Diet Eve

Skinny me (150 lbs.) in 1979

When I was a teenager I could eat whatever I wanted and was still skinny. In high school we used to go to the Swedish Smorgasbord on Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana and for $7.00 (I think) we'd inhale as much food as we could. This was usually 4 or 5 plates.

I remember one Thanksgiving I ate three meals at three different places all on the same day. This pattern of eating continued through college and into my married years. I loved eating. I was also very active. I rode my bicycle to school nearly every day. I rode my bike everywhere. I also played volleyball in college.

When I started teaching, I didn't have the time nor the energy to do anything. I did play volleyball in Lakeport for the first two years we lived there. Then the kids came along, and work continued to keep me busy. Soon I stopped doing any physical activity. When I was married I had a 30" waist. Over the years it crept up to a 32" and then 34."

Chunky me (250 lbs.) in 2010.

A couple of years ago I started experiencing acid reflux and I noticed that I couldn't eat anything I wanted whenever I wanted. I also started to experience stiffness in my joints. About 5 years ago I slowly developed sleep apnea and am now on a CPAP machine. I had surgery to fix the acid reflux problem and ate whatever I wanted whenever i wanted. My waist expanded to 36" and I now probably weigh about 250. I figure I need to lose at least 50 pounds if not more.

So Wendi and I are starting the 17 Day Diet tomorrow. It's a low-carb., high protein diet that was written by a doctor. We will also be starting some kind of exercise program. We're doing this for a couple of reasons. #1 - Our oldest son is getting married in October. This is probably the event that motivated us to get started. We know that we should be better about how we take care of our bodies, but the wedding is really motivating us. We need to change our lifestyle - that much is certain. Tomorrow I'll write blog about some more thoughts that I have. For now, it's late I should have been asleep a while ago.