Just had my physical and took the opportunity to chat with my doctor about setting a final weight loss goal. His awesome answer surprised me. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhoto.net and hyena reality.

When I went in for my physical in 2014, I weighed 215 pounds. For my 2015 physical I tipped the scales at 189. I’m down 26 pounds in a year. I set a mini-goal of getting under 190 before I met with my doctor for my physical. Needless to say, I had a big smile on my face when I saw that number.

As for sitting down with my doctor, I had one thing on my mind:  finally nailing down my goal weight. What’s a healthy weight for woman my height and age?

But first up, the blood work.

For the 3rd year in a row all my health numbers were awesome. Giving up simple carbs (quick digesting carbs) truly turned my health around. I’m off the blood pressure meds, I’ve lost 136 pounds total, and I’m no longer at risk for type 2 diabetes or dropping from a heart attack.

I’m just super!

Dot’s Weight Loss Journey
2012 Physical: 325
2013 Physical: 260
2014 Physical: 215
2015 Physical: 189

My HDL Did What?
Unfortunately I can’t give you data on my cholesterol level. Why? My doctor thinks the lab  made an error with my blood work. My cholesterol showed a big jump because my HDL (the good cholesterol) increased by 80 points. Holy cow!

My doctor explained that HDL is mostly controlled by genes. And while my diet will raise my HDL, it takes time. He suspects my HDL is up due to my low carb diet and weight loss, but a jump that dramatic is a red flag for human error.

We did talk a little about my supplements, specifically fish oil. Since I’m not a big fan of fish (I’m trying!) I take 2 fish oil capsules a day to improve HDL and lower LDL (bad cholesterol). Well my doctor shot my thinking out of the water. If I want the benefit of fish oil, I have to go straight to the source. Yep, I need to eat more fish.

I’m visiting my mom next week. Perhaps we’ll hit a few seafood restaurants during my visit. She loves the stuff, so maybe some of that love will rub off on me.

Keeping Diabetes Firmly At Bay
When I went in for my first physical in 2012, my blood sugar reached 5.8. I was immediately flagged as pre-diabetic.

Average Blood Sugar Ranges
Healthy: 5.6 or below
Pre-diabetes Range: 5.7-6.4
Diabetic: 6.5+

I’ve steadily reduced my blood sugar since that awful day. I’m officially 5.1, my lowest level yet. I attribute that to really doing away with most processed foods and relying more on the natural sugars found in low carb veggies.

“So, How Much Should I Weigh?”
After going through the numbers, I asked my doctor about setting a final weight loss goal. He smiled and asked, “What would make you happy?”

“Happy!?!”

Really!?!

My doctor explained that looking at the numbers, I could stop losing weight now if I wanted. I’m healthy. He told me to ignore BMI (“It’s nonsense.”) and focus on what will make me happy. But he did caution me about going too far the other way.

“There are folks who lose too much weight, have no energy and have a hard time thinking. And frankly look too thin. You don’t want to do that. Just be realistic. If you want to keep going, make sure its something healthy you can work towards.”

I don’t think I have to worry about looking too skinny. I’ve never had that problem. But I love that my final weight is up to me.

For some reason I’ve had my eye set on 140 lbs. since I began my new life (about 49 more pounds to go).

Well 140 still sounds good to me. But now I’ll shoot for it with the knowledge that I might find my happy weight when the scale hits 150 pounds.