Gee, I need to be a little more creative with my post titles, huh?
Weight: 212.2
Fasting BG: 182
I made a fettuccine alfredo with the Miracle Noodles last night. Um. The sauce was great. The noodles fully absorbed the flavor of the sauce.
However...
They were firm. If you made regular pasta and it was this firm, it would crunch a little. At least it didn't do that, I suppose. I had a moment when I just gagged. I don't know if you've ever experienced that sort of moment before, but I have. It's not a "this food is really awful, and if you don't eject it right now, you are going to regret it" sort of gagging, but a "okay, I've had enough of this and I'm not swallowing anymore."
I think I could get used to it. Maybe. I think I agree with one review I read on the product, which said that the angel hair was a little more palatable because it's so much thinner than the fettuccine and the uber-firm texture isn't as noticeable. Unfortunately, where I thought I was opening both packages of the fettuccine noodles, I opened 1 fettuccine and 1 angel hair. Of course, next time, I will get some gluten free or other supposedly carb-friendlier pasta and cook both (separately), so that if it makes me gag again, I can still eat something.
I also have 2 packages of rice. The rice looks weird. The first thing you are supposed to do is drain it, and the size of the "grain" is roughly half -- or less! -- the size of a real short grain rice. I suppose I should start taking pictures with some of these posts.
Tonight is will be meal with carbs. Meatballs and gravy over rice with a side of green beans. I will cook some white rice for the rest of the family, but brown rice for myself. (No, I am NOT ready to try the Miracle Rice. Maybe next week.)
I had hoped for a beach trip tomorrow, but my daughter has dance class, so that's that. We might hit the local water park, though. I need some sun. And some water. I miss the beach.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
7-16-13
Today's Weight: 212.4
Waking (Fasting) Blood Glucose: 180
Numbers are going down, and I like it! :) Every time I tested my BG yesterday after the initial test, it was below 150, even getting down to 130 once. Again, not where it needs to be, but way better than it has been.
Lunch yesterday, I had a few slices of ham, a tomato, and 1/2 c of fat free cottage cheese. For dinner, I made a tomato pie, which would have had the largest amount of carbs of anything I ate yesterday, just simply for the pie crust. Also had something I can't remember what the recipe called, but it was like a low carb, homemade hamburger helper.
For the tomato pie, I lined a pie plate with a refrigerated, pre-made pie crust. Next, I sliced up 3 or 4 tomatoes (I sliced as I went). One layer of tomatoes in the crust, then seasoned with a little salt, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, and oregano, a light sprinkle of cheese, then repeat until the pie crust is pretty full. A mixture of shredded cheese and mayonnaise goes on top. Cover the pie with foil, bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and let it bake for about another 30 minutes (the top will be brown).
I think next time I might add some bacon, but, even with out it, totally a yum dish. There are places close to here that will sell what they call "canning tomatoes" but really are just the tomatoes that aren't as pretty. You can buy a box (and I mean like the size box that a case of paper is in) for around $10, maybe a little more. (Where we got these, one type was $10, and another was $15.) It's taken about 3 weeks to go through all those tomatoes -- and, yes, we've had to throw some out -- but they are finally gone...and it makes me kinda sad. :(
For the other dish, I started by boiling a bag of cauliflower. I probably let this cook a little too long, but you cook it until it is at least fork tender. While that was cooking, I put a little butter in a pan and chopped an onion. After letting that cook down for a few minutes, I put in a pound of hamburger and browned it. Seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper. When the cauliflower was done, I drained it, then returned it to the pan and mashed it up a little (I didn't want the big pieces in my dish). When the hamburger was finished, I tossed in the cauliflower, seasoned it a little more, the added cheese.
This was a little different. I liked it, but I think the rest of my family just tolerated it. By that, I mean that they ate it and didn't complain, because at least they didn't have to come home and cook anything. There wasn't huge amounts left, which means I can break out some leftovers for my lunch. (And I'm looking at that hamburger/cauliflower mixture and some stewed squash from a couple of nights ago....)
I should note that I don't do a whole lot of low-fat or no-fat things. Mayonnaise is "real" (although I'm not a huge consumer of mayo), and cheese is full-fat. If I drink a soda, I usually do not drink diet. Low/no-fat products tend to have sugar and other things added to keep them tasting decent enough for people to buy them. Aspartame can make my face break out. The low-cal sparkling flavored water we have in the house (Sparkling Ice, I think) is sweetened with sucralose (Splenda), and I'm drinking one of those every few days. I'm in the South. I will miss my sweet tea, but I'm mostly drinking water, and that's really as it should be, right? I know I need to up my water intake, but so do most of us. I do drink milk (1%), and I'm trying to get at least some of the processed stuff out of my diet.
Right now, while I am home and can cook, it's not so bad, although it can be tough to be home. It's easy to get "bored" and to think you are hungry because you have nothing to do. And to eat while you have nothing to do. I've got a can of mixed nuts. If I'm hungry, I take a handful of them. Just a handful -- I'm not letting myself go back for a second or third handful. There's some fruit, but have to throw in a protein with the fruit -- check out the link and balance diet.
Thursday will be a challenge. My daughter and I are going to the beach with my brother and his wife. Just a day trip, but we need to make sure we eat breakfast before we go, and I will pack a lunch and a couple of snacks for us. A challenge, but I think I'm up for it. :)
Waking (Fasting) Blood Glucose: 180
Numbers are going down, and I like it! :) Every time I tested my BG yesterday after the initial test, it was below 150, even getting down to 130 once. Again, not where it needs to be, but way better than it has been.
Lunch yesterday, I had a few slices of ham, a tomato, and 1/2 c of fat free cottage cheese. For dinner, I made a tomato pie, which would have had the largest amount of carbs of anything I ate yesterday, just simply for the pie crust. Also had something I can't remember what the recipe called, but it was like a low carb, homemade hamburger helper.
For the tomato pie, I lined a pie plate with a refrigerated, pre-made pie crust. Next, I sliced up 3 or 4 tomatoes (I sliced as I went). One layer of tomatoes in the crust, then seasoned with a little salt, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, and oregano, a light sprinkle of cheese, then repeat until the pie crust is pretty full. A mixture of shredded cheese and mayonnaise goes on top. Cover the pie with foil, bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and let it bake for about another 30 minutes (the top will be brown).
I think next time I might add some bacon, but, even with out it, totally a yum dish. There are places close to here that will sell what they call "canning tomatoes" but really are just the tomatoes that aren't as pretty. You can buy a box (and I mean like the size box that a case of paper is in) for around $10, maybe a little more. (Where we got these, one type was $10, and another was $15.) It's taken about 3 weeks to go through all those tomatoes -- and, yes, we've had to throw some out -- but they are finally gone...and it makes me kinda sad. :(
For the other dish, I started by boiling a bag of cauliflower. I probably let this cook a little too long, but you cook it until it is at least fork tender. While that was cooking, I put a little butter in a pan and chopped an onion. After letting that cook down for a few minutes, I put in a pound of hamburger and browned it. Seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper. When the cauliflower was done, I drained it, then returned it to the pan and mashed it up a little (I didn't want the big pieces in my dish). When the hamburger was finished, I tossed in the cauliflower, seasoned it a little more, the added cheese.
This was a little different. I liked it, but I think the rest of my family just tolerated it. By that, I mean that they ate it and didn't complain, because at least they didn't have to come home and cook anything. There wasn't huge amounts left, which means I can break out some leftovers for my lunch. (And I'm looking at that hamburger/cauliflower mixture and some stewed squash from a couple of nights ago....)
I should note that I don't do a whole lot of low-fat or no-fat things. Mayonnaise is "real" (although I'm not a huge consumer of mayo), and cheese is full-fat. If I drink a soda, I usually do not drink diet. Low/no-fat products tend to have sugar and other things added to keep them tasting decent enough for people to buy them. Aspartame can make my face break out. The low-cal sparkling flavored water we have in the house (Sparkling Ice, I think) is sweetened with sucralose (Splenda), and I'm drinking one of those every few days. I'm in the South. I will miss my sweet tea, but I'm mostly drinking water, and that's really as it should be, right? I know I need to up my water intake, but so do most of us. I do drink milk (1%), and I'm trying to get at least some of the processed stuff out of my diet.
Right now, while I am home and can cook, it's not so bad, although it can be tough to be home. It's easy to get "bored" and to think you are hungry because you have nothing to do. And to eat while you have nothing to do. I've got a can of mixed nuts. If I'm hungry, I take a handful of them. Just a handful -- I'm not letting myself go back for a second or third handful. There's some fruit, but have to throw in a protein with the fruit -- check out the link and balance diet.
Thursday will be a challenge. My daughter and I are going to the beach with my brother and his wife. Just a day trip, but we need to make sure we eat breakfast before we go, and I will pack a lunch and a couple of snacks for us. A challenge, but I think I'm up for it. :)
Monday, July 15, 2013
7-15-13 Update
Yesterday was a kind of tough day. It's been a year since my grandfather passed. I feel guilty, to an extent, because I was the last family member to be with him, and it was only 30 minutes or so after I left that my brother called to say that the sitter had called 911 because he was not breathing and unresponsive. I arrived at the same time as paramedics, watched them try to revive him, and all the other ensuing chaos as other family arrived and we had to deal with the end.
There are other things that have resulted from his passing. My grandmother, who has Alzheimer's (or at least some vascular dementia), lives on. Everyone promised Granddad she wouldn't go into a nursing home, so she, although on Hospice care and now bedridden and unable to care for herself, lives at her house. We have to hire sitters (which can be an ordeal in itself) to stay with her 24-7. (Fortunately, we seem to have found some good people, especially for the over-night shift.) The person who is the most stressed over this is Mom, because she's the one they trusted the most to take care of everything. Even so, we're all stressed, and stress doesn't help in the weight loss process, and it makes other, mundane stresses worse. (And, trust me, there's plenty of other stress.)
I should have gone to church yesterday, but I didn't. (Although I did listen to the 11 am service on the radio, which is the service that Granddad preferred to go to anyway.) I should have visited his grave, but I didn't. I will make that attempt today, at least.
What I did do yesterday, though, was take my child to the doctor. She probably sprained her wrist, but it was red and swollen and she couldn't feel two of her fingers on the side that was swollen. So, off we went, spending 3 hours between the doctor's office and the hospital (for x-rays). I think what's helped the most is getting her a wrist wrap to help immobilize it. (Because, of course, she can still move it around...which says it *probably* isn't broken...)
Anyway, on to the weight loss journey...
I think I did alright this weekend, food wise. I'm trying to think what I had Saturday... I believe I did my usual breakfast of sausage and cheese, although it was link sausage Saturday instead of turkey sausage. For lunch, we went to Panera Bread. I had their Spinach Power salad (which, I would have ordered a different salad if I'd have known it had egg and mushroom, but, eating around that the best I could, it was otherwise tasty) and a cup of black bean soup (their pick 2 deal). I did eat the bread that came with the soup and I mixed 2/3 unsweet tea with 1/3 sweet tea. Dinner was a turkey burger patty cooked with onions and gravy (like a turkey hamburger steak, I suppose) with broccoli, sliced tomatoes, and a small amount of rice. Yesterday, turkey sausage and cheddar cheese for breakfast, a bread-less sandwich (ham wrapped up in romaine lettuce) and a peach for lunch, then a peanut butter frozen yogurt for a snack (because my baby felt bad and wanted ice cream...), then a salad with grilled steak and a baked potato for dinner. Okay, a couple of places where there were too many carbs that I shouldn't have eaten, but, so far, I have survived.
This morning, my fasting blood sugar was 193. Definitely an improvement, although it's like yesterday. My blood sugar at one point was 147, and I cheered. Mom was quick to remind me that 147 was not good. Okay....but when you've had a few days when you haven't tested at less than 200, 147 seems pretty darn awesome. Same with the 193. I have had very few mornings lately in which my waking blood sugar was less than 200, so if today it's 193, then at least it is going in the RIGHT direction. Tomorrow, I hope for less.
This morning, I have had turkey sausage and cheddar cheese. I've also fixed a cup of coffee with some stevia and half and half. 250 calories, 19 grams of fat, and 2 carbs. Maybe not the best for the fat content, but lunch will likely be tomatoes, ham, lettuce, and a bit of cottage cheese. (Not 100% sure there.) I'm contemplating a tomato pie for dinner, but not sure what else. Still got to get some exercise done today, too.
Weight this morning: 214.2.
In other news, I heard about No Oodles or Miracle Noodle brands over the weekend. Noodles with no carbs and no calories? Sounds too good to be true, right? I've ordered a sampler pack from Amazon. It has fettuccine, angel hair, and rice. The deal with this is that it is vacuum sealed in water and has no flavor, but it will take on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. Texture is also something that takes some getting used to, according to reviews, because it like pasta on the slightly overcooked side. It should be here Wednesday, so expect a report by the end of the week.
There are other things that have resulted from his passing. My grandmother, who has Alzheimer's (or at least some vascular dementia), lives on. Everyone promised Granddad she wouldn't go into a nursing home, so she, although on Hospice care and now bedridden and unable to care for herself, lives at her house. We have to hire sitters (which can be an ordeal in itself) to stay with her 24-7. (Fortunately, we seem to have found some good people, especially for the over-night shift.) The person who is the most stressed over this is Mom, because she's the one they trusted the most to take care of everything. Even so, we're all stressed, and stress doesn't help in the weight loss process, and it makes other, mundane stresses worse. (And, trust me, there's plenty of other stress.)
I should have gone to church yesterday, but I didn't. (Although I did listen to the 11 am service on the radio, which is the service that Granddad preferred to go to anyway.) I should have visited his grave, but I didn't. I will make that attempt today, at least.
What I did do yesterday, though, was take my child to the doctor. She probably sprained her wrist, but it was red and swollen and she couldn't feel two of her fingers on the side that was swollen. So, off we went, spending 3 hours between the doctor's office and the hospital (for x-rays). I think what's helped the most is getting her a wrist wrap to help immobilize it. (Because, of course, she can still move it around...which says it *probably* isn't broken...)
Anyway, on to the weight loss journey...
I think I did alright this weekend, food wise. I'm trying to think what I had Saturday... I believe I did my usual breakfast of sausage and cheese, although it was link sausage Saturday instead of turkey sausage. For lunch, we went to Panera Bread. I had their Spinach Power salad (which, I would have ordered a different salad if I'd have known it had egg and mushroom, but, eating around that the best I could, it was otherwise tasty) and a cup of black bean soup (their pick 2 deal). I did eat the bread that came with the soup and I mixed 2/3 unsweet tea with 1/3 sweet tea. Dinner was a turkey burger patty cooked with onions and gravy (like a turkey hamburger steak, I suppose) with broccoli, sliced tomatoes, and a small amount of rice. Yesterday, turkey sausage and cheddar cheese for breakfast, a bread-less sandwich (ham wrapped up in romaine lettuce) and a peach for lunch, then a peanut butter frozen yogurt for a snack (because my baby felt bad and wanted ice cream...), then a salad with grilled steak and a baked potato for dinner. Okay, a couple of places where there were too many carbs that I shouldn't have eaten, but, so far, I have survived.
This morning, my fasting blood sugar was 193. Definitely an improvement, although it's like yesterday. My blood sugar at one point was 147, and I cheered. Mom was quick to remind me that 147 was not good. Okay....but when you've had a few days when you haven't tested at less than 200, 147 seems pretty darn awesome. Same with the 193. I have had very few mornings lately in which my waking blood sugar was less than 200, so if today it's 193, then at least it is going in the RIGHT direction. Tomorrow, I hope for less.
This morning, I have had turkey sausage and cheddar cheese. I've also fixed a cup of coffee with some stevia and half and half. 250 calories, 19 grams of fat, and 2 carbs. Maybe not the best for the fat content, but lunch will likely be tomatoes, ham, lettuce, and a bit of cottage cheese. (Not 100% sure there.) I'm contemplating a tomato pie for dinner, but not sure what else. Still got to get some exercise done today, too.
Weight this morning: 214.2.
In other news, I heard about No Oodles or Miracle Noodle brands over the weekend. Noodles with no carbs and no calories? Sounds too good to be true, right? I've ordered a sampler pack from Amazon. It has fettuccine, angel hair, and rice. The deal with this is that it is vacuum sealed in water and has no flavor, but it will take on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. Texture is also something that takes some getting used to, according to reviews, because it like pasta on the slightly overcooked side. It should be here Wednesday, so expect a report by the end of the week.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Today is the first day of the rest of your life....
None of us have posted for a while, but, for at least ONE of us, that has to come to a halt.
In September, I was told I am prediabetic. I was put on medication that, at first, was helping. Then I get into moments where my blood sugar gets worse, and I get more medication. This summer, I have restricted carbs, mostly cutting out "bad carbs" while still consuming a few "good" carbs. And yet, my blood sugar continues to rise.
I think I know the ultimate solution, especially if I want to get off the medicine. I must lose weight. To add in to that, I must exercise.
I went to Disney World at the end of June. There was a lot of food -- and, yes, a lot of it was NOT good for me. But, with the massive amount of walking done, my weight was down from around 220 to 213 when we returned. I am eating less at home than I was, fresh foods (especially fruits and veggies -- yay for summer!), but I'm not doing all the walking. So far, 215.4.
I have trouble with weight, yes. I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which makes my thyroid underproduce and makes it extremely difficult to lose weight with a diet and helps to kill energy levels. I have sleep apnea, which doesn't help either -- and even worse, my allergies this year have been so incredibly awful that I couldn't use my cpap. Talk about being tired and unmotivated!
But this morning, my blood glucose reading when I woke up was 295.
Sure, I could blame other things. I could blame that there is quite a bit of stress around the house. I could blame that I've been sick recently. But I think the blame is in the weight.
So, starting Monday, I will begin a new diet/exercise program: Richard Simmons' Project HOPE.
Why Monday? Because you always HAVE to prepare for these things. There is a list of things you are allowed to eat, and you have to stock up and make sure you are prepared for this. So, I'm giving myself three days to get prepared. I may lean towards a detox these three days, too, although the first week will kind of do it on its own.
Background on the program: Project HOPE is a 90 day challenge. It comes with an exercise regimen that is not just the old Sweatin' to the Oldies-style cardio but also has toning exercises worked in. It has a food plan, of course, and the old Foodmover has become electronic.
But, the biggest thing with ANY exercise, diet, whatever program is that you have to use it.
I need motivation and encouragement. I will weigh in on Monday morning, then once again every Monday morning after that. I will attempt to post here daily.
And if you stumble across my blog and can be positive and motivational...I invite you to stay.
This is the first day of the rest of my life, and I have a plan. Now, to set it in motion.
In September, I was told I am prediabetic. I was put on medication that, at first, was helping. Then I get into moments where my blood sugar gets worse, and I get more medication. This summer, I have restricted carbs, mostly cutting out "bad carbs" while still consuming a few "good" carbs. And yet, my blood sugar continues to rise.
I think I know the ultimate solution, especially if I want to get off the medicine. I must lose weight. To add in to that, I must exercise.
I went to Disney World at the end of June. There was a lot of food -- and, yes, a lot of it was NOT good for me. But, with the massive amount of walking done, my weight was down from around 220 to 213 when we returned. I am eating less at home than I was, fresh foods (especially fruits and veggies -- yay for summer!), but I'm not doing all the walking. So far, 215.4.
I have trouble with weight, yes. I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which makes my thyroid underproduce and makes it extremely difficult to lose weight with a diet and helps to kill energy levels. I have sleep apnea, which doesn't help either -- and even worse, my allergies this year have been so incredibly awful that I couldn't use my cpap. Talk about being tired and unmotivated!
But this morning, my blood glucose reading when I woke up was 295.
Sure, I could blame other things. I could blame that there is quite a bit of stress around the house. I could blame that I've been sick recently. But I think the blame is in the weight.
So, starting Monday, I will begin a new diet/exercise program: Richard Simmons' Project HOPE.
Why Monday? Because you always HAVE to prepare for these things. There is a list of things you are allowed to eat, and you have to stock up and make sure you are prepared for this. So, I'm giving myself three days to get prepared. I may lean towards a detox these three days, too, although the first week will kind of do it on its own.
Background on the program: Project HOPE is a 90 day challenge. It comes with an exercise regimen that is not just the old Sweatin' to the Oldies-style cardio but also has toning exercises worked in. It has a food plan, of course, and the old Foodmover has become electronic.
But, the biggest thing with ANY exercise, diet, whatever program is that you have to use it.
I need motivation and encouragement. I will weigh in on Monday morning, then once again every Monday morning after that. I will attempt to post here daily.
And if you stumble across my blog and can be positive and motivational...I invite you to stay.
This is the first day of the rest of my life, and I have a plan. Now, to set it in motion.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
It's Been 3 Weeks
Hasn't it? I need to get a little more involved. (Although, I must say, I feel abandoned by my cohorts...)
Keeping track of your blood glucose levels is interesting. What have I learned so far?
I am intending (still) on signing up for the Biggest Loser 5K Walk/Run in Panama City. Got to do it today or tomorrow; it just sucks because I just got paid, and it already feels like I'm about to be broke. Am I the only one who feels that way?
For anyone who stumbles across this blog and reads...feel free to throw in some words of encouragement! :)
Keeping track of your blood glucose levels is interesting. What have I learned so far?
- My blood glucose is high in the morning. Like, just shy of 180. My brother says it's because overnight, your body burns things off that release stored sugars while you sleep. Personally, I'm wondering if that's not why it's so hard for me to get up in the morning.
- My blood glucose is lower after eating 1/2 of a sandwich (15 grain, whole grain bread, ham or turkey, etc) and either a piece of fruit or a bunch of carrots than it is after eating a salad with a vinaigrette. What? That makes my head hurt.
- Drinking a can of soda (Mello Yello) does not spike my blood glucose, but a bottle of A&W Cream Soda? Well...that's a different story... Drat. Maybe it was that fried chicken sandwich from Wendy's?
- Taking B-complex vitamins can turn your urine flourescent yellow. I think it's also irritating my bladder. (I'm sure that's TMI, if there's anyone out there actually reading this.)
- Eating small meals several times per day has done nothing for my weight. What am I eating? Half a sandwich and an apple between 630 and 700 for breakfast. The other half of the sandwich and maybe another piece of fruit for a snack, around 930. Another half of a sandwich and some baby carrots for lunch at 1230. Another half of a sandwich (no accompaniment) around 330. Small, veggie-heavy dinner around 630.
(You're wanting the math, right? Hmm... It's roughly 270 calories per sandwich, about 100 for each piece of fruit and 50 for the carrots. That's 790. If I have a soda, that adds 120 (Total: 910), meaning I need a little over 300 more (minimum) total, easily accomplished at dinner with a bag of broccoli with a pat of butter (roughly 100 calories) and whatever else I fix to go with it. (Which a chicken breast or most any other normal serving size of meat will get it there.) So, yes, I am getting between 1200 and 1500 calories per day.) - I'm still tired. Or maybe I'm just feeling kinda blah.
I am intending (still) on signing up for the Biggest Loser 5K Walk/Run in Panama City. Got to do it today or tomorrow; it just sucks because I just got paid, and it already feels like I'm about to be broke. Am I the only one who feels that way?
For anyone who stumbles across this blog and reads...feel free to throw in some words of encouragement! :)
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Got To Get Serious.
I went to the doctor yesterday. Yeah, I went to the walk-in clinic, as I had done at the beginning of June. In June, the doctor there told me that she'd give me a 3 month prescription of my heart medication (I have mitral valve prolapse, and if you have it bad enoough you have a leaky mitral valve, you take a drug to keep the heart palpitations down.) She said she wouldn't give me more without a cholesterol test.
Financially, September is not being a very good month. My child (and I!) return to dance classes, which means beginning again to pay that dance tuition ($110/month, give or take). I paid off my car (almost $100 more than my usual payment, but it's paid!) My child also needed two more pairs of dance shoes and a new dance bag ($151). She wound up sick and at the doctor's office ($40). I have a relatively regularly scheduled appointment later this month ($45). But I was out of my medication. I had to go.
I fasted, as had been requested, and she went ahead and drew blood to test everything. Initial result: a1c is over 7%. I now have a glucose meter, a prescription for a diabetes-type sugar-reducing medication, and instructions to return in 1 month. Hmm. Not what I wanted to hear. At. All.
So, now I must escape from the potential depression that threatens to build. I must get serious. She gave me 6 months metformin, and I don't want it renewed. She doesn't think she will have to renew it.
So...
Goal #1: Reduce weight by 5%.
Reading online says that even as small as a 5% reduction can reduce chances of this becoming full-blown diabetes by something like 58%. Currently, I am weighing in (by the house scale, which I will be going by) at 217.4. To reduce my weight by 5%, I must get down to 206.53. 11 pounds. That should be doable within a month or two, depending. I have set a calorie goal, I have gone out and bought some healthy things to eat. I must get up in the morning and do some kind of aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes. I want to do the Fluidity program on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and whip out a Richard Simmons video at least the other days, if not every day.
My next goal will be to go down by another 5%, which will be 196.2. I want to be at least here by December, when Cristin and I are planning on trekking down to the Biggest Loser WalkRun 5K in Panama City.
I think 5% goals should be doable, right? One goal at a time...
Now, to get my cohorts back on-board...
Financially, September is not being a very good month. My child (and I!) return to dance classes, which means beginning again to pay that dance tuition ($110/month, give or take). I paid off my car (almost $100 more than my usual payment, but it's paid!) My child also needed two more pairs of dance shoes and a new dance bag ($151). She wound up sick and at the doctor's office ($40). I have a relatively regularly scheduled appointment later this month ($45). But I was out of my medication. I had to go.
I fasted, as had been requested, and she went ahead and drew blood to test everything. Initial result: a1c is over 7%. I now have a glucose meter, a prescription for a diabetes-type sugar-reducing medication, and instructions to return in 1 month. Hmm. Not what I wanted to hear. At. All.
So, now I must escape from the potential depression that threatens to build. I must get serious. She gave me 6 months metformin, and I don't want it renewed. She doesn't think she will have to renew it.
So...
Goal #1: Reduce weight by 5%.
Reading online says that even as small as a 5% reduction can reduce chances of this becoming full-blown diabetes by something like 58%. Currently, I am weighing in (by the house scale, which I will be going by) at 217.4. To reduce my weight by 5%, I must get down to 206.53. 11 pounds. That should be doable within a month or two, depending. I have set a calorie goal, I have gone out and bought some healthy things to eat. I must get up in the morning and do some kind of aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes. I want to do the Fluidity program on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and whip out a Richard Simmons video at least the other days, if not every day.
My next goal will be to go down by another 5%, which will be 196.2. I want to be at least here by December, when Cristin and I are planning on trekking down to the Biggest Loser WalkRun 5K in Panama City.
I think 5% goals should be doable, right? One goal at a time...
Now, to get my cohorts back on-board...
Saturday, August 4, 2012
I'm Not Ready For Summer To Be Over
It's August (really???), and, for those of us who teach, that means summer is drawing to a close.
I tried something new this summer, and it (so far) hasn't worked. I gained a few pounds from the week-lonng out of town vacation. (Let's face it; Disney has some good food.)
Stress has won out over diet/workout plans.
My grandparents have required 24/7 care all summer. We've had a day sitter during the week who can work 9-4. We had a night sitter who was working 6-6. That meant no one from 6-9 in the mornings, and no one from 4-6 in the evenings. The evening bit was easier to work out. People start getting off work around 4, so someone could be there to cover. The mornings, though...
The only one who could be there from 6-9 was me. So that meant waking up at 5 or earlier, getting showered and dressed and breakfasted, waking up my now 8 year old child, and getting out of the house by 5:45 or so. I didn't get a full night's sleep for a couple of weeks, since I would have to get there and be awake until the next person came in.
Then my grandmother got violent and couldn't be calmed. We wound up having to put her in the hospital, and my grandfather passed about 29 hours later. With her Alzheimer's, it was determined it would be better to NOT tell her. Or, at least, wait until she asked questions. When she went in, we didn't know if she knew who we were or not, and she didn't necessarily know who he was. She thought she was still a teenager, living in a place she hasn't lived since 1945 when she got married. Every day is stressful now that she's home and you don't know what's going through her mind at any given moment and it doesn't take much to agitate her. (Like, walk around the corner with someone else. She'll think you're talking about her, even if you aren't.) Should note that's not the only stresses, but that's probably the biggest.
So, yeah. Stress. Can you really lose weight when you are tired from stress? Is the stress what's keeping me from losing weight? Meh.
Would love if my partners in this would weigh in on their own stresses and successes, but they haven't made it here in a long, long time...
I tried something new this summer, and it (so far) hasn't worked. I gained a few pounds from the week-lonng out of town vacation. (Let's face it; Disney has some good food.)
Stress has won out over diet/workout plans.
My grandparents have required 24/7 care all summer. We've had a day sitter during the week who can work 9-4. We had a night sitter who was working 6-6. That meant no one from 6-9 in the mornings, and no one from 4-6 in the evenings. The evening bit was easier to work out. People start getting off work around 4, so someone could be there to cover. The mornings, though...
The only one who could be there from 6-9 was me. So that meant waking up at 5 or earlier, getting showered and dressed and breakfasted, waking up my now 8 year old child, and getting out of the house by 5:45 or so. I didn't get a full night's sleep for a couple of weeks, since I would have to get there and be awake until the next person came in.
Then my grandmother got violent and couldn't be calmed. We wound up having to put her in the hospital, and my grandfather passed about 29 hours later. With her Alzheimer's, it was determined it would be better to NOT tell her. Or, at least, wait until she asked questions. When she went in, we didn't know if she knew who we were or not, and she didn't necessarily know who he was. She thought she was still a teenager, living in a place she hasn't lived since 1945 when she got married. Every day is stressful now that she's home and you don't know what's going through her mind at any given moment and it doesn't take much to agitate her. (Like, walk around the corner with someone else. She'll think you're talking about her, even if you aren't.) Should note that's not the only stresses, but that's probably the biggest.
So, yeah. Stress. Can you really lose weight when you are tired from stress? Is the stress what's keeping me from losing weight? Meh.
Would love if my partners in this would weigh in on their own stresses and successes, but they haven't made it here in a long, long time...
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