Knee Update and...

Knee Update

Well, I started Physical Therapy today. It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be but it definitely wasn't pleasant. Lots of burning, pulling, stinging... I found out my biggest problem: My quad muscle is very weak. It's almost 2 cm LESS than my right leg. He doesn't know if I necessarily lost it in the last few weeks or if it's been declining and that's why I'm hurting... But, that's where we're starting - with strengthening the quad and then going from there. We also have to calm my knee down from all the irritation from the last 2 months.

3 times a week for at least 3 weeks - about an hour each time - plus exercises at home 2 times a day and icing once. I'm still taking the Aleve, and he said that will help, but he Ultrasounded my knee today - he said that gets the "heat" deep, deep down and calm things down a little quicker. It was the only thing (besides the ice) that felt good!

Weigh Ins...

For the next 3 weeks, I won't be able to go to Weigh In. I have PT on Mon, Wed, and Thurs. Weigh In is Wednesday. I might be able to swing over to a site on Thursday, just to weigh in... but I'm sad. I'll miss my group! David will still go, though, so at least I can stay in the loop!

I'm disappointed about this. Right now, I'm still not exercising (other than what I do at PT), and I've been watching the scale go up. I got my butt back in gear the last couple days -- I'm going back down, slowly. Granted, I'm not above 190, but it's like "Oh.My.God! I CAN'T do this again!" EEK! So, I know it will be okay. By the time I go back, maybe I'll be down to my 180!

Family Pictures!

2 weeks ago, we had pictures taken with David's family. Did I tell you that? I can't remember... Either way, They are in!!!!! Check out her website:
http://www.heidikeenephotography.com
At the bottom, click on Clients and type the password: thereynolds
If you don't feel like looking - I'll put some of my favorites up when I get the CD in a few days. I'm SO excited. They all turned out AWESOME!

Knee Update

Well, it's been a little over a week since my cortizone shot.

I tried exercising on Sunday and it did not go well. I made it a total of 10 minutes between the elliptical and treadmill. 47 calories. That's it. And what happened? STRONG, SHARP pain. Intense. And it hasn't stopped since.

So, I called Dr. Brown back on Monday and he ordered an MRI. I had the MRI done Wednesday morning and got the results back today. Everything "looks good." All the ligaments and everything "in there" is fine. My knee cap is loose (yes, I knew this), and there is some "wearing" of my joint because of the way my knee cap moves when I walk. It doesn't sit in the center like it should, so the "track" is wearing down and causing pain.

I have to take 2 Aleve tablets 2 times a day. Okay, fine. Got it. And.... I have to start going to Physical Therapy. He wrote the order for 2-3 times a week for 2-3 weeks. Great. One more thing to do. I'm hoping they teach me some exercises that I can do to keep my knee strong so I can start working out again.

I need to work out. Need to. Have to. No if's, and's, or but's about it. It's KILLING me to not work out. So, if Physical Therapy doesn't help, I have to go back for a re-evaluation... I'm praying this works because I really don't want to end up with surgery at the end of this!

So, that's about it for me.... Tonight was Open House - I'm exhausted and in pain! We begin Foster Care classes in just a few short weeks (Oct 8 is the start date), and I'm still tutoring 2 nights a week. David is going to take one more bottle of his supplements - about 1 month worth - and then retest his swimmers! As soon as they get up to an "okay" number, we are still planning an IUI. Now I'm headed to bed.... Happy Friday Eve!

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

Here's another YUMMY recipe for you! I don't usually like Mac & Cheese because it tastes over processed... the homemade mac & cheese that I grew up on was, well, eh..... not so good. But, this? This is healthy AND yummy!

POINTS: 6
Serves:4

Ingredients (see the note at the bottom)

8 oz whole-wheat macaroni (I couldn't find whole-wheat macaroni, so I used whole-wheat rotini)
1 TBSP butter
5 tsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 TBSP plain dried bread crumbs
1 TBSP grated Parmesan

Directions

Cook the macaroni according to package directions, omitting the salt if desired; drain.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Increase the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheddar, salt, and pepper, whisking until the cheese is melted. Add the pasta to the ceese sauce, stirring to coat.

Preheat the broiler.

Stir the bread crumbs and Parmesan together in a small bowl; sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese in the skillet. Broil 5 inches from the heat source, until the crumbs are browned, about 1 minute.

(NOTE) Now, for my meat-eating husband..... We added 1 grilled chicken breast that I shredded. It added just enough extra that made it even yummier! We added 1 POINT for the chicken. Next time, I want to saute onion, green/red pepper, and mushrooms and throw that in also. We LOVE fresh veggies and I think it would have been the perfect addition! I can't wait to make it again with the add-ins.

Accountability...

Well, tonight was yet another Weigh In... I was up 3.2 lbs. I was expecting to be up, and I had a feeling it would actually be worse... But, still!

Labor Day weekend was full of food, food, and more food. Also, less than "normal" activity (read: sitting around staring at each other), and some wine.

David, on the other hand, did AWESOME! He lost 7.8!! He's really motivated now that he's kicked his butt back in gear. He set the monthly goal of 15 lbs and working out 4 times a week for the entire month of September. If he achieves both goals, he gets a case of wine - and HE gets to pick all the wines (although he did promise that he'd get some that I like too).

Right now, I'm 4.6 lbs away from my ultimate goal - 180 lbs. I think if I work hard, I can be there by the end of September. My reward? Just knowing I did it. I really don't "need" anything. Well, I do... I need clothes, but I'm waiting.......

What was going on 3 months ago? I hit Lifetime - not just goal - LIFETIME. I can't believe it's been 3 months since I received my Lifetime status! Wow! I had to buy a new 3 month journal at the meeting tonight, so I'm changing things up a little...

I redid my points quiz. I've been giving myself 28 points, knowing it was over what I "should" be getting, and I've been allowing myself to use the weekly points (no activity points since I haven't been earning them). I want to lose the extra few pounds, but I didn't necessarily care as much as when I was "actively" losing.

My points quiz says I should get 27 points. Starting this week, I will only give myself the 27 points. I am hoping to start some light exercising again on Monday, so I can use the activity points, but not the Weekly Points unless it's something very important AND planned. Also, I've been lazy about getting all daily Healthy Guidelines in. This week, my focus is fruits and vegetables. I WILL get all 5 servings in.

I'm hoping I can handle some light treadmill and elliptical time this week. I want to start cycling - at the gym first, then on trails until it gets too cold - but I need to get my endurance back up and make sure that this cortizone shot is really going to help as "planned."

So, that's all for now.... I will be back with better news next week - exercise and all! Oh, and stay tuned for a few more new recipes! I got some rhubarb from Mom this weekend and plan on using it next week!

Ortho Appt

BLECH! I had my ortho appt today and Dr. Brown and his resident (can't remember his name) were both wonderful. I got good news and bad news.

GOOD: The benign growth on my bone is "normal." Dr. Brown said 95% of cases referred to for this reason are actually experiencing pain for other reasons.

GOOD: I can exercise............

BAD: I can't run anymore.

BAD: I have beginning stages of arthritis in my knee. I have alot of fluid under my knee cap, some swelling, and my knee cap is very loose. The resident said "If I wanted to be a prick, I could probably pop it out without trying very hard." Gee, thanks.

I got a cortizone shot and that was NOT an experience that I'd wish upon my worst enemy - or myself again for that matter. I'm taking tomorrow off work because the pain from the shot is really, really bad. David was worried about me pushing myself too hard at work so I'm gonna sit on the couch and keep my knee up.

I have to wait and see what happens as far as the pain goes. Dr. Brown said it should be MUCH better in a few days, and then I can resume exercising. He said walking, elliptical, swimming, and possibly biking are good options. No running, and no stairs.

I'm not sure what to about our upcoming races. Both the Corporate Cup and Race for the Cure I can walk. But, can I PHYSICALLY do the distance? I'm not sure. I haven't signed up for the Race yet, and I have 3 days to make the decision. I'll see how tomorrow goes and then go from there.

So, there you have it.... I'm sad, but at least I know what's going on. I know I'll get through this hurdle just like I have all the others, but DAMN! I wanted to be able to continue running!

Rocky Road Brownies

Um, YUM! These were really, really rich, but SO good. I'm not sure if they are worth 3 points for the 2-3 bite brownie you get, but we will definitely make them again! And I did take a picture, but I haven't downloaded it yet. Sorry!

POINTS: 3
Servings: 16

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini-marshmallows
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350*. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, allowing the foil to extend over the rim of the pan by 2 inches. Spray with nonstick spray.

Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. whisk the sugar, apple butter, oil, eggs, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Add the sugar mixture to the flour mixture; stir just until blended.

Scrape the batter into the baking pan and spread evnely. Sprinkle with the marshmallows, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging, 20-25 minutes. (I had problems with this part because the crumbs got lost in the melting chocolate chips. So, I just went by when the marshmallows were browned, but not burned. It worked.) Let cool completely in the pan on a rack. Lift from the pan using the foil as handles, cut into 16 squares.

Surf & Turf Pizza

Yet another successful recipe from the new cookbook! The only problem? It's TOO good! I had to put the last 2 portions in the fridge before finishing my portion so that I wouldn't go back for seconds!!!!

POINTS: 7

Serves: 4 (2 slices)

Ingredients

1 tube (13.8 ounces) refrigerated pizza dough

1 (6 1/2 ounces) can minced clams, drained

1 small zucchini, thinly sliced

1 ounce prosciutto, chopped

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup torn basil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475*.

Unroll the dough onto a pizza pan or a baking sheet, gently pulling on the dough to form a 12 inch circle. (I left it in a rectangle and it turned out fine.) Sprinkle the dough evenly with the clams, zucchini, and prosciutto. (I think next time I will put the zucchini on the bottom, but you can do it however!) Lightly spray the top of the pizza with olive oil cooking spray. (We were out of spray, so I just brushed a little olive oil on.) Sprinkle with the Parmesan and bake until crisp and browned, 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and cut into 8 wedges. (I misread the recipe and cooked it with the basil. It turned out great!)

A few weeks ago, someone suggested I take pictures of the food. For the first time, I actually remembered to take a picture before I inhaled! So, here you are:

Next time I'll put the clams and prosciutto on top of the zucchini, but it really doesn't matter in the end. Yummy, yummy, yummy!