A Sheep In Wools' Clothing

Functional Medicine and Weight Loss Resumes

This year I started off determined to lose weight.  I lost 17 lbs, and stabilized there through trips to Florida, Scotland and Banff, Alberta, Canada.  But, I fell off the steady weight loss wagon during my funk period.

In the next year, I have a DS graduating from college, DD will graduate from high school, and that will leave me with only one child at home for the first time in 26 years.  I need to re-figure myself, and "have a reason for living not attached to another living soul."  That was one task assigned to me by the new functional medicine doctor I have added to my support system.  I love my internist, but traditional medicine alone wasn't keeping me healthy, and I find that the collection of medications I have for the three main health issues I own is getting giganormous.

So, desperate to shake my funk, and knowing life doesn't have to be the way it has been for me, I decided to add a new approach.  While I am traditionally trained in medicine (having completed two full residencies in medicine and being double boarded in them), I firmly believe in the mind-body-spirit connection.  And so, I have recently (the past six weeks), embarked on the quest of a healthy mind-body-spirit connection for myself.  I had a shamanic healing with two wonderful women at a functional medicine clinic I found.  From there, I decided to pursue checking out one of their functional medicine doctors.  They have one who used to be an OB-Gyn/perinatologist, trained at Baylor, who now does Gyn and functional medicine.  This clinic has an internist, a couple of family practice doctors, a psychiatrists, shamans, a Certified Nurse Midwife, Reiki, massage therapists, acupuncture, and I am probably forgetting others.  In short, they are well-versed to be able to see the entire individual, their medical problems and the root cause of the medical conditions.

So, we met and did a comprehensive intake medically, including a physical exam.  She ordered some specialized lab panels to help us figure out what was going on, although she had some good educated guesses as to where I am .  I returned and we went through the labs, saw the bad players and how they were adversely impacting the good players.  We went through the red flags and what they meant to me, what might be in my future medically if I did not change the course of my health.  I've already had one malignancy, and a pre-malignancy, so hearing that my labs were showing profiles consistent with more such things is disconcerting.

And so, I now embark on a path hopefully to feed my body what it needs, correct deficiencies, and see if I can change the path of those processes inside me.  So far in this journey, I can finally sleep (without medications to do so), and my weight loss has resumed, without hunger and without deprivation, through one of their programs, First Line Therapy.

At last I have some hope and optimism about my health and life in general.  No prescriptions were given to me - just some supplements.  Pretty cool IMHO.

As an aside, I am still configuring my new laptop with all my old programs, including photo altering programs, which haven't been installed yet.  Once that is done, I will resume photos of projects.  A new project was started yesterday.

Record Highs in the NE

 

We left home this morning to a beautiful heavy wet snow, that would normally probably left us with a nice 10" or more of snow.  Not this year.  Due to 58 degree weather yesterday, the ground was too warm and the snow didnt' last.  Four of the first eight days in January have made record highs.  Instead of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, it is the Colorado That Stole Winter this year!

My 2007 66+

I am unable to participate in Runagogo and do 100 by April 1.  HOWEVER, don't give up on me, foks.  I've got my own goal to get back down to a healthy weight this year.  I need to do this for me.

I remember as a senior in college I weighed 101 lbs and could see my iliac crests while standing.  I didn't have a car, so I walked everywhere or biked.  And I was far healthier for it.  Bad marriage, frustration, fear, eating comfort foods, steroids for severe asthma and inactivity due to cardiac issues have taken their toll, and my weight has blossomed accordingly.  I don't like to look in mirrors.  I HATE to shop for clothing.  I don't like how I feel - sluggish and frumpish.

So, I am eating healthy foods, observing portion control, and most importantly, am enjoying it, because this is a gift only I can do for myself.  The mind part was incredibly important for me, and thus far, has made a huge difference in staying on track.  Even when I "break" the diet, I stick to the list of freebie foods, or add a non-fat yogurt so the cheats even have damage control.

So far, I've lost 7.5 lbs in eight days.  (No, I am not following a fad diet or anything questionable like Atkins).