The Last Piece of the Puzzle

About a year ago, I got REALLY serious about my health. I found Seattle Sutton, which is a program that helps with my meals, and I joined Gold's Gym. I have always LOVED lifting weights, and I really enjoyed spending time in the pool at the gym.

I had, what I believe to be, a lot of success. My clothes were fitting better, and people were starting to notice that my face was thinner, etc. Unfortunately I never had an answer whenever anyone would ask me how much weight I had lost. So I would just estimate, but I was never sure.

That's because I really had no way to weigh myself. I can't sit on a conventional scale and still read the numbers, and I can't sit on a scale that a doctor's office would use. So, I knew that I needed to find a scale that was made for people in wheelchairs. That way I could just roll onto the scale, in my chair.

Unfortunately finding a wheelchair scale in the St. Louis area proved to be harder than I thought. I knew some people that worked as physical and/or occupational therapists, and they were not able to tell me where to find one. Then, I even called the Bariatric (weight loss) Surgery Group at DePaul Hospital. They didn't even have a scale. But I found one yesterday!

I went to visit my grandmother yesterday at a "rehab." nursing facility. She had fallen in her apartment, at her independent living center. She had been hospitalized for a bit, but now her doctor wanted her to rehab. at this place, before he'd let her go back home.

This was my first visit to this facility, so my mom and grandma showed me around. As we were walking around, I noticed a wheelchair scale in an empty room that they used for hair washing, etc. during the week. I could hardly contain my excitement, and I told my mom that I was going to try it out. She wanted to give me some privacy, so she and my grandmother went back to her room.

I got on the scale, and a number popped up. Now, I haven't be able to weigh myself accurately in YEARS. I think the last time that I was able to get weighed was when I was in the hospital 3-4 years ago. But, I had an estimate in my head that I was thinking.

Fortunately, the number that was displayed was reasonably close to my estimate. It was higher, but it was ok.

So now I've got a plan. I'm going to go to this place twice a month to weigh myself. I don't want to do it anymore often than this. But by doing this, I will finally have a way to gauge my progress, and this will help me stay motivated. If I KNOW that I have lost 10 pounds, I'll be more apt to keep going than I've I just FEEL like I've lost SOME weight.

To be honest, I haven't been on Seattle Sutton in a couple of months. It's pretty pricey, and they just recently raised their prices by about 20%. But, I have done some prioritizing, and it is back in the budget.

I've also gotten back in the gym--especially now that the weather is getting better, and I won't have to worry about snow and ice.

So I've got a handle on those two important components. But, most importantly, I finally have a way to quantify my progress, and that will help me to stay motivated and positive. I'm very, very excited.