Exercise

I only started this blog yesterday and have way more I want to write about but I should space it out. Until now I've talked mainly about food but of course thats just half the weight loss formula.

After getting out of the hospital I was weak and would get tired very easily for the first 2 weeks. Right after I could feel my spirits and energy levels picking up I started doing Wii Fit - only for a few minutes to judge how fatigued I really was.

Wii Fit is great - I'm not sure about other fat/unproportional people but I sure as heck have no balance or core muscles. I can't do any of the activities which forces me to stand on one foot. The yoga, strength training and balance games all focus on the ability to stand completely still and be more aware of your body and balance. Anyways, when I was forced to stay home for a week, thats what I would try doing. Now, I've been trying to use it once a morning for 30 min for stretches, core balance and cardio boxing. It gives me a bit of an energy boost before heading to work. And also kicks off my body to burn off calories for the rest of the day.

My target for going to the gym has been 5 times a week. So far I've probably only been able to go 3 times a week. I started off just running on the elliptical and got tired after a long 13 minute mile. I've pushed it up to 30 min for 2.75 miles today. Other than cardio, I try to do some weights to build muscles in my back, tummy, arms. I could use extra muscle to help me burn off more.

In January, I'm going to go check out my friend's bootcamp. I'm a little scared since I can't even handle the taunting that the Wii Fit board dishes out. But it'll be good to commit to something every week. Also, I've been on a search for a pool. It's been very tough to find an INDOOR pool in the south bay. It seems that they're either outdoors (but heated) or super expensive or dirty and crowded. I'll keep looking after I come back. I suppose that I didn't realize I live in California where it's theoretically sunny for the majority of the months. Indoor pools are definitely not hard to find in Toronto :)

Alcohol

So the results of multiple blood tests in the last few weeks about my liver have not been promising. My AST/ALT levels are high which means they're no longer inside of my liver. Normally these enzymes stay within the cells of the liver - but when the liver is injured for any reason, these enzymes end up in the blood stream.

Luckily, reading online has mentioned that the exact number doesn't actually reflect liver diseases or how badly the liver is functioning. Also luckily, the liver can repair itself.

So I've been banned from drinking alcohol for good. At least until these levels get under control.

How do I feel about this?

Well it's a blessing in disguise. Alcohol does strange things to blood sugar. Alcohol like beer and mixed drinks add unnecessary carbs and sugars into my body. Alcohol takes days to recover from. And it is quite expensive.

That being said - for about 10 years, it's almost natural to drink. At the dinner table back home in Toronto, we'd have beer or wine. Traveling the world, I've enjoyed the best wines of France, Australia, Canada and of course California. I've developed such an appreciation for Napa Cabs, Niagara Ice Wines, Kelowna Chardonnays, France's Burgundy and Champagne. Ah, not to mention the Sake in Japan. I've enjoyed plenty of clubbing nights, birthday parties, karaoke with drinking games. So many pictures, so many memories, so many friendships and memories were made with alcohol as the catalyst. I used to think Patron was the great thing about California.

That being said - enough is enough and I've had my share. The memories I'll cherish forever. I much rather that forever doesn't end tomorrow or next week.

So I haven't had a drop of beer or wine or sake or any alcohol for a month now. I've given away all my hard liqour or watched as it was being consumed at my house. I've participated in drinking games by drinking water and enjoyed watching the others get intoxicated. It's amusing that when you're completely sober and everyone else is not - you can really have some laughs at their expense :)

I can now volunteer to be designated driver so that's always a bonus. I don't really need the alcohol for me to talk to new people or feel less shy or embarass myself :) So I'm not missing much.

However, I hope that one day I will be able to enjoy a glass of wine or sake again. For the next while though, I'm ok with putting an end to this favourite pastime of mine.

The Plan

In the last 2 weeks while waiting for my Endocrinologist appointment, I read all I could about Pre Diabetes, Diabetes and what that means for my diet. I decided to follow the Glycemic Index to minimize carb intake. Since my cholesterol also was high, I have to go with low fat as well. Kidney problems means that high protein intake won't be good either. So I decided that I could eat unlimited carbs (which includes sugar) that comes from Vegetables and Fruits. I was also missing Iron so I happened upon leafy vegetable alternatives with ample supplies of Iron (bok choy, edamame, gai lan, spinach) Actually the more I read, the more I realized that to easily break through with this diet, I should be vegetarian. Since I want to make a lifestyle change for life and not just a lose weight quick scheme - I didn't think that it would be realistic to cut off my love of meat. At least not cold turkey. (Unlike smoking, which I have quit forever, since a month ago)

Cutting rice is already a huge sacrifice that I'm coping with. Afterall, I can't name of a single Vietnamese dish that does not have rice, tapioca, or noodles.

I cleared out my kitchen cabinets of candy, snacks and carbs and headed to:
1) Trader Joes to stocked up my kitchen with whole wheat: spaghetti, pita, pizza dough, crackers and brown rice for my emergency carb needs.
2) Ranch 99 for all their cheap vegetables, fruits and chicken breasts.
3) Safeway for yogurt, and fresh(er) fruits.
3) Walmart to get new cooking supplies - grater for carrots. pizza dish. wok steaming utensils.

So what did I do after this shopping spree?

I cooked of course!! We've been rotating houses once a week to cook a good healthy dinner. I've experimented with dishes that I've never made before and it's turned out to be a great success so far.

I've regulated my diet to be as follows for the past 2 weeks:

Drinks:
Water (Refill bottle 3 times a day)
Tea

Daily Breakfast:
Choice #1: Low fat yogurt with pomegranate or grapefruit or banana.
Choice #2: Soy milk with Kelloggs Smart Set Cereal (Has a huge dose of iron)

Daily Lunch:
Choice #1: Self serve salad with chicken/turkey cold cuts or tuna (at work)
Choice #2: Whole wheat bread or flax seed sandwich.

Daily Snacks (at 3-4pm):
Choice #1: Fruit (Orange, Banana, Grapefruit)
Choice #2: Edamame
Choice #3: Quaker Rice Cakes

Daily Dinner:
Choice #1: Salad
Choice #2: Cheese and 10-15 Whole Wheat crackers. Grapefruit.
Choice #3: Special Cooking experiments (mentioned in future posts)

Just the beginning...

A month ago I went to the ER for severe menorrhagia which has set me on a completely different course on how I want to live the rest of my life. In the whirlwind of a few days, I found out that I had anemia, kidney, liver problems. Also I found out my fasting blood sugar was way above normal - almost classified as Diabetes.

This was a great birthday present for a 27 year old to do some reflection on how I got to this moment. For those of you that know me, know that I've lived life to the fullest. Ate everything - and everywhere in the world. Drank everything under the sun. Work hard, party hard. Fumbled and made mistakes but always with a big smile. I lived in a suitcase, had friends in every area code, always up to date on Facebook and always up for showing people a good time at Hotel 2. Things always worked out - I must have used up all 9 lives.

But while the priorities of school, work, friends, and everything externally took up my time - I never focused on taking care of myself. I never had a family doctor, dentist. I never went to the gym. There's a whole list of what I never did. And a whole list of things I took for granted.

I can't even say this hit me out of nowhere. Excessive drinking with friends always ended up in not so pleasant morning afters by the ceramic bowl. Smoking made hiking or walking up stairs tough. Wine and fine dining took a toll on the wallet. Also an eye injury in Japan and a tailbone injury in Tahoe set me into reflection mode but as soon as I recovered - I felt invinceable again.

But this is not about regrets. I don't live life with regrets and I never will. I'm glad about this turning point. And I've thought about writing about this lifestyle change. I plan on using this blog to show my take on how I'm going to lose 50 pounds to get out of the pre-diabetes zone and turn around this game of life.

My love of learning new things will result in a lot of postings on the food I've been making and eating.

I'm not looking for pity or support here. Just an outlet which might provide inspiration to someone else going through a similar situation.