Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Maintaining Weight

The good news is that N's weight is on its way up.  He is holding to his promise that he made to maintain at 185.  He did have a dip - which was evidenced by the increase in his OCD thinking and fixating on health/calories/fitness that I discussed last time.  As I could see his mental health decline, I was pretty sure he had lost more weight.  Typically, I'm not in favor of him weighing himself, but right now it is the only way to keep him honest.  I told him that I thought he had lost and asked him to weigh himself.  He did and he was down four pounds (and surprised!).  He has been actively trying to regain back up to the 185, he mentioned that it was a lot harder to get back up than he had thought.  It's good for him to recognize this because it helps him to feel like he doesn't have to be so careful.

I still have some concerns, but am heartened to see that he is still mentally stable enough to put weight back on without us by his side.  I am reassured that the spiral stopped and is no longer downward.  As long as he isn't in that spiral, I think he'll be okay until he comes home in July.  He isn't 100% either, but once the trend switched to weight gain, it felt like his mental state correspondingly improved.

He's been gone for 15 months now.  He has 9 months to go.  He didn't get transferred, but still has access to a car and it sounds like he is getting fed more often.  This morning, I mailed a lovely Halloween package, full of good, nourishing foods.  My prayers are full of requests for God's help that he might be able to stay healthy and finish his mission.