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!

26th August 2020

Feeling much better today, more in control!  Got up early as had a work meeting, thought I would give walking IN to work a whirl!  Got there ok but meeting was cancelled! so after a quick chat with people I dont tend to see on nights I walked home again!! It was a really positive feeling knowing that I CAN do all that walking and not feel half dead after!! SO starting Friday I will be aiming to walk to and from work! 👍

Breakfast when I finally got home was scrambled eggs on pitta with smoked salmon  💓

Lunch was a mussel salad with cherries and mixed berries in greek yogurt. - sadly I forgot to take a picture. 😕

Dinner was a new trial of Rainbow Bolagnaise!

Basically a bucket of colourful veg with mince (5%) which I hope to wean us all on to Quorn mince soon with a jar of Low Fat Dolmio sauce (surprisingly this is lower in sugar/cals than the low sugar jar!!) 

you will note that cals and fat content were under today - its the week view, not just the day I focus on 😀

Cals 1263

Carbs 90

Protein 142.2

Sugar 45.6

Fat 36.4

Fibre 20.8

25th August 2020

 Went a bit over on the cals and fat today, was feeling very munchy, probably post night shift as I was also not able to sleep much and feeling a bit wiggy.

Breakfast was pitta with cheese spread and marmite before falling into bed.

Lunch was leftover tomato soup, mixed nuts, cherries and a FibreOne cake bar.

Dinner kept changing, in the end we had chicken & pepper curry, I had a bag of chopped kale with mine to try and fill me up..... I went to bed early instead!

Cals 1486

Carbs 109.4

Protein 108.9

Sugar 50.8

Fat 66

Fibre 32.4

24th August 2020

Post night shift home to a pitta with cheese spread and marmite, some seafood sticks, berries & yogurt before falling into bed.

Grilled spicy chicken with warm lettuce (this is now a firm fav)  with tomato soup and Alpen bar.

My normal 4am snack of boiled egg, lettuce and Alpen bar is at the ready!

 Cals 1398

Carbs 131.9

Protein 109.3

Sugar 52

Fat 45.4

Fibre 26.5