MORE NUMBERS

Where to begin??? SO many thoughts in my head I want to share. I might have to break it up into more then one entry, regardless I will warn you that what follows in this entry will likely be confusing and scattered. I hope you will be able to follow me as I share but trust me when I say I understand if none of this makes sense... because it doesn't to me either! COL (chuckle out loud)

OK... If you have read any of my previous entries you may have seen one or two or even three on "NUMBERS" . If you are new here all I need to say to you is ... Numbers are not my friend and I think I will be able to illustrate this with the story that follows of my recent experience.

So I had my six month follow up visit last week. I must admit I was actually anxious about it for a few reasons, all of which were NUMBER related. I couldn't help but be worried about how much weight am I down? (number) Am I in the range expected at this point? (number) How much have I lost since my last appointment? (number) Where is my BMI? (number) How much more do I need to lose to qualify for my hip surgery? (number) How do I compare to other sim month numbers?

SO as you can see all these thoughts led me straight to feeling anxious. It is also obvious to see that this is self induced. So my thoughts and obsession with the numbers sparked my anxiety regarding my progress and success. This is what I have spent 10+ years trying to avoid because it is (in my opinion) crazy making. So this numbers issue is real. I know everyone understands what I am talking about. We all have certain numbers we watch, look for, anticipate, obsess over and they all cause us anxiety until we see them, then typically they either excite us or disappoint us. SO when we hit certain numbers we cheer .... YEAH! When we see other numbers we cry, get angry, frustrated and/or often disappointed to the point of self sabotaging even further with doing something like eating something we shouldn't have, or over eating ... BOO!

 SO why do we put so much of our focus on these damn numbers? Especially when they potentially can cause so much pain and even a set back. So these are things I want to encourage and challenge you to think about if you are focused on the NUMBERS.
Ask yourself the questions... How am I feeling? If you are feeling good that is most important.
Have I been following  my plan/meeting my goals?  If you have then great! Feel good about that!
Why do I compare myself to anyone else? Are any of us exactly the same? Are there naturally going to be ups and downs along this journey? Are there going to be plateaus or stalls? Have I forgotten how far I have come? Do I give myself credit for all the hard work?

Be kind to yourself! Do not give the NUMBERS so much power. Keep in mind you are in charge, so when you are feeling anxious or frustrated, take a look at where your focus is... Then bring it back to the positive, You Can do this! You ARE doing it! You WILL be continue to be successful... CHOOSE IT! Choose Success and it is yours!

So I just wanted to share more thoughts on NUMBERS and I will let you all in on my appointment and six month update soon, I just had to get this stuff out first! Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment and/or questions. Let me know you are here! THANKS

MOVING FORWARD

HI, so for the update first.  Well I went and got the shot in my hip. I was pleasantly surprised how little it actually hurt to get and then very pleased at the success of it. So I got the shot and within a couple of days I would say on a pain scale of 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest I was somewhere between a 2 and a 3. Then as more time passed the pain lessened down even further to somewhere around a 1 or 2 depending on the motion and the day. Needless to say I was really excited about this... until.... I over did it.
So part of my issue is when working out you are encouraged to "push through the pain", but exercise / workout pain is different from pain from a injury or issue like mine. So I made the mistake of trying to push through the pain one day. I had spent several hours sitting on a hard wooden chair and then walking a few blocks back and then walking back to the start. While I was feeling better due to the shot, I failed to remember that my bone on bone issue is still there and the shot is just covering up the pain it is not taking away the issue. SO when I sat for too long on a hard surface then walked too much I was in pain the next couple of days.
So trying to find the balance with feeling less pain and still taking it easy so that I do not throw myself back into that horrible pain. UGH... these are times I hate being a slow learner! LOL
Felling better I figured it was time to go back to physical therapy as well. SO I did discuss this with the Hip surgeon and he told me I could not do any more damage to my hip and that it really was only about how much pain I could take and if it was making things better/stronger or not irritating things and causing pain. OK well I will give it a try! So I got a referral and am heading back to physical therapy with the goal of strengthen my muscles and preparing for the hip surgery. I know the stronger all my supporting muscles are the quicker my recovery will be and the easier it will be as well. So I continue to move forward!




SO the journey continues........