In looking back over my blog entries, I see that I have not posted about my weight-loss progress since October. Not a lot has happened since then, but some things have changed.
When last we talked, I was down 49 pounds at 211. Well, that didn't last long. It lasted all of 1 day. Then I quickly shot back up to 215.... where I have lived for a long time. In fact, that is what I weighed in at today! I've bounced around in a range of 215-220, with one quick jump to 223 which scared the crap out of me!
Earlier in the fall, when I saw my Doc, I had talked to her about the fact that I had stopped losing, and she asked about the points that Weight Watchers had me on. I told her, and she asked if that was the same as I had been on from the start. Yes, it was. She said that to her that doesn't make sense because if I weigh 45 pounds less, don't I need fewer calories to maintain my weight now than I did when I was at 260? Well, yes, it would seem so. So why would WW have me on the same calorie intake? I posed that question to my WW group leader, and she insisted that WW says I need to stay on the same point total. She also told me that I was welcome to try eating less, but she warned me that starving myself wasn't going to be helpful.
After that conversation, I decided to make some changes to see if it would help.
- I stopped eating anything at all after dinner.
- I increased my water intake.
- I reduced the percentage of points I was devoting to snacking and increased my protein.
- I increased my daily walking as long as the weather was nice.
None of those changes really made a significant difference.
When I went to see my family Doc for my 6 month check up in December, as I was planning my visit, I had a revelation. The fact that I had stopped losing seemed to happen around the same time as my June visit when she had decreased my Metformin dosage from 2000 mg/day to 1000. Of course, I was thrilled to reduce the meds, but I started to wonder if there was a chance that it had been helping me lose. I asked her, and she said it is possible. She then gave me permission to play with my dosage and see if it could help. She also suggested that I see an endocrinologist in the practice.
My meeting with the endocrinologist was last Friday. I was very impressed with him. He was very thorough. He asked for more blood and urine tests so he can look at some elements of my thyroid situation, as well as my diabetes. He also asked me to get a thyroid ultrasound which I have not had for about 9 years. We talked a little about changing my thyroid meds to a brand that has more fine-tuned dosages and is more stable, but he put that on hold for now until he sees the ultrasound results. In the meantime, he is having me start a diabetes drug called Invokana. I am to continue my Metformin at 2000 mg/day, but I am adding this new one. It is supposed to help me eliminate more sugar in my urine. I am going to try it for 4 weeks and then go back to see him again. So far, I've only taken it for 2 days and nothing bad has happened, so I guess my body is tolerating it.
He and I also discussed the WW points, and he seemed to agree with my Doc, that my calorie intake may be too high now. He also made the point that increasing my activity might be better than decreasing my intake as long as I am making healthy eating choices. Now that the weather is better, I'm going to increase my walking, and even when the weather isn't great, I can walk at school.
Fingers crossed that this works!
So, that's where things stand. I will keep you posted!
:)Amy
