A Motivational Story To Keep You Going

I found out about a walkathon that's being held in my neck of the woods next month. It's sponsored by the American Heart Association. The walk includes a quarter mile or 3 mile fitness walk through the park. I've never participated in a walkathon before so I'm hoping that I can actually make it through the entire 3 miles. I haven't exercised since I left the hospital last week so I only have one month to prepare my body for this challenge.

Today, the temperature reached almost 100 degrees so there was no way I was going outside to walk in that heat. I'm thinking that early tomorrow morning might be a better bet. I guess I'll play that one by ear.

I'd like to share a weight loss story with you that I found very motivating. I love how Pamela changed her eating habits and reversed her heart disease:
Pamela lost 113 pounds and kicked the extra pounds and her meds to the curb.




Name: Pamela Jackson
Age: 45
Location: Los Angeles
Height: 5’4”
Before: 260 lbs.
After: 147 lbs.

What was the turning point that prompted you to lose weight?

One day, at the age of 41, I walked past a mirror and thought, “I do not recognize myself anymore.” My healthy and happy self was trapped inside of a body that I wanted out of.

When did you start trying to lose weight?

The first time I remember trying to lose weight was in junior high. I was able to slim down by drinking weight-loss shakes or skipping meals. However, I soon gained the weight back plus more – by my mid-twenties, I was up to 260 pounds. I would try to lose 10 pounds for an event by using fad diets (lemonade cleanse, cabbage soup, or no-carb diets), but I would always gain the weight back right after the event. In August 2011, I decided to try again and not give up this time. I realized that losing and maintaining weight is a lifestyle change, not just a temporary diet.

How did you get started?

I decided to not go on another fad diet and instead educated myself on proper nutrition. I also decided that instead of staying in the office on my lunch break, I would get up and take a nice walk. At first, I could only walk for a block or two before feeling out of breath. By April 2013, I completed a 5k walk for autism!

What was your biggest challenge?

Portion control. In the past I would eat until I was really full and didn’t pay attention to how many calories I was consuming. Learning proper portion control and keeping a list of how many calories I was eating each day played a big part in my weight loss.

 

What’s your current exercise routine?

I enjoy walking and jogging. I continue to walk on my lunch break or after work. On weekends I walk and jog. I would love to start taking Zumba classes.
 

What’s your daily diet look like?

I love a high-protein breakfast (egg whites and lean meat) and a granola bar for my morning snack. For lunch I usually have a salad or a hearty soup. Greek yogurt and fruit is my favorite afternoon snack. Lean meat and veggies with a small amount of steamed rice or a baked potato is always a nice and easy dinner. I also make over my favorite recipes into healthier ones that I can cook at home.

How has losing weight changed your life?

It changed everything – from being able to breathe better to feeling better about myself. Because of my unhealthy weight and poor eating habits, I was placed on blood-pressure and heart-rate medication. As I lost the weight, the medicine was decreased and as of today, I’m off both medicines!

Do you have any advice for those trying to lose weight?

Yes! It does not matter how many times you have failed before, you only have to be successful once. Maintaining, however, is something you have to do for a lifetime – but success and happiness are much sweeter than any cupcake!

Day 9

Saturday
Breakfast - Oatmeal with honey, raisins, cinnamon and walnuts,
Lunch - Creamy tomato soup and a Seasonal Green Salad with arugula, romaine, kale and radicchio blend, tomatoes, and diced cucumbers mixed with reduced fat balsamic vinaigrette. 

Dinner - Homemade veggie pizza on a tortilla wrap with broccoli, cherry tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese / A side of cantaloupe

Hubby's pizza actually looked better than mine, but I was trying to avoid using too much cheese.

It's okay because it turned out great! Homemade veggie pizza is delicious. My husband even loved it so we will definitely be making this again.

Snack - A handful of sliced almonds
Water Intake - 20 oz bottle / 2 glasses
Fruits - 1
Veggies- 9
Grains - Yes, Oatmeal
Beans - Not today

Notes- My oldest daughter and I had lunch at Panera Bread today while we were out running errands. It was really delicious, by the way and I loved that they had so many vegetarian options. 

Week 2, Bring It On

Well, I made it through my first week without any incidents. I didn't have meat, sweets, fried foods, coffee, soda, energy drinks and the list goes on and on. So far, my new lifestyle is a win, win and other than a few major adjustments at the grocery store, I'm Loving It!

I'm super excited to reach week 2. There are a few new recipes that I'm looking forward to trying and I'm hoping that I'll discover a few new favorites along the way. Unfortunately, the cabbage salad is a new recipe that I tried last week that I didn't care for. I'd never had red cabbage before so I had no idea that it would have such a strong, bitter taste. I know for a fact I'll never make that particular recipe again because even with the apples, dried cranberries and red raspberry vinaigrette, that bitter taste kept shining through with each mouthful. I'm still not going to rule out red cabbage just yet, I'm just hoping that one of these days, I'll find a better way to prepare it that works better for me. In the meantime, there's still a lot of it left so I'll continue to munch on it for meals here and there.


Day 8
Friday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with honey, raisins, cinnamon and walnuts,
Snack - Hot cup of green tea with honey / 2 Oranges
Lunch - Cabbage salad with red cabbage, romaine lettuce, carrots, apples and dried cranberries with Raspberry vinaigrette / Pretzels from the vending machine at work
Snack - 2 more Oranges
Dinner - Tropical Smoothie Café / Cantaloupe

Water Intake - 20 Oz bottle plus 1 glass
Fruits - 2
Veggies- 3
Grains - Yes, Oatmeal
Beans - Not today

Notes - We had dinner out tonight. I was trying to choose a place that had healthier options, but it was my daughter that suggested that I try Tropical Smoothie Café. I'd had smoothies there in the past, but had never tried their food so I was curious. The thing that I really liked was that all the chicken dishes on their menu could be replaced with tofu. I ended up ordering a King Caesar wrap with tofu instead of chicken. It was good, but I also knew that it was incredibly fattening. Note to self... make it your mission to locate healthier spots in the area.

Day 6 and Day 7

I'm not sure how I forgot to publish this post from yesterday, but somehow I ended up saving it as a draft instead of sharing it with everyone. To clear up any confusion, I'll just combine day 6 along with day 7 which will follow.

Day 6
Wednesday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with honey, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts
Snack - Strawberries / Green tea with honey
Lunch - Leftover baked haddock with spinach /
Cabbage salad with red cabbage, romaine lettuce, carrots, apples and dried cranberries with Raspberry vinaigrette
Snack - Pretzels (From the vending machine at work)
Dinner - Green drink w/ collard greens, carrots, apples and pineapple /More cabbage salad

Water Intake - 20 oz. bottle of water
Fruits - 3
Veggies- 5
Grains - Yes, Oatmeal
Beans - Not today
Daily Exercise - Exercise is against doctors orders for now, having just left the hospital.

Notes - I wasn't happy about having the pretzels, but I didn't have enough time this morning to slice up the watermelon before I left for work. Tomorrow, I'll get up a little earlier.

The End of Week 1

Day 7
Thursday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with honey, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts
Snack - Strawberries / Hot cup of green tea with honey
Lunch - Leftover baked Haddock with spinach / side of watermelon
Snack - The rest of my strawberries
Dinner - Cabbage salad with red cabbage, romaine lettuce, carrots, apples and dried cranberries
with Raspberry vinaigrette / 2 Oranges on the side

Water Intake - 20 Oz bottle plus 1 glass
Fruits - 4
Veggies- 4
Grains - Yes, Oatmeal
Beans - Not today
Daily Exercise - Exercise is against doctors orders for now, having just left the hospital.

Notes - I am so pumped up having finished my first week as a pescatarian!

Switching from Coffee to Green Tea

Okay, I confess, I was a little nervous about replacing my daily cup of java with a hot cup of green tea in the mornings, but I have to admit, it was a pretty painless transition. What surprised me the most is I find that I have more energy from drinking tea than I ever had with coffee... Seriously. Not to mention, the calming effect I immediately feel from taking those slow, relaxing sips is almost therapeutic. I no longer have to leave the house 15 minutes early for work anymore just to allow myself time to stop at the store to buy it. Needless to say, I avoid the hassle of standing in line and I'm also saving a ton of money since I'm no longer wasting it on such an unhealthy addiction. You may not realize it, but those daily dollars really add up. Now, I keep a box of green tea, honey and a package of disposable cups with lids in my desk drawer at work. I start making my tea before I even fire up my computer. Don't worry, I'm always early so there's more than enough time to spare.

There are also apparently a lot of benefits to drinking green tea on a regular basis. Green tea has a potent antioxidant that actually lowers your risk of breast cancer. That same anti-cancer agent slows the aging process. It's been found to protect neurons against dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Studies have shown that regular tea drinkers have lower body fat, lower cholesterol, and improved blood pressure readings than non tea-drinkers. Tea has also been shown to be a good way to control or suppress appetite, which can have a big role in healthy eating. Green tea has also been shown to have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, lowering the risk of infections and improving dental health, while coffee stains on teeth are sticky, and are said to attract food particles and bacteria.

So even if you don't have any intentions of making the switch, it'd be great to enjoy an occasional cup of this healthy alternative every now and then.

Day 5 
Tuesday

Breakfast - 3 Scrambled eggs
Snack - Strawberries / Hot cup of Green tea with honey
Lunch - Baked haddock with spinach / A baked sweet potato with butter

Snack - 2 Plums
Dinner - Carrot drink w/carrots, apples and pineapple /
Cabbage salad w / red cabbage, romaine lettuce, carrots, apples, dried cranberries and almonds

Water Intake - 20 oz bottle
Fruits - 5
Veggies- 5
Grains - Not today
Beans - Not today
Daily Exercise - Exercise is against doctors orders for now, having just left the hospital.

Notes - Unfortunately, I missed blogging yesterday, but all continued to go well. I tried a new recipe that turned out great. One of these days, I'll post the recipe.

Day 3

Today, I made veggie tacos for dinner. It was the first time that I tried making them myself. I got this recipe from my oldest daughter. I love that it's super simple and delicious. If you're interested in something easy to throw together for dinner, this one's a winner. I started off by using some veggie crumbles.

Then I sliced a few tomatoes and the veggie cheese and chopped a little lettuce. 

After the vegetables were sliced and diced, I sautéed the crumbles in a little bit of oil for a few minutes.

Instead of using the regular taco shells, I used tortilla taco boats. Once the veggie crumbles were ready, I scooped some of it inside of the boat.

Then, I added a layer of lettuce on top.

 

I followed that with a layer of tomatoes then a layer of cheese.

Then they are ready to bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

I had a baked sweet potato with my taco... yum.

Day 3
SONday

Breakfast - 3 Scrambled eggs with 1/2 green pepper,
and a hot cup of green tea with honey
Lunch - Green drink with kale, carrots, pineapple and apples /
Garlic hummus sandwich on whole wheat with lettuce and tomatoes
Dinner - 1 Veggie Taco with lettuce, tomatoes and veggie cheese /
Baked sweet potato with butter
Snack - 1 Orange

Energy Level - 7
Water Intake - 4 cups
Fruits - 3
Veggies- 6

Daily Exercise - Exercise is against doctors orders for now, having just left the hospital.
Program To Keep Me Motivated- Olympics (NBC)
I really love seeing the gymnasts perform. They are in such awesome shape.

Notes - Today was a good day. I had lots of veggies and it felt so good to fill my body with healthy, organic food. Until tomorrow...

Beginning My Pescetarian Journey

Because I was a hard headed diabetic for many years, I currently take insulin. Injections of long and short acting insulin twice a day along with 1000 mg of Metformin twice a day as well. When I left the hospital two days ago, I was given a not so lovely parting gift, three brand new prescriptions for my damaged heart, Metoprolol, Clopidogrel and Isosorbide DN. Now, on top of my diabetes drugs, I was already taking Ferrous Gluconate, an iron pill, because my doctor said that my iron levels were dangerously low. My daily doses of prescriptions drugs had now totaled  up to 7 different medications and this sucked... big time.

I never imagined being that person taking a whole bunch of different medications on a daily basis. Yet, here I am. The good news is... (yes, there is good news)... even though I've started this regime, I know for a fact that it's only temporary.

I watched Forks Over Knives today and I learned that many of our most crippling conditions can be greatly reduced if not completely eradicated simply by eating what they call a whole foods plant based diet. "This means consuming foods that come mainly from whole minimally refined plants such as fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. It also means avoiding animal based foods such as meat, dairy and eggs as well as processed foods like bleached flour, refined sugars and oil."

God has warned me more than once to take better care of my temple and I was disobedient. Trust me when I say, HE won't have to warn me again. I have truly learned my lesson. What I am also learning now is what to eat. I've watched a few 'What I Ate Today,' vegan meal plan videos on you tube. It was interesting and it is a lot to take in. I also started searching on Pinterest to learn how to make healthy plant based foods.

I am also happy to say that I'm not on this journey alone. To encourage and support me, my daughters are on this journey with me. I can't tell you how happy that makes me feel that I they have my back. I love them dearly for going to this depth just because they want me to live a longer, healthier life. God bless them and speaking of my daughters, my oldest came over and made vegetarian tacos for dinner tonight.


Day 2

Saturday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with honey, raisins, cinnamon and walnuts /
a hot cup of green tea with honey
Snack - One tomato sliced and mixed with olive oil, basil, salt and pepper /
2 Cloves of garlic sliced into small chunks and taken with water
Lunch - Green drink with carrots, kale, pineapple, apples / Garlic hummus with lettuce and tomatoes
Dinner - 2 Veggie tacos with Morning Star griller crumbles, lettuce, tomatoes and veggie cheese in tortilla taco boats / side of vegetables, kale, zucchini, cauliflower, red and yellow peppers

Energy Level - 6
Water Intake - 3 cups
Fruits - 2
Veggies- 7
Grains - Yes, Oatmeal
Beans - Not today
Daily Exercise - Exercise is against doctors orders for now, having just left the hospital.
Inspirational Program To Keep Me Motivated-  Forks Over Knives (Netflix)
and The Engine Kitchen Rescue (Netflix)

Notes - This morning I did something that I haven't done in a long time. I sat outside on my little deck, prayed and read my bible. It felt good to talk with God before I started my day and read His word. By the way, I read Psalms 120 to 124.

My Story

Yesterday I was released from the hospital after a 3 day stay. First, I should probably explain that I am a type 2 diabetic and I also have Supraventricular Tachycardia, also known as SVT. It was actually the super fast heartbeat that landed me in the emergency room. I was informed that the fast heartbeat, sweating, dizziness and nausea that I'd experienced meant there was a possibility that I could have had a silent heart attack.

I was shocked to find out that a woman could even have a silent heart attack , but apparently  a diabetic woman can. The cardiologist recommended that I have a procedure done called Cardiac Catheterization which unfortunately revealed two major blockages in two of my arteries.

What I've learned is that Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a process in which the heart (coronary) arteries narrow or become blocked from the development of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a disease in which plaque builds up on the inside of the heart arteries  coronary arteries) and the scariest news of all is that CAD can lead to a bigger and deadlier heart attack.

Needless to say, that was my wake up call. Because of my health issues, I immediately decided to change my eating habits for good and become a Pescetarian. However, my goal is to eventually transition to a whole foods, plant based diet.

I have learned that eating healthy, especially when choosing a plant based diet, can completely reverse heart disease. I've been watching a lot of health documentaries on Netflix and every day, I'll share those titles below along with my daily progress.

So, here goes, the start of my healthy eating journey.


Day 1
Friday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with honey, raisins, cinnamon and walnuts,
and a hot cup of green tea with honey
Snack - Strawberries / Green tea with honey
Lunch - Garlic hummus on whole wheat with lettuce, tomatoes / side of cantaloupe
Snack - 1/2 cup yogurt with granola
Dinner - Green drink  w/ kale, carrots, apples and cantaloupe
and a baked sweet potato with butter on the side

Energy Level - 6
Water Intake - 3 cups
Fruits - 4
Veggies- 5
Grains - Yes, Oatmeal
Beans - Not today
Daily Exercise - Exercise is against doctors orders for now, having just left the hospital.
Inspirational Program To Keep Me Motivated- Plant Pure Nation (Netflix)

Notes - Unfortunately,  I had very little control over what I was able to eat during my hospital stay. I didn't prepare the food and I wasn't given a menu during my time there. Now that I'm back home, I'm happy to be in full control of my life and my health. I feel really good about my food choices today and I'm looking forward to doing even better tomorrow.