Update

Although I haven't been posting this week, that doesn't mean that I haven't been working. This week I've been trying to figure out how to transition into maintenance mode. I'm satisfied with my body composition. I think my fat level is low enough, and I have enough strength and endurance for my trapeze performance. My cardiovascular health is good, too. I've can even run 7 mile stretches now.

Currently, I'm working on figuring out how much I need to eat to simply maintain. I read online that even if I eat 1600 calories per day, I might still lose weight. So, I've been trying to up my calorie intake to get my body used to a metabolizing a more normal calorie level. I want to maintain a weight between 112 - 115 lbs. I think that's probably a very healthy level for me.

There has been a bit of potential bad news, though. My right ear has started acting up, and I've started getting headaches again. It's very possible that the cholesteatoma is growing back yet again. My ear and head feel the same as they did last time around. Way back in my first fitness post on this blog, I mentioned that recurring ear problems could be something that could derail my efforts. It's likely that this is happening. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, so maybe I'll know more after that. I'll probably need to have another CT scan. And, I won't be surprised if I have to have surgery yet again.

I'm hoping that the potential surgery can wait until after my trapeze performance. Yesterday was a bad day regarding headaches and such, but I still went to trapeze class. I was still able to do my routine twice all the way through (although the performance quality was lack-luster, I'm sure). Regardless, if I do need to get the surgery sooner, I'm going to have my husband come to one of my practices - or possibly my private lesson on Dec 27th to tape me doing my routine. I can do it with the music and with my costume, so it would be like the real performance - just sooner and without an audience. But, hopefully my performance won't be impacted.

It's very frustrating to seemingly be doing everything right but yet have something out of your control come and block you. Hopefully, I'm just being paranoid and it's not really back. But, I've gotten pretty good at knowing my body - especially my ear. And, this feels exactly like it did a year ago.