Lessons Learned & Learning 19: 570 Days of Maintenance

Anastrazole Hijinks Continued

Prior maintenance updates: 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 120 days, 150 days, 180 days, 210 days, 240 days, 270 days, 300 days, 330 days, 360 days, 390 days, 420 days, 450 days, 480 days, 510 days, 540 days.

The vertical red line on my chart for average weight indicates the day that I had started taking anastrazole, the drug I'm on to try to prevent cancer recurrence. More on anastrazole and its effect on weight is in my 540-day update. Here's how my 19 30-day maintenance periods compare:



My nineteenth 30 days looked like this:


Weight: I had reached my goal weight of 150 lbs. on Dec. 17, 2013. According to MFP, that would place my net calories at 1600 for maintenance.

Between days 541 and 570 inclusive my weight averaged 151 and ranged from 150 to 152.

Exercise Calories Burned:
I took 0 rest days during maintenance days 541-570, compared with 0 rest days during maintenance days 511-540, 2 rest days (0 calories burned) during maintenance days 481-510, 1 rest day during maintenance days 451-480, 3 rest days during maintenance days 421-450, during maintenance days 391-420, 1 rest day during maintenance days 361-390, 0 rest days during maintenance days 331-360, 1 rest day during maintenance days 301-330, 1 rest day during maintenance days 271-300, 2 rest days during maintenance days 241-270, 1 rest day during maintenance days 211-240, 2 rest days during maintenance days 181-210, 1 rest day over days 151-180, 3 rest days over days 121-150, 5 rest days over days 91-120, 3 rest days over days 61-90, 4 rest days over days 31-60, and 2 rest days over days 1-30.

My average exercise calories burned for this period equaled 443/day (my second-highest average for any maintenance period). My highest burn was 955 on June 27, representing 3 hours of weed-whacking (if the figure from fitclick is to be believed). Not counted is the calorie burn from my Better Bones and Balance workouts, because I have no idea what that burn would be. In this 30-day period I have done 11 BBB workouts, including 5 of those with a 5-lb. weighted vest. (Next week I move up to 7.5 lbs. in the vest.) Also added to my regular cycling workout is 8 30-minute sessions on my manual treadmill set at a 10-degree incline, including 6 of those with a 5-lb. weighted vest. Other workouts during this 30-day period included dancing and yard work.


I wear my weighted vest. Each weight = 2.5 lbs. The vest can hold up to 16 weights.

Since my diagnosis of osteopenia in May (anastrazole can thin the bones), I have incorporated weight-bearing exercise into my routines. My goal is to do Better Bones and Balance workouts three times a week and to use my manual treadmill twice a week, in addition to my cycling workouts. I have also added a DIY standing desk arrangement that can be set up and dismantled inside of a minute. With the exception of June 20 (when I danced my tail off at a fundraiser for our local aid foundation for cancer patients) and June 27 (three hours of weed-whacking), I have used my standing desk for at least two hours a day:


The step stool here (9 inches high) does double duty. I use it to raise my laptop in my standing desk arrangement, and I also use it for the stepping exercises in my Better Bones and Balance workouts.

With respect to my stationary cycling, on June 11 (maintenance day 542) I crossed the 14,000-mile mark (since Sept. 1, 2012) in my Virtual Ride Around the Equator. That puts me at the longitude of Nagercoli in Tamil Nadu, India.

Total and Net Calories Consumed:
Total calories for maintenance days 541-570 averaged 1775/day and ranged from 1475 (June 13) to 2441 (June 27, the day of my weed-whacking). Net calories (total calories minus exercise calories burned) averaged 1331/day (83% of maintenance and my second lowest average for any maintenance period) and ranged from 864 (June 13) to 1570 (July 8).

My main challenge these days is making sure I eat enough, while doing what I can to keep my weight at a healthy level and to deal with the other side effects of cancer treatment. For analysis on my weight gain despite increased calorie burn and decreased calorie consumption, see the "Analysis" section in my 540-day update.

Another side effect of anastrazole is exacerbation of my carpal tunnel syndrome, to the point where I'm starting to deal with quality of life issues. I write more about that here.

"Hope" was the prompt for my June "Creativity Heals" meeting:


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We're also working on vision boards over the summer. (For more on vision boards, see this article by Shelley Webb). Here's mine:

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