My First 30 Days

I wanted to get my footing with the diet and exercise before I started sharing my story. My hope is that anyone reading and following my blog will gain some helpful tools to aid in their weight loss journey.

So far I have lost 24 lbs. I have to say that starting the exercise was much harder than adjusting to the new diet. I thought I would be starved just consuming shakes all day but I have been surprisingly satisfied.

Due to my diabetes, it is important to spread out the shakes so that my blood sugars stay at a fairly consistent level all day. The eating schedule I've worked out is 7am, 10am, 12noon, 3pm, 6pm. With each shake, I also refill my 28 oz water bottle. If I have any water left in the bottle, I make sure to drink it before I make myself another shake. This allows me to easily keep track of my water intake.

I am allowed to substitute one shake with a hot cereal packet. So I typically have 4 shakes during the day and eat the hot cereal for dinner. This helps me feel satisfied at night and I sleep better. Usually once during the weekend, I indulge in a hot meal replacement like Beef Stew or Chicken Pasta. They don't replace my shakes but usually once a week I feel like having something more. They keep me "in the box".

As I mentioned, the diet was the surprisingly easy part. Starting the exercise was more difficult. I started with walking 20 minutes a day and worked my way up over the first two weeks to walking 45 minutes a day. I was huffing and puffing quite a bit and suffered from painful shin splints. While I enjoyed the time outdoors, I realized that I wouldn't be burning a whole lot of calories. Soon after, my recumbent bike arrived and the weather turned bad. I've been using the bike daily ever since. In my week 3 meeting, my health educator said something that really struck home. "For long term health and weight maintenance, everyone should exercise 1 hour each day, every day." I went home that night and thought about that. Why was I doing this?
was it just a temporary thing or did I want to make a life change? Somehow, something clicked inside and I knew that I wanted this to be more than just a diet - I wanted longterm change. Since then, I have steadily progressed from a 60 minute to 75 minute per day workout on my bike. I am doing the Interval program and I have not missed a single day.

I am already seeing the benefits to my commitment to the diet and more importantly, the exercise. Since starting this program, my blood sugars have dramatically improved to the point where my medication dosage has been reduced by 75%. My blood pressure has gone from 128/80 to 111/68. My resting pulse went from 82 to 67.

It's only been a month and I'm thankful for what I have accomplished so far. My eyes opening to a new way of life. I'm doing what I can to change and embrace it. To be a role model to my children so that they too learn from my experience and benefit from a healthier, more active lifestyle.

This is just the beginning, but I am hopeful for my future.