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.

I was just reflecting on that as it's been two years since one of my mom's cousins passed away due to complications of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.  He died at 70, and since I just turned 61, 70 seems WAY too early to die from something that's so preventable. During his many hospitalizations, his family would smuggle unhealthy food into the hospital for him time and time again because he would only eat certain foods.  He liked what he liked and he wasn't willing to give up those foods for anything.

Sadly, 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.  Because of obesity, Type 2 diabetes runs rampant in my family and 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 5&1 means giving up on responding to immediate gratification.  It means giving up - at least temporarily - 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 :-)