This morning me and my (still unemployed, hold me) husband were watching yesterday’s Oprah show. It was about diabetes.
Having been diagnosed with “insulin resistance” (pre-diabetes) I thought I had educated myself on the disease sufficiently.
Turns out, I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. There was so much valuable information on that show. And the information scared both me and my husband straight.
Did you know that having 1 12 oz can of soda a day increases your risk of type2 diabetes by 83%?
Crazy, right?
One of the biggest risk factors for diabetes is belly fat.
Before I had thyroid disease and all of the health problems that have followed, I never had a problem with belly fat. When I’d gain weight, it would mostly be in my thighs and ass. I was always small waisted. That all changed with the thyroid disease. Suddenly, weight started piling on my mid section. I had no idea how dangerous all of that weight piling up in my belly was.
I am not sure how big my waist was at it’s largest as I was always too afraid to take my measurements. What I do know is that last January, my waist was a whopping 43 inches.
According to Dr.Oz, if your waist size (measured at your belly button) is more than half of your height, you have too much belly and you are at risk for diabetes.
This fact caught my husband’s attention. You see, my husband is by all accounts “thin.” Not an ounce of fat on his arms or his legs. But– he has a belly. This bit of information made him pause and think.
“I wonder how big my waist is.” He said. “I should know that.”
I ran to get the measuring tape, more than happy to measure his beer gut. I was relieved to find out that his belly is MORE INCHES THAN MY BELLY. It’s been a while since I could say that.
I threw down a challenge to my husband. .
“let’s see who can lose the most belly inches in one month.”
He accepted the challenge.
We both used Dr.Oz’s formula to set our goals.
I am 5’4″ = 64 inches. Half of 64 is 32.
My waist size is now 36 inches. I need to lose at least 4 inches.
My husband is 5’9″= 69. Half of 69 is 34.5
His waist is 38 inches. He needs to lose at least 3.5 inches.
What makes this challenge so great to me is that my husband has never once had to watch what he eats. He’s been blessed with a kick ass metabolism. It’ll be fun to watch him TRY to say no to a muffin or a piece of pie. It will also be fun watching him do sit-ups. I can’t say that I ever have seen him do any in our 19 years of marriage.
I am confident I will win this challenge. I am also confident that this is going to be so great for both of us.
We’ll take measurements on March 5 and I will record it live and post the results here.
Whoa: I have EIGHT INCHES to lose before I’m at my “healthy” waist size. O_O And here I thought I was doing well losing 3″… lol
My other half is reasonably well-proportioned, except for his tummy. He insists he hasn’t gained much since he was laid off in July, but I can FEEL it – I have a much harder time getting my arms around him when I hug him. It scares me because he seems to be in a bit of denial about the whole thing. Bah.
ANYHOW. Good luck! Kick his ass! Er, gut? 😉
I’m inspired. I’m going to measure my belly. I think I’m “safe” but I’d like to know. Good luck to both of you.
Erm…I think you meant that “According to Dr.Oz, if your waist size (measured at your belly button) is more than HALF your height, you have too much belly and you are at risk for diabetes.”
(you typed “double”)
It’s amazing how our body will actually tell us these kinds of things if we know what to look for.
Good luck to both of you!
That’s amazing about the soda, I’m going to have to tell DH about that. He’s a BIG soda drinker. BIG. That’s really gross.
That’s awesome that you guys are motivating one another and making a competition out of it. Kick his butt!!
Ah, thank you for catching that, Melissa! That’s exactly what I meant.
The soda thing freaks me out because I’m a soda drinker. I’ve been trying to cut down especially since we’re going to start trying to get pregnant again soon, but the idea of diabetes scares the crap out of me.
And here I thought I was doing well switching to the caffeine free pepsi!
That IS a great challenge! Good luck to both of you!!
Good for him for taking control of his health, too 🙂 It’s always nice to have someone close to you “on the wagon” to help with the motivation!
I’m rooting for the Man! So he can claim his prize…uh..corn on the cob?
Good luck to both of you – well done on taking care of yourselves.
Good luck with your challenge. I find when you are both in for the challenge it goes a lot smoother!
That’s crazy about drinking 1 soda a day!!! I am “pre-diabetes” as well and diabetes runs in my family. Now that I’m pregnant I’m really worried about gestational diabetes…I’ve got my glucose screening test scheduled for 1 month from now.
Good luck with your challenge!
I read something the other day about getting a proper measurement around your belly. Part of having a big gut might be saggy stomach muscles, so make sure to suck in that gut before you measure. Then you’re getting a truer measure of the actual fat around your middle. I have belly fat, and I’ve been trying to eat foods that are low glycemic index and low glycemic load. I had my physical last week and my doctor called me today to make an appointment to discuss my cholesterol, which is too high. Furtheluvagod, what am I supposed to eat?
Ugh, the belly fat. I have it. I can’t measure it now because I’m pregnant and that would be dumb. But once I get back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon after this baby comes, I’ll have to measure and see how it comes out. I know that in the past it’s probably been awfully out of proportion, but I’ve lost a little already. hopefully, that will just keep going!
Also, you are totally going to win. I read about those muffins he baked on Twitter. You have it in the bag.
Team Yvonne! FTW!
(This seems like a good kickoff to a NEW site, no?)
I’ve got to admit the slow bob reference took me a minute. I’m awesome.
AND GO YOU!
(But I refuse to get up and find the measuring tape. Not gonna do it.)
You are doing so great! You are quite an inspiration! You and I are within pounds of each other and I have found losing pounds is so difficult sometimes. Concentrating on your measurements is awesome. I know you are going to kick butt on this challenge!
BTW, I have a little something for you on my blog. 😀
Diabetes is such a silent, but deadly disease, isn’t it? The complications of diabetes is just downright scary. My grandma has it and so does my Mom. I had gestational and w/my genes, I’m sure I’ll have it too…ugh.
Good for you both for taking on that challenge! I need to do some calculating myself.
PS – Left you something on my blog.
Wow, my waist hasn’t passed the “half” test in, um, 25 years. At least.
Just, wow.
That formula seems totally dumb. My husband is 6′ (72″), which would mean his waist should be 36″. My husband would look chubby with a 36″ waist. His pant size right now ranges between 32 and 34 depending on the brand and cut. When he’s at his fittest, 32’s are a tad loose on him. Me, on the other hand… well, let’s not go there. Helloooo belly fat (and ugly stretch marks!).