Remember the time where you didn't think much about what to drink? Any fruit juice, any soda, any alcohol drink - there wasn't anything that could do you much harm.
As I get older I find this same conversation with others in my circle:
"I've stopped drinking beer"
"I've stopped drinking soda"
"I only drink diet coke now"
"I stopped drinking caffeine"
"I've stopped drinking fruit juices"
"I don't drink alcohol anymore"
And many other variations.
The fact is - there is no lone recommendation that works.
Healthy people can basically drink anything, in moderation. If you are healthy today, I'd definitely enjoy more natural things than sodas.
If you are looking to lose weight, this is the normal transition I see:
1 Stop drinking normal soda - coke/sprite/etc have a lot of sugar per serving and that sugar will become fat if you don't spend it
2 Sweet tea is a really bad idea. It has a lot of sugar. Find out how it's made if you don't believe me.
3 Milkshakes are not a good idea either... not only do they have sugar, they also have fat. You will be surprised at how easily fat piles on by drinking milk. Start monitoring and if you just love milk (like me) consider switching to a 1% variety.
4 Be mindful of fruit juices as part of your overall carb intake. That delicious morning orange juice has a lot of sugar. There are plenty of choices so you don't give up the health benefits, but you will have to read labels and incorporate them as part of your overall day plan.
5 Stop drinking sugary coffee. Real coffee is good by itself. Teas also fit this description.
Those were the obvious ones - one that people don't give up as quickly is alcohol. The range of alcohol consumption varies a lot, but I find IT admins to be mostly heavy drinkers (until they see the light). I myself haven't been able to get away completely from social drinking, even though i'll only have one, max two beers on special occasions, and i'll try to make it a low carb like Michelob Ultra.
If your drinking is making you gain weight, you have a problem. If you are drinking every day, or drinking alone, you are clinically an alcoholic and should question your life choices :)
6 Alcohol, whether it's beer or vodka, all are sugar; and you don't normally go to the gym a couple hours after drinking do you? It's very easy to pile on calories which you will store as soon as you go sleep.
If you have been able to get up to here you have made a big difference in your life - your carbs are not mainly coming from liquids. Here are my final optional recommendations:
6 Don't drink diet soda. It's obviously better than normal soda, but you should go for things that naturally don't have sugar in them, and also don't taste sugary. Try to make the taste of "sweet" something that is extraordinary and not common.
7 Unsweetened tea is a safe go-to when eating out - twisting a lime helps out too.
8 Water. Filtered, great tasting water is the best thing you can drink. I really like Zerowater filters. I try not to buy bottled plastic water. You can even get sparkling water if you don't feel like asking for plain water in a restaurant.
If you are diabetic then you follow everything above in the "looking to lose weight" section, but the last part doesn't become optional - diet sodas, unsweetened iced tea and water become your staple. Apart from unsweetened coffee and tea, you rarely deviate. It is not terribly difficult to find a 1% milk that tastes as good as the milk you take today (I like Lactaid 1%). And really try to avoid alcohol.
Alcohol doesn't interact well with diabetes medications. Alcohol can cause a drop in glucose - but at the same time you still have all that sugar in your body. If you will drink, opt for the least harmful. I don't particuarly like this site because it promotes drinking, but it is a very good list of calories per alcoholic drink. Michelob Ultra, Miller Lite or Coors Light are pretty easy to find in any bar.
http://getdrunknotfat.com/
Hit me up on twitter with any questions and remember - I'm no doctor or expert so take my advice with a grain of salt.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Monday, January 18, 2016
How to handle your daily carb intake
Every diabetic has to know and manage their carb intake. There are many tools and many concepts (glycemic index, glycemic load) that you should know, but the most important thing is having a way to track what you are eating and seeing what it amounts to.
The good news is that all you need for that is paper and a pen. Read the nutritional label, figure out how many servings you ate, write it down. At the end of the day, sum and evaluate.
Simple, but we are in 2016 after all - we can do better. There are many computer assisted ways of doing this. The app that I like the most is very popular - MyFitnessPal . I originally used the meal counter in the Fitbit app but I find this one has a better database and also provides a "Nutrition" section where I can see Carbs, Protein, Fat daily in a very simple manner.
The free version allows only limited customization, but you can adjust how much of your daily calorie intake goes to carbs - which is what we as diabetics want. In the nutritional goal setup, I set my carbs to 35%, protein to 35%, and fats to 30%.
Start with a method and stick to it. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Your future is built little by little - consistency is the key. Be it good or bad, write it down. Face yourself in the mirror on all your decisions, and decide where you want your health to be. If you want to reach out on the app, my username is arielsanchezmora .
The good news is that all you need for that is paper and a pen. Read the nutritional label, figure out how many servings you ate, write it down. At the end of the day, sum and evaluate.
Simple, but we are in 2016 after all - we can do better. There are many computer assisted ways of doing this. The app that I like the most is very popular - MyFitnessPal . I originally used the meal counter in the Fitbit app but I find this one has a better database and also provides a "Nutrition" section where I can see Carbs, Protein, Fat daily in a very simple manner.
The free version allows only limited customization, but you can adjust how much of your daily calorie intake goes to carbs - which is what we as diabetics want. In the nutritional goal setup, I set my carbs to 35%, protein to 35%, and fats to 30%.
Start with a method and stick to it. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Your future is built little by little - consistency is the key. Be it good or bad, write it down. Face yourself in the mirror on all your decisions, and decide where you want your health to be. If you want to reach out on the app, my username is arielsanchezmora .
Quick notes on good and bad carbs
Bad carbs for diabetes are incredible sources of energy. They are absorbed fast and quickly raise your blood glucose. This is the kind of thing you want to eat before going up and down the mountain or doing real work like clearing a field with your bare hands (and that you should avoid if all you are doing is sitting in front of a computer):
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
Sweet stuff like
- Sugar
- Cookies
- Chocolates
- Syrups
Not sweet stuff like:
- Pizza and pasta
- Rice
- Potatoes, especially fried (chips, french fries, etc)
- Bread/pastry
- Alcohol
- Alcohol
There is a simple advice for carbs - avoid white.
Good carbs for diabetics:
- Typically have 20g or less of carbs per serving
- Have low fat and sodium
- Are minimally processed - there are more whole grains in minimally processed foods
- Typically have more fiber dv% than total carb dv% when you read the nutritional label
- Are broken into sugar slower than bad carbs
Examples:
- Thin corn tortillas (not flour)
- Oatmeal or oatmeal based cereals (normal, yellow box cheerios)
- Wheat thins
- Oatmeal or oatmeal based cereals (normal, yellow box cheerios)
- Wheat thins
- Whole grains (brown rice and quinoa for example)
Also while fruits in general are good for you, some fruits have way too much sugar:
- Oranges
- Grapes / raisins
- Bananas
- Pears
- Mangoes
- Pineapple
- Grapes / raisins
- Bananas
- Pears
- Mangoes
- Pineapple
Other fruits will basically become your go-to snack, because you can eat a bunch without them being bad for you:
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
There are a multitude of links out there and you should read them all, diabetic or not. I find I don't always agree with everyone, but I also find that variety is the spice of life - you can't eat the same things every day, but you can learn to adjust. This is a good one http://www.nutritionsecrets.com/good-carbs-bad-carbs-difference/
My first dr visit as a diabetic
With my blood results in, I found myself again in front of my doctor (2 or 3 days after going to the ER and starting Metformin twice a day from that). I was in the proper mindset to receive direction. I thought I had begun taking steps and doing what I needed to do. My doctor however quickly made me see that the changes I would need to do were deeper and more definitive than I previously thought.
Healthy diet and lots of exercise meant different things to him than they meant to me. He also taught me this was a lifestyle change, not a diet or exercise period - this was to be my new life or I would see the consequences. Diabetes doesn't get cured - you adjust to it so it doesn't damage your body so quickly.
His first statement was that now I would avoid carbs like the plague. This means no bread, no rice, no pasta. No sugary kid's cereal, no candy, no sodas, no sugary drinks at all. White meat and vegetables - avoid red meat as much as possible because of my triglycerides. I almost fell out of the chair. Immediately I had questions. Well, what carbs can I eat?
Here is where I learned that there are foods that we can call diabetic friendly. In normal life, you may not think they are very different, but in terms of carb content and glucose, they are very different.
Hey also explained there were no shortcuts or miracle workarounds - no matter how good the food, if you have several servings, it won't be good for you. You have to embrace portion control! And you have to read the nutritional label and be responsible for everything you put in your mouth.
After this quick talk with my doctor i saw that my meals would have to change dramatically. I had to rebase my meals to be mostly leafy or meaty (but not starchy) vegetables and lean protein from poultry and white fishes. The things I bought in the supermarket would need to change, the things I ordered when eating out would have to change, my wife, who is not diabetic, will also have to change - or we will have to eat different things!
The other thing that took me by surprise was what he said was even more important: exercise. Hopefully everyday. At least 30 minutes, but hopefully one hour. Exercise is the only way to decrease blood sugar in a natural manner. You have to spend what you eat!
Wow. For someone that didn't exercise at all that was suddenly a tall order. I don't know how i'm going to do this, but the fact is I have to do it! I had already resolved I would tackle this head on like a man, I would have to learn and adapt!
I left the doctor's office with my head in a whirlwind, but with my mindset that I could tackle on this problem, I opened up google and started reading and investigating. I immediately bought a couple books in amazon and started reading diabetes related material on the internet - which gladly there is a lot of. It is a very widespread disease :'(
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Eating Healthy
Now Now don't just ignore this post!
You don't have to eat like a saint to be healthy...I love eating junk food lol
But it is all about finding a balance. If you are gaining weight that usually means you are consuming more calories than your body needs.
A simple rule about losing weight, eat less and exercise more. Basically if you are taking in less calories than you are burning, you will drop weight.
Managing a healthy diet can be a real pain in the ass, lets be real here. who here has all the time to plan all their meals out properly into nice containers and all the rest?!
If you can great and more power to you, but for me:
You don't have to eat like a saint to be healthy...I love eating junk food lol
But it is all about finding a balance. If you are gaining weight that usually means you are consuming more calories than your body needs.
A simple rule about losing weight, eat less and exercise more. Basically if you are taking in less calories than you are burning, you will drop weight.
Managing a healthy diet can be a real pain in the ass, lets be real here. who here has all the time to plan all their meals out properly into nice containers and all the rest?!
If you can great and more power to you, but for me:
When I am wanting to drop some weight, what has worked for me is upping my exercise routine and using Diet Chef (I am not endorsed by them or anything). Basically you get good quality food delivered to your door, for the month and you just have to heat it up. You get:
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner
Some people say it is expensive, but remember that's your meals for the whole day, and its portion controlled for you off the bat. If you are working out with it, you will defo lose weight, as you will be taking in less calories than you actually need!
I also supplement it with lots of fruit and water/tea. So whenever I feel hungry I have some fruit and drink some tea. It is amazing how quickly your body adjusts. The first week you'll drop a decent amount of weight, as you body flushes out all the rubbish it was storing and no longer needs. You will then continue to loose about 2lbs a week.
Bare in mind, there is no healthy quick fix, it took you ages to get fat (if you are fat) and till take a while to lose it. That is a fact and there isn't anything that can be done about it, so the sooner you start the sooner you'll get there!
Also what I do is when I am on diet chef, 1 day a week I will have a massive blow out and eat whatever I like on that day to excess, from KFC to Burgers to Pizzas. You will be amazed how crap you feel afterwords and how your body hates it, but having that one day a week, wont have a negative impact and will actually have a positive impact. You get to eat whatever you like and your body wont think it is starving so will continue to drop weight at a reasonable rate.
I also mainly eat soups at work in general, easy to make can be stored in my desk and its not unhealthy when compared to a lot of other crap out there!
There is no reason why you cant enjoy food while being healthy. Hey and a lot of people get hung up that they messed up one day of healthy eating. One day wont make a big difference on its own. If you decide to write it all off...then that's bad, but realise shit happens and get back on it the next day....simple. We are only human!
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Fitness Trackers - My Take on Them
Now I find fitness trackers pretty useful and they seem to be all the rage at the moemnt!
I have owned a Jawbone UP24 which I think has now been superseded by Jawbone Up2.
The main reason I bought the jawbone was because it came in orange lol, its my fav colour. But it has plenty of cool features.
Idle Alert - so when you have been sitting around doing nothing for too long, it reminds you to get off your lazy ass!
Step tracking - It counts how many steps you have done each day, you can set goals and the smartphone app will tally it all up and report back how much you have done.
Sleep tracking - It works out how much sleep you have had in total, deep sleep and light sleep and you can see over a period of time how good or bad you are doing ( This feature was one of the main reasons I gave up shift work!)
Food tracking via the app- I never bothered with this, but my brother and friends logged all their food and found it really interesting to see how much they were actually eating.
The app lets you log work outs you have done and the type you have done, and estimated calories burned etc, all very good and if your friends have it too you can be part of the same team and motivate each other etc!
The Jawbone app links to a lot of other apps too, like Run Keeper for example
The main issue with the Jawbone band, which may have been sorted out with the newer versions was that, they were pretty fragile and a bit unreliable at times. My friends lasted about 6 months on average, a year tops. Mine after a year started acting up and the button on the band stopped working, but I could still use it via the app. Sometimes it would just lose all power even when it was nearly full, and then would require a full recharge again (this happened about 5 times in the near 2 years I had it).
Also battery life was never 14 days, I got a week at best
After the jawbone, I decided on a Xiaomi Mi Fitband
This is super cheap like $20 all in, it has a good app, but it doesn't do a lot of the fancy stuff that the Jawbone does.
It does:
Idle Alert
Step Tracking
Sleep Tracking
So the key features, it can be used to unlock your mobile phone too, depending on what version of android etc you are using. It is pretty well built and the battery lasts 30 days...a realistic 30 days! I have used it for 30 days between charging, that is pretty epic!
There are plenty of fake bands about so just be careful when buying. For the price its a total bargain as far as I am concerned!
You can look back over the last week/month etc and see how much you've done on average, also there are other fitness bands, so find one you like at the right price point to get you going.
These are just 2 I have used so I can comment on.
The app isn't as invasive as the Jawbone. The Jawbone app would always give you updates and tell you , that you were being lazy etc and tell you at around midday how much you had or hadn't done. The App for the Mi Fitband doesn't do any of that, you have to go into it to get an idea of where you're at, and the app doesn't link to anything else apart from Google Fit App, which is OK but nothing special. But then again look at how much you are paying for it!
I have owned a Jawbone UP24 which I think has now been superseded by Jawbone Up2.
The main reason I bought the jawbone was because it came in orange lol, its my fav colour. But it has plenty of cool features.
Idle Alert - so when you have been sitting around doing nothing for too long, it reminds you to get off your lazy ass!
Step tracking - It counts how many steps you have done each day, you can set goals and the smartphone app will tally it all up and report back how much you have done.
Sleep tracking - It works out how much sleep you have had in total, deep sleep and light sleep and you can see over a period of time how good or bad you are doing ( This feature was one of the main reasons I gave up shift work!)
Food tracking via the app- I never bothered with this, but my brother and friends logged all their food and found it really interesting to see how much they were actually eating.
The app lets you log work outs you have done and the type you have done, and estimated calories burned etc, all very good and if your friends have it too you can be part of the same team and motivate each other etc!
The Jawbone app links to a lot of other apps too, like Run Keeper for example
The main issue with the Jawbone band, which may have been sorted out with the newer versions was that, they were pretty fragile and a bit unreliable at times. My friends lasted about 6 months on average, a year tops. Mine after a year started acting up and the button on the band stopped working, but I could still use it via the app. Sometimes it would just lose all power even when it was nearly full, and then would require a full recharge again (this happened about 5 times in the near 2 years I had it).
Also battery life was never 14 days, I got a week at best
After the jawbone, I decided on a Xiaomi Mi Fitband
This is super cheap like $20 all in, it has a good app, but it doesn't do a lot of the fancy stuff that the Jawbone does.
It does:
Idle Alert
Step Tracking
Sleep Tracking
So the key features, it can be used to unlock your mobile phone too, depending on what version of android etc you are using. It is pretty well built and the battery lasts 30 days...a realistic 30 days! I have used it for 30 days between charging, that is pretty epic!
There are plenty of fake bands about so just be careful when buying. For the price its a total bargain as far as I am concerned!
You can look back over the last week/month etc and see how much you've done on average, also there are other fitness bands, so find one you like at the right price point to get you going.
These are just 2 I have used so I can comment on.
The app isn't as invasive as the Jawbone. The Jawbone app would always give you updates and tell you , that you were being lazy etc and tell you at around midday how much you had or hadn't done. The App for the Mi Fitband doesn't do any of that, you have to go into it to get an idea of where you're at, and the app doesn't link to anything else apart from Google Fit App, which is OK but nothing special. But then again look at how much you are paying for it!
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Exercising while having a desk job!
So all this exercising lark....I mean what is it all about?!
Working in any desk job especially IT related jobs, involve a lot of sitting around and usually with bad posture!
People seem to think that you have to have some bIg work out routine, or start big. Neither is true, trust me on this!
Now the stuff I am going to recommend I really like, I am not endorsed by them in any way, it has just worked for me.
I am a big fan of workouts at home, that are short and sweet and to the point, there are simple workouts out there for everyone. You can do them in your hotel room, on your lunch break, as soon as you walk in the door from work.
Insanity Max 30
T25
Les Mills Combat
DDP Yoga
RKS Kettle Bell
All these DVD sets have work outs that are around the 30 min mark give or take a few minutes either side. So no real excuse not to do them. I own them all and I randomly pick a workout and go through it. It probably isn't the best way to do it, but it keeps it fresh and it keeps me active.
For me I have to do the workout as soon as I walk in the door, if I do anything else, I most likely wont get round to working out. The key is always what is more important to you, as you'll either find a way....or find an excuse my friend!
Also you are doing it in your own home, no one can see you or cares that you have to stop 15 times during the workout, all you have to worry about is finishing it...that is all...just get to the end.
When I worked nights at around 1am I would take my lunch break and spend 30 mins working out, using one of these DVDs on my laptop and then jump in the shower. It was a good way to stay awake and to use my time wisely!
There are loads of other DVD options, find something that works for you...that is the key.
Start small, these workouts require you to train 5 days a week for 30 mins a day on average, that can be pretty daunting, or you will start and then find it too hard. The key is you don't have to do the 5 days, you could start doing only 2 and just make your way through the workout routine till the end, it'll take you longer but you can easily build yourself up!
SoME people prefer to workout at the gym, and that is fine too. Just make sure the gym is pretty close to your work or home, otherwise it'll be too easy to find excuses. Also hire a personal trainer for a couple of sessions at the start and every so often, so you have someone to show you whats up and to keep tabs on your progress. I don't know about you lot, but if I am spending money...I make sure I get my moneys worth out of it! Just bare in mind most gyms make their profit from the memberships...THAT NEVER GET USED!
Some people prefer cardio, some prefer weights, some prefer to mix it up. All are fine, just get busy doing something, trust me you'll work it out as you go. People always want a master plan in place, and time and again in my life, I keep realising the best thing to do is just start, and stuff will work itself out and you'll figure it out. Just make the decision to start getting fit and make those small continuous steps towards it...THAT IS ALL!
Working in any desk job especially IT related jobs, involve a lot of sitting around and usually with bad posture!
People seem to think that you have to have some bIg work out routine, or start big. Neither is true, trust me on this!
Now the stuff I am going to recommend I really like, I am not endorsed by them in any way, it has just worked for me.
I am a big fan of workouts at home, that are short and sweet and to the point, there are simple workouts out there for everyone. You can do them in your hotel room, on your lunch break, as soon as you walk in the door from work.
Insanity Max 30
T25
Les Mills Combat
DDP Yoga
RKS Kettle Bell
All these DVD sets have work outs that are around the 30 min mark give or take a few minutes either side. So no real excuse not to do them. I own them all and I randomly pick a workout and go through it. It probably isn't the best way to do it, but it keeps it fresh and it keeps me active.
For me I have to do the workout as soon as I walk in the door, if I do anything else, I most likely wont get round to working out. The key is always what is more important to you, as you'll either find a way....or find an excuse my friend!
Also you are doing it in your own home, no one can see you or cares that you have to stop 15 times during the workout, all you have to worry about is finishing it...that is all...just get to the end.
When I worked nights at around 1am I would take my lunch break and spend 30 mins working out, using one of these DVDs on my laptop and then jump in the shower. It was a good way to stay awake and to use my time wisely!
There are loads of other DVD options, find something that works for you...that is the key.
Start small, these workouts require you to train 5 days a week for 30 mins a day on average, that can be pretty daunting, or you will start and then find it too hard. The key is you don't have to do the 5 days, you could start doing only 2 and just make your way through the workout routine till the end, it'll take you longer but you can easily build yourself up!
SoME people prefer to workout at the gym, and that is fine too. Just make sure the gym is pretty close to your work or home, otherwise it'll be too easy to find excuses. Also hire a personal trainer for a couple of sessions at the start and every so often, so you have someone to show you whats up and to keep tabs on your progress. I don't know about you lot, but if I am spending money...I make sure I get my moneys worth out of it! Just bare in mind most gyms make their profit from the memberships...THAT NEVER GET USED!
Some people prefer cardio, some prefer weights, some prefer to mix it up. All are fine, just get busy doing something, trust me you'll work it out as you go. People always want a master plan in place, and time and again in my life, I keep realising the best thing to do is just start, and stuff will work itself out and you'll figure it out. Just make the decision to start getting fit and make those small continuous steps towards it...THAT IS ALL!
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