Suck It Up, Buttercup!

It's hard to believe that 11 months ago today we opened our business.  We knew our venture would take a lot of time, energy, money, and faith .....and it has, but we wouldn't change a thing! 

 

Because so much has been focused on the business-side of life, I have been neglecting my health, in particular... a healthy diet. With longer work days we often found ourselves at the end of the day saying, "What are we going to have for supper?"  More often than not that turned into a trip through a drive-thru on the way home - or pizza delivery if you asked Michael. 

 

In the last 2 months we were each working 70+ hours a week and that is when my food choices got even worse (if that is possible) , with my evening meal consisting of whatever was on hand to grab:  chips, a shake, or nothing - preferring sleeping to eating.  Michael started counting calories and losing weight in November and I was so proud of him, but I was not on the same page at that point. My goal was to simply get through the holiday season with this routine: eat junk, work, eat more junk, crash... repeat. 

 

(Sounds like a recipe for success, right?!)

 

The great news is we survived our first holiday season with just the two of us working!  We were blessed with a lot of customers and that kept us encouraged and invigorated.  Okay, invigorated may be too strong of a word, but it kept us encouraged enough to get up and open the store each day! Now that the holidays are over the only hurdle we have remaining is inventory, then we will be back to our regular schedule and we will each go back to having some time off away from the store to get recharged.

 

(Big sigh.)

 

We had our last Christmas gathering on Sunday.  By the end of the day I had broken my little toe on my right foot.  I blame my maternal lineage for the unique toes and how easy it is to catch them on things and break them.  I could wear shoes around the house, but that would be too easy.  Apparently I'd rather break a toe and then whine about it.  I knew I needed to make a visit to my doctor for a dehydration issue.  As I got ready for bed I spotted my reflection (sideways) in the mirror... and groaned.  I knew I had been eating poorly and gaining weight, but I could easily be fooled by a near-sighted frontal view....however, even poor eyesight couldn't hide the change I saw in the side view.

 

(Big groan.) 

 

I ran to the freezer (well, walked as fast as I could with a broken toe) and threw away all the leftover Christmas goodies.  I went through the pantry and threw out anything that resembled junk food.  Lastly, I messaged my doctor to see if she had any openings the next day.  Some days you just need a "come to Jesus meeting."  I had a couple of things I had put on hold seeing her about, and knew it was time to take care of me again.

 

The next morning I weighed (it put the "ugh" in "ugly"). I saw numbers on the scale that I vowed I would never see again following my LapBand surgery and I knew it was time to nip it in the bud before things got worse.  I had breakfast and went old school, counting calories.   (If you're wondering how I could be gaining weight with a LapBand - the band does nothing for sugar-based foods - they slide through with the greatest of ease.)

 

Fortunately at my appointment my blood pressure was wonderful.  I was thankful my weight gain had not caused it to rise.  I had some lab work done to confirm that I was simply dehydrated - no infection, and I told my doctor about getting back on track and eating healthy again. 

 

(I didn't mention my toe, I'm too used to breaking it and living with it. My sister will understand this.) 

 

So with my appointment behind me and nothing but resolve in front of me I headed to the grocery store and stocked up on fruits, veggies, and lots of great protein options for the crockpot.  By the time I got home I had a headache, felt nauseous, and was tired.  It continued into the night and made for a poor night's sleep.  I didn't think much of it, but when it was still there the next day I googled "sugar withdrawal symptoms."

 

Bingo.

 

 

This stuff that I had fallen increasingly in love with in the last 11 months had turned against me.

 

A decade ago, it was estimated that the average American consumed  22 teaspoons of added sugar per day, amounting to an extra 350 calories. A few months ago, one expert suggested that the average person consumes 238 teaspoons of sugar each week.

 

I'm pretty sure I was overachieving on a GINORMOUS scale (the word "ginormous" drives Michael crazy so I had to use it!) when it came to sugar consumption. 

 

So I'm on Day 4 of a nagging headache, nausea, fatigue, irritability and brain fog.  Michael would say brain fog is a normal for me and I agree, but I think it is definitely exacerbated by the decrease in sugar.  I've started eating healthier more times in my life than I can count and I have never felt like this, so that tells you how bad my diet had become.  Never has eating so good felt so miserable.

 

I'm not out to omit sugar altogether, I'm just decreasing it.  I found 2 bowls of Christmas goodies in the fridge this morning that I had forgotten were there, and yes,  I had 2 cookies.  Then my broken toe and I took those bowls to the garbage and dumped them as fast as we could before anymore were consumed. 

 

There are so many possible New Year's Resolutions out there:  lose weight, improve health, eat right, exercise, but I'm just focusing on eating better.  I know the others will follow. I have a physical in late January so am hoping to see good results at that time.

 

I have a chicken cooking in the crockpot and green beans will also be on the menu for dinner.  I do find that the further out I get the more I crave protein, fruits, and veggies, rather than the sweet and salty things.  

 

I know the physical symptoms will improve. Some people have symptoms for several weeks.  I've been telling God I know it is my own fault, but if He could relieve me of these symptoms sooner than that I would be really, really grateful.  However long they last, I know they are of my own doing so I just keep telling myself:

 

"Suck it up Buttercup!" 

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy New Year!