So Far,So Good

The wife and I started our South Beach diets two weeks ago. I have lost over fifteen pounds and she has lost twelve. I have to lose another thirty, or rather, I want to lose it. She won't tell me what her goal is, won't even tell me her weight. But I'm pretty good at estimating weight and I figure she wants to lose at least forty.

We both got serious when my cardiologist saw my blood work and was going to start me on medication for diabetes. I think I screwed up the test by eating breakfast before the blood was taken but he didn't know that. He was going to start me on some pills right off the bat but I told him that I wanted to try diet first. He was reluctant to do so since I have a prior history of heart trouble but he gave me until the end of this month for "lifestyle intervention" to work. After that, it's pounding more pills.

After my heat attack five years ago, although it was very minor thank the Lord, I stopped smoking and ultimately gained about forty-five pounds. I got very sedentary and simply stopped moving around as much as I used to. I got sick and tired of feeding the deer, rabbits, woodchucks, squirrels and every other critter that wanted a free meal so I stopped vegetable gardening and I no longer hunted. I hardly ever went fishing. Everything hurt so I didn't do all the side carpentry jobs that I used to. And I found a substitute for nicotine, yummy dark chocolate *slobber*.

And the pounds grew slowly but surely.

My internist had already warned me months prior to this that I should do something about my weight. So once I told my sweetie what my cardiologist said, she broke out the South Beach diet book and off we went. The grocery bills shot up at least 50%.

Phase I is over. I hated it. I am not a salad person. I love meat and potatoes and almost all veggies. I love eye-talian bread and pasta. And baked goods. And pizza. And I couldn't have any.

Instead I had salads, tuna fish, chicken (I grew feathers), no sugar jello (not bad at all, especially if you throw some no fat Cool Whip on it), pistachio nuts, low fat cheese and Canadian ham. And more salads. Eggs! Lotsa eggs and egg substitute. No bread at all.

But I no longer gasp for breath when bending over to tie my shoes. Just yesterday I wore to work brand new dress pants that I couldn't get into last year. Now THAT was sweet. The buttons on my shirt are no longer screaming for mercy. And I am climbing the stairs much easier.