Day #1

Breakfast:  I already started out wrong because I didn't eat any breakfast, but I'll change that tomorrow.  Too late to change it today.

Lunch:  Leftover chicken fettucine alfredo and glass of Coke
Okay, so I've slipped again and had a Coke, but to my defense, most days by 1:30 in the afternoon, I would have been up to 3 glasses of Coke.  I'll try better the rest of the day.

Hello to the Rest of my Life

Hello to the rest of my life ... that's how I felt this morning when I got up.  I have planned on today being the first day of my "diet."  I worked on menus for the coming week, using what things I had in our cupboards and freezer.  My husband does the grocery shopping, so he won't go again until Saturday.  We are already eating fairly healthy - my problem is, I drink Cokes.  Plain and simple.

Everyone I know tells me I have to stop drinking Cokes, and I know I have to.  I am smart enough to know that I am drinking pure sugar.  But this is a hard habit for me to break.  My husband and my daughter have kicked the soda habit, so I know I can do it, but it's this psychology thing making me hold on to it.  I have stopped drinking Cokes in the past.  I have gone months with drinking any, but the craving was still there and after a period of time, something will trigger my anxiety, and I'm reaching for an icy cold drink.

I'm not going to make a big declaration to myself saying:
I AM GOING TO STOP DRINKING COKES
I am going to give it my best shot to cut down the amount I drink.  I'm not going to forbid myself to drink the Cokes because then I only want them more.  Instead, I'm going to save the Cokes for special times and try drinking water and sugar-free liquids throughout the day.  This is enough for me to try and work on for the next few weeks.

So, in addition to cutting down the amount of my portion size and trying to add some walking to my routine, I am going to cut down on my Coke intake.  I have given myself three goals for the next week:

• Smaller meal portions
• Small walk every day
• Small amount of Coke only

I will try to keep a journal of my success, charting my ups and downs as I go along.  Experts say to also write down your feelings when you are charting your food/exercise intake.  

Today I'm in a manic mood, and these are always unorganized days for me.  My brain is racing in hundreds of different directions and it is hard for me to focus on just one thing.  Sometimes I can get things done, but more times than not, I end up starting several projects that don't get finished.  Today I also have the added stress of my daughter going back to college.  She has been home for Christmas break, but now it's time to get back to the real world.

I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Resolutions, Again ...

Here we are at the beginning of a New Year, and everyone is thinking about resolutions.  I'm going to lose weight, I'm going to be more organized, I'm going to be more productive, yada, yada, yada.  If you're like me, then you have probably made your fair share of resolutions every January, and by February, they are all by the wayside.

This year will probably be no better, but I'm still going to give it a shot.  I want to lose weight and get healthy for the New Year.  There.  I've said it.  I am tired of feeling so tired all the time.  I am tired of my knees hurting all the time.  I am tired of my back hurting all the time.  I am tired of having no energy to play with the grandchildren.  I am just sick and tired of being sick and tired!

My plan is simple:  I'm not going to have a plan!  It seems like every New Year I vow to lose weight and I get all hyped up with making plans and goals, that it all gets to be too overwhelming.  This year, I'm going to take things one day/week at a time and I'm going to start with only three new changes:

1.)  I am going to start out with making a menu over the weekend.  Since it is just my hubby and I at home now, I don't have to cook as much, but I have trouble cutting down recipes to feed less.  This year, I plan to freeze the left-overs to use for additional meals.  If I plate up the left-overs when I fix my plate each night, we both will be less likely to go back for seconds.  Second helpings are usually my downfall - I'm always telling my hubby my eyes are bigger than my stomach.  When I eat too much, I end up miserable for the rest of the night.

2.)  I am going to start going for a short walk each night after supper, even if it is just to the mailbox and back.  Usually I will finish eating and then plop down in my chair to write or read.  This probably won't change much because I do make my living by writing, but at least I am going to give my digestive system a kick start before I do!

3.)  I am going to try and drink more water every day.  I am a Coke-a-holic and I have been almost my entire life.  I need to get more water, not only to help with weight loss, but to help lubricate my achy joints.

So, these are the three things I am going to try for this first month of my "diet."  I really don't want to call it a diet because I want it to be a lifestyle change.  If you would like to join me, let me know - we can be blog buddies and support each other.

Here's to a new beginning ...

Diabetic Sweet Potato Fries

Here is a yummy recipe I found for Diabetic Sweet Potato Fries:

--4 sweet potatoes
--1/4 cup olive oil
--cooking spray
--1tsp garlic powder
--a pinch of salt substitute

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice potatoes lengthwise into 1/2" strips. Place in a bowl with olive oil and toss. Spray a baking sheet and arrange potatoes on sheet. Sprinkle 1/2 of the garlic powder and salt substitute over the potatoes and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown on bottom. Turn potatoes over and sprinkle with remaining garlic powder and salt substitute. Bake for 15 to 20 more minutes. Serves 4.

Dietary exchange: 218 calories; 23g total carbs, 4g fiber, 7g sugar, 14 total fat, 3 fat, 1 1/4 starch, 2g pro

Diabetic Diet

Trying to come up with meal plans that meet the diabetic standards is one of the hardest things for me to accomplish.  Deciding how many carbohydrates, milk, meat, veggies and fruits to consume during the course of one day is a huge chore until you learn the tricks.

I have decided to follow an 1800 calorie diet in order to help me lose weight and control my sugars.  Here are the following foods I need to work into my new diet:

·         Total carbohydrates = 209 grams

·         Starches (15 g each) = 8 per day

·         Fruits (15 g each) = 3 per day

·         Milk/Yogurt (12 g each) = 2 per day

·         Veggies, non-starchy (5 g) = 4 per day

·         Lean meat = 8 oz

·         Fats = 7 grams

All of these have to be divided between 3 meals and 2 snacks per day.  For someone who is used to only eating 2 meals per day, this is going to take a lot of discipline on my part.  I am also going to have to add exercise to my day because this is another way to help lower my blood sugars.

Testing for Diabetes

Causal plasma glucose is a concentration greater than 200mg/dl along with the following symptoms:

• Frequent urination
• Frequent thirst
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Persistent vaginal infection for women
• Irritability

Causal plasma glucose is a glucose level that is normal prior to testing.

Fasting plasma glucose is greater than 126 mg/dl when you have had no food for 8 hours.

My glucose level 1 1/2 hours after eating a bowl of regular oatmeal was 385 mg/dl, hence the reason I got so upset when I heard what the number was.  If you have not had your glucose tested within the last year, it should be something you ask your health care provider at your next visit.  Do not be caught by surprise the way I was.

Blood glucose is greater than 200 mg/dl when tested after 2 hours for an oral glucose tolerance test.  To do this test, a person must fast for 8 hours and then ingest 75 grams of glucose.

Newly Diagnosed Diabetic

Hello, my name is Bobbi and I am a newly diagnosed Type II Diabetic. Believe me, this came as a total shock to me, even though I am a retired Registered Nurse. In all seriousness, I think the warning signs had been showing for a long time, but I kept myself in denial until I had a scare with heart palpitations.

I work from home, so I was busy knitting in front of the television until it was time for my phone operator shift to begin. I suddenly had a racing heartbeat and I could feel it pounding in my ears. I am prone to anxiety attacks due to my bi-polar disease, so at first, I thought this was the problem. But I had never felt the palpitations with an anxiety attack. My husband had a cardiac episode 11 months ago and ended up with six stents in his heart, so I became concerned. I called the doctor’s office and they referred me to the Emergency Room of the local hospital.

I hesitated about five minutes thinking maybe I was imagining my problems, then I decided to not take any chances. I drove five miles to the hospital and was taken right into the ER and worked up as a chest pain patient. I had four nurses descend on me and start the work-up, which promptly caused an anxiety attack. When all my labs had finally been drawn, IV started, EKG taken and was hooked up to every monitor possible, I finally started to calm down.

I was showing no heart palpitations, but my racing heart was finally dropping below the 100 beats per minute rate. I started to feel foolish that I had come to the hospital at all – with the exception of an elevated blood pressure, my vital signs were good and I was feeling better…

… Feeling better until I found out my blood sugar levels were 385 (normal is 70-120). I was expecting heart problems not blood sugar problems, but my cardiac labs and EKG were normal. I was immediately given 10 units of regular insulin to bring my blood sugar down – after one hour, my sugar was down to 278. This was still too high, so I was admitted to the hospital for overnight observation.

I was sent home the next day with all my new diabetic material to read (I was a labor and delivery nurse, so I didn’t know very much about diabetes) and prescriptions for oral medication for my blood sugar and high blood pressure and a glucometer with test strips. I have to test my blood sugar four times a day for the next week. I have a doctor’s appointment for Thursday, February 9th, so the plan is to keep a log of my sugars and start working on my diet and exercise plan.

I wanted to start this blog to help me keep track of my progress, but also to help other diabetics, especially newly diagnosed diabetics, with the knowledge I will be learning. This may be a bumping ride, after all, I am 49 years old and sometimes it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

So follow along with me as I start this new journey in my life …