Yesterday, I had a physical health check-up at the mental health agency. Because of the risks psychiatric medications cause for your health, they are required to do this every year. Oh well, the nurse told me not to expect another check-up until sometime in 2022.
I had to have bloodwork done to check for vitamin levels, cholesterol, glucose, etc. Everything was within the normal range except for my white blood cell count, which was slightly elevated. That’s probably because I had a cold about four weeks ago. At first, I was tempted to say “No” when the nurse asked whether I’d had a cold because of the coronavirus scare that’d cause. It turned out it explained my high white blood cell count though.
There were also two things that were low, which might indicate anemia. My hemoglobin though was normal and I’m not very tired lately. This is probably nothing to worry about.
Thankfully, my cholesterol, blood sugar, etc. were all normal. I know I run a risk of developing type 2 diabetes because of my weight. The nurse didn’t make a big point about my being obese though. She did chehck my blood pressure. My diastolic blood pressure was 93, which is considered hypertensive. My systolic blood pressure was also a bit high, namely 132, but that wasn’t too worrisome.
The nurse recommended we measure my blood pressure a couple of times over the next few days. It was 126 over 99 this morning. The latter number really worried me.
Right now, I feel pretty awful. My husband is also worried. He asked me to really “lose weight and relax”. I told him that both is not likely possible, but I’d try to at least lose weight. He asked me what options the care facility has to force me to go on a diet. Not many, I think. In fact, the staff are less worried than I am. I am likely mostly myself responsible for restricting my diet.
After I explained my and my husband’s concerns to my assigned staff, she did agree to E-mail the dietitian and behavior specialist to see if I can be put on a diet. Then again, if I nag for food, they say they’re more or less required to give in as I’m a voluntary admission. I don’t think that’s entirely true especially with the new Care and Force Act, but I think the staff feel less able to resist someone verbally pestering them for food versus someone who screams for it without actually asking, as they are non-verbal. After all, at least one of my fellow clients is on a diet and the staff flat out refuse to give her food she isn’t supposed to eat.
I feel really torn. On the one hand, I want to believe the nurse from the health check that losing weight shouldn’t be an absolute top priority, because, well, I don’t want to give up chips and sausages on week-ends. On the other hand, I absolutely don’t want to have to add yet another medication to my regimen. I originally said I wanted to avoid blood thinners at all cost. Then I found out blood thinners aren’t the same as blood pressure medication. Still, I want to avoid needing to add a blood pressure medication too, especially since, once on any medication, it’s hard to get off.
Of course, I want to avoid getting a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease for as long as possible. This means I really need to go on a diet. I’ll start with eating bread instead of cereal for breakfast. It’s hard, but I’m going to do it.
A Multitude of Musings 
It really is difficult to eat properly since all of the really good things are higher in calories.
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That’s true. That plus the readymade meals we get here are pretty high in sodium I think.
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Learn more about nutrition. I try to avoid bread, too. I have porridge each day, made from scratch. Oats, water, milk, with a tiny amount of fruit for a bit of va-va-voom! I like bread too but consider something like croissants my once-a-week treat. Cereals may or may not be okay – depends how much sugar is added.
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Oh that’s interesting that you avoid bread most of the time. I’ve read that wholewheat bread is pretty healthy. The kind of cereal I have is pretty sugary. I might try to eat some oats too, but doubt I can get the staff to cook them for me everyday. I’ve heard they are good in yoghurt too though.
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I guess that must be true, although I never tried it.
As I understand it, white bread, your body does not have to work so hard to digest it. Wholewheat, your body has to do some work, so at least you are burning some energy digesting it. I always eat wholemeal, but I think it is a case of it not being quite as bad, rather than it being good. I still limit wholemeal to 2-4 slices per day.
My wife has cut bread out completely – she will have some ham inside some cheese slices and call it a sandwich – but I cannot go that far. However she has lost almost 20kg this year, unbelievable.
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Oh wow that’s amazing about your wife having lost this much weight! From what I know, for diabetes, it may be helpful to lower your carb intake, particularly fast-acting carbs. For weight loss, either lowering fat or carbs will do. Then again, like you, I am not a health professional.
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Yes for me it is all about carbs. But, my wife’s diet is also about that, too. I have heard her talk about “Michael Moseley” but it seems very strict. I think all of these diets probably work – as long as we stick to them 😀.
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Well, yes, that’s true, which is why I won’t be taking any drastic dieting measures.
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Oh, and just to be clear, I’m not a health professional. I just come at this because I learned about it after my own stroke, which was probably caused by diabetes. If you have access to a nutritionist, it might be useful to chat to them.
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Thanks so much. Yes, we have a dietitian here at the care facility who may be able to advise me.
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Everything in moderation! Thats what I’m doing now! I’ve stopped worrying about my weight for the most part. There’s more to life and I am managing it successfully at home by weighing myself weekly!
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That’s awesome and you’re so right. I mean, I’ve looked at food plans from Overeaters Anonymous and the like but I don’t think they’d help me.
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