Why Today is Awesome-Sauce

Folks...

Today was absolutely lovely. Here is the run down.

I've been nervous about today basically since I realized today was going to happen. Today was the wretched day I was to find out if cutting carbs out of my diet almost completely (save a few bites of pasta every gray once in a while and the carb content of dark chocolate and creamer for my coffee) was going to work.

If you don't know me well, when I was little, I was "sickly."

Sickly as in: I had an asthma attack while at my uncle's house. On the way to the hospital, I asked him if I was going to get "my room." You know, because I was there so often, many times I got the same room. Rock it out, grandma lungs!

For the longest time, I was always on some sort of medicine. And it has made me want desperately to be off of medicine.

I was well on my way during my early 20s. I was down to baby repellant (read: birth control pills) and rescue inhalers.

I mean, I chose heart surgery over medicine. Let's just cut to the chase and remedy the stuff instead of medicating it, you know?

Then my asthma started to get worse and I had to go back on medicine. Then we discovered I have a "reflux" problem and I had to go on acid reducers (this was a recent development I'll talk more about later if you are interested. It is boring. I assure you that you aren't interested. Basically I'm going to get scoped to make sure nothing is major wrong so I can be on acid reducers forever. Boo hiss. But better than permanently ruining my esophagus. So whatev).

So back in January when my doctor said, "Your cholesterol is high," I was super bummed. I asked what I could do. He explained that it is likely hereditary but we can try a diet change and see if it works.

He recommended cutting carbs way down.

Here is a list of what Rikki can eat:

Donuts
Chocolate
Dr. Pepper
Bread
Pizza
Pasta
Candy or sugar of really any kind
Vegetables
Meats

Bummer. But he said my alternative was medicine.

He knows his audience. Well played doc.

So for the last four months, I dramatically cut out my carbs. Taking buns off of burgers... steamed veggies while the rest of the family ate spaghetti... salads for lunch... lunch meat and cheese for lunch... NO DR. PEPPER! (though I have discovered the wonders that are Diet Mt. Dew).

Drastic.

Results: My cholesterol went down 50 points and I am down 20 lbs!

Worth it. Absolutely.

My cholesterol is low enough that medicine is not warranted at all. In fact, I'm in "normal" range.

(Eat dirt, genetics!)

Moral of the story?

I'm skinny and relatively healthy! Word up!

Then, I get to work and my office is decorated with my name and words that describe me (the flattering ones anyway):

My head is covering up the one that says, "hottie." Trust me. It's there. 

These are some of the awesome RAs that came to bring me my first present. That's right, I said first, There were two deliveries!

This was both deliveries. Seriously... two presents! 

In these two presents? 

A card of appreciation from Leanna (the mastermind behind Appreciation Week): 

Isn't she a cutie? I just love her. 

A homemade card of appreciation that was a pair of socks. Inside it said, "You rock our socks off!" and was signed by all the RAs. Precious.  

And oh candy!

There are SweetTarts, fruit chews, pixie sticks, Werther's originals, butterscotch candies, Dark Chocolate Reese's Cups (nom nom nom)... Dark Chocolate M&Ms... (nom nom nomier)...

Dove Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds (Holy smokes Batman)

That's a Milky Way Midnight. Nom nom nomiest!

For real, how amazing?! 

Now, you are probably wondering, "Rikki... your diet above didn't include either of those things!"

You're right. I'm what you call a connoisseur of savoring. I'll have a bite here and a bite there... except for my splurge day. When I eat that Milky Way Midnight in its entirety! 

After this wonderful day at work and at the doctor, I got to come home to Sam and Justin. It was such a nice day, I put way less focus on dinner (where Justin had lasagna, Sam had cheese-less pizza, and I had pulled pork and steamed spinach... for an easy night it was sure complex!) and decided we needed outside play time. 

What to do?! Go run bases at the ball field across the street! 

Sam takes a loose interpretation on "run the bases." He more "runs around, sometimes arriving at a base, sometimes arriving in the outfield. And he makes up rules. That make no sense. 

But we sure had fun! See...

We're silly. And Sam was a little scared. 

If you want to know more about the diet I ate and how difficult it was, I can certainly do a post on it. I will say this, if you are serious about losing weight, get the Dukan Diet book. It works. Fast. And has lasting results if you will just follow simple instructions. It is a lifestyle change and it doesn't pretend to be anything but a lifestyle change. It isn't easy. 

But I'm skinny, ya'll!