A Weighty Subject

A couple of months ago Kahuna had his blood pressure checked after an unusually rough week. It was sky high. I’m talking in the triple digits both systolic and diastolic. This of course sent me into high alert. Heart disease runs in his family, it runs in my family and it frightens me. He and I took a long hard look at one another and decided it was time to do something. We had spent a long cold winter eating comfort food. Our pants were too tight and our double chins were sagging. Then another thought hit me. We were going back to California. This meant bathing suits and surfboards. I was sure if I ventured onto the beach in the state I was in I would promptly be mistaken for a beached whale and pulled kicking and screaming into the surf.

I went into the kitchen of our little condo and surveyed my pantry. I peered into the refrigerator and sighed. Then I made the announcement “no more cookies, cakes, pies or biscuits. We are no longer allowed to eat sweets or starches. We must purge our systems of the evil that is sugar.” Kahuna looked at me then looked back at the blood pressure monitor we had purchased and said “can we do it? Can we forego your homemade Snickerdoodles and Milano cookies? Can we live without your Impossible Buttermilk pie? Does this mean no more corn bread or homemade rolls? Oh my GOD this means no more homemade pizza on Sunday night?” I hugged him and patted his head and replied “yes dear, gone, they are all gone.”

I sat down made out my grocery list and then fed the squirrels the last of my cornbread and said goodbye to sugar sandwiches. That evening we started our adventure into dare I say No Whitefoodland. We banned all things white with the exception of cauliflower. We began eating three real meals a day. We snacked on celery and cucumbers instead of chips and popcorn. We assuaged our need for sweet with sugar free jello and filled the gap of variety with making up new ways to eat meat.

Now I’m happy to report it is one month later. We have adjusted to our new eating habits although occasionally I will crave something sweet. Something made with REAL sugar or I will have a hankering for mashed potatoes instead of mashed cauliflower. The best news is we went to our cardiologist this week and guess what. We both lost weight but even better Kahuna’s blood pressure is back in the realm of reality. It’s not perfect yet but he at least is out of danger of having a massive stroke. Our physician is very innovative and progressive and believes in both holistic and traditional medicine working together. She believes in using Yoga breathing to help lower your blood pressure along with meditation and medication. Then she gave us our nutrition guide. I was right on. She gave us a specific diet regimen. I read through the list and we were already doing everything on the list.

We are headed to the sand and the surf this week. I pulled out my bathing suites and looked at my translucent body and wondered. Will they think I’m just a skinner whale?

PSA: Get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked on a regular basis.