Chapter 2: It couldn't be that easy, could it...

When I last wrote, we were all waiting on the edge of our seats to find out if I was still PD. Drumroll please... I wasn't! Before you stand to applause me and send me flowers you need to hear what has happened between then and now. The doctor told me that my Glucose was at the exact level it needed to be! I was ecstatic. I started part two of the diet, which meant one shake a day and two protein/green meals.

Started is the key word in the last sentence. Another event started around the same time, work. 

Starting back to school I felt great, I had new cloths to compliment the weight I had lost, and what I thought were some sound habits. What I didn't realize was that I had the ideal conditions over the summer: plenty of sleep, time, and no stress. 

Over the last five months everything slipped away. My old habits began to come back. Sodas in the mornings are a must, and if it is complimented by an Egg Mcmuffin, even better. In the beginning I was eating bad and not gaining weight, that didn't last for long. I drank 3 or more sodas a day to keep up my energy, and was too tired to exercise when I got home.

It was back... My old self... and the weight. 

So now I start Chapter 2. I need to loose the weight again, I need to eat healthier, and I need to get my Glucose number back down. My life, my health depends on it. 

Welcome to the second part of my journey. It is going to be more difficult this time (and more depressing because I'm trying to loose something I previously lost).  But this time I need to focus on the long run, the forever. Because PD isn't just going to leave, it will be lingering around for a moment of weakness. A moment I can't afford to have.

My Joys for today:

• I just got home from a wonderful vacation to Hawaii with my family
• I have another week off school to jump start my diet. 

Fireworks, Blood Work, and No Exercise Work

The Hubby and I have been very busy! The 4th of July was his birthday. To celebrate we went to a baseball game on the 5th. We were three rows up from home base, the view was amazing! For dinner I got a double patty burger, no bun, no cheese, no mayo. Then I drooled over Bryce's pretzel and cheese sauce!

On Monday I went to the doctor to have my blood drawn. This blood test will tell my doctor whether or not my A1C1 number has gone down. Likewise, whether or not I'm still considered PD. I'm so excited to see if all my hard work shows in my numbers! We will find out on July 18th!

It was also Hubby and I's second Anniversary! We celebrated by having steak and grilled vegetables! {Are you surprised by the dinner choice :) }

Lately I have been lazy... very lazy. you could probably tell from the lack of posts! It has effected my exercise too, I haven't been doing ANY. The Hubby and I have decided tomorrow we are going to begin and challenge each other!

It seems that you have no energy to exercise, but plenty for what you WANT to do! Such as I got to take a cake class recently. It was so fun to be with people who love to decorate cakes! They got a laugh when they realized I'm probably the only cake baker who can't eat cake!


My Joys for today:

• A husband to celebrate life events with!
• The end of Phase 1 on the 18th!
• Fireworks!

What are your Joys for today? Leave me a comment :)

Hugs!

Ashlyn

A Carb Craving and a Exercise Stopper Called the Sun

Happy Forth! Today is not only a day of family, food, and fireworks, but my hubby's birthday! Yesterday I worked in the kitchen to make him a cake to take into work today. The creation was a almond cake with strawberry filling, and vanilla butter cream. I didn't have enough time to cover it in fondant, so I decided to try some piping techniques. By the time the cake was done, the kitchen, the cake, and myself, were covered in red, white, and blue!

Cake making is not the only thing that I've been up too the last few days. Now that I've been on my diet for over a month I'm getting sick of grilled (insert name of any meat you can grill) and grilled (insert name of any vegetable you can grill). So I decided to get creative, there is still few foods I can have but maybe it's all in how I prepare them.

Tuesday night I had a carb craving, spaghetti and meatballs! So here is my recipe, diet approved, for Spaghetti and Meatballs

You will need:

• 1 Spaghetti Squash
• A no sugar added tomato sauce
• 1 pound of the leanest ground beef or turkey
• 1 egg
• Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper

Start by setting your oven to 375. Then take a knife and pierce the spaghetti squash. Put it in a oven safe dish and let bake for a hour. 

Next you will take your ground meat and mix in you egg, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Now for the fun part, roll as many little meatballs as you can! 

Now take a dash of olive oil and drizzle it in your frying pan. Next drop your meatballs in, and cook until all the sides are browned. Next time I think I'll try baking them. 

Once your spaghetti squash is done cut it in half and let it cool for a few minutes! Then take a fork and "rake" out the squash, it should look somewhat like noodles!

Take about a cup of your spaghetti squash, as many meatballs as you would like, and drizzle about a 1/8 of a cup of tomato sauce. You can pour more if you're not PD like me :) 

Now that I'm home exercise is harder then ever. There is this thing called "the heat" and it's getting in the way of my exercising!! Yesterday it was 111 degrees out and I tried to go exercising... bad idea. So now I'm trying to get my cardio in with virtually no equipment. I think I'm going to pull out those exercise videos from college and attempt those! I'll let you know how it goes..

My Joys for today:

• It's Bryce's Birthday and I love giving presents!
• We are going to have steak tonight for dinner!! My favorite!!
• I have wonderful friends and family :)

Thank you to all those that posted there Joys on my last post! We all have so much to be thankful for! What are your Joys for today? Leave me a comment! 

Hugs!

Ashlyn

Back to the Grind and Exercise Excuses

Yesterday I spent most of the day on the plane. It was tough saying goodbye to my parents, but they will be down in August so I can't be too sad. I did leave some influence on them:

• Mom wants to start doing my shake once a day, and acknowledged that her and dad do eat all the time.
• Dad wants to start the shakes too, and do a protein diet, he knows he feels so much better when he eats right.

What they left with me? Lots of encouragement! It's hard not to feel good about what you're doing when your parents tell you how nice you look, and how much better they can tell you feel.

Today is my first day back home and I am faced with the challenge of not wanting to exercise. When your at home it's so easy to get lost in chores, or just being lazy! When I was on vacation ,hubby and I made a pact that we were both going to exercise everyday I was gone, this made me feel guilty whenever I was feeling unmotivated. Also who can resist jogging by the beach!! So here are my motivations for exercising today:

• I don't want to be skinny, I want to be fit!
• I would cry if I couldn't fit in my new school clothes, when school starts!
• Exercise is a great way to keep diabetes away!

If only I didn't look like this when I exercise...

(Source: backonpointe.tumblr.com)

Lastly my Joys for today

• I'm finally home with my wonderful husband!
• I'm a couple weeks away from completing Phase 1.
• I'm feeling great and energized today!

What are your Joys for today? Leave me a comment!

Hugs!

Ashlyn

Dropping Sizes and My Wedding Ring

It's really hard to see that I've lost weight. Sure I've seen the pounds drop on the scale, but to me, I'm the same old Ashlyn. I guess I was waiting for an "A HA!" moment when I would look in the mirror and see a 5'10 women with a nice waist line and defined shoulders (what ever that looks like). Surprise! That hasn't happened but I have noticed a few changes and that makes me feel so ecstatic and proud. Mom and I went shopping yesterday and I reached for the the same size that I used to wear. My mom grabbed some smaller sizes "just in case". To my surprise I dropped three sizes!! Not 5'10 yet though...

Another thing besides my size that is dropping, is my wedding ring. It slips right off my finger, which is a new thing because when we got married it was a little tight!

Here is a recipe that I can't wait to try, because I can have Carrots, but not potatoes or sweet potatoes.

Source: (http://change-it-work-it-feel-it.tumblr.com/post/25651494096/carrot-fries)

My Joys for today:

• Getting new clothes for School! "(Thanks mom for your help and listening to my constant whining of "Does this fit me right?" "What matches this?" "Is this my waist?")
• Although today is my last day, I've spent a wonderful two weeks with my parents!

This Picture is for them!

• I get to see Prince Charming tomorrow!

What are your Joys for today? Leave me a comment!

Hugs!

Ashlyn

Shake #56... and Passion Fruit Tea

Today my shakes tastes blah! I've calculated that I've had over 56 of the same shakes. So every morning when I'm drinking my "Wendy's frosty" I just think of the reasons my shakes are great:

• I don't have to think or make of something "healthy" to eat. All the vitamins and nutrients are there.
• They make my stomach feel great! I had a lot of stomach problems before I started this diet.
• They are "chocolate" flavored... If you close your eyes, and concentrate really hard you can ALMOST taste a Wendy's frosty.
• They keep me full until lunch or my next shake, how ever I plan it out. One of my problems pre-diet was that I was hungry ALL the time, and I was hungry for anything sweet.

Now for a few things that brings me Joy today.

I've never liked tea, but I had Starbucks Passion Fruit Tea without the sweetener, and I LOVED it. So I bought a box of Tazo Passion Tea and made it at home. I think I nailed it! 

1. Boil 4 cups of water.
2. After the water starts to boil pull it off the stove
3. Seep the tea for about five minutes
4. Pour over a tall glass of ice, put a lid on it and shake. Shake, Shake, Shake it like a Polaroid picture !
5. Drink!

Found this Recipe for Turkey Stuffed Vegetables!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/turkey-stuffed-vegetables-recipe/index.html

If I took out the milk, egg, and bread crumbs I would have a PD diet ready recipe that would sure be different then my grilled meat and vegetables every night!

Hugs!

Ashlyn

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In New Jesey

I've been in New Jersey for the past week and a half, and to say it has been challenging is to say the least! I love being with my mom and dad, but being on my diet takes some of the fun out of things. Our family loves food.

• We socialize around food...
• We travel around food...
• We eat when we are bored...
• We eat when we are not bored...

Are you starting to see why this trip could be challenging? My family has been very supportive, such as my mom buying and cooking dinners I can eat, and my dad getting me a water bottle during his soda run. But that doesn't mean they stop eating "delicious" foods. I didn't realize how much I plan my life around food until I suddenly can't! I've been good and only had something I shouldn't of had once.

(Me in Carlo's Bakery!)

DUN DUN DUN...

The Cheat.

I love to bake cakes, which I guess is sort of ironic for someone who can't eat them. My hero is Buddy, the Cake Boss. Imagine my delight when I found out that they built a Carlo's Bakery just minutes from dad's house. I JUST HAD TO GO! So I did. I got a chocolate fudge cupcake and ate half of it. Was I supposed to have it? No. Did it taste good? Yes. Is it worth throwing my health away so I can eat one every day? NO! Even though I felt a little guilty, I'm happy I got to have a taste of Carlo's. 

How It All Started...

Once upon a time there was a very happy, unhealthy princess who LOVED chocolate. Then the princess started to feel tired, ALL THE TIME! Ok I'll stop with the princess shenanigans but there is not yet a Disney princess to get any sort of common ailment. Back to the story, my name is Ashlyn and I love chocolate. In 2011-2012 I realized that I was exhausted all the time. I would get up at seven, go to bed at nine and still be tired in the morning! Some weeks I would take a nap every day. I knew something was wrong with me so in January 2013, my family practice doctor ran blood tests on me. One of the tests she ran was called an A1C1 Test. It is a test that can give a person an average of their blood sugar over three months. Mine said that I was .1 point away from being Diabetic. She said that I was in the range doctors referred to as Pre-Diabetic. After looking on the Internet, I realized there is not a lot of information out on Pre-Diabetes or PD. My doctor told me that I needed to eat better and exercise. The tool she gave me.... A food pyramid, which was no help at all! So I went home, lived my life like I always did consuming mass amounts of chocolate, still continued to be tired, and didn't exercise because of it. At the end of the school year I decided to take control of my life. I didn't want diabetes; I was tired of being tired. So I made an appointment with a naturopathic doctor with the plan to get healthy by any means necessary. 

In May of 2013 I met with the naturopathic doctor. She told me that if I was willing to change my life style that I could reverse my pre-diabetes. The Plan was drastic and was going to be hard but I was willing to do ANYthing to become healthy again. On May 31, I began Phase 1.

• MediClear SGS Shakes to replace two meals a day. (This shake is full of nutrients and vitamins, it is also a detox which I needed because I had a super fatty liver as result of the PD)
• 1 meal of lean meat and vegetables prepared anyway. 
• Snack, if needed of vegetables, and every so often, and apple.

I've been on Phase one for a month and have two more weeks to go. I've given up chocolate, dairy, carbs,  and fruit, but I've gained so much. 

1. Energy! I'm a night owl again! No more going to bed at nine, and I wake up feeling refreshed.
2. Weight loss! Being a few pounds outside of my ideal BMI I was thrilled to find out that I've lost 10 pounds. 
3. Exercise! I used to not have enough energy to even think about walking around the block and when I did it took everything out of me!

But this is just the beginning. It is a battle everyday to make the right choices. It is also a battle to not step on the scale every day and just look at this process from a vain standpoint. I might never be able to eat chocolate every day again, but I will be alive and healthy. And chocolate is not that great anyways right.... ok I just lied, but being able to be there for the ones I love is just as sweet.