Let me start by telling you that my struggle with weight is not new. It didn't start in adulthood. I guess my self-esteem took a hit in my early high school years and I've had a not-so-healthy view of myself ever since. I have worked hard to overcome this and always try to put things in perspective. Weight gain doesn't help the matter and I have even read articles on how people seriously look down on over-weight people or that they are not as smart as thinner persons. While I know this is not true, you can't overcome peoples perceptions. While my weakness is visible for all the world to see, I would bet that each of you have your own daily struggle and demons to deal with every day.
I was never heavy as a child or even as a teen, but high school is where your perspective changes. The world teaches us that what God gave us is not enough and that we have to change to be popular or to fit in. So the desire to be thinner and have a flatter stomach began in about the 9th grade. A pattern of skipping meals and depriving myself to lose weight began that I am still trying to break out of daily. Then just after graduation I became pregnant with my first child. I was one of the lucky ones I guess, after delivery I was right back into my jeans. However, major life changes are never good for the scales. The birth of a child along with graduating from high school, getting married, starting a new life all played a role in my gaining weight. I was overwhelmed with the changes in my life, trying to find a new normal. My weight began a slow steady climb that didn't stop for several years and 2 more babies coming along during that time. By the time I realized what was happening I felt helpless to stop it. Gestational Diabetes that didn't immediately go away after my second child also complicated things.
One good thing I guess, you can't really call me a yo-yo dieter. I have tried a lot of diets over the years, but none of them has ever really worked. I have this pattern of getting determined and actually making life changes only to be sidelined by injuries or illness. The first time was after the birth of my son. I was doing the Body For Life program, a very strict program for both diet and exercise. I enjoyed the exercise and I had more energy then I had even experienced in my whole life. I stuck to the program for about 2 months. Then I broke my foot, had to have surgery to have pins put in. No more Tai Bo for me. Fast forward several years, I was making permanent life changes that included walking 2 miles a day for the entire summer, cutting out sodium, making healthier choices, and then I herniated a disc in my back and had to have surgery to fix it. It seems that I hit roadblocks at every turn.
Now to the present. I definitely have the desire and the determination to lose the weight and get healthy. However, being this heavy now has it's own set of problems. I have high blood pressure and I am hypertensive. I have high cholesterol. I am deficient in Vitamin D and Potassium. That is 5 pills (all doctor ordered, 3 RX and 2 OTC supplements) I have to take every day of my life to manage my health. On top of these issues, I am prediabetic and I have rosacea and other skin issues. What this means is many low fat or light foods have too much sodium for my blood pressure. I can't do anything like the Atkins diet because the cheese, eggs and red meat are out with my cholesterol levels. I can't eat canned soups or canned vegetables with my hypertension. Spices and spicy foods make my rosacea flare up. Some dark green leafy vegetables and sea salt are advised against because of a family history of Hypothyroidism (Thank God I don't actually have that one as of yet!) With the prediabetes, I cannot skip meals or eat pastas, potatoes, rice, bread or any other carbs. These all lead to a spike in sugar and then a severe drop that makes me feel famished even though I don't really NEED to eat again. That pretty much leaves iceberg lettuce salads with no dressing or toppings for 3 meals a day.
After a while I have begun to feel like the only way to lose weight is to starve myself. There isn't much left that is safe and convenient for me that allows me to balance my diet and meals for my family at the same time. Those of you that are thin cannot imagine the helplessness that sets in after a while of telling yourself all the things you CANNOT have.
So that is where I am today. This is why I decided to try Visalus shakes. They are diabetic friendly, low sodium, low carb, gluten free and lactose free. Here is a great site to explain about the shakes http://visalusproteinshakes.com/visalus-shakes/
If you want to order go to http://teresacur.bodybyvi.com and feel free to message me at sewrtess@aol.com with additional questions.
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