Confession Time


Yesterday I had an appointment with my regular doctor. Because of cholesterol medications, I see the doctor about every six months to make sure my liver is okay.  For the math impaired, my last appointment was in May.

Regular readers know I’ve made quite a few rather significant lifestyle changes since May.  Back then, I was riding my bike at least three times a week and had just joined Weight Watchers.  I hadn’t yet started running, gone to a Zumba class, or joined the gym.

My doctor is absolutely wonderful. In fact, I love her. Seriously. She’s that good, especially when compared with the two I fired before I found her. She’s either a tremendous actress or sincerely cares about my health and well-being. Either way, I always look forward to our time together.

Because of all my positive lifestyle changes, I’ve really been looking forward to this appointment.  Last time, she said if I lost enough weight, I could come off of at least one and possibly both of the prescriptions I’m on for high cholesterol and triglycerides.  I couldn’t wait to step on the scale.

Last time I took off my watch and shoes, removed my belt, and emptied out my pockets before stepping on the scale. Yesterday I was so confidant I hopped on the scale without even removing my shoes.  So you can imagine my disappointment when I found out I’d only lost four pounds since May.

That’s right. Four measly, pitiful little pounds. In my birthday suit on our bathroom scale, it’s actually 10.5 pounds. If I was a contestant on Biggest Loser, they would have voted to send me home months ago.

Yes, losing any weight at all is a good thing.  And the three or four pounds I’ve gained in the last month might be muscle–Armand (my trainer) is going to check my percent body fat tomorrow night. I’ll feel a lot better about my lack of progress if it’s dropped a few points.

Even so, she told me to stop taking the prescription I’m on for my elevated triglyceride level.  One down, one to go.  Because it has so many positive effects, I may never come all the way off the statin I take.  However, she did talk about the possibility of lowering the dose I’m on. Progress is progress.

When I got home I took a hard look at my diet. I haven’t really lost any significant weight for a couple of months.  I go up and down a pound or two each week, and lately, have been slowly trending upward. While I’m hoping for good news with both yesterday’s blood tests and tomorrow’s check on my percent body fat, I’ve had to face reality.

In truth, I haven’t been entirely honest in assigning point values to the food I eat. If there are several options for similar items, I always pick the one with the lowest point value. I also tend to underestimate serving size. Sometimes I “forget” to add things I eat that I know cost a lot of points. Together these behaviors make a big difference in the number of points I’m using every day.

I’ve finally accepted that the ice cream has to go. *sniff*  That’s right. No more heaping bowls of delicious, full-fat, premium ice cream every night. I finished off the last of it Saturday night. Sunday I went to the store and picked up low-fat frozen yogurt. *sniff* Quitting smoking was easier.

Besides eliminating ice cream and making sure I honestly count everything I eat, I’ve also decided that my daily point allowance is too high. So this week, instead of the 44 points I’m allowed, I’m trying to limit myself to 39 points.  It’s not like I’ll starve. Fruits and vegetables don’t count any points at all, and we keep plenty of them around here in…

My Glass House


2 responses to “Confession Time”

  1. All frozen yogurt isn’t created equal, but there is some really good stuff out there.
    I bet you feel lighter now that you’ve gotten this off your chest! 🙂