It shouldn’t be a surprise that the task of losing 270 lbs cannot be executed in a strictly linear fashion. For one thing, it is multifaceted. There are quite a few different layers to the health conundrum in which one finds oneself at 420lbs and almost completely wheelchair bound. It’s easy to imagine that “Well, if I just cut my calories, I’ll lose the weight, and then I’ll be back to running around with vim and vigor just like in the olden, golden days of my youth.”
Oh, if only.
It turns out that the back pain that put me in the wheelchair does not simply disappear with the loss of the first 100+ pounds. That has been a somewhat crushing realization. But I am not a quitter. Despite the persistent back pain, hip pain, and plantar fasciitis in my left heel, I am committed to becoming as mobile as I possibly can, and that has required me to commit to becoming a gym-goer.
I know that I am still below the level where I can even really make paying a personal trainer worthwhile, so I am starting at the very bottom of this climb. I know my joints need a gentle approach while I am building a baseline of strength, and I know weightbearing activity is out until my heel pain improves, so I am using the recumbent bike.
And you know what? Even that has been hard. I have, as of today, been to the gym 7 times in the last 9 days. I decided the best way to make sure I get it done is to drive straight there after dropping off the kids at school in the morning, and so far, that has worked. (I took the weekend off in the middle.) A couple of days, I’ll be honest, the pain was bad, and I was tempted to skive off. But I went, even though I barely did the tiniest workout – like 16 slow, agonizing minutes…. But what a win!
And today, so much sooner than I expected it to happen, I reached my first milestone: I got to the floaty stage! You know, that point where you go from forcing your legs to move to suddenly feeling as light as air, like you could keep on doing this forever! I haven’t felt that in decades, but I guarantee you, this is a drug I will pursue relentlessly.
