Back at it!

Well, since I last blogged, a lot has happened. My sweet mother went in for a routine follow-up blood pressure exam, and they scheduled her for an angiogram. Come to find out, she had 4 severely blocked arteries and her aortic valve needed replacing. Her doctor said her heart seemed to be strong and healthy, and although the quadruple bypass and valve replacement seemed very scary to us all, his prognosis was very positive. Mom had not had any heart attack symptoms or experienced any heart issues before, so it all came as a bit of a surprise. As a matter of history, my mother used to weigh 400+ pounds (like me, before I started this journey). About 10 years ago, she began eating 1,000 calories a day, and now weighs about 150 and has maintained that weight for close to 7 years. She doesn't exercise much, other than walking as much as she can, and she lives on the upper level of my brother's home, so she takes the stairs several times a day. She's pretty active, though, for a 69 year old.

The blessing is that my mother came through the surgery last Thursday just fine, and God's healing hand was there every step of the way. I just got home from Illinois, where I stayed with her until she was out of the woods, and on her way home. She is now home and doing EXCEPTIONALLY well, and my brother and sister-in-law are taking good care of her. The not so good news is that I didn't eat very well during that time (had a lot of fast food and unhealthy meals brought to the family from my brother's church); and didn't do much in the way of exercise other than some walking around the hospital and helping mom in and out of bed. So, I gained a few pounds.

But if there's one thing I've learned from SparkPeople, it's that beating myself up over a slip really doesn't do any good. And I've just got to get back up on the horse, so to speak! So, today, I'm back on the horse....went to the gym this morning, ate a healthy breakfast, and ready for a new day! I can't wait until I'm 59 (like my mother did) to do something about my weight. I have to do it now, so I don't have heart problems (or worse) later in life because of my unhealthy lifestyle now! And with SP's help, I know I can do it!!

Angie