Thinner!

One of the best things to come out of this medically necessary diet is that I am getting THINNER! Since I have been home from the hospital, each time I get on the scale I find that I have lost another pound! Just maintaining a low fat, low cholesterol, low sodium, low sugar diet is most likely the reason for the weight loss. And also the fact that I am more and more physically active as each day passes. I used to be rail thin when I was a kid and teenager. I don't want to go back to those "underweight" days where I looked like a skeleton, but being very lean would be awesome. I have only 15 pounds to go to the doctor goal weight and would like to go down ten more after that, so have 25 pounds left to the weight I wish to achieve and maintain. I have gone down THREE sizes since February, and nearly ready to go down one more. I wasn't as overweight as many people are, but I encourage those who are overweight to buy a diet journal and keep track of everything you eat or drink, and then the exercise or activities you do each day. Once you see it written down, you can see what you need to change or why you are not losing weight. Much of the time it is simply that people don't want to give up tasty food...it is fun, tasty and a comfort . . . and food can be an addiction. I have heard this from overweight friends that they tried and just can't lose no matter what. Sometimes there are medical conditions that cause obesity, but then that is all the more reason to count the calories and not just give up and use that as an excuse not to try. Once in the habit of eating well, the desire for the food that is bad for us vanishes. I no longer get cravings for cheeseburgers or pizza, or Nachos Bell Grande, however, I keep a little tin of York mini chocolate mints for those chocolate cravings and letting a little ten calorie one of those melt in my mouth slowly takes care of that.

I am not allowing myself to slip back into bad eating. Obesity, even mild obesity, can cause so many medical problems, and is hard on the joints, and makes any chronic medical conditions worse. I will soon be starting a yoga and deep breathing routine, and today will start walking outdoors again, despite the pain in my feet. I hope the Rheumatologist at the university hospital has some new ideas about management of that, but with the strict diet at least I have a head start on at trying to make that better.

I am trying to get hubby to eat better. He isn't obese or excessively overweight, but has a large belly like most aging men have and I don't like the idea of all that around his middle and don't want him to have a heart attack. He has been eating what I prepare, however, he has to follow up with a two-liter bottle of Pepsi or some other carbonation, several slices of cheese at a sitting, he eats cream cheese straight from the package, he eats peanut butter and jelly with a spoon, eats chips, jelly beans and all kinds of snack foods when there are bananas, nectarines, plums and apples in the kitchen. He is a recreational eater and loves food. With as active as he is, if he stuck to a strictly low fat, low sodium diet, I bet the man would lose 50 pounds in a short amount of time...and he would have no problem fitting into the "clown car" he wants. LOL! (sorry Jon...you know I am teasing.)