"Eat the Cake, Anna Mae!"







Photo and cake baked by Bianca Mitchell of Maryland.
Note: I call her cake lair (puns are everywhere in this post)
Not the Box Bakery.

My sister-friend, Matice, often uses Ike Turner's line, "Eat the Cake, Anna Mae," when I'm not following instructions or my heart. It was made known as a popular culture saying after the release of What's Love Got to Do With It about the life of super star Tina Turner. While Ike meant harm in forcing Ms. Tina to eat the cake, these days, I have no problems running away from cake.

 

 

Periodically, I run into people who haven't seen me since being sick in December. I look a bit different, a little younger; and I am about 4 dress and pant sizes smaller. They wonder how I got so small so quickly. They ask me about my secret. I promise, nothing I've done is a secret. My entire journey lives here and in the ears of those who really care to listen. So what is it? Let me recap a bit for those of you who are new to the Hold the Salt Campaign.

 

My weight loss is simply an effect of a lifestyle change and my personal goal to stay away from hospitals and surgery unless absolutely necessary. My health issues are analogous to the story of David and Goliath. My David was five small kidney stones that shut down a 184 pound body for a week in December and a week in March with three weeks of recovery in between that time. Holding the salt in my life was not for the purpose of losing weight, but it was for the purpose of getting and feeling better. Please let me be clear that I have no ambition to look like a microphone. In fact, I am the same size as I was in college. I promise I am not wasting away.

 

Of the almost 40 pounds I lost, 16 of those pounds were a result of the sickness; my body expelled whatever remained as the kidney stones blocked the natural passage of fluids. At the same time, my body rejected anything new. My doctor encouraged me to minimize my salt intake, drink more water, and enjoy lemonade. Since I am sick of hospitals (pun intended), I took it to heart and followed through with my new diet. Nine months later, my body is conditioned, so not only can I eat cake, when I wake up the next morning, I weigh myself to find that I lost a pound or two. What's happening? It seems my body is functioning normally and digesting anything I intake.

The non-secret secret:

 

1. Salt intake - Between 1500 to 3000 mg. per day.

See http://holdthesaltcampaign.blogspot.com/2013/07/what-does-it-all-look-like.html

2. Water consumption - Average of 4 bottles per day
I am like a fish out of water when I don't meet my water quota. I crave it.

 

3. Lemonade brand - as fresh as possible.

See http://holdthesaltcampaign.blogspot.com/2013/05/lemonade.html

 

After I share this non-secret with those who ask, I get the same response, "...but I don't really eat a lot of salt. In fact, I don't put salt on my food." I totally respect that. I said the same thing. I didn't have a heavy salt hand. No one knows what they consume until they do. Read your labels.  http://holdthesaltcampaign.blogspot.com/2013/07/eating-with-flavor.html

Read the nutrition facts of food you eat while sitting down at your favorite restaurant.

http://holdthesaltcampaign.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-eat-out.html

We are a culture of flavor. We love it. We have to have it. I get that. Consume what you will, just know what you're consuming without completely sacrificing your indulgences.

I am now able to consume burgers, fries, pizza, dessert, or a steak and cheese in moderation, but they can no longer be staple items in my diet. I know which products to buy when preparing them myself. I know which restaurants I can patronize. I can always ask chefs to hold the salt because some foods just have sodium already in them; and I can calculate my sodium intake for each day so that when I drink water it is to help me stay hydrated and flush my system.

 

Can I stand to go to the gym to tone up? Absolutely! I'm putting a plan in place for that. Should you check with your physician before minimizing your salt intake? That would be wise. Should you go ahead and, at the least, begin drinking your eight glasses of water? Get on that yesterday! In the meantime, I'm going to not only ask for a slice cake, I am going to eat it too because I can without guilt.

 

So what's going on with my kidney stones since my lifestyle change? Some are still taking up residence in my body. I refused the shock treatment and decided to take the chance of them either signing the mortgage papers for Kidney Estates or moving out naturally. I have a strong belief that one moved out the weekend of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. I was a bit bent over as it marched through me, but I pressed my way back home. I'm fine. It just means three remain. I'm taking blood pressure medicine to reduce the chances of any new stones forming and drinking my lemonade.

 

Until next time...

 

-Y