MONTHLY WEIGH IN RESULTS
🐸 Starting Weight: 298.8lbs
🦋 Current Weight: 252.4lbs
MAY-JUNE [-6.2lbs]

This month felt similar to last. It was full of ups and downs and it was an oddly emotional month. For those who may not know, I have a pretty major anxiety disorder and there are times that I get what I call weepy weeks. 😭 Everything sets me off into tears – like to the point I don’t watch much TV because insurance ads make me cry, much less anything dramatic.

Definitely no current events or news – I am very careful to live in my fluffy, sparkly, blissful ignorance bubble – watching, absorbing, discussing the horrible state of things would send me into a spiral that would be very difficult to climb out of…

Well this month was a weepy month. Not as bad as some but it was pretty strong. And 95% of it was unjustified, irrational anxiety brain based. And I know that – but knowing it doesn’t change it happening. I’m not complaining and I have it as under control as I can but I’m just shedding a little light on the situation as a whole…

Now while I am not normally an emotional eater, I had more than a few high pain, high fatigue, emotionally over threshold days that went one of two ways.

I either didn’t eat much at all or I ate super simple, no cook, canned stuff like canned spaghetti, canned chili on a potato or canned chicken or tuna that didn’t require effort but also was much higher in carbs and sodium and no veggies in sight.

I try to make brunch my main meal that involves cooking and leave dinner to be something that requires less prep as I hurt more and have much less energy in the evenings. I don’t always get it right but I’m trying.

I’m still making my way though the freezer meals I made earlier in the year but they just aren’t as good as cooking fresh and I’m down to mostly soups which are okay… but I ate most of the ones I liked already…. 😂

I had my Dr appointment on May 2nd but my doc was sick so I saw another very nice Dr and we ran some labs and I rescheduled to see my normal Dr yesterday (May 31st).

The labs I had done on May 2nd were about 6 months from the previous ones. It was a mixed bag of good and okayish news…

▪️WBC = 13000 (elevated) – always is and stayed about the same

▪️Glucose = 92 – which is what I get normally testing at home

▪️Kidney function (EGFR + BUN + Creatinine) = normal

▪️Sodium / Potassium / Calcium = normal

▪️Hepatic Liver Function Panel = normal

▪️Thyroid Panel (incl T3 + T4) = normal

▪️Parathyroid Panel = normal

▪️Vit B12 = in range
▪️Vit D = 9 (30 is recommended minimum)

▪️Insulin = 63 ( was 245 – max recommended is 24 )
▪️C-Peptide = 9.6 ( was 28.8 – max recommended is 4.4 )

▪️Total Cholesterol = up slightly
▪️Triglycerides = down

I started a different trio of blood pressure medications and a new med for my muscle spasms. I had to drop one of the blood pressure meds because of the reactions but am tolerating the rest well.

Unfortunately my blood pressure is still a real problem. The new meds lowered it but after a few weeks it is creeping back up there… I saw my normal doc today and it was back to 180/119.

We talked about several things…she reordered some labs, wants a chest xray to look for early stage congestive heart disease, we are trying to get a heart cath procedure approved through my insurance, she is going to set me up another cardiology appointment and wants me to have both arm and leg nerve conduction testing done.

I asked her about the genetic testing service I found since I have so little information on my family and she thinks it could be very helpful and suggested I do it. It takes 16wks to get results back so I’ll get the kit ordered and I’ll know more around September.

Depending on the results of the labs we just did, I will either see her in a week or another month.

So this month I need to do a few things:
▪️ Continue 30-40% carbs to get insulin down more
▪️ New meds
▪️ Try for 15min / day exercise but I have to monitor my heart rate fluctuations

I’m also going to do another month of Zombie Apocalypse Pantry clean out – which just means doing very limited shopping besides produce top ups and using the proteins (freezer) / pantry stores I already have.

We’ll see how it all goes!

↙️ ONWARDS & DOWNWARDS ↘️

JANUARY 1 – 251.2
FEBRUARY 1 – 247.4
MARCH 1 – 245.2
APRIL 1 – 267.0
MAY 1 – 258.6
JUNE 1 – 252.4

🏆 NEXT MINI GOAL: 248.8lbs [-50lbs again]
🎯 NEXT MILESTONE GOALS: 223.8lbs [-75lbs]

✈️ LONG TERM MILESTONE 1:
Onderland by May 2023
(Travel back to NZ for 6 months / May – Oct)

🌏 NON SCALE GOALS:
▪️ Fit in the Hoodie I bought for New Zealand
▪️ Improve my general health as much as possible
▪️ Increase movement as much as possible

🎯 MILE MARKERS
Goal 1: 273.8lbs (-25lbs) 🏆
Goal 2: 248.8lbs (-50lbs)
Goal 3: 223.8lbs (-75lbs)
Goal 4: 198.8lbs (-100lbs + Onderland!)
Goal 5: 173.8lbs (-125lbs )
Goal 6: 148.8lbs (-150lbs)

———————

If you aren’t familiar with my situation, basically I live with several autoimmune issues… an “inflammatory overstimulation response” brought on by my basic blood cells thinking they are Spartan Warriors and attacking everything in sight.

More information about what is wrong as well as the resources I’m using are here:
https://tinyurl.com/yctpfwxl

[Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or MCAS is my main issue but also fun things like Fibromyalgia, POTS, Histamine Intolerance, Insulin Resistance, Oxalate Sensitivity and on and on… ]

WILD WEIGHT SWINGS
My weight fluctuations are not water weight, not sodium retention and the gains do not go away until the cells calm down and the actual muscle inflammation decreases.

When a flare happens, everything swells – my eyes, my hands/feet, my actual muscle tissue and organs … I can, and have, put on up to 20lbs in a bad flare and this can take 3-4 weeks to lose again.

Foods, chemicals, weather changes, environmental elements… literally, sometimes just existing, fires them up. Some things I can control and otherwise it is a #justkeepswimming kinda life.