Falling Off the Wagon... and Getting Back On It

I really fell off the wagon for the last few days.  

Its the cereal.   It's the fact that I'm not eating at regular times so my hunger is hitting me and I'm going for the fast and easy instead of the healthy.   I still had my smoothie in the mornings, so that's good, but it's time to get back on track.

Tomorrow, I'll be sure to get things back on track.

I think the real problem is laziness.   I really dislike cooking.    I'm good at it..... really good at it.   But I don't enjoy it at all, and that makes me lazy.

I just can't really afford to be lazy anymore.

The What I Ate Today Food Diary

Today was a better day although I was right about my blood sugar.    It was the highest it's been in over a week this morning.   Not as high as when I was diagnosed, but high enough.

My husband had the day off today, and he really wants chicken Florentine lasagna for supper, so I'm not going to be entirely good today, but I'm doing my best.

For breakfast, I had a bowl of Raisin Bran with skim milk.  For some reason, I go through phases where I really like Raisin Bran then a time when I hate it.   I'm in one of those times when I like it though which is good.

For lunch, we were on the run so I had two pieces of turkey and four slices of cheddar.   I can't say it was very satisfying, but it at least kept my hunger in check.

For supper was chicken florentine lasagna and garlic bread and a big glass of skim milk.   I also had one mini Butterfinger for dessert as well.

Diabetes and Walking for Fitness

I lead a pretty sedentary life and until recently this has never been much of a big deal. 

With diabetes, though, it's important to get a certain amount of exerecise.   It helps with your circulation which is a huge issue for diabetics.

I don't think I need to go into the validity of how good exercise is for you.  It's pretty well known.

My problem was, I have a really hard time doing things I don't enjoy.   In fact, my life is pretty much ruled by the fact that I very rarely need to do anything I really don't want to. (I'm pretty darned lucky.)

And I have never, ever enjoyed exercise.  That said? I do like walking and hiking.  I always have.  The prerequisite is nature.  It needs to be somewhere filled with nature.  With trees and bushes and leaves and beautiful things of nature.   I need that and I know myself well enough to know I need that.   Walking in a city sucks for me.  I find it entirely uninspiring and darned close to torturous.

Today, my husband and I went to a beautiful park about a half hour from here and took a long walk around a lake.   It was beautiful.   Gorgeous.   But unfortunately, a little much for me for so soon.   Walking is one of the best types of exercise you can do though, and I feel a bit a pride that I made it all the way around the lake on my own steam, even if I was aching and exhausted by the time we made it back to the car.

The What I Ate Today Food Diary

Ugghhh!!   Well, so much for being good today.

I started off good.   I had the second half of yesterday's green smoothie today and was off to the races with running my errands.

The problem came around lunch time.   Maybe I just waited too long to eat and was too hungry.   Maybe I had a moment of weak will power and fell off the wagon.

Whatever it was, I started off with a bowl of last night's leftover stir-fry.   And then..... moved on to two bowls of Cookie Crisp cereal with skim milk. 

And, from there to three mini Butterfinger candies.

I can honestly say, an hour later I feel like crap and not just emotionally either.   I feel blah and sluggish and I've quickly developed a headache as well.   All around, the splurge was clearly a bad move.

I had a big bowl of leftover stir fry for dinner, which was good but not really satisfying.   I then had three more mini Reese's cups between supper and bed time.

The What I Ate Today Food Diary

Surprisingly, my blood sugar levels were normal this morning.   I read in at 6.3 mg/dl (115 mmol/L) when I tested this morning.

Does this mean I can eat 18 peanut butter cups a day and not worry?   Well, no.   But it -does- tell me that a little splurge and/or slip-up now and then isn't going to be the end of the world.

Today's breakfast smoothie was another success!  (Although, for some reason I'm still making the sour face when I drink it. It's a mystery but I plan on figuring it out eventually.)   It was made with two kiwis, a banana, a papaya, a small pear and the last of the romaine in the fridge (mostly romaine heart) as well as a squeeze of lemon.    It turned out a pea green color but it has really good flavor.

Between breakfast and lunch, I had four of those mini Reese's peanut butter cups.   Oddly, they tasted overly sweet today.  Still good, but much sweeter than normal.

For lunch today, I went with breakfast for lunch and hand four over easy eggs with two pieces of cheese and six pieces of low-sodium bacon.   There was too much.  My eyes were obviously bigger than my stomach today.  I think I would have been satisfied with three eggs and four pieces of bacon.   I'll have to remember that for next time.

Between lunch and supper I had four Reese's mini cups.   Then, for supper I did a stir-fry of cubed pork with onion, garlic and ginger, broccoli, bok choy and mushrooms with the leftover rice from the other day added in.    I think there's enough left over for three or four more meals.

Between supper and bed time... blah, 6 more Reese's mini peanut butter cups.  I swear, tomorrow I'm not going to touch them.

Microwave Water Kills Nutrients... or Not?

Thank you to Marshall Dudley and his granddaughter Arielle Reynolds of Knoxville, TN.

Okay, as promised, I wanted to go into why I have some discomfort these days with using my microwave to reheat food.    This isn't to say that I don't do it from time to time, but it is something I worry about regularly.

In 2006, a gentleman by the name of Marshall Dudley and his granddaughter Arielle did a very basic experiment using purified water and microwaved water to try and grow baby plants.  Now I agree, being familiar in the scientific method, that it wasn't a very thorough or well-rounded test, but the results -are- a little disturbing regardless.   If you would like to see this test they performed in full, go take a peek at http://www.execonn.com/sf/ and you can judge for yourself.

Since then, Snopes.com has weighed in on this test with their own experiment, which is much more thorough and definitely conflicting results.    Snopes is a very reliable site and they debunk myths and hoaxes on a regular basis using logic, solid research and science.

That said, I still find the microwave a little disturbing.  And I can't outright discount the results of Marshall and Arielle's test.    I do have my reasons for this though (as I'm sure you assumed I would).

There are certain foods, when you microwave them, that are very obviously microwaved.   The act of microwaving literally changes the consistency of these foods to something you cannot achieve in any other heating or cooking method.    Cheese is an excellent example of this.  Whether it's nachos or authentic alfredo sauce, cheese is never the same after a visit to the microwave.

Who is to say that the microwave doesn't do something like that to water and, for that matter, to all foods?   Science is a learning process and although they say all tests show water is the same whether boiled or microwaved, who is to say they just haven't yet found that there is an inconsistency somewhere just waiting to be discovered?

It boil down to deciding for yourself what you think and want to believe.   I'm still on the fence, but for me, the cheese factor is a huge weigh-in.

The What I Ate Today Food Diary

Okay, just sayin'?   Yesterday's excellent green smoothie wasn't at all as good today.  It had turned tart.   Very, very tart.   Oh my gosh, take a sip and pucker up type of tart!

I drank it, but it wasn't easy.  Every time I took a sip my cheeks tried to pucker in.

I can't really say I was very well behaved today either.

Between my breakfast smoothie and lunch I had six  (yes, I said six) mini peanut butter cups.

For lunch, I had four slices of turkey wrapped around four slices of cheese and just a dab of mayo.

But then, between lunch and supper I had another six (yes, that means six more) mini peanut butter cups.   I also visited with my neighbor for a few hours and had some mild salsa and corn chips.

For supper, I had a repeat of yesterday.   Rogan Josh flavored pork over a cup of rice and vegetable medley all warmed up in the microwave.  (I kind of have an issue with the microwave, but I'll go into that in a future post.)

And then.... between supper and bed time?   I had another six mini peanut butter cups.   Ugh!   That's eighteen peanut butter cups!!!

My sugar levels are going to suck tomorrow and I don't even feel guilty.   Okay, yes I do.  I feel guilty for not feeling guiltier though.  It's not quite the same thing.

And now?  I'm goin' to bed.  Tomorrow I'll be better.

The What I Ate Today Food Diary

Today was a fresh green smoothie day and, for breakfast, I made another with strawberries.

The flavor was terrific this time!   I used a banana, two kiwi, strawberries, half an orange and kale.   It was very good but I still made that weird face when I drank it.

It's obviously a reaction to something, I just haven't figured out what yet.  It's definitely not the flavor, though, because today's smoothie was very good.

For lunch, I was super lazy.  I had four slices of turkey, each one wrapped around a slice of cheddar.   I just wasn't feeling inspired and didn't feel like taking the time and effort for anything more complicated.  It was satisfying but not entirely filling.   I had a little mayo with it just to moisten it up a bit.

Between lunch and dinner I was a bit of a bad girl.  I had two mini Twix candies and one mini Snickers candy.

For dinner, I did an experiment.   I had bought some Rogan Josh sauce from the market the other day.  I was... curious.   Now, traditional Rogan Josh is a Persian dish that's made with lamb, but I don't have lamb and I have no idea how Rogan Josh is actually made.

What I did, was caramelized some onion and garlic, added mushrooms then cubed pork.   When the pork was about half cooked, I added a good dollop (probably half a cup although I didn't measure) of the Rogan Josh sauce and cooked it "stir-fry" style until the pork finished cooking and the sauce was nice and thick over the pork.

I admit, I was a little worried.   It didn't smell like my normal cooking.   Granted,  my cooking often leans towards Italian and Asian cuisine.   I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it though.   It turned out AMAZING!!  I ate the pork served over about a cup of white rice and with some of the leftover vegetable medley from yesterday.

Do I Have to Follow a Recipe when Cooking?

I don't do recipes.

It's true.   I don't.   I hate recipes when doing any kind of cooking other than baking. (Baking is special.  It's like chemistry and if certain ingredients aren't combined in the right allotment, bread doesn't rise, cookies turn hard, etc.)

I cook by smell with a gigantic dash of trial and error added in.

Sometimes this means I mess up.   Sometimes it means I have to eat some really nasty concoctions.  You've already read of me doing the first because of my trial and error with the green smoothies.   But its how I know how to cook.   For me, recipes bungle things up more often than not.

If you want to get what you cook perfect every single time?   Yes, you have to follow the recipe.  It will turn out the same every time if you do and thats what some people want.

Me?  I want it to turn out in a way that smells and, therefore, tastes 100% perfect each time.  And since our sense of smell and taste changes from day to day dependent on a myriad of factors (health, season, what we've ate or drank, even if a woman is on her menses) that means winging it more often than not.

So.... no.   You don't -have- to follow a recipe.   Not for green smoothies or for cooking supper either.  Just be aware of what you're putting in the pot.... and follow your nose.

The What I Ate Today Food Diary

Tuesdays and Fridays are dependably hectic days for me.   I wake up and need to be an the ball and moving at a fast and steady pace from the moment I roll out of bed until late in the evening.  Because of this, I make my smoothies on Mondays and Thursdays and then refrigerated half of it for the next day.

So, that means that for breakfast I had the second half of the strawberry green smoothie from yesterday, made with strawberries, mango, banana and romaine lettuce with a pinch of clove powder.   It was surprisingly better the second time around, too!    And convenient that I didn't have to stop work to eat  but could just work at drinking the smoothie while I toiled away at my shipping desk this morning.

I had lunch before running my errands as well.   I had debated on whether I should eat before I left or when I got back, but then I realized that it was a fool's debate because I already knew I wouldn't be back until way past lunch time.    So, I had  a leftover boneless chicken breast from the grill and a cup of white rice.    I really wanted some veggies too, but I'd run out so I'll have to fit them in with supper here in a bit.   I still haven't decided what I'm having, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Update 6:25pm -- Well, I decided what to have for supper.   It wasn't really all that inspiring, but it was convenient.    I had the last leftover chicken breast, the last 3/4 cup of rice and cooked myself some frozen veggies to go with it.  It was really good.    I also went to the market to pick myself up some more pork and chicken since we were out of both.

Update 11:50pm -- Between supper and bedtime, I've also had one mini Twix and one mini Snickers.

Monitoring Your Blood Glucose Doesn't Hurt... Liars

Yes, I'm calling liar on the myth that all doctors and pharmacists country wide try to make you believe.

Testing your blood sugar DOES hurt dang it! 

I'm not saying that, over time, you won't get used to it.   But, the fact of the matter is that it does hurt.

I mean, not surprising when you really think about it.  It's a needle being jabbed in your finger deep enough to make you bleed.   DUH, anyone that's poked themselves with sewing on a button knows how that feels and it isn't pleasant.

So why lie about it?   That's what I want to know.  Why do doctors and pharmacists insist on telling you it doesn't hurt?   Yes, I agree, it's no big deal.  The pain isn't extreem by any means, but it does hurt and, in my case, that darned spot hurts for a whole half hour or hour afterwards.  (And yes, I am following directions on where on the finger you're supposed to poke yourself.)

Now, granted, I have a great deal of sensitivity in my fingers, heightened further by what I do for a living.   But still, needle.... finger... blood.  Ouch!

The What I Ate Today Food Diary

As noted in my last post, I had a non-green green smoothie today.   It was made with strawberries, mango, banana and romaine with a touch of cloves.   It was the best one that I've made so far.   Oddly, my face is still making that "chlorophyll wince" when I drink my smoothies, even this one which was really good, and I'm not quite sure why now.   Maybe it's not the chlorophyll at all but the texture?

That was breakfast.   I then went to yoga.   On Thursdays I take a therapeutic yoga class to help with my mobility.  I have serious back issues and the combination of chiropractic care and yoga have pulled me back from needing a wheelchair to being able to not just walk on my own but with very little pain... and in some cases, no pain at all!  It's the best my back has felt in nearly 15 years, and that's with me being the heaviest I've ever been in my life.  

Chiropractor came second and then a doctor appointment before I could come back home for lunch.  

For lunch, I had leftovers from last night's supper.   A boneless chicken breast, 1/2 cup of white rice and about a cup of mixed frozen vegetables.  Reheated, the chicken was a little dry so I also had about a tablespoon of mayo.    And, starting to feel really deprived, I had one of those "snack size" mini Snickers bars they hand out during Halloween.

There was a 2 hour nap tucked into the afternoon hours.  The first one since I started the smoothies, actually.  I guess sometimes you just need one, regardless of how healthy you're eating.

Then, for supper I had the last bowl of leftover stir-fry from the other day. Pork, bok choy, broccoli and a bit of white rice.

Green Smooties Don't Have To Be Green

I made a green smoothie that wasn't green today!

I can't believe I did it, but when the smoothie didn't turn green in the blender I actually had to run to the computer and check if it was ok that it didn't turn green.   Yes, yes.  I know that its called a "green smoothie" not because of it's color but because you put fresh greens in it, but for some reason I still had to check.   Kind of silly, but I was helpless to go against the impulse.

My smoothie wasn't green because I'd added strawberries.  And, I need to look it up but I'm wondering if strawberries have some citrus in them?   Something in the smoothie was masking the Chlorophyll flavor and I'd forgotten to add the half an orange I'd meant to put in to the mix.

The smoothie today had strawberries, mango, banana and romaine (one more smoothie and the romaine should be gone.... next up to try is spinache).   I blended it with a bit of water and a half tray of ice.   I also added a pinch of powdered clove.

Clove are known to have higher concentrations of antioxidants than any fruit or vegetable. Their properties make them ideal for use as an anti-septic, local anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, rubefacient (warming and soothing), carminative (relieving flatulence) and anti-flatulent.

For me, I was interested in the "anti-flatulent" part since um.... well although the bowel movements have settled down to "soft" instead of "soup", I'm getting tired of being gassy.    I got the idea when I was looking up the whole "poop soup" issue the other day.   On one of the forums I skimmed over (Raw Food Talk), I saw a reply to this issue that cloves might help.   When I researched cloves, I saw there were quite a few benefits and thought I'd give it a try.

I did notice a bit of a warming sensation in my tummy while I was drinking it and for about a half hour after.   It wasn't unpleasant, just different.   And, it was such a small amount that I couldn't really taste it (I'm not a cinnamon/nutmeg fan so it goes to figure I won't really like the flavor of cloves either).  I'm not sure if I'd add it to every smoothie I make, but I think there's nothing wrong with adding it to one every once in a while for the benefits it's reputed to give.

The What I Ate Today Food Diary

YAY!  Today is cereal day!

Yes, I scheduled a cereal day.   Mom said once or twice a week and I decided that Wednesdays would be cereal days.

It's what works out best for my schedule.   Tuesdays and Fridays are mega busy days.  I don't have time to make green smoothies on those days would be a little too much pressure.

Since, when I make green smooties, I seem to always end up making enough for 2 days, this means on those days I need to make it the day before and have the second half on Tuesdays and Fridays.     This leaves possible cereal days as Saturday, Sunday or Wednesday.

Since I don't want to leave my smoothie longer than around 24 hours in the fridge (want it fresh) this means the weekend days are out. Can't make a smoothie on Sunday and have it sit there until Wednesday.    SO, Wednesday becomes the best day for cereal day.

So, this morning I had a bowl of Raisin Bran.    What I really wanted was Cookie Crisp... but, I just wasn't sure I could stop at just one bowl.   So I decided I'd hold off on that until some day in the future when I really feel the need for a treat.

Incidentally, I really liked my breakfast this morning   In fact, the raisins tasted almost too sweet for me, which kind of made it feel really indulgent.

Update 2:50pm - For lunch, which I ate while working, I had a bowl of the left over stir fry from the other day.   There's one bowl left in the fridge which I think will end up being tomorrow's lunch or possibly supper.

Update 8:50pm - My husband and I had a late supper tonight.   I know it's really not a good idea to eat at least 3-4 hours before you go to bed, but things got a little out of hand earlier and supper didn't get started at getting made until after 7:20pm.    We had grilled chicken (on the BBQ) flavored with Montreal Steak seasoning, steamed white rice, and frozen mixed veggies (they were getting a bit old and needed to be used up) with a smidgen of salt, pepper and margarine.   It was simple and really good.  I had one chicken breast with about half a cup of rice and a whole bunch of veggies.

Blood Glucose Monitor

So I went to the doctor today to get some things straightened out.

I now have a blood glucose meter and am supposed to start testing my blood every morning then again 1-2 hours after a meal each day (she said it doesn't matter which meal, just that I test 1-2 hours afterwards.

The first one, the morning test, is supposed to tell me how I'm doing over-all on keeping things under control and improving my test levels.

The second one after a meal is to start experimenting with and learning which foods are positive for my sugar levels and which foods will negatively effect them.

If you think this sounds like a complete pain in the butt?  So do I.   But I guess I'll get used to it after a while. 

As a side note, I couldn't believe how expensive those little test strips are!!! 100 strips cost $78.00?!?  I'm so glad that we have coverage through my husband's work.   I can't imagine what people without coverage do.   The cost for those little strips is just outrageous.

The What I Ate Today Food Diary (okay, yesterday)

Told you I wasn't very good at the whole journal thing.  

You have to admit, I did warn you.

Yesterday was a busy day.  I had a lot of errands to run.    I had my smoothie in the morning (pre-made second half of the one from the day before) in the car while driving my husband to work. (It was my day to have the car and he slept through his alarm and, thus, then missed the bus.)

I had to run over the border to the states today, and I was hungry while I did it.   I really, really, REALLY wanted to stop at our favorite little diner for some food, but I managed to refrain.

On the way back, I even managed to stop at the grocery store (while starving) and -only- get what was on my list!  Amazing.... and a first, by the way.  

For lunch I had one of the leftover bowls of stirfry from the other day.  It's really good reheated, which is surprising.  I would think the pork would become hard and dry but it hasn't.

For supper, I had 3 eggs with 2 pieces of cheese and 3 pcs of low sodium bacon.

And yes, somewhere in there I also managed to fit in 3 peanut butter cups.  They're all gone now.   I'm debating on whether I should buy more or not.   I guess I'll do a dry run until Friday and see if I still need them.

Diabetes: Advice My Mother Gave Me

As I mentioned the other day, the day I was diagnosed, I called my mom.

It sounds silly, right?   37 years old and I get bad news and run home to call my mommy.  But the fact is that my mother and I actually have a pretty good relationship now.   We chat regularly on the phone and things have settled (in my adulthood and -after- I was married) into a close friendship.

Sooooo.... I called my mommy.  

My mother has been diabetic for 16 years and for the majority of that time she's been able to control her diabetes and keep her blood sugar low through diet. It was only the last few years when she started creeping towards her 60's that she started needing a bit of help from medication.

So I took notes.   I knew I was upset and anything she said was going to go in one ear and out the other so, in the anal retentive way that I am, I took notes.

1. Ask about Blood Glucose monitor.   She actually couldn't believe that the doctor didn't offer me one.  I'm not really enthusiastic about this but it's probably a good idea so when I see the doctor tomorrow, I'll be sure to ask.


2. Cut all rice and pasta intake in half.   In other words, when cooking, use half of what I normally would use in a recipe.   When serving myself, take half what I would normally have taken.


3. Cut out all treats.   By treats, she means sugar.   Cookies, candy, ice cream, orange juice, sugar cereals.... you know, the good stuff.  This is going easier than I thought it would, with the exception of the peanut butter cups anyway.   But, at least with a peanut butter cup here and there I'm not feeling completely deprived and it -is- way less of the junk than I was eating prior.


4. Eat cereal no more than 2x a week.   Healthy cereal and only one bowl.   I was real bad about taking the milk and cereal to the table with me and just refilling until I was full.   And use skim milk, which isn't an issue anyway since I already only have skim milk in the house.  But, honestly?   Milk isn't much of a temptation without all the junk.


5.  When you go to eat out, eat no more than SIX french fries.    Soooo, essentially order something else as a side.  Vegetables (and by the way, corn is NOT a vegetable, it's a grain), or salad or whatever... then steal six fries off my husband's plate.


6. Walking is the best exercise.   I already knew this but she made a point of pointing it out.   I'm already working on increasing my activity level and walking is a big part of that.

As I mentioned before, the doctor gave me 3 months to get my blood sugar under control.   If, in 3 months, I haven't succeeded, she wants to put me on medication.   I DO NOT want to go on medication, so... my mother's advice on this was that in 3 months if things aren't under control, ask to go see an endocrinologist before letting them put me on medication.    And, if my blood sugar has gone down but still isn't completely under control, ask for another 3 months to keep working on it.

My mother's a really smart woman and I plan on taking all of her advice.   In fact, I already am.

That said?   She also left me with a rather terrifying warning in form of a reminder about one of my great uncles who died of diabetes.  Prior to his death, some very disturbing things happened that she wanted me to consider if I could live with if they happened to me.

Diabetics have a huge risk of...
Losing their toes...
Losing their legs...
Losing their eyesight.

They also have the same percentage of risk of having a heart attack as a person who has already had their first heart attack has of having a second one.

Definitely motivational thoughts to brood on.

How to Slice a Mango and Not Make a Mess

So, last time I made a smoothie, I made it with mango and I want to share.

This was an experience in and of itself.   I've never seen a fresh mango before, let alone cut one up.   I had NO idea that there was a huge narrow, long pit in there  and was clueless on how to cut one up.

So, for anyone that has experience with mangoes, you can understand the MESS that went on when I tried to do this for the first time.    I, obliviously, cut the first cheek off without incident.   It was when I went to go back and cut up the rest of it that I ran into the pit.

At first, I figured it was round.   But I soon discovered with my parring knife that it wasn't.  And the mango was so juicy yet fiberous that I couldn't figure out how to get the fruit off the pit without either filleting my fingers or destroying the fruit.

I ended up with something very similar in consistency to the insides of a pumpkin by the time I got most of the fruit off the pit too!  And it was everywhere.   My hands and arms up to the elbows were drenched in mango juice and it was all over the counter and (somehow????) dripping down the face of one of my cabinets as well!

Right.

So, since I don't plan on giving up on mangoes, I figured I'd better look up how to cut one up because clearly, my own method wasn't working.    And I found this excellent video on eHow that explains it in detail too.   I don't usually like instructional videos, I'd much rather read the instructions, but this one was excellent so I thought I'd share.

Demand Media Video -- powered by ehow.com

I definitely recommend anyone that is interested in trying mangoes to do so, they're delicious. But, watch the video first or you'll end up with a humongous MESS!

The What I Ate Today Food Diary

Ok, so I'm not really sure how well I'll keep up on this one.  I admit, I'm not an "every day joural" kind of girl.   In fact, I've never once managed to succeed at writing in a journal on a daily basis, whether that be a food journal, a private thoughts journal or any other kind of journal.

BUT, I'm going to go ahead and give it a go, and see how I do.

Today, I had a 16oz cup of my green smoothie for breakfast.  You could say it was a whole breakfast and lunch thing, since I didn't start drinking it until around 11am and I didn't finish until around 1pm. (I have a little habit of getting distracted now and then.) In my smoothie today I had 1 kiwi, 1/4 lemon, a handful of romaine lettuce, 1/4 of a mango and 1/3 of a papaya.    Still no ill effects by the way, but it's still a bit early to know how my stomach will react today.

Yesterday I bought some pork steaks and set them to marinade in the fridge in a mixture of soy, sesame oil, minced fresh garlic and ginger, and just a teaspoon of honey garlic sauce.

Today, I stirfry/steamed it all up on the stove with broccoli, bok choy and mushrooms then added in a cup of white rice.  The pork is perfect, the bok choy is a bit crunchy and the broccoli a bit mushy but all in all, the flavor is good....  And that makes supper.   The entire thing made about 3 meals worth, actually, so I'll have to put the rest in the fridge. 

And lots of water, of course.   Which, since I can't have OJ anymore is about all I'm interested in since milk just isn't appealing to me without something sugary to go with it.

Update at 5:57PM --- Okay, and 3 mini Reese's peanut butter cups.

Update at 7:58PM --- And three eggs fried with lite margarine, two slices of cheese, and a touch of salt and pepper.

A Touch of Success

[ Insert holy chorus of singing here. ]

Whoooohhhhh hooo!   Success.

More on that in a minute.

First, we'll revisit yesterday's closing topic.

I was a little worried about going to bed last night. Ok, so after my afternoon nap experience, I was more than a little worried.   Worried enough to sit on the pot before going to bed then get up in the night and, even though I didn't feel I needed to go, go sit on the pot again just in case.

The good news is there was no more "poop soup" incidents.    SUCH a relief.

Now, on to today's success.    I managed to make myself a decent green smoothie today!

I should precursor this by saying that, as of yet, I haven't followed any recipes and am completely winging it.  I managed to make a good one today, though, thanks to my neighbor's citrus tip.   I used maybe just a touch too much lemon (the smoothie is a little tart) but it's not bitter.   I also experimented by adding not just water but ICE to the blender and -that- seems to have made a huge difference for me in the consistency of the smoothie itself.

We'll see later today if my stomach has the same reaction to it as yesterday though.   Too soon to tell yet.   Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Green Smoothies... and Some Grossness

If you're grossed out by the mention of human waste, this is not the post for you.

Sorry, but I had to put the disclaimer there because I'm going to get a little personal in this post.

So... I decided to go ahead and try a green smoothie approach to things for my morning meal.   It's the most troubling meal of the day for me because I find that I -need- to eat something in the morning or my stomach has issues.     And, I used to have cereal.

Well, since cereal is now out, I had to find something to replace it with.   So I decided to try the route that my chiropractor (an amazing man and very inspirational individual) suggested.

Green smoothies.

Right.

So I bought a blender.   A Ninja Pro that is surprisingly very good.  It has blades all the way along a center column instead of only at the bottom which seems to make a huge difference.   Not only that but it only cost $99 instead of the hundreds that a Vitamix would have cost.

I toted the blender home with a bunch of fruit and green leafy goodness and proceeded to make the first of my green smoothies.... and it went straight down the drain.  OH my god it was gross.   Mistake #1... do NOT use broccoli.  You'll be sorry.    Mistake #2... do NOT underestimate how a little green can go a long way. 

My second wasn't all that great either and I had to choke it down and didn't finish it.

My third had a better success rate.   I read up on soluble fiber and what fruits have it and took that info to the blender with me.  I used more fruit and less greens.   It was still a little bitter, though but palatable enough to drink.

I drank half of it yesterday with the help of a straw to bypass my tongue due to a bit of the bitter still left in the taste.

Then, I drank the other half this morning while visiting my neighbor.  And SHE taught me a wonderful trick.    That bitter taste?   Apparently it's the chlorophyll taste from the greens.   And to counteract it you need not just fruit but some form of citrus (lemon, orange, pineapple).   She put all of 6 drops of lemon juice in my cup and mixed it up.... and that horrible bitter was nearly entirely GONE.

YAY!  So I learned a good trick.

Now here's the gross part.

As of this evening when I got home from the movies with my neighbor?  I've had diarrhea.  Not just diarrhea but the "poopin' soup" kind of diarrhea.   Horrible, nasty, miserable.... yuck.    I laid down for a nap and sharted in my jeans in my sleep kind of uncontrollable diarrhea. (Immediate shower time, and the jeans are now on their 3rd wash and on their way to a fourth because I'm seriously grossed out.)

So I hopped online to do some research and, apparently, this is a common reaction from a body that isn't used to eating raw foods and fiber and -should- clear up in the next few days to a month at the longest.   UGH!!

Thing is, though.   I drank that smoothie this morning?  And I wasn't starving all the way to when I came home after the movie to eat supper.   So it really does give you energy and help keep hunger pains away.   I just hope this reaction from my body is temporary.

I should mention on a side note that I haven't been an entirely good girl here.   I've had a few of those little Reese's peanut butter cup minis.   I keep having these really restless, angry moments and the candy has helped that.  I know it's sugar withdrawal and I'm hoping by weening myself off with the last few pieces left here in the house that it won't be too bad for my husband, who's stuck coming along for the ride whether he likes it or not.

An Introduction

I cried.   It might sound silly, but when I went to the doctor I was going for a completely different reason and the news the doctor gave me kind of blindsided me.

In fact, I'm kind of glad that all the tests weren't in so I could go back and ask tons of questions, because she didn't really give me much information other than telling me she'd give me three months to try and get everything under control or she wanted to put me on medication.  (I go back Wednesday, btw.)

I guess I should introduce myself.   I'm Sugar, and I'm an addict.  LORDY am I an addict.

I'm a sugar addict.

I love sugar.  Love love LOVE sugar.   Candy, cookies, cereal, ice cream and orange juice.  Handmade. Store bought.  All kinds and all flavors.   If it's made with flour and refined sugar and it tastes good with milk.... I'm there.

Or I was until the day before yesterday.

Then I went to the doctor and got smacked upside the head with the diabetes stick.

And I went home and cried like a baby for over two hours.   I called my mom, who had a lot of advice and the "chipper" comment of "Well, it was fun for the first 37 years, right?"

I'm 37 years old (as of yesterday).   I'm 5'4 and weigh 285 lbs.  And now I'm stuck with the task of trying to set things to rights.