Sunday Morning Musings

I went to WW yesterday, and my total weight loss is now 22.2 pounds. Another pound and a half and I will reach my first goal: losing 10% of my starting weight. According to my scale at home, I have reached that goal, but I don't think they would appreciate me stripping down nekkid at WW to weigh in, at 6 a.m. in the morning.

Since late summer, I've been making changes that have impacted my life for the better. Joining WW (this time, going to meetings instead of on-line), has been a help and a motivator to make healthy choices. Joining my Gentle Yoga class has been asbolutely the best choice I've made recently. The stretching, the breathing, the relaxation have all been wonderful. I am finally at peace with my body in so many ways. And I can see myself getting stronger every week, and continue to challenge myself to go deeper in the poses. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment.

But the accomplishment I am most proud of is: I am now off of anti-depressants for the first time in 6 years. They were a very necessary thing for me during this time. I have dealt with inner demons that I could never have faced without the help of those meds. I have handled extreme crises and remained able to function. And I may need to return to the meds at some point, but right now I have weaned off and feel good.

My biggest breakthrough recently has been going to my naturopath. He is knowledgeable, logical, inspiring. I did a one week liver cleanse where I ate only organic green vegetables and protein shakes, plus some supplements. I never would have thought I could do such a thing, but I was feeling so poorly, and he promised I would improve dramatically after this one week. I basically did it to prove him wrong. Guess what - I was wrong! I felt great, and I continue to.

I am still on a restricted eating plan, to discover my sensitivities that aggravate my fibro. But without sugar, gluten, dairy, citrus, red meat, soy, caffeine, alcohol and unhealthy fats, I continue to feel really good. Of course, I have strayed a little - there was Thanksgiving, my birthday, and vacation - but I was really careful and did not consume large quantities of anything.

I am eating organic whenever possible, and reducing my consumption of prepared/convenience items. I am taking good-for-me supplements, designed to address my specific issues. And did I mention, I'm losing weight and feeling great? In the past, my little tumble in NM would have sent me into an excrutiating fibro flare for weeks. While I'm still darn sore where I banged into bathroom fixture and floor, I don't have the all-over flu-like pain that I used to have all the time.

Just to be clear - I have not found a cure for my fibro. I still have symptoms. I still hurt most of the time, and I have low-energy episodes. But when I compare it to how I was doing before, it is like midnight and early morning. The light is here, and the hope of brighter day is very high.

I confess that I was at such a low point earlier this year, I was seriously looking into going on disability. I could barely function at work, and going to work depleted me so badly that I couldn't function when I left.

I cannot tell you how good it feels to have energy again. I am even getting obsessed with jewelry-making, a hobby I've been flirting with for quite a while. But I never had the creative energy to do much before. Now I'm blosssoming.