Good morning and Happy New Year... It's pretty early and hasn't even begun to get daylight yet so I'm not sure what kind of day we're going to have... I just know that, right now, it's 46° outside and the furnace is cycling off and on every few minutes. I know that's warm to some of you, but considering that until now, we've, mostly been staying in the 60's at night so our high today is supposed to be about what our lows have been - that will be quite a sudden change for us. I guess as usual, we'll survive. :-)
Anyway, there hasn't been a lot going on. I've got all my inside Christmas decorations down and put away and helped husband take down put away the large outdoor Christmas tree... The holidays are over and it's time to get on with the business of making the most of the new year.
I stopped making resolutions quite a few years ago because, like many people, I tend to let them go by the wayside after a few months, weeks or even a few days. As you know, I did just have a stress test, which I did well on, but my cardiologist insisted that I go on a statin drug to lower my cholesterol and triglycerides. I've resisted drugs for this for some years and although I did get the prescription filled, I haven't started taking the medication yet because I'm scared of the side effects. Aside from that, my cardiologist insists that my cholesterol be dropped to only 50 and I'm in total disagreement that it needs to be that low. Studies show that the body needs cholesterol for certain processes and if levels drop too low, there's not enough available.
Anyway, I know that eating sugar and other simple carbs, etc contributes to the high cholesterol and triglycerides. I also know that having too high thyroid levels contributes to higher levels. I've seen over the years that my cholesterol and triglycerides tend to fluctuate with my thyroid hormone levels and as I've been discussing for months, my thyroid levels are lower than I believe I need them since I have this, as well as other symptoms of hypothyroidism.
I did find out from the Nurse Practitioner at my pcp's office that there's a new endo in my area and the NP did offer me a referral if I wanted it. After seeing my cardio and getting the results of my stress test, I did request that referral and am now waiting for a call to set up an appointment. I'm not sure how a visit with an endo might go... I do worry that it could be as disastrous as the previous endo, but hope it will turn out much better...
Anyway, while waiting to set up the appointment with the endo, the one sort of "resolution" I've made is to cut back on sweets and salty foods. Notice I said "cut back" not eliminate them... I may do that, at some point, but I know that trying to make drastic changes all at once simply doesn't work for me, so I'll start out cutting back and see how that works out.
Because of acid reflux, I've also had to cut a few other things out of my diet, such as chocolate (except I drink certain hot chocolate early in the day), most peanuts, etc.
So far, it's working well. I'm also still walking most mornings with my neighbor. Between modifying my diet and walking most days, I have managed to lose... Yay for me... As of yesterday, I was down a pound from last Saturday, which is great for me, although I do fluctuate a lot in between.
I just looked back at weight tracker... My low weight for 2019 was near the end of April and I stayed pretty stable for several weeks, only fluctuating a couple pounds each week. The upward spiral began at the end of May when my MIL passed away and it peaked Sept 22, which was shortly after my brother's death. I attribute most of it to stress/cortisol/adrenaline and poor eating, coupled with low thyroid hormones and little exercise - airport and/or hospital food isn't overly nutritious, nor do very many people bring real healthy food to funeral gatherings nor is flying back and forth very conducive to a lot of exercise. Of course, that doesn't relieve me of responsibility, by any means!!
Anyway, I'm down 1 pound from last week and 4 pounds from my high in September. I know I can do better, so my ongoing goal continues to be to lose a pound a week - this time, to keep it off, even in adverse conditions such as those I went through in 2019.
I'm off to get ready for my daily walk, even though I have to bundle up (oh woe is me...lol). I look forward to hearing about your New Year, what, if any resolutions you've made and what progress you've made...
~~Wishing everyone a wonderful, successful week~~