RLP39
Busy Days...Maintenance!
Aug 13, 2011
I have not posted in two months. I have been really busy but really in early July I also had my one year visit with my surgeon's office and while it was a good visit it left me with mixed feelings. They told me I was done! Hmmmm....
Let me set the stage. I originally had a goal weight set by them in the middle of my normal BMI range - 125. I set my own goal at the top of my normal BMI range 136. The month before my doctor's appointment I was 143 lbs the whole month and then we went to a family reunion for a week. We were outside with porta potties and a lot of salty grazing snacks. I came back home constipated and swollen weighing about 148 lbs naked in the morning. At my doctor's visit in the afternoon with clothes on I weighed in at 150 lbs. So, telling me I am done was not what I was expecting. She examined me, weighed me, looked at all my labs, blood pressure, etc. She said that I had more than 15 lbs of loose skin and that she felt my body was within normal BMI even if the scale did not reflect that due to loose skin. She said she wants me to stop trying to lose weight and focus instead on maintenance. She said I would be the most compliant and successful patient she saw that month. That did not mean that I had lost the most but instead that my labs were excellent, I'm religious about my supplements and exercise. My muscle tone, lack of hair loss, good skin, low blood pressure, HDL and LDL were all excellent. She said I needed to look at the whole picture and that some of my stats were coming back like an athlete. In fact my labs indicated that I need a bit more fat and sodium in my diet. She asked me to increase my good fats. I kept saying but I have not met goal. I am not at a normal BMI. She said go home and think about this a bit.
So, I went home and thought about it and I find that I am not sure how to create maintenance. I never "tried" to lose weight other than exercise. I eat a lean diet and get my protein in everyday. I decided that the only way I knew how to do what she asked was to increase my intakes of olive oil, salmon, avacado, nuts, and peanut butter. I did increase my calories and good fats and also by circumstance my exercise level decreased during this period due to excessive work hours right now. So what was the result. I lost my vacation weight within a week but felt that was mostly water retention and constipation anyway and have been maintaining 143 for a couple of months now. Today I dropped down to 142.6. I knew it was coming for a couple of weeks because I can always feel it in my body and the scale keeps dipping down to 143.1. I feel like that may not be the end either. I am leaving for across country to Florida on Monday to take my daughter back to college again. I will be there a week. I am bringing my protein and supplements. We will see what happens. I also know that my life with running will be back on schedule as we enter Fall. I am not sure how that will impact my maintenance. I want to maintain a healthy body so I really need to think about what she said and if I agree what I need to do in order to maintain.
