Just here to tell a story............

Next month I will turn 44 and will celebrate big.   This year I will be 165 lbs. lighter on my birthday.  Something I never dreamed would ever happen.  A year or so ago I had a two year plan.  The two year plan was to be a healthy weight by the time I turned 45.  As I said that, I thought that was a reasonable goal.  It was far enough away that I just might muster up the courage to lose something. Far enough away to think about it later….after all tomorrow is another day.  Little did I know the divine intervention that was headed my way. 

For almost twenty years, my weight was both a shield yet at the same time the problem.  My weight shielded me from getting involved with activities and meeting new people.  By staying home and not getting out and doing things, my weight shielded me from any comments, snickers, or rejection.   My weight shielded me from the rejection of men.  When I had a stressful day, I would look forward to getting a pizza or hamburger on my way home.  Food became a security blanket.  It was always there for me.  Food never criticized me or rejected me. 

In 2013 I started Weight Watchers and told myself I was committed this time.  By year’s end I had lost almost 20 lbs.  I ushered 2014 in with low back pain.   Despite the frequency of my cheat days and lack of exercise I was still losing.  Then one morning in March I woke up with extreme pain.  Dreading sitting in the ER waiting room, I went any way.  I was in worse condition than I thought.  My blood pressure was 200 and that was not the only thing.  I was whisked back to an exam room where I was promptly informed by the ER doctor I had diabetes.  Diabetes?  No, not me.  My stay in the hospital lasted 6 days.  If I had not gone to the ER when I did, I possibly been unresponsive.  My blood sugars were an astounding 534. 

Fast forward to today.  I decided to kick some butt and show diabetes the door.  I said good bye to all fast food, all sugary foods, sodas, etc. I was playing a new ball game and it had different rules.  After a month, I no longer craved a pizza from Papa Johns. I no longer craved a hamburger or super-sized fries.  I have not had ice cream in over a year.  I have faithfully attended every Weight Watcher meeting and only dreaded the scale a handful of times.  So a friend I got to know from the Weight Watchers group suggested I start a blog.  I hope you stick around for a while because as we all know….it’s not a diet but a new lifestyle. 

Christina