I went to the medical center yesterday to have lab work done to check my cholesterol levels. My doctor required this latest test since I had a pretty high cholesterol reading on my annual visit four months ago. This blood test was being done to see if medication is needed to bring the cholesterol down to a reasonable level. What my doctor does not know is that I have been dieting and exercising since my last visit for several reasons, besides the obvious cholesterol problem. I grew tired of seeing pictures of myself with all the excess weight knowing it could increase my chances of heart attack, stroke and diabetes. I felt tired and listless most of the time and did not want to do anything, particularly exercise. I was beginning to feel a heaviness in my chest at certain times and sometimes waking in the night with discomfort. So, I embarked on a diet plan of my own design and choosing to see if I could reduce my weight by reducing how much I put into this 5' 3" frame. Many physical charts I consulted regarded a person of my height and weight as obese. After much thought and realizing my weight was more of a health problem than an image problem, I started with a plan to lose 2 pounds a week. I knew it would be tough since the number of pounds I felt I needed to drop was high....very high....well over fifty pounds.
I began this weight loss journey by eliminating all soda pop. I rarely drink diet soda, mainly because I don't like the artificial sweeteners put into them, but give me the real stuff and I am in heaven. Boy, you don't know how much I love Vanilla Cream soda and Root Beer. At the same time I quit soda, I started making smarter meals using fish and chicken three or four times a week. Lots of fresh asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts and frozen steam-fresh corn or peas at every meal. Sometimes, we would have only vegetables for the meal. I tried to stay away from my favorite, potatoes, but did include them sparingly a couple of times a week. I started making soups; chicken and vegetable using all fresh vegetables in seasoned stock. My soups have less salt in them than canned soups purchased in stores. The biggest food eating challenge I had to control these last 4 months was my homemade pizza. Bob and I have been making our own pizza for over 30 years. I make the dough for the pizza and when it is rolled out and ready, proceed to top it with tomatoes, Italian sausage, peppers, olives, sometimes fresh mushrooms and, of course, tons of mozzarella cheese. We usually make pizza over the weekend and have the leftovers for lunch the next day since I always managed to get two large pizzas out of the dough mix. So instead of making two pizzas, I reduced the amount of dough mixture to make only one large pizza. One or two slices is all I eat so I don't feel as though I am losing out on a good pizza. We also decided to cut back on going out for dinners. We love to go to the Chinese and Italian restaurants in town as well as out in the morning for a usually heavy breakfast. Again, we slowly got away from that routine since, in my opinion, the portions served in restaurants are two to three times larger than needed.
Another challenge was our Italian Christmas dinner. We've been having all Italian food for Christmas dinner for many, many years. I make lasagna, all the sauce and spaghetti noodles. Tony makes the ravioli, braciole and sometimes a jello dessert his father loves. Nick makes all the manicotti and also brings some sauce along with buttered Italian bread. This year I even managed to make the ricotta cheese that is layered into the lasagna. I knew I had to control my intake at this huge yummy meal. I ate everything at that dinner that I normally eat, only smaller portions. I tried to stick with the designated calorie intake for the day (that was hard!) but this may have been one of the days that I went over. I managed to stay on track, though, and got through the holidays still managing to lose weight.
By cutting the portions eaten during meals, I am controlling the caloric intake needed to lose weight. I gave myself a 1,000 calorie a day intake and stuck with it, only going over the limited calories five days in the last four months. I didn't follow any special exercising plan when I first started the diet. I was not losing weight at the rate I had planned until it finally dawned on me that I needed to do something to burn those calories, so I started walking. I started out with a ten minute walk in the morning, then increased it to 15/20. I then started a 10 minute walk after lunch on most days and a 10/15 minute right after dinner. Slowly, the pounds started coming off and I felt as though this really might work. At the same time I didn't feel I was denying myself of any foods I so love, except the soda. The walking has been good for the joints in my ankles, knees, hips and for blood circulation. To date I have lost 25 pounds and have embraced this goal setting loss by starting on the second phase of the diet. My new goal is for another 20 to 25 pound loss, which I hope to reach sometime this Spring.
I received this email this morning:
Mrs. Victoria,
Your lipids have improved; Total cholesterol is 199
Please continue your efforts and we will do a screen at your next annual visit.
So, my efforts have paid off as I have decreased my cholesterol by 26 points over the last four months. This does not mean I will run out and get a Carver burger (only the best burgers this side of the Mississippi) with a big basket of french fries or eat half the pizza I will make tomorrow. It means I will continue on this path until I have reached a still lower cholesterol level and weight. Several people have said I look pretty good, but this has not been so much about how I look as how I feel. I have more energy, stamina and just plain feel better. It's important to me to maintain as healthy a lifestyle as possible as I continue through the winter years of my life. Who knows, maybe if I'm lucky I will have as long a lifespan as my mother, which was 94 years. If I continue to take a proactive approach to my own health care, maybe even longer.
