The Year of Twelve – Part 2 & 3

You thought I bailed on this resolution too, didn’t you? Don’t feel bad. Based on my past behavior, it was certainly a logical conclusion. But I added 2 more changes in February and March.

Both of these changes actually started in January but I wanted to see if I could stick with them before I started crowing about my progress.

Habit # 2 that I am determined to change is nail biting. Good Lord, I’ve been gnawing on my hands like a wild beast for as long as I can remember. The only time I’ve been able to stop is when I have artificial nails on. And even then, I still constantly mess with them but they’re super strong so the amount of damage I can inflict is minimal. So starting in January, I just stopped. I wish I had some magic technique I could tell you about but I don’t. I honestly believe the nail biting is just one of the many ways that I tried to deal with anxiety starting long before I even knew what anxiety was. I still catch myself doing this but I try hard to stop the behavior as soon as I notice. It’s at it’s worst when I’m driving which I think is a good indication of the anxiety factor.  This, like weight loss, is not an instant gratification scenario. It takes nails a long time to grow but about a month after I started, I had enough growth to get a manicure. I am so ridiculously proud of these nails. They’re about 1/4 of the length I usually like when I get artificial nails but I don’t care. When I get compliments on my beautiful gel polish, I wave my fingers and cry “THEY’RE REAL!!!”

 

Habit #3 isn’t really a habit so much as a condition. For the entirety of 2018 I don’t think I went more than a few days without debilitating allergy issues. I’ve suffered on and off with seasonal allergies my whole life but 2018 changed the game. I don’t know what happened to my body chemistry or why but I’m telling you I had itchy watery eyes and a stuffy/runny nose for an entire year. So in January I went to see an allergy specialist. You may not think that’s a big deal. Oh you were sick and you went to see a Dr? Big whoop. But, for me, this was huge. I don’t take care of myself as a rule. I take care of everyone else. I mean I do the bare minimum. Yearly mammogram and pap smear. Dental cleaning every 6 months. That’s it. I don’t even have a Primary Care Doctor. Is my cholesterol high? No idea. Never had it checked. Maybe that will be my change for December 🙂

So I visited the specialist and was tested for a zillion allergens. Spoiler alert…I’m allergic to everything. This includes wheat, milk, almonds and walnuts. Wheat ya’ll. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to avoid wheat? I had a pretty good idea of what my food allergies/intolerances were from the 2 Whole 30 cycles that I’ve done in the past few years. But having a Dr confirm my suspicions was both empowering and depressing.  The Dr put me on 3 daily prescriptions and weekly shots. I’m writing this during the height of allergy season and I have to say, the regimen is helping. I’m not 100% symptom free but I feel so much better than I did last year.

The interesting thing about these 3 habits that I’m addressing so far is that they all force me to address my body outside the scope of weight loss. This can be a hard shift when the focus has been on metabolism only for such a long time.

Speak Your Mind

*