by Tish MacWebber | Jul 13, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 21
Here I am, in the middle of the week, at 8:30 pm, wondering what to make for supper. Again. I have mentioned before that planning is the key to me staying on plan. Last week I was on vacation and enjoying myself. Yesterday I went back to work, and I have not planned any meals this week. I need to thaw out the chicken that is in the freezer so I can cook it. I also want to do some more barbequing but the meat is frozen, so that is out. Garbage day has come and gone, and I still have food from before vacation in the fridge, that should have gone out with the garbage. When I open the fridge, it is hard for me to figure out what is good and what is not. So the fridge needs to be cleaned out. It may not happen before the weekend. I have only so much energy during the week, and extra energy is being focused on cleaning my kitchen in the war I am having against the ant invasion. Cleaning, cleaning, and cleaning. I do not like the thought of making food in the kitchen at the moment, because of this.
I have done fairly well with staying on plan with my lunches. Did you ever have a breadless ham and cheese sandwich? You use the cheese to hold the ham. No need for condiments, just the ham and cheese. It would work with any type of meat and cheese. I had mini cucumbers and grape tomatoes with it. I rather like it for a change. It is a good summer picnic style lunch. If you can keep your lunches tasty and healthy, that is half the battle. I usually have light laughing cow cheese with unsweetened applesauce as my mid-morning snack. I then wait until I get home and don’t usually eat in the afternoon at work. On Zumba days, I have a Quest Bar before class. Protein bars are made for that. The ones on the plan are sweetened with Stevia and Erythritol. My husband has picked up the wrong ones in the past, so I came up with a tip to help him remember what ones to get. The ones with, “Steve and E” He actually remembered it, and it worked the last time. He brought the right ones home.
I am going to be walking more in the next few weeks. Not far, but a little here and there. To get the mail, to my neighbour’s house because I am cat sitting, just enough to start building up my activity level. I want to be more active, and even doing a small amount of extra walking is a good way to start. I have gone back to Zumba both days this week. I felt stronger tonight, and a little more like I was able to participate more in the class. I was not in my head as much tonight, and that means that I enjoyed the class more. I also plan to get in a few more beach days and to do some swimming. I used to teach swimming lessons in high school. I love swimming, so I am working on planning some time well spent at the lake. It’s not the same as the ocean, but it is close to my home, and I have friends that I can make plans to meet there to have some summertime fun.
I did look for the ginger juice on Monday. I found a local store that carries other products made by the same company, and I will be going back soon to see if they brought some into their store for me. While I was talking to the lady at the store about it, another customer also expressed interest in it. I never left my name, I will just wander back in one day soon. I may contact them about it first, as I want to be able to get it very soon. I also need to get some more apple cider vinegar. It seems I have almost used the whole bottle. When I am certain the ants are finally gone, I will resume making more recipes that are on plan. For now, I have decided on a simple supper. Grilled cheese sandwiches on bread I bought while on vacation. It has to be eaten up before it goes bad, so it might as well be enjoyed while it is reasonably fresh. Treats are OK. I did exercise today. I ate reasonably well. I am also going to get the chicken out of the freezer and put it into the fridge with some greek dressing. That way I can start cooking it tomorrow when I get home from work. It’s all up to the planning. Time to take control again.
#TrustYourGut
by Tish MacWebber | Jul 6, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 20
Vacation. It is that time of year when people are travelling and going to celebrations with friends and family. Vacation time can be a tricky thing on days when you aren’t in control of the food and drink that you may consume. This can pose a difficult problem if you are committed to your plan and goals.
You want to be invited to all of the events. You want to participate in the fun. For me, the fun includes eating and drinking the same things as everyone else. So it is a tricky tightrope to walk on when you are trying to fit in, even though it may not be the best way for you to stay the course.
I have to constantly check my blood sugars. That is helpful. I can adjust the insulin I have to take to adapt to what I am eating. But as I have written before, sometimes that dosage is a guessing game, at best.
I experienced a low last week. It was a bad one. Maybe more because it caught me by surprise, and also because of how long it has been since the last time I had a low. It isn’t a simple fix, it takes time for my body to recover from a blood sugar low. This time it took me two and a half hours to feel normal again.
Highs are no better. I feel really tired, to the extreme of me not being able to physically stay awake. There are times that I am literally fighting with myself to stay awake. It is not because I am needing sleep, this too is a side effect of the high sugars, and it is a little hard to explain. The closest I can come is that it is not something that you can control, only fight it. I am usually aware of what is happening at the time it is happening to try and recover. But it is not an easy thing to do.
When you have to think about the effects of everything that you eat and drink, it makes it hard to fit in at gatherings. A lot of them have sweets and cake and even alcoholic beverages are a source of empty calories. So what is a person to do when faced with all of these temptations?
Think about the occasion. What would be acceptable to participate in? What choices can you make? Skip the cake or the ice cream? Or eat salads earlier in the day so you can indulge a little at the celebration?
After all, only you control what you eat or drink. It is up to you. It doesn’t matter to anyone else whether or not you eat that cake or not. It really only matters to you. When you are planning a vacation, keep in mind that sometimes you will have complete control over what you eat and drink, and sometimes you will have to go with the flow. The trick is proper planning and to not go overboard when you do participate in celebrations. Remember to drink your water too, it can help speed up the recovery time of eating or drinking off plan. Really, it is all about balance, both on and off the scale.
#TrustYourGut
by Tish MacWebber | Jul 4, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Hello to you all, and thank you for your patience. I am a little off schedule this week, because as I expected, life got in the way of the weekend. Not to fear, I will be back on schedule for the upcoming week, and plan to post my next Trust Your Gut on time and on schedule.
I am going to keep this short as it is now Tuesday. Canada Day was Saturday, and there were festivities all over the country. There were public events, and house parties from one end of the country to the other. I wore my red summer top and Nova Scotia Hoodie with the Cape Breton patch I sewed onto it myself.
Sunday was my birthday. I turned 43, and it had a few little surprises. I was with my family, and that in itself was really special. There are 5 of us, my parents, and my two sisters and myself. My sisters have their families with them. We live in different parts of Canada, and we have not all been together in the same place at the same time in 4 years. I am getting ready for another family gathering tonight, and I had some help today making deviled eggs and big mac salad for the evening.
Pete Luckett’s Phone Book White and the bottle of Bodacious Smooth White wines were lovely at the gatherings we have been to so far.
I will say that this past weekend was another win for me, and I am still working on winning the whole week long! I am taking the time I have this week to be thankful for my family and friends, and enjoying the memories I am making. What did you do this past weekend?
by Tish MacWebber | Jun 30, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 19
I got on the scale this morning. The number wasn’t as bad as I was worried it would be, but it is still not in twoville. I knew I would not see good news, but as I expected, there were no surprises there. I know by how I feel what is happening, without getting on the scale every day. It had been a while, and I needed a reference.
I am having trouble in my kitchen this week. There has been an invasion of ants. I have declared war, and I think we are winning. It is a slow progress kind of war, and it has distracted me from my personal tasks and goals.
I have not had an ant free day in my kitchen all week. I am seeing less and less ants, and the ones I saw today seemed to be slower than those in the last few days, so I am tentatively hopeful that this means the war is almost over. I have not wanted to make anything to eat in my kitchen all week, as a result of this.
My healthy lifestyle has become a casualty of war. It could have gone in two different directions. One being I stopped eating anything because I am so grossed out about the ants being in my kitchen. This is not realistic. I have to eat. So I did it again. I ate take out all week. Let me tell you, I am not thrilled about this, but I felt like it was the only way I could eat because of the ants.
Is it a legitimate thing to do? Yes. Is it an excuse to eat out and go the easy route for the week? Yes. Is it productive and conducive towards my personal goals for living a healthier lifestyle? No. Is it a budget friendly option? No. Is it a logical solution? Maybe. I write that because when I haven’t been cooking, I have been hunting and cleaning up the countertop that the ants are crawling on. That means all the hard work I did cleaning the whole winter, my coffee station, and the countertops all have to be emptied and wiped clean AGAIN. For the millionth time this week. Ugh.
I have made progress in other areas of my life in the last month. I have been cleaning and purging stuff. I have been writing about that in my Weekend Warrior Category. I am preparing to write books, and have been practising on my blog, getting into the habit of writing. I have done well with both of these projects, and I can let myself be proud of the progress I am making in those areas. So why is it OK for me to let myself down in the most important part of my life, my health and well being? It’s not.
I had a genuine blood sugar low today at work. My sugars were at 3.9 when I tested, and I was in full panic mode when I did. I can feel it happening in my body. I start feeling a wave of uneasiness, and I start to panic. When it is an actual blood sugar low, I get weak and shaky. My head and scalp perspire profusely. I mean buckets. I get a little confused and have a really hard time focusing. I was in a meeting when I started to feel it happen, and I rushed out asap and tested while chewing up suckers and drinking a juice box. I got some extra candy from some colleagues, and I overcompensated because I was panicked. It took me about two to two and a half hours to recover from that episode. I am much better this evening.
I know why it happened. I went to Zumba last night, and it had been a few weeks since the last class. I started to get my regular exercise routine back. I took my normal amount of insulin this morning. But my body was doing that thing it does when I am trying to watch what I am doing, and it became sensitive to the insulin again. It is great that it works better sometimes, but it is not so great when I happen to have that in between adjustment period that causes me to have lows and have to lower my doses of insulin. Which is also good, because it means that I am achieving better control over my blood sugars. But what a roller coaster ride that can be!
It is hard to adjust to everything all at once. I am a fighter, and I am still able to do what needs to be done. Sometimes I need to remind myself that it is not OK to put my own health and wellness on the bottom of my list. Because it needs to be as important as everything else I invest my time in. I tell people all the time that I am tougher than I look. I believe it. But I also know that I am a human being and that I am not supposed to be perfect. All I can do is get up every morning and do the best I can in all aspects of my life. It is a work in progress, and progress is progress, so I will take it and run with it. Until I can’t catch my breath. And then I will keep moving in the right direction. One step at a time.
#TrustYourGut
by Tish MacWebber | Jun 24, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
It’s here! The first official weekend of the summer! I am gearing up to run errands and host a BBQ today. I have been working hard at my Spring Cleaning Challenge, and I am literally at the finish line! I have made it to the Master Bedroom and Bathroom.
Last weekend, I worked really hard to have the floors done, the guest room ready, and the main bathroom was cleaned. When I did this, I had to move things out of the way. I moved them into the master bedroom. A pile gathered on my bed. When it was time to crawl into that bed, the only logical place to temporarily store these items was in the sunken bathtub in the master bathroom.
This means I made a lot of progress in most of the house, but not all. Today I plan to work on that. The word purge is now in my weekend plans again, and it does not refer to food in any way.
I have been working on this project since last fall. I started with my clothing. I then went through the kitchen and didn’t have a lot to purge there, but rather spent time cleaning and organizing. I have purged my makeup to make room for new makeup. I am still in the middle of writing about that experience. Today I plan to purge and organize my craft supplies.
I have decided that I am not going to do this alone. I have asked a friend to help me with this chore. It is not going to be a hard thing to do, but it may prove to be difficult. Remember when I wrote I had purged my makeup? I gathered it all up and then was unable to throw it out until I bought the new makeup. I wanted to start with a clean palette, but I was very worried that I would not be able to afford to replace everything, and I decided to not throw it out until I had done the shopping so I would not be left without a critical item for my new makeup collection.
As I wrote, I am working on that story, and I plan to have it published sometime this week. If the zit I treated that promptly decided to cause a skin reaction to the treatment and blew up over my face would kindly heal and let me feel like I can safely try my new makeup on, that would be fantastic.
When I went through my clothing, I did it all on my own. I reduced my wardrobe by 50%. I donated it to a friend who upcycles fabric. So far, the only items I have really missed were some of the more lightweight tank tops that I gave away. One of my errands today is to replace those tank tops. I have some, but I have not had a clothing shopping budget regularly for many years. We have been working insanely hard on our household budget, and we are making some changes to that. I am looking forward to the days when I don’t feel guilty about buying a new article of clothing to wear. Or about buying a new book or magazine. Things I like to buy from time to time. Mostly beading magazines, and more recently, a writing magazine. It will also be useful to know what I have on hand for craft supplies, so I don’t purchase items that I don’t need because I don’t know what I have in my stash.
The last area of my house that needs TLC is my office, a corner of my living room. I have been building up to getting this area ready for spring cleaning. It is where I plan to do my writing, and a fitting final task for all of the cleaning I am doing to prepare for writing. I have organized the desk several times since I moved here, and it is long overdue. Time to fire up the paper shredder when I am ready to tackle the last big area. I am really proud of how much I have accomplished this year with my cleaning projects, and although I still have some smaller areas to work on after my deadline, the larger, more complicated projects will be done and over with, so I can feel confident about my home not falling apart when I start writing my book. Maybe I will even be able to make time for more creative projects after it is all finished.
Phase 2 will be starting when I am settling into writing my book. With the larger cleaning projects being finished, I will have to switch gears and get the maintenance cleaning done, to keep my home from ever becoming a disaster like it was when I decided to start the spring cleaning for real this year.
I also hope that this weekend is a start of more entertaining at my house. I am feeling good about it, and not too embarrassed when I look around at the progress I have made here, the last 6 months. Time to get going and finish this stage, so I can close the chapter of Spring Cleaning 2017, and open a new book to start writing it.
I hope my friend enjoys bouncing the house with me this afternoon, I need the extra push when it comes to purging craft supplies. She is invited to stay for the BBQ as a thank you for her taking the time to help me out. What are you working on this weekend?
