A Reading Frenzy

Several years ago, well almost 12 now, I had a goal every year to read 52 books. That's about one book a week. And I found that I did it, and then some, year after year. It was great. I felt like my brain was engaged on a regular basis.

Now these books weren't always masterpieces or epic tales or even good. I didn't expect them to be. I expected to be entertained for a short period of time and move on. In fact, I so often "moved on" immediately. Finishing one book and immediately picking up another. I may not remember most those stories or be able to recount the plot in any of them. But that wasn't the point for me back then. My goal was to read. My goal wasn't to retain.

The key to that success? No cable. I didn't have anything to watch or any way to sit in front of the picture tube and watch endless tales of murder, mayhem, romance, drama etc. I had cancelled my cable to save some coin. And it was worth it 100%.

Over the years my goal has dipped and dropped to where I no longer even have a goal. I think in the back of my head I figure I can read about 12-20 books a year so that's about all I do. 12 of them are likely book club books - so I'm not even doing much work searching out books I want to read.

3 weeks ago I finished a book called The Girl You Left Behind and devoured it in a 24 hour period. I couldn't stop reading it. I couldn't put it down. I had to hear the story of these two women and how they intertwined.

Finished that book and was hungry for another. Then I picked up my selection for book club for July, Love and Ruin - finished that in 2 days. Sorted my Nook by the oldest and started from the bottom. Read a book from one of my favorite fantasy authors, a somewhat trashy novel, a FANTASTIC book by Maeve Binchy called Echoes, picked up Speak - read it in a day and then last night finished Paper Towns by John Green.

All those books are so different and varied stories that I found myself last night comparing this lust for reading I suddenly have to my life style change the HAS to happen.

Historically my "dieting" habit has been a bit like my reading life. I kick ass at it for some time, then fall off and eat God knows what, then I hop back on, fall off, rinse, lather, repeat.

The thing is, now with having some knowledge of what is happening to my body, or could potentially happen to my body, with diabetes looming in the background, I can't afford to have that merry-go-round approach. The last three weeks of reading frenzy coincides with the last three weeks of my low carb/high protein approach. I'm sure one doesn't have to do with the other, but maybe. Maybe reading burns calories? Hah...I wish.

My point is, as much as I hate the idea of having diabetes or dealing with that, I hate the idea of having to eat "healthy" for the rest of my life. The difference for me now is I'm eating healthy FOR my life. And with my history of falling off the wagon, that scares the living crap out of me. I'm doing great now, but it's only been three weeks.

My brain says Yes. My fat ass is skeptical. And my heart lies somewhere in between.

In the books that I've read over this last three weeks there hasn't always been a great A-HA moment and the moral of the story hasn't always been clear or obvious to me. But the moral to my story is I don't have to be perfect. I have to be aware and take each day, each meal, one by one. The big picture is scary and daunting...the little bits of the picture is not. When I started reading Echoes and realized it's a 494 page book. I almost put it down. "That's too many pages", said my brain. But I read the book chapter by chapter. One at a time. And as I did the story unfolded.  Maybe my new life can be the same. Just maybe.

The Big D

I've  now finished three weeks of this low carb/high protein diet. I've lost about 10 lbs (9.8). I feel fantastic. It's challenging, but not difficult - if that makes sense.

Today I met with my doctor to go over my lab results. I haven't had my blood work done for about 4 years and he thought it'd be good to see where we are so we can track my success.

Turns out I am borderline diabetic. Actually, according to the numbers I do have diabetes, but just barely. 6.4AC1 is officially diabetic, I'm at 6.5. He's not overly concerned because I'm on a good path right now and this news gives me yet another reason to get my life more healthy.

In order to help get this under control relatively quickly he wants me to take Victoza - which is a injectible - oh goody - for 6 months. He believes with the way I'm eating, the exercise in my life and this it should drop my AC1 relatively quickly (he didn't say what "relatively quickly" actually means).

I wasn't surprised at this information. I think I kinda secretly knew I might be on the borderline or fully with diabetes. And it's absolutely what I feared. But now I know. I have the data. I know what has to be done. I am thankful that I'm taking these steps now so this doesn't get any worse.

Other numbers that I got is my cholesterol. For 25 years I've been at 149 - but it's up to 150. GASP!! He's not at all worried about that number and was, as they always are, surprised.

Vitamin D is down so he's asking me to take a bit more dosages of Vitamin D. Being in Seattle I'm not surprised this is down. It's like the badge of honor in the Pacific Northwest.

So here we are. I've got information, I've got a plan and I'm ready to get this all under control. I've been saying all along this new way of eating is more about my health than my weight and I meant it. I'm happy with where I am and know where I need to go. Now the real work begins.

Carbs are the Devil

Week one of low carb/high protein eating! I've gotta say it was easier than I had planned. In fact, the fact that I had planned is likely what made it easy.

I know from my past experiences that if I don't take the time to plan and prep that I am destined to make bad choices (lazy wins usually).

Last week I ate 80% on plan. I had a couple of blips primarily because of me, but also social situations which I still have a hard time dealing with.

Here's the deal though - I know that if I go 100% low carb then the weight will drop off. The reality is this, life is life for me. My world revolves around food. Always have. I want the type of life where I can have something carby and still succeed. I'm being cautious most of the time, but open to the fact that I will make bad choices - sometimes on purpose.

Does that make sense?

I want this to be a change for life. Do I know that I will fall off at some point? Maybe. I don't want to, but I might. I am being honest with myself and trying to spin the positive over the negative (not my strong suit). For example, last week I had a small bag of chips. I didn't just toss in the towel. I recognized I purposely ate it and I was ok with that. I moved on to the next meal.

My process is to spend Saturday planning the week's meals and snacks. I use a template I created to put what my plan is for each day. I have it add up total carbs, fiber and protein.  As I add things, I can see how it adjusts my carb count and decide if I can "afford" to have that meal or snack. It feels like a game of jenga some times, but it's also interesting. The things that have carbs in it is astounding. Last week I selected a meal that had a banana in it. Did you knows a 6 in banana has 22 carbs? That's like 1/3rd of what I'm allowed for the day. Sheesh

Once I do my grocery shopping, I then wash veggies, cut lettuce, prep any meat that needs to be cooked during the week, put my snacks together for the week, etc. The fridge is then a well prepped tool that will mean I most likely WON'T make a bad decision.

Here's what I've learned this week about reducing carbs:
1. Fatigue. Lord the fatigue. My brain is trying to process what the hell is happening because I don't have as much glucose in my system and it causes fatigue (there's a chance the fatigue could be low in magnesium too). There were days I'd get home and just want to nap.

2. Carbs are everywhere. My carb total is really net carbs (meaning carbs minus fiber). As I mentioned about the banana - 22g of carbs, and only 1 g fiber. Not overly helpful, but still.

3. High protein blocks you up. Yep. No matter how much water you drink or fiberish items you eat, constipation is real. I'll be asking the doctor about taking extra fiber.

4. Down 5.5 lbs. In one week I'm down 5.5 lbs. I'm sure it's water weight. The first week is always pretty high for me. My goal is between 1 and 1.5 lbs a week.

I also started the personal trainer up again this week. It had been a month and he did not pity me at all. Which I guess is why I am paying him. I didn't get to the gym any other night - the fatigue was so great I just couldn't. I hurt like the dickens on Friday after the work out on Thursday. Ugh. I did get to the gym on Saturday and did the high interval training on the elliptical and then some of the resistance the trainer had showed me. It felt good.

So here we are. A week in. I'm feeling motivated and for the first time in a very long time, I didn't sabotage myself on the weekend. I've eaten pretty well this weekend. I had dinner with friends last night and actually planned on eating carbs. It was my "free" meal. I didn't feel guilty at all and I didn't go all out. Kept it relatively low cal.

I can't wait to see how this next week shakes out. The plan is set and I can't see any reason why I can't succeed this week. One meal at a time.

Low Carb / High Protein - It's a go!

In 2015 I visited a nutritionist who put me on a low carb and high protein eating plan. It worked. I was the problem. I hit a plateau and I stopped all together. Guess who gained all that weight back? Ahhhh this girl. 

Health has been on my mind a lot lately. I'm most likely pre-diabetic (getting blood checked soon) and I really REALLY don't want to be diabetic in any way shape or form. 

I also started thinking about Dad and how judgy I was when he'd eat crazy things and he was diabetic and I'd be all, "Why can't you make better decisions?" And here I am...totally capable of making better decisions...so why not. 

If you've read my blog for the years I've been doing it, or know me in any way, you know dieting is ALWAYS a part of my life. I wish I had the discipline required to really stick to something. Here's the thing...I'm an all or nothing personality and I use that to my disadvantage. 

For example, diets to me mean that I have to deprive myself of things I love. That makes me angry and I then stop. Truth is...it doesn't deprive me. It means I have to be honest about eating all that good unhealthy stuff in moderation. I mean, let's face it, very few of us are "on" our eating plan all the time. But if I can be on it 80% of the time, that's OK with me. Life is life and I want to be able to enjoy it where food is concerned. My life revolves around food. Always have...and it always will. So why not embrace it. 

Here's the thing, I am in control of what I put in my mouth. Let's make it mostly good stuff. 

I started planning and cooking prior to vacation and felt really good about the decisions I was making. Didn't weigh myself much so not sure if any weight was actually lost. The number is just that...a number. I FELT better. That is worth it to me. Also, turns out I didn't gain an ounce on vacation. Which is odd considering how we ate. But I'll take it. 

Anyone interested in joining me and keeping us all accountable, let me know. I'm all in. 

Exercising will start up again tomorrow. I came back with a heckuva cold and just didn't feel the exercising. Trainer begins again tomorrow. 

So, let's talk about what I'm actually doing. 

Carbs. 

Dr. B wants me to be less than 70 grams of net carbs a day. Net carbs is basically carbs minus fiber. So if you have something that's 20 grams of carbs and 5 grams of fiber, you have 15 net grams of carbs. This will be the toughest thing for me. I LOVE my carbs. 

He wants me to be at 110grams of protein a day. This, oddly, is also hard. People get a lot of protein with eggs and I'm not a fan of eggs, so I'll have to figure something out. 

Lastly, he'd like to keep my calories at 1800. That should be easy. 

Now...time to get cooking for dinner. What's for dinner...? Cowboy Style Beef with Veggie Ragout. 

Post Trip Dealing

I say every time I go on vacation, "It's always great to leave. But always great to come home." What is it about home that we love so much? Traveling is exciting. An adventure, seeing new things, experiencing a new culture...and yet we crave, and look forward, to coming home.

I've decided because home is comfortable.

I like home. I like my bed (or recliner). I like my shower. And I miss my kitties...despite them being little demons.

Been home for almost a week and getting back into the swing of things. Brought back one heckuva cold too. Janet and I airborne and Emergence C like crazy people when we travel. We have gallons of Purel at our disposal.  I become a germaphobe when I travel.  Sure that I won't get sick.

And yet...

Now I'm wondering if doing all that actually makes me sick. So next time I travel I'm going to just not do all that and see what happens. I mean, what could possibly happen? I get sick. Just like I am now.

Anywhooo...

Visited a dietitian on Tuesday to start a new low carb high protein plan. I did this in 2015 and was successful for a time on it. Like all "diets" I tend to not think about how I have to change my life and just want to lose weight.  These days my mind is more on health and what I need to do to become more healthy, weight # be damned.  I've read a lot on low carb and have watched a number of friends be successful on it. I cannot go cold turkey because I know myself that an "all or nothing" approach just makes me want to cheat. So I'm going to ease into this.

Dr. wants me to be less than 70 grams of Carbs a day. He originally started with 50 and I said that wasn't a possibility to begin with. I explained my "all or nothing" mentality and he adjusted for me. Truthfully even getting close to 70 grams a day will be tough. These are also "net carbs" not all carbs. What that means is if something has 20 carbs in it and 5 grams of fiber, then I count 15 carbs.

My protein intake should be about 120grams a day...which is a LOT of protein.

I really want to focus on this and get myself into a better shape. I have no goal on weight at this moment. I may, but for now my goal is to just focus on eating well and working out regularly.

Let the games begin!

That's a Wrap

Sitting here in the hotel in Copenhagen I find myself reflecting on the vacation. It's one of my most favorite times of the vacation - which sounds weird I know - but I love to think about all the things I've learned, what I'd do different for the next, things to keep doing, etc. Basically a post mortem.

A friend of mine told me that she often looks at he favorite, least favorite and the just okay after each day. I did that with the group when we went to Scotland. It's pretty common that we all have the same favorites, but there are times when we don't.

Janet asked me today my favorites.

Copenhagen and the time we spent there is by far the favorite. Seeing so much of the city and getting to spend time with good friend from TASIS, Claudia. That was awesome. So much history I didn't know but was glad to have learned.

The cruise was harder to find a favorite. This wasn't my most favorite cruise, but it still ranks up there. Norway is a beautiful country. Too bad we couldn't see some of it because of the rain and, for me, because my foot wasn't playing well with others. I missed out on a few towns and walking around them because of the sore foot.

Of the stops on the cruise, Geiranger was my favorite, followed by Stavanger and the fjords we didn't see because of rain. Geiranger was just beautiful. Gorgeous weather, all types of weather in one day and such beauty all around. Stavanger, the fact the rain, cold and wind were about made me laugh. You fly half way around the world to see something and Mother nature has her own plans. The fact we stood in front of this boat with our camera's ready, wet and frozen makes me smile. It's one of my favorite moments.

Least favorite was Kristiansand. Our excursion was boring and didn't offer anything interesting. The little town we stopped in was cute, but closed up tight so couldn't even go into shops. The boat ride was fun to be on a boat, but we were basically floating around looking at everyone's summer homes.

I'm certainly not disappointed in coming on this trip. Never disappointed in traveling. And, as I said, Norway is beautiful. It did not surpass the Barcelona cruise, Ireland or Scotland though.

Royal Caribbean cruise line wasn't great. I found I compared everything to Norwegian - which is my favorite, and Royal Caribbean just didn't meet the expectation. The cabin was nice, clean and large enough to not feel closed in. The main dining experience was great (other than we had to sit with other people and that's not one of my favorite things. It turned out nice though.). Their buffet/cafeteria options sucked. Nothing great upstairs. A ton of disrespectful rude people and the food was just meh.

On a scale of one to 10, I would give this trip a solid 7.

Now, time to get home. Earn more $$. Get more vacation and plan the next trip - which is actually Boston in Sept - then a cruise in May.

Signing off from Denmark. See you all back in the states.