I'm starting this blog for myself. Really. If you want to read along, that's fine, and I hope you learn something if you do, but since writing is my "thing," I'm hoping that this will motivate me in my new journey.
I have struggled with my weight for pretty much my entire life. This is not something that is easy to talk about, and quite frankly, I have lived in denial of being overweight and addicted to crack. I'm sorry, what? You're addicted to crack, Sarah? Well, sort of...sugar is like crack. Only now am I beginning to see that its consequences are severe, like those of a drug addict. Being addicted to sugar and living in denial of my health problems (which have been right in front of me all along) are what have brought me to this point.
Lately, I have been watching a lot of food documentaries. What got me thinking about my own health was when I started watching this show called "Freaky Eaters." I watched one episode about a woman who was addicted to putting tartar sauce on everything (and I mean everything -- yuck!!). The nutritionist criticized her for being "morbidly obese." To me, that woman did not fit my standard conception of "morbidly obese." She was heavy on top, but not huge. Aren't morbidly obese women at least 400 pounds??
So I did a little research. I searched online for what constituted being overweight, obese, and morbidly obese. Turns out that, to be considered obese, a person needs a BMI of 30. I looked up what mine is, and was shocked to discover that my BMI is 29.7. OMG. That's borderline obese. I've always been overweight, but I didn't think that I was getting close to *that* danger zone!
Appalled, I scheduled an appointment to meet with my doctor. I stepped on the scale and...holy crap...there was a number I had never seen before. It was an evil number. I hated it instantly. I think I even flushed when the medical assistant said it out loud. After that, I avoided eye contact with her. After all, she knew my weight, and it wasn't pretty.
At the end of the appointment, I asked my doctor if I could get my cholesterol checked. I hadn't had eaten or had any coffee, so she sent over a request, and I got pricked by a needle (which I hate). A few hours later, the medical assistant -- remember, the one who knows how incredibly FAT I am?? -- called me with the news. Not only do I have high cholesterol, I have dangerously high cholesterol. She gave me the overall number: 262. My LDL is 158. I looked those numbers up online. Holy helga, Batman!!! The score of 262 wasn't even on the first chart that I saw! On the second one, it was on the high end of the red zone that was so dark it was nearly purple! My score of 158 on my LDLs was on the border of "high" and "dangerously high."
I knew I needed to make a change. So I went out, and bought a juicer. That brings to me where I am with the conception of this blog. I need a place to chronicle my steps on this journey. I am allowing myself -- for once! -- to be completely vulnerable...even if it's only to myself. In a way, I hope it's only to myself. In the next few posts, I want to share the following things I have learned:
- Sugar is an addiction, like crack
- Documentaries to watch
- What I've learned about juicing
- Misconceptions that I have had about nutrition and health
For now, I'll leave you (read: me) with some devastating and frightening facts:
Height: 5'6"
Weight, as of 12/10: 185
Weight, as of 12/11: 191 (fully clothed, at the doctor's office)
Weight, as of 12/17: 183
Cholesterol: 262
LDL: 158
I want to see each of those numbers (with the exception of my height, pretty please) go down over the next few months. This will not happen overnight. This is a process. And I am doing it for my heart, my overall health, and my life.
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