This prayer is for both my husband and I. We are both overweight - and classified as morbidly obese (I'm about 70 lbs overweight, and my husband probably 100 lbs overweight). Of course, for anyone who's struggled with weight, you might understand that dieting is hard. 2 years ago, my husband was diagnosed with Diabetes, heart disease, etc. He's been put on insulin, statins, etc. The doc finally had a "come to Jesus" meeting with him today and told him he HAS to lose weight if he hopes to live. I have fibromyalgia, chronic anemia and possibly Lupus (last two blood tests have been positive but the doc wants to try again in 3 weeks and see if the tighters are still positive). I've also been suffering from plantar faciaitus - which major prescription is to lose weight! She recommended the South Beach Diet due to his heart issues & diabetes. PLEASE pray for us as we start this. Neither of us are very disciplined, and such. But we HAVE to do this. I NEED the LORD to step in and make this possible. Thank you!
I know that the diets typically fail for most people. Think of it as a lifestyle change instead. Just focus on eating healthier and try to add a small exercise routine each day and gradually increasing. I'm sure you can do it. May I ask what you do for your anemia. My dd is very anemic and is on high doses of iron. We have tried to cut back but then she ends up with terrible symptoms. She also watches her diet closely by not taking her pills while ingesting dairy, caffeine or tea. What seems to work for you?
Offering up prayers and encouragement! God will help you manage His temple. I was also "morbidly obese" prior to gastric bypass surgery a couple years ago. I know how difficult it is to make lifestyle changes, especially where hubbies are concerned. Our whole family is healthier now for it. All things work together for good for those who love the Lord. Consider it a blessing to have a warning. My Dh has a fantastic metabolism, yet was much, much less healthy than I was. His cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure were terrible and he never knew it because he was thin and active. As a practical tip, the thing that helped me more than anything was switching the plates and bowls to the smaller ones. Another suggestion is to serve your family a salad first. Most guys are cool with that since restaurants often do the same thing. If that is a no-go, keep in mind that half the plate should be your vegetable...and that doesn't mean potatoes or corn. Try seasoning your veggies with spice mixtures instead of butter and salt. If I think of anything else that was a major breakthrough for us I'll be sure to post! ....oh, yeah....spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta when you are cutting out carbs....
Congratulations for making the choice to make a difference... that alone is a step in the right direction. You can do it !! And you'll always have a group of cheerleaders heer cheering you on as you do that. I used to be the person who could eat until the cows came home and never gain an ounce because of it (that's not necessarily a good thing though)... then I had children. I could not gain weight no matter how hard I tried prior to motherhood (now, it isn't an issue). I am ashamed to admit that I am bigger now than I was full term with any of them and I'm disgusted with myself for it. After a second back injury, I chose the laid back lifestyle and my health took a beating because of it. In the past 5 years I bet I've put on almost 40 pounds... well that's about to change. We've moved in town where walking is much more easier for me (no more hills to walk along) and no more excuses for me. I'm on a mission to lose at least 60 pounds. I will not use diet pills, I won't starve myself to do it... I can do it by becoming active and changing my eating habits. I know that I need to raise my metabolism and to do that I will eat smaller meals and snack on healthy options in between. I've never been much of a soda drinker so that's one thing I don't have to deal with. I do need to cut out the coffee though :roll: Weigh yourself first thing in the morning (but don't do it daily... that could be depressing). Set small goals... 5 pounds at a time if you have to. Reward yourself when you hit the goal with a new t-shirt or something. Make it a family activity... healthy living is very much a family thing. The things you do affect your children. Good luck and vent when you need to ETA: When I was first diagnosed with diabetes last fall, this is a message my best friend had sent to me (because I was feeling like I had just been handed a death sentence)
I have been on a quest to loose weight as well, and I'm doing well at it. I have a lot of weight to loose, and so I'm not even close to my goal, I am however moving along steadily. I have changed my eating habits quite a bit, and I have been working towards being more active, however the desert summers are preventing me from going out for walks, but I am using wii fit inside. One big help for me has been putting Grapefruit and Peppermint Essential Oils in my water! Grapefruit is a natural appetite suppressant and helps your body to digest fat, and Peppermint is a natural digestive aid. I drink Peppermint water with my meals (to help aid the digestion of the meals and prevent fat storage) and I drink Grapefruit water between meals to prevent unplanned snacking. I have been loosing about 2-5lbs a week doing this and I have no hunger pains, I'm not starving, I'm not tired and weak all the time, I feel great and it's really been working well for me!
Check out the hCG diet. http://www.hcgdietinfo.com/Dr-ATW-Simeons-Pounds-and-Inches.htm I lost 18 lbs the first 20 days on this diet. I'm down a total of 38 lbs and I am LOVING this diet. I am not affiliated with any doctor or anything that has to do with this diet. I am living proof that if you follow it, it works. I am on the final phase of the first round and I can eat 2200 calories a day and not gain an ounce, literally. It's a very restrictive diet for the first 23 days, but once you get onto the third phase you go onto a modified atkins diet. It has been a life changing diet for me. It's not a fad diet, it has been around for over 50 yrs.
Actually grapefruit is good for lowering cholesterol too (you just can't eat grapefruit or drink the juice if you're on the statin group of meds). <I think Amy should make another room for healthy living as it's title so we can go there and share stories, etc>
Yes, thank you Brenda for posting that. I had forgotten to mention that grapefruit can lengthen or enhance the effect of prescription drugs and so grapefruit oil is never recommended for those who take prescription medication.
Prayers for you Krista! I know that you love your kids, and your family. I know that you have wanted to be healthy, and able to do the things that they want to do without hurting all the time. We have talked about this many times over the years. I pray that you have the strength to push through the hard times, and courage to stand up under the pressure. I pray that your husband and kids are helpful and that they learn to help you to your goals. Krista you can do this! Little goals first, a few pounds at first, a few minutes of extra walking. Then increase the goals, so it doesn't take so long. : )
I will be praying for you. I don't have personal experience with major weight loss but as a nurse that has beg and pleated with so many people over the years to loose weight and save their lives you are AWESOME. You and your husband can do this. I am going to give you advise about starting exercise. I know when you have the extra weight that usually your body is already under stress and in pain but seriously starting exercise will help you to start feeling better plus accelerate the fat loss. I will add that I use to worked Open Heart Surgery/Recovery/Step down. I have seen what overweight does to the heart. We encourage our over weight patients to start with a 5 min walk. These patients have usually already had some cardiac issues so we want them to start off slow to prevent a heartache cause their heart was not healthy enough for full aerobic workout. Seriously you and your DH together sometime today walk a couple of minutes and then turn around. Then when you can walk the 5 min without being out of breath or in pain add a few min everyday. It may take you up to 3 months to walk a whole 30 min straight. I say this cause I don't know your actual physical health or age. This is different for each individual. Also going slow allows your joints, muscle and stuff to also slowly heal and build so you want cause injury. But we have seen is the overweight try to jump into some program like p90x or something on TV and end up discourage or hurt. Those TV program are for young folks or folks that where already in pretty good shape. YOU may get to them in a couple of years depending on how fast you loose the weight. I also recommend Monistat Chafing Relief Powder-Gel to keep you from friction rubs in the thigh area. Now the perfect thing would be gym membership with a trainer but we know in health care that is just not possible for most folks. This is why we encourage this slow and steady build up. You and your husband want hurt yourselves and if you stick with it you can become heart healthy people I could go on about the diet but I have given you to much of my advise:roll: Sorry healthcare is a passion for me and I love to help my patients get healthy. Please just know you have our support and prayers. God Bless
I am praying! What helped me take off the weight was my health. My child was the biggest reason. Hang your kiddos pictures on the fridge and in your car or wherever you are tempted to eat when not hungry. Turn walking time into family time. Walk slow to start with and enjoy your stroll. You will have to make a lifestyle change but make it as you go. Changing everything at once will not work because your body is addicted to food and so is your brain. Like any addiction, it takes time to reprogram. As you take short strolls, after time, you will find your body craving a walk. You will find your taste buds changing. You will find that the old foods are too salty and your body will naturally crave fruit once again. Remember, it took time to add the weight and it will take time to remove the weight. My advice it to NOT use a scale on a regular basis. A scale can be your enemy depending how it is used. Our weight fluctuates depending on how often we poop and how much water we retain. Let your clothes and doctor visits be your guide as to how much you are taking off as well as how your health is improving with each dropping pound. YOU CAN DO IT!!!! I am proud of you!!!
LIKE !! After reading all the comments, I think you have a large group of people backing you up (and dare I say, some of them embarking on this same challenge with you for their own reasons).
Great advice, Talllattee and Patty. I also wanted to add that overeating for me was a compulsion, not just for comfort. My Dh has OCD and I incorprate some of the things suggested for him. When I feel the need to eat, I wait a few minutes and ask myself again if I am actually hungry or if I just want to eat. In the beginning you may ask yourself 30 seconds later, but as time goes on you'll find that you get busy and forget that you were having a compulsion to eat. Hope this helps!
Thanks everyone. today was day one. I'm hungry, but I'm going to go to bed! And Talllattee, I would love to know your thoughts on the diet...ESP given your field, and that it was written by a cardiologist. OH...and we are doing the original plan, not the supercharged version...maybe we'll move into that later?
