Cooperative Living February 2019 - 6

MemberFYI | by Lisa Templeton Rigoni, Contributing Writer
Journey to better health from the inside out
R
unning for fun? No way! Spending
time in the gym? Yeah, right! Eating
food for fuel? Seriously? I was the girl
who hated physical education and didn't
play sports. Junk food was the only food
category I wasn't picky about, and I had no
health concerns or weight issues.
KEEPING SECRETS
How things can change. Fast-forward a
decade or so. I gained weight, was tired all
the time and tried to make light of it. I
used to laugh it off and say, " At 5 feet 2
inches and 174 pounds, I'm under tall, not
overweight. " Guess the joke was on me.
The scale tipped closer to the 200 line than
the 126 pounds still on my driver's license.
That was in 2009. I wore clothes to
camouflage the rolls. I found out later the
big, bulky shirts and stretchy pants served
as a way for me to hide myself, and it was
more than extra pounds. I added layers to
help cover my sadness, anger, resentment,
food addiction, financial woes and more.
Few people knew any of that. Most saw
me as healthy, happy and confident. Like
drug and alcohol addiction, food addiction
is a serious problem. I know firsthand. You
could call me a junk food junkie,
chocoholic and sugar addict - names
usually spoken whimsically. However, for
the food-addicted person who stuffs bags of
chocolates or cookies in the nightstand for
binging or stops at the drive-thru for a
double cheeseburger and a shake on the
way home from work before dinner, and
also eats the full dinner, it's no joke. I've
gone through the drive-thru and then
hidden the empty bag and cup so no one
would know.
Mental, emotional and spiritual issues
can become prevalent for someone with
weight-related issues. Depression, feeling
unworthy. These breakdowns in our minds
WhatzIt?
Each issue, we will publish a photo of a familiar
but unidentified object. You are invited to make
your best guess and submit it in writing, along
with your name, address and phone number.
Either mail to Whatzit?, c/o Cooperative Living,
P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340 or
guess online at co-opliving.com under
" Contests. " The deadline for this month's
entries is Feb. 20, 2019. Correct entries will
be placed in a drawing and the winner
announced in the May 2019 issue.
The winner will receive a check for $25. n
4 | Cooperative Living | February 2019
and hearts can lead to isolation and
withdrawal from others, even the positive
relationships. The good news? There are
resources to help you move forward.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
My husband, Mike, a physical education
teacher and a basketball coach at the time,
went through his own health crisis. He was
overweight, run-down, taking three blood
pressure medications and often barely had
the energy to get through the day. He also
had issues with sugar. Diabetes and
hypoglycemia run in his family.
We ate fast food. Most of our meals came
from a box, a bag, the freezer or a drivethru.
It was mostly processed food, full of
sugar and fat. We loved it. Plus, it was easy
and cheap.
When Mike and I met in 1990, he was
active, playing softball. Later, he played
men's recreational basketball until his legs
and ankles got the better of him - too
much wear and tear. His weight had also
increased, which led to surgeries - knee,
both Achilles' heels and the removal of a
bone spur. He was benched for a while but
returned to the basketball court later.
Still overweight, his doctor scolded him
about his blood pressure and warned he
was a ticking time bomb waiting to
explode. Then another year, another
physical and a new doctor with a fresh
approach. The doctor asked him directly,
" Are you leading by example? " Referring to
how he was living in front of his students
and players ... those he was teaching and
coaching toward healthy lifestyles.
That question clicked in his head, and
the answer was an emphatic, " No! " His
transformation began that night. He joined
a gym and cleared our kitchen of junk
food, replacing it with healthier, whole
foods. Subway became our fast-food
L-R: Lisa Templeton Rigoni, contributing
writer, and Sonya Jones, writer of 44 Lessons
From A Loser.
choice. We started eating at home - more
salads, fruits and vegetables, lean meat.
There was no magic formula or pill. It was
hard work, discipline and an intentional
new mindset.
REALITY CHECK
That single question was his reality check.
It was hard to swallow, as are the national
statistics. The U.S. has one of the highest
percentages of obesity in the world. According
to reports from the National Center for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
nearly 40 percent (almost 94 million) of
adults and 18.5 percent (13.7 million) of
children and adolescents are obese.
The CDC estimates if things don't change
by 2030, there will be a new reality, and it
will affect younger generations, too. Half of
U.S. teenagers will be overweight or obese.
One third of kids between 6 and 11 years
old will fall into the same category. In fact,
more than 57 percent of today's children
will be obese by the time they are 35.
Mike and I had fallen into the unhealthy
category. He stepped up first to make the
necessary changes. I was still on the fence.
At a dinner with my co-workers, someone
asked Mike how much weight he had lost. I
was busily chatting with someone else when
I heard him respond, " About 50 pounds. " I
spun around, shocked. " You've lost 50
pounds? " He smiled.
How did he do it? He changed the way he
The NovemberDecember
WHATZIT
was
a gobbler turkey
neck. Reader
William Reese
of Blackstone
was our
$25 winner.
 DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?
Congratulations, William! n
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Cooperative Living February 2019

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