Recently, I have been paying a little more attention to what is affecting my personal little bubble. There have been a few discoveries that are not all that new and shocking, but have had me wonder about them nonetheless. With this interest in seeing information, I took it upon myself to do a little search online and as the saying goes..... "A few clicks on Google can make you go from curious to fearful. Sites like WebMD, can make an insignificant ache or pain become something terminal. And, if you wonder if you are doing something right, you can be told at least a dozen (if not more) ways how wrong you could possibly be."
Yep, I have been swallowed down the rabbit hole of conflicting information via the internet.....
Here is one story that managed to explode before I could reign in all the conflict in my mind. Heck, it has taken me about 4 months to come to this point to even consider sharing this. So, lets begin....
After making the mistake of forgetting to get my annual flu shot (yes, I am aware that in the world of percentages, the flu shot is basically considered non-essential in prevention of the flu), I became another statistic of getting the dreaded and feared illness. Trust me, I did not enjoy the experience one bit, but the forces that be decided that I shall be slapped silly with the sickness stick, and slapped hard is what it was. I have dealt with stomach issues that had me believe that I should be so thin that I am transparent by now. Of course, that is not the case. My fat cells have other plans for me. Plans that I am not so thrilled about.
With the truth in the number on my bathroom scale, as well as how I look in the mirror... I have a very long road ahead of me. I decided that I need to make the necessary changes. Well, the changes have been the only constant I have managed to stick to. I cook healthier meals for my family and for their specific health restrictions. DH has Atrial Fibrillation and as a side.... he has cholesterol issues to deal with. Of course, this is difficult enough to find recipe ideas for a fully grown man that has a picky eating palate of a 4 year old! That man would live on pizza, sausages, burgers and cheese if he could. Green vegetables are not welcome and fruit makes him run in another direction. Anything in the realm of a salad will only consist of lettuce (which he will allow), black olives and cheese. Salad dressings are a no-no in his world. His constant reminder that "fish are friends and not food" from the movie Finding Nemo tells me that all forms of seafood will never pass his lips. His list of approved foods is a lot easier to remember than this expansive list of what he will never consider trying. Believe me, I watched him inspect the weekly grocery list as well as watch with a critical eye what is put in the shopping cart every week. Since he is the one buying the groceries... I must comply within the limitations set before me; to make healthy meals from the approved list of foods he will eat. Trust me.... it is really hard to find recipes that fulfill the requirements bestowed upon me. But yet, here I am at least making a difference, albeit a small one. What I have made so far has been a hit or miss experience, but at least what I do make tastes better than hospital food and that is saying something!
With the added stress of taking care of my family, I have developed some health issues of my own. According to my doctor, I suffer from a silent form of GERD (acid reflux) that has me feeling quite sluggish and sick. This form of GERD does not give a person the normal feeling of heartburn, but a sneaky set of symptoms that appear as something completely different. Who knew that a tight feeling in my lungs with a constant need to cough is a symptom of GERD? How about the feeling like I have something constantly caught in my throat that makes it hard to swallow? How about feeling like you have post nasal drip with no sinus congestion? Little did I know that these are symptoms of acid reflux and the damage it is wreaking on my esophagus. Only took me to see the doctor to have them check me over with the added expense of getting a chest x-ray to come to the conclusion that I am suffering from GERD. No cough suppressant will calm my coughing jags that make me dizzy and lightheaded. No antibiotic to cure the itchiness in my chest or cure the feeling of a post nasal drip infection heading for my lungs. Nope. I need to change my diet, increase my activity level and avoid foods that will trigger heartburn. Oh, and a little purple pill that slows down my stomach acid making abilities.
With the research I have started doing in my free time, I have read at least a dozen articles relating to proper eating and what is seen as a proper diet in order to lose weight. Then, there were the additional clicks to figure an answer to the great debate over organic vs GMO. Then, the other great debate over getting essential nutrients from foods vs adding supplements. Then, there is the food pyramid and the expectations that gets bestowed upon us. Then, there is the healthy weight ranges, BMI, and expectations/adjustments according to gender and age. Of course, there is that interest in those different diets and how so many people believe one diet is better than the others with their reasons why. That being fat is not exactly our fault, but genetics and how our world has created an obese society through convenience foods, processed foods, sugars, and artificial sweeteners. Then, of course, we need to take into consideration that only certain exercises are effective on creating lean muscle, but according to specific body types.... not all exercises are created equal. Is walking really better than running? Is weight lifting really necessary to lose weight? And the icing on the cake.... how long and how often should you be active according to what you eat. You know that little gem, right? That one piece of cake requires 2 hours on a treadmill to burn off or something along those lines? To track or not to track what you eat.... is it more important to focus on calories or fat? Or is it carbs vs sugars since both do the same thing in the end, right? Then there is the water debate. How much is really ideal for weight loss.... is it 8 glasses a day or is it necessary to figure the number through current weight and desired pounds to lose. If it is the latter, then I guess food will never pass my lips, I think. Of course, I could go and look into the juicing cleanses and smoothies debate, but lets be real here.... isn't it better to chew your nutrients than puree them? I believe you burn more calories if you chew, but apparently our bodies are so lazy that they cannot absorb the nutrients unless we turn it into liquid form... is that right? Heck, my latest find on the internet is that the foods we deem healthy are not really healthy at all, and need to find some obscure food I know I will never find in my grocery store, but if I wanted to go an easier route.... I could just pay for a supplement I could swallow every day for the low, low price of $69.95... no, wait.... just buy it in bulk and save $20 a bottle. Can you see how I am getting a little confused and jaded? I mean, the list can go on and on. Fresh vs prepackaged is another route I have not ventured into yet. You know the cost of getting healthy is getting up there. Shall I go to meetings that shame me into hating food that tastes good? Or shall I have my choices taken away with some prepackaged space food that gets delivered to my door? I can only guess why people are so freaked out these days is because there are so many compelling arguments that sway us to believe in certain things. If I keep this up, you will find me in my closet with a tin foil hat on my head, muttering that the sky is really falling.
I guess what I am getting at is there's no right or wrong answer. Only perceptions of what everything could be. While I know that I won't get any thinner with the route I am taking, I am also beginning to embrace the concept that this is who I am and I need to be okay with it. Make reasonable changes to see if it is for me and for the long haul. I am not supposed to live forever, and no matter what I do won't change that. Do I want to look like I did in my 20's? Sure, but if I have to lose my mind to get there??? Not so much. Do I have to know everything? Not really. Ignorance is bliss and all that. I suppose I just need to find my happy and accept that this is who I am. If I can fix this stupid GERD and that darn tickle cough that makes me dizzy... I would be golden!
Ah.... enough for today. Thanks for reading and maybe I will share with you again real soon.
Take care!!
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