Another Reason to Shop

I'm truly becoming a gym nut. I just spent 3 hours reading articles about how to improve my swimming workouts. I even read articles about swimming-laps-etiquette. Turns out that swimming down the middle of the lane (like I prefer) is rude in the swimming world. I can't help it! I like the whole lane to myself! Plus, I fully extend my arms during breast stroke. Sharing a lane would mean that I'd be smacking into my lane partner! Of course, through my reading I've learned that my extended arm breast stroke is wrong. I'm doing it all wrong :) Looking forward to tweaking some things the next time I'm in the pool.

In addition to reading about improving my swimming, I just got sucked into an online swim outlet store. Online shopping is not a good idea for me! There are many things I've got my eye on. If I'm going to be swimming three times a week, I obviously need some new swimsuits. And there are these cool quick dry towels and swim caps for those of us with long hair (that's a necessity, right?!). And I really do need some cute cover ups that would make getting in and out of the gym quick and comfortable (and cute- another necessity, right?!).

Suddenly I have a cart full of *necessities*. I haven't checked out yet, I may need to consider these purchases for awhile longer. At some point, I may need to get a lap counter. As hard as I try, I just can't remember how many laps I've gone! So I just swim for an hour. But it would be better if I could keep track so I could see improvements in distance.

And I am holding off on what I really want- an underwater ipod and waterproof headphones set! THAT will be awesome but I'm looking around for the best one (wonder if the best one comes in purple or sparklies?!).

I've really been enjoying my workouts (swimming, cardio, and weights/resistance). Monique, you were right. It's becoming addictive.

One drawback to all the working out? Laundry. Now I have twice as much of it not to mention a swimsuit soaking in the sink every other day.

Benefits to working out? All kinds, especially my blood sugar which has been really, really, really great. I am kicking diabetes' ass. I am averaging between 75 (evenings) to 105 (mornings). A couple of too low readings again this week but nothing above 105 for more than a week, ever. Pretty amazing.

I'm getting better at noticing the symptoms of low blood sugar. It's funny, when I was diagnosed with a thyroid problem last year, I started blaming everything on my thyroid. Tired? Thyroid is to blame. Hungry? Thyroid. Grumpy? Thyroid.

Now that I'm a diabetic, I've got two conditions to blame. This evening as I was driving home from work, I started to get a headache. It kept getting worse and I just KNEW it was my blood sugar. My blood sugar was obviously way too low and it was giving me a headache. I thought about eating something to bring my blood sugar up but I didn't want to eat anything until I checked my blood sugar. And of course, being the newbie diabetic that I am, I didn't have my pokey test thingys with me.

So I drove home, convinced my headache was a sign of hypoglycemia. Tested my blood sugar. 92. Perfect. Not low, not high, not to blame for my headache.

I guess I just had a headache? Weird.

That's it. Good night.

P.S. Just decided I am buying the swimsuit I want. It IS a necessity!

Cars, Compliments, and a little gym-pool-OCD

Hello, hello. Things are good here- I got a brand new car and I LOVE it! It was quite a whirlwind week of test driving cars, making decisions (difficult for me), haggling with the car salesman over price (I did good!), cleaning out my old car, and getting insurance, registration, et al., in order.

It was all worth it because...

I LOVE my new car!

It's fancy!

Isn't it beautiful? And the inside is so fancy, too!

In other news, I am doing great with my new, healthy lifestyle. I worked out for about 45 minutes today on the Elliptical and then ventured into the weights/machines/resistance training and did a little muscle work. And then, because I am turning into a gym nut, I swam for an hour.

I made a new pool friend. His name is Eddie and he is quite a swimmer (and quite good-looking!). Anyways, we chatted a little bit at the end of the lane. Turns out that I'm not the only one who thinks the pool is kind of dirty. Eddie and I banded together to *encourage* the gym to clean the pool. I'm hoping it happens soon because I love to swim but I'd prefer a sparkling clean pool!

My blood sugar is good. Averaging 105 in the mornings and 80 in the evenings. I've had a couple of hypoglycemic incidents with my blood sugar dropping too low but I'm getting more aware of the symptoms and trying hard to keep everything regulated. I saw my doctor this week. He was happy with everything but says that I have to lose weight before I can come off of any of the blood sugar medications. He said that if I don't lose more weight, my blood sugar will just shoot back up without the medicine.

It's frustrating because I am working so hard with exercise and eating healthy, counting carbs/calories/protein. I can feel the difference and I have lost some weight (well, 47 pounds to be exact. I guess that qualifies as *some* weight) but only 7 pounds since the diagnosis and total lifestyle change.

A big part of the problem is my thyroid. I was diagnosed with a thyroid disorder in April 2011 and I've been on medication and seeing an Endocrinologist ever since. The thing about having a thyroid problem is that it is directly linked to my metabolism and weight.  You know how some people have *gland* problems that mess with their weight? Lucky me, I'm one of those people. The Endo thinks my thyroid has been wonky for years but it wasn't diagnosed until my hair started falling out and my thyroid grew so large that you can touch my neck and feel it. The thyroid disorder caused me to gain weight to begin with which means that my thyroid disorder, via causing me to gain weight, caused the diabetes. That stinks. And it's making it difficult for me to lose weight. 

But I'm hanging in there- totally motivated and feeling really good, even if the number on the scale is moving so slooooowly.

In other news, I have a thing for movie star sunglasses (i.e., huge sunglasses). My addiction started in college when a roommate gave me an awesome pair of movie star sunglasses. On Friday, I was waiting for a friend to go get lunch down at City Hall in Phoenix. I was sitting outside and, of course, wearing my current movie star sunglasses (black with sparklies on the sides). A woman walked by me, did a double take, turned around, and stared at me. 

She then walked over to me, apologized for staring, and told me she has very similar sunglasses. She then said, "When I saw you and realized we had the same glasses, I wondered if they looked that good on me? I wonder if I look like a movie star, too?"

Movie star sunglasses. Whether you really look like a movie star or not, they are good for the ego (and 

for blocking the sun).

Ugh.

Still going strong. Had a great workout this evening, really pushed myself. I am working on telling myself that I love working out while I am doing it. This is a total lie. But maybe if I keep telling this lie to myself, I will believe it.

In other, irritating news- my health insurance company is pissing me off. They are "reviewing" my ER visit in December. What? Here's the scoop:

Worked all day. Ran over to Urgent Care because my doctor's office was closed and I was pretty sure that I had a bladder infection. Decided to go get medicine as the two gallons of cranberry juice that I drank had not cured the problem (turns out the cranberry juice created new problems, unbeknownst to me at the time).

Urgent Care doctor totally freaked out- my urine sample had so much sugar in it that their machine couldn't measure it. Took my blood, my blood sugar levels were so high their machine couldn't register the number. He diagnosed me with Type 1 Diabetes, Uncontrolled. He pretty much told me I was about to go into a coma and needed to get to the nearest ER ASAP or I might die. He wouldn't even let me run home to feed my kitties and change out of work clothes into something more comfortable. And he didn't give me anything for my (horrifically painful) bladder infection.

I drove 4 miles to the nearest ER. Urgent Care people called me in the car b/c they were freaking out and then called the hospital to tell them I was coming. I then checked my health insurance online on my phone to make sure they covered the hospital I was going to. When I got to the hospital, the first thing I asked was if they accepted my insurance. Yes.

Long story shortened: at the ER forever, paid a $200 co-pay, luckily my ER doctor was adorable and awesome. Finally got pain medicine for my raging bladder infection. Went home with instructions to see my doctor on Monday morning for my newly diagnosed diabetes.

6 weeks later- received a letter from my health insurance company stating that my ER claim was "in review" due to missing information from the ER. Called and things didn't seem to be a big deal. Was told to keep an eye on the claim online. The hospital has 45 days to send in the requested info.

Logged in and guess what I found? Although the hospital accepts my insurance, apparently the random ER doctor that was assigned to me does NOT take my insurance. WTF? That is total bs. How is that even possible? I am not paying that full bill. I thought my co-pay was outrageous enough. I'm fighting this!

Can you believe that?

Movin' it!

I'm still moving it- it as in myself. Swimming for an hour twice a week, and 4 days a week spending 60 minutes on the ellipticals/serious cardio. My system right now is 30 minutes on the old school elliptical and then 30 minutes on the total body crossfit elliptical (arms and legs).

The first 20 minutes of cardio and swimming is the hardest, mostly mentally. Physically, I can totally do an hour of hardcore sweating my ass off workouts (especially now that they've redesigned the ellipticals so my feet and tootsies don't fall asleep anymore- that used to be the worst part about using the elliptical).

Mentally, I have to dissociate a little in order to stick it out in the pool and on the machines. I try to just stop thinking and when I can get to that space, no thinking, only focusing on my body and breathing, I can stick it out without issue. I also use narratives with myself, in my head, while working out, to remind myself why I'm doing this. For health. For life. For ME.

I tweaked my knee in the pool on Tuesday, it's finally starting to feel better and only gave me some weird twinges at the very end of my workout today. I took Wednesday off of working out to try and give my knee a little breathing room. Back to working out on Thursday and I've been very consistent. I'm proud of my self. Slightly irritated that my weight isn't falling off like on the Biggest Loser, I have to work my ass off for every ounce. But it's really not about weight, my weight is the lowest it's been in 10 years. It's about blood sugar and overall health.

Blood sugar-wise, things are very confusing. I just can't predict where my blood sugar is going to be at any given time. The good news is that it's low and even the highs aren't too highly concerning (highs currently are around 135 in the mornings, still over 330 points lower than the day of my diagnosis- 471- yikes). My evening levels are starting to get too low (as low as 72-82) and that is good news for getting off some of this medicine soon. Next doctor's appointment is on Wednesday morning.

Eating is going really well. The Lose it! program on my phone is a life-saver in keeping track of my carbs and nutrients. Plus, my mom sent me a George Foreman grill and a new toaster oven. Haven't used the toaster oven. Friends that know me well already know that I am afraid of appliances and electricity. And I haven't had a microwave in 13 years. I think they are scary. And yes, I am afraid of the new toaster oven.

I am afraid of the GF grill, too, but I conquered my fear today and used it. As a vegetarian, I am super excited about using the new grill for grilling vegetables! Today I grilled fresh asparagus, fresh green beans, and fresh red and green peppers. I added them to my high protein, low-carb after workout lunch of egg whites and mushrooms and fresh avocado. It was an awesome lunch! Really yummy, with less than 40 carbs (who knew that asparagus and green beans have so many damn carbs?! But those are good carbs, right?!).

Overall, I'm doing well! Really kicking ass, still totally motivated, and getting healthier and stronger every day. It's easier on the weekends, both working out and eating, but I've been working hard to keep things consistent during the work week, too. My goal is to kick diabetes' ass right out of my body.

Creepers won't stop me!

I continue on my road to good health. My road involves faithfully counting carbs, calories, protein, etc. (Thank you to Lose It! The best iphone app that helps me keep track of everything).  My road also involves lots of time at the gym and appears to be paved with sweat and chlorine.

I'm doing 60 minutes of cardio 5 days a week and swimming for 60 minutes on the other two days. Eventually, I'm going to go to a 5 day a week total work out schedule but right now I'm excited to exercise and feeling especially motivated so I'm going with it, going with it all the way to the gym every day.

My blood sugar has been a bit higher this week. Not sure what that's about. It's been about 130 which is spectacular compared to where it was 3 weeks ago but not at my goal of consistently under 100. Consistently under 100 means weaning off the medications and that's what I want. If I have to be diabetic (still feels weird to say it), I want to be a diabetic who is controlling her disease with diet and exercise, not medication.

I probably just need to chill out about it- 130 is really good and it's only been 1 month since diagnosis and lifestyle change. I do have a tendency to get a little obsessive about things :)

In good news, my weight is steadily dropping. I've noticed that the day after I've gone swimming, my weight is always 1 pound lower. I like that. That's what's keeping me in the pool because there are things that make me want to avoid the pool.

1. The pool looks kind of dirty to me. Is it because I haven't swam wearing goggles in years and now I can see every fuzz in the water and every speck of brown stuff on the pool bottom? Or am I just being obsessive (see two paragraphs above)? I have a touch of OCD, I'm not afraid to admit it, and yes, if I could clean the bottom of that pool, I would. Happily.

2. Pool Creepers. Mostly, the pool scene at the gym has been fine. A little weird and as I'd mentioned in a previous post, a bit of a good old boys club when it comes to getting a lane. Today was my first experience with an out-and-out creeper. Some dude that was shouting at me while I was swimming, asking me my name and then telling me how cute I am. Ew. Ewwwww. I think that's creepy, not flattering at all. It's along the same lines (but WORSE) of someone I don't know calling me "Sweetheart" or "Honey". You've got to know me pretty well to use those terms of endearment and most likely, if you do know me well, you won't call me "Sweetheart" or "Honey". I may look very young and sweet but I'm really not.

3. Despite my issues described in number 1 above, I leave the pool smelling so strongly of chlorine that I almost smell like bleach. This would not bother me if I smelled like bleach because I was cleaning the bottom of the pool with bleach but that dream is out of my reach. Even after I shower, I can still smell the chlorine on me. I don't like it.

Although I have some valid gym-pool issues, I do like to swim, it feels good on my body, and has pretty much guaranteed another pound lost. So I'm going to keep swimming, creeper or not.

P.S. I had my blog settings wrong and the comment section didn't work. I have fixed that and now expect massive amounts of comments from the millions of people (or 1 or 2 people) who are reading my blog. I'm sure that's why I've never had a comment before :)

Gym Nut

I've been faithfully following my low carb diet AND my workout plan. My blood sugar has been higher in the mornings for the last couple of days (140 this morning). I'm working on that. Tonight, after my workout and before dinner, it was 91 (!) which is the best it's been. If I can keep it below 100 for the next two weeks, my doctor is going to start taking me off these crazy diabetes pills. That's a big goal for me.

I'm very lucky, it seems we've caught the diabetes before any serious damage to my system. My cholesterol is normal (although my good cholesterol is too low which my doctor says will improve as I exercise). My kidneys are normal, the blood flow to my feet is good. I'll be retested in 3 months and I'm excited to see the improvement at that time after all my hard work!

As for the gym, it's a different world in that place. And by different I mean...different! Interesting people in that place. If I wasn't so busy fighting to keep myself moving, there would be some serious people watching going on in there.

I don't want to bash other women so this next comment is as non-judgmental as possible: What is with all the make up at the gym? I can't figure it out- some of the women are actually fully made up with everything, even FOUNDATION and EYE SHADOW.

I can't comprehend the make up. Of course, after just 10 minutes my face is purple and dripping sweat, so make up at the gym would not work for me. But that can't be good for the skin. Anyways, I really don't want to be all judgmental or anything, I'm just so thrown by all the make up at the gym. And it's not just the females. I've seen some men with seriously styled hair and I've wondered about that, too. I would sweat all that gel and hairspray out in 10 minutes!

Despite these little observations, it's a nice gym. All kinds of people there, working hard. And I'm one of them.