New Year, New Me
New Year, New Me. This is a common thing all of us say at the beginning of the year. Did you know that studies show that only 8% of those commitments ever succeed? We all set goals for ourselves, but life gets in the way and makes it a challenge to follow through. Join me today and find out about a commitment I made last year, where I am at, and how you can join me on this journey.
My New Year’s Resolution in June
When you set your mind to do something, you do not have to wait until January 1 to start. You don’t even have to wait until Monday or tomorrow. You can start RIGHT NOW!
Earlier last year I shared with you about my quest to lose weight. I started with good intentions, but due to other health issues I was unable to lose weight. It was very frustrating for me and to be honest I was very depressed.
In June, I finally went to the doctor and the results came back that I was pre-diabetic. Honestly, I was quite shocked as I have never suffered from high blood sugar. I have always had low-blood sugar. It was quite depressing and I knew I had to do something but I didn’t know what because nothing worked long-term.
The doctor recommended a medication that would help control my blood sugars. In addition, this medicine combined with a healthy diet would help me lose weight. Only one problem! My insurance wouldn’t pay for this medication. I immediately started crying and asked God to somehow work this out. To my surprise my physician gave me the medicine free of charge and has been doing so since June 2013.
My Journey
With Victoza and the Weight Watchers Program in hand I started my journey on June 20, 2013. I wish I could tell you everything was smooth sailing from that point. The truth is my body has fought me all along the way. Even with good food choices and doing all the right things losing the weight hasn’t been easy.
Overall, my blood sugar has been stable. I have days where it whacks out a little but nothing like the low’s I used to experience. I do have to make sure to eat every 3 hours and make sure I am not eating foods that will make my sugar spike. If I don’t eat, my blood sugar drops and if I eat the wrong things my blood sugar spikes. 🙂
My Results
I am happy to report I have lost 26 lbs. so far. I still have 35 lbs. to go but for the first time in a long time I feel better about myself. A few months into the program I had to add exercise into the picture. That was a tough one for me. I hate exercising!
I searched my community and found Zumba Classes. I love to dance and so this was a perfect fit! I went to the first class and quickly fell in love with exercising. That same day I joined the gym and go to Zumba almost everyday. What I love even more is that my 6 year old daughter goes with me. This allows me not only to bond with her but to teach her healthy habits at a young age.
Now What?
Well, I am still on this journey of weight loss. I am happy to say I lost 3 lbs. over the holidays. Not a lot but I could have gained instead of lost. I am now on track to lose 35 more lbs and would love for you to join me.
Every Saturday, I will dedicate my post to something about the Weight Loss journey. Some weeks it will be tips, recipes, and struggles to name a few. Then, once a month I will let you know my weight loss. I don’t want to focus just on the scale as this is a lifestyle and in order to create that there is a lot more than just stepping on the scale.
Want to Join the Journey?
Leave Me a Comment and Let Me Know
Congratulations Monica. I know how you’ve struggled over the weight issue and I’m happy you’re making progress.
When I developed chronic respiratory issues four years ago, one of the meds doctors used is Predisone. I didn’t realize the effect it would have on my body and I gained weight. It’s a common side effect but it turns out I’m highly sensitive to the weight gain side effect and I was on it for months at a time repeatedly. Combining the medication with my body’s need for hours and hours of sleep and I continued to gain weight. I soon weighed more than I have ever weighed, including pregnancy. My doctors would not allow me to exercise and I hated how I looked. I developed the moon face that comes with Predisone use and didn’t recognize myself in the mirror.
In Nov. 2012, I spent 8 days in the hospital and even ended up in ICU when I could not breathe at all. It was a terrifying experience and only God’s intervention kept me from being intubated. While in the hospital, I met a new Pulmonologist. He took another direction with my respiratory issues and took away the Predisone.
As a result, I began losing weight. The more I lost, the better I felt about myself. Losing my Dad this last summer added to my weight loss. I realize that’s not the best way to lose weight but it happened. I would like to lose a few more pounds but I’m not worrying about it. The other day, my hubby and I took a 1 1/2 mile walk in the desert and it felt so good to be out and about. I am off oxygen most of the day but still require it during the night but I can deal with that.
My goal is to learn to eat better. As hard as it is to believe, I didn’t eat a lot when I put the weight on. I think it was the medication and complete lack of activity that caused the weight gain. I want to get healthier and since I am a picky eater, food is definetly a problem for me. I have to figure out how to like food. I know that sounds strange but it’s how I feel.
Looking forward to following this journey and I might even try Zumba.
Sure. I’m starting a weight loss journey after menopause. My good news is I didn’t even know I had gone through it. I consider the “E” word (exercise) as a bad word. I hate to exercise I would rather be creating. Wishing you success
Myra,
I am with you. I hate exercise. Honestly, Zumba is so much fun and it doesn’t feel like exercise. It is a fun dancing party. I encourage you to try it out or find something else that you will actually enjoy and that way it won’t feel like a chore. Best wishes and hope to be of an encouragement to you.
Monica
wonderful news
would enjoy hearing about yout success and suggestions