More than just a resolution

Phil Cobb

I think it’s been six or eight months since I wrote about some of the health issues I have been experiencing in recent years.

My doctor had told me that if I didn’t get my blood pressure under control he would have to put me on medication to control it.

He gave me three months.

According to him, it’s a lot more about diet and not so much about exercise.

I said with complete confidence, “I can do this. I know I can.”

I immediately and dramatically changed my diet.

Less salt. Less sugar. Less caffeine. Less taste. Less enjoyment.

You get the idea.

My breakfast usually consisted of a hard-boiled egg, a banana, a handful of nuts, and a bottle of water.

I still allowed myself to have a cup of coffee each morning — but a smaller one.

Lunch was almost always a salad bar from Hy-Vee with a large glass of unsweetened iced tea.

Supper was the biggest challenge.

Chaundee is an amazing cook, and almost always has something yummy ready to eat when I get home from work.

See, she grew up in Louisiana, and when I married her, I entered into a whole new world of cuisine — jambalaya, éttoufée, gumbo, and tomato gravy, just to name a few of the mouth-watering dishes that she and/or her mother would prepare.

Plenty of spice, plenty of seasoning, plenty of salt.

I fell in love with Louisiana-style cooking.

And it’s hard to give it up.

I still allowed myself to partake of said deliciousness, just in smaller portions.

And it all worked.

I dropped 25 pounds in what seemed like no time.

My blood pressure went down, and stayed, within a normal range for a man my age.

Here’s where things started going sideways.

It’s one thing to watch your diet when you feel bad.

Feeling like you might die is amazing motivation.

It’s an entirely different thing to be good when you feel good.

And I started feeling a lot better.

My clothes fit better. I slept better.

I’m sure I was in a better mood.

And I know I had more energy.

So, very gradually, my old eating habits started sneaking back in.

Maybe a quarter pounder with cheese once in awhile.

Maybe a Dr. Pepper.

Fries, too.

Then the holidays.

Peanut clusters are my worst enemy.

Oh, why not a bowl of ice cream before bed?

Just one won’t hurt.

Before you know it, and before I even realized it, the weight went back up, the energy level went down, the amount of quality sleep reduced to almost nothing.

Then … this past weekend … the headaches.

I forgot about the headaches.

It’s a certain kind of headache that is very recognizable if you’ve had them before.

I knew I needed to check my blood pressure.

It had been more than three months since I kept a daily log of my readings.

Yikes!

So, here I go again.

I know what to do, and I know how to do it.

I just have to stick with it this time.

This is more than a New Year’s resolution.

My future depends on it.