Exercise - Are you doing it?

Exercise has always lately been easy for me, but I haven't had success losing weight.  Until now.  I am finally moving the scale.  Guess what it is?  Moving faster, for longer every day.  (Well 5 days a week.)  I walked/ran 100 miles in 12 days.  That is so close to 10 miles a day.  That has been the turning point.  Now I am constantly trying to see how far, how long, and how fast I can go.  My legs and arms are screaming at the end of my first 60-80 minute work out- every day.  And Every day, I know that I will go a second time for another 60 min.

It's hard work.  But you know what's harder?  Carrying 30-40 extra pounds and knowing I am that much closer to diabetes.  So I'm learning to enjoy one hard thing, to avoid dealing with another hard thing.

What are you doing to reach your goals?  How are you avoiding diabetes, heart disease and other weight related illnesses?

I'm Too Busy to Eat Healthfully

 I don't know about you, but at 4:30pm, when I realize that I don't know what I'm making for dinner, and the family is rotating around me like natives on the warpath, I am not inclined to follow through with that plan for grilled salmon and wild rice.  No, I reach for a box of mac 'n cheese and hope I can get it on the table before the screaming starts.  Then I realize that I am starving, and since I am not going to take the time and I don't want to clean up the mess from making two meals, I sit down and eat some mac  'n cheese.  I don't even like boxed mac 'n cheese!!! ( Homemade stuff, well that's another story.)  Any way, I decided to take this problem in hand.  I purchased a huge amount of chicken from Zaycon Foods.  *Details on how to do that to follow.*  While separating 40lbs of chicken into 1 lb packages I saw some limes on my counter.  My favorite marinade is a lime-honey-southwest concoction.  Inspiration struck!  I made up a double batch of the marinade and poured it into 4 of the chicken bags.  Then I thought, "why stop there?"  So I grabbed the last of a container of ranch dressing, some poppy seed salad dressing and a teriyaki marinade and doctored up a couple more bags.  At the end, I had bagged 13 lbs of chicken with marinade and put them in the freezer.  All I have to do is pull a bag out in the morning and let the chicken marinade as it thaws.  Seriously - this is genius!  Okay- I know people have been doing this for years and that pinterest has tons of examples.  But I never do it!  This time I did.  I'm pretty excited.  The coolest thing is that I am less likely to order Pizza, go out to dinner or, --gasp-- make mac 'n cheese!

So one more excuse down for me.  I now have time, for at least 13 meals, to eat healthfully.  :)  What are your best tips?

Zaycon chicken is the most awesome stuff I have found.  It is about $1.68/lb. which is crazy low in my area of the country.  More than that, this chicken does NOT have added hormones!!  It is NOT pre-frozen and I have been so happy with the quality.  If you would like to get some check them out here. They also have bacon, and salmon and a bunch of other things.  They are not in all areas, but they might be in yours, and if they aren't, send them a message and let them know that you are interested.  Maybe, if there is enough interest, they'll come to your area too.  :)
https://www.zayconfoods.com/refer/zf1982

What are you willing to do?

It started out as a fluke.  I randomly posted my lunch on Facebook with the caption, 'eat like a diabetic.'  It was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek comment on how boring my meals were.  Then one person said "blog this." Then another, then another.  Enough people asked for a blog, that I thought, "Why not?" So I started logging my meals online. 

I  have to admit that keeping this blog has been more than a little uncomfortable for me.  I am not really a "share with the world" kind of person.  I normally would tell my friends about my diabetes, in person, if it came up in conversation; but to blog about it is so completely open.  Don't get me wrong, I am not a shy person.  I am very outgoing, but I don't share really personal things.

 While I know that what I eat is not necessarily personal, it does open me to a lot of scrutiny.  Especially since I normally take a lot of joy in what I cook and consider myself a good cook.  I also take some enjoyment from knowing that what I make is normally from scratch and my own unique recipe.  What I have shared here so far has been modifications for the changes in sugar and starch, or has been made using "prepared" foods that make things quick for me.  It is actually embarrassing to me.  Funny, huh?

As I move through this journey, I fully expect to learn to cook all my new foods from scratch and to develop recipes that are as tasty as the originals.  And so far, I have been really pleased with the recipes that I have developed and shared.  They are my reality at this point, as is my diabetes.  But I think it is funny, how sometimes I just don't want to share a recipe, because I know that I have used a commercially prepared sauce or a can of soup. 

Sharing my feelings on the day that I realized that I did indeed have diabetes, was completely foreign to me.  I didn't want people to feel sorry for me, but I felt so many emotions at that moment. It wasn't that I wanted to be "honest to my followers." It was more that I needed that outlet at that moment.  Having done that, I was able to move forward.  This blog has helped me more than anything, to keep on track.  To be accountable to so many, has forced better habits of diet and exercise on me.

I have been surprised at how many of my friends have followed my journey.  I have also been grateful.  This isn't the most scintillating of blogs- I mean, it's a food log.  But it has shown me how many people care about me, and that has been humbling.

So I will keep blogging my meals, and thank you for your kind comments and help in keeping me one track. 

Off Track

The easiest way to get off track for me to be too tired to deal with eating.  If I get too busy or overwork, I tend to not care about what I eat.  I just grab something fast and easy.  I have spent the last 2 days being too busy and too tired to care.  This does not reflect well on my food log-or my sugar log, which is the bigger concern.  I have not checked my sugars regularly in those two days.  Considering how hard I have worked to keep my levels in control the last few months, this seems silly.  Two days can really throw a diabetic or a dieter off track.  I will report what I can here in my food log, but I have a goal to be much more diligent over the next few weeks.  I'm sure that success doesn't mean I never mess up.  It means that I get back on track the minute I realize I am not being diligent enough. :)

This is a blueberry shake.  It is a clam shell of blueberries and a couple cups of ice cream and some milk.  I made enough for the whole family.  Yes, I ate it for lunch.  Ahhhh---  I did say I needed to do better.

I really needed some protein.

And some yogurt covered pretzels where yummy, although not filling.  I did not over do it, I only had a couple.  However, when combined with the day- it wasn't a good choice.

Teaching my son to make a yummy fast meal, so we made BBQ sandwiches in Grands rolls.  I generally start teaching with some easy things like mac and cheese and hamburger helper, etc.  Then when they understand the rules of using the oven and stove and measurements, I move them into cooking from scratch.  He was so proud of these, so even though they are not great food for a diabetic, it was worth it.

a big slice of watermelon. 

Some pork n beans from the can.  I love this stuff.

4-5 Big strawberries. Yum!

a small handful of chocolate chips.  Sometimes you gotta have a fix.

Then since I'd already had the chips, I figured "why not?" on the tootsie roll.  I did give some to my kids.  It felt great to eat it, but 10 min. later, I did not feel great.  In fact I felt sick.  Lesson learned.  1 or 2 of the little tootsie rolls is a much better option.  Save the king size thing for when you're hiking and need a quick pick me up. :)

I Eat Well All Day Long--- And Then the Night Comes

Are you like me?  Do you stick to your eating plan, to the letter, all day- and then 9:00pm rolls around and you blow it? I hate 9:00 pm.  There is something about that time of day that absolutely weakens my resolve and messes up any diet to which I think I am committed.  I can eat fruits and veggies and whole grains all day and feel great!  But at 9:00 pm, I want ice cream or candy.  I don't just want it- I need it.  I have to have it.  If 9:00 pm didn't exist, I would once again be a size 2.  Okay- well maybe that isn't quite true, but 9:00 pm is my weak hour.  The house is quiet, and I can enjoy my treat in peace.  So I have 2 choices.  I can save my daily treat for 9:00 pm. or I can find something constructive to do at 9:00 pm.  I may have to start painting my nails at 9:00 pm daily.  That way, because my nails will be wet, I won't be able to get into any treats.  This is an idea worth thinking about.  Until then . . .

Here is my food log. :)

I think I might like the strawberry flavor even better than chocolate.  I threw in some frozen strawberries, a banana and some coconut milk. mmmmnnn Heaven.

Snack time.

and a little something sweet. I only had one. Yea me!

Lunch.  Okay, so not really really healthy, but filling and fast and I was busy.

another snack. (I was so good yesterday.)

Just before dinner, I was dragging, so another snack.

dinner was stir-fry.  I should have had another helping, but I was too tired to eat.  That came back to bite me later when I was far hungrier than I should have been.  My family loved the stir-fry and it was rather tasty. 

Don't let this innocent looking glass fool you.  It ended up chocolate. :)

Okay so I was on a wheat thins kick.  And I ate almost the whole package of graham crackers.  Anyone want to guess what time it was?

finished up with ice cream. Yeah- it was 9:00 pm

You CAN Exercise!

A lot of the people who follow this blog have told me that they do so while they try to change their habits and get healthier.  Some of the people who have written, have commented that they are trying to lose weight, while others are also trying to cure or control diabetes.  Hopefully, the food log and some of the recipes are helping with that.  For me, taking a picture of everything I eat, and reporting it, keeps me more honest than I would be with myself. 

However, when controlling diabetes, or when losing weight, or even when trying to live a healthy lifestyle, diet is not enough.  Exercise is critical.  What you eat controls your size, what you do controls your ability.  Your muscles look better, your lungs function better, your brain is clearer, your mood is happier when you exercise. I am not a personal trainer or fitness expert- at all!  However, I have learned a few things, and I hope this will help.  If this is a popular part of my blog, I will keep it up.  :)

So these are the common reasons for not exercising and what I think are some ways to overcome those hurdles.

1) I don't have enough time to exercise.  --  Did you watch the season finale of Castle?  Did you see the kiss?  Then you have time.  Get off the couch, stand in front of your TV and march in place.  Seriously, you are going to watch Castle, Psych, and The Bachelor anyway.  Stand up and do something while you watch.  It will keep you from eating ice cream, and you can feel good about multitasking.

2) I'm in too much pain. -- Some of you are in immense pain, and you shouldn't do anything without asking your doctor, but have you asked your doctor? Have you asked the chiropractor what exercises you can do? It hurts, but the more muscle you have, the less it will hurt.  If, however, you hurt because you are overweight- that pain isn't going away until you do something about it. So start by walking up and down your driveway 2 or 3 times.  Take it slow, it's not a race, it's life; but it is life, and you are missing it.

3) I can't afford a gym membership. -- Do you have a pair of tennis shoes? Then you have a gym membership.  Put them on and take a walk.  If you want weights, pick up 2 cans of soup or 2 water bottles. Ta-DA!!!  Grab a towel and you have everything you need.

4) It's uncomfortable. -- Good!  Then you are doing it correctly!  Trust me, I hate exercising- or at least I used to.  I didn't ever sweat or breath hard if I could help it.  I have a friend who, and I am not kidding, has a recording of me that she kept after I called her the first time I worked hard enough to be out of breath. She was so proud.

5) I don't want anyone to see me exercise. -- I have been there.  I didn't want to go to a gym with lots of skinny little blonds with perky ponytails.  I didn't want the guys in the gym to look at me.  This is the excuse that people won't say out loud and won't admit to others, you feel too fat for the gym.  It doesn't matter that the gym was made to get rid of fat- you just can't walk through that door. 

The cure? There are 2- you can either suck it up, bite the bullet, and walk through those gym doors- which is a really good option, or you can start at home.  The first option will allow you access to personal trainers, friends and support.  Contrary to what you have worked up in your mind, most people will applaud you- if they even notice you.  They are, after all busy with their own work-outs. It makes it more likely that you will use equipment correctly, and thus avoid injury.  It requires bravery, but you can be brave.

The second option, it is what I did.  Yup, I ran in my house.  I ran up and down my stairs until I worked up to 100 stairs. I lifted cans of beans. I did pathetic, floppy sit-ups. But I did do it.  After 2 years I worked up the courage to go to a boot camp.  Best thing I ever did!!  All women, (except for the instructor, but luckily, he looked exactly like my younger brother, so I wasn't intimidated),  I did it with a friend, and I tried to do everything full out.  By the end, I could hold plank, lift one arm and then the other, run dirty 30s and do a REAL sit up.  I could even pump out 28 boy push ups.  But I wouldn't have had the courage to do it if I hadn't started at home.  :)

Lastly, I have got to tell you- women who are 8 months pregnant still exercise.  They do push-ups off the wall instead of on the floor.  They waddle, they are slow, but they do it.  Everyone can do it.  The hardest part?  It isn't starting.  The first week is always easy.  The second, harder but you are focused.  It is the 3rd and 4th weeks, when real life creeps in and you have to adjust schedules and it is easy to skip days.  Don't do it- don't skip.  Find a time and do it for at least 25 min.  The hardest part is continuing when you are tired and bored and out of ideas.  But since you are going to watch Castle anyway- you really have no excuse.