This morning I put on some shorts to go to Pilates. Normally I wear Pilates or Yoga pants, but they were all in the hamper, so I pulled out one of my pairs of Danskin shorts. I don't like to wear shorts. Not because my legs are too chunky to wear shorts. I have nicely shaped calves and now my ankles are slim. (No more cankles!) However, between the bottom of my calves and just above my ankles, the skin is so badly discolored, dark purple and red blotches. It's about a five-inch strip that wraps all the way around. It's a circulation issue, one seen by obese people and diabetics. I started getting it years ago, right around the time I was pregnant with my oldest son, at 270 lbs. At first I thought it was because of a really bad sunburn I got in Mexico. A doctor once told me there was necrosis and blood pooling and that I would have to live with it and it would never go away. It's really unattractive and I avoid wearing clothes that show my legs. I don't wear shorts, or dresses and skirts unless they're maxi length.
Well, it's starting to go away. I hadn't noticed it because I simply don't pay attention to it. Or rather, I avoid looking at it. But about 25% of it, on both legs, from about the dead center of the back of my legs to just around the sides of my legs, has faded out a lot, to almost a normal skin tone. Even the upper parts of the blotchy areas is starting to fade, and I'm seeing some spots of normal color in areas of darkest discoloration. It's noticeable, because my Pilates instructor pointed it out to me. So it's not a figment of my imagination.
I'm very excited about this! Super excited about it! Because other areas of my body that are shrinking, they're basically just deflating and sagging more, which is still such a downer. But having this problem with my legs slowly but surely disappear is wonderful! Really, I'm almost crying about it today, I'm that happy!
I may start shopping for dresses soon. I have a few in my closet I haven't worn, but they're starting to get just a little too loose. I'm not going to toss them out. I'll just tailor them down later, once the discoloration is just about gone.
2 comments:
I just happened to stumble across a comment you posted about medifast and soy intolerance. Your comment there was very helpful! I just started on Herbalife because my parents have had huge success on it (dad lost 75lbs, mom lost 40), but OMG! by this morning I am feeling so sick! I have done other diets with a soy base and have felt ill, so I always suspected soy issues, but I told myself I was over reacting! Now I am thinking I should have trusted my body! Adding your blog to my list and thank you for validating my feelings and making me not feel like I am going crazy!
Oh Jennifer, you're not crazy and you're not alone! And you found your answer much like I did, by someone on the Internet who experienced the same thing. (And I was quite grateful to them too!)
Now comes the fun part (not), figuring out just how sensitive you are to soy, and just how many things have soy in them at your local supermarket and restaurants. Let's just say if someone did something to it before sticking into a package, it's very likely there's soy in it.
My email address is listed on my blogs in the right column, if you want to chat privately about this. There is hope, because when I'm soy-free, I feel pretty fabulous! Best of luck!
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