Health/weigh-in update of Dec. 14, 2017

The high point of my day was being weighed in at Ontario’s Woodstock Hospital. Not only did I weigh 6.7 pounds lighter than I did compared to two weeks prior, I finally – finally – broke the 300-pound barrier, weighing in at 298.7 pounds. For someone who, at his high point, weighed 400 pounds, this felt awesome.

Not only was my weight down, so was my blood pressure – it came in at 121/80. My medication clinic nurse, who administers one of the medications I take for my bipolar disorder, credited this lower pressure to the fact I haven’t been drinking alcohol – I’ve been off booze since Oct. 29. Indeed, my nurse used the word “fantastic” to describe my progress so far and encouraged me to keep things up.

This has been quite the weight-loss journey for me thus far. I’ve been on different eating plans over the past couple of years – currently I’m on a ketogenic lifestyle coupled with intermittent fasting (for me, this means eating two healthy meals, with plenty of vegetables, between the hours of 2 and 6 p.m.) And I’m not snacking in between.

I’ve had a history of battling the bulge over the years, but my weight ballooned when I went on medications for my bipolar disorder in 1998. I likely have to work extra to combat the pounds since I’m on these medications, but yet, I’m determined to reach my goal of 240 pounds (or lower).