Dance Like No One is Watching

There's a lady who comes in to the pool at the gym who's lost 140 pounds with 70 to go.  She's got the folds of skin just hanging on her legs.  She dresses in a pair of shorts and a zip up swim jacket.  Her make-up is perfect, which includes bright red lip stick.  She walks to the equipment wall and gets a few things, a noodle, then slowly walks to the stairs to enter the pool.

We chatted once, months ago, when she showed her i-pod encased in a water-proof arm band and a pair of waterproof ear buds.  But other than that, she's kinda quiet, keeps to herself, seems like a reserved business office manager-type.

I love it when she comes while I am there, because once she is in that water, a whole different person emerges.  She cranks her ipod and starts to dance in the water.  And she SINGS!! along to her music. And there she is, in the pool, dancing her stuff around, singing along with passion--eyes closed, mouth wide open, singing and posing as she holds the note.
She does this like no one is watching.  But we are.  We are.  Smiling.

maintaining

I am maintaining at 53 pound loss, but feeling hungry after eating, wanting more.  Not that I need more as I get to eat plenty, but maybe I burn a lot.  I felt like I was eating absolutely everything one day, and prayed about it, talking it over with Heavenly Father.  He was like, "let's take a look at this..when you 'over eat' what is it you're eating?  Berries, nuts....that's the easy stuff to burn."  He told me that I was doing remarkably well, as when most people with diabetes binge, it's on junk food.  Oh.  Okay.

I am down to a size 14, and 16 slim.

Still doing weights in the morning, and swimming later.  I was directed by the Lord to tone down the intensity, yet again, because I was not feeling good, as I should.  I have a tendency to work out hard, intense, and go heavy.  Heavy weight was aggravating my old snow shoveling injury, so I had to go to free weights, lighter weight and less intense.  Okay.....
Notes to self:

• Kudos for listening to the direction given
• Kudos for still swimming and doing weights
• Kudos for "bingeing" on berries and not junk
• Kudos for having to take in your clothes
• and Kudos for snacking on a few slices of Hormel turkey pepperoni

Becoming a Big GIrl Now

This week I have started swimming without my floatation belt.  I was concerned that I was doing myself a fitness disservice by relying on a crutch.  So, like a big girl, I left it off and swam for 10 minutes without it. I am  afraid of the water, mind you, so this is a big deal.  After 10 minutes, I put it on and finished my swim.  Since then, I have  been swimming for 20 minutes without the belt.  It takes a few minutes to get my swimming rhythm going, but I get it.

As of today, I have lost 48 pounds.  I weighed in at 179.6 this morning.  If I am .2 under a whole number, I count it down.  Sounds better that way.  *;-.)

People ask me if I get tired of eating Grilled Chicken Salad for lunch every day.  Hola?  What is there to get tired of? My salad is not your run of the mill drab Iceberg Lettuce with tomato wedge salad.   I dress it up pretty.  I use multiple lettuces, such as Butter, Romaine, Red Leaf, and then I add half a bag of Spring Mix lettuce.  Sometimes I add fresh Cilantro.  Then I add peeled Cucumbers, shredded carrots or pre-cut Matchstix carrots, and always, always, always, Cherub tomatoes.  When you are limited in what you can eat (well, limited to that which is healthy and good for you, like in the Word of Wisdom) you go for the good stuff.

I read somewhere that diabetics can eat 3 cups of Salad.  Okay. I like that.  I bought 3-cup containers since I am out at the lunch hour 5 days a week.  I fill the container with my general salad mix, 3 ounces of grilled chicken (grilled with different things), 5 olives (green or black), 4-5 yellow "sunshine" tomatoes, and about 1 1/2 Tbl of sunflower seeds.  I sprinkle it all with my herbed vinegar, and Olive juice.  Other times I sprinkle it with the vinegar and a few TBL of Cucumber Salsa--Hot cha-cha!  What's to get tired of?  (when I don't have the salsa, I have sprinkled on Salsa Verde from a jar, or garlic, lime juice, olive juice and vinegar).  What is there to get tired of?
When I transfer this whole thing onto a dinner plate, it literally fills the plate.  I am shocked at how much is there, but I gladly eat it all (and I lose weight).

Ingredients:
Butter lettuce (bagged)
Romaine lettuce
Red Leaf lettuce
Spring Mix (or 50/50 spring and spinach)
Cucumbers
Grated carrot or match sticks
Cherub Tomatoes

3 ounces (cooked)  grilled chicken (I weigh it.)  As a rule, 3 ounces can be 1/2 of a large boneless chicken breast.  I slice them in half, horizontally, so there is the top and bottom.

Add what suits you.  I add
5 olives of choice
4-5 yellow cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 Tbl Sunflower seeds
2 Tbl herbed Cider vinegar ( Cider vinegar is known to lower blood sugar)

sometimes I add
2 Tbl Olive Juice

Other times I add about 4 big spoonfuls of   Cucumber Salsa.

Other times I add the vinegar, olive juice, garlic and garlic juice and lime juice.

At the moment, the Lord does not allow me to use store bought salad dressings and home made creamy dressings are a rarity, so I get creative with what I have.  He wants me on a low fat diet and Low Glycemic Load foods (mostly a rating of 7 and under.  ) Glycemic Load is the effect a food has on your blood sugar.

Notes to self:

• Keep looking for more interesting ways to dress your salad
• try something new in it
• Kudos for swimming without the floatation belt
• Kudos for keeping it up
• Kudos for listening to the Lord for direction and following it.
• Chicken has a Glycemic load of 0
• and so does a few slices of Hormel Turkey Pepperoni 

burnout?

I have now lost 45 pounds, am a size 16, but wearing 18-20s still.  I swim still for 30 minutes, but felt the need to step it up and add weight training.  So, while Patrick is at 6 am seminary, I go to the gym and get on the weights.  I had forgotten how much I really liked it.  It's different for me this time though, because my knees complain about leg work.  Working around that problem by doing leg exercises that work the muscles I want without hurting my knees and back.  

Today I feel pretty dog-gone good.

I picked up a magazine put out by Reader's Digest, "reverse Diabetes," because it had some interesting things to consider, and a way for me to be able to enjoy pizza without my body freaking out.

It contained a section titled "Are You burned out?" with a little T-F quiz.  I took it and answered true to 4 of the six questions:

• Yes, my diabetes is taking up too much of my mental and physical energy every day.
• Yes I feel exhausted or fatigued by the effort it takes to manage diabetes
• Yes, I feel like diabetes controls my life.
• Yes, I feel overwhelmed by my diabetes
• No I am not failing with my diabetes regimen
• No, I am, indeed, motivated to keep up with my diabetes plan because if I don't, well, I just can't cope with how I feel with high blood sugar (I am not on any medication)

This section recommends to define yourself as a person first.  We are to look for the good in ourselves, the positive things.  Diabetes is not who we are, but like nearsightedness, it must be accounted for.

So, I have to list the good things about myself that have nothing to do with diabetes, but I have listed the good things that have come about,

Notes to self:

• Heavenly Father is helping me through this
• He guides me in my food choices (among other things)
• I hear His guidance and understand
• He's made promises
• He will help me to control my blood sugar
• We will manage my diabetes
• He, personally, is bringing me to a place where my body is responding to and producing insulin.
• He is my doctor and my dietician
• He tells me if I need just a Cinnamon pill, or if I should take the Vinegar pill.
• He put me on an herbal Pancreas Formula, 1/3 the recommended dosage, and then told me when to stop taking it.
• He is in control
• He is getting my body to work right
• My blood pressure is down.
• I have lost 45 pounds
• I swim 5 days a week now.  
• Heavenly Father makes sure I have a lane to swim in when I go to the gym. (I didn't used to when I first started learning to do it)
• I am doing weights again, remembering how much I love this.
• My abdominal muscles beg for more
• I am not afraid of the scale anymore
• Going back to the old ways is not an option
• I have discovered how wonderful almonds taste and I can eat lots of them without gaining weight.
• I can eat Grilled Chicken Salad as often as I want
• I get to eat olives without guilt.
• I sleep better
• I don't feel "zing"-y anymore when I go to bed.  
• I don't feel the internal personal earthquake when I go to bed, anymore.
• I can eat a cookie once in a while
• I can eat a small piece of coconut cake once in a while.
• I am learning to substitute the foods that bother me with things that don't.
• I have learned how wonderful whole grains  taste in Banana bread.
• I'm not eating the foods that make me hungry after  I've eaten.
• I can snack of a few pieces of Hormel Turkey Pepperoni

Swimming Through a Monsoon

I can share a lane at the pool.  Fine.  But there are people who don't share a lane well with others, such as the two girls who jumped in to share my lane the other day. The two of them shared the one side, sort of one side, as they kept swimming right down the middle of the lane.  Doesn't work well for me.  When the next lane over cleared, I jumped the rope.

Then there is the man who can't gracefully share a POOL with others.  He slings water  EVERYWHERE and if you happen to be swimming in the next lane over (or anywhere where within 100 feet) you will experience the monsoon effect and ensuing tsunami. He nearly drowned me yesterday.  

I have now lost 43 pounds.

On the Verge of Losin’ It

I am on the edge…..I am on the verge of breaking 190 lbs.  I can almost feel it gone.  I am down to 191 lbs.

Breaking 200 pounds was a big deal.  Hitting 200 pounds on the nose was a big deal.  When the excitement was new, when I pronounced having lost 27 pounds, my teenage son asked me how much I weighed at that time.  NEVER ask a woman her weight, her age or her dress size.  I laughed hysterically when I told him, shoulders shrunk in, that “I weigh 200 lbs

I couldn’t stop laughing because I still weighed pretty high.

But now I am on the verge of losing it.

Today I swam for 30 minutes and loved every back stroke. 

I am having difficulty with dehydration, though.  Water sports and baths dehydrate you (that’s what the wrinkling of the hands is about).  I can drink a quart of water during and after, and still it doesn’t make a difference.  Must be a diabetic thing going on.  I have been asking Heavenly Father to help me with this dehydration problem/high blood sugar problem.  He informed me that it stems from missing 2 days of exercise over the weekend and missing 3 days the week before.  Okay.  I won’t miss.

So He is counseling me on what I can eat and when.  “No you may not have any spaghetti.  You may have the turkey meatballs with a little bit of sauce and salad.”

Notes to self:

• Remember to counsel with the Lord in all my doings, including EVERY time you eat.
• Kudos for swimming again and keeping up with exercise every day this week
• Remember to drink LOTS of water
• Kudos for your clothes getting too big
• This high  blood sugar with pass
• You have been promised in a blessing that your health will be restored.
• Heavenly Father is your doctor ,knows what He’s doing and knows what your blood sugar is doing.
• No decent looking Hormel Turkey Pepperoni on the shelf  *;-.)

Today

I am still in recovery from the 55 minute swim.  It sure caught up to me.  I am swimming for only 25 minutes to recover!!