I'm back!

Wow, it has been a long time since I've been on here. Sorry for the absence peoples! I've been busy getting packed, and getting ready to move, and honestly, I've been a bit depressed, and for once, I haven't turned to writing to help me with that. Maybe this will be the turning of a corner!

Today, I had a health screening at work. I wasn't going to, but it was free, and scheduled for me, so I thought why not. Initially, I wasn't going to because I didn't want to have some nurse or health care worker tell me that I was obese and to get my ass to the gym and start eating only salads. I was ashamed. I didn't want someone else to see how bad off I am. She doesn't know that at this time last year I was 28 pounds less than I am now, but all she would see was that I'm way overweight. But, I decided to brave it. Wanna see my results?

Height: 164cm (64.5 inches)
Weight: 214 lbs
Waist Circumference: 41 inches
BMI: 35
Blood Pressure: 120/96
Glucose: 5.6
Cholesterol: 175mg/dL

So, what does it all mean?

Well, my BMI is high. I'm right in between the high and very high risk category for developing health problems. Not a good place to be. But, BMI is not a perfect determination of health. My waist circumference is high, but not too high. For women, waist circumference should be 35 and under. That's only 6 inches that I need to lose. It's not that hard, I don't think. I looked, but I can't find my old measurements from last year around this time, so I can't compare, but I think 6 inches should be an achievable thing.

My blood pressure is good! Yay! It's not a good example, because it can change within minutes, but at that moment, it was good. Perfect (or normal) is 120/80 and as long as I'm under 120/100, I'm ok.

Glucose was good - normal is between 4 and 7.

Cholesterol was good - as long as it's under 200,  I'm good.

I also talked to the lady (I'm not sure if she was a nurse, or a nutritionist, or what) about my risk factors of getting pregnant while I'm at the weight I'm at. She thinks that I would be ok, because there are a lot of other women who have babies just fine when they're bigger than me, but she gave me some options to think about. She thinks if I get into the 180s, my health risks will go down a lot, so I should have no problems. It was nice to talk to a professional about it, especially about BMI. It's such a hard thing to get a grasp on. I mean, for me, if I look at the BMI table, I should be anywhere from 138 pounds to 145 pounds. Now, for those of you who have seen me, can you imagine me at 145 pounds? Considering that I'm 214 pounds now, and no one believes me? I spoke to her, and we decided a realistic weight for me is in the 160s. I'm totally ok with that. That means that I have about 50 pounds to lose. I can do that. I know I can do that.

Now, I feel renewed. I feel like I can do it - again. I think it's time to start focusing on food. Right now, my ankle is still bothering me, so I'm not sure about how much cardio I can do, but I know I can watch what I'm eating. But, I will need some support. So, here's the deal. I need each of you to email me. Yes, if you read this, I want you to fire off a quick email. Even if it's just to say hello. I need places to email when I'm feeling frustrated, or that I can't do it. I need support. You don't even have to read the email. Just email me back some encouragement. Let me know that someone has seen that I'm struggling.

My email is kara.anne@live.ca. I look forward to hearing from you all!

Anyways, back to work. I have such a good perspective now, which is great. I'm naturally a pessimist, so this is nice.

Also, this week has been a week of good news - and I'm going to add my good news onto it. A friend just told me she's pregnant, and another friend (my ex) just got engaged! Good week.