6 Days to Go

Here are the health concerns I hope will be improved by my losing weight:

1) Asthma. It is severe enough that I have been hospitalized several times and near death at least once. I KNOW I'll breathe easier without so much extra lard to lug around. And the increased lung capacity that will come with an increase in my fitness will help, too.

2) Back pain. This just started about two months ago. My back has hurt since I had surgery when I was 12 (spinal fusion). But this new pain is much worse than the ordinary pain. This is a sort of muscle cramping that hits my lower left back and squeezes the nerve that goes down into my leg. So while I'm in pain, my leg is going numb. When I sit on my couch, the pain stops. But when I'm standing or walking, the pain is excruciating. Black Cohosh lessens the pain, but does not completely eliminate it. Though it hurts to walk, I do find that the days when I walk or ride my bike, I feel better in the evening.

3) Diabetes, heart disease, cancer. I DO NOT have any of these conditions. But it is well-documented that obese people run a much greater risk of acquiring these illnesses than those who have a normal, healthy weight. I'm still in my 40's, so I still have a chance to dodge these bullets.