Happy First Week, Sorta

Well, I had a great first weigh-in, and that was actually the highlight of the week! I had to go to the ER one night this week, with the pain in my shoulder- it was bringing me down to my knees. Found out it is most likely a torn rotator cuff, in the opinion of the ER doc, but of course only an MRI can tell me that for certain. I don't know what it is, I only know it's been two weeks now and the pain gets worse with every passing day. She recommended an orthopedic surgeon, and I am struggling with just gritting my teeth through the pain, or taking precious time off from work when I know my boss would rather me not. They gave me shots, and lots of prescriptions, but nothing is easing the pain. Even good sleep eludes me. My massage therapist, who normally works on my back, seems to think I just strained/sprained something in my neck or shoulder- she says I'm not hurting in the "right" place for it to be rotator cuff-related. But she too recommends seeing a doctor to make certain, and to get something for the pain.

So for now, it looks like I have only the "diet" side of the diet & exercise equation at my disposal. I don't think exercise is going to play a part in my weight loss for a little while. I am still at the "heat and gentle stretching" portion of my recovery. I am hopeful that this is just a minor setback. The thing I keep hearing from everyone is to slow down at work and take time off- everyone, that is, but my boss who has not shown one flinch of sympathy or understanding for me. Oh well, I told a co-worker the other day that with millions out of work, I can't continue to complain because I have TOO much work.

I am struggling to learn Weight Watchers' new points program. On one hand, there's the cynical side of me who thinks they simply revamp their programs every few years so they can sell new books and food guides and points calculators. But the other half of me wants to believe that they've uncovered new science to support their new formulas for figuring out points. I say that because, I've had my "Dining Out" guide for about 3 years now and I have everything underlined, highlighted, paperclipped, sticky-noted, and my scribbles all over the place. Not only for the restaurants listed in their guide, but all the information I dug up on my own, through nutrition charts on websites, brochures, etc. All of this hard work is of course with the old points system, so it is basically useless. I could say that I would just stick with the old points that I already know, but when I signed up to use eTools online, they are already using the new system.

Having said all of this, no matter what the points, I know if I eat less of them, I will drop the pounds! So with that in mind, I'll keep moving forward.

Sandy