Smacked in the face by the truth

S. and I, as many of you know, went on a mainstream diet back in June of last year. It was great, we lost a lot of weight, learned portion control and re-tuned our bodies to crave healthy things instead of french fries and cheeseburgers. We felt so good that we came off it early and did pretty well for the next month and change. Then the holidays hit and our schedules changed drastically - leaving us little time to prepare meals and snacks.

We fell.

We both have gained weight back - depending on the day I'm anywhere from 8-13 lbs heavier.

Then we go to our family doctor for our physical in mid February. We get our blood work done and S. passes everything with flying colors. Mine not so great. I have high bad cholesterol and apparently they tested my blood and I get a paper back saying "mixed hyperlipidemia." He wants to see if we can manage this with simple dietary changes: little to no red meat, use cheeses sparingly (or omit if possible), watch milk intake - only fat free (eww), and eat certain fish sparingly. He also mentioned eating more oatmeal in the morning.

Doc says we both are in desperate need to shed some weight. He wants S. to lose about 30 more pounds and for me to lose about 15-20. So he wants us to be active for 20-40 min 5-6 times per week and to make sure that there's a puddle under us (sweating a lot).

He also advised us on some personal life changes to try to prepare ourselves mentally and physically for a baby. The advice he gave wasn't remarkable, it wasn't something you've never heard, but it made sense and came right at a time we needed it. Basically he said to start getting these healthy eating, exercising, and living habits down pat now. We should also get healthier sleeping habits down to prepare ourselves for an early riser.

We've slowly started changing. I wish I could say we perked up and are doing everything to a T. We've started eating oatmeal (almost) every morning. It's yum! And I've cut wayyyyyy down on my red meat intake, which is really hard for a gal like me whose family raised her on meat and potatoes.

I'm glad that we had our physical because it really smacked us in the face with the need to make changes NOW rather than later.

7 Days of Thanks, Day 5

Today I am very thankful for my health. In a world riddled with disease, famine, cancer, and other health deficiencies, I am lucky to be healthy and happy. This past year has been focused on eating right and exercising - something we neglected - and have seen positive effects.

I pray that our world changes for the better as health seems to have fallen to the wayside where health care has become more important. People don't realize the importance of staying healthy, not over indulging, and exercising. Many of the issues faced today: obesity, heart failure, diabetes; can all be alleviated if you take care of yourself.

Here's to our health and our healthy future!