Take care of yourself

Three miles is usually about 5,000-5,500 steps for me. If it takes you 5,000 strokes to finish, you are doing it wrong.

Yes, I'm the guy who points out inaccuracies in funny memes. Nice to meet you.

 

Also, now that we are talking about jerkin' it, this really is a "Take care of yourself" thread.

 

Changing eating habits after 45 years is not easy. With diabetes you have to make a concerted effort to eat properly and all but eliminate sugars which seems to be in every goddamn food known to man. Things that you thought were safe, like watermelon, are now a no-no; basically sugar water. Melons I love, like cantaloupe, are basically a no-no now, or severely limited. Had a chance to eat potato chips today and it took every ounce of willpower not to have a single one. I'm sure it'll get easier but I have a serious sweet tooth so it's difficult to say no. I'd love nothing more than to dive into some ice cream right now.

I began testing my #bloodsugar Thursday evening. I poke at least 6 times a day to understand what foods make the blood sugar spike, or what waking up with a headache does, or what too much coffee might do to the levels. Fasting or before meals be between 70 and 130 and the number 2 hours after a meal shouldn't exceed 170. Tonight's post-meal poke was the first night I was close to 170 and I probably went over because of the corn, which isn't a very good food on the Glycemic Index. I'm still looking for a chocolatey diabetic dessert.

Here are my results through 5 days:

July 28
205: before dinner
258: after dinner (steak)

July 29
176: before breakfast
265: after breakfast
138: before lunch
175: after lunch
151: after walking the dog
165: 4:48 p.m.
141: before dinner
211: after dinner (pasta with meat sauce)

July 30
150: before breakfast
301: after breakfast (oatmeal, brown sugar)
198: before lunch
148: after lunch
123: walk dog
134: later
125: before dinner
193: after dinner

July 31
186: before breakfast (woke with headache)
202: took advil, cup of coffee
264: after breakfast, which seemed pretty good (coffee/advil combo?)
140: before lunch
139: after lunch (tuna, half-can of Italian wedding soup)
132: before dinner
292: after dinner (challah? sugar-free whip cream?)

August 1
170: before breakfast (6:35 a.m.)
263: after breakfast (grainy toast, cantaloupe, eggs)
128: before lunch
139: after lunch (2:42 p.m.)
135: before dinner
186: after dinner

 

From The South Beach Diet cookbook ...

Mocha Ricotta Creme

[1] 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
[2] 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
[3] 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
[4] 1 pkg. sugar substitute
[5] Dash espresso powder
[6] 5 mini chocolate chips

Mix together ingredients 1-4 and chill. Top with 5 and 6 and serve.

Only 17g carbs ... Had it way back when I was on the SBD and it satisfied the cravings.

Also ... Blue Bunny Sweet Freedom Fudge Bars ... you can have TWO for only 70 calories and about 5g net carbs. Very low GI and damn good.

 

Legs day.

Back squats, hamstring curls, Bosu squats (65, 75, 85 pounds), overhead squats with light bar.

Tomorrow, see how quickly (relatively speaking) I can run that mile.

 

Chest and back day.

Chest, six sets of dumbbell bench press. Back, six sets of seated row. Maybe it was just my biorhythms being at a high point, but whatever, I was stronger today than I have been since getting back into the swing of things. It's the kind of day that will keep me coming back.

Today's mile: 10:10. Ended up at 7.3 mph. Walked less today, but I need to cut that back by half again to get to my less than 10-minute goal.

 

The #bloodsugar has been very good today and the post-dinner result came in at 177 -- below the goal of 180.

And I chose a plum for dessert instead of a Chloe strawberry popsicle with 14 grams of sugar. That was hard.

But the plum was really ripe and juicy. Yay.

On another note ...

 

Still adjusting to the whole no-sugar all-healthy diet.

Since I began testing the #bloodsugar on July 28 I've had just one chocolate chip cookie.

No other sweets and I've cut way down on carbs and the bad fruits such as watermelon and cantaloupe.

The numbers still fluctuate but hardly as much and it dipped below 3 digits for the first time after today's cardio session.

August 2

166: before breakfast (bit of a headache)
165: after breakfast
116: before lunch
132: before dinner
177: after dinner

August 3

178: after waking up
144: after breakfast
118: before lunch
148: after lunch
131: before dinner
254: after dinner (pasta, veggies, gluten-free bagel/butter)

August 4

155: before breakfast
237: after breakfast (gluten-free bagel and lox, banana, blueberries, blackberries)
148: after lunch (turkey breast, bacon-cheese soup, tomatoes)
138: before dinner
137: after dinner (fried chicken cutlets, lot of broc/cauliflower, peaches)

August 7
125: before lunch
143: after lunch
139: at 5 o'clock
204: after "dinner" (cottage cheese, blueberries, deli turkey, some stress)

August 8
152: after waking up
176: after breakfast (scrambled eggs, plain yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon, grapefruit, fruit smoothie)
121: before gym (11:30 a.m.)
89: after gym (35 minutes cardio)
144: after lunch
116: at 5 o'clock
183: after dinner (Asian fusion)
185: 2 hours after sugar-free chocolate Jell-O

 

Chest and back today, three exercise each.

Today's mile, 9:54, my first less than 10 minutes. I buried the lead.

 

Congrats!

Also, I just noticed that this thread is approaching its 14th birthday. Hard to believe.

 

Legs day, which, oddly enough, I'm starting to enjoy. That's probably because from when I started a couple months ago or so, I've seen significant gains in my back squat and other exercises.

I haven't run a mile again to see if I can beat the 9:54. The physical pain in trying to run fast is matched by the mental component. There's not one single second you (I) can't endure physically, but it's hard mentally to push myself to that point.

I need to be in better cardio shape to attempt it again, so I'm doing the stair climber while still doing some treadmill work. On the treadmill, I'll walk at 3.7 mph or 4.0 for a minute and then run for a minute at 6.5-6.7 and go back and forth for four or five rounds. Then I might cut back the running to 6.1 mph, which seems really easy compared to 6.7. In another couple of weeks, I'll run the mile again, and I hope that time it's without walking at all.

 

I've lost 6 or 7 pounds since the diagnosis.

I've cut out 99.5% of carbs and ice cream and sweets etc -- only one bowl of ice cream and just one chocolate chip cookie since July 28.

As a result the #bloodsugar results are mostly pretty decent as I'm eating diabetic-friendly meals (and snacks). I've got to work on lowering the morning fasting score.

They say you should be between 70-130 before meals and after fasting (at least 8 hours) and 180 or less 2 hours after meals ...

August 10
158: after waking up
185: after breakfast (chicken sausage, eggs, lots of fruit, yogurt)
131: after lunch
129: at 4:45 p.m.
180: after dinner (chicken breast, broccoli)

August 11
155: after waking up
194: after breakfast (eggs, chicken sausage, yogurt, cantaloupe, apple, non-white toast)
129: before lunch at Noon
184: after lunch (soup, hummus, blueberries)
202: after dinner (chicken, broccoli, a little mac and cheese)

August 12
165: after waking up
170: after breakfast (chicken sausage, eggs, toast, berries)
130: before lunch at noon
144: after lunch (chicken breast, cottage cheese, olives, hummus)
174: one hour after "sugar free" Cool Whip and blueberries
145: after dinner (turkey burger, broccoli, squash/pepper medley)

August 13
171: after waking up
158: 80 minutes later before breakfast
163: after breakfast (eggs, yogurt, fruit)
140: after lunch (soup, tuna, olives, cheese)
171: after dinner (meat, broccoli, yellow peppers)

August 14
161: after waking up
178: after breakfast (sausage, eggs, fruit, yogurt)
175: after lunch (hummus, veggies, soup)
122: at 4:30
201: after late dinner (turkey, 2 pirogies, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese)

August 15
131: after waking up
154: at 9:54 a.m.
123: at 6:46 p.m.
163: after dinner (salmon, seafood chowder)

August 16
153: after waking up
239: after 3 taquitos and coffee from 7-11
126-137-128: after very good lunch, tested 3 times in a minute, why varied?
166: after dinner (chicken, broccoli and cauliflower, bread and hummus

August 17
150: after waking up
192: after breakfast (eggs, yogurt, fruit, toast/cc/lox)
142: after lunch (hummus, cottage cheese, chicken, veggies)
124: near 5 o'clock (had minor snacks since lunch)
153: after dinner

August 18
152: after waking up
150: after breakfast (sausage, yogurt, eggs, fruit, cheese)
132: before lunch (about 11:30)
153: hour after lunch (soup, hummus, canned tuna)
149: after apple, cheese

151-132-121-111: within 2 minutes at 4:40 (why the disparity? I had handful of different nuts and 2 pieces of jerky)

163: after dinner (hummus on bread, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, olives, salad)

August 19
160: after waking up
147: hour later after some almonds, nuts, coffee
184: hour after breakfast (eggs, sausage, grapefruit, kiwi, yogurt)
126: before lunch at 11:30
130: after lunch at 12:45 (solid albacore tuna, fat-free yogurt, hummus, cottage cheese, cheddar)
129: 2 o'clock
140: 3 o'clock, an hour after nuts and cottage cheese
134: 4 o'clock, an hour after 3 olives, 2 sausage links, cheese
113: about 6:45 after walking 10 laps at MAU
146: after dinner (chicken breast, salad, olives)

August 20
149: after waking up
204: after breakfast (sausage, slice bread/lox, cottage cheese, blueberries, tangerine, almonds)
122: at 11:08 before eating handful of peanuts and cashews and Duke's sausage link
118: at 11:35 (at the same time ate handful of nuts and cashews)
168: at 1:05 after lunch (soup??, really big veggie-driven salad, bit of hummus)
131: at 1:35 or 2 full hours after lunch
113: at 2:30 after cottage cheese, hummus, triangle of cheese
132: at 3:30 or an hour after the 2:30 snack
133: at 4:55 before eating Oikos Greek yogurt (Triple Zero)
107: at 6 o'clock after 10 laps
146: 90 minutes after dinner (turkey breast, salad, broccoli, hummus)

August 21
154: after waking up
177: an hour later after yogurt
130: at 9:30 or 2 hours after breakfast
143: at 11:25 or 2 hours after hummus and a peach
142: at 1:55 or about 2 hours after good lunch
124: at 4:27 or about 2 hours after almonds and triangle cheese
107: after 10 laps of walking and jogging
148: at 8:30, or 2 hours after meatballs, salad, cauliflower
215: at 10:30 or 2 hours after ice cream (yes, I finally had some)

August 22
163: after waking up
140: 2 hours after breakfast (sausage, eggs, yogurt, pear)
122: at 12:08, or 75 minutes after nuts and jerky link snack
134: at 2:40 or 2 hours after lunch and 10 laps walking/jogging
134: at 4:40 or 2 hours after a yogurt
134: at 7:40 or 2 hours after chicken, salad, and mixed veggies
145: at 9:30 about 2 hours after cottage cheese, hummus, pear

August 23
139: after waking up
138: at 9:30 or 2 hours after chicken sausage, eggs, cheese, yogurt
111: at 12, or 80 minutes after a cheese with almonds, peach
128: at 2:52 or about 2 hours after lunch (chicken breast, salad, squash/zucchini)
103: at 6 o'clock after 10 laps walking/jogging
118: 2 hours after dinner (ground beef, salad, veggies)

August 24
147: after waking up
138: at 10, after breakfast (eggs, sausage, cheeses, cottage cheese)
135: at 11:50 about 2 hours after peach and almonds
135: at 1:50 or 2 hours after salad, hummus, lox
141: at 3:50 or 2 hours after nectarine, almonds, cottage cheese
177: after dinner (stir fry, hummus, nectarine, cheese)

August 25
142: after waking up
130: after breakfast (sausage, egg, toast w/butter)
118: at 11:45 just before lunch
129: at 2:30 or 2 hours after an unsatisfying lunch
134: at 4:20 or 2 hours after yogurt w/cinnamon
137: 2 hours after dinner (chicken, salad, broccoli)

August 26
158: after waking up
122: after breakfast (eggs, sausage, chicken breast, yogurt, tomatoes)
128: before lunch
124: at 2:10 or 2 hours after lunch (soup, chicken salad, hummus)
134: at 4:30 or 2 hours after sugar-free choco chips, nectarine, cheese
152: at 8:30 or 2 hours after dinner (egg, sausage, broccoli, bread/butter)

August 27
138: after waking up
136: 83 minutes after breakfast (eggs, half hash brown, sausage, yogurt, cheese)
132: at 10 a.m., full 2 hours after breakfast
157: at 1:50 after lunch (chicken noodle soup, big salad, hummus, sugar-free chocolate chips)
128: at 4:05, about 90 minutes after kiwi, honeydew, and cheeses
142: at 8:30 or 2 hours after dinner (pork, salad, olives, broccoli, piece of bread smeared with fat from pork)

August 28
172/158/156: after waking up (had roast beef/turkey at 2 a.m.)
165/156: at 9:40 after breakfast (eggs, whole wheat toast, blueberies, nectarine, yogurt, mini sausages)
175: 90 minutes after lunch (big salad, soup, hummus)
93: at 4 o'clock after 30 minutes on elliptical
111: at 9 p.m. after several hours of not eating
146: at 10:15 after burger patty, cheese, slice of wholewheat

August 29
136: after waking up
127: at 8:25 a.m. about 2 hours after 35 minutes of walking
137: at 9:45 or 2 hours after eggs, spicy sausage, fruit, yogurt w/cinnamon
162: at 2:15 or 2 hours after soup, salad (why so high?)
145: at 7:30 or 2 hours after turkey breast, salad, peas

August 30
136: after waking up
162: at 7:30, an hour after 30 minutes on elliptical (why elevated?)