Can Do Healthy Lifestyle Journey, May 23rd 2014

     I'm writing this journal publicly in hopes of helping others find solutions to issues that creep up on us as we travel through life.
     First some background.  I'm 52 years old.  I was born in Waterloo Iowa in 1962.  I had asthma at birth manifesting in pneumonia.  I've taken different medications to control the symptoms as far back as I can remember.
     A little bit of information on my parents.  Both were 20 years older than I was.  Dad's birthday was in December and Mom's in May.  Mine was in April.  The joke was that Mom was older than Dad by the few months between May and December.  My Dad smoked the pipe and cigarettes while my Mom was pregnant with me.  He didn't when my brothers were born 6 and 8 years later so I feel that second hand smoke my Mom was exposed to contributed to my asthma issues.
     Both my Mom and Dad struggled with their weight.  As a family we went on several diets together.  Weight Watchers being the main one.  Dad could lose weight faster than Mom so that was a contention between them.
     Mom had a lot of health issues. When she was pregnant with me she lost most of her teeth.  I guess all the calcium she was able to get went to the baby.  She had dentures before she was 25 years old.  When she was a child her Grandma would find her in the coal bin eating coal so perhaps she had deficiencies even then.
     Dad had detached retina's in both eyes before he was 30.  He was one of the first that got bands to hold the retina's in place.  He wasn't able to get full sight back but close.  He also tended to get walking pneumonia quite a bit.
     For me, I've had weight issues since I was 13 when I weighed 90 pounds after a having severe issues with my asthma that went untreated.  My Mom wanted me to live back with her - by that time Dad and Mom where divorced.  So I went back to live with Mom and by the time I was 17 weighed 180 pounds.  I was 5' 2" now I'm 5' 1" have scoliosis in my back probably due to being on acid reflex blocker for 14 years.  Last April, 2013, I weighed 242 (in college I weighed 120 by halfway through my Freshman year).
     Since July 13th of 2013 I've been been following a lifestyle change I found in a book called, “It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways,” by Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig.  For more on how I found this book and came to the realization I needed it - follow this link:  Recommend – “It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways,” by Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig
     It's now May 23rd, 2014 and I've lost 56 pounds and weigh 186 pounds.  I lost 42 before I started walking - inspired by the #LetsMove or www.LetsMove.gov started by Mrs. Obama.  I set my goal to walk 30 minutes every day.  Slowly I added a bike on a trainer and an arm bike.  I use some simple yoga concepts to stretch before and after the exercise and I ice my hips and back due to issues I have with trunk bursitis.  I also got a sleep number bed back in 2011 to help with elevating pressure points on my hips when I sleep.
     In order to maintain the #LetsMove initiative and too meet my goal of putting myself out there I started 2 blogs and a video log of my exercise and thoughts while doing my 30 minute walk.  The videos helped me to see myself more clearly than any mirror.  When I talk I'm passionate about what I'm sharing.  I see the wonder in all of nature around me.  I feel connected to my surroundings and myself.  I see my potential.  Try doing a video of yourself with your smart phone, it certainly helped me to know how I'm really coming across.  It fixed my mumbling and helped me discover my smile.  Give it a try.
     My job had a health fair in April offering a program called Can Do Healthy Lifestyle follow the link for more info on Facebook:  CAN.DO.Health. Or on the web at this link:  https://can-do-health.org/.  I liked the wording "Can do" and wanted to be sure the plan I was working with was going to be sustainable for the long haul - like the rest of my life.
     The program is covered by insurance and looks beyond just weight to the why we eat and the whole lifestyle that contributes to weight gain and/or not living life to your full potential.
      A hand out the program gives as an introduction shows something I hadn't even realized was standing in my way.  The picture explains we all have a choice in all situations we can go down the Judging path or we can go down the Learning path.  Judging ourselves or others always leads to a down fall.  I found judging myself harshly was closing me down for the learning I could have been doing.  Now when I first feel myself beginning to close down I'm reminded to think what is it I should be learning right now?
     This concept of learning rather than judging has changed my life.  I now see so much more I can do on my journey than I ever could before.  I didn't even see how much of a rut I was in and how this impacted my quality of life and living every moment to the fullest.
     So now I have brought you up to speed on where I'm at today.  I just saw the Doctor for my yearly physical exam.  First time since 2010.   I think part of why I didn't go back was an unfriendly Doctor.  He pushed all my insecurity buttons and I found out from the Doctor I have now (looked her up on the internet and liked when she said she's listens and wants to work with her patients - try finding out about your Doctor before your visit) that he hadn't told me much about what was going on with my body.  He did nothing to explain tests or the need for them.  He didn't review my record very well either.  I had several indicators at the time and now I have those confirmed.
     The new Doctor is a good one, but has limited time to discuss.  Seems to be an issue for American health care.  So they are forced to focus on the matter at hand and treat issues that make themselves known.  She was able to fill me in on several issues that need to be addressed so I'm working through how best to follow-up.  So far, I'm in the learning phase so don't have a lot to share yet.  I'll be writing more as I figure out next steps.
      My current work is on finding alternate remedies to acid reflex until I lose the remaining 66 pounds I'm overweight.  Too much fat around the stomach tends to contribute to acid reflux disease.  I found this website to help me out:  http://www.joybauer.com/photo-gallery/10-tips-to-alleviate-acid-reflux/dont-lie-down-after-eating.aspx  So far I've been able to make going off the blocker medicine possible for a few days so far with limited fall out (I mostly cough when my acid reflux gets out of hand).
      This ends the first installment of my journal.  I hope you found some information that will help you as you travel on your journey through life.  I'll keep posting as new developments happen and time permits.