[M2M]

Hi QJ,
I just wanted to pop in and say hello, it looks like you're doing well

[Qjay]

It's a rough day. I am really glad I picked up some sugarfree gum, because I am plenty full, and I just want to eat.
I had my normal start to the day (around 500 cals of breakfast), and a pack of the gum. My blood sugar is screwed, I got stood up TWICE yesterday (My last day before classes started up), I'm grumpier than $%^! right now, and I feel a little bit better reading over the new stuff in my diary here.
Maybe a nap will help...

Err.. and hello yourself M2M, and thanks!

[Qjay]

Second meal of the day, a HUGE salmon salad with some honey mustard dressing; probably 600 calories total. Still hungry and on my second pack of gum for the day, dammit. I hope I can cut SOMETHING back...

[Qjay]

Yeah, this day has been a rough one. Lucky for me, my body thinks Jagermeister is food, so at least my blood sugar will aintain as pretty close to normal.
Outside of the fifth of jager, I am somewhere in the neighborhood of 1800-2000 calories. I've had a nice steak and some pepperoni sticks (4 oz, tops).

Hey, here's a neat trick, folks: Microwave your pepperoni sticks on a paper plate or some paper towels; it melts out a lot of the fat and oil. I do mine for about 20 seconds at a time, until they are HOT and have run a bunch of the oil into the plate/towel, then I roll them under another paper towel and squeeze out even more of that crap.
At FIRST I thought "I'm wasting food!" if you can believe that. I really hate what I learned from my parents, sometimes...

[felici]

It sounds like we both had sugar problems today Qjay. I find it hard to grasp how much impact it can have on me.

Is being hungry part of what happens to you when your blood sugar is messed up?

[wishes]

OH no, i hope tomorrow is a lot better for you.

Heres another tip, flame grill or BBQ any fatty meat - the fat just catches fire and a lot gets burnt off

[Qjay]

Oh, the sugar wasn't my problem, it was mostly just craving large amounts of fats and starches. I went out to eat this morning, Eggs benedict.
Well, it could have been worse, right

I'm just trying to eat carefully this evening, make up for some of the horrors I inflicted upon myself last night. When I ran out of Jager, I started in on my Rum... blech, bad combination.

The "blood sugar is screwed" comment basically meant that I was sleepy, my mouth was dry, and I couldn't concentrate, but alcohol lowers your blood sugar rapidly as your body processes it. Basically it helps reduce those symptoms as your blood alcohol level rises. I ended up eating about 5 cups of popcorn (300 calories) as a snack, and had some leftover beef barley with veggies, to round out my calories for the day (not counting alcohol, once again :P ) and so at least I had some food in me when I finally did decide to get some sleep.

The diabetes didn't make me hungry, though, it was a "comfort food" craving, and I got through most of it without TOO much hassle, but I am glad I feel better today. Just a bit sleepy. but that's pretty normal this time of evening.

Well, I am going to grab a snack and maybe a nap. Thanks for dropping by!

PS, I LOVE to grill out when it's warm, but an Oregon Winter is basically cold and wet; not much fun to cook in. I usually drain off as much fat as I can from any meats I cool, then pat them "clean"; it just seems to make a nice difference in the way my mouth feels afterwards. I really hate that greasy feeling if I don't remember to do it.

[Qjay]

AAAARGH!
You know what really ticks me off? I am sitting here doing research about diabetes and weight loss and food and portion control... and it all sounds so dang GOOD! I am just winding down, getting ready to get some sleep, and all of a sudden I am wound up and thinking about what I can go eat! It sucks, and it is so incredibly not fair...
Yes, I'd rather whine about it here than go eat it out there, so if anyone decides they need to say something, think carefully. Criminy, I HATE feeling like this!

[jajochku3]

Been there. . . .

And I've also lost sleep thinking about the big weigh-in in the morning. . .
As if staying awake would magically melt another pound off or something.

My aunt-in-law is diabetic. She just recently found out and hasn't been taking the necessary steps to be healthier. I just told her about sparkpeople. She said she is going to try it.

Soooo. . .basically what I'm saying, is keeping getting info. You are doing all the leg work for me

[renewal]

How's this for a theory:
- Sounds like you are a night owl, awake a lot at night. Yet you sleep at odd hours (naps in early evening).
- You live where winters can be harsh and cold with not much daytime sunlight. When there is bright sunlight, how much direct exposure do you get to it? Or are you mostly indoors, without seeing much natural sunight?
- You crave "comfort foods" - especially many foods high in tryptophan, or that help serotonin production.

All classic for SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder (which, by the way, can affect people year-round if they spend most of their time indoors away from a good source of bright natural sunlight, or working nights, e.g. night shift workers). Although SAD is usually associated with carb cravings, most of the SAD studies have been done on women, whose cravings tend to range to carbs and sugars. But about 20-30% of diagnosed SAD sufferers are men - the known ones. How many are undiagnosed? Bottom line is, SAD results in cravings for foods rich in tryptophan and/or produce serotonin. Mens' cravings are usually more for proteins, fats, and comfort foods (see washington post article). Sound familiar?

If possible, try spending more time outdoors during whatever daylight hours you get. Even if it's just a half-hour walk or something.

Or see if you can get a SAD light. A medical diagnosis of SAD may even result in insurance covering the light (if you have good medical insurance).

Weight gain in winter, especially in darker/colder areas, is no coincidence.

[Qjay]

Oh, I am severely depressed, but without insurance there is not much I can do about it. My depression is anxiety related, and I am working on ways of handling that, mostly it is due to my size and inactivity level.
The good news! I went and worked out (with a partner, whoo!) tonight, and we both got our heart rate up for the better part of an hour. Mostly very light weights with a lot of reps, and I did about 10-15 minutes of treadmill time, in addition to the walk there and back (it's in my complex, but I count it!).

I have been working on getting up earlier in the day for a few weeks now, and am usually up around 9-10am, much better than my usual Noon-2 in the afternoon. I've always, always ALWAYS been a night owl, even as a kid, so it's a big change for me.
My day's calories ran a little over 2000, but it's a lot better than I used to eat, so I am just happy to be at or under 2500 most days. I'm going out for Thai food whenever I get up and around, they have this bean thread soup I have been craving for days; good stuff.

No matter how much I know it is good for me, I cannot enjoy the sunshine. I go out in it, and see a lot of people I dislike, just on general principles. Yep, I'm pretty much just "fat, nasty and belligerent", but at least I'm having a good time, right?

If you want to do a little psychological dissection/discussion with me, go ahead and PM me, I don't feel like posting that sort of thing up here and it's not appropriate for this forum. As a marketing major, I have a solid grounding in psychology and want to eventually get my Masters degree in Organizational Psych, so I can discuss it properly and I don't get upset or annoyed.

[renewal]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to get into psychological discussion or any kind of psychoanalysis. I'm no shrink.

My point wasn't about psychology but rather about biology: the effect of sunlight -- or the lack of it -- on the pineal gland, which is responsible for producing melatonin, a deficiency of which produces cravings for foods that help restore the melatonin levels. (And interesting to consider that as Americans spend more and more time indoors in front of the TV, computer, etc, and less time doing stuff outdoors in bright sunshine, they/we are eating more, too.)

It was just meant as something tossed out there for you to consider.

[felici]

Hi! Thanks for your posts in my diary! I find it easy to be night owl too. I think I would be except for having to fit in with the rest of the world!

[Qjay]

It's all good, renewal; I wasn't upset.
I like the night life, for the most part. I shop when there are no crowds; I don't have to deal with other people at the gym; when I drive, it's never rush hour; and if I need to get anything done during business hours, I have the free time.
It's not perfect, I AM trying to get back on a day schedule as my graduation approaches, but I just like being up at night.

I went over on the food calories today, but I had three meals out, and three snacks in (400-500 calories each, and one of the meals was a truly delicious bean thread soup, lots of veggies and tofu) But I had some less than healthy chinese food for the other two meals out.
I went and worked out again tonight, I had to stop after half an hour because my roomie had exhausted himself and was shaking from it all; but I did get to try some fun stuff. D:
I discovered that I should be able to do chinups again when I get down around 300 lbs, maybe sooner if I keep working my arms and chest, and I can use my legs to press over 400 pounds pretty easily, I maxed out the machine.
Those are a couple of nice little ego boosts and they have me thinking nice thoughts about working out, and excited to go back.
I might not be able to walk a mile quickly, but I still have a lot of good muscle on me, and it is toning up nicely. Just with the "on again, off again" workouts I have been doing, I am able to work out for a good half an hour easily, and 45 minutes if I push it. That's a nice feeling, since everything I do is generally light weights and many, many repetitions.

[felici]

That's exciting about your exercise!! It's great when you're looking forward to it!!