Omega's journey

Well - having spent another week and a half during August away from home and eaten out two nights running in a marvellous restaurant (which served truly a wonderful cheesecake) there is really no surprise that my weight is high - sitting above goal weight.

On Thursday morning I went to a WW meeting and was weighed in shorts. At 9st3 (i.e. 129 pounds) I am within my WW zone and on the upper edge of my SW zone. I guess that I should be pleased to be still in zone.

My treadmill is still broken so I am still walking outside. The weather has been erratic (with a lot of wet days while we were away) but I am still doing the full quota of walking.

If my treadmill was working I would be walking more. Not only do I need the boost to my weight control (I would be so much happier with my weight if it were three pounds less) - but I am not the best emotionally at the minute. Rod is less than happy when I speak of things being tragic or marring my life - but I feel so isolated if I never voice my feelings... Generally the walking has helped me in the emotional roller coaster ride.

Such is life...
 
Oh I totally agree that it's so hard to lose when there are special events. I'm dealing with stress related not-losing ... kind of a similar situation. I'd love it if I could have a stretch of "normal" weeks. Then again ... I'm not really sure what "normal" is for me, it's been so long. :D

Hang in there.
 
I've only visited once as well, now it's twice...

Hey Magaret my wonderful friend, How goes the battle? Back in your zone now I believe I saw? Nice!

Check in on you later!
 
Wow - thanks for visiting everyone. It was such a nice surprise to see that the old diary has had a few visitors this week.

chmarbeauty
Thanks for the lovely compliment. I hope that your weight loss dreams come true.

Kara
Great to see you here. Stress is a killer for us all. We revert to type - and that brings temptation... "Normal" weeks are the best. We have to focus on how healthy we are now and how we have lost more weight than many would have thought possible. The funny thing is that we have had a lot of success and have become quite knowledgeable - helping others where we can - but we still have our bad weeks and demons the same as everyone else...

Cord
Good to see you back.

Karl
Good to see you back too. It is always nice to get back into zone.
 
It is a couple of weeks since I posted about what was going on for me.

Highlights follow:

Friday 28th was an interesting day. UK Biobank is a government / charity funded project whereby the medical records of 500,000 people are put onto a database complete with genetic and similar data. They are then available for research in a totally anonymous format. They now get my medical records for life - and they are available for research for many years including after my death. The people that take part do not benefit themselves - but it is a gift for the benefit of future generations.

Anyway I went along for an assessment which was being done by their staff using lab quality equipment. I was pretty pleased with my results.
My blood pressure was 128/79mmHG which they said was "good"
My percent body fat was 21.7% which they said was "good"
My heel bone ultrasound was 68dB/MHz which they said was "normal"
My lung function was
FEV1 value 2.39 litres "good"
FVC value 2.93 litres "good"
FEV1/FVC ratio 82%

They also did a number of other tests including hearing, response times, memory etc - but they did not tell you quite a lot of those results...

All in all together with a "good" waist measurement and a "recommended range" BMI - I was told that it was a good set of results.

I have to say that I was pretty pleased with the percent body fat measurement.

I was relieved about the bone density measurement too - because I have friends (who have always been slim) that are being told that they have osteoporosis and I know that I have never been that fond of milk. When I was a big person I consumed more than my fair share of calories but am pretty sure that my diet was deficient in calcium for all that. There is only so much chocolate, ice cream and cream cake that a girl can eat in a day and I am not sure that my consumption would give me the calcium that I get from my yoghurts nowadays. I was a little concerned (with having only started my project at age 47) that the damage may have already been done.

Rod's results were not nearly as good with a BMI of 57.9 and percent body fat of 44.3% - they suggested that he lose at least 209 pounds to bring his BMI to normal! This was not a big surprise to either of us though. Thankfully his blood pressure and lung capacity was good.

==========

Friday 4th September was another interesting day. I had an appointment at our local hospital to discuss my boobs. The doctor examined them - and I have to have another appointment where I see the consultant (his boss) in order to get the decision as to whether they will support my application for surgery on the NHS.

I carry a lot of loose skin in my boobs and they are and always will be disfigured. I currently wear a size 30HH bra - as I have reduced my back size basically as narrow as it will go. The cups contain the skin from my once enormous boobs all bundled up together. I look with envy around the forum as girl after girl bemoans having big boobs and when you check they are referring to a D cup!!! I have to be fitted by trained staff in speciality stores if I want a new bra or bathing costume.

Anyway - I find them impossible to examine with them being so abnormal. The doctor examined them and described them as both being "lumpy".

I also had a mammogram - so it is good that they are being checked over.

It is nice that things are finally moving forwards regarding my boobs. I just hope that the consultant has some spare cash in his budgets and wants to help out. If not - I will need to keep on top of this "lumpiness" aspect. I can envisage having to demand a lot of regular mammograms if they leave me in this state.

========

Both my slimming clubs are on a Tuesday. I do not anticipate getting to either of them this week as the people are finally coming up from the south coast to attempt to repair my treadmill tomorrow. The part that they think that they will need to repair it has finally come back into stock. With them having to come from outside area - they refused to come unless they believed that they had the bits to fix it.
 
It's great that all your test results are so good.

Do you often look back to where you began, compared to where you are now? It really is an incredible achievement.
How were some of those numbers back when you began?

I recently saw my doctor about a couple of issues, and he has ordered knee and chest X-rays, a full blood profile, and when he gets the blood results back (some of them have to go to a lab in Vancouver, and may take up to a couple of weeks) he wants to put me through a full physical.
I'm slightly nervous.

Rod - faintly amazing that his BP is normal given his size, but then mine was pretty good too, in the high normal range.

Do you have plans to bring him along on your journey? Sorry, I'm sure this is old territory for you, and I shouldn't be poking my nose into it.

Have a good day.
 
I have no idea about the numbers back then - I didnt even measure my waist etc as I started out... My scales didnt even go up high enough to weigh me... I didnt get scales until I had been on my project a couple of weeks - I kept it secret from Rod at first because I knew that he would be against the notion of me trying to lose weight. He knew how heartbroken I had been when I had abandoned my 1996 weight loss attempt. He never wanted to see me like that again and put his energy and effort into convincing me that I was wonderful just as I was.

I only get my start weight because my doctor told me what I had weighed in the previous November. It is quite possible that my start weight was actually higher than the 21stone then - when you consider that I was pretty likely to have put on weight at Christmas and during a week that we spent in a hotel in Wales during February. Being away from home and therefore eating out at every meal does tend to have that effect...

I know that you have seen the more modern me of last September on FB - not too many pounds heavier than I am now. Here it is plus a picture of the old me - in case you cannot remember or have not seen it yet...

http://weight-loss.fitness.com/weight-loss-diary/15690-omegas-journey-194.html#post654420

I used to have to take ezitimibe which is a cholesterol drug. I stopped needing it. I also saw a definite improvement in my hormone levels - which is great as a PCOS lady. I suppose that it simply makes me a bit more of a medical freak though! Based on the last set of hormone tests I would not expect to hit the menopause until I am about 70!!! I am ok with it - as I suspect that I will continue to feel so much younger than people my own age.

It is great that your doctor is going to do a complete physical. We get such a good feeling from seeing brilliant healthy results come in.

Rod does keep trying to eat more healthily and keeps it up right until he sees the next fattening thing that he really wants to eat. This means that half the time he cooks for himself. I basically offer to make for him much the same meal as I am having for myself. Half the time he goes along with that and the rest of the time he makes whatever he wants. He has a terrible sweet tooth too. It is difficult to get him to build any exercise into his life.

I have given up arguing about it. A key part of the success of this weight loss project is that I have had to seperate my weight loss project from his when he has said that he will make the effort. In the past WE have gone on a diet and WE have abandoned the diet... This time it is about ME.

I would love him to lose weight - but part of me has no expectation of it happening. I worry about the fact that his father died from a heart attack because of his obesity as he turned 47. I worry about Rod having high cholesterol (as do his thin brothers who are like their mother) and about the fact that Rod turned 47 in May...

I have to say that I was pretty pleased to hear that his blood pressure and lung capacity were both good.
 
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I had never seen that before photo.

I have difficulty believing it is the same person.

You are superhuman!

Hearing the numbers is one thing - seeing the complete transformation is something else entirely.

I hope that Rod develops a strong desire to follow your path.

I am actually a little concerned about all these tests and the upcoming physical - the fact that he want sot do all this makes me think he suspects there is a problem.
Of course, the fact that I came to him with some issues/questions may have something to do with it...
 
Hi Margaret, This is the first time I have looked at your diary and I started with this page. I looked at your photos & thought "Wow, look at those muscles. This woman must walk!"I went back to your first page & one hour later am so impressed that I am almost lost for words. I will go back & read all of it very soon. Your name has been popping up recently & I was drawn to hear more about you. What a journey you have been, and are still, on. You should be so proud of yourself. Somewhere along the road I think you must have bought a treadmill. Where did you end up fitting it? You have made me want to go find my pedometer & get it back into action. Thank you for sharing your story. It is truly inspirational. Cheers, Cate
 
Thanks for visiting and saying such lovely things about my pictures. I really must get a photo taken soon now that I am at goal weight. I have spent too many years hiding from the camera that it is not natural for me to have too many photos taken. I have never posted in the before/after thread.

Cord
I am sorry to hear that you are apprehensive about your forthcoming medical tests. In my experience it is better to get these things tested and to bring any problems to light. Just because we dont know about them doesnt mean that they are not there. My hernia was a puzzle and I spent many pages of my diary wondering what the bulge in my midrif was. I found out as I had an ultrasound scan around page 120 of my diary and a week later was rush into hospital and needed an emergency operation. I was able to tell them the problem as I turned up at the hospital and the fact that I was so fit meant that I sailed through the operation. I suspect that your doctor is rewarding you for your "healthier lifestyle" efforts in planning a full batch of tests. He can see that you are taking your health seriously and he is making sure that he takes it just as seriously - covering every possible cause of your problems. Good luck for those tests.

Cate
It is lovely to see you over here. I did indeed get a treadmill in July last year - it is basically gym quality. We got an extra tough one to be able to cope with my workload (at least 6.5 miles exercise walk every day in maintenance - although not always done indoors) plus I wanted one strong enough to be able to cope if I could persuade Rod to do a little exercise. I know from my own experience how effective even a small amount of fairly slow walking can be when you are very big. He tells me that he doesnt want to walk outside near where we live - I think that he feels a little self-conscious. I can understand that. I know that people can make hurtful comments. The engineers have just been and didnt have the right parts so have had to take it back to the workshop with them. We didnt have the room for a treadmill as our house is not big - but we knew that I would need to walk a lot basically for ever - and that can be a major problem in bad weather. The kind of treadmill that we needed was too heavy to go in one of the bedrooms upstairs. In the end a compromise needed to be made. Our house only has one living room which was a lounge/diner - it now is a lounge/gym. We decided that I needed a treadmill more than I needed a dining table and dining chairs - so that was discarded... It was a good decision. It was a joy to be able to walk indoors last winter. It can be a pleasure walking outside if the weather is nice - but a real pain in rain, ice, snow. I have often done my impression of a drowned rat.
I am so pleased to hear that I have inspired you to dust off your own pedometer. Inspiration is like the ripples on a pond - I know how much you inspire people on your program. Walking is such a beneficial form of exercise - and too many people under-rate it. It is still so important for me in maintenance. I remember when I was big hearing that walking had to be brisk to be of any benefit. I knew that I couldnt do anything briskly. I am leading a "one woman campaign" that says that is a load of nonsense. If people are unfit or very big - it can be of great benefit. People start off slowly and as they get fitter they naturally speed up - without even trying... It is a means of opening up the exercise options. Activity certainly can help burn away those pounds - and a slow walk can be a great and effective work out for a very big person. It also provides a window when you are not eating or thinking so much about food. The distraction can really help. When trying to lose weight we can actually spend more time thinking about food than we did before which doesnt make things easier for us...
Naturally other forms of exercise are great too - but for me walking most certainly came first - and is the first thing that I would suggest for someone who is very big or very unfit.
 
Good god woman!!! I missed your recent posts and pics a couple days ago.

Cord is right, the numbers mean nothing when compared to the actual pictures.

You are amazing!
 
Thanks Karl. The level of weight loss that I have notched up and you are heading for does bring with it a bit of a transformation. The numbers sound like big impressive numbers - but the pictures look like two totally different people!!!!

When I went to Greece last year I saw very good friends that I hadnt seen since before the project began (we have lived out there). I stood in the street saying hello to people who had no idea who I was... It was only when they saw Rod that the penny dropped as to who I might be... My friend Vicky's mother thought that Rod had taken another woman on holiday and was very cold and distant towards both me and Rod for the first day. She phoned Vicky who told her that I was definitely the one travelling out because she had spoken to me on the phone the day before...

Two people crossed themselves when they saw me...

I havent seen your pictures yet. Have you posted any? Please point me towards them if you have...
 
Margaret, while I have not actually posted my pics in a thread per se, I have an album in my profile that shows some pretty representative shots of me. The picture of me in the Patriots T-shirt was on vacation in North Carolina June of '07. That was the beginning of my journey. What triggered it was an attempt at tubing down a river with my family. I got caught on the rocks because it was only deep enough for someone of more "normal" stature to float by. I couldn't get out, was stuck in the tube, couldn't breathe because I was too big to supply enough oxygen to my system, and at the time was a 1 1/2 to 2 pack a day smoker. Scary, and not fun. Vacations are supposed to be enjoyed.

The cycling picture was taken this summer by an arbitrary stranger when I handed them my camera and explained that I was blogging about my weight loss.
Weight Loss Forum - reluctantcabbie's Album: Me before, in between, and hopefully after... someday
 
reluctantcabbie said:
Margaret, while I have not actually posted my pics in a thread per se, I have an album in my profile that shows some pretty representative shots of me. The picture of me in the Patriots T-shirt was on vacation in North Carolina June of '07. That was the beginning of my journey. What triggered it was an attempt at tubing down a river with my family. I got caught on the rocks because it was only deep enough for someone of more "normal" stature to float by. I couldn't get out, was stuck in the tube, couldn't breathe because I was too big to supply enough oxygen to my system, and at the time was a 1 1/2 to 2 pack a day smoker. Scary, and not fun. Vacations are supposed to be enjoyed.

The cycling picture was taken this summer by an arbitrary stranger when I handed them my camera and explained that I was blogging about my weight loss.
Weight Loss Forum - reluctantcabbie's Album: Me before, in between, and hopefully after... someday
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That tummy of yours has totally gone... You look so different - I have to show those pictures to Rod tonight. I just know that he will be so impressed. Maybe you can inspire him where I cannot!!!

That story that started you on the way sounds really scary. A nasty experience (and indeed life-threatening enough to shock you into action) that may well have saved your life in the long run. You have done so well to not only lose the weight but also given up smoking too. Each is a major major achievement - but to do them both is amazing. Have you done that "real age" quiz. It would be interesting to do it as the "old" you and the "new" you. Your state of health and life expectancy will be so very different. No wonder we keep working so hard when we get that kind of reward...
 
Margaret,

I have been reading thru some of your diary and your story is nothing short of amazing the transformation in the pictures you have in here is so cool and it puts the numbers into perspective.

Congrats
Tony
 
Thanks Tony for saying such nice things.

We might have been "fat at forty" but we can still be "fit at fifty"!!!!
 
tony1959 said:
LOL I was "fat at twenty, thirty, forty & fifty"

But I sure like the idea of "fit by fiftyone or even fiftytwo"!!!!
Click to expand...

Stay focused and you will get there. I was fat at thirty too. This forum is full of "unlikely athletes" and it really does make the difference...
 
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