Archive for » December, 2009 «
17 Dec 2009 | By Jaime
When you’re overweight, it’s more likely than not that you would like to lose that weight as fast as you can. I know, I was there. I didn’t want to lose it overnight, but I wished ‘healthy’ rate of loss could be more like four pounds a week instead of one to two.
We hear about the rate of healthy weight loss, but we applaud the awesomeness of people who lose more than that. Sometimes, we’re even a little jealous, wishing we could do it to.
We forget why the healthy per week weight loss rate is healthy.
When I went on a meal replacement diet, it wasn’t to lose weight fast. However, that’s what happened, and I certainly wasn’t going to complain! But it was that rapid weight loss that got me into trouble. I’d always been a bit of a ticking time bomb in regards to my gallbladder, but I had no idea. Not even after the first attack.
The thing we need to remember is that our fat cells don’t just store FATX in the same way everywhere. It stores toxins as well. Those preservatives from the McDonald’s Big Mac? Maybe in your butt. A few fat cells in your arm still have that nicotine from when you were smoking. And salt! Oh, the loads of salt people eat without even knowing it.
Don’t get me started on sugar.
What I’m saying is that it’s not just straight fat stored. You store a history of your eating (drinking, smoking) habits on your fat cells. That is why rapid weight loss can be so dangerous.
In my case, I overloaded my liver with fat cells ripe with toxins and other crap from my days of eating fast food and drinking gallons of gatorade in the States. My liver didn’t have to go through just an overflow of fat, that’s for sure.
Then came the gallstones.
Risk factors for gallstones includes:
1. Being a woman (we get all sorts of good stuff, don’t we?)
2. Being on birth control
3. Being overweight
4. Losing significant amounts of weight in a short time
5. Being Native American
6. Family history
There are other things that incline you to getting gallstones, but those are the big ones (and the ones that predisposed me to getting them).
As it turns out, I was just one puzzle piece from growing those pre-existing stones and setting off my gallbladder. Losing forty pounds was that missing puzzle piece. Not only that, there was no going back. I haven’t been on the meal replacements since August, but the gall attacks continued.
So, the next time you wish you could lose four pounds a week, just try to remember why one to two pounds a week is the healthy way to go.
Category: Body
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16 Dec 2009 | By Jaime
SW: 264
LW: 226
CW: 226
Wow. It feels like it has been such a long time since I updated here. Ack. I don’t like when that happens.
Well, it was one heck of a weekend, but first a little backtracking.
In May of this year, I started a meal replacement diet to get control of my binge eating and cut me off from everything but shakes, fruits and veggies. As you know, it worked quite well. By August, I lost about forty pounds.
Late June was the first time I woke up in the predawn hours, gasping for breath because the pain under my right ribs was so horrible. I managed to get through it, falling asleep in the least painful position on the lounge floor. While it was painful, I didn’t think much of it.
That is, until the next time it happened. This time, in July. This time was pretty much the same, me getting sleep hours later when exhaustion took over. But my husband and I started talking about it. Once a month wasn’t that much, but it was still weird. We’d read that the rapid weight loss that can happen with meal replacement can cause gallstones, but we didn’t really pursue it any further.
Then it happened in August. September, October, November…
This past weekend, it happened again, waking me up early Saturday morning with a pain even worse than the times before (I didn’t think it would be possible to be more painful than the previous time). My husband got me through it, soothing me with talking, gentle caresses and pain pills.
As usual, I was exhausted for the rest of the day, sleeping for most of it. Unlike the other times, though, that wasn’t all. Early Sunday morning, I had another attack and we went to the emergency room. They got me through the pain and made sure I didn’t have any immediate threats like infection. My bloods came back fine and we were scheduled for an early morning ultrasound.
Lo and behold, three big ol’ gallstones sitting happily in my gallbladder. No wonder the ultrasound had been so painful – they looked HUGE to me.
I was told that it was either surgery or learning to live with the pain (and the possibility of a more complicated surgery later should the stones block something).
Great.
I’m still quite tired even now with all the stress and everything that has been happening. Unfortunately, it appears to have put a complete stall on any weight loss. I’m pretty much banned from anything I would have had as an occasional treat, but that’s not making any difference.
Honestly, I’m too tired to stress about it right now. Bleh.
Category: Checking In
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11 Dec 2009 | By Jaime
In the year 2008, the Lord came unto Noah, who was now living in Australia , and said:
‘Once again, the earth has become wicked and over-populated, and I see the end of all flash before me. Build another Ark and save 2 of every living thing along with a few good humans.’
He gave Noah the blueprints, saying: ‘You have 6 months to build the Ark before I will start the unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights.’
Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard – but no Ark.
‘Noah!’ He roared, ‘I’m about to start the rain! Where is the Ark?’
‘Forgive me, Lord,’ begged Noah, ‘but things have changed.
‘I needed a building permit.
‘I’ve been arguing with the inspector about the need for a sprinkler system.
‘My neighbors claim that I’ve violated the neighborhood zoning laws by building the Ark in my yard and exceeding the height limitations.
‘We had to go to the Development Appeal Board for a decision.
‘Then the Department of Transportation demanded a bond be posted for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions, to clear the passage for the Ark ‘s move to the sea. I told them that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of it.
‘Getting the wood was another problem. There’s a ban on cutting local trees in order to save the spotted owl.
‘I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls – but no go!
‘When I started gathering the animals, an animal rights group sued me. They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their will. They argued the accommodations were too restrictive, and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space.
‘Then the EPA ruled that I couldn’t build the Ark until they’d conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood.
‘I’m still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on how many minorities I’m supposed to hire for my building crew.
‘Immigration and Naturalization are checking the green-card status of most of the people who want to work.
‘The trades unions say I can’t use my sons. They insist I have to hire only Union workers with Ark-building experience.
‘To make matters worse, the Tax Office seized all my assets, claiming I’m trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species.
‘So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least 10 years for me to finish this Ark.’
Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow stretched across the sky…
Noah looked up in wonder and asked, ‘You mean you’re not going to destroy the world?’
‘No,’ said the Lord. ‘The government beat me to it.’
Category: Friday Funny
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10 Dec 2009 | By Jaime
We want the best for our bodies. What want to eat what’s right and do what’s right. We want to be hot men and women. We dream of being yummy mummies and delish daddies.
So where does it all go wrong?
There are plenty of reasons why we fall back to old, bad habits. My ‘Achilles heel’? Stress. Something bad happens and I want comfort. I want that pint of ice cream in my comfy pajamas while watching a movie. I spent a lot of time alone growing up (not always a bad thing, trust me), so with my treat of choice in hand, I would do what made me felt good.
Unfortunately, what made me feel good didn’t do good things for my body.
But times have changed. I’m an adult now with adult coping mechanisms so I can handle problems and stresses without turning to food all the time. I know what those refined sugars and processed bits do to my body. Heck, I’ve learned how to handle most cravings with healthier alternatives or by ignoring them completely.
And yet, I still have those old desires. There is still some part of me that is convinced that I really would feel better if I could just have a pint of Ben and Jerry’s while watching a movie.
This is where the stumbles come in. If it were just a matter of making a decision, there would be a lot fewer overweight people than there are now. But it’s not just one decision; it’s a daily decision – maybe even hourly when you’re first getting started.
What many of us have really is an addiction – to food. That’s why even years down the road, you might be taken aback by a sudden want – not even craving, not anywhere close to need – for your comfort foods.
The body doesn’t forget addiction as easily as you would like it to. The key is to realize that, even if you did have it, you’d feel guilty, not comforted.
We just have to keep that in mind.
Category: Mental Health
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