Whatcha Gonna Give Up?

Whatcha gonna give up?  That really is the bottom-line question.  We all have to give up something, so it comes down to deciding what it is that we're going to give up.

That truth hit home yesterday as I talked on the phone with my aunt (my mom's younger sister).  She and I were discussing the recent passing of her cousin at age 70 due to complications of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.  Aunt Norma talked about our cousin and how his family smuggled unhealthy food into the hospital for him time and time again because he would only eat certain foods.  When she would talk to him and his wife about his need to eat differently to get his diabetes under control, she was told that they weren't willing to give up their favorite foods.  They liked what they liked and they weren't giving those foods up for anything.

My aunt commented that instead of giving up those foods, he chose to give up a leg, amputated due to circulation issues stemming from his Type 2 diabetes.  He gave up his independence and was pretty much house-bound for several years and spent the last months of his life in a nursing home - not a place most 70 year old men want to be.   My aunt noted that other family members have given up their vision due to diabetic retinopathy, others are on dialysis due to kidney damage caused by their Type 2 diabetes.

While I am SO thankful that my Type 2 diabetes never resulted in any of these complications and is now completely under control due to losing weight and eating small, low glycemic meals throughout the day, there were things I gave up for years.  While I clung to my favorite foods, I gave up the ability to easily move.  I gave up feeling comfortable in my body, avoiding pool parties and water parks.  I gave up the fun of going clothes shopping with friends as I was too embarrassed to let them know what size I wore.  I gave up feeling good about myself and was stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of diet starts and stops, berating myself after every failure.

We all have to give up something, so what are you going to give up?   Being on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 means giving up on responding to immediate gratification.  It means giving up - at least temporarily - on eating your favorite foods, or perhaps going to your favorite restaurant.  It may mean changing how you cook for your family.  If you enjoy having a glass of wine with your dinner, it means giving up that glass of wine for a few months. 

You can either give up unhealthy eating habits and, in the process, gain an entirely new life for yourself, or you can give up on being at a healthy weight and continue doing the same things you've done, which means you'll continue to get what you've got.  The choice is yours . . . choose wisely :-)

Doing the Math

When I was in school, math was not particularly my strong suit (though I did get an "A" in algebra :-) ).  Although numbers and formulas hold only limited interest for me, I did come across an equation that resonated with me, so I thought I'd share it with you.  Ready?

Intentions
 - action
= squat

Ouch!  That's one math equation that doesn't require a calculator to figure out.  Regardless of how lofty or well-intentioned, intentions that aren't followed up with action will ultimately result in nothing.  As much as we'd like it to be different, just wishing won't make it so. 

For years I wished - like crazy - that I'd lose weight.  I had the best of intentions as I started innumerable diets, always hoping that the latest and greatest would finally be "it" and bring me to my goal.  I bemoaned more than once that my weight problem (I avoided EVER saying "obesity") wasn't due to lack of effort on my part to lose weight, and I also wondered aloud how much I'd weigh if I hadn't kept trying to lose weight.  Ironically, I now understand that my years of yo-yo dieting directly contributed to me ending up at 268 pounds, as I'd lose fat AND muscle on those diets, then gain back fat, further lowering my already sluggish metabolism.  My good intentions to lose weight were followed by sporadic action.  I'd start strong and quickly fold, especially once the hassle factor of the diet collided with constant hunger and slow weight loss.

So what made the difference this time?  I had good intentions when I ordered Take Shape for Life/Medifast, but this time I actually followed those good intentions with action.  I knew that the expense of the program would only be cost-neutral if I was actually following the program and replacing my other food with Medifast products; I couldn't justify the cost of the program if I was playing around with it and still eating other things.  I committed to staying on plan for four weeks, planning to decide near the end of that period whether or not to order another four weeks.  Because I saw such amazing results right away, and because it was easy and I felt great, I decided to place a second order and committed to staying on plan four more weeks.  I honestly thought the initial month's weight loss was a fluke and didn't expect to see much happen the second month, but I was wrong (thankfully!).  My intentions plus consistent action over almost 11 months brought me - finally - to my goal.

When good intentions are followed by action, the math changes:

Intentions
+ action
= RESULTS!!  - perhaps beyond your wildest dreams :-)

If you're ready for some new math in your life, it begins with going beyond good intentions to action.  It's a choice we can make beginning today - choose wisely :-)

So Sad

I received some very sad news last night.  Another one of my mom's cousins passed away too young, and as a direct result of decades of morbid obesity and complications of Type 2 diabetes.  This cousin was 70 and his heart finally gave out.  He lost a leg due to diabetes several years ago and had been in and out of the hospital for the past three years as doctors fought to save his other leg.  He always thought of himself as a picky eater and wasn't cooperative even in the hospital as they tried to monitor his food intake; his wife would smuggle in his favorite foods, the very foods that were killing him.

As I've attended funeral after funeral, I've talked to family members about this program and they all know my own story and my own history with Type 2 diabetes.  I talked to his wife at length about our program (she is morbidly obese and needs a walker because her legs and ankles won't support her weight), but to no avail.  This couple have been pretty much housebound for the past few years, needing in-home help, starting in their mid to late 60's.  All because they weren't willing to change how and what they eat.  How sad!

It breaks my heart that family members are living such compromised lives due to dialysis, amputations, etc. and dying early due to complications of their Type 2 diabetes which was brought on, at least in part, by obesity.  It doesn't have to be this way!  It shouldn't be this way!

If they'd known 20 or 30 years ago how things would turn out, I wonder if it would have been enough to motivate them to change.

The problem is, we don't have a crystal ball and we can't see into the future.  Many of us have spent years pretending that the statistics don't apply to us and believing that somehow we'll be one of the lucky ones to escape the odds.  That was pretty much my attitude until a blood test in September of 2005 revealed Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high triglycerides.  That was a very sobering day for me as I realized that two decades of morbid obesity had finally caught up with me.  Because of my family history, I had only to look around at family members dealing with complications of Type 2 diabetes to realize that that's where I was heading.  That scared me to death!  By losing weight and permanently changing my lifestyle, I changed my health future.  Losing 126 pounds - and keeping it off - has kept my blood sugar and cholesterol at healthy levels for over 3 years. 

We can't see into the future, but study after study shows a correlation between being overweight/obese and an increased risk for a variety of health issues, including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  Making the decision today to take control of our health and develop a healthier lifestyle will impact our health decades from now in ways we may not fully comprehend.

It's too late for my cousin, but it's not too late for you.  Thank God that you have a chance to redirect your health future, depending on the choices you make today.  Choose wisely :-)