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I’ll say it out loud… “I cheated on my diet during the holidays.”  (Or maybe I just typed that out loud.)

It is tough being restricted from food you love and especially so at the holidays!  I’ll be the first to admit that I declared Thanksgiving to Christmas a “don’t hold me to the weight loss carb counts” period in my house.  What I meant is that I was going to be in the 30-35 Net Carb range and not worry about the 18-22 Net Carb range I need for weight loss.  I was mostly good, but I did gain 4 pounds!  I definitely went over 35 Net Carbs. I really don’t want to admit that to anyone and especially myself, but there you have it!  The good news is that my sugar stayed mostly in check and it wasn’t that I went crazy and ate things with regular flour, sugar or potatoes (etc.)  I still didn’t eat those.

It was the VOLUME of things I ate that caused a slight weight gain.  Also on my path to weight gain was the amount of nuts I ate!   I put some of those nut recipes on the website.  I just couldn’t stop eating multiple handfuls of them when ordinarily a palm full is all I should have eaten.  Too, they are full of fats.  I also ate larger than usual portions of berries with whipped toppings or low carb cake or cake with berries and whipped toppings.  All of them not horribly bad for someone with diabetes and metabolic syndrome, but the AMOUNT I ate is!   Too, I just didn’t restrict portions on anything!  I ate at odd times.  I didn’t eat snacks between meals to stop hunger and keep me from wanting double at meal times. I was definitely out of my routine of eating.

Now I’ve gone backwards and instead of having lost 20 pounds, I’m back to having lost 15 pounds.  That still sounds good but I have to cover ground I already covered.  On the flip side… it did let me feel like I could enjoy holiday foods for a little while, even if low carb altered.  I don’t think any medical professional would tell me this is a good thing, but mentally, it was a good thing. I am now ready to jump back on the wagon and aim for another 15 to 20 pound weight loss round.  I am equally mentally satisfied by the food I ate and disgusted by the weight I allowed myself to gain back.  Those are both equal motivators.

Now the problem with this low carb lifestyle of eating is that if you totally go back to eating high fats with high sugars… you WILL gain weight and possibly more.  I speak from experience. Once in my 30’s and once in my 40’s I tried a diet change like this without the commitment to my overall health (and the dire consequences if I don’t have that commitment) and both times I lost 15 pounds and gained back 20 when I blew it!  I KNOW what happens when you don’t commit and I’m again seeing it for this short period of time.  Yes, I am still on the positive side of the change, but I don’t ever want to go back to the negative side!

So take heart if you found yourself in the same boat as me.   

We can all get the direction corrected and still get to our proper destination: a healthy low carb lifestyle!  I am not about to let diabetes or metabolic syndrome win much less let my body take the punishment for what my taste buds and brain do not want to control!  It is a war, but one that we can all win one battle at time, even if we lose a few.  If I can do this… you can do this!

I wish you all a healthy and happy new year!

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I’ve never really had will power that I can remember.  Oh maybe it bubbled under the surface.  I prayed that I had some somewhere.

I had some definite issues requiring will power!

1. I don’t like to exercise.
2. I can’t say “no” to cookies, cakes, doughnuts, fritters, Mrs. See’s Candies or anything almond flavored!

I wasn’t sure I had will power.  I certainly hadn’t had it up to now or I wouldn’t be in the mess I found myself in: Overweight, Diabetic, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Fatty Liver, High Triglycerides!

I was going to have to find some will power somewhere or I am going to have a medical issue laden rest of my life!  None of those issues have positive outcomes on your body!

Where to start?

Exercise

Firsts of all, I hate to sweat.  Some people like it.  I don’t unless I am in a sauna, and even then I don’t really like it!

• I discovered that I like swimming, but hate the drive to the pool and the chlorine on my skin.  When I went with my sister to water aerobics, I watched pounds fall off and felt the best I ever felt in my life!  That is one option. Best of all… you don’t really sweat when you are swimming!  You do want to rinse off.  I hate pool showers and have driven home wet.  Not a good option in the winter!  I’ll wear Crocs to and from the pool and actually wear the Crocs in the shower!

• I could go to a gym.  I prefer going to places that caters to the normal bodies or women.  Not a bad choice, but I don’t like the drive (again) and I definitely don’t like paying to get my butt to move!  And again, I hate to sweat that much and then get into my car all sweaty for the drive home because I hate gym showers.  Gyms are very good for some people, just not for me.

• I can walk or ride a bike as it is easy exercise. I hate to do it alone (but will) and it is definitely much better if you a have a friend or spouse to do it with.  If you aren’t frightened of your immediate environment (people, dogs, etc.), walking or biking is a good way to go! When I lived in a large city, city walking kept me fit or I went to a park and walked.  We currently live in an area where the walking and bike trails are spectacular.  You get scenery.  You get to wave at people or even have some nice chats about life. You can crank up a Walkman (errr… an Ipod or Iphone or something!) and have tunes as you go!  You can hop in a car and go somewhere to walk or ride near or far for variety and scenery.  Just start a little bit at a time and you will find yourself, as I did, going further and further.  Don’t be discouraged if you can’t do much at first.  It will build!

• I could use home exercise equipment.  If you don’t like your neighborhood or hate going out of the house or being social while you exercise.. and have the money, home equipment can be a good option for you.  It is good for solo exercising. There are treadmills, StairMasters,  bicycles, stair steppers, rowers, weight machines, etc.  A multitude of options.  I have a 20 year old recumbent bicycle and decided that I would watch some of my favorite TV shows while I rode.  It works!  I also have an old HealthRider.  I like it because my arms, legs and abs get a good workout.  I could only go 2 minutes when I first started and have built up time the longer I have used it!  There is still a little sweat involved but at least I’m near my shower and a fresh change of clothes.

 
Eating Right

I thought this one was going to kill me if the exercise didn’t.  I mentioned before that my family has “genetically superior taste buds!”  (We have always told that to everyone! I’m not really sure there is such a thing, but we have rolled with that for over 40 years now!) I LOVE FOOD!

What I discovered was that finding alternatives or substitutes for the things I love has gotten me over wanting the things I was missing!

The challenge really was on!

I exchanged food items I had for food items I required. I found substitutes!   You can see more about this on the pages “Out with the Bad Food in with the Good” and “Getting Your Head Around Low Carb Alternatives“.   I’ll keep adding to those pages as I find things!

As for will power out with friends and families or at someone else’s house?  Well that has taken every bit of my ability to say no that I ever thought I had.   I won’t lie.  IT HAS BEEN HARD!!!!

It is one thing to remove all your temptations.  It is quite another when you are face to face with them.

I had my sister request that I bring her one of my favorite items in the world… almond flavored cake from my favorite bakery.    I had to tell her “do you know how difficult it is for me to actually walk in there much less drive with it in the car with me for three hours?  I can’t do it!  I’ll eat it before it gets there!”   She got it.  I didn’t go and get it.  She didn’t need it anyway… she just was having a weak moment.

I love movie popcorn at the movies.  Not in the usual sense. I LOVE IT!!!!  IT is hard going to a movie and not having popcorn.   I buy a drink there, but now I take Atkins chocolate covered almonds and nuts with me to get through smelling it, wanting it.  Having SOMETHING to munch on while there definitely lessened the overload on my olfactory senses.

You can read my other posts on eating out for what to do at your favorite restaurants (too many to list here, but go to the sitemap to find options).  But I have to tell you, it is not easy going into a Bojangles when you smell those amazing biscuits in the air!  It took me a while to work up the courage to go there.

I have a really awesome friend that loves baking and making me things when I visit.  She sweetly has tried to adapt the recipes with Almond Flour instead of the higher carbohydrate Wheat Flour so that I can enjoy them still.  The same for my mother-in-law.  She has taken up the challenge to adapt recipes so that I (and my husband who has lost 22 pounds with me!) can eat them!

But still… at a fair… in the mall… at a party… anywhere… you are going to run into things you love and are going to want them.  DON’T!!!!  You can do this!  Understand what you can and cannot eat and go fill up on what you can eat.

Not to embarass anyone… but if I do get too much inquisition or puzzled looks over my new eating habits… I do proclaim “diabetic” or “low carb diet” and usually get a nod of understanding.  Proclaiming “metabolic syndrome” gets you no where, by the way!  It is a reason for this blog… no one seems to understand what it is!

NONE OF THIS IS EASY!!!  But I will tell you this… the will will give you the power!!!  I promise you that!

The more I say no to foods that are bad for me… or exercise to strengthens my body… the easier it gets.  You just have to start somewhere.  Hopefully I have given you inspiration to get started.

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Well… it has been three months since my healthcare provider gave me the jarring news that I was looking at a poor outcome if I didn’t make some changes in my eating habits.

I was diagnosed with Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome.

I was told I would be eating 30 Net Carbs the rest of my life and 20 Net Carbs until I got down to a good target weight.

The goals:

• Keep me off insulin for as long as possible
• Lessen the fat in my liver
• Lessen the triglycerides in my blood
• Get my cholesterol back into normal ranges
• Lose weight to assist my high blood pressure

I didn’t really know how long losing at least 25 pounds (and ideally 35 to 40 pounds) would take.  I’ve tried to lose weight before and failed, but now I had purpose because someone (my healthcare provider) was up front with me about the realities and outcomes of my health.

I didn’t know if I had the will power to do some of the things required of me.  Chiefly, completely change the way I eat, what I eat and when I eat.  It required some adjustment as I’ve outlined before.

What I have discovered is:

• I’m stronger than I realized
• None of this is easy
• Commiserating with others is helpful
• It’s working!

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