Yes, six months have passed since my last post. I had hoped beyond hope that 2016 would bring new successes. But, no. Weight loss has been extremely slow. From 151 lb. down to 144 lb. by the first of August. Heavy sigh.
I spent most of the month of May doing a 30-day Richard Osborn Challenge with the Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics group. The goal was to see how close we could get to Dick's 10,000 steps a day. My highest was 6,000-something. I saw my fasting blood glucose go down 10-15 points so I was happy about that.
Then I lost a job (my highest-paying web client) just before the end of May. I developed an excruciating toothache (on a weekend, no less, and had to wait until Monday to see a dentist) and then had to be medicated (more Tylenol with codeine) for that.
We spent the month of June emptying out an expensive storage unit. That required a lot of physical and emotional energy! We did make our deadline of June 27. But before that deadline, people in our life started dying and getting potentially terminal diagnoses. And this is still going on! When will it ever end?!?
Now I am again devastated. My doctor has increased the dosage of a medication (nortriptylene) that causes weight gain and alters blood sugar. If I thought I was fighting a losing battle before.... It's very depressing. There are days I'd love to just scrap ALL my pharmaceuticals (except for Synthroid) and start over with just my diabetes diet, 72 oz. of water, and 30 min. of walking Barley every day--and getting in bed before midnight--and just see how I would do!
Showing posts with label weight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight. Show all posts
Monday, August 15, 2016
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Two Months to Go
I still have my ups and downs. Some days I'm ecstatic to have blood glucose readings—even fasting—under 100 and to see the scales show less than 150 lbs.! Other days I'm distressed and discouraged to see blood glucose spikes too far above 140 and the scales again over 150. At the moment, I do not have a migraine; but I'm sure they will return.
I'm still continuing to adjust my insulin dosages based on my meter first thing in the morning and last thing before bedtime, and that seems to work well. I'm always delighted when the reading is low enough that I don't have to take any insulin at all. Oh, and another very recent thing is that Kaiser is now prescribing 6mm syringes, which makes the shots less unpleasant.
At beginning of October, I decided to try an experiment in a desperate attempt to eliminate or at least lessen the severity of the daily diarrhea caused by 2500mg/day of metformin. I had previously asked Dr. Chan about the timed release metformin as others had said that was giving them some relief, but said she didn't think it would make any difference. (My guess is that it's more expensive for Kaiser, so they discourage their doctors from prescribing it.) Still others claimed that increasing their fiber intake helped with that. So, quite arbitrarily, I decided to cut my metformin in half, taking one 500mg tablet with breakfast, another 500mg tablet with supper, and a 500mg tablet at bedtime, hoping against hope that it would keep my liver from spewing out too much glycogen in the night. At the same time, I began taking Metamucil fiber capsules (psyllium husk) with my morning and evening meals. It did help! Though it just lessened the severity and did not eliminate the problem completely. Not unexpectedly, my blood glucose numbers went up a little; whereupon I immediately made conscious effort to increase my fat and decrease my carbs, even at risk of triggering migraines. It seemed to me that I would have migraines anyway, regardless of what I did or did not do. And the numbers went back down to where they were before I reduced the metformin. So my new macronutrient goals are 82% fat, 8% carb, and 10% protein.
I also began taking a low dose of alpha lipoic acid (recommended by some of the diabetes doctors) and that's when I began having fasting blood glucose numbers under 100. Except for today.
The one thing I'm stressing about right now is that my weight loss seems to have plateaued. So the only thing that makes sense to me is to be more diligent about my 1200/day calorie restriction. (I can't even think about getting back on any exercise program right now! Especially with all the pain in my right hip during this past week after my one-mile walk in church shoes through the city streets of San Francisco last weekend!)
So I'm planning to be brave and stop all metformin for this month and take berberine instead, 500mg at morning and at evening, with bedtime metformin if I feel like I need it. Will continue to take the fiber capsules and alpha lipoic acid in a higher dose. We'll see how it goes....
I'm still continuing to adjust my insulin dosages based on my meter first thing in the morning and last thing before bedtime, and that seems to work well. I'm always delighted when the reading is low enough that I don't have to take any insulin at all. Oh, and another very recent thing is that Kaiser is now prescribing 6mm syringes, which makes the shots less unpleasant.
At beginning of October, I decided to try an experiment in a desperate attempt to eliminate or at least lessen the severity of the daily diarrhea caused by 2500mg/day of metformin. I had previously asked Dr. Chan about the timed release metformin as others had said that was giving them some relief, but said she didn't think it would make any difference. (My guess is that it's more expensive for Kaiser, so they discourage their doctors from prescribing it.) Still others claimed that increasing their fiber intake helped with that. So, quite arbitrarily, I decided to cut my metformin in half, taking one 500mg tablet with breakfast, another 500mg tablet with supper, and a 500mg tablet at bedtime, hoping against hope that it would keep my liver from spewing out too much glycogen in the night. At the same time, I began taking Metamucil fiber capsules (psyllium husk) with my morning and evening meals. It did help! Though it just lessened the severity and did not eliminate the problem completely. Not unexpectedly, my blood glucose numbers went up a little; whereupon I immediately made conscious effort to increase my fat and decrease my carbs, even at risk of triggering migraines. It seemed to me that I would have migraines anyway, regardless of what I did or did not do. And the numbers went back down to where they were before I reduced the metformin. So my new macronutrient goals are 82% fat, 8% carb, and 10% protein.
The one thing I'm stressing about right now is that my weight loss seems to have plateaued. So the only thing that makes sense to me is to be more diligent about my 1200/day calorie restriction. (I can't even think about getting back on any exercise program right now! Especially with all the pain in my right hip during this past week after my one-mile walk in church shoes through the city streets of San Francisco last weekend!)
So I'm planning to be brave and stop all metformin for this month and take berberine instead, 500mg at morning and at evening, with bedtime metformin if I feel like I need it. Will continue to take the fiber capsules and alpha lipoic acid in a higher dose. We'll see how it goes....
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Another Milestone
First ever "normal" FBG. This is in spite of cutting my metformin dosage in half at the beginning of this month. (I was getting tired of the daily diarrhea!) Also, I'm aiming for 80% fat and 25g carbs. I'm putting up with the resulting migraines as long as I have migraine medication (sumatriptan). For now.
Last week, I hit the first weight below 150 lbs., which I had not seen for 15+ years! That, too, was a milestone.
Think what I could do if I added 10,000 steps/day to that!
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Over Halfway
It's been several weeks since my last blog post here, mostly because I've been on vacation, plus consumed with getting ready for vacation and then recovering from vacation once we got home! Also because things have pretty much leveled out on a plateau. A plateau that I'm not satisfied with, but have to accept nonetheless.
I had some difficulty getting my new prescription of thyroid medicine, so I'm still on my six-weeks trial of the new dosage.
I've given up any hope of getting any real success stories from the NEWSTART® Insights Facebook group, except for what the admin Ron G. says about his own experience. They have discontinued their monthly conference calls due to lack of attendance, which is not surprising given their lack of promotion for that endeavor. When I suggested that maybe "attendance would have been better if the event had been promoted extensively," Ron's campy response was, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink." To which I replied, "But I think most of the 'horses' didn't even know there was water!" I am continually amazed at the lack of technical savvy within the Weimar bunch. What does it say about an organization who cannot attract personnel who are adequately qualified to meet their need for a credible web presence?
Well, on the personal front, I have passed the seven-month point in my Year Without Carbs; so it's time to reflect and evaluate a bit. I have pretty well established a dietary daily protocol with 100g of fat, 30g of carbs, and 45g of protein. Within 1200 calories per day, that's 75% of calories in fat, 10% in carbs, and 15% in protein. While I was admittedly disappointed that my A1C has not decreased, I am more than pleased that eating low-carb high-fat has definitely positively affected my weight loss. In seven months (from January 4 to August 2), I have lost 17 lbs. I am no longer obese! According to my calculated BMI, I'm now in the top end of overweight. Another 20 lbs. to go and I'll be in the top end of normal. Woo hoo!
Some of my diabetic low-carb high-fat colleagues say that I should decrease my daily carb intake to no more than 20g per day, but I get migraines whenever I go below 30. And I have decreased my twice-daily insulin dosage to less than half, so that's something.
I still need to ramp up my exercise program. My current excuse is, "When the weather gets better." Other "excuses" include things currently happening in my personal life that are impacting all the luxurious "free" time I had the first few months of the year to spend on just taking care of myself and my diabetes.
But life must go on!
I had some difficulty getting my new prescription of thyroid medicine, so I'm still on my six-weeks trial of the new dosage.
I've given up any hope of getting any real success stories from the NEWSTART® Insights Facebook group, except for what the admin Ron G. says about his own experience. They have discontinued their monthly conference calls due to lack of attendance, which is not surprising given their lack of promotion for that endeavor. When I suggested that maybe "attendance would have been better if the event had been promoted extensively," Ron's campy response was, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink." To which I replied, "But I think most of the 'horses' didn't even know there was water!" I am continually amazed at the lack of technical savvy within the Weimar bunch. What does it say about an organization who cannot attract personnel who are adequately qualified to meet their need for a credible web presence?
Well, on the personal front, I have passed the seven-month point in my Year Without Carbs; so it's time to reflect and evaluate a bit. I have pretty well established a dietary daily protocol with 100g of fat, 30g of carbs, and 45g of protein. Within 1200 calories per day, that's 75% of calories in fat, 10% in carbs, and 15% in protein. While I was admittedly disappointed that my A1C has not decreased, I am more than pleased that eating low-carb high-fat has definitely positively affected my weight loss. In seven months (from January 4 to August 2), I have lost 17 lbs. I am no longer obese! According to my calculated BMI, I'm now in the top end of overweight. Another 20 lbs. to go and I'll be in the top end of normal. Woo hoo!
Some of my diabetic low-carb high-fat colleagues say that I should decrease my daily carb intake to no more than 20g per day, but I get migraines whenever I go below 30. And I have decreased my twice-daily insulin dosage to less than half, so that's something.
I still need to ramp up my exercise program. My current excuse is, "When the weather gets better." Other "excuses" include things currently happening in my personal life that are impacting all the luxurious "free" time I had the first few months of the year to spend on just taking care of myself and my diabetes.
But life must go on!
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Insulin Resistance and Weight Loss
Here's another thing that bugs me. When people are giving advice on how to improve your diabetes, one of the items is, "Lose weight." That makes about as much sense to me as some thoughtless person telling a mom to "make your kids behave"! As a mother, I learned early on there is no way on God's green earth that you can "make" your kids do anything that they do not do willingly, on their own accord. That is, unless you physically strap them down, tie them to a stationary object, or imprison them in a container. As a young mother, I was greatly disturbed by any "Sister White" quotes that said, "You must not allow your children to [you fill in the blanks]." How does she expect parents to "not allow" children to make a lot of noise, run in church, refuse to eat, etc. without physically restraining them? And then it's only for that moment. Until someone pointed out to me that what she meant was "you cannot give your children permission to..." whatever. And that made complete sense! If the child does "whatever" he/she is doing it without your permission, and then you deal with it.
But I digress.
Frequently, you'll see the advice, "exercise and lose weight," as being the answer to improving diabetes. Yes, I understand exercise, but "losing weight" is a result of doing something, not something you do. Unless you "lose weight" by having bariatric surgery. It would make more sense to say, "exercise, cut calories, and do whatever works for you to lose weight." You can't just lose weight by wishing it to be gone!
The same holds true for the advice to "decrease insulin resistance" (or "increase insulin sensitivity"). You can't just turn it down like turning the heat down on the stove. But when you try to find out how to decrease insulin resistance, there are as many ideas out there as there are people who write articles about it.
That being said, I will concede that the most frequent advice on how to decrease insulin resistance is exercise. And within that advice to "exercise" there's a wide spectrum, ranging from a leisure 30-minute walk 3 times a week to aggressive aerobic exercise, strength training, and muscle building on a daily basis. Until I have proof to the contrary, I will still maintain that the ideal goal—and mandatory for a diabetic—is the conventional 10,000 steps/day (aka 5 miles of walking).
The next piece of advice on how to decrease insulin resistance is—wait for it—to "lose weight." So we've come full circle to giving nebulous advice as the way to reach a nebulous goal.
The bottom line is that every person who wants to lose weight has to figure out what works forthem and their body. When I was a young woman, all I had to do was go on a diet of Sego or Slim-fast for a couple weeks and I'd lose 5 or 10 lbs. easily. Needless to say, that doesn't work for me any more! But it worked then on the same principle as what has always worked for me, and that is calorie-reduction. Only now it's calorie-reduction in combination with LCHF (low-carb high-fat). Less carb = fewer calories.
In short, my fantasy goal is to achieve an acceptable A1C level (which is for another post). My objectives for doing that are to (a) decrease insulin resistance and (b) lose weight (both nebulous without action steps). The action steps are to (a) walk daily toward a fantasy goal of 5 miles a day and (b) stick religiously to a 1200-calorie diet which is low in carbs and high in fat (well, as high as you can be under 1200 calories!).
And it's not just a diet but a way of life—a lifestyle. In other words, I don't stop walking 5 miles a day and eating 1200 calories or less when I reach my weight loss goal and A1C goal. The lifestyle will continue as long as I'm alive. That is, if I want to stay alive!
And that's my pea-brain thoughts for today.
But I digress.
Frequently, you'll see the advice, "exercise and lose weight," as being the answer to improving diabetes. Yes, I understand exercise, but "losing weight" is a result of doing something, not something you do. Unless you "lose weight" by having bariatric surgery. It would make more sense to say, "exercise, cut calories, and do whatever works for you to lose weight." You can't just lose weight by wishing it to be gone!
The same holds true for the advice to "decrease insulin resistance" (or "increase insulin sensitivity"). You can't just turn it down like turning the heat down on the stove. But when you try to find out how to decrease insulin resistance, there are as many ideas out there as there are people who write articles about it.
That being said, I will concede that the most frequent advice on how to decrease insulin resistance is exercise. And within that advice to "exercise" there's a wide spectrum, ranging from a leisure 30-minute walk 3 times a week to aggressive aerobic exercise, strength training, and muscle building on a daily basis. Until I have proof to the contrary, I will still maintain that the ideal goal—and mandatory for a diabetic—is the conventional 10,000 steps/day (aka 5 miles of walking).
The next piece of advice on how to decrease insulin resistance is—wait for it—to "lose weight." So we've come full circle to giving nebulous advice as the way to reach a nebulous goal.
The bottom line is that every person who wants to lose weight has to figure out what works forthem and their body. When I was a young woman, all I had to do was go on a diet of Sego or Slim-fast for a couple weeks and I'd lose 5 or 10 lbs. easily. Needless to say, that doesn't work for me any more! But it worked then on the same principle as what has always worked for me, and that is calorie-reduction. Only now it's calorie-reduction in combination with LCHF (low-carb high-fat). Less carb = fewer calories.
In short, my fantasy goal is to achieve an acceptable A1C level (which is for another post). My objectives for doing that are to (a) decrease insulin resistance and (b) lose weight (both nebulous without action steps). The action steps are to (a) walk daily toward a fantasy goal of 5 miles a day and (b) stick religiously to a 1200-calorie diet which is low in carbs and high in fat (well, as high as you can be under 1200 calories!).
And it's not just a diet but a way of life—a lifestyle. In other words, I don't stop walking 5 miles a day and eating 1200 calories or less when I reach my weight loss goal and A1C goal. The lifestyle will continue as long as I'm alive. That is, if I want to stay alive!
And that's my pea-brain thoughts for today.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
End of May
Today ends five (5) months on a serious low-carb high-fat lifestyle. My weight continues to flucuate up and down, but the overall trend is still down. I'm not going to set new goals for next month. It seems that every time I set a new low for carb intake, I have a rash of migraines—10 to 17 consecutive days—until my body adjust to the new carb goal. So I'm keeping my calories and macronutrients the same as last month: 1200 calories, fat 100 g, carbs 30 g, protein 45 g, and fiber 20 g. My average blood glucose did not decrease significantly, staying at about 125. What I need to focus on in June—and probably for the rest of the summer—is exercise. I'm doing better! Taking Barley out for walks more and making an effort to ride my trike. It's just so discouraging lately with all the cold, overcast weather we've been having!
I had a diabetic retinal screening last week, and received this standard-answer report the following day: We are pleased to inform you that review of the screening images taken in the Diabetic Screening Clinic did not demonstrate any diabetic eye disease. We recommend that you continue to work with your primary care physician to obtain optimal blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure control. Please remember that optimizing blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure will help you minimize the chance of losing vision from diabetic retinopathy. I recommend repeating the diabetic retinopathy screening photos in two years.
I should be going in for bloodwork in a couple of weeks. Last week I got an email message from my Kaiser practitioner (a Pharm.D. who my primary care physician assigned to me several years ago when my blood glucose was running high). I'd like to include our entire conversation:
Dr. P: It looks like you are due to get some nonfasting blood test. Please get them done at your earliest convenience. Also, are you still taking your cholesterol medication, simvastatin? It looks like you last refilled 9/2014. Did you have any problem with it? Do we need to switch to another better cholesterol medication for you?
Me: Yes, it has been over a year since I had an A1C. I also need to have a fasting complete lipid panel, thyroid test, and kidney and liver function tests. I have not had a fructosamine test since 2011, and tests for calcium, magnesium, and potassium since 2009 (when I was hospitalized 5 days for kidney failure). I stopped taking simvastatin a few months ago when I realized that I have not had a high cholesterol test since 2001. I'm more concerned about triglycerides, though, and am still taking Slo-Niacin as prescribed for that. I would like to get the blood work done during the second week in June as I have a very heavy workload during the first week. Please let me know if I can get all these tests at that time.
Dr. P: Thank you for your update. Your doctor has already ordered all your blood tests below except calcium and magnesium. Unfortunately, I am not authorized to order these two items. Please follow up with Dr. Chan to add that to your blood test. I would encourage you to resume simvastatin as recommended. Studies have shown that simvastatin can prevent heart attacks and strokes even if your bad cholesterol (LDL) looks good. We are putting all patients on statins now. Do I need to order that for you? Please let me know.
Me: Thank you for the update regarding the order for my blood tests. I will contact Dr. Chan for the ones you are not authorized to order. I do not wish to resume statins at this time. My main concern is that it will make my diabetes worse and is not good for my liver and kidneys.
Dr. P: Your blood sugars were good being on simvastatin. I doubt simvastatin will increase your blood sugars. However, I am more concern of putting yourself at higher risk of heart attack and strokes. Slo-niacin may affect your liver as well but it does not protect your heart. I highly recommend you reconsider resuming simvastatin or switch to atorvastatin that can protect your heart and lower your triglycerides.
I did not respond to Dr. P's last message, but I did email Dr. Chan with: Dr. Poon recently contacted me that I am due for bloodwork. I responded to her: "Yes, it has been over a year since I had an A1C. I also need to have a fasting complete lipid panel, thyroid test, and kidney and liver function tests. I have not had a fructosamine test since 2011, and tests for calcium, magnesium, and potassium since 2009 (when I was hospitalized 5 days for kidney failure)." She responded back to me: "Your doctor has already ordered all your blood tests except calcium and magnesium. Unfortunately, I am not authorized to order these two items. Please follow up with Dr. Chan to add that to your blood test." So I am contacting you to verify which blood tests have been ordered for me. If possible, I would like A1C, complete fasting lipid panel, thyroid tests, liver and kidney function, Fructosamine, Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium. I would like to get the blood work done during the second week in June. Please let me know if I can get all these tests at that time.
I did not mention Dr. P's insistence on statins. I shall wait to hear from Dr. Chan this coming week.
I had a diabetic retinal screening last week, and received this standard-answer report the following day: We are pleased to inform you that review of the screening images taken in the Diabetic Screening Clinic did not demonstrate any diabetic eye disease. We recommend that you continue to work with your primary care physician to obtain optimal blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure control. Please remember that optimizing blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure will help you minimize the chance of losing vision from diabetic retinopathy. I recommend repeating the diabetic retinopathy screening photos in two years.
I should be going in for bloodwork in a couple of weeks. Last week I got an email message from my Kaiser practitioner (a Pharm.D. who my primary care physician assigned to me several years ago when my blood glucose was running high). I'd like to include our entire conversation:
Dr. P: It looks like you are due to get some nonfasting blood test. Please get them done at your earliest convenience. Also, are you still taking your cholesterol medication, simvastatin? It looks like you last refilled 9/2014. Did you have any problem with it? Do we need to switch to another better cholesterol medication for you?
Me: Yes, it has been over a year since I had an A1C. I also need to have a fasting complete lipid panel, thyroid test, and kidney and liver function tests. I have not had a fructosamine test since 2011, and tests for calcium, magnesium, and potassium since 2009 (when I was hospitalized 5 days for kidney failure). I stopped taking simvastatin a few months ago when I realized that I have not had a high cholesterol test since 2001. I'm more concerned about triglycerides, though, and am still taking Slo-Niacin as prescribed for that. I would like to get the blood work done during the second week in June as I have a very heavy workload during the first week. Please let me know if I can get all these tests at that time.
Dr. P: Thank you for your update. Your doctor has already ordered all your blood tests below except calcium and magnesium. Unfortunately, I am not authorized to order these two items. Please follow up with Dr. Chan to add that to your blood test. I would encourage you to resume simvastatin as recommended. Studies have shown that simvastatin can prevent heart attacks and strokes even if your bad cholesterol (LDL) looks good. We are putting all patients on statins now. Do I need to order that for you? Please let me know.
Me: Thank you for the update regarding the order for my blood tests. I will contact Dr. Chan for the ones you are not authorized to order. I do not wish to resume statins at this time. My main concern is that it will make my diabetes worse and is not good for my liver and kidneys.
Dr. P: Your blood sugars were good being on simvastatin. I doubt simvastatin will increase your blood sugars. However, I am more concern of putting yourself at higher risk of heart attack and strokes. Slo-niacin may affect your liver as well but it does not protect your heart. I highly recommend you reconsider resuming simvastatin or switch to atorvastatin that can protect your heart and lower your triglycerides.
I did not respond to Dr. P's last message, but I did email Dr. Chan with: Dr. Poon recently contacted me that I am due for bloodwork. I responded to her: "Yes, it has been over a year since I had an A1C. I also need to have a fasting complete lipid panel, thyroid test, and kidney and liver function tests. I have not had a fructosamine test since 2011, and tests for calcium, magnesium, and potassium since 2009 (when I was hospitalized 5 days for kidney failure)." She responded back to me: "Your doctor has already ordered all your blood tests except calcium and magnesium. Unfortunately, I am not authorized to order these two items. Please follow up with Dr. Chan to add that to your blood test." So I am contacting you to verify which blood tests have been ordered for me. If possible, I would like A1C, complete fasting lipid panel, thyroid tests, liver and kidney function, Fructosamine, Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium. I would like to get the blood work done during the second week in June. Please let me know if I can get all these tests at that time.
I did not mention Dr. P's insistence on statins. I shall wait to hear from Dr. Chan this coming week.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Easter Sunday
Last week I began my fourth month of serious low-carb high-fat lifestyle. During March, I lowered my average blood glucose from 139 to 127, and my fasting blood glucose from 138 to 128. I lowered my average daily calorie intake from 1470 to 1375. My average daily carb intake went from 49 to 36 grams. My weight decreased from 171.2 lbs. to 168.8 lbs. Not great but every little bit is encouraging.
Based on these numbers, I have set new goals for April of calories 1400, fat 117g, carbohydrates 35g, protein 53g (maximum), and fiber 30g. Percentage goals are 75% fat, 10% carbohydrates, and 15% protein.
I still have frozen shoulder. I still get migraines approximately 15 days out of every 30.
My biggest challenge is still exercise. I only averaged 21 min. daily, where it should be a minimum of 30 minutes. Now that the days are longer, I really have no excuse! Except today when it is raining.
In mid-March, I "attended" a conference call put on by Weimar NEWSTART with the topic of exercise. The presenter confirmed Weimar's belief that 10,000 steps (or 5 miles of walking) daily is required for optimal health. I asked what would be the equivalent of bike/trike riding in either distance or time, and I was told that was not an appropriate question for me to ask. I think because no one really knows for sure! My internet searches on this question have brought me answers just as nebulous. So, if/when I can remember to attach my pedometer on my next trike ride, I'll note how many "steps" get recorded on my usual trip of two times around the mobilehome park. I already know that my typical walk with Barley around 4 blocks is only about 1500 steps and takes 15 minutes. Sure, I know I should double that to get in 30 minutes, but my feet just won't go any farther! My highest steps day was 2888 steps on a Tuesday when we went to Farmers' Market and then shopping at the mall.
Today I'm recovering from a 12-hour migraine which has morphed into a scratchy throat, sneezing, and runny nose. Getting ready for a holiday visit with the kids this afternoon!
Based on these numbers, I have set new goals for April of calories 1400, fat 117g, carbohydrates 35g, protein 53g (maximum), and fiber 30g. Percentage goals are 75% fat, 10% carbohydrates, and 15% protein.
I still have frozen shoulder. I still get migraines approximately 15 days out of every 30.
My biggest challenge is still exercise. I only averaged 21 min. daily, where it should be a minimum of 30 minutes. Now that the days are longer, I really have no excuse! Except today when it is raining.
In mid-March, I "attended" a conference call put on by Weimar NEWSTART with the topic of exercise. The presenter confirmed Weimar's belief that 10,000 steps (or 5 miles of walking) daily is required for optimal health. I asked what would be the equivalent of bike/trike riding in either distance or time, and I was told that was not an appropriate question for me to ask. I think because no one really knows for sure! My internet searches on this question have brought me answers just as nebulous. So, if/when I can remember to attach my pedometer on my next trike ride, I'll note how many "steps" get recorded on my usual trip of two times around the mobilehome park. I already know that my typical walk with Barley around 4 blocks is only about 1500 steps and takes 15 minutes. Sure, I know I should double that to get in 30 minutes, but my feet just won't go any farther! My highest steps day was 2888 steps on a Tuesday when we went to Farmers' Market and then shopping at the mall.
Today I'm recovering from a 12-hour migraine which has morphed into a scratchy throat, sneezing, and runny nose. Getting ready for a holiday visit with the kids this afternoon!
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