Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Checking in for Six Years of Maintenance

I'm under a pile of work so I'll stick to the highlights of the past year:

I am no longer afraid of gaining back the weight.  That has been the biggest difference between five and six.  The fear is just gone.  This year threw some challenges at me but here I am, admittedly at the high end of my range, but comfortable.  165 and all my clothes still fit and I'm able to live with food.  Maybe I'll get motivated and take off a few pounds of pain that I seem to gain with every Synvisc cycle.

The Dr. Oz experience where I got to meet some of my favorite ladies.  Hi Lori and Jenelle!  It also kind of sucked as you'll see if you click the link, but that's okay.  I'd do it again.

I had a thigh lift but NO knee surgery and found a new orthopedic guy who is on the same page as me.  I'm hoping to be surgery free for a few more years now.

I decided on a school and am well on my way to completing my coursework to become a Registered Dietician.  It's a process but everyone up at UNH has been kind and helpful.  I feel like I have found a home up there and am excited for the future.

Back to the BioChem.

6 comments:

Lisa said...

I'm so happy for you! And I'm glad to hear that you no longer worry about gaining it all back. That gives me hope!!

Lori said...

Congratulations! I am so glad the fear is gone for you. I still have that, but I am a newbie maintainer pretty much.

Sounds like things are really rolling your way now!

Anonymous said...

:)

Ex Yo-Yo Dieter Debbie said...

I dream of six years of maintenance...in fact ONE year would be a huge accomplishment.

How wonderful that you aren't afraid of regaining now.

So, would you say you are a "normal eater" now? Normal weight, normal eater...it's what I'm aiming for - for life!

Congrats on your SIX years!

@irun2befit said...

Congratulations, that's amazing. That's where I'm at right now, as you saw earlier, in that constant fear, and feeling prisoner of weight loss. Reading this gives me hope, I'll be able to live and not spaz out if I have to miss a workout.

Unknown said...

@Debbie, yes I think I am a normal eater now. Well, if normal means thinking about what you eat. I don't eat mindlessly that's for sure, but eat with purpose and occasionally for enjoyment. I used to wonder about skinny folks and how they could eat what (back in teh day) I considered to be bad food. There are no good and bad food, just moderation.

@Lori It is scary at first, but these habits you've made will carry you. It does take years tho. Husband and I were just talking about that at grocery store. You just sort of get a sense after a while... (he was talking about sodium and me calories) but he still checks teh sodium content.

@Lisa, Thanks... I wondered if I would ever get here too. I just sort of stopped worrying about it. With all the knee issues (especially in 2007) it was still a concern, but years behind me... say that I'm doing okay.

@Irun2befit Yeah... I've always had knee problems. Attempted ACL third time in 2006. Only two years into maintenance I was convinced that I *must* exercise to keep weight off. Meh. Exercise is good for all sorts of things, but when it becomes a mental cage that has you trapped, that's not for me. 85% is what we put in our mouths I think. If I had to rely on exercise for the rest of my life to keep the weight off.... I'd be fat again.

and @Kate. :)