Finding Fitness at 50
Journey to Better HealthThe Big Problem Part II
Today, the Daily Journal continues to look at the obesity epidemic by taking a look at childhood obesity. Click the video above to hear from Dr. Ed Hill, a family physician from Tupelo. Dr. Hill has many years of experience with this problem. He was the first Mississippian in history to serve as president of the American Medical Association. We appreciate his time here.
Also read more of today’s coverage from the Journal …
Click here for today’s stories on children and obesity.
As always we welcome your comments below …
Big Problem – share your story …
Obesity, largely a product of the modern lifestyle, has in a very short span of time become the nation’s most pressing health problem, now routinely described as an epidemic. Mississippians – the nation’s least healthy people – are also the fattest, and the connection is no coincidence. The Daily Journal started a multipart series that continues over the next two Sundays examining the problem in Northeast Mississippi and possible solutions.
Here is a link to the coverage from Sunday – Click here for How We Got Here.
Sunday, July 20 – The young at risk
Sunday, July 27 – Building a leaning community.
Do you have a story about obesity? Please share it here in the comment section. Thanks for reading.
Back in the saddle
Been out sick for several weeks. Lost appetite. Lost weight. But I’m finally feeling better and my appetite is returning. I visited the Wellness Center yesterday for the first time in weeks. Felt good to be back.
The good news is that after more than two decades on blood pressure medications, I am completely off of the meds. My blood pressure is practically perfect and it’s great to not have to refill those two scripts every month. Also no longer taking Metformin. I kept reading about these horrible symptoms that happen to “1 out of 3″ folks who take it. I am one of those ones! Still taking Zocor, even though cholesterol numbers are looking good.
As I wrote in my May Fitness column in the Food & Dining section of the Journal, I have lost a total of 33 inches since beginning this journey in early December 2007.
I continue to appreciate the encouragement from readers and bloggers. And I love hearing your own stories about your own journeys.
Quick, easy and low-fat recipe …
I had company this past weekend – three young women who I taught as eighth-graders. They are 40 now.
I’d told them if they wanted junk food they’d have to buy their own.
My friend Kim shared a recipe she makes for her family and it was a hit with all of us. It’s quick and easy and healthful.
Served with green beans and a salad, it makes a great meal.
Bruschetta Chicken Bake
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6-ounce) package Stove Top stuffing mix (chicken or Italian)
1/2 cup water2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon dried basil or 3 to 4 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, stuffing mix, water and garlic. Set aside. Cut the raw chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks.
In a lightly sprayed 9×13-inch pan, place the chicken. Sprinkle chicken with basil and cheese. Top with stuffing/tomato mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.
Finally …
Today is a banner day.
I ate a full bowl of oatmeal.
Well, I think it could be called oatmeal. My friend and co-choir member, Jo Orr, told me about Quaker’s Simple Harvest. It’s instant multigrain hot cereal with oats, barley, wheat, etc.
So, I bought a box last week. There are several flavors: Apples with Cinnamon; Vanilla, Almonds and Honey; and Maple Brown Sugar with Pecans. The latter appealed most to me.
This morning I added 1/2 cup skim milk to a package of Simple Harvest, zapped it in my microwave, tasted it, tasted it again and again, until I had eaten the entire bowl full. And it was good.
I ate oatmeal. And liked it.
Finally.
Numbers to be proud of
I saw my doctor a week ago for the first time since I began my fitness journey in early December.
My blood pressure was 117/70, better than it has been in years. When the nurse told me I had the blood pressure of a young person, I bowed up a little before responding: “I am a young person.”
The call on Friday let me know my other numbers had improved as well. My total cholesterol was 222 in December; it is now 166. Tiglycerides, HDL and LDL have all dropped below the recommended target.
And the number measuring my blood sugar that was 6.7 in December is now 5.9.
I feel great and some folks tell me I’m looking good. So, these healthier numbers are icing on the cake. Make that a low-fat angel food cake!
Oatmeal pancakes recipe a keeper
Last Saturday, I finally tried the Fit for Life Oatmeal Pancakes recipe sent to me by a reader and friend. The recipe appears on this blog.
I was somewhat put off by the cottage cheese the recipe called for. But all ingredients are blended so I tried it.
Made myself one big pancake and enjoyed it immensely with some sugar-free syrup.
Good way to get in some oatmeal. Try them. I think you’ll like them.
Back to the blog
Been away from blog for a while. It’s not that I didn’t have anything to say, but I’ve had some technological problems.
While I’ve become fairly adept at finding fitness, this blogging stuff sometimes frustrates me.
My total weight loss at this point is 34 pounds. And I have finally gone and purchased a new pair of jeans. Too many friends and co-workers were bugging me about my baggy pants!
I almost gave up without a purchase, thanks to Lane Bryant’s new sizing system. Good grief. I had to have the help of a clerk AND the manager to help me figure it out. They were kind and helpful, and I am grateful. It’s nice to have a pair of jeans that don’t feel they are going to fall off and humiliate me.
Have been trying to get in some swimming in the Wellness Center pool in the evenings.
And, for the record, I’m still trying to develop a taste for oatmeal. I’m not giving up.
Still trying to like … oatmeal
I’m determined to make myself like oatmeal. And I’ve had tons of tips from friends and fellow fitness seekers on ways to make the stuff more palatable.
I got an e-mail recently from my friend Alice who offered me an intriguing oatmeal possibility. I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but plan to try it this weekend.
The recipe comes from Bill Phillips’ book, “Body for Life.”
Body for Life Pancakes
1/2 cup uncooked oats
3 egg whites
1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1/4 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 packages sugar substitute
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour in hot skillet. Cook, turning once.
Top with warm light maple syrup or fresh fruit.
A heck of a dilemma
Several weeks ago I wrote about my struggle to reach my daily calorie requirement.
Well, I’m still struggling.
Oddly, it’s a problem with which I, in 50 years, have never dealt.
I’ve decided it’s the Metformin my doctor prescribed back in December for a pre-diabetic condition. I know … self-diagnosis isn’t a good thing. But, I spent a lot of time this past weekend reading about the drug’s side effects. And loss of appetite is one of them.
So, she’s lowered my dosage and we’ll see if that helps.
I feel good, am exercising regularly. I just don’t want to eat much of anything. And unless I eat enough, my metabolism will slow down and the weight will not continue to come off.
It’s a heck of a dilemma.
