Colonoscopy

Is It Time For Your Colonoscopy? 

So I took last week off from my blog because I needed to mentally prepare as well as physically prepare for my first ever colonoscopy. I wouldn’t say I am a hypochondriac but I would say I am a realist. I know anything can and will happen in life and you need to prepare. So many of you reading this are not yet in your 50’s which is the age that it is recommended that you get your first colonoscopy (I turned 52 this summer) but you more than likely have parents or grandparents and it  is important to have the discussion if you haven’t already.

Family History

Your family history is important, but so is your family. So if you don’t know if your family members that have reached their 50’s, have had their colonoscopy ask them. Colon cancer is curable if treated early. Plus, as I mentioned in Chapter 1 of TimerDiet it feels so good to get your annual exam and know everything is fine! I have to say for the last two years it has been on the back of my mind. My doctor of 25 years asked me when I turned 50 when I was going to have one. The last time I went in for my annual visit, I made a deal if there wasn’t anything abnormal in my stool sample I didn’t need to go—I passed, so I didn’t get one…but then this summer I got a postcard in the mail from Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Insurance Coverage

I received a post card from Blue Cross Blue Shield that changed my mind. I called about 5 times just to make sure I had everything right: an approved doctor, anesthesiologist, and hospital/treatment center. I asked a lot of questions (as you should, too!) and found out that if I had my colonoscopy before I had any symptoms the procedure did not go against my $7,500 deductible. Yeah! I called back, “Are you sure?” Yes, yes, yes…I think they were glad when I finally believed them. So far so good, the explanation of benefits for the hospital/treatment center came in today and Blue Cross Blue Shield paid all of it. If you wait until you have symptoms or something turns up during your annual exam, then you are not going to be so lucky. So check your insurance coverage and see if it is covered before you must have the procedure.

It Wasn’t Fun…but

I am not going to lie the whole ordeal was not fun, but it also wasn’t awful. Had I to do all over again, I would hydrate more a few days before the process begins, since I got a headache in the middle of the night. The headache was the worst part. Since it affected my ability to keep liquids down and made the morning of the procedure not so fun!  But, the procedure itself was easy peasy, and the prepping (other than the headache) was not as bad as I thought. Having said that, we are all grown-ups and from time to time we have to do things that are not so fun. So if it is time for you to do it—DO IT!! You will feel so good when it is over and you get the “ALL Clear” signal. If for some reason you don’t, more than likely you caught it early enough and the early treatment will have you doing well in no time!

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet and TimerOrganizer

Breakfast is Under Attack

Breakfast Is Under Attack

Or is it? So there was a new study that came out and said that eating breakfast (unknown what they ate for breakfast) did not provide any meaningful data for weight loss. Another day, another study. But, what were the parameters of the study were they allowed to eat anything they wanted for breakfast? Pancakes and syrup? Waffles and whipped cream? Dry sugar coated cereal? When you are told you can eat or not eat and there is no direction there is also no control group.

Let’s Assume

So maybe the group was given a set of choices for breakfast (benefit of the doubt that they were well-balanced) and the other group did not have breakfast. Do we know if the non-breakfast eaters were allowed a mid-morning snack when they were hungry? Or forced to wait it out till lunch? And what were their choices of foods during the rest of day. The same as everyone else or just allowed to eat what they wanted? So much data that is needed to know the background of the study. Also, what were they told about the study? Mindset is as important to weight loss as anything. Did they know what the anticipated results were? Did they know the Doctor conducting the study didn’t like breakfast and was tired of being told to eat breakfast?

Is It All About Losing Weight?

When it comes down to it is breakfast all about losing weight? I eat breakfast every day and I haven’t needed to lose weight for over 5 years.  So I never said that eating breakfast will make you lose weight. Otherwise I would continue to keep losing weight until I was nothing…eating breakfast makes me feel better and I think helps me make better choices throughout the day. I don’t eat a big breakfast usually. Most times it is an egg with some Canadian bacon and a little fruit or veggies in the egg. I also never deprived myself throughout the day just to see if I can lose more weight. Eating is about making you productive during the each day, giving you the ability to think and focus and the energy to do what you need to do and the ability go to sleep at night and start all over again.

Remember that Breakfast is breaking the fast; so no matter what time you do it and no matter what you eat, you need Breakfast!!

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet and TimerOrganizer

www.timerdiet.com

www.timerorganizer.com

Conferences

Choices!!!

Conferences

Do you have any conferences coming up? It seems like summer is the time for conferences so you can combine some fun with some education. Sounds like a great idea! But if you don’t think about what you are eating, need to eat, and options available to you it can spell disaster for your waistline!

What to Bring to a Conference

Beef jerky and individual packages of shelled nuts are easy to bring and snack on if needed and will last all day long. But, what about your beverages? Water, water, and more water!!! Coffee in the morning is fine, but once you are ready to move on to something cooler, it needs to be water and even more water. Conferences are long and can be tiring, keeping hydrated will not only be good for your body it will also help keep you alert. Whereas if you are drinking sugary drinks (or even sugar substitutes) you will feel sluggish.

If You Don’t Believe Me

Take one day and drink your normal sugary drinks (only if this is what you normally do) and then once an hour write down how you feel during the afternoon. Then on a completely different day do not have any sugary drinks and then around NOON change over to water for the afternoon and also keep track of how you feel every hour for the afternoon. (See I told you!!)

Make Wise Food Choices

Sometimes when you are at a conference you are responsible for buying lunch from food vendors and other times lunch is provided. More than likely there will be well-balanced options if you look hard enough. Even when the lunch is provided, you don’t have to eat all the mashed potatoes, bread rolls, AND dessert. You can either have a little of each or a normal amount of one, and then be sure to get some dietary fat and protein into your meal!

You can do it!!!

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet

www.timerdiet.com