[SLIMplicity]

HI,
Its my second week and I'm discouraged..

This past week I have had to deal with my sick mother who is a type 2 diabetic and just recently had a TIA (mini stroke) She is only 55 yrs old!!.. I took her to the hospital two weeks ago after she tells me that she had an episode at work.. She drove three hours to visit me and she told me she was fine..I insisted she go to the hospital to get checked out.. Anyway it was a fight but we went.. she waited the whole 6 hours to see the emergency doc.. and she was then refered to specialists: neurologist, cardiologist.. I was with her all last week while we went to these appoitements.. They all told her this is a wake up call and she need to be serious to take care of her health. She has high blood pressure, a swollen ventricule of her heart, high blood sugars ( from diabetes)..she's a ticking time bomb. She is also 100 lbs overweight like me..

It has been a stress-full week.. I went off plan a couple of days, just overwhelmed by everything.. I am also a single mother to 2 boys ages 5 and 3yrs..Any of you parents will know they can drive you coo coo at the most inconvenient times..
I guess I just wanted to give up and resort to the fact that I'm like my mom and there is very little hope of getting better..

My own doctor called my last week and told me I have " higher than normal uric acid levels in my blood.. he gave me a list of foods that I cannot eat, mostly no meats and certain vegetables that are high in purines...
Having the doc tell me this is because I'm overweight..and should take medication, plus my mothers issues just put me in binge mode..I didn't count points for three days.. PLUS i dont know what to eat..I love meat, basically a low-purine diet is to become a vegetarian! Any help with regards to this would be appreciated..

I figured today is a new day and have started to measure and count points for today..
Just so overwhelmed, Obesity is killing my family..I hate it..want out..thanks for reading this long post..
Cheers to another new day..

[Lovely]

I am so sorry you're feeling the stress and weight of this situation. (No, that's no pun intended.)

We cannot put life on hold in order to diet. Wouldn't it be nice? The world just waits quietly as we learn to eat healthier and end up trimmer and fitter and THEN we can deal with all the stress in a better way....

Alas... that doesn't happen. We have to learn to eat better and make healthier choices in ALL situations. The good. The bad. The frustrating. The raging. This journey isn't just about those weeks during the year when everything is normal (because is anything ever really normal for anyone?). It's about learning through the hardships. Finding out we can do better for ourselves even when we're faced with obstacles.

You. Can. Do. This. We all have faith in you. That you can make better decisions and STOP the cycle.

One day at a time. Just like before.

A low-purine diet isn't -exactly- like becoming vegetarian, but I suggest finding a nutritionist to help you sort it out if possible.

And in the meantime if sticking to moreso-than-not vegetarian foods, there is a vegetarian area with all sorts of meal and recipe ideas.

Instead of focusing on what you can't eat... start making a list of the foods you like that you CAN eat. And incorporate those into the new meals you learn to make to help with your low-purine diet =)

One day at a time. Make the decision every day to be mindful to the best of your ability. You're stronger than you think.

[PreciousMissy]

I'm sorry to hear that you've had such a rough week...but BRAVO for making your mother go to the doctor to find out what was wrong!

Weight loss is overwhelming. It's much easier to eat whatever you want, whenever you want, but you're not alone. The battles you're fighting, many on this board have fought too. This is a wonderful place to come for advice!

I think another helpful motivation would be your boys. You see what the weight is doing to your mom, and what it is doing to you. Now is the time to set a good example for your boys! Teach them proper eating habits while they're young. Pretty soon it will be second nature for them.

You can do this! You know you can! You've already made the change to recognize that you were emotionally eating foods that weren't helping you on your journey and have made the decision to refocus! That's a big step in itself!

[sacha]

This must be so hard for you.

Try and make some lemonade from your lemons - as a single mom to two beautiful children, and a family history of type 2 diabetes, you simply have no option but to never give up on this journey.

I say this as one mom to another, you need to do this for yourself and for them. You do not want to repeat this when you are 55 as well.

Is there anything on your lists that you DO like? Maybe part of the problem is that you are not viewing food as fuel.

[celrae]

This is very hard, be strong for your boys.

[xxkaleidoscopic]

I'm so sorry to hear that you're hitting a rough patch in life. But you've got to believe you can do it! Maybe try to be more healthy WITH your mother; sounds like she needs it, too. I've heard of people dropping over three hundred pounds, so you can do it, too!

[ItsMyTurn]

I am so sorry to hear of the trials lately for you. I will say though - what a great job to try and pick yourself back up and start again! You will succeed! I think the suggestion of a nutritionist was a superb one! Who better to teach you tricks to making the food you can have, then someone who deals with specific diets?? Look at those boys, take a deep breath, and feel the strength inside of you!

[SLIMplicity]

Thank you all for your encouragement, this keeps me motivated to continue..
Even when my life gets hard I have to keep fighting and doing what I can to be healthy..
One day soon I will be maintaining a healthy weight and "feeling" my life to the fullest..
Need to feel my emotions, really face my emotional self.. stuffing my feeling with food isn't the answer.. maybe having the courage to change is part of my weight-loss journey..

[runningfromfat]

Wow, that is really a lot to deal with, I hope things go better for your mom!

I just want to say congrats to you for getting back on plan after all that. That is something to celebrate now that things have settled down a bit for you.

I agree that finding a nutritionist is a good idea. I'm not at all familiar with your condition so I can't really give any good advice there but talking with an expert might help you get a better idea on how you can eat healthy and still enjoy food. Good luck!!!

[sacha]

There's an old saying around here, not sure whose signature it is:

"If hunger is not the problem - then food is not the solution"

Something to think about in these emotional times.

[SLIMplicity]

Originally Posted by sacha

There's an old saying around here, not sure whose signature it is:

"If hunger is not the problem - then food is not the solution"

Something to think about in these emotional times.

I'm going to put that quote on my fridge..

Thanks

[Gale02]

You mentioned being an emotional eater and I wanted to chime in with "me too!!" I have started going to therapy to get to the bottom of my eating issues and it has been invaluable. I know that therapy isn't for everyone, but I wanted to throw it out there as an option.

Keep fighting the good fight!

[WebWoman]

So sorry to hear about your travails...

Something that you can do not to help both yourself and your boys is to go to a park nearby and walk with them..don't run, but just take them on a walk with you and that will not only relieve stress but get the exercise that helps your brain produce the hormones that can deal with stress. Everyone will enjoy the experience and it may become part of your routine.

good luck!