The answer to life's problems :)

Caution: "Girly" post--a MUST read for most of my blood-related family members and anyone else who holds weight in their waist.

For those who know me, you know that I've always held my weight in my stomach-what's known as an "apple" shape. It's been my nemesis. It didn't even matter when I was skinnier-I always had a little tummy. Some of you have said, "But you have GREAT legs! I'd kill for your legs!" And yes, I do appreciate my legs. But my stomach weight gain has been a big concern for me. Clothes don't fit normally. If I go out I spend most of my "getting ready" time trying to find a top that hides my stomach. If I'm at home, I'm in sweats because clothes made for women are not made for my body type-they're all really tight around the stomach and waist. I can NOT wear a shade shirt by itself like most other women :) I can always spot a woman like me who is aware of their problem because they are constantly shifting and pulling on their shirts.

Those of you who know me REALLY well know of my struggles with weight gain, infertility, PCOS, insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and hypothyroidism. I've always been concerned about what's going to happen down the road, with my grandma and her sister having had breast cancer and my mom having had uterine cancer. I've been confused as to why so many of my friends can lose their baby weight, or eat whatever they want and not gain weight. I've wondered why I was able to lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks on the south beach diet, only to gain it all back. All through my medical struggles I have heard different terms for things, different reasons for certain ailments. I've researched a TON and have all this information in my head that I know all goes together somehow, but can't piece it together myself. I KNOW all this information, but there is SO MUCH in my head, that I can't do anything with it. You know how sometimes you have so much to do that it's overwhelming and so you end up not getting anything accomplished? It's the same way with this information. I KNOW I should be exercising more and eating better. But the attention to all the little details of what to eat and how much to eat is so overwhelming that I just can't bring myself to do it. Having kids even adds to the problem-every mom knows how hard it is to focus on her own goals while trying to meet the needs of her children-which are most likely different than her own!

But more so than the fact that I don't like how I look with this extra weight in my middle, I'm nervous about what this weight means.

May I introduce...

Apples & Pears: The Body Shape Solution for Weight Loss and Wellness, by Marie Savard, MD with Carol Svec

I found this for $4 at Marshalls and it is the best $4 I've spent in a LOOOOONG time! It pulled together ALL the information I have had floating around in my head for so long. It talks about the apple-shaped woman and all the diseases they are most prone to (EVERYTHING I have encountered is listed), the reasons why they are prone to those diseases, and what we can do about it. And it validates the concern that I have had about my waist weight being a threat to my health. She notes in her book that losing just 2 inches of waist size makes a HUGE difference. And her focus is on losing inches, not weight, because the inches means that you're losing the dangerous fat. And the information applies to men as well, since apple-shaped women are basically just shaped like men :) It also gives information about pear-shaped women and the threats to their health, but for the most part the concern is for apple-shaped women. The differences between the two are the types of fat we gain-the more rotund women gain a more dangerous type of fat, which leads to a HOST of dangerous diseases. *And for you moms out there-it talks about the reasons why childhood obesity is so dangerous, and shows that children nowadays are becoming overweight earlier in their lives, which is leading their bodies to override their genetic predisposition for body type and automatically making them apple-shaped.

The end of the book talks about what we should and shouldn't be eating and gives instructions that are easy to follow-no measuring foods or counting calories. No huge drop in caloric intake just to drop pounds fast (that's actually worse for you), no fad diets, etc. No crazy expensive ingredients to buy for extravagent recipes. This information feels completely doable, even with picky kids. And what I will be eating can be fed to the kids with a few modifications to make them enjoy it a little more. My only personal problem will be that I hate fish :)

I definitely believe this is a MUST READ for everyone. We all need to understand the reasons behind the growing concern of obesity. When I was told I had insulin resistance and pre-diabetes my doctors didn't seem concerned. It was very matter of fact and I wasn't given any tools to take care of the issue. They didn't seem concerned, so I wasn't concerned. But after reading what is REALLY going on in my body, I need to be very afraid and do something about it. I love doing research on different things that concern me, and as I was experiencing each ailment I read everything I could get my hands on. I know that exercise is mandatory no matter what, but when it came to the different foods I could eat I couldn't figure anything out. As I read all the research and information, nothing ever rang true to me. But as I've been reading this book, this rings true. I had this same feeling as I was reading the book I posted about earlier-The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.

So this is my shout-out for this book. Seriously, I urge you to read it if you've had the same problems as myself, or if you feel you could in the future. One thing to note to pear-shaped women--after menopause you will most likely become apple-shaped due to the hormonal changes, so this is a great read for you too.

I know the changes will be hard to make, and it will take time. I'll rely on you readers and friends to be checking up on me :) And if you want to join in, let me know so we can be encouraging to each other!!