It’s been a while since I blogged but I’ve been busy. I’m back to my normal workout schedule. Ever since resuming the gym in March, I have been focusing on regaining the muscle I feel I lost by not going to the gym
As I stated in my book, I know I will never be a competitive bodybuilder. I’m built more like a runner, and I do love doing cardio. But muscle is important, especially to keep my chest and arms tight after my weight loss. Lifting weights also keeps my bones strong.
I have a lot of people that inspired my over the years, but two people stand out as the biggest influence to how I live my life today. One is Dr. Joel Fuhrman, who I have blogged about many times. The other is vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke.
Dr. Fuhrman defined the way I eat and Robert Cheeke helped me to become 100 precent vegan. Before learning about Robert, I was struggling with loose skin, especially around my abs, a result of my 150 pound weight loss. I tried everything to try and tighten my skin and believed that if I built more muscle, I could disguise some of the skin. But the problem was, my arms were skinny, resulting in loose skin that slightly hung, the chest was droopy and my abs were a mess.
This year, I decided I wanted a plant based doctor. I felt like my previous doctor didn’t understand my diet and I wanted someone who appreciated the way I eat. Also, my doctor never ordered tests to check my B12 and D3 levels, something which I was always curious about.
I researched online and came across Dr. Scott Harrington, a plant based doctor out of Florida. Due to COVID, he had licenses in multiple states, including the state of Connecticut. I decided to go for a telemedicine doctor and I’m so glad I did. Although I won’t be able to keep Dr. Harrington as my primary (he loses his license for the state of Connecticut after the pandemic ends). I decided to keep the primary I have for now, but am so glad I still was able to do an appointment with Dr. Harrington. He was able to order the tests I’ve been curious about ever since going vegan!
I was late at announcing a vegan challenge but still wanted to do one for the month of January. I know a lot of people over indulge during the holidays and January provides the perfect timeline for getting in better shape.
I remember all too well how the holidays were for me when I was over 350 pounds. All the cookies, desserts and meals... it can amount to thousands of extra calories. And it typically starts right around Thanksgiving and lasts until New Year’s Day.
Last Sunday, I somehow twisted my knee. This was the same knee that was injured nearly one year ago.
My knee gradually got swollen during the day to the point where I couldn't put any weight on my leg or bend it without excruciating pain. Instead of going to the ER, I called the doctor on call. He told me to keep icing it and elevating it. I saw the orthopedist the next day.
