Losing Weight, Getting Healthy

My mom had foot surgery yesterday afternoon. She's had a lot of pain in her foot for a long time (she actually has pain in both feet, but the one foot was worse than the other) and we're hoping and praying that yesterday's surgery will relieve her pain and give her more mobility. What's wonderful is that my mom was able to have surgery at all.

My mom is 80-1/2 and has been diabetic for over 23 years. Two years ago she was on an obvious decline as years of diabetes was taking its toll. She had pretty much given up on her long struggle with her weight and had resigned herself that the rest of her life would be spent watching her health continue to deteriorate. She has flat feet, and with her extra weight, the structure of her feet broke down leaving her with misshapen toes, bunions, and painful calluses. Caring for her feet has been a delicate balancing act for her podiatrist as he's worked to alleviate her pain while avoiding surgery due to her diabetes.

So what changed? How was my 80 year old diabetic mom able to have surgery on her feet? Simple - she went on Take Shape for Life/Medifast, lost 40 pounds and brought her diabetes well under control (so well that she almost never needs insulin anymore, after taking 4-7 units of insulin after every meal). Because her health has improved, the risk of doing an elective surgery was reduced to the point the doctor felt comfortable proceeding.

For each of us, losing weight and getting healthy means something just a little different. Depending on our age and other factors, losing weight and getting healthy may mean we can ski, mountain climb or run a marathon, for others it may mean that we can enjoy taking walks and enjoying time with our family. Yesterday, losing weight and getting healthier meant my mom could have a much-needed surgery that will hopefully enable her to walk without pain again.

What will losing weight and getting healthy mean for you? Do you have a picture in your mind of life at goal? Whatever your vision, you'll get there one day and one choice at a time, so choose wisely :-)