I can see clearly now

I have nothing but good news to report this week. I went back to the eye doctor discouraged and tired of looking like a pirate. My eye crossing had not improved. He told me to discontinue using the patch, and he changed the strength of my contacts. As weird as it sounds, the magic cure was to make the power of my left contact weaker. I can still see as well as I used to, and my eye is crossing less and less every day. There is a bunch of medical stuff I could tell you to explain the why and how, but I don’t want to and it’s boring. All that matters is it couldn’t have been avoided, and it’s getting better.

I started a regular exercise routine this week. Well, it’s exercise to me. Eli and I started going for walks in the neighborhood every day. It’s got quite a few inclines. It’s not marathon training, but it gets my heart rate up, and that’s what matters right now. I also got an elliptical machine and use it several times a week. I can only do about 10 steady minutes right now, but I will work my way up. My goal is to get where I can do 45 minutes to an hour of cardio without feeling like I’m dying. Once my incisions heal, we are going to start going to the gym and incorporating weights into our workouts. I will also be investing in a personal trainer to help me stay on track and do the right exercises. . I am trying to surround myself with the best support group possible. I have a nutritionist, doctors and amazing family and friends. I think adding a trainer will help me complete the transformation.

It’s very important to me that I tone while I lose weight. It sounds gross, but obese people have a lot of extra skin. I want to incorporate enough weights to help me tone my body and help me avoid having sagging skin. Luckily, I’m young and my skin still has a lot of elasticity. Also, I’m not quite overweight enough that it should be a big problem

The diet is going extremely well. The only problem I have is staying within my allotted carbohydrates. I’m supposed to stay at 25g a day, but so far I tend to be hovering around 30g. It doesn’t sound like much, but I want to follow all the rules as closely as possible. The good news is that I’m going over in carbs because of fruits and vegetables. My band adjustment next week should take care of this issue. Once I have the band tightened a little bit, I will be eating a little less than I am now. Plus, I have kept a very detailed food journal, so my nutritionist will be able to tell me if I’m doing anything wrong.

I don’t feel deprived and enjoy everything I’m allowed to eat. We decided, as part of new health and financial plans, we would only eat out once a week. We went to a hibachi grill tonight and shared a dinner. I skipped the soup and rice and had a salad, vegetables and chicken. We both had plenty of food (both had to-go boxes) and we only spent half of what we usually do. I even allowed myself to have the small scoop of ice cream that comes with the meal. It was the first dessert I’ve had in weeks. I came home and promptly researched the nutrition information on everything I ate, so I wouldn’t miss a beat in my food journal. Even with eating out, I stayed within my dietary requirements. It was so rewarding to have a good meal out and still stick to my diet.

I was even faced with dining out temptations twice this week, and made the right decisions. A few friends went to lunch, and I went, but took a snack to have while they were dining. Once we got back to the office, I had the salad I brought for the day. A group went out on Friday, and I stayed behind. Partly because I was really busy at work, but mostly because I wanted to stick to my diet plan. I can eat out rather easily, but it’s harder to track the carbs and protein I’m getting. Plus it takes me a long time to eat, because I have to chew my food so thoroughly. Right now, it’s too hard to hold a conversation and eat within a decent amount of time.

The hardest part is convincing people I’m ok. If I really want to eat something, I can. If I really want to go out for a meal, I will. I can find something I can eat no matter where I go. I don’t stay behind or not eat because I can’t. I do it because I don’t feel deprived. If it’s not going to make a difference to me one way or the other, I would much rather stick to the foods I already know the nutritional information for and have weighed ahead of time. I actually feel better about myself when I make a good decision.

So that’s what I learned this week; making good decisions makes me feel better than eating junk food. I really hope that continues happening. I’m sure there will be many temptations and rough spots, but I’m trying to remain positive. For the first time in my life I’m reading labels and really paying attention to what I put in my body.