Weigh In: Down 3 pounds

Better than nothing, I suppose. I know the healthy amount is one to two pounds, yet I weigh so much, I consider three to be on the low side of an acceptable loss. I know this isn't healthy. But unless I lose five or so pounds, I don't consider it a "good week." Some of that "stinkin' thinkin'", I'm sure. But it is what it is.

I find it frustrating that it takes me twice as long to lose weight as to gain the same amount. And I was hoping the thyroid medication would take hold more than it has. I'm still fatigued, still cold and still not losing weight as fast as I'd like.

Meanwhile, I've added some walking in place to my exercise schedule. It's only for one minute a day but it's better than I'm doing now. So I currently get five minutes of chair dancing plus the one minute of walking in place. Next week, I'll add a minute to the walking and see how it goes. It feels ridiculous to do such short amounts of exercise; however, I guess I need to start somewhere.

Reason #5 Dog Walking

I want to take Maia, my three-year-old Shih-Tzu/Pomeranian, for a walk. The poor thing only gets outside to potty, go to the vet and go to the groomer. She gets enough exercise, we play fetch a couple times during the day. But I'd like to give her more and she could use the stimulation. Oh boy, could she use it. Maybe she'd be a little less neurotic if I could even take her for a short walk. Tomorrow I'm going to start doing walking in place. I'll probably be only able to do it for a minute or two, but it will be a start. Perhaps within six months to a year, I can take her for a walk around the block at least.

Reason #4 Garage Sales

I want to go to garage sales. They are a big thing here in Minnesota during the Summer months. I look for books, craft supplies and containers mostly. Since I can't stand for very long and they aren't conducive to wheelchairs (tight garages, driveway inclines and grassy lawns), I haven't been to one in many years. I want to be able to see a sign and stop spontaneously to peruse the goods.

Reason #3 No Cranes

I do not want to be on the evening news being taken out of the house with a crane or the emergency response having to knock down a wall to get me out. Right now, heaven forbid anything should happen to me at home. The only way I can get out of the house right now is on my own two feet. There is no way for them to take me out on a stretcher. Just not happening. They would only be able to have one person at each end. Unless they put me on the ground and pull me through. That might work. Anyway, still - no cranes.

Weigh In: Down 8 pounds

I'm not down to where I was, but it's been a good week. I've stayed "on program." For me this includes: journal food, three fruits & vegetables, chair dancing, eight cups of water, personal journaling, hug my husband, one hour of crafts. I was over my calorie range twice this week. Once by just a couple hundred, the second time by a lot more. It still worked. Now I need to do this consistently over a long period of time. That is what I struggle with the most.

I've been chair dancing for five minutes once per day. Today I'm adding another 5 minute session, so I'll be chair dancing twice per day. I'll add five minutes every week until I'm up to two fifteen-minutes sessions per day. At that point, I'm hoping I've lost enough weight to start walking in place for a couple minutes at a time.

Friday I have an appointment with an occupational therapist. My regular doctor referred me to OT supposedly to help with the disability insurance. I don't know what to expect; however, I'll take any help I can get.

Reason #2 Car Exiting

Because of my size, when I get out of my car, my body rubs hard against the steering wheel. This causes the skin above my right hip to split. I get four to six inch long splits about a quarter of an inch deep and they bleed. Not only that it freaking HURTS. I want to be able to go places in my car without injuring myself every time.

Reason #1 Toe Nails

My toe nails need to be clipped. I am unable to reach them so my husband has to do it. I have funky nails that make a sharp turn into the nail bed, rather like an upside down "U," which can get painful. If I were doing it by myself, I trim them in such a way that it would hurt the least, but since hubby has to do it by feel and look, it can be very painful to have them trimmed. Add that I am reluctant to add anymore to his plate, I can go months without getting them cut which just adds to the problem.

I want to be able to trim my nails on my own and as often as is needed.

About Me

I've had requests for more personal information. I don't know how comfortable I am with that but I can share a little bit. I'll be celebrating my 20th anniversary with my wonderful husband this summer. We have no kids and two dogs. One is a 15 year old Cockapoo and the other is a 3 year old Shih-Tzu/Pomeranian. We live in Minnesota.

To see what I'm currently reading, check out Morph's May Reading Challenge at LibraryThing.

I feel so badly for my husband. Because of my weight, he has to do everything - grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, dog care, breakfast, everything around the house, the lawn, vet visits, errands, the library. Just everything. I am surprised he still loves me and hangs around.

I've got to lose this weight. To give him his life back, if not my own. He's getting older and eventually he's not going to be able to do everything. Especially heaving that heavy-duty 40 pound wheelchair in and out of the trunk and pushing me around.