On my way
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GoddessG
Posts: 175 Member
I have to confess that I have not always been obese or even prone to obesity. That began about 15 years ago and got way out of control. (many factors). The shame of my size keeps me hiding in my house, too ashamed even to go grocery shopping.
In mid-November, I lost my refill for my blood pressure medicine. There were no refills left, which meant that I would have to see the doctor. I went, only because I had to. My old doctor had left the practice, so my appointment was with a new doctor. She was young and asked questions in a non-threatening way. I felt myself relaxing. I knew that I could talk to her. (I have a fear of doctors but it went away in her presence. She was so non-judgmental!)
Out of the blue, I told her that I was tired of being fat. I was tired of living in shame and hiding from the world. I said that I've been told that all of the good medicines are now illegal and without help, I know that I can't do it. She told me about a new drug called phentermine. she gave me a Rx for 15mg and told me that I could only be on it for 12 weeks (by law). She told me that exercise was required for it to work.
This was an amazing drug. The fist afternoon, I was having a cup of coffee and being amazed at how wonderful I felt. Only then did I realize that it was the drug. I felt 20 years younger and I felt a lot lighter. The effect lasted for about 3 days until I got used to it.
I didn't totally dedicate myself to the diet (of my choice - not hers) or exercise, so in 2 weeks, I had only lost one pound and I had a follow-up visit in little more than two weeks, where, if I was using the Phentermine properly, she would prescribe another month's supply.
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, I truly dedicated myself to the process. I started a detailed food/exercise log. I bought a heart-rate monitor so that I could find activities that burn the most calories. I learned that the exercise that I had been doing was mostly wasted effort. I burned far more calories vacuuming or mowing than I did doing the limited aerobics that I could do given my size. I wore that thing for three days while I paid attention to my heart rate - which is directly related to calorie burn. I discovered that those high-burn tasks are far more fun than boring aerobics.
My efforts paid off. In the next 3 weeks and 2 days, I lost 16 lbs. Even I was surprised when I stepped on the Dr's cscale. I told her that the pill wasn't working as well, so she doubled my dose. I lost another 5 lbs the next week. Then the dreaded plateau hit.
It was like my scale was stuck on the point 5 mark. At day 2, I was surprised, but not worried. At day 3, a gnawing fear started. I was used to losing more than a half-pound a day, and I didn't like this. At day 5, depression set in. At day 7, I knew that I was nearing my limit of enurance.
I reviewed my diet logs and found nothing wrong. I reviewed all the rules for an ultra-low-carb diet. I realized that because I wasn't hungry any more, I wasn't drinking NEARLY as much water as is required for such a diet. I upped my water a LOT - and started recording the ounces in my diet journal. On the third day of drinking more than I felt comfortable drinking (weight divided by 2 times .37 = minimum amount required.), I woke up to a 1.3 lb loss. This morning, another .9 lbs (even after a New Year Eve party). The water requirements no longer leave me feeling strange. My skin is starting to feel better.
So today is New Year's day, and I feel like I am starting the new year with a head start. Not only that, but I am now under 100 lbs to go (97.3 actually). I'm not "morbidly" obese any more. Just obese. That's a great way for me to start this year.
I know that there are more plateaus to go, but I hope that "MyFitnessPal.com" will help me survive them by knowing that I am not alone in this journey.
These last 23 pounds have been better for me than I could have imagined. Now, when I look at my diet log, I no longer see the immense obstacle that blinded me to the possibilities. Now I see that with self-discipline, I can do anything that I want to do. It's a matter of choice and being kind to myself.
so that's me. Hope this isn't TMI (too much information). I look forward to sharing both your and my journey as we become who we really want to be.
In mid-November, I lost my refill for my blood pressure medicine. There were no refills left, which meant that I would have to see the doctor. I went, only because I had to. My old doctor had left the practice, so my appointment was with a new doctor. She was young and asked questions in a non-threatening way. I felt myself relaxing. I knew that I could talk to her. (I have a fear of doctors but it went away in her presence. She was so non-judgmental!)
Out of the blue, I told her that I was tired of being fat. I was tired of living in shame and hiding from the world. I said that I've been told that all of the good medicines are now illegal and without help, I know that I can't do it. She told me about a new drug called phentermine. she gave me a Rx for 15mg and told me that I could only be on it for 12 weeks (by law). She told me that exercise was required for it to work.
This was an amazing drug. The fist afternoon, I was having a cup of coffee and being amazed at how wonderful I felt. Only then did I realize that it was the drug. I felt 20 years younger and I felt a lot lighter. The effect lasted for about 3 days until I got used to it.
I didn't totally dedicate myself to the diet (of my choice - not hers) or exercise, so in 2 weeks, I had only lost one pound and I had a follow-up visit in little more than two weeks, where, if I was using the Phentermine properly, she would prescribe another month's supply.
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, I truly dedicated myself to the process. I started a detailed food/exercise log. I bought a heart-rate monitor so that I could find activities that burn the most calories. I learned that the exercise that I had been doing was mostly wasted effort. I burned far more calories vacuuming or mowing than I did doing the limited aerobics that I could do given my size. I wore that thing for three days while I paid attention to my heart rate - which is directly related to calorie burn. I discovered that those high-burn tasks are far more fun than boring aerobics.
My efforts paid off. In the next 3 weeks and 2 days, I lost 16 lbs. Even I was surprised when I stepped on the Dr's cscale. I told her that the pill wasn't working as well, so she doubled my dose. I lost another 5 lbs the next week. Then the dreaded plateau hit.
It was like my scale was stuck on the point 5 mark. At day 2, I was surprised, but not worried. At day 3, a gnawing fear started. I was used to losing more than a half-pound a day, and I didn't like this. At day 5, depression set in. At day 7, I knew that I was nearing my limit of enurance.
I reviewed my diet logs and found nothing wrong. I reviewed all the rules for an ultra-low-carb diet. I realized that because I wasn't hungry any more, I wasn't drinking NEARLY as much water as is required for such a diet. I upped my water a LOT - and started recording the ounces in my diet journal. On the third day of drinking more than I felt comfortable drinking (weight divided by 2 times .37 = minimum amount required.), I woke up to a 1.3 lb loss. This morning, another .9 lbs (even after a New Year Eve party). The water requirements no longer leave me feeling strange. My skin is starting to feel better.
So today is New Year's day, and I feel like I am starting the new year with a head start. Not only that, but I am now under 100 lbs to go (97.3 actually). I'm not "morbidly" obese any more. Just obese. That's a great way for me to start this year.
I know that there are more plateaus to go, but I hope that "MyFitnessPal.com" will help me survive them by knowing that I am not alone in this journey.
These last 23 pounds have been better for me than I could have imagined. Now, when I look at my diet log, I no longer see the immense obstacle that blinded me to the possibilities. Now I see that with self-discipline, I can do anything that I want to do. It's a matter of choice and being kind to myself.
so that's me. Hope this isn't TMI (too much information). I look forward to sharing both your and my journey as we become who we really want to be.
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