You may not be able to help it....

That is what my doctor told me last week. It was in reference to my blood pressure being high (not horribly but high enough) over the last year. He is putting me on an ace-inhibitor blood pressure medicine. He said it could be genetics or it could just be a fact and that I may not be able to help it. I have a VERY laid-back doctor who never pressures me at all. He is an endocrinologist and his first concern is my diabetes. As long as my diabetes is being controlled and my a1c is normal then he is not worried about my weight. He said he would rather me be consistent than fluctuate between loss and gain. WHAT?!?! Have we met? You can't tell me that. You can't tell me to keep doing what I have been doing. You are supposed to tell me to lose 50lbs or cut out salt entirely or cut out carbs. Don't encourage my behavior!

But, really, is it Dr. A's responsibility to hold my hand and tell me exactly what I need to do? No. His goal is to help me maintain my diabetes and any other factors that can affect it...like my blood pressure.

Over the weekend, I read the newest issue of All You magazine. I actually bought it becuase it said "Over $65 in coupons" and I'm attempting to become a coupon freak like my friends. But, there was a very interesting article about weight loss. It has a list of maybe 5-10 things that can be controlled and even iradicated simply by being healthy. Two of those items were Blood Sugar control and Blood Pressure. This article stated that simply by getting on a treadmill (or just walking) for 15-20 minutes a day for 5 days you can lower your blood pressure in as little as three weeks (combined with healthy eating). WHAT? Why didn't Dr. A tell me this. Because...it is my body not his. He did his job by providing me with the medications I need to control my existing conditions. Any further work will be on me. Hey - I can do this! I have a treadmill. I usually waste more than 20 minutes in an evening anyway. DUH! Simple, right?

For some people, taking a pill is a good alternative for diet and exercise. I ABSOLUTELY hate taking pills. I take four pills on a daily basis - birth control, two types of pills for my diabetes, and now a pill for my blood pressure. The way I see it, by dieting, exercising, and taking care my body, I can easily remove three of those pills (the birth control is sort of not an option :-) ).

I must get back on the wagon. Its not just to fit into those cute jeans at Old Navy or that tiny top at JCPenney...this is my health. This is my future.

This week -
JOURNAL MY FOOD!! I have a hard time with this for some reason!
GET ON THE TREADMILL EVERYDAY! This should not be hard!
DRINK MY WATER!! Again, this should not be a challenge but I make it one.

The Perfect Example

If you looked in the dictionary of "How to eat Unhealthy," I think you might see my picture! I can honestly say that hubs and I didn't look at calories or count anything this weekend. We both took off Friday for a long weekend and I have to say that we thoroughly enjoyed being lazy and eating whatever. We definitely cannot have weekends like this very often. We both jumped back on this morning with a good lunch and planning ahead for dinner.

Friday, we enjoyed a lazy morning. We picked up a friend for lunch (she just had major surgery and has been on house arrest for almost 3 weeks). Then, we grabbed another friend and went to the movies. So, we ate lunch and then had popcorn! ahhh! For dinner, we grabbed a pizza. It was easy and fast. Saturday morning, I had a photoshoot so I did get in a little exercise but not much! Saturday evening we ended up going to dinner with the in-laws (and I even had a salad). Sunday we had great plans for ribs but when our oven would not start, we ended up having hamburger helper. This was after a lunch of chicken fingers.

But, no point in dwelling over how much we "messed up." It is better to pick up and start today fresh! Tomorrow is always a new day.

Week #2 - Weigh In, Goals, and What I didn't do....

Today was my official weigh in day...down a pound. That is both exciting and disappointing. Of course it is exciting because down is always good and it is disappointing because I know I could have had a better week. I did have a full holiday weekend so good food choices weren't always made and I didn't drink my water everyday. I drank some...but not my goal. And, I didn't journal my food. And, I didn't get on the treadmill. So, the fact that I am down one pound is sort of a miracle! :-)

While I am not completely happy with only a pound loss, I am learning and repeating good habits each and every day. This isn't about fast results but good, healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

Week #2 means new goals...but they are actually going to be the same goals as last week but this time I really need to work on these things.
- Get in 64oz of Water!!
- Treadmill for 45 minutes each morning and evening. Or, at least 45 minutes once a day.
- Track Food!!

Plus, I should get plenty of exercise Friday and Saturday. Friday, the Hubs and I are taking a vacation day in order to paint our bedroom. I cannot wait! We haven't painted since we got married (almost 6 years ago)! Then, on Saturday I have two photoshoots at a local park. I cannot wait to work with these kiddos.

Hope everyone has a great week!

I survived!

This holiday weekend was not near as bad (on my waist line) as I thought. Our weekend started on Thursday night really when we visited my sweet friend who is recovering from surgery. My original plan was to take them a big pan of baked spaghetti and bread and then go home and make veggies for me and the Hubs. Our friends invited us to stay for dinner so we did. I monitored my portion and drank my water. I was very proud! I didn't overeat. I did more socializing than eating! For once.

Friday evening, we had friends over for hamburgers. First off, my dad borrowed my grill for their HUGE 4th of July party so I ended up making the hamburgers on the stovetop. But, I also made a veggie so I made sure I had one burger and veggies. Again, no overeating. Even if it isn't the best food choice, I was not stuffed. Saturday we had planned to go to our most favorite resturant which is a wings place. Not good. But, we only eat out once every 2 weeks (or so) so this was a treat. We went to the movies (ECLIPSE!!) and then to wings. I got a salad but did snack on the cheese fries my husband ordered. And, I DRANK water! I never get water when we eat out so this was a huge accomplishment (and cheaper...soft drinks cost almost $3.o0 now).

Sunday we had lunch at my parents' house (leftovers from their party the night before). I had a grilled hotdog and a couple of small grilled smoked sausage pieces. Maybe not the best meat choice but I also loaded up with veggies. Sunday evening, we had ribs, potato salad, and baked beans. The ribs were fantastic! Hubs and I are turning out to be pretty awesome cooks if I do say so myself. :-)

So, after a weekend of not-so-great food choices I still feel confident in how well I managed my portions and drank my water. This process is not just a week at a time or a day at a time but even a meal at a time. I may not have a huge loss tomorrow but I know that I did my best considering this crazy weekend!

Posting goals tomorrow....

Seriously!?!

My boss wanted to go out for lunch today so she looked up nutrition facts for three resturants close to our office. I don't know what I was expecting but I was completely shocked to find out the carb, fat, and calorie count for her favorite item at each place. I cannot believe one sandwich would be 700+ calories! What on earth!?!

This startling truth helped me realize how horrible I have eaten in the past. I cannot believe the calories, carbs, and fat grams I have consumed in just a regular lunch! One thing this has opened my eyes to is choosing my meal before going out. When we decide to eat out, I need to hop online and go ahead and make the best decision I can. As a diabetic, I should aim to eat between 45-65 carbs per meal. I cannot believe the times I have probably consumed more than 75 or 85 carbs (or more) in one meal. Yikes!

My eyes are now open to resturant and fast food nutritional facts (can they even call them nutritional at that point?). I will make it a goal to make smart decisions by checking ahead (and making sure to drink plenty of water with my meal).

Week 1 Goals

Goals for June 30 - July 6

• Get in 64oz of Water!!
• Treadmill for 45 minutes each morning and evening. Or, at least 45 minutes once a day.
• Track Food!!

So, I'm taking baby steps here but I feel that a slower change will help these goals become routine and the norm instead of being part of "the diet."

A Diet? Can we do this?

I absolutely hate the word 'diet'. It is a nasty word that plays horrible tricks on my mind. It never fails that if I use that word then my brain automatically thinks I haven't eaten in four days and I'm absolutely starving. Not this time!

This time it is not about a diet. This is about our lives. I have been a Type II Diabetic since 2006 and my doctor feels confident with 50lbs gone then my diabetes diagnosis and oral medications will be out the door. How awesome is that?

In addition to diabetes, a myriad of other health problems can come from being overweight and out of shape. Why should we live with those possible threats when we can change it all?

We love to travel and had thrown around the idea of traveling to Las Vegas. We decided next year would be great. But then, we brought weight loss into the mix. We decided that our reward for meeting our goals would be our trip to Vegas.

So, here we go.