HELLO

New Orleans. What imagines does it conjure in your mind? Gumbo, Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street, French Quarter, St Louis Cathedral, beignets, Café au Lait, Hurricanes from Pat O’Brien’s, hurricanes from the Gulf of Mexico, the food (jambalaya, red beans and rice, po-boys, fried seafood, fried anything); the numerous fine restaurants; or one of our many festivals.

Why am I talking about New Orleans? I am a New Orleanian. I love New Orleans. I love the culture and I enjoyed learning how to cook the cuisine. Cooking has been a hobby of mine since I was very young. I loved helping my parents cook whenever special occasions came around. As an adult, the only cooking method I will not cook in my home is deep frying, but that choice has nothing to do with my health. Deep frying is messy and difficult to clean up. I save eating deep fried foods for when I eat at a restaurant.

New Orleanians love to celebrate and good food is always present at these celebrations. For many years I enjoyed this lifestyle. I never put thought into my overall or long-term health. That is until June 12, 2019. I had an appointment with my pulmonologist because my “asthma” was acting up. It was very difficult to breathe. Just walking the length of my car, I would be totally out of breath. I needed to sit in my car several minutes to catch my breath.

Who am I? I am 64-year-old female on a journey to regaining as much of my health as I can. As I said before, I am a New Orleanian. I am a catholic. I mention this, because my faith has played a role in this process.

As it turned out, my “asthma” was not asthma. It was congestive heart failure. I was sent immediately to the emergency room from the doctor’s office. I ended up in the coronary care unit (CCU) for 10 days. I was diagnosed with morbid obesity, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and until just recently an insulin dependent type 2 diabetic. And that is what brings me here today. When my family and friends found out that I was off all diabetic medication and lost 100 pounds, they encouraged me to share my journey to my emerging health. I say emerging because although I have accomplished much, I still have much to accomplish.

I will share with you my ups, my downs, and how I conquered obstacles to my success. I will share recipes, healthier versions of childhood favorites and the joy of experimenting with flavor, herbs and spices. With the exception of pertinent background information, this blog will about my evolution in the last three years since my hospitalization and my continued journey of weight loss and restoration to health. Learning and implementing a new way of living is an involved process. It involves honest self-evaluation, the setting of goals, the educating yourself on the pathways available to achieving the goals, deciding which of these methods is sustainable for yourself and then the discipline to keep trying to implement the new lifestyle choices, no matter how many times you (and I) have to start again.

I am writing about my journey and to what is working for me now. What is working for me may not be right for you. I don’t expect anyone to just follow my plan because it is working for me. Weight loss is difficult. Permanent weight loss is even more complex. I know. I have done my own share of yo-yoing. I have seen numerous statistics all saying that well over 90% of people who have lost weight, regain it. What a dismal statistic.

I invite you to join me on my quest to improve my health. This will be my story. I hope it will inspire and help you achieve your goals.

As we say in Nawlins, “laissez les bon temps rouler.”