TexasKitKat's Get Healthy Journal

[TexasKitKat]

Today is my 1 month anniversary of eating low carb. Thanks for a place to record my trials and triumphs!

I began my weight loss journey at 200 lbs. on 6/10/06 when I started taking Byetta for my diabetes to bring my blood sugar numbers down. The side effects were terrible the first few weeks. The nausea was like morning sickness only all day long. I think that's the main reason I didn't eat much and lost weight. After I got used to the Byetta my weight loss slowed dramatically. I got stuck around 183 and wouldn't budge for weeks.

I had done Atkins about 10 years ago and lost 26 lbs...getting down to 184. Eventually I went off plan and gradually worked my way back up to around 200-205.

On October 21, 2006 I tweaked my weight loss plan by adding a low carb (Atkins) regimen to the Byetta. When I saw GP on Oct. 23 and asked him how low I could go on carbs he said "as low as you want". He agreed that it was more important for me to get my blood sugar under control than focus on weight loss. My opinion was that I want both! LOL

Blood sugars that had been running 250-300 all the time quickly (in 2 days) zoomed down to the 150-180 range. As I continue LCing they have gradually dropped into the 110-140 range, which is really really good for me!

When I saw dr. on 10-23 he put me on neurontin which is a med to help the diabetic neuropathy in my feet. Although it only treats the symptoms and not the cause, it has brought tremendous relief and I feel like I have my life back. I can stand more than a minute, go shopping, cook, etc....things that were becoming nearly impossible for me.

One of the side effects of neurontin is weight gain....many report gains of 20 lbs. or more. Needless to say, although I haven't gained any, my weight loss is once again moving at a snail's pace, averaging about 1 lb. a week. Although I'd "love" it to be more, this is actually OK with me. I know I am doing MY part and my body will sooner or later have to surrender! I just want to be healthy. I am resigned to the fact that at my age and other physical features I won't ever be a model or get in a bikini but that's OK. I hear slow weight loss is easier to keep off anyway.

Well, LONG enough for a first post! Will be back soon to chatter on more!

[TexasKitKat]

Some fun things that have happened along the way:

Last week I was in a restaurant and an old friend saw me. He asked if I was my younger sister! I don't even have one!! LOL

The next day I went to the "women's" dept. at Dillards department store to try to find some winter blouses. Now, I've been in 1X and some 2Xs. I thought maybe they'd have an 18 or so that I could fit into now. The saleslady saw me and remarked, "I don't think you'll find anything for you in THIS department."

WOWZER! I had to go to misses and discover I could wear 14s! That hasn't happened in 30+ years. I am SO lovin' this!!

I went to a couple more stores and eventually realized I can't even shop in the "womens" department anymore...hallelujah!

[TexasKitKat]

A couple of days ago I tried to eat a half dozen small sugar free candies made with sugar alcohols only to discover that I have no tolerance for them. I ate them late in the evening and ended up awake most of the night with bloating, gas, and great discomfort. I learned THAT lesson well.

[TexasKitKat]

Today was a bit rough. I've been wanting pumpkin pie SOOO bad! I tried a pumpkin shake recipe from here and it was "okay" but just not the same as pie. So, tonight I bought a sugar-free pumpkin pie, cut myself a big piece, slathered it with Cool Whip and chowed down. It was SOOO good and totally satisfying! And...at least I didn't eat the crust...and...it's my only treat for Thanksgiving.....

Wasn't too great for my blood sugar I discovered. I just tested at 168, pretty high for "behaving" myself. I suppose now I'll stall and take a few days to recover, but I'm still going to eat the rest of that pie over the next few days!

OK, I'll admit, I can't be good ALL the time!

[TexasKitKat]

Woke up with blood sugar at 140 and weight still at 171 so I guess maybe the SF pumpkin pie wasn't as bad as I'd feared.

Today did NOT go as planned. My intention was to treat the family to a local buffet for Thanksgiving dinner so I could eat salad and turkey and stay on plan. I called ahead twice during the week to make sure about everything. I was assured they would be open until 6 (shorter than normal hours because of the holiday) and no, they wouldn't run out of turkey.

Alas, we arrived at 4 pm. After we stepped into the foyer the manager locked the door behind us. I asked what that was all about and he said "we're out of turkey." ACK!!! Here I was with 9 people I'd invited and most of the restaurants in town closed.

Welllllllllll............we ended up at one of the few nice places actually open and had a feast. Unfortunately it didn't look quite like what I'd originally pictured myself eating for the day. I ended up with turkey w/gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potatoes and a couple of bites of veggies. Manageable I guess because I had VERY small portions. But then..........my greatest temptation at that particular restaurant....the bread pudding with sauce (brandy?) all over it! Unfortunately, I was so stressed from the change in plans I gobbled up about a fourth of a GIANT piece. I did really enjoy it but felt like a guilty blimp afterwards...ugh!

And as you can probably guess, all those carb indulgences let the cravings tiger out of his cage so now here it is 6 hours later and I HAD to have another piece of my sf pumpkin pie slathered in cool whip.

I will have to pay the piper....it will be interesting to see just how many days it takes me to recover from this indiscretion and how many lbs. it will set me back. Fortunately, I don't think my blood sugar shot up too bad....but still, I don't want to slide straight into the gutter.

[TexasKitKat]

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, I did the shop til you drop thing. No, I didn't start at 5 am like others I know, but I did get out about noon and picked up several home decorating things at Garden Depot. What a madhouse!

Also stopped at a sporting goods store to investigate recumbent exercise bikes, which is something I'm considering purchasing. I found one I really like in the $300-350 range. Not quite ready to mention it to DH. He already bought me my Christmas/birthday gift (birthday is Christmas Eve).

I had an upright exercise bike years ago that I couldn't use because it strained my neck and gave me headaches, and later a treadmill that I couldn't use because I developed terrible arch pain. Ended up almost on crutches. Soooo......I hate to mention another piece of exercise equipment to DH at this point. But...it IS time for me to get the body moving in a more organized way than just doing housework.

I did buy some 2 lb. and some 3 lb. hand weights (barbells?) today to start working on my upper body strength. I feel weak as a kitten in that area and carrying my purse around, which is only 4 lbs. fully loaded, has become a major strain for me. That will be my first "pieces" of exercise equipment in the house in years.

That's all for now. I'm off to eat some celery and cream cheese to tide me over til dinner!

[TexasKitKat]

Looks like my exercise of choice this week is shopping! Did some Christmas shopping at several stores today until my back just couldn't take any more. I don't know why the middle of my back is hurting so much on this WOE. Maybe it is the shift in weight causing muscles to be pulled in directions they aren't used to. The pain is too high to be kidney pain, I think.

At first I thought it was from spending too much desk time but it seems to happen even when I don't and especialy when out shopping.

Woke up with a 1 lb. gain from Thanksgiving Day indulgences so I guess it took a couple of days to catch up with me. Ate on plan today although kind of weird. Because of the Byetta I'm never quite sure if or when I'm going to want any lunch and because I was out running around I just grabbed a diet Dr. Pepper and some peanuts at the gas station.

Haven't had a real "dinner" tonight. Guess I'll probably finish off the last piece of SF pumpkin pie as my dinner/late night snack today.

[TexasKitKat]

Finally down to pre-Thanksgiving weight. Hopefully, I've learned my lesson. 5 days to recover from 1 lb.! Not sure it was worth it and will definitely keep it in mind before I over indulge at Christmas.

I am SO excited!! I bought an elliptical trainer last night. I can hardly wait for DH to assemble it so I can begin an at-home exercise regimen. I am really hoping it will strengthen my muscles especially my back and upper body. I so prefer working out in the privacy and safety of my own home vs. the open road or a gym.

My rings are trying very hard to fall off without effort. I guess I am going to have to go ahead and get them resized before goal weight. Can't take a chance on losing them someplace and not noticing. Checked the other day and ring size is down from 9 1/2 to 8...seems like a lot to me!

Years ago I did Atkins and lost my rings on a very dark night in the middle of nowhere. It was truly a miracle that I found them but I don't want to take the chance of a repeat situation.

Got a new glucose meter and it seems to think my blood sugar is actually WAY less than my old meter has been indicating. I am waiting on mfgr. to ship me some control solution to check it. I don't want to change to the new one if IT is the one that's actually off.

Last night was a bear on my feet....terrible pain keeping me awake....just another reminder to KEEP ON with this new way of WOE. I KNOW it's the ONLY way to keep my blood sugar down!

Got my order from Netrition today. Wowzer, that is a LOT of Carbquik in the 5 lb. bag....time to start browsing for recipes. Tried the cinnamon pork rinds...WOWZER! Now THAT could become a VERY addictive habit! Will certainly have to limit my portions on them. At least maybe they won't give me the toilet troubles the sugar alcohols in my other treats do. I've found I really have to watch it on the fake foods. TTFN

[TexasKitKat]

Felt pretty down all day...not sure why. Might be the season...or tired of the "diet" (bad attitude, I know) or lonely cause DH is working long hours right now.

Had trouble with elliptical making terrible racket but got it resolved. Hope to work out later tonight on it.

Still at 171 today...not too surprised...I was kind of grazing all day yesterday...LC but still grazing...not too good for me usually.

Sure wish someone would read all this stuff and give me an attagirl. I feel like I'm in the twilight zone out here in cyberspace. Just kind of blue...better go.

[TexasKitKat]

WOOHOO...30 lbs. down as of today! Only 20 more to goal!! Since my main goal as a diabetic has been good blood sugar control, I am SO excited by my new meter. Readings today in the 93-105 range! What a way to recharge my batteries!

[TexasKitKat]

Great day today! Skipped 169 lbs. (which I was SO looking forward to LOL) and woke up at 168! Behaved myself all day. Took DH to Pappadeaux's (his favorite restaurant) for his birthday dinner tonight. Fortunately for me, their food is so spicy (cajun seafood) that I can't eat much of it. Brought home probably 4/5ths of my mahi-mahi covered with crawfish sauce and steamed zucchini w/garlic butter sauce.

Only had a couple of small bites of his dessert....sweet potato pecan pie w/ ice cream...YUM!

I skipped their incredible bread, made sure not to order a mixed drink but instead had a very good ginger peach SF decaf iced tea...another YUM!

I'm finding I can satisfy my urge to eat forbidden things by just having a smidgeon of it instead of eating my way into oblivion and despair!

Blood sugar has been VERY good today as well...staying around 105-107 range.

Glory hallelujah....this WOL is working!

[TexasKitKat]

Survived a Christmas party last night! Thankfully, the hostess put the desserts on the breakfast table and the other food on the dining room table so I just stayed away from the dessert table except for 1/2 piece of SF date nut bread a fellow diabetic brought.

There was a delicious variety of other foods...didn't sample any with flour or sugar. Instead, had a couple of deviled eggs, several pieces of cream cheese stuffed celery, baby carrots, a couple of mini sausages and a couple of meatballs. I was SO happy there were so many LC choices. Even with the sauces on the meats I was down another lb. this morning!

Since I was "assigned" to bring a dessert item, I had stopped at the store for a cookie assortment tray (no batter or leftovers to tempt me). I did bring most of the tray home, threw a bunch of holiday colored hershey kisses in the bare spots and will recyle it to the next party which is tonight. I will NOT bring leftovers home from that! On the outside chance that I do, I will take it all to my grandkids on Thursday when we go to their house to do cake & ice cream for DH's birthday.

The LC/Byetta combo must really be helping my appetite control a LOT because I can't imagine how I am able to have these things around the house and car for even a minute without caving into cravings. I love it when a plan comes together!

[TexasKitKat]

Tonight's Christmas party was sooo much harder than last night's. Not much LC food at all and TONS of chocolate desserts!! Tried to find some protein to start with, had about 1 oz. of roasted chicken and several small slices of cheese. Then I caved and had a piece of candy that was a peanut butter ball covered with chocolate, and a couple of other tiny desserts. So bad! At least I talked someone into taking my leftover cookies and Hershey kisses home with them so I wouldn't have to deal with that!

Now that I'm home I did a 2-hours after eating BS and it's only 119 which is surprisingly good! Hopefully that means I didn't do as much damage as I fear. We'll see what the scale does the next few days. Thank goodness that was the last Christmas party for the year....unless I get a last minute invitation to one I don't know about yet.

[Purrgirl]

I struggle with all the Christmas parties too. Great job on your loss! Keep it up and you'll be at goal in no time!

[Dede66]

Hey Texas kit kat, I have read all of your journal post and can identify alot.
I have been doing low carb very strict the last two days and from now on to make sure what I am eating is keeping my blood sugar down. I ate for three day before some things I normally would , things with carbs, like Grape nuts cereal, just to see what it did to my sugar,,,,,,,,,it was horrible ove 251!

So I am going to stick to the low carb , I have to and honestly I want to. I want the numbers to go down, that is my first goal, then it will be nice to see some weight loss. I will be 40 on the 20th and I weight 159 right now, I want to be 130 or less.

You are an inspiration to me, I enjoy reading what you post, you seem to have a great sense of humor.
BTW, I was born in Houston Texas, but grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, so we are not too far neighbors.

[TexasKitKat]

Dede and Purrgirl (Laura)--THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting to my journal! I felt so discouraged this morning after I got on the scale and saw a 2-lb. increase due to last night's Christmas party indulgence (I get to see 169 after all...by backing into it...not quite what I had in mind LOL). My first thought was "if I'm going to react to every little bite I put into my mouth THIS bad, how in the world will I EVER do maintenance when the time comes? I just can't do this alone!" And FINALLY, I have company....YAY!

(I was feeling SOOOO sorry for myself....felt like every single person with a journal had "visitors" except me...was wondering if I was invisible )

Anyway, you two really made my day!!

I know the 2 lb. weight gain is primarily water and will go away in a few days. I also know it's not supposed to be about the weight but about the blood sugar, but hey, we ARE female, right? We DO want nice figures whether we'll admit it to ourselves or not. So, I guess this Texan better climb back in the saddle and keep on ridin'!

Dede, I'm in the Dallas area so we are not that far apart at all, less than 200 miles. Maybe we could get together halfway someday.

Anyway, thanks again to y'all for visiting. I hope you both have GREAT LC days today and please come by for a visit again real soon!

[TexasKitKat]

Back down a lb. today of my 2 lb. Christmas party gain. Ate well today so I expect to be back down to 167 by tomorrow am. Tomorrow night is DH birthday cake and ice cream. I have no intention of eating either!

[Dede66]

Hey we might can meet up sometime, my hubby does hail damage repair on cars and we are in the Dally area often,,,,,,he is in Ohio now......
I am really hoping if it hails somewhere it will be closer to home, Dallas is great for shopping as well!!

Girl, I can get on the scale at night and put on 4 lbs,,,,,,,,but in the morning it usually goes back down. I hold water horribly, that is probably why the blood pressure meds work for me, they are just water pills basically.

Keep up the good work, and you are a great encouragement to me. Will check in tomorrow, if I can ever get my turn on the computer.

[TexasKitKat]

WOO HOO!! Woke up at 166 today! I don't know why I get such a rush when I see even one tiny lb. gone but I do. Maybe it's because it's been almost 30 years since my weight was that low.

Dede, SO NICE to hear from you again! YES, let's get together when you head this way....only don't go prayin' for hail on MY house! I know we would have a lot of fun together....and shopping? YES!! I am in desperate need of smaller clothes and I know you will be too by the time I see you!

How's the blood sugar? How's the weight? My fasting BS today was 95, first time under 100 in a kazillion years!

Can you tell I'm excited today? It's so awesome to know I really can do this if I just behave myself. Today is hubby's birthday but I already put a stash of SF chocolate bars in my purse to take with so I don't eat cake and ice cream tonight.

The KEY for me is having the right stuff around to choose from. I don't really eat like a diabetic is "supposed" to. I have a protein drink for breakfast. No lunch unless I'm out with a friend then I try to do a grilled chicken salad. Otherwise, I'll snack a bit on some string cheese or nuts mid afternoon. Dinner is meat and LC veggies. Sometimes, just to keep from going crazy, I DO let myself have a bite or two of something "off plan" like potatoes or a corncob half, or ONE tortilla to put stuff in if we go Mexican. Then, I am a night time grazer but now I make sure I'm only grazing legal stuff like celery w/ cream cheese, a slice of bologna, string cheese, nuts and so on.

We eat out almost every night so it's been an interesting challenge to find LC friendly restaurants and/or menus. DH is a handyman and tends to book things too late in the afternoon and then with traffic I never know when he'll show up at home so it's hard to plan. We are empty nesters so it's easier to just use coupons or go to fast food and often costs less than it would be for me to cook at home. Also, if we have a regular restaurant meal, we both always take home leftovers and get another meal out of it.

One of the things I've been super happy about is that one of our local mexican restaurants now has LC tortillas! Now, if I could just find one using Dreamfields pasta that would be great! I LOVE Olive Garden and haven't been in there in ages. Probably won't be until I hit goal.

Hope you get your computer time today and have a great sugar-free day!

[TexasKitKat]

Originally Posted by Dede66

Girl, I can get on the scale at night and put on 4 lbs,,,,,,,,but in the morning it usually goes back down. I hold water horribly, that is probably why the blood pressure meds work for me, they are just water pills basically.

I am scale obsessed, I guess. I always weigh before bed and in the morning, with no clothes on and the scale in the exact same place. I can always count on losing 2 lbs. overnight from exhaling plus the fluids I get rid of first thing in the morning (unless for some reason I didn't drink as much as usual the night before). Thank goodness my digital scale only shows whole lbs. or I'd probably be even more whacko over the whole thing!

[Purrgirl]

I weigh myself frequently too. Though not every night, just morning. It is pathetic because if I gain even a half pound my mood is horrible all day.

How'd you do with the birthday cake and ice cream? It isn't worth it. I have to remind myself too.

[TexasKitKat]

Howdy, Purrgirl. Thanks for visiting! I just got home from the bday party. I did well...no cheats. Blood sugar is 103.

Hardest part was before the party. We already had the blowout bday dinner on Saturday so tonight we just went to IHOP on the way to the party. That is one of the roughest places for me to LC. I wasn't in the mood for salad so I was VERY limited on veggies. I wish I could stand broccolli but I can't. I ended up with corn and sliced tomatoes as my 2 sides to my grilled chicken. I only ate 2 of the thin tomato slices and probably less than 1/4 c. of the corn. Due to my Byetta shot I just wasn't hungry. Even the grilled chicken was like wallpaper...no seasoning and just blech! So...not too tempting a meal...just a frustrating one.

One of the kids gifts to DH was a package of "turtle supreme" choc chip cookie dough mix, which DH loves to eat raw (and me too!). It now lurks in my fridge behind the leftover half of carrot cake w/cream cheese frosting bday cake. The cake I can handle but the dough...yikes! I will have to stay very busy and very full the next couple of weeks to drown out it calling my name!

Right now I feel so close to goal that I don't want to upset the applecart. And after the 2 setbacks the past couple of weeks I am tired of "do overs" so hopefully, that will seal my lips! December is SOOO hard for me! Argh!

[TexasKitKat]

I can hardly believe it but I woke up to another lb. gone...only 15 to go! That makes 5 lbs. lost this week. It is such a thrill each morning to step on that scale and see its downward movement after several long stalls in the past several months. I think my body finally "gets it" that I am going to do this and is cooperating with me...YAY!

My gut instinct way back when I first set my goal was that I might have to go to 140 or even 125 to be where I really want to be figure-wise. But back then, 150 was all I could muster up the faith for. If the weight-loss continues at the present rate it will be so much easier to go ahead and move my goal down when I reach 150. My will power was fading but it's been recharged!

I was a very thin child, weighed 100 lbs. dripping wet when I married at age 19. Each baby I kept the added lbs. and then some, so I've never really been at a "normal" weight for my height. Went from too skinny to too fat almost over night. It's been 30 years since I was anywhere near as low as I am now so I have no point of reference as to what I "should" weight. BMI says high of around 150, and being 5'5" I've seen what a few others look like on here and can tell the whole 125-150 range will depend a lot on where I carry my weight. Mine is mostly gone now except my tummy. Still a little bit of fat roll on my back but not much. My rear end has totally disappeared (wasn't much there to begin with). I've always had thin legs and they've only gotten better....I've discovered shin bones! LOL Guess I'll just have to wait and see where I finally feel comfortable and look as good as I can.

Still can't decide whether to get my rings resized yet. They are loose during the first part of the day and in the evening are about sliding off. If I resize to stay on in the evening they might be too tight for daytime...such a problem to have, eh?

[Purrgirl]

Yay! 5 lbs. loss in a week is wonderful! Great job!