The Low Carb/Portion Control Project update: My progress

Well this is the first week of the third month of my dieting experiment, which I'll call the Low carb/Portion control Project. Thus far total weight loss has been 33 lbs. My daily regimen thus far has been to increase my water intake. Diet Soda has been kicked to the curb. I still drink coffee and that will just have to be my vice, as I am not prepared to give that up too.

What jump started this new journey in my weight loss was my Dr. finally agreeing to give me something to help. The pill is called Phentermine. Now because my weight was at a crisis point, she decided that the benefits would outweigh the risks.

What was the risks? Well for some people with high blood pressure Phentermine can cause it to raise, and also additionally in some people heart palpitations. However I will say my Dr's strategy has proven correct and my personal case, my blood pressure has steadily gone down since losing some weight. The last reading was 129/76. I'll take it. At the beginning my bp was around 130/86 so it was going in the wrong direction. I currently take medicine for my blood pressure so the diet has been a good thing.

Side effects of Phentermine- Well in the first week, I did feel a little "wired" more energetic, but by the second week that subsided. I suspect though that my sleep patterns are still a little off, but I can't be sure since I have never been a great sleeper not since I hit my forties anyway.

Now I have only three months left on Phentermine, because my Dr. will not prescribe it for longer than six months because it is supposedly habit forming. I personally haven't found that  to be the case, since I often forget to take it. You are supposed to take it one hour before you eat in the morning and it is supposed to curb your appetite. Even though I've lost weight, I can't be sure that this pill is the reason, since I go to a lot of effort to eat low carb and smaller portions. Am I still hungry sometimes? Oh yes!
What do I do? I try my best to fight through it, I gulp down some bottled water and I find something productive to do. My weakness is wanting to eat at night so the sooner I can get to bed and fall asleep the better. Challenging for a chick that doesn't sleep well.

The other challenge is that I have a thyroid condition so this weight loss thing is even more tricky. Why? Because lots of foods I love that are low in carbs are also not necessarily ideal for thyroid, inasmuch as they can interfere with my thyroid medicine working properly. I will get blood work done probably the next Dr. visit at the end of this month and I will find out what the scoop is then.