Losing a part of me

Saturday, October 1, 2022. The beginning of the tenth month of the Gregorian calendar, and the sixth day of the Jewish year 5783. The forecast shows a sunny day, and while it is currently 60° outside, we are looking at a high of 82°. It should be a nice day in Dallas.

I had a lot of trouble falling asleep last night, but when I finally did, I was happy to get eight hours of mostly uninterrupted sleep (interrupted only by a couple of trips to the latrine). I woke up refreshed and ready to face the day… and ready for an unhappy trip to the bathroom scale, which I anticipated because of how yesterday went.

Not to keep you in suspense, not only was I pleased by the numbers on the scale, I was really pleased. I am back in ‘best ever’ territory again! It has been over three weeks since I was last under 315lbs, but the last time I weighed what I weigh today was March 11, 2021. That was the week I met my wife! Looking at that week, and looking at the numbers today, I am probably about three pounds from dropping below a BMI of 40. This morning, my BMI (Body Mass Index) is 40.2, and falling. I am still in the morbidly obese category, but I am only a couple of pounds from dropping from Obese Class III to Obese Class II. That will be a big psychological improvement.

Yesterday did not end up going the way I expected, but it went better than planned. Leslie and I went to get new eyeglasses, which will only be available in a few weeks. Mine will be a new look for me, which is exciting and scary. We then decided to have a salad for lunch from a drive thru restaurant called Salad and Go. I had a Thai Chicken Salad, worth 360 calories. Leslie had a Cobb Salad with tofu and no bacon. Both of us really enjoyed our lunch. I did not end up walking in the afternoon, instead opting to spend it relaxing with my wife. Knowing that we were going to have to spend the entire weekend entertaining a rambunctious seven-year-old boy, it would likely be our last relaxing time together until we are back from California.

For dinner we had nachos and tamales. The nachos were made with Impossible Meat, so I was able to have them with cheese… not the healthiest meal of course, but we make sacrifices for children sometimes. Also, while I did not end up going for a fitness walk, I did walk to the store (nearly two miles round-trip) to pick up wine for the kiddush. I decided that I am going to try in this new year to not only light the Shabbat candles, but also say kiddush and hamotzi (the prayers on the wine and the bread). Last night we did all of those, and it really made me feel better… and closer to my ancestors, starting with my father.

Today’s plan involves an arcade, and whatever else may come our way. Leslie and the boy discussed going out for breakfast as I was getting up, and decided that they should just eat here. That is a relief for my weight management, as I love eating breakfast out, but should be eating a meal replacement for all but one meal. Yesterday’s salad was a perfectly acceptable replacement… just about anything I might have eaten at an American breakfast restaurant would not be. We will likely eat lunch out today, and I will be as sensible as I can be, based on where we eat. In the worst-case scenario, I will only eat a salad. We’ll see.

What else is planned for the day? I don’t know, but it will be a great day whatever we do… and if we end up back home early enough, I might go for a fitness walk to kick off October. I fell 16,000 steps short of the September Step Month challenge; I do not plan to fall short this month. I am going to make October a month of successes, remembering how two years ago it was the beginning of my slide into weight loss failure. I started October, 2020 at 263lbs… and gained 24lbs that month. This October will be different… October 2020 was a month of failure; October 2022 will be a month of success. Will this actually be the month that sees me drop below the 300lbs milestone? I do not know… but if it is not, then it will get me close to it. I only dropped six pounds in September this year, mostly because of cheats and stuff. My goal for October is to avoid as many obstacles as I can, in a month that will have me in the USA for half of it, in California for a week of it, and at Disneyland for a day of it. Disneyland will be a challenge, but fortunately that will only be one day. Everything else I am hoping I can handle.

My wife is absolutely gorgeous today in her lovely frock; her beauty reminds me of just some of the reasons why I should continue to lose weight and get back into shape. A beautiful and sexy woman deserves her man to keep up… or in our case, catch up! I also want to be healthy to spend as many years as possible with her.

Have a great day folks!