My Quest to Lose 10 Pounds Continues...

After a satisfying 4-pound weight loss last week, today's weigh-in wasn't quite as satisfactory...but it was still a loss.

I lost 1 lb., for a total of 5 lbs lost so far in my Quest to Lose 10 Pounds.

I believe I can look back on a good week. I did well with my eating--with the exception of a couple of small slip-ups involving light ice cream, but I never said I was going to completely deprive myself.

I exercised every day except Friday and Sunday, and worked out with weights 3 times--something I had completely stopped doing for quite some time (although I never stopped doing cardio.)

All in all, I'm not discouraged about just the one pound loss...although I would really like to lose more than that this week.

But, I'm halfway to my goal, so I'm not complaining!

Let me know if you're trying to lose weight and get fit as well. I'd love to share the journey with others!

Some great resources for diabetics..

...and for people just trying to get healthy and/or lose weight!

Since I found out almost three years ago that I'm a Type 2 diabetic, I've learned a wealth of information about nutrition and weight loss.

For that, I can first thank my diabetes educators at SwedishAmerican Hospital in Rockford, IL. (If you are diabetic and your doctor never referred you to diabetes educators, I urge you to find some--they are an incredible help.)

Besides that, there are some fantastic publications and online resources that are a great help in educating you and supporting you in your quest to control your blood sugar and just get fit.

Even if you're not diabetic....

It makes sense to start living as if you could be. This from a National Institutes of Health website:

In a new analysis of national survey data, researchers found that the prevalence of diabetes in U.S. adults is continuing to rise. And despite efforts to raise awareness of the problem, about a third of adults with diabetes still don't know they have it. Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of glucose in the blood. Persistent high levels can lead to blindness, kidney failure, amputations, heart disease and stroke.

The article goes on to say:

The researchers found that the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in U.S. adults rose from about 5.1 percent in the years 1988–1994 to 6.5 percent in 1999–2002. About 2.8 percent of U.S. adults, a third of those who have diabetes, don't even know they have it. The study also found that about a quarter of U.S. adults have impaired fasting glucose, a form of pre-diabetes. People with pre-diabetes have an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, and for heart disease and stroke.

So it makes sense to be proactive. Eating to control blood sugar is beneficial in EVERY area of health--heart health, blood pressure, etc. And it's much easier to lose weight when you control cravings and blood sugar spikes by eating in a low-glycemic way.

Here are some of my favorite resources:

Dlife.com is an amazing website. I subscribe to it on my e-mail, and it never fails to have a great array of tips, advice, recipes, etc. There is even a forum where you can get support from other diabetics and get questions answered.

Another great resource is Diabetic Living magazine. The magazine also has a website and a Facebook page.

The thing I really love about this magazine (other than the wealth of knowledge it contains) is that it's bright, positive and optimistic, as opposed to some diabetes publications that a bit gloomy and filled with medical lingo. This magazine projects the message that life isn't over just because you're diabetic...in fact, it can be better than ever.

Another publication I really like is Outsmart Diabetes, which is put out by Prevention magazine (in fact, Prevention itself is a terrific magazine with an excellent website.)

Outsmart Diabetes isn't put out monthly, but when I find it at the cash register at my grocery store, I always pick up a copy. My old copies are dog-eared from using their recipes repeatedly.

You'll be amazed...

You'll be amazed at the delicious foods and recipes you can enjoy and still not only keep your blood sugar in check, but actually help your blood sugar. And you'll benefit by becoming a much healthier person overall.

Weigh-In after Week One of My Quest to Lose 10 Lbs

This is Julie Hadden, another one of my most admired Biggest Losers contestants. A wonderful and inspiring woman, Julie is the author of Fat Chance--which I haven't read yet, but really want to!


Hard to believe it's been one week since I vowed to go on a quest to lose 10 pounds!

It's actually been a good week...I haven't felt really deprived at all. I've eaten very healthily, drank lots of water, and exercised six of the 7 days (every day but yesterday, which was Sunday.)

And I'm very happy about the results so far.

The result of my weekly weigh-in today:

4 LBS. LOST!

So now I have six more to go.

I'm aware that this week's weigh-in will probably not be as substantial...I probably got rid of some water weight. But I still loved seeing the scale at a lower number!

So, here I go...another week of concentrating on eating less, eating healthy, drinking lots of water, and exercising.

Thanks for all your tips and encouragement. Please keep the support coming!

Tried-and-True Weight Loss Tips & Advice from my Facebook Friends

Day 5 of My Quest to Lose 10 Pounds!

(That's Michelle Aguilar, probably my very favorite Biggest Loser winner, who happens to be touring now with Women of Faith. People like Michelle inspire me in my own quest to lose weight and get fit!)

Yep, this is already Day 5 of my Quest to Lose 10 Pounds, and it's going great so far. I've exercised every day this week, been drinking lots of water with lemon, and focusing on healthy, low-carb, small-portion eating.

I've learned if you have a question, just go on Facebook and ask! That's what I did, seeking weight loss advice from people who have successfully lost, and here are just a few of their tips:

Tina Maavich: I've lost 20+ lbs since March and still losing. I just cut my calories down, drink lots of water and go walking everyday for about 30 to 45 min.

Erica Gehrke Smith : One of the easiest ways to loose weight and keep it off, is to switch to a combination of mild excerise and a Low-glycemic diet. Cutting carbs is a good idea, but not all carbs are bad for you. By going Low-glycemic you keep your blood sugar at a more constant level and avoid the spikes that cause carb cravings.

Gwen White Bartholomee:I recenly learned that drinking 2 cups of Green Tea a day will help aid in weight loss.
Also, fruit smoothies (no sugar) can help. I use frozen berries & fruits, fresh apples, oranges & bananas. Blend well and enjoy. You may want to add ice cubes or some brewed tea to thin it down a bit. It will help to fill you up plus the nutrition from the fruit will help prevent cravings. Sometimes I need to add a little sweetener depending on how tart some of the fruit may be.

Misty Taggart : Low carb is the most effective. And I've tried them all. But getting bread and sugar out of my life is the ONLY way I can lose a pound. That's what I'm doing right now and have lost five lbs. in a week.

Linda Crow Eat like a king in the morning and a pauper at night. They said it doesn't make a difference when you eat calories so much as how many you eat, but I'm not buying that anymore. I'm a believer in the king/pauper theory.

Joan Abegglen Kahley: Watch the carbs and sugar. Exercising also helps. My doctor said I should walk 3 times a week for 15 minutes (I walk 30 mins. each time). Just a normal walk, no power walking or anything like that. Between watching the carbs and walking I have lost almost 50 pounds.

I got so many great tips from proven "losers," I'll be using more of them in future blog posts.

I'll be weighing and posting the results this coming Monday, June 14. Wish me well!

My Quest to Lose 10 Pounds

Going Public With It!

I've made the decision that I want to lose 10 pounds. And yes, I'm going public with it.

This is kind of scary, but I think making this public will hold me accountable and maybe even give me some much-needed encouragement.

Also, if any of you want to join me in this quest, feel free!

10 and counting down

No, I'm NOT going to tell you how much I weigh...that is for me, God and my doctor to know! I'll start with 10 and count down to zero.

I weighed this morning, so I will weigh again next Monday, a week from today. (I don't believe in frequent weighings, because body weight can fluctuate so much).

I will report my results here. (Whooo...this is a little nerve-racking.)

My plan

These are my basic guidelines:

1) Try to stick as closely as possible to what my diabetes educators recommend for me, carb-wise: 45 carb grams per meal and 15 per snack.

2) Focus on vegetables, fruits, lean meats, legumes, whole grains.

3) Drink lots of water with lemon.

4) Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.

However, none of these guidelines are engraved in stone, because once I engrave them in stone, it's too easy to give up if I fail in one area. (That's just the way I am, unfortunately.)

By the way, I do need to lose more than 10 pounds, but I just want to conquer this 10 pounds at this particular juncture.

Wish me well! And comment if you'd like to join me.

Another Time and Another Place

"I've always heard there is a land
Beyond the mortal dreams of man
Where every tear will be left behind
But it must be in another time"-- from Another Time, Another Place by Gary Lee Driskell

Some thoughts on Heaven and "Lost"

(Bear with me. "Lost" was my favorite TV show of all time, and I'm likely to be ruminating on it for some time.)

Heaven. I've had varying thoughts on the subject in my life. I've always wanted to go there when I "shuffle off this mortal coil," but like the guy in one of my dad's old jokes, I didn't want to go up "in the next load."

But whoever said heaven gets sweeter as you get older and more of your loved ones are there instead of here, was absolutely right.

Death is scary, and heaven is a supernatural place--which is also a bit scary. We as humans are rooted in the real and the practical. Is it any wonder that whenever an angel appeared to anyone in the Bible, the very first thing they had to say was "Fear not"? Obviously people in those days were just as freaked out by the supernatural as we are!

But the older I get--the more appalled and repelled I get by the ugliness and the darkness of this world--the more wonderful and appealing heaven is to me. The Bible tells us there's no way to describe it to us earthbound mortals. I firmly believe that once we're there, we will marvel that we ever wanted to stay here.



So what does this have to do with "Lost"?

I'm the first to admit that "Lost" is lightyears away from being theologically correct, especially on how a person qualifies to gain entrance into an afterlife of celestial reward.

Our good deeds can never get us there. Only repenting of our sins and trusting in Christ's sacrifice on the Cross is our "shot at redemption"--and that gift is free to all who will take it, regardless of the enormity of their sins.

However...as I posted earlier, the final scenes of the show resonated with me as a Christian because they hit me, quite forcefully, with thoughts of what heaven will be like.

A place of reunion...can you imagine the joy of greeting and embracing loved ones who you haven't seen in years? (My dad, who passed away in 2004, immediately comes to mind.) The knowledge that all troubles and problems are forever finished, that an eternity of joy awaits? Mindboggling, when you really stop and think about it.

A place, yes, of Light. "... And the city (the new Jerusalem)had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof."



Another Place...

Just before Desmond was lowered into the hole where he would try to stop the destruction of the island, he told Jack that none of it mattered...that there was "another place" they could go to: "You know, you're gonna lower me into that light, and I'm gonna go somewhere else. A place where we can be with the ones we love, and not have to ever think about this island again."

For the cynic among you: yes, "Lost" is just a TV show. (Duh.) But the best entertainment serves not only to entertain, but to provoke thought and reflection...and that's what the "Lost" finale did for me.

"Lost" was all about other timelines, other realities. For the Christian, the ultimate reality, the ultimate flash-forward--will be Heaven.

I leave you with the lyrics of a song: "Another Time, Another Place," by Gary Lee Driskill, which I think sums it up very aptly:

I've always heard there is a land
Beyond the mortal dreams of man
Where every tear will be left behind--
But it must be in another time.

There'll be an everlasting light
Shining a purest holy white
And every fear will be erased
But it must be in another place.

I've grown so tired of earthly things
They promise peace but furnish pain
All of life's sweetest joys combined
Could never match those in another time
And though I've put my trust in Christ
And felt His Spirit move in my life
I know it's truly just a taste
Of His glory in another place.

So, I'm waiting for another time and another place,
Where all my hopes and dreams will be captured
With one look at Jesus' face
Oh, my heart's been burning,
My soul keeps yearning,
Sometimes I can't hardly wait
For that sweet, sweet someday
When I'll be swept away
To another time and another place.

(You can hear the song here and here.)

"The dream is ended: this is the morning"

Then Aslan turned to them and said:

"You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be."

Lucy said, "We're so afraid of being sent away, Aslan. And you have sent us back into our own world so often."

"No fear of that, " said Aslan. "Have you not guessed?"

Their hearts leaped and a wild hope rose within them.

"There was a real railway accident," said Aslan softly. Your father and mother and all of you are - as you used to call it in the Shadow-Lands - dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning."--from The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis