Oftentimes the circumstances we view as terrible end up being the things that bring change.
About three months ago, I was told I would need knee surgery for a torn meniscus. In all of my research and conversations with others, this would be a simple surgery with a quick recovery.
Imagine my dismay when my recovery was not quick. At all.
In fact, nine weeks later, I am still in quite a bit of pain if I am on it for more than an hour.
At my follow-up appointment two weeks after the appointment, I found out the cause of my pain. Apparently, there was severe arthritis in the knee which the doctor had scraped off while he was in there. FYI: Recovery from arthritis being scraped off your bone is much longer and quite a bit more painful than recovery from surgery that is only about fixing a torn mensicus.
At any rate, at that appointment the doctor informed me that I would most definitely need a knee replacement but he had no idea if it would be six months or ten years. And then he casually continued, "By the way, you could delay your knee replacement by losing a little bit of weight. Every pound is like three pounds going up and down steps. So if you lose even ten pounds that is thirty pounds less pressure on your knees."
Who knew? (Actually it does make total sense and I had a sneaking suspicion he was going to say something like this!)
When I left his office it was with a renewed mission. All of a sudden, losing weight took on a whole new meaning and a much bigger purpose. Now it was {officially} about my health.
And, so I am back. And I am back to stay. There is no wavering this time. I have been on my new journey for almost seven weeks now. I have lost seven pounds. I am okay with that.
The last time I lost weight, I lost 20 pounds in six weeks, but I couldn't sustain the lifestyle that I had created to lose the weight. Of course, I found it next to impossible to keep that weight off and I gained it all back (plus about five more) within a couple of years.
So now I am on the pathway of creating a new lifestyle. I thought I would share some of the tools that have helped me along the way so far. By the way, I am not getting paid to advertise, but simply wanted to share these with you, just in case you are looking for something new to try--
Sparkpeople -- This is a completely free site and I have used it for five years. This is, by far, my most favorite resource for healthy living. There are lots of tools to help create a new lifestyle and lots of articles and success stories that provide encouragement along the way.
T-Tapp -- If you hate to exercise, this is the program for you! It is also great for those of us with limitations on exercise. Teresa Tapp has you sweating in a brief 15 minute workout designed to be low impact. I turned to this when I was having trouble with my knees. I found it not only easy on my knees, but actually rehabilitative. If I do not do the basic plus routine for a few days in a row, my knees quickly feel it.
The Shift:How I Finally Lost Weight and Discovered a Happier Life -- I read this book in a couple of days. It is by Tory Johnson. She has a new spin on weight loss. And, while I do not subscribe to the drastic measures she took to lose weight (very, very low carbs and no fruit), some of her thoughts are very profound and provided great insight and hope for me regarding this weight loss issue.
Well, there are a few helps. I will present more as I think of them. I am sure I am forgetting something!
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