Beginning to See Success....

So, today I am happy.  I cinched my belt one notch tighter.  I take this as a good sign that progress is being made.  My blood sugar is also coming down well. Two weeks ago I was shocked to see the numbers between 250 and 280 or so. Normal is under 100! Wow!  The past couple of days I'm seeing number below 200, and before dinner tonight it was down to 156. It's exciting to see that getting back on the Metformin plus being on this low carb program is working so well. I have plenty to eat and never feel hungry. My energy level is so much higher, and I no longer get sleepy after lunch. I even do well in the evenings and don't fall asleep in my chair. I'm getting used to 30 minutes each day of exercise, and actually look forward to my walks.  It's the first time I've ever really noticed a complete change in how I feel after beginning a diet. This is different. I like it.

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....