A "Weighty" Issue

Yes, I’ve blogged about Perseverance (because I believe in it so very much) but normally, I’m talking about writing. Today, I want to talk to anyone struggling with the issue of weight loss. Or, maybe it’s better to say, the struggle is actually with wanting to eat like a pig at a trough 24/7. Yup, that sums it up for me. I have a love/hate relationship with food. Mostly love...

But today, while I’m at the keyboard, I have a huge glass of icy water sitting next to me, and I’ve just finished the evening snack, some spicy hot homemade guac with sliced peppers to dip into it. ALL FOR ME! NOT SHARING A SINGLE BITE.

Let’s back up a bit. A year and half ago, actually a tad longer, but I digress, my husband had a massive stroke followed a month later by a milder one. Is there such a thing as a mild stroke? Sheesh. I don’t think so. At any rate, we won’t go there; he’s actually doing very well now, but for the first six months, we were both emotional messes. Me trying to deal, and him trying to find his way back to reality and life.

At the end of the first six months, he’d lost weight, common with strokes, I’d gained. I was now well over 200# and climbing. I had been preparing all of his and my favorites foods—comfort food in any and every form. If I hadn’t figured it out before, I now realized I was totally a stress eater. Well, no, I was actually the pig at the trough. If it contained sugar and flour, chances were very good, I was consuming it in massive quantities. And in this picture, I wasn't yet at my full figure.

Okay, fast forward a few months to my yearly checkup. Let’s not go into too many embarrassing details, but I’ll just say the blood work, blood pressure and you name it were all over the charts. Off the charts to be more exact. “Yes, continue on bp meds. Only double them,” the doc said.

DOUBLE THEM!?!?!?!?!?!?

Major bummer! And the tests even showed an increase in fasting sugar.  CAN’T BE, NO ONE IN MY FAMILY HAS SUGAR ISSUES.

Until now.

I’ve dabbled in karate my entire adult life, ran soccer games and taught it for 25 years, so always felt pretty decent about the extra 20# I carried, because underneath was a very fit and healthy woman. Always good tests, etc. Very healthy.

Until B-Day. Bad report day. And that did it! Pulled on my running shorts, Dear Lord in Heaven when did they shrink? Oh well, and running shoes and headed for the old high school track behind the house. I wheezed and puffed one lap. Had they lengthened the laps since I’d been there???

Went home, cleared out all the sugar, bought some Stevia and lots of fruits and veggies, plenty of lean meat, nuts and berries.

Now, here’s where the participant normally admits to failing miserably, but I took my own writing advice about perseverance, and refused to put sugar or grains into my mouth. Went back to the track each day. And by the end of the week, the   ¼ mile came easier, so I added another lap. End of the month, cranking out a full mile daily, but feeling lightheaded. What could be wrong? Checked the bp and it was VERY low??? Interesting. Talked to the cardio nurse daughter who said you’d better back off half a dose ‘til you talk to your doc. Later that week, she asked if it was better now and I told her it was. “So stay with half a dose.”

Now I’m cranking out a couple miles a day, sometimes more. Eating very healthy. Mind you, this was all about getting healthy, not particularly weight loss, but EUREKA    ! I’M DOWN TWELVE POUNDS AT THE END OF THE FIRST MONTH.       

Getting a tad lightheaded again, take the bp, whoa. 98/57. You got it. No more blood pressure medicine.

By the next doc visit three months later, I’m down 21#, no bp meds, and ALL OF MY BLOOD WORK IS LIKE A HEALTHY TEEN’S! OH YEAH, GIMME THE HAND SLAP, YIPPEE SKIPPEE.

Do I celebrate with hot fudge sundaes? No, because now I’m happy with the fruits and veggies, the occasional sweet and sour sauce on my chicken. I don’t crave the junk anymore. I have adapted all of my food so that I can enjoy EVERYTHING just converted to healthy.

DO I STILL STRESS EAT? Yes, occasionally, but I eat healthier versions of the killers I once ate. It’s been over a year now, and I’m sticking with it. I’ve lost over 35#. Gone from a tight size 20 to a size 12. My teen size was a 10, so I’m feeling pretty good about myself. I feel fit and happy and full of energy. I like myself again and am still pounding the track! Here, at Christmastime with my family just half a year after starting. Feeling good, healthy, and happy.

There’s no secret formula. Each person’s body is different. But we all know if we consume gigantic amounts of snacks and sugary foods, we’ll gain weight. If we aren’t active, we’ll gain weight. What’s the only answer?

PERSEVERANCE!

And if I can do it at 62 years old after battling weight all my life, then anyone can do it. I promise you, YOU CAN DO IT IF YOU DON’T GIVE UP!

PERSEVERANCE! Ten times over…not just for the writer!