Thursday, June 14, 2012

I know it has been a few days since I posted, I have been struggling with my Blood Sugar :( I can't seem to get my fasting sugar down, no matter what I do, so starting tomorrow night I will be doing Insulin Injections :( Not looking forward to already being on insulin, but I will be glad to know that my baby is being kept safe from too much sugar :) So, now in addition to making healthy choices I have to start checking my blood sugars 4 times a day, and giving myself a morning and evening injection....I feel good about the insulin, cause it will help make this struggle a little easier :) I still have almost 3 weeks until my FIRST Dr appointment :( I am guessing that their not gonna make me do the glucose test with this preg....that is certainly something to be excited about! When I was pregnant with Caroline, I had to start checking my blood sugar when I was only about 14 weeks pregnant....I WAS DEVASTATED!!!! I sat in the Dr. office and cried while they taught me how to use the meter, then again when I had to start on meds, and once more when I had to start insulin....then after she was born, she wasn't gaining weight, I wasn't producing enough milk, and when I had to start giving her formula.....AGAIN I cried.....why all these tears??? Throughout my life, I have had this set plan for how things are suppose to be, and when life changes my plans, I feel like somehow I have FAILED....yes, I know.....it is not failure, but let me tell you, it has been 5 years since Caroline was born, and 4 pregnancies later, I didn't crumble into a puddle of tears over the news of insulin....do I still feel like I have somehow failed, YES, but I have to accept that I DON'T HAVE CONTROL!!! It has taken a lot of struggles and challenges, and heartbreaking events to get me to this point, but I have finally gotten to the point where I have learned to look at the big picture, and not sweating all the details that I can't control.....now to turn that information into something I can use everyday, not just when I am pregnant......I need to not get so set on losing a certain number by a certain deadline.....I need to not allow whatever number that is on the scale bring me down or discourage me.....the truth is life happens, and things change, sometimes those changes really throw us and we don't know what to do, but I intend to keep myself focused on the goal, the prize, the outcome, and realize that sometimes there are a lot of different ways to get to the same end goal, my focus for my health needs to be exactly that.....a focus on my health, we all know what things need to be done daily (eating right, exercise) in order to get healthier.....we also know what things should be avoided (putting toxins in your body, eating poorly, sitting around all day), so the daily challenge is to still do what is right, and avoid what is wrong even on days when you feel like sitting down with a big piece of chocolate cake :) With the attitude that no matter what, I WILL NOT FAIL, anyone can succeed, just take each little thing that might seem like failure and turn it into a lesson learned and move on :) I really want my health to be better at the end of the pregnancy than it was in the beginning.....so glad I did that cleanse, cause staying away from pop and sugar will be easier than it ever has been :) Now, just gotta keep focused on the goal for another 8 months :)

Thursday, June 7, 2012

I know, I know.....I have become a real slacker with these posts.....I just don't want to post about nothing, so I try to think of something everyday to talk about, but then mostly I have been thinking about being pregnant, and that really doesn't apply to very many of you.....so, I worked on laundry today, and would you believe that if you fold clothes standing up and walk to the dresser for each piece of clothing that you can accomplish your goals for calorie burn and physical activity??? It is true.....I recommend wearing tennis shoes, cause my feet were hurting, but yeah....for years I have honed my skills to be as efficient with my energy as possible, I have always joked that it is not being lazy, it is being efficient...ha ha...but the truth is, if your making 20 trips when one would have worked, your certainly burning calories, so I say down with getting things down as quick as possible, and more time/energy consuming ways should be adopted...ha ha....Same with unloading the dishwasher, if you do it one item at a time, you get a better workout....and what about the stuff that goes in the lower cabinet, maybe instead up just bending to drop it where it goes, you could do a lunge of a squat.....I admit, you will probably get comments from your spouse if your doing a lunge to put away the cookie sheet, but it would be an easy way to add more exercise to your day :)   Oh, yeah, I almost forgot to tell you that I bought Nori (seaweed) yesterday and crumbled some into my salad today.....it wasn't bad....it added a unique flavor to my salad, kinda fishy, but not in a fish tank sort of way....I think I am going to try it added to tuna salad, or salmon patties :) I have been choking down the Wheat grass for 3 days now, and I have to tell you, it is not getting any easier....but I am really stubborn about not wasting what I have spent money on, so I am gonna keep trying something new everyday until I find the best way to drink it.....I don't intend to give up.....I know my goals have changed slightly, I am not on a mission to lose 3 lbs a week anymore, but I am still devoted to having a healthier life, and making healthy changes....I will probably lose weight any way, cause I am eating right, but it will not be from me trying :) I have never really gained anything during my pregs, and have had 3 babies within a normal healthy weight range :) Also, I have heard stories from plenty of friends about how they had gained well over 50 lbs during their pregs....that is just not healthy.....Many people find pregnancy some sort of license to eat anything and everything your heart desires, but the truth is, your not doing yourself any favors, even when preg a little bit of self denial goes a long way.....I am feeling great, no morning sickness, and I haven't been overeating to keep it at bay....in fact, I really didn't feel much like eating today at all, but that may be because I started taking Metformin at night to help lower my fasting blood sugars, they are not super high, just higher than they would like....I have only been checking my fasting and some of my after meal sugars, but I think starting tomorrow I will check them all, so that I have a realistic view of how they are doing :) Anyway, drinking lots of water, and eating right....that is my daily goal for the next 9 months :) Have a good evening :)

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Since I just started this blog recently, you have not heard from me while I have been pregnant before....so this is how my first trimester goes....I have NEVER had morning sickness, I joke and say that I eat my way through the first trimester...ha ha....usually I gain 10 lbs before my first dr visit, and then once I am out of the first trimester I am on a restricted diet, and I either slowly lose that extra that I put on....well, this time I am NOT going to eat my way through the first 12 weeks, I am going to stick to a strict diet right from the start, so far I have been eating very healthy and I haven't had any extra sugars, or bad carbs, and I am feeling great!!! It really helps that I have already made healthy changes to my diet :) I have actually started losing again....gotta love those pregnancy hormones :) So, I went to GNC and got some "Amazing Grass" Wheat Grass.....it was VILE, FOUL, and DISGUSTING!!!! I only mixed it with water, so I am going to keep trying some new ways to drink it.....I will either get use to it or find a way to stand it.....I am going to try mixing it with my V8 tomorrow....we will see how that goes :) So, my new diet regimen has consisted of high protien and healthy carbs, and I am trying to make sure I get morning, afternoon, and evening snacks in....snacks are hard for me to remember.....I just get really busy, and forget......also, I have stopped most of the tea drinking, cause I can't really find any info that says it is beneficial to drink a lot of tea, it all says moderation, so I am keeping the cinnamon tea, and that will be my caffeine for the day, too......I think it might have a little caffeine, but far less than the coffee I usually drink :) I don't intend to give up my coffee, I just will severely limit it while I am in my first trimester :)
I am really excited about meeting the newest member of my family, and I am also excited to see how eating right, and staying active will make a difference in how I feel and how quickly I recover from delivery :)
I hope you all have a great day :) I am going to get back to fixing dinner (portabella Mushroom caps with ground beef, asparagus and cheese inside :) YUMMY.....and then I am gonna get some laundry folded....really big excitement over here :)

Sunday, June 3, 2012

I certainly didn't know when I started this blog, and when I named it, I didn't expect to be gaining another baby, or losing my fears and hesitations....I really didn't put together that the title of my blog, "My Loss Is My Gain", I was only thinking about my journey to better health, but truthfully every loss in my life has helped me gain something else.....I think probably everyone has figured out my vague post last night.....YES!!! I am expecting a baby!!!! I am due February 7th, and I am truly excited and blessed by the overwhelming news :) I really wasn't "trying" to get pregnant....we decided after Kyndall died that we would leave the timing up to God, it has worked for the other 3 so far, so it only made sense.....even though I still miss Kyndall very much I can't help but think that this child most likely wouldn't exist right now if Kyndall were still here, I am really looking forward to meeting this little person, who God felt was important enough that I had to meet them :) I am so blessed by God, even through loss, He continues to help me gain, I have gained a very real respect for God's will and His ways.....I don't mind confiding in you that the idea of waiting for several more months to find out how are baby is doing, is a little scary, and makes me feel anxious, but I have to remind myself the same thing I have been saying for the last several months....."God knows what is BEST.....He will see me through, no matter what may come" I am very hopeful, that God has chosen to bless us with a healthy baby.....I want to continue to be excited about this new life, and not allow the pain of losing Kyndall to taint this BEAUTIFUL moment, and the wonderful joy of increasing my family :) As I said yesterday, I am going to continue on my journey to better health, I am going to keep going to my water aerobics class and doing exercises on my Kinect :) I went to the store tonight, and got some Flax milk and also some Whey Protein (not to lose weight) but to make sure I am getting enough healthy protein and not lots of carbs....I found this great Whey Protein at HyVee that is made with Stevia as the sweetener, and it only has 1g of carbs :) I got the peanut butter chocolate one, and then added more peanut butter and chia seeds to it.....it was really delish, low carbs BIG taste :) Also, bought some Boca Burgers (on the suggestion of my sister) I got the mushroom ones, and I am going to put them on a bed of shredded cauliflower (tastes kinda like rice) and then top it with some cheese and mushrooms :) I will not be counting calories (because I never do when I am preg, and end up not gaining anything) but I am going to be eating very low carb, the only carbs I will eat, will be from fruits or veggies, and a small amount from nuts and seeds :) I am going to check with a health care professional about the different teas I have been drinking and if I should stop any of them, also if any of you have any knowledge about tea drinking while preg (not the caffeine info, cause I know I how much is acceptable on that) I will call my OB tomorrow and find out how soon they want to see me, I know I have many months of taking care of this little one, and I covet all your prayers for his/her safety, health and well-being...also, need prayers for me, too....I would really love to NOT have Gestational Diabetes with this one, so I am going to try my hardest to keep the Blood Sugar under control :) Anyway, my blog has certainly taken an unexpected turn, but I still want to use it to encourage a healthier life, and that is what I will still write about, but I will probably be throwing some baby stuff in, too :)
6

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Well, I will go ahead and give you all the information I have, after some tests and research I have figured out that it is gonna probably take around 9 months before I begin so see any significant weight loss :) So, for the mean time, I am going to focus on eating whole foods, exercising, and avoiding processed and sugary foods :) Have a great weekend everyone :)

Friday, June 1, 2012

Well, it is again Friday night, and I am watching a movie with my husband, so I probably won't write a novel today :) I am pretty sure I have pinpointed the reason for not losing anymore weight.....I am going to do a little more research, maybe some tests, and once I have info for you, I will give it to you :) But I am fairly optimistic that I will have some great results soon :)  Until then, I am going to continue to strive for healthy living, and eliminating bad things from my diet, and continue being active everyday, and even if I am not seeing results on the scale, I am still improving my heart health, and I am also improving my cholesterol and blood sugar by focusing on diet and exercise....I know that in this day and age we always want immediate results, but the truth is, doing what you know is right doesn't always get immediate results.....sometimes you have to be in it for the long haul, sometimes you have to be determined to do the right thing even if there is no evidence on the scale :) My friend, Becky was over last night, and she said that she could see that I was getting more fit, so a scale isn't always the best gauge :) Keep plugging away on your journey to a healthier life, and I will keep doing the same, there is no room for discouragement here :) Have a great weekend, I will check in with you on Monday :)