Celebration!

Alan and I went for our 2 month check up and blood work yesterday, and boy, were the nurse and doctor surprised! Alan has officially lost 19 pounds and I have lost 11 pounds. Celebrate!

The doctor was also very pleased with how I was managing my blood sugars and insulin and encouraged me to continue doing what I was doing. Alan was able to avoid an increase in his blood pressure medicine, too! I am anxious to hear what my test results are for the A1C blood sugar average over the last 3 months.

We did go to a restaurant for breakfast after the blood work. Sigh! It is getting impossible to have a restaurant meal under 1,000 calories at the places that we have been going to. Most are over 1,500 calories, and some of the appetizers are 1,800! No wonder Americans are getting fatter!

We had already been cutting back a lot from eating out in the last 2 months, but we decided to do even less eating out this morning. It just isn't worth it! (We ought to save a lot of money, too.)

Report Card:
Weight:                        232
Calories:                   2,052    (We went to a restaurant for one meal.)
Exercise minutes:         60
Average BS:               129

Plateaus, plateaus

I thought on Wednesday that I was past the plateau, but I am now in the bouncing ball syndrome -- back up to 233. At least I know I am lower than I was a month ago!

Report Card:
Weight:                       233
Calories:                     845      I wasn't very hungry today
Exercise minutes:        90
Average BS:              115

Hooray!

I am off of another plateau! Hooray!

I had a great day today, although a bit high on my calorie count. I enjoy walking in my apartment while I watch "The Biggest Loser" on Amazon on demand. That way, when I get sweaty, I can look at them and realize I don't even know what real sweat is! :-)

Friday Alan and I have a check up and blood work with our doctor. I think he is going to be really surprised that we have both lost weight since we saw him two months ago.

Report Card:
Weight:                           230
Calories:                      1,455
Exercise minutes:          105
Average BS:                   126

Inspiration from my Hubby

My husband has really been inspiring me with his own weight loss journey. He has already lost 20 pounds and 1 slacks size. Today he decided to walk the 4 miles to work and back! Wow!

On top of continuing to encourage me, he has taken over the cooking in the house and made sure that we are both keeping to our calorie goals. I am so proud of him and so thankful for his support!

Report Card:
Weight:                       233
Calories:                  1,442
Exercise minutes:         90
Average BS:               151

Monday again

The scale finally smiled on me again and I came off of the plateau -- just barely, but I will take it!

I am pleased at how well I am doing in lowering my calories. So far, the biggest problem is that sometimes my insulin dose ends up requiring a snack to bring my BS levels back up. So I lowered the dosage a bit again today. It is quite a juggling game, but I am learning to keep all of those balls up in the air! Ha!

Report Card:
Weight:                            232
Calories:                       1,485
Exercise minutes:           120
Average BS:                    134

A Joyous Resurrection Sunday!

Alan and I had a wonderful day celebrating our Lord's resurrection. We didn't go to a sunrise service because it was rainy and cloudy. But when we got up for breakfast and fed the birds, we had a wonderful surprise. Two orange orioles came to our feeder -- and they looked like the sunrise themselves!

Our Lord and Savior is so good! Our Bible study this morning was all about our future in heaven. Hallelujah!

Report Card:
Weight                  233
Calories                1,150
Exercise:               Day of rest
Average BS:         123   

Having the Hungries

I had the hungries this evening and I am not sure why. At any rate, I ended up eating more calories than I had planned, but not binging as badly as I used to. I think I will be satisfied with that for now. Overall, it wasn't a bad day.

Report Card:
Weight:                        234               Still!
Calories:                   1,900
Exercise minutes:       105
Average BS:                126

Another Day

I decided to rename my blog today to something a bit more descriptive of my journey right now. Other than that, it was another ordinary day.

But... is any day really ordinary? God gives us a precious gift with each new day. A new day to grow closer to Him. A new day to work toward our life goals. A new day to be with our family. A new day to dream and plan. A new day to enjoy the sunshine.

The list of blessings goes on and on. What an amazing thing -- an ordinary day!

Report Card:
Weight:                           234           Stuck on a plateau again
Calories:                      1,200           Meeting my goal!
Exercise minutes:            90            Good!
Average BS:                   133           Excellent!

Body Protests

I knew going into a new lifestyle that my body would protest at various points along the way. I expected muscle aches and pains, water retention at times, and hunger pangs at times.

What has caught me off guard is the days when I am just exhausted! I have days when I sleep a lot more hours and still find myself dragging through the day. I push through it with my exercise, but the fatigue can be more annoying than muscle aches to me. Alan has had the same thing in his weight loss journey.

Maybe it is just normal when we are making big changes in our "senior" years.

At any rate, yesterday was one of those days, and today hasn't been much better so far. Oh well! Keep on keeping on!

Yesterday's Report Card:
Weight:                                  234
Calories:                             1,200
Exercise Minutes:                 115
Average BS:                          130

Settling in to a New "Normal"

I feel like I am seeing the beginnings of settling in to a new "normal" life for myself. I know I still have a long way to go on my weight loss journey, but my diet and exercise routine is beginning to fall into place. I am really pleased with that development.

Eventually, I should have a life plan in place and established as a habit. Then I will have more time for the other activities that I love in my life and I can start adding them back in without getting distracted.

Report Card:
Weight:                            234
Calories:                       1,370
Exercise:                           75 minutes
Average BS:                   146

Monday, Monday

I had a good day today overall. I am slowly working my exercise level back up to what it should be, and the scale is being kind.

Weight:                 233                   11 pounds lost so far!
Calories:            1,533
Exercise:                 40 minutes
Average BS:         156

I hope to get back to more exercise tomorrow, and that will bring those blood sugars down even lower.

I have been watching "The Biggest Loser" on Amazon pay-per-view, and I manage to learn something new every day about diet and exercise. If you discount all of the "drama", it is an inspiring show about getting healthy.

Weekends can be hazardous to your health

This weekend was rather scary because it seemed like my hubby and I were slipping back into old habits. I was still sick, and he had twisted his back -- so most of the weekend was spent resting and vegging in front of the tube.

Ususally that means we also overeat -- big time! And it seemed like we were overeating. But it turns out that we were overeating on more healthy foods and in smaller portions! Maybe this new lifestyle is beginning to stick!

While we both ate more calories than our goals and got very little exercise, we didn't binge like we used to. My blood sugars were higher, but not horrible. Hooray!

Saturday:                                                    Sunday:
Weight:                 235                               Weight:                     234
Calories:            1,430                               Calories:                1,660
Exercise:                15 minutes                  Exercise:                    30 minutes
Average BS:         128                               Average BS:            177

Friday Frump

Today seemed like Friday Frump for me. I was too sick to even want to get dressed in the morning -- so I didn't. And even walking in the apartment was quite an effort, so I didn't get much done on that front.

At least I got our bookkeeping accounts up to date. Alan's new job has certainly made that chore much easier!

Report Card:
Weight:                       234                    I am still bloated from the flu
Calories:                  1,570
Exercise:                      50 minutes
Average BS:              157                   

I also had some spikes from lack of my regular exercise -- but I look on the bright side that those spikes are getting fewer and farther between these days!

Diabetes and Exercise

I am still fighting the flu today, but it ended up giving me another practical example of how important exercise is to controlling my diabetes numbers.

With how I was feeling, I only ate 2 meals today. Even though I was eating less calories for the day, exercise was still the crucial component to keeping my sugars level and in range.

After breakfast, I walked back and forth in the apartment for 15 minutes -- then I crashed back into bed. But that little bit of walking kept my numbers good. The same amount of calories at dinner, but sitting afterward, and my numbers shot up through the roof and only very slowly came down. At bedtime, they are still high.

So exercise within 1/2 hour of eating is a real key for me needing less insulin and keeping my numbers stable and in the "green" zone. Good lesson.

The good news after another day of flu is that the scale has finally relented and I have lost some more weight. 3 pounds -- Hooray!

Yesterday Report Card:
Weight:                         236
Calories:                    1,490
Exercise:                        80 minutes -- 12,356 steps
Average BS:                114

Today Report Card:
Weight                         233
Calories:                   1,120
Exercise:                       15 minutes
Average BS:                174

Flu, Flu, Fly Away!

Actually, for having the flu, I don't feel too badly. I got a nice long nap in this afternoon, and that seemed to help a lot.

My blood sugar numbers are doing really well, and I was able to reduce my insulin again today.

Report Card:

Weight:                           236                  Again, and again, again.........
Calories:                      1,470                  Much better
Exercise:                        105 minutes
Average blood sugar:    112                  Really good!

A Day or Two with the Flu

Well, I got the flu and started having symptoms right after lunch yesterday. By bed time I wanted to rip that hurting tummy out of my body. Luckily, today is much better -- just lots of runs to the bathroom. Sigh!

The good news is that I have lowered my insulin dosage once again this morning. Hooray! I had left it the same yesterday and my numbers got so low twice during the day that I had to eat extra calories with 2 large snacks -- so it was time to lower again.

I am also trying for a goal of 1200 to 1400 calories per day this week. 1200 calories is what I should be at to maintain my goal weight.

My leg muscles are getting stronger, although I am more tired today with this "bug" bugging me.

Yesterday's report card:

Weight:                                  237
Calories:                             2,010 
Exercise minutes:                 150
Average blood sugar:           123

Handling Discouragement and Guilt

It was discouraging this morning because my weight went up to 237. Sigh!

When I hit a moment like that, I think it is time to look back on the progress that I have made and realize that my body will catch up eventually. One encouragement is to compare how much walking I could do a few weeks ago to what I can do now. Just a few short weeks ago, I couldn't go 15 minutes without a rest. Now I can easily go 30 to 45 minutes with no rest and at a faster pace! God made such amazing bodies for us!!

The guilt is a little harder for me to handle. I tend to get caught up into "obligations" to others, even when the others are not looking at it as an obligation at all. This week, I got bummed out because I wasn't making new quilts for Wycliffe Kid Zone because I was spending so much time on me. I felt like I was letting them down.

That is the time to talk to God and ask for guidance and also go talk to a good friend or family member and work it out in your head. Lucky for me, I have a husband who is also my best friend, so I didn't have far to go for a good talk.

He helped me remember that my quilting is my hobby, not my obligation. He also helped me look more realistically at the huge changes that I am making in my life and how much of the day that consumes keeping track of the data and then analyzing it.

I also realized while talking it out that I hadn't been able to give my best to my family, friends, or my hobby because I have been so out of shape and sick. I would go to quilt class one day and then sleep most of the next day.

One thing that helps me now in my own head when I have to prioritize my weight loss is what we went through after bankruptcy a couple of years ago. We had some debts that still needed to be paid, so a lot of other things in our life went on hold until those obligations were paid off. But once the debts were paid off, we had a lot more options and have been able to do some things for our families that we couldn't do before.

It is really the same kind of thing now -- other things have to go on hold so that I can get really healthy. Then I will have the energy and resources to help others in even better ways than I have been. So goodbye to the guilt and back to work!

Report Card:

Weight:                                237                               Yuck!
Calories:                           1,465                               Good job!
Exercise:                                60 minutes
Average blood sugar:         114                               Good!

Life is Complicated

When I started the journey to repent my old way of life and adapt a new lifestyle, I knew there would be some difficulties. After all, I am 60 years old, my colon has been removed, and I had diabetes. But, all in all, I thought it would be fairly straightforward -- reduce the calories and increase the exercise. I thought within a month I would have a detailed strategy nailed down.

Well, I am finding it a bit more complicated than that. I am not only having to basically run experiments on myself to test how I react to various foods, but also having to run experiments about how and when to exercise.

For example, I have found that eating my normal snack of a pack of peanut butter cracker sandwiches at 190 calories will spike my blood sugar numbers worse than 2 slices of bread spread with peanut butter that have closer to 250 calories. They are both carbs, both have peanut butter and a type of bread -- but my body processes them differently. I also find that both process better if I add a cheese stick to the snack -- even though that is 90 more calories.

Of course, the extra calories there have to be deducted off of another meal or snack -- so that is something else to experiment with and figure out.

So it is complicated.

I have also found that even a half hour difference in when I exercise can determine whether I have a spike or my blood sugars stay stable for several hours.

Each time I am able to lower my insulin dosage or my weight drops another pound or two -- things change and I have to figure some things out all over again! I know it will get more and more stable as I go along, but right now it can be frustrating.

So I continue to spend a lot of my day keeping detailed records and trying different combinations. Each day I get a little closer to my goals and the knowledge I need to change my life and keep it changed.

It may be complicated, but it is achievable!

Yesterday's Report Card:

Weight:                                    236
Total Calories:                      1,590
Exercise:                                    90 minutes
Total number of steps:        9,632
Average blood sugar:             129

Today's Report Card:

Weight:                                   236  Seems to be another plateau
Total Calories:                     1,850
Exercise:                                 105 minutes
Total number of steps:       9,879
Average blood sugar:            135

And the battle continues..............

Sore Legs

I stand corrected that it is a "recumbant" bike. Whatever you call it, my legs were really sore today, so I only walked and did less total time. Here's my stats:

Weight:                             235
Total calories:               1,790
Exercise:                            35 minutes
Average blood sugar:      128 

I completely forgot to wear my pedometer, so I don't know how many steps I took today.

Trying Something New

Today I decided to try something new. We have a tiny little exercise room here at the apartment complex, so I went in and tried out the reclining bicycle. (I think that is what you call that contraption.) I set it for a cardio workout and managed to keep at my heart rate target for 20 minutes.

I thought I was going to die for about the first 5 minutes, but, of course, I didn't. After I got through the first pain, I found a rhythm that was tolerable. Hopefully, it will get better over time. It certainly got me into a good sweat!

I also bought myself a whiz-bang pedometer that keeps track of steps, miles, and calories burned. It also has a computer program so you can download the data and keep track of your progress. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I recorded 8,190 steps throughout the day -- 3,300 of them in the aerobic range. But, it also told me that I only burned about 332 calories with all that work. Whew! I definitely need to step it up -- so to speak. :-)

I was able to reduce my insulin dosage again today, so all of this is really helping me get healthier. I am shocked at how level my blood sugar numbers are when I exercise after every meal.

Good report card for today:

Morning weight:                     235            I think I am finally off of that plateau!
Total calories:                    1,970            A bit higher than my 1800 goal
Minutes of exercise:               60
Average blood sugar:           107            Hooray!

Today's Report Card

Morning weight:                           238                        Up 1 pound
Total calories:                          1,710                        Great!
Total minutes exercise:                75                        Hooray!
Average blood sugar:                 106                        Time to lower insulin again

I had a great day today. My brother, Pete, gave me some wonderful encouragement with his progress on weight loss and lowering his blood sugar numbers. He has really been able to lower the amount of insulin he has to take by a bunch!!

Today's Report Card

Okay, it is time for today's report card:

This morning's weight:       237                 No change
Today's calories:              1810                Did eat some chocolate in there
Minutes of exercise:             35                2 sessions
Average blood sugar:        130                 2 spikes from too many carbs

Tomorrow's goals -- Less carbs and more protein and veggies
                                   More exercise

A Life Plan, NOT a Diet Plan

It seems like the first thing anyone asks when you say you are losing weight is, "What diet plan are you using?" But all of the diet plans in the world boil down to how many calories you take in versus how many calories you spend.

And at 60 years old, I don't want a diet -- I want a changed life.

So I had several goals starting out -- all of which had to do with breaking the destructive cycle that I was on.

First, I needed to figure out what kind of healthy, balanced diet would work best for a 60 year old body that no longer has a colon and does have diabetes. What foods would nourish me well, be digested easily with just a stomach and a small intestine, and would help level out my blood sugars throughout the day without those destructive peak and valley spikes?

After experimenting and taking copious notes, I have found for me that meant:
      a change to more protein,
      more vegetables (of the kind that have no fiber or  tough skins),
      about the same amount of fruit (of the kind with no seeds or peels),
      and less carbohydrates (especially sugary processed breads, etc.).
When I changed the balance of those foods, my blood sugar numbers came into a more narrow range.

Secondly, I needed to increase and get consistant with my exercise. I also needed to figure out the best times to exercise to keep my blood sugars steady.

Again, after experimenting and taking copious notes, I found my blood sugars dropped dramatically if I exercise about 1/2 to 1 hour after every meal. It didn't even have to be more than walking in place in front of the TV for 15 to 20 minutes to make a big difference. So my goal now is to do this consistantly and increase the time and intensity. Already, I have been able to drop my insulin dosage by 4 units per day.

Third, with the blood sugars fairly level and dropping, I needed to lower my daily calorie intake. The doctor wanted me to do this gradually and he suggested that I get down to a consistant 1800 calories per day by the time I see him again at the end of April. At this point, I am consistantly at about 2000 calories per day, and plan to lower that level this week. The eventual goal will be 1200 to 1400 calories per day recommended for a woman my height.

All three of these changes will make me healthier, help me lose weight, get my blood sugars under control, which will help me lower the insulin dosage and maybe eliminate the need for some of the other medications that I am on at the moment.

So, the journey continues!

Joining the Blogging Crowd

I decided it was time to start a blog of my own, especially as I continue on my path of self discovery and weight loss. It will be an easier way to share with those of you who are interested in my progress and also a good way to keep me accountable to my friends during the tough days.

There are a lot of reasons that I could site as to how I became 100 pounds overweight. But I have dealt with them in the past and what is important to me now is to stop using the past as an excuse not to do something right now. So, as some of you know, I decided to take some time off from my regular activities and focus on getting my blood sugars and weight under control and headed down in the right direction.

I am happy to say that after one month, I have lost 7 pounds and my blood sugars are now stable. I have also been able to lower my insulin dosage by 4 units per day. Hooray! I have also learned a lot about what to eat and when to exercise to improve my blood sugar numbers and even them out through the day.

Now I need to continue to lower my daily calories and increase the level of my exercise. So I will continue to post my journey here to keep me honest! :-)

I welcome your suggestions and encouragement -- but, most of all, your prayers. This is a spiritual journey even more than an emotional, intellectual, and physical one. Without Christ, I can do nothing -- with Him, all things are possible!

Becky