Part 8: Six Weeks In — Two Inches, A Stronger Shoulder, and a Few Surprises

A checkpoint covering weeks four through six: what kept changing, what leveled off, and what I genuinely didn't expect.

I owe you a little catch-up. Between my birthday, the beach trip, and everything with my mom, a few weeks slipped by without an update — so let's call this one a checkpoint. Here's where things actually stand, six weeks in.

Two inches down — with a very normal detour.

Total, I'm now two inches down. But it wasn't a straight line, and I want to be honest about that part too. Right around my period, I fluctuated back up a bit — which, if you've ever tracked your own body closely, you know is completely normal. Hormones do what hormones do. I didn't panic and I didn't quit. I just kept going, and sure enough, I landed right back at two inches down.

I share that because so much of what gets posted online is the highlight reel. The truth is that progress isn't a straight line for any of us, mine included.

Getting stronger, not just smaller.

My shoulder — the one that was hurting for so long — has kept getting stronger every week.

It doesn't even cross my mind as “the bad shoulder” anymore. I've also been showing up for myself consistently: five days a week, most weeks. One day is a two-mile run, the other four are strength training. That's not nothing for me. This isn't just about a number on a tape measure — it's about what my body can actually do now.

The itching finally started to quiet down.

If you've been following along, you know the itching from my food sensitivities was a real

problem — I'd have put it at an 8 out of 10 most days. Six weeks in, it's down to about a 3.

I still get the occasional small bump if I'm accidentally exposed to something I'm sensitive to

— that hasn't disappeared completely. But going from an 8 to a 3 is a massive difference in

day-to-day comfort, and honestly, in how much mental space it used to take up.

A surprise I wasn't expecting to talk about.

Here's one I debated even including, but I promised you the honest version of this journey,

so here it is: this has even shown up in my marriage. Let's just say things with James have

been better than ever in that department.

I can't tell you exactly which piece of this six weeks — the workouts, the sleep, just feeling

more like myself — gets the credit. Probably all of it, working together. But it's been a really

sweet, unexpected gift in the middle of everything else.

Where I go from here.

Honestly, I sat down to write this update and realized I'm not sure I have a dramatic new

development to report — and I think that's actually the point. Six weeks in, things have

leveled out into what feels like my new normal. Stronger. Clearer skin. Steadier.

So this feels like a natural place to close out the week-by-week updates. Going forward, I

want to widen the lens a little — not just tracking my own results, but talking more about

the “why” behind all of it. Prevention. Watching my mom's health teach me things I never

wanted to learn the hard way. Choosing to act before something breaks, instead of managing

it after.

— Part 7 . Part 9: coming soon →