I need to get out more...

I've already mentioned my age in my profile so let's just say I grew up in a time and a situation where money did not flow abundantly. There were six of us and I was next to the youngest. Whatever money there was, it was well spent by the time it got to me. I don't say that as a complaint or a whine, simply a fact.

But I digress. During this time of growing up, neither my parents nor I paid a lot of attention to my dental hygiene. This was partly due to financial reasons but also maybe our environment. There were no regular twice a year dental visits for cleanings and most problems could be fixed with a quick tooth pulling. Now we were not total slobs, we brushed our teeth for sure but that was it. I don't think dental floss was ever heard of back then and brushing when you got up in the morning was as much for not killing anyone with your breath as it was to promote good dental health. Add to this the fact that I, like most kids, was deathly afraid of the dentist so I never asked to go. A tooth had to be really hurting for me to even tell my parents about it.

But I digress again. By the time I was a young adult, I'd had my fair share of tooth pulling and very little tooth filling. As I stated above, it was quicker and cheaper to just pull it especially since by the time you got to the dentist, the cavity resembled the Grand Canyon. And no, root canals were not being done back then either. At least not that I knew of.

At this point, just assume that I will continue to digress. So where am I going with this? I'm going to the dental appointment I had this morning. Over my adult years, I've sporadically maintained my dental health which has resulted in sporadic problems. More than once in my past I've taken care of everything that needed taken care of just to lapse into an "if I ignore it, it will go away" syndrome again. I would say I still don't like going to the dentist but I know this certain Dental Hygienist who is a little touchy on that subject. And to be honest, it's not really true, not anymore anyway. And yes, my appointment this morning was with the Dental Hygienist, not the Dentist. And I like my Dental Hygienist, and my Dentist, so there!

But back to my appointment. Over the past few months, I have taken care of everything in my mouth except one root canal that I am putting off until my insurance money picks up again. Those things are not cheap! At least I thought I had it all taken care of until I saw the "other" dentist this morning who found two more "potential" problems. Jeez! Now I have another appointment for two fillings. I'm forgetting the word potential here. I think they were just trying to spare my feelings today.

Again though, back to my overall dental condition. My teeth are all filled and polished to a squeaky clean. I have some problems with periodontal disease that we are working on, hopefully avoiding a trip to the Periodontist but the jury is still out on that one. My Dental Hygienist was going over how to care for my teeth this morning. Yes I know, I'm old enough to know but obviously I'm not doing something right so I asked! The flossing part is where I'm falling down on the job. I floss but not in the right way it seems. She broke out these little gizmo's I can carry with me and use when I'm not at home with my trusty toothbrush and dental floss.

When we were discussing my main problem area, I explained that was the area where food accumulated when I ate. You can't always stop your business lunch to run and brush your teeth you know! She showed me some things I can use called "In Betweens." The minute she brought those puppies out, I exclaimed, "I have some of those at home but didn't know what they were or how to use them." Yes, I really said that. Now, thinking back on that comment, I realize I must have never really thought about what they were used for because if I had, the name "In Between" and the fact that it is made by a major dental product provider would have tipped me off on what it is used for. But my Dental Hygienist hid her amusement very well and patiently showed me how to use it and told me when I should use it. She even gave me some samples and told me what store she buys them in. Yea, she's a keeper.

So what's the moral of this story? For me, I'll go through all my "sample" dental supplies I have stashed in the bathroom and actually use some of them before I go back and make another silly comment. If I do have questions, I'll send them to my favorite Dental Hygienist in Sunny California so I'll be really smart before I go back for my next appointment.

And for the record, I am not afraid to go to the Dentist Office anymore, not for any reason!

Ignorance is bliss.... Or is it?

You could say that life was easier when I didn't care about what I put into my mouth, or if I sat on the couch all night watching tv, or … well, when I was fat!

Cooking was easier – I just ordered take out or even better, delivery! Of course that meant Chinese or Pizza or Pizza or Chinese or…

Grocery shopping was easier – I just threw things in the buggy. I didn’t read labels or check fat content or sugar content or calculate points or …

Clothes shopping was easier – I just tried on one size and when it didn’t fit, I got the next bigger size. They all cost the same so no worries there.

Eating out was easier – I just ordered what sounded good, no special ordering, no regard to what was in it really as long as it wasn’t beef liver or something gross like that!

Visiting family was easer – they just cooked like they normally do and I ate it. No pre-planning or bringing along protein bars or something else “clean” for me to eat.

So if all these things were easier back then, what is so hard about what I’m doing now?

Well it does take more time to read all those food labels but I’ve gotten so used to eating healthy foods that eating junk food upsets my stomach. Yea, it may not be pretty, but it is what it is. If I eat something with a lot of sugar in it, I’m out like a light. If I eat something with a lot of fat in it, my stomach feels like I drank a bottle of castor oil. Well maybe not quite that bad, but its close. So due to health issues when I eat bad stuff, I guess the way I used to eat is now more trouble than what I do today.

I’ve also ventured into Betty Crocker land a few times and cooked something using fresh ingredients – herbs and all! Some may laugh at that but remember, I was the Take Out / Eat Out Queen. I knew how to cook, I just chose not to. The fact that I now am contemplating planting an herb garden really has me scared. My family may get used to this “home cooking” stuff and well, Betty Crocker I ain’t, nor do I want to be. Not yet anyway.

Buying clothes is much more fun when I know ahead of time what size I’ll need and every once in a while, I have to get a different size, a smaller one!

Ordering in restaurants has become my thing. At work, I’m known as the one who has to order special, and who am I to disappoint my fans?

My family knows I eat clean now so they actually think about that when they cook. But I do carry things with me just in case and my family is ok with that.

I have to admit that keeping all this together has not been easy. I’ve worked and I’ve worked and I’ve worked on it. It was so hard to remember what was good to eat and what wasn’t. What was considered clean and what wasn’t. My trainer has helped me by reviewing my food journals each week and giving me credit where credit is due and busting my bubble where it was needed. I can’t say that was always fun but I’ve learned a lot! Now most weeks there is very little I mess up on that I don’t already realize it. What is really great is that my new food regimen has become my norm. I don’t even consider eating something I shouldn’t during the week because I know that the only time I can go there is for my cheat meal. Plus, who would blow a full-fledged cheat meal on a whim anyway? Not me! Not anymore anyway!