Day 38--New Years Eve

Morning Blood Sugar:  I totally forgot to check this morning.   Lots on the brain I guess.  

Exercise: Treadmill.  5.9 mph max

Breakfast:  
Time: 8:30 
Hunger Level*:
Ate:  hot lemon water
Comments:  I've been hearing a lot about how good it is for the body, thought I'd try it.  

Snack:
Time: 10:00
Hunger Level*:  2
Ate:protein enhanced chocolate milk
Comments: 32 grams of protein.  Kept me full for a while

Lunch:
Time:  1:00
Hunger Level*:  2
Ate:  fudge, corn chips, leftover ham rolls
Comments:  Many interruptions caused me to not eat until later, and to not make the soup I had planned on.  

Snack:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:

Dinner:
Time: 7 pm
Hunger Level*:
Ate:wings, chips and dips, veggies,  bean dip, a few fries. A really yummy ice cream cake
Comments:  A new years eve party with our friends k&d. It was great fun.  Good food and some kid chaos.  But fun!   We wanted to celebrate at 10 pm with New York but for some reason the news channels didn't broadcast the ball falling.  So our midnight is a little lack luster instead.  Well maybe boring.  :). I completed my evening routine.  Wanted to start on the right foot.  :) a little nervous about the 100 day challenge.  But I know I can do it.  Here we go!

It is the end if 2014.  Better than the year before but still full of sickness and more difficulty than we hoped. Looking forward to a wonderful year 2015 with more profit more success and more joy!  

Water intake:  64 oz

2015 Goals:

1.  Post a total of 365 days on the blog

2.  Run a 10 min mile
3.  Squat 95 lbs

4.  Complete morning and evening routines on a daily basis. (100 days straight!)

5.  Weekly meal planning

6.  Run a Half Marathon in October

**Hunger Scale is from 0-10 with zero being absolutely empty, ravenous and 10 being so stuffed that you are absolutely sick.
0--Empty
1--Ravenous
3--Set 
4--Pangs
5--Neutral
6.5--Satisfied
8--Full
9--Stuffed
10--Sick
"Every time you start to eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, aim for around a level of 3 to begin eating.  If you are at a 5 or above, you are not biologically hungry.  If you are at 2 or lower, you're likely over hungry and at risk for overeating."  Scale and comments taken from the book "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. 

100 Day Challenge® | Bonus Video #8 - Results Are Everything

http://www.100daychallenge.com/200/bonus-3-results/#.VKQizt1K2iw.mailto


This video was sent to me by the 100 day challenge.  I found it so motivating I had to post it!   Their marketing is really good, they almost have me convinced I should spend the money to get challenged and create my epic life!  :)

Day 37--How Can I?

How can I.  Coach Erik says the best question to ask is How can I ___ and enjoy the process.  Anything that makes you question or feel like it is too difficult, ask this question and the answers are empowering!  That's what I thought of when I saw this post today on Organize yourself skinny
She states that it is all up to us, our choice as to whether we become what we desire or not.  Our Choice.  How can I be skinny and enjoy the process??  Food for thought.  :)  I'm saving the post here so I can go back and read it.  There were some great ideas I would like to reference again. 


Morning Blood Sugar:  98. Like it!   Although it better have been good with all the steak I ate last night.  :) the best way to help blood sugar be stable is to pair protein with carbs.  Eat more veggies too.

Exercise: Stephanie's workout from a week ago.  Www.bootcamphub.com

Breakfast:  
Time: 8:30
Hunger Level*: 2
Ate: fiber plus protein bar
Comments: couldn't think of what else I wanted and I was hungry...fruit was too messy for me this morning.  :)

Snack:
Time: 11:15
Hunger Level*:  2
Ate: pear
Comments:  We are going to a movie and getting treats so I don't want to eat too much yet.  ;)

Lunch:
Time: 12:30
Hunger Level*: 2
Ate: taco salad, dole whip
Comments: yummy.  Our theater just started serving dole whip.  The same as at Disneyland! So we've been looking forward to it!!the taco salad was good too.  Eating during a movie makes it hard to see what you are eating.  Definitely distracted!

Snack:
Time: 3:30
Hunger Level*: 4
Ate: fudge
Comments: just wanted some.  Yum!

Dinner:
Time:    7 pm
Hunger Level*:  3
Ate: garlic bread, ham and cheese wreath (plan to eat) another piece of fudge.
Comments: started cooking late and wanted to use up the leftover ham.  The rolls were tasty. I got full fast too.


Water intake: 50

2015 Goals:

1.  Post a total of 365 days on the blog

2.  Run a 10 min mile
3.  Squat 95 lbs

4.  Complete morning and evening routines on a daily basis. (100 days straight!)

5.  Weekly meal planning

6.  Run a Half Marathon in October

**Hunger Scale is from 0-10 with zero being absolutely empty, ravenous and 10 being so stuffed that you are absolutely sick.
0--Empty
1--Ravenous
3--Set
4--Pangs
5--Neutral
6.5--Satisfied
8--Full
9--Stuffed
10--Sick
"Every time you start to eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, aim for around a level of 3 to begin eating.  If you are at a 5 or above, you are not biologically hungry.  If you are at 2 or lower, you're likely over hungry and at risk for overeating."  Scale and comments taken from the book "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. 

100 day challenge

Earlier in the weekend I learned about the 100 day challenge.   I signed up for the emails and the motivational paper.  It is a pay for program that helps you accomplish great things in the first 100 days of 2015.  I thought the idea of the 100 day challenge was fantastic.  So I am going to set goals that I am going to accomplish for the first 100 days of 2015.   That will take me to day 139 of writing this blog.  So my Accomplishments for the first 100 days are going to be 100 days of planned meals.  100 days of exercise (I take Sundays off...but rest days count as exercise)  100 days of Morning and night routines.  I am excited to start getting my 100 days in!  So are you in?  What are you going to do for the next 100 days??

So in listening to the videos they sent out apparently it is supposed to be just one goal that you work on.  In essence you could say that mind is since I'm already working on my routines and exercise. They will be my bonus 100.  :)

I'm serious though.  Are you joining me??  Comment below with your goal. 

Day 36--lack of sleep

Last night I worked on my ipad until just before bed time.  Between that and the anger I felt earlier in the day I was at loss for sleep.  I had read a story earlier in the day about ipad use and its effect on melatonin production.  If you use a lighted reader before bed it actually suppresses your sleep hormone (melatonin) and it is harder to go to sleep.  You also don't go into as deep a sleep.  That is exactly how I felt.  IT felt impossible to sleep.  I was waking every hour or so.  Did not dream at all and was awake long before I felt I should be this morning.  


Morning Blood Sugar:  101

Exercise:  JRs workout from last week (www.bootcamphub.com) and 40 minutes on the bike while reading. 

Breakfast:  
Time: 8:30
Hunger Level*:  3
Ate:  Orange
Comments:  I was awake at 5:40...Really didn't sleep well.  Ate almost 3 hours later.  I can do better than that. 

Snack:
Time:10:30
Hunger Level*:   2
Ate:  Chia seed pudding and raspberries.  Leftover noodles from last night and a chocolate truffle
Comments:  The orange only seemed to fuel my hunger....I started to graze and eat more than I expected.   Next time I think I will choose to eat more earlier.  

Lunch:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:

Snack:
Time: 1:30
Hunger Level*:   3
Ate:  Fudge
Comments:  Yum.  Also ate a bite of a cookie that was no longer good.  I threw the rest away.

Dinner:
Time: 6 pm
Hunger Level*: 2
Ate: Doritos while waiting.  Steak and shrimp salad.  Some Chocolate covered pretzels and a homemade caramel.
Comments:  Very yummy!  We have mastered the art of steak, if I say so myself!   Shrimp salad is really yummy as well.  :)

Water intake: 64 oz

2015 Goals:

1.  Post a total of 365 days on the blog

2.  Run a 10 min mile
3.  Squat 95 lbs

4.  Complete morning and evening routines on a daily basis. (100 days straight!)

5.  Weekly meal planning

6.  Run a Half Marathon in October

**Hunger Scale is from 0-10 with zero being absolutely empty, ravenous and 10 being so stuffed that you are absolutely sick.
0--Empty
1--Ravenous
3--Set
4--Pangs
5--Neutral
6.5--Satisfied
8--Full
9--Stuffed
10--Sick
"Every time you start to eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, aim for around a level of 3 to begin eating.  If you are at a 5 or above, you are not biologically hungry.  If you are at 2 or lower, you're likely over hungry and at risk for overeating."  Scale and comments taken from the book "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. 

Day 35. Sunday Weigh in

Sunday Morning again.  The last Sunday of 2014 in fact.  Crazy how the year has flown!

Weight 198.6  Not enough water and over eating are the culprits.  

Morning Blood Sugar:  99

Exercise:  Rest Day

Breakfast:  
Time:8 am
Hunger Level*: 2
Ate: Chia Seed Pudding and raspberries
Comments:  Chia Seeds are pretty good, although they have just a slight rancid flavor to me when in pudding.  Good fiber and fluid intake in the pudding.  :)

Snack:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:

Lunch:
Time:  12:30
Hunger Level*:  2
Ate:  a few pieces of chocolate, ham and cheesy potatoes
Comments:  I found myself eating emotionally as hubby and I were talking about a emotion festering subject.  I tend to over eat when angry...that was definitely today.

Snack:  
Time:  3 pm
Hunger Level*:  3
Ate:  chocolate and cheesy potatoes.  The last of them.
Comments:  tried taking a nap in between that really didn't work well.  Got up feeling very agitated and angry.  didn't help my food intake level.

Dinner:
Time: 7 pm
Hunger Level*: 3
Ate: rolls and pasta
Comments:  We had thought of doing steak but it was cold enough that we didn't think the grill would work so well.  It is very particular.

Synopsis:  Considering the holidays my weighin wasn't bad.  I have had a lot of mental stresses that cause me to emotionally eat...I have not handled it as well as I had hoped I could.  

Water intake:  40 oz

2015 Goals:

1.  Post a total of 365 days on the blog

2.  Run a 10 min mile
3.  Squat 95 lbs

4.  Complete morning and evening routines on a daily basis. (100 days straight!)

5.  Weekly meal planning

6.  Run a half marathon in October

**Hunger Scale is from 0-10 with zero being absolutely empty, ravenous and 10 being so stuffed that you are absolutely sick.
0--Empty
1--Ravenous
3--Set
4--Pangs
5--Neutral
6.5--Satisfied
8--Full
9--Stuffed
10--Sick
"Every time you start to eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, aim for around a level of 3 to begin eating.  If you are at a 5 or above, you are not biologically hungry.  If you are at 2 or lower, you're likely over hungry and at risk for overeating."  Scale and comments taken from the book "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. 

Day 34, epigenetics and unbroken

Epigenetics.  This is something I have not heard much about, but this study came across my newsfeed on Facebook today.  Fascinating!  They had volunteers in a study exercise one leg and then studied the changes to their dna.  Read for yourself!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/17/how-exercise-changes-our-dna/?_r=0

The Darren Daily yesterday talked about the movie unbroken.   I really didn't know much about this movie, except that it seemed to be a true story.   It seems more fascinating now.   Darren interviewed the man who the story is based on.  Louis Zamporini.  Louis talks about being Hearty.  Says it several times in the interview.   I love that spelling of Hearty!  It seems to me that it means you put your heart and soul into everything you do.  You are less likely to give up if your heart is in it.  The spelling hardy is how I used to think of the word.   That denotes that it is hard...   So lets be Hearty and put our heart into what we are doing.   If you want to listen to the interview check out this link.   Very interesting.  http://www.darrendaily.com/unbroken/  I think I'll have to watch the movie now.  :)

Morning Blood Sugar:  97  Surprised yet again.  With all the food I ate last night I thought for sure it would be much higher.   It is almost 10 am though.   We slept in significantly this morning.  It sure felt good though!

Exercise:  strong lifts and 3 minutes on the treadmill. Felt quite strong today.  

Breakfast:  
Time: 11:00
Hunger Level*: 1
Ate:  cheeseball, pear, almond poppy seed bread. 
Comments:  I started helping my hubby look stuff up online.  He is searching for a new van for his employees.  Then I started feeling really Hungry!!  Kinda foraged in the kitchen for a bit.   

Snack:
Time: 1 pm
Hunger Level*: 3
Ate: one piece of fudge
Comments:  certainly not tasting as good any more.  

Lunch:  
Time:  3 pm
Hunger Level*: 3
Ate: ham and cheesy potatoes
Comments: after workout meal.  I've looked forward to it most of the day. 

Snack:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:

Dinner:
Time: 6 pm
Hunger Level*: 3
Ate:bacon, the rest of the almond poppy seed bread, cheesy noodles, jelly beans
Comments: snacked on the bread as I was cooking the bacon and noodles.  No real meal plan.  Must add meal planning to my goal sheet!


Water intake: 64 oz  I am feeling dry.  Hands and mouth.  Time to stay on top of it!

**Hunger Scale is from 0-10 with zero being absolutely empty, ravenous and 10 being so stuffed that you are absolutely sick.
0--Empty
1--Ravenous
3--Set 
4--Pangs
5--Neutral
6.5--Satisfied
8--Full
9--Stuffed
10--Sick
"Every time you start to eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, aim for around a level of 3 to begin eating.  If you are at a 5 or above, you are not biologically hungry.  If you are at 2 or lower, you're likely over hungry and at risk for overeating."  Scale and comments taken from the book "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. 

Day 33. Boxing Day

Morning Blood Sugar:  102. Quite good considering I ate a piece of almond poppyseed bread right before bed.  I wasn't that hungry just wanted it. 

Exercise:  20 min.  treadmill 1:1 interval 5.3 max mph.  I still have tight lungs....it sure burned!

Breakfast:  
Time: 9 am
Hunger Level*: 2
Ate: a pear and a slice of almond bread. 
Comments:  Not doing so well tracking again...

Snack:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:

Lunch:
Time:11:30
Hunger Level*:3
Ate: ham, chips and dips, veggies and dip, fudge and a cookie.  
Comments:  more leftovers 

Snack:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:

Dinner:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:  I can't believe I ate so much!  We invited my brother and family over for dinner and smoked ribs.  YUM!  They turned out amazing with mustard marinade and apricot barbeque sauce.  Yum!  I really have not eaten so much since I can't remember when.  I think some of it was emotional eating, we were talking about frustrating things.  But part of it was the fact that everything was so yummy!  We had the dips and chips that we have been eating for a few days as well as some raspberry jalepeno jelly over cream cheese with crackers.  Yum.  also fudge.  :)   My water intake wasn't as good today either...I am going to focus on that tomorrow!   Well good night!


Water intake:  24

**Hunger Scale is from 0-10 with zero being absolutely empty, ravenous and 10 being so stuffed that you are absolutely sick.
0--Empty
1--Ravenous
3--Set 
4--Pangs
5--Neutral
6.5--Satisfied
8--Full
9--Stuffed
10--Sick
"Every time you start to eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, aim for around a level of 3 to begin eating.  If you are at a 5 or above, you are not biologically hungry.  If you are at 2 or lower, you're likely over hungry and at risk for overeating."  Scale and comments taken from the book "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. 

Day 32 Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!  It has been quite the festive day around here.   Hubby loved his gift of the Hawaiian basement.  Said a couple times that it was a good gift.  YAY!  I am glad he liked it!  He gave me an ipad, which will make posting here so much easier...keyboard case and all!  

I have not kept track of food very well today.  Everything is a bit of a blur.  We had eggs and bacon and rhodes orange rolls for breakfast.  Pina Coladas.  (Yummy!)  and I snacked on more rolls and bacon through the day.  It is now 3 pm and I am wondering where the time has gone.  The boys got a lot of legos and so we have been building lego sets most of the day.   It is currently snowing which makes Christmas that much better!  Love a good snow storm.  

We are blessed and life is good!

The boot camp message today said to figure out your goals for the next year.  I am pretty sure I have mine figured out.   

1:  Post here daily for one full year.  That would be to 365 days.  :)

2:  Run a 10 minute mile

3:  Squat 95 lbs

4:  Complete Morning and Evening Routines daily to keep house perpetually clean. 

We have had a wonderful day.  My parents visited and we ate leftovers...Ham, veggies and dilly dip, chips and clam dip, cheeseball and wheat thins.  I made more pina coladas and ate some fudge.  So yummy!   I may snack more in a little bit if I get hungry again.  Currently not....food was tasty.  

So I am signing off for the day.  Merry Christmas!!  Have a wonderful Holiday.  Time to go spend time with the fam.  :)

Day 31. Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is here!   My kids are so excited.   They even put out cookies for Santa yesterday... It took me about an hour today to put hubby's gift together.  I hope he likes it!  A Hawaiian Christmas luau. 

Morning Blood Sugar: 97. Very interesting.   I checked last night and before bed I was 93.  So at least it's reading different at other times.   I'm wondering if the weight I dropped while sick has helped to reset my system a bit.   I really am surprised that I've been consistently below 100.  The good news is that sugars level out and then the fat release begins.   Yay!  I've been thinking that it might be the grapefruit.  It has sugar lowering tendancies.   Either way I'll take it!

Exercise:  working on random acts today 10000 step here I come.

Breakfast:  
Time: 8:30
Hunger Level*: 3
Ate: almond poppyseed bread
Comments: yum

Snack:
Time: 10:00
Hunger Level*: 2
Ate: pear and cookie
Comments:

Lunch:
Time: 1:00
Hunger Level*: 2
Ate: pizza and cookie.
Comments: feeling stressed and angry.  Getting the house clean can be stressful!

Snack:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate: licked the fudge off the spoon.  Yummy!
Comments:

Dinner:
Time:  6 pm
Hunger Level*:3
Ate: ham carrots and cucumber cheese ball. Tried some dip but it didn't taste good.
Comments:  dinner at the table with the fam.  We are getting excited for Christmas!!  The house is almost clean.  I'm already tired.  Lots to do.


Water intake: 32 oz

**Hunger Scale is from 0-10 with zero being absolutely empty, ravenous and 10 being so stuffed that you are absolutely sick.
0--Empty
1--Ravenous
3--Set
4--Pangs
5--Neutral
6.5--Satisfied
8--Full
9--Stuffed
10--Sick
"Every time you start to eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, aim for around a level of 3 to begin eating.  If you are at a 5 or above, you are not biologically hungry.  If you are at 2 or lower, you're likely over hungry and at risk for overeating."  Scale and comments taken from the book "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. 

Day 30. How do you burn fat??

This morning I thought I'd do some research and figure out how fat really gets burned.  This article was quite interesting.   It says that weightlifting for the first 30 minutes followed by moderate intensity exercise offers the best fat burning response.  http://www.umich.edu/~medfit/resistancetraining/timingiseverything101705.html

I also liked this article...  
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/12/28/fastest.fat.burners/
and this one is very interesting about how fat is metabolized:  
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-you-lose-weight-wher/

Morning Blood Sugar: 97. Starting to question the accuracy of my glucose monitor.  I think I need to do a control check.   First I'll have to find the solution though.  

Exercise: Strong Lifts.  Treadmill at 3 mph for 20 minutes.  A total of almost an hour.  Felt great!  

Breakfast:  
Time: 7:40
Hunger Level*:3
Ate:  grapefruit 
Comments: yum.  It was sweet tart at its finest.   I wanted something before I went to exercise. 

Snack:
Time: 9:30
Hunger Level*: 2
Ate: omelet with onions and peppers. Banana bread that our neighbor gave us. 
Comments:  not as good as yesterday's but I wanted some good protein 

10:30 a ginger snap.  I wanted to test the ones I'm baking for neighbors.  Yum!!  (ate another at 11:30 as I was boxing them up)
Lunch:
Time: 3 pm
Hunger Level*: 1.5
Ate: leftover pizza and cookies from the neighbors. 
Comments:  I wasn't hungry before leaving to take treats and presents to peoples houses, then I was rather famished by the time we got home.

Snack:
Time:u
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:

Dinner:
Time:  7 pm
Hunger Level*:  3.5
Ate:  milk, almond poppyseed bread a couple treats that were given to us.  
Comments:  not too hungry. Just snacked for dinner.  


Water intake:  32 oz

**Hunger Scale is from 0-10 with zero being absolutely empty, ravenous and 10 being so stuffed that you are absolutely sick.
0--Empty
1--Ravenous
3--Set 
4--Pangs
5--Neutral
6.5--Satisfied
8--Full
9--Stuffed
10--Sick
"Every time you start to eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, aim for around a level of 3 to begin eating.  If you are at a 5 or above, you are not biologically hungry.  If you are at 2 or lower, you're likely over hungry and at risk for overeating."  Scale and comments taken from the book "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. 

Day 29 my success depends on me

I subscribe to Darren daily.  This is a daily motivation email from Darren hardy an author and head of success magazine.  Today's message was that success comes to those who pay the rent for it.  I found it to be very poignant.  Here is the link to listen in.  http://www.darrendaily.com/want-to-change-your-life/

Take charge of your life...be better and things will get better.  

Morning Blood Sugar:  97. I'll take that number!

Exercise:  Jonathan's live workout. Www.bootcamphub.com

A great dose of positivity for today.   Where am I living emotionally?   Positive or negative.  I get to choose.   I had to modify quite a bit but it felt good to be exercising again.

Breakfast:  
Time:  10:05
Hunger Level*: 3
Ate: yogurt parfait with cinnamon oats and raspberries.
Comments: this recipe is in my plan to eat profile.  Oh so yummy and my daughter approves.   The boys refuse to even try.   Their loss!

Snack:
Time:none
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments: ate breakfast too late

Lunch:
Time: 1:00 pm
Hunger Level*: 3
Ate:  omelet with onion and peppers a roll small pieces of fudge.
Comments: I had planned on making Phili cheese steaks with portobello mushrooms.   The shrooms I bought before getting sick and unfortunately they didn't last so I thought of what else I could use sautéed onions in...voila omelet!   Yum! It's been a long time since Ive had one.

Snack:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments: snitches while making cake balls.  No real snack

Dinner:
Time: 7 pm
Hunger Level*: 2
Ate: pizza
Comments:  had running around to do and so went to pick up pizza on the way home.  It was quite backed up there so dinner ended up much later than anticipated.  I also ordered way too much pizza.  It'll be lunch for a few days!


Water intake: 32 oz

**Hunger Scale is from 0-10 with zero being absolutely empty, ravenous and 10 being so stuffed that you are absolutely sick.
0--Empty
1--Ravenous
3--Set
4--Pangs
5--Neutral
6.5--Satisfied
8--Full
9--Stuffed
10--Sick
"Every time you start to eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, aim for around a level of 3 to begin eating.  If you are at a 5 or above, you are not biologically hungry.  If you are at 2 or lower, you're likely over hungry and at risk for overeating."  Scale and comments taken from the book "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. 

M&ms cookies

From the back of the mini m&ms package.  It seems they might be a seasonal thing too so I wanted to keep track of the recipe.  Quite tasty!  

1 cup butter

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt (I used half this)

1 3/4 cups mini m&ms

Preheat oven to 350

Cream butter and sugars until well blended.  Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix to combine

Slowly add flour, soda and salt. Stir until combined

Fold in m&ms and chill dough for about 1 hour

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. 

Bake 8-10 minutes for chewy cookies. Yum!!

The best cheese ball ever!

My sister in law (thanks Julie!!) gave me this recipe.  We thought we knew good cheese ball before.  Now we can't live without this one.   This is so simple and tasty. Especially with wheat thins...our favorite way to eat it.  We skip the nuts and have it naked...feel free to roll in nuts if you desire.  :)

The Roka blue cheese called for in this recipe can be difficult to find.   If you see it grab some!   It seems to only show up in stores around thanksgiving and Christmas.  Here's what to look for. 

Ok enough hype.  Here's the recipe. 

Julie's cheese ball

1 8 oz pkg cheese ball

1 bottle Roka blue cheese spread

1 C sharp cheddar grated

Onion salt to taste (approx 1/4 tsp)

Garlic powder to taste (approx 1/2 tsp)

Celery salt  to taste (approx 1/4 tsp)

Put cream cheese and grated cheese in bowl.  Allow to warm and soften for a few minutes.  Add rest of ingredients.  Mix well.  Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty and mush it all together.  If desired roll in nuts.  Enjoy!!

Day 28, Sunday Before Christmas

I so wish I could sleep in today.   9 am church doesn't allow it though.  I have not done myself any favors by going to sleep late and back to bed in the morning all week.  This week I'll work on that.  It is raining hard outside.  Love the sound of rain.  With it almost Christmas I really wish it was snow however.  I love a white Christmas!

Morning Blood Sugar: 97. To say I'm surprised is an understatement.  Eating bread for dinner does not usually denote a lower sugar.   I'm taking it though!

Exercise:   Rest day. Funny to say since I've taken a few weeks off.  Still don't recommend the flu as a weight loss regimen!

Weigh in:   I thought I would include this on Sundays. I only weigh myself once a week.  A couple of years ago I was a scale junkie.  I would wish and hope and pray for a lower number before I stepped on the piece of metal every day and then the number would dictate my mood for the rest of the day.  I'd eat out of permission for having a good number.  I'd eat out of guilt for a "bad" number. To get out of this perpetual cycle and fear of the scale I stopped weighing myself cold turkey for almost a full year.  The advantage of this was that I had to rely on other factors to determine my day.  How I felt for instance.  Something that should dictate my mood much more than a number from a piece of metal.  I highly recommend ditching the scale if you find yourself being a slave to it.   Now I step up remind myself it is only a number and has no bearing on my worth.  No shame no guilt no judgement.  I take note of the number and move on.  Numbers used to rule my day.   No more.  Now it is a tool out if many in my arsenal to tell me my approximate coordinates for my journey.   One of many guideposts to guide me in the direction I desire to go.  

So all that being said I weighed in at 195.4 this morning.  0.2 greater than last week.  

Breakfast:  
Time: 8:30
Hunger Level*: 3
Ate: a muffin
Comments: running around trying to get kids and self ready for church.  I ate it while getting dressed.   In actual fact I wanted eggs and muffin and a grapefruit.  

Snack:
Time:  none.  
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:

Lunch:
Time:  12:10
Hunger Level*: 2
Ate: a roll a couple cookies some cookie dough
Comments: hubby asked me to make cookies for his home teaching families. He was leaving at 2.  So I quickly made some m&ms cookies and macadamia but white chocolate ones. It's almost two and I'm sitting.  The dough is not all cooked but I have enough for the plates for the families.  

Snack:
Time: 3 pm
Hunger Level*: 3
Ate: a couple of cookies.  Chips and con queso dip.  
Comments: yum

Dinner:
Time:6:30
Hunger Level*:4
Ate: hotdogs
Comments: wasn't horribly hungry.  I probably ate a cookie or two too many earlier.  Have had enough salt that I am more thirsty than hungry anyway. Pretty sure I'm done eating for the night.  :)


Water intake:  didn't keep that great of track today.  But I'm estimating 32 oz. my goal is 64...

Synopsis:  this week has been one of continued recovery.  Planning menus exercise and water intake are on the top of my list for improvements this next week.  

Thanks for reading!

**Hunger Scale is from 0-10 with zero being absolutely empty, ravenous and 10 being so stuffed that you are absolutely sick.
0--Empty
1--Ravenous
3--Set
4--Pangs
5--Neutral
6.5--Satisfied
8--Full
9--Stuffed
10--Sick
"Every time you start to eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, aim for around a level of 3 to begin eating.  If you are at a 5 or above, you are not biologically hungry.  If you are at 2 or lower, you're likely over hungry and at risk for overeating."  Scale and comments taken from the book "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. 

A templative beginning.

I feel that I have been rather winging it lately.  You have probably noticed!  In order to better explore and keep track of everything I put together this template.  This includes a hunger scale.  There is a lot of benefit to asking yourself what level your hunger is at before you eat, and after.  The Intuitive Eating book even recommends that you check in halfway through your meal and gauge your hunger then.  I am not ready to take all of that on, but I am ready to start checking in before and after.  The goal here is to have 3 meals and 2 snacks.  These would be approximately 3 hours apart.  If I am not hungry however I will not be eating.  That is what the hunger level is for.  :)  Ideally I will eat when my level gets to a 3 of hunger,   Stop at a 6-7.  I don't need to be full.  Just satisfied.  There will be more meals to eat.   I am not limited to just these meals either.  This is just an idea.  If I am hungry still after eating dinner, I can certainly eat again.  This is just a template---up for daily interpretation.

This is the book I took the hunger scale from.  I have completely fallen in love with it!  When I first was introduced to the idea of intuitive eating I was in a cycle of deprivation.  I thought to lose weight I needed to hold back on certain foods, which would then make me crave them.  I would set a hard rule.  "In the morning I will have no sweets!"  The rest of the day I would eat all that was in the house, only to make the same declaration and subsequent actions the next morning.   I learned through intuitive eating that food is not the enemy.  There is no good or bad.   I am not good or bad based upon what I eat.  Food is just that, food.   I did not need to feel guilty for eating something "forbidden"  There was nothing forbidden.  The idea is that every food has good for us.  Emotionally, physically, spiritually.  The key is to learn what your body needs.  We will talk more on this later.  Just wanted to throw it out there!  :)  

Feel free to use it if it helps you.  :)  You can print using the print button under the post. 

Morning Blood Sugar:

Exercise:

Breakfast:  
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:

Snack:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:

Lunch:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:

Snack:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:

Dinner:
Time:
Hunger Level*:
Ate:
Comments:


Water intake:

**Hunger Scale is from 0-10 with zero being absolutely empty, ravenous and 10 being so stuffed that you are absolutely sick.
0--Empty
1--Ravenous
3--Set
4--Pangs
5--Neutral
6.5--Satisfied
8--Full
9--Stuffed
10--Sick
"Every time you start to eat, check your hunger level.  Ideally, aim for around a level of 3 to begin eating.  If you are at a 5 or above, you are not biologically hungry.  If you are at 2 or lower, you're likely over hungry and at risk for overeating."  Scale and comments taken from the book "Intuitive Eating" by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. 

Day 27

Saturday.  It's the day I have an excuse to sleep in.  :)   We went to scheels and wandered for a bit. Was crazy busy.  The parking lot was overflowing.  Walking up the stairs reminded me that my lungs are not back to normal yet.  I was so winded!

I'm doing some more Christmas baking.  It sure is fun!   Also attempting to get things a little cleaner. I don't want a mess to show up in our Christmas pictures!

10:00 muffin

11:30 fudge 

12:00 grapefruit

1:30 cheese ball, a roll, a chicken soft taco (leftovers)
3:30 oreos and milk.  

7:30. Garlic bread

Day 26

I've been going back to bed after my hubby leaves for work everyday this week. I figure I need the extra sleep to heal right?   

9:30 Muffin 

12:00 cheese ball and wheat thins

12:30 fudge and a muffin. 

3:30 pm muffin

6 pm fudge cheese ball tortilla chips queso dip and leftover ckn taco meat.  Dips for dinner.  Yum.  ;)

Day 25

9:30 am two eggs a muffin and half a grapefruit.   Yum!  The picture shows two muffins but I didn't eat both.  I was full.  Yay for listening to my body!!

11:30.  A little hungry ate another muffin. 

1:30 tastes of the fudge I made

4:30 starving bought Doritos and a soda while at the store. 

8 pm creamy chicken soft tacos. A new recipe pretty tasty but an awful lot like  salsa chicken so we will do that recipe instead next time. 

A piece of fudge.  

Day 24

I'm not feeling up to waxing eloquent today.  Sick of being sick!  I really just am getting frustrated that I don't have my voice back yet.   I started diffusing an oil to help with my lung congestion.   Seems to be helping so far.  Have not needed the inhaler today.   I just find myself getting angry that I don't have a voice.  Sorry I already said that.  I was supposed to sing with the choir at church on Sunday, only a miracle will make that happen at this point and I am disappointed.


 Here is my intake for today. 


Actually made breakfast this morning.   Banana Nutella muffins I found through organize yourself skinny's plan to eat profile.   Love them.   Easy. Full of good fats and fiber.  :). I ate a couple for breakfast around 10.

Noon.  A few more muffins.  I'm making more soup and it's not done yet.  

1:30 ckn noodle soup in a bread bowl

3:30 Oreos and milk

7 p.m. a croissant and another muffin.  Yum. 

Day 23

Can't wait until I get my voice back.   Any great ideas???

Instead of cleaning today I've been investigating ideas for my hubby's Christmas gift.  I'm giving him a Hawaiian vacation at home. I'm quite excited by it. Also a little worried I won't be able to pull it off.  Hubby deserves a vacation.  Even if it's a pretend one.  :)

I had a nice neighbor bring us cookies today.   I had not eaten anything prior and ended up eating 4 just as I was walking around and doing other things.
Leftover soup.  Still feels the best and tastes the best of anything I eat
A couple cookies and milk
Rotisserie Chicken and Garlic Bread....cookies

We had two large things of cookies given to us today.  Apparently we needed cookies!  I am throwing out the rest of the cake from the birthday party.   I am done with it, and it seems everyone else is as well.  

Day 22, wow it's been three weeks!

I have lapsed into the habit of only typing things up at the end of the day.  In the morning my plan is to start writing things as they happen instead of in retrospective.  

I have talked enough today that I have mostly lost my voice again.  Not good since I am supposed to sing in the Christmas program at church on Sunday.   Please pray I will get my voice back! My voice seems to be super sensitive.  I lost my voice for months after having Thyroid surgery 10 years ago.  I was a baritone for much longer than I care to remember!  If I get sick it tends to hit my voice and throat.  My throat chakra must need help.  I don't know anything about chakras other than that I have a throat one and it can need help if I have trouble there.  :) 

It's been a busier day.  I helped at the office for a bit and took my daughter to her ortho appointment.  The house needs super amounts of help.  I am to that point of overwhelm again.  I know I can handle it, just take 15 min increments.  You can do anything in 15 minutes!  My negative voice is talking me out of it though.  Perhaps I am milking the fact that my cough and voice sound horrible still.  Its a good excuse.  No more excuses. 

I realized today that the born organized person must have a natural course of ideas run through their head as to what next to do.  I am not born organized by any means.  When I look at a mess, go through my day, I don't have tasks that tell me what to do.  I have a blank slate.  I gravitate to what sounds more fun.  Laundry vs TV, Dishes vs Facebook.  Organize vs read a book.  So tomorrow morning I am going to jump back into my routines again.  Since you are what you tell yourself... I will say:  I can do this.  I am organized, I am clean, I am healthy! 

So intake today:
Yogurt
Soup
A couple bites of cake
Orange sticks
Pistacios
Tuna noodle Casserole
A piece of Cake (not the whole thing though, definitely worked to stop when it did not taste good anymore) 


Until tomorrow. 

Day 21

Blood sugar this am 100.  We slept in.   I found someone a few days ago to cover my church responsibilities because I just felt I needed to be home and finish recovering.  Weigh in this morning down 6 lbs.   I don't recommend the flu diet!

I still don't have much of an appetite but I can tell it's starting to return.  I'm feeling pretty good unless I do or talk too much. 

Food today.  

Soup with a little extra bacon

Piece of Cake it's dry enough I cough...but yummy

Teriyaki chicken 

Soda. Apple cider

Teriyaki chicken

Day 20

I certainly hope I am recovering.  Felt a lot better today.  STill losing my voice, still coughing, still on the inhaler.  But much more energy and no fever!  YAY!  I ate more today than I have in a day as well.  Tried to catch up a bit on house cleaning.  Bribed my kids to clean the boys room.  It worked.  :)  Got all the hand washables done.   Yay.  Truth is I had baked a turkey a week and a half ago.  The roasting pan never got clean until today.  Shameful I know!   Working on changing that.  I wouldn't have taken so long if birthdays and being sick had not all lined up in succession! 

Ate a yogurt for breakfast
leftover Soup for lunch
a piece of cake  (had to try it to see if I even wanted it in the house, ok thats a major excuse.  I wanted to try it.  :)  The frosting was way too sweet, but the cake good)
Wienderschnitzel Chili Cheese Dog.  I wasn't ready to cook.  I ate two, the last bite of each didn't taste so good but I ate it anyway.  I'm still working on the fact that I don't have to eat something if I don't like it.  If it stops tasting good than stop eating!  The plan is to practice.  So sometime tomorrow I am going to leave food on my plate and not eat everything I am served. 

Day 19...the party

So with how sick I have been I seriously thought about canceling my daughters birthday party.   She had put a ton of work into it so I didn't have the heart to do that to her.   Instead I cleaned.  She had decorated quite nicely the basement and did all the work to organize and plan.   I just had to buy stuff and do some cleaning. I diffused oils that I've heard help with sickness and wiped everything down.  We went to a couple of stores as well to get everything. Rather tiring. I feel like I'm paying for it tonight.  

The party was quite the success!  I rather stayed away just checking in on occasion and taking a few pictures.   Figured the boys and I needed to cough in an entirely separate room in the house.  

It seems I am up to two meals a day now.  I had my moms soup a little after 10 and then at 5 :30 I ate a soup brought by the primary president.   I had called her saying I was getting a sub for Sunday as I feel I need to take the full weekend to recover.  It was so nice of her to do that. 

Day 18

Being on the albuterol inhaler has helped me feel much better. Still not healthy though.  I'm sick and tired of coughing!   Hot cider and soup are my friends still.  I picked up 5 guys for dinner after my daughters piano lesson.  While standing in the store waiting what seemed like for ever for the fries to cook I got started into a coughing fit. So frustrating.  I feel that I shouldn't be out in public at all.  Like I have the plague!

I ate fries for dinner.  I still have a very small appetite. Nothing really tastes good except that soup!   Yum!!

Day 17. Day of doctors

Woke up feeling worse this morning.  I was a little scared it was pneumonia.  Went to the dr...I had some wheezing but no pneumonia!  They tested me for the flu. I was positive for type A. At least I know that my feeling like I had the flu was because I actually did. ;) 

I took my son to be checked later.  Just to be sure.  This has been nasty stuff!

My mom brought us homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner.  It was delicious!   I ate two bowls.   Considering I've been living on hot apple cider. That was a lot of food!  

I am sure being sick hasn't been kind to my blood sugars. I haven't felt good enough to care.  

Day 16. Would I accept a cure?

Laying around miserable has given me time to think.   I started paying attention to my actions.  It seems that I relish in the attention of a bad thing.  Telling people I am miserable gets a reaction. Not cleaning the house gets reactions. I can also apologize about the state it is in. Not losing weight and putting in half the effort gets a reaction.   I can say I'm working but not put in the effort.   I'm feeling as though I am addicted to the struggle.   So as dr Phil would say.  How's that working for you?  My house is a mess.  I'm laying here sick.  My doctor gets after me over my weight and chance of diabetes.  

If I had a magic cure placed in front of me would I take it or would I not?    What if the cure took a minimum amount of effort?   Would I accept it then?    I would like to think I'd say yes.   But is staying where I am now the better payoff?   Time to go through my towards and away from motivations.  What motivates me to get out of the place I am in and what pulls me towards the place I want to go?  

Lasting change is built on very simple small steps.  What am I willing to start?  

Today I mostly had hot cider again and then one chicken pillow for dinner.  I think I'm starting to feel better.   I certainly hope so!!

Day 15

Still sick and rather short on sleep.  Really don't like being sick.  

Apple cider

Apple cider. Sure feels good on the throat!

Tortellini soup.  Turned out better than expected. A bit of the last of the cake. It was old and not tasting so good anymore. 

Apple cider

And more cider. 

So ready to feel better this sore throat cough and headache are no fun!!

Day 14 fighting the flu

I got hit with a vengeance last night.  By mid day today I was experiencing fever, chills, body aches, horrible cough and headache.  So today was a quiet day. I rested a lot drank a lot...apple cider and soda and water. Ate what I could grab without much effort. Hopefully I get over this fast.  I hate being sick!

Day 13. Getting sick...

Sick kids.  Never fun.  Now I feel like I'm getting it too. I've spent most of the day holding or cuddling with one or both of my boys. Food wise I've just grabbed what was convenient. 

10 am. Donut

11:00 pineapple upside down cake

12:30 jerky. Roll with turkey and butter

3 pm. Jerky a piece of cake

6:30. Arby's beef and cheddar a few fries. A piece of cake.  

Definitely not feeling so hot.   I hate colds.  No exercise today.   Heading to bed!

Day 12. Living on little sleep

I went to bed after 1:30 am last night.  So not good.  I've been staying up late all week.  Getting up at 6:30 left a lot to be desired and needless to say I didn't follow my usual routines.   My daughters birthday is today and she was still feeling sick and stayed home from school. I felt in a daze for the most part.   Took me back to when I worked night shifts.   I always craved sweets when tired.   Come to find out it is because your body looks for an energy boost.  My programming says sugar and carbs give me energy so I start loading up.   Definitely saw that today. 

Intake

8 am oatmeal

9:30 chocolate cake. (Tasted much better cold than lukewarm). 

1 pm village baker half sandwich and broccoli cheese soup.  Oh so good.  I was so hungry I inhaled it.  The turkey and provolone on squaw bread was delightful as well.   Yum!!

A piece of pizza

A piece of cake

7 pm Poppyseed chicken and salad carrots

Pineapple upside down cake.  My daughters choice for birthday cake.  So yum!!

I am remembering everything now.  I didn't keep so good of track today.   I feel like my brain has been disengaged today.  

I did get in a 5 min shrink session and 20 min on the bike. 

I read a post on go kaleo.com today that really hit home.  It was about small habits at a steady pace.  Making small changes that you can keep up instead of jumping all in and faltering.  She said it much better than I am right now so here is the link.  https://gokaleo.com/2013/09/30/habit-the-real-key/

The book the compound effect also talks about taking consistent small steps that soon give you the momentum you need.  It's a great book!

Well off to get much more sleep.  

Day 11

Sugar last night was 115, so not cool...Especially since I was checking it late, and I was going to bed really late.  Skipped the ningxia and it was 105 this morning.  I know it is from all those mini cheesecakes I had last night.  Oh they were so yummy!  I say all...but it was 3-4.  There was a time I would have eaten the whole dozen and not batted an eye.  Still no guilt.  I am making observations of my actions.  There is no reason to beat myself up for things that happened in the past.  That is something the old me would have done though.  I would get in a cycle of eating and hate that would spiral until I was so angry and full that I couldn't stuff anything more in.  My kids and husband paid the price for my anger at myself.  Over what I ate for goodness sake.  It was ridiculous.  So glad I worked through that and began to observe instead.  So what if I ate a lot.  Nothing I can do about it now.  I will learn from it and move forward.

Intake today --my sons 7th birthday

8:00  Pancake with strawberry yogurt
9:30 pancakes with lemon yogurt.

1:00 beef jerky and a mini cheesecake

3 pm half a ham sandwich, string cheese, a few bites of an apple and some potato chips.  Lemonade
chocolate cookies.  I let myself get too hungry again!  Chocolate milk
6:30  pizza, cream soda (we went to a christmas party for my hubby's work, at a bowling alley)  IT was tons of fun!  Since it is my son's birthday we took a Costco cake and shared it.  Came home with half still.  I ate a piece.  Somehow I got in a judgmental space and started eating another piece even though I wasn't hungry and it didn't taste good.  Caught myself and didn't finish it.  I think I got caught in a comparison game for a moment...which led to negative feelings.  Everyone has their agency and can eat what they want.  It is not for me to judge!  Cryptic enough for you? :)


Exercise

Ran 4 min at 5 mph.  Phew!

Decided to take it extra easy on my arm today.  Start low (10) and move up.  I'm using 2 5 lb dumbbells for that.  Its a good start! 
I'm up way late.  Was working on a project for hubby that was coming due.  Now it is really time to sleep.  My night sugar is 117.  Not bad considering I drank soda tonight.  Was not a carb friendly meal. Think I'll walk in place while brushing my teeth.  Hopefully the morning sugar will be much better!  Good night!!

Mini cheesecakes

2 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese

3/4 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

12-14 vanilla wafers or Oreos

Preheat oven to 350*F. Soften cream cheese. Add sugar to cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Beating well after each egg is added.  Continue mixing until batter is free of lumps.  Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners putting one cookie (wafer or Oreo) in each.  Fill cups almost to the top with batter.  Bake at 350 for 15 min.  They will be a little wiggly in the center still when done.  Let cool for 5 minutes then refrigerate until cold. 

For chocolate filling add 2 T cocoa to the batter while mixing.  

My daughter loves to make these.  They are so tasty!!

Day 10 --preparation

I forgot to plan my day last night.  So did it first thing this morning.   I'm going make a point to check in every few hours today to make sure I stay on task.

Interesting results with blood sugar this morning.   I measured 94 last night had ningxia at 11 pm and this morning it was 106. Not as bad as the other day...but very interesting.  I woke up feeling rather hungry so maybe that is part of it.  

Awake at 6:30

8:00 oatmeal (better oats maple and brown sugar.  Yum!) with milk and a cup of chocolate milk. 

10:30 protein shake.  PPP, Just juiced greens (1tsp), fiber mix (1tsp) two frozen peaches.  1/4 c coconut milk and a cup of ice and water.
1:50 Turkey bacon and focaccia from kneaders
3:00 a couple of orange sticks
5:00 a couple of orange sticks
6:00 mini cheesecakes
7:30 turkey cranberry and stuffing sandwich.  I must be on a turkey kick!  this one was homemade though.  I cooked a turkey for dinner.  Yum.  ;)
Mini cheesecake.  These have become a favorite.  They always taste better than I remember.  My daughter loves to make them.  Hmmm recipe post here we come!  :)

The shrink session this morning was powerful.  Letting go.  I did the 5 minute mantra workout in my bedroom.  The room I had attempted to clean yesterday but did not get very far.   The room that deserves to be my sanctuary but instead becomes a graveyard for stuff that has no home.  Today I let go of the clutter.  I let go of the mess.  I let go of the confining feeling of stuff.  I deserve to be happy, I deserve to feel good.  I deserve to have a bedroom that welcomes me and is a safe haven when I need it.  The mantras today were:

I let go of the old.  I'm creating something new.  

The old me wading through and tripping over STUFF (something that undermines fantastic feelings) is no longer me.  I am now creating a version of myself full of joy and power.  Free from the confines of what if and maybe.  I am now filled with the strength to be the organized purposeful super fit mom that I know I can be!!

I was busy all day running to get Christmas and birthday presents figured out.  My daughter turns 12 on Friday and my son 7 tomorrow.  So I didn't get in a workout (other than the 5 minutes).  A crazy day! 

Day 9--feeling accomplished

Awake at 6:15 

FG 98. Looks like my experiment worked!   I love any number under 100 first thing in the morning!   According to the information I've read your hormones need to come back into balance before the body starts to release excess fat.  So that is my goal.  To bring the hormones back to balance.  This morning is a definite win!   Now to continue the experiment and see if I can do it again tomorrow. 

I had a three year old want to cuddle first thing this morning.   Can't say no to that! It rather made my morning slow however.  

Intake:

7:45 Apple

9:30 yogurt

11:00 pepper jack cheese and ritz. 

1:30 pizza

2:00 pizza

3:00 another piece of pizza
4 pm orange sticks
6:30 garlic and sea salt mahi mahi, salad with ranch, garlic roll  YUM!

Definitely had an off food day.  I didn't eat enough breakfast and it followed me the rest of the day.   I had a food plan that I didn't follow until dinner.  (better than nothing)  Will work on paying more attention to my plan tomorrow!

Exercise:

I was really slow getting to it today.   Got in 5 minutes this morning with shrink session. Then waited until 1:30 before I finished. Strong lifts and then 15 min on the treadmill.  I got in a mile at 4.6 mph. That is fantastic for me!   It was quite the stretch but felt amazing!!!

Ever have one of those days where you feel like what you are doing doesn't match how you look?  I had one of those days.  I felt sleek and strong.  Accomplished.  The mirror didn't show sleek and strong.  That's ok.  As I continue on my outside will begin to match the inside.  :)

Day 8. No diabetes!

Part of my journey includes two pregnancies with gestational diabetes.  The interesting thing about gestational diabetes is that you are more at risk if you gain a lot of weight in the first trimester.  That was me!   I would eat like crazy to avoid nausea.  Sometimes stuffing myself to the point of throwing up.  Not hard to do in those first few weeks.  I craved carbs like crazy as well.  It was almost as if my body was anticipating the restriction to come and getting them in as fast as possible.

Because of my two experiences with gestational diabetes my risk of developing full type 2 diabetes is significant.   Therefore I have continued checking my sugars and having lab work completed. To follow that aspect.  I am currently border line pre-diabetic. My last a1c was 5.8.  My morning sugar was 112 this morning.  For frame of reference.  Normal blood sugars are in the range of 80-120 and a1c is normal around 5.  Six plus is diabetic.  A morning fasting sugar should be less than 100. I tend to be conservative on what I believe my sugars should run. **disclaimer**  Your doctor may feel differently.  I am sharing my experiences and opinions and not medical advice.  Please consult your healthcare professional to get information tailored to your specific needs.  

So with all that being said.  I am going to start posting my morning sugar.  In an effort to track and figure out how my body works better.  :)

So fasting glucose (FG) this morning. 112

Last night right before bed it was 95. 

So why did this happen??  In pre-diabetes the liver is having trouble maintaining an even blood sugar.   Hormones including insulin and glucagon are out of whack.  The liver maintains glucose levels in a fasting state.  It is currently releasing too much sugar over night.  So what can I do to fix this?   Interestingly enough I can try a snack just before bed time.   Even though a lot of dieting advice says not to eat after 7 or so in this case it's the opposite.  I was actually a little hungry last night but chose not to eat because of time.  (Not listening to my body!). If I had a small protein rich snack I would have felt satisfied and my liver would not have panicked and sent so much sugar into my blood stream over night.  

My goal with blood sugar is an a1c of 5 and a FG of under 90. Totally possible.


My Intake today:
up at 6:30
7:30 apple
9:30 protein/green smoothie  Blueberries, pineapple, just juiced greens, chia seeds, fiber, perfectly paleo protein (vanilla) coconut milk, water and ice.
11:30 finished up the smoothie...was sipping it through the time.
12:30  needed to chew something.  roll turkey, cranberry and stuffing
1p.m.  I know I said I was done with pie, but that last piece was calling to me.  It still tasted good!
4 pm  pepper jack cheese and ritz crackers
6:15. I was out and about and decided to bag my meal plans and instead get a hot pastrami from subway.   Mmmm yum!  Had a few French fries too.  ;)

10:30 ningxia red

Exercise today.  I started a free program today where you say affirmations while you exercise.  It was amazing!  Felt more into my walk/run than I have in a while.  You can jump in here...

Best timing I've had for a long time.  Perhaps I can reach my goals!   

Today I took the leap and signed up for the website plan to eat.  It is an amazing meal planner.  You can share recipes with friends.  Get shopping lists.  Anything meal planning becomes easy. They had a 50% off sale today for cyber Monday.  If you join you can be my friend.  My username is debscooking.  I am working to import all my recipes so you can have access to them there as well.  Do check it out.  I love it so far!!

Blood sugar at 10:30 pm. 109.  I'm going to have a ningxia while I finish up the dishes.  Let's see how it looks in the morning.

Thanks for reading!

Day 7

Thanksgiving week hasn't been kind to my waistline....well it's the pies I've been eating.  They are soo good!  I'll be off this kick really soon though.  Intuitive eating teaches us about the law of habituation.  This is where you eat something frequently and then it starts to become unappetizing.    I'm quickly getting there.   I have found since I began having no restrictions that when I introduce a food that I have not eaten for a while, I will eat quite a bit of it for the first few days and then the newness wears off and I am done.  I am starting to notice that the taste isn't as pleasurable---just not as enjoyable as it was at first.  In fact I think I am officially done right now.  :)  Its so not appetizing anymore.

Todays food line up
 Up at 7
8:00Two scrambled eggs, a slice of blueberry pie
 1:30 pie, turkey cranberry and stuffing on a roll, another slice of pie  :)
3:30  did I really just eat pie again?  Some Ningxia red too.
4:45 Chicken Pillows
Boy am I full now! 

Having trouble with my water intake.  I will work on that tomorrow.  I also realized that most of the time I don't get things done because I have not made a plan to do so.  Tomorrow I am going to start with a plan.  And work on addressing that plan and following through instead of meandering aimlessly through it.  I'll report back on that. 

Sundays I give myself freedom to do the basic routines...no laundry today.  :)  It is a day of rest.

Week review:

Weigh in today was up.  Not surprising considering the sugar and lack of water.  That can be improved on. 
Most meals did not include veggies.  I will investigate more ways of including veggies.  I think scheduling my days will help a lot in this.  Instead of sitting down not knowing what I am doing I will already have it in mind. 
Exercise was good.  I love being back in the weight lifting game.  My elbow started bugging me a bit again...I think I will continue squats and take it easy on arms until I can get that working better.
Treadmill is going well also...I feel like I should be making more headway on getting faster though.  Will pay attention to that as well this week.  I wanted to be at 4.6 mph by this week.  Not quite there yet.

What's good.  Tracking my food...I'm still going even though I have thought about just not bothering.  No one would know anyway...well I would!
I am making plans and seeing what works.  There is no failure only progress and learning.  I am getting strong!  Here's to another great week!

Day 6

Awake at 8

8:30 blueberry pie

9:30 blueberry pie.  It was oh so good I want more!!  

11:30 turkey cranberry and stuffing on a roll

12:45 rich chocolatey Ovaltine.

2:30 pumpkin curry and rice.  A piece of pep pizza

4:00. Coconut cream pie. A cookie

6:15. Coconut cream pie 

7:30 popcorn

I've been on a pie kick if you can't tell.  It is oh so good!!  

Tomorrow is my weigh in.  Not scared.  The number really doesn't matter in the big scheme of things.  I'm interested though.  My water intake has been spotty the last couple of days.  Veggie intake has been low. Sweets high.  We will see what happens.  

Routines will be complete when I get to bed tonight.  Water is 3/4 there.  We were at my sister in laws for most of the afternoon.  I'll blame my lack of water on not being home.  :)

Rode the bike for an hour this morning.  Didn't quite make it to the treadmill.