Would you Like to Reduce your Medication – Maybe come off it entirely?

Leo Ford – His Story

My name is Catherine and my husband Leo is shown below in this blog post about his story

Leo was born just after the Second World War when life was very different to today. He was born in London England and there was still rationing after the Second World War. Sugar was the last thing to come off rationing and that was not until 1955.

So when he went to school in 1952 all of the children were stick thin. There were no processed foods and very few chocolates, cookies or cakes. Also in those days there were very few cars and everyone walked everywhere. So we can say his lifestyle and his diet defined his size and his health.

In that respect (being stick thin) he was like his peers, in another respect he was very different – he came from a family of diabetics. His mother was a diabetic as were most of her family members. Diabetes is not always genetic, but when over 80% of your maternal family are diabetic it is not random.

He was not himself a diabetic that is until he went for a routine blood test when he was 60, probably the first visit to a doctor in 30 years. Continue reading “Would you Like to Reduce your Medication – Maybe come off it entirely?”

De-Mystifying Colesterol!

Let’s Learn about Cholesterol Together

Every time I go to a doc and have tests, I hear about cholesterol but I’ve never really understood why its so important and how can I make my levels turn into good ones. So, in educating myself, I have researched it and following is some of the information I have learned.

Image of heartattackvictim, copyright Microsoft.

I’m sure we all have heard that Heart Disease is the number one killer of men and women in the US and in most of the western world. My own husband has a history of heart disease. A heart attack in 2006, followed by by-pass surgery and 4 by-passes. Afterwards, he made some major life-style changes in exercise and diet. He is doing very well at this point over 14 years later.

Elevated cholesterol is one of the factors in heart disease. As a diabetic, and obese, I definitely have an interest in preventing heart disease or atherosclerosis. Continue reading “De-Mystifying Colesterol!”

My Lab Report/A1c level

Latest Lab Report

I received my latest lab report from my endocrinologist (diabetes doc) today. As I suspected, it was not so great. I knew my BG (blood glucose) had been out of control before I saw him last and I was correct. My A1c (glucose attached to red blood cells) was 9.1 with my average glucose level of 219.8. Last December 2nd my average A1c was between 6-6.5 (much better than later this year).

An average A1c for a normal person is between 4-6. Diabetics should really work to get their average below 7. Continued high BG levels make complications such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, vision and feet issues much more likely to occur. I certainly don’t want any of those issues. Continue reading “My Lab Report/A1c level”

My Healthy Smoothie Recipe

Image of smoothie blending, copyright Microsoft.

Drinking my Smoothie

I’m sitting here typing and enjoying my delicious healthy smoothie. Since I’m really concentrating on healing my fatty liver right now, I’ve been fixing myself smoothies with healthy ingredients.

I’ve purchased a Hamilton Beach, single serve smoothie blender (not expensive at all, under $20) to use when I make my smoothies.

Here is the recipe I used for this one. Continue reading “My Healthy Smoothie Recipe”

Apple Cider Vinegar Every Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Its the Apples Dummy!

We have all hear the saying:

An Apple a day Keeps the Doctor Away”

Well instead of an apple a day, I take two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (ACV) before a large meal. The pectin in apples is an insoluble fiber that induces a feeling of fullness. Apple Cider Vinegar does this also. By drinking water with a couple of tablespoons of ACV, I can get a feeling of fullness from the fiber. It also helps me to not binge eat at night – a failing of mine when I get too hungry. Continue reading “Apple Cider Vinegar Every Day Keeps the Doctor Away”

Why I eat Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil Has Had a Bad Rap!

Yes coconut oil is a saturated fat, which is bad, right? Not always. In the case of coconut oil, the saturated fat takes the form of lauric acid, which is a medium-chain fat that metabolizes more easily into energy and does not store as fat.

As for coconut oil being a saturated fat; all saturated fats are not equal. Some saturated fats like coconut oil are found naturally while others are manipulated into a saturated state through hydrogenation. This is a process where hydrogen atoms are added to the oil to arrive at the end product which is a thick, rancid oil that has a longer shelf life. They are sometimes called trans fats.

Coconut oil is powerful because of its lauric acid and medium chain fatty acids.

The composition of coconut oil elevates the LDL levels and prevents atherosclerosis. This helps repair slow neural pathways and can improve cognitive functions and memory. Continue reading “Why I eat Coconut Oil”

Obsessed with my Liver!

Here I go again about the liver!

Image of liver in body, copyright Microsoft

I might seem to be somewhat obsessed about my liver (lol!) but the more I read, the more I become concerned about my “Fatty Liver Disease”. According Dr. Sandra Cabot, fatty Liver can:

Ruin your health
Make you overweight
Stop you from losing weight
Make you diabetic
Cause cirrhosis and liver failure.

Well, folks, I don’t have good health, I’m extremely overweight with a BMI of 49, its almost impossible for me to lose weight, I’m already diabetic, and while I do not have cirrhosis or liver failure – that’s in my future if I don’t do something about it. We only have one liver and when it fails, the only solution is a liver transplant. I certainly do not want to come to that stage. Continue reading “Obsessed with my Liver!”

Sleep and Weight Loss

We need our Beauty Sleep

Image of Woman Sleeping, copyright Microsoft

As a prolific reader, I’m always reading something, especially about health. Last week I was reading an eBook called “Lights Out – Sleep, Sugar and Survival.”

I learned I really need to turn off all lights when I sleep (I have a bad habit of falling asleep with the light on). The book said we really need a little more than 9 hours of sleep per night. Well, I get no where near that, probably averaging 4 hours each night. The authors state:

“The disastrous slide in the health of the American people corresponds to the increase in light-generating night activities and the carbohydrate consumption that follows.”

Continue reading “Sleep and Weight Loss”

Liver and weight loss!

So what has liver got to do with weight loss?

Evidently quite a bit. Like many overweight people and diabetics, I have “fatty liver disease”. So what is it?

One definition says this:

Fatty liver, also known as fatty liver disease (FLD), is a reversible condition wherein large vacuoles of triglyceride fat accumulate in liver cells via the process of steatosis (i.e., abnormal retention of lipids within a cell). Despite having multiple causes, fatty liver can be considered a single disease that occurs worldwide in those with excessive alcohol intake and the obese (with or without effects of insulin resistance).

While I’m not much of an alcohol drinker, I am definitely obese. Fatty liver can worsen, even to the point of destroying the liver, requiring a liver transplant. It reduces your lifespan by years. And right now, for me, it is probably most of the reason for my insulin resistance, along with some of the medications I’m on. Insulin resistance can make it almost impossible to lose weight …

so I hate it and I’m going to do something about it.

Continue reading “Liver and weight loss!”

Started my own personal “Biggest Loser” program today

Losing that body fat

Image of fat woman working out, copyright Microsoft

My friends in my water aerobic class have been debating what to do exercise-wise when we can no longer go to the outdoor pool. That day is pretty much here unless we get some very warm weather next week. We all dread stopping for the winter and getting all out of shape again, losing what ground we had gained since June. Several of us, plus our instructor, have decided to have our own “Biggest Loser” program.

Today each of us weighed in and got our body fat percentages logged. We are going through October up to Thanksgiving to see who can lose the most body body fat percentage. Of course I was one of the worst with a body fat percent of 49.

We worked out at the gym for an hour doing some cardio (I rode the recumbent bike while they did step aerobics) and some sitting weight lifting. Some of us also stayed for a 30 minute “ab” workout in a chair and on the floor.

I was pretty tired afterwards and figure I’ll be sore tonight, but I’m going to do this 3x/week now and water aerobics whenever I can get to an indoor pool this fall/winter. I’m hoping to really build some muscle and get that body fat down. Hopefully next spring I’ll be posting a new “skinny” picture of me. Continue reading “Started my own personal “Biggest Loser” program today”