The beginning....

i saw the osteopath about the pain in my right hip and lower back. turns out an accident i had as a child was compounded by a slip and fall while carrying my baby in a sling and the damage to the bone is developing arthritis.

essentially, if i don't lose weight ASAP, i'll need hip replacement - soon. very soon.

which sucks.

did you know that every step you take puts four times your body weight on that limb? that means every step i take, i'm putting nearly 1000lbs of pressure down through my leg and foot! no wonder my shoes blow out so fast!

on the flip side, every pound i lose means 4lbs of pressure off my hip.

he suggested i lose even ten pounds - but you know, if i'm going to lose any, i might as well lose it all.

again.

this'll be the third time i've lost 100lbs or so.

i have to confess, i'm at the point where i honestly don't care about my size. i don't love my body - but i don't hate it, either. it's just there. the only things i hate are the inconveniences - losing my breath if i have to bend over to tie up my shoe, for example.

and of course, there's my 3yr old, the youngest of three daughters, who's close to 60lbs already. i don't want her thinking it's acceptable to weigh roughly 2-1/2 times what she should even though she's not "blubbery" - just BIG. and strong - very strong!

so i have an appointment with my family doctor on saturday and we'll do the do - height, weight, measurements, etc - and talk about diet issues.

i experienced the most success with a doctor-supervised VLCD (very low calorie diet) that had to be taken down to 700cal a day before i was able to lose weight (my metabolism was THAT shot) and also a zero-carb diet. it wasn't actually "zero" carbs - i just eliminated starchy carbs. i find that if i eat bread, i don't stop - i LOOOOVES me some bread! same with potatos - i love potatos any ol' way you wanna serve them. but i can't stop eating them and then i feel tired and groggy and generally blech.

i think i'll go with the zero-carb diet, taking in starchy carbs only immediately before and after a workout to replenish glycogen reserves and prevent blood sugar crashes.