This is my husband and me about a year and a half ago. I started trying to lose weight about two years ago, having varying success due to lots of factors, but mostly my own lack of dedication. I am 5’4″ tall (and shrinking) and I weighed 205 pounds.
I was on 4 different types of high blood pressure medications. I still ended up in the ER Feb. 11th in 2025 with low blood oxygen and my heart stopping twice. If I hadn’t been in the ER at the right time, I wouldn’t be here typing this.
I finally got serious about losing my remaining lard and trying to get as healthy as I could for my 2nd chance at life. We moved to Thailand to retire and enjoy life living close to our son. My husband’s stroke 2 weeks after we moved at the first of April last year changed our plans drastically. I now had even more reason to take my life and my health much more seriously.
As of this writing, I have lost 90.1 pounds and 87.2 inches. I now weigh just under 115 pounds. My weight goal is 110 pounds. That is where I want to maintain. (That’s in the green area under “healthy” at 20. I started at 36 “Obese.” )
Instead of 4 different blood pressure meds, I take one-half of one pill daily. The only other prescription med I take is thyroid hormone because I had my thyroid radiated due to Grave’s Disease.
I am eating breakfast and dinner. Brian and I order for ONE person, then I eat 1/3 and Brian eats the rest. I drink a lot of water now. The only recommendation my doctor had at my last checkup this month was that I drink more water, so I’m drinking even more. I’m not restricting what kinds of food I eat anymore, just trying to watch the portions and not eat in-between meals.
As you know, I’m walking a mile on the treadmill every morning. I’m also doing yoga stretches with leg lifts and some other extras one day and exercises with water bottles for my arms and back the next. I’m also using the stairs more and more at our building. I will add to this as I get used to it.
I’m a stickler now for getting enough sleep. Since I’m up at 4:30 a.m. each morning for the gym, I go to bed at 8 or 8:30 in the evening. I also don’t feel guilty anymore for taking a nap when I need it in the afternoons.
I am getting a massage every Friday and consider this part of my taking-care-of-myself regimen. I feel very, very lucky that massages here in Thailand are very affordable so I don’t have to feel guilty by spending a lot of money.
I’m taking short walks (staying on my side of the street so I don’t get flattened like a pancake by the ferocious traffic.) I plan to increase this as I can. I’m still working on my balance on the treadmill. I’ve gotten a lot better, but my balance falters when I turn my head suddenly, look up after paying attention to the sidewalk where I’m walking, or turn to look at a store window while walking. As soon as I have these under better control, I’ll lengthen my walks.
And there you have it. I’m hoping that by the end of next month I will have reached my weight goal and can concentrate on the exercise portion of my fitness routine.
Here are pictures that Brian took of me this morning.
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