Baseball, Bricktown and Blood

          Living well into the sixth decade of our lives, we’re still finding that it’s fun to do new things – like go to a minor league baseball game for the first time ever. Oklahoma City has a beautiful baseball stadium in the heart of the city – Bricktown, we call it. And we have a great baseball team in the Oklahoma City Redhawks.

          Honestly, our new adventure came about with free tickets given by the Oklahoma Blood Institute in their recent donor campaign. Since I’m O+, I get scheduled reminders that it’s time to pay them a visit every 6 weeks. I feel blessed to be on the giving end of that procedure.

          OK, back to the game. The weather last Sunday night was quite a treat for Oklahomans coming out of two previous hot and record breaking summer seasons. Our seats were in the shade near third base and the breeze was an added pleasure.

 

          When I asked Bud how he was enjoying the game, his reply was that, well, it did give him time to think of other things. And he was so right. Baseball is relaxing to watch. And there’s just enough excitement built in with a couple of homeruns and a close-scoring game to keep relaxation from turning to boredom. Our minds did have time to think ahead – or back as the case may be. But the sound of a bat connecting with a baseball traveling 85 – 95 mph kept our thoughts from staying too far.

          Our Redhawks made us proud with two homeruns (one of them brought in a second runner) and won the game 4 – 3 over Iowa’s team.

         The tough part was inhaling the aroma of funnel cakes, hot dogs and nachos. Our new health-conscious lifestyle kept our resolve intact, and we just settled for the atmosphere of the wonderful food served up as only Oklahomans can.

          Another first? Singing along with “Take Me Out To the Ball Game” during the seventh inning stretch. It made the evening complete. We may even buy our tickets next time.

 

Stay Tuned ...

I’m taking a little side trip with my blog today. I guess you could call it, “Stay Tuned For This Important Message.”

Last summer I had reached a point of deep concern for my personal health. I’m a Type 2 Diabetic and was failing miserably with managing proper eating habits. Too many failures at weight loss attempts had me living a defeated lifestyle. News spots touting the benefits of a surgical procedure, called The Sleeve, had garnered my attention. According to the source, the procedure was effective in literally making diabetes “go away.” The news of such a quick fix certainly had my attention.

I picked up the phone and dialed my sister’s number. That sounds pretty uneventful, but sharing the news that I was seriously considering bariatric surgery with someone who nearly lost her life from a similar surgery six years prior was no small feat. Joyce used great self-control at the news, but her silence sent a very clear message: “Have you lost your mind?” When I explained why, she educated me about the difference between the sleeve and gastric bypass surgery and explained that the latter, regardless of what she had been through, would be the best option.

That’s not what I wanted to hear. Joyce’s life was turned upside down with the complications she suffered. Infections, feeding and drain tubes and almost a year of living as an invalid until she returned to her primary care physician who, among hundreds of prayers, methodically led her back to a manageable lifestyle. The horrific memories of those months returned with very sharp focus.

I decided to try once more with a plan that had not met my needs the several times I had previously signed on with it. I was determined to remain patient for at least a year and make it work. But … There’s that word again. Constant craving of carb-loaded food made that addiction stronger than my quest for health, and – once again – I was losing, not weight, but the battle.

I believe in Divine appointments, and the day my friend Sally Kern introduced me to the plan that had successfully helped her lose weight has changed my life. She simply asked me to agree to a brief phone call from Joanne Wallace-Lovelace, the person who had coached her through the change to a healthy and thinner lifestyle. Joanne’s phone call intervened at just the right time, and I agreed to try the program for 30 days.  I've never looked back.

Within 3 or 4 days of beginning this tried-and-true program on January 12, 2012 my carb addiction was gone, and the extra pounds came off very quickly. (Normal results are up to 2 – 5 pounds per week and often 20 lbs. a month.) Six months later, I’ve lost about 48 pounds and am still losing. My blood glucose levels are within the normal range, and with one-third the medication I was taking just to keep those levels below 200 (the point at which organ damage occurs.) Bud has lost over 30 pounds and his recent lab work reflects his improving health.

The program is healthy, effective and absolutely clinically tested. Approved with over 20,000 doctors recommending it! Keeping the blood sugar and the body’s insulin at constant and safe levels mean the food cravings are dealt a fatal blow.

Several weeks ago, I chose to join a national network of Health Coaches and now my passion for the mission is great!

So many family, friends and acquaintances of mine are searching, just as I was, for a solution to the health crisis that has overtaken our country and our children. It’s time to stop this madness dead in its tracks and change courses!

It is my prayer that you’ll agree to the same five-minute, no pressure phone call that will also change your life. Again, more than 20,000 doctors are using this complete program, making it their No. 1 choice for weight loss and health management in our country.

I’m committed to, not only share what I’ve learned, but to also come along side you or someone you love as a coach, guide and encourager. This is my new, healthy lifestyle and mission! I do not sell or inventory any products, and I’m not offering a wholesale club membership. I will be your guide and encouragement, as your free personal Health Coach. Our Health Coaches are compensated by the company… but at no charge to you!

PLEASE PRIVATE message me so we can connect with the best time to call. I guarantee you the same brief, no-pressure phone conversation that will literally, change your life. Your information will remain confidential with me. It’s a simple, easy, effective pathway to health. When followed, it will insure that your days of dangerous yo-yo dieting are over.

God bless.
Nancy K. Sullivan