Weight Loss Challenge Week 1

Today being Sunday felt like it should be more of a laid back sorta day but after sleeping in and all. I knew if I wanted to lose weight, I would have to get moving and stay motivated. I put on the pedometer and really didn't get motivated as early as I had hoped. I chalked it up to the fact that it is Sunday and with my sleep apnea, maybe I do need to catch up on sleep in order to have the energy to get moving. Anyway, I did manage to get in just over 4,000 steps today, way under my goal of 10,000. Nila and I walked around the track and after twice around had to take time out for the kids as they had to "go potty" and then we came back to finish the last couple times around. I did well with my diet though, on a good note. And there is always tomorrow, right?

The highlight of my walk today was when my 7 year old son, Charlie, decided to yell across the street to his friend Kirby that "we're walking with my mom because she has to lose weight because she is fat". I am sure the whole neighborhood heard that one too. What a great feeling that was! Kids are way to honest at that age!

Why am I so tired all the time?

After being teased about my how many log cabins I built during the night or "I forgot you were home and couldn't figure out what that noise was until I remembered you were sleeping in the next room" and all the other jokes that go with being a person who snores, I have learned a lot about sleep apnea. Apparently sleep apnea is not something to be taken lightly. Some people have it very severely. I have recently done a sleep study and learned that I do have a case of sleep apnea however I don't know the exact severity of it at this point. I asked the technician who monitored my sleep during the night and all he could tell me was that I woke myself up from lack of oxygen for about 10 seconds each time and this happened approximately 80 times within the first 6 hours of my night. So, from what I understand this means I should qualify for what they call the CPAP as described below.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy uses a machine to help a person who has obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) breathe more easily during sleep. A CPAP machine increases air pressure in the throat so your airway does not collapse when you breathe in. You use CPAP at home every night while you sleep.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for sleep apnea

MY SLEEP STUDY --

I had a sleep study done at the Billings Clinic in Miles City, Montana. I haven’t yet met with my doctor to discuss the results of my sleep study however I asked the person who monitored my sleep at the sleep lab (Ed) and he stated that I woke up 80 times, approximately stopping breathing for 10 seconds each time, between the hours of 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM. At that point, he asked me to try sleeping with a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). I really do hope that a CPAP will give me the best sleep I have had in years, if ever. I have always snored loudly for as long as I can remember. I had a sleep study done 10 years ago and I woke up once every hour at that time and it wasn’t enough to determine whether it was actually sleep apnea and insurance wouldn’t cover the cost of a CPAP. I am really hopeful that this will give me more energy and a restful sleep. I will post more on on my sleep study after I have met with my doctor.

So, my third challenge is to get restful sleep so I wake up feeling rested and ready for the day. I am really tired of feeling tired all the time. Wish me luck with this challenge.

For more information on Sleep Apnea and Sleep Studies, visit http://www.billingsclinic.com/body.cfm?id=539 or you can read more information on my personal blog at http://amygoble.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/sleep-apnea/.

Weight Loss Challenge

My second challenge began today. I decided to participate in a 12-week weight loss challenge. This is not an easy thing for me. I am a 43 year old mom of 4 children, married to a retired military spouse who is currently employed as a maintenance supervisor for the railroad now. I own my own Virtual Assistant business and have for 6 years now. I am in the "over-40" challenges with my health, meaning I now wear bifocal and deal with hot flashes and some perimenopause symptoms and have been for 5 years already. And I also deal with sleep apnea issues as well. I recently did a sleep study and hope to be getting a CPAP to help with that issue. So, the weight loss is not an easy thing for me. I have steadily gained weight with each childbirth (all 4 of them) and kept some of that weight each time. Mind you, my oldest child is now 20 years old and my youngest is 5. The sleep apnea zaps my energy much of the time so that takes away from me and the extra weight I carry is about 40 lbs more than I need. I am 5'3" and weigh 155 at the present time. Well, I read in the local paper that there was to be a weight loss challenge and I was really excited about it. I thought, 12 weeks is just enough time for me to lose most or all of my extra weight if I get my sleep apnea under control and I work really hard. And the timing couldn't be better. 12 weeks will end in December, just before the holidays, which could be really tough, if I lose my willpower but it could be a great way to start the new year too! So, I signed up for this challenge. The cost was $39 to join. And, if you lose enough weight, you win cash prizes just before the holidays too. Well, I convinced my friend, Nila to go with me so I wouldn't have to do this alone. She has less weight to lose but still has some to lose and we are great to motivate each other. Even Nila's sister Linda may join us on this challenge.

The group will meet every Saturday for 12 weeks, weighing in and discussing our goals, and triumphs and failures, tips and whatever. I am really excited about this and off to a great start. Nila, Linda and I walked today. I wore my pedometer and walked 10,000 steps today and did great with my diet for day 1. Granted, this is only day 1. This may not be so easy for me but I am determined to lose this weight. I am just so tired of trying on clothes only to find out that they would look great if I didn't have curves in all the wrong places.

A couple of my weaknesses are diet dr. pepper and late night snacking. I don't eat enough veggies, drink quite enough water and get quite enough protein so I am working on those issues.

When my hubby retired from the military and we moved, I lost 30 lbs easily, which is really strange for me because I am a stress eater normally. But after that first 30 lbs came off (yes, I did weigh 185 at that time!), I leveled off and haven't been able to move down from there.

Before I forget, there is more information on the weight loss challenge I signed up for at http://wlcnow.com. If there isn't a group in your area, maybe you should consider looking into setting one up. Anyway, wish me lotsa luck! I just may need it! ;)

If anyone is interested in joining me with a weekly weigh-in or with recipes, tips, workout suggestions, or anything else they want to contribute, feel free to comment.

First Challenge

My first challenge is mastering this new blog through blogger. I have used other blog programs but blogger is a new one for me so bear with me until I learn how to be more creative and make it more interesting. So for now, this is what it will look like until I have time to play around with colors, fonts, designs and all the fun stuff that goes with blogging. ;)