So this week has been a lot of milestones for me. First and most importantly, I'm now back to the weight I was back in 2020 just before the pandemic hit, and then I was having far too many mental health issues to continue my weight loss journey. It felt so terrible to have not only reversed all the efforts I put in, but to see my health deteriorate to the point where I was diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure and high cholesterol, but unfortunately I wasn't able to do anything about it at the time except survive.
Being back here, while I still have a long way to go, feels like closing that chapter of my life. Yes, it was horrible, but I made it through, and I'm going to pick myself up and keep going. I don't have the luxury of time anymore; if I don't keep up on my health, I'm going to lose years of my life. I don't love exercising, but I want more years on this earth, and that's a good tradeoff. Back in 2020 when I was at this weight, Fitbit labelled my cardiac health as poor. Since I've been exercising the last five months, I've managed to get my cardiac health all the way up to average, and that's huge! Same weight (not sure about clothing size, but I think I'm at least a size smaller than I was then), but all my health numbers have improved.
Also, this is my Ozempic six month weigh-in. Am I disappointed to see a gain? Of course, who wouldn't be? I'm still in a calorie deficit, still working out 5-6 days a week with both cardio and strength training. It has been a stressful week though and I haven't slept well, so I know that can contribute. Additionally, look at my last few weeks. It's perfectly normal for my body to need to adjust to all the weight I've been losing. 45lbs in 6 months is amazing! That's 1.73 lbs per week, well within the healthy weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week. I can't realistically be disappointed with my progress.
And I'm well on my way for my HealthyWager! Maybe I should have set my goal higher, but I wanted to be absolutely, 100% sure I was going to drop the weight and I think that I'll have no trouble losing 15lbs more by November 14th. In fact, if I do have problems with that, I'll be worried what's going wrong!
I'm not expecting to be finished my weight loss by my one year Ozempic weigh in, but I know I'll have made good progress. And it's a marathon, not a sprint. After all, it's not like a weight loss journey is finished when you reach your goal weight, or whatever health markers you have set. You still have to make healthy choices going forward or you'll end up back where you started (statistically, at an even higher weight).
That's not going to be me. Not this time. As I've said before, I'm so grateful for this medication giving me the space to examine my own disordered eating and thought patterns. I am not on a diet- now, or in the future. I don't have cheat days, and I don't believe in that concept. On days where I am hungrier, I eat more- sometimes more than Lose It recommends, and that's okay. Sometimes I eat chocolate, or French fries, or go to a nice restaurant, or have a glass or two of wine. If these things are slowing my weight loss, I'm totally okay with that because I'm losing weight, I'm not feeling deprived of anything, and the way I am eating is sustainable for me long term. What I am doing is being mindful of what I want to accomplish and making choices to support that outcome.
So here I am, six months later. I am really proud of all my progress. Not just the scale, but of the choices I've made. I'm proud that I get my butt out of bed in the mornings and work out, even though I don't want to. We hear it said so often, but I really do want to live my best life, and that starts with me.
I'll post another full day meal plan this week, so check back in a few days!
OZ Week 3 gain: 2.0lbs
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