Crunching the Numbers: Diabetes

Good morning world! I hope you are all bright eyed and bushy tailed. It's the week before Christmas!!!!

Today, my post may err on the side of serious. For my Realities in Nutrition class, we were given an extra credit opportunity. The extra credit was to get your lipids panel done to determine your cholesterol levels. I didn't necessarily need the extra credit points, but it's been a long time since I'd had my cholesterol checked. Plus, it was only $5 on campus. You already know I love me a bargain! ;-)

On Monday, I picked up my results, and I was truly floored to see my numbers.

My total cholesterol: 243 [Should be less than 200]
HDL Cholesterol: 71 [That's actually good. Should be more than 40, or ideally more than 60.]
Triglycerides: 105 [Ok. Should be less than 150.]
LDL Cholesterol: 151 [Should be less than 100, some say less than 130.]

For the sake of this post, I will hugely oversimplify things and just say LDL is the bad stuff and I'm way high. Needless to say, this is not cool. I was very embarrassed at first. I kept thinking, I'm going to school for dietetics and I'm borderline diabetic?! But, I also realize that being honest about who I am is part of being a healthy me. It's part of the Jasmine Myers Mission Statement. So, here goes...

If I step back and look at myself honestly, I see that since my wedding my life has changed drastically. I went from working a full-time, high-stress job in an office setting to working out of my home, random hours on random jobs (ah, the life of a freelance writer). Then, the fall semester began and I was going to school full-time and working those random hours to boot. I've gained approximately 7-10 pounds since the wedding. Here's where I think I made my mistakes:

* Pasta. I love pasta. I love it because it's really quick, easy, and you usually have enough leftovers for another day. Very handy when I'm running around doing school and work, but not good for my waist line or my cholesterol. All those extra carbs (even 100% whole wheat carbs) add up to fat, especially when you're making a pasta dish like 3 times a week.

* Gym regimen. I used to go to the gym at 5am every morning before my full-time job. When I left my job and my life became a bit more chaotic, so too did my workout routine. I still worked out (thus, my high HDL), but I didn't work out as much, which allowed me to put on weight.

* Stress Eating. I battle with binge and emotional eating pretty often anyway. But, when life gets chaotic, I get a bit stressed. I began grazing alot over this semester. Extra calories = extra fat on my bod.

I'm not trying to be hard on myself, but I wanted to use myself as an example. I'm studying to be a dietician. You'd think I'd be on top of these things, but I'm human. I'm busy, and so many things can take priority over the gym. But, what it all boils down to is your health. It's not so much about going to the gym as it is maintaining a healthy balance. It's important. Those numbers were a real wake-up call.

Weight loss and maintenance isn't just about looking good. It's serious. You wouldn't look at me and think I have high blood sugar. But, here I am, borderline diabetic. I need to remember that eating well and exercising isn't just something I do so I can fit into my favorite jeans. It's something I do so I can live a long and happy life.

In the spirit of good-for-you food... Breakfast...

So, as we all go into the crazy-foodness of next week, let's all remember that being well is the best gift we can give to ourselves and the ones we love. No resolution required. Just do it.

How do you plan to stay healthy through this holiday season?

--Mrs. Myers

Related Links:

How to eat healthy on a budget in San Diego

Beat the Cold and Avoid Winter Weight Gain

Strength Train to Burn Fat

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