Oh, good grief! What did I do?!

Morning Blood Sugar:  247
Evening Blood Sugar:  285

Good grief!  Now, that is going backwards!  All I really had today:

• Cheeseburger, french fries, and diet coke
• 2 sugar free oreo cookies
• 1 100 calorie package of Chips Ahoy crisps
• 12 oz of Fat Free Milk
• 1 cup of steamed rice with 1/2 cup of Hunan Beef and Kung Pao Chicken
• 1 egg roll
• 2 Edamame pods

I figure that the cheeseburger and fries did me no favors along with the milk.  Something with lunch messed me up pretty badly.  I spent more time in the bathroom than doing work, which ticked me off.  I would prefer to get along with doing my regular schedule than getting that interruption in the day.  After that bout, I was pretty much wiped out.

Tomorrow should be a better day.  I ran by the grocery store before heading home to make sure I got some healthy foods to eat.  The weather is going to be really nasty and I may end up stuck at home.  I do not mind that too much as I can get more done.  Also, the bathroom walk is not quite so long.  LOL

Blood sugar levels will be better tomorrow.  I just have to keep at it.

A relaxing weekend...

It has been a few days since my last entry.  I had a dentist appointment in Fort Worth on Thursday.  The dentist is reworking a crown I had done about 3 years ago, so I needed to go in for that.  Right now, I have a temporary crown, so I have to return for the permanent crown on 3/1.

My blood sugar has been as high as 269 to 177 over the weekend.  It is a bit of a rollercoaster.  Mostly, in the mornings, my blood sugar will be higher than in the evening.  The important part for me to remember is that "now", I am in the lower 200s and reaching into the upper 100s.  This is definitely a good thing.  I also recognize when I do not plan on eating properly, like last night.  Last night, I joined several friends for dinner at Japanese Palace.  I knew that the rice would screw up my blood sugar, but it was a special night.  I had not gone out with these friends in months.  I need to help plan a "Girls Night Out" with a larger group.

I made it a point on Friday to go to a nail salon to get a manicure and pedicure.  I am going to try to work in getting at least a pedicure every 2 weeks.  I know that seems a bit much, but my toe nails grow quickly and my feet really need the attention.  As for the manicure, I think I could treat myself to one of those at least once a month.  In the meantime, I could give myself my own manicure each week.  I would give myself a pedicure, but when it comes to cutting my toe nails, I usually do a butcher job.  You should have seen my toe nails before going to the salon - it was shameful.  (I tipped the girl extra because I felt bad.)

I am noticing that some of my shirts are fitting a little more loosely.  That is definitely a good thing.  However, I cannot fall into the trap of thinking I am "DONE".  No way.  I still have a ways to go.

Another positive in my hat was that I began to realize when I was starting to get "full."  I still had some food left, so I slowed down and left it.  That is important sign for me to recognize.  That will help me with cutting back on what I eat.

Tomorrow, I am going to try to straighten up some stuff and continue to just relax.  The upcoming month is going to be a really busy one.

Not too bad Tuesday...

Morning Blood Sugar:  249
Evening Blood Sugar:  233

Another day where my blood sugar is lower in the evening.  I just need to get it below 200.  I hope to achieve that in the next month.  It just takes time and eating properly.  For dinner, I just had a can of soup.  I was going to eat some salmon, but just was not in the mood for it.

Tomorrow is my "Friday" at work.  I cannot wait!  I plan on just relaxing for a nice four day weekend.  I need to plan out some time to do some spring cleaning.  There is a lot of clutter in my apartment that I need to chuck.

Here is to another good day healthwise!

Manic Mondays...

Morning Blood Sugar:  281
Evening Blood Sugar:  243
Today's Morning Blood Sugar:  249

I managed another day of having a higher blood sugar in the morning and lower it by evening.  Funny how that happens.  I figured that I might have really blown it with the left over herb chicken and pasta from Sunday night's dinner.  Fortunately for me, that was not the case.  I think it is because I went out for dinner with a friend last night and had the King Salmon Spieldini (sp?), a salad, unsweetened tea, a little bread, and cappucino for dessert.

Overall, I did not do too badly.  This morning, my blood sugar was a bit elevated, but I should have eaten a small sandwich before going to bed.  Today, I did fix breakfast, so that is a decent start.  I took my fish oil and cinnamon to help with lowering my blood sugar.  For lunch, it will be a simple sandwich, Terra chips, fruit, a pickle, and something to snack on to hold me over in the afternoon.  Dinner will be broiled salmon, steamed veggies, and rice - about 1/2 cup.  If I am still hungry, I will get fix a small spring salad.  However, I am sort of doubting I will be hungry.

Time to work on some stuff for work - my work week is almost over!  :-)  I cannot wait for my small 4 day weekend!

End of the weekend...

Morning Blood Sugar:  269
Evening Blood Sugar:  263

My blood sugar remained pretty stable today.  The numbers are not good, but MUCH better than they were at the beginning of the month.  I am still working hard to keep making good food choices.

I did not go to bed until late last night.  I was hoping to sleep in a bit, but that was not to happen.  Someone from work called, then I had to take the dogs out for the morning walk.  I managed to get a 2 hour nap in after 11 AM. 

Tonight, I had to deal with 2 loud chirping smoke alarms.  I am so fed up with the smoke alarms in this apartment.  They are placed on the ceiling and it is difficult for me to change them as I am short in stature.  What really honks me off is that Bo, my dog, freaks out.  It takes forever for him to calm down.

Time to put an end to the day.

Somewhat relaxing Saturday...

Morning Blood Sugar:  248
Evening Blood Sugar:  310

Well, I probably should have passed on the steak, baked potato, and salad.  I say it was the two pieces of sourdough bread that really threw my blood sugar over the top.  Tomorrow, I will eat better.  I am planning on making crispy herb chicken with a stewed tomato sauce over some Dreamfield's rotini pasta.

I went to the grocery store and tried to buy some more healthy foods for the week.  It is amazing how much more expensive it is to buy foods that are good for me to eat.  I bought several apples, a few oranges, pears, grapes, and some containers of melon and stawberries.  I also bought broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and the like.  I am really trying hard to eat more healthy foods.

Well, tomorrow is another day and I will do better.  Time to hit the hay, so I can work on the apartment.  Today has just blown past me completely.

Side note - I need to be more observant of my writing.  My last post seemed a bit off and I went back to re-edit it.

Long day, but was able to maintain...

Morning Blood Sugar:  285
Evening Blood Sugar:  286

I expected my blood sugar to be high this morning as I neglected to take my medications last night.  This morning, I made my attempt to take my medications, but I think I only got part of the meds taken because I was distracted.  Oddly enough, I was able to maintain my blood sugar.

Breakfast, I had a cup of cantaloupe, two sausage patties, and one slice of whole grain toast.

Lunch, Roast beef and turkey sandwich with provolone cheese on whole grain bread, 1 oz of Terra chips, 1 pickle, and a mix of yellow and red grape tomatoes.  I love the yellow tomatoes - they are sweet and delicious.

Dinner, Boston Market quarter chicken - breast and wing, green beans, and garlicky lemon spinach.  I have to admit, the new spinach side is really delicious.  I will definitely be ordering that again.

I know I had wanted to get a steak and baked potato tonight.  I decided against that, then thought of getting fried chicken.  I passed on that because I wanted to try to keep my carb intake low.  I feel pretty good about that.

Tomorrow will be a better day - it is the weekend and I am going to enjoy it as much as possible.

I picked the wrong day to stop drinking...

Anyone who watched "Airplane" and/or "Airplane 2" should remember all of those "I picked the wrong day to ..." that Lloyd Bridges said.  Today, I feel like that.  I picked the wrong day to start eating better.  Too much craziness going on outside my personal life for me to even keep up properly.  I have to wonder "When can I get my life back?"

There has to be an easier way for me to keep up with "Have I taken my medication or did I forget because someone was constantly pinging me for something?"

It is all a challenge.

Frustrating day...

This morning's blood sugar test was 271 at 8:15.  Just now, my current blood sugar tested at 233.  I am happy that the number is lower. 

Breakfast:  1 bowl of Multigrain Cheerios and 1/2 cup of fat free milk

Lunch:  Chicken Enchilada Verde and 1 crispy beef Taco.  1/4 cup of rice (I made myself not eat a whole lot of that), and 1 cup of charro beans.  The difficult part of having lunch out was keeping my hands out of the tortilla chips, salsa, and co-worker's queso.  I need to work on that.  I did, however, resist the urge to get even a small cup of Pacugio gelato.  I got the Cappucino (okay - I cannot spell it).  I did not drink all of that because it did not taste very good.  I think that was a small favor.

Dinner:  I roasted a pork loin with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some chicken seasoning.  I was going to use rosemary, but I realized too late that I threw out the previous bottle during a pantry purge.  I have to put that back on my grocery list.  The veggies were peas and broccoli in cheese sauce.  To add a bit of spice, I mixed some Crystal Light Lemonade mix with my Sprite Zero.  That gave the drink a bit of sparkle.

I put the pork loin medallions and peas into two containers for lunch. 

This spring, I have this grandiose idea of getting a planting box and filling it with the seeds to grow my own herbs.  I want to try to grow rosemary, thyme, basil, and others.  I think that would add some freshness to my meals.

I do not want to think of this is a diet, but a healthier and more delicious way of eating.  I figure if the food is delicious, filling, low in carbs, that will make it easier for me to continue to eat well.

Making big changes...

In November 2006, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes.  I worked really hard to bring down my blood sugar and a nice bonus was that I lost about 50 lbs after about 4 months.  At that point, I endured a great deal of stress and life began to unravel. I gained back the weight and then some more.  Also, my blood sugar began to rise to levels that were worrisome.

First of all, I blame myself for letting those things get the better of me.  There is no one to blame.  There are no fingers to point.  It was me and me alone.  I made bad choices for all of the wrong reasons.

This New Year's Eve, I decided that I needed to turn my life around for the better.  Life is just too short.  I miss the presence of someone close to me, but I know that person is watching over me.  What would mean the most to that person is for me to take better care of myself.

So, here I go - going to journal my life changes and the results.  Some days, the results will be fantastic, but other days, the results will suck.  I am going to journal the good, the bad, and the ugly - mainly so that I can look back at what I have accomplished on this journey.

My blog may be boring or useless to some and that is okay.  I am doing this for me.

This is my new day...

-- M