Here is the 2nd set of
“Footprints” - a series of posts about people who have inspired me on my journey
to health. This set belongs to my
husband who lost close to 100 lbs last year.
I am so proud of him! For years,
he carried this extra weight, this “monkey on his back” as he called it. As with most people, the pounds creeped on a
little here and a little there; lose 35, gain back 50. He basically played chicken with his health -
avoided doctors, bought bigger clothes, started, stopped, then re- started
exercise and weight loss programs. Over
the course of 20 years as you can imagine, this started taking a toll. It was affecting every area of his life, and
there came a point where he had enough. He
started small, one step at a time, one change at a time. First, he cut out caffeine and sugar. Then he started drinking 96 oz of fluids a
day. He stopped eating fast food, began
eating fruit for snack, and no longer ate late at night. He also began going to bed earlier, instead
of being a night owl. Over the course of
a year, he lost the weight and also had some other results. Some obvious ones, but others not so obvious to
most people like my personal favorite – his feet stopped smelling on a regular
basis! After cutting out sugar and
losing 100 lbs, we were anticipating great things from his blood work. We were shocked when he was diagnosed as a
Type 2 diabetic and his triglycerides were off the chart – AFTER changing his
lifestyle and losing the weight! In
short, even though he had made changes, his unhealthy lifestyle for years had
done so much damage to his entire system that he was basically a heart attack
waiting to happen. Thankfully, he is
managing his diabetes and triglycerides with medication and exercise. And thankfully, he is no longer destroying
his own body by his lifestyle choices.
How does this bittersweet story inspire me? In a few ways – for one, just his plain
tenacity. It’s not easy to lose 100
lbs. Since then he has joined a gym, and
he is sticking to it. He has researched
his disease and continues to make wise food choices that help to heal his
body. His experience has shown me that
everything we put into our bodies really does count. If he had those extreme health issues after
he lost the weight, what was going on inside of his body while he was carrying
the weight? What is going on inside of
my body after I over indulge? And is it
really worth it? Seeing the changes in
his body from staying hydrated also inspired me to keep my body hydrated. I was simply amazed to see some of the
differences that I know were from him drinking fluids. I plan to post another blog on the benefits
of drinking water, but seriously – if keeping your body hydrated, keeps your
feet from smelling, imagine the other more significant benefits your body is
reaping!
So congratulations Ike! And thank you for leaving me foot prints that
I can learn from.
No comments:
Post a Comment