Record keeping

As I'm thinking about buying new calendars for 2011 I noticed that I will need a new one for my purse. It was a two-year planner and MAN ALIVE! What a two years it has been!

I know I've showed my planner to a few people in person but I don't think I've ever blogged about it. Before all this started back in February 2009, I went to the dollar store and grabbed a small planner so I could keep track of my doctors' appointments and stuff. The first entry is in late January reminding me of an appointment at the sleep lab. I was being tested for sleep apnea, which I would learn was quite severe.

February is more active because well, that's when all hell broke loose. Thank goodness! I had the two-day seminar/surgeon appointment in Detroit and I decided to keep track of my weight by writing it down. Back then, I weighed in on Tuesdays. I chose Tuesday because I'd been to see Dr. Genaw for the first time on the 4th and he told me to lose 40 pounds. My birthday was on the 7th; I didn't want to diet on my birthday! I had birthday dinners planned over the weekend and on the Monday. So I chose to start my pre-op "diet" on the 10th - a Tuesday. The "mask fitting" note is for my sleep apnea mask. The pictures aren't great but you get the idea. As always, click to enlarge:



It looks like I lost six pounds over that weekend but really it was four. My scales at the time were not in sync with the ones in Detroit but I wouldn't figure that out for a while yet. LOL!

Here are another couple of months pre-op. May 2009 seemed to be particularly challenging. That was month my grandmother passed away. She was not well and I eventually traveled to Ohio, staying for over a week till she passed and helping with the funeral, etc., and dealing with all the stress. I was going through losing one of the two most important women in my life, the surgery date looming over me and knowing I needed to lose a lot more weight by then. I was a wreck, pretty much....



But I got my shit together and managed to lose over 70 pounds by my surgery date, making Dr. Genaw VERY happy. A couple of weeks later I got new scales that were more accurate. I still use them, even though I don't need the 450-lb. capacity anymore or the 'talk' feature. I can see past my stomach now and look at the numbers myself. I actually turned the 'talk' feature off because the new kittens were stepping all over it all the time and all I ever heard from the hall was "Hello. I'm ready." GAH!

July was great but looks like I hit a plateau in October. I remember thinking WTF? I should be losing more. I think my body just needed a break. Things were back on track by December when I rewarded myself with a trip to Nashville. That was one of the best trips ever! Sure wish I could go again this year!



Sometimes it seems like the scale isn't moving at all. And truth is sometimes it doesn't! But the sun will rise tomorrow. Having these records helped me to see that even if I had a rough patch, I always - always - came out of it and started losing again. Just keep on keepin' on! Never give up. Witness April/May 2010 - nothing the first three weeks then BAM! and we're rollin' again. I had little gains, too, but I always bounced back.



The Summer of Cindy was a very busy time. I felt like my weight loss over the summer completely sucked but when I looked back I could see that really, there was still a downward spiral (which in this case, is a good thing). The numbers on the right of the page still went down, generally.



It took me longer than I anticipated or wanted, but eventually I did reach my goal! I was weighing myself almost every day at the end. LOL! The suspense was making me crazy and honestly, the stress I put on myself probably caused me to hold onto the pounds a little longer than necessary. It's all water under the bridge now.



I guess you got a glimpse into all the other stuff I was doing with my planner besides tracking my weight :) I blogged about most of it anyway, so there's nothing earth shattering in there.

So anyway, I thought I'd share my little record book with you all to show that I think it's very important to have a tangible reminder that things will be ok. You'll get over the plateau and make it through whatever crap is happening to REACH YOUR GOAL. It may not be on your timeline but you'll get there!

My weight since reaching my goal has been up a pound or two, down a pound or two. I'm "hovering" around my goal weight which is what I'm supposed to be doing, I think! The quest for normal is an ongoing thing: How do I just BE? Just live my life, try to eat and exercise the best I can and get on with it. I don't want to obsess about it. So far, I'm doing ok.