State of My Body.

65MD and I got back to really paying attention to our food and activity (notice I did not say diet & exercise!) on Saturday.  The last of our family left and we didn't want to wait until today to start, like there is some sort of magic in Monday.  For me it would have been an excuse to get rid of all of the holiday leftovers by eating them over the weekend!  This year was a little different, there are hardly any left since I didn't binge bake.  It isn't too much to freeze for a later need, like a birthday party or throw away.

This year, I have decided to focus on the larger picture of my body and how it feels rather than sticking to a plan no matter what.  I've been too focused on the details and working whatever plan 100% 'right' and getting frustrated when the results were not what I expected.

Lyn, over at Escape from Obesity, could sometimes be writing some of her posts for me.  She posted a "State of the Body" blog the other day to kick start her journey this year.  I am totally ripping off her idea.  I want to have this post as a baseline to measure my progress.  So, with apologies to Lyn for butchering her wonderful idea, here is my State of the Body.

Weight on January 3:  220.2.  I have measured the standard areas on my body as well.  I intend to weigh daily and measure the three waist measures weekly.  Currently, they are 42", 51" and 51".  I'll continue to report that progress here each Wednesday.  I also want to point out here that I am counting weight loss from my initial start, which was 254.4.  It is too hard to keep up with restarts here and there.  So when I report weight lost on Wednesday, no one needs to freak out that I'm losing too fast!

Clothes:  It is hard to say what size clothes I wear, since I haven't been shopping for clothes in a long time.  I've ranted before about how clothes sizes have changed through the years, so I can't even tell by looking in my clothes.  I'm going to say XL though.  I have plenty of clothes that I can wear right now thanks to a dear friend that gave me a lot of her mother's clothes when she passed.  The lady was amazingly stylish for a 90 year old!  Plus, they are baggy at the hips & upper thigh where I still don't want anything touching!

Appearance:  Too big.  I noticed in our Christmas pictures this year, that I just look big all over.  My belly is big, my hips are big, heck even my face is big.

Health:  I believe my overall health is good.  BP is in the normal range, along with all the other typical measures my doctor takes.  Although, I am not convinced that my thyroid functions properly.  It tests within the normal range, but at the lowest point and still be 'normal' and once it ticked down below normal.  My doctor thought that was an anomaly.  My biggest issue is recovering from surgery still.  I'm told it can take as long as 6 months to feel fully functional again.  I'm just three months post-op.

Exercise:  My exercise between now and January 28 will be therapy.  I see my surgeon again that date.  I'll know better what changes, if any, I can make.  Currently, I cannot bend my right hip joint past 90 degrees, (so I can't sit in a chair & lean forward, tie my shoes, pick up things from the floor or low shelves, etc.) I cannot cross the mid-line of my body with my right leg.  And I cannot turn my right to inward.  The last two don't impact my daily life so much but are sometimes hindrances in exercise plans.  My therapist said I could never do yoga again.  Until then, I'll give therapy my best effort every day.

Eating:  I'm doing the hcg.  After much soul searching and discussion with 65MD we agreed for me to use the remaining serum I had on hand.  I'm guessing about 4 weeks.  During that time, I am going to reread Trim Healthy Mama and once the serum is gone we'll do that plan together.

General Well Being:  I have no stamina.  I've been told that this is associated with surgery as well and will return in time.  General household chores must be broken down in to stages.  For example, I'll empty the dishwasher and have to go sit down before filling it again.  That is a step up from having to empty it in stages.  I begin to feel a tweak in my hip when I stand or walk for too long.  It is frustrating.  While I can blame my hip and no one would question me, I feel very strongly, that if I weighed less it wouldn't be so hard.  I could stand longer because my hip wouldn't be bearing so much weight.  (This was probably the tipping point pushing me to hcg,  Getting under 200 lbs, in my mind will alleviate much of the trouble.  IDK, it is my instinct telling me that.) 

I am not sleeping well.  This is a new one for me.  I'm not sure why.  In the past, I've always been an early to bed and quickly drop off to sleep person.  Now, I go to bed and toss and turn for ages before dropping off, only to waken again in a couple of hours.  I'll be awake for long stretches before dropping back off.  It isn't worry keeping my mind occupied.  It is my body.  Before surgery, I thought that the pain was waking me up.  Even after surgery, stiffness has bothered my rest.  This seems to be something beyond that.  Even melatonin has not given me the results I had hoped for.  Losing weight may not be the answer, for this particular issue, but it won't hurt it either. It is something I plan to discuss with the doctor.

I think that is it for my State of the Body.  I'm not sure when I'll do this again,  Maybe a month, maybe more.  I'll know when it is time, and I'll have this for comparison when I do.