Happy Dance for my Family

Just want to say that I am doing the happy dance. This whole weight loss journey has been going on since December 20 (10 weeks today).

First, I notice my son, Michael,  had gained weight fall term. He has always been really skinny but things changed in the fall:

1. He went from a community college that required walking to and from classes and bus stops and PE classes to animation school that required sitting in a chair 40+ hours a week.
2. He stopped growing at 6 feet 6 inches
3. His dad was making baked goods galore

I have been the healthy eater in my family. My dream was to never have my kids eat unhealthy food, but my husband introduced them to junk food, sugary cereals, and homemade baked goods on a consistent basis. I just don’t bake that much because I don’t need the extra calories.  I just have never been able to fight his need to have these kinds of things in his diet. He has never struggled with his weight. So, it hasn’t hurt him to eat those things. (Except a triglyceride scare did cause him to eat more healthy once, but the next blood test was normal, and he went back to his old diet.)

When he wanted to make the fifth sugary and fatty dessert for the week last December, I finally told him enough was enough! It used to just be me that was hurt by his baking (I know I can resist, but it is better for me to just not have it there as an option), but now I noticed it was my son too, and my mama bear came out and said STOP SABOTAGING! I so appreciate that he cooks, but he needed to support his son and his wife!

Since that confrontation, he quit baking altogether. (I also like having my kitchen back, he tended to take it over.)

I also had the kids join SNAP fitness. My old gym was too expensive for us all to join ($140 a month!).   I had done the free trial throughout November, and then had them join when I joined in December. The amount for all three of us was the same as one person at my old club! (George gets a deal at the university because he is faculty.)

Here are the results of a healthier 2013:

1. Michael has lost 10 pounds! He goes to SNAP at least five times a week!
2. George has lost 7 pounds (that is the most he needed to lose) and is eating more like me! It is weird to have all my healthy things disappear from the cupboards and refrigerator. He also quit drinking coffee and is drinking all my tea up! I am not used to sharing my healthy foods (except fruits and veggies – he has always eaten those).
3. I have lost 22 pounds (I only “had” to lose 7 to get to a 25 BMI and the top of my range, but I am more comfortable at the middle of my range where I am now).
4. We have saved a ton of money – part of our weight loss has been that we determined to save more money in 2013 (George had a 25% pay cut on top of the 40% reduction that we already had from his HP job when he went to the university). I don’t stop by to get something at the coffee shops and meet my friends there (we take a walk instead). I don’t eat out except on special occasions (a friend or family birthday) or if we have a gift card. We don’t pick up pizza to satisfy Paul (He LOVES pizza and would eat it every night, but he has no weight problem because he gets a lot of walking in at the college. We were averaging 1x a week.). Saving money AND losing weight is great!
5. Our blood work will no doubt be stellar next time we have it! I am speculating here, but my LDL’s and blood sugar were higher than they have ever been. Might have been because I was sick that week (my friend Kim, the dietitian, still thinks I had nothing to worry about), but I still was determine to lose at least 7% of my body weight and keep it off to lower all those risk factors. I have done everything I can do now. George had some blood work cautions too, but I cannot remember what they were. We will see what our blood works says next October!

So this whole journey has been good for my entire family (even though some of my boxes are empty when I go to eat some of my favorite healthy foods!).