The Holidays and Other updates

I am sorry it has been so long since I last posted.  It has been over a month and so much has been going on.  On November25th I announced in the blog that I have been diagnosed with diabetes.  I was overwhelmed with this diagnosis.  I was angry, scared and literally overwhelmed.

Since I posted the news my life became a bit crazy.  I had to finish my first semester of grad school which was nonstop school work for about two weeks.  Then I traveled a bit for work. I got ready for the Christmas holiday and tried to understand what was going on with my body medically.

During all of this I have had several doctor appointments; have been put on two different medications and have been educated on diabetes.  I was put through the crash course.  I have read so much, talked to friends and tried to make sense of all of it.  My doctor sent me to a nurse practitioner who specializes in diabetes.  I like this woman and I have learned so much from her.  She has me counting carbs; focusing on my blood counts; continuing with my workouts and focusing on my weight loss.  The one thing that this nurse said and my doctor agrees is that she has no doubt that I will work hard at getting my diabetes under control and the medication will disappear.  From her lips to God's ears! I have set the goal for myself that next year at this time I will be off the medication!

I am still angry, scared and a bit overwhelmed but I am trying to make the best of it.  It is what it is and I have to accept it, for now!

Other than that life goes on.  Thanksgiving came and went and it was a great holiday.  I broke the 30 pound mark and I am now down 31 pounds (We will see if that sticks after the holidays). The Christmas season then arrived and as usual the day flew by!  I am still celebrating of course ... I love the lights, the music and the spirit of the season.  However it is now time to look ahead.  2015 can only get better right?  Oh the plans I have for 2015!!

"Tri" ing to get the fire back

Why?

I realize that other people carry heavier crosses and the world has much bigger problems than I do, but do you ever feel like the universe is working against you?  Today I heard some news that made me mad, confused but mostly scared.  In just over 24 weeks I have lost 29 pounds.  That on average is 1.2 pounds per week.  When it comes to weight loss the experts say that it is best to lose about 1-2 pounds per week rather than lose drastically too fast.  In this time I have increased my workouts and in so many ways I have become stronger both physically and mentally.

There is a reason why I am telling you all this.  A couple of weeks ago I had to go in for some blood work.  I was asked to fast for the testing.  So I went in, they took my blood and I went on with my day.  A day or two later I received a call from my doctor's office, I was told I have a slight deficiency in Vitamin D and that they need to do further tests because they were concerned about other numbers.  However this time I didn't need to fast.  I headed back into the doctors the next morning and waited to hear the results.  Well the results came back and I ended up in my doctor's office today.  And the verdict is ... I have diabetes.

I burst into tears in the office and the only two questions I had were how? and why?  I looked at my doctor dumb founded and confused.  I said how can this be if I have lost almost 30 pounds and I have increased my workouts over the last 5 months?  He explained that I could have had diabetes this whole time but didn't show any symptoms but the numbers don't lie.  He asked me not to focus on the fact that I will now be put on medication but to continue to focus on the weight loss and my continued workouts.  He is referring me to a nutritionist who specializes in diabetes so she can help me continue on my weight loss journey.  He told me that it is obvious that I want to live a healthy life and that is what I need to focus on.

What I am struggling with is why now?  So often you read about individuals who change their lifestyle after they find out they have diabetes ... I have never heard of anyone getting diabetes after they change their lifestyle.  However, I guess there is always one in every crowd.

Like I said I know there are a lot of bigger problems in this world but this is a pretty big deal to me and I am scared.

All I can do is take it one day at a time...

Sunday

Today I am tired so I am going to make this quick ... I am thankful for:

1. I finished a paper for school today ... I still have so much work to do but I at least finished this one.

2. I purchased 4 new tires for my car today

3. I went for a run today!!!

I think it is worth a try...

So yesterday I wrote about how I was starting to fall into old habits ... the habit of sabotaging all my work from during the day and overeating at night, behind closed doors.  Well this evening as I was perusing Facebook I found this article by Nancy Clark, a sports nutritionist and it makes so much sense. (Check it out)

http://www.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2014-09-27/stopping-nighttime-overeating

Nancy Clark advises individuals to take in a majority of their calories during the day so you are not hungry at night.  Your calories can be split between breakfast, lunch and a snack and then  a smaller meal in the evening. I think I may try this and see how things go with this old habit I am dealing with ...

One meal at a time.

Friday, November 21st

So I have been struggling to write this post but I promised myself that I would be honest.  I have not worked out in two days.  On Thursday morning I flew down to DC for an event.  I finally arrived in the late afternoon and followed the trip with two conference calls and then the start of the event.  This morning I decided not to get up when my alarm went off so yet another workout not completed.  I landed home around 5:30 p.m. tonight and headed to dinner with some friends.  I had a great time but still never got my workout done ... not that I was thinking about it during dinner.

However, that isn't what i want to be honest about ... I am down 29 pounds but the weight loss has slowed down and I find myself slipping into my old ways.  I am mindless eating and always at my worst time of day,  in the evening.  Am I tired, stressed, feeling a bit overwhelmed?  Why I am I falling backwards?  I work so hard during the day and then I let it fall a part once I get home.  This rut has been happening since Monday,  I know what you are thinking it's only been five days.  But I want to stop it before it gets really ugly and I know what ugly looks like. 

Why?

the gym

Today I am thankful for the gym.  I am thankful that I have access to two gyms, an indoor track, an outdoor track, indoor pool and outdoor pool (summer only) all on campus.  When I am not at work I run outside or in the hotel fitness centers when I travel.  But today I used the wellness clinic at lunch time.  I had to get some blood work done this morning to I didn't go into the gym early and after work I had a committee meeting to host with some of our alumni so I had to figure out when I was going to run.  Due to the convenience of having a gym literally a 5 minute walk away from my office I headed inside for my run.  I was happy to have that option and thankful for the perks i get because I work on a college campus.

Day 2 of the gallon water challenge went really well.  I have about 16 ounces to go and I will be done.  I took the advice of a friend and drank the water slowly all day ... sip the water don't guzzle ... which limited the trips to the bathroom.  And after two days I have noticed something ... I am a tea drinker.  I don't drink coffee so I get my caffeine from the tea I drink.  I love my morning cup of tea but one of my favorite cups of tea is in the late afternoon around 3 or 4 p.m. However, the last two days I have not had a desire for that afternoon cup.  Is it the water or is it all in my head?  Only time will tell.  On to day three ... tomorrow I am traveling again for work and I find it harder to get enough water when traveling so this will be interesting.

Stay tuned.

One Gallon ...

Recently I read an article about a woman who decided she was going to try drinking a gallon of water every day for four weeks.  This woman was in her 40s and it was recommended by her doctor.  According to the woman who attempted this she said she was 42 years of age but looked and felt like 52.  So she started her month long journey and every week she saw a difference in the mirror.  She felt leaner and fitter.  She lost the dark shadows under her eyes and the red blotches on her face.  She said the water helped with her cravings and mindless eating because in the past what she thought was hunger pangs was really her body wanting water.

So a gallon of water is about 110 ounces of water.  So today I thought to myself why not ... what have I got to lose?  Other than the fact that I wore a path already to the bathroom, I decided to try it starting today.  I don't dislike water and it can't hurt me, can it?  We all know I like a good challenge.  So if I start today ... one month is December 15th ... 28 days ... four weeks...

Please hold I have to go to the bathroom again....

Okay, I am back.  As of right now at 9:24 PM I have 14 ounces to go before I complete day one and a complete gallon of water!! 

Stay tuned for more ... I will give you updates!!

PS: I took the picture today on my run ... I thought it was fitting since there was water in the picture.