Thursday, January 26, 2012

A Little Less to Love

So I've started back onto my diet, the one that worked so well two years ago but which I completely discarded as soon as a good depression came along.  But with all my illnesses lately, and the ongoing fatigue of the hepatitis, I've decided that taking more positive steps to improving my health and my self-image is the way to go.  And part of that is to get rid of my belly and improve my circulation... and the only way you can do those is through that dreaded duo: Diet & Exercise.

Those as remember all the way back in 2009 (or those who are willing to read the archives), the diet consists of eating a 250-calorie meal every two hours, avoiding fats and carbs, and drinking water or herb tea whenever I feel peckish but it's not time to eat.  Actually, that time I did 200-calorie meals, but I had more weight to lose and a metabolism-slowing antidepressant to work against, which this time I do not; last time, I lost fifty pounds in ten weeks, but this time I'm only looking to lose thirty pounds in the same amount of time, so I can be a little less Draconian in my calories. 

I decided that Chinese (or rather Lunar) New Year was the best time to start, getting off to a good start in the Year of the Dragon (the most auspicious of years).  It's very encouraging, during the dark moments of agitating hunger, that I have done this before, and successfully.  Knowing you can do it is different from thinking you can do it, and that extra little fillip of knowledge has been very helpful this week.

For my next step, I have to get back into the swing of going to the gym three times a week.  Which means that I have to keep gym clothes available, either by maintaining a gym bag or just keeping a change in the car.  To do that, I'm going to have to do a lot of laundry, since the clothes I wear to the gym are also the clothes I wear to bed, and so I tend to run out when I've been sick or depressed for any length of time.

I also have to be extra careful of my back when I exercise, since it's still weak from the injury in November (and I haven't been doing my physical therapy exercises with the regularity that I should).  I have another PT appointment tomorrow, one I've kept putting off and rescheduling because I feel ashamed that I haven't been doing my exercises; but I do want him to see if there's anything else I can be doing that I don't have to do regularly for it to be effective (like a magic potion, or fairy sweat, or something).  Plus my therapist is as cute as a button, which always makes a visit a little more pleasant (and a little more worth the thirty-dollar co-pay).

Not much else going on, I'm afraid.  But I'm looking forward to feeling better... I don't expect that I will be quite back in form until the hepatitis passes, but I can certainly make some improvements before then that will make the return of my liver to full functionality even more pleasant.  And getting back into my thin clothes will be a treat.

Speaking of treats...