Thank You 2010

I started this blog a year ago.
I wanted to keep a visual diary of what I was eating, hoping that it would teach me a thing or two.
It did.
When I started I wanted to post a photo of every single thing i ate, and talk about each meal.
I no longer think that is important.
Throughout this process i have learned a lot about myself, my habits, and about diabetes in general.
Sometimes I wish I could remove my sense of taste and just be a robot when it comes to eating.
However i have learned that even still, Diabetes is not an exact science, and I would still have fluctuating numbers.
Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I just ate whatever i wanted, whenever I wanted.
Sometimes i am glad to have Diabetes as an excuse because I don't want to eat that dessert, or have that extra portion.
Other times I eat it anyway, and then have to live with the guilt.

I have realized that i am a food addict, and there is really no difference between that and any other addiction.
It is all the same.

The good news is that in this past year I have worked out harder then ever before.
I have been more conscience of what I was eating then ever before.
I have made some poor decisions, but I have also made some great ones.
I have lost a little bit of weight, and I still plan on losing more.
I have done so well that my Doctor has taken me off of insulin, and there is potential for her to also lower my current medication upon my next Doctor's visit.
Overall i am doing pretty good.
and it keeps getting better.

This is the time of year that everyone makes New Year's Resolutions.
Two years ago i stopped cooking Bacon at home, and last year I quit going through Drive Thru's.
I was successful at both of those, however this year I am not going to set anything in stone.
I can say that i will try to cut back on the french fries and potato chips, also cut back on the desserts.
I have already began to make arrangements to cook more of my own food at the house and limit my dining out.
I will continue to occasionally blog, wether it be about a delicious meal I ate or prepared, or a diabetes related update.

I thank you all for reading this.
It has been very helpful to me.
I wish you all a happy 2011, may we all have delicious food!
I feel that I need to post one final photo, so here it is, my final meal of the year.
a salad of mixed greens with cranberry goat cheese, walnuts, sliced apples and grilled chicken.

See you next year!
Diabetes can be delicious!

love, Loc

Latest Doctor's appointment

So it was time again for my annual physical, which was also my latest diabetes follow up checking my Hemoglobin A1C.
My last appointment was 3-4 months ago, when my doctor reported that my A1C was 6.0. She told me that was great for a diabetic. At that time she removed me from insulin. This was my first appointment with no insulin. I took in my blood sugar log where some of my numbers were as high as 137 and some in the low 70's.
Would my overall numbers be low enough to not only keep me off of insulin, but possibly even lower my medication?
Turns out to be pretty good news.
My A1C was 6.3.
It did rise a little, but that is being insulin free.
It is also the lowest it has been (without insulin) for the last several appointments, and i also think it is the lowest it has been since I have been diagnosed a "diabetic". She did not lower my current medication that i take, but i feel that if I can keep my numbers the same (or even lower) that she might reduce my pills next time.
Deborah (my Doctor) was pleased and so am I.
I still need to continue to eat right and exercise more.
and i definitely still want to get down another ten pounds or so.
I have had people commenting lately that they can see i have lost weight.
I might not see it a whole lot, but it is still very encouraging to hear.

the Next Day...

Ok, so eating pretty good overall has been doing me pretty well and has resulted in pretty decent morning readings.
Well, let me tell you about yesterday...
I knew that I was going to be dining out, and I decided early in the day, that i was going to order what i wanted, but try not to go crazy with portions.
Nicole and I were out running errands and ended up at Julie's Waterfront for lunch. I decided to get a Cheese Burger, and I knew that i could get Hush Puppies as my side. I haven't had more then one Hush Puppy at a time in years. I ate every bite!
Ok, so then what would I make for dinner before work? I went through the fridge and looked for things that I needed to "use up" and had a little Mexican Rice from the previous day and a Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla.
Then after a night at work, a group of us went to see Addison at Bananas. Once again, I decided to just order what I wanted, but not to go too crazy (By too crazy I mean ordering an appetizer in addition to my meal) I had one of my tried and trues from their menu - B.L.T. and Potato chips. They do make one of the most delicious B.L.T.'s - Green Tomatoes and thick, thick Bread. Mmmmm!
I cleaned my plate.
Fast Forward to 8 hours later.
In previous Bananas nights I have experimented and there have been times when i have tried to eat "Healthy" and have salads with cucumbers and avocados resulting in a surprisingly HIGH blood sugar, and then other times when I have ordered "Delicious" and may have been on the Shared Appetizer/ Fried and Heavy side and had a LOWER blood sugar.
Confusing.
I realize that Fasting Sugars also include Exercise, Good sleep, Portion control, Mood, and a little Luck of the Draw, in addition to Diet,so.....
This morning when i took my reading what would it be?

The previous day with all Home Prepared meals it was 110, would this one after Dining Out be even higher?
102! hooray!
was this because of portion control? and only eating 3 meals? is that a good thing to do or a bad thing?
Is it Ok to have a Potato chip? a Hush Puppy? a piece of Bacon?
I always hear "Everything in Moderation"
For today I will be happy that my morning results are so good! It is a day without stress for wondering why it is so high or so low. It is a day where I am not going to over-think every bite that I took yesterday (something that I often do) It is a day that I will truly thank God for giving me a little bit of peace. A day that I need a little more often. A day that i hope to have often, yet a day that I will try to not be too hard on myself if i cannot achieve such great results tomorrow. a True day of Thanksgiving!

since Thanksgiving

Since Thanksgiving, my fasting sugars have been a little better.
I have been better with exercising, better with portion control and better with food choices.
My morning readings have been 103, 114, 113, 77, 98, 97, and 100.

Yesterday I actually had a day where I did not eat out at all, and prepared my own food at the house.
I started the day with a breakfast of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and parsley (no cheese necessary) home fried potatoes and onions, and a piece of toast with jelly (and only one piece, as much as I could have eaten 4 or 5, i found that one piece sustained)

Lately I have been having little "low sugar" fits in the mid afternoon, so to try to prevent that I had a bowl of popcorn in the middle of the day with cinnamon and curry powder.

Then before work I baked some Spiced Chicken Breasts, and had it with sauteed Brussels Sprouts and Mexican Rice.

Then after work I had a salad with Avocado, Celery, Diced Chicken from earlier and a little Bleu Cheese.

Delicious!

Morning sugar was 110.
slightly elevated from the previous days, but still right in range.

Thanksgiving!

It has been a while since I have blogged. As I look at the blood sugar log that i keep i realize that it has been over three weeks.
The previous post mentions a 108, well that is the lowest that it has been for quite some time.... I see mostly numbers in the 120's and also a 131, a 134, and a 137.
In the big picture, these numbers are still OK for me. I remember a few years ago, prior to any medication I once had a blood sugar of almost 400. So although i try not to beat myself up if my high is 137, I still need to remember to try to keep them right around 100.
My Doctor says that anything between 80 and 120 is good and should be my goal, so I am going to strive to keep it within those parameters. My next Doctor's appointment is in about three weeks. This will be the first time I have been in since she took me off of insulin.
What will my results be?
Will she be pleased with my A1C test numbers?
Will she lower my pill medication?
Will she need to increase it?
All I can do between now and then is try to keep my numbers as low as possible.
Now, All i have talked about is how high my numbers have been, and that is true until about five days ago.
Over this period I have been trying several different approaches... No Carbs Before Bed at Night, Calorie Counting, Not dining out, etc.
All results were jumping all over the place, and were inconsistent.
I have often found this to be true and it can be frustrating.
However over the past few days, much to Mark's encouragement, I have eaten much smaller portions of healthier, lighter food before bed and have had the following fasting blood sugars...
108, 104, 77 94
a much more desirable range!
and then we come to yesterday... THANKSGIVING!
You all know how bad that Holiday can be. Easily a reading in the 200's!
and I had several different Thanksgivings to attend!
First there was the one at my parents house, then a stop by Patrick's house, and finally one at my house with a few co-workers.
My goal was to try everything, which i did, but to pretty much just get a small taste of each dish.
My parents was simple, and food wise I did good. Dessert wise I had a piece of the Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie that i had made and the Panna Cotta that Mark had made. I could have had a smaller amount of each, but I still did pretty good.
Patrick's house was just an Antipasto platter (Thank God) where I probably tasted a little too much cheese, but still showed restraint.
Then came my house, I had made a second Chocolate Pecan Pie (so i didn't have to try it again this time) and a Baked Brie and some Paula Deen Sausage Balls (both of which i just nibbled on) The guests however brought all sorts of things... Roasted pork and root vegetables, Mac and cheese, Green Bean Casserole, Deviled eggs, Scalloped Potatoes, Meatballs, Strawberry/ Lemon Cake, a mystery Brownie/ Angel Food Cake, and Brownie bites.
Oh Lord, I must apply self control!
I enjoyed a small portion of everything, really just one paper plate full, but still... how would by blood sugar in the morning be?
The foods were all so rich and caloric.
The goal....anywhere between 80 and 120.
The fasting sugar... 116.
Mission accomplished.
Next mission....to keep it BELOW 120 for the next three weeks until my Doctor's appointment.
Most likely i will not make a blog entry every single day, but I will keep you all in the loop.
Thank You

The Goblin Market

I have been referred by a couple of different people that if I had the chance I should visit The Goblin Market in Mt. Dora, FL.
well after hearing about this place and wanting to try it for about 3 years, i finally had the chance earlier this week.
It is a charming little place, tucked back in one of the nooks and crannies of the very quaint downtown Mt. Dora, and upon entering I knew that it was somewhere special.
Very charming, and informative staff, very nice and interesting atmosphere, and most importantly... The Food!

I started with fried green tomatoes - fresh green tomato, sliced thin and lightly breaded. layered with goat & cream cheese. finished with a tomatillo-bacon drizzle. It was delicious and decadent!

My entree was sunflower seed crusted chicken milanese - sauteed breast of chicken with a fine sunflower seed crust over capellini. with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomato, asparagus & scallion. finished with a pesto herb cream sauce. Extremely delicious and flavorful and rich. (I had to take half of it home with me) It was also accompanied by a fresh garden salad.

and then for dessert Mark and I split a Banana and Chocolate Cheesecake.

I loved the whole experience. I had heard that it was a little on the pricey side, however for the two of us (Mark also had an appetizer and an appetizer-entree) the bill was $73 which i felt was very reasonable for a special occasion, especially when you take in to account how great the atmosphere, service, and quality of the food was.
and just as a side note, they also have a really nice bathroom!

Dissapointed

So the next night I found myself at Banana's diner for the second night in a row.
This time i was going to find the healthiest thing on the menu.
I knew that my blood sugar would be lower, and i would prove that it is OK to eat out after work, providing that I make the right choices!
Sadly there weren't really any "healthy" choices on the menu, it is a diner and all.
However it wasn't very busy, so I felt it was Ok to custom order something and I knew the chef would have no problem with it.
I told them I wanted diced Avocado, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes with a Grilled Chicken Breast. Bleu Cheese Dressing on the side.
They gave me exactly what i wanted and it was Delicious!
So proud of how "good" I was being!

But much to my dismay, the next morning's sugar was once again 117.
Burger and Onion Rings or Vegetables and Chicken?
Does it matter? I might as well get the Burger!
At least that is how i felt. I know that i still did the right thing, and that Blood sugar is more then just one meal - it can be effected by Stress, Exercise, the Mood I'm in, etc....

The following 2 sugars were 108, and 115.
I still want them a little lower.
I did have an amazing meal in Mt. Dora the day before yesterday, that will be in the next blog, it deserves a whole blog of its own!