Day 36 PCOS

9.24.18 Day 36

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was in my early 30's. I was always a bigger girl and when I was in high school I started to get some facial hair that was annoying as heck. It was one hair on my chin that curled so I had to pluck it. So embarrassing. As I go older I developed more facial hair and my periods were never regular..which for me was fine because who wants to deal with that every month, you know! But then I got a new doctor who was amazing and she ran some tests and said I had PCOS and when i looked at the symptoms, I could check off each of them:

• Irregular periods-infrequent, irregular or prolonged menstrual cycle. 
• Execessive levels of male hormones which result in physical signs like excess facial and body hair. 
• Apple shaped body-because of the higher levels of male hormones, women with PCOS tend to carry their weight in their weight in their abdomen, like men. So instead of having a pear shaped body, we get to look like an apple with legs. 
• Infertility-not a symptom but women with PCOS have a higher chance of having issues with infertility due to the cysts on their ovaries. 
• Insulin Resistance. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas which allows the body cells to use sugar as its primary source of energy. Women with PCOS tend to have insulin resistance whereby the cells do not respond to insulin and it results in high glucose levels. 

According to the National Institutes of Health, up to 20%  of women in the U.S. have PCOS. In addition to creating issues with our ovaries, the higher levels of androgens also adds up the odds of weight gain around the waist (apple shaped bodes) which THEN launches us in to a vicious cycle because abdominal fat decreases the bodies responsiveness to insulin which makes you more likely to gain even more weight.

So basically not only am I a hairy women with acne who had (I had a hysterectomy in 2015..no uterus no periods) terrible periods but now you are telling me that I also am a walking apple and prone to Type 2 diabetes who has a harder time losing weight...the one thing that will alleviate these issues? 

Awesome. 

So what's a girl to do? Carbs are not our friends. Yes, we need them for energy, but unlike my husband who is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, I simply cannot eat excess carbs. On BLE, STP has set up the weightloss portion of the plan to restrict your grains to breakfast and even though potatoes are a no-no for us PCOS gals, sweet potatoes are actually a yes-yes! Sweet taters are higher in fiber and lower in sugar (crazy, right? since they are SWEET!).

Processed foods suck, so you shouldn't eat them even if you don't have PCOS. you don't know whats in it and it makes you feel like crap. Just say no. 

You can google "what to eat with PCOS", but I will tell you this-BLE has it figured out for you. STP did the hardwork for us. Lentils, avocados, sweet potatoes-all good BLE approved foods. Veggies and protein-solid solid choices for everyone. There is some debate over corn, peas and carrots, but when I spoke with my nutritionist she said the amount of sugar in those veggies is minimal...with that being said don't go crazy and eat a carrot, peas and corn salad. Moderation people. Moderation. 

In all fairness, I am not as hairy as I act like I am, but I do have some facial hair that I get rid of every day. I am big in the mid-section. I struggle to lose weight, am on medication for Type 2 diabetes (metformin-standard medication issued to women with PCOS and recently I added Januvia to help lower my blood glucose number), and struggled with infertility. I don't have thin hair on my head (quite the opposite, actually) nor do i have acne. I don't have hirsutism. Like I said I was diagnosed with this in my early 30's. I'm turning 47 in a few weeks and I am finally taking this seriously and eliminating the carbs. What the frick took me so long? 

Day 29-NSV

9.17.18 Day 29

I hate weighing myself. I detest the numbers on the scale, the crazy thoughts that go through my head when I step on it... like "If i take a poop I will weigh less." or "If it is up an ounce I am a complete failure and I am just going to throw in the towel." A weekly weigh-in does not motivate me...it has the opposite effect, it fills me with dread, makes me self conscious, gives me anxiety and rips apart any belief I had in myself. 

How can one device do that? Why do I let it have so much power?

When I start a new weight loss plan, diet, "lifestyle change" I am super jacked up in the beginning. I will weigh myself every day and it has a short term motivating effect...but after a few weeks it turns to dread and i start to jump on the scale a couple times a week and those feelings of remorse, worry, despair start creeping in my head and then I go into this "eff it" phase where I don't want to weigh myself, I start slacking on my documentation of my food, perhaps make more bad decisions until I am not losing anything and I look back and think, "what the hell am i doing to myself?" 

I'm on Day 29. I'm to the point where I don't want to weigh myself. I detest that crappy little scale and I shouldn't be like that. Its not the scales fault. He is just doing his job. This angst and dread is all coming from me because I am placing my success at getting healthy on 3 numbers that pop up on the scale. And that is a bunch of bullshit. 

We have to look at our life and say to ourselves, "I am not defined by a number." If we were then we would have a sign on our back with our weight listed so everyone can see it. Losing weight to fit in a pair of pants is great, but it should not be our goal. Better health, lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, better blood pressure, your joints will feel better, your mobility will increase, your breathing will get better, you may be able to get off your medications...YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE WILL IMPROVE. These are what we should be using to quantify our success...not just the scale.

SPT talks about these types of victories..they are called NSV (non-scale victories) and at first I was like "whatever, i'm all about the digits, yo!" but the real success is being able to walk up a flight of stairs without gasping for air...finding out that you no longer need to take a medication..your blood sugar is within normal range...those are good goals to have. 

So I am only weighing myself once a month. I'm am not going to focus on losing 10 lbs...if I keep following the plan it will happen. For some it may happen very quickly, for some who have PCOS, it may take a little longer, but it will happen. And along the way we will celebrate those NSV because they are worth it!

Day 28

9.16.18 Day 28

Sunday glorious Sunday. The house is quiet because the boys stayed over at Grandpa's and I want to sleep. I'm sunburned and I have a laundry list a mile long of things I need to get done today including, but not limited to, grocery shopping, clean kitchen, laundry, give dog a bath, take a nap, prep food for the week.

My husband and I take advantage of the non-children time and go to breakfast. It is such a nice feeling to be able to go to a restaurant and not have to cut someone elses food for them...or entertain them or tell them to stop touching their brother and if they do it one more time SO HELP ME GOD! 

Breakfast: spinach, mushroom and swiss cheese omelet with american fries (only ate 1/2). 

Then we went and picked up some burger for the week as well as a pork roast for pulled pork one night. We pick up the boys and then I head out to get the rest of the groceries. Yes, we could have gotten them all at the same time, but we at breakfast at Hyvee and as much as I love HyVee, the boys are eating more and I can get more for my money at Aldi and Walmart and this week I needed to hit Sam's Club for laundry supplies since i'm washing at least a load a day. 

When I got home from shopping it was almost 2pm and I remembered as I opened up the fridge to start putting my groceries away that I was going to clean out the fridge and wipe off the shelves. An hour later the fridge is clean, the food is put away and it is nap time.

After nap i threw more clothes in the laundry. The boys have a short week at school (no school on Friday) so that means only 4 days of school uniforms. I recruited my oldest, Henry, to help make dinner. Tacos. I am not eating Tacos though. Instead I had:

Dinner: spinach, black beans, refried beans, taco meat, sour cream, tomatoes and salsa. 

We had 12 taco shells and 2lbs of meat. Between Brian, Henry and Oliver, they ate all the taco shells and I had maybe 2 oz of meat. Now you see why I have to shop at Aldi and Walmart? The boys are 10 and 6! 

After dinner, I filled up the baby pool and took Lucy outside. Oliver helped brush her and we both gave her a bath. She is not a fan of bath time, but she loves the water so she didn't make a run for it and was actually quite good while we scrubbed her and rinsed her. She wanted to stay out and run around in the backyard so we let her after her bath. Once this midwestern Indian Summer heatwave breaks we will have to get back into our daily walks with Lucy. 

Day 27

9.15.18 Day 27
Breakfast
2 eggs
Sweet potato
Banana

This morning is all about moving...Oliver has swim lessons at 8am and then Henry has Crossfit at 10:15. After picking up Henry we have to run them over to their Grandpa's house where they will be staying overnight while we go golfing in a outing. 

The morning started off good. I took Ollie to swim lessons, came home and made my standard 2 eggs, 1 sweet tater and a piece of fruit. Brian took Henry to Crossfit and then we got the car loaded, bags packed and went to pick him up from class and got them to granpa's for the night. I knew it was going to be a hot day, but was not prepared for how seriously hot it was. Why does September jerk you around like that. One day the kids are wearing jackets to school and the next day they cancelling school because of the heat. WE LIVE IN IOWA. THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING! 

I would like to say I did not drink at all on Saturday. Seriously, no booze or beer for me at all. I stuck with water and it was working for me until we got to our 3rd hole and I started to feel shaky and weak. I thought maybe I needed some food. I ate at 9am and didn't have lunch and it was going on 2pm. So I got a ham sandwhich from the clubhouse and threw away the bun (yep, i went all animal style and just ate the meat and cheese) and i also got more water and a beef jerky (more protein!!). That quelled the shakes but i still felt kind of weird. I golfed a couple more holes and used my little chill pad and was so grateful I remembered to grab it before I left the house! This thing is amazing. I kept drinking my water, but I needed something more, so when the beer girl came buy I got a couple sports drinks and a Nut Roll. I am not a fan of the Nut Roll but I thought it had the most protein and i needed some sugar. The sports drink and Nut Roll helped tremendously! I was back in the swing of things.

How did I golf? Worst golf game of my life. Seriously, I couldn't drive to save my soul. My putts are usually on point and they were all going left of the cup. I was just not on my A-game at all. But it was fun. I could do with the 90 degree heat and no wind, though. 

Lunch: Ham and cheese with no bun, beef jerky

Blood Sugar help: Powerade and a Salty Nut Roll

Dinner: Chicken with corn and coleslaw (i skipped the bun and the mashed potatoes)

Day 26

9.14.18 Day 26

Breakfast
(P)      2 eggs                  
(G)     sweet potatoe               
(Fr)    apple

Lunch
(P)   ham
(V)   carrots, tomatoes
(Fa)  
(Fr)  apple


Dinner
2 pieces of frozen pizza-thin crust.


Day 26 Summary
I seriously need to pull my crap together so I can remember what I eat for dinner when it comes to friday night. I don't typically log on the weekend because...i don't know...i have mom stuff to do and am not afforded the luxury of just surfing the net (do people use that term any more or did I completely just date my self?). 

Friday's are a short work day for me. I am off at 2pm and I love it. It is the one day of the week that I can pick up the boys right when they get done with school so we can do some fun stuff. This week we are taking my youngest son's best friend in "the whole wide world" to our house for craft time. They want to make Shrinky Dinks (hello 70's flashback!) and Perler beads. I like to think of my self as pretty knowledgeable in the world of crafting, but i had to google "Perler beads". Long story short, they are small waxy bead that you put on a peg board and create a design, but you have to be careful because a slight breeze will mess up your design and you will have beads all over the place. Once your design is created you put this parchment type paper on the beads and iron them so they met together. Its cool but my little guy as zero patience.

Moments of truth
I stayed bright and happy until dinner. I took the boys to DQ for a treat before dropping our playmate off at his house and I did not have any DQ! When we got home, Brian made a frozen pizza so i had two pieces of that. 

Day 24

9.12.18 Day (24)
Weight: 236
Short Weight loss goal: 5lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180lbs
Am Blood Sugar:
Pm Blood Sugar:
Daily goal for (date):

Breakfast
(P)  Ricotta Cheese, milk                    
(G)  Shredded wheat                   
(Fr)  Mango and Peach

Lunch
(P)   chicken, turkey
(V)   carrots, cucumbers, peppers
(Fa)  dressing
(Fr)  banana


Dinner
(P)   ground beef in marinara sauce
(V)   carrots, peppers, cucumbers
(S)   spaghetti squash
(Ft)  


Day 24 Summary

Have we talked about Ricotta Cheese yet? Where the flip has this been my whole life? I can't believe I never knew you could use this stuff for other than lasagna! Holy geez, it is delicious. I put a little bit on my shredded wheat for protein and when you pair it was fruit it creates this amazing concoction that is so tasty. It isn't like "cheese" as in mozzarella or cheddar, but it isn't cottage cheese either. It is simple, almost sweet flavor that adds a creamy texture to your shredded wheat (which is completely the opposite of creamy). If you have never tried it-get some! Now! 

This is me, but with pistachios, not cake.

Moments of truth
Yesterday was "pig out on pistachios" day. I didn't realize it was a thing until I was knee deep in pistachio shells. If they still dyed them red like back in the day, I would have looked like I murdered something/someone. Here is what I learned from my pistachio overdose.

1. It is true, too much of a good thing can be bad for you. 

I was bloated, had that gross sour stomach meat burp again this morning and the nausea was back. So much so that I even took my anti-nausea medication to work with me. 

2. Nuts give me heartburn. 

Who knew, right?! I guess if you eat a metric ton of anything it will give you heartburn.

3. The mere thought of a pistachio makes my dry heave.

This is very similar to the dreaded "Raspberry Incident of 1998". Remember 

Bath and Body Works Sun-Ripened Raspberry scented EVERYTHING from the 90s? That was my jam! I loved that scent! I would layer that up so that when I walked by I smelled like a field of raspberries and you could feel the sun radiate off of me and I'm pretty sure angels would sing. No lie. Loved it. Well, I had surgery in 1998 and my mom came to the hospital with a gift basket filled with my favorite BBW products all of which were Sun-Ripened Raspberry. I remember lying in my hospital bed and marveling at all the 90's awesomeness this basket contained and without notice-BOOM! Projectile vomit across the room. 

I looked at my mom and she looked at the gift basket which was now covered in vomit and said "Wow. Not the reaction I was hoping for." I replied, "What can I say, when I go, I go big." She quickly took said vomit covered basket from the room and we never talked about it again. I don't know what she did with all the stuff. It was covered in that crinkly plastic wrap, so she probably cleaned it off and re-gifted it to my sister-in-law. She (mom) wasn't a fan (of my sister in law).

So yeah, pistachios are the new Sun-Ripened Raspberry.

4. I'm pretty sure I lost a few pounds because of the massive pistachio induced diarrhea. Sorry, I know TMI, but seriously I practically worked in the bathroom for a half a day because I had to go to the bathroom so much. 

Day 23

9.11.18 Day 23
Weight: Didn't weigh in 
Short Weight loss goal: 5lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180lbs
Am Blood Sugar:
Pm Blood Sugar:
Daily goal for (date): not eat like crap

Breakfast
(P)     2 egggs                   
(G)    sweet potato                 
(Fr)   mango

Lunch
(P)   2 oz hummus, 2 oz turkey deli meat
(V)   carrots, peppers, cucumbers
(Fa)  
(Fr)  apple


Dinner
(P)   bacon and pistachios (good combo, right?!)
(V)   Spinach, carrots, tomatoes, cukes
(S)   see above...made a big salad for dinner
(Ft)  salad dressing


Day 23 Summary
Not a terrible day, but I could do better (see my Moments of Truth section below). 

Moments of truth
I like pistachios as a protein. There is something oddly satisfying about cracking it open and getting that delicious green nut. I had to watch an online training fpr work so I was watching the video and WENT TO TOWN on my stash of pistachios. Like way over consumed them. I just kept thinking "Its protein! its good for me!"


Fast forward to 8pm and my tongue hurts (too much salt) and I feel kind of bloated. 

Day 22

9.10.18 Day 22
Weight: Didn't weigh in 
Short Weight loss goal: 5lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180lbs
Am Blood Sugar:
Pm Blood Sugar:
Daily goal for (date):

Moments of truth
For a few years now I have been battling some unnamed issue. It starts off with upper GI pain that comes in waves of pain. It is associated with heartburn, sour smelling burps, nausea and diarrhea. It tends to manifest its ugly head at 2 or 3 am, waking me from a deep and fairly restful sleep only to make me unable to get any rest for the next 12 hours at least. I have been able to combat the nausea, which for me, is the worst offender with some prescription anti-nausea medication. The sour stomach burps can be remedied with over the counter medication like ranitidine but I get so tired from the medication, lack of sleep and stomach pains that it takes all I can muster to get the kids to school. 

I looked like a hot mess. Felt like it too. 

When I finally was able to get a little rest, I woke up to the gross, musty scent of wet carpet. We had some rain from the recent midwest monsoons seep into our basement from the garage and while part of our basement has tile, which is easy to clean up, there is a part that has carpet. About 5' x 5' section got wet and we have been using a shop vac to suck up the water but it was not getting dry...and now it smelled like death. So I dragged my sick, tired, hot mess self to the store to find a air purifier so I can at least make the smell not so bad. I also heaved my way through another round of shop vac action before I just couldn't go on. My husband came home and ripped up the carpet to dry the pad and underneath.

Good times. 

So eating wasn't a big thing for me yesterday. But i did see a pattern. I haven't had a bout with this issue for awhile. Once i stopped eating sugar and flour, i had zero heartburn or bloating. it was awesome. Last week though I fell off the wagon and had some flour and the next day boom instant sickies. Sunday I had a sub from subway and some candy from the parade and that night i was sick. 

I wonder how many more times I will have to get sick before i realize the sugar and flour are not my friend and are killing me. 

Day 21

9.9.18 Day 21
Weight: Didn't weigh in 
Short Weight loss goal: 5lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180lbs
Am Blood Sugar:
Pm Blood Sugar:
Daily goal for (date):

Moments of truth
I live about 1 hour and 20 minutes from where I grew up. I have family and friends back home and this past couple weeks have been hard for my community. Part of our town suffered severe flooding from a 500 year flood. Many were still cleaning up and waiting for FEMA or other funding to help get their homes back in order. This weekend it was their annual community festival - Wild West Days. Carnival, beer tent, horseshoe tournament, kickball tourney, demolition derby and on Sunday was the big parade. I decided to head back home with the boys so i could support my community and see my friends and family. The parade is a wonderful 45 minutes parade filled with marching bands, UW band made an appearance with Bucky Badger, kids on stilts, lots of candy and floats and your mandated tractor appearance (it is Wisconsin after all). The boys loved the candy. I loved the sense of community. 

I made some not very good choices in the day...diet soda, samples of candy, a subway sandwich for lunch. It is so easy to say "Oh one piece isn't going to hurt" but it creates this avalanche of piss poor decisions. so when I got home, I started prepping my lunches for the week. Hummus, lunch meat, lot's of cut veggies all packages in my little containers ready to go. It is the best I can do. 

Day 20

9.8.18 Day 20
Weight: Didn't weigh in 
Short Weight loss goal: 5lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180lbs
Am Blood Sugar:
Pm Blood Sugar:
Daily goal for 9.8.18:

Moments of truth
This is a graphic of my life. Some days are great, some days not so great. Some days i'm going in circles. 

Today is Saturday. My youngest has swim lessons on Saturday. At 8:00am. tell me again why I thought this was a good idea? I have no idea what the hell I am doing. My plan is to make a grocery list while he is swimming. For all those who think I should be watching my child swim-please. Stop. He is in the capable hands of a lifeguard. I don't need to be eagle eyeing his class to see if he is behaving, shouting encouragement or sideline coaching. I was a swim instructor and coach for a very very long time and I detested those parents who feel that they know more than me..the one teaching the class or coaching the team. I refuse to be that mom. I just want the kid to not die in the water. I'm not anticipating an Olympic medalist in butterfly. I just don't want him to die. 

Anyhoo, my plan was coffee, pool, grocery list. it was going fine until i realized he didn't have any underwear to change into and so he would be going commando after he got changed out of his suit. 

Next up is grocery shopping. While I am dealing with discount shopping at its finest (i'm looking at you Walmart and Aldi) my husband took our oldest to his kids Crossfit class. I was on pick up duty. Then groceries put away, feed the kids lunch and then get prepared for church. I made it to 3pm before i realized I didn't have breakfast or lunch and now I can't find my keys. 

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DON'T HAVE ANY PROTEIN, PEOPLE!! I LOSS MY GOL-DANG MIND!

I have no idea what I had for dinner. I still don't know where my keys are.

Day 19

9.7.18 Day (19)
Weight: Didn't weigh in 
Short Weight loss goal: 5lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180lbs
Am Blood Sugar:
Pm Blood Sugar:
Daily goal for 9.7.18:

Moments of truth
It is Friday, but i'm writing this on Tuesday 9/11. Friday is a short day at work. We are done at 2pm. I love this day, not because it is Friday, but because it is the one day of the week I get to pick up my kids right after school. They don't have to go to aftercare, they get to go right to the dismissal and run right to me. In the summer time, Friday's are when we go on our adventures...maybe for a hike, or to the museum or explore a cave. Today is BOGO blizzard at Dairy Queen. So we are going there so the boys can get ice cream. What am I getting? Diet Coke. I know. I know. Artificial sweeteners! Poison! Yeah, yeah. I get it. 

Is soda a trigger for me? If you had asked me that on Friday I would say "NO!" in that defensive and incredulous way knowing that you a.) never thought about it that way or b.) deep down knew the answer was not "no". Looking back, I would have to say that diet soda is a trigger. It makes me crave salty. It makes me crave more diet soda. It makes me think "hey it is zero calories. its not a big deal." but it is a big deal. It is like the Walmart of healthy choices. 

The Walmart of healthy choices? What the duck? You don't like Walmart? Fine, it is the Target of healthy choices. You go to Target to buy 1 thing-toothpaste. Fine. Easy in. Easy out with your $2.99 tube of Colgate, but then you spy the cutest cup in the housewares section, so you stop and OMG it is only $3.95! What a steal! It is so adorbs! You must get it even though you have 4 shelves full of coffee cups and you live alone. As you are wandering back to the front of the store, you remember that you need to pick up some sparkling water because you are trying to steer clear of soda. GET OUT! Sparkling water is on sale! I need a cart now! Long story short you have made an entire loop of the Target store and you have a cart full of stuff and your bank account is $195 less than it was 15 minutes ago. Go YOU! 

That is how diet soda is the Target (or Walmart) of healthy choices. You have every intention of doing the right thing but that ONE thing triggers a reaction that ends up not being a healthy choice. 

Day 18

9.6.18 Day 18
Weight: Didn't weigh in 
Short Weight loss goal: 5lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180lbs
Am Blood Sugar: 152...residual ice coffee and pretzel pizza effect
Pm Blood Sugar:
Daily goal for 9.6.18: Rezoom!

Breakfast
(P)  2 eggs over easy                      
(G)  sweet potato                   
(Fr)  blueberries and a banana

Moments of truth

Here is my truth...I completely forgot to log what I was eating on friday. In fact, it is now Tuesday 9/11 and I have no idea what happened to the last 5 days. I know this...i had sugar. I had flour. I got sick from said sugar and flour. I carted my children to swim lessons and crossfit class, went grocery shopping, prepped my meals for Monday and Tuesday (i'll get to Monday in a bit) and I cleaned up water in my basement from the monsoon we had last week. I bought an air purifier because the rank smell of musty basement carpet made me gag on Monday. 

Every day isn't perfect. There will be days that completely fall apart. it is life. You just get back on that horse and try again. You will fall again, too....but it will be ok.

Day 17

9.5.18 Day 17
Weight: Didn't weigh in 
Short Weight loss goal: 5lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180lbs
Am Blood Sugar: 121
Pm Blood Sugar:
Daily goal for 9.15.18: No snacking. 

Breakfast
(P)   Breakfast rounds again...seriously, they are so good.                  
(G)                     
(Fr)  

Lunch
(P)   eggs w/salsa
(V)   
(Fa)  
(Fr)  apple


Dinner
(P)   2 pieces of pretzel crust pizza
(V)   carrots, peppers, 
(S)   
(Ft)  dill dip (sour cream/mayo and dill)

Also had some kettle chips-not a lot because too much salt makes my tongue hurt. i'm weird. i get canker sores from too much salt and sugar.

Day 17 Summary
Tonight was my kickoff meeting for my women's group and we had our meeting at this amazing brewery/restaurant in our historic warehouse district. I was in charge of the food so I had ordered fresh veggies with dip, kettle chips, and then 3 pizzas for our ladies. They have pretzel crust pizza and it is amazing. Not going to lie. I had two pieces. My lines were fuzzy at dinner.

Moments of truth
I did not have a alcoholic beverage. I had water with lime....but.....one of my co-workers who is also a good friend had her daughter (who also babysits my boys) stop by the office and her daughter brought me a iced coffee. So so sweet of her to think of me and I love iced coffee. She said it didn't have sugar in it, but definitely had some because it was so incredibly sweet. With the salt from the few kettle chips I had to the iced coffee gift, my tongue is one giant canker sore. I couldn't speak by 9pm tonight because it hurt to move my tongue. 

No more kettle chips or iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts. 

Day 16

9.4.18 Day 16
Weight: Didn't weigh in 
Short Weight loss goal: 10 lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180 lbs
Am Blood Sugar: 138
Pm Blood Sugar: 
Daily goal for 9.4.18 :Keep those lines. Tonight is bingo night!

Breakfast
(P) almond butter and pecans                        
(G) oatmeal                    
(Fr) banana and blueberries

Breakfast rounds are so good. Once I figure out how this whole blog thing works, I will posting my recipes to share with everyone.  

Lunch
(P)   lemon pepper tuna
(V)   romaine lettuce, tomatoes, carrots
(Fa)  salad dressing
(Fr)  apple


Dinner
(P)   cashews, deli meat
(V)   carrots, tomatos
(S)   
(Ft)  


Day 14 summary
The day went really well until dinner. I had bingo and i brought my carrots and tomatoes and had some nuts but when i got home, i just had some deli meat and went to bed. I was full from the carrots and just needed a little bit more protein.

Moments of truth
Dang bingo. I had some M&M's and a diet pepsi. 

Day 15

9.3.18 Day 15
Weight: 233 (-7)
Short Weight loss goal: 10lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180lbs
Am Blood Sugar:145
Pm Blood Sugar:
Daily goal for 9.3.18: Continue with bright lines

Breakfast
(P)    2 eggs                    
(G)    sweet potato                 
(Fr)   banana and blueberries

Avocado Cauliflower "toast" via Delish.com

Lunch
(P)   eggs
(V)   cauliflower
(Fa)  avocado
(Fr)  banana

My version. Pinterest fail.

Delish.com has great BLE recipes. They are not marketed "BLE" but they are clean eating recipes that can be easily adapted to BLE. I love avocado toast but I don't like using my breakfast grains on bread (the price on the some of the flourless bread is redunk and I would never eat it all). Anyhoo, I thought this was the perfect recipe for me since I have 4 bags of riced cauliflower taking up space in my freezer (.89 each at Aldi-huge deal..i have big dreams with one day attempting cauliflower crust pizza hence the stockpile of frozen riced cauliflower). I couldn't quite figure out how to equate a half a head of cauliflower to a bag of riced cauliflower. So I think i didn't have enough binder (egg) to make the patties. I finally got one done, but as I was cooking my eggs I got distracted and they became overcooked while my avocado was still not ripe enough to mash, so it was just diced avocados. The good news is that it tasted delish...as I expected it to since it came from Delish.com. 

"All the sugar and twice the caffeine" Seriously?!

Dinner
(P) cheese   
(V) lettuce, tomato, cucumber  
(S)   
(Ft)  mayo and avocado

I took the boys to the National Mississippi River Museum here in our hometown. It was raining, it was labor day, we were lazy all weekend because of the weather and the boys were bouncing around the house like a couple kids who had downed a 12 pack of Jolt Soda (they didn't..do they even make it anymore?). So we went down to the museum where they can touch the sting rays, watch a movie about airplanes, play in the water (which is ionic since I wouldn't let them play outside because it was raining) and see the paddlefish, catfish, Big Mama the alligator and so much more. We were there for 2 hours and I realized we needed dinner! So we got Jimmy John's...my lines got blurry.

Day 15 Summary
Good news: I finally lost 5! Next goal is 10lbs down!
Bad news: I had flour. 

Moments of truth
The sweet smell of baked bread gets me every time. Dang you Sara Lee corporate bakery with your warm bread that fills our downtown! You enchantress you! And you, Jimmy Johns with your "free smells"! I curse you! I would like to say I didn't have any chips like I would have pre-BLE...so I got that going for me.

Day 14

9.2.18 Day (14)
Weight: 236
Short Weight loss goal: 5lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180lbs
Am Blood Sugar: 172
Pm Blood Sugar: 161
Daily goal for (date): try not to die

Breakfast
(P)    2 eggs                    
(G)    sweet potato                 
(Fr)   banana and blueberries

Lunch
(P)   
(V)   
(Fa)  
(Fr)  


Dinner
(P)   
(V)   
(S)   
(Ft)  


Day 14 Summary
Ugh. It took everything I had to make it to noon. I woke up with a stomachache and heartburn. I was eating tums at church and then had breakfast with my family to celebrate my father-in-laws birthday. After breakfast I went grocery shopping and as soon as I got home and put the groceries away and crawled into bed in pain. For the next 18 hours I battled nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. I spent the rest of the day in bed and the mere thought of food made me gag. 

Moments of truth
Gatorade tastes terrible.

Day 13

9.1.18 Day 13
Weight: 236lbs
Short Weight loss goal: 5lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180lbs
Am Blood Sugar: 140
Pm Blood Sugar: 142
Daily goal for 9.1.18: Stay hydrated (it is going to be humid), make wise choices. Keep your goal in site (1 lb away!)

Breakfast
(P)   three eggs over easy                     
(G)   sweet potato                   
(Fr)  

Lunch
(P)   deviled eggs, black beans, black eyed peas
(V)   tomatoes
(Fa)  mayo
(Fr)  grapes and watermelon


Dinner
(P)   steak
(V)   
(S)   
(Ft)  


Day 13 Summary
We are celebrating my father-in-law's 65th birthday today. A year and a half ago he was developed a strep infection that moved to his artifical knee which caused him to develop sepsis. He spent over 3 months in the University of Iowa and then our local hospital for physical rehab. We thought we had lost him when his kidneys started to shut down, but he made it through though he is now confined to a wheelchair. This is a wonderful celebration that we didn't know we would get to witness.

I opted to put off lunch until later since I knew we were getting together at 2:30. The food that was there was deviled eggs, grapes, some delicious but bad snack mix and cowboy cavier (black beans, black eyed peas, corn, tomatos, cilantro. Dinner was steak and watermelon, baked beans and a pasta salad. I did not eat the beans or pasta salad because they just didn't appeal to me.  But I overeat because I felt so sick that I had heartburn. Severly. 

Moments of truth
I drank a lot of water today to help curb the cravings and I tried to stay bright, but the lines got blurry. Even if you are staying bright, if you over eat on good food, your body can still feel bad. Mine feels horrible. I know I will be sick tomorrow.

Day 12

8/31/18 Day 12
Weight: Didn't weigh in 
Short Weight loss goal: 5lb
Long Weight loss goal: 180lbs
Am Blood Sugar: 162
Pm Blood Sugar: 126
Daily goal for 8/13/18: Stay focused. Increase water. Take my medication. Enjoy the moment.

Breakfast
(P)  2 eggs                        
(G)  sweet potato                   
(Fr) mango and blueberries

Lunch
(P)   ham steak
(V)   brocoli
(Fa)  ghee on my brocoli
(Fr)  apple


Dinner
(P)   two pieces of sausage and mushroom pizza
(V)   
(S)   
(Ft)  


Day 12 Summary
The day went really well but with friday night came it got fuzzy. We didn't eat until 7pm and we ordered pizza. i had two small pizzas and a lot of water. then i went to bed.

Moments of truth
I have been in an emotional funk lately. Like a curtain has covered my feelings. I worry about my kids going to college and being able to afford it despite having a 529 savings plan for them. I get envious of everyone's travel photos and how often they get to go on adventures-things I want to do but can't afford it, but yet they seem to go multiple times a year. I get down when I can't do the small things like get a massage or pedicure because I need to pay for guitar lessons (they are cheaper than renting a saxophone since we have the guitar already). It all just weighs on me.