Happy Wednesday everyone!
Yesterday I caught a segment on one of the morning news programs about a southern state that is raising insurance rates for obese individuals. What interested me was one of the individuals interviewed for this segment. The man was morbidly obese and absolutely furious that his state would soon be charging him more for insurance. I'm not here to debate the pros and cons of this state's decision - as a formerly morbidly obese person myself, I know it would have been upsetting if I would have had higher insurance premiums. What caught my attention was that while this man ranted and raved against his state, he was eating a donut and smoking a fat cigar. It was amazing to watch and I couldn't help but think that while this individual was obviously engaging in "in your face" behavior, there was also a certain amount of denial going on. While he munched on his donut and smoked his cigar, he contended that he was perfectly healthy and didn't believe his obesity would ever cost his state a penny. He obviously believed he could continue his behavior indefinitely without consequence. For his sake, I hope he can, but the odds are definitely not on his side.
Denial is such a dangerous thing. I've been there, and I'm guessing that most everyone reading this has been there, too. Sometimes denial kicks in because the prospect of getting to a healthy weight seems overwhelming, perhaps even impossible. The problem is that while we may be in denial, our body is keeping track of what we're doing to it. We may be able to fool our mind, but we can't fool our body. For me, my denial came to a crashing stop when I was diagnosed with diabetes. At that point, I came face to face with over twenty years of morbid obesity and unhealthy habits. It was a pretty depressing time as reality hit me like ice water in the face. But the reality of my situation finally began the journey that brought me to this program and, ultimately, to my goal.
I hope your days of denial are over and that you're finally ready to finish your journey towards a healthy weight. It's not always easy, and the temptation is always there to stick our heads back in the sand. Dealing with the reality of our weight and, perhaps, the food issues we may have, is hard work. But when we address those issues honestly, it's amazing how much progress we make!
*****
My husband and I are leaving for Chicago in a little while. We're spending the night at a hotel near the airport because we have a 6:40 AM flight tomorrow morning to Salt Lake City. We're going to be attending a Take Shape for Life leadership retreat at Sundance Thursday-Sunday, then we'll spend a couple of days in Park City, Utah with some friends of ours. My husband will fly home on Tuesday and I'll fly to Los Angeles to spend a couple of days with my aunt. I'm meeting up with a friend and fellow health coach next Thursday (she lives about an hour from my aunt) and then going with her to a weekend conference in L.A. October 23-24. I'm flying home October 25, and I think I'll be ready to be home for a while :-).
While I'm gone, my access to the internet will be intermittent. As a result, I will not be posting a daily commitment blog. I'll write and post as I can, but in the meantime, you all know the drill: stay on plan :-).
Blessings!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
A Not So Obvious Question
Do you want to get to a healthy weight? Do you want to stay at a healthy weight for the rest of your life?
This seems like an obvious question, doesn't it? And I hate it when people ask obvious questions (makes me wonder if they think I'm stupid or something . . . ). But I'm asking this question today because I think it's an important question to ask.
What got me thinking about this was something I read yesterday from the one-year devotional, "At His Feet." The devotional was based on the story of Jesus healing a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. When Jesus approached the man, He asked the man, "Do you want to get well?" Interestingly, the man didn't respond, "Well, of course!" Instead, he offered an excuse (the entire story can be found in John 5:1-15 if you want to read the entire account).
The writer of the devotion noted that as much as we think we want to change, we're comfortable with the status quo. The man may have been tired of being an invalid, but he also may have feared the changes in his life that being healed would bring. So Jesus asked what seems to be an obvious question, "Do you want to get well?"
Our problem is that all too often we want change, but we don't want to change. At least that's true for me :-). I want to keep doing what I've always done, but get better results! Unfortunately, that happens to be the definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results . . . ).
We know we SHOULD lose weight, and perhaps we even want to lose weight, sort of. But things come up that are more important to us that getting to a healthy weight and we cheat. Or perhaps losing weight makes people begin to notice us, and that makes us uncomfortable, so we start sabotaging ourselves. Status quo can be a pretty comfortable and safe place to be sometimes, even if we know it's not healthy in the long run.
So the question needs to be asked, and I ask it respectfully: Do you want to get to a healthy weight and stay there? If you do, you are on the right program to get you there. You have a lot of wonderful tools to help you each step of the way and there is an amazing amount of support available, including support from a health coach. Take Shape for Life/Medifast is a proven program - the only variable is you. If you work the program, it works! If you don't work the program, it doesn't work.
As I've shared before, for me the food part of this program was the easy part. The really, really hard part was the head and the heart part, because I had to change in pretty fundamental ways how I thought and felt about food. I had to end a long relationship with food, and that was not an easy task. What made this time different than all of the other bazillion times I'd tried in the past was that this time I finally, really wanted to change.
I hope your answer to my question today is a resounding "YES!!!" But be honest with yourself, and if it's not, spend some time figuring out why. If you figure out what's holding you back and then take steps to deal with it, you'll eventually be able to answer "YES!", too. And when you do, you'll reach your goal and stay there!
Last question for today: who's committed to an on-plan day today?
This seems like an obvious question, doesn't it? And I hate it when people ask obvious questions (makes me wonder if they think I'm stupid or something . . . ). But I'm asking this question today because I think it's an important question to ask.
What got me thinking about this was something I read yesterday from the one-year devotional, "At His Feet." The devotional was based on the story of Jesus healing a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. When Jesus approached the man, He asked the man, "Do you want to get well?" Interestingly, the man didn't respond, "Well, of course!" Instead, he offered an excuse (the entire story can be found in John 5:1-15 if you want to read the entire account).
The writer of the devotion noted that as much as we think we want to change, we're comfortable with the status quo. The man may have been tired of being an invalid, but he also may have feared the changes in his life that being healed would bring. So Jesus asked what seems to be an obvious question, "Do you want to get well?"
Our problem is that all too often we want change, but we don't want to change. At least that's true for me :-). I want to keep doing what I've always done, but get better results! Unfortunately, that happens to be the definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results . . . ).
We know we SHOULD lose weight, and perhaps we even want to lose weight, sort of. But things come up that are more important to us that getting to a healthy weight and we cheat. Or perhaps losing weight makes people begin to notice us, and that makes us uncomfortable, so we start sabotaging ourselves. Status quo can be a pretty comfortable and safe place to be sometimes, even if we know it's not healthy in the long run.
So the question needs to be asked, and I ask it respectfully: Do you want to get to a healthy weight and stay there? If you do, you are on the right program to get you there. You have a lot of wonderful tools to help you each step of the way and there is an amazing amount of support available, including support from a health coach. Take Shape for Life/Medifast is a proven program - the only variable is you. If you work the program, it works! If you don't work the program, it doesn't work.
As I've shared before, for me the food part of this program was the easy part. The really, really hard part was the head and the heart part, because I had to change in pretty fundamental ways how I thought and felt about food. I had to end a long relationship with food, and that was not an easy task. What made this time different than all of the other bazillion times I'd tried in the past was that this time I finally, really wanted to change.
I hope your answer to my question today is a resounding "YES!!!" But be honest with yourself, and if it's not, spend some time figuring out why. If you figure out what's holding you back and then take steps to deal with it, you'll eventually be able to answer "YES!", too. And when you do, you'll reach your goal and stay there!
Last question for today: who's committed to an on-plan day today?
Monday, October 12, 2009
A Great System
Happy Columbus Day! For those of you fortunate enough to work for a governmental agency, you probably have the day off - enjoy!
I came across a quote that I thought has GREAT application to the Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 plan: "A good system shortens the road to the goal."
There are times when taking a leisurely, scenic route makes sense. When I have lots of time and am not in a hurry, I love getting off the expressway and taking a more scenic drive. If I see something that interests me, I enjoy stopping the car and grabbing my camera to snap a few pictures.
I don't know about you, but once I finally decided (REALLY decided) to lose weight, I wanted to reach my goal as quickly as possible. I wasn't interested in taking the scenic route - I wanted the autobahn. I'd done the "count points" program three different times, none of them particularly successfully, and the thought of doing a lot of work and getting maybe a half-pound loss per week for the effort didn't appeal to me at all.
I didn't want a "make it up as I go along" plan, either - I'd done that a zillion times. You know - the "I'll just eat less, watch my portions and make better choices" plan, completely unstructured and for me, completely unsuccessful.
This last and final time (thank the Lord, it really WAS the last time!) that I decided to lose weight, I wanted a proven system. I wanted something that was fast AND safe, and I wanted something that would not just get me thinner, but also healthier. Take Shape for Life/Medifast totally met the criteria and then some!
A good system shortens the road to the goal, but that is only true if we actually USE the system :-). The beauty of the Take Shape for Life/Medifast program is that all of the thinking and the figuring out has been done for us. As long as we follow the system, it really is goof-proof, and it the shortest way to goal.
If we were going on a trip and time was of the essence, we'd study a map and find the shortest route from Point A to Point B, or we'd plug the destination into our GPS and select the "shortest route" option. Once we had our route in place, we'd stick to the route and ignore the signs that advertised attractions ten miles off an exit en route. It's not that the attractions aren't interesting, but we have a destination to get to and we're focused on getting there as soon as we can.
Those off-plan foods are the attractions ten miles off the exit . . . if we veer off course and take the side-trip, we're going to waste a lot of time and delay getting to our destination. When it comes to getting to a healthy weight, we need to stay in the express lane with no exits between the time we get on and our goal.
Who's committed to staying the course today?
I came across a quote that I thought has GREAT application to the Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 plan: "A good system shortens the road to the goal."
There are times when taking a leisurely, scenic route makes sense. When I have lots of time and am not in a hurry, I love getting off the expressway and taking a more scenic drive. If I see something that interests me, I enjoy stopping the car and grabbing my camera to snap a few pictures.
I don't know about you, but once I finally decided (REALLY decided) to lose weight, I wanted to reach my goal as quickly as possible. I wasn't interested in taking the scenic route - I wanted the autobahn. I'd done the "count points" program three different times, none of them particularly successfully, and the thought of doing a lot of work and getting maybe a half-pound loss per week for the effort didn't appeal to me at all.
I didn't want a "make it up as I go along" plan, either - I'd done that a zillion times. You know - the "I'll just eat less, watch my portions and make better choices" plan, completely unstructured and for me, completely unsuccessful.
This last and final time (thank the Lord, it really WAS the last time!) that I decided to lose weight, I wanted a proven system. I wanted something that was fast AND safe, and I wanted something that would not just get me thinner, but also healthier. Take Shape for Life/Medifast totally met the criteria and then some!
A good system shortens the road to the goal, but that is only true if we actually USE the system :-). The beauty of the Take Shape for Life/Medifast program is that all of the thinking and the figuring out has been done for us. As long as we follow the system, it really is goof-proof, and it the shortest way to goal.
If we were going on a trip and time was of the essence, we'd study a map and find the shortest route from Point A to Point B, or we'd plug the destination into our GPS and select the "shortest route" option. Once we had our route in place, we'd stick to the route and ignore the signs that advertised attractions ten miles off an exit en route. It's not that the attractions aren't interesting, but we have a destination to get to and we're focused on getting there as soon as we can.
Those off-plan foods are the attractions ten miles off the exit . . . if we veer off course and take the side-trip, we're going to waste a lot of time and delay getting to our destination. When it comes to getting to a healthy weight, we need to stay in the express lane with no exits between the time we get on and our goal.
Who's committed to staying the course today?
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Not a Game
Happy Sunday! This is going to be a busy day for me. My oldest granddaughter (age 6) and her first grade class will be singing at a church in Grand Rapids this morning, so I'm going to hear her sing and then take them out for brunch. Following brunch, we're heading to Meijer Gardens (a wonderful botanical garden) for their fall color tour. We'll board a small tram for the tour, which will be led by a friend of mine. After our time at the garden, I'll head home and get ready for our small group Bible study, which will be at our house tonight.
My husband worked last night, so I decided to catch up on a couple of TV shows that I missed while we were in Pennsylvania. One of the programs I watched on line was "The Biggest Loser." I've missed the last two weeks, so I was happy to have a chance to watch the episodes. Week 3 focused on several choices that the contestants had to make during the week. One of the contestants seemed more focused on playing the game than focused on the real reason she was there - to lose weight and get healthy. What interested me was the comment that one of the trainers, Bob, made. He said that "people who play this as a game gain the weight back."
That made me wonder about this program. Are we approaching this as a game, or are we really serious about making permanent changes in our lives? After two years on this program, first on the weight loss phase and now in maintenance, I've watched a lot of people on this program. Some have embraced the program in its entirety and have been successful beyond their wildest dreams. Others have vacillated between working the program and going off plan. Still others appear to have approached this plan as a game that can be manipulated and outsmarted, and have talked about skipping Medifast meals so they can have a drink or other off-plan item.
I understand the temptation to try and outsmart the program, because that's exactly what I did with every other weight loss plan I was ever on. I'd read all about the plan, understand what I was supposed to do, then almost immediately I'd begin to make my own substitutions. For some reason, I always thought that I could outsmart the program and that it would still work. Of course, it never did.
By the time I placed my first Take Shape for Life/Medifast order, I was ready to follow the program exactly as written. I actually told myself that for once in my life I would NOT try to outsmart the program :-). The funny thing was that as I actually did what the program told me to do, I lost weight!
This wasn't a game for me, because my life and my health were on the line. I hope this isn't a game for you, either! The program is well-thought out and has almost 30 years of clinical studies supporting it. All the thinking has been done for us, so all we need to do is follow the protocols. How simple!
Don't waste your time trying to figure out what off-plan food can be included right now, because the simple answer is that it can't. The good news is that this program isn't forever - you just need to be on 5&1 long enough to get to a healthy weight. So stay on plan - follow it to the letter and don't deviate - and you'll get there in the shortest amount of time.
Play with your spouse, play with your kids, play with your dog - but please don't play with this program. Your health and your life are too important to play with!
My husband worked last night, so I decided to catch up on a couple of TV shows that I missed while we were in Pennsylvania. One of the programs I watched on line was "The Biggest Loser." I've missed the last two weeks, so I was happy to have a chance to watch the episodes. Week 3 focused on several choices that the contestants had to make during the week. One of the contestants seemed more focused on playing the game than focused on the real reason she was there - to lose weight and get healthy. What interested me was the comment that one of the trainers, Bob, made. He said that "people who play this as a game gain the weight back."
That made me wonder about this program. Are we approaching this as a game, or are we really serious about making permanent changes in our lives? After two years on this program, first on the weight loss phase and now in maintenance, I've watched a lot of people on this program. Some have embraced the program in its entirety and have been successful beyond their wildest dreams. Others have vacillated between working the program and going off plan. Still others appear to have approached this plan as a game that can be manipulated and outsmarted, and have talked about skipping Medifast meals so they can have a drink or other off-plan item.
I understand the temptation to try and outsmart the program, because that's exactly what I did with every other weight loss plan I was ever on. I'd read all about the plan, understand what I was supposed to do, then almost immediately I'd begin to make my own substitutions. For some reason, I always thought that I could outsmart the program and that it would still work. Of course, it never did.
By the time I placed my first Take Shape for Life/Medifast order, I was ready to follow the program exactly as written. I actually told myself that for once in my life I would NOT try to outsmart the program :-). The funny thing was that as I actually did what the program told me to do, I lost weight!
This wasn't a game for me, because my life and my health were on the line. I hope this isn't a game for you, either! The program is well-thought out and has almost 30 years of clinical studies supporting it. All the thinking has been done for us, so all we need to do is follow the protocols. How simple!
Don't waste your time trying to figure out what off-plan food can be included right now, because the simple answer is that it can't. The good news is that this program isn't forever - you just need to be on 5&1 long enough to get to a healthy weight. So stay on plan - follow it to the letter and don't deviate - and you'll get there in the shortest amount of time.
Play with your spouse, play with your kids, play with your dog - but please don't play with this program. Your health and your life are too important to play with!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Running a Marathon
I read a post yesterday that got me thinking. The writer talked about this weight loss/wellness journey being a marathon and not a sprint, and I absolutely agree!
We really have to prepare ourselves to stay consistent over the long haul, because no matter how long it will take for us to reach our goal, reaching our goal is only the first phase of this program. Maintaining at a healthy weight is the rest of the program - one marathon after another.
I'm not a runner (I have a bad knee), but I've watched bits and pieces of a few marathons over the years. As I think back to the marathons, one thing I remember is that most of the runners aren't smiling while they're running. Some of them look like they're concentrating, and others are actually grimacing. The exhilaration of taking off at the starting line eventually fades and the marathoner is faced with the task of just putting one foot in front of the other. At some point along the way, it's not particularly fun any more. But running a marathon isn't necessarily about having fun along the way (although some runners really do enjoy the journey). Running in a marathon is about finishing it and having the satisfaction of knowing that the runner accomplished something difficult. There might not be a lot of smiling going on during the marathon, but there are lots of smiles and lots of celebrations at the finish line.
Sometimes we have unrealistic expectations about the weight loss marathon we're on and we expect it to be fun and exciting the entire time. That might be true if it was a 50 yard dash, but it's not a dash - this is the marathon of our lives. The reality is that we will alternate between exhilaration and exhaustion, between feeling like this is the best thing we've ever done to hating the thought of doing this one more day. In the end, we will experience a full spectrum of emotions on this journey, but as long as we keep putting one foot in front of another, we will cross the finish line. And when we cross the finish line and reach goal, there will be smiles and lots of celebration.
And after the celebration we'll begin the next marathon - maintenance :-).
So, are your running shoes laced up this morning? It's another marathon day - are you committed to staying the course today?
We really have to prepare ourselves to stay consistent over the long haul, because no matter how long it will take for us to reach our goal, reaching our goal is only the first phase of this program. Maintaining at a healthy weight is the rest of the program - one marathon after another.
I'm not a runner (I have a bad knee), but I've watched bits and pieces of a few marathons over the years. As I think back to the marathons, one thing I remember is that most of the runners aren't smiling while they're running. Some of them look like they're concentrating, and others are actually grimacing. The exhilaration of taking off at the starting line eventually fades and the marathoner is faced with the task of just putting one foot in front of the other. At some point along the way, it's not particularly fun any more. But running a marathon isn't necessarily about having fun along the way (although some runners really do enjoy the journey). Running in a marathon is about finishing it and having the satisfaction of knowing that the runner accomplished something difficult. There might not be a lot of smiling going on during the marathon, but there are lots of smiles and lots of celebrations at the finish line.
Sometimes we have unrealistic expectations about the weight loss marathon we're on and we expect it to be fun and exciting the entire time. That might be true if it was a 50 yard dash, but it's not a dash - this is the marathon of our lives. The reality is that we will alternate between exhilaration and exhaustion, between feeling like this is the best thing we've ever done to hating the thought of doing this one more day. In the end, we will experience a full spectrum of emotions on this journey, but as long as we keep putting one foot in front of another, we will cross the finish line. And when we cross the finish line and reach goal, there will be smiles and lots of celebration.
And after the celebration we'll begin the next marathon - maintenance :-).
So, are your running shoes laced up this morning? It's another marathon day - are you committed to staying the course today?
Friday, October 9, 2009
Back To Normal . . . Sigh!
Happy Friday everyone! I hope you've had a good week and that today will launch you into a great weekend.
Yesterday was an interesting mix for me emotionally. On the one hand, I was really happy to be home after a week of whirlwind travel and sightseeing, and it felt good to be on my own turf with a more normal schedule. On the other hand, I felt kind of blah and let-down all day. After a week of something different every day, seeing and experiencing new things, I was back home with laundry to do, dust to contend with, and a pile of things waiting on my desk. I am a hopeless adrenaline junkie, so my mini-crash today was to be expected.
The same is true for our weight loss journey. When things are happening - the scale is moving, sizes are shrinking, people are noticing - it's pretty exciting! When things are happening, it's not too hard to stay motivated. The challenge comes when things aren't happening anymore.
Just as I experienced a mini let-down today, I experienced a mini let-down after I reached my goal and went through Transition. After almost a year of watching the scale move, after almost a year of watching sizes shrink and eventually getting constant comments about how great I was looking, I reached Maintenance. The scale didn't move any more, I wasn't going to drop any more sizes, and people began to adjust to my new, small size and comments stopped. This was my new normal, and while I was happy to finally be here, the adrenaline rush was gone. There was no excitement as I stepped on the scale each morning, and I found that I missed it.
The easy part of this program is the food part. The hard part is the head part. I worked on a lot of my food-related issues while I was on the Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 plan, but I hadn't really anticipated feeling any let-down post goal. I realized that part of what kept me going for almost a year was the excitement of something happening all of the time, and I also realized that I needed to dig deeper to stay motivated for the long haul of Maintenance.
Much like returning to my normal routine that includes laundry and dusty furniture, Maintenance isn't glamorous. Some days are more fun than others, but the adrenaline rush has slowly been replaced by something that is ultimately more satisfying - a healthy life and lifestyle. The more I think about it, the more I realize that the lack of excitement is a GOOD thing, because it means that all of this has truly become an integral part of my life.
For those of you who are on 5&1, I hope this is an exciting phase for you! I hope you're seeing consistent weight loss, that you are shrinking out of your clothes on a regular basis, and that you're starting to receive encouraging and complimentary comments from others. This is a great time in your life and it's truly life-changing! By staying on plan day by day, you are not only moving ever closer to your goal, you are also establishing new habits that will serve you well in Maintenance. And even though Maintenance isn't always exciting, it is great place to be - come join me!
Yesterday was an interesting mix for me emotionally. On the one hand, I was really happy to be home after a week of whirlwind travel and sightseeing, and it felt good to be on my own turf with a more normal schedule. On the other hand, I felt kind of blah and let-down all day. After a week of something different every day, seeing and experiencing new things, I was back home with laundry to do, dust to contend with, and a pile of things waiting on my desk. I am a hopeless adrenaline junkie, so my mini-crash today was to be expected.
The same is true for our weight loss journey. When things are happening - the scale is moving, sizes are shrinking, people are noticing - it's pretty exciting! When things are happening, it's not too hard to stay motivated. The challenge comes when things aren't happening anymore.
Just as I experienced a mini let-down today, I experienced a mini let-down after I reached my goal and went through Transition. After almost a year of watching the scale move, after almost a year of watching sizes shrink and eventually getting constant comments about how great I was looking, I reached Maintenance. The scale didn't move any more, I wasn't going to drop any more sizes, and people began to adjust to my new, small size and comments stopped. This was my new normal, and while I was happy to finally be here, the adrenaline rush was gone. There was no excitement as I stepped on the scale each morning, and I found that I missed it.
The easy part of this program is the food part. The hard part is the head part. I worked on a lot of my food-related issues while I was on the Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1 plan, but I hadn't really anticipated feeling any let-down post goal. I realized that part of what kept me going for almost a year was the excitement of something happening all of the time, and I also realized that I needed to dig deeper to stay motivated for the long haul of Maintenance.
Much like returning to my normal routine that includes laundry and dusty furniture, Maintenance isn't glamorous. Some days are more fun than others, but the adrenaline rush has slowly been replaced by something that is ultimately more satisfying - a healthy life and lifestyle. The more I think about it, the more I realize that the lack of excitement is a GOOD thing, because it means that all of this has truly become an integral part of my life.
For those of you who are on 5&1, I hope this is an exciting phase for you! I hope you're seeing consistent weight loss, that you are shrinking out of your clothes on a regular basis, and that you're starting to receive encouraging and complimentary comments from others. This is a great time in your life and it's truly life-changing! By staying on plan day by day, you are not only moving ever closer to your goal, you are also establishing new habits that will serve you well in Maintenance. And even though Maintenance isn't always exciting, it is great place to be - come join me!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Time for Confession
I have always tried to be honest here, so I need to confess something to all of you today. I am a recovering gambler, still working to kick a long-term gambling addiction.
Some people gamble by purchasing lottery tickets, some play slot machines, and others put money on horses. Those are amateur gamblers - I gambled for much, much bigger stakes than that!
Yep, the stakes couldn't have been much bigger, because I gambled on my health and my life.
I knew I had a strong family history of diabetes, yet I played the odds for over twenty years, eating what I wanted, as much as I wanted, when I wanted, gambling that I could do so indefinitely and beat the odds of my family genetics. I also knew all the statistics about all of the other health risks of obesity (working in health care for twenty years, I was NOT lacking in knowledge about the link between obesity and disease), but I continued to play the odds. When I'd go in for a physical and lab work and all of my lab work came back fine, I'd let out a sigh of relief that I'd beat the odds once again. Sure, I was overweight (OK, obese), but I was HEALTHY, and I had the lab work to prove it.
Like almost all gamblers, the odds finally caught up with me just over four years ago when a routine wellness blood draw at the hospital where I worked came back. All of my numbers were bad - cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL/LDL, and glucose. My luck had finally run out and it was time to pay up. I was a diabetic, and I knew I was in trouble.
I can't even express how mad I was at myself that day, because I knew I had been gambling with my health for years. As I looked at a printout of my lab work, it was an indictment of two decades of denial and bad choices. That day began my journey to wellness, although it would be almost two more years before I found Medifast and finally had the tools to reverse my diabetes and high cholesterol and reach a healthy weight.
I call myself a recovering gambler, because I know those old habits will come roaring back if I stop being diligent. My family genetics haven't changed, and the fact that I was diabetic means that this disease will return if I return to my old, gambling ways. I hear some people talk about how they've completely lost their taste for certain foods since losing weight, but I don't identify with that at all. I still have "fat girl" taste buds - everything tastes as good as it ever did, and it would be all-too-easy to go back to my old eating habits. I wish I HAD lost my taste for some of my old favorites, because it would be a lot easier now.
But it's not easy. Some days are easier than others, and I have structured my life to keep those old favorites at a distance (I keep them out of my house, for instance). But there are other days when I am honestly tempted to throw caution to the wind and fill my shopping cart with stuff that is devoid of nutrition and full of calories, sugar, fat and carbs. Of course, I don't :-). Having gambled and lost once, I am thankful that God gave me another chance to have a healthy life, and I'm committed to maintaining my health.
How about you? Are you finished playing your own high-stakes game? If you've been able to avoid obesity-related health issues thus far, that's wonderful. Are you willing to gamble that you'll avoid health issues indefinitely? If you're ready to stop gambling, it can end today. All you have to do is commit to staying on plan - just for today. Then if you do the same thing tomorrow, and then again the day after that, you'll soon find that your gambling days are over.
Who's committed to an on-plan day today?
Some people gamble by purchasing lottery tickets, some play slot machines, and others put money on horses. Those are amateur gamblers - I gambled for much, much bigger stakes than that!
Yep, the stakes couldn't have been much bigger, because I gambled on my health and my life.
I knew I had a strong family history of diabetes, yet I played the odds for over twenty years, eating what I wanted, as much as I wanted, when I wanted, gambling that I could do so indefinitely and beat the odds of my family genetics. I also knew all the statistics about all of the other health risks of obesity (working in health care for twenty years, I was NOT lacking in knowledge about the link between obesity and disease), but I continued to play the odds. When I'd go in for a physical and lab work and all of my lab work came back fine, I'd let out a sigh of relief that I'd beat the odds once again. Sure, I was overweight (OK, obese), but I was HEALTHY, and I had the lab work to prove it.
Like almost all gamblers, the odds finally caught up with me just over four years ago when a routine wellness blood draw at the hospital where I worked came back. All of my numbers were bad - cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL/LDL, and glucose. My luck had finally run out and it was time to pay up. I was a diabetic, and I knew I was in trouble.
I can't even express how mad I was at myself that day, because I knew I had been gambling with my health for years. As I looked at a printout of my lab work, it was an indictment of two decades of denial and bad choices. That day began my journey to wellness, although it would be almost two more years before I found Medifast and finally had the tools to reverse my diabetes and high cholesterol and reach a healthy weight.
I call myself a recovering gambler, because I know those old habits will come roaring back if I stop being diligent. My family genetics haven't changed, and the fact that I was diabetic means that this disease will return if I return to my old, gambling ways. I hear some people talk about how they've completely lost their taste for certain foods since losing weight, but I don't identify with that at all. I still have "fat girl" taste buds - everything tastes as good as it ever did, and it would be all-too-easy to go back to my old eating habits. I wish I HAD lost my taste for some of my old favorites, because it would be a lot easier now.
But it's not easy. Some days are easier than others, and I have structured my life to keep those old favorites at a distance (I keep them out of my house, for instance). But there are other days when I am honestly tempted to throw caution to the wind and fill my shopping cart with stuff that is devoid of nutrition and full of calories, sugar, fat and carbs. Of course, I don't :-). Having gambled and lost once, I am thankful that God gave me another chance to have a healthy life, and I'm committed to maintaining my health.
How about you? Are you finished playing your own high-stakes game? If you've been able to avoid obesity-related health issues thus far, that's wonderful. Are you willing to gamble that you'll avoid health issues indefinitely? If you're ready to stop gambling, it can end today. All you have to do is commit to staying on plan - just for today. Then if you do the same thing tomorrow, and then again the day after that, you'll soon find that your gambling days are over.
Who's committed to an on-plan day today?
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