Week 1 Update

I really really want to blog, but I'm not sure I have anything to say. But I read somewhere that you should write...even if you don't have anything to say. So here I am.

After my diagnosis I stopped eating all sugars and most carbohydrates. I've never been a huge dessert fan, but I do like to have something sweet every now and then. The last time that I lost weight I depended lots on fruit, sugar-free Jello, tic tacs, and several weight watcher desserts. This time that's not possible. I can't have sugar, so that only leaves the sugar free Jello....which is ok, but lets face it, we all like a little variety. I decided last week that I would try the sugar free candies that I've seen. My favorite was Nips. They are amazing!! But no wonder, they are made with sugar alcohol, which are still carbohydrates! Same for all of the other sugar-free candy I've seen. Can we say false advertising....if sugar alcohol comes from sugar, then it's not sugar free!

My diet is pretty boring at the minute, but I'm trying to eat for nourishment, not for enjoyment. Most days I eat 2 boiled eggs for breakfast, or an occasional egg white omelet with fat free cheese and deli turkey. Breakfast is usually a chicken breast with BBQ sauce (my only sugar for the meal) and whatever left over veggie I have leftover in the fridge. Lately it's either asparagus or collard greens. My WONDERFUL mom made be lots of collards and froze them in large portions. I usually eat 1/2 for dinner and take the other 1/2 to lunch the next day. Dinner is pretty much the same as lunch, but sometimes with tilapia instead of chicken. I found an avocado veggie dip that I sometimes eat with broccoli when I get the late night munchies.

Weight watchers went well the first week. It's hard for me to eat all of my points each week since the only things that I eat that have a value is meat and dips. Veggies are 0 points. At the meeting on Monday I weighed 236.4...a 2.6 lb loss. I'm not gonna lie, I was disappointed. I keep having to remind myself that I lost almost 10 lbs the week before. I expected a bigger loss my first week. I think the last time I joined WW's I lost almost 6 lbs the first week....but I'm trying to remember that slow and steady wins the race.

I had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Newton yesterday. He really just wanted to look at my numbers and make sure I was headed down the right path. My blood sugar was in the mid to high 100's which is a great improvement, however my A1C was HIGH...hoping that when it is rechecked in 3 months it is way lower and closer to a 6 or 7 . Eating right is helping, but it's going to be a slow journey! I asked if I would still have to increase to 4 pills...unfortunately he said yes...for now. I'm taking 2 this week, but hoping that I can really get my blood sugars under control and won't need to go to 4 when the time comes. As a side note, my blood pressure was great. In fact, Dr. Newton seemed to show a little concern that it could go too low. The visit in general gave me a brighter outlook....which is somewhat scary. Weird I know...but I already worry that I'll loose my motivation as I get healthy.

I never heard from the doctors office about my referral for diabetic education, which was frustrating! I asked again yesterday only to be told that they only do the class once a month, and the next class was in late December! Seriously? How am I supposed know what to eat and what all these medical stats mean with out this class? A friend told me about a member of our church that is actually the Diabetic Education Coordinator in Gainesville, so I approached her at church Sunday to ask a few questions. She said that I could have 45 carbs per meal. Great news, but I haven't done that yet. I'm wondering if no carbs will get my blood sugar down faster? I could be totally wrong and it could be like water....the more you drink, the less you retain. I really want to get as much knowledge as possible about this disease so that I can fight it and win the war...with as few a battles as possible. I keep searching the internet, but it's hard to know what's true and whats opinion...or a sales pitch for a medication. I'm really looking forward to the education classes and the opportunity to learn more about what causes diabetes, and how to fight it best. I'm also hoping that there are others there that can give me ideas on what to eat and how to add more variety to my meals. I don't know how long I can endure only chicken and collards....with an occasional SF Jello.