Week 19

 

Week 18

 

Weekly Roundup! 6th September 2020

So my first weekly round up of thoughts, new menu bits, plans etc!

Its been a bit of a mental struggle this week. I think mostly as a come down from the amazing achievements being confirmed last week, followed by:

Monday being a first trip to the cinema since all this started which was usually a pig out fest for me. We would always have the large serving of nachos with triple cheese, a bag of chocolate bits and large fizzy drink  (each!) and on the way home we would get a MacD or KFC bucket.  However, this first trip back was a part success, we did have our large nachos but neither of us could finish the portion (previously I would have finished off Hubbys too!) plus we obviously didnt get a fast food takeaway but neither of us wanted dinner (a planned chicken salad) when we got home.... the guilt was still great!

Tuesday was insomnia day and whilst I got lots done and managed to exercise alot I was also very hungry most of the day. Not to mention the guilt from the day before  munchies.

Wednesday just felt meh as I was over thinking the diet macros (carb, fat, sugar etc)

I need to remember that this is NOT a diet but a change of life, part of me is still in diet mode, but I think this is driven by other people to be honest.

Lack of a booked holiday also has mucked my head up with not having a set date goal now. We have had to cancel our trip to Morocco in November due to travel restrictions and as we still dont know where we can go we have decided to just not book anything; this alone, was making us both a little sad; however, we have since decided to decorate the lounge/bedroom and include a short/cheap to London.

The change in weather has also, for the first time ever, triggered a sad response for me. Not sure why, I usually love the autumn and coming of winter, glad to see the back of the incessant heat and sunshine.

In addition, you would think that having the majority of my clothes no longer fit would be a brilliant thing but I have lost some firm favourites, my comfort/hidey zone for so long and my unwillingness to spend money on  new clothes when I'm in transition. Ebay has become my friend.

I worked days at the weekend instead of nights and this was my eating plan for the two days 😁

And finally my stats for the week 

Week 17 comments

So big changes to the blog this week. This is the first weekly update 😃

So other than a fantastic news week I also had a little wobble, but that was soon solved. Worked out what I was craving and worked it into my food plan for the week. Put me over on my salt but not by much! and doing it on a weekly plan rather than sharing daily doesnt show a huge swing on one day. 

Once said craving was sated I felt so much better and felt ready to move on with the next 3 months 💪

No new foods this week; working on a new menu to include more plant based foods and reduce my meat input. The fish I eat tends to be from a sustainable source and rich in Omega 3/6s so Im not ready to limit those yet, with my Liver still healing. 

Started walking to and from work this week too, got a bit hairy with some of the weather! but after a few days of not really doing my walking, even post meals, I felt very lazy/complacent and wanted to kick my own butt!

Im really starting to notice the weight loss in my clothes, not so much my face, though others do! and in strange places like my feet going a smaller size! and obviously my boobs are looking less voluptuous and more "tangerines in socks" at the moment! but the fat is shifting around on my body! no need for skin surgery just yet 😛

Still got a fair way to go, but the novelty of loss has not yet waned and my menu is still very varied. 

So, onwards and downwards for another week.

Week 17

What is Insulin Resistance and HbA1C?

HbA1c

HbA1c is your average blood glucose (sugar) levels for the last three months. If you have diabetes, an ideal HbA1c level is 48mmol or below.

HbA1c is what’s known as glycated haemoglobin. This is something that’s made when the glucose (sugar) in your body sticks to your red blood cells. Your body can’t use the sugar properly, so more of it sticks to your blood cells and builds up in your blood. Red blood cells are active for around 2-3 months, which is why the reading is taken quarterly.

HbA1c can change for lots of reasons, including:

• being unwell
• medicines, like steroids
• changes in lifestyle
• feeling very stressed or depressed.

Remission is when a person with type 2 diabetes has healthy blood glucose levels for the long-term, without taking any diabetes medications. An HbA1c level of 48mmol (6.5%) or less is used to define remission.

For the majority of healthy individuals without diabetes a normal blood sugar level is less that 45mmol.

Insulin resistance 

The role of insulin is to allow cells of the body to take in glucose to be used as fuel or stored as body fat. 

Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don't respond well to insulin and can't easily take up glucose from your blood. As a result, your pancreas makes more insulin to help glucose enter your cells.

It also means that glucose is more likely to build up in the blood and this can lead to too high blood sugar levels. Causing alsorts of damage to tissues and cells.

Obesity and/or an inactive lifestyle, and a diet high in carbohydrates are the primary causes of insulin resistance.

It is certainly possible to reduce the effects of insulin resistance and there are a number of effective ways to do this.

• Low-carbohydrate and ketogenic diets
• Very-low-calorie diets
• Weight loss surgery
• Taking a lot of exercise in combination with a healthy diet

28th August 2020

So with amazing results this week..... Info to follow, I have made a few changes to my Blog.

At the start of the week I spoke with the Dietician who basically gave me a Gold Star!

Im doing everything correctly, setting achievable goals and hitting them. 

Advice: Continue on with the current plan!

Then I had my blood tests done and the results were fantastic!

My overall/joined Lipid levels were 1.9; in the lower range of normal!   My Liver is healing - clotting factor is still a bit squiffy, but that is the Covid+ damage lingering.

My antibody test came back as positive too, which is brilliant - 6 months on and I have a good immune response 😀

Finally my HbA1C (see my post on "What is an HbA1C)  was down to 36; thats not just lower, its not just pre-diabetic its within a NORMAL range!!

I am in FULL remission, so she will monitor me again in 6 months, if it stays that way then I will go to yearly!!

She was highly impressed. 😸

So now the goal is primarily weight loss to keep my insulin resistance at bay, heal my Liver, relax my joints and generally be healthy!

So with these fabulous results I am changing my Blog to weekly. Weekly & Monthly stats - with a weekly update on how I have done during the week, new menu choices, new foods discovered, pitfuls, exercise updates and the odd post on various Thoughts & Opinions!