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Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
here I am -- under the covers...
Wondering how I'm feeling these days? This picture says it all. For what is likely a multitude of reasons, I'm pissed off at the world today. Was yesterday too. And the day before that. Luckily for those closest to me, my wrath has been directed mostly at total strangers. And myself of course. I am my favorite target after all. Right now, as I'm typing this, my head is spinning. and numb. Is that possible? Must be. As badly as I want to DO something, anything, productive, I can't seem to make it happen. The most logical solution for my problem looks like it might come from a Doctor. Unfortunately, that will come in pill form, and god damit the last thing i want is to take another freaking pill. Menopause may be the evil that is doing this to me -- here have some hormone replacements. Or is it ADD, as my sister has suggested? We got a pill for that too! Here, take 2! Or here's a thought. Don't take anything at all. Just buck up and take it like a woMan and get over it. Well that's working out real well, now isn't it?
Is there a psychiatrist in the house???
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Not All Sunshine and Roses... Who's Surprised?
Having a crappy day. Don't suppose blogging about it will make me feel better, but what the hell - it's worth a shot.
On the bright side, my daughter has gone back to blogging! This makes me happy. Check out The Gibby blog listed over to the right.
What else? Well I mowed the yard today. Not really by choice. More like "if I do it will you get off my f-ing back?" The only thing growing was weeds, and they were getting pretty tall. Does the yard look any better? Probably not. Do I give a shit? Probably not.
I started watching Due Date last night. Fell asleep. Oh wait - I just remembered. I don't like Robert Downey Jr. Note to self -- return DVD to Netflix immediately. I'm psyched that Bridesmaids is coming out on DVD next week. Promised myself I'd see that one in the theater. As usual, broke my promise. Oh well.
Going to a Scentsy/Premier Jewelry party tonight at my friend Trish's house. Probably not buying any jewelry - the Premier stuff I have now looks like crap and can't be worn. All discolored and/or tarnished. Might buy a new Scentsy pot and some smelly stuff. They have some new scents I'm looking forward to checking out. Do I lead a glamorous life or what?
What else? Wait, I already said that. Is repeating yourself a sign of senility? Well crap.
Probably should have put a warning in the title -- today's post will either offend your or bring your mood down. Or bore you to tears. Don't even have the energy to care. Don't like it don't read it.
Wait! I didn't mean it! Please read it!
I've got to get a life.
On the bright side, my daughter has gone back to blogging! This makes me happy. Check out The Gibby blog listed over to the right.
What else? Well I mowed the yard today. Not really by choice. More like "if I do it will you get off my f-ing back?" The only thing growing was weeds, and they were getting pretty tall. Does the yard look any better? Probably not. Do I give a shit? Probably not.
I started watching Due Date last night. Fell asleep. Oh wait - I just remembered. I don't like Robert Downey Jr. Note to self -- return DVD to Netflix immediately. I'm psyched that Bridesmaids is coming out on DVD next week. Promised myself I'd see that one in the theater. As usual, broke my promise. Oh well.
Going to a Scentsy/Premier Jewelry party tonight at my friend Trish's house. Probably not buying any jewelry - the Premier stuff I have now looks like crap and can't be worn. All discolored and/or tarnished. Might buy a new Scentsy pot and some smelly stuff. They have some new scents I'm looking forward to checking out. Do I lead a glamorous life or what?
What else? Wait, I already said that. Is repeating yourself a sign of senility? Well crap.
Probably should have put a warning in the title -- today's post will either offend your or bring your mood down. Or bore you to tears. Don't even have the energy to care. Don't like it don't read it.
Wait! I didn't mean it! Please read it!
I've got to get a life.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Welcome To The Travel Channel, barb-wired style.
What's this? A new blog post??? Is the world coming to an end? Maybe, so I guess I'd better get the last word in, just in case!
Greg and I returned home yesterday from a short vacation. We left Sunday around noon, headed north to Pawnee City, Nebraska (boyhood home of Larry the Cable Guy, FYI) and stopped at our favorite winery/brewery. We sat out on the veranda and enjoyed some liquid refreshments for about an hour, and after purchasing a 2-3 day supply to go, headed to Beatrice. I should tell you that when Greg and I go on a trip, we have different ideas of planning. I prefer to research hotels, find the best hotel for the money - somewhere in the middle - and make reservations. Greg on the other hand likes to gamble a bit. Just drive, find a place that looks good enough and hope they have a room. This makes me very uncomfortable. In fact it brings back nightmares of a certain motel room in Bartlesville Oklahoma, which I will now try and erase from my mind. Let me just say that I even called my mommmy to complain about it. For all the good that did! Anyway, back to Beatrice. I'd done my research, so I knew a little about the 3 or 4 hotels in town. They all seemed pretty much the same, so of course we stopped at the cheapest one first. That would be the Econolodge, which as it turned out was very nice. AND it had free wifi! First night - successful!
Monday morning we got up and drove to Hastings, and checked in at our old standby The X-L Motel. We never have to worry about them being booked up. The same can't be said for many hotels in Hastings, and for sure none of the hotels in Grand Island. We've been staying at the X-L for almost 20 years now. It's a "mom and pop" run business. The current owners bought it probably 10 years ago, and I'm sorry to say, it's gone downhill ever since. We decided this year would be the old X-L's swan song. If we hadn't already paid for the room and if all other hotels hadn't been full, we would have moved on right then, but we didn't really have the option. The great thing about the X-L is it's location. It's within walking distance (even for me) of 2 great bar/grills. Greg and his buddies have probably benefited the most from the close proximity. If you know what I mean. And if you know Greg, I think you do. Next year we'll be staying on the north end of town, which will cut off about 15 minutes of drive time to Grand Island, so that will be nice.
After we got checked in to the hotel, we headed over the Kearny. There were 2 things we wanted to do there. Most important (well to me anyway) was a visit to the Morris Cookbook Publishing Company. They have a store there where they sell over-runs of cookbooks they've published at discount prices. These are the type of cookbooks organizations and churches put together for fund raising. Complete with recipes from all those wonderful cooks out there. They normally sell for $15 and up, and they're worth every penny. I purchased 10 cookbooks, received 3 free ones, and spent a whopping $27. How awesome is that? Our next stop was the Cabelas Flagship Store next door. This was the original Cabelas, built I don't know when. From the outside, the place looks huge. What you can't tell is that the majority of the building must be devoted to distribution, or something like that. The actually store was very small. It was rather disappointing, since Greg really enjoys all the wildlife they have on display, and there wasn't much of it here. We found a t-shirt for Carter, and that was it. Guess we saved a lot of money! On the way out, I did convince Greg to let me take his picture with a big grizzly bear to send to Carter. I tried to get him to growl at the bear, or at least put up a fight, but guess that was asking too much.
Tuesday morning brought the real reason for the trip, the Annual Husker Harvest Days Farm Show. It's the largest outdoor all-irrigated farm show in the USA. We start out walking up and down the rows stopping in at tents or buildings to visit with companies selling everything a farmer could want and then some. My job is to pick up freebies! It's insane how crazy people go over reusable bags and ink pens! You'd think they were the last of their kind. We walked all morning, visiting now and then with some stranger about tires or combines or the weather. At 11:00 Greg and I part ways - he heads out to the field demonstrations (his favorite part) where they combine acres and acres of corn with different brands of combines and show you the differences in the way they perform. While he's doing that I hit the tents that are geared more towards us women folk, and pillage for more free stuff. This year I created a family farm web page at one of the booths. Should be interesting to see if I wind up doing anything with it! But hey - it was free! Again with the free stuff. More more we want more!! I lasted till about 1:30 then headed to the car. Greg came along shortly after that, and we ate lunch. Another tradition - we take stuff for sandwiches, chips, crackers, fruit, um beer, and eat at the car. It's a nice break, and couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that they don't sell beer at the show. Right? After lunch, Greg headed back in to finish checking out the vendors, and I took a nice little nap!
Wednesday morning, after eating breakfast at the OK Cafe (what is it with this town and the initials?) we headed for home. Along the way, we drove up into the hills to get a closer view of some wind generators. Those things are so big and just amazing to see.
We saw off in the distance one that was only partially completed, with a crane sitting next to it. We drove over to it, hoping to get to see them putting the last blade on, but there was no one working. Figured it was too windy to do it. That would have been really awesome to watch.
Greg and I returned home yesterday from a short vacation. We left Sunday around noon, headed north to Pawnee City, Nebraska (boyhood home of Larry the Cable Guy, FYI) and stopped at our favorite winery/brewery. We sat out on the veranda and enjoyed some liquid refreshments for about an hour, and after purchasing a 2-3 day supply to go, headed to Beatrice. I should tell you that when Greg and I go on a trip, we have different ideas of planning. I prefer to research hotels, find the best hotel for the money - somewhere in the middle - and make reservations. Greg on the other hand likes to gamble a bit. Just drive, find a place that looks good enough and hope they have a room. This makes me very uncomfortable. In fact it brings back nightmares of a certain motel room in Bartlesville Oklahoma, which I will now try and erase from my mind. Let me just say that I even called my mommmy to complain about it. For all the good that did! Anyway, back to Beatrice. I'd done my research, so I knew a little about the 3 or 4 hotels in town. They all seemed pretty much the same, so of course we stopped at the cheapest one first. That would be the Econolodge, which as it turned out was very nice. AND it had free wifi! First night - successful!
Monday morning we got up and drove to Hastings, and checked in at our old standby The X-L Motel. We never have to worry about them being booked up. The same can't be said for many hotels in Hastings, and for sure none of the hotels in Grand Island. We've been staying at the X-L for almost 20 years now. It's a "mom and pop" run business. The current owners bought it probably 10 years ago, and I'm sorry to say, it's gone downhill ever since. We decided this year would be the old X-L's swan song. If we hadn't already paid for the room and if all other hotels hadn't been full, we would have moved on right then, but we didn't really have the option. The great thing about the X-L is it's location. It's within walking distance (even for me) of 2 great bar/grills. Greg and his buddies have probably benefited the most from the close proximity. If you know what I mean. And if you know Greg, I think you do. Next year we'll be staying on the north end of town, which will cut off about 15 minutes of drive time to Grand Island, so that will be nice.
After we got checked in to the hotel, we headed over the Kearny. There were 2 things we wanted to do there. Most important (well to me anyway) was a visit to the Morris Cookbook Publishing Company. They have a store there where they sell over-runs of cookbooks they've published at discount prices. These are the type of cookbooks organizations and churches put together for fund raising. Complete with recipes from all those wonderful cooks out there. They normally sell for $15 and up, and they're worth every penny. I purchased 10 cookbooks, received 3 free ones, and spent a whopping $27. How awesome is that? Our next stop was the Cabelas Flagship Store next door. This was the original Cabelas, built I don't know when. From the outside, the place looks huge. What you can't tell is that the majority of the building must be devoted to distribution, or something like that. The actually store was very small. It was rather disappointing, since Greg really enjoys all the wildlife they have on display, and there wasn't much of it here. We found a t-shirt for Carter, and that was it. Guess we saved a lot of money! On the way out, I did convince Greg to let me take his picture with a big grizzly bear to send to Carter. I tried to get him to growl at the bear, or at least put up a fight, but guess that was asking too much.
Tuesday morning brought the real reason for the trip, the Annual Husker Harvest Days Farm Show. It's the largest outdoor all-irrigated farm show in the USA. We start out walking up and down the rows stopping in at tents or buildings to visit with companies selling everything a farmer could want and then some. My job is to pick up freebies! It's insane how crazy people go over reusable bags and ink pens! You'd think they were the last of their kind. We walked all morning, visiting now and then with some stranger about tires or combines or the weather. At 11:00 Greg and I part ways - he heads out to the field demonstrations (his favorite part) where they combine acres and acres of corn with different brands of combines and show you the differences in the way they perform. While he's doing that I hit the tents that are geared more towards us women folk, and pillage for more free stuff. This year I created a family farm web page at one of the booths. Should be interesting to see if I wind up doing anything with it! But hey - it was free! Again with the free stuff. More more we want more!! I lasted till about 1:30 then headed to the car. Greg came along shortly after that, and we ate lunch. Another tradition - we take stuff for sandwiches, chips, crackers, fruit, um beer, and eat at the car. It's a nice break, and couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that they don't sell beer at the show. Right? After lunch, Greg headed back in to finish checking out the vendors, and I took a nice little nap!
Wednesday morning, after eating breakfast at the OK Cafe (what is it with this town and the initials?) we headed for home. Along the way, we drove up into the hills to get a closer view of some wind generators. Those things are so big and just amazing to see.
We saw off in the distance one that was only partially completed, with a crane sitting next to it. We drove over to it, hoping to get to see them putting the last blade on, but there was no one working. Figured it was too windy to do it. That would have been really awesome to watch.
So that was our trip. Today was back to work for both of us. I've got lots to do in two days, but it was worth it. Next trip up for me is in Kansas City at the end of the month for my Company C Reunion. Can't wait!!!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Not So Lazy Sunday
Productive days in my life come few and far between. Today, I'm happy to report has been a gold star day for Barb.
Greg and I did the grocery shopping this morning, and I stocked up on fresh veggies and fruit. I also picked up a few things to use for stir fry - my evil plan for getting more veggies in my mouth. The down side of fresh produce is finding room in the fridge for it. Well today, I made it the upside, because it gave me a reason to thoroughly clean out the fridge. My friend Amy and I got into a debate one day over just what constitutes "cleaning out the fridge". In my world, it means basically throwing out the leftovers that are no longer identifiable. And occasionally sorting through the veggie drawer and tossing anything limp. Now when Amy cleans out her fridge, she throws out anything open (maybe a slight exaggeration) and wipes down all the surfaces. AND she claims that she does this every week before she puts her groceries away. I love Amy! Today, I gave my fridge the Amy treatment, and then some! I threw out all of the jars of stuff that Greg won't eat and I shouldn't eat. Yes, that meant throwing out 1/2 a jar of expensive Harry and David jelly, but it was old anyway. I also threw away multiple open jars of pickled beets, old dill pickles, and even some liquor. THE HORROR!!! I organized the items in the door (I can just hear Greg now "where the hell is the ketchup?" He'll get used to it. I'm happy to report that even after putting all the new groceries away, there is still room in the fridge. Which in our house is something to be said. While I was in the cleaning mood, I even cleaned out a kitchen cupboard and cleared off the counters!
After eating lunch (yummy BLTs) I got chicken breasts marinating for supper, and moved on to laundry. And then I took a nap!! Hard work makes Barbie tired :) And now I need to go cut up some veggies for Greg to grill.
PS - I'm in such a good mood I'm even listening to doo wop. THE HORROR!!!
Greg and I did the grocery shopping this morning, and I stocked up on fresh veggies and fruit. I also picked up a few things to use for stir fry - my evil plan for getting more veggies in my mouth. The down side of fresh produce is finding room in the fridge for it. Well today, I made it the upside, because it gave me a reason to thoroughly clean out the fridge. My friend Amy and I got into a debate one day over just what constitutes "cleaning out the fridge". In my world, it means basically throwing out the leftovers that are no longer identifiable. And occasionally sorting through the veggie drawer and tossing anything limp. Now when Amy cleans out her fridge, she throws out anything open (maybe a slight exaggeration) and wipes down all the surfaces. AND she claims that she does this every week before she puts her groceries away. I love Amy! Today, I gave my fridge the Amy treatment, and then some! I threw out all of the jars of stuff that Greg won't eat and I shouldn't eat. Yes, that meant throwing out 1/2 a jar of expensive Harry and David jelly, but it was old anyway. I also threw away multiple open jars of pickled beets, old dill pickles, and even some liquor. THE HORROR!!! I organized the items in the door (I can just hear Greg now "where the hell is the ketchup?" He'll get used to it. I'm happy to report that even after putting all the new groceries away, there is still room in the fridge. Which in our house is something to be said. While I was in the cleaning mood, I even cleaned out a kitchen cupboard and cleared off the counters!
After eating lunch (yummy BLTs) I got chicken breasts marinating for supper, and moved on to laundry. And then I took a nap!! Hard work makes Barbie tired :) And now I need to go cut up some veggies for Greg to grill.
PS - I'm in such a good mood I'm even listening to doo wop. THE HORROR!!!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Not Ready To Quit Yet
It's been a week now since I was shocked back to reality, and I'm happy to say I haven't lost any momentum. The changes in my eating habits have been pretty easy to make. I'm still completely dependent upon my Sparkpeople food diary and don't put a thing in my mouth without consulting it first. In looking back over the last week I've discovered I actually need to eat MORE carbs! I was so worried about carbs in the beginning that I searched out all the low carb foods I could find, but I'm starting to see that I don't have to do that with every little thing I eat. If I have to choose between low carb not so tasty and regular with just a few extra carbs, I can have what I like. I think knowing this will help me stay on track.
The walking has been more of a challenge. It's way too hot out now to walk outside, so I'm walking to the DVD, but walking in place (even with the extra fancy stuff they throw in) gets very boring. Something for me to work on, I guess!
In other news not just about ME ME ME, we have 6 new baby kitties, courtesy of Scheid Farms. And you thought they just raised cattle over there! Carter called Aunt Jan Wednesday morning and asked "Where are the kitties?" so she immediately gathered up all she could find at the time (ha) and brought them over. Most of them are really tame, and two in particular were willing to be mauled by a 2 1/2 year old. After a few minutes they all scattered to places unknown for naps. It took most of the day for 4 of them to come of out hiding, and we took them outside to their new home - the garage. The other two were a bit more difficult - the last one wasn't caught until 8:30 that night. They've all settled in nicely, and seem to be getting along pretty well with the other cats and the dogs. Luckily Lucy is a cat lover. Most cattle dogs are not, so we're grateful for that. Hossy likes to play with them too. I took a few pictures the evening they came, but it was getting dark, so they didn't turn out great. Hopefully I can get some better ones, but for now here they are:
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The walking has been more of a challenge. It's way too hot out now to walk outside, so I'm walking to the DVD, but walking in place (even with the extra fancy stuff they throw in) gets very boring. Something for me to work on, I guess!
In other news not just about ME ME ME, we have 6 new baby kitties, courtesy of Scheid Farms. And you thought they just raised cattle over there! Carter called Aunt Jan Wednesday morning and asked "Where are the kitties?" so she immediately gathered up all she could find at the time (ha) and brought them over. Most of them are really tame, and two in particular were willing to be mauled by a 2 1/2 year old. After a few minutes they all scattered to places unknown for naps. It took most of the day for 4 of them to come of out hiding, and we took them outside to their new home - the garage. The other two were a bit more difficult - the last one wasn't caught until 8:30 that night. They've all settled in nicely, and seem to be getting along pretty well with the other cats and the dogs. Luckily Lucy is a cat lover. Most cattle dogs are not, so we're grateful for that. Hossy likes to play with them too. I took a few pictures the evening they came, but it was getting dark, so they didn't turn out great. Hopefully I can get some better ones, but for now here they are:
5 of the 6 from left unnamed gray girl, Cup Cake, Taffy, Fondue, and Jelly Bean
last but not least, Muffin
no really, Jelly Bean LOVES being held like this!
Poor gray kitty needs a name. They are obviously all named for food items. (Yes I love torturing myself, thanks for asking) Jan named Muffin, and the rest just fell in line, Cup Cake looks just like muffin, but he has frosting on his face, Jelly Bean is named for Greg's favorite - Black Jelly Beans, Taffy - well just look at him, and Fondue - you can't tell in this picture, but his back legs and front feet look like they've been dipped in marshmallows. But the little gray girl has me stumped. Suggestions are welcome.
Our garden is coming along. There are several GREEN tomatoes. Wish they'd hurry up and ripen! We picked a few banana peppers and 2 ears of corn Wednesday. Erin says Carter doesn't really like corn, but he sure likes corn on the cob!
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Our garden is coming along. There are several GREEN tomatoes. Wish they'd hurry up and ripen! We picked a few banana peppers and 2 ears of corn Wednesday. Erin says Carter doesn't really like corn, but he sure likes corn on the cob!
I worked hard for this!!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
My Plan for Life
Dear Blog,
I'm so sorry I've neglected you so over the last few months. I can give you a list of excuses but none of them are good enough. I would like to promise that I will never neglect you again, but that would just get your hopes up, and that's not fair to you. For now, I'll just promise to think about you often, and occasionally update.
Love, Barb
Type 2 Diabetes sucks. For 10 years I've known I had it, and I've taken medication for it (with the exception of a 9 month period where I went temporarily insane) But in all that time, I don't think I ever really accepted it and I know I've never understood just what it meant. Up until 2 years ago all it really meant was I had to take a pill every day. Medicine kept my blood sugar in check, so what I ate really didn't seem to have any effect on my illness. Well let me tell you, that has changed. Big Time. After my recent visit to the Dr. and hearing my latest A1C test results, I've finally... yes FINALLY, decided to take the bull by the horns. So to speak. I went to the Diabetes Learning Center 2 days ago and visited with a nurse. She pretty much laid it out for me; if I continue down the road I was on, in 5 years, I'd be looking at some pretty ugly possibilities. Things like heart failure, loss of eyesight, loss of limbs, you get the drift. Well I certainly got the drift. She suggested some changes to start with, and in August I'll start classes for 5 weeks. I've decided diabetes will no longer control me. I'm the boss of me!
So I'm sure you're wondering what changes I'm making.... well let me tell you!
1. Eat Breakfast. I learned I'm not taking my medications properly -- some are to be taken on an empty stomach and some with food or after eating. If I don't eat breakfast, I don't benefit from my meds.
2. Count Carbs. WOW. Have my eyes been opened! When you realize a meal should only have 30 to 60 carbs and snacks 15 to 30, it changes the way you look at food. Take my beloved Hostess Cherry Pies for instance. Yes, I knew they had sugar in them, and probably weren't too good for me, but sweet baby Jesus - 67 carbs in one pie!!! I dropped that pie like lit firecracker with a short fuse! I think a few carbs rubbed off just by being in the same aisle! There is some good news though -- Miracle Whip is relatively low in carbs! YES! You have no idea how big a deal that is to me!
3. Walk. She told me I need to walk 30 minutes a day. Doesn't matter if I break it up into 3 10 minute walks or all at once. Just get moving. I started wearing a pedometer, and was surprised at how many steps I take during a day at work. Over 5000. So my new goal is to get 10,000 steps a day. She also recommended a DVD to walk to when the weather keeps my from going outside. No excuses!
4. Check my blood sugar levels frequently. Knowing exactly what effect different foods have on my bs level will help me make better choices. I'm already seeing positive results, which makes me feel so good about what I'm doing and make me want to do even more!
I found an online tool that I'm finding is invaluable in helping me implement these changes. The website is www.sparkpeople.com I already knew about it, and had even registered on it several months ago, but ignored all of the emails they sent, and pretty much forgot about it. But I decided to check it out again and found specific programs for diabetics. There's an awesome online food diary that lets me journal everything I eat no matter where I am - there's even an app for that! It tracks calories, carbs, fats and protein, and breaks them down by meals, and snacks. That has been a huge advantage
So that's it. For now anyway. My new life plan. Today is day 3 and I can't really explain why, but I feel different. Mentally, physically, all around better. I think I like being in control of my life for a change!
I'm so sorry I've neglected you so over the last few months. I can give you a list of excuses but none of them are good enough. I would like to promise that I will never neglect you again, but that would just get your hopes up, and that's not fair to you. For now, I'll just promise to think about you often, and occasionally update.
Love, Barb
Type 2 Diabetes sucks. For 10 years I've known I had it, and I've taken medication for it (with the exception of a 9 month period where I went temporarily insane) But in all that time, I don't think I ever really accepted it and I know I've never understood just what it meant. Up until 2 years ago all it really meant was I had to take a pill every day. Medicine kept my blood sugar in check, so what I ate really didn't seem to have any effect on my illness. Well let me tell you, that has changed. Big Time. After my recent visit to the Dr. and hearing my latest A1C test results, I've finally... yes FINALLY, decided to take the bull by the horns. So to speak. I went to the Diabetes Learning Center 2 days ago and visited with a nurse. She pretty much laid it out for me; if I continue down the road I was on, in 5 years, I'd be looking at some pretty ugly possibilities. Things like heart failure, loss of eyesight, loss of limbs, you get the drift. Well I certainly got the drift. She suggested some changes to start with, and in August I'll start classes for 5 weeks. I've decided diabetes will no longer control me. I'm the boss of me!
So I'm sure you're wondering what changes I'm making.... well let me tell you!
1. Eat Breakfast. I learned I'm not taking my medications properly -- some are to be taken on an empty stomach and some with food or after eating. If I don't eat breakfast, I don't benefit from my meds.
2. Count Carbs. WOW. Have my eyes been opened! When you realize a meal should only have 30 to 60 carbs and snacks 15 to 30, it changes the way you look at food. Take my beloved Hostess Cherry Pies for instance. Yes, I knew they had sugar in them, and probably weren't too good for me, but sweet baby Jesus - 67 carbs in one pie!!! I dropped that pie like lit firecracker with a short fuse! I think a few carbs rubbed off just by being in the same aisle! There is some good news though -- Miracle Whip is relatively low in carbs! YES! You have no idea how big a deal that is to me!
3. Walk. She told me I need to walk 30 minutes a day. Doesn't matter if I break it up into 3 10 minute walks or all at once. Just get moving. I started wearing a pedometer, and was surprised at how many steps I take during a day at work. Over 5000. So my new goal is to get 10,000 steps a day. She also recommended a DVD to walk to when the weather keeps my from going outside. No excuses!
4. Check my blood sugar levels frequently. Knowing exactly what effect different foods have on my bs level will help me make better choices. I'm already seeing positive results, which makes me feel so good about what I'm doing and make me want to do even more!
I found an online tool that I'm finding is invaluable in helping me implement these changes. The website is www.sparkpeople.com I already knew about it, and had even registered on it several months ago, but ignored all of the emails they sent, and pretty much forgot about it. But I decided to check it out again and found specific programs for diabetics. There's an awesome online food diary that lets me journal everything I eat no matter where I am - there's even an app for that! It tracks calories, carbs, fats and protein, and breaks them down by meals, and snacks. That has been a huge advantage
So that's it. For now anyway. My new life plan. Today is day 3 and I can't really explain why, but I feel different. Mentally, physically, all around better. I think I like being in control of my life for a change!
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