A Diagnosis, and Week One of Challenge Results

About mid-way through the losing process, I began to feel bad. Just generally bad. People always asked me how great I felt, and I would just nod along. As time progressed it got worse. I was constantly sleepy, easily dizzy, massively shedding, and always uncomfortably cold. I chalked it all up to losing weight and ignored it. Since going through the crazy binge eating period I decided to get a blood panel to ensure everything was okay. Such a strong desire to eat and always being hungry made me feel like maybe everything was not. A month ago I got my lab results back with two prescriptions and a diagnosis: iron deficiency anemia and hypothyroid.

Since beginning medication, I've slowly noticed changes. The sensitivity to cold has improved a great deal. Much less hair loss. Still the necessity for naps but at least not daily. The dizziness has improved a little. The biggest change is the eating. I do not have the desire to self-medicate with food and have not binged in weeks, and that to me is the most encouraging. Because of this, I've been able to comfortably lower my caloric ceiling from 1,800 to 1,650 without starving. Maybe this battle I'm fighting isn't a losing one after all.

Week One Challenge Results

• I ate five servings of fruit and vegetables per day six out of seven days. Saturday I was one short!
• I drank 88 ounces of water per day, one day considerably more.
• I had five "active" exercise days this week, and I tried four new BeachBody workouts (Insanity Max:30 Sweat Intervals, Beachbody Challenge Du Jour x2, and Hip Hop Abs Extreme. I do not count walking around the neighborhood with the kids or cleaning house all day as "active" exercise although I did burn extra calories doing them.
• I ended six out of seven days at considerably less than my one-pound-per-week caloric requirement after exercise. The one day I was not under I was still at considerably less than my "maintain" number.
• I lost 2.2 pounds this week and am back to the weight I was a month ago.

With the first seven days of challenge behind me, I'm building some confidence. I remember the way my body feels when I eat to nourish. I remember the pride I had all those many months while I was losing when I could close out the day and know I did my best. One thing that has definitely resonated with me during the last seven days is that you TRULY cannot out-exercise a bad diet. Believe me, I've tried.

Do you want to come along with me and get back on track? I'd be happy to share how and what I'm eating, what exercise I'm doing, some tips I've been using to meet my goals, and encourage you along the way.

Here's to week two!