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2017 in Review
On January 1, 2017 my left knee and hip were painful when I walked and both feet were even worse. My gait was an ‘amble with a pronounced limp’. My New Year’s resolution was to seek medical care for my pain, and begin a new and healthy lifestyle. This was all made easier by my husband who was equally determined. At 5’4” my initial goal was to weigh 145 (the top of the normal weight range according to the BMI chart). I gave myself one year to accomplish this goal.
I am so grateful to the doctors who were blatant and unapologetic with their harsh comments. They warned ‘When you first begin to eat healthy food, in proper portions, you WILL be hungry’. They said the hunger would subside over several months, and they were right. They said that the pain would improve with weight loss, and they were right about that too. All our numbers that were bad in our initial blood tests fell into normal ranges after the first 6 months – just like they said. Where they went wrong is with their dismissive and skeptical attitude. They clearly expected us to fail but one year later I’m proud to say we accomplished/surpassed our goals.
Our life now is maintenance. I won’t say it is harder than weight loss, but it requires more thought. Our new eating plan was never a diet. It was simply healthy eating and counting but we still keep ‘trigger foods’ out of the house. In terms of exercise, we generally walk 3 to 5 miles five to six days a week. We plan to add some resistance training 2-3 times a week but we both hate the gym so our routines will need to be short.
The FS community has been very helpful. Weight loss is a deeply personal endeavor but the support of a ‘judgement free’ community has been key for me.
On January 1, 2017 I weighed 196.4 pounds and wore size 20. Today, January 1, 2018 I weigh 120.3 and wear size 4. (I’m actually a little below my final goal weight of 125 due to a head cold.) I truly hope 2018 is a year that confirms I can embrace this new lifestyle. I also hope that 2018 is a year in which you all make progress toward or achieve the goals you have set.
Happy & Healthy New Year To All!
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