My man. His health. Our journey.

A while back I shared this post about when God sometimes rolls back the curtain of what He has been doing in our lives that we aren't aware of.  Quoting John Piper, "God is always doing 10,000 things when we can only see 3."    I had been on a weight loss wellness journey that had changed the dynamics of how we eat around here and then we found out that Nick had type 2 diabetes. You can see how high his numbers were in the post….it is still amazing to me that he did not have a heart attack or something while we weren't aware of what was going on in his body. (607 triglycerides!! YIKES)  He was diagnosed in early Janurary and  I wrote about it in February. He  was already on the right track with his diet and was determined to not be dependent on medicine to control the diabetes.

Well, it's been six months since then and Nick went back for his check up and had more blood work done recently.   His numbers are astounding.  And on top of that, he's lost about 50 pounds.  I am so proud of his self control and desire to live a healthy life.    Together we have lost right at 100 pounds!

 I will let you read his thoughts on it in his own words.  If you follow Nick on Instagram then you know how gifted he is with taking a picture of something ordinary and then tying God's truth to it to teach a point.  This is what he shared last week about his results. 

Blood... your blood, my blood, our blood tells a story. A few months ago we shared with you that my blood was telling me that it couldn't keep up with the burden that I was giving it to carry. It was doing all that it could to supply life to my body but I wasn't helping it do what it was designed to do. I was filling my veins with sugar and my blood was begging and pleading with my doctor to do whatever was necessary to place it into the "witness protection program." When the scrutiny of the lab finished its investigation, both the analysis and polygraph validated the blood's story... I was found guilty and convicted for attempted murder against my own life and was sentenced to life with no possibility of sugar and carbs. What evidence did they have against me? My blood told them about my numbers --- and the numbers don't lie: 
(1) Blood Sugar: 285 (High)
(2) A1C: 10.1 (off the charts)
(3) Cholesterol:  222 (High)
(4) Triglycerides: 607 (Extreme)

(5) Blood pressure: 140/90
Well, I had a gracious Judge and He reduced my sentence down, ordered me to educate myself about my blood and He put me on probation... until my next blood test. Skip a few months, and after some lifestyle changes, cleaning up my act and folks like you praying for me, my blood was questioned again recently. This is what it said: 
(1) Blood Sugar: 98 (Great)
(2) A1C: 5.4 (Good)
(3) Cholesterol: 157 (Good)
(4) Triglycerides: 112 (Glorious) 

(5) Blood pressure: 100/60

I'm grateful for friends who have prayed and encouraged me through this... and so thankful that the blood still speaks... yours, mine, and most importantly, Jesus'. What's yours and His saying to you? Blessings friends... let it speak! Hebrews 12:24 

Is that not incredible!! I share all this to encourage someone who needs to make changes in their diet for their health's sake. You CAN do it. Nick and I love food.  We love cooking food.  We love eating food. We  love to fellowship with people around the table and food is just a big part of who we are.   So we understand the pull that food can have on a persons life!  

But I'm here to testify that you can still enjoy food and eat lots of it if you learn how to eat the right stuff.  We are proof of that.   We have introduced ourselves to new foods and have discovered new ways to cook old favorites that are more healthy..  it can be done.

Now grant it, gone are the days of baking my own bread, and having yeast rolls or biscuits or corn bread or  fresh, hot melty french bread with every meal.  But I can honestly say I don't miss it.  I will occasionally enjoy a roll or a po-boy on french bread when we eat out but we never keep them at home anymore. 

At first such choices had to be thought about consciously.  Now, it's second nature.  It has become our way of life.   We don't even go down the chip aisle anymore at the grocery store but instead by huge bags of almonds to eat for a snack. Our refrigerator is always full with fresh fruit and vegetables and now my pantry has lots of room on its shelves because we buy limited cans and stuff that comes in boxes.  And y'all.  We feel so much better.  

For you ladies who have husbands who are not on board with your desire to eat and cook healthy choices, I understand that makes it harder but it is still doable.  It is our responsibility as wives and mothers to make the right choices of what we feed our families…even when it comes with resistance.  As I stated in my first post, I shudder to think what could have happened to Nick had I not started him reluctantly down the road to eating healthy when I did.   My own dad died of heart disease at the young age of 43.  So I get the reality of what poor food choices can bring.

But I will say this….it is a thousands times more fun now that Nick is walking with me on this journey.  In fact, he's running way ahead now pulling me along!  He's the one who gets in the kitchen and experiments with new ways of cooking foods and I am so thankful.  God did exceedingly and abundantly more than I had ever imagined or hoped for.  So ladies, pray for those men of yours.  Be persistent and keep making the best choices you can on your own and let God do a work in his heart.  It may take something major to get him on board…like diabetes did with Nick.  But, don't give up.  Just keep offering yummy alternatives with a smile and a whisper in his ear of how you want him healthy enough to grow old with you. Because as I've said many times before…Paw Paws are sexy!

(cuff by farmgirlpaints.  Thank you Home Slice. xxoo)

I'll leave with you some great before and after pics.
Because sometimes seeing is believing!

 He has gone from wearing a size 38 to a size 33!

Woah!

We were "puffy". lol

This one kills me. Puffy and blondie.

I'm so thankful beyond measure of this new journey the Lord us on.
I'm thankful we woke up and began our "temple maintenance" before it was too late.

What about you?  Today is the best day to start taking care of what the Lord has entrusted to you.
Your body and your family.

I'll be praying for you!  You can do it!