My story!(VERY loong!)

DebbieH

Cathlete
Well, Donna & HB, here it is!

Whew, were do I start? My story is a bit different from the other inspiring success stories here. Mine, mainly centers around beating the odds of genetics & a life style I was accustomed too, growing up. As a matter of fact, I have never had a MAJOR weight problem, other then about 20 pounds over. I, constantly, since my two children were born, struggled with that excess. I come from a family where death by obesity, heart disease and cancer run rampant. I lost my mother at the young age of 43 to a tragic car accident. My kids were only 6 months old and 6 years old. My Mom's weight did not contribute to her death of course, but she was overweight. I have lost ALL relatives on my Mom's side (her parents, both to heart attacks, one brother to a heart attack and one brother to cancer. She has two siblings still living, one of which has cancer and heart problems.) I have ONLY ONE living relative on my Dad's side. My dad was 350 pounds. He had a heart attack at age 49. They did surgery and came to find out that 5 arteries were blocked. Due to time under anesthetic, they did a quadruple by-pass rather then all five. The heart attack scared him enough to get serious enough about his health. After recovery, he started a fast walking program and a cleaner diet. He got down to 250 lbs.! He was delighted/proud of himself and so was I! Unfortunately, over the next 5 years, he gained it all back! Then, my youngest sis got pregnant with what was supposed to be his last grandchild. (she ended up having one more!) He was determined he wanted to "get healthy" so he could see this last grandchild be born. Again, he started a walking program and had lost 90 pounds when the baby was born. He went to the Dr. for a check-up and the Dr. said, "Keep up the good job!" The day after, he died of a massive heart attack at the young age of 54! He had planned that following week to go see his grandbaby but never got to see her. All 4 of us kids were devastated to say the least, but my sis with the new baby just cried & cried because he would never see her child. I truly think his death was the MAJOR turning point in my life. I decided I HAD to get serious about my health and the odds I was facing. I became a Hi/Lo instructor back in 1981. After about two years, I had lost 10 pounds. I, still to this day, battle 10 pounds, but I try not to concentrate on the scales. I feel VERY healthy and have gone from a size 12 to an 8. I have learned so much thru this forum and from using Cathe tapes that I know it is JUST a number! My main focus now is being the BEST I can be! I truly think that my image of myself has changed drastically since adding Cathe strength tapes into the mix. I saw a pix of me from last Summer & I have to admit, I saw someone in that pix that had some muscles and not ALL fat! It was me!!! I had never seen myself that way before! I finally realized that all this HARD work has paid off. I am still a work in progress and mostly having to work hard at the clean eating aspect as we were raised on tons of carbs and lots of fatty foods. I have the exercise part down real GOOD! For a grandma at 50 I feel pretty darn good! I lost my brother to cancer almost 3 years ago at the young age of 44. Another big eye-opener! I know I have jumped all over the place on this post, but my main point (& I do have one!) I want to stress, is that I decided not to let the odds get the best of me. I am going to be the BEST I can be! I am in the process of trying to persuade both of my sisters who are sedentary to start a healthier lifestyle because I want them to be with me in my OLD age. I have had the JOY of my hubby/best friend join me this past year doing Cathe's strength tapes. It is the FIRST time in his life that he has stayed comitted/consistent to a workout! He looks forward to "seeing" Cathe 3X/week with me!!I know I have rambled on & on here & talked in circles, but I just want to take the time to THANK Cathe, SNM and all my cyber friends here (5 of whom I have had the pleasure of meeting in person! Hi Murph, HB, Erica, Aimee & Lisa! http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/happy/xyxwave.gif)I am sooo blessed to have found this place & it has definitely helped me in my journey by kicking my fitness level up a few EXTRA notches! Cathe's tapes deliver & they were just the extra "push" I needed to kick heart disease right out the window! I enjoy life to the fullest, all my loved ones still remaining, my hubby/best friend, my two children, their spouse/fiance, and my granddaughter. There's no stopping me now! A big hug to you ALL!!!!! http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/knuddel.gif

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.smilies-world.de/Smilies/Smilies_klein_1/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
Thanks for sharing that. I can very much relate. Most of my family is heavy and have died from heart disease. My maternal and paternal grandpas both died from heart attacks. My dad had a stroke Nov of 2001 and weighed 285. He was still recovering and going through therapy when he was diagnosed with Cancer of the throat and neck. He just recently finished up chemo and radiation treatment. He is very determined to live right now, mostly for his grandchildren.
A healthy lifestyle will always be a part of my life. I also have a problem with the clean eating all the time. But, each day is a new day.

Great success story!

Beverly
Fitness4Ever!

www.geocities.com/bankerk/Bevs_Page.html
 
Hi Deb,

I still remember the tears in my eyes when I first read your email to me about your family and how their lives impacted yours, and reading your story here just brought it all back. It is so hard to break away from what we've been raised on, and even harder to live with seeing those in our family that haven't made the changes and know what is in store for them down the road. I'm in a place now with my girls that frightens me, I'm watching their weight grow by the month, and I'm so afraid I may out live them some day if I can't get them to wake up now.
I'm going to email them your story in hopes of them relating it to our own family. Thank you for sharing your very personal life and story with us, I know you'll touch many with your story and maybe even help someone get their own mom or dad to make some changes before it's too late.

Donna

Fitness~ It's a journey, not a race!
 
This just shows that you CAN beat the odds, and not use family genetics as an excuse to be overweight. If you and Donna can do it, ANYBODY can!

Thanks for sharing your story with us!
 
Wow, DebbieH! I can SO relate to your story! Thank you so much for sharing.

You (and everyone else here) give me the extra support that I need to keep going with my fitness/health regime. You are such a positive influence! Thanks again!
 
Thanks!

You guys are GREAT!
Beverly~I hope your dad is coming along okay. Keep me posted. He sure has been thru a lot. You are right on the clean eating part~Each day IS a new day!

HB~You've always encouraged me from the day that I met you that I don't have to settle for those odds against me. Thanks for that!

Donna~I hope SOMETHING I said will trigger it for them. It is soo easy to think when we are young that nothing will ever happen to us. Thanks for all your encouragement along my journey also.

Barbie~That means a lot to me! THANKS! You should post your story??? Glad I could encourage you some.
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.smilies-world.de/Smilies/Smilies_klein_1/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
Miz Donna, don't give up...you continue to be an example for your kids, and someday hopefully, they will come to you for help. It may take an off-hand remark from one of their peers to wake them up, or that of a doctor as in your case. Hang strong!
 
Debbie! Sisters in another life!

We were, Debbie, I'm sure of it. With a few tweaks here and there I could have WRITTEN your post, girlfriend. It just makes me feel almost absurdly emotional to realize the connection that I feel with you and with so many other cyberpals here.

I've got a peace-of-mind suggestion for you, from one daughter-of-families-with-really-scary-diseases to another: go get a baseline coronary artery MRI. I just had one done in conjunction with my physical -- and it was at my request, not my internist's. With my family's history of heart disease (cancer too, but I digress) and my own mildly elevated cholesterol which wants to stay that way apparently no matter what I do or eat, I decided that I wanted to know exactly how my coronary arteries look right now. My internist did not feel it was an essential test, but he supported me and thought that given my family history it was a good baseline to take now, at age 47 1/2. My dad was my age when he suffered his first major angina attack, and he then lived only 9 more years -- he had an angioplasty at 52 and died of a massive coronary at age 56, shortly after having been told that his arteries looked pretty good at that point. (I told you the parallels were there, huh?)

The MRI took 5 minutes (open MRI machine, no stress) and the results were back in 24 hours, showing that my coronary arteries, thank God, are clear. I can't tell ya, but I'm sure you can accurately imagine, how good it feels to know that.

Our insurance didn't cover this test and it was expensive ($400), but it's been worth every plug nickel to me and has made me feel not only a renewed sense of dedication to my exercise program but also a sense that I'm safe in "pushing" myself to my limits.

Well, I am realizing that this post has morphed into a lot about me, and I started posting spontaneously in response to how AMAZING your post was and how much our lives parallel -- so I'll just be quiet now!

You just keep taking good care of yourself, and reach out for this big ol' hug I'm sending you! Thank you for all the generosity of spirit that you share with everyone here, Debbie -- I always look for and read your posts because you're such a true ray of sunshine (I know that just sounds hopelessly dorky but it's the EXACTLY correct description!) I can't wait to meet you at Cathe's one day soon!

Your Southern friend and former Egyptian Princess Sister,
http://www.clicksmilie.de/sammlung/sport/sport003.gif Kathy S.
 
Kathy!

You are so sweet! I would gladly call you my sis! From the very start, since I "met" you here, I always felt a connection with you also. Isn't that strange? Talk about a ray of sunshine! That is what I think of YOU when I read your posts. (Okay, now we are even on the "dorky" feeings! Ha!) Sorry to hear about your dad. I know the feeling you have of his absence. Glad to know though that you are doing the best you can do for yourself. You can't do better then Cathe! Thanks for sharing with me. I am glad to have learned some of YOU too! THANKS!
P.S.Thank you for the suggestion on the MRI. I have never given that a thought. As a matter of fact, I never go to the Dr. and I know I SHOULD for at least a baseline.
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.smilies-world.de/Smilies/Smilies_klein_1/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
RE: Kathy!

Hi Debbie,
I so appreciated you sharing your story with us. You are such an "Up" person, always making new ones feel welcome, encouraging all of us. You are such a sweet, kind and caring person. That all comes through on your posts.
All the while you've had your own dragons to fight.
How tragic about your Dad. I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. While the pain lessens somewhat over time, it still feels like there is a hole in your heart. I lost my Mom many years ago, from a heart attack. She got up to 300 pounds. No matter how much I begged, she wouldn't do any kind of exercise.

You are living proof that the excuse "I can't help the way I am...Its in my genes" don't jive. You can change things if you take the bull by the horns.
A big congratulations for getting your hubby to exercise with you. He is adding years to his life as well. :D
 
Thanks Wanda!

Thank you for your kind words! They mean so much! Yes, time does lessen the hurt but there is definitely a hole in my heart for my mom, dad & brother! I'm sorry to hear of your loss also. We just need to be as healthy as we CAN be! Yes, I am sooo happy my hubby has joined me. As a diabetic, he has issues he needs to stay on top of and the exercising has made him feel sooo much better. I am happy as can be for that! Thank you for posting. You are so kind!
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.smilies-world.de/Smilies/Smilies_klein_1/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
RE: Debbie! Sisters in another life!

On my mother's side of the family, I have the genetics to live long with really rotten habits - I have an aunt who is 97 and will live another 10 years, I'm sure. On my father's side I have heart disease -my father has good habits (unless you count WORRYING about his business) and had bypass surgery in 1990 at age 64, and an angioplasty two years ago.

Women HAVE to take heart disease seriously, so Miz Cleopatra Kathy, it's good that you insisted on that test! Primarily, I know I work out mainly for how it makes me look, but I KNOW I'm getting really good benefits healthwise, so with my genetics, maybe I'll live to be 108.
 
Thanks HB!

I agree (as usual) with everything you say. When you get right down to it, there really is just no reason NOT to exercise both cardio and strength, unless your physician tells you a big NO. I'm planning on maintaining my good habits until I look plain silly in my workout clothes!

And hey, thanks for the tips (in another thread) re: Charlene's lower impact tapes. I use my elliptical and bike much like you do, but on days when I just feel the need to move it would be a prudent thing to lay off Miz Cathe sometimes. My old knees and ankles can't take the wee one every day!

http://www.clicksmilie.de/sammlung/sport/sport003.gif Kathy S.
 

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