Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
Most people spend the summer trying to lose a few pounds. I spend it trying not to. lose weight. I have a kidney disease, and maintaining weight in kidney disease is hard.
Every year, as the weather warms up, I find myself facing the same challenge: keeping my weight where it belongs. It sounds almost unfair to complain about losing weight, but everybody has their own peculiar set of problems, and this one happens to be mine.
Part of the reason is simple.
I have maintained relatively high muscle mass for my age by exercising consistently for many years. After my stroke, I became even more committed to staying active. At first glance, that sounds like a wonderful success story.
The catch is that muscle is expensive.
Not financially, thankfully, but metabolically. Muscle requires energy every hour of every day, whether I’m running, mowing the lawn, or quietly reading a book. It is like employing a team of energetic workers who insist on being paid three meals a day.
Summer only makes the challenge greater.
Our backyard includes a steep lawn that requires several hours of mowing. Altogether, it usually takes about five hours of work, although I wisely divide it over two days. Add regular strength training and my running schedule, and my body becomes a remarkably efficient calorie-burning machine.
Unfortunately, increasing my food intake is not as straightforward as it sounds.
Because of my kidney condition, I cannot simply eat whatever I want. My diet requires careful moderation. I have to limit protein, avoid eating excessive amounts of potassium-rich foods, and keep phosphate intake under control as well, rather than eliminating everything; we aim to maintain a balanced diet so that no single nutrient becomes excessive.
Even with careful planning, maintaining my weight remains surprisingly difficult.
This morning offered another small reminder of how unpredictable life can be.
I woke up earlier than usual, only to discover it was raining. Rather than racing the weather, I decided the bed was temporarily winning the negotiation and stayed there until my alarm sounded.
By then, almost miraculously, the rain had stopped.
I hurried outside for my run, hoping to finish before the next shower arrived. Fortunately, I accomplished both goals. I hit my target pace and avoided the rain.
Technically.
The humidity, however, had other ideas.
By the time I returned home, I was completely soaked anyway. Apparently, Nashville’s weather makes umbrellas seem merely decorative.
After peeling off my thoroughly saturated running clothes, I stepped onto the scale.
To my relief, I had gained just over two pounds.
I am still below my preferred weight range, but at least I am moving in the right direction. Considering how much energy disappears into running, yard work, and everyday exercise, I have learned to celebrate small victories wherever I can find them.
Sometimes that victory is a faster run.
Sometimes it finishes before the rain arrives.
And sometimes, rather surprisingly, it is simply watching the number on the scale move upward.