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bill_schubertI've mostly reached my physical goals. Mostly. Still some improvement needed for conditioning but it is more maintenance than muscle. I still want to be able to climb more stairs but I'm working on the problem and will continue until I can't do it any more. My weight is where I want and seems to be happy to plateau there. My belly still has 3 inches to drop but that is just going to take a while and will be in lock with my being able to climb stairs. And my grip strength is better. The right side legs and grip are still weaker than the left but that too will take a lot of time.
So the big thing now is to be sure I stay at this plateau or better. No back sliding.
Chat GPT created a number of set points that I can check, a scorecard, and upper limits that if I hit I go into hard recovery mode. For instance, 187 (two pounds up from my plateau) for 3 days at which point I'd get serious again with lowering the calories. Until then I eat what I want keeping up protein and fiber and enough calories to be sure I can workout and keep up the muscle mass.
Today was the first day of the score card. I still have the exercise portion to do (10 sit stands from my low chair, grip measurement, lay on floor and get up without external assist). I'm going to add a few things but it gives me the freedom to both not obsess and stay on track without worry. I've got Sunday morning set up as the day I fill it out and a spreadsheet connected to a calendar entry set for every Sunday until my calendar runs out (6/26/2043).
I started to wean myself off of semaglutide by moving the weekly injection to 8 days, then 9 and then 10 BUT doing it that way means my body goes through the nausea that came with the first dose. It isn't bad but basically my body has gotten used to being without it after 10 days and then it starts all over. So I'm switching tactics, lowering the dose over time. I've got months left to do it and, really, after 10 days I'm eating about the same so I could likely just drop it altogether and be fine. But I've paid for it and will continue for a while with a lower dose just to be sure.
This week is going to be kind of a PIA mostly in the way it ends, in Houston, at the Baylor hospital there. We're getting a diagnosis for Dana's vascular issue. It appears that she may have something called FMD which is an issue that is mostly women as a result of hormones gone wild. It manifests as blood vessels having weakened walls and bulges. I don't think there is any cure but knowledge and solid diagnosis is power and they are one of the few specialties in the country. So Thursday morning to Houston and back on Friday. The dogs will kennel where they did last time, in a pet place across the street. Convenient and I think they don't much mind for a day.
I'm hoping that the appointment is a one off as the trip to Houston is painful, boring and long. We have a VRBO apartment reserved for a reasonable amount of money so it should not be too bad as a single one day trip. Fingers are crossed that it is just that and nothing more complicated or lengthy. The communication from the doctor's end is minimal and sketchy, laden with standardized emails.
So the big thing now is to be sure I stay at this plateau or better. No back sliding.
Chat GPT created a number of set points that I can check, a scorecard, and upper limits that if I hit I go into hard recovery mode. For instance, 187 (two pounds up from my plateau) for 3 days at which point I'd get serious again with lowering the calories. Until then I eat what I want keeping up protein and fiber and enough calories to be sure I can workout and keep up the muscle mass.
Today was the first day of the score card. I still have the exercise portion to do (10 sit stands from my low chair, grip measurement, lay on floor and get up without external assist). I'm going to add a few things but it gives me the freedom to both not obsess and stay on track without worry. I've got Sunday morning set up as the day I fill it out and a spreadsheet connected to a calendar entry set for every Sunday until my calendar runs out (6/26/2043).
I started to wean myself off of semaglutide by moving the weekly injection to 8 days, then 9 and then 10 BUT doing it that way means my body goes through the nausea that came with the first dose. It isn't bad but basically my body has gotten used to being without it after 10 days and then it starts all over. So I'm switching tactics, lowering the dose over time. I've got months left to do it and, really, after 10 days I'm eating about the same so I could likely just drop it altogether and be fine. But I've paid for it and will continue for a while with a lower dose just to be sure.
This week is going to be kind of a PIA mostly in the way it ends, in Houston, at the Baylor hospital there. We're getting a diagnosis for Dana's vascular issue. It appears that she may have something called FMD which is an issue that is mostly women as a result of hormones gone wild. It manifests as blood vessels having weakened walls and bulges. I don't think there is any cure but knowledge and solid diagnosis is power and they are one of the few specialties in the country. So Thursday morning to Houston and back on Friday. The dogs will kennel where they did last time, in a pet place across the street. Convenient and I think they don't much mind for a day.
I'm hoping that the appointment is a one off as the trip to Houston is painful, boring and long. We have a VRBO apartment reserved for a reasonable amount of money so it should not be too bad as a single one day trip. Fingers are crossed that it is just that and nothing more complicated or lengthy. The communication from the doctor's end is minimal and sketchy, laden with standardized emails.