DISCLAIMER:

live with physical challenges.
I am NOT a DOCTOR!!! I don't even play one on TV!!! It is my goal to live a more healthy lifestyle. Living well and being happy is what this blog is all about.

"Nothing,' wrote Tolstoy, 'can make our life, or the lives of other people, more
beautiful than perpetual kindness."

- Gretchen Rubin




I write about my own experiences and what works (or does not) for me. Nothing I write is to be taken as medical advice.

Only your health care provider, personal physician,Disclaimer:
I am not a doctor - I don't even play one on TV! This
or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs.








Sunday, September 23, 2012

Plan the Work and Work the Plan

If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.  - Jim Rohn

 
Perhaps it's the kind of tea I'm drinking, but I have an overwhelming urge to just take a moment - to take a step back and look at my goals and how my plan to whip this disease into submission is working, or if it's working.  I need to know what needs to be tweaked or what needs to go completely.  Am I on the best path to manage my disease?  In this day and age I think it's great that I can make an informed decision regarding my own health!

The wonderful thing about the Internet is that there is a TON of information out there.  The horrible thing about the Internet is that there is a TON of misinformation out there!  Because I am not a health care provider, it's difficult to know whom to believe when it comes to the claims being made regarding the management of my Type 2 Diabetes.  One thing I did learn early on - the most simple plan is more than likely the best plan.  My gut tells me that a common sense approach to this monster is the best strategy.

For a brief second, I thought nothing short of having gastric bypass surgery was going to tame this beast.  The thought passed rather quickly.  I've only had one surgery in my life - when I was five years old I had my tonsils out.  I'm sure not going to voluntarily walk into one of those places and say, "Hey, could you guys cut me open and make my stomach pouch the size of a walnut so I can't eat much food at one time?"  Um...  nope.

I've read a lot about gastric bypass surgery.  They teach the post-op patients to eat basically the same way they tell Type 2 Diabetics to eat!  They say eat protein first (and I've heard that if you don't follow that rule, you end up being very sorry later).  So I've decided I can take that advice and leave my tummy just the way it is!  The weight has not just "dropped" off - I admit it is coming off very (very) slowly - but it is coming off.

I learned how people with gastric bypass surgery eat a long time ago.  My ex-sister-in-law had the surgery.  She and I went into a restaurant (yes, she eats out).  She orders water with lemon, grilled chicken tenders (not fried) (protein) off of the KIDS menu (portion control), with green beans (few calories).  This is all her new stomach would allow her to eat.  She only ate 3 of the 4 tenders and left a few green beans.  She did not eat any biscuits or cornbread (complex carbohydrate).  I watched her and learned.  The light bulb came on in my brain.  I can do THIS!  

So, it's my plan to eat like a post-op gastric bypass patient - without the surgery!  I can totally do this!  The rules are very simple - you just eat protein first - always.  As your stomach gets more full, it is filling with the protein and you are less likely to even want to eat the starchy carbohydrates.  It's a matter of making good choices and eating them in order! 

Maybe this is my imagination, but I don't think so.  Since I've started taking a metformin 500mg. with my evening meal, I think my stomach feels fuller, faster!  It's as if I reach a certain point when eating and - I'm finished.  No matter what's left on the plate - I'll either wrap it up or let it go - but I'm done!  I think that extra pill every day is going to help me in more ways than one.

The exercise I get every day consists of either a mile walk or a half hour ride on my stationary bike.  Of course, if we're traveling I scout out the hotel gym.  If I skip a day or two or five, it just makes it that much more difficult to get back in the swing of it - it's just easier to do something active for a half hour every day.  It's not my favorite part of the plan, but it's a part that is non-negotiable so I just put on my big girl sassy pants and deal with it.

And finally, the emergency precaution portion of my plan.  Wearing a patient ID bracelet is important.  It's not my favorite piece of jewelry and I don't wear it with any particular degree of pride, but if something were to happen - if I were to faint and fall from the treadmill in the hotel gym or something - there would be no mystery about my medical condition.  So, giving others access to my medical condition is a good idea - and I also carry a card with all my medications listed in case I'm involved in an auto accident.

I guess that's about it.  Just eat portion-controlled meals at regular intervals, eat lean protein first.  Avoid simple carbohydrates as much as possible.  Complex carbohydrates in moderation.  And, heaven help me, I'll exercise a half hour every day whether I want to or not.  I'll keep my card with a list of medications on hand at all times and wear a patient ID bracelet.

Well, that sounds like a plan!  Now that I've planned the work, I'm gonna go work the plan!

I love the hymn "Be Thou My Vision" and the arrangement by Jars of Clay is my favorite.
    
http://youtu.be/Gp5-oVX6PqI



Today is CHECKERS DAY!!!!!!!!!!!  My folks used to play checkers almost every evening of the world.  Find someone and play a game or two.  Try not to cheat - I know that's tough - but try.










   

  
 

1 comment:

jamescharles3 said...
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