Well...I DID NOT Expect THIS to Happen!

 
Phentermine Day 1
 

  Whelp it's been a little over a year since my last entry, and it's been quite a roller coaster ride to say the least!  I had reached a point just within the last week where I felt I was at my wits end not knowing which direction to take regarding my current weight situation.  I gained ALL my weight back AND THEN SOME!  Directing back to the title post...I DID NOT expect THIS to happen!! Things were going fairly well with my exercise regimen with me often times exercising twice a day.  I managed to bring my weight down to 177 pounds and even found the courage to put on a bathing suit Summer 2012--  a one piece of course. We planned a family summer vacation and even though my weight had crept up to the early 180s, I managed to sort of maintain.

Family Vacation Summer 2012, 183lbs
 

I wasn't in the best of health due to female medical issues, but I kept pressing.  I felt more confident and had a sense of relief returning back to school that Fall. Having passed all my teacher certification exams, I now felt that I had a better handle and would be less likely to indulge in the so called emotional eating.  Looking back, I remember feeling all mellow and collected in the below pictures haha!!  There I was, ready to start my 5th year of teaching and now had a little bit of experience under my belt.  My classroom was clean and organized, and I was ready to begin a new school year!  I should've known better because Murphy's Law was in full effect and things went downhill from there!

Few Days Prior to the Start of the 2012-13 School Year

 

 

First day of school, and I was having problems with my vehicle engine!  I thought taking it to a local mechanic instead of the dealership would save me money.  Wrong!  Paid for the so-called repairs and continued to have problems.  I ended up taking it to the dealership, and ended up paying 3 times the amount of the given estimate.  Live and learn I guess, but the emotional eating had been triggered.  That beginning of the school year "honeymoon" period where students are somewhat behaved didn't last long either, so having to deal with behavior issues started brewing.  Even though the stressful week and a half dealing with my vehicle and being out of nearly $900 dollars, I thought the worst was behind me until....

Damage Resulting from Water Heater, September 2012



Our upstairs water heater busted and flooded our entire downstairs living area.  It happened late that night and was a total nightmare!  The carpets, ceilings, lesson plan materials, etc were all ruined.  I had to call 911 because my husband and neighbor couldn't locate the water shut off valve.  Watching the water gush from the ceilings and indoor light fixtures had me certain someone was going to get electrocuted that night.  Once the firemen left and the arrangements were made with the insurance company, the emotional eating was in full swing!  I was completely overwhelmed.  I no longer had time to exercise, and my new focus became dealing with the damage and searching for qualified repairmen.  One thing is for certain is that LIFE DID NOT STOP!  We were constantly on the go and always exhausted. 

 

 

Throw in a couple of classroom altercations, middle school drama with my own children, emergency room visit after passing out, various personal drama issues that both affected me directly and indirectly, and living in a home/disaster area my stress levels shot through the roof! The holidays and all the binge eating that entails didn't help either.  My coping skills were sub par, which I believe led me to make some very poor choices regarding my physical health and mental health well being.  I became very reclusive and was always irritable.

 

 



The 2013 New Year was ushered in with poor eating habits.  I had to pull the larger sized clothing from the back of my closet because I could no longer fit into my smaller sized clothing.  Even though I attempted to exercise during the 2 week winter break, it was impossible because we had the first Christmas Day snow in decades and was without electricity for days!  I then ended up having to have a medical procedure late January 2013, but promised myself that I would lose the nearly 15 pounds I had gained once I recovered.  I was trying to remain optimistic and monitor my food intake, but my weight kept creeping!  I researched to see if it had anything to do with my medical procedure.  I came across numerous online forums filled with women who had the same medical procedure and was seeking answers regarding the same weight gain I was experiencing.  The doctor's office informed me that it had nothing to do with the procedure because it shouldn't have interfered with my hormones, but I was convinced it did.  I continued to gain weight each week.  Midway thru March 2013 I had reached 195 lbs.  My intent was to finally refocus and use the picture shown above as my "before" picture convincing myself I'd have the weight lost by the summer.  I indicated the days on my calendar when I exercised and continued to monitor my intake, but I STILL CONTINUED TO GAIN WEIGHT.  Friends said it was due to my age, but I thought it was related to the surgery.  Looking back, I don't know.   All I knew was that I needed to get a handle on it and fast!

Spring Break March 18, 2013

 

 

Late Spring 2013, 200+ lbs

 



Spring was here and my weight reached the 200s.  I was devastated and depressed.  How could this happen??  One of my students slipped my IPhone off my desk and snapped my picture (obnoxious thing to do, I know), but I wasn't happy with my ever expanding waistline shown in the photograph.  Again, trying to remain optimistic I convinced myself  I'd refocus come summer.  Despite my 5 day a week exercise regimen I STILL CONTINUED TO GAIN WEIGHT!  The endless research, frustration, irritatability, avoiding social activities, and depression all got the best of me.  I tried to wait visiting my doctor until my scheduled annual OB/GYN visit, but I couldn't any longer.

First week in July- One Week before starting Phentermine

 

I let him know I was gaining weight pretty much on a weekly basis and was not showing any signs of letting up!  That week alone it had increased to nearly 5lbs! I explained my frustration and shared my exercise regimen with my doctor who did what I thought was unthinkable.  He wrote me a prescription for the weight loss medication Phentermine. When I gave birth to my 2nd son a little over a decade ago, I asked for a prescription weight loss medication to speed up my efforts.  He refused because he didn't feel comfortable with the side effects knowing I was under his care.  He's had a change of heart I guess.  I am relieved to say that I've lost 6 lbs since visiting my doctor 4 days ago!  The medication also affects the serotonin and dopamine in the brain, so along with suppressing my appetite it's also elevated my moods.  I have all this nonstop energy and I'm definitely not as moody.  The side effects (dry mouth and insomnia/anxiety) are somewhat of a nuisance, but I can learn to live with them if I continue with these results.  Today was my first day exercising since taking the medication, and it's definitely helped with that 3AM anxiety/insomia edge I'm experiencing since starting the meds.  The medication is meant for only short term as they lose their effectiveness over time.  I'm reading stories how the weight came back with a vengeance to those who didn't develop better eating habits, so I'm praying the same doesn't happen to me if I do lose the weight.

I never thought I'd be happy to say my current weight is 200 pounds, but I hope to share some photos of my progessive weightloss efforts.  God bless.