It’s that time of the year, the time when everyone starts thinking about resolutions, commitments for the new year and wiping the slate clean and giving it a try again. I have done this many a time. This year is a little different however. I started on a path in the Fall that puts me in a great place to be starting the New Year with great promise and excitement.
In November after much delay and angst, I finally decided to go to the doctor and have my blood work and vitals checked. My husband had commented that I seemed to feel bad more often than I did good and while I didn’t want to admit it, he was right. So after carrying blood work orders around with me for nearly two years in the bottom of a purse or laptop bag, I went to the doctor. Based on how I was feeling, he ordered a three hour glucose test and a long list of other ones.
I was fully prepared for the doctor to tell me that I had diabetes. Afterall, I have gained a huge amount of weight over the last few years which I can’t blame on the babies anymore since they aren’t. Plus, the times I have made an effort to manage my weight and tried the South Beach Diet, I have always been surprised at how much better I have felt. So I ate a few bowls of ice cream too many while I waited for the results, assuming he’d say I was diabetic.
Turns out, I’m extremely hypoglycemic and have a vitamin d deficiency. He told me to cut out sugar and carbs from my diet, increase my exercise, eat more small meals and lose some weight. In addition, he gave me a prescription for a huge dose of vitamin d each week. All my other numbers/vitals were good.
Yes, there was a big sense of relief but also a real commitment to get it together and take charge of my health. The kids are too little to feel awful more often than not and miss times that I can spend with them and things we could do together. With this new knowledge, I started on a new journey.
So to wrap things up, my New Year’s Commitment really began on November 19th. Since then I have lost more than 15 lbs staying on the South Beach Diet. I feel great, have more energy and far fewer headaches!
My goal for the New Year is to continue this focus, blog and scrapbook my journey and hopefully share it with friends and family who will cheer me on and celebrate my anticipated success with me!
What commitments are you making to yourself and others this year?
