Over the past few months the experience of other people having an opinion is impacting on my reality more than anything else. I have changed my eating/dietary habits to make life better for me. I understand my family and friends want that, however some of them think I am taking it to the extreme and I am not healthy. Let me give you a little background information about me. I grew up in coastal Georgia. I grew up in a home where fresh food was a must. I never ate Hamburger Helper until I was 26 years old. I was not interested in cooking, however I loved to eat. I can witness to the Sunday and holiday dinners where there were endless amounts of food that lasted for days. I also loved eating fine food.
Living on the coast provided an abundance of fresh fish and seafood. I was educated about the food groups and eating 3 meals per day. I was also told that I did not eat enough vegetables. This was true. My list of vegetables included: greens (Collards and Mustards cooked with smoked neck bones), broccoli (loaded with cheese), green beans (with smoked neck bones) corn (loaded with butter and salt), and a salad (loaded with ranch dressing, cheese and bacon bits). I thought I was ok. My list of fruits were numerous. I was never on any crash diets. I have tried Slim Fast with no results. I have done extreme exercising regimens that only increased muscle.
I guess you are wondering what changed. I had a visit to the ER in 2011. I called off from work; there was so much ice on my car that I was too weak to scrape it off. I waited until my boyfriend came home from work. I was in a lot of pain and I felt horrible. By the time I left the ER, my blood pressure was high, and I was anemic. After much testing, it was discovered I was a borderline diabetic and diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I forgot to mention I was at my highest weight of 327lbs. Yes, this scared the living daylights out of me. I hated the way my body felt. After my visit to the ER, I was referred to another doctor. I really did not pay attention to what he was telling me I sat there thinking that I am too young for this to be happening to me. I thought about my family members that died from heart attacks, strokes and diabetes. I came to realize those diseases came from their unhealthy eating habits. The doctor prescribed metformin for my diabetes and medication for my thyroid problem. Metformin made me very sick. I could not believe this medication was suppose to make me better. I decided I would not become a person dependent on pills for my survival.
With this knowledge of my health, I ceased from eating red meat, sweets, starches, pop, alcohol, dairy, cheese, butter and anything else that caused my body harm. I began a rigorous workout that included running, water aerobics, strength training, pilates, Jeet Kune Do, belly dancing and Zumba. I cried, sweated and cursed during these workouts. I could not blame anyone but myself. I used muscles I never used before. I did things I thought my body could not do. As time passed I have lost 30lbs and kept it off, removed chicken and seafood from my menu, increased eating beans and raw nuts and removed processed food from my diet.
When I explained this to my family, they were proud of my success and worried that I was doing something wrong. I explained I never felt better. I was not going to be a pill popper. D (my significant other) could not understand what happened to his “eating partner.” At this point, I love my body and what I place in it. I know that I am doing the right thing. It feels to grocery shop and not feel guilty about what I eat. I am taking this a step further to participate in a juice fast next month. I welcome the challenge. During the fast, I will post video blogs on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/ladyderenne). I thank you for your support on my blog page.
Fat But Fit
DeDe DeRenne.
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