Monthly Archives: April 2012

Something Has Definitely Changed

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After stopping the melatonin I am now feeling fantastic!  The first day after stopping the melatonin I woke up feeling different.  More energized and just really good. Since then (it’s actually only 4 days) I’ve continued to feel great.

I started my interval training on Wednesday.  As Jen recommended I got on the elliptical machine and (finally) have a use for my interval timer.  I set the intervals to 20 seconds/45 seconds.  I did a 5 minute warm-up then a cycle of 20 seconds high intensity (amped up the resistance and my speed)/45 seconds low intensity for three cycles.  Then 2 minutes of low intensity.  Rinse-and-repeat for 30 minutes.  I actually really enjoyed it.  You have to focus to kind of keep track of what you’re doing so it kind of takes your mind of the boredom of being on a machine.  I felt awesome afterwards.  Really energized and good.  I don’t remember every quite feeling that way after a workout…so cool.

I’ve since done one session of high-intensity resistance traning with some cardio and another session of interval training…this time running.  The running was fun too and again the interval thing made it more enjoyable for me.  For the high intensity part I tried to sprint as hard as I could (although Jen wanted me to keep my heart heart in a certain zone…really not a problem since I can’t really sprint that fast…yet).  Again I felt really excellent afterwards and still felt quite good for the rest of the day.  The kids were over with the grandkids and I had plenty of energy to plan and run around.  So much better!

I know that I am often very optimistic and kind of high at the beginning of things.  I really want to make a significant change in my life not just my weight.  I’m finding this whole combination of exercise, diet (which is working great too.  I’ll blog about separatetly) and supplements to already have made me feel lots better.  After I asked the doctor she indicated that it could take 9-12 months to get a “full” result.  I can’t wait to see what that’s going to feel like!

Hormones and Supplements Aplenty

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I’m now in week two of my Cenegenics directed hormone and supplement plan.  I have to say I’m now feeling pretty good.  I’m over my cold or allergies or whatever they were and, generally speaking, am feeling quite good.  Hard to know if it’s placebo effect or reality.  But does that really matter ultimately?  How you feel is the real measure.

Due the festivities around my mom’s 90th birthday this past weekend I’ve been pretty stressed and between that and the cold haven’t really worked out much.  My husband, daughter and I took a look walk in the canyon with lots of hills.  I felt strong (although a little cardio challenged occassionally) and enjoyed it.

I was planning on starting some interval training (as advised by Jen, my Cenegenics fitness trainer/nutritionist).  However, when I pulled into my driveway I felt so sleepy I thought “I’ll just close my eyes for a sec.”  Next thing I knew I was sound asleep and woke up (with my mouth hanging up…ick) about 15 minutes later.  That was a bit weird for me.  One of the things I hope to get from this program is increased energy but I’m not usually SO sleepy that I actually fall asleep.  Something similar happened the next day.  Late afternoon and I almost dropped off during a (boring) meeting.  Not like me.  I contacted my Cenegenics doctor and Jen.  The doctor advised that I stop taking my nighttime Melatonin (3 mg) and see if that’s what causing the sleepiness.  I’ll try that tonight although I will say I feel like I’ve been sleeping MUCH better but I’m taking so many things it’s hard to know what to attribute for that.

Also, I’ve been reading this really excellent book, The Power of Habits, about habits…how we get them and how to change them.  The book has some really interesting insights into how the brain forms habits and how one might influence that unconscious process to change one’s habits.  I definitely feel that’s what I need.  The book talks about the notion of “cues” that trigger an unconscious response.  For example, I noticed that as soon as I see food on a counter at home I feel an urge to have some.  I’m not hungry and, prior to seeing the thing, didn’t feel like eating.  As a result, I’ve resolved to keep things put away to avoid this “cue.”

I’m also thinking it’s important to take the notion of goals seriously.  In the past, I’ve made “committments” to doing things (exercise, eating better, etc.) but they were easily ignored.  The weren’t “real” commitments…more vague aspirations I suppose.  Realizing this here are my goals for the next two weeks:

  • Interval training – minimum twice/week
  • Strength training – 2/week
  • Journal all food consumption
  • Do some art thing every day (draw, paint, plan a project, sew something, practice quilting)

I don’t want to make too many commitments.  But these should be a good start.  I’ll try to post progress about them to help me keep them in the forefront of my mind and establish these things as routines.

Hormone Optimization Begins!

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I received my first shipment from Cenegenics of the various hormone replacements and supplements two days after my visit there.  It’s a LOT of stuff.  My Cenegenics doctor, Dr. Mayweather, sent me my schedule for taking them and the specific things they were addressing.

It was really nice when I sent her an email with a couple of questions and I got an immediate response.  I’ve gotten so used to the medical care system as it exists that it was a wonderful surprise.

I’m working on my “system” of remembering to take everything at the right time.  I have one pill that I’m supposed to take on an empty stomach without food.  So I put the bottle next to my toothbrush.  I have two creams that I’m to use in the morning so they’re on the bathroom counter with my other lotions and potions.  I have a pill case at my bedside and that’s where I put the things I’m supposed to take at bedtime.  Then there’s two packets plus four other things I’m supposed to take in the morning with food so I grabbed them this morning to have with my breakfast shake.  Another two packets and one pill at lunch or dinner time.  Phew!

I went there last Monday and today is Sunday.  It’s been a kind of stressful time since I was fighting lots of congestion (which I thought was a cold but am now pretty sure was allergies…Zyrtec seems to have done the trick).  My mother turned 90 and I made a celebration weekend for her.  I brought all my (3) kids into town plus my cousin flew down from Seattle.  I split the visits into two days so my mother wouldn’t be too overwhelmed.  Unfortunately, my mother’s mental condition continues to decline and combined with her lifelong emotional and personality issues…well, it’s not pretty.  She was able to pull it together for the “parties” but there was a LOT of upset and confusion before and after.

Even so, I maintained my diet and supplements.  I have lost FIVE POUNDS since Monday.  I don’t think I’ve ever lost that much weight in a week.  Obviously, I don’t expect to keep losing at that rate but it’s nice to see the scale move down for a change.

It’s hard to know if the supplements are “working.”  I definitely feel better and I noticed, last night, that I slept better.  When you change diet and take supplements and do some exercise…hard to know what to attribute the “better” feeling to.  There may be a placebo effect for all I know…that just taking them and believing they make a difference..they make a difference.

So…we’ll see.  The journey begins.

What I Hope For From Cenegenics

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I’m looking forward to my visit to the LA Cenegenics facility on Monday.  While googling around I saw a suggestion for “cenegenics scam.”  That caught my attention!  Have I been duped?  I was (and still am) worried that I am getting value for the money I’m spending.  The article I read from that search mostly seemed to be saying that Cenegenics is providing supplements and drugs (most notably HGH) that one could get from your own physician.  However, in my experience, my physician is not terribly interested in prescribing tests to address aging issues (like reduced hormonal output) nor is he interested in things like bioidentical drugs (he has me on Premarin).  I’m going to continue to wait-and-see.  I’m pretty sure that the doctor I meet with will prescribe stuff.  After all, I am going there to get help with issues like my energy level, weight loss, etc. and I’m hoping they will have stuff to give me that will help.  I guess, ultimately, there’s only one way to find out.

This, of course, is the problematic side of the internet.  You can find all kinds of information but it’s really hard to know what’s for real, what are just people’s opinions (informed or otherwise) and what is just an expression of a person’s biases.

I’m actually hoping that blogging my experience will help others to know what I experience and whether I feel that I’ve been helped.  I remain optimistic that Cenegenics knows something since they’ve been doing this for 16 years and now have 7 centers around the country.  Seems like you’d have to get something right to be able to sustain and grow that much.  Or, maybe I’m just justifying a significant financial outlay.

I’ll be heading up to LA on Sunday to stay with my son and his girlfriend so that’ll be nice to have a little visit with them.  My appointment is at (ulp!) 7:00AM.  That is freakin’ early for me.  I called to see if they could make it later but was told that it’s a better time to travel as LA traffic gets really wacky later in the morning.  Given my experiences with LA traffic I have no trouble believing that so I kept the 7AM time.  <sigh> And I was hoping for a nice blowout (wine, martinis, food, dessert) before embarking on the New Improved Me journey.  I don’t think I’d enjoy the fitness test and such while being hungover.

In advance of my appointment maybe I should describe (for myself if no one else) what I AM hoping to get by going to Cenegenics.

  • Energy.  I definitely feel that I don’t have the degree of energy that I would like.  I pretty much always have trouble waking up and hauling myself out of bed even when I’ve had a reasonable night’s sleep.  I often start feeling really sleepy in the late afternoon although I get my second wind around 6PM.  I feel like my default state is “tired.”  If you ask me what I want to do, what typically pops into my head is lie around and watch TV.  I don’t, usually do that, but if I’m honest that’s the way I feel.  Like everything is an effort.
  • Weight loss.  I have fought the same 40 pounds or so for a long, long time.  But this past year I’ve picked up a delightful extra 10 pounds.  So, on top of feeling low-energy I’ve got too much of me to drag around.  My weight wreaks havoc with my ability to feel good about myself, my body, my sexiness.  I have tried pretty much every weight loss plan there is.  Most recently I’m doing a low-carb/paleo type thing but my results are dismal.  Very discouraging.
  • Youthful look.  I’m told I look young for my age which is awesome when it happens!  I’m blessed with some good genetics and my skin is relatively unwrinkled and unmarked by age.  (I’ve been religious about the sun and sunscreen for years.)  However, I believe that I could definitely look better.  Obviously, weight loss and more energy would help but I’ll be curious if there are other things I can do.
  • Fitness.  This has become increasingly important to me.  For years, I’ve extolled the virtues of exercise and fitness to my mother (who is turning 90 this month), harangued her about letting herself go and having no muscle tone, etc.  But when I take an honest look at my own efforts…let’s just say they’re lacking.  I’m pretty sure that an improved level of fitness and physical activity would help in lots of ways but particularly with respect to aging.  I’m not sure what they can do for me in this area other than suggest ways for me to workout.  If it were that simple it wouldn’t be a problem for me (or anyone else)…we’d all have rock hard bodies.
  • Mental alertness.  I feel I’m still pretty acute mentally.  I’m a software professional and I haven’t really noticed much change in my ability to focus or execute intellectual tasks.  I do sometimes have to strain to remember a word or an actor’s name…things that rarely happened to me earlier in life.  And it scares the crap out of me when it does happen.  My mother (again…turning 90) was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a couple of years ago.  Her mental decline is quite frightening and sad to witness.  I realize that I am not her.  I have remained mentally engaged, I’m always learning new things, etc. but if there are therapies or programs I can do to maintain or, even increase, my mental capabilities now and into the future…sign me up.

It’s an ambitious list and I know there are no magic bullets.  Whatever the doctor at Cenegenics recommends I’m sure it will require participation on my part (i.e., I can’t just take the recommended drugs and/or supplements and expect a miracle).  And that’s the rub of course.  I have embarked on “programs” before…my follow through record sucks.

If anyone reading this has had experiences they’d like to share I’d love to hear from you!

Taking on Aging

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I can’t seem to go to any site that has anything to do with health, fitness or aging without seeing an ad for Cenegenics.  Needless to say their strategy worked and I clicked on one of the ads.  Because who can resist seeing that picture of Dr. Life…I mean c’mon…a 72 year-old hot body?  Wow.

And so, my journey begins.

I clicked the ad and, feeling a little trepidation about giving my contact details, signed up to receive more information.  Within a short time I received an email from Dr. Weiss introducing himself and suggesting that we talk by phone.  I was busy and was feeling a little silly for trying yet another way to feel and look better.  The truth is that I feel somewhat obsessed with the whole aging process…and how to mitigate it. Probably my mother’s struggle with aging and, now, Alzheimer’s is a big influence. 

Part of me feels that I shouldn’t care about how I look.  I am a woman in her sixties.  I should be okay with that.  I’m told I look quite good for a woman of such advanced years which I, naturally, have a lot of trouble believing.  On top of that, I’ve gained 10-15 pounds in the last year and am the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life.  Not helping.  I was listening to a book and this phrase came up “she was an old woman of 60.”  Shit.  I do not feel like an old woman.  I’m afraid to be an old woman.  I want to accept being an old woman.  No, not just accept, I want to enjoy being an old woman!

Hence, Cenegenics.  I ignored the email.  I figured it would just be a sales pitch of some sort.  Then Dr. Weiss called me.  When I saw the number on my cell I didn’t know who it was but I was expecting a call so I answered.  Dr. Weiss was lovely.  He asked some questions about my health, fitness, etc.  Was quite nice when he tactfully explained that I would be considered “obese.”  (And if that’s not a scary, upsetting word…I don’t know what is.)  Then he explained the focus of the Cenegenics practice.  Basically, the idea is to evaluate your body chemistry (i.e., hormones, blood levels, etc.) and then help you through pharma- and nutri-ceuticals to restore your chemistry to a younger state.  By doing this, he explained, I would not only look better but actually feel better.  Since I read a lot about aging what he was saying made a lot of sense.

He explained that if I signed up for their program it would start with a very complete evaluation.  First, there would be an extensive blood panel.  Then I would go to one of their centers (they have seven) and would have a full day evaluation of fitness, body fat, etc.  Then a 2 or so hour consultation with the doctor who would likely recommend various things to get me back to where I want to be.  Once I got over the sticker shock I signed up.

Within a short time I received a couple of emails from personnel at Cenegenics and, specifically, the Los Angeles center that I would be visiting.  A few days later I was contacted to schedule someone coming to my home (or office) to draw blood for the chemistry panel.  I also received a variety of forms to fill out regarding my health, medical history and  lifestyle.

The technician arrived promptly and drew 7 vials of blood!  Apparently, they’re not kidding when they say they’re going to check everything your blood can tell them!  Then the very nice technician said, “okay…just need a urine sample.”  

“Uh oh,” I thought.  The appointment was fairly early (at least, for me) and, of course, I peed upon waking.  So I had nothin’.  He was very patient as I tried chugging down water and trying to eek out the small sample needed.  Nothing.  I asked if I could bring the sample somewhere?  He said, “I can come back and pick it up.”  Wow.  I had to go to work so I asked if I could leave it by the door (feeling kind of idiotic but when you’re dry you’re dry)?  “Sure,” he said.  Wow…again.

After more drinking and a small mishap spilling some of the “sample” as I was transferring it (per instructions) from the catcher jar into the sample vial I finally had enough to come up to the line indicated.  Phew!  I placed the vial in a plastic bag, set it out at my front door and left for work.

The appointment at the Los Angelese facility (which was scheduled during my original first call with Dr. Weiss) is next Monday.  Since I live in San Diego, I’ll drive up to LA and stay with my son on Sunday.  I am probably overly optimistic about what they’ll be able to do for me but it’ll be nice to hang out with Grant and Amy in any event.

There’s part of me that feels like I’m fighting uphill.  That I should just learn to accept the natural progression.  But what the heck!  I’m not ready to give up quite yet!

I haven’t blogged in a while and lots has happened.  I thought since I’ve started on the Cenegenics path I’d use it as a jumping off point to start blogging again with the ostensible purpose of documenting what I experience.  Along the way I hope to share more of what I’m up to, what’s going on in my life and generally enjoy capturing my thoughts and feelings.