BLOG - Weight Loss, Health, Trending and Diabetes Since the New Year
Weight Loss/Health . . .
It's been a wild ride since my accident (a little over 3 years ago.) During the Holidays I seemed to have peaked out 33lbs heavier than before my accident, and blood sugar issues enough to catch my attention as they messed with my vision. (oddly, improving my vision.)
I have a revolving door relationship with my weight (laugh).
A few things, nothing really new.
Diet can be a prescription for burning fat, but lifestyle change is necessary longterm which includes diet & exercise.
Fasting + dietary change + meds + exercise (brisk walking) - can be very effective at dropping blood sugar levels fast.
I just got in a "Yunmai" scale (nice piece of technology), you have to measure body fat%, visceral fat, and hydration, not just "weight" to know what is going on in your body. Weight "gain" can be good if it is muscle.
Since December I've lost about 13 lbs of fat and it's been mainly by focusing on smaller portions, extending morning (fasting), and being mindful of carbs, healthy fats, etc.
Motivation is difficult when you have high blood sugar levels, your blood thickens (literally), bad fat surrounds you individual cells which creates the resistance of access to glucose from your bloodstream.
The irony - your bloodstream ends up having excess "storage" of energy while your cells are deprived of that energy at the same time and it causes all sorts of problems.
A brisk 5-minute walk can be like taking a fast acting, blood sugar lowering medication.
Portion sizes are our biggest obstacle in America. Most of us have been over-eating since birth.
Name the meal - any type, most likely we eat 4 to 8 times as much per sitting as we need. It's crazy when you look at the math. It's not rocket science.
It is funny. Diana and I, when we eat out, will often just share a regular "meal" (i.e. ordering 1 meal), and even then I usually point out how we are eating 2x what we should be.
Can you imagine eating 1/4 of a Vegan "Beyond Burger"? How about 1/5 of a regular quarter-pounder hamburger?
Keeping busy - is the key to beating carb cravings, as are having pickles, kimchi and related available (laugh).
I wish there was a pill, powder or tool that simply works. I know the Medifast product line does wonders with blood sugar levels and I am looking at budgeting in doing that for a few weeks to test that theory. I don't like the fact they are a soy-based product, but I have to cross-reference that with knowing their program works. It is neither easy nor inexpensive.
Pondering implementation:
Getting rid of "bad" foods and having good options available. This is perhaps the best secret I have. Either binge out on the bad stuff until it is gone and replace it with good stuff, or give it away, or throw it away.
Most of us are food addicts. We have to make a "decision" first, we need to gather momentum and we need "feedback", which is why I invested in a new body-composition measuring scale.
I know if my hydration falls below 48%, my lymph system won't transport the toxins from fat burning (ketosis), which creates a different fat storing problem in the body.
I can see the effect(s) of any dietary or exercise I explore. Without the feedback, I lose focus on my objectives.
Tonight I walked during my breaks at work...and had to walk by the "candy jar", of course there was a small bite sized Snickers with my name on it, and then the Peanut M&M bowl...
I literally put the Snickers back in the jar, because this morning I was happy with the results from my weigh in and that "focus" gave me pause and my decision was to say "no".
I do not always win that battle, but I have been winning it more and more since the beginning of the new year.
I'm not working out yet, just walking and hiking and not as much of that as I should be doing. But I'm "trending".
I think that is the decision I made. I was going to "trend" in the right direction making a little progress day to day.
I know I can reach 180lbs, I did it before, but can I reach 160? Or if I hang out at 180, can I do it with say 16% body fat?
Baby steps.
Today, I won, I said "no". Each "no" and each win builds strength to say no again. After awhile results show up (if you have the tools to measure it.)
STRESS
I spend time beginning and ending my day with meditations and brainwave designed music through my "Insight Timer" app.
I've been hammering my sub-conscious often sleeping to and repeating affirmative meditations and music. I really dialed this up a lot since the new year started.
This practice helped me survive the last 3+ years since my accident, but now - it is more than that. I am speaking to hour(s) a day level focused in the "twilight" that most people would perhaps spend watching TV, or other distractions.
Some of this is physical healing focused, other is releasing and healing, but the practice is daily.
A few of my favorite Authors on Insight Timer:
Sarah Blondin
Kenneth Soares
Jason McGrice
Guenther Goerg
Michael Mackintosh
Nicole Bayliss
As I shift, my life seems to shift (smile) so I have amped up my focus on shifting (me) from the inside out.
I listen to audiobooks, take Udemy/other training on areas of interest. I seldom listen to the radio or news, I choose my music/background noise carefully.
I am mindful of what I eat and drink, and that mindfulness extends to what I consume through my eyes and ears (laugh).
I find myself almost too busy for the usual social interactions. I seem to be in a new extended healing phase of my recovery process, and it is working.
I wanted to share. Some aspect of this may be helpful to others.
Brightest of Blessings
- David Dancing Tree Nelson