I've been remiss in updating this blog with my six month stats. Heck, as I write this I'm much closer to seven months out than 6 months, and it's been three weeks since I saw my surgeon's office for the official check up. Ah well. That's how my life goes these days.
So here's the stats as of January 9th:
In six months, I lost 72 pounds (89 from my highest weight). I lost 39 inches (and 12 of those were from my waist). I went from a size 24/26 to a size 16/18 (and am now able to buy XL shirts from the misses department). My cholesterol went from 220ish to 180 (HDL is around 65, as are my triglycerides; LDL is around 100). And my blood pressure is just fine and dandy.
In other words, things are working pretty damn well.
I've been kind of slack on the whole picture/measurement taking thing lately; I never did measure myself in January so those numbers are actually from late December. I seem to have gotten to a point where it's just not as much of an obsession for me. I'm not losing as fast as I did at the beginning (but really, if I'd kept losing 15 pounds a month, I would have freaked out) but I still haven't had a stall; I'm a slow and steady loser which is just fine with me.
When I saw my nutritionist on the 9th to talk about my six month bloodwork, she said everything looks good except my B12, which was in the normal range but below 400. So instead of 2000mg a week, she wants me to do 1000mg a day for the time being and get retested later this month. I'm not surprised though; my B12 was low enough for my PCP to be concerned before I had the surgery, so whatever, I take B12 every day now.
Speaking of my PCP, I know I have raved before about how much I love her and how freaking awesome she is but I have to gush a little more. I saw her for my yearly check up this month too (woo, doctor's appointments everywhere!) and she sat and talked to me about everything, asking about food sensitivities, checking on my vitamin regimen and my exercise habits. And then she looked at me and said "So, how are you doing emotionally?"
"I'm a little on edge," I replied with a sigh. "I'm pretty emotionally raw, and really irritable and...yeah."
Because here's the thing. I am a woman with a history of depression and anxiety that started manifesting when I went through puberty and landed me in a series of therapists' offices throughout my early to mid-20's, along with a 2 year stint on EffexorXR. My mother got hit when she went through menopause. So basically, I am someone with screwed up brain chemicals with a genetic predisposition towards them being screwed up even more by hormones. The one thing I know about depression is that it's not something that gets cured and never comes back; the potential for it is always there for me, so I'm hyperaware of my mental state at all times, always on the lookout for a relapse. And I've been plenty aware that I've been less emotionally stable lately; I've been quick to anger, unfocused and sad and tired and anxious. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure that the fantastic flood of hormones from the rapid weight loss has been exactly the kind of trigger I could have done without.
So the good doctor and I talked about it, and while I'm not in the nervous breakdown stage that led to the EffexorXR, we decided a little something might help me out right now. And now I'm taking a teeny tiny pill, smaller even than my old birth control pills were; it's just 10mg of Celexa for the time being but it's working. And oh, it's been nice not having a simmering rage inside at all times. And it's even nicer not cycling from rage to sadness to giddiness to exhaustion within a span of 10 minutes.
To sum up:
Am crazy, but have crazy pills to control that.
Am low on B12 but have pills to control THAT.
Am shrinking but have pants to cover that.
Am successful WLS patient and am quite content with that.
So here's the stats as of January 9th:
In six months, I lost 72 pounds (89 from my highest weight). I lost 39 inches (and 12 of those were from my waist). I went from a size 24/26 to a size 16/18 (and am now able to buy XL shirts from the misses department). My cholesterol went from 220ish to 180 (HDL is around 65, as are my triglycerides; LDL is around 100). And my blood pressure is just fine and dandy.
In other words, things are working pretty damn well.
I've been kind of slack on the whole picture/measurement taking thing lately; I never did measure myself in January so those numbers are actually from late December. I seem to have gotten to a point where it's just not as much of an obsession for me. I'm not losing as fast as I did at the beginning (but really, if I'd kept losing 15 pounds a month, I would have freaked out) but I still haven't had a stall; I'm a slow and steady loser which is just fine with me.
When I saw my nutritionist on the 9th to talk about my six month bloodwork, she said everything looks good except my B12, which was in the normal range but below 400. So instead of 2000mg a week, she wants me to do 1000mg a day for the time being and get retested later this month. I'm not surprised though; my B12 was low enough for my PCP to be concerned before I had the surgery, so whatever, I take B12 every day now.
Speaking of my PCP, I know I have raved before about how much I love her and how freaking awesome she is but I have to gush a little more. I saw her for my yearly check up this month too (woo, doctor's appointments everywhere!) and she sat and talked to me about everything, asking about food sensitivities, checking on my vitamin regimen and my exercise habits. And then she looked at me and said "So, how are you doing emotionally?"
"I'm a little on edge," I replied with a sigh. "I'm pretty emotionally raw, and really irritable and...yeah."
Because here's the thing. I am a woman with a history of depression and anxiety that started manifesting when I went through puberty and landed me in a series of therapists' offices throughout my early to mid-20's, along with a 2 year stint on EffexorXR. My mother got hit when she went through menopause. So basically, I am someone with screwed up brain chemicals with a genetic predisposition towards them being screwed up even more by hormones. The one thing I know about depression is that it's not something that gets cured and never comes back; the potential for it is always there for me, so I'm hyperaware of my mental state at all times, always on the lookout for a relapse. And I've been plenty aware that I've been less emotionally stable lately; I've been quick to anger, unfocused and sad and tired and anxious. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure that the fantastic flood of hormones from the rapid weight loss has been exactly the kind of trigger I could have done without.
So the good doctor and I talked about it, and while I'm not in the nervous breakdown stage that led to the EffexorXR, we decided a little something might help me out right now. And now I'm taking a teeny tiny pill, smaller even than my old birth control pills were; it's just 10mg of Celexa for the time being but it's working. And oh, it's been nice not having a simmering rage inside at all times. And it's even nicer not cycling from rage to sadness to giddiness to exhaustion within a span of 10 minutes.
To sum up:
Am crazy, but have crazy pills to control that.
Am low on B12 but have pills to control THAT.
Am shrinking but have pants to cover that.
Am successful WLS patient and am quite content with that.
3 Comments:
Yay! You're doing really great! Keep up the good work!
Just checking in to send ((hugs)) and say HI! and CONGRATULATIONS! on your fantastic success at 6 months out. Goes by fast, doesn't it? :-)
Nothing at all wrong with self-awareness or with wanting to address the needs before they get out of control. You go girl! Keep working your program and you'll be at goal in no time!
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