WAHOO!

Today is Tuesday, my weigh in day.  And . . . .   drum roll please . . . .  this week I lost 4.5 pounds.  I have followed Weight Watchers religiously this past week, and no cheating.  And my numbers show it.  I feel so proud of myself, I can't remember the last time I stuck to an eating plan without a cheat.  I have tracked everything that has gone into my mouth, and have said "no" to sugary sweets when the grandkids have offered them.  And now, as I write this, I feel almost giddy.  It's the incentive I needed.

A Fresh Start. . . . Again.

photo borrowed from diabetesmine.com

It's been over a year since I posted on this blog, but today I need to start over - again.  I guess anytime one undertakes a weight loss journey, one needs to have incentive, a really strong incentive.  I have a wonderful family, all who love me just the way I am.  And perhaps that's part of my problem.  I've had some gall bladder issues, and stopped taking the Victoza again because of some unpleasant side effects.  I decided to try the Glycemic Index Diet again, both to try for some weight loss and also to keep my blood sugar levels in a good place.  I had already re-read the book, made a shopping list, and studied recipes.  But after eating some chicken wings, I suffered serious gall bladder pain, and made an appointment with a surgeon.  Several times I started to cancel the appointment, but didn't.  Today I wish I had.  I went to the appointment yesterday and left his office feeling ashamed, embarrassed, and beaten down.  He told me that he wouldn't do my surgery because of "my size".  He used that phrase over and over, and I fought back the tears.  He told me I needed to take off 100 lbs. before he would feel comfortable doing any surgery on me.  He suggested the ever popular "gastric" surgery, and I told him no way.  If I am to lose weight, I want to do it on my own, with diet and exercise - not someone with a knife and an elastic band.  I'm not sure if Rod knew how down I was.  But as is my normal way, I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and got mad - really mad.  And, I began to make plans for my future.  I enlisted the help of my family.  Already I have gone three days without chocolate - a major step for me.

We have a large picnic planned for Sunday, but first thing Monday morning, the GI diet becomes my new Fresh Start. I hope that you will travel with me as I begin this journey.  I know that I can do it, but if I want to take a wrong exit, I will need your support and encouragement.

Fighting the Dragon

For me, diabetes has become a dragon - a large, cold yet fire breathing dragon.  As I struggle to battle that dragon, I have been researching what tools I could put in my arsenal of weapons to use against said dragon.  I have examined my life and looked at all the pits that I seem to fall into.  And I have looked at so many pages of suggestions that my eyes seem to blur at the thought of reading more.  But like St. George of old,     I am determined to destroy (or at least cage) the dragon.

Here are some of the tools that I have come up with:

1.  Add at least one fruit or vegetable to each daily meal.  I plan to keep a container of bite size veggies in the refrigerator.  Hopefully, this will make it easier to add those fruits or veggies.

2. I am realizing that I need more physical activity.  Basically, I am the Queen of Couch Potatoes (which probably accounts for my Mrs. Potato Head shape).  Since I will have to start slow, I am resolving to find ways to gradually add more activity to my daily life.  This cannot include miles of walking, jogging or stair climbing.  I'm not up to that at this point.  But I like to believe that adding a few more steps to each day will become easier each week.

3.  I love chocolate.  When under the influence of a chocolate craving, I have been known to search the kitchen pantry for a loose chocolate chip if nothing else was available.  Superman had Kryptonite, which weakened him.  I need to think of chocolate as my Kryptonite.

4.  And my last, but perhaps my best tool is to STRESS LESS. I am a natural born stresser.  If there is nothing to stress about, I stress because there is nothing to stress about!  So for the next week or so, I will write down when I stress the most, and how I can calm myself.

If you can offer any suggestions on how to battle and cage my "dragon",  please don't hesitate to offer them.  I can use all the help I can get.

WOW!!!

Last evening daughter Mary showed up with a jar of the Cherry Chocolate Chunk Refrigerator Oatmeal.  She had made two and brought me one to sample.  I had it this morning for breakfast.  The nutritional information is as follows: 274 calories, 8g fat, 55g carbs, 8g fiber, 12g protein; Weight Watchers PtsPlus: 9 .  At first this seemed a little high to me.  But if you subtract the 8g fiber from the 55g of carbs, you have 43g carb.  At 15g of carb per exchange, I was basically eating 3 carb exchanges.  This would have been equal to 1 serving of cereal, 1 serving of milk, and 1 serving of fruit - a well balanced breakfast.  Mary had substituted Truvia for the honey in the recipe.  She used fresh bing cherries, and dark chocolate chips.  She used black cherry lowfat Greek yogurt, and mixed it as instructed.  What did I think????  It was delicious, almost like a sweet dessert.  But it is a legal breakfast.  So now, I need to decide which flavor to make next.  Have a great weekend. 

Healthy Is as Healthy Does

I've recently been introduced to a new website: http://www.theyummylife.com.  Some of the recipes had been pinned to Pinterest, and I found them there.  These refrigerator oatmeals looked so good to me, and I've decided to give them a try. These oatmeal recipes use oatmeal, greek yogurt, chai seeds and assorted other flavors and fruits.  I have recently rejoined Weight Watchers, and the recipes include the Weight Watcher points as well as the other nutrition facts.  So far, I've looked at 14 different flavors, and choosing which to make will be a hard decision.  

As I was checking out the website, I came across recipes for these Healthy Breakfast Bread Puddings.  I think they look Yummy, and they have less than 150 calories.  I'm planning to try both of these, and I think The Yummy Life is one of my new favorite websites.

I Am A Diabetic

There, I've said it out loud.  They say that the first step toward solving a problem is to admit that there is a problem.  Yep, I'm a diabetic.  As hard as I have tried to deny it, I can't any longer.  I've tried to live my life the last few years as if I weren't a diabetic.  But, I need to face the facts - I am a diabetic.  And as soon as I start living like one, my life will change.  I know what I should be doing to bring my diabetes under control, but my sweet tooth is the biggest one in my mouth.  I just don't seem to be able to say goodbye to sugar.  Oh sure, I use Splenda and I drink diet soda.  But I still eat cookies, brownies, and donuts.  Today, that changes.  I need to find things that are diabetic-friendly that will also satisfy my giant sweet tooth.  I'm thinking that sugar-free chocolate pudding, sugar free jello, and whipped cream might just do the trick.  I've heard all about cutting out white foods, foods like white flour, white pasta, white potatoes, and white rice.  And today, I heard Dr. Oz say it again on The View.  The GI Diet (I recently purchased the updated version) follows these same principals.  So, I'm about to give it another shot.  I've heard it said that, "If at first you don't succeed, try try again."  So, I'm about to try and try again.

A New Journey

At the beginning of the year,  I posted about a new journey.  Well, let's just say that the path was rocky and covered with brush.  My numbers haven't come down, my weight hasn't come down, and it seems my life is all about food.  And I hate it.  This past week, I had a headache everyday thinking about diets, what I need to eat, and what I need to buy.  But no more.  I'm tired of thinking about food, diets and all the clutter that goes along with it.  So, starting today, I will begin a new journey to a new life.  No more playing Russian Roulette with my life.  Richard Simmons always said that you don't need a DIET because it has the work "DIE" in it.  But rather you should go on a "LIVE-IT"  so that you can live.  I've decided that I'm going on a Live-it, and food isn't going to be my every waking thought. Wish me luck!

I'm also going to start keeping a journal - not a food journal, but a Life Journal.  A journal where I can write my good thoughts and the bad ones.  I can keep track of how certain foods and activities made me feel.  And try to figure out what makes me happy, and what makes me grumpy.  Do you journal?  If so what do you write about?