Healthy You Article – October 31, 2008

True Confessions
By Mary Perkins – Wellness Center Manager

It’s time for me to confess.  I have not been doing very well with my weight management.  I started out doing very well last year but have slowly slipped back into my old ways.  My problem is that I love to eat.  I love all kinds of fruits and vegetables.  I love whole wheat breads.  I love skim milk.  I love lean meats.  So, what’s my problem?  I should be the picture of healthy eating.  The problem is that I also love desserts, fast food, and snacks.  I love a good prime rib with fat included.  As a matter of fact, there are not many foods that I don’t love.  I just love to eat; it’s satisfying, it prevents boredom, it provides comfort when I’m not feeling just right.

Unfortunately for me, my metabolism is slowing down as I’m becoming more and more sedentary.  It’s a vicious cycle that is pushing me closer and closer to poor health.  I have been lucky so far; my health has been good.  Whereas I have diabetes, colon cancer, and heart disease in my close family members, it is only a matter of time before I join them with failing health IF I don’t change my ways soon.  According to my family tree, I have a good 30 to 40 years left on this earth; I have a choice to make:  Do I want to live the next three or four decades with minimal health issues and energy, or do I want to sit around waiting for my next doctor’s appointment? 

At my yearly physical last week, my doctor told me what I already knew, that I had crossed over the line from overweight to obese.  Before he actually uttered the words, I had been able to convince myself that I didn’t need to address my weight issue because I was only overweight.  Now that I am officially in the obese range, it is time to meet my problem head-on.  That is why I’m confessing my transgressions today.  In order to get back on the road to weight management, I have to admit that I have a problem.  My problem is that there are too many tasty treats to eat and I have no will power.  So, what to do?

In order for me to get my weight back into the high healthy range, I need to lose about 25 pounds.  Twenty years ago that would have been no problem.  I would have just dieted.  When it comes to diets, I am queen.  I have yo-yo dieted since I was 12 years old.  There are no diets or diet programs out there that I haven’t tried.  That’s part of my problem.  My body knows what I am up to when I start to restrict calories.  The wall of defense goes up and my body slows my metabolism even more, conserving calories...and fat. 

Next week I will be starting on another program.  This time it isn’t a diet, it’s a weight-management program.  This program will run for 6 months and will be done on-line using the computer.  I have no idea what to expect.  All I know is that I’m motivated to make a healthy change while I still have my health.  My common sense tells me that it will be easier to maintain my present health than to try to get it back after I lose it.  I am pretty sure that I am not alone in my struggles.  My goal is to get back into the healthy weight range before I turn 50 in July. 

My purpose in sharing this is two-fold.  First of all, I want to be accountable.  Having readers follow my successes (and failures) will force me to tow the line.  I would much rather report success, so I will be more inclined to follow through on my commitment because I’ll know I have readers to answer to.  Secondly, like I said earlier, I don’t think I’m alone in the struggle to maintain a healthy weight.  Both middle age women and men find their metabolisms slowing down and extra weight starting to become an issue.  Research has shown that extra weight is the cause of many health issues.  If even one reader becomes inspired to take control of a weight issue, my confession will be worthwhile.  I hope to report back once a month and share tips and ideas that I learn along the way. 

Please join me on my journey beginning next week.  If you see me out and about in the community, please feel free to ask me how my weight management program is going.  It will help me along my way.  I am looking forward to becoming a community “loser.” 

"HEALTHY YOU” is a weekly column prepared by health care providers and staff at North Country Hospital and Health System. For information or to suggest a topic for this column, please call Mary Perkins, Wellness Center Manager, 334-3226, or email mperkins@nchsi.org.