End of Week 2

These two weeks have passed quickly and I am happy to say I had plenty of food to eat and experienced no carbohydrate cravings after the first couple of days. I have not weighed myself as it is recommended to wait until the end of Step 1 of the 8-week program.  I do notice a difference in how my clothes fit, my stomach is getting smaller, and I have a lot more energy, all very good signs.

     I try to get 30 minutes of cardio exercise each day, which is a real switch for me. I am beginning to get used to it now, and feel a little "antsy" until I take my walk(s).  I take that as a good sign.  

     My typical diet looks something like this. Monday through Friday mornings I have a yummy ViSalus Vi-Shake which consists of 2 scoops of shake mix, 12 ounces of almond-coconut milk, and 1 tablespoon of powdered peanut butter. Once I begin Step 2, I will be able to be more creative in my shakes and will add back in blueberries, strawberries, or other fruit. Due to high carb content and high on the glycemic index, fruits are not included in Step 1. The shakes are a real time saver in the mornings before work so I can grab them and run. On weekends, I usually have a veggie packed omelet cooked in olive oil.

     I generally pack my lunch and snacks which consist of a lot of fresh vegetables, salads, cheese, raw unprocessed nuts, and sometimes canned salmon, tuna, or chicken. I try to go organic as much as possible. I am limiting myself to one lunch out per week, and I am careful what I order. I also drink a ViSalus Neuro at breakfast and lunch mixed with 16 ounces of water. Neuro is a healthy energy drink containing very low caffeine (roughly equivalent to 1/4-1/2 cup of coffee). Additionally, I drink two cups of green tea each day. My current favorite tea is green tea with chai.  I mix some half and half with the hot water and add 1 packet of Stevia for sweetener.

     Note:  I was pleased to find some organic chicken at the grocery store today, so this is awesome.

     In the evenings, I eat similar to what I have at lunch. I need to eat 5 carbs at lunch and dinner, which takes some thinking since most foods with carbs are considerably more than 5.  Cottage cheese has carbs so I have been eating a side of that with meals.  

     Snacks generally consist of raw nuts, cheese, or raw veggies. I amaze myself that I actually enjoy them and now prefer them over pastries, pasta, and other sweets. Sometimes I have a Vi-Shake instead of eating if I am not very hungry.

     At bedtime, since I am diabetic, I am supposed to have a 5-carb snack. So I generally make another Vi-Shake. 

     I drink at least 64 ounces of water each day, above and beyond my tea and neuro energy drinks.

     What do I miss most?  Popcorn!! What's a movie without popcorn?  Well, I am actually allowed 1 cup of popcorn... but hey... what's the point?  In Step 2 I can have 3 cups of popcorn. My movie days consisting of a large tub of popcorn with butter (free refills!) are over, I am afraid.  I must eat healthy just prior to going to movies now so that popcorn isn't so tempting.

      What positive thing do I notice most?  I no longer get sleepy after lunch, so I know it is the carbs that drag me down (in addition to causing my blood sugar to rise).

      Tomorrow begins Week 3. I would like to add 5 minutes additional exercise each day.  I think I will do some weight lifting to build up my muscles. As we age, muscle mass is reduced, and I have definitely noticed a loss of strength. Time to change that.

     Here is a recipe I found for Chicken Cacciatore II and it is awesome!  http://recipes.prevention.com/Recipe/chicken-cacciatore-ii.aspx  I hope you enjoy it.  Until next time..... peace.

Day 4

It suddenly occurred to me that I should begin to blog about my journey to become healthy. It would seem that if I commit to do this publicly it should hold me accountable, and perhaps even motivate someone reading this to begin his/her own journey as well. 
     So, today is Day 4 of Step 1, and is based on the book "Diabetes Miracle" by Diane Kress. Step 1 lasts for 8 weeks, which is good since I know there is an end and it will not last forever. My day 1 was on April 22, 2012. This means that Step 1 logically should end on June 17.  
     As luck would have it, on Day 2, someone brought some chips and dip to work and I made the mistake of eating TWO of those supposedly healthy blue tortilla chips. Did you know that 6 of those chips contain 19 carbohydrates?? 19!!  For 6 chips!!  So, those two innocent looking blue chips that I ate (surely they could not be too fattening) contained over 6 carbs which threw me over the carb limit.  And guess what?  The consequences of going over your carb limit on this plan is to ADD 3 DAYS to Step 1, which means it now ends on June 20, instead of June 17.  Ok, so that is a motivator to watch those carbs!!
     It turns out that there are many things I can eat on this plan other than carbs, so I am doing ok so far [except for those stupid chips]. And the really neat thing is that my Visalus Body by Vi shakes (the shake mix that tastes like a cake mix) work ideally into the program. Each shake has only 2 net carbs! Step 1 does not require these shakes, but, hey, they taste great, are filling, easily portable, and are super easy to make. Works for me! I drink at least two of these shakes each day, along with other healthy foods, and sometimes three shakes since a snack before bedtime is a requirement for Step 1. That's a new one for me... first time I ever heard that I get to have a bedtime snack! So maybe this isn't so bad after all....

A Turning Point in My Life (continued)

Down 15+ pounds since beginning my journey, my energy level has escalated, and I’m feeling great!  I like the taste of the products, find them filling, and actually look forward to drinking them.  Surprised me! Actually they taste like sweet cream cake mix, so what’s not to like?

I have to smile when I think about the Vi Shakes that I drink for two meals a day… Initially I was concerned since I was such a big eater, and feared that I would not feel satisfied. I have found this not to be the case, and am allowed snacks between meals if desired.  What makes me smile, though, is remembering my childhood when I was so busy playing with my friends that I really found being called home for meals to be an intrusion in my busy life. I recall wishing that food came in a pill so I could just swallow it and be done with rather than have to bother with sitting down to the table and eating. Well, these shakes are similar, don’t you think?  I just mix them with almond milk and whisk them down. They’re also portable so I can take them with me to have as a handy snack or meal wherever I go.

So that’s the good part for me, personally. The Faith and Fitness program is beginning to develop as I interact with people both locally as well as internationally. Our mission is the same regardless of our location – to feed the hungry children in our world.  We are able to do this through donations of $24, which will feed 60 nutritional meals to hungry children. That’s $.50 per meal which is a real bargain. If you care to join us in this mission, please contact me at dianashores@gmail.com and I will give you the link to make this happen, on our site, or show you how you can do this for your own church, mission, or non-profit organization which raising money for it at the same time. 

That’s it for now… more later.     Diana