I have posted a couple times in the last few days, but I thought I
would post an update. Things have been really tough the last couple
weeks.

I went to work on Monday, Feb 28th, and came home sick a couple hours
later. I don't know what I had, but it hit me hard. The only food I
kept down was 2 crackers about 6 bites of noodle soup. I did drink a
lot of water. The next day, I ate a few more crackers and half a bowl
of soup. I thought sure I would lose weight, but I didn't lose a
thing. I knew I drank a lot of water, but I didn't think I had drunk
that much.

After I started eating again, I gained weight. Even now, I still feel
really tired, so I have been eating chocolate at work to help me keep
moving. Normally, I would drink no hot chocoolate or one tall mug. I
was up to 3 mugs a day plus hershey bar. It helped me feel better, but
I know that I was tired because of my breathing, not because of food.
Eating more really didn't help any, just the sugar kick. Anyway, I
gained all of my lost weight (6 lbs) back in less than 2 weeks.

I was really excited to go rollerblading again today. I knew I would
probably have to rest more since my breathing isn't quite back to
normal, but I was going to try new skates that would be faster, so it
shoudl work out okay.

Not so. I hope thewheels just need to be loosened or something. I felt
like I was skating through deep sand. I have never worked so hard and
moved so slowly. I had to stop every 20-40 feet, I was so tired. We
turned around at about 1/4 of the distance we normally go. There is a
fun hill there off the trail. About 50 feet of a lightly sloped hill
and then 50 feet of flat ground before the turnaround spot. I usually
coast to the end with no problem. Today, with the new skates, I
actually slowed down on the hill and came to a stop about 2 feet after
the hill part ended.  No gravity - no coast.

I couldn't believe it. I have never slowed down on a hill before. It's
defintely the skates. I tried spinning the wheels, and they stop
almost instantly, My nephew's skates keep spinning fast, as do my old
skates.

So, these skates have some serious built-in resistance. I definitely
got a good workout, but it sure wasn't fun. I almost took off the
skates and walked back. I probably could have gone faster, but it
would have meant walking in just my socks.

Anyway, I am going to see if I can loosen these wheels up. The skates
were brand new, no wear on the wheels. I broke them in myself. I might
also try switching out the wheels. I bought some wheels for my old
skates that didn't fit. If I can't improve them, I will sell them and
keep on looking, though I don't know how to market them honestly since
they really are slow.

I know of another pair I might buy too. They are also a tad too big,
but look like they might work well. They don't like as nice to me
style-wise (I love the look of the new ones I got), but performance is
more important.

Tomorrow, I am taking my old skates for the trail. If I can get the
new ones rolling better, I will try them in the parking lot and the
first part of the trail, but if they don't perform well, I will go
back to the car and switch them. I really wish I had taken my old
skates with me today, just as a backup.

I'm still here, sticking it out. Hopefully, some of this weight will
come off as fast as it went on. I'm hoping some of it was just water
gain. I'll know in a few days as I am back on track.

--
Meghan & the Zoo Crew  
Equine and Pet Photography
http://www.zoocrewphoto.com