Day Minus One - December 31, 2011

Although many people (including me over the years) will declare on December 31 that this year I will lose weight, I want to re-phrase that to a more specific, yet overwhelming goal.  Over the next 365 days, that is 52 weeks, I declare I am going to lose enough weight to be healthy and not obese.  I have recently started out on a Good Health pursuit - to figure out where my energy has gone, get it fixed and get moving to a healthier, happier me.  This new change in direction was not about the weight but about living my life to the utmost as I enter my 61st year.  This is about enjoying my grandchildren, travelling along the less-beaten path in countries around the world and, someday, rocking beside a cozy fire with a smile on my face knowing I made the world a better place by actively connecting with it every day. 

In October 2011, I hit bottom.  I was majorly overweight, I had absolutely no energy, my brain was fogged in almost 24/7 and my feet felt like lead weights were tied to them.  I determined I needed a miracle and I was the one who would have to take the first step. 


STEP 1:  I checked in with my doctor and asked for help.  First up - sleep apnea.  With the extra weight and an already- diagnosed sleep apnea condition, I knew the time had come to take action.  I rented a CPAP machine for a month and was amazed what a little sleep could do for a body!  After a few weeks, my brain fog had almost lifted and I felt rested.  I parked the lead feet outside and discovered an energy that had been eluding me for months, if not years.  After one month, I couldn't wait to buy my own machine and continue on with this new direction.  So, lead feet gone; brain fog diminished.

STEP 2:  In early November, I decided to go on an elimination diet to discover if I had any food allergies that were keeping me down.  In three days, my brain fog was completely gone and my ankles and knees were almost pain free.  I stuck with this regime for 6 weeks and lost 20 pounds with no effort.   I thought it might be gluten as all symptoms remained at bay (nasal congestion, asthma, fatigue, brain fog) until I starting eating wheat again but with careful observation, I have pretty much ruled out gluten as the problem.  It is sugar or anything that acts like sugar in my body.  Another victory to record!

STEP 3:  So now I am on the edge of a new journey.  Piecing my new health regime together from what I have personally learned, I am starting out on a new adventure - to lose enough pounds in 52 weeks to no longer qualify as OBESE.  I will blog and post a photo a day for the next year.  The photo's will not necessarily be of me but of my journey - the ups and downs and emotions that I will encounter. 

I have run across the Holford eating program, The Low-GL Diet, which focuses on balancing your eating - a direct correlation between the effect of food on your blood sugar and your weight & energy levels.  Google it if you want more knowledge about this.  My purpose is not to advertise someone else's diet or book but to share my journey over the next year.  I chose this because of my research and my own experience to date. 

Follow along with me - ride the waves, peek over into the dark hollows and celebrate the victories along the way.  Tomorrow, I face the scale for Day One!