Tag Archives: Conditions and Diseases

Diet Diary

Day 91: Glycemic Bla Bla…the story unfolds…

June 2, 2010 – 12:38 PM
Sugar closeup
Image via Wikipedia

The plot thickens (just from yesterday!).

So I woke up this morning determined to come to terms with this whole glycemic indexing thing. I mean, it can’t be THAT complicated can it? Actually, yes. It can. And it is. I am determined to find a way to duplicate this theory into a simple to understand process! To start off with, there are several components to this equation. First, not only do you have to consider the glycemic index (GI) (remember the espresso?) but you also have to take into account the “glycemic load” (GL). So, just to recap – the glycemic index of a food is just a number that tells you how it will affect your blood sugar – big number, big spike, low number, low rise. Bigger is not better here.

Glycemic load is another number (like glycemic index) but this number measures how much of the sugar accounted for in the GI is in an average serving of that particular food. The example I read used watermelon to illustrate this point. Watermelon has a GI of 76 (quite high) that made me think “YIKES!!” but the sugar that causes the high GI number is very diluted in the watermelon – it has a very low glycemic load (like, 4) so you can eat quite a lot of watermelon without having the effect of the blood sugar spike you might anticipate with the high GI.

Also, the GI & GL of one food can be offset by the GI & GL of other foods you’re eating at the same time. And I thought counting calories was tricky!! Overall, I ended up realizing that the food I’m eating for my body type is right in line with all this GI/GL stuff. I’m really glad that at least now I know what these terms mean, but I’m even more grateful that I don’t have to spend my day (and my sanity) trying to keep track of what GI level this is in comparison with the GL level of that relative to the portion size and whether or not the moon is in Virgo. I have enough to keep track of. Where are my car keys?

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Diet Diary

Day 89: Glycemic Index (in simple terms!)

May 31, 2010 – 1:17 PM

At a recent meeting with big-wig health/nutrition types this woman came up to me and began excitedly jabbering about how wonderful this body type diet is – Of course, I agreed with her and was really enjoying the conversation . . . then it began . . . she started throwing out all kinds of terms like “glycemic index”, “glycemic load” and other equally baffling phrases. Now, normally when this happens I do one of two things – I either nod enthusiastically or say things like “Absolutely!” and “I know, isn’t it great?!” – Bluffing my way through the conversation – OR I feign shock at seeing someone I simply MUST catch before they disappear and politely, but quickly, extricate myself from the conversation. On this day, however, I opted for a third, altogether different option – I stopped her midsentence (I know, so very rude – my grandma would be turning in her grave) and said something like, “You know, I’m not familiar with that term, can you explain it to me?”

WOW. You would have thought I had just announced that she had won the lottery. As it turns out this woman is a Diabetic Educator (not that she HAS diabetes, she just educates the people who DO about the disease & what they can do to manage/control the symptoms). Jackpot. I just happened to be talking to the one person in the room who teaches this stuff for a living. So she started talking (very excitedly – I mean, this woman LOVES her job) about how the glycemic index is really just a way of estimating how much different foods will affect blood sugar levels (love it simple). Some foods are easily and quickly “burned”, resulting in quick bursts of energy (think soda pop) while others burn more slowly resulting in less of a burst, or spike, but a much longer lasting burn. The quicker the burn, the faster (and usually higher) the spike in your blood sugar.
The more spikey your blood sugar (yes, I know “spikey” is not a real word – stick with me here), the more erratic your mood, energy level, hormones and other bodily functions. In short, eating foods that have a high glycemic index is generally bad. I’m not totally clear on just how or why or to what degree it is “bad” though, my conversation ended before we could really cover that thoroughly. I did however get some “great resources” to look up so I’ll have to do a little digging & let you know what I find out.

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Diet Diary

Day 78: The best Mother’s Day gift

May 10, 2010 – 7:46 AM

There is nothing like good old fashioned, uninterrupted, restful, childless, comfortable, relaxing, blissful….sleep (yes, I also thought this only existed in fairy tales until recently)! Albeit something that I never get enough of and ironically, the first thing I think of cutting out of my life when things get more (shall I say) “difficult”.

Isn’t it strange that the more stressed out you feel, the less sleep you get, and the more stress (as a result) you end up adding to your life! On the flip side, the days when you don’t have the screaming list of “must dos” (emphasis on “screaming”) are those days when you end up getting actual rest (think weekend boredom). So, the adage is backwards: instead of not realizing how much you need it until it’s gone; you realize how much you (really) need once you actually get some ….sounds like something else I usually say no to (at first anyway :) ). All in all, I have had a happy Mother’s Day and being allowed to sleep last morning was wonderful!! (A million times better than breakfast in bed!)

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Real Life Diary

Day 73: A Hairy Situation

May 4, 2010 – 9:47 AM

The hair loss recently has seemed to be stuck in overdrive.

I had this happen right after the birth of my first daughter, but – oh how we forget miserable little “side effects” like that.  It is sort of like the labor part of having a baby.  I totally forgot how “just kill me now!” PAINFUL that “little part” was …until I gave it a go for round two with Alexandra.

I am sitting in my office wearing black sweats covered by hair (previously growing on my head).  Picking it off has been almost as emotionally painful as combing the slipping strands this morning. From the look of my comb this morning, you would think I used it on a shedding dog, or badly abused baby doll rather than my own somewhat pampered locks.  Losing hair is a very common postpartum after-effect which (statistically speaking) two-thirds of all women experience (lucky me).  Yes, it is temporary; but it is also…absolutely devastating.

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Body Types

If you have excess fat, you have an unhealthy Liver

April 27, 2010 – 9:38 PM

The liver regulates and controls all six of the body’s fat burning hormones, so if you have excess fat; your liver is not working properly.

What most people also don’t know is that the liver controls 80% of the body’s hormones as well, including the master hormone, Human Growth Hormone (HGH) – so if your liver isn’t working properly, think “domino effect”…

Hormones are responsible for everything from

Crave Salty Foods Crave Deep-Fried Foods Socks Leave Creases On Ankles Chronic Soreness In Your Body
A Worrier or Nervous Grouchy, In The Morning Dietary Digestive Bloating Feel Tired In The Morning
Need Coffee To Wake Up Tightness On Right Side Of Abdomen Have Bad Breath A Lack Of Get-Up-And-Go
Lowered Immune System Tightness In Right Shoulder Itching In The Bottom Of Your Feet A History Of Yo-Yo Dieting
Sagging Or Protruding Belly Potbelly Shaped Abdomen Eye Irritation, Especially In The Am Out Of Breath Climbing Stairs
Flaky Skin In Eyebrows And Scalp Difficulty Making Decisions Moodiness If You Skip A Meal Twitching Of Left Eyelid
Low Endurance Hair Loss On The Outer Eyebrows Stiffness In The Right Side Of Neck Wake In The Middle Of The Night
Hot Feet Cold Feet And Hands Puffiness Around Eyes Cramps In The Calves At Night
Age Spots Or Small Red Dots A Feeling Of Brain Fog In Morning Excessive Skin Sagging Under Arms Have Cravings For Chocolate
Crave Sweets, Breads Feel Better Eating Fruits Have Dry Hair And Hair Loss Extra Thinking, Hard To Turn Off
Feel Down Or Hopeless Brittle Nails With Vertical Ridges Hair Loses Curling Iron Curls Quickly Low Tolerance To Stress, Impatience
Weight More Evenly Distributed Difficulty Standing After Sitting Excess Facial Hair Growth Hot flashes
Night sweats Weight gain in hips, thighs and buttocks Cravings at certain times of the month Extra painful cramps
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Real Life Diary

The Link Between Pain, Obesity and Body Types

April 27, 2010 – 2:13 PM

obesityThe number of overweight Americans in pain has been increasing over the last fifty years. Over the counter medications such as Advil or Tylenol have become commonplace as a “one-a-day-vitamin” and for many Americans, a “first thing in the morning” routine. Sixty years ago there were 2 brands of such pain releivers – today there are 8, and that doesn’t begin to touch the growth found in prescription-level pain control drug use.
Dr. Eric Berg is a weight loss specialist who has treated over 30,000 patients. Ironically, he discovered that treating their weight loss also treated their chronic pain. His research is based on the science of Body Types. There are four distinct types of bodies, each with their own set of characteristics and needs; and each with a type of chronic pain. Pain originates in the body as a warning signal of something in need or not well. Without pain, our bodies would not properly heal – as we wouldn’t know to avoid injuries or treat illnesses. Chronic pain is a warning signal of a chronic condition. For example, a basketball player with chronic ankle pain is being warned that his ankle has been likely insured one too many times (and he should listen to his body and give it what it needs: rest!). But chronic pain is not always that easy to decipher. For instance, chronic right shoulder pain may not actually be the result of a past injury, but the result of a toxic liver. Finding your body type bridges the (often hidden) gap between hormone imbalances, organ health, and the chronic characteristics of the body (such as right shoulder pain).
If you have chronic pain and have tried other treatments without success, then you are not treating the actual cause. Once you discover your body type, you’ll discover other characteristics that you have probably been ignoring for some time…follow the program to correct and reestablish your overall health, and you will experience results. A body with chronic pain is an unhealthy body, and weight gain is only another side effect of this condition.
(okay – I need to work on the rest tomorrow!)

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Diet Diary

Day 67: A Man’s mind

April 24, 2010 – 5:06 PM

It never ceases to amaze me…
Yesterday, as an attempt to retract a comment my husband made about me being “boring” – I opened the door to a lesson in “how I could NOT be boring”…A Lesson customized for me: husband to wife (and oh how the new wish list unfolded….oye!).
Side Note: the great thing about a man is that the answer to the “What can I do to make you see how NOT boring I am?” question is almost always answered with three letters (if you catch my drift). This is immensely helpful, because while you already know the answer to the question, they get to feel like they’re “fixing” the problem by telling you exactly how you can “un-boring” yourself.
Soooo not too much sleep last night, and no complaints either. I have another reason to maintain my goal – there’s nothing like a little extra motivation!

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Diet Diary

Day 63: When I was 5 Years Old

April 12, 2010 – 5:27 PM

Blood DiseaseWhen I was five years old I had a blood disease and was hospitalized for a few weeks (I used to think I went through a lot…until I had kids…wow! My parents sure went through a lot!!). It turned out that the only reason this condition became so serious was because the doctors couldn’t figure out the right diagnosis. Finally, after my entire family was at the point of thinking I wouldn’t survive, a doctor discovered the actual cause of the problems I was having and I was treated and survived (obviously :) . The most damage to my body didn’t come from the disease, but from the measures used to attempt to cure something that was not the cause.

I was thinking about this today when I realized the simple fact that unless you know the actual cause of a problem, your attempts to “fix it” can really just be making the problem worse!

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Diet Diary

Day 37: Speaking of crap…where’s the fiber?

February 6, 2010 – 4:14 PM

I started out thinking this was the greatest diet.  This morning I looked in the mirror and my eyes are puffy, my skin is breaking out and my ankles are swollen.  I don’t have any energy and I could barely drag myself to get a workout in…

The worse thing is that I just realized my intestines are totally stopped up…pain, more pain, bloating, need I go on?  I weigh less.  I feel worse.  I look horrible.  What gives? Crunchy pig ears, how could you do this to me?!!

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Diet Diary

Day 23: Baby Tapeworm

January 24, 2010 – 3:49 PM

Why can’t someone come up with a pill that is the “eat 1500 calories of whatever you want and take this pill along with it so you don’t die of a heart attack pill”? To me, that is what is needed. Actually, I heard of one when I was a kid – get this: This pill had a baby TAPEWORM in it – you took one pill (baby tapeworm) to start your diet and when you had lost whatever weight you wanted to lose you took another pill (tapeworm killer) and voila`! There you go! The dead tapeworm just came out with the rest of your food. Isn’t that a lovely mental picture? So, if someone has any great ideas like this, but that don’t involve intentionally ingesting parasites, I would be THRILLED to hear them!!! With all of the healthy diets out there – is it a wonder why Nutrisystems still sells the “taste”?!

My diet was perfect today until I talked with my mom on the phone….to hear about “the greatest food ever…” Yes, I was FORCED to try it: pretzels dipped in Nutella. After the first taste hit my taste buds to revive all of the repressed memories of amazing foods you can’t seem to eat enough of… I realized that I needed to throw away the rest of the jar (immediately!). So I did.
The bad part of this story is that I got it out of the trash an hour later to have more. Thankfully, my two year old asked me, “Mom, why are you eating from the trash can?”…

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