Best Bloodwork Ever!

I had my annual wellness visit with my doctor today.  She was very pleased with the results of my bloodwork. My cholorestrol  and triglyceride numbers were all low and my ldl number was high. Everything was well within normal ranges. My blood sugar levels and A1C was all great. This is the best bloodwork I have had in years! Eating like a thin person has benefits! More winning by losing!

One and Two

As I mentioned in my last post, in my opinion there are two essential parts to being successful with conscious eating, or 'eating the way slender people eat'.  Those of us who are trying to eat consciously must consciously be aware of both parts at every meal and every snack.  Here goes:

1. Eating consciously means eating only until you are full.  I have had friends say to me, "But I don't always know when I'm full."  I understand that statement and most of my life have lived by the "I'm eating till my plate is empty" model, because I don't recognize this full feeling. 
     The truth is that our bodies will give us a signal for when enough food has been eaten during a meal.  In order to eat only until we are full, we must learn to recognize and acknowledge that signal no matter how much delicious food is still on our plate.  We must be willing to admit that it's there, even when we want to ignore the signal. 

2. Again, eating consciously requires that once you feel the signal for fullness that your body gives you, eating must stop.  In my opinion this is the hardest part, because sometimes we just don't want to stop.  Oh, man. There's still baked potato with all the trimmings on my plate. There's only half a slice of garlic toast left; surely I can eat that. That won't be much. In order to do this with integrity, you must stop eating once you feel that full signal.  If the food left on your plate can't be saved for whatever reason, it goes in the trash.  That's hard if you were raised with the starving children in China, as I was.  However, no matter what, conscious eating is not conscious eating, and you will never be slender, unless you are willing to throw good food in the trash.  It is a difficult, but critical lesson to learn.

Yes. This is hard.  But you know, so is living with knee problems, diabetes, back issues, heart problems, and a myriad of other health issues that are caused by being overweight.  Those of us who live our lives with too much girth can give you a list of ways that said girth has affected the way we live.  We choose our challenges. We choose our rewards.  Let's choose wisely. 

Eating Six Times a Day!?!

On TV there are often commercials about various kinds of diets. I don't need to name the diets because you have heard the commercials also and know the names as well as I do.  One of the commercials reminded me of why so many of our diets don't work.  This commercial talked about the food that can be ordered to accommodate this particular diet.  It was enough food to eat 6 times a day!  I have also heard of diets that are built around 6 small meals a day.

I totally understand the research behind this type of diet.  Eating 6 times a day does keep blood sugar leveled and keeps the dieter from becoming two hungry.  I am just concerned that our bodies get used to eating that often whether or not we're hungry.  Then if we fall off the diet, our bodies still expect food 6 times a day.  Soon we have regained whatever weight we have lost, and are back in the same place we were in before, or perhaps worse.

That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.  :)

Headed the Right Direction

I am setting no records for rapid weight loss. Yes, I eat a chocolate chip chewie when I bake them. However, my scales are still slowly but surely showing weight loss. As long as I have 1/2 pound to 1 pound weight loss each week, and as long as my blood sugar stays under control, I am happy.

In a couple of weeks I go back to my cardiologist, and I hope he will be pleased.


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Those #%}£¥ Brownies!

I was not prepared for brownies. They were just sitting there on the table with all the other desserts. They were made just the way I like them. Oh, dear. What to do? What to do? Just a small taste. Yep. That would be ok, I told myself. Just a small taste. I have just a small taste and that will be all.

Well, I had a small taste. Then another one and another one. That first small taste became several small, well, not so small, tastes. I'm sure my blood sugar soared. Sigh.

This was just another confirmation that I have no stopping power when it comes to sugar and chocolate. Just how many confirmations do I need? One small taste is at the same time too much and not enough.

The good news? I did not totally crater. I am still counting points and exercising, and my weight is still heading the right direction. Yea!

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My Cardiologist's Million Dollar Tip

That's what he said at my followup exam after my normal (yea!) angiogram. He said my heart had no blockage. However, my triglycerides are somewhat high and the A1-C test showed my blood sugar to be just above normal.

He said, "I have a million dollar tip for you. Lose weight. If you would lose 40 pounds, your triglycerides and blood sugar would be normal."

Of course, I know that. Overweight people know all about the hazards of being obese. Having enough knowledge is never the issue. Making a commitment and sticking with it is the issue.

Still, hearing the cardiologist make those comments got my attention. Hence, I began to give Weight Watchers serious consideration.


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Slowly Losing Still Results in Winning

Yes, the scales are ever so slowly going down, and my patience is being tested in a new way. However, because I have decided to keep on keeping on doing what 'is good for me', I am winning!

My clothes are not just fitting better, they are now looser. The exercise has made me feel stronger and more energetic. My balance has improved, and I can touch my toes! I can get down and up out of the floor with much less effort.

My blood sugar is staying in normal ranges. My blood pressure and pulse are much better. Last week I had blood work done and my cholesterol was normal!

Doing good things on a daily basis, results in positive benefits that would happen no other way. If you are facing something requiring patience, I encourage you to keep on keeping on doing what is good for you, and you too will be a winner.


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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Patience and Post Menopausal Weight Loss

I don't know why I was surprised. Perhaps I was hoping it was just an old wive's tale. Well, I am here to tell you from personal experience, that after menopause, metabolism soooooows down.

For several months now I have eaten very well. I have cut back considerably on salt, fat, sweets, and portion sizes. I have tested my blood sugar daily. I have consistently done Tae Bo three to four times a week. In all this time I have only lost 15 pounds. Before menopause I would have lost much more. Sigh.

Am I discouraged? In no way! In the next post I will share all that I am winning by losing!





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Yoohoo! I'm Still Here!!

Yes, it has been a long time. I have spent the last two years, just eating and eating and lying to myself. The scales continued to climb, and my clothes continued to get tighter and tighter.

Well, I'm back now, because health issues have lifted the 'rose colored veil' and give me a crystal clear view of what I need to do to enjoy the rest of my life with good health. I have a story to share, well two stories. One about me and one about my husband.

My story began about May 1st. I noticed a large bump on the back of my neck. It came up quickly within just a few days and was the color of a bruise, black, red, blue. Every day the bump was a little bigger and more sore than the day before. I went to the doctor on May 6. She said I had an infected sebaceous cyst and prescribed Bactrim, an antibiotic I had taken various times in my life. I took my first dose that night.

Making a long story, well, not as long, I developed a severe reaction to the antibiotic, called Stevens Johnson Syndrome. a life threatening rash. Thanks to an excellent dermatologist, the rash was 'stopped in its tracks', and I recovered within a few days.

In order stop the rash, the doctor prescribed hefty doses of prednisone, a steroid which sends blood sugar of diabetics 'through the roof'. For the first time in a very long time, I began to test my blood sugar. I had no choice.

Once I began testing my blood on a regular basis and once again paying attention to what I was eating, I slowly realized that it was time for me to seriously begin doing some things that were good for me. Yep. It was time to begin a new project --getting healthy.

Tomorrow, my husband's story.

Are You Living in the State of Denial? I have been.

You know, living in the state of Denial (our 51st state?) is not a bad place to be. It is peaceful there. Reality doesn't bother you......, well, except for those nagging thoughts in the back of your mind that just won't go away, but they are easy to ignore, at least for a while. You can do what you want, just keep denying, denying, denying.

Yep. That was me. For a long time, actually. What was I denying? Well, if you remember, I am diabetic. I was diagnosed over two years ago. I have never taken diabetic medicine, just 'controlled' it with my diet. Yea, right.

It was easy for me to convince myself that I really wasn't diabetic, because many times I tested my blood sugar and had normal readings. Soooo I began to eat whatever I wanted, and I quit testing. The State of Denial.

I'm not sure what made me decide to emerge from my extended vacation in that state. Perhaps it was because I had decided to get tests done, mammogram, colonoscopy, endoscopy, pap, etc. I don't know.

Anyway, I bought some test strips. The ones I had had expired...... I tested my blood sugar. It was 167. Not horrible, but not good. I tested my husband's blood sugar. He had eaten exactly the same thing I had eaten four hours earlier. His was 116. Sigh. I could deny it no longer.

If I wanted to be healthy, I had to realistically face, accept, and deal with this disease. Yep. I had to change my address from the State of Denial to the State of Reality.

Gaining and Losing

Yes. It has been a long time since I have written a new post. I can find all kinds of excuses for not writing. I have been busy. I haven't had anything new to write. My mind has been on other things. I could make a case for the validity of each of those excuses. The truth, however, is that none of these excuses are the real reason I have for not writing.

The reason I have not written is because I lost my focus and began to gain weight again. Now I have not gained a lot, but the number of pounds I have gained is not the critical issue. The fact that instead of me being in control of the food I eat, I have begun to allow my compulsion to overeat reign once again.

As my weight has gained, I have begun to lose. I have lost a stable blood sugar. Yep, I can feel it. It was about 10:00 this morning and I could feel my blood sugar begin to drop. My hands got shaky. I had a hard time concentrating on my tasks at hand. Fortunately I was able to get something to eat before the symptoms of low blood sugar got too bad. The point - - I do not have problems with fluctuations in my blood sugar when I am eating correctly!

I have traded the good feelings about myself when I am in control of food, for feelings of guilt and self condemnation when food is in control of me.

I have lost the fun of going to my closet and asking myself, "What fits now?" Instead, I am wearing the same old things. Not fun.

I have lost the thrill of writing about losing another pound and sharing with you the thrill of a new victory when I overcame temptation to overeat one more time.

I totally hate writing these things to you. However, I know that being willing to admit a problem, is the first step towards solving it. I also know that I am probably not alone is this dilemma. Perhaps my struggles here, my ups and downs, my defeats and victories will in some way be a source of strength and inspiration to some of you who might be reading this blog.

The one thing I am not going to do, my friends, is 'throw in the towel' and give up. Because giving up is true defeat and the loss of hope for one day being a healthy weight. Oh, no. Instead of quitting, I am going to keep working and fighting. . . and writing.

In my next post, I am going to explore some of the reasons that may have contributed to my loss of focus.

"Miss Deborah, You are Losing Weight!"

Don't cha love it? Those words were music to my ears.

This past Wednesday I was at church, preparing to teach Children's Choir. As I walked down the hallway, one of the other workers who was following me, said those beautiful words, "Miss Deborah, You are are Losing Weight!"

My response was, "Thank you!!! There is more weight to go!" By losing weight, I have finally won the recognition of that loss by my friends and family. It feels so good! Those words make every time I turned down carbs and sugar totally worth it.

Remember: every 5 pounds you lose shows more than the 5 pounds before it!

Illness and Blood Sugar

Rash, fever, headaches, cold symptoms, etc. I have had a virus the last few days and felt pretty bad. Today my fever is down, the rash is better, so I feel better! This morning I decided to check my blood sugar. I hadn't checked it in several days, because I had been to sick to care. Mistake.

My blood sugar this morning, before eating anything, was 160 which is very high for me. I was shocked. There was no telling how high my blood sugar had been the last few days. I will never know.

Because I am diabetic and because we have Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance, I am part of a program called LifeMasters. On a regular basis a LifeMaster's nurse calls me and checks on how I am doing. They check on my medications, whether or not I have been sick, and they always ask about my blood sugar levels.

This morning just before I got out my glucose monitor, I remembered their comments about consistently checking my blood sugar, knowing for sure whether or not it was in the low, normal or high range.

Probably the infection of this illness had shot my blood sugar levels to the upper ranges of my glucose monitor the last few days. Again, I will never know. Lesson learned

By Losing I have Won.......

Yesterday I bought me some new jeans----one size smaller!!!! Thank you, thank you for the standing ovation!

It felt so good to to walk through the store and ignore the larger sizes and the plus sizes. Standing in the dressing room, trying on the jeans, and looking in the mirror at myself was great!!!

By losing 25 pounds (so far), I have won.... fitting in smaller clothes, looking better in my clothes, liking what I see when I look in the mirror, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar levels, more energy, and a general sense of well being.

Yes, winning these things and more, is worth saying 'no' to processed sugar, and processed carbs. Right now I don't even remember all the foods to which I have said no. Instead I am just excited about being able to wear some of my 'not so fat clothes'.

No Sugar, No Processed Carbs--5th Day

Up to today I had felt just fine. Enough energy. No cravings. No weak feelings. I felt just fine. Until this morning. I got up feeling, well, for lack of a better word, I felt blah!!! I was tired and I just felt heavy. No energy at all. I checked my blood pressure and it was normal, as was my blood sugar. Hmmmmmmm
No, I didn't go and eat a peanut butter sandwich, snack crackers , or any such thing. After 'instant messaging' Lisa, my daughter, I followed her suggestions. I drank some milk, and ate a handful of nuts.
Then I did as my 96 year old grandmother says, "Count your blessings, not your pains." I counted my blessings, put a smile on my face, and went out and worked my Mary Kay business. I got so busy in fact, that I didn't have time to think about how I was feeling. All things considered, it was a very good day!
So my "blah" feelings were really not that important. All I had to do was get busy doing something and quit thinking about them. Then soon, the "blahs" were forgotten in the midst of the busyness of the day.