Welp, I did it!

And honestly, I LOVE IT

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My 2nd Thoughts are Having 2nd Thoughts

aka Should I really get the tattoo?

It’s the New Year. And due to Christmas, I actually have a little spending money right now. I got a recommendation for a local tattoo parlor, Gentleman Jacks, and contacted Chloe there and emailed what I was looking for, with a couple of pictures as inspiration. I have an appointment Friday evening.

And now I’m rethinking it. And then standing firm. And then rethinking.

I mean, I’m going to go to the appointment. That’s not the question. It’s whether I’m going to actually lay down on that chair and let her do it that’s up in the air.

I’ve told my husband and kids, two of my trainers and my one friend. Oh, and the person who gave me the recommendation, because she has tattoos and was the only person I knew I could ask about where in the world to start. It’s going to be on my upper right arm and will not stick out below a short-sleeve shirt (and I literally never (NEVER) wear a sleeveless shirt) so unless I tell you, you will not know. This is for me. And I honestly will probably do it. But not definitely.

I Can’t Say It Anymore

Something I have always joked about is “I’m so out of shape!”. I knew it. Everyone else knew it. While I’m not OBESE, I am overweight and I was very aware of it. It occurred to me recently that I honestly can’t say “I’m so out of shape!” anymore. Yeah, I need to work on my cardio a bit. My back still gripes about it, and honestly right now it’s like 11 degrees out so no, I’m not going for a walk. But I’m stronger than I’ve probably ever been and in better shape than I’ve been since I was in my 20s. I absolutely have more to do and farther to go, but man, I LOVE being at this new place in my life!

Another Mini Goal

I’ve said I don’t have a specific weight goal in mind, and I truly don’t. I want to get from a size XL to an L, but I don’t know what that translates to on the scale.

However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have a couple of mini goals with regards to my weight. My first goal was to get past the three pounds that I cycle through depending on where I am in my menstrual cycle. Then I wanted to see a certain number. Then the big 10 pound mark.

Today was a new 2nd number. So instead of 1RR, I’m now 1QQ. No, I’m not saying what those number are. Everyone’s journey is their own and 1) I don’t want to be weight shamed and 2) I don’t want any other comments about numbers.

Please note: I AM NOT DIETING. I have changed how I eat because of the diabetes and I now strength train three times a week. The side effect has been some weight loss. I last posted about my 10 lbs weight loss on November 11. It’s now December 20 and I’m down 2.5 more pounds. Dieting would grant a weight loss of 1-2 lbs PER WEEK. But in the past my dieting never worked and I always gained everything back. Which is why I’m just not doing it. I’m working on making better choices about what goes in my mouth to help my health.

But I’m not going to lie. I got on the scale expecting 1RR, so seeing 1QQ I was pretty dumbfounded.

I ATE CARBS

AND THEY WERE DELICIOUS!

No, seriously. I’ve been having only complex carbs or low carb things since August. I went to the Bent on Better Christmas party and I thought “hey, it’s a party. I’m going to let loose a bit” and I did. I had pretzels with Hershey kisses and M&M’s–four or five of them. YUM. I had tortilla chips and pita chips. YUM. I did NOT have booze. I’m not a big drinker to begin with and it wasn’t something I missed.

I actually won an award (totally blew me away!)! It was, honestly, one of the best Christmas parties I’ve been to in a very long time.

Quick Post on Community

Today (as usual) I did something new while working out (it’s kind of my requirement for myself every time).

I pulled a sled (sort of like this picture) like normal–the starting weight is 100 lbs. It was too light, so I figured my next time I would just add 10 or 15 lbs to make it more difficult. But by the time I came back to it in my rotation, it had 80 extra pounds on it from the guys using it. I’ll admit, I kind of went “ooh, shiny thing!” and then wanted to try it. AND I DID IT. And the whole gym stopped what they were doing and cheered me on. My goodness, I love Bent on Better!!

Freestyle Libre 3

Subtitle: Big Brother is Watching my Blood Sugar

I met with my endocrinologist on Monday. She’s willing to give me another three (actually four since that’s the earliest I could get an appointment) months to make more differences in my bloodwork, but one of the things she really wanted me to do was add a continuous glucose monitoring system. I attach a thingy to my arm. It reads my blood sugar. It’s got a blue tooth and connects to my phone. I just set it up this afternoon (oh, the freaking out at the needle, which did NOT hurt at all and then left me with all these emotions with nowhere to go!) and have spent the last 2.5 hours checking it to see what it says. I ate after I worked out, so I’m curious as to what is going to change in 1-2 hours.

I’m ambivalent about the CGM. It’s something I need to be aware of and take care of, but it’s also going to be helpful and undoubtedly educational. Hopefully this is another positive step in changing my life to deal with diabetes.

Small and Large Milestones

I can’t speak for anyone else doing a fitness journey. But what I will say for mine is that, to kind of help me along the way, I’ve created both small and large milestones that I want to/plan to hit. Like the push up. My original goal was to get one by December 31st of this year. That happened something like October 13th. So I changed it to 10 consistently by December 31st instead. And honestly, barring some complication, I expect to get it. I hit my first 10 yesterday.

PEOPLE I DID 10 PUSHUPS WITHOUT USING MY KNEES!

So, do I feel like I can do it again and again by December 31st. Oh, yes. By December 31st 2023 I want to be able to do 10 with my feet on a weight bench and my hands on the floor. Easily. And maybe that TikTok challenge thing with the left, right boom boom baby thing. (sorry, no idea of its actual name)

I don’t have a BIG milestone with my weight, although I’d like to lose enough to change from XL clothes to L clothes. Would I LOVE to get a medium? Sure. Do I feel like it’s a reasonable goal to achieve? Probably not–at least in the next year or two. Large? Yes. I’m down 10 lbs. I don’t know what weight will I need to be in a size large. I haven’t been there in years and years. (insert shrug). According to the InBody machine at Bent on Better I’ve lost 10 lbs of fat and gained a little over a pound of lean muscle, plus three pounds of water. My body–as far as I can see–doesn’t really look any differently. Yet.

I had my 3 (actually almost 4) month blood work last week. Every single number that needed to go down went down. Some a small amount (like A1C going from 7 to 6.6), one (my triglycerides) DROPPED a ton from danger to regular. I meet with my endocrinologist tomorrow. I’m hoping she sees that I am committed to this and maybe says “well done” and “see you in three months” to see what I can accomplish in that time.

For Today

I just found a past post with this and thought it would be a fun break from the diabetes/fitness stuff

FOR TODAY November 20, 2022

Outside my window… Wind, sun, a few clouds way in the distance and a high of 34.

I am thinking…I should really deal with laundry

I am thankful… that a work situation with Jim has finally resolved satisfactorily.

In the kitchen… Grilled chicken thighs. Before which we need to go to Ace Hardware and get our propane tanks filled so we can actually use the grill

I am wearing… Pajamas and an Irish wool cardigan. And Christmas socks because of the aforementioned laundry!

I am creating… a menu for the upcoming week. Two days are Christmas (two families) and two days are Bent on Better, so it’s going to be fairly easy!

I am going… catch up on the budget and checkbook and get dressed. Because I really should.

I am wondering… what to get family members for Christmas.

I am reading… garbage romance books. Pure escapism.

I am hoping… that our office is quiet this week with it being a 3 day week.

I am looking forward to… the Christmas season actually starting.

I am hearing…Christmas music. It’s only 5 weeks away so I determined it was fine to play holiday music

Around the house… is a mess. Even as young adults my kids are not great with keeping things tidy.

I am pondering… what morning I should go for my three-month bloodwork (MTW?)

One of my favorite things… Light and Fit Greek Yogurt with 3 teaspoons of mini chocolate chips. Oh, and Bent on Better.

A few plans for the rest of the week… Monday Bent on Better 4:30pm. Tuesday dr appointment with Bennett so late into work, Wednesday Bent on Better 4:30pm, Thursday Thanksgiving at my sister in law’s in Philly, Friday RELAX, Saturday Bent on Better 9am, Sunday Thanksgiving at my sister’s. Big, busy week!

Instead Of

A large part of my journey has been the challenge of food. What to delete. What to change. What to add. What to do differently, but not so radically that I can’t commit to the permanent change.

I’ve kept my two cups of coffee each day, but added peptides/collagen to them so as not to spike my blood sugar. I’ve changed my typical sandwich at lunch to either on a low-carb tortilla or to something more protein-forward. I’ve deleted my pre-diagnosis 2-3 daily York peppermint patties. I’ve added chocolate chips to Greek yogurt for my snack/dessert each day.

For my birthday, I in ALL ways prefer pie to cake. I just am not a cake person at all. And Dutch apple pie, well, it doesn’t get much better than that (except my sister’s homemade pumpkin chiffon pie, but that’s an other post). But diabetes does not like Dutch apple pie. Especially when I am working my tushy off to really decrease the bad numbers of my last bloodwork.

Enter Pumpkin Mousse Pie. And Very Well Fit’s website where it calculates nutrition!

https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076

That was my birthday dessert. It was YUMMY. And it fit within my making-better-choices life. It just took me 54 years to start figuring this stuff out. Better late than never!