The Struggle is REAL!

Hello friends! 

As the title suggest the first week didn't go with out any hick-ups. I can't say that I was "good" all week, I can list 100 excuses and reasons as to why I haven't posted, or all that had gone wrong, but in the long run not all went badly!

I have to say I have not had ANY fast food all week, which is a big accomplishment. Also, another thing I have noticed and I find it interesting. The days that I take into account what I am eating and making sure I am staying within my daily limits of calories and carbs I honestly feel less hungry than the days that I just throw caution to the wind! Amazing, what healthy food can do! 

I am in the process of looking up more fun and delicious recipes to make, but I will also start to incorporate some frozen meals for work , I like to get the Lean  Cuisine paninni's and pair them with soup from the Healthy choice collection. It makes for a nice well rounded filling lunch. 

Since here at work I don't get an "official" lunch break, just get two breaks, but I get to eat at my desk, which makes for easy snacking. So I'm looking for snack ideas as well, a while ago I came across an idea and tried it out! As I have mentioned in my last post how much I love chickpeas (garbanzo beans), and hummus. Here is the recipe.

Crispy and Spiced Garbanzo Beans

1 can of no salt garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/8 tspn cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Few cracks of fresh pepper
1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Add the beans and next 6 ingredients to a bowl and mix well, Pre-heat a medium size non-stick pan over medium-high heat with 2 tbsp of EVOO. Add the beans to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the beans are slightly crunchy, stirring often.

I am not one for spicy so I kind of tweak this recipe a little bit, i make it with a little bit of minced garlic, a little pepper, seasoning salt, and Cajun seasoning. It's one of those recipes that you can kind of be creative with and make it according to your own tastes. 

Also on a positive note I have found my tester and have been trying to keep track of my blood sugars a little bit better than I have. I'm still looking for a good app or website that may assist me with that. So anyone may know please please share that info! 

My blood sugars are not where I would like them to be but they have mostly under 300 for most of the week and that is awesome! Although, due to eating more healthy, my body is retaliating, and I am having some stomach issues. I'm still learning what I can and can't eat with gastroparisis and I learned recently popcorn is not something my stomach can tolerate much of. Nevertheless, I am coping and dealing and learning and that is what this is all about!

Till next time! 

Day 1

Day 1

Weight: 274

Today is the "first" day of my journey. Technically I started yesterday, the first day of the week I work. Although, I wanted to officially start on a Monday. 

I will be weighing in again on April 2nd , I also want to let you know how my blood sugars are as well because in the end that is the whole purpose to this, but I have some how misplaced my meter. I had two now I can't find either... go figure! I will ask my doctor for a new one once I see him again, until then I will be "borrowing" my mom's but with that I am not able to monitor my sugars as much as I would like, but at least I am able to check them when I get up and before I go to bed.

I have found a recipe for a Tuna Salad that is very easy to make, healthy, and deceptively delicious!  Here it is: 

Crisp Tuna-Cabbage Salad

Makes 2 1-cup servings

• One 5-ounce can tuna, drained
• 2 cups finely chopped green or red cabbage, from about 4 ounces or 1/4 of a small head of cabbage
• 1/4 cup minced chives, from about 1/4 ounce chives
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Shred the tuna with a fork and mix thoroughly with the cabbage. Stir in the chives, mayonnaise, and yogurt. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Eat immediately or else refrigerate for up to two days.

Per serving, based on 2 servings. (% daily value)

• Calories 89
• Fat 7.1 g (11%)
• Saturated
• 0 g (0.1%)
• Carbs 4.3 g (1.4%)
• Fiber 1.5 g (6%)
• Sugars 2.8 g
• Protein 2.8 g (5.6%)
• Cholesterol 6.4 mg (2.1%)
• Sodium 65 mg (2.7%)

I doubled the recipe and I have been bringing it with me to work for the past couple of days, along with a hand full of baby carrots, and 3 Tbs of hummus for a snack, and to help with my sweet tooth I have been bringing some kind of fruit, yesterday I brought a cup of sliced strawberries, and today I have a 1/2 a cup of blue berries. 

For breakfast I made some scrambled eggs for my mom and I with some cut up smoked sausage that we had left over with a half of an onion. It is  a meal like this that solidifies my belief that you don't have to sacrifice taste, and the foods you love. A lot of it has to do with portion control, of course there are some foods and things that will have to be omitted that's a given, fortunately I don't drink soda maybe one every so often but that is only when there isn't anything else is being offered. (now days that is very rare). 

At work I mainly drink water, every so often I may get myself some unsweetened Iced Tea, but now I am even going to try to avoid that. I do drink coffee from time to time but I like it with the flavored cream, and lots of sweet and low, so I try not to drink it on a daily basis, other wise at home I drink the non-name-brand of "Crystal Light" which is sweetened by Splenda and for each cup is very minimal calories. 

I use the website SparkPeople.com  to help track what I've eaten and it helps keep the total of calories, carbs and other things that needs to be monitored. Including dinner I have 850 calories marked for today so far, so first day I'm actually under in my calorie budget! YAY!!  

I don't know how many of you like hummus or chick peas for that matter, I myself I LOVE IT! I found a recipe that calls for both, and I am totally excited to try it out.  Here is the recipe I found: 

Mashed Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup celery, sliced
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup scallions, sliced
• 1/4 cup or so hummus or tahini (any vegan mayo works too)*
• 1 – 2 tablespoons mustard (stoneground or dijon)
• sea salt & cracked pepper, to taste
• dash of garlic powder
• juice of 1 lemon, optional
• small handful pepitas (pumpkin seeds), optional
• paprika/smoked paprika, garnish

Drain and rinse your chickpeas, place in medium size bowl and roughly mash with a fork, potato masher or pastry blender. Add the remaining ingredients and combine. Add more hummus if you like it creamier and taste for seasoning.

Serve however you like…make a sandwich, serve on a bed of leafy greens or scoop up with crackers or sliced vegetables like cucumbers, bell peppers, celery sticks, etc.

Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes:

If you find your hummus is a bit thick, thin it out with a tablespoon or two of water. This will make for a perfect consistency to use as a binder without being overly thick and/or drying as well.

Try using diced red onion for a little different color.

On the website I found it on (I really should have notated which website when I saved this recipe sorry!) they suggest putting it on a sandwich with whole grain bread with a little avocado spread on it. I myself I think I'm going to eat it with out the bread, or may just have it on crackers, but I'm counting carbs so if I can save my carbs for something better I will! 

Anywho, I am on the right path, and I believe taking baby steps and just taking it one thing at a time is lot less discouraging than doing it full throttle. Thank you for your continued support! 

Introduction/Welcome

Hey friends! Welcome to my blog and to the beginning of my Journey!  First and foremost thank you for taking the time out of your day to support me, you really don't know how much I truly appreciate it. 

Now I will share with you my motivations as to why I have started this blog. I need a little bit of accountability, if not only to myself but to those out there who are supporting and helping to keeping me motivated. 

By trying to post here if not on a daily basis, at least on a weekly basis, but being a mom, working full time, and going to school I can't promise daily, but I will post as much as I can! I want to post recipes, and share on ideas and thoughts I have seen or read about. I want to share on different apps or web sites that I may have come across that I believe will not only benefit me but others as well. 

I expect feedback, questions, and would even appreciate your thoughts, questions, recipe ideas, web sites and such. 

My goal in this is not so much to loose weight but I'm sure that will be one of the results of this, but my main goal in the end is not being insulin dependent. I'm tired of fighting my diabetes, I am tired of being tired! As my dad would always tell me "If you keep doing what you've been doing you'll keep getting what you've been getting." So I can't expect to feel better, and get better if I keep sitting here eating the crap food I eat, doing nothing! 

My Plan of Action

I am beginning my first week on Monday. I am working on a meal plan that best suits my life style, and eating habits (not as much a habit as in what I eat but how my meals are in general.), I tend to eat only 2 large meals a day Breakfast and Dinner so I will focus on planning those, and than from there will base my snacks on what ever calories/carbs I have left for the day.

My doctor (Dr Ouasis) really wants me to get on a 1200 calorie base diet, honestly I really don't want to discourage myself right off the bat, so I'm taking baby steps and will be working with 1600 calorie diet and will work my way down from there.  

As far as exercise please don't be too disappointed in that I will not be incorporating that into the plan until I can get an okay by a doctor, I am having issues with my right foot and after walking on it just a little bit I am in a lot of pain. I am considering perhaps incorporating some light Yoga and Pilates, or even join the YMCA up the road for some Aquatic aerobics, but again one step at a time, first lets get this eating healthy on track! 

I am already planning my meals for the week, I will post that and a few awesome recipes I have found, and some cool websites as well that I will be using to assist me along this journey! 

Thank you again and looking forward to hearing about your current trails and tribulation with your journey, any good recipes you would like to share (I am always looking for something new to try!) I am doing this on a budget, so I am looking for recipes that don't have too many hard to find ingredients or having to go to a specialty store or health food market to get them.  

Till next time!