Milepost 4 on the Road to Wellness

In November I saw my doctor I weight 367, I regained 7 lbs. I was disappointed, but I had been eating too much potato chips and other junk food. The next week I saw the dietician and lost 2 more lbs getting to 365 lbs. I worked in November and December to cut my fast and junk food consumption again. I weighed myself on December 22, 2015 and I weighed 357. I may reach my goal a month or two late. I still have been walking three days in a row and one day off. I had a few bumps in early November but I got back onto the regimen. The plan is four days in a row of walking then one day off starting in January.

I have been having abdominal pain since June. I started to worry about the abdominal pain. I thought it could be a groin pull, but the pain was too high for that. My potassium was seen as low back in August, because of my new blood pressure meds. I had increased my potassium intake in October and continued it through the present. I had some tests, because I had a hernia as an infant. Those tests showed no new issues in that field. The soreness is overworking muscles, so I need to learn when to rest.

In October and November, I really worked on eating more vegetarian and vegan dishes. My cholesterol was high. I went to two to three red meat dishes to only four meat dishes period. That does not include my two or three nights out. I had previously converted ground beef dishes to ground turkey. Otherwise I am following an Ovo-Lacto-Pesco Vegetarian diet, so that means I am following a semi-vegetarian or flexitarian diet. The term reducetarian fits more that I am working to reduce the consumption of meat. I am not being rigid, but doing my best to get healthier.

A result of the lowering of my intake of meats and starches is all of my size 56 waist pants are too loose. I seriously need a new belt. This is a good problem to have. My long term goal is 200 lbs. I may or may not get to 350 lbs by January, but the plan for 2016 is a 50 lbs goal for the whole year. I have to do this slow and steady. If I lose more next year I will be happy, but I am going to do everything in my power for 50 pounds a year. I hope to be at 300 lbs by next January.

I am working on my dental issues too. I have a broken tooth and two wisdom teeth causing issues. At the first dental appointment, my blood pressure was too high due to a migraine. I am scheduled for January 6^th for the broken tooth. It is currently broken below the gum line and there is swelling.

I have been also working to get more consistent care in counseling and mental health services. Since I started my new life I have been battling with serious bouts of depression. I have suspected for years I may have Seasonal Affective Disorder. I found a program that is more clinical, that last service provider was a University counseling center. That program I had to get renewed every 2 or 3 months. There was no guarantee I would have the same counselor, and after a year I would get a new one. This was not conducive to consistency of care.   

I am scheduled to get more tests, including calcium, kidney and liver function tests. I am doing my best to improve my health. I sometimes have to rest my regimen due to migraines, injuries, or illness. I have to just get back on the horse after these road bumps. I got to remember to keep moving and do let myself become stagnant. This is a marathon not a sprint.