A short leash.

I'm writing this on Saturday July 10th but had my weigh-in and appointment at Alaska Premier Health was on Wednesday July 7th. Yes, yes... I am a procrastinator.

As you can see on the left, I didn't lose anything for my second week. Being female, once a month Mother Nature's pesky gift comes around and sure enough, it hit last week. Normally while on my period I gain weight temporarily, at least 5 pounds. That being said, the fact that I maintained my weight loss from week one is considered somewhat of a victory in my book. I won't lie, I was disappointed, but perhaps waiting a few days to write this has helped me get back in touch with reality.

Last weekend I got sick really bad, just like I did before starting the OPTIFAST program when I'd risk it and eat a salad. What does "sick" mean? Cramping, bloating, headache, blood pressure drops followed by sudden severe diarrhea, dehydration and whatever else decides to wreak havoc on my body... if you were curious. When this happens I become very lethargic, don't want to see anybody, talk to anybody or do anything except curl up somewhere comfortable with a direct route to a toilet. For years my family has called this "having a short leash", meaning one can't go far from the restroom. (That was a cue for a chuckle given that I just got a little graphic.)

I'm not big on taking medication to stop diarrhea, it creeps me out (plus I'm very afraid of having the opposite problem). If my body is trying to get rid of something, then by golly it should do its thing and get rid of it. Same with vomiting, fevers, migraines, etc.; I'm a fan of letting things run their course. However, this doesn't mean one can't interject issues naturally. With diarrhea, since I've been so familiar with it for the last 6-months or so, I've figured out that eating a cup of plain white sticky rice helps -uh- firm things up a bit.

I did veer off the OPPTIFAST program during this weekend of issues and ate rice to help my predicament. It added a couple hundred calories to my day for Sunday and Monday as I've found that cooked Jasmine rice is about 205 calories per cup. I was told at my appointment eating the rice probably didn't thwart the weight-loss efforts too much. I personally think the biggest problem during episodes like the one this last weekend is that when I am sick like that the last thing I want to do, or have the energy to do, is exercise.

Hopefully this was brought on by my period, which is likely considering that the uterus is in the same vicinity as the intestines. With it doing it's monthly freak-out session perhaps everything nearby was irritated as well. That's what I'm hoping for; I really don't want to walk around worried that any minute I'm going to have another episode. With the relief I've found already from the OPTIFAST program I've found some freedom. I'd rather no take that freedom and chuck it out the window yet.

Well, here's to another week and the 5th episode of Drop Dead Diva's 2nd season that will be airing starting Sunday. I'm not much of a TV fan myself, but while recovering from gallbladder surgery a couple months ago I channel-surfed and discovered this show. It has its ditzy elements but I find it rather liberating for all types of women, especially those of us who can be described as anything but thin. Give it a shot at mylifetime.com... it's great to watch while exercising too!