Changes Ahead

When you're overweight you often don't see yourself that way.  Or at least you don't think it's that bad.  Pictures don't lie, they say, and they're absolutely right.  One of my problems is that I don't have a full length mirror in my house so I never really see how bad I look.  In my mind's eye I'm the same as I was 30 years ago but in reality, that's far from the truth.  I'm disappointed in myself -- that I let myself get to this point.  It's so much harder to lose weight than it is to put it on.  Wouldn't it be great if you could just flip a switch and make it all go away??

I was talking to my next door neighbor today.  Her husband had a mild heart attack back in March.  For the last 6 weeks they've switched their diets to near-vegan and he's had an incredible turn-around in his 'numbers'.  His triglycerides were 683 and now it's dropped to 130; his overall cholesterol was 226 and now it's 90; and he's lost 15 pounds.  This is remarkable to me.  They no longer eat meat of any kind, sugar, white products, or alcohol.  In addition he quit smoking.  I'm so used to seeing them on their front porch in the summer evenings, he relaxing with a cigar while they each sip a glass of wine.

I can't imagine adopting their diet regimen -- it's so extreme for me.  I suppose if I was confronted with the same prognosis as him, I could buckle down and make the switch.  Right now I can't imagine going meat-less.  I love grilled meat in the summertime.  I enjoy a great piece of fish.  I just need to eat less meat, a bit more fish, and overall, less of everything.

One thing is for certain -- I can't keep packing on the pounds without having some serious consequences.