The Past Seven Months

I haven’t written anything in the past severn months. Why is that?

Mostly because, well, I’ve just been living my life. My new eating habits are “for the rest of my life” so I’ve been figuring it out. I have my routines and mostly stick to them.

I continue to walk the dog at least once a day, and on the weekends I walk up to 3 miles. At the Gay Pride parade I marched with different contingents and walked over 5 miles. I can do this! I still have back back pain because my back is really screwed up, but I can deal with it day to day. Some days it’s worse, some days better.

I still do yoga. I have lessons weekly and try to do my practice at least a few times a week. It really helps. I had a whole course of physical therapy for my back, and that helped too. Mostly I learned some good mobility, strengthening, and stretching, and it nicely complements the yoga.

I went bowling a couple of days ago. All good.

I walk around our property, do physical things around the house, and all is well.

I’ve done 2 plane trips and 1 driving trip and did really well. Didn’t even board with the disabled people, and I’ve stopped parking in disabled spaces.

So what do I eat? I generally eat some protein and fruit and decaf coffee (with half and half) at breakfast, a salad with protein for lunch, a snack of crunch protein things like nuts or parmesan crisps, and dinner of protein, veggies, and sometimes a small amount of carbs. I snack at night, which continues to be a problem, but I try to keep it “clean” – sugar free candies or other treats or some more protein. I average about 1400 calories a day, under 75g net carbs, about 100g of protein. I drink about 100 oz of water a day. It’s all a good routine. When we travel it’s worse because there are other treats available, but we bring foos so as not to snack on the plane or at airports, and get groceries delivered to hotels so we eat our normal food and not more junk or restaurant food. I let myself indulge a bit, and have been as high as 1900 calories and up to 100g of net carbs. I still track what I eat most days because it keeps me accountable. I skip days that are particularly stressful or busy, but I try not to skip more than one day a week.

My weight was 207 when I had my original plastic surgery. I got down as low as 192, and then hung around 196 for a while. I’m hanging around 200 now. I’m OK with the weight, but my shape is weird. I’m having a “revision” plastic surgery on September 17 to deal with some of the upper belly fat. I’m doing that because I look funny in clothes, narrow at the hips, small breasts, and a round midsection. I can’t get clothes to fit right either. My hips are a size 7 and my belly is a size 18.

My A1C has been steady around 6.3 which is great for a diabetic. I’d like it lower, but my body will do what it will do. All other blood work is great. The only meds I’m on are Candesartan for its kidney protectant properties and to keep my blood pressure in check, and a low dose of Lipitor to keep my good cholesterol high enough.

Great outcome – all a rousing success in terms of my original intention for having the surgery.

My Miracle

I can now walk 1.25 miles with relative ease, with only mild back pain. A year ago I couldn’t walk across my house without pain.

I can now stand and cook and do dishes for short periods of time. A year ago I had to sit after just a couple of minutes.

I now have an occasional day where I get out of bed with only mild pain. A year ago it was a mental struggle to get out of bed because I knew I would be in a lot of pain as soon as I stood up.

I have an upcoming trip to Atlanta and NY, and am musing over whether or not I could do it without my scooter. Not sure I can do it, but if I can, it would be the first time in 6 years.

I still have a long way to go, but it feels like a miracle.

The Joy of Walking

I used to walk a LOT. Like every day I would get up at 6 and take a 2-3 mile walk around my neighborhood. While I was off work 11 years ago I would drive to a local trail and walk 3-4 miles. I love being outdoors, and love walking. I walked 4-6 times a week, even in the rain with a big rain poncho on.

When I injured my back in 2014 I had to stop those walks. Actually most walks. I started going to the gym to get exercise, but nothing feels like walking outdoors. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until this year, when I started walking again. In January I posted about walking half a mile, and it was an amazing victory for me. When I decided I wanted a dog I pushed myself to be able to walk to the park and back, about half a mile, and now I have my precious Esther and I do that most days. Rio and I walk together when we can – what a joy to share the outdoor while we walk and chat and train Esther together.

Yesterday our shared walk was 0.9 miles. When I woke up this morning I felt good, and decided that instead of my quick walk with Esther to the park, I would plan a longer walk in the neighborhood. Here’s what I did:

This is the longest walk I’ve done in 8 years. And I feel great!