accidents (mostly rear-enders) but wonder if they'll do a massage instead LOL.  I haven't heard from the claims rep handling the medical side so I don't know what all they'll cover.  Have you had similar damage in an auto accident?

 



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Sun Setting on 100 lbs

Image Courtsey of samuiblue | FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

Weighed in last night down 3.2 lbs; just another 3.2 lbs to go and I'll have lost 100 lbs!  I was kind of surprised at the loss since I've been tracking my weight all week to see when to enter a loss for the DietBet.  I have a little bit of a loss Saturday morning and then more of one Sunday morning but none have been this big.  I think it's kind of funny that my official loss for the week matches my total loss for the DietBet. The rest of the week my weight's been higher.

 



For my Becoming the True You DietBet I've had several accept the invite on Facebook and G+ so I hope that soon they'll be signing up on the DietBet site.  I want to run a squat challenge along with the DietBet.  There are so many varieties of squats in existence!  Do you have a favorite or least favorite?  I didn't particularly care for the monkey squats in Jillian's workout since I didn't feel them in my legs.

The MapMyWalk app family sends out these weekly workout summaries; for some reason this week's was messed up but they corrected it.  Two walks are included for last week - my regular Wednesday one as well as the one I took Friday night along the canal downtown, waiting for a meeting.

I successfully completed the back to back Les Mills Combat - Combat 60 Extreme Cardio Fighter workouts this weekend.  I was lightheaded Saturday and kept having to stop.  I must've slowed down Sunday since I didn't get lightheaded but I burned more.

Someone responded on an Instagram post that the MapMyWalk app family isn't very accurate.  So I downloaded the Nike+ app to do a comparison.  Here are Friday's and today's walks.  Friday I started the MapMyWalk app first and today I started the Nike+ app first.

 

 

Both times MapMyWalk recorded more of a burn.  So which is really more accurate?  I don't know how to determine that.  Does anyone truly know?

 

I didn't purchase anything at the farmer's market today; I just did a walk by but nothing jumped out and said "buy me".

 

 

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Becoming the True Me

Last week I watched the scale drop after the crazy 3 lb gain I was seeing last Tuesday morning.  I wrapped up the first week of the DietBet with a 1.6 lb loss.  It looks like Sunday's my lowest weight day so I'll still weigh myself everyday (but not Tuesday LOL) but only record Saturday or Sunday's weight.

I was inspired by this DietBet to start one of my own...now I just have to get people to join!  It starts August 11 so weigh in is August 9/10 and weigh out is September 8/9.  Since the first weigh out day is my birthday I'm going to give something away to someone who weighs out at goal.  I don't yet know what I'll give away or how to determine who'll receive the items.  What would you suggest?  You can sign up for my Becoming the True You DietBet at any time between now and then.  For a reminder of the rules and guidelines please feel free to revisit My First DietBet post.

Last night I weighed in down 2.8 lbs so I easily wiped out last week's gain.  I'm really enjoying Les Mills Combat program but kind of tired of the Combat 30 Kickstart workout.  I'm not sure what it is about that workout that's bothering me besides it being scheduled more than once a week LOL.  Last week's rest days were with Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown.  I wasn't too thrilled with those either...the meltdown was a let down to me.  Yesterday was with Mari Windsor Cardio Pilates and that didn't do anything for me either.

Saturday is the first 60 minute workout and I have another scheduled for Sunday.  If I decide not to do the back to back workouts I'm not sure what I'll do instead.  Maybe take an actual rest day and not have any yoga or Pilates next week so that I have the time in on the program.  Flexibility....one of the benefits of working out at home instead of in a class!

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Weighing in and Up

I just about freaked out when I weighed myself yesterday to see how I was doing on the DietBet.  The scale showed I was up 3 lbs from Sunday!  I've never seen a gain like that since starting to weigh myself.  I figured a gain because of TOM and starting a new workout but not THAT much!  The scale at Weight Watchers showed only a 1.8 lb gain so that was more in line.  Perhaps Sundays are my lowest weight day.  (BTW the pot's up to $1200!)

Saturday I started the Les Mills Combat program.  I've been trying to figure out how to adjust the schedule since it's so hard to get 60 minutes in during the week so I want to do those workouts on the weekend.  But I'm not sure if I'd survive back to back 60 minute workouts like that.  One person has said just play it by ear.  Another said don't do it.  I'd like to see what the general consensus is on this.  Have you done 60 minutes two days in a row? Please comment about your experience.

Here's the initial schedule I've come up with

I tried a second zucchini recipe this weekend.  These Zucchini Tots from Skinnytaste tasted just like tater tots!  I was shocked at the flavor and wanted to gobble them all up myself.  Benny also said they had a potato taste; Austin refused to even try them (not even the zucchini bread either).

On today's walk I picked up some green bell peppers, lettuce, and kale.  It's not very hot out but I sure came back sweaty! LOL

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My First DietBet

To help get me to the 100 lbs lost goal by Labor Day I've signed up for my first DietBet.  I'm joining Diatta over at Femme Fitale Fit Club for this challenge.  I'll be using my home scale for this so it'll be interesting to see the differences each week between Weight Watchers and home.

1. Challenge:  Lose 4% of your starting weight in 28 days.
2. Registration & Official Rules here:  http://diet.bt/jFavQZ
3. Bet Amount:  $25 added to the challenge pot
4. Official Start Date:  July 14 (MONDAY!)
5. Official End Date:  August 10
6. Weigh in:  July 12/13
7. Weigh out:  No more than 2 days after the end date
8. Open to men and women 18+

1. On July 12th DietBet will prompt you to weigh in.  You'll be given a secret word to use during the challenge.
2. In addition to recording your starting weight you'll need to take two before pictures - one of you standing and the other of your scale with your feet showing.  You'll need to be barefooted (socks are OK) and not be wearing a belt or anything extra for this.  These pictures will be uploaded to the challenge.
3. Exercise and eat healthy throughout the challenge to play along.
4. Take your after pictures the same way as the before ones.  These will also need to be uploaded to the challenge with your weigh out.
5. The winner will be paid 48 hours after the challenge ends.

Diatta held a Hangout on G+ with some tips on how to lose weight the healthy way as an aid to challenge participants.  Check it out here.


How have you done on a DietBet?