We had our "Biometric Screening" at work a few weeks ago. I was expecting the results to be less than ideal, specifically in the areas of cholesterol and BMI/body fat percentage. I was right on both of those counts, but the one curveball that was throw in was my fasting glucose: 133. That number earned me a special counseling session with the staff where they had me sign a waiver that stated that they strongly advised me to see my doctor ASAP and that I won't sue them if my health gets even worse.
*SIGH*
My bad habits have officially caught up with me and unless I change, I am looking at type II diabetes and being put on medication, etc.
I did see my primary care doctor the week after the biometric screening. They ran a test on my a1c in the office. It came back at 5.4 meaning non-diabetic. She did add a caveot to that though - if my blood sugars just now starting spiking, the a1c wouldn't reflect that quite yet. Which is why she wants to see me back in 3 months for repeat bloodwork.
For interested parties, a comparison of my bloodwork numbers from the test done at work and the work run at whatever lab, along with what they consider to be normal/acceptable, etc.:
I received counseling on diet, exercise, etc. My doctor has told me that I have 3 months to loose 12 pounds, do what I can to get my blood work in better shape, etc. She has said that even if no one else is going to hold me accountable, that she will. If I don't meet these goals, she will put me on diabetes related medication(s).
To help me reach these goals, she recommends 40 minutes of vigorous exercise 4 times a week. And and omega3 supplement. She also said that the South Beach diet largely encompasses the dietary and nutrition goals that she outlined for me and recommended a couple of their books. She said that at a high level, the ratio of my net carbs (grams of carbs - grams of fiber) to grams of protein needs to be less than or equal to 2. That I am allowed a maximum of two servings of fruit a day (since fruit generally has more sugar than veggies). She recommends tart apples and oranges, making sure to include all of the pithy crap that I so tediously pick off on the rare occasion that I do eat one. Bananas, grapes and pineapple are TOTALLY off limits. Starchy veggies (corn, potatoes, peas, etc.) and any product made with them need to be avoided as well.
I have been keeping track of how well I hit the carbs to protein ratio, and looked back a bit since I have actually been keeping a food diary for a while:
So, at this point, I've completed my first full week of Phase 1 of the South Beach diet. I work on making my way through the bad stuff in my fridge before starting, mostly because I didn't see the point in wasting perfectly good food.
In a nutshell, Phase 1 SUCKS!! No sweeteners. No fruits. No grains. What is allowed during Phase 1 - lean protein, high fiber vegetables, low fat dairy and health fats. I downloaded the South Beach Diet iPhone app so that I will always have the list of what foods I can and cannot eat with me. This link gives a good summary outline of everything and you can click on things for more details for each phase, etc. The good news though is that Phase 1 lasts for 2 weeks. Phase 2 then allows you to reindroduce a lot of food in moderation and lasts until you reach your goal weight. Phase 3 allows you to eat anything, keeping moderation in mind, and you stay there to maintain your goal weight.
Also, I've never been a breakfast person. At all. But I am not a three meal a day and two snacks kinda girl. For example, today's menu:
- Breakfast: Diet Dr Pepper (would usually be green tea but I wasn't at my house last night so simplicity won out), 2 eggs scrambled and 2 Jennie-O breakfast sausage links
- Snack: one serving of Daisy 2% small curd cottage cheese
- Lunch: salad consisting of diced red onion, cucumber, raddish, red cabbage, 1/2 cup chickpeas, 1.6-oz fat free feta cheese, 3 slices of Jennie-O turkey bacon, crumbled
- Snack: 1 6oz cup Fage Total 0 Greek yogurt and some sugar free Smucker's preserves
- Dinner: shredded beef with McCormick 30% less sodium taco seasoning, Old El Paso vegetarian refried beans, 2% milkfat shredded mexican cheeses, and some red onion
- Desert: sugar free gelatin mixed with sugar free Cool Whip
I have already lost 5 pounds. I can thank my sinus and ear infections for the jump start... Using this calculator, or just going with the 30.5 that was measured during the biometric screening at work, I fell into the obese category starting out. With my five pounds lost, my current BMI is 29.4 which puts me into the overweight category. It's a little milestone, but I will take it!!
I am not sure what my doctor feels is healthy goal weight since right now the current goal is to be down 12 pounds by the end of December. Using the formula for BMI and using the upper end of normal (24.9) and using my height of 62.5-inches, the corresponding weight is 138.6-pounds. Which is 25-pounds away. The low end of normal for me is 102.8-pounds (60.8-pounds away).
Right now I am focusing on the 12-pounds for the end of the December. And I figure that my doctor and I will go from there.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Progress to Date: 5-pounds lost, BMI = 29.4
*SIGH*
My bad habits have officially caught up with me and unless I change, I am looking at type II diabetes and being put on medication, etc.
I did see my primary care doctor the week after the biometric screening. They ran a test on my a1c in the office. It came back at 5.4 meaning non-diabetic. She did add a caveot to that though - if my blood sugars just now starting spiking, the a1c wouldn't reflect that quite yet. Which is why she wants to see me back in 3 months for repeat bloodwork.
For interested parties, a comparison of my bloodwork numbers from the test done at work and the work run at whatever lab, along with what they consider to be normal/acceptable, etc.:
I received counseling on diet, exercise, etc. My doctor has told me that I have 3 months to loose 12 pounds, do what I can to get my blood work in better shape, etc. She has said that even if no one else is going to hold me accountable, that she will. If I don't meet these goals, she will put me on diabetes related medication(s).
To help me reach these goals, she recommends 40 minutes of vigorous exercise 4 times a week. And and omega3 supplement. She also said that the South Beach diet largely encompasses the dietary and nutrition goals that she outlined for me and recommended a couple of their books. She said that at a high level, the ratio of my net carbs (grams of carbs - grams of fiber) to grams of protein needs to be less than or equal to 2. That I am allowed a maximum of two servings of fruit a day (since fruit generally has more sugar than veggies). She recommends tart apples and oranges, making sure to include all of the pithy crap that I so tediously pick off on the rare occasion that I do eat one. Bananas, grapes and pineapple are TOTALLY off limits. Starchy veggies (corn, potatoes, peas, etc.) and any product made with them need to be avoided as well.
I have been keeping track of how well I hit the carbs to protein ratio, and looked back a bit since I have actually been keeping a food diary for a while:
So, at this point, I've completed my first full week of Phase 1 of the South Beach diet. I work on making my way through the bad stuff in my fridge before starting, mostly because I didn't see the point in wasting perfectly good food.
In a nutshell, Phase 1 SUCKS!! No sweeteners. No fruits. No grains. What is allowed during Phase 1 - lean protein, high fiber vegetables, low fat dairy and health fats. I downloaded the South Beach Diet iPhone app so that I will always have the list of what foods I can and cannot eat with me. This link gives a good summary outline of everything and you can click on things for more details for each phase, etc. The good news though is that Phase 1 lasts for 2 weeks. Phase 2 then allows you to reindroduce a lot of food in moderation and lasts until you reach your goal weight. Phase 3 allows you to eat anything, keeping moderation in mind, and you stay there to maintain your goal weight.
Also, I've never been a breakfast person. At all. But I am not a three meal a day and two snacks kinda girl. For example, today's menu:
- Breakfast: Diet Dr Pepper (would usually be green tea but I wasn't at my house last night so simplicity won out), 2 eggs scrambled and 2 Jennie-O breakfast sausage links
- Snack: one serving of Daisy 2% small curd cottage cheese
- Lunch: salad consisting of diced red onion, cucumber, raddish, red cabbage, 1/2 cup chickpeas, 1.6-oz fat free feta cheese, 3 slices of Jennie-O turkey bacon, crumbled
- Snack: 1 6oz cup Fage Total 0 Greek yogurt and some sugar free Smucker's preserves
- Dinner: shredded beef with McCormick 30% less sodium taco seasoning, Old El Paso vegetarian refried beans, 2% milkfat shredded mexican cheeses, and some red onion
- Desert: sugar free gelatin mixed with sugar free Cool Whip
I have already lost 5 pounds. I can thank my sinus and ear infections for the jump start... Using this calculator, or just going with the 30.5 that was measured during the biometric screening at work, I fell into the obese category starting out. With my five pounds lost, my current BMI is 29.4 which puts me into the overweight category. It's a little milestone, but I will take it!!
I am not sure what my doctor feels is healthy goal weight since right now the current goal is to be down 12 pounds by the end of December. Using the formula for BMI and using the upper end of normal (24.9) and using my height of 62.5-inches, the corresponding weight is 138.6-pounds. Which is 25-pounds away. The low end of normal for me is 102.8-pounds (60.8-pounds away).
Right now I am focusing on the 12-pounds for the end of the December. And I figure that my doctor and I will go from there.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Progress to Date: 5-pounds lost, BMI = 29.4
No comments:
Post a Comment