It's been almost six months since my ADHD diagnosis. There have been some huge changes. And there have been a few times I should work a bit harder to make some of my changes far more permanent.
Since being diagnosed with ADHD, and starting the meds, I've managed to lose around 30lbs. That was diet change, adding more activity to my life, getting on a better sleep regimen, and really, positive thinking. Those made huge differences in my life. I DO feel better, I often sleep better, I enjoy how I look, and I'm all around happy.
But things changed a bit. It's easy to learn a new routine in the summertime, when the kids are free from school, I don't have to be up and going every morning, and there are huge changes looming on the horizon.
Since school started, I've had to get better at getting up in the morning for school. I suck at mornings. Always have. Ask my dad. I was never good at them. I've never improved much either. I'm back to getting up in the morning, getting the kids off in a rush, and then thinking of, honestly, oftentimes, going back to bed for a nap.
My diet took a hit. Like a bit hit. I am definitely not eating as well as I was, and it's starting to show. I've gained back about 10lbs in the past two weeks, and that's due to things like eating large pieces of cheesecake (my kryptonite) and my meals have been getting larger again. I think it's time to get back onto my lighter diet, back to my smoothies with protein powder in them, and cereal with coffee (decaf...always decaf) in the mornings.
My activity level dropped. It's far easier to sit around the house when there isn't camping, hiking, biking, parks, etc to do. We were so active this summer. And of course, sitting around the house equals eating more. I've been going to the gym sporadically, and trying to get Grady out to playgroups and stuff. But because I'm not doing the morning thing really well, I don't feel up to going out in the mornings. I need to get out in the mornings. If I do that, then I'm more likely to stay up and be productive and active.
On my medication front, that's working overall, except the Concerta is causing me such a jittery feeling now that I don't even want to take it. But I will press on until I see my doctor in October and have him drop the dosage down. It's just too much. And forget it if I take it and don't work out or at least do something within the hour. I talk more, but I'm still more focused. It's a mix of problems and I think it needs to be addressed. I've been skipping it a few days on occasion and it's not good because not only do I skip that med, I skip the rest. I regretted it today. I wound up with an upset stomach after months of almost no stomach issues since being on the Prevacid and enzyme.
I want to investigate the possibility of a sensitivity to a food or additive. Gluten, yeast, lactose, I'm curious if any of these could be affecting my digestive system. I might just feel a lot better if I find a way to manage those foods and how they affect me. I've done some research and in my Happy Weight group, we talked about sensitivities and how they can affect our moods, bodies and weight. I will go see the Naturopath at my psychiatrist's office and while it's a bit expensive, I think we can manage it and use our health spending bill to write it off. Then maybe, we will have some answers about my digestive system.
So it's time to re-evaluate my diet, my moods and my activity level. Work a bit harder to take care and make sure I'm doing the best I can for myself, which ultimately will make things best for the family. It's not easy though. Those little demons are still there and I am letting them win. That's a bad thing. I need to fight them a bit harder. It's just tough, when there are so many other things on my mind right now. Those things are going to take up another blog. That way, it's not so overwhelming to write and read!
But everyday is another day. A step backwards is an opportunity to bring myself forward and learn something new that might help even more. I have been looking up programs on my phone that could help me do some tracking, one of them is a diet tracker, the other is a step tracker. I found out today that in just 21 minutes on the treadmill, I do up to over 3,000 steps! I need to figure out a way to use it though, where I don't have to hold my cell phone to use that step tracker program.
I admit, I'm rather surprised at how hard it hit me when I saw the scale and my weight. I was really very proud of myself when I was 30lbs lighter. Now I'm only 20lbs lighter, and I knew something was up. I could see it in my tummy. I wasn't feeling as confident anymore. Crazy how much that affects mood. I didn't realize just how much it affected me. So, now I know something new about myself. I really DO feel proud of myself!! I feel GOOD about the things I've accomplished and falling back to old habits feels bad now, and I don't enjoy them like I used to.
Sometimes, a little re-evaluation can be such a good thing. So eye opening and while not comfortable, it can be comforting to know that I can make the changes, maintain the changes and while falling back feels bad, I know I have the tools to know how to manage the feelings and move forward again.
Here we go again!
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