“You're in pretty good shape for the shape you are in.
~Dr. Seuss~
I've been moping around all week because it was time for my bi-annual blood work and doctor's appointment. Last time I visited the doctor it didn't go to well. I was actually excited to go because I had started a new health regime; becoming vegan and started exercising seriously. But when I got the result of my lab tests, it showed that my cholesterol was high. They made it sound like I was near to having a stroke, but in truth it was on the high end of normal. But it was up. I was disappointed to say the least, and embarrassed because I was sure that doctors thought I was lying when I said I really was trying. But who knows how high it would have been if I hadn't started doing those things?
So anyway, I dragged my feet getting the lab work done. I kept to my health regime, but on occasions, such as Christmas, I really faltered; I ate Swedish meatballs with a huge dollop of sour cream and plenty of cookies made with real butter. Everyone consoled me, saying once you passed fifty, high cholesterol was inevitable. I really didn't want to become one of those people that carry around a pharmacy with them. I was already taking thyroid medicine for an underactive thyroid. After Christmas, I really got serious, with the doctor's appointment looming in the future. I kept a journal and wrote down the cholesterol amount of every food I ate, trying to keep it at zero, although sometimes I would have a sprinkle of cheese on my vegetarian chili, or a bit of butter on my oatmeal. I ate oatmeal with Salba seeds everyday for breakfast. Salba seeds have more omega-3 than salmon. Omega-3 increases the good cholesterol. I wrote down how much I exercised. And you know what? It really wasn't that hard. I started to feel better. Clothes that were snug, became loose, although I wasn't doing this to lose weight, it was a nice benefit. I don't have a scale because losing weight for me is such a challenge, I found that the never-moving scale needle just depressing so I can't say for certain that I've lost weight, but it looks and feels like it.
Well today the doctor's office called. My cholesterol levels were wayyyy down and my good cholesteral was up. Such good results the nurse didn't even give me the numbers. She just kept remarking that she never saw such improvements. I asked about the doctor's appointment. "why would you need to come in?" she asked.Well I suspect it was because they didn't expect my numbers to improve and I would need to go in and get scolded and a prescription. After consulting with the doctor, she told me I only needed to come in for my yearly check-up! No new prescription plus no extra doctor's visits equals more money in my pocketbook. And the numbers prove, I'm healthier. As for wiser, it took some scares for it to get through my thick head, that yes, what you eat and do, does matter. Hope this will motivate others that are struggling. My new motto is, "Don't live to eat, eat to live". Being healthy truly is thrifty!
Wow what a great job! I bet you were the talk of the doctor's office!
ReplyDeletevickie
Thanks Vickie! It feels soooo good to finally get some results for the work. And it motivates me to keep on, keeping on.
ReplyDeleteGreat results. I don't eat a vegan diet, but did in the past. Now we intersperse vegan meals in our eating plan. I have some great recipes that I'll try to share over time.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shara, that would be great! An added benefit is that we can grow almost all of our own food on our 1/2 acre plot of land. But once every six weeks or so, I still will eat fish. I love it! Most people probably wouldn't need to go to such drastic measures and I did, but trying to prove to myself that it wasn't heredity that lead to this, but poor eating habits.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for you Jane! I too have some issues with cholesterol on the high side, and I really need to be more conscious about it. My doctor wanted to give me the medicine, but I'm on so much already for other issues I opted not to take it and have tried to alter my diet as well. I made a lot of simple changes like switching from ice cream to non-fat frozen yogurt, non-fat milk, lean meats ect. It really helped a lot. I have to take blood thinners for a serious condition I have, and it means I can not eat any food that is green, because it contains vitamin K which thickens the blood. I can have tastes but not on a regular basis. I also can't eat too much of any food with omega 3 because that thins the blood. Also anything with cranberry in it has to be limited. Even cough drops that have eucalyptus oil can mess up my blood work. I would love to just be rebellious and go out one day and have a giant bowl of salad with some dark green spinach and Salmon on top! Yahoo! :). My diet is kind of odd because I also have to eat as much calcium as I can take in. And many foods that are high in calcium are high in omega 3. It is challenging trying to get my proper nutrition in every day. But I'm finding my way thankfully. Again, thanks Jane for all of the sweet and encouraging comments you have left on my blog, I sure do appreciate them. I hope you have a nice afternoon! Delisa
ReplyDeleteGood going Jane!!! I try to eat healthy and try not to over eat - but I also love my "junk food" and give in to temptation far too often. Dove chocolate and a brand new bag of potato chips are both downfalls of mine. (-:
ReplyDeleteOh Man Sandy! Don't mention potato chips! I love those salty crunchy little buggers. A real advantage of living in a little village where everyone knows you is that I can't buy them very often because I don't want people gossiping that I'm always buying potato chips! When I do buy them, I buy the individual serving size and share them with Georgie. Still there's 150 calories in a serving, and a serving is what? About four chips? (See I love them so, I even know the calorie count without looking!) Those calorie counts on the back of packages sure keep you on the straight and narrow don't they. I don't know how many times I've gone to put a package of something in my cart, then looked at the calories and decided against it. Even cured Jamie of his love of Little Debbies. He decided he didn't get 300 calories worth of pleasure from them. (He's skinny anyway and the extra calories wouldn't hurt him. Must be nice!)
ReplyDeleteI know about blood thinners Delisa. I was on Coumadin after the birth of my last son. I had a massive blood clot. My sister takes it now. Last summer I found The Coumadin Cookbook for her at a garage sale. She was shocked to find out even salad dressing was a no-no. I don't know if it';s available on Amazon, but it was really helpful for her.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome about the comments. I mean every word.