diet | BulgingButtons

March 25, 2015
by BulgingButtons 15 Comments

When an All Time High Feels Like an All Time Low

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting my doctor for my quarterly check-in. We get together regularly (honestly, it’s more like three times a year) to look over my latest labs and talk about all the lifestyle changes I need to make. It’s super fun.

Yesterday was a particularly fun visit. I just knew it would be, after all, I’d been under the weather for weeks on end, leaving me feeling lethargic and lazy. Exercise? Phooey. Fruits and veggies? Screw ’em. Even taking my daily medication got to be a chore that I started to ignore on a fairly regular basis.

Not good.

SO not good.

The first sign of trouble was at the scale.

The digital readout displayed a number I had never before seen on a scale with my own eyes. Oh crap. Apparently the combination of zero exercise and seemingly unlimited amounts of sweets does not go unnoticed by that contraption. Go figure.

Then there was the blood pressure.

Gulp.

Yeah, I guess the medication does work best if you actually get it out of the bottle and into your body. It works even better if you don’t sabotage it at every turn.

Now mind you I still hadn’t seen the doctor, this was just the prep. The good news is that my doctor rocks. He is kind, compassionate, has a sense of humor, and isn’t all judgy (yes, I know the proper word is judgmental, but I like this one better). Still, he is my doctor and it’s his unenviable task to tell me what a horrible job I’m doing taking care of this one and only body that I have.

He did it nicely. He did it with numbers. The numbers on the scale, the numbers from the blood pressure cuff, the numbers from the labs. Yes, folks, some of my numbers have actually set new personal records (not ones I was aiming for, by the way).

So here we are again, only this time I’m starting from even further away from “healthy” than I’ve ever been. I don’t want to do this. I want to eat, drink, and be merry. I don’t want to think about vitamins and blood pressure and steps taken and reducing risks of heart disease and diabetes and cancer and blah, blah, blah whatever else. I don’t want any of that burden, but for better or for worse, it’s mine.

Oh boo hoo, poor little old me. I know, get over it. I got myself into this fix, so I have to get out of it. Besides, I don’t actually have diabetes or heart disease or cancer (my poor Dad, of blessed memory, had to contend with all three of those). What I do have is another whack in the face with the giant two by four of reality. The reality of the situation is that I’m doing myself a grave disservice by ignoring my health (pun intended, sorry). I need to snap out of it and take care of myself the way I deserve. So, on we go to attempt number 8,413, or, as I like to call it, time to crawl out of the gutter and climb onto the victors’ podium.

February 4, 2015
by BulgingButtons 10 Comments

Please Pass Me a Tangerine (or is it a Clementine?)

This challenge thing is pretty awesome. I’ve been issuing challenges to myself, and, oddly, not only have I accepted them, I’ve also been successful with them. Go figure.

Today it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, I was starting to experience a shift in my mindset. I found myself reaching for a tangerine as a snack (or clementine… what’s the difference? anyone?) and I thought to myself that I was actually shifting my thought patterns.

The old me would have deemed a tangerine (or clementine) too much of a hassle to eat. After all, you have to peel it. The current me finds that line of thinking absurd. It’s not more difficult than opening a package of chips. Ok, well, maybe slightly more effort is involved, but really, it’s not much. Besides, the tangerine (or clementine) is so darn sweet and delicious.

Sweet. That’s my big issue. I’m pretty much a sugar junkie. I have to stay away from the sweet stuff, because when I start I have a hard time stopping. I’ve written about my Hot Tamale addiction before, but it’s really not an addiction… it’s more of an issue. If I have them, I eat them. If I don’t have them, I rarely go out of my way to get them. The truly addicted would move mountains to get a fix, but that’s not me. Know why? Because there are so many sugar-laden alternatives. It’s not the Hot Tamales that are the issue, it’s the sugar.

Yes, I know that tangerines (or clementines) are full of sweet, delicious, natural sugar. I’m okay with that. It’s the processed stuff that makes me nuts. I know this, and slowly I’m facing this particular demon.

No, it’s not crack. It’s not meth, or a fifth of vodka, or a needle full of heroin (do you even say that? a needle full?) but still, it’s an issue. I’m working on it, a little at a time. Every day it gets a little easier to make better choices. Every day I move a little closer to a full-on commitment to becoming my best me. Every day I make decisions that are becoming easier and easier. One challenge at a time, one week at a time, I’m working my way to a better, healthier, slimmer, fitter, more amazing me.

January 18, 2015
by BulgingButtons 12 Comments

Starbucks Success and a New Challenge: Fruits and Vegetables

Well, I did it. I challenged myself to give up Starbucks cold-turkey and I did it. I haven’t been there since I issued the challenge, and I’m pretty proud of myself for that. So proud, in fact, that it actually feels good.

That good feeling got me thinking. What if I issued myself a new challenge each week? A healthy living challenge, like the no Starbucks challenge. If I could continue the old challenges while incorporating the new ones I could make some real progress.

Oh sure, these are things that I should be doing all the time, but the fact of the matter is that I don’t do them. Honestly, I was living a much healthier life back when BulgingButtons began than I am now. I don’t even want to think about trying to button up that red shirt you see at the top of the page. I have a feeling those poor buttons would pop right off.

I do like challenges, so here’s the challenge for the upcoming week: eat fruits and vegetables every day. That shouldn’t be too difficult, once I stock up on some. Maybe some baby carrots to dip in hummus and some apples to slice up. Oh, and it’s tangerine and orange season, so I might pick up some of those too, along with a couple of pre-made salads for lunch. I can do this!

If you’re someone who finds they don’t get enough produce in their diet, try it with me. Munch on some grapes or serve up some squash. Maybe add some peppers and onions to your marinara or better yet, try a veggie stir fry for dinner. I’d love to hear your ideas. Here’s to a healthy week.