Halfpounder’s Blog

Hello Everyone,
No… I didn’t fall off the face of the earth. I didn’t die… just been lazy. Sorry I haven’t kept the site up-to-date. I will work harder to be a more regular contributor. (And many thanks to you who keep visiting the site.)

I hope you had a nice holiday season. I did and I gained a few pounds to show for it. Too much good food… bread… candy… and not enough exercise.

I heard a joke a few years ago… and pardon me if I’ve already shared this with you, but it is always funny to me.

Two people are sitting next to each other in a bar (I will use a bar because it is easy to blame alcohol for their rude behavior.) The person on the left is physically fit, but rather homely looking. The person on the right is overweight. The homely person turns to the fat person and says, “You sure are fat!” Hurt, but not missing a beat the overweight person exclaims, “Well, I might be fat… but you are ugly !!! And at least I can lose the weight…”

I share this story because it reminds me I can do something about the extra pounds I am carrying around. Because I have been successful over the last 20 months, losing over 170 pounds, I have hope and optimism when I start creeping back up the scale.

Please don’t be calling people hopelessly ugly… but please do remind yourself regularly that you can do something about being overweight. Just remember TWO things: eat less and move more. Consistently that is what works. When I get regular exercise and control what and how much I eat, I can lose weight and keep it off.

I still struggle with my favorite foods: fresh bread, pizza, Almond Roca candy (and basically any crunch English Toffee-like candy, baked goods, etc., etc….) You all have foods that are hard for you to manage. Identify them and work harder to be their master. You are not a slave to food.

I got down to 273 pounds just before my knee surgery last May. Over the summer my exercise was greatly diminished and I had a hard time just maintaining my weight. I did well, and only gained a few pounds between May and October. Over Thanksgiving I gained a few, then lost a few, and BAM !!! Christmas smacked me hard in the face. I have felt out of control with my eating for the last couple of weeks. I gained a pretty good chunk again and when I weighed myself last Saturday the 299 on the scale was very disheartening.

But, like I mentioned earlier–I know what it takes to get the weight off and I will recommit. There is no better time than the start of a new year to recommit our goals and priorities.

I want to share something I read from Jillian Michaels’ website the other day. I love this, she wrote:

“It happens — you over-indulged over the holidays, missed a few workouts and now you feel like you’ve fallen off the weight-loss wagon. It’s tempting to mentally slap yourself around, right? (Or head for the fridge.) Before you start, I want to remind you of something: Being hard on yourself is so 2009 — that’s the Old You.
The New You knows how to deal with setbacks and get back on the wagon. And after all, there are no mistakes, just learning experiences. Weight loss is a process — it takes time. You will encounter small failures — everyone does — but every pound you gain can be lost.” Jillian Michaels, Losing it with Jillian Michaels, 1/10/2010

Being hard on yourself is so last year !!! (Isn’t that great…) It makes me smile to think about it. We are our own worst critics. Think about it. How many times has someone given you a compliment only you don’t really accept it and sometimes reject it? Someone will say, “You look nice, have you lost weight?” Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t lost as much as you would like. Get in the habit of saying, “Thank you.” Take the compliment and feel good about the progress you are making.

I have been tempted lately to say, “Oh no, I’m not doing well at all…” I’m thinking to myself about the 26 pounds I’ve slipped on since May. The person giving me the compliment has not seen me in awhile and is amazed at the 150 pounds I’ve lost. Step back… get a better perspective. You may not be where you want to be, but don’t discredit all you’ve accomplished. Are you trying to eat better? Make better food choices? Work a little harder at smaller portions and eating more regularly throughout the day? Are you moving more? Do you take time for cardio exercise? Have you tried a little weight lifting or resistance band training? If you can say yes to any of these questions you are probably better off health-wise than you were before. Congratulations. Keep at it. You are learning what it takes to be healthy, just keep moving forward.

I didn’t mean for that to sound so preachy. I’ll get off the soap box now–but just remember that you are not alone in your struggle to live more healthy. I think most people struggle with poor health choices (some more than others.) But the truly exciting thing is you can do something about it. Baby steps… start today and work on one or two things this week that will move you closer to a healthier you.

I really do hope each of you have a tremendous new year. And remember–putting yourself down for poor health choices is so last year !!! Welcome to 2010 and the year of personal growth and success.

Bye for now,
Kirk

I’m often asked how I have lost so much weight. I tell people, “Diet and Exercise.” (usually something like, “Weight Watchers and exercising my butt off…”) The reaction I get from most people is comical. The faces they make–like they just smelled something disgusting.  It usually kills the conversation immediately (they just don’t want to hear the “D” and “E” words.)

Most people, it seems, want a magic fix. They want to lose weight by taking a pill. Get a prescription from their doctor and sit back while the pounds melt away. (Wouldn’t it be so nice…) Telling you this reminds me of an experience I had a few years ago with my general practitioner. The doctor was concerned about water retention around my ankles. He prescribed a diuretic and then told me, “You are going to lose a LOT of weight this week.” (heavy emphasis on a lot of weight–it was the way he said it.) Now when you tell a morbidly obese person they are going to lose a LOT of weight they are probably going away with an image of miraculous proportions. A LOT of weight to a fatty is at least 40-50 pounds! I mean, come on…. let’s please be a bit more specific.

I told my wife after the visit to the clinic and filling the prescription that the little pill was the answer to all my woes. The doctor told me I was going to lose a LOT of weight. Finally the answer to quick and easy weight reduction. (Not so much… ) I did lose a few pounds and my ankles started to look more normal, but it was hardly the cure for my obesity. (I knew what the doctor meant… it just sounded so funny. Don’t tell a fat guy he is going to lose a LOT of weight when 5-10 pounds is insignificant in the big scheme.)

My knee is feeling good enough to get in a good workout. Last night we rode 11 miles up the canyon and back. (The ride home is always a payback for the hard work to get up there.) This was our longest distance up the canyon. I wanted to see if we could push it a little from where we usually turn around. We rode from our house up past Bridal Veil Falls all the way to Vivian Park.

After the ride I cooked up some summer squash and corn on the cob. We were eating a little late, but the food sure tasted good.

I read this article today. It has good information about how much exercise is recommended daily.

Have a great day,
Kirk

How Much to Exercise Each Day
Losing It with Jillian!, Online with Jillian Michaels, July 9, 2009
by Jillian Michaels

You may have heard the U.S. Surgeon General’s recommendation of 30 minutes of physical activity a day. This is intended for people who want to maintain the most basic level of fitness — but not for people who want to lose weight. In a week, 30 minutes a day works out to an expenditure of about 1,000 calories, which is fine if you are looking to maintain your current weight. But if you want to lose, you’re going to have to be prepared for a bit more work.

I much prefer the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 60 minutes at a time as a starting point for my clients — an hour is ideal to get the most out of your workout and see significant results. Your 60-minute workout sessions should always include a 5-minute warm-up, followed by 50 minutes of your primary cardio or strength-training exercises, followed by at least 5 minutes of cooling down and stretching.

Of course, putting in more time will get you more results — but there’s a limit. Excessive intense physical activity releases stress hormones, such as cortisol, into the body. This can actually inhibit weight loss, causing your body to react by storing fat and retaining water out of self-protection. So, to reach your goal, I recommend limiting intense exercise to no more than two hours a session.

JILLIAN’S TIP OF THE DAY
Interval Cardio

One of the most effective aspects of my program is the mix of resistance exercises with cardio bursts. Cardio intervals will keep your heart rate up while you use weights, which enables you to get results in a shorter amount of time. Butt kicks are a typical interval cardio move: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and jog in place, bringing your heels up to your buttocks as you lift your feet. Keep your pace as fast as possible and really try to kick yourself in the butt.

It felt good to ride my bike Thursday evening. We have a favorite bike path from our house up the canyon and back. It takes my wife and I a little over an hour to make the round trip. We had company on our ride: my brother-in-law from Scottsdale was in town and he joined us. The canyon part of the trail runs along the Provo River and it makes for a very pleasant ride. I noticed the smells, watched the bugs and animals, and squinted to keep the cottonwood fluff from getting in my eyes. This was a trick because the breeze was blowing the fluff sideways, filling the air to the point that it resembled snow and left white piles of it on the sides of the bike path.

My orthopaedic surgeon suggested I ride my bike more instead of walking for awhile. He told me bike riding is the best exercise I can do for my knee while it is healing. So I am going to schedule time for a daily ride. Thursday was the first time I’ve pushed it since the procedure. I’ve ridden the bike around the block, but I haven’t tried going up the canyon. I was a little out of breath and tired when I got home, but stretching out the muscles through the exertion felt great. (And I didn’t cramp up afterwards.)

I got a good ride in last night too. We took the kids and I ended up taking my recumbent bike. The recumbent is a little harder on my knee, and I don’t seem to have as much torque up the hills, but I made it most of the way on our regular route. I started to cramp up a little last night (a real indicator of how hard I was working), but I took some medication and slept well. (So well in fact I slept in and missed my weight watcher weigh-in again!!!!!) This brings up an interesting debate: did I just happen to sleep in or was I avoiding the weigh-in?

As I’ve mentioned in the last few posts I have found the scale to be unfriendly. Mostly because I haven’t been as active since my knee was scoped, but also because I’ve been a little lax about journaling my food (because I haven’t been too careful about my food choices.) I’m really struggling with this. I’m beating myself up for gaining a few pounds and it is really frustrating me. I’ve almost let myself slip into the “why bother” attitude. I promise I won’t go there, but this whole process reminds me of how much our mental attitude plays into weight loss.

What I should be doing is looking in the mirror and celebrating the incredible weight loss I’ve had this last year. I’m mean, let’s face it, 170 pounds lost is no small accomplishment. Instead I am getting all worked up about gaining 10 pounds. I even know why… but I still can’t seem to push aside the anxiety and avoid the feelings of defeat and frustration.

Whenever I get these “out of control” frustrated feelings, I often think of the prayer adopted by many 12-step addition programs:

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.

- Original Author Unknown

So this week I will recommit. I will start by getting out on my bike every day. I will write down everything I eat—no matter what—and make an effort to carefully watch my food choices. I know I can turn this frustrating trend of weight gain around.

I read a very timely article by Jillian Michaels yesterday. It ties in perfectly with what I’ve been thinking about. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you have a fun weekend. If you have a little sunshine and blue skies today where you live, get out and fill your lungs with fresh air. Feel the sun on your face and be grateful for the health you enjoy—then walk, jog, ride a bike… do something. You’ll feel better and you will be one step closer to better health.

Kirk

Losing It with Jillian Michaels, Online Edition, Friday, June 26, 2009
by Jillian Michaels

Suffered a Setback? Here’s How to Get Back on the Wagon

It happens — you miss a few workouts and you feel like you’ve fallen off the weight-loss wagon. It’s tempting to mentally slap yourself around, right? (Or head for the fridge.) Before you start, I want to remind you of something: Being hard on yourself is the Old You.
The New You knows how to deal with setbacks and get back on the wagon. And after all, there are no mistakes, just learning experiences. Weight loss is a process — it takes time. You will encounter small failures — everyone does — but every pound you gain can be lost.
And if you miss a workout, it’s not the end of the world! Get to the gym the next day and continue to focus on your short-term goals. Just because you made bad choices today doesn’t mean you can’t start over tomorrow. New day? New beginning. And don’t you forget it!

JILLIAN’S TIP OF THE DAY

Rescue Me

When life throws you curveballs, you can dodge them or let them hit you right between the eyes. Sometimes, though, you don’t get a choice. For the moments when you can’t avoid them, create a “Rescue Me” list. What kinds of healthy activities make you feel better? How about enjoying a bubble bath, taking a walk, or getting a massage? The next time you’re staring down a crisis, reach for the “Rescue Me” list, not a bag of chips.

Okay, metabolictic isn’t in the dictionary, but I hope I grabbed your attention. Today I would like to share a short article that reminded me how to keep our metabolism boosted.

These are some of the ideas I’ve learned about metabolism and burning more calories: 1) Eat smaller meals more often. Instead of three regular meals a day, eat three small meals and add two or three snacks a day in between meal times. 2) Exercise regularly. If you can manage 45 minutes to an hour every other day to strength train, and walk as often as you think to eat (sarcasm people…),  you will be on track. 3) Mix cardio and strength training into your exercise. Also mix up the exercises and routines. Don’t let your muscles settle into a rut… keep them guessing what you will throw at them next. 4) Eating more protein will help keep your metabolism burning. Don’t go all Atkins on me, but don’t be afraid to eat more healthy protein. Lean meat, low-fat cheese, an egg, whey protein and lightly-salted nuts are good choices. A good place to add protein is snacks between meals. 5) Protein is more satisfying than carbs. If you are having a snack attack—try protein.

I’m struggling this week. I gained 10 pounds. (I haven’t been to Weight Watchers for a couple of weeks, but my home scale tells the tale.) I know why: lack of exercise and fluctuating emotions. But the short-term forecast is very optimistic: my knee is feeling better since surgery and my new little grandson is doing well.   I have been out for walks a couple of times lately and held my grandson for the first time yesterday.   He is still hooked up to ICU paraphernalia, but the 10 minutes I got to rock and hold him was a very precious Father’s Day present from my son and daughter-in-law.

So have a GREAT week. Recommit and work hard. I am.
Kirk

Lose Your Lard: 4 Ways to Fire Up Your Calorie Burning Engines
Submitted by Editor-in-Chief, Abs Diet Club, Men’s Health Online

Missing a meal doesn’t seem so bad. You don’t need those extra calories anyway, right?

Wrong. When you skip a meal, your body slows down your metabolism to hold on to your existing fuel supply.

Here are three better ways to burn blubber faster:

• When you work out, speed up and slow down. You can interval train with any form of cardio, from the elliptical machine to cycling.

• Perform a bodyweight routine 12 hours before or after your intense weight-training sessions. A handful of pushups and squats will send your fat burners into overdrive.

• Nosh on more protein, one of the hottest-burning food sources out there. Your body uses twice as much energy to break down protein than it does to break down carbs. Translation: Eggs in the morning, string cheese for a snack, salmon for dinner. You’re good to go.

Hi Everyone,

I’ve had a rollercoaster week with my grandson in the hospital. I haven’t spent much time lifting or walking and I’m feeling it. For any of you who have made exercise a habit, you know exactly what I’m talking about. When I get my walk in and lift weights I feel productive. Maybe it’s the chemical thing—endorphins—or whatever. All I know is that when I move more I feel better.

That’s what I wanted to share with you today: move more. (Maybe because I have been moving less and feel a little guilty.) I haven’t been as good at journaling my food and I’ve had the munchies a lot over the last few days. Going back and forth to the hospital and spending more time driving has me off my normal routine. I know I’ve been eating more than I’m used to. (I have succumbed to emotional eating too.) Time to recommit….

So read this article and just do it. Get off your chair and go for a walk. Hop on a bike or grab your swim suit and head for the pool. It’s summertime—most of us have been cooped up all winter and now the weather is perfect for stretching our legs and breathing in fresh air.

All the best… you can improve your health with good nutrition and exercise.

Kirk

The Truth About Weightlifting and Weight Loss
By Martica Heaner, Ph.D., M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health & Fitness
MSN Health & Fitness Exclusive

Q: I’m overweight. When I lift weights to try to lose weight, not only do I not lose weight, people tell me that I look heavier. I thought that weight lifting is supposed to help me shed body fat? What am I doing wrong?

A: If you’re gaining muscle mass from lifting weights, you may end up looking bigger, even though you’re trying to slim down. But it’s not that easy to build lots of muscle, so unless you’ve been at it for a long time, it may be that you are simply eating more—and appearing heavier as a result.

If you are significantly overweight, you need to do more than simply lift weights to lose pounds or inches. This may contradict what you’ve been told in the gym. In the body-building world there’s an idea floating around that pounds don’t matter because the secret to getting lean is to shift your body composition by building more muscle and decreasing your percentage of body fat. This is a somewhat simplified claim that isn’t as miraculous a solution as it seems to be.

First of all, to someone who is 50, 70, or 100 pounds or more overweight, pounds do matter. And since fat cells do not turn into muscle cells, ignoring body weight and trying to shift body composition would entail somehow gaining say, 50 pounds of muscle, while losing 50 pounds of fat. Even hardcore body builders may find it impossible to gain 50 pounds of muscle.

Not only do you have to eat more than you normally do to build muscle mass, you also need to lift a serious volume of weights (lots of sets and reps with heavy weights). Even if you do so, it’s tough to gain a lot of muscle (that’s why so many people succumb to steroids.) On average, it takes around six months of progressive weight training for a woman to gain around two pounds of muscle. In this time, men will gain a little more, but not much.

Shedding all that body fat isn’t as easy as the body-building mantra suggests either. Fat doesn’t just start melting off once you start weight training. A position statement by the National Strength and Conditioning Association notes that resistance training may improve body composition and decrease body fat, but the body fat loss is “modest.” Clearly, lifting weights to lose significant amounts of body fat is not a realistic option for someone who is seriously overweight.
So for an overweight or obese person for whom pounds do matter, does lifting weights help them lose weight?

So far, there’s little evidence to show that resistance training by itself leads to weight loss. In 2004, esteemed strength-training researcher William Kraemer, Ph.D., of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, studied muscle hypertrophy (excessive growth) in women doing periodic resistance training.
He found that untrained young women who lifted progressively heavier weights for six months got stronger and gained muscle but showed no significant decrease in body fat. Kraemer and colleagues concluded that calorie control from dieting may be a more effective way to lose fat.

The 2009 position stand from the American College of Sports Medicine, “Appropriate Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for Weight loss and Prevention of Weight Regain in Adults,” ?notes that “resistance training does not seem to be effective for weight reduction … and does not add to weight loss when combined with diet restriction.” That’s not to say that lifting weights isn’t great for you—it is. It’s just not the magic pill to produce weight loss for an overweight or obese person.

So what’s the prescription most likely to produce the results you want? Clocking up more cardio minutes by being more physically active every single day. That means getting on a cardio machine, walking around the block, riding your bike, hiking or playing a game of hoops. The more you move, the more calories you burn, and over time, this can lead to weight loss and fat reduction, especially in the belly. Plus, a body with less fat will let the muscle you have firmed up from lifting weights look more defined.

So how much do you need to do? There has been much controversy over this and research in this area is just starting to accumulate. But the evidence from well-designed studies shows that you can absolutely lose weight from cardio workouts alone. The only caveat is that you have to do more of it than you might think. While any amount of physical activity is good for your health, the ACSM position stand notes that weight loss is rarely seen when people do 150 minutes or less week (So, a 20 to 30 minute walk every day probably won’t cut it).

But greater amounts of activity—for people fit enough to keep it up—can make a dent in fat depots and a difference on your scale. Aiming to move for at least for more at least 150 minutes, and preferably up to 225 to 420 minutes per week, can burn enough extra calories to produce a noticeable weight loss. So, that means trying to get in about an hour a day on most days of the week. Other official recommendations note that it takes around 60 to 90 minutes of cardio per day to manage weight. Combining cardio minutes with calorie-controlled eating can produce the biggest weight loss results.

But that doesn’t mean that lifting weights is a waste of time. Resistance training has been shown to improve health risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, bone mass and insulin resistance.

And it keeps you strong, probably decreasing your injury risk while you’re racking up all those cardio minutes. And it’s especially important to lift weights if you’re dieting, since resistance training can help preserve lean body mass, most of which is muscle, that’s normally lost when dieting alone.

If you’re not used to doing cardio, start slowly for 10 to 15 minutes at a time and work your way up to faster, longer and/or harder sessions gradually.
Find more from Martica.

URL: http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100240382&gt1=31036

Martica Heaner, Ph.D., M.A., M.Ed., is a Manhattan-based exercise physiologist and nutritionist, and an award-winning fitness instructor and health writer. She has a Ph.D. in behavioral nutrition and physical activity from Columbia University, and is also a NASM-certified personal trainer. She has written hundreds of articles for publications such as Self , Health , Prevention , The New York Times and others. Martica is the author of eight books, including her latest, “Cross-Training for Dummies.”

The last couple of weeks have been a roller coaster ride for me at the Weight Watcher’s weigh-in. I had a really good meeting when we were visiting Rocklin, California, only to come back and record gains the following two weeks. As of last week I was up over nine pounds! It was a bit disheartening, but I kept reminding myself that the overall picture looked good: I was down over 160 pounds for the 13 months I have been working on the program. Still it isn’t fun to go to a weigh-in and show a gain.

This week was a BIG turnaround. It’s almost like my body decided to give up trying to cling to those extra pounds. I showed a 14.4 pound loss since the last time I attended a Weight Watcher’s Meeting. Last week Linda and I were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in Park City and I didn’t get to a meeting. What a thrill to show significant loss again this week.

I looked at the overall trend line for the past 13 months. You can almost draw a straight line from start to finish. I have a few weeks that show a bump, but then I come right back to the trend and continue losing. I have averaged almost 3 pounds (2.9) per week loss over the past 58 weeks.

I was in the supermarket the other day and one of the Cashier Supervisors, who sees me all the time, asked me how I had lost all the weight. I explained that I had been attending Weight Watcher’s and had literally been working my fanny off at the gym. She laughed and asked if I had been “whistled” yet? I didn’t know what she meant. She said, “You know… have the women been whistling at you, good lookin’?” Needless to say she embarrassed me—and I think she really wanted to see my face all red—but it was a very nice compliment.

I have people constantly tell me how different I look, how good I look, congratulations on how well I’ve done, and “Tell me what you’re doing so I can try it too.” I always tell them thanks and then tell them it is nothing more than eating well and exercising. (and then they add…. “and dedication.”) Again, another compliment. It sure feels good to have people notice and then let me know how much better I look. I’m quick to tell them how much better I feel and how worth losing the weight has been.

This week I had an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon. It was a follow-up to an MRI and X-rays taken of my left knee. I’ve been feeling a lot of pain, so much pain that it has slowed me down on my cardio. I haven’t been able to keep up the pace of 2 miles walking each day. I have often come home to cramping muscles that have needed to be iced down and quieted with ibuprophen.

The ortho guy told me that my left knee has quite a bit of arthritis in it and has some cartilage damage that needs to be repaired. He told me a total knee replacement would be needed sometime in the future, but that he should be able to get me feeling better with the orthoscopic procedure he has planned for next Tuesday.

During his discussion with me I kept feeling that it was a very good thing I have taken off so much weight in the past year. Instead of a simple orthoscopic procedure now, I might have been looking at a full knee replacement already. The list of benefits for getting healthier keeps getting added to.

I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t nervous about Tuesday. I really don’t like hospitals very much. The surgeon assured me it would be a simple procedure in and out the same day. He said I would be up and around on my knee within a day or two, but still I am being a bit of a worrywart about the whole thing. I hope the recovery period will be short and that I can get quickly back into my regular exercise routine. I know how important exercise has been to my weight loss and I don’t want to change my losing trend.

My hope is to focus more on my upper-body exercises and to let the knee heal. I am anxious to see if the surgery will allow me to walk more this summer. I want to compete in the Provo River Half-Marathon in August and then be ready for the San Francisco Half-Marathon in November. My goal is to finish both events in 4 hours. That should be slightly faster than I walk now—maybe even jogging a little bit to get to the finish line in 4 hours.

I’ve included below an article I found that talks about my upcoming procedure.

Hope you have a good weekend. I’m going to get in a couple of bike rides before Tuesday. Talk to you later,
Kirk

Wikipedia Search for “Orthoscopic Surgery”

Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage of the interior of a joint is performed using an arthroscope, a type of endoscope that is inserted into the joint through a small incision. Arthroscopic procedures can be performed either to evaluate or to treat many orthopedic conditions including torn floating cartilage, torn surface cartilage, ACL reconstruction, and trimming damaged cartilage.

The advantage of arthroscopy over traditional open surgery is that the joint does not have to be opened up fully. Instead, only two small incisions are made – one for the arthroscope and one for the surgical instruments to be used in the knee cavity to fully remove the kneecap. This reduces recovery time and may increase the rate of surgical success due to less trauma to the connective tissue. It is especially useful for professional athletes, who frequently injure knee joints and require fast healing time. There is also less scarring, because of the smaller incisions. Irrigation fluid is used to distend the joint and make a surgical space. Sometimes this fluid leaks into the surrounding soft tissue causing extravasation and edema.

The surgical instruments used are smaller than traditional instruments. Surgeons view the joint area on a video monitor, and can diagnose and repair torn joint tissue, such as ligaments and menisci or cartilage.
Arthroscopy is used for joints of the knee, shoulder, elbow, wrist, ankle, foot, and hip.

Knee arthroscopy has in many cases replaced the classic arthrotomy that was performed in the past. Today knee arthroscopy is commonly performed for treating meniscus injury, reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament and for cartilage microfracturing. Arthroscopy can also be performed just for diagnosing and checking of the knee; however, the latter use has been mainly replaced by magnetic resonance imaging.

During an average knee arthroscopy, a small fiberoptic camera (the endoscope) is inserted into the joint through a small incision, about 4 mm (1/8 inch) long. A special fluid is used to visualize the joint parts. More incisions might be performed in order to check other parts of the knee. Then other miniature instruments are used and the surgery is performed.

Recovery after a knee arthroscopy is significantly faster as compared to arthrotomy. Most patients can return home and walk using crutches the same or the next day after the surgery. Recovery time depends on the reason that surgery was needed and the patient’s physical condition. Usually a patient can fully load his leg within a couple of days and after a few weeks the joint function can fully recover. It is not uncommon for athletes who have an above average physical condition to return to normal athletic activities within a few weeks.

Arthroscopic surgeries of the knee are done for many reasons, but the usefulness of surgery for treating osteoarthritis is doubtful. A double-blind placebo-controlled study on arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002.[1] In this three-group study, 180 military veterans with osteoarthritis of the knee were randomly assigned to receive arthroscopic débridement with lavage, just arthroscopic lavage, or a sham surgery, which made superficial incisions to the skin while pretending to do the surgery. For two years after the surgeries, patients reported their pain levels and were evaluated for joint motion. Neither the patients nor the independent evaluators knew which patients had received which surgery. The study reported, “At no point did either of the intervention groups report less pain or better function than the placebo group.”[2] Because there is no confirmed usefulness for these surgeries, many agencies are reconsidering paying for a surgery, which seems to create risks with no benefit.[3] A 2008 study confirmed that there was no long-term benefit for chronic pain, above medication and physical therapy.[4] Since one of the main reasons for arthroscopy is to repair or trim a painful and torn or damaged meniscus, a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine which shows that about 60% of these tears cause no pain and are found in asymptomatic subjects, may further call the rationale for this procedure into question.[5]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthroscopy

I was surprised to learn that muscle conditioning can plateau similar to the plateaus experienced in weight loss. My personal trainer, Melanie, explained it to me emphasizing the importance of mixing up regular workout routines. She said the muscle becomes accustomed to repeated exercises: doing the same routines in the same order, sets, and repetitions. In order to build new muscle it is critical to change routines and challenge muscle groups in different ways.

I read the Men’s Health article below that discusses this very thing. It gives some great ideas on how to avoid muscle building plateaus. Melanie has used some of these ideas with me in the past year. We have used circuits with cardio between sets and she is sensitive to introduce different muscle group routines regularly. Yesterday she had me do a modified pushup to help with shoulder strengthening. It was something totally new and was very effective. I felt muscles being used in a different way (and I’m a bit sore in different places this morning.)

I hope this article is helpful for you as you work to move more, tone, and condition your body. Have a great day.

Kirk

CHANGE YOUR MUSCLES CAN BELIEVE IN
Men’s Health Personal Trainer Article, April 21, 2009

You can change your workout, blast through plateaus, and enjoy new strength and muscle gains without learning new exercises or dumping your normal routine completely. Use these tips to tweak your workout to get more from your next trip to the gym.

 1. Flip your sets and reps. If you usually do three sets of eight reps, switch it up: Grab heavier weight and do eight sets of three reps each. You’ll build serious strength to break through plateaus and make your next set of 8 better than ever.

 2. Change speeds. Do you rest between exercises? Try circuit training to pump your heart and burn more fat (or put cardio activity between exercises to really work up a sweat). If you’re doing circuits, try longer rest periods to build deeper strength and carve your six-pack. Lift slow? Try moving faster through your reps to build power.

 3. Turn it all on its head. Do your entire workout in reverse order—you’ll be stronger in your first exercise (usually your last), and you’ll have to work harder during your final exercise, for which you’re usually fresh. If you do forward lunges, turn them around and do reverse lunges—you’ll challenge your legs in a new way. Work in some reverse crunches to build deeper strength in your core. And flip one of your hands when you deadlift or do pull-ups to do more reps and build more muscle than ever before.

Today I want to talk about exercise. Any successful healthy weight-loss plan must include a commitment to exercise. Moving more is good for you. It helps with your weight loss and improves your heart and lungs—and I gotta tell you—the endorphins released into your system through exercise are very pleasant.

I have learned that exercise can give your weight loss momentum. Let me explain. It is similar to a snowball rolling down a hill that grows larger, becomes heavier, and moves more quickly. Exercise produces more lean muscle tissue. Lean muscle helps the body burn more fat. The body uses two calories to maintain a pound of fat on your body each day, but one pound of lean muscle requires six calories a day. The more lean muscle you have the faster your body will burn excess fat. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat.

A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology (J Appl Physiol. 1997 Jan;82(1):298-304) showed that cardio workouts burn more calories than weight training. Though not as efficient at burning calories, the study suggests strength training increases metabolism. Metabolism is the rate at which your body uses energy, or burns calories (weightloss.about.com/od/backtobasics/a/blmetab.htm).

In addition, the benefits of weight training include:
• Prevents loss of lean body mass that happens from dieting and/or aging
• Weight training workouts burn calories
• Helps change your body composition, which helps shape your body and keep you healthy
• Strenghtens bones and connective tissue along with muscles
• Helps keep you strong and active as you get older
The bottom line is, strength training is important for almost any fitness goal, whether you want to lose fat, gain muscle or just get in better condition (exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/f/muscle.htm).

The way I see it, you want to use a diet plan that provides your body with well-balanced nutrition. Then you need to be more active and raise the rate your body uses energy, or burns calories (called your metabolic rate). I’ve also learned that you must be careful what foods you eat. You can gain nutrients from a Snickers candy bar, but how your body uses the candy is drastically different than gaining nutrition from fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.

Additionally, processed sugar actually slows down your metabolism. If you are working hard to lose weight through good nutrition and exercise, it doesn’t make sense to eat anything to sabotage your hard work. I’d like to share this explanation I found while surfing the net:

When you eat anything sweet or anything that is perceived as sweet like artificial sweeteners, the hypotalamus gland sends hormones to cause the pancreas to secrete more insulin. Then, because refined sugar basically overwhelms the blood stream, a hormone is sent to the pancreas to produce glucagon. Glucagon is a hormone that tells the liver (that is part of the endocrine system) to store glucose (the form sugar takes in your blood stream). These insulin/glucagon spikes cause the body to believe it is in a state of stress and needs to respond, so the adrenal glands fire and flood the body with cortisol, the stress hormone.

Cortisol is what gives muscles quick energy to respond to stress. The liver reprioritizes it’s functions when this happens and women stop reconjugating estrogen and stop making steroid hormones (sex hormones) and the adrenal glands become exhausted and you feel tired. Toxins are stored in fat tissue to protect your organs. As we age and eat cooked and processed foods, we produce less and less stomach acid and this causes our ability to digest food to diminish. This is why by the late 20’s we start putting on weight as “stored fat.” The fat tissue itself, called adipose tissue, acts like an endocrine organ because it makes a hormone called, Leptin. This hormone is responsible for the “utilization” of insulin and glucagon in the body and is produced based on what “type” of foods you are getting your calories from. If you eat primarily carbs, your fat tissue believes you are starving and it causes your METABOLISM TO SLOW DOWN. Sugar is a low density carb that does this in a big way. This is why people “plateau” when dieting. Fat, on the other hand is where the body gets “sustained” energy, unlike carbs that give quick, fleeting energy. Fat will not cause the metabolism to slow down like carbs do for this reason. This is why promoting these low fat diets are causing many problems and sickness and unhealthiness is the result.

So, if you eat good fats, like raw nuts and seeds, you will see a dramatic difference in your sustained energy and your weight would be much easier to manage.

(answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081231163239AAwakVe)

In review, don’t ignore the importance of exercise. I know when you are overweight, the last thing you feel like doing is to exercise. But, it is so important to your goal of improved health that you must find a plan that works for you. Start with walking more. Park your car a little farther away from the entrance to the grocery store. If you can manage, use the stairs instead of the elevator. Get a pedometer and measure how many steps you walk each day. Set a goal and work to increase your daily steps total.

If you are not ready for a heavy strength training workout at the gym, get a resistance band and start slow. There are many sites on the internet to help show you what to do and get you started. Simply put “resistance band workout” in your search criteria and you will have many good sites to choose from, including videos showing proper technique. As you lose weight you will feel like doing more. You will have more energy and your outlook towards exercise will change. Now I look forward to daily cardio and strength training several times a week.

Good luck to you as you move more and incorporate exercise into your health plan. Is a catalyst for change.

Kirk