Hello there! Well, Aaron and I will be married 13 years on Monday, May 31st. So, we are taking a little time off to rest and relax and enjoy ourselves.
Tonight we will be dining in Northbrook at Di Pescara for their fabulous Chilean Sea Bass, shrimp and tuna tartar. Then we'll be moseying over to the Sybaris for a fantastic evening sipping wine by the poolside, hot tub, sauna and steam room, massage chair, movies, music, table for 2 by the fireplace, waterfall over the pool. Ahhh, I can't wait. Oh, did I mention that I secretly ordered 6 huge chocolate covered strawberries to be waiting in the refrigerator upon arrival?
Tomorrow my Mom will be taking us out to eat at Kawa, our favorite Japanese restaurant, for our anniversary.
Saturday, we are entertaining Michael, our financial advisor, to a Greek feast of barbecued beef, chicken and lamb shish kabobs, garlic-cucumber yogurt sauce, olives, hummus, pita and some good wine.
Sunday I think we'll fall over from too much excitement and I'll be forced to order in. Maybe Ray and Kortnee will come over to spend some time with us.
Monday I'll get the grill going again and we'll grill some chicken breasts, asparagus, egg plant and I'll make some Spanish potato salad and some fruit for dessert.
So, if you don't hear from me for awhile, you'll know that we're going to be having a heck of a good time.
I'll check in again on Tuesday!
Have a great holiday weekend and stay safe.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Appointment with Dr. Clark - update
I'm back now from Dr. Clark's office. He said overall, most the products that I'm on are for profit making for the doctor. He liked the ingredients in the shakes except for the caffeine. He cut me back to 1 scoop (1/2 the dosage) twice per day. He said I paid for it, I might as well eat it and this way it will last me longer. This container is almost gone.
He loved the fish oil and said it's probably the best fish oil out there that he's seen but way too expensive. He said when choosing a fish oil, make sure you can see through it and be able to read a page in a book, that's the best kind of oil. He also said that fish oil should be mercury free and from the smaller fish such as anchovies, sardines, etc. The bigger fish (salmon, tuna) are likely to eat a bunch of different things that aren't good and this gets passed to us.
He loved the D3 and said to keep on that because most of us are deficient anyways. I went to CVS and found this exact strength for 1/2 as much money.
He thought the detox pills were a waste of time and won't do what they promised to do. He said this is the latest fad, a few years ago it was hair implants! (He also noticed that these pills had taurine in them...Red Bull)
He thought I could get what I needed from a daily yogurt in the probiotic department and I could buy alot of daily yogurts for the $54 the probiotic cost me just to make me bloated and have diarrhea.
He liked the idea that I was on Glucophage (Metformin) 1000mg twice a day and wanted me to stay on that but agreed with me that I need something additional. He said since I'm on Metformin now, he would give me Actos 15mg once daily in the morning instead of Glipizide. He gave me samples for 2 weeks. He said if my blood sugars aren't between 100-150, then he's bumping me up to Actos 30 mg and he gave me a week's worth of those too. He also gave me an RX for Actos 15mg with 1 refill if the 15mg works.
He said I am trying very hard and after seeing my food log/Blood Sugar log, he said anyone with that much detail and effort is going to succeed. He told me not to beat myself up and that we have to tweak the plan along the way, everyone's metabolism is different and what works for some won't work for others. He said he thinks I'm almost there. He asked about my relatives because metabolism is genetic. I thought of my Aunt Jenny on my Mom's side and had to laugh. I look just like her.
He also said that many people are frustrated with the way allopathic medicine and medication have missed the boat on keeping us slim and healthy so it's very common to want to investigate diet supplements, shakes, pills, etc and he is actually blaming modern medicine and the drug industry for people feeling that they need something different.
Anyway, I asked him about the Mediterranean Diet and the Asian Diet. He said both of them individually and combined are excellent and anyone could lose weight and keep their blood sugars down eating that way. I asked him what he thought about if I should stop this diet at HNC or continue. He didn't want to make the decision and said, well you could try it for another month and just see or you could start the Mediterranean Diet if you want. I took that as a big hint.
So, we keep Metformin, add Actos, keep fish oil, D3, eat the shakes until they are gone, keep all the other meds I was on and start eating Mediterranean and Asian foods and continue walking 20-30 minutes a day. This is so much simpler and Aaron is VERY happy I went to see Dr. Clark and heard all of this from him. He's convinced that the M and A diets are the way to go. So am I.
For dinner tonight I made some boneless skinless chicken breasts, sauteed some green beans in olive oil, tossed with ff feta cheese and toast some whole wheat pita for dinner tonight. I also put that over some sauteed water cress. Yes, and I had 2 small glasses of red wine.
I took my blood sugar at 9pm and it was 120!!!
Ahhh, I feel so much better now. I think I have the whole plan.
He loved the fish oil and said it's probably the best fish oil out there that he's seen but way too expensive. He said when choosing a fish oil, make sure you can see through it and be able to read a page in a book, that's the best kind of oil. He also said that fish oil should be mercury free and from the smaller fish such as anchovies, sardines, etc. The bigger fish (salmon, tuna) are likely to eat a bunch of different things that aren't good and this gets passed to us.
He loved the D3 and said to keep on that because most of us are deficient anyways. I went to CVS and found this exact strength for 1/2 as much money.
He thought the detox pills were a waste of time and won't do what they promised to do. He said this is the latest fad, a few years ago it was hair implants! (He also noticed that these pills had taurine in them...Red Bull)
He thought I could get what I needed from a daily yogurt in the probiotic department and I could buy alot of daily yogurts for the $54 the probiotic cost me just to make me bloated and have diarrhea.
He liked the idea that I was on Glucophage (Metformin) 1000mg twice a day and wanted me to stay on that but agreed with me that I need something additional. He said since I'm on Metformin now, he would give me Actos 15mg once daily in the morning instead of Glipizide. He gave me samples for 2 weeks. He said if my blood sugars aren't between 100-150, then he's bumping me up to Actos 30 mg and he gave me a week's worth of those too. He also gave me an RX for Actos 15mg with 1 refill if the 15mg works.
He said I am trying very hard and after seeing my food log/Blood Sugar log, he said anyone with that much detail and effort is going to succeed. He told me not to beat myself up and that we have to tweak the plan along the way, everyone's metabolism is different and what works for some won't work for others. He said he thinks I'm almost there. He asked about my relatives because metabolism is genetic. I thought of my Aunt Jenny on my Mom's side and had to laugh. I look just like her.
He also said that many people are frustrated with the way allopathic medicine and medication have missed the boat on keeping us slim and healthy so it's very common to want to investigate diet supplements, shakes, pills, etc and he is actually blaming modern medicine and the drug industry for people feeling that they need something different.
Anyway, I asked him about the Mediterranean Diet and the Asian Diet. He said both of them individually and combined are excellent and anyone could lose weight and keep their blood sugars down eating that way. I asked him what he thought about if I should stop this diet at HNC or continue. He didn't want to make the decision and said, well you could try it for another month and just see or you could start the Mediterranean Diet if you want. I took that as a big hint.
So, we keep Metformin, add Actos, keep fish oil, D3, eat the shakes until they are gone, keep all the other meds I was on and start eating Mediterranean and Asian foods and continue walking 20-30 minutes a day. This is so much simpler and Aaron is VERY happy I went to see Dr. Clark and heard all of this from him. He's convinced that the M and A diets are the way to go. So am I.
For dinner tonight I made some boneless skinless chicken breasts, sauteed some green beans in olive oil, tossed with ff feta cheese and toast some whole wheat pita for dinner tonight. I also put that over some sauteed water cress. Yes, and I had 2 small glasses of red wine.
I took my blood sugar at 9pm and it was 120!!!
Ahhh, I feel so much better now. I think I have the whole plan.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Not Working - need a new plan
The adjustments that were made at my last appointment are making me feel terrible. I have been feeling wiped out, exhausted, still bloated and puffed up. In fact, my blood sugar is totally out of control. On Sunday my blood sugar reading was 317. I was in a daze and could hardly move around. I ended up taking a whole Glipizide (what she took me off of) and this morning my blood sugar was back down to 83. The lowest it's been since before I went on this Metagenics diet.
My Mom and Aaron and I took a look at all the ingredients of everything that I'm taking yesterday afternoon and found that I'm taking a probiotic that is a milk dirivitive. Well, I'm lactose intolerant and I told them that. Ok, my fault for not reading the label myself (even though I asked repeatedly if any of these pills, shakes, protein bars and puffed protein balls have milk in them.) Gee, I wonder why I was so bloated!
So I stopped taking that as of this morning and I did not take my shakes today. I did go to work (yesterday I spent most of the day in bed feeling very sick) and I felt much better. I did take the vitamins, fish oil, D3 and detox pills along with 1/2 Glipizide.
Tonight 2 hours after dinner my blood sugar was 212. Now I'll take another set of pills and another 1/2 Glipizide and see what it is in the morning. I hate to self-medicate and I think there is something wrong with this diet and my body - they are not getting along. So, I've made an appointment to see my family physician tomorrow at 2pm. Aaron strongly suggested that I see him for the defining diagnosis and plan going forward. If the diet is not right for my body (I'm so darn sensitive) then I will take my doctor's advice and do what he says.
I did look up The American Heart Association Diet, The American Diabetes Association Diet, The Mediterranean Diet and the Asian Diet on line last night and they pretty much all say the same thing. My mom and I were joking today that I should eat what God put on this earth in the first place. So we decided to look up the diet in the Bible and guess what? It's the Mediterranean diet! Thousands of years later, it all comes round to this.
I found this great website www.Mediterrasian.com It combines the Mediterranean Diet and the Asian Diet together. It makes alot of sense. Even if I continue on the shakes, detox pills, vitamins, etcetera, Aaron and I (and my Mom) have decided to eat this way. It also stresses exercise, relaxation and good sleep.
So stay tuned, I'm still not giving up on getting rid of Diabetes. I will find a way!
My Mom and Aaron and I took a look at all the ingredients of everything that I'm taking yesterday afternoon and found that I'm taking a probiotic that is a milk dirivitive. Well, I'm lactose intolerant and I told them that. Ok, my fault for not reading the label myself (even though I asked repeatedly if any of these pills, shakes, protein bars and puffed protein balls have milk in them.) Gee, I wonder why I was so bloated!
So I stopped taking that as of this morning and I did not take my shakes today. I did go to work (yesterday I spent most of the day in bed feeling very sick) and I felt much better. I did take the vitamins, fish oil, D3 and detox pills along with 1/2 Glipizide.
Tonight 2 hours after dinner my blood sugar was 212. Now I'll take another set of pills and another 1/2 Glipizide and see what it is in the morning. I hate to self-medicate and I think there is something wrong with this diet and my body - they are not getting along. So, I've made an appointment to see my family physician tomorrow at 2pm. Aaron strongly suggested that I see him for the defining diagnosis and plan going forward. If the diet is not right for my body (I'm so darn sensitive) then I will take my doctor's advice and do what he says.
I did look up The American Heart Association Diet, The American Diabetes Association Diet, The Mediterranean Diet and the Asian Diet on line last night and they pretty much all say the same thing. My mom and I were joking today that I should eat what God put on this earth in the first place. So we decided to look up the diet in the Bible and guess what? It's the Mediterranean diet! Thousands of years later, it all comes round to this.
I found this great website www.Mediterrasian.com It combines the Mediterranean Diet and the Asian Diet together. It makes alot of sense. Even if I continue on the shakes, detox pills, vitamins, etcetera, Aaron and I (and my Mom) have decided to eat this way. It also stresses exercise, relaxation and good sleep.
So stay tuned, I'm still not giving up on getting rid of Diabetes. I will find a way!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Appointment Update
My appointment went very well with Dr. M. She is keeping me at 1300 calories and is adjusting some proteins and carbs around at different times. I am to delete the grain and to cut back on salt and red wine and to increase my exercise. She sent an Rx to CVS for Glucophage 1000 mg which she wants me to take twice a day. That should get my blood sugars down. The nerve conduction study showed early signs of neuropathy which she said were so early that it is going to be no problem at all to reverse that if I keep on the plan. Which, of course, I will.
I now weigh 197.5 on my scale naked as a jaybird before breakfast. I weigh 200 on her scale with clothes and shoes and after breakfast and coffee. So, I'm doing very well and she is happy with my results. I have lost 3 pounds of fat, gained one pound of muscle and the rest was fluid. Now that I've gained muscle (new this visit), the weight will be easier to keep off and I can eventually have more calories the more muscle I build. Protein and exercise!
She also did a UA today and said I'm not drinking enough water that my urine was "dry." I don't know what that means, maybe too concentrated? So I also need to increase my water.
As far as the bloating was concerned, she think's its hormonal because I am ovulating. She wants me to keep a chart of my periods and ovulations.
Everything makes sense and she thinks I get it too, so she said not to come back for one month. I was so happy that I'm on the right track I forgot to make an appointment!
I now weigh 197.5 on my scale naked as a jaybird before breakfast. I weigh 200 on her scale with clothes and shoes and after breakfast and coffee. So, I'm doing very well and she is happy with my results. I have lost 3 pounds of fat, gained one pound of muscle and the rest was fluid. Now that I've gained muscle (new this visit), the weight will be easier to keep off and I can eventually have more calories the more muscle I build. Protein and exercise!
She also did a UA today and said I'm not drinking enough water that my urine was "dry." I don't know what that means, maybe too concentrated? So I also need to increase my water.
As far as the bloating was concerned, she think's its hormonal because I am ovulating. She wants me to keep a chart of my periods and ovulations.
Everything makes sense and she thinks I get it too, so she said not to come back for one month. I was so happy that I'm on the right track I forgot to make an appointment!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Bloated
I am so bloated today that it feels like I didn't lose any weight at all. I see Dr. M tomorrow at 11:30am and I get weighed then. I hope all this water goes away by then. This time it feels like water and not gas because I think my feet and legs and hands are swollen. I know she will help me make it go away so even if I don't have a good weigh-in tomorrow, I know she'll help me. I felt fine when I got up but then after my shake I swelled up and stayed swelled. I didn't do anything different...hmmm. DRAG!
Yesterday I felt so good - and skinny - that it seemed I had lost over 10 pounds. I guess I will find out tomorrow. In the mean time, I'm drinking some water, laying off the salt and keeping my feet up.
I'll let everyone know the results of my appointment tomorrow night.
Sleep tight
Yesterday I felt so good - and skinny - that it seemed I had lost over 10 pounds. I guess I will find out tomorrow. In the mean time, I'm drinking some water, laying off the salt and keeping my feet up.
I'll let everyone know the results of my appointment tomorrow night.
Sleep tight
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Japanese
It was the quietest Sunday that we've spent in a very long time. A spa-day of a sort. Relaxing, not even thinking about too much, reading the paper, sitting with a cat on my lap, taking a nap...
Saturday night we went out to a Japanese restaurant, Kawa (in Grayslake), with Phil and Diane and had a great time. We enjoyed so many wonderfully healthy dishes and brought our own wine. We also sampled some sake that was divine.
In the Japanese mood, I made Udon for dinner tonight. Japanese wheat noodles in chicken broth with green onions, an assortment of different mushrooms, water chestnuts, shrimp, tofu and red, white and black pepper.
I can feel that the weight is coming off and am very happy about this. I've lost all of the weight I gained eating comfort food after Dolores died, and then some. I started out 6 months ago at 199.5, lost very little weight, then gained. Now, in a matter of 10 days, I'm down to 198.5 on this new diet and I feel great. I see Dr. M. again on Thursday. I know she will adjust my Metformin because my blood sugars are a little high, but that's ok. It will only make me feel better.
Must get some beauty sleep now for tomorrow we exercise!
Saturday night we went out to a Japanese restaurant, Kawa (in Grayslake), with Phil and Diane and had a great time. We enjoyed so many wonderfully healthy dishes and brought our own wine. We also sampled some sake that was divine.
In the Japanese mood, I made Udon for dinner tonight. Japanese wheat noodles in chicken broth with green onions, an assortment of different mushrooms, water chestnuts, shrimp, tofu and red, white and black pepper.
I can feel that the weight is coming off and am very happy about this. I've lost all of the weight I gained eating comfort food after Dolores died, and then some. I started out 6 months ago at 199.5, lost very little weight, then gained. Now, in a matter of 10 days, I'm down to 198.5 on this new diet and I feel great. I see Dr. M. again on Thursday. I know she will adjust my Metformin because my blood sugars are a little high, but that's ok. It will only make me feel better.
Must get some beauty sleep now for tomorrow we exercise!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Happy Birthday to me!
So far I'm having a great day. I had another appointment with Dr. Malhotra at Heal N Cure. She really liked the results. I had another body composition test and found that of the 4 pounds I lost, 1 was water and 3 were FAT!!!!!!! I have not increased my muscle yet, so I need to now increase exercise to do that.
She made some adjustments:
1. I now take a probiotic 20 minutes before my breakfast shake
2. I now take 2 detox pills in the morning and 2 detox pills at night
3. I now take 2 fish oil pills in the morning and 2 fish oil pills at night
4. I must walk each day beginning with 1 mile a day (eventually up to 5 miles a day)
5. I must begin a light "weight" exercise such as bar bells or that Shake away Weight thing you see on TV.
I spoke with Michael about meal planning. He said I have to take my Vitamin D3 with a protein or else it won't do any good. He said that Vitamin D isn't even a vitamin, it's a hormone.
He also gave me a meal planning guide for 1300 calories a day which include the shakes twice a day. Everything is all measured out on the sheet and you don't even have to think. Ah, that's the way I like it. Now I can have very lean beef and lean lamb. The daily alotments are:
1. Medical Food - 2 shakes
2. Legumes - 1 serving
3. Non starchy veggies - unlimited
4. Starcy veggies (carrots) - 1 serving
5. Concentrated protein - 2 servings
6. Oil - 4 servings
7. Nuts/Seeds - 1 serving
8. Fruit - 2 servings
9. Dairy - NONE
10. Grain - 1 serving
She also took a nerve conduction study to see if the diabetes has done any damage. I will talk about those results with her next week.
I am feeling great and am glad that I went on my birthday. I wanted to remember that for my 46th birthday, I did something really great for myself!
She made some adjustments:
1. I now take a probiotic 20 minutes before my breakfast shake
2. I now take 2 detox pills in the morning and 2 detox pills at night
3. I now take 2 fish oil pills in the morning and 2 fish oil pills at night
4. I must walk each day beginning with 1 mile a day (eventually up to 5 miles a day)
5. I must begin a light "weight" exercise such as bar bells or that Shake away Weight thing you see on TV.
I spoke with Michael about meal planning. He said I have to take my Vitamin D3 with a protein or else it won't do any good. He said that Vitamin D isn't even a vitamin, it's a hormone.
He also gave me a meal planning guide for 1300 calories a day which include the shakes twice a day. Everything is all measured out on the sheet and you don't even have to think. Ah, that's the way I like it. Now I can have very lean beef and lean lamb. The daily alotments are:
1. Medical Food - 2 shakes
2. Legumes - 1 serving
3. Non starchy veggies - unlimited
4. Starcy veggies (carrots) - 1 serving
5. Concentrated protein - 2 servings
6. Oil - 4 servings
7. Nuts/Seeds - 1 serving
8. Fruit - 2 servings
9. Dairy - NONE
10. Grain - 1 serving
She also took a nerve conduction study to see if the diabetes has done any damage. I will talk about those results with her next week.
I am feeling great and am glad that I went on my birthday. I wanted to remember that for my 46th birthday, I did something really great for myself!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Heal N Cure Plan of Attack
I had a really nice visit with Dr. Malhotra.
1. I found out that I am at 3 times the risk of a normal person for a heart attack.
2. I have a vitamin D deficiency and inflammation that is a contributing factor to my weight.
3. The Glipizide that I'm on is forcing my pancreas to produce more insulin but since I have insulin resistance, the insulin is storing in my fat cells and making me FAT. My problem is not producing insulin, it's using insulin.
4. She took me off all my vitamins and herbs and the Glipizide
5. She added Glucophage 500 mg extended release once daily
6. She added fish oil to help with inflammation once daily
7. She added Vitamin D3 supplements once daily
8. She added Advaclear detox supplements twice daily
9. She wants me to stay on Prozac, Prilosec, Xyzal, Baby Aspirin and Simvastatin
10. She wants me to take my blood sugars in am before food and 2 hours after dinner
As far as diet is concerned, I get 1300 calories a day: (that's 26 Weight Watchers points)
1. 30 minutes after I wake up is Breakfast which is a protein shake which I got from her. I can make this with unsweetened Almond Milk or water.
2. Lunch is a salad with lots of chicken or fish (or egg whites), beans and 1/4 avacado (or olives) with all kinds of greens and veggies and only oil and vinegar dressing. She said eat according to the rainbow - something green, yellow, red, etc.
3. Another shake at 4pm
4. Dinner is fish or chicken (or egg whites) with veggies, fruit, fat free cottage cheese and if I can't stand it, then 2-4 oz red wine (but then no fruit)
5. Snacks can be either plain almonds 5 at a time as many times as I want, or 1 protein bar which I got from her (sweet), or a (salty) soy snack which I got from her.
6. I CANNOT HAVE: soda, juice, corn, banana, pineapple, potato, all other alcohol
So, the plan is to do this for 1 week, see her again next Thursday at 2:30. I should have lost 2 pounds. Luckily I had my Flexible Spending card for my health care account because I paid alot for the supplements, shakes, bars and snacks.
She said no fat free foods (except for cottage cheese) or sugar free foods, nothing processed or packaged. Only real, natural foods and only olive oil to cook with. She also said I will be getting good carbs in the beans, some veggies, fruit, protein bars and shakes so I will not be getting hypoglycemic and not to worry. She said something interesting about carbs. She said a carb whether it's a good carb (fruit) or a bad carb (Cheetos!) should never be eaten without a protein. The protein keeps the carb from spiking your blood sugar and keeps the level more appropriate and keeps you from getting hungry again quickly when the blood sugar goes back down. So eat an apple with peanut butter or peach slices with cottage cheese and eat the Cheetos with bologna. (Better to eat the apple with peanut butter...)
She also said something about women, estrogen and heart attacks. She said that my 3 times the cardiac risk factor is even worse for me because I still have my hormones. She said we have to get rid of this problem now because when my estrogen depletes, it can no longer protect my heart. That's why men get more heart attacks than women because of the estrogen. I never knew this.
She also said something about waking up and eating right away. She said 30 minutes after you wake up should be your meal if you are hungry or not. Within 30 minutes, if you body does not get protein, it will go into starvation mode and look for that next meal. When you finally do feed yourself it will hold on to all the calories thinking it will never see food again. Doing this repeatedly over time will alone cause weight gain. (So eat breakfast!)
I will be getting good proteins and good fats to keep me satiated. There will be natural fiber in the fruits and veggies and I already know that I can handle that. She stressed the point that this is not an Atkins diet.
If this works for me, I should be losing about 2 pounds a week consistently. We may need some time to adjust things here and there. She said after I am on the Glucophage for awhile, she's going to put me on something to help protect my kidney's from the diabetes as a preventative measure - an ACE Inhibitor (Ramipril?)
Since I have Diabetes, I had another test that measures the hardening of the arteries in my main arteries. They measured this in each arm (like blood pressure) and on each ankle.
She's great! I love her. I think this will work for me. No appetite suppressants like I thought, so I'm ok with this plan. The shakes, etc are expensive, but so are the ribs and corn dogs and booze! ha. What price do you pay for your health? Especially after seeing that I am 3 times the cardiac risk, you'd better believe I'm doing this! And the best news of all is that it's doable.
1. I found out that I am at 3 times the risk of a normal person for a heart attack.
2. I have a vitamin D deficiency and inflammation that is a contributing factor to my weight.
3. The Glipizide that I'm on is forcing my pancreas to produce more insulin but since I have insulin resistance, the insulin is storing in my fat cells and making me FAT. My problem is not producing insulin, it's using insulin.
4. She took me off all my vitamins and herbs and the Glipizide
5. She added Glucophage 500 mg extended release once daily
6. She added fish oil to help with inflammation once daily
7. She added Vitamin D3 supplements once daily
8. She added Advaclear detox supplements twice daily
9. She wants me to stay on Prozac, Prilosec, Xyzal, Baby Aspirin and Simvastatin
10. She wants me to take my blood sugars in am before food and 2 hours after dinner
As far as diet is concerned, I get 1300 calories a day: (that's 26 Weight Watchers points)
1. 30 minutes after I wake up is Breakfast which is a protein shake which I got from her. I can make this with unsweetened Almond Milk or water.
2. Lunch is a salad with lots of chicken or fish (or egg whites), beans and 1/4 avacado (or olives) with all kinds of greens and veggies and only oil and vinegar dressing. She said eat according to the rainbow - something green, yellow, red, etc.
3. Another shake at 4pm
4. Dinner is fish or chicken (or egg whites) with veggies, fruit, fat free cottage cheese and if I can't stand it, then 2-4 oz red wine (but then no fruit)
5. Snacks can be either plain almonds 5 at a time as many times as I want, or 1 protein bar which I got from her (sweet), or a (salty) soy snack which I got from her.
6. I CANNOT HAVE: soda, juice, corn, banana, pineapple, potato, all other alcohol
So, the plan is to do this for 1 week, see her again next Thursday at 2:30. I should have lost 2 pounds. Luckily I had my Flexible Spending card for my health care account because I paid alot for the supplements, shakes, bars and snacks.
She said no fat free foods (except for cottage cheese) or sugar free foods, nothing processed or packaged. Only real, natural foods and only olive oil to cook with. She also said I will be getting good carbs in the beans, some veggies, fruit, protein bars and shakes so I will not be getting hypoglycemic and not to worry. She said something interesting about carbs. She said a carb whether it's a good carb (fruit) or a bad carb (Cheetos!) should never be eaten without a protein. The protein keeps the carb from spiking your blood sugar and keeps the level more appropriate and keeps you from getting hungry again quickly when the blood sugar goes back down. So eat an apple with peanut butter or peach slices with cottage cheese and eat the Cheetos with bologna. (Better to eat the apple with peanut butter...)
She also said something about women, estrogen and heart attacks. She said that my 3 times the cardiac risk factor is even worse for me because I still have my hormones. She said we have to get rid of this problem now because when my estrogen depletes, it can no longer protect my heart. That's why men get more heart attacks than women because of the estrogen. I never knew this.
She also said something about waking up and eating right away. She said 30 minutes after you wake up should be your meal if you are hungry or not. Within 30 minutes, if you body does not get protein, it will go into starvation mode and look for that next meal. When you finally do feed yourself it will hold on to all the calories thinking it will never see food again. Doing this repeatedly over time will alone cause weight gain. (So eat breakfast!)
I will be getting good proteins and good fats to keep me satiated. There will be natural fiber in the fruits and veggies and I already know that I can handle that. She stressed the point that this is not an Atkins diet.
If this works for me, I should be losing about 2 pounds a week consistently. We may need some time to adjust things here and there. She said after I am on the Glucophage for awhile, she's going to put me on something to help protect my kidney's from the diabetes as a preventative measure - an ACE Inhibitor (Ramipril?)
Since I have Diabetes, I had another test that measures the hardening of the arteries in my main arteries. They measured this in each arm (like blood pressure) and on each ankle.
She's great! I love her. I think this will work for me. No appetite suppressants like I thought, so I'm ok with this plan. The shakes, etc are expensive, but so are the ribs and corn dogs and booze! ha. What price do you pay for your health? Especially after seeing that I am 3 times the cardiac risk, you'd better believe I'm doing this! And the best news of all is that it's doable.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Anticipating my new diet plan tomorrow
Tomorrow I got back to Heal N Cure to go over all my test results and learn about my personalized plan for losing weight. I am very excited. I will let everyone know about it tomorrow night or Friday.
I can't even grocery shop yet because I have no idea what will be on the menu...other than lamb.
I feel like I'm giving this to me for my birthday this year. The gift of health.
This should be interesting. I know I'm going to learn alot and then Aaron will also be getting healthier.
We had tuna noodle casserole tonight with peas, mushrooms and chopped red onions. It was very good.
Tomorrow the guys come back to do some more things around the house while we wait for our new windows that we ordered to come in. The deck is almost done, the windows are on their way and then they can finish the siding, gutters and all the other little projects that we wanted them to do. I'm thinking we should be done by Memorial Day. That would be great with me.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Lots of change for us over these past four months with Dolores gone, adjusting to the cats, getting allergy injections, learning about my past and trying to heal from it, making home improvements and now this life-altering diet. It's alot of stress and they will be managing me for that too. I feel confident that I will be taken care of.
I can't even grocery shop yet because I have no idea what will be on the menu...other than lamb.
I feel like I'm giving this to me for my birthday this year. The gift of health.
This should be interesting. I know I'm going to learn alot and then Aaron will also be getting healthier.
We had tuna noodle casserole tonight with peas, mushrooms and chopped red onions. It was very good.
Tomorrow the guys come back to do some more things around the house while we wait for our new windows that we ordered to come in. The deck is almost done, the windows are on their way and then they can finish the siding, gutters and all the other little projects that we wanted them to do. I'm thinking we should be done by Memorial Day. That would be great with me.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Lots of change for us over these past four months with Dolores gone, adjusting to the cats, getting allergy injections, learning about my past and trying to heal from it, making home improvements and now this life-altering diet. It's alot of stress and they will be managing me for that too. I feel confident that I will be taken care of.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Mad Cat (Baby)
Monsieur Babbeaux H. Langlois has returned from the SPA! He had his hair done and his back nails clipped and he's royally pissed!!!
He gave me the finger when we got home and then ate some dinner. He ate the catnip I gave him as a peace offering and shoved the plate with his paw when it was gone.
He finally graced us with his presence upstairs where he proceeded to lick himself for 15 minutes, gave me the cold shoulder, a few dirty looks, refused to come on my lap, then jumped up on the back of the couch and closed his eyes pretending to be asleep. When Aaron came over to pet him he blew snot in his face. I had enough of the attitude and finally put him to bed at 9pm. I scooted him down the stairs where he stood by the door and then I got Dolly down there. He hissed at Dolly and promptly put himself to bed after one final dirty look at me.
Ooh, bad, really bad!
He gave me the finger when we got home and then ate some dinner. He ate the catnip I gave him as a peace offering and shoved the plate with his paw when it was gone.
He finally graced us with his presence upstairs where he proceeded to lick himself for 15 minutes, gave me the cold shoulder, a few dirty looks, refused to come on my lap, then jumped up on the back of the couch and closed his eyes pretending to be asleep. When Aaron came over to pet him he blew snot in his face. I had enough of the attitude and finally put him to bed at 9pm. I scooted him down the stairs where he stood by the door and then I got Dolly down there. He hissed at Dolly and promptly put himself to bed after one final dirty look at me.
Ooh, bad, really bad!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Weekend Update
I'm getting mentally ready to begin this new weight loss adventure. I have another appointment on Wednesday to discuss my personal weight loss plan. I am so excited.
We had so much fun with our new friends Ray and his wife Kortnee at their beautiful home Friday night. Ray made dinner for us and he's a great cook. He made a shrimp dish with lime, butter, garlic and seasonings and sprinkled cilantro over it. It was great. For the main course he pan-seared tilapia over shoe-string sweet potato fries and then topped it with mango and red onion salsa. Superb!
Yesterday we spent a lovely evening with my mom watching the documentary on Lenny Bruce - Swear To Tell The Truth. It is a very good account of his professional and personal life and his eventual demise. We still all have some sadness and pain with our certain issues, so we took a portion of the evening and tried to help each other heal. It was a good family counseling session!
Today we spent alot of time with the cats and I made a garlic stuffed chicken, oyster stuffing and brussells sprouts. Oh, and morels were in season so I bought a number of those and sauteed them in some real butter. You can't spend all the money on morels and then not use real butter! Well, I guess you could but it just wouldn't be the same...
We're looking forward to being with my cousins next weekend to celebrate our birthdays. Grant, my cousin Chris's son just turned 11, Chris's birthday is May 3 and I'm May 11. Not to mention Mother's Day! It will be fun being with the family.
I wish everyone a good week to come. I'll keep you posted about Wednesday's appointment.
We had so much fun with our new friends Ray and his wife Kortnee at their beautiful home Friday night. Ray made dinner for us and he's a great cook. He made a shrimp dish with lime, butter, garlic and seasonings and sprinkled cilantro over it. It was great. For the main course he pan-seared tilapia over shoe-string sweet potato fries and then topped it with mango and red onion salsa. Superb!
Yesterday we spent a lovely evening with my mom watching the documentary on Lenny Bruce - Swear To Tell The Truth. It is a very good account of his professional and personal life and his eventual demise. We still all have some sadness and pain with our certain issues, so we took a portion of the evening and tried to help each other heal. It was a good family counseling session!
Today we spent alot of time with the cats and I made a garlic stuffed chicken, oyster stuffing and brussells sprouts. Oh, and morels were in season so I bought a number of those and sauteed them in some real butter. You can't spend all the money on morels and then not use real butter! Well, I guess you could but it just wouldn't be the same...
We're looking forward to being with my cousins next weekend to celebrate our birthdays. Grant, my cousin Chris's son just turned 11, Chris's birthday is May 3 and I'm May 11. Not to mention Mother's Day! It will be fun being with the family.
I wish everyone a good week to come. I'll keep you posted about Wednesday's appointment.
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