a new year....

Well, the new year is almost here.

I just looked over my "fasting blood sugar" sheet for the month of december.

Most of my readings were between 130 and 160.

The whole month long there were only 3 that were in the range that they should fall in.

I haven't been eating badly, and the increase in my exercise has been outstanding.

I really can't explain why my blood results are not better, except for the possibility that my current medication might not be enough.....

However, for some reason, I am not discouraged.

I feel that over the next few months my endocrinologist (and I ) will come up with the right solutions to get my sugars in a more desirable range.

In the meantime I have decided to try out a new journey, one that I have been considering for a couple of years now.

I have watched several documentary shows and films on going Vegan.

This past week I watched Vegucated, and I have decided that in the new year I am going to give it a try.

I'm not saying for how long, and I'm not saying how extreme I will go, but I do think that a plant-based diet will do my body good for a little while.

This being said, Mark and I are leaving tomorrow (1/1/13) and going to Ft. Myers for a few days.

During this time I am going to eat whatever I want!

Now I am not going to "Pig Out" just for Pigging Out's sake.

I will still be sensible and work out, but if there is something I want to eat I am going to eat it.

I have even purchased a couple of my favorite "Guilty Pleasures" to take with me, and I will enjoy every bite.

There are also a couple of restaurants that we will be dining at where I will probably not order off of the diabetic-friendly portion of the menu.

But I do promise to not go crazy, and I look forward to comparing these results to the results after I have "gone Vegan" for a little while.

I will keep you all posted on my progress.

and a Happy, Healthy New Year to you all!!!!

Lunch and Learn Live - Emily Ellyn

I recently attended a taping of Lunch and Learn Live, which is filmed at the Florida Hospital Diabetes Center.

My friend and Food Network Star finalist Emily Ellyn was the celebrity guest chef!

She cooked a holiday meal that fits in to the Healthy 100 approved cooking guidelines, and I must say that it was absolutely delicious!!!

I have tried several ways to add the video on here, but there is something wrong with the way it is embedded, but I think you should be able to get there by clicking HERE

This is the finished product of the "Diabetic Friendly" Holiday Meal.

It was SO good, you will never miss those extra Calories and Fat.

Emily and Me

Also, be sure to check out her WEBSITE and get one of her 2013 Calendars, they make an excellent stocking stuffer and she will personally autograph each one that you order!

Get em before it is too late!

Also.... I just made her recipe for Mashed Potato/ Parsnip/ Sweet Potato

Good and Good For You!!!!

Thanks Emily!

Look for new projects in the near future that she and I will be collaborating on!

Post Doctor's Appointment

It has been 10 days since my Doctor's appointment.

I have been doing OK.

I've just gotten in Exercise mode, it has taken me this long however.

I joined the YMCA and will be going to a few exercise classes there.

I have tried to keep "dining out" to a minimum, and you can see by the photos below the types of things I have been ordering when I do go out.

There have been some Holiday Parties as well, and a couple of nights where I had alcohol, but not too many!

I had one fasting blood sugar of 

99

But other then that one they have mostly been between 130 and 150.

I'm hoping that once I get on a more consistent exercise program that they will be a little lower.

I recently went to an exciting event at the Diabetes Center that I will be posting about over the next couple of days, as well as giving updates of my progress.

December 5th 2012

Started the day with a bowl of Cereal and an apple

Then for lunch I re-heated my Eggplant from yesterday.

Still it was too much so I only ate half of the plate.

Then off to meet my new Endocrinologist! 

I loved the building for the New Diabetes Center.

(well, its two years old, but new for me)

My new Doctor was wonderful!

He took plenty of time with me for my appointment, and gave me plenty of opportunity for me to ask questions.

We decided that we will leave my medication as it is for now, and will check my HA1C again in three months.

If it has not improved by then we will adjust my medication at that time.

He also told me that we have many options... Insulin and Stronger Pills will be an option.

When that time comes I will find out which will be better for me longer-term with the least amount of complications and go that route.

I may also me taking another Nutrition Class with a Dietician (depending on how much it costs)

Then before work I had the rest of my Eggplant

(Note to self - one portion from the restaurant makes three servings)

and I also cooked some Beet Greens that I bought

(I'll cook the Beets in the next few days)

I didn't eat after the bar because I knew I would be getting up for an early Breakfast the next day.

I guess going to bed hungry paid off, for the first time in a long time I was back in range.....

120

December 4th 2012

Running some errands and hitting the produce store today.

John and I had lunch at Il Pescatore. I have a friend who works there and he has been asking me to come in for some time now.

I started with some Garlic Bread and a House Salad.

For my entree I ordered Eggplant Rollitini.

(I haven't been eating that much meat lately - I wonder if being a Vegetarian is a good option for me? If so i will definitely need to reduce my Cheese intake - which this meal was NOT a good example of)

I switched out the regular Pasta that it comes with for Whole Wheat Pasta - I figure every little bit helps.

I also wanted to take a picture of my plate when I was finished.

I packed up over half of it and took it home with me.

Then after a day of Produce shopping....

(Brussels sprouts, Apples, Bananas, Spinach, Broccoli, Cherry Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Bell Peppers and Two kinds of Beets - all for $20!)

I had the rest of the Black Bean Chili.

Around 10pm Mark took me to the movies where I had a bag of those Candied Almonds.

fasting sugar....

159

I know that a big bag of sugared Nuts is not a wise choice for my final meal.

and tomorrow is my first visit with the Endocrinologist, which I am very excited about.

I have all my paperwork in order and my previous medical history printed out for him.

Wish me luck!

December 3rd 2012

Started today with a bowl of Cereal with Strawberries.

I knew I would be away from home the rest of the day and would be dining out, so I wanted to at least get a good start.

We had a late lunch at Nikki's Place, which is a Soul Food restaurant, with most Deep Fat Fried items and no healthy options, so I asked the server if they happen to have any boneless Chicken.

She said they did have boneless chicken (Breast or Thigh) and that they could grill if for me if I liked.

Wow!

It was a heavily seasoned Breast grilled, served on Rice and topped with Onions.

For my sides I chose Yams (sinfully sweet) and Black Eyed Peas.

Now in NO WAY was this a Healthy meal - but I did feel good about cutting a few corners.

and it was also really satisfying.

Now my final meal of the day was not so great.

It was a Deep Fried Chicken sandwich with Chips from Bananas Diner.

plus it was a late night meal after my event.

morning sugar....

153

December 2nd 2012

Breakfast - a piece of Wheat Toast with Peanut Butter and a slice Banana

I spent most of the day recovering, although I was feeling much better and would return to work at 6pm

I snacked on leftovers - some more Black Bean Chili and some more Mac N Cheese

During work I had a Granola Bar.

After work I was starving!

(once again - I need to eat better when I work those long shifts)

I drove John home after the bar and he said he would buy me a sandwich if I stopped at WAWA.

I wondered what would be the healthiest way to eat there?

I decided to get the 6 inch rather then the 10 inch

I also opted for the Wheat roll and just got a Veggie Sub.

Lettuce, Spinach, Pickles, Cucumbers and roasted Red Peppers.

It actually tasted pretty good!

Morning Sugar...

136

December 1st 2012

Not feeling very well still.

I had previously arranged for my shift to be covered tonight, so it was nice that I didn't have to worry about working.

I started with a bowl of Cereal with Walnuts and a Banana

Then a few hours later I was craving some comfort food so I decided to make some Mac-N-Cheese

(I know this is not healthy - but I felt like indulging)

I shredded some cheese from the freezer and added in some Bacon Crumbles.

Once it was done baking I has a portion with a Salad.

(Funny, the Salad was more enjoyable to me then the Mac-N-Cheese)

It was good, just a little greasy.

maybe I shouldn't have added the Bacon?

I remember once making a "Healthier" Mac-N-Cheese recipe that called for half Cheese and the other half Pureed Butternut Squash.

I wonder if I should re-visit that recipe or come up with some other "Healthier" recipe for this classic dish that I do love (from time to time)

The Nyquil was still working and I took about a 3 hour nap!

When I got up I finished the other half of the Thanksgiving Sandwich from the previous day, as well as a little more Mac.

Since I was sick and bored I re-subscribed to Netflix.

I watched a documentary called Forks over Knives

It is about the health factors of not eating meat and eating a plant-based diet instead.

Seems to be beneficial (and almost healing) to both Diabetes and Cholesterol (both which affect me)

It is something to consider!!!!!!

For my final meal (along with another half dose of Nyquil) I had another bowl of Cereal - this time with Strawberries!

morning sugar......
170
It's not like I was expecting it to be good.
I'll be back to work now, so hopefully things will start turning around since I will be a little more active.

November 30th 2012

I woke up with a sore throat and the feeling of potentially get a cold.

I started with a Breakfast Parfait with Fresh Strawberries, Cereal, Walnuts and Fat Free Greek Yogurt.

Yummy!

A couple of hours later I made another Thanksgiving Sandwich.

I only ate half and wrapped the other half and put in in the fridge.

Then I went back to bed for a nap.

Still not feeling well I took some Dayquil and had some of my Black Bean Vegetarian Chili.

and then just before I went in to work Mark fixed me another plate.

One Canneloni, one slice Veggie Pizza, and some salad topped with Strawberries and Cranberry Sauce.

Half way through work I got really sick (congested, runny nose, sinus headache)

so I left early.

I had a little more Black Bean Chili followed by a big dose of NyQuil.

In the morning (I wonder if it was largely due to the Nyquil?) I had a blood sugar of....

164

November 29th 2012

started with a bowl of Cereal with a sliced Banana and some Walnuts.

Then off to the Winter Park Wellness Center which is part of the YMCA.

I joined today.

It was so much fun.

I did 30-40 minutes on the Eliptical Machine, 15 minutes of walking on the indoor track, and an hour long Water Aerobics Class.

I plan on having many more days like this.

I treated myself to lunch afterwards at Ethos Vegan Kitchen.

I had the special of the day which was a Buffalo Chickun Wrap.

(Although the Chickun was Tofu-Based it really tasted like Chicken - Delicious!)

Then when I got home I did some computer work and around 7pm I had two slices of Homemade Veggie Pizza and some Hummus.

I had been making some Vegatarian Black Bean Chili in a crock pot, and I had that for my final meal around 10:30pm

morning sugar....
135

November 28th 2012

Since my sugar had dropped quite a bit from the previous day I decided to start the day with a big breakfast featuring the remaining Brie on Whole Wheat Crackers and a Canneloni.

Then after some paperwork, some stuff around the house and a nap I had another hearty meal for lunch.

another one of my self-proclaimed "famous" Thanksgiving Sandwiches and a slice of Pumpkin Pie (minus the crust)

Then I had a great workout with Lynn.

I then had about three hours before I had to be at work, and I sat in front of the TV and snacked (mistake)

I had Hummus and Chips, Popcorn and a Granola Bar.

Not that any of those things are bad, but I shouldn't have had all of them!

Then after work I had a Salad Kit.

Cherry, Almond, Bleu Spinach Salad.

I only used about half of the dressing, but I ate the whole Salad!

It probably was intended to feed at least two (and probably three)

Once again - I need to be better at portion control!!!

morning sugar.....

150

November 27th 2012

I started with a bowl of Cereal with Greek Yogurt and a slice of Whole Wheat Toast with Pear Preserves.

 

Then after some errands John and I went to Teak. I have a weakness for their Burgers - They are simply the best in Orlando and I splurged and had one. So Good!!!!

When I got home Mark and I went for a 45 minute walk. I know that didn't remove the calories of the Burger - but every little bit helps.

Then around 6pm I went to work to decorate trees for Christmas.

They bought us all Pizza from Panino's for helping them decorate.

I had one slice of Veggie.

Then after I got home I had some Tortilla chips and Hummus while I watched TV

Then just before midnight I made some more Veggie Pizzas

(Broccoli, Carrots, Parsley, Sage and Sauce - No Cheese)

I had two small pieces with a Spinach Salad with the rest of the Indian Salad Condiment (Onion, Tomato, Cilantro, Lime)

I'm hoping that the fasting Sugar is below 162, then I will at least know that I am improving slightly.

and the verdict is......
135
I did it!
Now I just have to get them under 120

November 26th 2012

OK, Let's see if this works!

I opened a Flickr account, and for now am uploading them from there.

I'm sure I will have to do some fine tuning, and hopefully come up with an easier way - we shall see.

Started the day with some Chicken Curry, Leftover Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce and some Indian Salad (Onion, Tomato, Cilantro)

 

Then I went to the Foot Doctor for my final appointment with a great review.

To celebrate I took John to Sonny's BBQ. The Food was really greasy and I regretted going there, but I did only eat just over half of my Sandwich.

After buying some sliced Turkey I decided to make a Thanksgiving Sandwich around 8pm.

(Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Turkey, Goat Cheese and Potato Sticks on Wheat Bread - So Good!)

Then just after midnight I had a Spinach Salad with Walnuts, Goat Cheese and a touch of Cranberry Sauce instead of Dressing.

The morning Fasting Blood Sugar verdict.....
162
Not as good as I want, but lower then the previous day!
I have got to start exercising more religiously!

November 25th 2012

174

November 24th 2012

159

November 23rd 2012

It is now the 26th and I'm just logging on to update.
I've been upset that I can no longer add photos (for free)
I just figured out a way to possibly add new photos (without paying) so I'm going to just create posts giving my fasting blood sugars. I really haven't kept good records of what I have been eating.
and by the looks of some of these numbers it must not have been very good.

Fasting Sugar for the 23rd....
152

November 22nd 2012

Today is Thanksgiving.
I really wish I could post more photos at this time.
I'm sure it won't be long before I bite the bullet and just pay the extra "Photo Storage" fee.
Thanksgiving Meal #1 at my parents (noon)
My plate consisted of small helpings of Turkey, Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Peas, Mac N Cheese, Carrots, a Roll and Cranberry Sauce.
I had small slivers of both pies.
I didn't tell my family which one was the "Diabetic Friendly" Pie and had them tell me which one they liked best.
The Sugar-Filled Pecan Pie (Trisha Yearwood's Recipe) won hands down!!!!
Thanksgiving Meal #2 at Joel's house (4pm)
This time my plate had small helpings of Turkey, Ham, Gravy, Sweet Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Stuffing, Mac N Cheese, and Green Beans.
a small piece of Pumpkin Pie and two cocktails.
Thanksgiving Meal #3 at Pom's house (8pm)
YES, I HAD THREE DIFFERENT THANKSGIVING MEALS!
Turkey, Gravy, Green Bean Casserole, Sweet Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Stuffing, Scalloped Potatoes,  and Corn.
She also had a Chocolate Pecan Pie and a Pumpkin Nutmeg Pie (duh, I tried both)
morning Sugar was high.
I was not surprised.
174

November 21st 2012

Made the Pies for the following day (Thanksgiving)
Started the day with Cereal, Yogurt and Fruit.
Went to the gym and worked out with Lynn.
Came home and made some Guacamole Tacos with Sauteed Onions and Peppers.
Then before work I had half of a Grilled Vegetable Sandwich (Portobello, Squash, Asparagus, Spinach and Tomato)
After work I had some Chips and Hummus
morning blood sugar was as low as it has been in a minute.....
146
I've really got to get these back in to range

November 20th 2012

I started the day when Daphne and I went to the Cheesecake Factory.
along with some of the complimentary Bread I had the Crispy Chicken Costoletta.
I ate one of the Chicken Breast pieces and the Asparagus.
The rest I had them take home.
Then we met another friend for dinner at a Greek/ Italian place.
I had Mousakka which came with a bowl of Black Bean soup and a side of grilled Eggplant.
Way too much food, but really delicious.
Then when I arrived back to Orlando I met Addison for a trip to WalMart.
We also stopped by WaWa for one of my BLTs.
Not a good day of healthy eating.
The next morning when I got up I baked two different Pecan Pies (one was a diabetic recipe) for Thanksgiving the next day.
I started tasting my batter and the Pecans before I took my blood sugar, so I didn't even bother checking it.
Probably a good thing..... It wouldn't have been a good reading.
Why is it that I have been on a bad streak lately?
I know being out of town is difficult, especially when there is a lot of eating out.
I've got to be better!

November 19th 2012

I have just found out that I have run out of "free photo storage" for this account.
I don't feel like paying for any additional storage at this time, so unfortunately I cannot include photos of my meals for a little while.
Monday, Nov 19th I picked up my friend Ginger for a business lunch.
We went to Yellow Dog Eats, I had "The Rufus" which is an overstuffed Pulled Pork Sandwich with a side of Mozzarella/ Tomato salad.
This is one of my favorite restaurants!
Then off to Tampa for a show.
Afterwards Daphne and I drove through Taco Bell where I got entirely too much food.
I had only eaten a large, late lunch, and now I am pigging out on Taco Bell.
This is NOT a good diabetic lifestyle, not is it a healthy lifestyle for anyone!
In the morning my Blood Sugar was 154.

November 18th 2012

The next morning was the post wedding Brunch.

Delicious! but yet again I stuck to just one plate.

Then a couple more pieces of Veggie Pizza before work.

As soon as I got to work however, everything went to crap.

My boss gave me a Fried Apple Pie from Popeyes.

Then half way through my shift there was a birthday party and I ate some more there - Fried Mozzarella Sticks, and Onion Ring and some Quesadilla. Terrible!

and then after work John wanted me to drive him through Checker's, and he bought me a Chicken Roadhouse Sandwich.

Of course I shouldn't have eaten any of these things.

(It was tasty though)

Sundays, being my long shift, I really need to have better food management skills.

Blood Sugar

150

November 17th 2012

Today I was to be at a wedding at 5pm

I knew that I would be eating questionable food later so I wanted to have a semi-healthy start.

Breakfast was a Banana, a small handful of Walnuts, some Pita chips and Hummus.

Lunch was two pieces of Veggie Pizza

At the wedding there were minimal appetizers served, and then for dinner there was a buffet.

I just had one plate, and other then a couple of bites I avoided the Desserts.

I did have about 3 drinks over the course of the evening.

Afterwards we went out dancing, however I still did not have the greatest Blood Sugar the next morning.

I shouldn't have had the drinks.

150

November 16th 2012

I started with a craving for traditional Breakfast, so I ended up deciding on a Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich.

It sounded so good, but in actually the Bread was too big, and I tried to cook the Bacon, Egg and Cheese part too fast and it ended up being Gross.

I ended up throwing half of it away and just having a Banana

Could I be loosing my taste for Bacon?

I certainly don't eat it like I use to.

for Lunch I did much better.

I took some Naan Breads and Vegetables out of the Freezer

(I also took my time)

and made some Veggie Pizzas (No Cheese)

I cut each one in to 4 pieces.

I ate 2 pieces so really that was just half of one Pizza (and it was plenty)

Then off to the Food Tasting....

Jack in the Park (a Special Olympics Charity Fundraiser)

There were 15 booths of local restaurants that offered tastings of their menus.

I didn't make a Total Pig of myself this time (Like I did at the last one) and I was more selective of what I sampled.

I also didn't leave feeling stuffed or tired.

However after work I was quite hungry.

I was driving John home, and he offered to buy me a sandwich at WaWa.

(How could I refuse a free sandwich? Although I should have)

My morning sugar....

148

This is even higher then the previous day!

I also only got about 4 hours of sleep (which I know can also effect your blood sugar)

I need to sleep longer.

I need to eat smaller quantities as my last meal of the day.

I need to step up the exercise.

I need to be better in general.

I think I'm gonna lay down for a nap.