Four ways for better weight management (and an intense exercise plan isn’t one of them)
It wasn't long ago that I stepped on the scale, hesitant, at my gynecologist's office and tried to will the digital scale not to keep rising. I think every woman has that moment when they want to ask if they could slip off their shoes just for the extra three pounds to drop off. I’m not going to tell you my weight. Not because I’m ashamed. If you’d really like to know, just message me and I’ll happily tell you. Here’s why I’m choosing not to disclose that info: Some will think it’s not that bad, some will think it’s not that good, and some (if you’re anything like me) will begin an internal dialogue about your own weight in comparison. I do not want to fuel any sort of negative comparison. Now, this I will tell you... every woman has a number already solidified in their head that surely, they know the scale won't tip over... right? A “I may not be in the best shape of my life but surely I won’t be over ______” number. And I was about nine pounds over that threshold.
(If you don’t want to read about some monthly period experiences, please stop here. Thanks for visiting! Haha)
I knew why I was at this particular appointment. I'm here to ask my doctor some distressing questions. And that number staring, no blaring, back at me wasn't helping the situation. I wanted her to run a full panel because, at this particular moment, my body was waaaack! My periods were so irregular. Between not having one altogether (and making me have mild heart attacks) and then having a period for, I crap you not, three weeks long, I needed answers. At one point, I was on my period more than I was off it, and I WAS EXHAUSTED! Between teaching dance, training clients in Pilates, and slowly burning my energy with practically half-month-long periods, I seriously needed some relief.
But that wasn't all either. I was having the worst joint pain, particularly in my lower back, hips, and knees. My degenerative disc disease was showing up in my tired state. My knees were screaming internally with every grand plie I did at the barre with my kiddos. It's pretty scary when you can physically experience the degeneration of the "thing" used to make your living. My flair-ups with my back and hip would put me in bed with a heating pad and some prescription strength meds in no time.
And my other issue was that the elephant was not just in the room... It was on the scale with me—my weight. You can call me lazy or unmotivated or whatever you want, but I'm not in my obsessive twenties anymore. I get home late from teaching children and teenagers, then bust my tail in fitness classes during the day. I am running a dance studio (what seems like 24/7) and trying to be present at home with my family. Finding another hour to exercise as the solution seemed unrealistic.
It felt like a cop-out to run my panel. At that point, I thought I was in early menopause, or some thyroid issue was plaguing me. And maybe time will tell if those things are true, but still, either way, that weight over my "unbearable" number made me feel pathetic, angry, disappointed, hopeless, repulsive, muddled, and like a failure. How is a dance teacher, someone who preaches about physical capabilities and core strength, and a Pilates instructor, who talks about showing up and doing the work, feeling this miserable about their weight?
My doctor lovingly did as I asked as she heard me out. I sat on that loud, crumply paper, complaining about my inconsistent body, the pain I felt every day, and the weight that was beginning to affect more than just the scale but my mind and soul. She ran my panel to help find me some answers.
The results, I have to admit, were lackluster. A heavy vitamin D deficiency. That's it? Really? Uh, ok.
With a quick Goog search, it began to make more sense. Symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency looked like muscle cramps or weakness, bone and joint pain (especially in the back), low immunity (Have I told you about getting Covid 4 times? No? How about the time I had a double ear infection and the flu at the same time? No?), anxiety or depression (oh!), decreased endurance, excessive sweating, overweight (hmmm...), digestive issues (oh man, do I ever!), and fatigue (but... I thought that was just from my prolonged periods).
So here were my steps to begin the weight reducing, joy increasing process.
Get the supplements!
You guys, I have a pill organizer now! You know, I didn't think you were "old" until you had a pill organizer. Mine has a cute zip pouch because, I mean, if you do it, do it with style, right? I didn't even have a supplement routine until a couple of years ago. I began with regularly taking zinc and iron, as advised around the fourth diagnosis of Covid, to help keep my immunity strong. I added vitamin D to my existing regimen after discovering the shortage. I also take a Boswellia supplement to reduce inflammation for joint health. My routine also includes SAMe supplements. Those were suggested to me through a therapist when I was struggling with my mental health during my divorce, the death of my mother, and the whole pandemic. Please, do not take anything because I mentioned it. The above supplements may not have the same effect on you, and you should always ask your doctor about taking anything like medications or supplements. Finding out what your body needs and the correct supplements for that is life changing.
Since there wasn't some massive revelation in my blood panel, I returned to square one with my primary care physician, and we discussed those issues again. She also referred me to a physical therapist along with the vitamin D. At Goldsboro PT, I was expecting another groundbreaking a-ha moment regarding why my body was in so much pain as I did at the gynecologist, but the answer was much more straightforward and simpler. Every human body is not entirely even and symmetrical, so when they told me my hips were uneven and twisted, I shouldn’t have been surprised.
2. If there's pain, figure out why so you can move and exercise more efficiently.
The care and concern the physical therapists took to help correct me and get me in alignment were excellent. It boils down to this: When someone has such a physical job that it takes a toll on your body (of if you’ve developed maybe some bad habits of how you move your body), you find ways to push through the pain to get the "job" done, to teach the class, or demo the dance move, to walk up the stairs, or exercise and push the core but more than likely being that that was "successful" in a sense, you'll adapt that way and that bad habit and won't even really think or know something is wrong or off.
Well, dang. So now, I have to maintain these exercises to help keep my hip in alignment and even give myself the adjustment every once in a while, to make sure I'm not off too much to get myself back into a funk.
Here are some of my favorite hip/back/core exercises that have helped me.
From left to right: Parallel One Leg Sliding Squats, Plank with Tiny Rainbows, Forearm 1/2 Pushups, One legged Bridges
3. Listen to your medical advisors about your diet and follow through.
The physical therapist also suggested that sugar was another source of the inflammation in my back and knees. Oh nooo! If you have seen my Instagram, you know my love of cooking and eating sweet treats is strong. But I made my mind up... I was determined to be better to do my job with less pain and more joy. So, I began cutting out the sugar in my life.
4. Digestive health is essential.
I have such bad digestive health. I knew it was making me sluggish, bloated, and insecure. And y’all, brace yourselves, I gave into my first Instagram purchase with The Complete Morning. It's a game-changer. It took some getting used to having such regularity. That's how bad it was.
I was well above and over not my ideal weight, but the weight I “comprised” with, which was in mid-October 2023. It's the beginning of February now. In four months, I've dropped sixteen pounds. I stepped on the scale yesterday (and took my shoes off!) to see a sweet, surprising lower number. Will it last? I surely hope so.
I’m not a huge fan of the scale being my validation so here are some other benchmarks I’m celebrating. My knees are feeling stronger and more flexible. Sadly, my knees will never be like normal knees from having them both dislocated while dancing when I was younger, but they do not hurt nearly as badly as they did. We also switched some birth control hormones, and now my body is again regulated, and I couldn't be happier! With that and the vitamin D addition, I can feel myself gaining back energy daily. My pain is less all over thanks to the supplements and the less sugar that is floating around my body. I haven’t had a painful back flair up in months (knock on wood)! The therapists at Goldsboro PT equipped me with the tools to support my hips and core.
I'll share more of my successful tips and the pitfalls also when it comes to my weight loss journey because that's precisely what it is. Losing weight and maintaining it is more than a straightforward path; it is a challenging journey with many detours, rest stops, and distractions.
K Bye
Megan
Doing life… the best I know how.