A Family in Crisis!

Libby

When we decide it is time to be parents we imagine all of the wonderful things that come along with having children.  The swell of your heart, the pitter-patter of little feet, a meaningful and full life..the list continues...  The thing that takes us by surprise is the incredible responsibility that comes along with these little people we bring into the world.  They are completely and totally dependent on us to understand and navigate this crazy life.  There are instances where we are completely helpless to saving our children from ouches, hurt feelings,  or health problems.  It gets harder when our children get older, we have even less control and our kids are faced with tougher choices and harder consequences.  I think as a parent the worst feeling is when you have failed your child in some way.  There was something you could do to prevent the pain and you chose another path.

My daughter had her yearly physical on Saturday and I knew it was not going to go well. Let me give you the backstory...

She is 9 years old and has been in the overweight BMI category from ages 4-9.  I was never too concerned until that last 2 years. Last year the doctor warned me she was bordering on a high blood pressure and I needed to watch her weight. It was important to approach this situation delicately so her body image was not negatively impacted.  We focused on health, we never talked about numbers or weight.  She was never singled out in our family, we all eat and do everything together.  We did all the right things, she was active, we made significant changes in all of our diets and in April  she had  lost 5 lbs, gained endurance and had a lot more energy.  She was finally in the normal weight range for her age, relief.

Summer came upon us and things relaxed around the house, swim meets "caused" us to eat dinners out more often for convenience.  Candy is also flowing at the meets, after practices, not to mention vacations, that was the KILLER.  I noticed her clothes not fitting and the weight gain but I also noticed the increased headaches, almost everyday.  She also complained of dizziness.  I thought it was dehydration.

The results of the doctor's appointment was she is 20 points over her ideal blood pressure.    The headaches and dizziness along with the 10 lbs weight gain led to a diagnosis of hypertension.  The doctor said she did not want to put her on blood pressure medication so she gave us 6 weeks to get our lifestyle back on the right path.  Quite honestly there is no excuse for what has happened, I failed my daughter.  I let her get sick by putting my family's health lower on the priority list instead of number 1.  Convenience, vacation, laziness, inconsistency, excuse after excuse.

The reality at this point is,"it is what it is", I can only go forward from here.  We have made many changes since last March that are ingrained in our lifestyle.  It changed us, but it is not enough for my baby, we have to go the extra mile and never look back.   The best part is, none of us ever do anything alone, we will be embarking on our newest journey together, as a family.  We will be Driven. to get Heart Healthy.

Her sister on the left and brother on the right still call her "Sissy"
We stick together!

I have a "heart healthy" meal plan that I found on this website: Heart Healthy Meal Plans I will be putting this into place tomorrow.  

One challenge I know I will face is a small 3 day excursion to Washington, DC.  I know that I will have to prep in advance for this vacation.  I vow to bring a Heart Smart breakfast, bring packable lunches and a refrigerated lunch bag, and finally fresh pre-cooked meals from the plan I included from above. I am exhausted already, but in six week, six years, 16 years, etc. it will be worth it.  

Here is an example of healthy lifestyle changes that made a difference over time.  I did not realize how different my body looked and how much weight I had lost and kept off until I came across this picture the other day.  I was 167 in this picture, it was the summer of 2009. Back to back pregnancies took their toll on me, I ate VERY unhealthy and I never worked out.  I never went back there.  My struggle for the last 7 years is the last 10-15 lbs.  I lose them and gain them back over and over and over.  It is an emotional roller coaster and I WANT OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009

2016

I leave you with this...Lasting change and results are possible, I did not  realize that I had accomplished, really, anything that I wanted to with my body, until I saw this picture.  I am too focused on where I want to be that I never took the time to see how far I had come.  

Thanks for listening.