I've got enough health-care providers currently in my life to form the first string of a basketball team with one or two extras sitting on the bench... Dentist, Dermatologist, General Practitioner, Gynecologist, Internist, Neurologist, and Optometrist. Now, don't get me wrong...doctors are important, and, fortunately, I like all of mine (or I would have found replacements for them already!), but there's definitely one that intimidates me a little bit. She's my internist, Dr. Mary Bess Jarrard, and believe me when I tell ya... MBJ don't play! Let me put it this way... she's like Santa Claus...she "knows when you've been good or bad, so be good for goodness sake!" At my most recent appt. on July 2nd, she called me out...big time...and because of the prescription she sent home with me, my life (nor my husband's) will ever be quite the same again. But before I explain why, let me give you the backstory...
For some years now, my husband and I have both attended a health screening hosted by my employer in order to receive incentive points towards our health insurance. It's a fairly quick in and out event. You arrive without having had any breakfast and get called back to one of a handful of "private rooms" which is really just one big room partitioned off by thin curtains. Your assigned medical personnel takes your measurements and pricks your finger to draw a little blood. She spins it around in this nifty contraption, and within minutes you have a bunch of numbers given to you reflecting your "health stats." Year after year, I have heard the nurse in the next room tell my husband... "Wow, Mr. Rutherford, your numbers are all great! Well....except for your weight... you should probably try to reduce your food intake a bit, but otherwise all of your stats are fantastic!" Meanwhile...back in MY curtained cubicle... my news has gotten worse and worse every visit. My weight had crept up just a tad each year, and, several years ago, the nurse told me very bluntly that I was definitely headed for Type 2 Diabetes...soon. I guess she could tell I was a little stunned by her news, so she continued..."Do others in your family have Type 2 diabetes?" I replied that yes, both of my parents took daily medication for it. She went on to say "Oh, then it may just be genetic for you. Some people are just predisposed to it based on family history." Hmph. I wasn't sure I bought that explanation, but deep down, secretly, I thought...oh well...at least I have an excuse for my numbers.
Now, you would think that diabetes discussion would have gotten my attention, wouldn't you... but it didn't. I made no changes, so.... little by little by little... more weight packed on... SEVERE headaches and two "weird episodes" occurred (such that extensive neurology tests were done).... a general sluggishness took over and left me feeling pretty crappy every single day. With my husband's encouragement, I decided to set up an appt. with his internist (you already know her name). He assured me, "She's very thorough. She tests your blood AND she'll talk with you about what steps you need to take to correct things if she sees any problems." I've seen her now for three annual summer appts.: 2017, 2018, and 2019. The first summer I saw her, it was just plenty of baseline stuff, getting shots that I needed at this stage of my life, etc. Then, last year, she noticed a weight gain from the 2017 visit to the 2018 visit. "Just a couple of pounds difference, but you're now right at 174 pounds, so it's definitely something to watch," she said. I told her very pointedly that I don't eat a ton of "extra stuff" AND I work out plenty. I simply didn't understand why I was continuing to gain weight. That's when she jotted down a book title she wanted to suggest to me that might be helpful. Guess what I did with the suggestion... I tossed it. To this day, I cannot rationalize why I didn't get that book then. I guess I just wasn't really ready to tackle whatever this was that I assumed was now controlling my body. It's clearly more powerful than me, I thought, so... I can only assume that this is "just how it is" now as a "mid-life woman." (crazy, right? but that's the lie I was telling myself)
So another year passed by and, among all the other Dr. appts I do every summer, I visited Dr. MBJ on July 2, 2019. She got right to the point. "Dot, you were 174 lbs. this time last year. You are now 178 lbs. You have to get a handle on this." As I started to do my usual..."but...but...but... " excuses I'd become so good at, she quickly cut me off and added..."...and some of your blood numbers are not good. You're borderline Type 2 Diabetic, and your body is starting to store fat in places that won't have good outcomes for you if left unattended. I'm specifically concerned about these numbers associated with your liver." She had my full attention. I immediately said..."is this about alcohol intake? Because I can assure you, my husband and I only have approximately two cocktails a week on our back porch (some of you may be familiar with our #FreshSqueezedFridays) and that's it... unless it's tailgate season...."
She assured me that she's not talking about alcohol intake specifically and then went on to explain to me that the body chooses to store any extra fat in numerous places within our bodies. My "first" problem area happened to be the liver, but she made it clear that other issues will follow if I don't take a long hard look at the amount of SUGAR that I'm choosing to consume on a regular basis. She gave her nurse a pointed look. Without a word spoken, the nurse left the room, and within seconds returned with a photocopied image of the cover of a book...
Yep...the very same book she had kindly suggested the year before.
She said, "Now, you're going to see plenty of other books with this same idea...very similar titles. I want you to get and read THIS specific book by this specific author. My husband (also a medical professional!) was told to read this same book by his doctor, so he and I did it together. It works if you really put in the effort and take it seriously. Oh, also...buy a food scale. You'll find it very useful as you progress through the book." I told her I'd get the book and figure out what parts would help me before I saw her next summer for my 2020 appt. Her reply.... "Nope. You'll read the ENTIRE book, cover to cover, as soon as possible, and I'll see you in January." Guess what I did this time... I drove straight to Barnes & Noble in Athens, GA after my appt. and bought that book. I talked with Rut about the whole deal when I got home, and we decided to read it together (#BooksOnDot) and then follow it to the letter together. Since we were in-between our two children's weddings, we decided to read the book entirely, discuss our game plan, try out a few of the suggested/approved "good foods" that we weren't very familiar with (quinoa, coconut oil, etc) just for kicks and start AFTER wedding #2 (July 20th) and our own anniversary (July 28th). So, on Thursday, August 1st, 2019, we officially began "Operation Sugar Detox." On that date, Rut weighed 221 lbs. and I weighed 178 lbs. Let the detox commence!
The book uses very plain talk to explain the why behind our need to take a serious look at sugar, but it goes beyond the WHY and tackles the HOW TO by walking the reader through a 3-day total sugar avoidance. (You'd be surprised how many "normal" things that most of us eat contain LOTS of sugar....ex: ketchup...4 grams PER TABLESPOON!). First three days....absolutely NO sugar consumption. There are suggested/approved foods and beverages (hello, water!) and even a basic meal plan. Then, after those VERY HARD first three days (btw, I discovered very quickly that I've been a sugar addict plain and simple!), we moved on to Week 1 where a few familiar foods (some with natural sugar) were added back to the approved list. I've never been so happy to eat a piece of cheese before! Week 2 came along and with it....fruit!! WOOHOO!! Blackberries tasted sweeter than I had ever remembered them tasting before! (It's amazing how quickly my taste buds had changed!) Week 3 brought with it specific grains (there's that quinoa I was talking about). Week 4... more variety of the things we were already adding back in. I'm leaving lots of the specifics out here, but the book is VERY detailed, and as I said... we just did what it told us to do for 31 days.
Many of you will laugh when you read this and I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, but... Y'all, I am 51 years old and for the first time in my life, I feel like I actually understand how food choices truly affect the body. Also, there's a whole other world out there of really GREAT food that Rut and I are enjoying these days. Can you believe that before I got this detox prescription I had NEVER in my life tried kale chips (hated 'em, but still...) or sunflower seeds....or pistachios....or cauliflower rice....or zucchini noodles...or almond milk, or... well, you get the idea....?? It's true! I'm also trying new recipes now that involve almond flour and coconut oil among other things and totally enjoying the new discoveries!
Here are a few things that jumped off the pages at me:
I've been obsessed with my weight most of my life, but to be honest, it never had anything to do with my health until now. In the past, the obsession was totally fueled by vanity. Now? It's 100% about health and longevity. I want to meet my grandchildren one day and actually be able to play with them and be present for their weddings and the births of THEIR children! God may have other plans for my life, but I want to be as healthy as I can for as long as He sees fit to have me living in this body. Therefore, I have to do my part.
On the last day of our official month-long detox program, Aug. 31st, Rut weighed in at 208 lbs. and I weighed in at 166.7. So, over the 31 days of controlling sugar consumption and committing to daily exercise, Rut lost 13 lbs. and I lost 9.3 lbs. (Ugh! Why do men lose more & quicker than women?? #jealous) Anyway, these may not seem like big numbers, but as my husband keeps reminding me, this is not a sprint. It's a life-long marathon that we've started. This "diet" doesn't have an end-point. We've both got plenty more pounds to shed, but life's too short not to enjoy a slice of something decadent every now and then. So, while we DO plan to enjoy occasional celebrations (and Saturday football tailgating definitely does fall under that category, by the way), we plan to continue utilizing the sugar detox mindset on a regular daily/weekly basis for the rest of our lives. We both agree that we actually feel better. At the risk of sounding a little dramatic here, I can say with certainty that I feel "clearer-minded." My headaches are gone. I have more energy. I feel like I'm reversing some really bad habits, and it's actually exciting. Now, I'm not gonna lie...seeing that number on the scale decrease feels real good, but it's not my #1 goal. For me, the true test will be in January when I see Dr. MBJ again for an updated round of "health stats." I hope I make her proud. :)
Now, listen, Y'all...
If you've got a particular health mindset that you're into....Paleo...Keto...No Carbs...No Dairy...Gluten Free...whatever...and it's working for you, then PLEASE don't change a thing!! BUT! If you're not feeling great and you've put off trying to figure it out OR your "health stats" haven't been too great over the last few years, I'd like to encourage you to get this book, read it, and give it a try. I believe it's worth all the effort! Also....one last thing...as of yesterday morning(9/5/19) Rut would like for you to know he weighs 205.6. (221-205.6= 15.4 lbs lost in 5 weeks) I'm so proud of him, and I predict that when he sees Dr. MBJ in October for HIS yearly visit, he's for sure gonna get the coveted MBJ gold star on his health stats printout. "The Sugar Detox" by Brooke Alpert....I highly recommend it! Until next time, ~Dot
P.S. One last thought to leave you with...
I am so sold on the ideas in this book that I've shared it with both of my children and their spouses, my sister and her husband, and my mother (and now all of you!) My son-in-law sent me this video clip with a message saying "felt like this explained the whole sugar situation pretty well," and he's exactly right! It's produced by "College Humor" so you know it's going to be a bit funny, but it really DOES sum it all up nicely. Take a look...
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AuthorHi! I'm Dot. I refuse to succumb to the "empty nest syndrome"! So, this is my journal.....my photo album.....my attempt to enjoy the next chapter of my life as it unfolds. Welcome to The Roomy Nest! Archives
January 2020
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