The good, the bad, and the ugly of IBS-C and life

IBS and the Gold's Gym Challenge
Post #12 - Week 3, day 2

The Good

Keith and I outside the West Wing

 This week was my birthday. That is why I neglected my blog for a while. I was too busy having a great time. We went roller skating and I stayed active this week only missing 3 workouts counting both am and pm as 1. Only one 24 hr period passed without the gym but it involved roller skating instead. I feel better, my clothes fit better, and I am getting more fit. I got to tour the west wing of the white house and I wore my "jackie o" dress that is normally really tight but it was loose in the back and looked great on me :)

The Bad

My souvenier from the west wing

I changed the tp roll. Weight 172lbs

I drank too much in the last few days and just broke even on calories. Between birthday celebrations, traveling for work, and other things that made me eat the foods of convenience or celebration I gained just a little weight though I didn't notice a change in the way clothing fit or the way my body looked. Its still 5 lbs down from the orginial weight but not where I should be. I allowed myself a little bit of leeway with the rules and it didn't do me any favors, that's for sure. With IBS if you cheat on food or bend the rules, you can pay in the form of pain, bloating, constipation, vomiting, weight gain, and depression. Somehow its still hard to remember this when staring at a plate of cheese fries or a slice of coconut cake.

The Ugly
I went less than 24 hours with the medications I am on for the fibromyalsia, IBS, and depression and I was borderline suicidal. These meds are dangerous and it served as a big reminder that I need to think of my health as one of the most important things to ensure I can still help others. I also realized how expensive it is to eat healthy. I ate entrees of fish, chicken, and veggies as opposed to sandwiches and fast food whenever eating at a restaurant and bought fresh foods for home and the office so I wouldn't be tempted by vending machines and other quick fixes. My food budget was nearly double what it should have been as a result. Curbing this while still making good choices is going to be a real challenge for my family.


Where to go from here? Here are my new improved rules for myself.

1. I will eat only when hungry
2. Carbs are fuel for workouts only, never any other time
3. NO MORE SODA. This one is hardest for some reason...
4. Cookies and other sweets can be frozen, don't keep them at work (girl scouts, yinz are killin me!)
5. No more than 350 calories per meal-4 to 6 times a day
6. Never more than 1500 calories, no matter what
7. Workouts need to be intense no matter the time of day
8. Something is better than nothing when it comes to the gym
9. Nothing is better than just anything when it comes to food
10. Alcohol is off limits. Stop giving into wine with steak, etc.
11. Veggies are your best friend.
12. Fresh instead of packaged as much as possible
13. Don't stockpile, plan time to get food when you need it. When you can't, just wait.
14. Don't beat yourself up, but remind yourself what you are trying to do.



This is a challenge and it will be difficult from time to time. If it were easy to get skinny, everyone would do it right now. It takes work, dedication, and a will to succeed. You have these things. Stick to it and do better than people expect of you. People can be demotivational without meaning to do so. We want our friends to be happy and so people will give you "permission" to have things like cake on your birthday or fries when everyone else is eating them. This is partly so they don't have the guilt for having them either. Be strong



Hot family :) I'm the one on the left at 154lbs