Why No Diet Living? (Part Two)

Part two, you ask? Well…I blathered on so much about my history, I had to chop it into two parts…Please bear with me.

…So the decision was made. No Diet For Annette!

I didn’t lay down and die, though. (Duh…I’m typing right now.) What I did do was take a hard look at what I was doing…and not doing.  I was stopping at McDonald’s for breakfast on the way to work. Having pizza for lunch at work. Eating snacks from the office kitchen. Grabbing an afternoon coffee drink treat. Stopping at Burger King on the way home after working 10+ hours.  Sleeping maybe 5 hours each night. Then doing it again and again and again. On the weekends, I was often too tired to do much more than sleep and order Indian or Thai food delivered.  I rarely went outside. I rarely went out with my husband. I never worked in the yard. I rarely did anything but sit around, watch tv, surf the internet, play video games or read. To say the least, I lived a sedentary lifestyle.

The year or two leading up to my epiphany, each appointment with my physician was disheartening. She never used the “O” word with me, because we both knew I was obese and needed to lose weight or I was going to die sooner than later. I had high blood pressure, Diabetes (Type 2), high cholesterol, and at the age of 39 I suffered a cerebellar stroke. I was incredibly lucky. At first, it was difficult to diagnose because I didn’t show any typical signs. I spoke clearly. I had control of all my limbs, I knew who I was and where I was. The only symptom I had was the most painful headache I’ve ever had that lasted nearly two weeks. Even the injection pain relievers my doctor gave me lasted only a couple of hours.  I spent the next couple of weeks (when I wasn’t passed out from pain) in and out of specialist offices, getting poked, prodded and examined. Toted my brain scans from one end of Los Angeles to another.  I became a case study for the Neurology department at the USC teaching hospital. Go Me!  I guess you could say my health was at a critical point.

So, back to my moment of clarity.  To say I changed my way of thinking is true but a bit simple. I clearly realized I had to make serious changes.  So I did. I listened to and watched my body. I’d been through almost every diet known to man, but this time I had to make my own choices. Instead of counting calories, or going cold turkey on carbs, or jumping into the Paleo craze, I tried something different. I stopped eating the one thing I ate every day…the one thing most Asians and Polynesians eat every day.  I stopped eating white rice. Coming from a Hawaiian household, not eating rice is the greatest sin. I can practically hear the insulted gasps of popos and tutus around the Internet right now. So, that change wasn’t as difficult as I initially anticipated.  It’s important to note that I was still eating breads and other starch laden foods, but that one change led to another change. I started drinking iced tea with no sugar. Then another…I stopped eating those kitchen snacks at the office.  Yet, another…I started having lunch at Subway instead of the local pizza shop. Fewer afternoon large iced mochas. Less dairy. Little by little each change built on the others and then others.

My pants started to fall down. A great sign. For much of that early time I never stepped on the scale. Did I say I listened to my body?  I thought so. But it doesn’t hurt repeating.  I realized I am lactose intolerant, but really only with milk. I can eat cheese and yogurt without a problem. I realized I rarely felt hungry if I ate more protein during my meals.  Finally, I realized I could lose weight without actually being on a demoralizing restrictive diet. I realized I could actually walk a flight of stairs without resting half way up. I realized I needed new clothes.  By the time I next stepped on a scale, I’d lost nearly 100 lbs.

Then, life exploded around me. On Christmas Eve 2012, my mother was diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer. An aggressive treatment of radiation and chemotherapy began almost immediately, but she lost her fight only ten months later.  Also in 2013, I was laid off with a good majority of the company for which I worked. Thankfully, I fell into a contract job and happily worked in Santa Monica even though it could be a long commute some days.  Then one year after we buried my mother, my husband died of a sudden heart attack.  In December, 2014 I said goodbye to my husband, and sadly, also to my contract job.

Over the last 18 months, I’ve traveled to visit family and friends in Hawaii, Washington, San Diego, Sacramento, and took a road trip through Oregon. I was also often visited by depression and a sense of futility. On the lighter side, my blood pressure is under control. My daily glucose numbers are good. I walk a couple of times each week and am up to 3 miles per walk. My weight is down about another 50 lbs.  Not anywhere near that “ideal” weight range, but that’s not really important to me. I’d like to lose more weight, sure…and I continue to work toward that…but I’d prefer to measure my “success” by no longer having Diabetes, or taking fewer medications every day, or maybe walking  a 10K soon. Oh, and I’d like to go window shopping at a mall and try on clothes in as many stores as possible.

So here I am. Living my life without being on a diet and moving toward a healthier and more fit self. Best of all, I smile and laugh more. Hopefully I can help motivate and inspire others who struggle with the detours and roadblocks on their own life’s journey.

Thanks for joining me this far.