Low Carb My Way

I’m not going to ask anyone who they voted for or say who I voted for - that’s one of the great rights we Americans have. But, I wanted to comment on how special it is to go out and vote. I could have done the absentee ballot (due to an injury to my leg) or even done early voting, but I like the feeling of going out with a few hundred of my neighbors to the local polling place. I was up at 6 am and by the time I got breakfast and drove around a bit, debating on the filled parking lot, but I finally decided that it would be too tempting to not come back out again later in the day. So, despite the stairs and my knee giving me fits lately, I dug out my cane and took a step at a time. My precinct had things set up very well with five people to look up your name based on the last letter of your name. No waiting in line! But, once I got my ballot there was a line of abut a dozen or so people. The very sweet gentleman who is always there to help put the ballot through the optical scanner came up to me and suggested I sit down and said this very nice lady (in line in front of me) will hold your place for you and give you a call when she’s at the front of the line. The line moved very fast and I only had to sit down (which my knee appreciated) for about ten minutes. When she was up at the front of the line I went up to try to stand behind her and she insisted I go before her.

Then I filled in the ovals on the ballot, went over to the kindly gentleman who instructed me into how to insert my ballot in the optical scanner. I have to say I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do things this way. There’s a mechanical tabulation but there’s also the actual paper ballot. He handed me “I Voted Today” sticker and I made way down the stairs and to my car.

It is such a fantastic feeling to know that I went out and voted. There’s a great sense of the larger community that you know millions of fellow citizens are out voting. It is a right to be excercised and to be very much cherished.

I hope you will get out and vote - no matter who it’s for.

It’s not coming off as quickly as I had hoped, but I’m at 298.

I gotta find something else to write about here. lol Had a really good Taco Salad the other night. I had two small shells and then ate what was left without shells. It’s soooo good to know exactly what is going into the Taco.

Anyway, hope to have some more good news next week.

Hi, all,

Just a quick update. I know how frustrating it can be to follow a blog and then it seems as though the blogger disappers.

Well, tonight will be an interesting experiment in cooking. Have you ever heard of Beer Can Chicken? That’s what we are going to have for dinner. I’m a sucker for any new contraption I see on QVC so when they had a ceramic bakeware dish that allows you to cook a chicken standing up - like when you put it on a beer can, I just had to have it. The dish is really well made. Rather than trying to explain what it looks like CLICK HERE to see it over on QVC. Isn’t that neat? In the center is a section that takes the place of the beer can. You don’t have to use beer - you could use wine or broth.

I’ll let you know how it works for us in my next update.

Update: The chicken was great. We’re going to get a grill with a dome high enough that we can use the roaster on it. Yummmy.

I did it. I broke that 300 barrier. I’m somewhere between 298 and 299 - but it’s under 300. What a relief. It seems like it’s taking forever to lose the weight - but at least things are moving downward.

Glucose this morning was 91. Didn’t feel great, but didn’t seem to have the terrible reactions I’ve had when it gets down into the 80s.

Let’s see, there are 14 weeks left in the year. I would really like to be 280 by the end of this year. It’s a weight I was at for a long time and think it might be one of those “set weights” that I used to read about. It’s a big hunk of weight considering how long it’s taken me to lose ten pounds, but I’m going to shoot for it.

Thanks to anyone who is following this.

Tags: updates on weight loss

I got on the scale this morning and my weight it exactly on 300. I can’t see any reason why I can’t get into the 200s this week.

Last night Dave and I made tacos. I had mine with low-carb tortillas and he had the regular hard taco shells. They were so good and this time I had sour cream to put on them - yum. Next time I need a few black olive.

Yesterday was a pretty tough day. I had another hypoglycemia attack. They just knock me on my butt. I took two of my glucose tablets and Dave, fortunately, was out on his lunch hour and brought me a fountain coke (didn’t finish it) and a bit of very dark chocolate. It took about an hour but my glucose levels did finally get back to close to normal. This morning they were a bit higher than normal, but that’s probably because I skipped two of my meds at dinner time. Didn’t seem like a good idea to take them after the low glucose problem.

But, I’m feeling somewhat better today. Atleast I can see the computer screen and don’t have the awful headache.

Well, enough bellyaching. Time to get some work done.

Last week I went to see my MD and took my notebook where I’d been keeping track of my glucose readings since early July. He was very, very happy about the information and of course the good readings. We discussed the few hypoglycemia problems I’d had. He said that as my body got used to the lower glucose readings I would be able to tolerate the lower readings. We’ll see.

He wanted to do some tests. My A1C was 7.1 which, for me, is incredibly good. I think I was up in the mid-teens a year ago. My cholesterol readings are good - so we don’t have to have the statin arguement again - which makes me happy. He did up one of my blood pressure meds even though I do pretty well at home. Can’t help it - I’ve got White Coat Hypertension and always have slightly high BP - especially right after getting into the room. Anyway, it’s not a big upgrade in my med, so we’ll see what happens. I do have to go get an ultrasound of my thyroid.  I have a slight lump - much like other lumps I have on my upper chest. It’s all part of the fibromyalgia and the arthritis I have in my chest. Anyway, he’s not real concerned about it but it’s better to find out what it might be than just let it go.

Last night my son and I made dinner together. We tend eat carry-out way too much. The problem is, to be honest, is that when I cook I get overheated or something and just can’t eat. So, we came up with a new plan. I get all the ingredients out for the meal and then he cooks it. Now that’s not going to work for a slow cooker meal (which I’m pretty good at since I can do it in the morning) but for Chicken Parm it was great. Also, Dave likes to cook and like just about everything in his life - he likes to Davize it. I told him what the recipe said and he’s already figured out how he’ll do it differently. So, I think this will work and will save us a lot of money - well, will save Dave money - because he won’t be picking up dinner on the way home. Plus, I’ve got a big chicken parm with green beans for lunch. Tonight - Taco Salad for me and Tacos for Dave (he can have the taco shells.) I have some low-carb tortillas so might have one of those with the taco fillings and then eat more as a salad.

Hope to have some good news about the scale next week. I didn’t weigh myself this morning but did the other day and I’d gone up a pound. Going to work hard to finally break that 300lb mark. Also, the doctor’s scale and mine are very close. Just a minor factoid. lol

Just a quickie. I’ve gained back about a pound of those five I’ve lost. Gotta get back on the program. I can definitely tell the difference when I really cut back on the starchy carbs. My glucose readings are still very good. They have been running around 110 most of the week. Giving my fingers a break because I was testing so much my poor little (ha!) fingertips were getting kinda sore. Got “good food” in the house and my goal for this week is to make sure I use all the groceries I purchased.

Also, got one of those pedal things that you use by sitting in a chair and - well - pedaling. My foot is giving me some problems from the break/sprain I had last fall, so this pedal thing should help me get my self moving without putting too much pressure on my foot. Gotta get a rug and comfortable chair - will report on how it goes.

I’m slowly getting back on track after a week or so off the wagon. I’ve got groceries in the house (well, condo, really) and so have no excuse not to cook. Well, I can always find a reason not to cook - mailing I’m so bad at it.

But, I’ve got some good news. I’m doing very well on keeping my Glucose Levels down as long as I don’t overdo the carbs. This morning my Glucose reading was 116 (fasting.) And, I hadn’t weighed myself last Friday because I was just not ready to face what it might say. But, this morning I thought, oh, what the heck - so got on the scale and it’s at 301! Yippee. That’s 9 lbs so far. I really want to be under 300 when I go to see my doctor next Wednesday and it looks like I’m going to make it.

My biggest obstacle right now is getting my butt into the kitchen and cooking. Also, have to find some low-carb snacks besides cheese.

I’d also like to thank anyone who is following this blog. After looking at many of the other LC blogs out there I realize I’m not breaking any new ground with information. This blog is, for now, a record of my personal efforts to get to feeling better and keeping my Glucose under control so I can stay away from Insulin and avoid any of the problems associated with Diabetes.

My weight this morning - after breakfast, forgot to do it earlier - is 305 so I’m back to where I was a few weeks ago. I was kind of afraid to get on the scale since I have been off the wagon quite a bit. But, that will change. Going to have to do some searching for lunch ideas and for some alternatives to eggs for a change.

My glucose readings have been very good this week - around 110 - except for today but that’s because I had way too many carbs yesterday. So, this morning it was two fried eggs and some Activa (low carb cottage cheese with active bugs for good digestion.)

I weighed myself this morning and I was at 305. Yipee. The pointer on the scale is moving. And there’s even more good news, my glucose reading was 111 this morning when I woke up and it was 122 yesterday morning. The bad part is that I’ve kind of fallen off the wagon with LC, but will be getting back to it starting right now. I don’t recommend getting the flu or whatever I had last week, but it at least got things, pardon the pun, moving. Also, I’ve cut one of my Diabetes medications in half and in a month or so hope to get it down to taking only one pill a day (of this particular med that is supposed to interfere with weight loss) and then maybe I can start working on cutting down the other medication I take.

All around, a very good report.