Low Carb My Way

I did some reading yesterday and came up with some information about medications that might have an effect on weight loss. One of them is Glyburide, which I take. There are reports that it can keep people from losing weight and I’ve found out that it may be what is causing my very low (for me) readings.

I’ll be honest (what else is this place for but that?) I’ve been talking the medication for years (along with other meds) but still eating chips, candy, and drinking colas. What an idiot – but I lived in denial for a long, long time. But the proof is in the pudding – or more correctly in the blood glucose readings. The scale may not show a difference, but going from a glucose reading of nearly 300 to readings like this morning of 93 is a evidence that what I’m doing is working. Now to just get that dang scale to move. lol I even wiggled around on the scale this morning hoping to shake it into changing.

According to one person who is familiar with this medication (lay person) I’m taking well over four times the amount anyone on a low-carb diet should be on. So, I’m cutting my morning dose in half (only taking one pill rather than two.) I’ll keep track of my BG through the day. I’ll see my doctor in a few weeks and will talk over what I want to do – which is gradually lower my dose – making sure my readings are still low and get the weight coming off.

Sandra

The good news – my glucose reading this morning was 115. I couldn’t be happier with that and it’s atleast one indication that I’m doing something right.

The bad news – the scale is still at 310. Ack. Is it possible that my scale is broken? Gotta find some kind of hope for what’s going on. It’s time to research the meds I’m taking and see if that could be an issue. Then there’s the goals I set out in the previous post.

One thing I am happy with is that I haven’t fallen into the “well this ain’t working so why not have a big bag of potato chips and coke” syndrome. The glucose readings and my sense of general well-being is helping me. And, the biggest surpirse is this blog and keeping an accounting for what is happening.

I wish I had better news on the weight loss.

I’ve got to do something to get that pointer on the scale to get off of the 308 mark. I’m very frustrated right now. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. Well, I sort of do.

1 – I need to drink my water. I got 7 8oz glasses in on Monday but haven’t gotten near that much the last few days. Gotta make a habit of it and then I’ll do it. And it’s not like I don’t like drinking water, I do, it’s just getting myself to remember to do it. My normal drinking glass is just a bit over two cups, and I can easily get four of those down a day. I can do this.

2 – Gotta start walking. I finally got over my procrastination and put on my new walking shoes when I went to see my chiropractor. Haven’t seen him since November and I wasn’t in too bad a shape. Anyway, I planned to start with five minutes a day and he said that it was a waste, to just do 20 minutes no matter how long it took me. So, today one of my projects is to create a playlist of songs that make me want to move and when I’m walking, just listen to them insted of worrying about the clock.

3 – Made an appointment with my doctor. Can’t get into see him until Aug. 22. I’ve got a small bump on my throat in the area that might indicate I’ve got tyroid trouble. Had my chiropractor look at it. I’ve also got all the great glucose readings to show him and maybe I can lower my medication. The meds could also be a possible reason I’m not losing.

I’m not giving up. I’ve got what I think is good control of my glucose readings and I am feeling better. But I want to feel really good – and lose some weight. But I guess for now concentrating on improving my health is the main focus of what I’m doing.

And one last thing – it’s amazing how helpful it is doing this journal. Next week I’m going to do a complete food diary and post it on a page here – just to see what I’m really eating – and maybe get some input.

Sandra

I just received a box of Truvia that I had ordered after reading some of the reviews and watching the videos its premiere in New York City.

All I can say is WOW. My son was bold and took the first bit and said, “It tastes just like sugar.” I couldn’t believe it when I tried it. While to me it’s not exactly like sugar, it’s a wonderful sweet taste with absolutely no after taste. This has opened up a whole new world to me of being able to make some treats for myself. The idea of being without chocolate has been a bit depressing but with Truvia I’m sure I can find a way to make things like chocolate ice cream. I told my son that if this stuff was good I was going to invest in a small ice cream maker.

I’m hoping that Truvia can be substituted one-for-one in recipes that call for Splenda. Going to have to do a bit of surfing to see what I can find. I just found a conversion chart on the Truvia site here.

My guess is that now that Cargill has created a sweetener from stevia that it will get FDA approval soon. Or maybe the compound that they extracted from this specific stevia they have cultivated. But that should open the door for all the others. And one thing I’m really looking forward to is a Diet Coke made with Truvia. That would be incredible. Now if someone could just make a potato chip that was no-carb I’d be set.

I really can’t say enough about how pleased I am with Truvia and plan to look for some recipes to try it in.

Tags: truvia

It’s going to be short and not too sweet. My weight hasn’t changed and this has been a tough week with my blood glucose all over the place. Woke up with a really bad headache and my glucose reading was 96. Had some scrambled eggs along with a low-carb wrap and some cheddar cheese.  My glucose reading went up after that. I’m getting kind of gun-shy of my glucose readings going under 100 after the hypoglycemia situation the other night.

Goals for this week: Drink more water. Begin walking even if it’s just for a few minutes and build up to 20 minutes a day.

Tonight just after midnight I was taking a glass out to the kitchen and was going to start cleaning up the dishes from dinner. I know, I keep lousy hours. lol When I got to the kitchen I had to sit down and felt like my entire body was shaking. I put this together with the sensitivity to light I had just been experiencing and figured I better check my glucose. It was down to 70, which for me is very low. I called my son, who lives only a block away, and he came over. I took a glucose tablet that I have and he brought a few chocolates. Within about 15 minutes my glucose reading was going up and has gradually gone up over the last few hours. I had some protein and a few carbs. It is really a scary exprience and one that I hope I don’t have to go through again.

I’m not sure what might have set this off. I know I didn’t feel much like eating today and hadn’t had my late night snack – usually a hot dog, some cold cuts, or some cheese.

My guess is that I might have gone too low with the carb count. Going from the very high carbs I was eating to very few might be too big of a shock for my system. And I agree with my son that I might need to eat more often. Time to make sure I have some Deviled Eggs, egg salad, and chicken salad around for quick snacks.

I’m amazed at how much having a personal blog like this helps. Will try to get some sleep and look for some good snack recipes tomorrow.

I just had to write a short update. I took my blood sugar reading this morning, fasting, and it was 104. Wow. I can’t believe that in two weeks of being on a Low Carb Way of Eating my glucose readings have gone from hovering near 300 to almost at 100. Can’t wait to see what my A1Cs are in a few months. Who knows, maybe one of these days I can lower the amount of medication I take. It’s a goal to shot for.

Tags: blood sugar

This weeks update:

The good: My blood sugar this morning was 115 which is a huge improvement over where it was running about two weeks ago. I had a reading as high as almost 300. More good – I’m feeling better and am not as hungry as I have been in the past. I needed some snacks to get through the first week – meaning a few hot dogs at night. I did learn that if I eat some protein later at night I’ll feel much better the next day. I also went out three times to go shopping – and plan to go out in a bit. This is a real change for me.

The bad: The scale shows the same number 310. Drat. A few things to deal with: 1 – Drink my water. Going to get a very big glass or something that holds 32oz or close and I’ll know I have to drink two of those a day. 2 – Put the scale in one place so I’m not moving it around so much. 3 – Start my walking regime. It’s not easy with the broken toe that finally seems to be healed but a bit crocked. And the torn meniscus tends to ache if I do too much. Maybe I’ll talk to my doc about wearing a brake on the knee when I walk. Either that or get one of those pedal things that you put on the floor and then sit on a chair. Will find something that I can do.

Goals for this week: Monday thru Friday write down what I eat and how many carbs. Also, work on figuring out how to make good roasted veggies.

Update to Update: I decided to pay another visit to my scale and was very happy to see I’d lost 2# in an hour. Seriously, the first time I kinda moved around a bit and this time I just stepped on it and looked down – and it was at 308. I’ll take that. If I could keep up this rate or a bit more I could be down near 200 by next summer.  But for now, my goal is to finally get under the 300 mark.

Tags: update

I so appreciate Jimmy Moore listing me in his blogs to visit while he’s on vacation and thank you to those who stop by. I know there’s not much here, but I can’t believe how keeping this blog is making a difference in how I’m looking at this new effort to get my health in order. Thank you, all.

One big advantage to going low-carb is that I’m saving money. Even though my grocery bill might be going up – I’m not going to the fast food places as much. I’m actually making breakfast – gotta find some alternatives to just scrambled eggs and bacon, and I’m making my own lunch.

Though I have found a few ways around my needing to go out and get something. One day I was just very busy and found myself out about three times during the day – very unusual for me. I found out that at McDonald’s I could order a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel – without the bagel. I decided I’d rather not do that again – but in a pinch, it is there. Then for lunch I got a jumbo hot dog with everything – except peppers, and ended up feeding the bun to the birds. For dinner I had an Italian Sub – and didn’t eat the bread. Not the best day of eating – but better than I used to do.

And best of all, my blood sugars are dropping like crazy. I might actually be able to make my doctor happy next time I see him.

Once again, thank you for stopping in to see my babblings. I guess it’s time to go over to Jimmy’s messageboard and join in. Isn’t it just the craziest thing to know that perfect strangers are out there reading our words?

If you have a low-carb related blog and would like to exchange links, please use the “Contact Me” page to email me. Thanks.

Sandra

Tags: low carb, Ramblings

I forgot to weigh myself after I’d been at the doctor’s office, so this weight is from my home scale, which I think is pretty good. I’m at 310 as of this morning. That could be considered a loss of ten pounds, but I think I’ll wait on the actual weight loss until next week when I can use the same scale, same time of day – you know the routine.

I’ve really been enjoying the scramble eggs and bacon for breakfast – but can see I have to have a few other options to add some variety. I suppose I’ll try working on making fried eggs and some of those baked-type breakfasts.

Going to work on a menu for next week and see if I can stick to it better than I did this week. Maybe I’ll just have everything done on the grill – that way my son does it.

Oh, I wanted to mention that yesterday I had a ham/cheese wrap and also a half-cup or so of baby lettuce with some blue cheese dressing on it. It was so good. Dinner last night was a cheeseburger (no bun) and about a quarter of the potato that came with it. Next time I’ll forget the potato and just have a salad.

Tags: update