In the Interest of Science or Boredom ...


 Just for giggles, maybe today, I'll track what I am eating. Maybe. If I remember to do so by the time I go back into the kitchen. We'll see ... 

I still have my Fitday, and My Fitness Pal accounts, so it's easy enough. If I had to choose between the two, I'd go with Fitday, but use MFP as a backup/recipe-breakdown place. That way it stays free, and it is kind of entertaining to go back sometimes, and look at what I ate "in a day" back "in the day." 

And by track, I don't mean worry about counting carbs, or modifying anything. Just plain tracking. It's tedious, and already has a built-in mechanism for control because do you really want to try to weigh and measure every single morsel of every bit of food or caloric beverage you consume? 

No luck in obtaining a glucose monitor this weekend, which means A. I either call the doctor and ask when they're sending the prescription to the pharmacy, or B. I just don't track it. 

The whole thing about having this diagnosis of Type II is that I didn't even know I had it. Whatever I did experience, I chalked up to getting older, the sedentariness of my being, and most definitely to the foods I chose to eat. I wouldn't say I was A-symptomatic, but I was definitely symptom ignorant. 

I did get some pee-tone strips, though, and according to those, I am definitely expelling some ketones since I started aiming for keto again. That's a bonus. 

I have discovered that walking mostly the circumference of Meijer, and then a few bits of a chicken jerky stick did upsetteth the kidney stone thing. However, I popped a few of these: 



And all was well again. These things really are miraculous. I started using them back in 2018, and let me tell you, I don't know what they do, but they DO take away the pain. Highly recommend them if you, too, have stones in your kidneys! (Disclaimer: That is an Amazon Affiliate link. I might make a penny if you choose to purchase some from this link. Thank you!) 

I can also tell you that, since Thursday's wake-up call, I'm gradually recharging my energy stores, and not feeling as blob-esque as I was. I'm just starting to feel different. I WANT to do things. I WANT to move around. I'm not in a constant state of ennui. 

We actually got to sit out on the deck yesterday, and enjoy the new barrage of winged thingies, formerly known as birds, that are now visiting us, due to the all-they-can-eat buffet we've arranged for them along the Wall of Trees that grace our backyard. Zero clouds in the sky, a lovely hue of blue, and all the sounds of everything waking up is a glorious feeling! 

Next up, I'm going to learn how to use that camera I bought last year, but have yet to fully open. THEN, I will be able to take some real pictures. 

So, Monday, Monday, La, La, La-la-la-la ... I have a lot to do today, work and otherwise. No time like the present. Have yourselfs a wonderful week! 





Brand New Day - Take 592

 So, it's been a while. I think I meant to post something last October, and THAT never happened. Meanwhile, life has been pretty fantastic in most every regard ... and I refuse to feel guilty for saying that. I have no control over what goes on in anyone else's world, nor do I want to, and likewise, I am not going to stop living a great life because ... You know, life does go on. The world does not stop and start at anyone's convenience, including mine. 

Care of QuickMeme

That all being said, several years back (Five, now ... where DID the time go?) I started a meanderment called keto because, at that time, I was in the throes of a rather nasty round of IBD, and when the gastro doctor said try a FODMAP diet, I started looking at that, and looking at keto, and thought, "Well, hell, I might as well do keto." Too long story short, over the course of the next two years, I dropped a bit over 50 pounds, and felt really, really good. The medical issues subsided, other longstanding issues cleared up, and I actually felt like I looked decent, which was a drastic change from my normal state of mind. 

Fast-forward nearly three years, and I'm back and beyond square one. Let's just say I'm glad I didn't get rid of ALL of my "fat" clothes, so at least I still have some stuff to wear!  

This was me on New Year's Eve ... 


Whilst this was me in late fall of 2018


Needless to say, I don't fit in these clothes anymore 😊

My love for smart-ass long-sleeved T-shirts, however, has not changed. I just bought some that fit my current state of being. 

This post, however, is not a pity party. This is a before ... and where I am going again, and even better. I miss her, smiling in the sunlight in Sedona. I miss her energy, and her drive. I AM her. I just lost sight of that for a moment. There are not two mes. There is one me that comes in different shapes and sizes, depending on the time. 

So, here, a bit after the Ides of March, in the ides of my 53rd annual trip around the universe, I have recently discovered that my choices over the past couple of years, when it comes to food and beverage, were not me making my best decisions ever. I write to you now with an A1C of 7.4%, a random, and somewhat brutal battle with a particularly ornery kidney stone or several, and orders from my doctor to get my proverbial schtuff together in the next three months, or he will, post-haste, put me on meds. 

To which I heartily reply, internally ... 


This is also not a "I'm starting on Monday ..." I already started. Friday, I started. The carbs have been lowered, and I'm on my way to not feeling like a random, chair-prone blob. I don't know exactly what I'm doing yet, but mostly it's keto, because that's where I know the most about cutting back on the carbs, and it's the thing that brought me back to the living the last time. 

I'm not here to argue for my limitations. I'm not here to argue about whether keto is right or wrong for anyone else. I'm here to share what happens. What really happens. How a person really feels. I cannot promise that I will track my every single morsel of foods because that, scientifically proven, is not who I am. It's a tedious task, and it makes you focus far TOO much on the things you're not having, and makes you somewhat obnoxious when that's all you talk about. (Ask me how I know ... ) 

We're about to see whether, in three months from now, I can bring my A1C down to at least a pre-diabetic range (6.4% or lower), and eliminate some of the many symptoms I've been experiencing (ALL SELF-INFLICTED, mind you) by NOT repeating my crappy choices. 

Spring has almost sprung here in Ohio, which means more out-of-doors time, more movement time, and a better mental outlook. 

Other than that, life is really, really excellent. I let go of my transcription business back in November to join a new company, full time. I absolutely love my job. I love the people I work with. It is the job I have dreamed of for the past probably 30+ years, and I look forward to seeing where it takes me!  I love our life. I love what we have accomplished over the years. I love knowing that it's just going to keep getting better. 

See you next time (which will be sooner than another year ... )