A Good Day, and What the PT Said

So far today has been awesome! I took an Excedrin this morning to ward of the headache before it started. I have had a *wonderful* day and I cannot believe how much better I feel already!

7AM: green tea
8AM: Medifast Cranberry Mango drink (sort of reminds me of a smoothie)
10AM: Medifast Cinnamon Pretzels (the 'old' kind, for those who know what I mean! Yum.)
Noon: I was out at the mall visiting Santa with my daughter. I brought a water bottle and a Medifast Peanut Butter Crunch bar with me. I also got a 12 oz coffee with sugar free syrup in it and 2 Tablespoons of half and half. I drank part of it at the mall and brought the rest home.
3PM: Medifast Hot Cocoa mixed with the rest of that coffee. Very good.

For dinner at 6, I am planning to have chicken breast (6 oz cooked weight) with 1 1/2 cups of cooked veggies, probably broccoli. At 8 or 8:30 I will have a Medifast brownie. And that will be it for the day.

If at any point I feel like I am really hungry I will have a half ounce of raw almonds or a sugar free Jello cup.

As planned, with no snack:
928 calories
125 g protein
83 g carbs
16% calories from fat

I also have a spoonful of Barlean's Fish Oil daily which is actually yummy, and it does add 45 calories and 3.5 g fat to my totals but Nutrition Support at Medifast advised me not to count it because it is a supplement. I think it really helps my arthritis.

Major victory today was being at the mall, surrounded by "mall food" and not going there. I was fine. And I cannot even tell you how much better I already feel today. The bloat is disappearing and instead of a puffy bulge in my midsection, it is already getting slimmer with a bit of a 'tuck' under my ribcage which is nice... no more muffin top with the jeans.

Here's some interesting information from the physical therapist. When he did my initial evaluation and then again at another visit, he commented that my knees are slightly turned in. He said that even though I "no longer have a weight problem" (!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot believe someone said that to me!!!!!!!!) that I still stand like someone who is very heavy, because that is how my legs and knees got used to being. He said being obese affects the whole body, every system, including the skeletal and muscular system. As we gain weight we stand and move differently and it takes months for the body to readjust when the weight is lost, and even then sometimes we do not adjust without actually working on it (i.e. physical therapy). Thus people who lose a lot of weight may find themselves having pain in their joints, muscles, etc because their body is moving in a way that is no longer appropriate for their weight. He pointed out to me which of my muscles are weak and how I move in ways that used to compensate for my morbid obesity. For example, when I step one foot down and back up from a raised platform I turn my entire leg sideways before stepping down. He showed me the right way to step down and up, with my leg straight and I actually CANNOT do it. My muscles around the hips are not strong enough. As I work to strengthen those weak spots, and focus on *not* letting my knees turn in but keeping them pointing straight as I move, my body will readjust and I will be able to do more of the things I want to do.

Feeling great and looking forward to another successful day tomorrow!