Diabetic
Mommy's
Type 2 Diabetes
Weight Loss Adventure!
June 2006 Journal Entries
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Diabetic Mommy's Type 2 Diabetes Weight Loss Adventure Start Page
Thursday June 29, 2006
Ever since I started this adventure, exercising has given me energy
and momentum to keep on exercising....I've craved it, craved the
feeling I got. Maybe I'm experiencing a release of endorphins? They
are related to moderate and high intensity exercise over a long
period of time.
Anyway...I've been waking up and looking forward to getting on
the treadmill.
Until today.
I didn't know what the problem was. I did NOT want to exercise.
I wanted to go back to bed. I checked the temp and it was 85, not
bad at all, in fact cool for here.
I started to exercise and thankfully it took a lot less effort
in order to reach my heart-rate targets. That was cool because I
didn't have to work so hard, but it confused me. Was I getting sick?
Was something wrong with me?
So I started to surf TV channels. If I wasn't enjoying it today,
at least I could find something good on TV. As I passed the local
news, the weather was on. The weatherman said the dew-point was
very high today and we were going to start the monsoons today. AHHHHHHH.
That was it.
You see humidity is my kryptonite. I can barely function.
Monsoons. That makes for a challenge.
We have no AC in the room that houses the treadmill. The swamp
cooler and fans are worthless on days like this. The weather guy
says it's going to rain every night. So at least a whole week like
this, likely a month or so.
We can't put an AC in that room, because the treadmill cannot share
a breaker with anything else and we've already got the deep freeze
and water cooler in that room and they cannot go anywhere else.
Plus the treadmill is right next to the sliding glass door so if
a big lightening storm is happening, I'm not getting on it. I'm
not going outside and I probably won't want to drive around. If
you've never been in a monsoon, it's BEAUTIFUL with all the lightening
spiderwebbing across the sky...but it can sometimes feel like you
are under attack with it hitting really close if it's concentrated
in your area. Loud and scary.
So now I've got to plan ahead for those days. Here's the plan.
I was already planning on working out an additional hour in the
evening - so an hour in the morning, an hour in the evening or at
lunch. I'll try to do two (maybe three?), but hopefully I'll be
able to do at least one. Monsoons come and go through the day usually.
Maybe if one day is shot, I'll try really hard to do two the next
day. But I'm making once a day a top priority in my life.
I can use a treadmill at the club that has AC and try to go in
the dead hours. However, there is no childcare during the dead hours
so it will have to be days the hubby is home. If worst comes to
worst the other ladies will just have to watch my belly and butt
flop around. Or I can do the elliptical.
I've got a Leslie Sansone tape "Walk and Jog" I can use
in a cooler room, but I'll have to do it twice since it's only 30
minutes. Maybe I'll have to see if she has a high-intensity one
that is longer.
Finally, I can just tough it out on hot humid mornings, watch my
heart-rate and chug a lot of water. That's what I did today. I had
to talk myself into it though.
What did I tell myself? Well, first I sang the chorus to Missy
Elliot song "Work it" to myself (and remember she lost
a lot of pounds too)-
Is it worth it, let me work it
I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it
Ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gnith ym tup I (backwards)
Ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gnith ym tup I
As I'm singing and asking is it worth it? I'm looking right at
my big fat belly and I'm thinking - YES, let me work it! It's absolutely
worth it.
I just want to workout for the length of a TV show. Is that time
and effort worth it to lose this belly? Yes! Is it worth it to lose
weight period? Yes! Is it worth it to be healthier and need less
medicines? Yes! Is it worth it to look lean someday? Yes! Yes! Yes!
So I got my ass on the treadmill.
Then I had to remind myself about priorities as I exercised. Are
your priorties REALLY in the right order?
I can SAY I want to lose weight. I can SAY it's important to me.
BUT, unless I am actually doing it and taking steps in my life to
get it done, then it really is NOT a priority. If it was, I would
move mountains for it.
I have had things in my life I would move mountains for - time
to play a particular game, my son, being able to spend time with
my sister, certain events in my life. For those things I made them
a priority, no excuses, and did them no matter what obstacles were
presented. I've been pushy or been a real biatch to make those things
happen.
But exercise? I didn't do those things before for exercise. It
was NOT as important to me as I thought. So, I had to educate myself
on what my future would hold if I didn't, and what rewards would
come if I did. I had to brainwash and psyche and scare myself into
making it a priority. I've done a lot of talking to myself.
Well, we'll see how tomorrow goes. It's supposed to be worse. I'll
let ya'll know.
Tuesday June 27, 2006
I got the the scale this morning....drum roll please....197.5!!!!
WooHoo! I lost 3.5 pounds!
I'm am glad because I was getting pretty discouraged lately. I
had browsed a website yesterday that belonged to someone else with
type 2 diabetes. They had tried and tried to lose weight and had
a little success but the weight came back and then some. Ever since,
their efforts have been fruitless. So the website is aimed at acceptance
of the catch-22 of diabetes and acceptance of fat. To tell you the
truth, I was reading it and thinking, oh man, he's right, I should
just give up!
But then I step on the scale and the needle is going down. Just
what I needed today. Now I'm back to the kick arse attitude of this
friggin situation.
I did my 3 miles on the treadmill in my target heart-range. Later
today I have a water aerobics class. I do those twice a week...except
for when aunt Flo visits.
I had a little accident today. I cleaned out my water bottle, and
apparently got some dish soap in the spout and drank it down. My
mouth tastes horrible, and now I'm nausous - like morning sickness.
I hear it can really mess up your digestive system. So I'm hoping
it passes quickly.
.I was doing some thinking yesterday in a quiet moment. Yes, that
can be dangerous sometimes, haha. But, in the forum
we've been talking about how in the past people with type 2 diabetes
were the survivors because they could survive the famines because
their bodies were better at storing energy. So, it makes sense that
in the process of evolution and survival of the fittest in lean
times, that we type 2's were doing okay.
But then the situation changed. Traditional foods and eating according
to growing and hunting seasons gave way to a processed diet that
no longer followed the seasons. For instance, tomatoes are more
nutritious at a certain time of year, but we eat them all the time
sometimes never eating stuff that is actually in season. Plus accepted
portions have changed tremendously. Restaurants proudly advertise
humungous burgers or plates of food that can feed five - and you
can get them for just couple bucks. A couple bucks fill your tummy,
but there is hardly any fiber or vitamin or mineral rewards. It
doesn't really nourish you. It hurts you.
All this packaged stuff eliminates a lot of the physical effort.
For instance, my great-grandma shucked corn, cut off the kernals,
boiled it with some ash (from a fire they made), ground it down,
added some water, patted it into tortillas over a fire. Her day
was doing these things. A simple life. A pretty stress-free life.
Today, I just got to the store and grab a package off the shelf.
I've got pre-packaged stuff, a dishwasher, a washing machine and
dryer, etc. But I am way more busy and much more stressed than my
mom, grandma, or grandma ever where....and it seems like I accomplish
way less!
So, if this is the case, is there actually something wrong with
us? Are we the defective ones? Or does the disease (and fault) actually
lay elsewhere - a fixation with convenience, low-cost, our desire
to have certain foods available all the time, chemically and genetically
messing with food? Like a poison...and it's killing us?
Here in Arizona the Native Americans had been some of the most
fit people around. They were well-known worldwide for their excellent
physiques, endurance, hardiness, and long lives. Now they have an
epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes. As far as I know, they
didn't have this problem before the 1950's.
It was at that time that they were provided food staples of lard,
flour, and pinto beans by the government (giving way to oh so delicious
frybread. Yes, I love it - in moderation). They were nudged...not
that's no a good word...they were strongly forced and discouraged
from partaking in "savage" traditional foods and from
farming - tepary beans, O'odham corn, squash, grasses, seeds, cactus,
etc. Our desert here is a virtual supermarket, but now it's just
decoration.
They would eat many different types or species of corn, squash,
etc. There was lots of variety. Now, for many popular vegetables,
just about everyone in the world eats only one type.
Are you still with me? See what I mean about thinking? No, I didn't
come up with this stuff on my own. Many people have said this before....but
it just has hit home a lot more lately and makes me look at food
differently.
Okay, I'll stop spouting. :)
Monday June 26, 2006
Official weigh-in today: 200
Okay, so my mind was willing. I was bound and determined to jog
a while mile ASAP and work up to 3 miles! Well, my body said, whoa
Nellie, not so fast.
So, I took it down a notch to let my body adjust and catch up to
my brain. I still got a vigorous work-out as my heart rate was usually
between 137-146.
Last night I took some Tylenol to try to help my achy hips. Then
this morning I took an ibuprofen and I stretched before and after
working out. I also watched my form - made sure my back was straight,
my abs were tight and my pelvis tucked up a little. That helped
a LOT. Right now, post-workout, my hips ain't achin'.
Oh yea, I about had a heart-attack this morning when I tried to
turn on the treadmill. It wouldn't turn on! I kept re-plugging it
in, checking that the safety key was in right, it just wouldn't
come on. My mind was racing with alternatives and I was praying
for it to work. It was already too hot outside to try it outside
and I didn't want to do high-intensity treadmill at the gym yet
(I don't want anybody to see my 200 pound body bouncing around right
now). Luckily the plug had come off the treadmill and was loose.
Yeah, I was back in business. If I HAD to, I would have gone to
the gym or gone to a public pool and doggie paddled or water jogged
for an hour. Oh yea, and now that I think of it, I could have done
the elliptical without bouncing around....so I'll have to remember
that.
I started my workout the same, I did 3 harder intervals using the
treadmill's "weight loss" program...which is really just
a hilly interval program. (regular cycles of slowing down and speeding
up at various inclines), with 5 mph max. Then I brought it down
to 4 mph max until I reached 2 miles. By the time I got to the 2-mile
point, my hips started to ache a little bit. So, I changed to a
manual flat program. I set the speed at 3.5. I found at this set
constant speed it was easy to switch between very, very fast walking
and a slow jog. So I walked and when my heart rate started to go
down, I jogged to get it back up until I completed 3 miles total.
Here's what I ate and plan to eat today:
Before I exercised I had a Kashi peanut butter bar (130 cals).
Afterwards I had some leftovers - about a 1/4 cup of peas with some
taters and bison meat mixed in (200 cals max). I also made a stir-fry
with onions, garlic, jalapenos, asparagus, yellow squash, and shitake
mushrooms with one egg scrambled in and a bunch of spices (about
200 cals).
For lunch I had a 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (208 cals)
For a snack I had a Skinny Cow fudge bar. (100 cals)
So far I've had about 838 calories. So I'm good if I have up to
another 662 or so. I have to remember that I can't starve myself
if I'm exercising so much.
For dinner we'll have some fish, garlic rolls, and fresh green
beans.
After or with dinner I'll make a mediterranean veggie plate:
Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers with basil from the garden sprinkled
on top. Crumbled feta cheese, a little bit of olive oil and a lot
of lemon juice with salt and pepper. YUM.
Well, a week has passed since I started this, and I was hoping
to see a huge reward on the scale. But I have to remember with diabetes,
sometimes it takes a little bit for the results to start showing.
So I will HOPE I see results by next Monday. But many of those studies
gave it 12 weeks or even 6 months. So I'll have to keep plugging
away.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Today I am feeling good as far as energy. My hips aren't as sore,
and I'll be taking it easy today. I don't know what I'll do if they
are still sore tomorrow. I have some weird pain twinges in my intestines
and I'm constantly having to go potty. Hopefully it has something
to do with losing weight!
Yesterday it looked like I lost two pounds, I was at 203. Today
it looks like it's back, 205. I started at 200 pounds, and shot
up to 205 the second day. But I'm not stressing over the daily weights.
I'll weigh again tomorrow morning for my official number for the
week.
I led Sunday School at church for the teens. Lots of skinny kids.
I didn't feel as fat as usual, so that's good.
The past week, I've slept about 7 hours each night. Today I'm going
to try to get some naps in and sleep extra long tonight. I know
I need lots of sleep in order to lose weight right. I'm trying to
give my body it's best chance so I'm trying to get:
Lots of sleep
Lots of water
Lots of vegetables and some fruit
Lots of exercise
I'm a very disorganized person. I think I am going to try to channel
some of this energy into cleaning up our house (spring cleaning
in the middle of summer?) and organizing myself and setting up a
work calendar.
I'm still not making a menu, but I'm going to try to include more
foods I know always leave me feeling full: Peanut butter, avocado,
turkey. For example, yesterday I had munchies for hours. Then I
just gave in and had a 1/2 peanut butter sandwich, with 1 tablespoon
of peanut butter and a tsp of no-sugar added jelly, and the munchies
were gone for a while. I always use natural old-fashioned peanut
butter - the kind that only has nuts and oil in the ingredient list,
no added sugar, no trans fat.
I'm also going to go heavy on foods that are supposed to help diabetes:
Unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, nopales (prickly
pear cactus pads), tunas (prickly pear fruits).
As well as include foods that are just plain healthy: kelp, green
tea, ginger, hot peppers, soy, garlic.
As far as vegetables, I need to stop lumping them together. There
are leafy vegetables, root vegetables, fungus, and vegetables that
grow on the plant. I have to try to include each of these too. More
sprouts.
I've stocked up on South Beach bars, like the high-protein cinnamon
bar, and I found some Kashi peanut bars. These things have been
lifesavers. I try to eat every 3 hours to try to keep my insulin
and blood sugar levels stable....but I often go for long periods
without eating. So these things have been very handy to pack in
my purse and munch on, even if I'm not very hungry yet because this
helps me from getting ravenous later.
Oh yea, on Friday I bought myself a new pair of jogging/running
shoes and a couple high-impact sports bras. Let me tell you, these
bras make a HUGE difference! I'm not flopping all over like usual.
My belly, that's another story, but the girls are doing fine now.
I am way, way behind and have TONS to do. But I'm actually tired
and going to bed sounds good even though it's only 5 pm. I think
I am going to let everything just sit and I'm going to answer the
call of my body.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
This is my very first entry. If you haven't already read it, please
read Type 2 Diabetes
Weight Loss Reality...and What I am Doing About it. This explains
why I'm doing what I'm doing and how my first week went.
Today is Saturday and I have been following my plan since this
past Monday. I got up this morning needing to do an extra mile in
order to complete my 17 miles for the week. I ended up doing TWO
(one for good measure) and actually wanted to do more. My knees
and everything are holding up fine...with the exception of my hips.
I'm going to have to really keep an eye on that and maybe try to
get to the chiropractor. To be honest I could tell when I was on
the treadmill that my hips were hurting and I pushed through it.
So, next time if they start to hurt, I'll have to slow down. It'll
do me no good to have hurt hips. I'll have to look into water jogging....is
there such a thing?
Tomorrow will be Sunday and will be my day of rest. I am kind of
scared to have an off day...worrying if it will make it hard to
get started again on Monday. We shall see.
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