3 Month Assessment - My Health Journey

It’s been three months since I started my health journey, and it’s time to do an assessment of my progress. It will be another month before I get metabolic testing again, so I won’t be going over those numbers, but I think I’ve got enough information from my regular numbers to say things are going well.
For just a bit of background. I am overweight and a diabetic. Last year I had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from my Kidney. I would say my health at the beginning of this journey could be listed as terrible, leaning into dangerous. My blood sugar was out of control, I had no energy, and just getting up the stairs was getting difficult.
My health routine currently is 10,000 steps a day and a Keto diet. That’s a bit different than when I started, but the philosophy has remained the same. Get exercise and eat intelligently.
Let’s go over where I started at. On January first, I weighed 318.3 pounds. My measurements were 19 inches at the neck, 56 inches at the waist, and 47 inches at the hips. I wasn’t tracking blood sugar on the first day of the month, but my average fasting blood sugar for the first week I did track, which started on January 10th, was 120.
Fast forward to today. My weight today is 287.7 pounds. That means I’ve lost 30 pounds since January 1st. I’ve lost just about ten pounds each month, so it’s been a steady drop at a rate that is feels quick, but not dangerously fast. I feel good about that.
My measurements today are 18 inches at the neck, 52 inches at the waist, and 44 inches at the hips. That a loss of an inch at the neck, four inches at the waist, and three inches at the hips. My shirts are fitting better and my face looks a little leaner in the mirror. My skin also feels a little looser. This are all signs that my body is getting a little leaner.
Looking at my blood sugar… As I said, my average fasting glucose the first week I started measuring was 120. For the past week, my average fasting blood sugar has been 98. Of all the numbers I’ve been following, this is by far the most encouraging. Numbers under 100 are considered to be in the normal range. I’m not hitting that every day, but on average, I’m getting there. This is a huge drop and a sign that I’m not just losing weight, I’m getting healthier, which is the more important goal.
I’m not going to go over many more numbers. I sometimes get bogged down tracking too many things, and I am adjusting that moving forward. I will say that I’m still averaging about 11,000 steps a day, and I believe that the walking is probably the most helpful thing I’m doing health-wise. The dieting has been another key, but I believe the walking is huge and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to improve their health.
Just as important as how the numbers are improving is how I’m feeling. Overall, I feel good. I’m not jumping out of bed filled with energy, but I’m not feeling exhausted all of the time, which is a step forward. I’m also not having as many peaks and valleys throughout the day. I give a lot of credit there to the Keto diet. A diet focused on Fats instead of sugar tends to avoid those spikes in blood sugar and the crashes that come after. Fat burns steadier. I do get tired in the afternoon sometimes, but it’s nothing compared to last fall, when I could barely keep my eyes open in the afternoons.
So, am I in good shape yet? No. I wish I could say I was, but that is still a long ways off. I’m still obese. My blood sugar still needs to come down more, and my heart health is still not where it needs to be. I will say that I’m a lot closer to being healthy than I was three months ago. My goal when I started was to reach 250 pounds by the end of the year. That was a drop of 68 pounds, which seemed doable, but ambitious. I needed to lose about 5.7 pounds a month or about 1.3 pounds a week in order to reach that goal.
The first three months of this journey I have lost ten pounds a month. That leaves me with 38 pounds to go by the end of the year. I don’t expect to lose 10 pounds every month, but the good news is I don’t have lose ten pounds a month to reach my goal. To lose the remaining 38 pounds, I now need to lose 4.3 pounds a month or 1 pound a week. As long as I follow the plan, this no longer feels ambitious. I think I’ll get there. More importantly, as long as I follow the plan, the end numbers matter less. I know this is a healthy plan for me, and if it takes a little longer, I’m still making progress. The key is persistence over the long term.
I wanted to talk a little bit about how my approach has changed since the beginning, and the additional changes I’m making now. None of the changes are dramatic, but it’s good to discuss.

[@RP-ys3ri]

Congratulations. It is visible….:)
Thank you for sharing your journey

[@JohnHewittpoewar]

Thank you for coming and taking a look.

[@The0Patt]

Well done! :)

[@JohnHewittpoewar]

Thank you! It's been a challenge.