getting my health back

As a follow-up to my last post, I am quite happy about my lab results from blood that was drawn last week. Here are the results:

• Blood pressure: 120/80
• Total cholesterol: 157
• Triglycerides: 30
• HDL: 46
• LDL: 105
• Fasting glucose: 100

Perhaps more importantly, the ratios (Total/HDL, Trig/HDL, LDL/HDL) are good, so I am not terribly worried that my HDL is a little low, though I will still strive to increase it with some extra fish oil and more exercise. My fasting glucose is not great, but better. And while I am disappointed, I am not surprised, considering I had a carb-loaded breakfast the day before the test. I see I will need to continue to watch grains and sugar.

Overall, I am happy. My doctor is happy. Last week, she was pleased with my self-assessment and appearance (feeling really good and shrinking), but was worried about the number of eggs I eat and tried to talk me into eating fewer yolks. We agreed to see what my blood had to say. Her comment today was, “whatever you are doing is working.” Total cholesterol is down from 193, trigs down from 68, LDL down from 136, and HDL up from 43. So things weren’t awful before (though my Total/HDL ratio was a bit high), but they are better now.

So what do I attribute to this? Eating lots of veggies, obscene amounts of veggies. Eating moderate fruits, mostly berries. Virtually eliminating grains and processed sugars. Holding meat consumption about the same, but being a little less afraid of red meat. Eating a lot more eggs and fish. Eating quite a bit more fat, including saturated fat in the form of  a little more red meat, eggs, butter, full fat plain greek yogurt, etc. Lots more monounsaturated fat in olive oil salad dressing. It’s working for me. Feel good, blood is good, losing inches and weight.

So unless I get sick, and I haven’t been sick since February (which is a record for me), no need to go back to the doctor until my physical in March. Yay! I may not post as frequently, either, since things are looking up in terms of my health. I’ll be testing my reactions to various foods with my blood glucose meter so I can manage that aspect of my life. But I think I know what I need to do and am well on my way.

Mid-way through the month, I’m doing OK with my goals. I have turned into a health research junky, though, and have been totally blowing it at work. Ouch. I really need to get over this soon and I know I will have some late nights and weekends to make up for all the wasted time on the job.

That being said, my energy is much better. I have fun plans for this weekend, so no work then, but I’ll be getting down and getting serious afterwards. My increased energy will help. Also the fact that my mind is in less of a fog than it used to be. Yes, my brain seems to be functioning better these days. Yay!

On to goals.

Exercise

• I am hitting it easily so far by just walks around the neighborhood and bike rides on weekends. This up-coming weekend will include some hiking and possibly swimming. Fun!
• I have even added a couple of sprints (yes, running sprints) to my walks occasionally. I was trying to get into jogging, but it just wasn’t happening. The sprints, short and intense, are much more fun and I suspect they are better for me.
• I am easing into resistance workouts. I know I need them, but I still feel like I am getting a handle on all the healthy new things I am doing and just want to take it a step at a time.

Eating

For the most part, I am doing much better than I thought I could. My obsessive research has led me to conclude that all grains are bad for diabetics. So, after consultation with my husband (”do you think I would be crazy if …?”), I decided to stop consuming all grains.  It was very hard, I will not lie, but I suddenly bounced out of it and into the results I described above. I might add that my skin has cleared up; my hair is not coming out in handfuls anymore; the outer portions of my eyebrows, which really thinned, are filling in. This is off the top of my head. So how am I eating?

• Well, following the excellent advice of some of the ladies here, I am eating obscene amounts of vegetables. I really am. I eat a huge salad every day for lunch. It fills up a 3.5L container. My salad generally consists of a variety of greens and whatever other veggies are in season. Lately I’ve been adding cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers. I add hardboiled egg and grilled  chicken for fat and protein. I also eat lots of veggies at both breakfast and dinner. I try to snack on veggies, if a snack is even needed and I feel like veggies. I figure, because I eat so many veggies at meals, I don’t need to force myself to snack on them.
• I was really hungry all the time when I stopped grains. Heck, they are filling! Veggies only fill me up for so long and I’m not a huge meat eater, so I had to incorporate more fat. I had moved away from non-fat and low-fat products if they replaced fat with sugar a long time ago, but I am making the switch now in all cases. For example, full fat Fage yogurt, salad dressings with olive oil, full fat Laughing Cow cheese wedges. I am not stingy with salad dressing. I cook eggs in butter and add butter to steamed veggies. Adding a whole avocado to my salad, instead of just one-quarter. Snacking on controlled portions of macadamia nuts because they taste so good. So not really going out of my way to eat fat, but not really avoiding it, either.
• Maybe a bit more meat, but not a lot. Probably my big increase is eggs. I eat eggs almost every morning for breakfast. It really is a fabulous way to start the day and it holds me till lunch - no more mid-morning snack necessary!!
• I am not counting calories or anything, but I did track my food in FitDay and The Daily Plate for a few days just to see where I am at. I am comfortably eating between 1300 and 2100 calories a day. About 50 to 60 percent of calories from fat, the remaining split pretty evenly between protein and carbohydrates. Because I eat so many veggies, I am easily hitting all of the nutritional points and am not lacking on any vitamins and minerals. I may be just a bit low on fiber, but everything is functioning fine, so I don’t care.

I go back to the doctor Monday for follow-up blood tests so we’ll see what my blood has to say about these changes. However, I understand that the blood sort of renews itself every few months, so it may be too soon to tell. I have also lost weight. Yes, without even trying, without going hungry, without avoiding fat. In fact, on the days that my fat percentage is higher, I am satisfied on less food. I do want to make sure that I don’t go much over 60%, though, so I don’t miss out on important nutrients. That was the reason for tracking several days, just to give me an idea of what I am comfortable with and that I am getting my nutrients.

I will probably check back in after I get my lab results. Am feeling good now. I feel healthier. The weight loss (the quickest I have seen in years) is a fantastic side effect. I hope my blood is as happy as me.

I am feeling so much better, in so many ways. Am feeling slightly less tired and more optimistic about things. I am ready to be less passive and be more of the architect of my own life. Also, September is sort of like a new season and a new beginning. Goals and plans are bubbling up to the surface. To that end, below are my health and fitness goals for September. I will report on my progress at the end of this month.

Intentional Exercise

• 210 minutes of easy to moderate cardio per week (walking, hiking, bike riding). This is an increase over my August goal of 150 minutes per week. Most weeks I exceeded this, and probably will for September, but baby steps …
• “Body weight” strength sessions two or three times per week. This is new, and I wish to work on strength and balance by doing squats, lunges, pushups, tricep dips, and other moves I can think of, relying only on my own substantial body weight.
• Occasional sprint, either on foot or on the bike, just for fun.

Eating

• Continue to not consume refined (white) carbs through the month.
• Aim for about 100g of carbs daily, with emphasis on getting carbs from vegetables and some fruit and dairy. This is a reduction from just under 200g earlier in August, and around 150g later in August.
• Average approximately 50% fat, 25% protein, 25% carb (track once a week or so on The Daily Plate to monitor).
• Sodium: I dropped intake to around 2000mg in August. Aiming for around 1500mg in September.

Behavior

• When I completely cut refined carbs and began reducing other carbs last month, I started eating more because I was always hungry. I believe some of this is “head” hunger and not real hunger. Learn the difference between the two and try to eat a little less. Learn to be satisfied without feeling stuffed.
• Continue to use the 80/20 concept for “worth it” splurges. More specifically:
  • Plan for splurges and adjust other meals as necessary. I was successful this past weekend at my niece’s 8th birthday party and ate both a cupcake and small dish of ice cream. Later this month, I plan to eat a cupcake at my other niece’s 3rd birthday party, though I may eat only half and save the other half for later, due to terrible sugar rush this past weekend.
  • Practice “is it worth it?” For example, grocery store cupcakes = not worth it; cupcakes made from cake mix = not worth it; cupcakes from a good bakery = worth it; cupcakes from scratch = worth it. For me, grocery store and cake mix cupcakes are not worth it due to the disgusting list of ingredients, and they don’t really taste that good.

Health (the ultimate reason for all of this!!!)

• Blood pressure was 110/70 on August 24, down from ~140/??. Yay me! When I return to the doctor in late September, would like to see the same or lower reading.
• Improvements in my lipids and fasting glucose (purpose of September visit).

I started this post almost two weeks ago. And I did make the attempt to write about the positive aspect of being pre-diabetic. But I couldn’t do it. I was in the midst of my pity party, feeling too sorry for myself. Oh sure, I could see the glimmer of hope even then, but just couldn’t put it on paper or say it out loud. Perhaps I can now.

So what have I done since the day I learned this news? Well, I was on the road to minimizing refined carbs, so it seemed like an easy step to just quit. I will be honest: It has been hard. I love carbs, especially refined carbs like fluffy white bread, pasta covered with rich tomato sauce and cheese, pastries; gosh, the list could go on. And I am surrounded by them, seemingly everywhere I go. Family dinners at pizza restaurants. My husband’s love for breakfast at Panera Bread. Bagels and doughnuts and other treats almost daily at work. Even though I was attempting to minimize refined carbs prior to The Diagnosis, I don’t know if I was minimizing them all that much.

But I did. I have not had a refined carb (that I know of) since The Diagnosis. I have just ignored the treats and goodies at work. When hubby wants to go to Panera Bread, I eat only a power breakfast sandwhich (on whole grain bread), but I do miss the pumpkin muffins. Haven’t had a family dinner since The Diagnosis, but I am preparing for the next one at The Old Spagetti Factory this weekend. Haven’t eaten much in the way of grain carbs at home, except for the occasional slice of Ezekial 4:9 sprouted grain bread.

Because I was overeating refined carbs, much to my surprise, it turns out that I am not eating that many carbs now since I’ve cut refined carbs. And I find myself in the throes of the “carb flu”. I felt like this before, when I first made the attempt to cut refined carbs several months ago. But it is milder this time, more like a pesky head cold than a flu. I hope to be over it very soon.

However, because I have reduced total carb consumption, I seem to be hungry more. I think this is partly due to the “carb flu” and partly due to my needing to modify my diet somewhat so I won’t be hungry. On the excellent advice of some of the 3fc ladies, I am eating even more veggies. I am attempting to eat a bit more protein. And, gasp, I am increasing my fat intake even more. I also need to learn the difference between feeling satisfied and feeling stuffed. I do like the stuffed feeling that comes with eating carbs, but need to adapt to the feeling of having eaten enough to be satisfied.

Any benefits to this? Well, despite eating everything I could get my hands on last week (except refined carbs, of course), my weight is on track. And, despite weight being relatively unchanged, clothing feels bigger, as if I’ve slimmed. As of today, blood pressure is back where it should be and hasn’t been in a while (110/70). Skin is clearer than it has been in a while. I bounce out of bed in the morning. I don’t slump as bad in the afternoon. Constant fatigue has been a problem for me as long as I can remember, and while I still feel chronically tired, it is not as bad. Could it be that it’s been my diet all along???

I have been reading everything I can get my hands on. Of course, labels on every food item that I consider purchasing (many go back on the shelf). Information on the web. Forums on 3fc. Other fitness and health related websites such as stumptuous and mark’s daily apple. I still have a lot to learn, but am thinking that perhaps moderate carb is the way to go for me. I have to work out the other macronutrients (fat and protein), but think I want to aim for about 100g of carbs a day, with no more than 40 or 50 from whole grains and the rest from veggies and fruit. I do plan to increase fat, but am still leary about saturated fat (I have read the convincing research about saturated fat not being such a bad guy, but I am actually concerned about animal fat from grain-fed livestock. If I could eat grass-fed, I would not worry at all), so for now I will focus on the “good” fats and limit saturated fat to lean meats, eggs, dairy products. I am not sure how I will allocate percentages between fat and protein. I may not worry about it and see how I do. I may track in Fitday just to see … I really don’t know. Truthfully, I’ve taken too much time from work for learning and need to get back to life.

So why is The Diagnosis a hidden blessing? Truthfully, it didn’t surprise me. So many things made sense when I found out. I suspect I’ve had blood sugar issues or whatever for some time and no one thought to check. So I now know and I have time to make the necessary changes to keep it from becoming a real serious problem down the road. That is my hope, anyway. Because I already look and feel better, these changes are going to be good for me overall. They were changes I needed to make; I just needed the diagnosis of pre-diabetes to give me a swift kick in the rear.

You know (or maybe you don’t), the whole point of this journey is to improve my health. Weight loss is a fantastic by-product, but not the main purpose.

So I had lab tests again a couple of weeks ago to re-check my lipids. They weren’t terrible to begin with, but have improved somewhat. Except my “good” cholesterol (HDL) which, at 36, is quite a bit lower than the 50 or 60 recommended for heart protection. More disturbingly, my fasting glucose was 103, which makes me pre-diabetic.

I learned all of this yesterday and really fell into a funk. Still in a bit of funk, but am thinking more clearly. First, I was pissed because I really do eat quite well but, admittedly, am overweight. But my diet is so much better than most people I know. How can I be pre-diabetic and how can my HDL still be so low? Second, I thought about how I have been feeling since I’ve been eating more mindfully. I had plenty of time to reflect and synthesize on my walk this morning and in the car because I had a fairly long drive to see a client. Finally, I came up with a plan. This is my plan for the next two months, anyway, until I get my blood checked again.

1. Eliminate all refined carbs. There really is no good reason to consume them, except they taste good. I will have to find other foods that taste good. No white stuff … bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, sweets.

2. Move more. I am already somewhat active, but I’m lazy. I don’t like to exercise “on purpose”, though I love going for walks, hikes, and bike rides. Unfortunately, most of this is on weekends and that’s just not enough. So I need to do more exercise “on purpose”. I am aiming for 150 minutes per week of cardio.

3. My BP is still a bit high, so I am going to do yoga more frequently to aid in stress relief.

On a perhaps similar note, I am cutting all vitamin supplements except Omega-3. I really believe I can get what I need from food and don’t want to “overmedicate” myself.

and I don’t know how I feel about that.

As a younger woman, I always really hated my large thighs and hips. Always felt fat (boy, I wish I was as fat now as I was then!). It was hard to find skirts and pants that fit my wide hips but small waist, or had to get things altered. If you looked at me from the side, I looked very slim.

Then as I gained weight, I started looking more round all over. Still had large hips and thighs, but my belly and butt sort of caught up to create a round body, with slightly wide hips. If you looked at me from the side, I looked very round and fat, and that view was actually worse.

So now I am looking like a pear again. My hips and thights feel really large and bulging because I’ve lost most of my inches and fat from the waist up. Part of me is happy because my belly and butt are not so big, I can see my collar bone, and I don’t look like I’m storing nuts for the winter. But the other part of me is not so happy to see the old thunder thighs back.

But not unhappy enough to gain the lost weight back.

He told me this morning he can really see where I am losing weight (fat). He sees it in my face, my jawbone, my neck, my collarbone, my waist, even my upper arms and thighs, though not as much.

Probably because I have struggled for so long to lose weight and it is coming off fairly quickly now (for me, anyway), he asked me if I am starving myself. No, I most certainly am not. But it has taken me about two and one-half years to get here! I told him that I am eating for the body I want, not the body I have, and I suspect my weight loss will stop once I get back to normal.

Went to see a cardiologist today.

First, the good news. Fully clothed in work clothing and shoes, I was 179, so I would say I am definitely below 180. Finally. I have not been below 180 since October 2006.

Now, the bad news. Well, there really isn’t any …

• But I got the lecture about losing weight. According to him, I’m a bit overweight, though not terribly. Told him I’ve lost 15 pounds with lifestyle changes; diets don’t work for me, had to try a new way of living; a lot of trial and error for the last two years, but I may have hit on what works for me.
• Then got the lecture about food. I guess they assume we all drink soda and eat crap. When I told him what I eat and drink on a regular basis, got the nod of approval, though my fruit smoothies in the morning may be a bit too much sugar (fructose) and carb on a daily basis. So perhaps I need to rethink those, though I only have 8 ounces a day.

So why did I see a cardiologist? Well, a couple of weeks ago I had some chest discomfort that caused me to go to the emergency room. No problems revealed by tests or physical exam, but ER doc thought I should follow up with a cardiologist. My husband insisted, and since the chest discomfort still comes and goes, I agreed.

Cardiologist concurs with ER doc. Nothing seems wrong. However, my BP was high today (may have been nerves, I was nervous). And my cholesterol was a bit off back in February; however, I was sick when the blood was drawn and a nurse thinks that could have skewed the results. I’ll be having a re-check this month. Plus my grandfather had a lot of heart problems and died at 47 because of them. So I’m going back in August for a “stress echocardiogram” just to make sure everything is OK. Might as well, blew through our insurance deductible with the ER visit and insurance picks up 100% after that so it won’t cost me anything.

ER doc thinks the chest discomfort is due to anxiety. Cardiologist has not said whether he agrees. Guess I won’t know what the cardiologist thinks until August. Meanwhile, I have quit caffeine and am trying to figure out how to cope better with things.

So it has taken me nearly three years, but I think I am finally out of the 180s. I’ve jumped on the scale several times over the last week - normal weigh-in attire, clothed, after a meal, and so on, and the highest I have been is around 179.5 and the lowest around 177. I have not seen 180 or higher. This, even though I ate almost an entire blueberry kuchen myself, had a couple of pints of ice cream, and had birthday cake at an office birthday celebration.

Imagine where I would be if I hadn’t given into the ice cream cravings? Or eaten almost all of the blueberry kuchen? A little off track, but blueberry kuchen isn’t all that bad and I am experimenting to make it slightly more healthy.

Anyway, I am feeling some new motivation and perhaps, after all the trial and error, I may have finally hit on what works for me and what I can live with. Cause I gotta have the occasional birthday cake (my pieces are much smaller), ice cream (I don’t devour the whole container like I used to), blueberry kuchen.

Am back after a grueling six weeks that should have been only four weeks. Will write more later, but want to post updated stats.

My weight is exactly the same. Initially, I was a bit disappointed, but decided to look beyond the scale.

Clothing: Many pants and shorts either fit better or are loose.

The mirror: Looking at myself from the side, I don’t seem to have as much of a “shelf” on the rear as I used to. Additionally, my rear seems to have “perked up” and has a better shape.

Fat percentage: I use a Tanita scale with body fat measurement, and my body fat is down. I don’t think the scale is accurate for body fat, but think it is useful for tracking trends.

Measurements: I took measurements this morning and have lost the following:

• waist: -0.25″
• hips/lower abs: -0.25″
• rear (widest from side view): -0.5″
• “saddlebags” (widest from front view): -1.0″
• upper arm: -0.25″
• upper thigh: -0.75″
• lower thigh: -1.0″

So I am pretty excited about the measurements. Who cares what the scale says when I have actual proof that I did get smaller??