Good morning! I'm just sitting here and enjoying a wonderful day off with my husband. That's one of the things that I really love about my job. We get a generous amount of holidays off with pay and are given no flak about taking time off. In fact, we start earning time off with our first paycheck.
Anyway, as some of you may know, Bill suffered a TIA about 7 weeks ago. His triglycerides were through the roof (2600), and his blood sugar was out of control. The doctor told him in the hospital that his diet had to drastically change, and he had to exercise more. We already walk twice a day at work during our two fifteen minute breaks, but that evidently was not enough. While in the hospital, a dietician came in and talked to both of us, and we learned a great deal about how to eat a balanced diet. Also, Bill was put on insulin (he is diabetic). We learned that he had actually not been consuming enough carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, in moderation, are actually essential to a balanced diet. That is where our bodies get the energy they need to function properly. Also, he had been eating too much protein and too much fat (cream of anything soups contain WAY too much fat we learned). A medical tech at the hospital also got some information for us about a gym that was opening up very close to our house at a price that we could not pass up ($10/month each and no contract).
So, when Bill was released from the hospital, I told him that I would go on the diet and exercise plan with him if he thought that would help him stick to it. He was very pleased and said that it would. No one had ever been willing to do that for him before. Besides, I need to get in shape as well. I want to be around to see my future grandchildren one day, too, not to mention that I would really like to look good! ;) So, we got started with the diet. We eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and can even get some sweets (in moderation) occasionally. We are very careful to monitor the amounts of carbs, proteins, and fats we are getting in each meal and each snack. Believe it or not, we have found that we can actually eat a pretty good amount of food and can be quite satisfied with it. You really don't have to eat a lot of junk to feel full. We both have noticed that we actually feel physically much better, and it's because the food we are eating is food that is actually good for us.
We also started working out 5 days a week in a gym. It's been awesome! We've gotten to where we are looking forward to it. (In fact, I'm sitting wondering if we can hurry up and go right now!) Anyway, we go right after work Monday through Friday and exercise for about 35 minutes. Bill rides the exercise bike and will soon be adding some weight training to the mix. I discovered a wonderful machine called the Arc Trainer (see below) that works the whole body hard and burns a pretty good bit of calories. This past Friday, I worked off about 340 calories!
Guess what? The work is paying off. Bill is losing inches around his waist, his blood sugar is almost completely back under control, and his triglycerides have come down from 2600 to 357! He is also building up some muscle. I've always thought my husband was pretty good-looking, but he is getting even better looking as a result!!!! Yahoo for me!!!! As for me, I have lost about 5 pounds and am working on more!! I'm feeling better than I have in a long time, and last weekend, I was able to get some new smaller clothes. I can actually get clothes to fit my shape and look good in them!! I'm excited about losing more weight so I can get some more!!
If anyone is interested in what we've been doing to lose weight, let me know. I'll be happy to help out. The best way to lose weight and get healthier is by simply adjusting your diet and exercising. Fad diets are not going to do it. You may lose weight, but it won't be in a healthy way.
LOL I just realized that I have written ANOTHER happy blog post! Shirley should be very pleased! Love to you all!!!
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