HUGE DISCLAIMER: I'm not a doctor. Nor am I a health professional. I am educated. But not in this field. The following is meant solely to share what is working for me and why I believe it's working. In no uncertain terms is what I say 100% factual. I'm wrong a lot. But I'm fairly sure about this.
So now that I'm gestationally diabetic, I've had to do a lot of changes in my eating habits. The first stop was a diabetic center, who to be honest, did almost more harm than good. They feel, not all health professionals share this feeling, that if your diabetes can be controlled by diet, than it should be. And insulin is somewhat of a defeat. This, is horribly wrong. Insulin doesn't mean failure. It's just a tool to help you be healthy. But enough of my frustrations with them, here's the nitty gritty:
The first issue is eating out. Stop it. It's killing you. There aren't as many good choices as you think. Until you get good at tracking what's actually in things, just don't eat out. Eventually, you'll get good at deciphering things and will make smart decisions. But for now, just cut it out.
The second, is understanding how this way of eating works. A lot of fad diets have picked up on the link between the processing of sugars in the body and weight control. Diets like Atkins and Keto-diets focus on basically eliminating the production of insulin and putting your body into a state of Ketosis. What this means is that you're body is starving for carbohydrates and is releasing keytones into your urine. Over time, (about 2-3 weeks) this becomes extremely toxic to your brain. That's why you hear people complain about having "Atkins Brain" when they've been on that diet for a while. You feel pretty slow and dumb.
What I'm doing, is NOT that. One thing people need to understand is that your body needs carbohydrates to function. You need them to survive. Without carbs, your body shuts down. So the key here, is to take in the carbs you need to function, and keep as close to that amount as you can. At the same time, the goal is to keep the types of carbs you eat, to those carbs that have a minimal glycemic load.
How many carbs do I need?
This varies greatly per person. I've read that anything less than 100g a day puts you at risk of Ketosis. And I've been told that someone who is stagnant (doesn't exercise) needs around 130g a day. Obviously the more you work out, the more you need. For me, since I'm pregnant, I was told that the baby needs about 45g a day. So my personal goal is between 150 and 175 a day. Mind you, I'm not a doctor. I'm not a health professional. I'm going by what my doctor has relayed to me. I really recommend that to obtain your ideal amount of carbs, that you go see your doctor and be honest about your activity level and how much you need to maintain your health.
Now for the dirt
For the first couple of weeks, it was hard to find my way. I had no idea what I could and couldn't eat. I used the American Diabetes Association's website a lot to determine what was ok to eat.
One thing that's important to mention is that you are the most insulin resistant in the morning. So the carb budget I have is lower for breakfast than it is for the rest of the day. And for this way of eating, you have to basically separate your carbs into categories. I call them "Free" and "Pricey". It just makes it easier to distinguish what you can eat that way.
Free carbs are carbs that come from non-starch, non-grain veggies. (Please see the American Diabetes Associations page for the whole list). So things like carrots, grean beans, rutabaga... are all free. Free means you can eat as much as you want. And they aren't supposed to effect your sugar levels.
Pricey carbs are carbs from fruits, dairy, starches and grains, table sugar and even some beans. This is where it gets tricky. These carbs aren't all equal. They all have different loads. So they effect your glucose levels in different ways. To put this in perpective, for me, 2 slices of white bread has about the same carb count as a banana. The banana has fructose as a sugar and doesn't effect my sugars as much as 2 slices of white bread. So if I have to choose, the banana wins.
A lot of this way of eating comes from the choices you make. The goal overall is to stay diverse and keep it balanced, while limiting the "Pricey" carbs to the "Carbs you need to survive.".
To break this down, basically I eat as much proteins as I want. If I want a big juicey steak, I eat it. I don't hold back. I eat as much Free carbs as I want. I only count the Pricey carbs. I eat 6 times a day, every 2 hours. And the breakdown of carb counting (again, I'm on rest. So I literally don't exercise at all.) is about 30g of Pricey carbs per meal. I go by net carbs meaning I don't subtract out the dietary fibers. My husband disagrees with that, he thinks dietary fibers shouldn't count. But he's not my doctor.
Here's a sample of what I've been eating:
Breakfast - A banana (30g) and a cup of tea (with milk and 1 tspn of Splenda) (maybe 3g total) = 33g
Snack - A chobani yogurt (20g) and 8 oz of milk (12g) = 32g
Lunch - Lean Cuisine (35-45g) and bottled water = 35-45g
Snack - 2 cups Lipton soup with 6 saltines = 30g
Dinner - big fat juicy steak, green beans and 1 cup Mashed Yams (fresh yams, butter, salt and pepper) (30g) = 30g
Snack - 16 oz of milk (24g)
This is not what I eat every day as I vary it a lot. But the counts are basically the same. Again, the more diverse and balanced you make your diet, the healthier it is.
I'll like to also point out that, at this time, I'm actually down 10.5 pounds on the scale. Since I'm 19.5 weeks pregnant, I'm certain the loss is actually greater than that when you factor in the weight of the baby, placenta, ambilical cord, amniotic fluid and doubled blood volume. Please note, that this is closely monitored by my doctor and at no point is my baby at risk. If you have any health issues like high blood pressure, you're going to need to talk to your doctor about any additional diet restrictions.
ONE HUGE NOTE: Eating out is not as easy as you think. There are ingredients thrown into things that make it next to impossible to count. If you eat out, make it only once a week, and research in advance using their nutritional info. Most chain restaurants post their nutritional info online in PDF. There are options for eating out, but you really have to do your research. Don't assume that if it sounds healthy it is. Most of the time, it's not. A piece of advice, invest in a good sized thermal lunch box and bring food to work.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Food, My Nemisis.
Those that know me in person knows that the one battle I've never really talked about is my weight. It's that monster in the closet that no one likes to talk about. Everyone thinks that's it’s easier to ignore a demon than to challenge it, face it head on and try to beat it.
They are sort of right. It's easier. But life shouldn't be easy. When it's easy, you end up lazy and complacent, which is pretty much where I stood with my weight until a couple of months ago.
To give you a little background, my parents were pretty broke growing up. Like most families these days, we ate how we could afford. Back then, eating at home was cheaper than eating out. Back then, moms had somewhat of an education on cooking and taking care of their family. But, at least in my opinion, changes in schools have made a difference in how we take care of ourselves. Gone are the days of home economics, where teens learned about all aspects of the home. They learned subjects like baby care, how to balance a checkbook and how to balance nutrition. When I went to school, the most we were taught was a lesson in making cookies.
Nowadays, we're so busy that we eat out more than we eat in. When I was in the military, I wasn't able to cook for myself. So at that point, my meals were dependent on either what the mess hall had that day, or choices that I made in restaurants. Let's just say, I wasn't the best at making those choices. And by the time I got out of the military I had gained 50 lbs over 4 years. Then it just kept adding afterwards. I went from 97 pounds going into boot camp, to my max, over 240.
So I did what most people did. I ignored the problem. I avoided cameras, scales, gyms and anything else that reminded me of the problem. I hated to clothes shop because I hated the reminder of my size. After all, if I didn't see it, it didn't exist.
Then, I got married. To an amazing man I call Superman. He's very into bodybuilding, which is kinda ironic considering my hatred of the gym. Not soon after, the idea of a family started to come into play. Then, I could no longer ignore the monster in the closet. Because of my weight, I was now not able to get pregnant. Sounds like a wakeup call right? Nope. Even that didn't motivate me enough to lose weight. Thanks to modern medicine and a phenomenal doctor, I got pregnant. Because of my age and weight, they made me take a glucose test in my first trimester. Btw, the fruit punch is so much better of the glucose solutions. But anyway, my sugar results were over 200. Blam, there's reality. Now my eating habits no longer just affected me. Now, they affect my child. And THAT was the wakeup call.
To make matters worse, I also have another complication that has put me basically on bed rest. So now, I can't exercise if I wanted to. I can't go for a walk, can't go swimming, and can’t lift almost everything.
So what now?
Now everything changes, I'm on a diabetic diet and even though it's a hard change, I'm getting used to it. And surprise, the weight is melting off. So the next post, is how I've been eating, why it's working, and if you want to give it a try, I'll also share what has worked for me, and what hasn't.
They are sort of right. It's easier. But life shouldn't be easy. When it's easy, you end up lazy and complacent, which is pretty much where I stood with my weight until a couple of months ago.
To give you a little background, my parents were pretty broke growing up. Like most families these days, we ate how we could afford. Back then, eating at home was cheaper than eating out. Back then, moms had somewhat of an education on cooking and taking care of their family. But, at least in my opinion, changes in schools have made a difference in how we take care of ourselves. Gone are the days of home economics, where teens learned about all aspects of the home. They learned subjects like baby care, how to balance a checkbook and how to balance nutrition. When I went to school, the most we were taught was a lesson in making cookies.
Nowadays, we're so busy that we eat out more than we eat in. When I was in the military, I wasn't able to cook for myself. So at that point, my meals were dependent on either what the mess hall had that day, or choices that I made in restaurants. Let's just say, I wasn't the best at making those choices. And by the time I got out of the military I had gained 50 lbs over 4 years. Then it just kept adding afterwards. I went from 97 pounds going into boot camp, to my max, over 240.
So I did what most people did. I ignored the problem. I avoided cameras, scales, gyms and anything else that reminded me of the problem. I hated to clothes shop because I hated the reminder of my size. After all, if I didn't see it, it didn't exist.
Then, I got married. To an amazing man I call Superman. He's very into bodybuilding, which is kinda ironic considering my hatred of the gym. Not soon after, the idea of a family started to come into play. Then, I could no longer ignore the monster in the closet. Because of my weight, I was now not able to get pregnant. Sounds like a wakeup call right? Nope. Even that didn't motivate me enough to lose weight. Thanks to modern medicine and a phenomenal doctor, I got pregnant. Because of my age and weight, they made me take a glucose test in my first trimester. Btw, the fruit punch is so much better of the glucose solutions. But anyway, my sugar results were over 200. Blam, there's reality. Now my eating habits no longer just affected me. Now, they affect my child. And THAT was the wakeup call.
To make matters worse, I also have another complication that has put me basically on bed rest. So now, I can't exercise if I wanted to. I can't go for a walk, can't go swimming, and can’t lift almost everything.
So what now?
Now everything changes, I'm on a diabetic diet and even though it's a hard change, I'm getting used to it. And surprise, the weight is melting off. So the next post, is how I've been eating, why it's working, and if you want to give it a try, I'll also share what has worked for me, and what hasn't.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Stop the Excuses!
This probably has to be one of my biggest pet peeves. Stop making excuses for why you "can't" do things. Just do them.
As an avid gamer, I can honestly say there isn't a game out there, that's unbeatable. As difficult as some parts are, really, with the right strategy, persistence and the patience to fail a lot, you can beat any boss, complete any level or cross any finish line. The same is basically true in real life. Don't get me wrong, "get rich quick" schemes are an exception. There is no shortcut method to success. But if you have the right strategy, persistence and patience to fail a lot, you can do just about anything.
When I decided to go back to school, I was 28. It was bittersweet. I have ADHD. Not the over-diagnosed excuse for why children don't behave, the actual neurological disorder. I had such a horrible experience in school growing up, being in and out of "special needs" programs. I often had to miss class time to go to the "resource room". I was sent to the principle's office so often in elementary school, I had my own desk, right next to our principal, Mr. Couture. He was actually a very good principal. It wasn't because I was a bad kid. I just "couldn't focus". This issue followed me around all the way through high school, where after a plethora of medications, I honestly gave up. The amount of stigma that followed me made it nearly impossible on me socially, as I was always "outside" of the group in the "resource room". Because of the time spent there, I would be compared by other kids to the other occupants of the room. Kids with various other learning problems, a lot of them far more severe than mine. I was known as the stupid kid that never did her homework. I was picked on relentlessly. I took comfort in the theater club where I could easily hide, play after play in whatever random character I was cast in. And I was really good at it. I think sometimes that's the only thing that got me through that time of my life. By the time I graduated, my image of myself was so low, I, in no exaggeration, thought I was "retarded." Now, I don't like that word. And cringe using it. But at 17, that was exactly how it felt and that was the name I was called. When I was a senior and trying to be positive about maybe an education, I went to my guidance counselor, to ask for advice on financial aid. My family was broke. My sister had received a liver transplant 3 years prior, and I knew my parents couldn't help at all, even though they wanted to. That guidance counselor, Kathy Cornell (who is one of very few people that I will ever call out by name), said to me, "Don't waste my time, don't even bother trying, you will never get into any college." I was devastated.
So I took the only option I thought I had, and joined the Air Force. Turns out, I wasn't "retarded". I tested exceptionally well at any test they gave me. I was always in the top 10% of anyone that had previously taken the tests. It didn't help my self image much. I still struggled a lot, made a lot of bad decisions and did very little to better myself.
At 28, I was finally fed up with the endless cycle of temp jobs and retail. I decided to give it one more try. I took 2 classes. My mother actually paid for it. A lot had changed for my parents, they weren't exactly broke anymore and I think it was her way to push me towards moving in some direction. Possibly also to get me out of the house. Anyway, I'm digressing. I took 2 courses, the deal was they could be anything I wanted. Just go to school. I picked COBOL Programming (yes, the still teach that) and Video Game Design. Voila, 4.0 GPA. After that, I decided to try a little more programming and then a little more. After a few semesters, I was enrolled part-time as a Computer Science major. It was scary. Here was this stupid kid that never did her homework, taking classes like Calculus II, Discrete Structures, Advanced Java (Honors) and Chemistry II (Honors). Every class was a level in the game I needed to get past, every professor was a boss I needed to defeat. I graduated Magna Cum Laude, as with the honored title "Commonwealth Scholar". My name is on a plaque at the school for academic excellence. I also became a published author on the subject of ADHD. An essay I wrote about my experience growing up with it is now in a textbook, that will be ready by an awful lot of fresh faces, some of them might even be struggling like I was. Not bad for a stupid kid that learned the value of remembering to do her homework. I'd also like to point out, that I did it without using the resources available for students with learning disabilities. No help. It was me against... me.
I went on to get my BS in Computer Science at U. Massachuetts, Dartmouth. Once again, I graduated with high marks. I won an award for having the highest GPA of all the women enrolled (another plaque with my name on it).
My point is this. Never once when I was growing up, did I ever think for one minute that I could complete college, let alone Computer Science and with academic accolades. But I did it. It wasn't easy. A lot of times I came extremely close to giving up. I wanted it so badly, I did everything I could to make sure I succeeded. I had to stop making excuses for why it wasn't possible. I just had to do it. I made a plan, stuck to it, and pushed on in the face of certain failure. So the next time you say to yourself, I can't get an education, I'm too old to learn how to snowboard (been there, said that, did it anyway), I'll never be successful or any other form of excuse for why you can't do something, try stepping back, forming a plan and doing it anyway. You might just surprise yourself.
As an avid gamer, I can honestly say there isn't a game out there, that's unbeatable. As difficult as some parts are, really, with the right strategy, persistence and the patience to fail a lot, you can beat any boss, complete any level or cross any finish line. The same is basically true in real life. Don't get me wrong, "get rich quick" schemes are an exception. There is no shortcut method to success. But if you have the right strategy, persistence and patience to fail a lot, you can do just about anything.
When I decided to go back to school, I was 28. It was bittersweet. I have ADHD. Not the over-diagnosed excuse for why children don't behave, the actual neurological disorder. I had such a horrible experience in school growing up, being in and out of "special needs" programs. I often had to miss class time to go to the "resource room". I was sent to the principle's office so often in elementary school, I had my own desk, right next to our principal, Mr. Couture. He was actually a very good principal. It wasn't because I was a bad kid. I just "couldn't focus". This issue followed me around all the way through high school, where after a plethora of medications, I honestly gave up. The amount of stigma that followed me made it nearly impossible on me socially, as I was always "outside" of the group in the "resource room". Because of the time spent there, I would be compared by other kids to the other occupants of the room. Kids with various other learning problems, a lot of them far more severe than mine. I was known as the stupid kid that never did her homework. I was picked on relentlessly. I took comfort in the theater club where I could easily hide, play after play in whatever random character I was cast in. And I was really good at it. I think sometimes that's the only thing that got me through that time of my life. By the time I graduated, my image of myself was so low, I, in no exaggeration, thought I was "retarded." Now, I don't like that word. And cringe using it. But at 17, that was exactly how it felt and that was the name I was called. When I was a senior and trying to be positive about maybe an education, I went to my guidance counselor, to ask for advice on financial aid. My family was broke. My sister had received a liver transplant 3 years prior, and I knew my parents couldn't help at all, even though they wanted to. That guidance counselor, Kathy Cornell (who is one of very few people that I will ever call out by name), said to me, "Don't waste my time, don't even bother trying, you will never get into any college." I was devastated.
So I took the only option I thought I had, and joined the Air Force. Turns out, I wasn't "retarded". I tested exceptionally well at any test they gave me. I was always in the top 10% of anyone that had previously taken the tests. It didn't help my self image much. I still struggled a lot, made a lot of bad decisions and did very little to better myself.
At 28, I was finally fed up with the endless cycle of temp jobs and retail. I decided to give it one more try. I took 2 classes. My mother actually paid for it. A lot had changed for my parents, they weren't exactly broke anymore and I think it was her way to push me towards moving in some direction. Possibly also to get me out of the house. Anyway, I'm digressing. I took 2 courses, the deal was they could be anything I wanted. Just go to school. I picked COBOL Programming (yes, the still teach that) and Video Game Design. Voila, 4.0 GPA. After that, I decided to try a little more programming and then a little more. After a few semesters, I was enrolled part-time as a Computer Science major. It was scary. Here was this stupid kid that never did her homework, taking classes like Calculus II, Discrete Structures, Advanced Java (Honors) and Chemistry II (Honors). Every class was a level in the game I needed to get past, every professor was a boss I needed to defeat. I graduated Magna Cum Laude, as with the honored title "Commonwealth Scholar". My name is on a plaque at the school for academic excellence. I also became a published author on the subject of ADHD. An essay I wrote about my experience growing up with it is now in a textbook, that will be ready by an awful lot of fresh faces, some of them might even be struggling like I was. Not bad for a stupid kid that learned the value of remembering to do her homework. I'd also like to point out, that I did it without using the resources available for students with learning disabilities. No help. It was me against... me.
I went on to get my BS in Computer Science at U. Massachuetts, Dartmouth. Once again, I graduated with high marks. I won an award for having the highest GPA of all the women enrolled (another plaque with my name on it).
My point is this. Never once when I was growing up, did I ever think for one minute that I could complete college, let alone Computer Science and with academic accolades. But I did it. It wasn't easy. A lot of times I came extremely close to giving up. I wanted it so badly, I did everything I could to make sure I succeeded. I had to stop making excuses for why it wasn't possible. I just had to do it. I made a plan, stuck to it, and pushed on in the face of certain failure. So the next time you say to yourself, I can't get an education, I'm too old to learn how to snowboard (been there, said that, did it anyway), I'll never be successful or any other form of excuse for why you can't do something, try stepping back, forming a plan and doing it anyway. You might just surprise yourself.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Above everything else, believe in yourself. Love who you are.
You have to love yourself. We're not perfect. Everyone has flaws. The only difference between us and Hollywood, is that they have make-up artists and airbrush artists to hide their flaws. I can't count the times I used to say that if I lost weight, how many more opportunities would open up. If I spent more money on better makeup maybe I'd have better luck in relationships. Or better clothes and people would like me more. None of it was true. Self-confidence was the only thing I was missing.
The truth is that being consumed with self-doubt and self-loathing is cancer. No really, they are toxic. They eat away at you. They hold you back from being happy. Hate is a horrible word. But it's exponentially devastating when it's yourself you hate. Don't get me wrong, it's good to have goals. I'll talk about that later. But your goal should never be to completely change what makes you you. It's what makes you interesting. Embrace positive things about yourself what makes you different.
Who cares if I'm heavier than I want to be. Sure, I'm still working on it... But it doesn't mean I'm any less of a person. Who cares if I dye my hair every 4 weeks to hide the disco ball I'm rocking under it. Well, my husband cares, he's not fond of the bill. But he certainly loves the results.
What makes me unique, is my intelligence. I'm really good at recognizing patterns and really good with languages. I'm a natural problem solver. That makes me a very strong programmer. And I know a lot. More than people want me to sometimes, but it means I'm great at Trivial Pursuit. But it also doesn't mean I'm better than you. I'm sure there's something you're amazingly good at, that I can't touch. Probably art. I'm not very good at drawing. But that's okay. It means I appreciate your skills and admire them.
Sure, there's lots of things I wouldn't mind improving. And I'm working on them. I'm not perfect. No one is. I'm just not losing sleep over it. Neither should you. Love who you are. Own it.
The truth is that being consumed with self-doubt and self-loathing is cancer. No really, they are toxic. They eat away at you. They hold you back from being happy. Hate is a horrible word. But it's exponentially devastating when it's yourself you hate. Don't get me wrong, it's good to have goals. I'll talk about that later. But your goal should never be to completely change what makes you you. It's what makes you interesting. Embrace positive things about yourself what makes you different.
Who cares if I'm heavier than I want to be. Sure, I'm still working on it... But it doesn't mean I'm any less of a person. Who cares if I dye my hair every 4 weeks to hide the disco ball I'm rocking under it. Well, my husband cares, he's not fond of the bill. But he certainly loves the results.
What makes me unique, is my intelligence. I'm really good at recognizing patterns and really good with languages. I'm a natural problem solver. That makes me a very strong programmer. And I know a lot. More than people want me to sometimes, but it means I'm great at Trivial Pursuit. But it also doesn't mean I'm better than you. I'm sure there's something you're amazingly good at, that I can't touch. Probably art. I'm not very good at drawing. But that's okay. It means I appreciate your skills and admire them.
Sure, there's lots of things I wouldn't mind improving. And I'm working on them. I'm not perfect. No one is. I'm just not losing sleep over it. Neither should you. Love who you are. Own it.
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