2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back
Is this you? You feel like once you make a stride in the right direction, some type of set back pops up? It's discouraging. I know this feeling first hand. So as you know I lost a considerable amount of weight. But guess what happened to me... my back was hurt... bad. After having my first daughter, my lower back became misaligned one day trying to pick her heavy butt up while she was in her car seat. Total mistake because from then on I'd have lower back issues that would require visits to the Chiropractor and a massage therapist. Well, last year, my back went out (again) and it was the worst it had ever been. I've never experience back spasms this bad before. I was in tears not just due to the pain but due to the fact that I could hardly get off of the couch into a standing position. I needed my family's help to do the simplest tasks. It took about a month before I could get back to being something near normal. Forget the gym, I was just trying to walk like a normal person again. It would be almost 2 months before I stepped foot back onto a treadmill or do any cardio... the pool was my friend.
Maybe a month or so after getting back into the swing of things another bump in the road... my food started hurting to the point I couldn't walk on it. I went to the doctor... plantar fasciitis and boy did I have a bad case of it. I was walking with crutches, take meds, doing stretches and all that... sitting on my butt yet again! sigh This was literally messing with me mentally. I was so use to getting out and about, working out and doing things my way. I guess God had a different plan because I was immobile AGAIN.
So as my foot started to feel better to where I could start putting a little weight on it, the calf muscle in my other leg was sore. I'm thinking, I've been putting all of my weight on my other leg, it made total sense that it would be sore. But, as my foot got bette, my calf was feeling worse. Something wasn't right. I asked my husband if my calf looked swollen and he said yes and said... "do you think it could be a blood clot?" *light bulb* He might be right. He called my vein doc right then and there and their answering service plugged me right in to my doc. I spoke with him that night and he was able to see me the next day. A sonogram confirmed that I had a blood clot. I'm thinking, you have got to be kidding me. I mean, I was eating healthy, working out... all that. So I'm put basically on bed rest for the next few days in order to elevate my leg and not add any outside factors to the situation. He wanted to make sure the clot wasn't getting worse. Went back and began having to take blood thinners and wear a compression tight. I was cleared to begin exercise but my calf still hurt and working out was not cool. So walking is all I did for short periods throughout each day.
After all this, I gained about 11 or 12lbs from all of the immobility. I got up to 174lbs. (Prior I had gotten down to 157lbs which for me is way too skinny and got up to a comfortable 162lbs.) So I knew what had to be done although things were different now than before. I wasn't 250lbs with a baby and battling post-partum depression. I was a different person. I went back to a nutritionist to see what it would take to lose the weight the right way. I knew what the right way was but I was interested to see what the balance would be with my carb/protein/calorie intake and as I assumed it was different from my initial visit. A 1200 calorie per day diet. Within 2 weeks, I got back down to 162lbs. I honestly can't believe it happened that fast but it did. I walked (1-1.5 miles) through the park 3 to 4 times each week and hit the weights hard (1.5 -2 hours) in the gym once each week. Although, what I ate is what got me there.
You may have a set-back... maybe even several set-backs back to back like me. You can always get back on track. ALWAYS! Each set-back for me was a character building opportunity. They made
me mentally stronger. Nothing but opportunities are laid out before us... not set-backs... opportunities to be better people. I am thankful and grateful that God is building strength in me. In us.
