Now the Weight is Official

Saw the doctor today, and, with clothes on, weighed in at 189.6. So I am officially below that awful number that has a nine in it. And that is exciting.

I suspect that for most people of a certain age, obesity brings a set of related illnesses and/or health conditions. I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, both of which require expensive prescription medication. I know the extra weight is very hard on my knees, and the belly fat has created fat in my liver and all around where fat should not be, including my heart.

For the past two months, I have made major changes in my diet. I now avoid sugar, which hopefully has helped with the high triglycerides, and I have cut WAAAY back on carbs. I had blood work done this week, but unfortunately, the lab chose to check only my bad cholesterol and my thyroid. No report on my glucose level, my good cholesterol, or my triglycerides. And my doctor won't order more blood work. Says she has no reason to. It would seem that, since I am on medication for high cholesterol, that would justify testing, but noooooo, she says she cannot justify it. The good news is, my bad cholesterol is down from 178 to 114. Woo hoo!!

My doctor is forgetful, and that concerns me a great deal. When I reminded her of her concern earlier in the year with my sugar level and her suggestion that I go for diabetic diet counseling, she insisted I must have had that conversation with someone else. NOT!! And she would not write the order for lab work to test my sugar.

This whole thing simply illustrates to me how very important it is that I have a doctor that I can feel is a partner in keeping me healthy and alive. I want a doctor that will work with me in helping me lose this weight and make healthier choices. I realize I have to do the work, but I think too many times, doctors are in a big rush, trying to meet their daily quota, and, due to insurance rules, restricted from ordering needed tests. And I feel certain it will only get worse as time goes by.

But it's all good. I took three bottles of water with me to my appointment, drank them all, had a really light lunch after a 120 calorie breakfast, and then went to the gym. It was hard work today at the gym. Amazing what adding only a couple of pounds will do. I could definitely tell the difference, and I had to push myself to keep going. But I finished it, baby!! I literally counted the minutes.

I have started doing an extra 10 minutes a day. That is not much, but it just might nudge me into a little faster weight loss.

Does anyone know anything about thyroid readings? My thyroid test came back with T3 at 37%, but I don't know if that is bad or good. T4 reading was 6.4 mg/dl and FTI was 2.4. The good doctor would not explain any thing, other than to say I was in a "normal range."

I WILL find a way to get my cholesterol and glucose tested....