Checking In/Happy Thanksgiving....

Still skipping meals, exercise spotty at best, just keep struggling to get my tight scheduling under control. Have been working more again and not logging in again, but I keep trying.

Happy Thanksgiving. I have much to be thankful for.

Heard in the Diabetes Too household: the rooster crowing outside and the dog howling in response inside...."cockadoodledoo...howl...cockadoodledoo...howl..." Um, oh yeah...at 5 o'clock a.m.

Big Blue Test Results

So I participated in World Diabetes Day by wearing blue AND taking The Big Blue Test. At 2:00 pm I was at 132 (after eating berries for my afternoon snack). After 14 minutes of stepping with hand-weights, I am at 106! Just goes to show how exercise can affect your blood sugar.

I REALLY need to get more consistent with my exercise. I remember last year writing that word in my hand because it is my biggest struggle...Consistency and here I am a year later, still struggling with the same thing.

The support that I've found from all of my online communities (see sidebar) and the wonderful blogs I read help me (when I am actively reading them). I just need to keep on reading and posting and making small changes until I get where I need to get!

Happy World Diabetes Day

BS: 95

Going blue today for World Diabetes Day 2009. I will be participating in The Big Blue Test today! I'll be wearing blue while I do it too! This year's theme for World Diabetes Day is Diabetes Education and Prevention.

Breakfast: Leftover eggplant/mushroom lasagna (yummy) post-meal 102
Lunch: 2 homemade sausage patties and an orange; pre-meal 91; post-meal 112
Dinner tonight out with my husband. We are trying to go on more dates.


Today's Randomness: Both our male dogs like it when ice cubes fall out of the dispenser onto the floor (accidentally, of course)...one likes to play with them, but the other one eats them...

Mid-week checkin....

So, the good news...I've been forcing myself to STOP and eat lunch, albeit a little late. Now, the bad news...I've been missing my protein in the morning for breakfast. I've slept through my alarm everyday this week, which means I'm running, so though I'm grabbing my fruit (clementine or banana), I'm missing my protein.

I'm still struggling to get back on a regular testing routine. Same can be said for my exercise routine...it's spotty at best. But, I am still here. Not giving up. Not denying. Not running and hiding. Just going to keep doing what I can and keep trying to improve.

Made Chicken Chili (definitely not primal/paleo) yesterday and had it for lunch today too. Here's the recipe I use (it is a combination of a Food Network recipe, along with my own additions):

1 pk Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast or Thighs (usually 5-6 breasts or 7-8 thighs)
1 onion
3 toes garlic
1 bellpepper
1 48 oz. container low sodium chicken stock (or use homemade)
2 cans Black Beans (thoroughly rinsed and drained)
1/2 bag frozen corn (or use fresh)
1 can Ro-Tel
Seasoning (Cumin, Salt, Pepper)
Fresh Cilantro
Lime Juice
Garnishes (shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc.)

Season and cut the chicken into cubes and brown over high heat in a bit of olive oil until browned. Slice the onions, garlic and bellpepper and add to the chicken, cook until onions are transparent (or longer if you like). Rinse the beans and drain the liquid. Add the beans and corn to the chicken. Add the stock and the Ro-Tel. Add the Cumin and other seasonings to taste. Cook for 20-30 minutes until chicken cooked through. Add Cilantro and lime juice to taste. Serve and garnish with shredded cheese, avocado or guacamole, sour cream, tortilla chip strips, etc., if you like.

This has the consistency of soup and tastes better the next day :)

Week's Review...

Well, this week has gone much better than recent months. It is a beginning step in the right direction. Cardio three times this week. Push ups and weights two times. Still have much to improve on, but as a I said a step in the right direction. I am still struggling to eat regular meals as well as eating more primal. Going grocery shopping tomorrow and have been looking at all of my bookmarked sites to get ideas about what to buy. Nothing too drastic, mostly lean meat, fresh vegetables, berries and nuts.

One good thing that I have going right now is that my husband is finally on board. He started seeing a doctor and has started meds and is actually managing his Type II diabetes. He is eating a lot less carbs and has lost 20 pounds. So, I've been sharing all of my sites with him. We'll see how that goes. It is much easier to cook this way now that I pretty much only cook for me, my husband and our youngest son. My oldest son has started working out of town and my college-going daughter is rarely home. My youngest will eat this way as long as I buy him a pizza or some type of junk food at least once a week. So now is the best time to try to incorporate more primal choices into our diets. It is much easier for me to do it if I am not having to cook rice and starchy vegetables for the other members of my family.

Update...Daily Diary

So Tuesday didn't go quite as well as Monday. Started off well with testing and breakfast, but I get so busy at work and there is so much work to do that I don't have time to actually heat something up and eat it. I have to MAKE myself stop and eat lunch, I just have to do it. Then I wasn't really hungry for dinner, but I made myself eat. Did another 50 push-ups (25 on the wall, then the next 25 on the chest freezer...trying to work my way back to full fledged ones on the floor.)

Today was worse. I skipped breakfast because I was running later than I wanted to be, which meant no cardio this morning. Then I got to work and someone brought cookies and Halloween candy. It was easy to say no to the Halloween candy since it was mostly chocolate. But, I did have one of the macadamia nut cookies. I did eat a Lean Cuisine (broccoli and beef w/mushrooms). Then pizza night at home (I had one slice and the toppings off two more, 3 wings and a breadstick). So, instead of making excuses and giving me a reason to keep doing badly, I am making time for cardio tonight. I'll need it to help my numbers after that breadstick/pizza!

Be back!

Checking In/Daily Diary...

As I promised to do yesterday, here is a status on my day:

I woke at 5 am to do 20 minutes of cardio (10 on the glider, 10 stepping). I tested regularly today (fasting, pre-lunch, pre-dinner and I'll be doing a bedtime reading as well). I ate 3 meals and two snacks (B-2 scrambled eggs, S-1 oz. shelled pecans, L-Homemade Veggie Soup, S-25g blueberries, D-Spaghetti Sauce w/veggies over 1/2 cup noodles). I will do 50 wall push-ups before bed. I signed in to Twitter and I am headed to Diabetes Daily and Tu Diabetes to read some posts. Finally, I posted here. I'll be back tomorrow.

Something I used to do on my old personal blog that I am going to do occasionally here:

Heard in the Diabetes Too household today: "What did the green grape say to the purple grape?...Breathe, dummy!" A joke my husband told me this morning. That cracked me up...what does that say about me, LOL?

Time flies.....

So, I've been away from my blog, from the diabetic community, from all of my diabetic resources, low-carb resources, etc. for nearly six months...and I am a mess as a result. I started a new job at the end of May, which leaves me very little time to do anything but work. I'm not eating regularly, completely back to skipping meals, I am not testing regularly, I am not exercising and I am definitely not eating low carb or paleo. Again, I am a mess...but something snapped today and things are about to change. Tomorrow morning I will be up at 5 am for cardio (this is the only time I can fit it in). Tomorrow morning I will do a fasting test and I will eat breakfast. I will eat a Paleo lunch and will test like I'm supposed to. Tomorrow evening when I get in from work, I will visit at least one diabetes resource and I will sign in to Twitter. Tomorrow I will post my progress in this blog.

Different direction...

I'm probably not going to be posting my daily meals every day. I already spend a lot of time keeping track of meals and charting so I am finding it tedious to also post it here.

Took a week off...

I took a week off from charting. I didn't even write down what I ate, though I did continue to eat well (more primal that I have been, in fact--also the first week I DIDN'T eat tortilla chips). I just had a lot going on so I was too busy to chart, but I'm back at it again this week.

Monday
6:00am 91
6:30am 112 (9u Humalog)
7:00am 50g bluberries 5.4g, 1 slice ham .61g, 2 coffees w/3 splendas 2.7g and 1 oz. half and half 1.3g (total 10g CHO)
8:00am 13.25u Lantus
11:30 am 104 (4.5u Humalog)
12:00 pm 2 mini spring rolls 3.65g, duck sauce 2.42g, roasted pecans 1.24g (total 7.3g CHO)
4:30 pm 101
6:00 pm 110 (32u Humalog)
6:30 pm 50g mini sausages and 50g mini meatballs in barbeque sauce 5.5g w/pineapples chunks 2.82g, 50g guacamole 1.4g, 1/4 c RoTel dip 4.5g, 15 tortilla chips (I know!!!) 19.32g (total 33.5g CHO)
8:00 pm 26.5u Lantus
11:00 pm 118

New A1c....

My new A1c is 6.3, down from 7.3 last June (yes, I was a little past due). This is the first one since I started MDI on January 9th. My lowest A1c prior to this was 6.6 and that was when I was strictly following Bernstein. 6.3!! The appointment with the endo was great! He said that he loves patients like me, ones that are creative in controlling their diabetes. He didn't mind that I was getting assistance from Ron (the engineer on the list that I belong to) to set up my insulin regime. He is satisfied with the result, though he encouraged me to get as close to 6 as I could. He spent 45 minutes with me going over everything. I am pleased as can be that I found him. He is all for restricting carbs. As it turns out his oldest daughter was diagnosed at 21 months with Type I so he has personal experience with the disease. All in all, a very positive experience. I'll get blood work results next week.

Friday
B-none (fasting for appointment)
L-chicken patty, tomatoes
D-Hamburger-no bun, tomatoes

Saturday
B-none
L-hot dog-no bun w/mustard, sun chips
D-lean beef, cabbage, mixed fruit

Sunday
B-none, running late for church
L-eggplant/ground beef dressing mix, cucumbers/avocado
D-Pork roast, beets, mixed fruit

Not enough food, slacking off on planning and consistently timed meals. Also, postponed getting back on the Wii Fit, gotta get things together next week!

Appointment with new Endo tomorrow....

So, I see the new endo tomorrow morning. Hoping for a reduction in my A1c. Last one was 7.3. I'm not yet done with my insulin set up, so still not where I need to be but I definitely would like to see an improvement. A little behind on menu posting...I think because I am pretty much eating the same things...except for the parts where I went a little crazy and completely off plan :(

Monday
B-homemade sausage patty (42g), 25g frozen blueberries, coffee w/splenda and half & half (only non-primal thing today)
L-5 low-carb (only 1g for 3, and so delicious) buffalo wings, 1/3 avocado, small tangerine
D-2 meatballs (homemade lean beef, my son cooked them), cabbage w/homemade tasso (my husband and kids made homemade tasso and beef jerky in the smoker this past weekend!), mixed fruit

Tuesday
B-None
L-No food left at work since we are cleaning everything out for shutting the office down at the end of the month and no time to go out to get anything...so, once again skipped (bad, bad, bad)
D-5 oz barbequed pork (country style ribs or pork fingers), corn, mixed fruit

Wednesday
B-2 homemade sausage patty (was hungry, I wonder why!!), 50g blueberries, coffee w/splenda and half & half
L-none
D-had my son's girlfriend's sr night softball game so we picked up dinner (EEK!!), got a shrimp po-boy (gave my bread to my son, but the shrimp were breaded), kept the lettuce and tomato from the sandwich, had about 5 onion rings (yep, fried ones!!) and 1/2 a snickers (a REALLY bad day all around, since I fell so far off the wagon, I should have had a Dr. Pepper, but I didn't).

Back on track today...well, except for the part where I skipped breakfast, but for sure will eat lunch (about to go get something now) and have a great dinner planned!

Edited to add:
Thursday
B-none
L-grilled shrimp, avocado, salsa
D-Spicy Honey Chicken, guacamole, black beans

Weekend Wrapup

The cardiologist reported that my PET scan was normal. There is no new blockage and everything is flowing as it should! This is a great relief. He feels that the pain and numbness in my left arm is probably due to overdoing the boxing on the Wii Fit. I have the green light to continue with the Wii Fit. I'm sure the little dude will berate me for being away so long!!! I'll take it easy with the boxing.

So I was away for a lot of the weekend (baby showers and Easter and such) so of course I did not stay true to primal/paleo, but I really didn't do too badly overall and my blood sugars stayed pretty stable.

Friday (non-paleo/primal all the way)

B-2 eggs, 1 slice WW toast w/spreadable fruit (17.4g carbs)
L-Fish sandwich (no bun, but breaded), small fries (40.2g carbs)
D-1/4 cup rice, crawfish/shrimp etouffee, 8 spears asparagus (22.1g carbs)

Total: 79.7g carbs

Saturday

B-no breakfast
L-(baby shower hors d'oeuvre) 3 meatballs, 3 small sausages, 1 tiny quiche, veggies, nuts, 1 corner of chicken salad sandwich on WW, mixed fruit (could only estimate carbs so dosed on the low side for 15g)
D-Chinese buffet with my mom and dad - only veggie/meat or seafood selections, fruit (could only estimate carbs so dosed on the low side for 20g)

Total: estimated 35g carbs

Sunday
B-biscuit and coffee (yup, this is what mom and dad had, should have taken the time to fry some eggs, but I didn't) (16.3g)
L-skewer of bacon-wrapped deer backstrap, small BBQ chicken thigh, 1/2 cup green bean casserole, 1/2 cup lo-carb coleslaw (9.7g carb)
D-leftover chicken chili, 1/3 avocado, 2 squares of 85% dark chocolate (20.2g carb)

Total: 46.2g carbs

Have to stop now, or I will fall back into that old habit....

One of my most prevalent bad habits is skipping meals (especially breakfast). All it takes is for me to do it a couple of days and then *bam* I'm right back into that old, bad habit. I literally had to FORCE myself to eat breakfast today because I've skipped the last two days and my mind just didn't want to eat this morning. Yet another thing for me to continue working on.


Tuesday:

B-running late...no breakfast
L-4 buffalo wings (made with lo-carb sauce), salad with olives, tomatoes, avocados, small tangelo and a splash of vinegar (9.6g carbs)
D-6 buffalo wings (made with lo-carb sauce), 1/2 avocado, 2 celery stalks, broccoli w/cheese sauce, mixed fruit (16.8g carbs)

Total: 26.4g carbs


Wednesday:
B-working on the road...didn't stop for breakfast
L-sadly, I didn't stop for lunch either
D-Chicken Chili w/guacamole and shredded cheese...and yes...8 tortilla chips (I am so weak!!) (24.6g carbs)

Total: 24.6g carbs

Thursday:
B-46g homemade sausage patty, 50g blueberries, coffee w/splenda, cream (8.74g)
L-4 buffalo wings (made with lo-carb sauce), salad with olives, tomatoes, avocados, small tangelo and a splash of vinegar (9.6g carbs)
D-Toppings of three slices of pizza, mixed berries (21.3g carbs)

Total: 39.6g carbs

Mini Goals

So I am determined to get as near 100% paleo/primal as I can. I have decided to set mini goals. This week, the goal is to have at least two meals per day be 100% primal/paleo.

Monday

B-2 slices low sodium bacon, 4 oz. unsweetened orange juice
L-1 chicken breast, 50g cucumber slices, 4 baby carrots, 1 small tangelo
D-Leftover spaghetti (sauce only), 1 slice lo-carb bread w/butter & garlic powder, mixed fruit

And, a NOT so paleo/primal weekend...

Epic fail. Had festival all weekend (Louisiana is known for it's festivals, dontcha know!!) and I helped work the Knights of Columbus booth with my husband. I hadn't had a Dr. Pepper in 4 months...until Friday. What possessed me to open that can and drink that poison? It gave me a severe headache too! Anyway, my weekend meals are below. Thank goodness I managed to avoid the funnel cake that everyone around me was eating (I've never had funnel cake, which I guess is a good thing since I don't know what I am missing...though I have a pretty good idea, what with all that powdered sugar!)

Friday
B-2 eggs, 1 slice lo carb bread (still not paleo), spreadable fruit
L-Shrimp fajita salad (no tortilla chips YAY!!) with guacamole
D-2 pieces of fried fish, a few strings of a bloomin onion and that dreaded Dr. Pepper

Saturday
B-Sausage patty, 50g blueberries
L-Leftover pork & broccoli with garlic ginger green beans, 1/2 tangelo
D-Leftover spaghetti (no noodles) - eaten kinda like chili, strawberries w/cream

Sunday
B-Sausage patty, 50g blueberries
L-BBQ pork, 1/2 cup french fries
D-Baked chicken, asparagus, mixed fruit

Getting closer to Paleo, with a couple exceptions...

Mon
B-62g sausage patty, 50g blueberries (4.74g)
L-85g cooked chicken, 60g cooked ground beef, 30g avocado, Tangelo, raw (8.8g)
D-fried chicken, 40g red beans, ½ biscuit (estimated carbs – 42g) (YEAH, WAY BAD...I KNOW...everyone running late so Troy picked up something for dinner, I should have eaten something else, but I caved!!)
Total: 55.5g carbs


Tue
B 56g sausage patty, 50g blueberries, 2 cups coffee with splenda/cream (8.74g)
L eggplant/beef/tomato (4.1g) - forgot my veggies here!!
D 180g roast, 120g broccoli/cheese, 30g pecans, 80g strawberries w/whipped cream (eeek, another non-paleo something something that I will have to get rid of!!!) (9.8g)
Total: 18.6g carbs

Wed
B 65g sausage patty, 50g blueberries, 2 cups coffee with splenda/cream (8.74g)
L grilled beef w/onions & bellpeppers, 20g cheese, 30g guacamole (7.6g)
D 120g Spicy Honey Chicken, 50g Lime Cilantro Rice (I should have had a lime cilantro salad instead!!!), 25g black beans, 50g cucumbers (31.5g)
Total: 47.8g carbs

Thursday
B 52g sausage patty, 50g blueberriesm 2 cups coffee with splenda/cream (8.74g)
L Spicy Honey chicken, 70g cucumbers, 6 baby carrots, 25g salsa, small tangelo (21.6g)
D Pork and Broccoli stir fry, Garlic Ginger Green Beans (9.76g)
Total: 40.1g carbs

Test Update/Excuses...

So behind on posting my meals. Still religiously tracking them, but I'm working two jobs right now so not much computer time! I will update this post tonight with my meals for the weekend and yesterday. So, I had the PET scan on Friday. It went well, a little uncomfortable, but I dealt. The tech said that he couldn't give me formal results, but if anything was really bad, he wouldn't let me leave. I'm hoping for no new blockage.

This week's goal: No tortilla chips. I've been flirting with eating a primal diet (I've been following Mark's Daily Apple for a while. I can't wait for the book.) Most of my meals have been pretty much there but for tortilla chips and cheese and the occasional slice of bread (I've been looking at no grain/low carb recipes for bread). Tortilla chips first...then I'll figure out what I'll do about cheese. I don't eat gobs of cheese, but I do enjoy melty cheese every now and then. It is basically the only dairy I still eat...oh crap, except for the half and half that I put in my coffee every morning...I'll have to figure that out, too! Surely there is a suitable substitute that will make my coffee caramel colored and take some of the bite out...I know, my husband asks, "why drink coffee, if you are going to dilute it like that??" Anyway, we're in the process of making a huge garden so that we can eat healthier, not to mention cheaper. My husband is also building a chicken coop as I type. It will be right next to the pig pen (I know, I know...I am now living on a farm!) Thank goodness we have 26 acres of land! He has a smokehouse that he built a couple of years ago so we already make our own sausage (pork and deer). So we are all set! Be back later to post my meals.

Fri 3/27
B-WW toast, 2 eggs, spreadable fruit (17.4g carb)
L-Peanut butter and spreadable fruit sandwich w/WW bread (25.8g carb)
D-Boiled crawfish , 1 small boiled potato (22.7g carb)
Total: 65.9g carbs

Sat 3/28
B-116g ground pork sausage patty, 50g blueberries (4.74g carbs)
L-Granola bar (11g carb)
D-Rice noodles (30g), homemade spaghetti sauce (estimate 25g)
Total: 40.7g carbs

Sun 3/29
B-120g ground pork sausage patty, 50g blueberries (4.74g carbs)
L-Eggplant Boat (16.11g carbs)
D-Chicken fajitas w/tortilla chips, cheese, guacamole, 1/8 cup refried beans
(35.7g carbs)
Total: 56.55g carbs

Medical Update/New Data

Appointment with new cardiologist went well. He couldn't find a pulse in my ankles, so he made me do an ultrasound on my legs to be safe. The tech said it looked ok, that I definitely had at least one artery open (as long as all three are not blocked they don't do anything) on both legs, probably more…I shouldn't worry. I have a PET scan tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed that I have no new blockage. He did say that he would prefer I get a new endo, as he does not want to full on manage my diabetes. So, I went ahead and made an appointment today and I'll see a new endo in April. The cardiologist actually suggested the one that I was leaning toward, so that is good. We'll see how it goes!

Tue 3/24
Fasting: 150
B-100g oatmeal, 1 egg (6.75) 5^th hour: 144
L-Chicken breast, salad w/lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, carrot, bell pepper, 3 strawberries (7.44g carb) 5^th hour: 123
D-1 slice pizza, toppings from 3 slices of pizza (34g carb) 5^th hour: 87
Total Carbs: 48g 

Wed 3/25
Fasting: 136
B-Fasting for dr visit
L-Italian Chicken, 1/4c egg noodle (8.5g carb) 5^th hour: forgot to take reading!!
D-Sloppy Joe, chips (37g carb) 5^th hour: 106
Total Carbs: 45.5g
 
Thu 3/26
Fasting: 148, but quickly up to 186 within ½ hour…WTH????
B-1 slice WW toast, 1 tbsp spreadable fruit, 1 egg (20g carb) 5^th hour: 151
L-7 oz chicken breast, lettuce, 5 grape tomatoes, banana pepper rings w/vinegar & pepper (2g) 5^th hour: 123
D-1/4c rice, pork & gravy, 1/2c lima beans (21g) 5^th hour: will edit
Total Carbs: 43g

Falling Behind...

Right now, I am working two jobs. I am in the process of closing one office and I've already taken on new contract work so I haven't had much chance to twitter, post, etc. Tomorrow is my appointment with a new cardiologist. I'll find out if he will agree to manage my diabetes as well. If not, then I'll also be seeing a new endo. I'm hoping for a non-eventful visit tomorrow, that the pain in my left shoulder is from overdoing the boxing on the Wii Fit. It has lessened since I cut back on the workouts, but my weight loss has also stalled. We'll have to talk about that tomorrow to see what my options are. Ok, meals for the last few days:

Sat
Fasting: 121
B-homemade sausage patty, blueberries (6gm carb), after 5th hour: 122
L-2 franks, 35g potato chips, 1/2 Almond Crunch bar (13.9gm carb), after 5th hour: 73 (ended up low, had to take 2 glucose tabs...I mopped that morning)
D-Beef fajita (w/onions & peppers), 50g tortilla chips, guacamole, cheese (23.9gm carb), after 5th hour: 106

Total Carb: 43.8gm

Sun
Fasting: 141
B-biscuit (ouch!!) and homemade sausage patty (28.6gm carb), after 5th hour: 117
L-5 oz. beef roast (lean), 1/4 cup rice, 1/2 cup black-eye peas (22gm carb), after 5th hour: 67 (after going down to 51 and treating w/3 glucose tabs, so drank 4oz orange juice)
D-Leftover beef fajita, 50g tortilla chips, guacamole, cheese (23.9g carb), after 5th hour: 137

Total carbs: 74.5gm

Mon
Fasting: 181
B-100g oatmeal, 1 egg (8.8gm carb), after 5th hour: 128
L-skipped lunch
D-Italian chicken (chicken thighs, pearl onions, mushrooms, baby carrots, stewed tomatoes), green beans, 1/4 cup egg noodles (9.9gm carb), after 5th hour: 97

Total carbs: 18.7gm carbs

I found out Sunday that I was counting carbs the wrong way. I've been dosing for the entire carb count on the package label, when I should have been dosing for the carbs less the fiber. So, I've modified that and hopefully, I will be able to get tighter control (without going low every day). I'm also going to start eating 100g of cooked oatmeal with 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 splenda packet with a protein at least three times a week. I seem to be tolerating it pretty well. Next week, I am going to NOT eat tortilla chips...no seriously, no more tortilla chips. Chips have been showing up nearly every day. I'm also going to cut back on cheese and nuts to see if I can't get the weight moving again. I need to get back to my strict 2 fruit servings and 5 veggie servings per day, along with good, lean protein and maybe some lo-carb muffins for "dessert".

Endo/Recent Days

So, I posted a news article about the last endo I saw as his license was suspended. I immediately had 66 local views to my blog. That unnerved me for some reason, so I removed the post. But, my husband made me see things a little differently. Obviously, many people were patients of his and they were searching for the news story and since I used his name, of course, my blog would come up in the search. Many people have come forward now with the same complaints I had...tests denied by the insurance company and refusing to give lab results (I repeatedly asked for my lab results only to be denied and told "it is not important". Instead, he did produce a report in which he stated, "test was within normal range, but at the high end..." or similar statements.) Others have mentioned the numerous degrees, pictures, etc. on his walls as well as the security cameras all over the offices. It feels good to have my feelings validated. This doctor made me feel like an idiot and he twisted my words into very negative things that he put into his report. When my g.p. read the report, he couldn't believe what the doctor was saying because he kept saying, "you're not this kind of patient at all." Apparently, I am far from the only one he did this to. Anyway, those who had commented, I appreciate your support (sorry I blasted the entire post and comments).

On to meals, I'm a little behind!

Wednesday
B-Ricotta cheese pancakes, 65g ground pork patty, SF syrup, coffee
L-Small drumstick/thigh of whole roasted chicken, asparagus, strawberries w/cream
D-Parmesan chicken breast, zucchini noodles, cheese, asparagus, blueberries

Totals: 876 calories, 33g carbs, 47g fat, 84g protein, 791mg sodium

Thursday
B-2 eggs, 1 slice WW toast w/spreadable fruit, coffee
L-Small drumstick/2 oz breast, 1/2c beets, 2 tbsp French's fried onions, 4 strawberries, whipped cream
D-2 breaded chicken patties, 1/2c corn

Totals: 892 calories, 69g carbs, 35g fat, 79g protein, 1549mg sodium

Friday
B-2 eggs, 1 slice WW toast w/spreadable fruit
L-grilled shrimp, avocado, tomatoes, 7 tortilla chips, cheese
D-Shrimp fahitas w/onions & bellpeppers (no tortillas), guacamole, 1/4 cup beans

No totals as dinner was eaten in a restaurant and no nutritional information available.

Progress....

My earlier post got me thinking so I decided to go back 2 months and 1 month to see where I was then. Here are the results:



By the way, I do hour 5 tests so that I can see where I am once the Humalog is spent. Once I get my dosing where it needs to be, I'll go back to doing 2 hour PP tests. I can't spare 3 more strips each day for now.

More good numbers....

This MDI might actually be working. I've been having pretty decent numbers (including fasting, except for Monday morning). Still seems so "up in the air", what works one day might not work the next, etc. Am I destined to eating the same thing every day so that my numbers will be right? Sometimes, I think that would be easier. I've pretty much been doing that for lunch anyway, breakfast too. Dinner is always the variant. I'll keep working on it.

Monday
Fasting: 124
B-Coffee, pecans (running late and forgot breakfast, had pecans in the car)-5th hr:130
L-8 oz chicken breast, 1/2 c beets, 1 tangerine, 2 squares Lindt Intense Orange Dark Chocolate-5th hr: 89
D-1 slice WW toast w/2 fried eggs, 1/2 cucumber, 1 small roma tomato, 50g blueberries-5th hr: 84

Totals: 874 calories, 61g carbs, 48g fat, 55g protein, 974mg sodium

Tuesday
Fasting: 167 (why???? I've been doing so good!!)
B-Turkey/Cheese rollup, 1/2 cucumber-5th hr: 121
L-Steak fajita salad, 1 oz. pecans-5th hr: 102
D-Turkey (white meat w/gravy), 1/4 cup red beans, 3 oz sausage-5th hr: 86

Totals: 959 calories, 51g carbs, 54g fat, 74g protein, 1626mg sodium

Weekend Ups and Downs

I spent most of the weekend bouncing up and down (not REAL high and not REAL low, just dropping and jumping quickly, if that makes sense). Not sure what is going on, but since switching to MDI on Jan 9th, this is the first time where I've been so inconsistently inconsistent readings-wise, but it is not necessarily a bad thing since usually I am consistently on the high side. The best news is that I had a below 100 fasting reading. That may have happened once or twice since my diagnosis. I would love to see more of those. It just dictates how the day will be.

Friday (Fasting 154)

B-Coffee and two eggs (after 5th hour-138)
L-No lunch - out shopping and forgot Humalog dose, by the time I got home it was too close to dinner so I skipped as a result I ended up on the low side (62) so I had a couple of glucose tabs and got to 84 a half hour later
D-6 oz shrimp, 1/3 avocado, 1/4 cup black beans, 1/2 small roma tomato, cheese, and yes, the dreaded tortilla chips/salsa, also had a low carb margarita (after 5th hour-116)

Saturday (Fasting 86!!!)

B-85g Homemade sausage patty, 50g unsweetened frozen blueberries, coffee (after 5th hour-135)
L-1/2 cup homemade chili, 7 tortilla chips w/salsa (I know, I have to stop...I have replaced all carbs with tortilla chips) (after 5th hour-144)
D-Hamburger, no bun, onions, mushrooms, swiss cheese, 4 thin slices tomato and (sigh) 15 (yes I counted them)french fries - I am weak!! (after 5th hour-144)

Sunday (Fasting 136)

B-Swiss mushroom hamburger omelet, coffee (after 5th hour-149)
L-Subway salad w/tuna, 1/2 bag of french onion sun chips (after 5th hour-119)
D-Date w/Troy (chinese), about 1/4 cup egg drop soup, innards only of one eggroll and two crab rangoons, very small portions of chicken/broccoli, Mongolian beef, beef/broccoli, garlic chicken (all amounted to about 1 cup of meat/veggies), 1 small rib (after 5th hour - 99)

Sick of Diabetes Wednesday/Thursday

Yup, I am still having a pity party. I need to figure out a way out of this funk...get rid of this chip on my shoulder. I need to focus on doing everything I can to successfully manage this disease. For me that means consistency. Basically, I just need to "get over it"!

Wednesday:

B-just coffee
L-Chicken breast, broccoli w/cheese, tangerine, 2 squares of Lindt dark chocolate
D-Homemade chili, 7 corn chips, cheese, mixed berries w/cream

Totals: 761 calories, 53g carbs, 41g fat, 48g protein, 1303mg sodium

Thursday:

B-50g homemade sausage patty, 50g unsweetened blueberries
L-chicken breast, broccoli w/cheese, tangerine, 1 oz pecans
D-3 oz brisket, 1 oz. smoked sausage w/barbeque sauce, 1/2 cup corn, gin/diet 7 drink

Totals: 955 calories, 47g carb, 52g fat, 65g protein, 1263mg sodium

Tuesday's Whine...

Sometimes, I just get so tired of all this tracking and testing and shooting and eating. Tuesday was one of those days. I did it anyway, but it really is such a chore. You know what else kills me? How I'm trying so hard to do it right and then other people like my mother (I love you, Mom) really don't follow the rules and then get an excellent A1c. Don't get me wrong, I am glad she got a great A1c, but she doesn't eat right (you know you don't) and she gets very little exercise. Plus, I'd be surprised if she tested even twice a day and still she gets an excellent A1c and great readings. Can someone explain this to me? How can I be SO damn diabetic that there is NO leeway? I know there is no answer to this...and I'm not going give up, but sometimes I miss being unaware like I was for the 10 or so years I was pre-diagnosis.

Tuesday's menu:

B-Homemade sausage patty (100g), blueberries (50g)
L-4 oz. Chicken breast, 1/2 small avocado, 1 small tangerine, 1 oz pecans
D-1 cup Chicken/Chickpea recipe, 1/2 cup cauliflower

Totals: 1141 calories, 41g carbs, 72g fat, 86g protein, 1110mg sodium

Monday...kinda Bento

Monday was a looooooooooooooooong day. I always have a hard time adjusting to DST.

B-2 oz. lean pork, 1 slice WW toast w/spreadable fruit, coffee
L-4 oz. ribeye, asparagus, beets and a small tangerine (see photo below...still using my blackberry, I need/want this!)
D-Chicken chili, tortilla chips (must quit eating chips) w/cheese

Totals: 844 calories, 49g carbs, 38g fat, 75g protein, 979mg sodium

Saturday/Sunday

Saturday meals:

B-Homemade sausage patty (105g), 1 tbsp SF syrup, frozen unsweetened blueberries (50g), coffee
L-3 weiners, 1 tbsp chili sauce, 1.06 oz cajun trail mix
D-Asian pork lettuce wraps w/onions, mushrooms, fresh stringbeans, avocado, (see picture below...these were soooooo good) strawberries (60g), whipped cream, 2 diet 7 up/bombay gin drinks w/olives

Totals: 1322 calories, 50g carbs, 77g fat, 77g protein, 2962mg sodium (ouch)



Sunday meals:

B-Homemade sausage patty (100g), 1 tbsp SF syrup, frozen unsweetened blueberries (50g)
L-Steak fajita salad
D-Boston butt (3.6 oz), small jalapeno pepper stuffed w/cream cheese and wrapped in bacon, green bean casserole, frozen unsweetened blueberries (100g)

Totals: 1044 calories, 47g carbs, 113g fat, 68g protein, 412mg sodium

My First Real Low...

I volunteer at a bookstore during weekend retreats. The store gets really busy on Sundays since there is a Mass and family members come to the Mass and always end up in the bookstore to buy something for their loved ones making the retreat. So, on Sundays, someone from the kitchen comes in and asks if we want a plate of food. Today, they came in and asked if we wanted a plate and my daughter (who was there to help me) and I both said yes. There was turkey and cornbread dressing with green beans. They said the plates would be coming right now. So I dosed to cover the cornbread dressing, then got busy and promptly forgot about it. About 40 minutes later I dropped a ring on the floor and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to make myself bend down and get it. I looked at my daughter with what she said was a "weird" look on my face because I couldn't make myself bend down. Suddenly I got extremely hot and shaky and I realized what it was. All I said was blood sugar and my daughter immediately got my meter...43. I started eating glucose tabs, but since I didn't feel any improvement I freaked. We had customers so my daughter had to stay with the register. I decided to go to the kitchen to get a coke. I could barely walk, I was sweating profusely, I couldn't make a logical sentence come out of my mouth, but thankfully I ran into someone who knows I am diabetic and I just told her I needed a coke and she got it.

It took a while, but I finally got up to 120. I really thought the symptoms would go away once I started to rise again, but they don't. It was nearly an hour before I wasn't shaking and a little longer than that before I could find all the right words. It was a careless mistake on my part...one that I plan not to repeat. I don't care if I have to eat cold food, from now on I won't be dosing until I see the food. (I have an unusually long time to start...almost an hour from the time I dose until my blood sugar starts to decrease so I always dose then wait 30 minutes to eat.)

Thursday/Friday

Thursday

B-Chicken patty, coffee
L-Grilled chicken breast, asparagus, 2 cherry tomatoes, 1 oz pecans, 1 small tangerine
D-Meatball spaghetti over zucchini noodles, SF Almond Balls

Totals: 1044 calories, 57g carbs, 73g fat, 49g protein, 2363mg sodium

Friday (no meat)

B-2 eggs, WW toast w/spreadable fruit, coffee
L-Grilled shrimp salad, 7 tortilla chips, 1tbsp salsa
D-Shrimp stew w/eggs, 1/3 avocado, spinach, strawberries w/creme

Totals: 716 calories, 61g carbs, 34g fat, 47g protein, 1908mg sodium

Ooops...

I was so worried about my cravings yesterday that I forgot to post my actual meals...so here goes!

B-Homemade pork sausage patty w/SF syrup, 50g blueberries, 1/2 oz almonds, coffee w/splenda and cream
L-4 oz chicken breast, 2 cherry tomatoes, cauliflower w/cheese, 1/4 cup pecans, small tangerine
D-Chicken stir-fry (chicken, fresh green beans, onions, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts), SF almond balls (and I rolled those suckers in an eensie bit of powdered sugar...I know, I know!!!)

Totals:
1066 calories, 50g carbs, 75g fat, 69g protein, 1162mg sodium

Why??

I have been eating lower carb since about November, but seriously tracking and planning since January. It really hasn't been too bad. The only thing I really miss that I am just not willing to dose for is Dr. Pepper. Everything else, I had pretty much discontinued in my life way back when I was diagnosed (though there were times that I did act like I didn't have diabetes and I ate poorly). So why is it that today, I am having SERIOUS cravings for things that I NEVER even think about. Like chocolate covered donuts, Captain Crunch cereal, Three Musketeers bars, cookie cake, powdered sugar...anything with powdered sugar on it...well you get the idea. What is up with that? I am going crazy.

Tuesday - Leftover Bento Style

I think I've finally caught the bug floating around the house. My left ear is killing me, which is a sure sign that I'll have yet another hole in my ear drum (I don't do ear infections halfway). Both my sons have already been to the doc and I guess I'm headed that way as well. Feeling feverish and sick this afternoon.

Today's meals:

B-2 fried eggs, 1 slice WW low carb toast w/butter and Spreadable Fruit
L-Leftover Chicken Chili Bento Style, Guacamole
D-Meatball Spaghetti over Zucchini noodles, strawberries/blueberry surprise (just blended some frozen strawberries and frozen blueberries with a little Davinci's SF Banana syrup and a little whipped cream (yum)

Totals: 804 calories, 62g carbs, 44g fat, 50g protein, 1857mg sodium

I am out of fruit and nuts at my office and I need to remedy that quickly as I am not eating close to my 1200 calories. I will add that to my "To Do" list for tomorrow.

Edited to add totals.

Manic Monday

Had a very busy day today and still going...Tomorrow will be just as busy, actually all week will. Hopefully, my numbers don't suffer too much. I've started doing Menu Plan Monday on my regular blog and I am going to start a recipe page for the meals that I make (if not using one of my low carb recipe books).

Ok, on to today's meals:

B-Homemade sausage patty w/SF syrup, coffee w/Splenda and cream
L-2 chicken breasts, asparagus, 1 Kavli 5 grain crispbread
D-Chicken Chili, guacamole, strawberries w/cream

Totals: 814 calories, 43g protein, 42g fat, 71g protein, 2467mg sodium

Sunday...

I spent most of yesterday high (as a leftover result of poor eating at the wedding on Saturday) and fighting cravings. There were two cans of Dr. Pepper in my house...WHY? (my husband bought them for the kids while we were out of town and some how they made their way back home with us and into my fridge). I even poured one out over ice for me and had to finally catch a grip. I gave it to my son and told them that the other one better be gone by the time I get home today. I am so damn weak. Actually I am not that weak. I have been focusing on the fact that I ate wedding cake, but I should be focused on all that I passed up that I was faced with all weekend, like chocolate covered donuts, bread, Dr. Pepper, cookies...so many things that I could have had and didn't. I limited myself and I should be proud. So I am OFF my pity pot and on to a more positive attitude. So I have diabetes...get over it and do what needs to be done.

I did not eat right Sunday. Not nearly enough food.

B-coffee only
L-4 oz roast, 1/2 cup fresh corn
D-2 frozen eggrolls (yep, wrong), 1/4 cup chicken salad

Back to regular eating and charting for Monday.

Happy Anniversary Tu Diabetes

I just want to send a shout out to Tu Diabetes. Today, the online community celebrates its second anniversary. I have learned so much and received support from this community. It is wonderful to have these resources available to us.

Wedding Weekend

So my niece got married this weekend. All three of my kids were in the wedding. The boys were ushers and my daughter was the maid of honor. The rehearsal dinner was Thursday (so my daughter and I left right after work) and my husband and boys followed after he got off work and they got out of school. Of course, my eating was out of whack the entire weekend. I didn't even test regularly for yesterday, the actual wedding day (yes, I did have 6 bites of wedding cake...damn). I also experienced my very first low (since I've gone to MDI January 9th) Friday, but really not too low. Details follow:

Thursday
B-breaded chicken patty from chicken biscuit, biscuit (running late, had to eat on the road)
L-Fajita salad
D-Beef brisket, green bean casserole, 1 bite of potato salad, 1/3 banana, 4 oz Zinfandel (was at rehearsal dinner which was catered - which meant NO choices...I passed on the rice dressing, rest of the potato salad, bread and pudding)

Friday (no meat)
B-1 egg, 1 slice WW toast, strawberry preserves (went 66, had one glucose tab which slowly got me to around 80ish where I stayed the rest of the day, so I'll take 66 anyday!)
L-(on the road) fish fillet sandwich (no bread), mandarin orange cup
D-grilled red fish, grilled asparagus, grilled zucchini/squash

Saturday (wedding)
B-Coffee only
L-brisket, swedish meatballs, barbequed sausage, 3 baby tort shells w/crawfish dip, celery, 2 cheese cubes...oh yeah and those 6 bites of wedding cake and one rum/juice concoction (not a good day)
D-leftover barbequed chicken, eggplant dressing mix

Back on track today!

Ash Wednesday

So yesterday was Ash Wednesday and for us Catholics that means a time to prepare for Easter and it also means no meat.

B-Ricotta cheese pancake w/25g blueberries (I ate this with no sweetener and no butter...it was pretty good)

L-5 oz drained tuna w/mayo & mustard, 2 Kavli 5grain Crisps, 12 spears asparagus, 1/2 orange

D-1/2 cup small white beans, 1/3 avocado, 1 cup broccoli with 1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Totals: 738 calories, 60g carbs, 28g fat, 68g protein, 1616mg sodium

Bento Giveaway...Happy Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras everyone! What that meant for me was a day off from work YAY!

So, one of the Bento blogs that I follow (a fellow Louisianian, at that) is having a Bento giveaway. Visit Not Exactly Bento to see for yourself! I love the set she is giving away.

Menu for Fat Tuesday:

B-Coffee only (I am finding it hard to eat breakfast on my days off)
L-Eggplant dressing mix, strawberries w/cream, 2 bloody marys
D-3 oz pork steak, low carb coleslaw, eggplant dressing mix (no rice), walnut halves, SF chocolate chips, 1/2 banana, cool whip

Totals: 1157 calories, 46g carbs, 68g fat, 64g protein, 16656mg sodium

Time to get serious...

So in reviewing my menus over the last few days, I see that I am letting more and more slide (read: onion rings, York peppermint patty, not eating breakfast, etc.). So I am tightening up again. My weight is stalled once again, despite eating under 1200 calories and exercising 4 times a week.

So, Ron Sebol (who runs DSM-L, a diabetes list) has been helping figure out my meal doses, etc. and he did a weight analysis thing (which I won't even pretend to understand) that pretty much says that I'm not normal (go figure). Something about "calories per pound average was about 1/3 of what is normal for her age and activity level. I concluded that she likely has a hormone abnormality and that it is the root cause of her not losing even on a strict 1200 calories per day". I have struggled with my weight since...forever and to be honest I eat 1200 or less because if I eat more than that, I GAIN weight. So, when I see the doctor I'll ask for some additional tests.

Anyway, Monday's menu:

B-2 boiled eggs, 1 small tangerine, coffee
L-4 oz chicken breast, Oriental Style Blend veggies w/parmesan, 1/2 orange
D-6 oz Polynesian Pork (from recipe), Homemade low carb coleslaw, broccoli, strawberries w/whipped cream

Totals: 1233 calories, 53g carbs, 55g fat, 72g protein, 1166mg sodium

Weekend Catchall

Friday

B-Homemade Sausage patty, SF syrup, 1 slice WW toast, coffee
L-Tuna salad over spinach salad w/cucumber, tomato & banana pepper rings
D-Hamburger (no bun), onion rings (not good!!)

Totals: 1029 calories, 47g carbs, 56g fat, 49g protein, 1267mg sodium

Saturday

B-Coffee only
L-Fajita salad w/salsa, 4 tortilla chips (yes, 4...I am trying to get to 0), 1 mini York Peppermint patty
D-Homemade low carb chili, strawberries w/walnuts, unsweetened coconut and whipped cream

Totals: 1033 calories, 60g carbs, 67g fat, 47g protein, 2149mg sodium

Sunday

B-Coffee only
L-Homemade Swiss Meatloaf (from recipe), walnuts, SF choc chips, whipped cream
D-Homemade Swiss Meatloaf with onions & mushrooms, 1/3 avocado, 1/2 tangerine

Totals: 1192 calories, 50g carbs, 79g fat, 86g protein, 338mg sodium

Thursday

I keep hitting these plateaus in my weight loss, like every two or three pounds. It is beyond frustrating. Then I read on one of the sites that I follow that an insulin regimen sometimes can make you gain weight. Is that what is happening. I am consistently eating healthier and working out with very little progress. I know I said I want to lose it slow so that I don't put it right back on and I feel very strongly that I can maintain this way of eating, but a little boost of a loss now and then would do much to make me FEEL better. Food wise, I really don't miss much (except Dr. Pepper) and even that is fading as I consistently deny myself. I WANT to exercise so I don't foresee me slacking there, so I guess I just keep fighting the fight and quit worrying so much about results.

Thursday Menu
B-Homemade sausage patty, WW toast w/spreadable fruit, coffee w/Splenda and cream
L-Last of the leftover Pizza chicken, 1/3 avocado, 8 black olives, 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
D-Homemade chili w/half a serving of corn chips, cheese, strawberries w/whipped cream

Totals: 1169 calories, 63g carbs, 65g fat, 86g protein

Tuesday/Wednesday Menus

Tuesday:

B-Ricotta Cheese Pancakes, 1/3 small banana, coffee w/splenda and cream
L-Salad w/grilled chicken and 1/2 orange
D-Fajitas, 1 serving tortilla chips, Salsa, guacamole, cheese (I will never lose weight if I keep eating the chips!!!)

Totals: 1304 calories, 62g carbs, 86g fat, 76g protein, 2023mg sodium

Wednesday:

B-Ricotta Cheese Pancakes, 1/2 small banana, coffee w/splenda and cream
L-Leftover Pizza Chicken and salad
D- 3 oz. brisket, 1/2 cup white beans, 75g strawberries w/cream

Totals: 799 calories, 56g carbs, 29g fat, 82g protein, 799mg sodium

Today's charting...

2:30 am 134
6:00 am 153 (Fasting)
7:00 am B-1 slice WW toast w/spreadable fruit, 1 egg, coffee w/splenda & cream
11:30 am 115 (5 hr after breakfast dose)
12:00 pm L-Salad (spinach, 4 grape tomatoes, 8 black olives, .40 avocado, .2 oz banana pepper rings, 1 tbsp bacon bits, 4 oz chicken breast, vinegar & pepper) 1/2 orange
4:30 pm 103 (5 hr after lunch dose)
6:30 pm D-Pizza Chicken (6 oz chicken breast w/turkey pepperoni, onion, mushrooms, banana pepper rings, black olives, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese), Salad (romaine, celery, cucumber, tomato), Walnut halves, SF chocolate chips, whipped cream
9:15 pm 87 (post 45 minutes aerobic exercise)
10:30 pm 125 (5 hr after dinner dose)

Totals: 988 calories, 54g carbs, 57g fat, 75g protein, 1741mg sodium

So, except for the fasting, I am making progress! Actually, even fasting is lower than usual, so progress there too!

Weekend Wrapup...

Menus for the weekend:

Friday
B-Coffee only
L-Tyson's Anytizers Boneless Chicken wings (9 pieces!! Way too carby), celery, ranch dressing
D-Leftover spaghetti over zucchini slices, 1 slice WW bread, strawberries and whipped cream

Totals: 783 calories, 56g carbs, 38g fat, 53g protein, 2753mg sodium (!!!)

Saturday
B-Sausage patty w/SF syrup, coffee
L-Chinese Food (meat/veggies, 1 crab rangoon, 1 rib-no sauce, 1 breaded shrimp, some sweet & sour sauce)
D-leftover Chinese (meat/veggies only)

Totals: estimated 1400 calories, 44g carbs, 83g fat, 80g protein, 3223mg sodium (!!!)

Sunday
B-Coffee only
L-Homemade chicken/sausage gumbo (no rice) w/2 boiled eggs, Bloody Mary, homemade low carb carrot cake
D-Leftover homemade chicken chili, 5 tortilla chips, .25 cup shredded cheese

Totals: 852 calories, 39g carbs, 49g fat, 43g protein, 1988mg sodium

Let's just say the weekend was no where near a success. Must. cut. down. on. sodium. Must. eat. all. calories. protein. and. fat.

Thursday Menu

B - 1 slice WW toast w/butter and spreadable fruit, 1 egg, coffee with splenda and creamer
L - Skimpy toppings off of 5 slices of Cici's Pizza, side salad of lettuce, black olives, bacon, 3 cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, oil and vinegar (was starving an hour later)
D - Homemade Chicken Chili, guacamole, 10 small tortilla chips

I'd have to guess at my totals today since I have no idea what the counts were for the pizza toppings, but I'd say that I was under on all numbers. My current goals are 1300 calories, 40-65g carbs, 79g fat, 81g protein and under 2400mg sodium.

You've come a long way baby...

Imagine being a complete needle phobe. One of my earliest memories (I was probably 4 or 5) was being at the doctor's office and being brought to the back because I was sick with yet another ear infection, and as I am walking down the hall, I can see into the open doors of the other exam rooms. Suddenly I see my favorite nurse, Nurse Charity (seriously that was her name...she had other sisters, named Faith, Hope and Joy) jabbing a needle into some kid's arm. I freaked out. Since that day, I could never watch a shot being given or see a needle go into my skin. The older I got the worse it got. I've passed out while iv's were started. I've been turned away from giving blood because I panic so badly about the thought of the needle stick that when they check my blood pressure it was sky high and my pulse rate was rocketing. Suffice it to say that I was a BIG wimp when it came to needles.

Now imagine being told that not only will I need to have a shot of insulin every day, but that I'll have to give it to myself. I literally sat in the doctor's office sobbing. All I could see was Nurse Charity jabbing that needle into that kid's arm. I was a basket case. The first shot I attempted took me nearly an hour to actually break the skin of my thigh. (I couldn't even begin to imagine sticking that needle into my belly). I sat there holding that needle over my skin, crying, while my husband sat there getting more and more aggravated with me. He just wanted to stick me, but I knew I had to do it. It probably took about 2 weeks before I could just stick the needle in without hovering over my skin and agonizing over the prick (knowing that the prick really wasn't all that bad, but still...). That was almost two years ago. This morning my daughter laughed at me and said "mom, you sure have come a long way" while, on the interstate driving 74 mph, I started steering my car with my knees, pulled up my shirt and jabbed my 8 am Lantus dose into my belly during my hour commute to work. She is right...I sure have.

Edited to say: I draw my Lantus at home before I get behind the wheel. I literally just have to "jab" it into my belly. It takes all of one to two seconds. I don't even take my eyes off the road. And, I still have one hand on the wheel. I would never willingly put myself or my daughter in any danger. :)

Back on Track...kind of

So, I didn't let yesterday's cheat weigh me down as I would have in the past. I feel great about that. Having said that, today I just didn't eat enough food. My numbers were a little elevated all day until just before dinner. Today's menu:

B-1 egg, coffee w/splenda and cream
L-100g gyro meat, 1/4 cup Hummus, side greek salad, sauteed mushrooms
D-Homemade spaghetti sauce w/ground beef and sausage, 1 cup zucchini, 100g strawberries with whipped cream

Totals: 922 calories, 52g carbs, 61g fat, 48g protein

Yesterday...I goofed

Well, I had an awesome day since I started a new basal dosing scheme and my numbers were wonderful until I decided to change that by eating something I shouldn't have after I had already dosed, etc. etc. etc. so I ended up going to bed 40 points higher. My first real cheat of the year. I'm disappointed in myself, but no way am I sitting here and stressing on it. I woke this morning newly motivated. I am going to screw up along the way...that is a given. What I am not going to do is use that to make excuses to go back to making wrong choices on a regular basis.

Tuesday Menu:

B - 1 egg, 1 slice WW toast, 1/2 tsp spreadable fruit, coffee with cream and splenda
L - Beef Jerky, 100g cucumber, 8 black olives, 6 asparagus spears, 1/4 cup pineapple chunks
D - 6 oz steak, 1 small cucumber, .4 cup beets, 1/4 small cantaloupe

My Turn Day

We interrupt our normal broadcast...


My kids and I will be visiting the nursing homes to read to the elderly. It's YOUR turn! Visit My Turn Day.

Another Bento Lunch Day...

Another Bento Lunch day today. Leftovers again: Chicken/Ground venison, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, black olives and some cheese sauce. Will edit with today's full menu later on.

Menu for today:

B-WW toast w/butter & spreadable fruit, cheese slice, coffee with cream and splenda
L-See above
D-2 pork ribs, 1 cup Low carb coleslaw, 100g frozen strawberries, 2 tbsp whipped cream

Totals: 1142 calories, 48g carbs, 70g fat, 77g protein, 1510mg sodium

Up and Down Weekend

Friday

B - .75 oz steak, 1 egg, 1 slice WW bread, spreadable fruit, coffee w/cream and splenda
L - 6 pc Tyson boneless buffalo wings, 1 stalk celery
D - .15 cup rice, 4 oz. chicken thigh in homemade tomato sauce, yellow squash

Totals: 816 calories, 47g carb, 37g fat, 71g protein, 2146mg sodium

Saturday

B - coffee only (woke late)
L - 2 zucchini nut muffins (homemade low carb)
D - 50g chicken breast, 1.5 oz ground beef, Homemade Salsa cream dip, 12 tortilla chips, 4 tbsp salsa, .20 avocado

Totals: 771 calories, 33g carb, 52g fat, 45g protein, 885mg sodium

Sunday

B - 2 eggs with mushrooms, coffee with cream and splenda
L - 2 zucchini nut muffins (homemade low carb), homemade chili, .3oz corn chips
D - 8 tortilla chips, 2oz BS chicken thighs, 65g ground venison, 1/8 c cheese sauce, 1/3 small avocado

Totals: 1148 calories, 40g carbs, 80g fat, 75g protein, 1051mg sodium

Bento Thursday...

I've been doing the Bento thing for a while, nothing fabulous or even creative so I never take pictures. I only have two sets, well three if you count the Fit & Fresh container that I bought. I have a few more on my wishlist, which will have to wait until I get the new HRM (one that calculates calories burned since my Wii Fit doesn't). Denise over at Plain Ol' Food posted about it on the Diabetes Daily board and her blog and she encouraged me to post pictures even though I have none of the cute, fancy accessories (I really want one of the little boiled egg shapers and some sauce containers) just so that other low-carbers can see. So here goes. Quality is not great since I had to use my cell phone as I didn't have time to take a picture this morning when I packed it. And, of course today's lunch is leftovers...so very boring :D



As you can see, I couldn't find one of my kidney shaped containers this morning so I had my orange slices in a baggie. The avocado and asparagus stay in the fridge at my office as I usually eat 6 asparagus spears and 1/2 small haas avocado everyday for lunch to cover part of my veggie and my fat. There is chuck roast in the round container with mushrooms (cooked in the crockpot yesterday) and about 80g of sliced cucumber in the other container. All in all, 17grams of carbs.

Here is today's menu:

B-Sausage and cheese omelet, coffee with splenda/cream
L-3.3 oz chuck roast w/3 mushrooms, 80g cucumber, 6 asparagus spears, 1/2 small avocado, 1/2 small naval orange
D-4 oz pork chop, 182g cucumber, 100g strawberries, 2 tbsp whipped cream

Totals: 1202 calories, 35g carbs, 80g fat, 85g protein, 1272mg sodium

Hump Day

Feeling better today and it definitely shows in my numbers. Tomorrow I'll get to get back on the Wii Fit. My meals and numbers today:

Fasting: 142
Breakfast: 1.7 oz pork sausage crumbled, 2 eggs, coffee with splenda and cream
2 hr PP: 158
Lunch: Steak fajita (about 4 oz. meat), about .20 cup of sliced onions and half of that of the bell peppers, about 1 oz. cheese and about 8 tortilla chips (I know I should have skipped these)
2 hr PP: 133
Dinner: Chuck roast, 79g (about 1/2) cucumber, 1/2 small avocado, 100g strawberries, 3 tblsp whipped cream
2 hr PP: 143

Totals: 1130 calories, 36g carbs, 73g fat, 69g protein, 811mg sodium

Still a bit high, but no where near as erratic as the last few days.

The scale is still stalled. I am going to start working out 4 days instead of 3 per week to see if that helps.

Sickday Monday/Tuesday...

Stayed home from work sick on Monday. Dealt with high readings all day, of course. Here are my meals:

Monday
B - just coffee
L - Homemade chili, 8 tortilla chips (definitely not planned)
D - Homemade chili, 1 slice WW low carb toast w/1 slice cheese

Totals: 774 calories, 41g carbs, 42g fat, 59g protein, 1342mg sodium

Tuesday
B - 2 eggs, 82g (1/2 medium) orange
L - 3 oz. tuna w/1 tbsp mayo and 1 tsp mustard, 6 spears asparagus, 4 strawberries, 2 Kavli 5 grain crispbreads
D - 1 chicken tender, 2 oz mixed nuts, celery sticks, 4 grape tomatoes, 1 cauliflower/1 broccoli floweret, 1 LC coconut bar (homemade from recipe)

Totals: 1146 calories, 49g carbs, 76g fat, 67g protein, 1249mg sodium

Superbowl Sunday

So I woke to numbers in the 200s again. I decided that I would attempt to correct today. I have no experience with that, but I knew I didn't want to stay above 200 again today. So here is how today looked.

Fasting: 208 (YIKES!!)
Humalog: 7.8u (6u + 30% correction)
Breakfast: 50g Jimmy Dean ground breakfast sausage, 1 egg, Coffee w/splenda and cream
2 hr PP: 200
Pre-lunch: 206
Humalog: 9.3u (6.2u + 50% correction)
Lunch: 15 oz. boiled crawfish, homemade crawfish dipping sauce
2 hr PP: 167
Pre-dinner: 191
Humalog: 14.8u (11.4u + 30% correction)
Dinner: 6 strips celery, 6 jumbo black olives, 8 green olives, 3 grape tomatoes, 3 oz roasted venison, 1.5 oz. lettuce with one cherry tomato and 3 cucumber slices, Diet 7-up and 3 oz. Bombay Sapphire Gin
2 hr PP: 134
Bedtime: 138

Totals: 1300 calories, 20g carbs, 63g fat, 111g protein, 2710mg sodium

What I'm Reading...

So, here are my favorite books at the moment. You probably can't see it, but there is also a google search on the monitor for low carb recipes. Just thought I'd share!

Trying something different...

Today I am going to try to do less than 5 grams of carbs for each meal to offset the highs that I am getting from this upper respiratory infection that I am fighting.

Fasting: 156
Breakfast: 4 strips of bacon, coffee with splenda/cream
2 hr PP: 207 (off to exercise to try and bring this down *sigh*)
Well, that backfired, now at 214
Humalog: 3.75u
Lunch: 149g chicken breast, 100g cucumber, 1/2 small avocado, 1 oz Dofino Jalapeno Harvarti cheese, 2 tsp mustard
2 hr PP: 180
I went ahead and did a 5u correction
pre-dinner: 136 (FINALLY!!)
Humalog 6u
Dinner: 7oz ribeye (trimmed of all visible fat), 50g mushrooms, 1/2 small avocado, 119g cucumber
2 hr PP: 86
Bedtime: 117

Totals: 1188 calories, 11g carbs, 73g fat, 113g protein, 901mg sodium

Friday, time to get back on the wagon...

So I had a rough couple of days...today is the day I get back on the wagon and do what I know I have to do. I've let way too many carbs slip in and I've had to dose more Humalog. I don't want to do that and the scale stopped moving, so that is just not going to work for me. Ran high all day today, blood wise and temperature wise. I guess there is a connection there. I probably could have made an adjustment, but I just didn't feel good enough to try and I didn't want to over-correct and then go low. So I just read the high numbers on the meter, freaked about it a little and then went back to vegging. I hope I feel good enough to get on the Wii today.

Friday Menu:

B-1 egg, coffee with splenda and cream
L-8 oz Carne Asada steak with about an ounce of cheese and an ounce of guacamole
D-1 cup of Hot & Sour Soup, 1 Chicken Satay breast w/stir-fried veggies in sauce, 45g frozen strawberries with whipped cream.

The soup and satay were homemade, from low-carb recipes. The soup came out pretty good...Troy loves that stuff, I'm not a fan, but he said I got it right! (I actually ate tofu!) Then I royally screwed up that Chicken Satay by putting the sauce (which was supposed to be for dipping) in with the stir-fried veggies. I wanted to have a bit of gravy for Troy to use on his rice. Well, that was a waste of good veggies (it was horrible). Oh, I am shuddering thinking about it. I won't be doing that again, though I will use the recipe again as the chicken part of it tuned out fantastic!

Wednesday/Thursday...not stellar....

So, I am sick...full blown upper respiratory infection. Finally caught it from my husband and kids who have been fighting this for almost a month now. I thought I was going to slip by, but no dice. Yesterday was ok, except for lunch and today was ok, except for dinner. Why?? Because instead of eating my planned food, I ate out. Chinese for yesterday's lunch and mexican tonight. I'm going to have to try to limit eating out to once a week.

Wednesday Menu:
B-Homemade hogshead cheese (only pork butt), WW toast w/spreadable fruit, coffee
L-Cream cheese wonton, eggroll (inside only, not the wrapper), 1 tbsp chicken and veggies, 1 tbsp double cooked pork, 1 tbsp beef and broccoli, 1/4 cup green beans, 2 small sweet & sour chicken pieces, 2 small sweet & sour shrimp pieces
D-Steak, 3 tater tots, 45g strawberries with whipped cream

Totals: 1310 calories, 59g carbs, 62g fat, 114g protein, 735mg sodium

Thursday Menu:
B-Steak and cheese omelet, coffee
L-Chicken breast w/salsa and cheese, 6 spears Asparagus, 12 small olives, 4 strawberries
D-2 margaritas, beef fajitas (meat and veggies only), about 20 tortilla chips and 2 tbsp salsa

Totals: 1590 calories, 52g carbs, 72g fat, 73g protein, 4528mg sodium (WAY OVER)

STRESS!!!!

So, I thought my real challenges were going to be when I had meetings and such or when my family wanted to eat out...ummm, no!! My REAL challenges are going to be stressful situations. Yesterday after work (I drive an hour each way), I get in my car and it wouldn't start. It turns over and it even catches, but immediately dies. Some of the men in the office building stopped and tried to help, but there is nothing to do. The car will not start. The car is 2 years old, this month. I called my husband and he had to drive the hour to pick me up and then we had an hour to get back home. I was already trying to compute in my head dosing times, testing times, etc. and how this throws everything out of whack and to crap (in my head). I get overwhelmed easily and I don't adapt to change well. I like routines and discipline and schedules. Not to mention, I am stressing because my job goes away in about four months, the husband didn't get a scheduled raise (as promised by the company since they changed their work weeks up), one of my daughter's scholarships are up, so I had to pay out-of-pocket for books and then there are the new tires I just put on my car. And, the boys' truck needs new tires *sigh*...its neverending. Any way, this is all just to explain that I ate damn corn chips for dinner last night. We had chili, but the boys bought corn chips for theirs and I should have just ignored them, but I didn't. So here's the lowdown for everything.

2:30 am 117
6:00 am 150 (that DP already working)
6:30 am 162 (14.4u H), then 2 eggs, WW toast w/spreadable fruit, coffee
11:30 am 123 (9.2u H), then chicken breast w/salsa & cheese, walnuts, strawberries and asparagus
1:30 pm 109 (2 hr PP)
4:30 pm 125 (then everything went crazy)
6:25 pm 151 (25u H) then at 7pm ate chili, corn chips and Michelob Ultra
11:30pm 135

Totals: 1148 calories, 58g carbs (yikes), 65g fat, 66g protein, 1720mg sodium

Monday, monday, da, da, dah, da, dah, da...

So Monday was a better day for me personally. Trying not to stress about what is going on in my family life right now. Prayer, patience and realizing that I can't control everything or make everything better - that is what I need to do. We will get through this! Anyway, Monday turned out to be a decent day, meter wise. With Ron's help, made another slight adjustment to insulin:carb ratio for lunch time. I am hopeful that it won't be much longer til we get the bolus dose correct so that we can finalize the basal dose so that my numbers get better.

Meter/Meals Charting:

6:00 am Fasting 155
6:30 am Pre-breakfast 152 (very unusual for me to go down at this point!!)
6:30 am B- 1 slice WW toast w/.5 tsp spreadable fruit, Grilled chicken breast, coffee w/splenda and cream *172 calories (17gm carb:15.3u - .9u/g carb)*
8:30 am 2 hr PP - 134
11:30 am Pre-lunch 141
11:30 am L-2 grilled chicken breasts, 5 asparagus spears, 4 medium strawberries, 1/4 cup Walnut halves *422 calories (13gm carb:7.9u - .615u/g carb)*
1:30 pm 2 hr PP - 131
6:20 pm Pre-dinner 145
6:30 pm D-1 grilled chicken breast, 100g mushrooms, 50g onions, 1/3 cup shredded cheese, 2 wedges of small cantaloupe *(19gm carb:19u - 1.0u/g carb)*
7:00 pm pre-exercise 145, then 10 minutes stretching, 30 minutes cardio, 10 minute cool down
7:55 pm post-exercise 112
11:20 pm bedtime 128
2:30 am 117

Totals: 874 calories, 49g carbs, 40g fat, 75g protein, 1825mg sodium

So a little low in calories, fat and protein and more carby than I'd like, but all in all decent readings.

Sunday was a pretty decent day...

Worked the retreat today, so no time to worry about food. Brought in my lunch and did well with it. As usual, I was a little worried about having to explain why I wasn't eating the food they cooked, but I just said, "I'm dieting." To my surprise, no further explanation was needed and the response was, "well keep it up...it shows"! Wow! It shows! So today after the retreat, after dinner, I did an hour workout on the Wii Fit. I've been opening the advanced options so I'm getting quite a workout now. Started off with some balance games to warm up (15 minutes), then 30 full minutes of aerobics (boxing, advanced boxing, stepping, advanced stepping and jogging), then 10 minutes of strength exercises and 5 minutes of yoga. My blood sugars have been running high all day. We have bronchitis/crud/flu like stuff going around our house. I hope I am not getting sick. Pre-exercise (1 hour post dinner) was 160, post-exercise was 133.

Meals:
B-Homemade Coffee w/cream and splenda, Zucchini nut muffin (Low Carb), 100g sausage patty (Saturday morning we made 30 lbs of breakfast sausage, two different recipes...they came out really good. Now I don't have to worry about protein choices in the morning! I am going to have to stop eating the muffins for breakfast. With DP, I am already high in the mornings and even though they only have 5g carbs (ground nuts), some how they send me sky rocketing at breakfast time.)
L-8 oz chicken breast w/mustard, 8 grape tomatoes, 1 oz. Dofino Jalapeno Cheese, 1/2 Orange
D-100g roasted pork, 1 cup homemade deer/eggplant dressing mix, 100g frozen strawberries w/2 tbsp cool whip

Totals: 1233 calories, 38g carbs, 75g fat, 94g protein, 1005mg sodium

Friday/Saturday Meals

Busy with the retreat. Here are my meals for Friday:

B-2 egg omelet with steak and cheese, coffee w/Splenda and half and half
L-BLT (4 slices bacon, 2 slices tomato, 1 tsp mayo between 2 lettuce leaves), 2 small wedges of cantaloupe
D-Boiled crabs, 2 oz breaded fried shrimp, catsup

Totals: 980 calories, 36g carbs, 77g protein, 59g fat

Saturday meals:

B-2 fried eggs, LC bread, 1/2 tsp spreadable fruit, coffee w/Splenda and half and half
L-steak fajita salad, 14 tortilla chips, 2 tbsp salsa, 1 oz guacamole
D-100g cucumber slices, 60g avocado, 200g pork meat, 100g cantaloupe

Totals: 1458 calories, 60g carbs, 119g protein, 83g fat

Not enough food...

I so didn't eat enough food yesterday and I had to estimate carbs at lunch because at the last minute (I was running behind), my boss decided we needed to go to eat so that we could discuss a few issues. So I didn't eat one of my pre-figured carb lunches that I keep at my office. I still made as healthy a choice as I could, but I was worried about my blood sugars because you just never know what they put in stuff. Also, I am working a retreat this weekend and because I was running late last night, couldn't eat my planned meal so had to eat in the car. But, for Saturday and Sunday, I have my food all packed up and ready to go. I'll have access to a microwave so that I can heat my protein. Everything else is either nuts, cheese, fruit or raw veggies, so I am good to go. Anyway, everything went pretty good. We are still adjusting my basal doses. Its slow going, but in the end I think it'll be worth it. I'm just ready to start seeing those 80's and 90's on a regular basis.

Thursday menus:

B-2 egg omelet w/about 2.5 oz steak and a slice of cheese
L-1 cup of romaine w/one cucumber slice and one tomato slice w/honey mustard dressing on the side (dipped fork method), 1 cup chili
D-Beef jerky, 1/2 oz pistachio nuts, 2 dark chocolate peanut butter filled pretzels

Totals: 761 calories, 32g carbs, 48g fat, 58g protein, 1171mg sodium

I've noticed that I have started to allow little cheats in there (the pretzels). I have to stop that now. I also tried to drink a Diet Dr. Pepper yesterday. No go. I just have to suck it up and realize that the trash that I used to put into my body will kill me and I'm just not going there anymore.

Wow, what happened to yesterday??

So, I neglected to post yesterday. I came home to an infected computer and I've been trying to get everything cleaned up.
1/20/09
B-2 homemade deer/sausage patties, 1 homemade zucchini nut muffin, 1 tsp SF syrup
L-1 5 grain crispbread, 117g steak, 1/2 avocado, 3 of each: cauliflower, broccoli, grape tomatoes, 2 tbsp french onion dip
D-2 pork spareribs, 1/2 cup cooked cabbage w/onions and celery, 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce

Totals: 1283 calories, 34g carbs, 82g fat, 101g protein, 730mg Sodium

Today was another challenge since I had to do research at a court house out of town. I was worried about dosing and eating on time. I ended up being an hour late, but it all worked out in the end. I did have some pretzel/nut/seed mix (I didn't bring food as I had no way of heating it and I knew that I'd either be in the court house or in the car as it was a 2.5 hour drive) so I stopped at a store and got a small pack of cajun pretzel/nut/seed mix, some jerky and pistachios - not the best choices but better than hitting a drive thru for a burger and fries (but, boy did I want to though!)

1/21/09
B-2 fried eggs, 1 slice LC toast, 1/2 tsp spreadable fruit
L-2 oz jerky, .5 oz pistachios, 1/4c cajun mix (17g carb for 3/4 cup)
D-3 weiners, 1 Michelob Ultra beer

Totals: 960 calories, 43g carbs, 57g fat, 63g protein, 3420mg sodium (WAY over)

Happy MLK Day...

I still had to work, but it was a quiet day.

B-Homemade deer/sausage patty, homemade LC zucchini nut bread, 1 tsp SF syrup
L-2 chicken breast w/salsa and cheese, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 naval orange
D-220g ribeye steak, 69g sweet potato, 77g strawberries (4 small), 2 tbsp cool whip

Have about 16 oz of water left to drink. I'll be playing Wii Fit for about an hour in a few minutes.

Totals: 1304 calories, 48g carb, 70g fat, 118g protein, 1321mg sodium

A pretty easy day....

So today it was pretty easy to stay on plan. I'm not feeling as denied as I was. I even got up the nerve to just "throw some things in a pot" to make a meal, since it was just me and the youngest here and he wanted chicken tenders. I feel good about last night, even though I did eat a few corn chips, I wasn't tempted by any of the other stuff they had, including the bridal couple's signature drink (a concoction of several different rums and juices) which was on tap (it will be coming out of a fountain at the wedding reception). On the drive home, the kids wanted pizza and I was a little concerned about my willpower, but I did it and it wasn't difficult. I got a salad and then proceeded to scrape the toppings off of four slices of pizza (Cici's is a little stingy with toppings, otherwise it would have been only 2 slices) and I was satisfied. So all in all, a very good day. Now, I need to get off so that I can go play the Wii with my son!

B-beef jerky and cheese
L-toppings off pizza, salad
D-100g zucchini strips, 2 homemade deer/pork sausage patties, 1 egg, 1/2 avocado, Blue Bunny Sweet Freedom NSA Black Raspberry bar

Totals: 1185 calories, 34g carbs, 81g fat, 89g protein, 2352mg sodium

Friday menu:

B-Fried egg, homemade sausage/deer patty, 64g apple (about 1/2 small), 1tsp Sugar Free syrup
L-14 tortilla chips, 2 tablespoons salsa, Steak fajita meat w/onions and bellpeppers (1/2 of the smaller lunch portion), cheese, small amount of guacamole (Mom/daughter tradition at Mexican restaurant again (every Friday)...quite carby, but I still managed to stay under 60g for the day)
D-184g salmon, 75g mushrooms, 64g squash, 80g Asparagus, 25g onions (all grilled) and one Blue Bunny Sweet Freedom NSA Black Raspberry bar

TOTALS: 1265 calories, 59g carbs, 65g fat, 109g protein, 2057 Sodium


So, today will be my real challenge since we have a party to go to. I HATE drawing attention to myself and in my head (which I know is not always the most accurate place) I can't see bringing in my own food to a party because that WILL draw attention to me. This is my husband's family and a mixed gathering with my niece and her fiance, his family and their friends, so there will be plenty of people who don't know me. For functions with my family, it is easy to say "oh I have to do this because of my diabetes." I don't want to say that here, because that in itself, will draw attention to me. I'm used to being in my own insulated bubble...here at home or at work where I am alone 97% of the time. Its just easier that way. But, I have to figure a way to do it. There is no way I am going to mess up over two weeks of lo-carbing and more than four weeks of insulin dosing/scheduling because of some little party. So, I will be discreet as possible, but I will bring my own food, I will be sure I have plenty of water, I will bring my insulin and meter and I will keep track. I'll have to write everything and enter the info in my charts later, but it will be done. The biggest problem right now is that I don't have all the information, which I should have done something about before.

Hmmmm, have I mentioned yet in here that I am a major procrastinator?? Yeah, one fault at a time...anyway I'm going to make the call this morning and get all the details so that I know exactly what I am faced with so that I can plan accordingly.

I think that the best case scenario is that we'll go to my sister-in-law's house (where we will be staying the night) and I'll dose and eat before we leave. I'll dose for the meal and two or three lo-carb beers and that is it! I'm pretty strict when it comes to dosing insulin/carb ratio so I know I will not stray. I've seen the benefits of the better control that I have attained over the last 4 weeks. I will not go back to the way it was before. As far as my other meals for tomorrow before we come home, my sis-in-law did South Beach so she knows. She'll have some protein choices (I'll just have to avoid the donuts that they ALWAYS buy when we come in...its a tradition. My husband's dad, who lives next door, always bought donuts and left them on the table at my sister-in-law's house for us and the kids. He died this past June, but somehow the nephew has carried on the tradition.) My kids LOVE going there, especially my sixteen year old who loves, loves, loves donuts and never gets them anymore. My oldest son always O.D.s on the sodas that she keeps at her house, another rare treat in our house (though not at the hunting camp, but that is a different story). Anyway, I'll be back here to report my success tomorrow afternoon...cocky? Nope, just ready to live out the changes that I have made in my life and be a good example to my kidlets.

Menu for today (planned, will update tomorrow):
B-2 egg omelet w/leftover fajita steak, onions, bellpeppers, cheese, coffee w/Splenda and half and half
L-(kids ate my leftover salmon, so....) 2 homemade deer/pork sausage patties, 3 slices tomatoes, half small avocado, homemade low carb zucchini nut muffin
D-4 oz chicken breast, 6 corn chips w/1 tbsp dip, 2 Michelob Ultra beers

So, I strayed by having the corn chips, but the beers filled me up and I drank my water so I did ok, especially since I stayed under 40g carbs.

Totals: 1374 calories, 38g carbs, 73g fat, 103g protein, 628mg Sodium

Just when I think, I've made some progress...

Well, my blood sugars are running high today. Not sure what is going on. I did eat a fairly large portion of protein yesterday. Actually, the first day that I got to my "suggested intake"...well no I actually exceeded it by about 10g. I had 7.4 oz of fried deer tenderloin (no breading) last night, which I thought was going to be a good thing because of the low fat, no carb, high protein thing...just what I needed. I did have a Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus last night though. I don't know. I just know I went to bed at 118. By 2:30 am I was at 145, by 5:15 am I was at 154 and it went seriously downhill from there: 216 being the highest. I have been slowly going down all day, but seriously this sucks. As I said yesterday, we were going to start working on correcting, but I didn't do that this morning since we already changed my breakfast time, so I need to do that a couple of days first before I try to change something else. Hopefully, I'll have some "normal" numbers soon.

Menu today:

B-140g beef chuck roast, 44g avocado
L-4 oz chicken breast, 4 grape tomatoes, 1 baby carrot stick, 2 small celery sticks, 5 medium black olives, 6 spears Asparagus, 4 small broccoli flower clusters, 1/2 small orange, .5 oz pecans (was hungry within an hour of eating, so need to start doing something more fulfilling at lunch instead of dinner - need to plan a big breakfast, a big lunch and a light dinner).
D-supposed to be a pork chop (4 oz), a deer/sausage patty (2.5 oz) mock mashed potatoes and 1/2 cup strawberries with whipped cream.

Way under calories today *sigh*
Totals: 1067 calories, 44g carbs, 56g fat, 95g protein

Still working...

Still working to get my numbers controlled. The charting and figuring out process is taking a while. We have to make little changes a little at a time to be sure about what is going to work. Right now we are still working to get my Lantus dosing corrected. The meal dosing has been working smoothly. Next, we'll start minor correcting, especially for the breakfast dose since my DP is HUGE!! So, slowly but surely getting some control. Feel better than I have in years. I am totally getting addicted to the Wii Fit...no seriously, especially now since my son has set up his own character and is messing up all my 1st, 2nd and 3rd place records. Except for hula hooping...apparently I can swing my hips more than double what he can!!! It really is so fun, you barely even realize that you have sent an hour on the game. While I know it is not a typical workout, I am still up and moving...something I've put off for so long.

I stopped putting my charting up here. If anyone is actually reading/interested in those (from the list), comment and I'll put them up again. But, really I think it is just me, lol.

Menu:

B-2 fried eggs, 1 slice LC bread, 1/2 tsp spreadable fruit, coffee w/S & HH
L-4 oz chicken breast w/mustard (I know, I know...but mayo?? seriously - not yet, maybe later), 5 asparagus spears, 10 md black olives, 1 oz. pecans, 3 small and 2 medium strawberries
D-8 oz. Fried deer tenderloin (no breading for me), 1/2 cup Mock Mashed potatoes, 1/2 avocado, Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus

Totals: 1347 calories, 47g carb, 76g fat, 160g protein, 1551 Sodium

Monday/Tuesday Meals

Mon, Jan 12th

B-Coffee with Splenda and half and half, Homemade LC Zucchini Nut Bread
L-Can of tuna with mustard, jalapeno cheese (forgot my real lunch and Humalog dose at home so I had to do almost no carb, there is a trace in the cheese)
D-Parmesan Chicken Breast, Spaghetti Squash Alfredo, Rye Bread (all low carb recipes in Dana Carpender's book (it all turned out yummy), Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus, 4 tbsp Cool Whip (it hit the sweet craving that I've had for a few days without too much damage) and 3 oz chicken breast.

My doc wants me to try to maintain 1500 calories, actually he wanted 1600...I wanted 1200 and we compromised on 1500. I am having a hard time doing that and I rarely get enough protein, so I am trying to add things to each meal. Of course, I couldn't do that with lunch today so I packed a wallop of a dinner last night.

Totals: Calories 1,224 Carbs 28 Fat 67 Protein 95 Sodium 1,930
Goals: Calories 1,500 Carbs <50 Fat 67 Protein 150 Sodium <2,400

As you can see, I still didn't meet my calories or protein. I almost always meet or exceed my fat (with the nuts, cheese and avocados). I am looking into the EAS light protein shakes to have as a drink with two of my meals, only 2g fat but will help with the calories and protein.


Tue, Jan 13th meals:

B-2 fried eggs, 1 slice LC toast with butter and 1/2 teaspoon spreadable fruit
L-169g grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast, 242g cucumber, 1 slice homemade Zucchini nut breat
D-will be out to a chinese restaurant...I'll have meat and veggies only which I'll ask them to prepare with no sugar, not from buffet. Hopefully, they'll cooperate. Not sure how I'm going to count it, but I will try.

Totals: 1474 calories, 37g carbs, 93g fat, 77g protein, 1947 Sodium

Sunday meals

B - Leftover fajita steak w/onions and bell pepper (finally the last of it), 1/2 small avocado, coffee with Splenda and half and half
L - Zucchini nut bread (homemade LC), Homemade chili
D - Chuck w/Avocado Aioli, okra, 2 pieces small mint, Swiss Miss Diet Hot Chocolate

Totals: 1506 calories, 41g carbs, 103g fat, 105g protein, 1200mg Sodium

20 minutes cardio, 25 squats

Jan 10th Meals

B - Chocolate/Orange Ricotta pancakes (from locarb recipe), Coffee w/half and half (7g carbs)
L - Fajita steak w/onion and bell peppers, cheese, 1/2 small avocado, 2 small dinner mints (17g carbs)
D - Roasted pork w/celery and mushrooms, okra, 6 small cherries (18g carbs)

Totals: 1654 calories, 42g carbs, 108g fat, 131g protein, 847g sodium
Exercise: Yoga, skiing, strength training on Wii Fit (40 minutes)

Jan 7th - Jan 9th Menus

Jan 7th - 7 days cheat FREE

B - 2 deviled eggs, 3 slices turkey bacon, coffee w/splenda and cream, 1 slice lo-carb bread w/.5 tsp spreadable fruit (11.2g carbs)
L - small salad (1/2 cup lettuce, 8 small black olives, 1/3 small cucumber, 1/2 cup watermelon pieces, 1/4 small roma tomato, .25 oz feta crumbles), 3/4 cup All meat chili (from recipe), 1 oz Havarti jalopeno cheese, 1 serving NSA dill pickles, 1 serving NSA bread and butter pickles, 5 pecan halves (~20g, a little higher than usual but necessary since I accidentally shot the wrong dose of pre-meal insulin...eeek)
D - Bacon Cauli Jumble (recipe), 1/3 cup blueberries
Total - 1524 cal, 37g carbs, 86g fat, 103g protein
45 minutes exercise

Jan 8th
B - Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, 5 pecan halves, 50g apple, 1tsp Peanut Butter (12g carbs)
L - Lo-carb SlimFast, 2 oz Harvarti Jalapeno cheese, 3 medium strawberries (11g carbs)
D - Toppings off 3 slices pizza, 2 Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus (14g carbs)
Total - 1524 cal, 37g carbs, 86g fat, 103g protein
45 minutes exercise

Jan 9th
B - 2 fried eggs, 1 slice WW bread, 1/4 tsp. Spreadable Fruit (14g carbs)
L - 6 oz Fajita beef with little onion, 2 tbsp Salsa, 2 oz Cheese (15g carbs)
D - Same as lunch w/a little more onion (16g carbs)
Total - 1470 cal, 45g carbs, 85g fat, 133g protein

Menus - Jan 1 - Jan 5

OOppps, been updating my journal on the low carb bulletin board and forgot to update here. So here are the menus from Jan 1st to Jan 5th.

Jan 1st
B - Coffee with half and half, splenda
S - 1 oz pecans
L - Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken
D - 6 oz turkey, 1/2 cup green beans, 1/2 cup cabbage, 3/4 very small tangerine

Jan 2nd
B - Coffee with half and half, splenda, Egg Beaters w/Yolk, 1/2 small apple, 1/2 oz. creamy peanut butter
L - 6 oz grilled steak, 1/4 c each grilled zucchini and squash, 1 small serving salad
D - Pizza toppings of 2 slices of meat lovers pizza and Michelob Ultra

Jan 3rd
B - Ham/Cheese Omelette, coffee with 1/2 and 1/2, splenda
L - Topping off 2 slices of Meat Lover's Pizza
S - small tangerine (to bring up blood sugar reading of 60)
D - Boiled crawfish

Jan 4th
Lunch - fajita beef with onions and bell peppers, cheese
Dinner - pork, green beans, salad

Jan 5th
Breakfast - Egg/Bacon Casserrole, coffee with 1/2 and 1/2, splenda
Lunch - chicken breast, raw veggies, 1 oz. jalopeno cheese, 3 strawberries
Dinner - Chili (low-carb recipe), cheese crisp, 1/3 cup cherries