Health Update

I haven't mentioned anything specific about my health in a couple months so it's a good time for an update.  While I enjoy viewing blogs that are focused on weight loss with numbers and charts and all that, I really intend for this blog to capture more than just that aspect of my life so I'm trying to keep my posts balanced.  If you ever have any questions though, please feel free to ask.

So, drum roll, as of right now I've lost just over 25 pounds!! The last two months have been much slower than the first month.  I have not been as strict.  As I mentioned in this previous post, I knew May was going to be a very busy food-centric month and I was totally right.  I only lost 2 pounds in the month of May!  I was pretty devastated by that but upon checking my measurements I saw that I was still losing inches so all was not lost.  June has been slightly better but still slow going.  I have let the bad carbs back in too many times and once they are in, it's like they need to bring all their friends.  Once I go off plan it can take me 3 days to get completely back on due to my sugar cravings being triggered.  I would say on average I am on plan about half of the week and off about half of the week.  And, when I say off plan I do not necessarily mean the entire day is off, it might just be one meal or snacking after dinner that is not on plan.  Being off plan so much just means I am losing a lot slower than I could be but I am learning this is a marathon, not a sprint, so as long as I keep trying and do not just give up, as I have been prone to in the past, I am fine with it.

In terms of measurements, I have lost the following inches:

• chest 2"
• bra band 2.5"
• waist 4"
• hips 2.5"
• thighs 2" on one side, 1" on the other (lol!)

I take measurements at the start of each month so these are from June 1. I'm not sure July will be any different as I haven't noticed as much body shape changes this month but we'll see!

I still have such a long way to go but I'm making progress and feeling much better overall.  I can't say I'm full of energy but I feel better mentally (about myself) and I can tell when I am just in everyday life that I have lost weight.  My knees do not yet love stairs but they no longer cause pain either and I am able to walk for about 30 minutes at the YMCA track which is a big improvement.

And I almost forgot the best news of all - my fasting glucose at home has gone from pretty regularly being between 115-125 to now being almost spot on 105 everyday.  I have even seen it in the 90s a few times.  My meter runs a tad high so I believe this means my fasting glucose is actually <100 which is normal.  I still see spikes when I eat too many carbs so it's not as if I am "cured" (in fact once you are insulin resistant you don't undo that really, you just are able to control it with diet) but I definitely think losing some weight has improved my insulin response or my body's ability to use the insulin I produce. Happy, happy, happy!

Joy In The Midst

I have been on a journey for the past month to change my health.  Back in December I found out that my 7 years of being prediabetic were coming to a close and soon I would be leaping into the black hole of full blown diabetes.  I decided then that it was time to change.  I toyed around with cutting back on carbs but wasn't fully committed.  I saw some weight loss but soon I was discouraged because it was hard.  I went back to how I had been eating and gained back what I had lost.  In mid March I decided to try again and this time I fully committed by cold turkey giving up sugar sweetened beverages and treats, potatoes, rice, pasta and bread.  I started eating lower carb foods, mostly wheat free and sugar free, all day.  I began baking wheat free, sugar free treats again so that when I was tempted to snack I would have a suitable option.  I stopped eating out regularly.  I also started checking my blood sugar at home several times a day to see how different meals affected me.

The results of those changes have been great!  I have lost about 16 pounds, several inches off my waist, hips and chest and my cravings for junk have mostly subsided.  I also went back to the doctor for my 4 month recheck and my fasting glucose and Hemoglobin A1c were both improved.  My doctor was quite pleased and is letting me go 6 months before a recheck this time.

But now I am experiencing my first plateau.  The scale has been hovering around the same number for a week now and is actually inching up instead of down.  I feel so discouraged today and do not feel joy at all.  But, as I brewed my coffee this morning, mulling these feelings over, God reminded me of the Bible study I just finished up at church this past week - Choose Joy (Kay Warren).  One of the things I learned in that study is that there are false sources of joy.  Apparently, I've been finding some of my joy lately in the number on the scale.  Now quite honestly, considering that I have been halfheartedly trying to lose weight for several years without success, I don't think it is horrible that I've been joyous over the changes on the scale. However, now that it is not going in the direction I want it is affecting me negatively so I've gone too far.  In one of the videos Kay said that we can experience joy in the midst of trials, circumstances, etc.  Today I am reminded that I need to find my joy in Jesus even when the scale does not make me happy.  He is the only true source of joy!  The full title of the study is Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn't Enough.  So true!