Day 8

Hi, again,


(revised and edited -- there was a little more I wanted to say and a couple of errors to correct)

I have some good news and some bad news to report on Day 8. Randomly I weighed myself this morning and I have now lost 9.5 pounds. That's pretty amazing. The bad news is that the pain was back this morning when I got up -- just as bad as ever. I'm thinking that maybe something in the tacos I ate yesterday has contributed. I'll just continue monitoring and seeing what is happening in that department. I believe exercise will help the back pain issue also -- because it has in the past.


Today, I exercised for about 30 minutes which is good news. I had previously been cowed by the idea of "30 minutes" of exercising, when it is quite an accomplishment for me to do 12 minutes on my old Aerofit machine (get on, swing your legs and arms back and forth at a steady pace). But it has dawned on me that that is not the only thing I do. I have actually already got a "30-minute program" that I devised for myself. The thing is, that I have not been doing it regularly, but "The 30 Day Diabetes Cure" program is getting me motivated and I'm starting on it now. I believe there is probably a chapter where they start you doing this, but, on this, I'm going ahead on my own. I have read in the past that every other day is good because of my age -- alternating days -- or even three times a week -- which lets my body recuperate -- I'm not as young as I used to be.

Before I get on the machine, I warm up with some upper body exercises I learned in physical therapy for a herniated disk in my neck. I start off with about 10 shoulder rolls to loosen up the shoulders. I don't know the actual names for some of these so I'll describe them. Then I pull the shoulders straight back about 10 times -- like a shoulder roll but instead of going in a circle I just push them straight back while keeping the head and neck still. Then I do about 10 chin tucks keeping the head straight up. These three came from my physical therapist about a year ago and I have simply continued to do them, sometimes on a regular basis, sometimes only when I start noticing small shooting electrical sensations or pain up the back of my neck or have one-sided headaches. These particular exercises combat that for me, and I have almost no headaches any more.

After that I use a stretchy cord to do a 45-degree bent-elbow pull back, then straighten out my arms and pull back again for another 10.  Then I turn to the side and do a kind of horizontal lower arm pull to the side for about 10 times on each arm. Then I do about 10 "sword pulls" that go diagonally up into the air. If I remember I also put my hands on a door jam at waist level and lean forward and relax to stretch my shoulders into place. After all this, I get on the Aerofit and do from 12 to 15 minutes. This morning I was able to do 15 minutes at a steady pace, changing hand positions to work different parts of the arms.

Then I use my Gold's Gym Ab Machine and do between 10 to 15 flat leg crunches. Since I have a herniated disk in my neck I have to be careful with this. I have learned that if I make sure my elbows are tight up to the circular hand bar that I am holding on to, I don't put stress on my neck and can do the crunches with no fear of neck injury. I do all this on my bed, because I cannot get down on the floor and ever hope to get up again. Also, I really just do crunches -- as soon as I feel the pull in the tummy area I don't go "up" any farther. After the flat leg crunches, I bend my knees and do 10 or 15 more which moves the pull in the abdomen to a lower position. After that I do 10 or 15 with my hips slightly tucked up which addresses the lowest section of abdomen. I also then do the same number of isometric type lower abdomen stomach flexes with my hips still tucked slightly up. Then I do the same number of slight leg lifts, after which I turn first to the left, then to the right and get the side abdomen muscles, too. Added up, at 10 per, that makes 70 crunches in differing positions. If I do 15 it is 105 of them. That is pretty good for a fat old lady, even if I do say so myself!

Doing all of this actually does take about 30 minutes and then I do traction on my neck with the at-home cervical traction unit my therapist recommended. Sometimes my back starts to spasm during the neck traction and I've learned to eliminate it by finishing up with pulling my knees up as high as I can comfortably get them, first the left, then the right, and doing foot circles in rotations of a count of 20 to 30. So each leg is pulled up three times as I alternate foot circles and foot points. Then I am done and sometimes just need to sit down and drink a bottle of water, which is what I did as I read "Day 8" today.

Reading "The 30 Day Diabetes Cure" and taking the action for the day really is keeping me motivated to incorporate the changes. And what Dr. Rip is adding today is diabetes healing snacks. He does not list the "bad snacks" because basically the days up to this one have already eliminated most of those if you are actually following the program. We have already learned the harm that sugary foods do to a diabetic, so that was eliminated on day one and now he lists a whole bucket full of good healthy snacks we get to add in -- some now in phase one -- some in phase two. I'll mention only three that I know I am going to try, but leave the rest for you to read about starting on page 150.

Not only does he give a list of very healthy diabetic snacks but also gives advice on how to carry these to work. It is important that we learn not only what to eat, but how to incorporate it into our lives. If we don't make the necessary plans to make it work for ourselves -- we are choosing to make it not work for ourselves. Better to make it work. His day-by-day "additions and subtractions" from our personal daily food list is what makes the healing take place. The step-by-step nature of the program makes it much more easy to actually do, than trying to do it all at once from day one. And as we go along, eliminating something today, and adding something the next, we have already started the reversal process. How easy is that?

I especially look forward to home made popcorn (not microwave popcorn because of the sickly additives) -- it actually is a whole grain and good for you if you make it yourself! But don't think I can add it in, just yet. I have to wait for day 12 when we are given the whole grains we can begin eating. Since this is day 8, that is not very far away. I can see that eating veggies and protein, for now is really changing my body in a good way and I don't want to jeopardize my progress in any way. I'm actually feeling somewhat more energetic and more able to "move my body." Try carrying a 150 pound sack of potatoes everywhere you go (up and down stairs, at the dinner table, at work) and you will get an idea of what it is like to be as obese as I am currently. All that weight actually strengthens the bones and muscles but is very tiring to cope with.

I do have a small concern that in the past I have tended to overeat whole grains. Another diabetes doctor and expert, Richard K. Bernstein, who has a thriving diabetes practice in New England and is, himself, a type 1 diabetic who wrote, "The Diabetes Solution," says that simply eating too much in a meal will raise the blood sugar. So I am hoping Dr Rip also gives portion sizes for the grains that I can do and ways to combat over eating them. Veggies are OK in any amount, and normal size servings of protein are necessary -- but the grains are a new field for me.

Right now, I think, if the portions of whole grains are too small for me to bother with, I just won't eat them. Why bother trying to cook 1/2 C of brown rice, when it might just turn the eating machine on again, because I can't cook just a 1/2 C and can't stick to eating 1/2 C when there is a big bowl full of them in the fridge calling my name. I seem to get out of control over them pretty easily and I've got quite a bit of weight to lose so it might just be better to stay on the veggies and protein with a only a few whole grains to eliminate the incessant carb cravings, over a longer period of time. I'll see what he says on this subject as I go along.

The other healthy snack I'm looking forward to is high quality dark chocolate!! He describes which ones to use. It looks like only a small square per day -- so if I cannot keep it at that, I won't be doing that either. He says that dark chocolate is quite healthful in small amounts -- about 150 calories -- because cocoa powder is rich in polyphenols which are antioxidants. Among other evidence, he quotes a Spanish research paper that says that a daily dose of dark chocolate showed 45% less insulin resistance when compared with daily small doses of white chocolate, thanks to the higher concentration of polyphenols.

I also read about dark chocolate in "The Blood Pressure Cure" by Robert E. Kowalski but he suggests simply buying some baker's cocoa from the grocery store and making a nice hot cup of cocoa to which you can add Stevia and some low fat milk. It is cheaper that way and much less of a temptation because it takes some effort and preparation to get it ready for consumption. It is not just sitting there calling out your name, ready to be grabbed and eaten at any moment. Cocoa powder by itself is really quite unpalatable, but a nice hot cup of cocoa before bed, that is a pleasure.

But the amazing thing that Dr. Rip goes on and on about are nuts! You've got to read about it starting on page 151 to get the complete picture of how healthy they are, how they are rich in monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that reduce the risk of diabetes and KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL! He covers the benefits of different individual varieties and shows how to incorporate a small handful into different foods to make them heartier and healthier. If you like nuts, this should be an easy change to incorporate. I like to add them to tuna salad.

He does emphasize a few things to be very careful of when snacking -- but if we stay away from the snack machines and any processed foods, we should be going in the right direction.

If you have not purchased the book and you have pre-diabetes or type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you really ought to get it and start the program. I am happy with what I am seeing and I'm only on day 8. I am glad this is not a restrictive weight loss diet, I just don't think I could do it, if it was. I am permitted to eat any quantity of fresh raw or cooked veggies that I'd like to -- but I already believe, from experience, that raw veggies make more miracles happen more quickly than cooked veggies.

This program seems to be making a change and putting my pre-diabetes in reversal already -- I am, at least, losing weight. What have you got to lose by trying it? Just a condition that you don't want. You'll be reducing your medication expenses, even type ones will be better off. He gives patient statistics for unique individuals at the end of each chapter and it is really quite inspiring. The choice is surely yours.

Be back soon --

--Marcia