Mark: 18 weeks on the Lifestyle Modification Plan

The picture has nothing to do with the title, though it's a cool picture!

18 weeks today on the Lifestyle Modification Plan and I've lost 90 pounds thus far. I burned 1000 calories on the exercise bike today but other than some food shopping and cooking for the kids I've been having a very relaxing day. Danielle and I spent a good portion of the day in the living room, her on her netbook, I on the computer or the xbox 360, while Scott busied himself down in the family room. Danielle and I also watched The Happening which turned out to be better than I thought it would be. Not great, but certainly worth seeing once.

So, with 18 weeks behind me, and less behind me if you catch my meaning, I have 50 pounds to go to reach my target of 140 pounds lost. We'll see how many months it takes!

A Contrast In Exercising - Revisited

So, yesterday I did a 90 minute workout and like the one on Saturday it too went very well.

Today was an entirely different case. It did not go well, or even very well. It was a total contrast in exercising. Today in fact it went exceedingly well.

In a 90 minute workout I do about 900 calories and 16 miles. Today as I approached the 90 minute mark and hit it, I realized I had pluck and energy to spare, so I kept going. It's almost as if the exercise bike had it's own power source....

Sixteen minutes later, for a total of an hour and forty six minutes, I had gone 19 miles and burned just over 1100 calories! I was most pleased with myself and with the workout.

I still hate exercise, though if every workout could go like the last three in a row did, I think I could learn to tolerate it, if not actually like it!

Mark: 17 weeks on the Lifestyle Modification Plan

Me before The Diet - One of my typical afternoon snacks!

It marks 17 weeks today I've been on my Lifestyle Modification Plan! Mentally I am fixated on food, though physically most times it's really not too bad. There are moments though, like last Tuesday which was my night to have the kids for dinner since it was their Mom's week. Danielle asked if she could bring her friend over with her, and I ordered Italian Food from Vitale's of Ada, our favorite place for Italian Food Delivery. The smell of assorted pasta dinners and garlic bread sticks with butter made my usually tasty spicy pepper omelet taste like ashes in my mouth.....but...mostly I can deal with it.

My kids have been pretty good about it. Maybe not asking how I am doing, but at least not complaining that I won't take them anywhere for a nice sit down dinner. I do take them out for fast food which can also be rough, surrounded by people eating Burger King may not sound all that delicious to you....but trust me.....you really know what Pavlov's dog must have been going through whenever he heard that danged bell......

So for 121 days (I started riding the bike 2 days before the diet) I've exercised every day and stayed within my caloric guidelines. Losing 84 pounds in 17 weeks is not bad at all, that's an average just about 5 pounds a week. It's been ever so much fun, and I'm past the half way point of 70 pounds. I realize though that the road before me is still long and full of challenges. I am truly eager to continue on the path I have set myself upon.

Different things motivate me such as the following. Danielle and I were just looking at a few pictures and I started up a video clip she had taken of the cat a couple of weeks after I started the diet. Because the the cat was running around she panned over to where I am sitting on the recliner, and I was HUGE! We were both somewhat shocked by my appearance! When you see someone every day you get used to their appearance so to us my change is stature is not that dramatic. She said "Oh my gosh you looked like Santa Claus!" I said I looked like I ate Santa! I was, truly, disgusted with myself though after seeing that clip for letting me get to that point. All the more motivation to succeed.

A Contrast In Exercising

The sacrificial altar of my many lost pounds

For the past month my workout on the exercising bike has been between 80 and 90 minutes. I do a 10 minute warm up on a lower resistance setting, then I go up a setting and do that for 65-70 minutes before taking a one minute 'break' at the lower setting. I then do several minutes at the higher setting, another minute at the lower setting, then the higher setting until I am a minute away from finishing and I go to the lower setting as a bit of a cool down.

It's always somewhat of an effort to get through the workout. Some days it just a physical challenge, others days it's stress from a bad day in the office. Other times it's just boredom. Let's face it; riding a stationary bike for an hour and a half is far from exciting.

I've tried playing video games, the motion of the game on the screen coupled with the pedaling on the bike just makes me too dizzy! So, I watch TV, and as I have mentioned before I typically watch shows from the Food Network. Why, would someone working to lose weight watch shows full of foods they can't eat? For several reasons. First, I like them! They are amusing and educational and often give me ideas to use in my own cuisine. My Pasta with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Shallots in a Saffron Sauce Reduction came from a show I saw. Second, it's a reminder to me of how I got where I was by eating too much of too high calorie recipes. Finally, it's the carrot on a stick, to remind me to keep going, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and one day, down the road, perhaps once a month, I can have a lavish meal with too many calories!

So, as I started saying some days the workout goal seems almost impossible to achieve. Yesterday in fact, I was so worn out when I got about 30 minutes into the higher setting, I did not think I would be able to keep going, so, I took a minute at the lower setting. I ended up interjecting several unscheduled 'breaks' like this which increased the time of my workout by a few minutes since the goal of the workout is a set number of calories burned. The lower resistance setting burns less calories. When I was finished though I had burned the 900 calories, it just took five minutes longer. The workout is rarely this bad, but other days, it just seems to go on forever.

Today was one of those rare workouts though that could almost cause me to enjoy exercising! Don't get me wrong, every day when I climb off that exercise bike, I am elated that I finished the workout. This morning, I was into it mentally and physically. The ride was almost effortless, the time passed reasonably quickly, I did 70 minutes at the higher setting before taking that first minute break. If the workout went like that every day, it would be fantastic!

And it is a workout! The t-shirt I am wearing is completely saturated in sweat as is the golf towel I keep on the exercise bike for wiping my face and head. It is a hearty workout!

However it goes, I don't know how any days I'll go on my streak of continuous days. Without checking I think this Sunday marks 17 weeks. For me, couch potato that I am, exercising every day for 17 weeks is quite an accomplishment.

Oh, and I hate exercise!

Today's Weigh In - 08/07/09

Since last Friday I've been exercising 10 minutes more each day and except for Saturday, since I went to see Ice Age 3 with the kids and had some popcorn, I've been eating less. A max of 750 calories a day. So, since the last two week weigh in I lost another 7 pounds for a total of 84 pounds lost since I started this Lifestyle Modification. I plan to eat my normal 1100 or so calories today and tomorrow, my 1500 max Sunday, and then next week since I have half days most of the week I will try and eat less. We'll see about the extra 10 minutes of exercise! Usually I burn 800 calories in a workout, that extra 10 minute push to get to 900 can be somewhat grueling, particularly after a full day at the office!

My blood pressure is the best it has been in a long time. 114/69.

The 140 pound weight loss target I set myself is certainly looking a bit more attainable today. I will be posting three recipes when I get a chance, the first is for a spicy-sweet mix of tri-color peppers and onions, the other two will be recipes incorporating these.

I'm thinking I may actually break my diet on September 7th, which is my birthday. I get a coupon each year for a free burger at Red Robin. I'm giving this serious consideration but it's a weighty issue, and I'll have to see where I am in another month. In spite of all I have lost, frankly, I'm still fat and need to keep going, but on the other hand, your birthday is a special day! Anyway, for now, I'll weight, and weight, and weight before making a final decision.

Once again I'd like to thank all of those who've sent words of encouragement and supported me during these past months, it is much appreciated.

Today's Weigh In

This is the third time I weighed myself while following my Lifestyle Modification Plan which I've been on for over 100 days. For the first couple of months I never went near the scale, then I did weigh myself, and I decided at that point to do it every two weeks. I used a computerized station at work which is accurate to a 10th of a pound and I do the test twice just to make sure the readings agree. The same station also does blood pressure and some other tests. Soon I hope to be able to use the people-sized scale and free up the livestock one for the cows.....

So, I lost 8 pounds these past two weeks for a total of 77 pounds lost. For the first time I can remember, while on less than half the does of medication I was taking 4 months ago, my blood pressure came in on the green zone of the computerized station we have at work. The reading was 109/74, I've finally hit a new low!

So, the Lifestyle Modification Plan continues, and I am past the halfway point on what I plan on losing. As much as I hate exercise, particularly because I do it every day right after work and I'm up to 80-90 minutes a day, it has become habitual. I feel guilty if I even think of skipping it. It will be interesting to see how many days in a row I can make! I've exercised with a fever, backache, and other ailments that in the past would have sent me cowering to the couch.

My long range plan is to exercise four times a week once I have achieved the desired weight loss. So, for now, until unforeseen circumstances prevent me from my daily toil, I will continue. The biggest problem I see is running out of Food Network shows which I watch while riding my exercise bike! The purpose of this is twofold; penance for being the slovenly bulk I was, and still to a lessor extend, and as a reminder that down the road, once in awhile, I'll be able to indulge in such guilty pleasures.

I am feeling much better than I had been. While my energy levels are still not fantastically high, I am sleeping up to 6 hours straight at a stretch at night where before I was up every 2 or 3 hours. My blood sugar is also markedly improved.

I'm planning, depending on my weight at the time, to perhaps go out to dinner on my birthday in September. Nothing extravagant, just a couple of side-of-beef sandwiches and a quarter keg or two.....

Sunday (Day 91)

Yesterday was 90 days on my diet and exercise or Lifestyle Modification Plan as I have been referring to it, as it is more than a diet and must be a new way of life for me going forward after the mishap that happened 91 days ago when I collapsed and nearly passed out. I had dizzy spells and vertigo for weeks afterward. I was, in sad shape!

I am up to no more than 1100 calories/day during the week, though some days I am in the 900s, and on Sundays I allow myself 1500 calories. The first week I did 600 calories a day, the next week 700, the third week 800, and then I did 900 for a few weeks, then 1000 for a few weeks, and now I will do a max of 1100 calories a day for a few weeks.

I exercise every day, and these days I am up to 75-90 minutes of exercise a day. I have lost 68 pounds as of Friday's weigh-in, which puts me 2 pounds shy of the half way point. My blood pressure and blood sugar are much better! I still have a long way to go, but I am getting there. Fear is a great coach!

They say it takes 90 days for something to become a habit. The whole routine is getting a bit easier so maybe there is some truth in that. I picked up sweet rolls for the kid's breakfast this AM when I shopped, and I had my usual nutrition shake. I did that without a second thought when it used to be very difficult. I have not stepped into a restaurant or had takeout food (other a few Chicken McNuggets one Sunday) in all this time, though I do get Italian food and Chinese takeout for Scott and Danielle. They eat that and I eat my food. It's been a radical departure from my usual eating habits! I do allow myself one guilty pleasure. When I take them to Burger King or McDonalds I allow myself 2 fries from each of them.

My warm thanks to my friends who have encouraged and supported me in this effort. I really appreciate it!

Anyway, enough about my health issues, on to other boring things!

It was a gorgeous day here, it got up into the 80' but it's dropped down into the 70s at the moment. The humidity after starting out around 60% when I awoke this morning is down to about 35%. There has been a fresh breeze blowing all day and the AC was last run Friday evening when the humidity made it too uncomfortable to sleep.

It is certainly not a typical July where I expect it to be hot and humid, and have the AC running from the afternoon on until about 1 AM so the house is OK for sleeping in.

I love weather like this!

Scott went to the lake yesterday and because he rarely burns he passed on my offer of sun tan lotion and is now paying the price. While he is not severely burned he has enough sunburn to be very uncomfortable. Maybe next time he will listen! I remember once at his age I got burned so badly I had blisters filled with yellow fluid all over my chest, arms, and legs....it is an experience you only need to have once and since then I have religiously prepared exposed skin when headed out to the hot sun for extended periods.

So, as today was Sunday I made a nice dinner for us. I picked up a three pack of Delmonico steaks this AM at the store along with some boneless skinless chicken tenders, and some corn on the cob. The chicken I marinated with Sambal Oelek, along with diced garlic and habanero peppers plus some lime juice. I skewered the chicken and chunks of onions, and grilled them along with the corn on the cob and the steaks.

The kids ate the steaks, I ate the chicken, and we enjoyed the grilled onions and corn as well. It was a most excellent dinner and they were pleased to have three steaks to devour between the two of them. The local grocer, Forest Hills Foods features value or family packs of steaks, particularly on the weekends. Its always a crap shoot; luck of the draw as it were. I've learned to go early in the morning and even so today I had to go through all the packs to find the one I procured, but for $10 and change for three Delmonico steaks.....you can't beat that!

Saturday, Media Players, Walks, and such

With the birthday behind me let's turn to today; after arising at 7:30 I had a nice four mile walk this morning, and the weather was sunny, clear and just gorgeous, it seems the next few days will be low humidity and normal temperatures in the 7o's instead of the 80's/90's of last week and high humidity. I love when the humidity is low and the sky is such a vibrant blue as it was this morning!

Yesterday I ordered myself a birthday present, one of the new iPod Touch devices, which is basically an iPhone without the phone portion, so, it is a portable media player with that slick interface, and it has built in WiFi and can surf the web and such as well. This will be the first Apple product I have ever owned; the previous iPods have done nothing for me, but, I have lusted for the interface on the iPhone since its debut, but, not needing a phone, I did not acquire one.

To pay for this present, I am selling off some toys; I sold my Nokia 770 tablet yesterday and am now looking to sell my Zune Player, which, until this new iPod has the largest screen for viewing video, and some accessories. I have the Zune, a docking station, and sports carrying case, and an AC adapter. All of these accessories are new and did not come with the Zine. I think I will ask $150 for the bundle and will probably post it on eBay if I can't find anyone locally to take it off my hands.

Take a walk with Mr. Chris

I arose about 8 AM this morning, and all three kids were asleep. It was about 8:30 when I left the house this bright sunny morning for my four mile walk.

What's that? You wish you could come along? Well, you can! Almost anyway, I took my camera with me this morning as I have been meaning to for quite awhile, so, with witty comments (half witty?) I will show the progress and some pictures of the route.

Please note that clicking on any picture will open a much larger version in a new browser window.

Exiting my driveway we turn right and head for the main road where we will turn right again. This is Cascade and we will be on it for about a mile.




After making the turn, this greets my eyes



What a bright sunny day; good thing I had my sunglasses! I forgot them yesterday and walked with my head down for a good portion of the walk.


A few minutes from my house, across the street is Graceland (nothing to do with Elvis!) and on this side a small cemetery with graves going back to the 1800's, and possible beyond since some are so weathered you can't read them.





Ten minutes into the walk we come across Forest Hills Foods, a store often mentioned in my blog posts. Danielle and I visited there this afternoon in fact, picking up muffins for the kids breakfast tomorrow and a couple of other items including some delicious California peaches and half a watermelon.




Right past Forest Hills Foods is a double-strip mall, on the first one is China Garden where I often get the kids Chinese take out, though I will not eat there (even if I could, it is below my standards, but, kids will be kids)! on the right is an excellent place for home made candy including chocolate covered Twinkies and huge dipped strawberries. The cleaner in the middle has the most ANNOYING radio adds I have ever heard! The second one, not pictured, contains a Beaners (Coffee place) and a Subway.




At this point, the road stretches off into the distance!




This sign disturbs me every time I pass it, it's a sign for a dentist, but, i think perhaps he would be better of making footwear!




As we continue along we are about 20 minutes into the walk, still on Cascade. Note here you can clearly see the mix of old and new construction for different businesses; none of these are residences. Below we have a professional building housing multiple offices, a realtor, and a CPA.






A bit further down the road is a nice sculptured rock garden from a landscaping company; when I walk this way in the afternoon there are usually kids climbing on it.




Across the street is a church; on Sundays if I walk past at the right time, the priest is outside and he and I exchange greetings and pleasantries as I walk.




Below are a couple of other large building as I near the corner where I will turn for the more rustic part of my walk on the bike and pedestrian trial system of Cascade county.





After we pass the second building above, we make a right which takes us off Cascade, the main drag. this is the closest place by my house where I can pick up the extensive bike and pedestrian trail system. I wish I lived closer to it as we've walked a bit over a mile to get to this point. (Tails has just jumped on my lap and is purring in my face....I guess this is her idea of helping. Now she is chewing my beard......)

Instead of a four lane road with a speed limit of 55 MPH, we have a two lane road at 35 MPH and the view off into the distance is like so:




Another difference is there are no office buildings anymore; this is all residential and farmland now, so, when I turn to my right at the 30 minute milestone of the walk I see this:




and a bit further down on the right, this:




and this:




The road continues to stretch off into the distance




Here is a greenhouse place that opens in a few weeks and is open in the colder weather when the majority of the farms are closed. Following that is a picture of the residence of the owners.





At this point the road goes around a blind sharp curve and the pedestrian trail cuts inwards away from the road to circumvent this.




The view is even better now, note the nice house off in the distance at the top of the hill.




Just around the bend, here is view to the right; note you can see the house much better here beyond the corn field.




The path goes on for a bit more here before once again going parallel to the road. At the point, 40 minutes into the walk, we have reached two miles, and it is time to turn back.




At the far point of the walk note the farm across the street below is where the X, Christopher, Scott, Danielle, and I went the first Halloween after we moved out here 7 years ago to get a pumpkin. We went on a nice hayride before picking out the pumpkin. It takes about five minutes to drive here, and about 40 to walk it.




Since I mentioned getting a pumpkin at the farm, here is picture of the three kids from that outing in October of 2000.




This is the end of the walk looking where the path and road continue....while I have of course driven down there, I have not walked the path....though I hope to sometime soon.




As I started heading back my feet began to hurt; I was wearing new sneakers which I guess I should have broken in a bit more, though I did walk 3 miles in them yesterday. The trip back was endless and I discovered that my small toes were getting calloused after I arrived home. At least I did not get any blisters; being diabetic I get very paranoid about my feet!

So, thanks for keeping me company on my long walk today; I wish you could come with me every weekend when I walk it, I would be glad for your company and some conversation!

Note this is the most time consuming post I have done to date; with 29 pictures and HTML editing as blogger is not really too smart when it comes to many images, alignment and such. It took me two and a half hours to complete (I guess I really need a life, huh??) I ended up finishing it after Scott, Danielle, and I watched the latest Ninja Turtle movie.

Post 300 - Scott's Voice

It's been a rough week, hence no posts. The big issue is my 15 year old son Scott's voice. Over a month ago he got laryngitis and when it did not go away after a week I took him to see a GP. They examined him and said because of his other symptoms, runny nose, raspy throat that it could be caused by a virus and we had to wait 10 days to make sure. So, we waited, and then called back and we had to get a referral to an Ear, Eye, Nose, and Throat specialist which we did. And of course, the quickest appointment was in three weeks.

So, finally, Tuesday, Scott went and got to have the fun filled experience of having a camera shoved up his nose and down his throat, where it was discovered half his vocal chords are paralyzed. The Doctor stated that this could either have been caused by a virus or by a nerve problem.

AND he made the mistake, In My Humble Opinion, of saying in front of Scott, that he might never get his voice back. Scott, was devastated. Scott is a caring sensitive individual, who is very talented. He makes all sorts of comical voices and vocal effects, and had enjoyed singing in the school choir with his excellent voice.

Scott had to go for an MRI yesterday and was injected with a contrasting solution which pretty much took the wind out of him for the whole day. Later on today or Monday we might get the results back from the MRI and find out what can be done. If they say nothing, it will be second opinion time.

The X and I have both talked with Scott and told him not to worry about this until all the tests are in, and I have also broached the worst case scenario, that, he might just have to live with it as others do with whatever their health issues may be, but, he is just 15, and I really think the Doctor should have omitted the information of this being permanent from Scott until we were sure. He is said and depressed about this and it may all just be that he is suffering this needlessly depending on the results of the tests.

So, please say a prayer to whatever deities you believe in or worship that Scott gets his voice back with a minimum of difficulty.

A Visit to the Doctor

I went for my labs results this AM. My usual doctor was running late, so, the lady Doctor who has seen me before (right after I was diagnosed with diabetes, but not in about 3 months) was the attending. So, after my weigh-in and blood pressure, she met me in the examining room. She looked at me, then looked at the data on the screen. She looked at me....and then looked at the data on the screen......she looked at me....and then looked at the data on the screen.....finally I could no longer contain myself and loudly said "What??!!?"

She asked me how much weight I had lost and I told her 51 pounds in 15 weeks and she asked how I did it and I said "uh, remember that 1600 calorie a day diet you put me on.......you know the one, low carbs, low salt, low fat, low fun, that one?"

And she said she remembered and I told her about all the exercising and stuff like that there, and how the nutritionist had told me during diabetic education classes that every four days I should bump that up to 2000 calories and the Doctor agreed and she was impressed and we sat there on the bench talking about lancet stabbing blood testing A1C stuff.

We went over the results in detail, my A1C was down .5 from 6.7 to 6.2 - the wonders of dieting and exercise! Fasting BS still a bit high at 115, but the A1C reduction is impressive for no medication being taken, just as a result of the diet and exercise.

For those curious about the A1C test and how it relates to diabetes you can check out this link.

Kidney function numbers slightly better which was good considering the diabetes and the meds I am on which stress the need for these tests.

Cholesterol up a tiny bit which was surprising considering my low fat, low fun diet I am on, but she explained that when you have lost/are losing a significant amount of weight as I have, it is not uncommon for the readings to show higher, she did double the dose of my cholesterol medication.

Heart and lungs sounding fine

I mentioned how really crappy I feel in the mornings and the higher blood sugar I have then and she said to give things time you don't go from being so badly out of shape and sick to normal over night. I go back in 6 weeks for MORE fasting labs and then a week after to go over them.

I celebrated with a 90 minute exercise bike ride when I got home from work today. In fact, while I was riding the exercise bike the Doctor's office called to tell me they were ordering the specialized eye test I need to have and the hospital would call back with an appointment. This needs to be repeated every year.

So, overall I am doing better. I do not let the wight loss go to my head because I still have a long way to go...I am still not back to the weight I was when I moved out of the X's house almost three years ago, though, that is within my grasp at just 9 more pounds to lose. I am determined to succeed and lose the other 49 pounds. It does get harder as time goes on, but, I will not fail!

Weigh to go Chris!

As of this morning's weigh-in I have finally reached (and passed, Whoo Hoo!) the halfway point on my diet. With this weeks 3 pound loss I have lost 51 pounds in 15 weeks.

I have stopped doing two workouts on the exercise bike (Actually stopped two weeks ago when I had that week where I was feeling so bad) and have replaced it with one longer workout after work; for example yesterday I did an hour and 30 minutes on the exercise bike. I did the same on the Fourth of July and I walked to and from the X's house where we were gathering for a cook out. That's a mile each way.

I had blood taken this week and I go back to the Doctor Tuesday for the results. Maybe this will explain why I am still feeling so poorly most mornings. They should be able to tell me more about my diabetes overall, as they needed two A1C tests done at least three months apart to see how my weight loss and exercise is affecting things.

Time to celebrate! I think Kentucky Fried Chicken dipped in Coldstone for dinner is in order!

To be realistic, I'll probably just make myself some wraps or something for dinner this evening after getting the kids whatever they want (probably Wendy's) for dinner.

11 Weeks on the "Diet or Die!" diet

Last Thursday was 11 weeks on the "Diet or Die!" diet. I've lost 37 pounds thus far. Yesterday and Today I put in over four hours on four workouts on the exercise bike. When I started this, I could barely do 10 minutes on resistance setting four. Today I did a 62 minute workout with 54 minutes on resistance setting five and two minutes at resistance setting 6. I am making progress, but, it is amazing how much work it takes to get the pounds off!

Still have a fair amount of dizziness and woozy feelings, but, over all I see definite improvement in the overall way I feel. 63 pounds to go to make good on my promise to drop 100 pounds. At that point I will re-evaluate where I am and how I look, I feel i will need to go another 20-40 pounds after that, but, that is a thought for another day!

8 Weeks on the "Diet or Die!" Diet

I have been on my diet and exercise plan for 8 weeks as of today. I have lost 26 pounds so far!

I am exercising daily, most days twice. I do a workout on the exercise bike when I arrive home after work, and then a minimum of half that time 90 minutes or so after dinner. Some days I do the full workout twice. My full workout is up to 40 minutes right now, I could barely do 10 when I started.

It's been rough but I am sticking to it. It is not easy! But, it needs to be done.

I have become quite adept at cooking healthy meals and am staying within the constraints of my food plan which is

1600 calories a day (2000 on Sunday!)

60 grams max each meal of carbohydrates

2 snacks - max of 15 grams of carbohydrates

low fat

low sodium

NO caffeine (sob!)

Don't get me wrong, I have some excellent dinners, such as last night. I took two high-fiber low carbohydrate flat breads, half a pound of 92% lean ground beef, shredded lettuce, thinly sliced vine-ripened tomato, fat free Miracle Whip, and two slices of fat free cheese. I divided the meat in half, pressed out to very thin burgers, grilled them with the cheese melted on top, and I had two most awesome cheeseburger roll-ups for dinner.

Another good roll-up is to replace the meat and cheese of the above concoction and replace it with 8 slices of turkey bacon, 4 for each roll-up. It's like a BLT and most delicious! It MUST be Louis Rich (now sold by Oscar Mayer) turkey bacon, as all other brands I have tried have been like eating (or what I envision would be like) thin strips of leather!

Over the weekend I had a New York Strip Steak, with an ear of corn on the cob, and a nice heaping salad. It is just a lot more work in preparation and cost, to eat better. And, I need to be home to get this type of good food, it is just too much work to deal with this when eating out, though if I do I usually stick to steak and salad.

I usually spice the meats with dry rubs, usually somewhat spicy ones, even the turkey bacon gets a light sprinkling of Cajun Spice or Spicy Barbecue Red Monkey brand seasoning. The Steaks, a Montreal dry spice is usually used.

I had my last class yesterday of Diabetes Self Management, and overall it was an excellent investment in time to take this course. I learned so much about diabetes, and what I can and can't do to control it. It was very good.

We learned things like diabetes cannot be cured, there's better than a 50% chance anyone with it will end up on insulin shots, There's virtually a 100% chance that you will need oral medications, but, you can slide the amount of meds, when you have to use insulin, and any health problems and such to the right by taking better care of yourself.

Stress, unfortunately is bad for diabetes, so, I have the stress here at work, stress of some family issues, and the stress of having diabetes....but....I am trying to deal with it the best that I can by maintaining a positive attitude and realizing stressing out over things I can't change directly is not a good thing to do. Most of the times this works OK for me.....most times.

Most days I feel better overall then I did two months ago...some days I feel just as bad, like today, a rare day over the past week where I felt pretty good, where I feel pretty bad...but...I envision that as I lose more weight, I will feel better more often.

SO.....the adventure continues.....and...I will keep losing weight and eating healthy!

How am I doing?

Many of you may have read this in e-mail but in case I missed any who just visit the blog I thought I would reproduce this. Also, thanks to this "Diet or Die!" diet I am on, I will be posting links and reviews of health low carb, high protein (and usually low fat) snacks and such I have ordered on-line and have enjoyed.

I have lost 14 pounds in 25 days, while that is very encouraging it is also very discouraging because I have to lose another 90 to be where I need to be. I blame myself....so...instead of groaning about it I will just get on with it! I am on what they call a Diabetic carb option diet, where each carb option = total carbs - fiber carbs. And, per the regular doctor I am on a 1600 calorie diet to help loose weight. though the dietician suggested yesterday that every fourth day or so I jump up to 2000 calories to keep my metabolism from bottoming out.

Anyway, here's the post.....

Yesterday I had a two and a half hour session over at the medical center where I first spent two hours with a dietician who specializes in diabetic patients learning about my diet and such, what I can eat, how many carbs and such, and much information. She is also the person who will be teaching the four week course which starts next week.

I then had a session learning how to use my ouch meter to test my blood sugar, which I need to do three times a day every few days or on days I am feeling extra woozy and weak and such. I got a One Touch Ultra Meter, since my insurance will pay for any meter they had, since this one was the fanciest and geekiest! I ordered the optional USB interface cable and software so the unit can transfer data to the computer, though stand alone if stores a few weeks readings.

She said measuring the sugar on my crappiest days is a real easy way to see if if those dizzy spells I am getting are is blood sugar related.

The diabetic diet would not be too bad if I was not also under orders by the regular doctor for low sodium, low fat, no caffeine, for my high blood pressure and heart rate problems. Oh well! Going forward will be interesting indeed, but, failure is NOT an option.