Another Piece To The Puzzle

One little flower left this fall.

 Yes - It's Tuesday, which means its group weigh in day.   Course yesterday, I also had my Phase 2 provider appointment.  Personally, I felt like the provider visit was a little too soon.  Its only week 3 of the group meetings, and I would have preferred something more half-way through the program.   My little angel, little devil and I will later realize that it was a great thing for this to be earlier during the 12 weeks, than it was during Phase 1. 

 



Bailey catching up with me!

Before I get into the visits, I want to tell you about what a great weekend I had.   Saturday, Bailey and I made it out to the Kankakee River State Park again.  We missed the fall colors, but the weather was just prefect for both of us.   Now, because I was in such better shape, my little angel's natural girl side was doing her own happy dance when my little devil encouraged me over come some of my fears and climb up and down paths to get closer to the water.   When Bailey and I were there last time, I was still very hesitant to go on any of them.   Before, my knee was still a little painful going up and downstairs, and not having anyone with to "rescue me", I stayed away from the steeper paths.  But not this time!  I was climbing over and under fallen trees, along with up and down some steeper paths that were slick from the recent rain.  And I loved every minute of it!!! 

Sunday was a great day too!  Not only was the weather even more beautiful, but I got to spend some quality time with my great friend, Kerrie, power walking around Centennial Park in Orland.  We finished in just under an hour.  And since Kerrie is such better shape then me, I was naturally pushing myself to stay at her same pace.   Only once did I need to slow down.  Plus usually when I'm walking, its been on a pretty flat path.  So it was great that  her route pushed me to go on some hills and a set of stairs.  I was a little winded going back up the stairs, but not enough to quit.   I also noticed I could talk and keep up again.  In the past I talking slowed me down so much, I didn't want to talk at all.   Being able to talk and keep up was another little happy moment for my little angel and I.   Plus, it was so great just being able to have a great friend to catch up with.

I also told Kerrie how I really want to be able to run a 5K one day.  She told me about this great training app.   C25K -  Couch to 5K.   It gives you tips to go at your own pace, but you technically can go from doing nothing, (aka sitting on the couch) to running a 5K in at little as 8 weeks!!!  I have downloaded the app and tried it Monday.   If anyone is considering training to run I highly recommend it. Just make sure you get the one marked as "free".  

OK, OK...on to my measurement updates.  As with all visits with the health coach, nurse and provider appointments, it started out with a weigh in and measurements.  I did shed a little more weight from the week before, but my little angel has decided to just give you the total update later, as I had another weigh in today as part of the group.   My measurements, which was not too surprising, showed I lost more inches in both my waist and hips, which also helped show improvement in my BMI score again.  

I've decided to consider my measurements from mid-September as my starting date for Phase 2.   Last time, I didn't show much of a loss in my waist.  In fact, I didn't show any loss during the first measurement of Phase 1, and it took until the end of Phase 1 to show a 1 inch loss.   I wasn't too discouraged as my waist has always been unproportionately smaller.  Course, now that people, who I haven't seen since I started, mention how they can see a difference, my little angel and I are always hoping for good numbers.  Especially since I know I've really increased my exercise this last month.   My little angel and I held our breath as Melissa wrapped the tape measure around my waist.   She always does the measurement in centimeters, so I have to wait till I get back to my desk to translate.  But I knew the number went down, and more than I expected.  When I used my converter, I did a little happy dance.   I lost 1.25 inches in only 4 weeks.   More than it took me to shed in the entire 12 weeks prior! 

Next were my hip measurements.   Here I was hoping for a good number, especially since my little angel knew it my hips were the main factor determining what size jeans I can wear.   Although I was finally wearing "The Jeans" and other dress slacks in the same size, there were still others I wasn't quite yet ready to wear.   Once again, I was happily surprised when I did the calculations to see that in 4 weeks, I lost a little bit more than 1.5 inches in my hips too!  

Because of the similar loss in both my waist and hips, my waist/hip ratio stayed the same, which is still in the healthy range.

My BMI dropped 1 full point again.  Bringing it to being a totally of being down 12.5 points from July!!!!

After Melissa took my measurements, it was time to wait for the doctor.  But it ended up being the physician's assistant.   This time, we talked a lot more about my family history.  Which brought up the discussion of my cholesterol level (LDL) again.

If you remember, although it was on the high end of normal, both my doctor and nurse were a little concerned for my age.   However, after dropping about 20 points and I'm still losing weight, my doctor was not worried about my cholesterol and was OK with just waiting for my next blood work results at the end of Phase 2.  However, it was still a concern for my physician's assistant, especially after learning there is some family history of heart problems on my mom's side.   So she really wanted me to start taking medication to help lower my cholesterol at a faster rate.   Before I could go the medication, I would need to do another blood test to make sure I didn't have any liver issues. 

Needless to say, I was not thrilled and really wanted to wait until the end of this phase as my doctor originally planned.  But the blood test was free, and so would the medication, so I agreed to having the blood test done.  As my mom and I discussed later, I could always go back to the doctor and see what her thoughts were before going on the medication.

This bring us all to today. 

My weigh in and group meeting was first.   I think I mentioned before that  I've decided to start the count over from the beginning of each Phase.   Between last week and today, I shed a total of 3.2 pounds!  A great relief for my little angel and I, as I was a little discouraged last week after not showing a loss because I had to weigh in later in the day. Now, being back on track,  since the beginning of Phase 2, I've shed a total of another 6.8lbs!!!

Shortly after the meeting, I received the news about my new blood work.   Good news, the test for liver showed up normal.  Again, I was happy, because having had my gall bladder removed years ago, I know my liver has to work extra.  Even though I felt fine, I wasn't  going to be 100% sure until the test results confirmed it.  So this was great news for my little angel and I.  But that wasn't all my test results showed.

Apparently, I have an underactive thyroid, known as Hypothyroidism, and need to start taking a thyroid treatment medication.   For some people, being diagnosed with a condition is a bad or scary thing.  While I am a little concerned, a sense of relief came over me.  It seemed like another piece to the puzzle for why I struggle with losing weight, not to mention lifting the curtain to help explain some other issues I thought were just a normal part of not being in my 20's any more. 

For those who aren't famillar with a hypothyroid, basically its a condition where your body doesn't produce enough of important horomones.  This leads to upsetting the normal balance of chemical reactions in your body.  All of this can lead to weight gain and high cholestrol, but also fatigue, dry skin, muscle aches/stiffness, swelling in joints, heavier periods, depression, senstivity to cold, trouble concentrating/ focusing, and a few other things. 

Having experienced many of these since I turned 40, I had assumed it was all apart of aging and no real cure.   So having this diagnosis, I am so looking forward to having is treated.  The thought of getting rid some, if not all, of these symptoms, plus gaining energy again and helping me further my weight loss goals, while lowering my cholestrol, I'm very pleased and encouraged more so than before. 



Bailey keeping an eye on me as I climbed back up.



So my advice to all of you, is what I've been saying all along.  If you attempting to lose more then just a few pounds, or want to lose weight for more than a week or two, PLEASE GO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR!   Don't be like me and assume things are all a part of getting older.  Let your doctor know.  I'm not saying you will have the same thing as me, but let your doctor help you rule out any other underlying issues that could be preventing you or be making it harder for you to reach your goal.  For me, it was like finding that piece I didn't even know was missing yet.  But so happy I found it and am one step closer to seeing what the finished puzzle will finally look like. 



Thanks again for reading and all your support.  I know I say this every time, but I really do appreciate all of you!!!