Ten week set back, gained 15 lbs

Everything was going great for me. Didnt miss going to the gym for almost four months. Was down 64 lbs. Then I developed a terribly painful cyst (it was also pretty disgusting...I wont trouble you with the details). As it worsened, surgery became necessary. And in the weeks leading up to going under the knife, the pain and icky side effects gave me an excuse to not go to the gym. Ten days after my surgery, I was set to start a new job 2,300 miles away from where I was living at the time. So I had to pack, empty out my house to sell and drive cross country. I probably didnt give my body enough time to recover from the surgery and was in a rush. I ended up throwing out my back and wasnt able to stand for over a week. I walked with a terrible limp for a couple more weeks. Going to the gym was impossible and even small things like walking on the beach (I am now in San Diego) or riding a bike caused tremendous pain. If you have a back injury, any small change in momentum shoots a bolt of pain through your entire body. Trying to walk on sand is almost impossible because you can never find a sure footing. Anytime I would step in sand and slide slightly, I almost would hit my knees in pain.

I am by no means totally healthy. I still have a touch of sciatic pain (numbness from the hip to the ankle) caused by the back injury. But this morning, I went to the gym for the first time in a long time and got back to having a healthy breakfast. Being new to San Diego, I have spent the last month feasting on foods we dont have in the midwest, so I wasnt shocked this morning when I got on the scales and saw how much weight I had gained. I was afraid I would be in pain all day because I walked on the treadmill and used the elliptical machine, but my back feels better now than it has in over a month. Everything I read about sciatic pain says you have to embrace the pain and work it out with stretches and exercises, even though your natural instinct is to avoid it by staying off your feet. The 20 minutes I spent on the treadmill this morning were HELL, but it really seems to have done the trick.

Today is day 1. My goal tomorrow is to do a little bit more. And do the same the next day and the next day.

Crawl. Walk. Run.