Financial Impacts of Your Health

I ran into one of the graduates of the January Weight Loss Challenge, and she shared with me that when she and her husband got their blood work done for their life insurance policies, her cholesterol and triglycerides had fallens substantially. She was no longer considered "High Risk" and their insurance premiums were going to fall. Although she was pleased with the weight she lost in the program, it had not occurred to her that she would be saving money for her family by losing weight and eating more healthfully. I think that sometimes we forget about how much being overweight "costs" us. Maybe we wouldn't have to take statins or high blood pressure meds or insulin, just by losing weight (which is the case for many obese Americans.) I would be interested in hearing from you about meds you were able to give up after you lost weight.

Give anything up for Lent?

Every year I give up alcohol for the 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Well, truth be known, I usually allow myself two splurges during Lent. However, I learned several years ago that if I gave up my wine with supper, I had a terrible dessert craving, and I found I was substituting one sugar for another. So now I give up both alcohol and dessert (and any other refined sugar.) The hardest part of this is about the third day, I get a horrible sugar withdrawal headache. I felt as though I was going blind last Friday, the headache was soooooo bad.

However, Saturday morning, I was right as rain. I never really think about the addictive powers of sugar, until each year when I give it up. How about you? What do you periodically give up in your diet? Have you ever contemplated giving it up for good?

I am always grateful for how clear headed I am during Lent and always think I would be healthier if I just gave up alcohol for good