A long journey

So it's been a while since I've sat down to write here. But what is a year or two in this never-ending, life-long journey? That's what it has become for me- not a thing I'm trying, but little changes every day that are becoming permanent routines in my life.
I hit a point about 5 or 6 months ago, where I got completely, utterly discouraged. I was going to the exercise clinic 2 times a week, putting in what I felt was my best effort, and I had gained back all the weight I had lost the year prior (10 lbs?). It has been a really big deal for me to cut that time out of my life- away from my family- to drive half an hour each way to go exercise. I was very frustrated. I looked up lapband surgery again. I was back where I started.
(It's interesting that the absence of any blogging coincided with my seeming failure at this whole 'healthier' thing. We don't tend to reflect on and discuss our failures until much time has passed.)

The exercise clinic that I belong to takes a multi-disciplinary approach to health. It is unique because it is one of the only medically supervised clinics that also focuses on the preventative side of medicine. You must be referred by a doctor, and it reaches all walks of life- focusing on treatment and prevention of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other health concerns such as cancer and depression.
Exercise IS the medicine. 
I have seen many health benefits over the last year and a half. My energy and mobility have increased, and my joints and pains are much better than they used to be. I have cut my antidepressant medicine by 75% and feel amazing!

The problem is that the weight is still there. And so is my constant, crippling pain in my foot (plantar faciitis), which forces me to limp most days. Lose the weight if you want it to go away, the doctor says.

It was time to see the clinic's medical director, Dr. Ali Zentner, to go deeper into this journey. She has rocked my world in so many ways. She, herself, lost 175 lbs and is an internal medicine specialist- focusing on obesity - she knows what she's talking about. But she's not easy on me in any stretch of the imagination. My next blog posts will focus on my journey with Ali and all the things I'm learning.

Til next time!