Are You Taking Care Of YOU, Mom?

As Moms one thing we are good at is ignoring ourselves, our needs, and our health.  After having children we say that the weight is baby weight and it’s the hardest weight to get off.  Well, that’s true, but, not why you’d think.  It’s the hardest weight to get off, because we are really too busy to put any real work into it.

We are taking care of multiple kids, sometimes babies and toddlers and school aged all at the same time – that running back and forth and changing diapers is a lot of work.  Cooking meals, cleaning house, being a maid, a taxi driver, a nurse, a playmate and a wife.  We eat poorly and rarely exercise so it’s no wonder we don’t have time to really work at our weight – so, what’s the real big deal?  I am still moving, my husband doesn’t mind, I am healthy as a horse, right?

Well, that’s what I thought… I gained weight didn’t try very hard to get it off, I was busy doing all of the things we do.  But, one day it all caught up to me.  The dog ran out the front door, I chased it and a few weeks later finally went to the Doctor about my foot pain.  I spent more than a month dealing with the inconsequential pain I was feeling in my foot.  I thought it would go away, or it was nothing, I didn’t even realize the pain was due to the earlier dog chase.

When I finally saw the Doctor I found out my Achilles Tendon was torn almost in half…., so, I had to have surgery to repair it.  I got a call the day before the scheduled surgery to tell me they would have to postpone it.  They said I was a Type II Diabetic!  You could have knocked me over with a feather!

You see, I was married to a Type I Diabetic for 15 years, he died at 35 from normal Diabetic complications.  I KNEW the ramifications of this disease and I wanted NO part of it.  So, I set out to get rid of the weight – I knew if I lost the weight, chances were I could go off of the meds and live a good life.  My Doctor was in agreement with that.  So, with much prayer and a little help from my friends   I lost over 100 lbs and no longer require meds.

Now, I hear so many people say – “…well, I am on the meds and I adjusted my diet, so that’s good”.  Well, not necessarily, you see Type II and Type I eat away at your organs.  Just because it’s Type II and you don’t take shots, doesn’t mean it’s not just as lethal a disease as Type I.  Weight is a HUGE factor in this disease and that is why I wanted to write this and tell my story and hope that it resonates with some of you and you take the time to take care of yourself now.  Trust me, it’s easier to lose the weight and get back in shape in your 30’s than it is in your 50’s!