Day 11- Eliminate Bad Fats and Oils.

1/3

Yes, one third of the way through the challenge. What have I learned so far. I can do this. I'm not hungry. I need to add more vegetables. I need more exercise. I'm still a work in progress.

Most processed vegetable oils are highly inflammatory, which will lead to serious complications for diabetics; including heart and other diseases. 

So, go through your kitchen NOW and toss the canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, crisco oil and shortning. Diets don't work if you are using these items. They are bad for you.

There are good oils. Learn how to cook with olive oil and extra virgin olive oil. Add sesame or walnut oils to your foods. Cook with butter.

Avoid these:

Refined, polyunsaturated vegetable oils, safflower, sunflower, canola, soybean.

Farmed fish, factory feedlot beef, dairy, poultry

Microwave popcorn with butter flavoring

All fast foods, especially deep fried

Most commercial salad dressings and dips.

Most granola bars and processed snacks, including chips and crackers.

Commercial baked goods and mixes for coffee cakes, cookies, brownies, etc.

Mayonnaise

Most veggie burgers

Tub margarines, butter substitutes, and butter blends.

Okay, now that I've eliminated all the stuff we love what is left. I have an answer for that.

Grass-fed beef and dairy products, poultry and eggs

Wild Alaskan salmon, sardines

Fish oil and krill oil supplements

Avocados and avocado oil ( for salads)

Nuts and seeds ( flax and sesame)

Extra virgin olive oil for salads and very low heat cooking

Sesame oil and peanut oil for cooking

Coconut oil for cooking

Dark green leafy vegetables.

Now if you're like me you know all the things on the avoid list and have tried avoiding them in the past. You also know most of the things on the good for you list.  So if we know this, why don't we do it? It's not convenient. We don't like change. We tell ourselves that we are watching our food intake. Or that one trip to a fast food restaurant won't hurt. When the truth is, it does hurt. You have to want to heal or you won't. That much I have learned.

Day 10-Healing Vegetables

Diabetes is a balancing act. You have balance the foods you eat with exercise. You have to watch your portion sizes.  I have trouble with this. I often forget to eat because I am not hungry. That probably means I'm spending too much time at my computer and not getting enough exercise.  This morning's blood sugar reading was 91. That's within the normal range. I need them all there.

There are vegetables that help you heal. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, and brussel sprouts help your heart. They also give you needed minerals. Romane lettuce is filled with minerals are are onions and tomatoes.

Here are 10 ways to enjoy vegetables.

Salads: mix your greens or even red lettuce, grate in some carrots, chopped cucumbers, bell peppers. Toss in a few nuts and seeds (lightly toasted pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, almonds, or walnuts) as well as 1/4 cup of crumbled feta, goat, or bleu cheese. Slice in a hard boiled egg. Whisk 1 T of extra-virgin olive oil with a few drops of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice. ( Add a little Dijon mustard if you're feeling wild) Avoid bottled dressings altogether-the included unhealthy polyunsaturated oils and artificial sweetening.

Microwave your veggies in a glass dish with a little water. Pour off the water and add butter or olive oil.

Steamed veggies with chicken or salmon.

Snack on raw veggies. Dip in hummus or plain yogurt.

Wrap turkey or chicken in leaf lettuce with cheese and tomato.

Saute' your veggies in olive oil or butter.

Cube a small potato with cauliflower and/or turnip and steam in the microwave or on the stove top. For more boldness add garlic or Japanese Wasabi ( the green horseradish served with sushi).

Make slaw, with different kinds of veggies. Whisk plain yogurt with herbs for dressing. Of combine extra-virgin olive oil with rice wine or cider vinegar and toss.

Finally experiment. Hit up the Internet for healthy vegetable combinations.

Most of all learn to enjoy the new foods. Make them the main part of your diet. You'll be on the road to healthy if you do.

TTFN

Day 8 Oops Day 9

Vegetables are great. Skip the dip, at least for now. Day 8 add diabetes healing snacks. Yes there are some good ones. A handful of nuts, almonds, walnuts, or pecans. Dip in hummus. Veggies, all kinds. Steamed, fresh or added to your dinner. Make a smoothie with vegetables.  I found one that's easy.

1 cucumber partially peeled and cut into large chunks
3 C ice
1T lime juice
6 mint leaves plus extra for garnish
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 C sparkling water
Combine the cucumber, ice, lime juice, mint leaves, sea salt and 1/2 of the sparkling water in a blender and blend until smooth. Spoon into two glasses, top with sparkling water and garnish with mint leaves.
(found on Girl Cooks World: Gluten-free from around the World blog)
Quick and easy. The way I like it. If you look on-line there are a ton of smoothie recipes. Pick one you will like and try it. Remember no fruit at this time.

Top 10 healthy snacks
Air-popped popcorn (with a little oil and parmesan cheese)
Half a cup of 100% Pomegranate juice with half a cup of sparkling water ( when you start eating fruit)
Apple slices with five walnut halves. After Day 12
Yogurt with nuts and cinnamon
1 T peanut butter on a celery stick
Potato skins with diced spinach or broccoli slices, onion and a bit of cheese baked until crisp.
Smoothie---veggie to start
10 tart cherries after day 12.

Day 9 which really is today. Eliminate junk protein. That would be processed lunch meats. It is not the quantity of the meat you eat but the quality.  Grass-fed beef is lower in calories and higher in Omega-3's. They are also higher in antioxidents. So here are the top 10 best fish:
Wild Pacific salmon
Scallops
Sardines
Anchovies
Tuna
Pacific Halibut
Mackerel (not King)
Herring
Rainbow trout
Pacific oysters
And I am not a fish eater.
However turkey and chicken are good also bison and venison is good. Start sampling until you find the one you like best.

Be sure you eat beans. They are high in fiber and other good things.

Avoid farm raised fish, Bluefin Tuna, Chilean sea bass, Monkfish, Orange roughy, and Atlantic salmon. They contain high amounts of Mercury and there is a link between high Mercury and the dreaded Alzheimer's.

Hope this has been beneficial for some of you.
TTFN

Day 7-Research

 I have strayed a bit from what I intended this blog to be about. So first let me catch up on that. Day one was to break away from sweets. That meant reading the labels to see what was contained. Day 2 was to had half a teaspoon of cinnamon to your daily diet. Day three eliminate sugary sodas, energy drinks, juices, and anything else you drink that is high in sugars. Day 4 was to find the healing drinks. Water is best. Tea is filled with things that help prevent diabetes. Real coffee, black no sugar is also good for you. Latte's are not. Day 5 was to eliminate "fast" carbs. That included the breads, rice, pasta, pretty much anything that looks like it has those items. Day 6 was healing breakfasts. Keep hard boiled eggs on hand for when you are running late. Veggie omelettes, Mexican omelettes, yogurt with nuts and cinnamon, chopped almonds in ricotta cheese or even a 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese. Day 7 eliminate fast food lunches. It's not worth it. Hummus for dipping, fresh veggies, a salad (oil and vinegar dressing), a handful of almonds, walnuts, or pecans. A slice of turkey rolled around a stalk of cheese, or wrapped in a leaf of lettuce. That brings us up-to-date on where you should be. I am sorry I neglected that and will be more diligent from now on.

But today is also research day. You've been diagnosed with diabetes. You need to do all the research you can. As someone with type 2 diabetes your doctor should have given you a diabetic diet or signed you up with a dietician. The doctor should also have told you that you need some kind of exercise NOW. Walking thirty minutes a day is a good start. If you can't do it all at once, break it into three 10-minutes walks.  You probably need to lose weight. You need to monitor your sugars, watch what you eat, and get exercise. The sooner you do this the longer you can stay off medications.

If you are like me, my doctor did none of this. He just put me on meds. I became depressed, continued eating the way I had been and got fatter, so the diabetes got worse. My doctor increased my meds and added another one. It took a friend dying for me to wake up. It took me four years of watching my food intake to lose 100 pounds. I did that. I still have 48.2 pounds to lose. I just say 50, it's easier. I am the only one who can control what goes into my mouth. I am the only one who can move my butt of the sofa and walk.

I have also researched the meds I take. I've checked the Mayo Clinic website and WebMD. Metformin will eventually destroy my kidneys. According to my blood tests yesterday, it has not done that yet. I will be watching. I am increasing my water intake to force my kidneys to work. I keep bottled water around all the time. I am drinking flavored tea as it does not have sugar added. I need to get away from adding sugar to my tea. So, I will not be buying a box of Red Rose for at least a month.

I am sleeping well. That is something I did not do the last month in South Carolina. I now know how to take care of that issue. I am getting a good eight or nine hours of sleep. Being well rested is a must for someone with diabetes. I have not added my thirty minutes a day since I returned home. I will be working on that soon.

Know your body. It is yours. If something the doctor suggests doesn't feel right say no. No one else lives in your body but you. You should know it best. If something feels wrong, tell your doctor about it. If your doctor does not listen to your concerns, find another doctor. Don't take this sitting down and following the crowd. If you do, the next thing you will  hear is that you need insulin. That is not always the case.

Stepping off my soapbox.
TTFN

Day 7 -- Ugh

Medical tests are back. It's amazing that I was told results would not be available until next week and here it's only been one day.

Liver and kidney functions are good. That was a relief. Triglycerides are up and cholesterol is up. She wanted to give me meds for the cholesterol I said no. My cholesterol is usually low so I'm not getting excited about one bad reading. A1C was high. Here's the breakdown

Triglycerides 272 normal for women is less that 150 mine have never been above 150 before.
Cholesterol   243 which is very high for me as mine usually runs around 106.
A1C 8.9 it should be 6.0. That is the big thing I'm working on. If I can get it down, then the others will also come down.

My blood sugar this morning was 133. I was unhappy about that. Then I remembered what I ate yesterday. That explained it. My blood pressure when I awoke this morning was 114/69 which is in the normal range. Immediately after talking to the nurse it was 140/93 and I took meds. Ugh.

Am following directions and the swelling in my left leg is not as bad as it has been. That is a plus. Breakfast this morning was 2 farm fresh eggs a splash of 2% organic milk and a slice of sharp cheddar cheese. Dinner was cottage cheese, two green onions and half a cucumber. I am feeling good. My biggest problem is getting  in my 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon daily. I often forget to have that. I need to make it part of my morning routine. That's my next challenge.

We have a starting point for things I need to correct. I am not getting on the scales daily that defeats the purpose. I will focus on more exercise, better eating, and control of my blood sugar and blood pressure.

I am missing the peacefulness I had from Jan to mid-April. I have learned that I don't like noise. There is too much traffic, too many lawnmowers, too much stuff I don't need to hear. It causes stress. It is something I didn't know about myself and am learning I have to find a way to adapt so that I am not stressed. I'm also not fond of the weather. I want warmth and the sun. Lack of those drag me down.

So, where ever you are on your journey, there is a starting place. I have mine. Do you have yours?
TTFN

Day 6 Disappointing

I believe it helps to have your doctor on board when you are in a weight loss program. Unfortunately for me, that is not going to happen. I went in today and found out that the person in charge of my medical care is clueless when it comes to diabetes. She did order a battery of tests and a microbial urinalysis. I should have results next week. My weight is currently 168.2 which means I need to lose 48.2 pounds.

I realize that their is no cure for diabetes. I also know that the author of the book I'm using has been able to take people on insulin off all their meds using this method. I will always have to follow this diet. This is a life style change.

When the person giving me medical care does not know the long term effects of the meds she is prescribing I get scared. She does not know that Metformin the first diabetes drug they prescribe will damage kidneys after long term use. Moving to insulin does not stop that. She does not understand my concerns for my kidneys. No, they currently are not giving me problems but I don't want it to be too late when the problem is discovered.

She was able to explain the swelling in my left foot. It all goes back to a car accident I was in 15 years ago. It is something I will have to live with. I will need to find a comfortable chair that allows my feet to be elevated. I have used a box with a pillow today, not the most comfortable, but it has kept the swelling to what it was when I awoke.

I was up at 8 for and 8:45 appointment. (Helps to live just three miles away). Did not get out of the doctor's office until 10 am. Then went for lab work. It was 10:35 before I got out of there. I went home, changed into jeans and t-shirt, picked up my mail and went to Big Boy for breakfast as I knew I had to have something. The omelette would have been okay if I'd just had cheese on it. But I opted for ham and cheese. Oh, yes, pork is not on the diet. Neither were the hash browns and English muffin. I just knew I needed to get the sugar levels back up to normal. I did okay having only yogurt with cinnamon and walnuts for dinner. I've almost finished my bottle of water. I had two cups of tea at breakfast.

I don't feel bad but today was disappointing. I know that tomorrow I start fresh. This was just a minor set back. I will succeed in losing all the stupid meds that are going to kill me in the long run.

TTFN

Day 5-Eliminate High Carbs

Most of what is seen in the above photo is bad for you. Starting with the bun and ending with the low grade, who knows what's been added meat. Most of us know this.

What you don't know is the so-called Diabetic foods are not good for you either. Read the labels. You will find they have sugar added as well as other questionable substances.

So, what do you eat? Well for the first 12 days you have given up breads (all types), rice (especially the one minute stuff), and pasta. You have also given up all forms of sugar (brown, granulated, powdered, corn syrup, etc), and soft drinks and juice.

That leaves you drinking water, tea, coffee, and 2% or skim milk (organic, soy, almond, rice). You are able to have eggs, cheese (the size of your little finger), nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds), vegetables, and lean meat (free range if you can find it). Bison and venison are also good. Beans in most forms are good and so is barley.

Veggie burgers are a no-no unless you are making your own. They have additives your body doesn't need.  You are cooking with olive oil, walnut oil, sesame oil, or butter. Seek out some creative menus. There are tons of places on the internet for recipes.

I had a blood sugar reading of 123 this morning. That is good. I need to stay below 140. I would like to see my readings between 70-100 all the time.

Tomorrow I go in to get a urinalysis, an A1C test (that tells what my sugars have been for the past three months), and my triglycerides. Of course I will be weighed in too. I will post the results of all that when I have them.

Breakfast this morning was plain yogurt with some walnuts and cinnamon in it. Later I had a hard boiled egg, a stick of colby/jack cheese, and a handful of almonds. Dinner was a dish of cottage cheese with celery salt and pepper. I've had two cups of tea and a 20 oz bottle of water.  I'm still not hungry. Grocery shopping is on the menu soon. I miss having celery and carrots to munch on. I also want some fresh spinach, fresh mushrooms, meat and other items.

I plan to add more water to my intake. I'm also looking for good vegetarian smoothies. I saw one with cucumber and lime. I'll let you know how it works.

Day 5 was an overall success.

TTFN

Nutrician Labels Day 4

Reading the labels is important. I read them mostly for sugar content and ingredients. I want to keep my sugar intake low so I don't want foods with tons of sugar added. I also have food allergies so I make sure the things I'm allergic to are not in my food.

I'm also not fond of things I cannot identify. Erythorbates, no it's not earthworms. It's an antioxident added to some foods and derived from you guessed it sugar. Is it good for you, probably not. If it's in your food and you need a dictionary to figure out what it is, you probably shouldn't be eating it.

So, I have cut all bread, rice, and pasta from my diet. I've also cut sugar, syrup, and anything else that contains sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Yes, that means no pancakes or waffles. I will live.

I have also gotten rid of all my vegetable oils as they are bad for you too. I am buying olive oil, walnut oil and sesame oil for cooking and making salad dressing. I still use butter. I have farm fresh eggs right now thanks to my dad. I drink organic milk. For those of you who grew up in the 50's and 60's that is what we grew up on. It does not have added hormones. I have some organic yogurt, too.

Ideally I'd have a teaspoon of cinnamon a day. Today I had it in my tea. It was probably more than a teaspoon. But when I had a blood sugar reading of 79 tonight I can't say I was upset.

For those of you following me on this journey the normal blood sugar range is 70-100. I usually run between 100 and 140. That makes me a diabetic. It has been much higher than that at times. I have to be careful with some medications as they can drive my sugars up, sometimes to dangerous levels.

Today has been a successful day. Tues. I have bloodwork done. I will post results as we will want to do it again in 30 days and have a comparison. I will tell you at that time all the details that we record and how I am progressing.

I have found that I have trouble eating because I am not hungry. That's one of the things that happens when you have good healthy food. I am not in any way starving. I am eating the right foods.

TTFN

Days Two and Three

I missed a day as I took time out to go to my daughter's college graduation. She is officially a Phoenix.

She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business/Accounting. I am so  very proud of her.

So Day 2 started with oatmeal, raisins, milk, and cinnamon. When I arrived at my parents several hours later I had a handful of mixed nuts. Dinner was steak and a baked sweet potato with butter. I skipped the bread with dinner and drank an unsweetened iced tea with lemon. I did however eat a carrot cake cupcake after graduation when we went for dessert. Not too bad.

Day three would be today. So far I've had two hard boiled eggs and some hot tea. I am about to have some refried beans with salsa, sour cream, and cheese. I will probably get in a bottle of water, too.

I'm not there yet, but I'm getting better. I really need to find a way to get 1 teaspoon of  cinnamon into my daily diet. I'm also hoping to avoid anymore sweets for a long time. This won't work if I keep getting tossed into situations where that's all I can have.

I have not given up.

TTFN

Day One

Not a banner start. I did not eat breakfast. I skipped lunch. Had a stick of colby-jack cheese. Finally had some cottage cheese and a bit of shredded cheese. I boiled some eggs so I'd have them on hand.

I am off early tomorrow for my daughter's graduation from college. I will try to eat better and more frequently. Cannot get into the doctor until Tues. to get blood tests and urinalysis.

Day one = epic fail. Not to worry I will start again tomorrow. At least there was no bread, pasta, or rice today.   I am not a big pasta eater to start with and I can take or leave rice.

I need to buy some veggies. I did stock up on refried beans so that will help. I have some almonds, but I'd like some walnuts for a change of pace. I need some old fashioned oats, too.

I am trying to figure out how to get my teaspoon of cinnamon daily. I know I can mix it with my oatmeal and yogurt. I am just looking for other creative ways to do do it.

If you decide to follow along, Day one goals are to give up bread, processed flour, pasta, and rice. Use no sugar, syrup, or artificial sweeteners. This will continue until Day twelve. I have achieved that.

TTFN

Getting Ready

The first thing is getting ready. I have to make a list of the things I can eat and will need to eat as I embark on this life style change. If you look closely at the list in the photo, sugar, ice cream, and any fruit will not be on my list.

For the first ten days I am eliminating as much sugar from my diet as possible. That means no bread, pasta, rice, or potatoes (sweet potatoes are okay). I have my plain organic yogurt. I will be buying almonds and walnuts to add to it. I get lots and lots of veggies. I can have limited amounts of cheese. I can have milk, cottage cheese, eggs, lean meat (preferably free range meat...no pork of any kind), poultry (again free range if possible). Beans will be big on the list as will barley and old fashioned oats. Cinnamon will be come a daily  habit. I need a teaspoon a day. Mixed in my oatmeal or yogurt. I will be buying olive oil, walnut oil, and sesame oil. Vegetable oils are gone. I can however have butter.

I will be experimenting with different cheeses and recipes. I'll let you know which ones are successful. I will report the results of my blood tests when I get them. I hope to have them all done on Friday.  I am excited about the making the changes and that will help to make this a success. The outcomes I am looking for are losing my diabetes meds and being all around healthier. Weight  loss will just be a side benefit.

Again if you'd care to join me, be sure to comment on my blogs. Everyone needs a cheering section and I'll be happy to be yours.

TTFN