Okay - so yesterday was my doctor's appointment.Talk about harrowing.
First of all - I got a clean bill of health. BP is good. My good cholesterol needs to come up a bit, but that's exercise related. And the only real medical concern is the fact that since January I've gained just shy of 30 pounds. While I am working on it - it's our chief concern.
The doctor told me something that freaked me out. And she's a VERY conservative doctor, and very nice - and we love her. (So Dr. Zeh if you're reading this - sorry for freaking out). She told me that now that she's ALSO treating my father, she sees just how bad the risks are for me in the future. She said that he is one of (if not THE) worst general cardio-vascularly healthy persons she's ever seen. He just has SO much wrong. Diabetes, CHF, Strokes, Triple Bypass, Asthma, Weight, etc. She knew all of this before, but seeing it really struck home for her how carefully she wants to watch ME.
So - she says "right now you're not in any danger. In fact, you're good. You've done two half marathons this year, and are doing a third. But you need to focus on doing as much as you can to not becoming him, and although it's something I hardly every suggest, depending on how your weight loss and diet plans go over the next 6 months or so, we might want to consider bariatric surgery."
I'm sorry.....SURGERY?! Weight loss surgery? Even though I did so much on my own? Sure I've hit a stumble, but....
And she reassured me. It's not about the stumble. It's about making sure I can do all I can do for myself, and then using every resource we have to do even better.
"I want you to be here to see Elizabeth graduate college. To see your grandchildren graduate college."
So - I'm completely freaked out. It's like - no no no - you're doing everything you can - you're trying really hard - but we want to try to help you do better, because your best isn't good enough.
I told her I was really freaked out. She said "Hey look - I'm not even suggesting it at this point. I'm just bringing it up to see how you feel about it. I have my concerns too. Let's see you back in six months, after the business settles down, Elizabeth is here, your parents are more settled, and things are quieter. Let's see how well you do, and then we'll talk."
That calmed me. A bit.
But I'm still MAJORLY freaked out.
So I came home and immediately started figuring out how to get better shoes, cuz I have a LOT of exercise to do.
But yet again, the universe throws me a roadblock. This time, it came in the form of a tetanus booster I got at the doctors office (haven't had one in 15 years).
Side effects: Soreness. No problem.
Some other side effects can be: digestive issues (check), chills (yup, since about 2am), headache (ditto), and fever (99.9-100.5 since 2am).
I feel like CRUD this morning. I barely slept, I have a fever. And I can't even stay home! I have TWO potential clients today. And I am DARN sure not missing the PNW mousemeet.
So I fight through it - like I always do.
But seriously - what a day.
How's your day going?
MAIN STREET AWAITS!
Well, wow...I don't even know what to say!! You had a really bad day!! Of course, there is always a silver lining to every cloud and maybe this is what you needed to get back in the swing of things. You can stick to the diet and exercise because you have done it before. ANYTHING is better than that surgery!!!!! I totally understand stress eating (as you will see on Saturday) and we are struggling with the same thing. We all need to get back to eating healthy. And exercising. And looking at the big picture instead of the moment we are in now. You know the one where you say to yourself “ok, I’ll eat ____ and ____ now but tomorrow I AM going to get back on the diet”…but tomorrow never comes. Maybe in addition to Team Voice for marathons, you should start a Team Voice for weight loss. I’ll bet a lot of people have the same problem but never mention it online. I am beginning to think I will never be able to run down Main Street but it would help to loose weight.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I have gone on way too long again. Sorry. See you tomorrow!!!
Dana
meh. surgery smurgery. don't get ahead of yourself. but, fear can be a great motivator! ;)
ReplyDeleteand whats with the damn shoe deal???? trace has some dorky too small shoes too! get different shoes ASAP!!!! and have fun this weekend!!
Just some helpful hints from someone who's lost almost 100lbs without going under the knife (and been overweight almost all my life):
ReplyDeleteIf you know you are capable of losing weight ANY OTHER WAY, Don't go under the knife! Sadly, there is no quick fix and nothing is fool proof. Your habits still have to change. Why do you think 80% of overweight patients end up putting weight back on (and then some). You've been through a lot lately. Go easy on yourself! If there is one thing we folks who struggle with weight have in common, it's that we're uncommonly hard on ourselves.
Do you journal your food? Figuring out what you eat most, when you eat, and what you eat can help you become more aware. Afterall, weight is all about the calories in vs calories burned ratio. ;)
By journaling, I realized that I'm a late night eater, and I need crunchy foods to feel satisfied. I could drink a protien shake and I'd still feel like I needed something else (though I wasn't necessarily hungry).
Eating until you're not hungry anymore (but not "full") is a tough habit to get into, but you'll feel world's better once you get there! Medifast helped give me a jump start into it, and sports helped keep be going. :)
PS... you may want to warn Dr. Zeh that it's against HIPPA to say ANYTHING about ANY of her patients to anyone unless there is a explicit written permission in the patient's chart. ;) She can get into a WORLD of trouble just by doing something that may have seemed very harmless.
ReplyDeleteOkay...That's not something I would want to hear from my doctor...Especially one that knows you are working on it. She should have asked what else she could do to assist you on the path that you've chosen so that you could continue and do better. Surgery is so not the answer when you've proven that you can do this. People have setbacks and she should realize that and help you get back on track.
ReplyDeleteMy sister did stomach stapling many years ago...Like me, she was overweight her whole life. She's now as big as she ever was and she has other health complications from the stomach stapling - iron deficiencies and other blood issues, digestive issues, etc...Just a warning - it's not a walk in the park to go and have surgery and it doesn't solve the issues that got you to the point you are at.
So, my advice....Don't freak out. Don't think about surgery. Just get back out there and work your butt off - literally. You've already shown that you can do it, now you just have to figure out how to keep the momentum and deal with the stress of everyday life.
I have complete and total faith in you. You will overcome this obstacle and prove yourself yet again! Keep on running and get ready for that DL 1/2 Marathon - you're so close now!
Surgery? no no no and no. Even with the surgery you are still required to put in the exercise. I hope that your doctor only said this to motivate you. Otherwise go find another doctor. Such an option should only be a last resort. Take a look at last seasons Biggest Loser. Remember Ron? Yep he had that surgery and ended up heavier and facing many additional health risks. There is a young woman at my church who had the lap band surgery two years ago. You would never know it. She still eats the same and does not exercise. Such a shame.
ReplyDeleteBe your own motivator and do this for me. Find the last excel spreadsheet I sent you. For now put aside where you are today and look at all that you lost before and all on your own. That big red arrow pointing down, that was all you. And those other little ups and downs were you learning and regaining focus. Dude you can do this! Yes you Jonathan Dichter can do this! I want you to be looking well beyond Disneyland and picture where you personally want your health to be one year from now. The team is here to support you but remember you have to do these things for you. The one suggestion I can offer is this. You may want to consider using a trainer again. You thrived before when working with trainers.
Never give up. You have what it takes. I know you do.
Wow what a day for you!! And I hope that you never have to do surgery - it's good that she was bringing you up-to-speed on everything that could be in store for you, and as a previous commentator, fear can be a great motivator. But I would be so weary about the surgery!
ReplyDeleteThat aside, I know you're going to get back on the right track (actually you're on the right track, but you know what I mean) - you're going to exercise everyone's socks off!! !!!
I've been pondering how to respond to this for a couple days. Here goes . . .
ReplyDeleteOkay, this is going to sound a little odd coming from me--as I have a bit of a reputation as a workout freak. Exercise is NOT the most important factor in losing weight. Food intake is.
Its simple math. You've got to take in fewer calories than you expend every day. Say you workout for an hour and burn 1000 calories. That workout was for nothing if you go out for a burger and fries afterward as a reward. (Just an example--not saying you do this.)
You can lose weight with no exercise. Simple math. The problem is tracking the intake in an easy and sensible way. After months of struggling to find a way to track intake/outgo in a reliable manner, I finally found a way that is working. After several months of being stuck at a weight plateau, I found a free iPhone program that has helped me finally make steady progress downward for the last month.
I know you've got an iPhone, so download "Lose It!". Start using the program today. I love it. Oh yeah, and it's free.
I found out about the program on fitness.scoobyworkshop.com. This guy cracks me up because he is so earnest he comes across a bit goofy. He talked about "Lose It!" in the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz2HJCUb2U0
After watching the video I started using the free iPhone program. It actually works. I'll show you all my data from the last month over lunch at Disneyland.
There was also a recent article in Time magazine called "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin." It really make you think about the whole intake/outgo calorie math thing.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857-1,00.html
That said, eating correctly ONLY won't get you in shape for the Disney Endurance Series. That's where the training comes in.
My thinking has actually changed over the last couple months.
1.) Calorie intake for weight control/loss ONLY.
2.) Exercise for race prep ONLY.
Exercise, for me, is no longer the means for both goals. I know they go hand-in-hand, but I now separate the two.