[et_pb_section admin_label=\u201dsection\u201d][et_pb_row admin_label=\u201dRow\u201d][et_pb_column type=\u201d4_4\u2033][et_pb_code admin_label=\u201dCode: Google Analytics\u201d global_module=\u201d25375\u2033 saved_tabs=\u201dall\u201d]<script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i[\u2018GoogleAnalyticsObject\u2019]=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,\u2019script\u2019,\u2019https:\/\/www.google-analytics.com\/analytics.js\u2019,\u2019ga\u2019); ga(\u2018create\u2019, \u2018UA-80928733-1\u2019, \u2018auto\u2019); ga(\u2018send\u2019, \u2018pageview\u2019);[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=\u201dRow\u201d][et_pb_column type=\u201d4_4\u2033][et_pb_post_title admin_label=\u201dPost Title\u201d title=\u201don\u201d meta=\u201don\u201d author=\u201doff\u201d date=\u201don\u201d categories=\u201don\u201d comments=\u201don\u201d featured_image=\u201don\u201d featured_placement=\u201dbackground\u201d parallax_effect=\u201doff\u201d parallax_method=\u201don\u201d text_orientation=\u201dleft\u201d text_color=\u201dlight\u201d text_background=\u201don\u201d text_bg_color=\u201d#086a87\u2033 module_bg_color=\u201drgba(255,255,255,0)\u201d title_all_caps=\u201doff\u201d use_border_color=\u201doff\u201d border_color=\u201d#ffffff\u201d border_style=\u201dsolid\u201d \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=\u201drow\u201d][et_pb_column type=\u201d4_4\u2033][et_pb_text admin_label=\u201dText\u201d]<\/p>\n
Part two, you ask?<\/strong> Well\u2026I blathered on so much about my history, I had to chop it into two parts\u2026Please bear with me.<\/p>\n \u2026So the decision was made. No Diet For Annette!<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t lay down and die, though. (Duh\u2026I\u2019m typing right now.) What I did do was take a hard look at what I was doing\u2026and not doing. \u00a0I was stopping at McDonald\u2019s for breakfast on the way to work. Having pizza for lunch at work. Eating snacks from the office kitchen. Grabbing an afternoon coffee drink treat. Stopping at Burger King on the way home after working 10+ hours. \u00a0Sleeping maybe 5 hours each night. Then doing it again and again and again. On the weekends, I was often too tired to do much more than sleep and order Indian or Thai food delivered. \u00a0I rarely went outside. I rarely went out with my husband. I never worked in the yard. I rarely did anything but sit around, watch tv, surf the internet, play video games or read. To say the least, I lived a sedentary lifestyle.<\/p>\n The year or two leading up to my epiphany, each\u00a0appointment with my physician was disheartening. She never used the \u201cO\u201d word with me, because we both knew I was obese and needed to lose weight or I was going to die sooner than later. I had high blood pressure, Diabetes (Type 2), high cholesterol, and at the age of 39 I suffered\u00a0a cerebellar stroke. I was incredibly lucky. At first, it was difficult to diagnose because I didn\u2019t show any typical signs. I spoke clearly. I had control of all my limbs, I knew who I was and where I was. The only symptom I had was the most painful headache I\u2019ve ever had that lasted nearly two weeks. Even the injection pain relievers my doctor gave me lasted only a couple of hours. \u00a0I spent the next couple of weeks (when I wasn\u2019t passed out from pain) in and out of specialist offices, getting poked, prodded and examined. Toted my brain scans from one end of Los Angeles to another. \u00a0I became a case study for the Neurology department at the USC teaching hospital. Go Me! \u00a0I guess you could say my health was at a critical point.<\/p>\n So, back to my moment of clarity. \u00a0To say I changed my way of thinking is true but a bit\u00a0simple. I clearly realized I had to make serious changes. \u00a0So I did. I listened to and watched my body. I\u2019d been through almost every diet known to man, but this time I had to make my own choices. Instead of counting calories, or going cold turkey on carbs, or jumping into the Paleo craze, I tried something different. I stopped eating the one thing I ate every day\u2026the one thing most Asians and Polynesians eat every day. \u00a0I stopped eating white rice. Coming from a Hawaiian household, not eating rice is the greatest\u00a0sin. I can practically hear the insulted gasps of popos and tutus around the Internet right now. So, that change wasn\u2019t as difficult as I initially anticipated. \u00a0It\u2019s important to note that I was still eating breads and other starch laden foods, but that one change led to another change. I started drinking iced tea with no sugar. Then another\u2026I stopped eating those kitchen snacks at the office. \u00a0Yet, another\u2026I started having lunch at Subway instead of the local pizza shop. Fewer afternoon large iced mochas. Less dairy. Little by little each change built on the others and then others.<\/p>\n My pants started to fall down. A great sign. For much of that early time I never stepped on the scale. Did I say I listened to my body? \u00a0I thought so. But it doesn\u2019t hurt repeating. \u00a0I realized I am lactose intolerant, but really only with milk. I can eat cheese and yogurt without a problem. I realized I rarely felt hungry if I ate more protein during my meals. \u00a0Finally, I realized I could lose weight without actually being on a demoralizing restrictive diet. I realized I could actually walk a flight of stairs without resting half way up. I realized I needed new clothes. \u00a0By the time I next stepped on a scale, I\u2019d lost nearly 100 lbs.<\/p>\n Then, life exploded around me. On Christmas Eve 2012, my mother was diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer. An aggressive treatment of radiation and chemotherapy began almost immediately, but she lost her fight only ten months later. \u00a0Also in 2013, I was laid off with a good majority of the company for which I worked. Thankfully, I fell into a contract job\u00a0and happily worked in Santa Monica even though it could be a long commute some days. \u00a0Then one year after we buried my mother, my husband died of a sudden heart attack. \u00a0In December, 2014 I said goodbye to my husband, and sadly, also to my contract job.<\/p>\n Over the last 18 months, I\u2019ve traveled to visit family and friends in Hawaii, Washington, San Diego, Sacramento, and took a road trip through Oregon. I was also often visited by depression and a sense of futility. On the lighter side, my blood pressure is under control. My daily glucose numbers are good. I walk a couple of times each week and am up to 3 miles per walk. My weight is down about another 50 lbs. \u00a0Not anywhere near that \u201cideal\u201d weight range, but that\u2019s not really important to me. I\u2019d like to lose more weight, sure\u2026and I continue to work toward that\u2026but I\u2019d prefer to measure my \u201csuccess\u201d by no longer having Diabetes, or taking fewer medications every day, or maybe walking \u00a0a 10K soon. Oh, and I\u2019d like to go window shopping at a mall and try on clothes in as many stores as possible.<\/p>\n So here I am. Living my life without being on a diet and moving toward a healthier and more fit self. Best of all, I smile and laugh more. Hopefully I can help motivate and inspire others who struggle with the detours and roadblocks on their own life\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n Thanks for joining me this far.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [et_pb_section admin_label=\u201dsection\u201d][et_pb_row admin_label=\u201dRow\u201d][et_pb_column type=\u201d4_4\u2033][et_pb_code admin_label=\u201dCode: Google Analytics\u201d global_module=\u201d25375\u2033 saved_tabs=\u201dall\u201d]<script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i[\u2018GoogleAnalyticsObject\u2019]=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,\u2019script\u2019,\u2019https:\/\/www.google-analytics.com\/analytics.js\u2019,\u2019ga\u2019); ga(\u2018create\u2019, \u2018UA-80928733-1\u2019, \u2018auto\u2019); ga(\u2018send\u2019, \u2018pageview\u2019);[\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=\u201dRow\u201d][et_pb_column type=\u201d4_4\u2033][et_pb_post_title admin_label=\u201dPost Title\u201d title=\u201don\u201d meta=\u201don\u201d author=\u201doff\u201d date=\u201don\u201d categories=\u201don\u201d comments=\u201don\u201d featured_image=\u201don\u201d featured_placement=\u201dbackground\u201d parallax_effect=\u201doff\u201d parallax_method=\u201don\u201d text_orientation=\u201dleft\u201d text_color=\u201dlight\u201d text_background=\u201don\u201d text_bg_color=\u201d#086a87\u2033 module_bg_color=\u201drgba(255,255,255,0)\u201d title_all_caps=\u201doff\u201d use_border_color=\u201doff\u201d border_color=\u201d#ffffff\u201d border_style=\u201dsolid\u201d \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=\u201drow\u201d][et_pb_column type=\u201d4_4\u2033][et_pb_text admin_label=\u201dText\u201d] Part two, you ask? Well\u2026I blathered on so much […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Part two, you ask?<\/strong> Well...I blathered on so much about my history, I had to chop it into two parts...Please bear with me.<\/p> ...So the decision was made. No Diet For Annette!<\/p> I didn't lay down and die, though. (Duh...I'm typing right now.) What I did do was take a hard look at what I was doing...and not doing. \u00a0I was stopping at McDonald's for breakfast on the way to work. Having pizza for lunch at work. Eating snacks from the office kitchen. Grabbing an afternoon coffee drink treat. Stopping at Burger King on the way home after working 10+ hours. \u00a0Sleeping maybe 5 hours each night. Then doing it again and again and again. On the weekends, I was often too tired to do much more than sleep and order Indian or Thai food delivered. \u00a0I rarely went outside. I rarely went out with my husband. I never worked in the yard. I rarely did anything but sit around, watch tv, surf the internet, play video games or read. To say the least, I lived a sedentary lifestyle.<\/p> The year or two leading up to my epiphany, each\u00a0appointment with my physician was disheartening. She never used the \"O\" word with me, because we both knew I was obese and needed to lose weight or I was going to die sooner than later. I had high blood pressure, Diabetes (Type 2), high cholesterol, and at the age of 39 I suffered\u00a0a cerebellar stroke. I was incredibly lucky. At first, it was difficult to diagnose because I didn't show any typical signs. I spoke clearly. I had control of all my limbs, I knew who I was and where I was. The only symptom I had was the most painful headache I've ever had that lasted nearly two weeks. Even the injection pain relievers my doctor gave me lasted only a couple of hours. \u00a0I spent the next couple of weeks (when I wasn't passed out from pain) in and out of specialist offices, getting poked, prodded and examined. Toted my brain scans from one end of Los Angeles to another. \u00a0I became a case study for the Neurology department at the USC teaching hospital. Go Me! \u00a0I guess you could say my health was at a critical point.<\/p> So, back to my moment of clarity. \u00a0To say I changed my way of thinking is true but a bit\u00a0simple. I clearly realized I had to make serious changes. \u00a0So I did. I listened to and watched my body. I'd been through almost every diet known to man, but this time I had to make my own choices. Instead of counting calories, or going cold turkey on carbs, or jumping into the Paleo craze, I tried something different. I stopped eating the one thing I ate every day...the one thing most Asians and Polynesians eat every day. \u00a0I stopped eating white rice. Coming from a Hawaiian household, not eating rice is the greatest\u00a0sin. I can practically hear the insulted gasps of popos and tutus around the Internet right now. So, that change wasn't as difficult as I initially anticipated. \u00a0It's important to note that I was still eating breads and other starch laden foods, but that one change led to another change. I started drinking iced tea with no sugar. Then another...I stopped eating those kitchen snacks at the office. \u00a0Yet, another...I started having lunch at Subway instead of the local pizza shop. Fewer afternoon large iced mochas. Less dairy. Little by little each change built on the others and then others.<\/p> My pants started to fall down. A great sign. For much of that early time I never stepped on the scale. Did I say I listened to my body? \u00a0I thought so. But it doesn't hurt repeating. \u00a0I realized I am lactose intolerant, but really only with milk. I can eat cheese and yogurt without a problem. I realized I rarely felt hungry if I ate more protein during my meals. \u00a0Finally, I realized I could lose weight without actually being on a demoralizing restrictive diet. I realized I could actually walk a flight of stairs without resting half way up. I realized I needed new clothes. \u00a0By the time I next stepped on a scale, I'd lost nearly 100 lbs.<\/p> Then, life exploded around me. On Christmas Eve 2012, my mother was diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer. An aggressive treatment of radiation and chemotherapy began almost immediately, but she lost her fight only ten months later. \u00a0Also in 2013, I was laid off with a good majority of the company for which I worked. Thankfully, I fell into a contract job\u00a0and happily worked in Santa Monica even though it could be a long commute some days. \u00a0Then one year after we buried my mother, my husband died of a sudden heart attack. \u00a0In December, 2014 I said goodbye to my husband, and sadly, also to my contract job.<\/p> Over the last 18 months, I've traveled to visit family and friends in Hawaii, Washington, San Diego, Sacramento, and took a road trip through Oregon. I was also often visited by depression and a sense of futility. On the lighter side, my blood pressure is under control. My daily glucose numbers are good. I walk a couple of times each week and am up to 3 miles per walk. My weight is down about another 50 lbs. \u00a0Not anywhere near that \"ideal\" weight range, but that's not really important to me. I'd like to lose more weight, sure...and I continue to work toward that...but I'd prefer to measure my \"success\" by no longer having Diabetes, or taking fewer medications every day, or maybe walking \u00a0a 10K soon. Oh, and I'd like to go window shopping at a mall and try on clothes in as many stores as possible.<\/p> So here I am. Living my life without being on a diet and moving toward a healthier and more fit self. Best of all, I smile and laugh more. Hopefully I can help motivate and inspire others who struggle with the detours and roadblocks on their own life's journey.<\/p> Thanks for joining me this far.<\/p>","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,5],"tags":[72],"class_list":["post-188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deep-thoughts","category-mindfulness","tag-weight-loss","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nodietliving.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/7981773158_bd6ef51c0c_h.jpg?fit=1600%2C888&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7ITtH-32","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":193,"href":"https:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions\/193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nodietliving.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}