Three H: Holy, Healthy, Happy

I’m feeling very discouraged this morning. I’ve been feeling down most of the week. I think it’s because my period is quite overdue because of all the carbs I’ve been eating and I think this is somehow exacerbating the PMDD. I think the PCOS and PMDD must be interconnected somehow. Someone, please do a medical research study on it and prove me right. There you go, there’s your doctoral dissertation right there. You’re welcome. I had hoped the overdue period meant I was pregnant. We would welcome another child and we want a sibling for our little jitterbug. We’re not exactly trying right now because we know my fertility depends on my weight and blood sugar, but if there’s any glimmer of hope, I light up with the idea of having another baby. I’m about 15 pounds heavier than I was when I got pregnant before, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility. (Incidentally, when I got pregnant before, I had given up chocolate for Lent and thus pretty much gave up all candy and sweets… with the...

Last January, I set out on a journey to lose weight. I called it "Project 52" and intended to say at the end of the year, "I did it my way!"  Life intervened, and it turned out that "my way" was good, but not good enough on it's own. And I gained weight. I gained back all the weight I initially lost, and then some. I eventually reached 296.6 pounds, the most I've ever weighed in my life. So I reached out for help.  I called and set up an appointment with Dr. Pate at BioSymmetry. All the weight loss success I can claim at the end of this year, is because of the BioSymmetry diet and medication plan. And most of the weight I've lost was lost using the BioSymmetry plan was lost during the first two and a half months on this plan. Since the end of October I've been creeping downward through the 250's, and zigzagging in the 250-260 range. I got slack with the diet plan. According to my home scale, I gained 2.8 pounds over the mont...

As I may have mentioned in a previous post, I rescheduled my last weigh-in because I was busy and didn't have the funds for the appointment at the end of the month. (They don't accept insurance, but I can file for a reimbursement on my own.) Rescheduling put me going without some of my medications for a few days. I get the Synthroid at my preferred pharmacy since insurance will reduce my copay, and I was able to get an "emergency" supply from them to cover me for 3 days until I had my appointment. No lapse on the thyroid med. The Phentermine, however, was a different story. I get it directly from Dr. Pate's office and my pharmacy couldn't provide any since there was no script on file. That was the one I was worried about going without because I believe it has made the most difference. I noticed pretty quickly after taking the Phentermine the first time that it did indeed reduce my cravings and thoughts about food. I'm no longer preoccupied by food al...

Getting tired of having to pull my pants up after walking just a few steps, I decided to go buy some jeans at  JCPenney today. I knew the size 24's must be too big since that's what I was wearing,  so I grabbed some 22's, some size 20's because I felt optimistic, and then a size 18 because they were there, they were cute, and what the heck. The 22's were definitely too loose, which was only a mild surprise because, after all, I was feeling optimistic.  I was a bit surprised, however, when the 20s were too loose also. I ended up bringing home two size 18 "slim fit" jeans and one size 20 "boyfriend" jeans because they were just comfy. These should get  me through for a few more pounds. Now I'd like to try to find a way to give away my bigger clothes without offending the person receiving them...

I'm still moving right along in terms of my weight loss. My progress isn't as fast and dramatic as it was in the beginning, but I can't argue with a continual downward trend.  September 2015: 11.4lb loss (30.4 lb total loss) October 2015: 8.6 lb loss (41.0 lb total loss) Some things I've noticed: The upward ticks on the graph tend to occur after I've indulged in carbohydrates. It's not shown here, but on November 1st I weighed almost four pounds more than I did the morning of Halloween. We had a little Halloween party and some of our daughter's friends came over to trick or treat together. I wasn't a glutton. I ate what I wanted, but the portions were not ridiculous. But I ate plenty of carbs. A couple slices of pizza, a few chips, miniature cupcakes, candy corn... but I daresay the biggest blow was done by the kick-ass apple cider I made in the crock pot. Liquid sugar, right there. And it was delicious. I had a couple of cups. Then I re...

Starting weight: 296.6 pounds Weight lost in August 2015: 19 pounds Weight lost in September 2015: 11.8 pounds; 30.8 total  August 3: You can tell I was doing well just to get up that first morning and take a photo... August 17: After two weeks, I'm holding my head just a bit higher. I'm feeling much better overall and it's easier to get around. I no longer have the constant stiffness in my muscles and joints. I finally had a period... it had been MIA since May. September 2: By September I was feeling good enough that I bought that new shirt you see me wearing in this photo. While 19 pounds is significant weight loss, those who do not know me well will not readily see the loss. I'm tall and lost the weight all over my body- but I can tell my waist is smaller, and thighs are smaller. My neck is the easiest place to see that the weight has come off. This is the day I had my weight checked at the doctor's office. According to their sc...