Aside from my pregnancy with my oldest, the heaviest I had ever been was 180 lbs. That was 7 weeks ago. I am a type 2 diabetic and if you have been following along you know that weight gain comes with the territory. When I eat anything that has carbohydrates or sugar it is not broken down and stored/used correctly in my body. Instead it spikes my blood sugar, makes me feel terrible and my broken insulin protein ends up storing fat. It is a whole genetic mess. However, with the support of an online community as well as going back on medication (metformin), I have been steadily losing the weight and feeling better.
As of February 12th I weighed in at 164.4 lbs. I am only 15 lbs from my normal and comfortable weight of about 150. My goal weight is 145 which is where I still have curves (I like my curves folks) but I am minimal body fat and feel pretty good. Anything under that and I start to feel pretty terrible again.
People are now starting to notice the weight loss. Until I put these photos side by side, I did not see it. Now I totally do. Now this weight loss has not been without struggles. I love carbs, I love sugar. I have most definitely cheated and felt the wrath of that choice. This past week was no exception. In fact it was probably the worst week I have had with food in about 6 weeks. I most definitely had ice cream and Mexican food and OMG the chips and salsa were enough to keep me happy and full for a year. However, the aftermath was nausea and bloating and a headache and the itches. Yes, I now have hives from eating Mexican food with carbs which is a nifty little thing to figure out.
What I am learning is that it is not worth it to feel terrible for days after just so I can be satiated in the moment. This Low Carb High Fat diet is working for me. I am not necessarily saying no to carbs, just staying away from the complex ones. Many people have asked for a meal plan of what I typically consume. Below is a little list.
Breakfast
- Granola Bar. I will confess that this is where I am not good on the diet. These granola bars have 25 carbs in them and have chocolate. However, we eat dinner early and I do not eat after dinner until I leave for work. That is typically 12 hours and my blood sugar can do some funny things in 12 hours so this morning spike helps.
Lunch
- Some sort of deli meat and cheese with avocados or peppers or a salad. If I have leftovers from the previous nights dinner, I eat that.
Dinner
- Chicken, Pork, Beef or Fish and a fresh veggie. My favs lately have been salmon and asparagus, steak and brussel sprouts, pork chops with broccoli, Chicken & mashed cauliflower. You can eat real butter & cheese and I love garlic and other seasonings. Dinner is great and actually super easy. If you can get it out of your mind that you must have a pasta or potato side dish, then everything is easy. I have also done tacos in a lettuce wraps, grilled chicken chipotle salad, roasts galore and so much more. Basically its all meat and veggies.
Snacks
- Almonds, cashews, apples & oranges (not on the approved list), beef jerky, sunflower seeds, non starchy veggies.
In addition, I try to drink 8-10 glasses of water each day. I have not added in a work out routine. I am busy enough and just trying to focus on making better eating choices and not losing my mind with everything I have on my plate. Someday I will add in a workout, right now I call my workout being a mom to two littles, shopping at Target, cleaning my house and running around while teaching the youth of America.
It has not been easy, it won’t be easy and I have to continue every day to remind myself that being insulin dependent and overweight is not the example I want to set for my children. Thanks for the support!
