Tough Time For The Cardiologist's Wife: A Confession

I make confessions about our problems from time to time to encourage you.  I want people to understand that we are not perfect; we don't always eat right and we certainly don't always exercise enough.  We fall off the wagon but we get right back on.  We keep striving for our goals and working to maintain our health.

So here is my latest confession.  With all the parties we've had to attend lately, plus Hugh's funeral, I've been eating poorly, not getting enough exercise and yep, I've gained 5 pounds.  I am not happy.  Spring break is two weeks away and I am not in swim suit shape.  I weigh myself every day to keep track of my weight.  Your weight will fluctuate even over a 24 hour period so you should weigh yourself at the same time of day.  I don't worry when I'm a pound or two over my ideal but anymore I consider to be a trend in the wrong direction.  I think weighing myself every day is a good motivator and a way to stop problems before they bloom into disasters.

Funerals are not good places to count calories.  Right after the visitation, I walked right into a wonderful spread prepared by friends and neighbors.  I was so hungry that I ate a piece of pound cake as an appetizer.    (As did several others I might add.)  Then I ate a plate of deliciously cheesy chicken spaghetti, green beans, roast pork and fresh fruit.  After dinner we sat around several tempting desserts, trying to ignore them and talk anyway.  It was truly pointless.  I had a piece of very moist blueberry cake.

After the funeral, the kind ladies of the church had lunch waiting on us.  Southern women know comfort food and these ladies had an assortment of casseroles, ham, fried chicken, breads, salads and desserts that would lead anyone into temptation.  I did limit myself to one dessert, but barely.

The next two days included an engagement party and a birthday party with plenty of cake and tempting treats.  My sister just had to make a new cake and trot it over to our house to try.  It has truly been a difficult time to watch the calorie count. But I'm back on track, eating better and plunging into the exercise.  For a few days, I'll try to cut back on portions to help loose that 5 pounds.  I'll have to be extra careful this coming weekend as I'll be at a three day swim meet in Little Rock.  Not only does that mean lots of sitting while Grace swims but I'll be too close for comfort to the best bakery in all of Arkansas.  Nobody ever said life is easy.