My Fatt Butt

It dawns on me that I forgot to update you on My Fat Butt after my first monthly checkup with my endocrinologist.

So, about a week or so ago, I had my first monthly checkup. At that point I had lost a total of 14 lbs! Like I mentioned before, a significant portion of that was water weight, but still.

We talked about any side effects, my weight loss, how I'm feeling, etc. Checked my vitals, did a physical exam, etc.

Then I asked him about the water weight thing. He went into this long explanation (one of the reasons I heart this doctor - he's really good about explaining things to me) about how our body processes food, and how my insulin disorder screwed up how my body processed food, and said that the water molecules are actually attached to the sugar molecules in the cells, and had they stayed there long enough, would have eventually turned into fat. So the fact that I lost so much water weight (and yes, we actually discussed how much I peed, in order for him to confirm that it was water weight, ha!) is a very good sign that not only is his original diagnosis right on, but that this course of treatment is working very well for me. He went on to say that not all patients lose the water weight like that, and they have to "tweak" their medicine, adding this, taking away that, to get the right combo to get their body to process food correctly. But so far it looks like this combo is working very well for me.

His hope is that over time my body will re-learn how to process food correctly, and we can eventually wean off of most, if not all, of the medication. Hopefully. Although because of my family history of diabetes he said he would want to keep a close eye on my insulin performance pretty much forever and ever, just to be safe.

So, before I left he told me not to be surprised if I didn't lose as much weight this month. He said some patients do, but most don't, especially if they, like me, have lost a lot of water weight the first month. But not to get discouraged, keep with it, etc.

He explained that for some reason that even the medical community doesn't understand, weight loss tends to come in stair steps - large loss, plateau, loss, plateau, rinse, repeat. He said it is rare to find evenly trending weight loss over time, no matter what the method. Interesting.

And he said he was "pleased with my progress, and my efforts". He said that yes, I would have lost some amount of weight just from the medication regulating everything, but I would not have lost 14 lbs if I weren't also been following my calorie restriction as instructed. So, yay! for me last month.

But...

To be honest, with all the stress I've been under the past few weeks... I haven't been counting my calories. At all. I know I'm not eating as much as before. Not nearly as much. But... I just haven't been counting. Bad FireWife, I know. It's such a little thing, but it just seems like... one more thing.

Is that stupid? Sometimes I think it is. But sometimes it feels like it's one of the few things that I have the privilege of saying "no" to. One of the few things I can let go by the wayside for now as I get my life together.

So, that... is the update on My Fat Butt. Thanks for checking in.