runlikejoy

Displaced Stay At Home Californian in rural N. Carolina

The Many Faces of Joy

The Many Faces of Joy

Monday, March 28, 2011

Waisting Away


So after 7 years of not really paying any attention whatsoever to my waistline, I went to the doctor last week and had a reality check. I need to cut my salt intake. I need to cut my carbohydrate intake. I need to avoid sugar. I need to stop drinking diet coke. I need to take blood pressure medication. I need to cut down on coffee and limit myself to just one cup in the morning or switch to decaf. I need to buy a blood pressure cuff and check my blood pressure 4 to 6 times a day. I need to continue exercising 5 to 7 times a week which when I told the doctor I already do, she raised her eyebrows. It was overwhelming.

I always thought that staying active and eating healthy would do the trick but I guess I was wrong. So I came home and immediately went through all the food in our pantry and looked at the sodium grams on each item. Canned Vegetarian chili, 480 grams of sodium per serving. Tortilla chips, 380 grams of sodium per serving. Random crackers, 420 grams of sodium per serving, Pace Picante Salsa (my favorite) 280 grams of sodium per serving. I was going to need iron will to do what the doctor was asking me to do.

So I inventoried what we did have, tons of fresh fruit and vegetables. Tons of nuts and grains. Tons of bulk food items like lentils, beans and garbanzos. Lots and lots of eggs and fish. I would give it a try, a real try, not a half assed try.

And so you can imagine my giddiness when I woke up this morning and weighed myself after a week of this nonsense, I had lost 8 lbs! EIGHT whole pounds! So I chortled to my husband that I had lost 8 lbs and he said, "remember that you can lose and gain weight during a day, morning weight is not necessarily indicative of your weight loss". And then I told another friend at a coop I go to and she said, "8 lbs is a lot of weight, if you lose too fast it might not be good, you can gain it right back".

I also got kudos too but we tend to only hear the negative stuff right? Not me, I'm on cloud 9. I know I'm not exactly wasting away but it feels divine to have lost 8 pounds.

4 comments:

BOBBY BARRETT said...

keep it up...I have to do the same. Usually I start out good and after a month or so back to eating the carbs and salt... My whole family needs to cut salt and carbs..

Aycandy said...

Keep it up! Sadly I've lost 50#s at least 4 times in my life. It is a life long battle. This last time was very hard because I'm older. I had health issues that vanished overnight once I lost weight. Weird ones. I'll message you privately.....

Piper Kizziar said...

You are awesome Joy! It seems like moms gain weight because they are always finishing their kids' unfinished food (God forbid we waste!) and who has time to take care of herself when she's taking care of everyone else? Glad you are making the time Joy, these years are precious and they go very quickly. Ethan goes to high school this fall and Piper to middle school. How quickly you go from being their end-all-be-all to ATM machine.

TamiPDX said...

Okay that was not Piper, it was me, Tami!