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Sunday, June 15, 2014

Sheebus Paterfamiliae



Friends and Kitties!

Sheebie here, and today my post is all about this Man:

my Dad.

Read the article HERE.

Do you see how he's swinging all happy and carefree and strong from the bars?  He hasn't always been like this.

Allow me to digress.

My Dad is a wonderful guy, smart, funny, and he and my Mom have always watched their weight, exercised, and made (for the most part, LOL) intelligent food choices.  He's had a few health issues kick him in the pants--prostate cancer*, a hernia operation, and the assorted aches and pains of getting old, and that was all--until recently.  Late last year some routine tests revealed that his kidneys were excreting excess protein; and further blood work showed that his A1C, the long term measurement for diabetes, was on the rise indicating early onset of the disease.  Being such a conscientious person, my Dad was more than a little upset that his body, which he treated so well, was failing him.  I had been down to visit my folks in October and I had been struck at how frail he was looking, and I was quite concerned for his health--but how do you scold your parents when you're not sure what's wrong?

Well.  Fortunately my parents invested their money wisely and sent me to college, where I majored in the thing that interested me the most--due to my upbringing in a healthy (and maybe a tiny bit obsessive)  household--biochemistry.  So I gave my Dad's test results some serious analytical thought and deduced (in a nutshell) that he didn't have enough muscle mass anymore.  Now I had the ammo to give him a gentle scolding tutorial on how to heal himself, so I fired off a long e-mail and he took it to his doctor, who said (in another nutshell) "I think your daughter's right".  

::fistpump::

Never one to let moss gather, my Dad joined a gym, and hired a personal trainer--a wonderful woman named Myrya--who has, over the past four months, shown my Dad how to build himself up.

And what a job she's done!

Of course, he's done all the actual hard work--and it shows.  When I went down to visit last month the change in my Dad was incredible.  He stood straighter, his chest was broader, even his hands looked firmer and more muscular!  The essential tremor is gone in his head and hands, and he moves like he did twenty years ago.  He's put on about five pounds, and I estimate that in total he's actually gained about seven pounds of lean, mean, metabolizing muscle and pared off a couple in fat.  

 It's been a huge paradigm shift for both he and my Mom, with him going to a supervised, organized work-out.  First and foremost, my Dad has to eat more, and for a guy used to counting every calorie and gram this has been a little hard.  Mom helps, by giving him a nice big snack every afternoon, the lucky dog.  He's learned all about proper hydration, and maybe most importantly of all, the value of rest.  They both used to do some cardio and stretching and light resistance work six days a week, which didn't give their bodies any significant recovery time.  This has all changed.  Not only have they pared down and simplified their routines, they take days off, and naps, too!

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, and so I'm forced to the only logical conclusion:  My Dad ain't old yet!

Happy father's Day, Daddy--I'm so proud of you.  You are an inspiration, both to me and to your son-in-law, who cites you as an important impetus for losing weight and getting healthy himself.  I am everso grateful to have you as my Dad.

I Love You.

Happy Sunday, All!


XX  Trish  XX


*which he beat down to the mat, begging for mercy.

42 comments:

  1. My human says your dad is a total inspiration!

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  2. Wonderful inspiring post!

    Happy Father's Day to all!

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  3. Wow, this is really terrific, great post!

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  4. Great great stuff... Happy Father's Day dad...

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  5. Very inspiring! At this rate he will be with you for many years yet.

    Enjoy!

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  6. What a superb achievement and a wonderful example for all our humans; concatulations to your Dad.
    Purrs ... Rainbow

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  7. Dat's so pawsum. Meez glad yous daddy is duin' bettew. And Happy Father's day tu da men in yoous life.

    Luv ya'

    Dezi

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  8. That's fantastic! Way to go Dad!!

    xoxo
    Ms. Stella O'Houligan

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  9. Awww - that' sweet (and inspiring) T.

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  10. Your Dad has done so well and you are right to be so proud of him - he must be an inspiration to many.
    Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx

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  12. How fantastic. Here's to more Father's Days to come.

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  13. You have a wonderful Dad and thanks for caring for him like you do.

    Cats of wildcat woods

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  14. Oh your father is so lucky to have such a smart and caring daughter! So great he started proper work-out and has got much stronger. You must be so proud of him and he must be very grateful for your help!
    Happy Father's Day and have a super Sunday!

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  15. Wow, what a testimony! This was great to ready. Happy Father's Day to him and to Scott too!

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  16. Paws up for your Dad! It's great to hear that his effort has paid off and he's doing so much better.

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  17. WOW! Good for him! Most of that success is attributed to his attitude. We all know what we are supposed to be doing, but it is very hard to be motivated to do it...especially on a regular basis.

    The eating part is hard. I know that I have lost a taste for a lot of foods as I age, and that makes it hard to eat properly. Even my elderly cat doesn't want to eat anymore--I think maybe your taste buds get "dull"--I don't know.

    Anywho....glad your parents are feeling well and taking good care of themselves!

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  18. Oh Trish, what a post. Inspiring, most of all loving. THANK you.

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  19. I'm sure your Dad is as equally proud of you.
    Jane x

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  20. We sure did enjoy reading your post today. Happy Father's Day to your most special Daddy!

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  21. Happy Father's Day to your Dad
    and yay for sending you to university :)
    A smart Sheebie helps her Dad :)

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  22. That is absolutely pawsome!

    ♥Happy Father's Day!♥

    ♥♥Annabelle♥Boo♥Ping♥Jinx♥♥
    ♥Angels Abby & Gracie♥

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  23. Hooray for your Dad! What an inspiring post. Keep up the good work!

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  24. That is brilliant and kudos to you for helping with that. Happy fathers day to your dad and to Scott the great cat dad too

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  25. SHEEBIE YOU ARE THE BEST DAUGHTER TO THE BEST PARENTS BRAVO BRAVO!!
    YOUR DAD LOOKS WONDERFUL
    THANK YOU FOR THIS GREAT POST
    HUGS MADI AND MOM

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  26. Well done to your dad and to you for getting him on the right track.
    Happy Father's Day to him and to Scott.

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  27. Wow, kudos to your dad for a mighty fine job getting in shape and healthy again. Happy Father's Day to him! I know he must be very grateful for the advice you gave him that paid off so well. Hugs

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  28. Wowzers! Your Dad and my Dad have done the same thing!!!
    Happy Fathers Day to your Dad!

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  29. Wow! Good for your dad! And we hope he continues to do well. He's lucky to have a daughter like you, too. :)

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  30. We could write a page of positive response to all this, but we'll keep it shorter than that.

    GOOD WERK ALL AROUND BY EVRYONE!

    Happy Father's Day fer SURE...

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  31. Thanks for the inspurrational story about your Dad.

    Now me gonna tell The Mom Lady to exercise more. Uncle Mike am good at exercising so hes all handsome and stuff...

    Happy Father's Day!!!

    Purrz,
    LuLu and the Katie Katz

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  32. What an awesome post! Congratulations to your dad, and Happy Father's Day!

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  33. Loved this post. You're lucky you have a great dad. I miss mine. It was his birthday today.

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  34. Congrats to your dad! He is very lucky to have a daughter like you.

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  35. Congrats to your dad! He is very lucky to have a daughter like you.

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  36. That. Is. AWESOME.

    ::::paw-pumps::: !!!!!

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  37. WOW!!!!
    You're dad is a wonderful inspiration!
    You are very lucky to have each other. : )
    I bet you are both VERY proud of each other.
    xoxo

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  38. What great news for both your dad, mom and whole family. It was really great that you had the knowledge to help him, and that he was willing to listen to you and then his doctor. Wishing him and the entire family years and years of good health. Hugs, Janet

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  39. How wonderful of you to figure that out, and to have them agree with you AND to have them implement it and have it work! YAY! :)

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Oh Boy...this is gonna be GREAT!