Progress is Progress

Last Post Aug 10, 2011
Wt: 337
Morning BG: 113
BP: 147/82
Ankles (scale of 1 to 10) about 2 -- which is great

Today, Aug 22, 2011
Wt: 331
Morning BG: 106
BP: 147/88
Ankles (scale of 1 to 10) about 1.75 -- which is great

I consider this a monumental breakthrough!

Most times when I have not been blogging, that is a big indication that I have been wandering around in a fog -- but this time is different. I have been keeping my daily food journal for about four weeks and today is the start of week 5.

My progress has been extremely slow by some evaluations but I consider progress, even slow progress, to be exactly that: progress. Some people might think that a six pound loss in five weeks is nearly nothing, my former self included but after trying for two years to settle on a program that I could do and stick to (very important) and also see progress in weight loss and blood sugar numbers, I think I have finally found the solution. It is my own modified version of the Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program by Drs Richard and Rachel Heller (http://www.carbohydrateaddicts.com/).

I think I told you I made myself a chart to keep track of things and as I have been going along I have made some chart changes that suited my needs. I think I have the final chart down now. I call it a "chart" because I made it in Excell and it has places for me to record today's date, my daily morning weight, my morning blood pressure and blood sugar readings, along with my pulse (that comes with the BP reading so I just write it down) along with what I call "Ankles" which is my eyeball evaluation of the edema in my legs and ankles. I awake enthusiastic to record my numbers and have been eagerly doing it for four weeks now.

I took the Heller's advice and have weighed myself every day and at the end of the week I calculate the average. (You just have to know that I made an Excell chart for that too!!) I call this one my Progress Chart. I'm using my old "standard weight" of 352 as my starting weight and then subtract to find my actual weight loss for the week. The first three weeks my weight really did not change much (15, 14.7, and 14.8 lbs lost) if you round those off I stayed at a 15 pound weight loss for three weeks. I figured that if I was not gaining weight that was progress. Then the next week I suddenly lost two pounds and this morning I went down another 3.7 pounds for a total lost (today) of 21 pounds. I am fully aware and even expecting that will fluctuate up and down over the next week to whatever it ends up to be, but I must say it was a good day when I found that number on my scale for the first time.

The thing that keeps me motivated and on track is the actual elimination of food cravings that has been going on from following the program. As I ate my raw low carb vegetables and proteins I felt fully satisfied and was not craving food. Sanity suddenly showed up. That is what makes the program easy to do and what gives me enthusiasm to continue. I no longer have to fight against my own body and self to stay on the program. Just as Rachel Heller says, it does not take will power to stay on a program that is satisfying, which this one, FINALLY, is.

Since when I started I had already gone through the "withdrawal" and was off of sugar, starches, and any other high carb items from the eight day juice fast, I did not have to spend the first three days fighting withdrawals on the program. It was actually quite easy to begin incorporating satisfying salads and proteins which make me feel good. Literally.

That is not to imply that I did not have any problems, though. The "Reward Meal" was the first daily problem that I encountered. I'm not saying this is a bad part of the program, I'm just saying it caused me problems. My blood sugars would jump up pretty high after a reward meal, and I had trouble controlling the amount of carbs I was eating. I was not exactly like a kid in a candy store, but I began to see those impulses. I'm so glad I was journaling and keeping track of my blood sugars at that time, because I could tell the reward meal was causing me problems by how high my blood sugars went after those meals.

My first program modification then was to reduce the number of reward meals I had. I could not do one every day, my body is too extremely sensitive to carbs to be able to handle that. I had thought that I might have one every three days, but I came across a better solution. I eliminated the "Reward Meal" concept and rules and replaced it with shirataki noodles (SNs) once a day. I have found through blood sugar checking that the SNs do not raise my blood sugars even one point. You would think this might make me "over indulge" but I've notice I also have some side effects from the SNs so I keep it at once a day.

The side effects are the same as eating other carbs, minus the blood sugar increases. I am not positive yet, but think there might be an effect on the edema. I think my body has had to adjust to this new and foreign-to-my-system food, also, so I am giving it time to adjust. I noticed right away that my sinuses seem to be effected by it with an increase in liquid output and post nasal drip. I've even noticed a headache on some occasions. I don't seem to be getting the headaches as often now but I've also noticed that my herniated disc seems to be acting up from the exercise that I am doing which can also cause headaches, so the jury is out on whether it is the noodles or the disc causing those. I need to start doing neck traction again, so I can eliminate that as a possibility.

The good things about the SNs are that they fill me up, satisfy the sense memories, and do not raise my blood sugars. So I use them for the reward meal, at which, I no longer have to be so careful. One package is "one serving" so I can eat all 8.8 ounces and not feel any pangs. It truly is a pleasure food to eat. They are touted as extremely high in fiber. I still have to take magnesium to keep regular but am not having the problem of trying to pass "bricks" as I did so long ago on a low carb/high protein diet. So, for now, I shall continue with the SNs for my reward meals. I suppose I might at some time get tired of "stir fry" which is how I have been cooking them, but there are so many varieties of other ingredients (the protein choices to the veggies and spices) that I'm happy and satisfied with it all.

If you would like to check out the Shirataki noodles that I am using for yourself, here is the web site that I ordered them from: http://www.konjacfoods.com/

I am ordering them online because I have not yet found a local source. They have the tofu/shirataki noodles at Whole Foods if you feel OK about eating soy-based foods, but I don't eat soy because I believe it causes some forms of cancer and is simply not good for humans to eat. They are not low in carbs, either. If you do not have those considerations (or simply have not read about them, yet) you can choose to eat them. They are not for me, though. I don't suppose buying one package to try them out would kill you, but why become familiar with and begin to enjoy something that is not good for you? I buy the plain (no tofu) ones online and am happy with them. (for my initial reactions and descriptions of the noodles in more detail see http://cureprediabetes.blogspot.com/2011/07/shirataki-noodle-verdict-is-in.html .)

Have to go get ready for physical therapy so will leave this for today. Hope you are doing well. I really do. Have a good one,

Be back soon,
Marcia