Dr. Watkins, I presume

I really like my doctor. She is so kind and supportive that I can almost overlook the annoying fact that she is thin and pretty in a Halle Berry kind of way.  So, when she proclaimed today that I made her day - and possibly her entire week, I was like a little kid who had pleased her mother. (Well, I assume I was, I never experienced that feeling myself - but I see it in my sister all of the time).

According to her records, I've lost 35 lbs in 3 1/2 months. She is extremely pleased with my current approach to health and apparently, so is my body!  My blood pressure was great the first (and only) time they checked it today! Normally, it is pretty high when they first check it, as a result of anxiety, and they take it again as I'm leaving and it's normal. And when she asked, I realized that I did not even take my anti-anxiety meds last night! So anxiety is down, BP is down and the thyroid is in the normal range.

My assignments for the next two months are to (1) keep up with my current eating and activity habits, (2) win at a foot race across our front lawn against my daughter, and (3) lose 20 or more pounds. She had talked about visiting with me again near my birthday in December, but agreed to checking in just before Thanksgiving instead. She seems genuinely happy and excited about this. She thanked me for making her job easier and for not making her come see me in the cardiac ward of the local hospital. So, we have our date Nov 15 and I will try to live down to her expectations. Maybe by then I'll be able to fit into the workout clothes Allan is sending!  Now I need to win a free sports bra or 2 or get a raise in my allowance!

Thanks everyone for your continued support. This 'flip floppin lunatic' loves the lot of ya!  MWAAAH!

Eleven days

Eleven days until I go to the doctor. I was hoping to have more weight loss accomplished by then. I take ownership for my backslide in August, but it's unbelievably hard to recover from it. I hope I remember that next time I decide to be careless with what I put into my body.

The appointment is mainly to check how my thyroid is doing and to berate me for not having a mammogram. Ha! Well, I tricked her! I actually scheduled a mammogram for Tuesday. I'd rather have a candy gram, but there you have it.

I don't think the thyroid meds are doing much. I am still tired more than the average hibernating bear. I'd go back to bed right now except that kiddo's alarm is going off in 20 minutes and I hate waking up.  I don't like to do it more than once every few hours. So if she ups the dosage of thyroid medication maybe it won't be quite as much work for these pounds to melt off. Of course, I want it to be as easy as possible. You don't get this fat without being a tad lazy about things.

I'm going to keep working and see what I can accomplish in these next 11 days. Keep in mind that we have a birthday in there for kiddo at the ball park. Nothing like baseball stadium food to keep one on track, right? Including Toft's ice cream. Yum! And she has opted for cheesecake instead of birthday cake. I think she may be trying to kill me. She's like Stewie on Family Guy, only taller and prettier!

Chinny Chin Chin

I'm back down 2.2 after 2 days of gaining more than a lb each day. I will remember these days next time I'm tempted by french fries. I've also developed the habit of touching my collar bone when I feel the urge to binge. It usually snaps me right out of my trance. Yes, I would love to gobble up an entire bag of Reese's miniatures, but I get more joy out of not having that bottom fat roll on my neck. Someday, if I keep it up, I may even recover my real chin! YOu know, that bony potrusion that used to be at the bottom of my face.

Speaking of neck. I don't think the thyroid medicines are working very well yet. I'm betting she'll have to increase them after I see her in September. Although, the dry skin has gotten somewhat better, I'm still exhausted and want to sleep the better portion of the day. It's difficult to burn calories while I'm napping (althout I have been told that my level of snoring must assuredly counts as work).

I have AWESOME NEWS!

Not only did my doctor and nurse make the expected BIG FUSS over me today (According to their records, I have lost 10 lbs since I was there in early June) but I also have . . . ~drumroll please~ an underactive thyroid! WOOT! That means, among other things that it is MORE difficult for me to lose weight. And look how good I've been doing! :D I am so proud of myself!

So, I start taking the synthroid meds .5mcg tomorrow morning and then wait a half hour (workout time?) before eating anything. That should help my weight come off EVEN FASTER!

Here's the downside. I really wanted to do this "all by myself." Without diets or special food or special exercise program. I wanted to use common sense and self control through recognizing my binge triggers and working through my emotions in a more productive way. Well, I'm still going to do that, but I already know that my mother - and others - will atrribute any success I have to the meds, and forget all about how far I've already come all on my own -despite this wonky thyroid!

I know, I know . .. I'm 40 years old and should not be longing for my mother's approval, or expecting it since I have rarely recieved it in the last 40 years. Still, I can't help but want to take credit for doing something incredible and being noticed for it. I guess I better go read some more Geneen! Maybe she has some more answers.

Oh, and my BFF (who is also being extremely successful with a similar lifestyle change) really needs to stop telling me what not to eat. I love her and couldn't imagine life without her, but it I'm immature and it still makes me want to rebel and show the world that I can eat what I "want" to, not what they tell me to. Do you think I'll ever get over that?