Since last Wednesday I have been battling some kind of bug. I ran a fever for two days, felt achy, had lots of sinus issues and now almost a week later, I am close to losing my voice.
Through it all I have maintained my meal plan and eating. The only area where I have been a bit more lax in, is the planning for a whole week, what I will eat. I have been flying a bit solo on that.
This is the fourth week of eating healthy and I must say I am feeling great. I am not noticing much difference in my blood sugar, which concerns me. I am not sure what it is going to take. I get to weigh in on Monday morning, which will officially be one month free from sugar, gluten, and refined/processed carbs. I was chatting with my sister and she mentioned, "Can you believe we have almost been a month without eating fast food." This is indeed a bit shocking for me, as I ate fastfood daily, and often two sandwhich's in addition to the value combo I had ordered.
I have also started taking a daily vitamin, to provide a bit of extra nourishment. I am hoping this will help ward off winter germs and keep me healthy once I overcome this bug.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Hidden Truth's
In the past two 1/2 weeks I have learned alot about eating healthy. First and foremost, our bodies want to be treated like a temple. Meaning we should put "good" things in our bodies, not all of the bad. Unfortunately, food manufacturers make it very difficult to determine what is "good" for us.
Each year after the stroke of midnight, the television is flooded with commercials for ways to get healthy in the new year. I noticed in each of these commercials time after time the product was promoted as a healthy choice. Yet, in two of the cases (V-8 Splash and Cambell's soup) the product was far from what really should be considered healthy. Both products contain added sodium, sugar, and other chemicals. Perhaps the definition of good is being better than other processed foods.
I am learning to trust only what I can see and know. By this statement I mean, I can look at a fruit or vegetable and see what is in it. I am working on trying to buy more organic, with hopes that by the end of the year I will be eating completely organic. I used to pick up a can off of the grocery store shelf and scan the nifty box which details calories, carbs, etc. Unfortunately, that little box is tricky. Many products in the supermarket, and by many, I mean a good majority are able to use creative marketing to disguise what is really in the product. Now as an informed consumer my eyes quickly browse the nifty box as a starting point and zone in on the ingrediant list to really understand what I am eating.
Before cooking dinner tonight, look in your cabinet and see how many sugars are hidden in the ingrediant lists of your foods, yet on the nifty box it says 0 sugars.
In most cases I am avoiding canned vegetables as they have too much additives, preservatives, and sugars. Frozen vegetables in most cases are flash frozen at their freshest points for us to enjoy chemical free.
I suppose I am erring on the side of if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is. For example, while shopping on the strip in gatlinburg, I found gluten free, sugar free, and even CALORIE free salad dressing in classic flavors such as ranch, blue cheese, italian, etc. At first glance I salavated and got excited. After I looked at the ingrediant list I discovered everything was chemical based and I barely recognized the words. I put the bottle back down and thought to myself, I know what is in Olive oil and vinegar. Why would I want to put a bunch of chemicals I know very little about into my body.
On another subject I have gotten back into testing more regularly my blood sugar. This week the magic number seems to be 120-124, which is lower than last weeks 130-140. I am hoping that I am losing weight and that is making a significant difference. I would be amiss if I did not admit that I am holding out hope that this lifestyle change will make a positive impact on my diabetes. If I do not see results within six months I am committing to taking my medication. At this time I am not taking the metformin, as I would like to see if I can repare my body via healthy eating and exercise. I vowed I would do this last year, but was on a down hill spiral. 2 1/2 weeks in I am confident that 2010 will be different. I can do this and will make it happen.
Each year after the stroke of midnight, the television is flooded with commercials for ways to get healthy in the new year. I noticed in each of these commercials time after time the product was promoted as a healthy choice. Yet, in two of the cases (V-8 Splash and Cambell's soup) the product was far from what really should be considered healthy. Both products contain added sodium, sugar, and other chemicals. Perhaps the definition of good is being better than other processed foods.
I am learning to trust only what I can see and know. By this statement I mean, I can look at a fruit or vegetable and see what is in it. I am working on trying to buy more organic, with hopes that by the end of the year I will be eating completely organic. I used to pick up a can off of the grocery store shelf and scan the nifty box which details calories, carbs, etc. Unfortunately, that little box is tricky. Many products in the supermarket, and by many, I mean a good majority are able to use creative marketing to disguise what is really in the product. Now as an informed consumer my eyes quickly browse the nifty box as a starting point and zone in on the ingrediant list to really understand what I am eating.
Before cooking dinner tonight, look in your cabinet and see how many sugars are hidden in the ingrediant lists of your foods, yet on the nifty box it says 0 sugars.
In most cases I am avoiding canned vegetables as they have too much additives, preservatives, and sugars. Frozen vegetables in most cases are flash frozen at their freshest points for us to enjoy chemical free.
I suppose I am erring on the side of if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is. For example, while shopping on the strip in gatlinburg, I found gluten free, sugar free, and even CALORIE free salad dressing in classic flavors such as ranch, blue cheese, italian, etc. At first glance I salavated and got excited. After I looked at the ingrediant list I discovered everything was chemical based and I barely recognized the words. I put the bottle back down and thought to myself, I know what is in Olive oil and vinegar. Why would I want to put a bunch of chemicals I know very little about into my body.
On another subject I have gotten back into testing more regularly my blood sugar. This week the magic number seems to be 120-124, which is lower than last weeks 130-140. I am hoping that I am losing weight and that is making a significant difference. I would be amiss if I did not admit that I am holding out hope that this lifestyle change will make a positive impact on my diabetes. If I do not see results within six months I am committing to taking my medication. At this time I am not taking the metformin, as I would like to see if I can repare my body via healthy eating and exercise. I vowed I would do this last year, but was on a down hill spiral. 2 1/2 weeks in I am confident that 2010 will be different. I can do this and will make it happen.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
2010-Finally conquering the problem
2010 is the year...the year, things change for me. I have been yo-yoing for almost 15 years now on various diet, exercise plan known to man. Before Christmas I began reading "Food Addiction" by Kay Sheppard. The book looked at my problem through the eyes of an addict. Suddenly it all became very clear why I have had such a difficult time losing weight, keeping it off, and ultimately, being healthy. Using the lessons learned from Kay Sheppard's wisdom I am now beginning week three of a sober life from destructive eating. I have been relatively craving free, and suddenly have self control and choice over what I eat. I live not for food, but for living healthy now. My hope it that this lifestyle will wash away and help restore the damage I have done to my body in the last 28 years. I am 6'2 and weigh 215 pounds at the start of this adventure. I will not weigh in again until February 5, 2010. Weight is a symptom of my addiction and therefore, I will not be concentrating on my weight all the time, rather making healthy decisions and controlled choices. I still have nagging voices that gode me into thinking I should obsess about my weight or the number of calories I have eaten, however I am able to focus on my health.
Starting tomorrow I will begin testing my blood sugar on a fairly regular basis to see if my glucose levels are improving or not. I wanted to give myself a solid two week introduction without getting to bogged down in that relm of my existance.
I am diabetic. I was diagnosed last year, as with all good intentions, I spent a year eating myself through the anger, fear, and anxiety of having the same disease my mom passed away from.
I eat three meals a day and one before bed snack. The meals I am eating are void of the following:
1. Gluten
2. Sugar
3. Refined/Processed foods
Despite my initial thoughts this leaves me with a plethora of food options and has re-defined how I look at foods. A typical grocery store visit is comprised of the outside perimeter of the store (produce, meat, dairy). I do make a detour to the frozen veggie section and rice/grains. The end result is a rainbow of color and options for me to eat each week. Suddenly, I find myself in the kitchen more and eating things I always thought I disliked. CABBAGE!
I can not begin to tell you how much of an impact these initial changes have made upon me. It is like a carb fog has lifted, I feel less bloated, more energetic, my moods continue to stabilize, I am noticing weight loss through clothes fitting better. Overall I feel AWESOME!
I realized I have been poisoning my body for far too long.
I am beginning week three, and look forward to the coming year and seeing the difference eating healthy and taking care of myself will make. I know I will continue to learn and develop.
Starting tomorrow I will begin testing my blood sugar on a fairly regular basis to see if my glucose levels are improving or not. I wanted to give myself a solid two week introduction without getting to bogged down in that relm of my existance.
I am diabetic. I was diagnosed last year, as with all good intentions, I spent a year eating myself through the anger, fear, and anxiety of having the same disease my mom passed away from.
I eat three meals a day and one before bed snack. The meals I am eating are void of the following:
1. Gluten
2. Sugar
3. Refined/Processed foods
Despite my initial thoughts this leaves me with a plethora of food options and has re-defined how I look at foods. A typical grocery store visit is comprised of the outside perimeter of the store (produce, meat, dairy). I do make a detour to the frozen veggie section and rice/grains. The end result is a rainbow of color and options for me to eat each week. Suddenly, I find myself in the kitchen more and eating things I always thought I disliked. CABBAGE!
I can not begin to tell you how much of an impact these initial changes have made upon me. It is like a carb fog has lifted, I feel less bloated, more energetic, my moods continue to stabilize, I am noticing weight loss through clothes fitting better. Overall I feel AWESOME!
I realized I have been poisoning my body for far too long.
I am beginning week three, and look forward to the coming year and seeing the difference eating healthy and taking care of myself will make. I know I will continue to learn and develop.
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