Sleep apnea, GERD, and obesity: efforts to fix this.

[snoringdog]

Hello Oak,

Just came across this -

When I portion fruit (example: a handful of grapes) into sandwich bags, I am much more likely to eat them. This astonished me!

And my first thought was, It must be something inherent in us, from our past....
Hunter-gatherers / foragers would find small sources of food, right? Nuts, berries, whatever presented itself in the moment, at the time....

(As a side note, I love Korean restaurants, where they serve small plates on the side.
Nice to look at, piques your interest, and if not to your liking, there's something else to try!)

https://mykoreankitchen.com/category/side-dishes-banchan/

[oak]

And my first thought was, It must be something inherent in us, from our past....
Hunter-gatherers / foragers would find small sources of food, right? Nuts, berries, whatever presented itself in the moment, at the time....

Well said, SnoringDog. And yes, small plates seem to transcend time and space: tapas are beautiful and delicious (eg be it Korea or Spain, good ideas [such as small plates] find a way to persist in many cultures).

Friends! An update.

Bad news: I am still obese, and I still have sleep apnea.

Good news:

1. My CPAP machine is scheduled to be delivered this time next month.

2. I am increasingly finding a palate for peppers and fruit. I am testing my limits of GERD by finding mild enough peppers. Anaheims may be a winner.

3. My air fryer, especially with butterfly-sliced cherry tomatoes, continues to be an unqualified success.

4. I am making plans to participate next year in a kettlebell competition. I can do 15 lbs okay, but the competitions start at 32 lbs, so I have a ways to go, but this gives me something to look forward to. The competition is 13 months away, which sounds about enough time to improve. I need hope, something to look forward to.

Edit to add: the lowest competition kettlebell is 8kg (~16 pounds), and men have to use two of them, so that’s 32 pounds

5. My weight is inching below 220, which it hasn't been since the start of the pandemic. (I was just under 200 pounds five years ago.) This especially excites me because I've seen that even weight loss of 5% (which would about 213 lbs, from my heaviest of 230 pounds) can significantly reduce sleep apnea.

6. Emulating the sterling example of Pasquale "Possible Pat" Brocco (who walked a mile each way to Walmart three times a day), I am also taking to walking to yoga and the grocery store. I'm also making a virtue of necessity since my car's starter is going, but any port in a storm. I walked .75 miles each way to the store this morning, and bought peaches. I was never doing this before.

I am humbled and grateful to have survived sleep apnea. Not everyone gets a second chance at age 46, so I want to be a good steward of this second chance I've been given.

Thanks for standing by me, friends.

[Mental Fairy]

Hi Oak
Got my Pom poms out! yay for you. It makes my heart sing when you say you do something that you have never done before. This is like opening a new door for you. Love it!

[oak]

A meme:

https://imgflip.com/i/6r6jd4

[oak]

Friends, a day of progress:

I had my third appointment with my dietician, and she is pleased.

Sleep apnea: September is a big month, as:

a. I am scheduled to receive my CPAP
b. I may -may!- lose enough weight to naturally mitigate my sleep apnea to pre-2019 levels.

GERD: While I've never been thrilled to be on a proton pump inhibitor, it has been heaven-sent to buy me some time to make some better choices. I am planning to ask my doctor about weaning myself. Eating more fruits and vegetables lately, I do have to be careful of spicy (peppers) and acidic (fruit).

Obesity: depending on one's heuristic, I may be close to going from obese to simply overweight.

Should I have been doing all this years ago? Yes. Am I glad to be getting to it now? Also yes.

Frankly, I'd like to put sleep apnea behind me, in 2022, and move on to other matters in 2023 that are of more interest to me. I recognize that I have sleep apnea, but I don't identify with it.

But for now facing sleep apnea has made my life very clear, as far as what life expects of me, day to day.

[oak]

TW: weight discussion, including numbers.

Friends! A happy update:

Obesity

I've reached my first goal weight: from my high weight* of 230 pounds, I am finally at my (first) goal weight of 213.

*For me, sleep apnea appears to be highly correlated with my weight. I had no sleep apnea at 200 pounds, and severe sleep apnea at 230. I'm still actively open to trying mechanical decives (CPAP, oral appliance) but until those arrive I'm sticking with my Mediterranean diet and walking to the store to see the pretty cashiers while I buy a single piece of fruit.

My second of three goal weights is 200 pounds. (I'm not so interested in these numbers per se, except to the extent that they cure my sleep apnea, which I am extremely interested in.)

I was 199 pounds five years ago, pre-sleep apnea, so we'll see if the function/outcome of my fitness and nutrition choices get me there. I'm interested to see.

GERD

I've had GERD twice this summer, which is a big improvement. And it always seems to be caused by processed foods.

I'm talking to my doctor later this month about weaning me from my proton pump inhibitors. (My body is rebelling against me taking them.)

In conclusion, friends, I suppose I'm 2/3 of my way through this sleep apnea journey.

I'm ready for the next stage of my life, and I can't bring sleep apnea with me.

[rivergirl]

[oak]

Thanks RiverGirl! I hope you’re doing well.

Three thoughts:

1. I am sorry for not including a content warning, regarding weight (and especially for using numbers) above. I’ve since corrected it.

2. I am finding some amazing studies on the NIH PubMed site. Much like gray sweatpants at the gym, I may make a virtue of necessity by building my hand strength, per an interesting Mediterranean diet study I just found. I’ll post about this study soon.

(Said another way: I’ve recently learned that the demographic of people I’m trying to attract, women, sometimes are attracted to two things I’d do anyway: wear gray sweatpants and increase hand strength. Neither of which I would have guessed anyone would find attractive, but I am always learning.)

3. I am exploring methods of sweets: in addition to my beloved baklava, I am learning more about dark chocolate. I’ve always prided myself on my expansive, adventurous palate, so let’s see where this leads me

[Mental Fairy]

Gosh Oak you are on a mission. You really have come far looking back on things.

[oak]

Thank you, Mental Fairy!

Friends, this is a big week for me and sleep apnea:

1. I am scheduled to get my CPAP.

2. I am meeting with a nutrition/wellness person at the local upscale grocery store to discuss methods (eg actually buying specific items to make specific better-choice recipes) of implementing what my dietitian advised.

(I may post in the photos thread of the snack outcomes!)

Both of these are late in the week. I am a little scared/excited.

A brief recap of the original problems of this thread:

1. Obesity: another 4 pounds and I’ll be officially just overweight.

2. Sleep apnea: I am still not waking refreshed, but I have a clear plan, and backup options to effect immediately if my current plans don’t work out.

3. GERD: I’ve had GERD twice this summer, and none in the last month or two, so I hope to talk to my doctor this fall about weaning me from the proton pump inhibitor.