A Weighty Issue

Since early August, I have been recording multiple nights per week without help. Thankfully, my second night caregiver was able to return and I once again had a fully filled schedule. It has been nice getting to go to sleep a few hours earlier, but I'm especially thankful to see my parents get a full night's sleep again.

Like most people, I get an annual physical. However, it is usually a very boring appointment that just consists of chatting and answering a few questions. This year, I worked with my doctor's nurse to arrange it so I could get weighed. It had been over two years since I last updated my weight and that was for surgery.

The nurse found a wheelchair scale at another doctor's office, but within the same building. I met her at the planned time and location and I was soon parked on the measuring device. It is difficult to get me in and out of my chair, so we just weigh everything at once. Due to the surgery in 2023, I know what my chair and equipment weighs. Therefore, it's just a matter of subtracting 393.5 pounds from the total and we have my weight.

In just over two years, I have gained six pounds. I was also wearing jeans instead of a gown like last time, but it's likely close enough. I have noticed my belly sticking out more when I sit, but I attributed it to my gut problems that seem to frequently occur. While that still may be some of it, that likely isn't the only culprit.

Granted, 121 pounds for a 5'3" man in my early 40's is well within the normal range and not a major concern. However, it is very hard for quadriplegics to lose weight and obesity is an issue that many quads deal with. The heavier I am also makes it harder for my caregivers to move me around. Therefore, I need to be more careful of what I eat and try to burn calories however I can.

On Friday, my legs did well on the bike with pedaling for nearly 8.5 minutes on their own. Unfortunately, this activity only burned 0.3 calories according to the machine's computer. Therefore, I need to make sure to keep typing by "hand" as much as possible and maybe try head lifts or something for further exercise. I already eat very little for candy or sweets, but maybe occasionally skipping my nightly protein or fiber bars before bed may help.

Such is the quad life. I'm thankful that my doctor's office got it arranged so I could get weighed so I know what's going on. It's likely I'll get my new wheelchair this coming week as well, which will require learning how much it weighs with all my stuff on it. Now I can join the multitude of watching calories more closely and see how I do whenever I get weighed again.