Happy 2020 ~ Year of Good Health

Hello Readers!

I hope the new year is finding everyone well. 

I thought I would share my biggest resolution for the new year today. Trying to make myself accountable in all ways possible. Also, this could help someone else with the same issues or similar ones. Let me share a little back story first to show what brings me to this. 

Oct 30, 2017 I had my gallbladder removed after an ER visit two days prior. I never knew I had a gallstone and actually argued with people when they suggested it was causing my heartburn. All ultrasound test came back negative for Gallstones when they would run them. Imagine my shock when I was told not only that I had a Gallstone, but that it had probably been what was causing me issues since I was 17 to 18 years old. 

Had it removed and was feeling so much better. Well that was for the first 3 months or so. After that I started having pain in my right side again. Not the same pain as I had with the gallstone though. It hurts bad none the less. Went to the ER a few months after removal and was told my liver needed to be checked through ultrasound due to tenderness. Ultrasound was ran within a week and found my liver was enlarged. The year 2018 was nothing but mysterious health issues and symptoms all year. I literally did not get any relief until about Christmas time. Still no clue what all was going on and why that year.

2019 started out good and promising, kind of. My bilirubin was extremely elevated, but our new PCP sent me to a GI. Someone I should have been sent to the year prior. The old PCP however was a complete knob and went by what his iPad said. Oh, I forgot to mention that after removal I had lost weight. I got down to the 190 range and lost a size or two. I was feeling amazing. We were going to the gym in 2019, but had to stop after I ended up with an Achilles tendon injury. That is when I put my weight back on, and then some. I was unable to get up and move much. I sat all day in pain, eating ice cream and junk. We had very easy and not so healthy meals since my oldest son had to cook most of the time. 

I am back on my two feet, still having some tendon pain off and on. When I need to I rest. I also am back to square one with my back and neck pain since I lost Core muscles and my neck has tightened back up. One goal I know I need is to work on all of that so I can walk long distances again. It even causes me pain walking around the store at times. 

Oh, I also have been diagnosed with Fatty Liver. This diagnosis was given in November/December. I have to lose weight and get healthy so that is my resolution this year. By my follow up visit when I got my diagnosis test I had lost about 4 pounds from the prior visit in November. I had tried a plant based diet for a week or two before Thanksgiving. Since then I have tried counting calories and found I was falling short on nutrients I need. Searching the internet I found out Weight Watchers have made changes to their plan. I have always been curious about the program and with the 6 month plan I get a free month starting out. What the heck, I have nothing to lose, except for this excess weight. 

Saturday I started the Purple Plan with the new Weight Watchers. It is now being called My WW. I did an assessment which matched me with the plan. They have three various plans to choose from now. One is the green plan where you have higher daily points, but fewer zero point foods.  The next one is the blue plan. Moderate daily points and a few more categories of foods allowed as zero point foods. Purple plan gives you even less daily points (I have 18 daily), but the list of zero point foods is 300+ foods. I am already a person who will measure my food if need be just to make sure I am not getting too much. I know portion control is one of the areas I struggle in when not making myself aware. The other is choosing things I thought were healthy and actually are not. Or choosing items I don't think make too big of an impact, but actually are. 

So, like I said I just started on Saturday. I have not had the most perfect meals. I do tend to go over daily points allowed and dip into my weekly extras. I am not going to deprive myself while I adjust to a new way of eating. It's not even so much a new way of eating. It is just me giving up things that are too high in sugars more than anything. Most of my meals already are pretty healthy, just needed to be reminded what proper portion control is. So this morning I wanted to see if I have dropped any weight yet. I honestly didn't expect a change on the scale since I have still not been doing the best with my food choices. I did a happy dance when I saw I lost 1 pound so far. 

My goal I set is to reach 150 pounds. Starting this week I was 222 which is what I have been at since early December when I was weighed at the doctor. Before that I was 226 and kind of been stuck at 226 since mid to late Spring maybe. Possibly since Summer. I was back up to 210 - 215  just before my tendon injury. This was the weight I gained back since my gallbladder was removed. I really think this WW plan is going to be very beneficial for me. I plan on sticking to it for 6 months, since that is the agreement I signed up under. Even if I hit my goal weight before the 6 months is up I will do as a lot of people do. They stick with it to maintain their weight and keep themselves educated and accountable. So, here we go!

Have you ever used Weight Watchers, or a program similar to it? What goals do you have for 2020?

Until Next Time!