Eating healthy

 It has been eight weeks since my stay in the hospital. Eight weeks since I found out that I have blood clots on my left lung and also have type 2 diabetes.

  I had needed to lose weight for a while, having put a lot on when my depression was at its worst. I weighted 247 when I was admitted to the hospital - the most I have ever weighed in my life. In those eight weeks, I have lost 25 pounds so far, with 32-37 more to go to my goal (depending on if I decide to hit 185 or 190). I have changed my eating habits drastically, am using an app to keep track of my calorie and carb intake (which I posted about on here), and am using a fit bit bracelet to keep track of my walking and to help me walk more.

  The hardest things for me to cut back on are mashed potatoes, bread, and pasta....all foods high in carbs. All of these years we thought bread was good for you.....not so much, A nurse at the clinic I go to said I could eat a candy bar and my sugar would spike but go back down. If I eat a few slices of bread, my sugar will go up and stay up....weird.

  Sundays are the worst for me. I don't get as much walking in, and we always have a big Sunday dinner that has meat, mashed potatoes and gravy or noodles, rolls, veggies, and dessert. I used to get a couple of big helpings of the potatoes, but have cut back to one normal-sized helping. I'll have one roll, and a small piece of dessert. That is far less than I used to eat on Sundays, but when added to what I eat before I go to bed; it is usually too many carbs and calories.

  Weekdays are easier. I rarely eat breakfast, and will usually have a string cheese mid morning. Lunch at work is usually a mix of a couple of the following:  yogurt (sometimes with fruit in), unsweetened applesauce, popcorn, an apple, and nuts. I eat whatever there is for supper, but cut back on my portions.

   Snacking has been one of my weaknesses for a while, so I have had to come up with new snacking habits. I love veggies with dip, and dips are low in carbs. Nuts are healthy, so those are a common snack for me....especially Diamond Smokehouse Almonds. The right kinds of popcorn are good, and some fruits in moderation - they are high in carbs.

  I have cut back on pop, though I am not a big pop drinker anyway; and iced tea. I drink more water and a lot of Sparkling Ice, which has no calories or carbs.

  Surprisingly, a lot of sugar free items are not very low in carbs/sugars and I have learned to watch those labels carefully. Fruit is also high in sugars and too much is a bad idea for someone with diabetes.

  As a result of the blood thinners I am on, I also have to watch foods that are high in vitamin K, but most of those I don't like anyway. The biggest problem with the blood thinner restrictions are salad dressings. My blood was too thick a few weeks ago, and I deduced after reading the info I had, it was because I'd had several salads recently and the dressings have soybean and canola oil in them - two no-no's while being on this blood thinner. I can't find any dressings that do not have those, so my only option while being on blood thinners is to make my own dressing using the Italian packets that you mix with oil, vinegar, and water. It is more bother, but I can still have my salads.

  I had shirts hanging in a closet and also in a few totes that didn't fit me. I have been slowly getting into a lot of them, depending on how the shirts are made. Pants are going slower. I am getting back into 38 waist relaxed fit jeans, but most of the 38 waist dress pants I have are still too snug. I have several pair of 36 waist pants that I am aiming to get into eventually. I definitely don't need to go out and purchase a new wardrobe.... I have a wardrobe waiting for me.

  I still feel this whole experience was God. Had I not passed out in the Emergency Department, I don't know how long I would have gone before these two issues would have been discovered. I don't look at the diabetes as a curse, but as the push I needed to lose weight and change my eating habits. I got checked out very well in the hospital with tests that I normally wouldn't have gotten..... I even had my heart checked, and my bills were mostly taken care of.

 I am not going to turn into a health nut, but I am using this experience to adapt to a new way of eating - less sugars, less snacking, less calories; and hopefully more exercise.