I had a check-up with my primary care physician this morning. She's a good doctor--she's always very reassuring and thorough with putting my concerns to rest. This particular visit was just to get some blood drawn and make sure my thyroid levels are going steady with the same dosage of thyroid medication I've been on for the last 7 years (it never changed throughout pregnancy or even before/after my surgery). A few good things:
1. Checked my weight. I rely on the scale at this particular doctor's office and hold it to be the best gauge of how much weight I've lost, purely because it is on this scale that I received my highest weight ever--437 pounds (that was in October 2010). This morning's weight? 203.6. That's a good feeling.
2. Blood pressure. The last time I had my BP checked with this doctor was last June, and the results were far from pleasant. I had been hoping and praying that things would be closer to normal today, especially since I haven't taken BP meds for months and have felt fine, even with the training I've been doing for the 5K. I was very, VERY surprised to see the final reading: 123/64. That's almost a perfect reading. Oh, how sweet it is.
3. Got my blood drawn. Piece of cake. Stuck me once, just a little slight bruise--the whole process was like 30 seconds. So amazing.
Anyway, that's it. I should have the results of my blood test by Friday, but the doctor went ahead and wrote me a prescription for my normal amount and we'll change it if needed. SO glad! This whole blog has been all about my pursuit of health, and I am humbled that I have reached such a healthy state so quickly. Thanks be to all of you for your support and thanks be to my Father in Heaven for blessing me so much.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
I did it!!!!!
Just 15 short months ago, I never would have thought that I could run a race. I mean, I'd done a 5K once before in my life, but that was a long time ago and I didn't think that I, who got winded walking the 7 stairs from my front door to the hallway of our duplex, could ever, EVER do that again.
Yesterday, I proved myself wrong.
It was cold. It was windy. The hills were killer. The last water station ran out of cups before I got there. I had to stop and walk a lot more often than I wanted to. I got really dizzy and almost passed out while waiting in line afterwards for some post-race goodies (granola bars, bananas--you know, healthy stuff). But the important thing is: I DID IT. And it actually felt good to do it.
My time was 39:19. It was a little longer than I had wanted to, but I beat my original goal of under 40 minutes, so I'm happy about that. I actually learned later that this particular course was just slightly longer than an actual 5K (by a 10th of a mile or something like that), so maybe I did beat my time from 2005, I'm not sure. I may do another one later this summer, and I can make another goal for that race to beat my time from this one. Yes? =)
Up until now, I've only posted pictures of myself on this blog, but I need to make sure I recognize those in my life who have pushed me to reach this accomplishment. Plus, this blog is becoming more of a journal for me, a chance for me to look back and see how far I've come. So, here are some pictures!
Here is everyone crowded at the start of the race:
My adorable son, waiting to cheer me on from the bleachers with his daddy:
Coming up on the last leg of the race (that's me in green--hey, it was St. Patrick's Day!):
Gotta speed it up for the last lap!
Almost...there....
I can see the finish line! Just around the bend!
Me crossing the finish line! And while the time says 39:54, that's from when the cannon went off...my actual time of 39:19 was measured by the electronic chip thingy on my shoe, which didn't start until I actually crossed the starting line, since there were mobs of people there:
I did it!!!!
This is everyone that did the race with me. My sisters B & K, K's daughter M (who rode in the stroller, of course), K's husband R, and myself.
My family and my reason for living. I'm so glad to know that, because of the changes I have made over the past year plus, I should be around a lot longer to enjoy these two wonderful men in my life. Love you both so much.
And thanks to you all out there for your support! I couldn't have done it without you!!!!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
It's Coming!!!
So, it's two days away...the 5K is this Saturday. I picked up my T-shirt, bib, and electronic chip thingy to put in my shoe to keep track of my time. Am I excited? Strangely, yes! Am I nervous? Oh, yeah. Especially since it's apparently supposed to rain. I didn't think about the elements affecting me reaching my goal. I'm sure I'll finish, and I'm not too worried about the length, but it's going to be hard. The first leg of it is a pretty steep hill, which I've been trying in vain to train for with some incline on the treadmill...but I'm sure it'll still kick my trash. As long as I do my best, that's all that can be expected, right? I'll post an update after the race, for sure!
In other news: looks like the weight loss plateau might be broken. Weighed in at 207 today! I don't know how that happened. I mean, I'm sure the scale at the gym isn't the most reliable thing, but still. It's weird to think that I'm only seven pounds away from "onederland"...pinch me, I must be dreaming!
I found an app for my phone that has really come in handy with my eating. It's from myfitnesspal.com, and it's really cool! You put in your height, weight, activity level, how much weight you want to lose and how quickly (1 pound a week, etc--be realistic!), and other information, and then it will tell you how many calories you should eat per day to reach that goal. Then, you can log every single thing you eat--like a food diary, but cooler because it already has a database of almost every food you can imagine, complete with the caloric total, fat content, protein, etc. You can even put in your exercise, and the app adds those calories that you burned to your total calories for the day, so you can eat more (if you want). Seriously, try it out!
It's actually really brought my attention to a few things I've been meaning to address. I wouldn't be completely honest here if I didn't admit to eating things that are FAR from appropriate for a post-bariatric surgery patient. I've been eating ice cream, chips, Cheetos, donuts, pop tarts...I mean, that's not ALL I eat, but I've been letting myself indulge a lot more than I really should. Granted, I can't gorge myself on these things, but having two pop tarts for breakfast is not nearly as good as some Greek yogurt and a banana, you know? So keeping track of these things on My Fitness Pal has helped me see that, while I'm not really having a problem staying under my caloric goal, the fat and/or sugar content of what I've been eating could--and should!--be better. Of course, I have good days and bad days, as do we all. But it's helping me resolve to be better.
Oh, and I put on some pants for work yesterday morning, pants that I bought in October and already had my mom take in on the sides over Christmas break, and...yeah, they're totally too big. The crotch was hanging down about mid-thigh. I think my weight has been redistributing itself, even though my weight hasn't changed a ton over the past couple months. I'll take it :)
In other news: looks like the weight loss plateau might be broken. Weighed in at 207 today! I don't know how that happened. I mean, I'm sure the scale at the gym isn't the most reliable thing, but still. It's weird to think that I'm only seven pounds away from "onederland"...pinch me, I must be dreaming!
I found an app for my phone that has really come in handy with my eating. It's from myfitnesspal.com, and it's really cool! You put in your height, weight, activity level, how much weight you want to lose and how quickly (1 pound a week, etc--be realistic!), and other information, and then it will tell you how many calories you should eat per day to reach that goal. Then, you can log every single thing you eat--like a food diary, but cooler because it already has a database of almost every food you can imagine, complete with the caloric total, fat content, protein, etc. You can even put in your exercise, and the app adds those calories that you burned to your total calories for the day, so you can eat more (if you want). Seriously, try it out!
It's actually really brought my attention to a few things I've been meaning to address. I wouldn't be completely honest here if I didn't admit to eating things that are FAR from appropriate for a post-bariatric surgery patient. I've been eating ice cream, chips, Cheetos, donuts, pop tarts...I mean, that's not ALL I eat, but I've been letting myself indulge a lot more than I really should. Granted, I can't gorge myself on these things, but having two pop tarts for breakfast is not nearly as good as some Greek yogurt and a banana, you know? So keeping track of these things on My Fitness Pal has helped me see that, while I'm not really having a problem staying under my caloric goal, the fat and/or sugar content of what I've been eating could--and should!--be better. Of course, I have good days and bad days, as do we all. But it's helping me resolve to be better.
Oh, and I put on some pants for work yesterday morning, pants that I bought in October and already had my mom take in on the sides over Christmas break, and...yeah, they're totally too big. The crotch was hanging down about mid-thigh. I think my weight has been redistributing itself, even though my weight hasn't changed a ton over the past couple months. I'll take it :)
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