Doctor's Orders: Part 1

My dear friends and readers, I appreciate you all so much.  And, I wonder if any of you have gone or will go through the conundrum I find myself in.  It's hard to even know how to begin this particular blog post.  This is the second day I have tried and my fingers are trembling, but my head is no longer in a fibro fog.

Wednesday, I got back the results of my blood tests.  My liver enzymes are above what they should be, and my blood sugar is too high.  My doctor's instructions via someone that works in his office are to get 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise five times a week and to be on a diabetic diet.  That sounds great, but my history makes that exceedingly difficult.  I have become convinced that my doctor simply does not understand my history, so I am actually planning on finding a doctor that will take more time with me and that understands Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

There is much more I have to say, but for reasons you will understand later there is more to this, so I will write about this in parts.  I need to protect my emotions, because they affect how I feel physically.   I think many of you have similar stories.  If only our physicians understood.  Meanwhile, please pray I can find the right doctor, one that takes time to talk to me, that listens and understands he or she cannot throw out these blanket "fix-its", that don't fix anything.

Losing Weight in December

You see the title of my blog post, and you may think, "Has she lost her mind?  Why on earth is she talking about losing weight in December?"  

Here I am wearing one of the pairs of pants
I could not zip.  They are not even tight.
Learning to Balance Life Changes

My mind is all here, all clear -- no brain fog.  Yes, I am trying to lose weight in December.  I have been on a moderate low-carbohydrate eating plan since the middle of last August.  I lost four pounds and kept it off until Thanksgiving, but that did not do too much damage.  I have had my moments of going up, because I ate salty nuts and I did go up a three or four pounds at Thanksgiving;  however, I got it right off.  I think most of that must have been water weight, because I could still wear my clothes that used to be too tight to zip.

I started keeping a food journal months before I committed to the moderate low carb way, and I know that helped me lose 2 to 4 pounds.  I wasn't tracking my weight then, so I'm not sure.  What I can tell you is that I am down a dress size, down a shirt size and I can zip pants that had a two inch gap last spring.  Yipee!

Some of my down falls are Halloween candy -- it calls out to me, even though it's not my favorite, and last August, the doughnut shop near my kids was calling too.  My kids are so nice:  they went out and bought some.  I limited myself to two doughnuts;  but when I got home, I craved more sugar.  

So back to why I would consider losing weight in December -- I have knees that are crying out for less weight on them.  I have beautiful Christmas tops I would like to wear this year.  I think four or five pounds less might get me nearer to my goal of wearing those blouses, might even get me there.  And I do not want to gain weight in December.  I want to keep my ultimate goal in sight, not feel like I'm starting over again in January.

I bought the book How I Gave Up My Low-Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds by Dana Carpender, and I take a look at it when I feel the need for a boost.  However, I am not on a particular diet.  I eat when I am hungry and I write it in my journal.  I am not looking for fast weight loss, because it usually doesn't stay off;  moreover, I do not lose weight fast anymore.  If I could exercise more that would help, but I am not doing anything that is going to make my body hurt worse.  I am all for moderate exercise.  And I have a new secret weapon I hope may help me this month.
Tomorrow, I plan to reveal it.