This is a question that I never thought I'd be considering to any great length. My past weight loss efforts have been largely a forced power struggle between myself and my older sister. I didn't know what low-carb meant, and no matter how many times Danae tried to explain it to me, I didn't care. Now I'm coming upon 24 years old. I can feel the decline in vitality already. As I look into my future it's not just about having kids or a career. I see cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, high cholesterol, osteoporosis...all of which I've seen close family members suffer through. Where does this leave me? How am I, coming from one of the least healthy states in our already unhealthy country, going to avoid it?
The word itself is losing meaning. When I was younger, healthy meant one thing: thin. Now I need to know what happens on the inside. Where do I shift my attention and adjust my lifestyle? So far I've had two thoughts, and I gladly welcome other suggestions. First, I need to become a master of my own body. I want to understand how it works, and what makes it work well. I'll need to expand my research beyond "healthy" recipes.
Second, I need to see a doctor. Although I've never had any major health problems, with my family history I need to focus on prevention. I'm sure that I can make improvements to my overall health with the changes I've already implemented, but I need to know how to get the most out of every effort. Beyond that, it has come to my attention that my broad goal is not yet measurable. As I'm learning what it means to be an evaluator, I know that I need to get some baseline data to work off of, and going to a doctor now, and making routine visits will give me a better perspective.
Anyone in northern VA know of any good doctors I can see??
Progress Report
So far, I've done an amazing job of sticking to my goals. I'm still drinking lots of water. I had one can of diet coke this week, and I haven't eaten anything past 9:00. The only other goal I've tried is to eat more slowly. This has actually been a struggle. I don't recognize when I'm eating too fast, though I know I always do, so it's hard to slow down. Maybe I'll start trying to be more aware of my speed generally before I start timing myself. I also have an unspoken goal that I've kept successful for about 2 weeks now. I haven't eaten chocolate. I haven't even craved it.
I'm going to the grocery store this weekend, and I have a few goals for that as well. I'd like to buy some snacks, and so my goals are to avoid the following ingredients: trans fat, enriched flour, and high fructose corn syrup. This may require a trip to Trader Joe's. I'm also planning to purchase a Vitamin D/Calcium supplement. A nurse told me once that right now I need to be building up by bone health in order to prevent osteoporosis, and she recommended that I take a supplement.
I do think I've lost weight. I maintain that this is not the goal of this project, but my usual measures for weight loss are pointing in the affirmative.
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