Learning from Grandma Pt.1

My grandmother's recent ill health has really been an eye opener for me in a few ways. The two strongest ways has been 1.health and 2. weight. The health issue is bothersome to me so it is what I will focus on today.
I see her failing health and hear news from the doctor that just keeps getting more and more discouraging. The problem is that a lot of these things are directly attributed to a lifetime of bad eating and lack of exercise.
Grandma has never been one to drink water. She usually drinks Dr. Pepper and even then only at meals. I remember as a kid asking for a drink only to hear, "dinner will be ready soon wait till then". Her generation thought drinking was only for meal times not an every day part of life and water wasn't the drink of choice as soda waters became more popular. Even when not drinking Dr. Pepper she drank very sweet tea. Now, her kidneys are failing. Would they have failed despite these things? Possibly. But drinking water would have given her kidneys a better shot. Her doctor feels that her kidney (stage 4 kidney failure) is tied to her being weak and possibly her being severely anemic. Weakness contributed to her fall.
Grandma also didn't eat a lot of dairy products other than ice cream. I don't recall her having a glass of milk. She did go through a time where she did eat cereal in the evenings more often but other than that she wasn't getting a lot of milk in her diet. She had a bad experience with yogurt nearly 50 years ago and to this day she isn't going to touch it. Now, her bones are frail. One doctor thinks her pelvis broke before she fell. They say her vitamin D is pathetically low. This made her bones break easier.
Grandmas also didn't eat a lot of healthy vegetables. This lack of vitamins contributed to a lack of strength as well.
Would these illnesses be with her now had she eaten right all her life? Who knows? I do know that a lifetime of not eating right has compounded these issues and has left her in a position where getting better is difficult and my prove to me impossible. Yes, I know she is nearly 80. She would most likely have some of these problems regardless but would they have been more manageable? These are things that have me reflecting on my choices.
Please, do not misunderstand me, I am not blaming my grandmother for her condition. A lot of these things people didn't know back then and this is more a chance for me to look at what I am doing to my health and to my body. If I was to become seriously ill or incapacitated by illness or accident, could I recover? Have I given my body the tools it needs to work properly? Am I doing what I can to ensure that I am healthy? There is a growing trend towards smoking being an unhealthy habit but what about bad food choices? I would in no way condone an outlaw of Twinkies any more than I would cigarettes and alchohol but I do think that I need to think about the foods I am eating and the reasons I am eating.
These are all things I hope to learn as I continue on the Journey to Finding ME!

Staying on track and feeling good.

What's for breakfast? Well, glad you asked. This plate was only 2 points on the new Points Plus plan and I was satisfied and full. 1/2 c of egg beaters with chopped bell pepper over a cup of fresh spinach that I sauteed, topped with salsa. 1 Weight Watchers cheese wedge. 1/2 banana and 1/2 c strawberries.
I came in from my walk and cooked this. I gotta say I love that cheap old omelette maker that I got a few years back. I think the omelette are cute and fun to make.

WW Day 1

Today I joined Weight Watchers. Not having a sense of accountability it killing me. I am my own worse enemy! Mark also joined with me so having a buddy will be nice. So far today was great. I will post more as it goes.

The New Start:Take 58235412340

I have looked at my weight loss progress for 2010 and all I can say positive about is that I did not gain weight. Well, I did lose 8 pounds but no where near where I really wanted to be.

But, I gotta get up and dust myself off. It is a new beginning and I can set the course. For the last 3 days I have been doing the step ups with my step board. I have been alternating free arms swing and using 5 lb weights in each hand. I also got a Kinect Sensor for our xbox along with the Biggest Loser workout and the adventure game and I have been doing both of those as well. I really had no idea the step ups would work so much of my body but I am feeling it and it feels good in a I am doing something productive kind of way.

Currently I have a short term goal in mind and I am only working on that instead of the whopping amount that I need to lose total. The first goal is to loose 12 pounds which will bring my so far total to 20. Once I get there I will set another short term goal. I would like to be able to set that goal on March 1st. Then keep setting goals and hopefully knocking them out bit by bit! One day and one pound at a time!

Today is a gold star day!

Today has been a pretty good day so far. I walked 2.35 miles this morning with an average speed of 3.1 mph. I plan to repeat that this evening. I have also been doing step ups 5 min at a time. I also started to log my food today. So, all in all, I am being a good girl :) It is a start and a good one.

Today I discovered Chic-fil-a has a great salad option for me. I did the garden salad with grilled chicken and lite Italian dressing. I left off the crouton but did add the sunflower kernels for some texture. I had this and the small chicken noodle soup. So I am full and happy.

I got the Extra Dessert Delights Mint Chocolate Chip gum and it is pretty darn good! Keeping me from mindless munching.

I feel pretty good about the steps I am making. Every little bit is one step closer to the goal!

The New Start:Take 474842947

It seems that I have fallen off the planet again. Well, not really but I got lazy. I let excuses get in the way of progress and I was too ashamed to blog. I didn't want people to know that I was not doing well although, I know I wasn't fooling anyone. Let's face it. People can see that I was not losing weight. I just got discouraged. Again. It is a long hard road. I miss the days when I was thinner and losing weight was not so hard. There things about getting old that just really suck. This is one of them. With all that said, this has been a new week! I have been walking again and drinking my water. I am happy to say that although I have been lazy these last few months that I have not gained the weight back so at least it isn't like starting completely over. The cooler weather helps. I can get out and walk. I have been walking twice a day. My morning walk being the more intense walk and the evening the more relaxed walk. I also got a step board so that I can do that while I watch tv. I am trying not to think of how much I need to lose total but think about smaller goals. My current goal is to get 20 pounds off and then go from there. The big picture is still in my mind but can get overwhelming is I focus only on that for too long. One day at a time. One way or another. I will get there.

I am so grateful for the friends and family that are so supportive. I could not do this without them!

Birthday Wish

Today I am 38. I am not exactly where I had myself pictured but I cannot allow myself to get too dragged down by that. I can only look forward keeping the past only as a reminder to not go back. I am excited about the year ahead. I want to see real changes in my life. I feel optimistic and ready to tackle the upcoming challenges.

I can and will do this.