So I started this blog, and then life got pretty busy. So I'm picking myself up by my bootstraps now and saying - NO, this is too important. It's time to focus on getting healthy.
Long story short: When I was pregnant, I had high blood pressure. This escalated into pregnancy complications, partial bed rest, and induction, and subsequent c-section. All of this is no doubt tied to my weight.
Today, at my follow-up appointment, the high blood pressure was back (143/88), causing my OBGyn to change my BCP prescription to something less likely to cause a stroke.
Couldn't believe it. I'm 28 and need to worry about having a stroke? That's what killed my grandfather, but he was in his 70s.
So I've been doing some health evaluation...researching ways to adjust my diet...and got a great, eye opening evaluation of my weight from the CVS website:
• Your BMI is 44.7
• Your ideal weight is between 114.6 and 154.9 pounds.
According to your BMI, you are extremely obese.
What this means for your health
The news isn't good: Unless you're a bodybuilder with lots of heavy muscle, or you're over 65, being in this weight range is probably a significant threat to your health. Compared with people who are considered normal weight, obese people are three times as likely to develop insulin resistance and diabetes, twice as likely to have high blood pressure (a risk factor for stroke), and far more likely to have heart disease as well.
There's also mounting evidence that if your BMI is greater than 30, your odds of developing certain cancers -- including colon, pancreatic, and kidney cancers -- increase to various degrees. Among obese postmenopausal women, the risk of breast and endometrial cancers doubles as well.
Being significantly overweight also puts you at higher risk for sleep apnea, arthritis, and gallbladder disease. In general, the risk of health complications goes up as your BMI increases. If you're a woman, you may have a higher risk of many pregnancy complications including infertility, late pregnancy loss, and cesarean delivery.
If you have an apple-shaped body (fat tends to collect around your waist and abdomen) you have a higher risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease than someone who's pear-shaped (fat tends to stick to your hips and thighs) even if your BMI is the same. It's common for women to gain weight around the waist at menopause, which is when their risk of heart disease goes up as well.
What you can do
It's never too late to lose some weight and get into better shape. Unless your doctor advises otherwise, try to lose some weight over the next year or so. It may sound hard, but even losing as little as 10 to 15 percent of your body weight can lower your blood glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure.
Even if you have a long way to go before you reach your ideal weight, taking a slow and steady approach is the safest and most reliable way to get -- and keep -- the pounds off. Studies show that weight cycling (gaining and losing weight) may actually be more harmful than staying at a high but stable weight. Check out our Weight Control Center for ways to get started. Even people who've been overweight since childhood can lose weight successfully if they follow a few key rules.
If your weight is posing an immediate risk to your health, your doctor may suggest more aggressive ways to lose weight. You may need to consider restrictive diets or weight-loss medications, but please try these only under the guidance of a trusted health-care professional. Even over-the-counter supplements for weight loss (sold in drugstores or by mail order) often have ingredients that aren't safe.
If you've gained weight suddenly (and, if you're a woman, you're not pregnant), you might want to check with your doctor. Certain health conditions and medications can make you gain weight suddenly, often through water retention.
Sometimes being overweight can signal an eating disorder, especially if you have trouble saying "no" to food, or if you eat when you are stressed, upset, or lonely. For more information and resources, try our eating disorders topic page.
Yikes.
So, starting right now, in this moment, we're moving forward and watching the scale move downward.
I have to do it...for her:
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