My Philadelphia Diet

Robby and I have been invited to Philadelphia to participate in a new television show (Health Heroes) for the Discovery Channel. I was initially overwhelmed with the invitation, worried about every aspect of my being on television. Of course, the top of my worry list was my appearance.

Although I have maintained my weight loss fairly well (fluctuating 10 pounds through the winter) I resolved to lose as much weight as possible. After all, if the camera adds 10 pounds, and I am 10 pounds heavier than I would like, my math indicates that I would have been embarrassed. I knew I had to take the situation in hand.

In my typical over-zealous fashion, I immediately stepped up my work-outs, sweating longer and pedaling harder on the bike. Robby and I have been playing outdoors seemingly non-stop. I reason that I'm both being a good Mommy and getting an extra calorie burn during those endless hours of tag and Pirate Fighting in our front yard.

My efforts have not been in vain. Yesterday I put on a pair of shorts that were too tight last summer, and now they are too big! I have lost 17 pounds so far, and I feel great. Well, I almost feel great.

Weight loss for an amputee has a drastic impact on the fit of their prosthetic. My shedding nearly 20 pounds has caused my leg to become too big, thus I am forced to wear socks, increasing the ply throughout the day to soften the rocking of my limb against the socket wall. I hate socks!

My leg hurts whenever I am wearing my prosthetic. It is difficult for me to walk up and down hills because of the pressures within my prosthetic. I am no longer feeling a natural freedom when I walk. Rather, I am forced to calculate the terrain and to consciously minimize the rattling of my stump within the socket walls.

I find myself frustrated that I can't lose weight without having so many aspects of my life affected. With each step I am reminded that I am walking on a prosthetic. I simply don't appreciate the constant reminder!

While I am going to need a new socket, it is going to have to wait. Filming for the show is next week and I don't want to use a test socket during this opportunity. I'll have to be happy with my 17 pounds, three short of my goal, because I have to tone down my exercise for a few days. I am toying with the idea of eating high sodium foods (don't tell my Mom) so that my limb swells and will fit comfortably into the socket.

Despite my socket issues, I'm still thrilled about this opportunity. I am going to do my best to portray amputees in a positive light. I'm no longer overly concerned about my appearance. I may end up on the cutting room floor again, but I'm going to look cute!