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.

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.

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.