I have been wanting to get this blog done for a while. I figured now is a good time as any because it is still somewhat the beginning of the year and I am wanting to stay really strong on my goals in this journey.
I began in May of last year. It actually has been trying to start for several years now but even my doctor couldn't get anything going right. See, 6 years ago I found out I have Graves' Disease. It is an autoimmune disorder where my body attacks my thyroid. They don't know why by instead of the thyroid dieing, it grows larger to protect itself. Well, that is the most dangerous part of a thyroid disorder because it causes systems in the body to speed up and that includes the heart, endocrine, metabolism, and many other things. Unfortunately my heart was starting to get affected before the metabolism so I had to start treatment. I had a painful reaction to the medication to turn around hyperthyroidism so the only other option was for my thyroid to be removed. It was done with the R-131 treatment which basically killed it off with radiation. So, now I don't have a thyroid and for 6 years now I have been working on getting the weight off me. At some times I worked harder but then I would get discouraged when there was no success. My Endocrinologist had been tweaking my Synthroid that I take for years since I have been in Monroe. He is probably the BEST in Charlotte, very sought out by people. Well, back in the spring of '09 he basically threw up his hands and said "I don't get it. I can't get your metabolism to budge and can't figure this out." So, he sent me onto Carolina's Weight Management to see if a doctor he knows of could help with his expertise.
My new doctor is Dr. Tomcho or Dr. McWoohoo because every time I go my status on Facebook is Wooohooo!!!!! When I went to him I was willing to do whatever he thought I needed to do. I told him I wanted to get it moving and whatever it took, I would do it. He told me about a diet called the VLCD. I don't want to share too many details on here because I don't want someone deciding to do it on their own and getting hurt. You have to do this diet under a doctor supervision. To sum it up, it is a Very Low Calorie Diet that consists of high protein and low carbs. Also, when I say low calorie, I mean it. Too low for the average person. I have to have a doctor visit every week where they take blood-work and check my fluids. I have to be sure I am drinking my full amount of water too. Also, once I started losing, it was easier to stay on track with exercising too. I have fallen in love with Walk At Home with Leslie Sansone, reverse stomach crunches, and stretching. My foods I can eat are white poultry and white fish and only non-starchy vegetables. I can have my protein shakes and bars or some kind of a high protein snack. I can only drink water and decaf coffee or decaf/unsweetened tea. I can only have a couple of Splendas a day so I don't even dare do the tea. I can easily do the coffee with that little.
So, in 7 months I have lost 47lbs and many inches. I have gained lots of strength too and tons of confidence. For a few months through the Fall I sorta hit a wall and things started moving really slowly. I did NOT get discouraged though. I know the margin of weight loss went down and things just happen that way. It picked up again and did very good. I spent the month of January weaning off this diet and have gone back to eating a few higher calories but I will continue keeping my carbs low and protein high. I will NEVER eat the way I use to. I am SO done with SO many things. I can have bites of things when they may be around but I will never eat full servings of anything not good for me again. I have had several times when I could eat a nice meal or great desserts and there have only been a few times where I ate the same amount as those around me. I am going to try and always eat half of everyone else. This is gonna be the best way to stay on this track. When I went for one appointment during my transition, Dr. McWoohoo cheered for me because I had lost 2 pounds in my transition time, which was rare. For the month of February I am staying at about 1300 calories but in March I am gonna get back on the lower calories but not as low as the VLCD.
So, I need all my family and friends and my dear coach to continue to root me on FOREVER. This is NOT easy and sometimes I wonder why it is so easy for others to lose when they want or even get frustrated because so many people are made differently and don't have to struggle with weight. But, I know God designed me and knows me and knew that I would be on this journey. He created me in His image and I understand that that includes so many aspects. I am a child of His and will continue to always glorify Him in whatever I do. Psalm 20:4 says
4 May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your requests. -Psalm 20:4
I am lifting my banner HIGH and letting the world know that NONE of this could have happened successfully if not for Christ, my Lord. He deserves ALL the honor and glory for this journey and weight loss. I can not say ANY of it was me. Everything I do with any success is only from my God. So, if you are interested in a journey like mine and want success, you have to understand that you can do nothing apart from God. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." -John 15:5 Let me know if you are going on a journey and I will pray with you and for you over time.
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