automated eating tracker

Counting carbs/calories is a drag. Obsessive scale stepping is a recipe for despair. If you want to count something, "days on habit" is a much better metric. Checking off days on a calendar would do just fine, but if you do it here you get accountability and support. Here's how. Start a new topic in this forum called (say) "Your Name Daily Check In." Then every N day post a "reply" to that topic as to whether you stayed on habit. A simple "<font color="green">SUCCESS</font>" or "<font color="red">FAILURE</font>" (or your preferred euphemism if that's too harsh) is sufficient, but obviously you're welcome to write more if you want. On S-days just register that you're taking an S-day. You don't have to do this forever, just until you're confident you've built the habit. Feel free to check in weekly or monthly or sporadically instead of daily. Feel free also to track other habits besides No-s (I'm keeping this forum under No-s because that's what the vast majority are using it for). See also my <a href="/habitcal/">HabitCal</a> tool for another more formal (and perhaps complementary) way to track habits.

Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Thu Dec 12, 2019 2:04 pm

Good morning Auto. I'm so sorry you had such a rough day on Tuesday. It sounds like you handled it very well. Crying is therapeutic and helpful. I'm glad you had some support too. It takes time to move past troubling incidents. None of us is perfect. We all make mistakes and are human. I hope you're able to let it go and move on, learning what can be learned from it. I hope today is a good one for you!

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Thu Dec 12, 2019 3:10 pm

Thanks Soprano and Alene! I really do feel much better, and I'm a little surprised at how quickly I went from "full on basketcase" to "settled and contemplative" about the incident. I'm grateful for my great friends (and my great forum friends, too!), and I know that I have learned from this experience.

Thursday, December 12

117.6
FBG: 95mg/dL
I have made what I consider to be an insight into fasting blood sugar. When we describe "fasting" blood sugar, I always have considered that to be my "first thing in the morning" level. However, after using my CGM for almost a month, I have seen repeatedly that my "fasting" level is actually my "set-point" level. This is the blood sugar that my body remains at when there is no food being handled. So, this "95" for today is where I will settle before and then a few hours after each meal. Just like we all probably have a "set-point" for weight, so I now believe it is with fasting blood glucose. Which means that lowering it requires patience and coaxing. :-)
Sleep Score: 87
Resting HR: 70

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, round steak
L: modest portion of yogurt w/berries, walnuts
D: fajita meat, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese
decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
Hoping for another good walking day like yesterday.
Also I've been diligent in my mobility work and pull-ups this week.
I did go on a short walk, but not too impressive for my steps today.

Do you know - that by the time today is over I will have driven to my kids' school 4X? And to my work twice?
No wonder I don't feel like I was able to get a lot of work done today.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Dec 13, 2019 1:52 pm

Friday, December 13

FBG: 90mg/dL - not only is this number a big improvement, but I stayed lower all night long.
Sleep Score: 78 (good quality, but not long enough!)
Resting HR: 70

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, (will be) steak or eggs? or both?
L: yogurt w/chia seeds & berries, walnuts
D: steak, a few tortilla chips w/artichoke dip
decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
Tired today. I think I'll walk - aim for 10k steps but I have low expectations today, ha!

Creator and I are going to see Flowerpup (and the rest of her litter) today! She is almost 4 weeks old. Every so often I take him to "socialize" puppies, so he thinks that's all we're doing today. When we're there, I'm going to surprise him that we are actually getting a puppy this time. :-)

My fasting blood glucose is finally nudging downward, but I'm astounded at how low carb I've had to go to get this result (I still don't count anything, but I would guess I'm at about 20g/day this week). I'm watching with interest, but mulling things over.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Fri Dec 13, 2019 2:09 pm

How exciting to go visit your pup, and how much fun to tell your son you actually get to keep one! Have fun today.

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:53 pm

Can't wait to hear how the visit went :)
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Dec 14, 2019 5:31 pm

The puppies were adorable! They are just so sweet and still so tiny. Creator was over the moon when he asked, "oh mom please can we get one?" and I was like "OK, sure". :-) What a moment! I got a great pic of him holding the one we think we are getting (there are only two females, and I can't even tell them apart, lol). All 7 puppies are pure black.

Saturday, December 14

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 2 hard-boiled eggs
L: steak and broccoli w/cheese (broccoli is an excellent low-carb source of vitamin c, and parmesan cheese is the highest dairy calcium source - winner combo!)
D: salad w/cheese, tuna fish, pickles, pumpkin seeds
decaf coffee w/half&half

In-laws will be here the next 2 nights. Challenger has 3 basketball games this weekend; Creator has all-day rehearsal and then 2 performances tomorrow. BUSY.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Sun Dec 15, 2019 3:24 pm

Enjoy your busy weekend!

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sun Dec 15, 2019 9:39 pm

Sunday, December 15

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, 3 hard-boiled eggs
L: 2 of those eggs as starbuck's; a latte, fried chicken
sugar-free jello
D: chicken drumstick, broccoli w/cheese
decaf coffee w/milk

Moving
At 15k steps already - looking for 20k steps today! Mission accomplished!

Blood sugar wonky today. Woke up about 104 - then up to 115 with just coffee. Stayed elevated while walking and then spiked when I had a latte.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Mon Dec 16, 2019 3:58 pm

Monday, December 16

FBG: 94mg/dL
Weight: 116.4lbs
Sleep Score: 90!
Resting HR: 69

Eating
B: coffee w/milk (can you tell I"m out of cream and half&half?), eating out w/ in-laws for breakfast - got scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and cream cheese.
L: cheddar cheese, chicken thigh
D: fish fried in pork rinds, tartar sauce
2 TBSPs apple cider vinegar (diluted in a cup of water)

Moving
Couple walks planned. Some bodyweight work. 13.5K steps - check.

Just to be sure, I had my thyroid gland checked last week. I've read that low-carb can affect it, so I got my full panel tested (didn't go through a doctor, I just paid an online service and then went to a lab! So cool that we can do that!!!). Anyway, it came back beautiful. I was firmly in the middle on all of the different tests. That was a good relief.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Mon Dec 16, 2019 6:34 pm

Great news re the test

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Tue Dec 17, 2019 2:49 pm

Thanks Soprano! I think next I'm going to get a full lipid panel - maybe some time in January.

Tuesday, Dec. 17

Sleep Score: 72
Resting HR:
FBG: 98

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 3 hard-boiled eggs, 2 TBSPs diluted apple cider vinegar
L: tuna fish w/yogurt, cheese, pickles and walnuts - this lunch really fills me up
D: broccoli w/cheese; grilled chicken w/guacamole
will have some decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
Great walking today - 17k steps
I also did as many push-ups as I could before I collapsed. :roll:
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Dec 18, 2019 3:49 pm

Wednesday, Dec. 18

117.4
FBG: 97
Sleep Score: 85
Resting HR: 70

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 3 hard-boiled eggs
L: yogurt w/chia seeds & a strawberry, walnuts
D: grilled chicken & guacamole & a few slices of pear
bone broth, decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
Good walks today and some nice bodyweight work - 17k steps
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Thu Dec 19, 2019 1:36 pm

How has your BG been doing throughout the day? Have you made any new discoveries about what works best? Ready for your break?!

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Thu Dec 19, 2019 2:44 pm

Thanks, Alene! I am ready for break! Most definitely! :-) Oh, and my BG has been boring (that's a good thing!) Reducing the yogurt did the trick.

Thursday, Dec. 19

116.2lbs
Sleep Score: 71 (ugh - I didn't feel well during the night - nausea - took pepto bismol which helped - then had to get up an hour early to take Challenger to an early morning basketball practice...!)
Resting HR: 71

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 4 hard-boiled eggs, 1 square of cheese
L: rotisserie chicken & a clementine
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
Good walks and starting my new daily "to failure" reps. Push-ups (I can only do about 10 true ones with perfect form); pull-ups (I can do 2 real ones and 4 of the "chin" ups); and 1-legged squats, which I'm not counting, just enduring.....
12k steps so far.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

User avatar
liveitup
Posts: 265
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2016 4:17 am
Location: California

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by liveitup » Fri Dec 20, 2019 4:12 am

Wow, lots has happened! Good luck to you Auto, and glad that things have settled down.
BMI March 2021: 28
Using NoS to eliminate emotional eating.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Dec 20, 2019 1:53 pm

Thanks liveitup! :-)

Friday, Dec. 20

115.8lbs
FBG: 100
Resting HR: 70
Morning BP: 114/71
Sleep Score: 84

Eating
B: bone broth, coffee w/half&half, (will be) hard-boiled eggs
L: tuna fish w/yogurt, walnuts, cheese & pickles
D: movie popcorn, which no surprise took me up to 160mg/dL and then crashed me down to 42mg/dL. I now have three confirmed reactive hypoglycemia events - all from junk food: french fries, pizza, and now movie popcorn.

Moving
Busy day today - work, then FlowerPup visit (she's almost 5 weeks old!), then Star Wars!!
I'd still like to get in good walks, but we'll see.
Updates - Star Wars was PERFECT, rainy walk was peaceful, and the bummers of the day were that we didn't get to see FlowerPup after all, and I waited at the Verizon Kiosk for 2.5 hours and the phone issue is still not resolved. But the movie and the night walk in the rain helped so greatly.
Pushups mostly to failure.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Dec 21, 2019 4:14 pm

Saturday, Dec 21

Today is Challenger's 14th birthday! He has 2 basketball games, Creator has 2 basketball games, and we have rescheduled to go see Flowerpup today. We'll get dinner at a place of Challenger's choosing, then have an ice cream cake.

FBG: 98
Resting HR: 72
Sleep Score: 82

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, 4 hard-boiled eggs
L: chicken w/cheese & guacamole
D: toppings off Challenger's BD pizza and a VERY small slice of ice cream cake.
I think I have found the "carb load" I have to stay under in order to avoid a reactive hypoglycemia event. I think it's 40g carbs in a sitting. The three confirmed episodes were all in the 50 - 60g range.
Tonight I chose to scrape the toppings off of Challenger's pizza. I was thrilled that this gave me enjoyable "mouth feel" without a massive glucose spike. Then I had the tiniest sliver of ice cream birthday cake and didn't even finish that. I was NOT wanting to go down the reactive hypoglycemia rabbit hole tonight. So! Good decisions and so far, so good on the blood glucose meter. Still possible to see the reaction, but I'm hoping I was careful enough to avoid an episode.

Moving
I'm contemplating a 2020 "get ripped" plan. LOL!! JK (sort of). Seriously, though, I'm looking into some strange plans in which I do push-ups, pull-ups, and 1-legged squats to failure EVERY day. Sounds a little crazy, and maybe is (recovery wise). I'm still researching. But what's intriguing to me is that every day is always much easier for habit-building than 2-3 times a week, as usually recommended for resistance training. I would never try to walk 2-3 times a week - it's got to be a daily thing to keep it prioritized in my life. Anyway, I'm still reading about some approaches.
Update - I'm having a great time just browsing through exercise physiology journals and reading up on the newest and greatest theories! Ha! Ideas just get recycled in the diet and fitness world. 8) It's fun to read about though. Ultimately, the resistance work I should do is what I will do....! Same as with my cardio - which turns out to mean that walk/jogs are my perfect fit.

Saw Flowerpup and her siblings today! We had so much fun. They are 5 weeks old and the sweetest little babies. Such joy to get to cuddle them and see Creator so happy and excited for our new addition.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

ladybird30
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sun May 07, 2017 10:41 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by ladybird30 » Sun Dec 22, 2019 5:25 am

I take your point about daily exercise being better for habit building. I find that it can take up to
5 days for my muscles to fully recover from a hammering, but that is just me. 1 or 2 days per week of
any particular exercise such as a long walk or bike ride or strength training is sufficient for maintenance or slow
improvement without putting too much stress on my 64 yr old bod.
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Sun Dec 22, 2019 2:12 pm

Auto, I bet seeing the pup was the best!! I'm glad you're finding out the sweet spot for your carb load. All this experimenting is paying off. Good luck figuring out your workout plan. As you say, finding what you will do and enjoy is the key.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sun Dec 22, 2019 2:46 pm

Hi Ladybird!! Well, whatever you are doing obviously works - you are one of my "active ladies" role models! And when you're not exercising with your friends, you are cleaning with them or doing other house projects! You are amazing. :-)

Alene - yesterday was really great! Challenger is still.... well, challenging.... but he has gotten a little gentler in the past 6 months. I really do think he is so special.

Sunday, Dec. 22

FBG: 100
Sleep Score: 80
Resting HR: 70

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, 3.5 hard-boiled eggs (HappyHerder got 1/2 of one)
L: liver w/bacon & onions, 2 or 3 pear slices, 1 clementine slice, 2BBQ chicken wings - dammit, I don't know exactly why but this meal sent me up to 160mg/dL and now I've begun the nasty slide into hypoglycemia. **SWEARING**
D: a bunch of parmesan cheese crisps & a diet coke (because I'm pissed, yes)
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
Mobility - check
1-legged squats - check
bear crawl - check
push-ups - check
pull-ups - check
superman - check
bridge - check
handstand - check

From the book I'm reading on calisthenics:

"Hard work beats talent when talent isn't working hard."
"Calisthenics from its 2 Greek roots: - Kalos = beautiful; Sthenos = strength"
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Mon Dec 23, 2019 1:46 pm

Monday, Dec. 23

FBG: 107
Resting HR: 68
Morning BP: 108/63
Sleep Score: 80

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half, 4 hard-boiled eggs, 1 pear slice
L: 2 bites of steak, a couple handfuls of parmesan cheese crisps, sugar-free jello
D: beef salad bowl w/guacamole
decaf w/cream

Moving
Morning Mobility Routine - takes about 10 min
Integral Strength Routine
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Tue Dec 24, 2019 3:44 pm

Tuesday, Dec. 24

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

Resting HR: 70
Sleep Score: 80
FBG: 105

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 1 clementine, 4 hard-boiled eggs - delightful that my BG only went up 10mg/dL! A morning clementines is allowed! :-)
glass of apple cider vinegar - diluted with water
L: yogurt w/ 2 strawberries and an ounce of macadamia nuts (Before eating BG: 97mg/dL; 1 hour: 103; 2 hour: 80; 3 hour: 100 - wow! What a nice response to this lunch!
decaf coffee w/cream
D: steak, salad, artichoke dip with a few tortilla chips
decaf w/cream and a couple squares of 92% chocolate

Moving
:arrow: Mobility Work
GMB Integral Strength
I'm sensing a good walk today. :-) Yep, got a long one in.
I think I have a great plan for my "integral" strength in 2020, but I'm fiddling over how to keep track. I have items on my coach.me app, but that isn't feeling right. And it takes a bit longer than I'd like to track the various exercises here (thus today I just put "integral strength" - which honestly includes the mobility warmup so I could just write the whole thing as Integral Strength and be done with it.). But I need to have them listed somewhere in order to keep track best. But I don't use paper for much of anything anymore. So an app makes sense. Anyway. Still pondering. I'm still joking that I'm going to "get ripped" in 2020. :lol: :mrgreen:

Reading a GREAT book: Your Diabetes Questions Answered by Jenny Ruhl. She has been living with Type II diabetes for 20 years (and testing her blood sugar), and this book takes things to a new level. For real, all of my questions like - will my fasting glucose ever come down? and - is it damaging to have fasting glucose slightly high if postprandial numbers are fine? - etc., she tackles and having someone at least give discussion to these questions is enormously validating. If you know anyone that is dealing with blood sugar regulation problems, I highly highly recommend this book. It's not technical - it's practical. Oh so practical and reasonable and moderate and tolerant. She's like a breath of fresh air to the fear I sometimes experience about my blood sugar. And what a role model! She's 71 now. I'm definitely giving this book a 5 star review on Amazon.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Dec 25, 2019 2:46 pm

Wednesday, Dec 25th!

Merry Christmas! Creator and I are the early birds here, and we got up and opened our stockings. I got a beautiful 2020 calendar. Love it! Now waiting for Sexy and Challenger so that we can open presents. :-)

Weight: 117.2lbs
FBG: 110 :roll:
Sleep Score: 85

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 92% dark chocolate, bacon & eggs & a clementine! BG peaked at 122; now down to 111 2hours post-prandial. I'm making a sort of goal (I think) to prevent going above 120mg/dL with any meal or treat. My fasting BG is darn stubborn, but I feel that preventing postprandial excursions will still keep me safe from blood sugar complications (fingers crossed I'm right about this).
L: macadamia nuts, yogurt w/2 strawberries (very stable BG for hours after this meal - was it just the blueberries that were giving me trouble before?)
D: leftover steak, salad, and a few tortilla chips w/artichoke dip
decaf coffee w/cream and some dark chocolate

going to try a pre-bed protein snack to see if it helps my FBG. Ideas could be: hard-boiled egg, or a piece of cheese. Note that neither of these are pure protein, but also have fat. I could also have a cup of bone broth at night (10g protein, no fat). These are experiments I will do.
Last night I had diluted apple cider vinegar. I DO see a quick response to this, a lowering of about 10mg/dL from the vinegar. However, my BG quickly rebounds back to its typical 100-ish. I'll keep using it though to see what other trends crop up.

Moving
What I've realized here is that I need to just memorize the steps in my morning mobility routine and strength work, which this morning I finally didn't have to refer to the chart, so that's progress.
*single arm circles - backward and forward
*arm crossing
*hip circles
*squats - side to side
*squat circles
*5 bodyweight squats
*straight arm elbow rotations
*wrist stretches - side to side, reverse, forward
*Bear walk
*A-frame pulses
*Cobra Side to Side
*Bridge Work
*Superman
*handstand
*push-ups

Then throughout the day I'll look to get in more sets of push-ups, and do some pull-ups, 1-legged squats, and more handstands.

I'm torn between wanting to just make "more activity" part of my day, and trying to focus on specifically improving, for example, on my bridge (which is not a bridge, and sucks royally). As I typed this sentence, I sensed that my higher priority is just more activity consistently throughout the day. If that is the case, then just lots of little things should be my plan for 2020.

Got in a very long walk with HappyHerder! Couple hours.

I loved that Jenny Ruhl book so much (the diabetes questions answered) that I got her book called "Diets 101: The truth about low-carb diets". She's been living low-carb for 20 years to manage her diabetes and seems to know pretty much every tricky scenario. She claims that for people with blood sugar regulation problems, the significant advantage of low-carb is that since it flattens out the blood glucose spikes and falls, it thereby reduces hunger. For people without blood sugar regulation problems, they may not experience that amazing benefit. If I follow this line of thinking, it helps explain why for me - breakfast cereal of any kind, no matter how "healthy", always made me ravenous 2 hours later. But we all know people that can have oatmeal for breakfast and not be hungry again until lunch. Those people wouldn't see any hunger advantage eating low-carb. Fascinating so far. This book and the one before have kind of opened my eyes to the delightful experience of reading a book by a true master in their field. As opposed to a book that perhaps a doctor wrote that generalizes scientific ideas and distills them down to one way of doing things for everyone - and simply doesn't address the nuances of human behavior. Indeed, look here on our NoS Forum. Those of us that find long-term success make our way of eating OUR OWN. We find what works for OUR bodies, not what worked for someone else or "should" work for everyone. And I think because we all embrace this philosophy, that's why we have eaters of all different styles on our forum and yet we all support one another. On this Christmas morning, let me just say how much I love this forum and the tolerant and caring people on it. :-)
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Wed Dec 25, 2019 9:50 pm

We love you too and how willing you are to share what you are learning.

I have just finished reading the obesity code by Dr Fung, some interesting thoughts there re the impact of insulin.

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Thu Dec 26, 2019 1:51 pm

I'm so glad that you enjoyed the book so much, and got so much value from it. I love when I find a book like that that just "speaks" to me down to my bones. I'm continuing to enjoy reading about your experiments. It sounds like your Christmas was off to a good start!

I also really love this forum and of course the people here, who are so wise, kind, and tolerant of each person doing their own experiments and figuring out what will work best for themselves. It's very freeing to let go of hard and fast rules and truly begin to listen to your own body's signals and wisdom. You are a very big part of why I enjoy this board so much! Thanks for all the ongoing encouragement and wisdom to myself and others.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Thu Dec 26, 2019 3:30 pm

Thank you Soprano and Alene for the Christmas virtual hugs of acceptance. :wink: :mrgreen:
Alene, Christmas was really wonderful. Peaceful, pleasurable, and joyful. I am savoring this Christmas vacation with my kiddos and hubby.

Soprano, I have enjoyed reading Dr. Fung's books, for sure. He has a simple way of explaining complex science.
I have never been convinced enough to try intermittent fasting, however; and as time passes and more data specific to women and long-term fasting issues, I think that might turn out to be the best decision for (most) women. We shall see, and like everything else, we are individual in our responses. I currently do best eating in the morning - in fact, eating eggs drops my blood glucose a little (the protein in eggs stimulates just a little insulin release, which I am grateful for!). I keep always at the forefront of my mind - can I do this for the rest of my life (or something similar)? And intermittent fasting requires a little more self-discipline than I am prepared to provide, lol. And we all know it's not like I don't have self-discipline! It's interesting that turning down bread and sweets, etc., is not that hard for me (anymore), but the idea of going hungry for more than a few hours tires out my self-discipline drive. And if there's one thing I've learned during my NoS years, it's that (all of us, from my observation of various threads) should never push ourselves too hard against our inner rebel. When we do that, the whole deck of self-discipline cards starts to topple.

Jenny Ruhl's "Diet 101" book is sobering. She doesn't pull any punches on the actual data results about the long-term success of diets, or low-carb in particular. Nonetheless, she's successfully used moderate low-carb herself to manage her diabetes, and I am following in her footsteps as I try to prevent my prediabetes from developing into type II diabetes. She is of the (educated) opinion that insulin resistance does not reverse in normal weight individuals, and that it's a permanent feature. This runs counter to some of the chat I hear/read out there about how my diet could reverse my insulin resistance. I tend to agree with her; I've been eating this way for close to 2 years and I don't appear to tolerate carbs any better than I did when I weighed 30 pounds more and exercised less. That said, I FEEL better with stable blood sugar and a nourished body. Any readers of my thread know how much my overall well-being and energy levels have improved since I stopped eating processed foods.

Which brings me to another opinion I have - the biggest way to improve our health is to reduce (and eliminate, if it doesn't cause too much inner rebellion) processed foods from our diet. But doing it and resenting it or feeling deprived doesn't work. That said, I really think we all have processed foods we could eliminate and not miss..... those are the ones to start with. Keep the emotional/pleasure favorites, right? Not worth it to try and get rid of those and then just rebound big-time.

Thursday, December 26
FBG: 92mg/dL
Sleep Score: 71

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 1 square of dark chocolate (oh wait, are S Days over, lol!!), (will have) 4 hard-boiled eggs & a clementine (I love that I can enjoy this ultra-favorite food and not see my blood sugar go above 120mg/dL!!!)
L: yogurt w/2 strawberries, walnuts
D: parmesan cheese crisps, salad, a few bites of steak, and a sugar-free jello
decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
A nice walk planned - it's super cold today! I love walking on super cold days, provided I am appropriately bundled. :-) HappyHerder gets happier with each dropping degree, ha! Walk/jogged 2.5 hours!
Morning Mobility (basically GMB's warm-up with some movements I learned in their Element & Vitamin programs)
Integral Strength (from GMB)

So Morning Mobility and Integral Strength are what we might call my New Year's Resolutions. I have routines for both, mostly from GMB fitness (I have done their Elements and Vitamin Programs with great enjoyment, and have been sort of putzing around with Integral Strength since Sept). It took me a long time to learn the progressions, and I think that made it hard to "automate" these habits. So for 2020 I think I have a system to make these more automatic. I (knock on wood) have daily movement pretty automated now, and so what I need to add in is strength and mobility work so that my body stays strong over the coming decades.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Fri Dec 27, 2019 2:01 pm

Wow Auto, that was quite a walk!! The reading you're doing really seems to be hitting some of the areas where you wanted and needed more information. I'm so glad you found them. Enjoy your Friday!

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Fri Dec 27, 2019 2:16 pm

automatedeating wrote:
Thu Dec 26, 2019 3:30 pm
Soprano, I have enjoyed reading Dr. Fung's books, for sure. He has a simple way of explaining complex science.
I have never been convinced enough to try intermittent fasting, however; and as time passes and more data specific to women and long-term fasting issues, I think that might turn out to be the best decision for (most) women. We shall see, and like everything else, we are individual in our responses. I currently do best eating in the morning - in fact, eating eggs drops my blood glucose a little (the protein in eggs stimulates just a little insulin release, which I am grateful for!). I keep always at the forefront of my mind - can I do this for the rest of my life (or something similar)? And intermittent fasting requires a little more self-discipline than I am prepared to provide, lol. And we all know it's not like I don't have self-discipline! It's interesting that turning down bread and sweets, etc., is not that hard for me (anymore), but the idea of going hungry for more than a few hours tires out my self-discipline drive. And if there's one thing I've learned during my NoS years, it's that (all of us, from my observation of various threads) should never push ourselves too hard against our inner rebel. When we do that, the whole deck of self-discipline cards starts to topple.

I agree about doing anything that brings out our inner rebel :)

I wouldn't use fasting as a weight loss tool as it is then just like any other diet which is doomed to failure...

I do however like what I read about the health benefits it can offer. I have done a few 16 hour fasts but not with any regularity and may continue these as and when I fancy.

Thanks for the mention re Jenny's book I might look into this.

The more I read about T2 diabetes the more scary it is. There are a couple of UK Drs who have written books about controlling it with diet.

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Dec 27, 2019 2:24 pm

Thanks Alene!

Soprano, intermittent fasting appears to be quite useful for many people with Type 2 diabetes - so I totally agree that, if undertaken, the motivation ideally is health improvement of particular conditions.

And yes - I highly recommend Jenny Ruhl's books - all of them. However, her Diet 101 is just amazing for everyone - not just people with blood sugar abnormalities. I've never read a diet book like it! I really do recommend it for ALL of us; although it focuses on low-carb diets (pros and cons), what it really does it survey data surrounding ALL diets. So realistic and practical.

Friday, Dec. 27

FBG: 92mg/dL
Sleep Score: 81
Resting HR: 70
Morning BP: 115/65
Weight: 117.8lbs
Waist at belly button: 29 inches
Waist at natural waist: 27.5 inches

I want to track my measurements a little more closely in the coming months because I hope to gain muscle and if my weight goes up I don't want to be alarmed. LOL! That's right - I'm preparing my data for getting ripped. (My kids laugh when I say that so now I can't stop saying it.)

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 3 hard-boiled eggs, 1 clementine
L: yogurt w/2 strawberries, macadamia nuts
D: tuna fish green salad, some parmesan cheese crisps, and a square of dark chocolate
decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
Morning Mobility
Lazy day

Also Creator and I are going to visit the puppies today. :-) They are almost 6 weeks old. The little female we are probably getting fell asleep in my arms for the 2nd visit in a row. So sweet!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Fri Dec 27, 2019 2:48 pm

I would so love to see the puppies, enjoy

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Dec 28, 2019 5:19 pm

Puppies were so fun, Soprano! I think they are all going to be big, lol. Their mom is a cocker spaniel but their dad is a big golden retriever. They are already pretty big!

Saturday, Dec. 28

117.8lbs
FBG: 99mg/dL

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 4 hard-boiled eggs, 1 clementine
I can basically predict my BG: FBG will be around 100, then go up to 105ish with coffee, then down to low 90's with eggs (this happens remarkably fast, btw - within 15 - 20 min, which convinces me that the hormonal signaling is occurring from the stomach and upper intestine, before any of the amino acids are absorbed into the blood/liver), then back up to 115 with clementine. As long as I don't go above 120, I'm good. Maybe I should call my diet the "Eat to the Meter" diet, lol.
L: yogurt w/2 strawberries, walnuts, then indulged in another decaf coffee w/half&half and BG went up to 122mg/dL. I was "stress drinking" haha because I had to deal with our cell phone carrier/phone issues. Noticed that I was craving junk - thinking about chocolate or chips or just a big latte. Had to remind myself that I needed to breathe and put things in perspective. Food as comfort is a very real and tangible thing in times of stress.
D: tilapia, cauliflower, and a clementine
decaf coffee w/cream, dark chocolate
keto ice cream

Moving
morning mobility
push-ups
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Sat Dec 28, 2019 5:54 pm

Thought you might find this interesting

https://www.drewsdailydose.com/2017/03/ ... resistant/

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sun Dec 29, 2019 3:18 pm

Soprano, yes, I did find that article interesting and actually was starting to read through his "five pillars", as well. Thanks for the link. Type I diabetics truly are the masters of metabolism. I was reading that managing type I is the most exhausting chronic disease to manage. So many people get "diabetes burnout".
One big difference obvious in his experience is how insulin sensitive this fellow is. We see this a lot with young otherwise healthy type I diabetics. In this way the disease is so different than Type II, in which the metabolism is damaged.

Luckily for me, caffeine (in black coffee) doesn't provoke any blip on my continuous glucose monitor. But cream does cause a consistent and predictable small blip, from about 100 to 105 or possibly 110. This occurs whether or not the coffee is caffeinated. But definitely some people have much stronger responses to it! (Also I should note I only have 1 or 2 regular cups a day, so perhaps I'd see more reaction if I drank more.)

Sunday, Dec. 29

117.6lbs
FBG: 100 (although during the night I was riding along near 85, which is nice to see.)
Resting HR: 68
Sleep Score: 84

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, clementine, 1 cup broth
L: tuna fish salad w/cheese, macadamia nuts, tortilla chips w/guacamole, diet coke
D: yogurt w/2 strawberries
decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
Still feeling lazy. Making sure to move every hour, but no serious exercise planned.
Actually ended up doing quite a bit of walking. 13,500k steps
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Mon Dec 30, 2019 4:11 pm

Monday, Dec. 30

117.2lbs
FBG: 94mg/dL
Sleep Score: 79
Resting HR: 69

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, bone broth, hard-boiled eggs & a clementine
L: chicken, cheese, and guacamole
D: teriyaki chicken and beef and cabbage
dessert: dessert sampler of one bite of various holiday cookies and then ate one of my selected favorite. :-)

Moving
Walk/jog w/HappyHerder before we put him in the car (drugged up with 2 sedatives...!)

Heading to visit in-laws for 3 nights. I wanted to make sure I got my new CGM on and calibrated before we leave, because this will be a first - visiting other people and having to eat other people's food options and watching my blood sugar responses. It will be interesting data collection.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

ladybird30
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sun May 07, 2017 10:41 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by ladybird30 » Tue Dec 31, 2019 6:00 am

Happy New Year Automated. Finding your adventure with the CGM fascinating.
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

iflytoohigh
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 2:20 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by iflytoohigh » Tue Dec 31, 2019 4:43 pm

Have fun at your in-laws! My husband left to spend the holiday with his family, so it's just me and my little pack of critters to kick off the New Year. :) Hope all is well and wonderful for you!

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Wed Jan 01, 2020 4:24 pm

Happy new year Auto! I hope you're enjoying yourself and getting lots of data on your experiments. :)

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Jan 03, 2020 3:09 am

I'm back! Happy New Year to all!

Let's see how much I remember, haha!

Tuesday
B: hard-boiled eggs, and then bacon & eggs & clementine
L: yogurt w/peanut butter
D: steak & salad
dessert: sugar cookie and 2 Russian tea cakes
decaf coffee w/half&half

Wednesday
Brunch: coffee w/cream, hard-boiled eggs & then steak & eggs & clementine
D: steak + salad + clementine + leftover chicken
dessert: 1 sugar cookie + 1 Russian Tea Cake
decaf coffee w/cream

Thursday
B: coffee w/cream, bacon & eggs, a small amount (1/2 cup?) of oatmeal with walnuts & 3 banana slices. Nope - BG up to 130mg/dL several hours later and stayed up. Porridge is still a no-go for this insulin resistant gal.
L: yogurt w/peanut butter
D: Instant Pot success!! I made beef eye round steaks and then topped it with gorgonzola cheese; 1 clementine
The in-laws got us this Intant Pot and I am realizing it is my friend indeed!! I can make hard-boiled eggs so easily! Meat will be a dream!

Blood sugar observations after having sweets this New's Years week. First, it went REALLY well!!! I had to be VERYYYYYYYYY careful about portion sizes, but each evening 1 - 2 cookies after dinner only put me to about 120mg/dL. I like to stay under this number, but considering it was a holiday, I felt really good about balancing special occasions with the long-term need to control my blood sugar. Second, having sweets after a protein-rich dinner made the blood sugar elevations very delayed. The 120's were not hit until about midnight, which is less than ideal for sure, but again, we were celebrating! I feel excellent about my decisions.
Third, porridge/oats remain a major no-no. I was SOOO careful about my small oatmeal portion this morning, plus I ate the meal with plenty of fat and protein. Nonetheless, I went all the way up to 130mg/dL, and had noticeable hunger and cravings for much of the day. When we got home this afternoon, I had yogurt and peanut butter and that calmed me down (I was wanting to eat cookies and chips, so the yogurt/peanut butter choice took effort). But even though the yogurt got me back on track blood sugar wise, I've never been below 100mg/dL today - it was like starting out the day with oatmeal made my blood sugar harder to control for the entire day.

In summary, I feel like I really discovered my limits (at this point in time, anyway) for what I can "get away" with eating on special occasions. This was probably the first time in my life that I limited myself to just one sugar cookie each day. Somehow I did it and it wasn't so hard. I think without the CGM it would have been impossible, but when you have to watch that thing climbing, it's some pretty exceptional biofeedback. :-)

On Tuesday we took the boys to a trampoline park and I decided to play with them. Well, yep, I'm still sore 2 days later. :-) But it was fun to participate - none of the other adults did! And yes, I probably looked like a goof.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Fri Jan 03, 2020 5:15 am

Sounds like you did really well with your eating over the new year period :)

Trampolining sounds like fun, why not!

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

ladybird30
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sun May 07, 2017 10:41 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by ladybird30 » Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:10 am

My favourite bit of kids playground equipment is the flying fox - somethings you are never too old for
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

Teammoney
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Teammoney » Fri Jan 03, 2020 9:49 am

I’m really impressed how you manage your blood sugar. My father-in-law is diabetic and he is just stubbornly ignoring the issue and I think we all know where that is heading 😢.
I’m also surprised about the oats raising your levels that much. I’d be interested in my blood sugar levels after each meal.
Anyways, I read your testimonials and can only say: Brava 👏👏👏👏

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Fri Jan 03, 2020 3:05 pm

Auto, so good to have you back! It sounds like you did wonderfully over your vacation time, and learned a lot as well! I'm so glad you were able to have a few little sweets and enjoy the holiday while still managing your blood sugar well.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Jan 03, 2020 3:15 pm

Trampolining is fun, Soprano! Why not, indeed! :-)
Ladybird, I looked up the flying fox - that is so cool! We don't have that at our outdoor playgrounds around here in the US - I did notice it was popular in Australia! They did have a fun zipline (similar to the fox you mentioned) at the trampoline park - super fun.
TeamMoney - sorry about your FIL. Diabetes is such an intensive management disease (to stay on top of it, anyway). I find it emotionally fatiguing, although recently the continuous glucose monitor has encouraged me that my food choices are on the right track. And yeah - bummer about the oats. It seems to be the grams of carbs that determine the height of the spike (although the time to spike depends on the rest of the meal composition), regardless of whether they are whole-grain or fibrous. At this point, my tolerance appears to be about 20g/meal in order to stay under 120mg/dL (assuming I start the meal near 100mg/dL).
Alene - Thank you! Our family had a really peaceful and fun time with in-laws & cousins.

Friday, Jan 3, 2020!

119.0
FBG: 93mg/dL
Resting HR: 65
Sleep Score: 79

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, hard-boiled eggs and a clementine
L: yogurt w/peanut butter, coke zero
D: chicken drumsticks, salad, 1 small apple (and I do mean small!)
decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
Plans:
Morning Mobility
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

iflytoohigh
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 2:20 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by iflytoohigh » Sat Jan 04, 2020 3:50 pm

I don't know if I've ever tried yogurt with peanut butter before! How do you prepare this? Do you melt the peanut butter first and drizzle it into the yogurt? :O My mind is blown by this combination! Sounds delicious, though. Do you find it very filling?

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Jan 04, 2020 4:39 pm

Ifly, that's funny that you ask about the peanut butter - because it was a new thing, born of desperation! When I was visiting my in-laws, I needed something quick for a lunch. I just scooped a 1/2 cup of plain yogurt into a bowl, then added a spoonful of creamy peanut butter and stirred until the whole thing was nicely mixed. It is quite filling, actually, although previously I was eating 2.25cups of plain yogurt w berries daily! I had to cut back because that much was making my blood sugar stay slightly higher than my strict standards throughout the afternoon. So I've recently been trying different lunches. But I've come back to yogurt by decreasing the amount, also reducing the berry number (and focusing more on strawberries, which don't have as much sugar as blueberries) and adding other things to the meal (walnuts, macadamia nuts, etc). So peanut butter sort of fit right in, lol! And I do think it tastes good, but then again, I am fairly simple in my tastes and meal choices. I liked it enough that I had it again yesterday! It's a good addition to my repertoire. :-)

Friday, January 4, 2020!

118.6lb
FBG: 94mg/dL

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 2 hard-boiled eggs + 1 clementine
L: yogurt w/2 strawberries, macadamia nuts
D: chicken drumstick, leftover round steak w/gorgonzola cheese, steamed broccoli w/cheese, 1 small apple
decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
My restorative days continue. Haha. This week I have been only getting about 5k steps a day!! And in return, I've noticed my resting HR has lowered several beats, I am sleeping more at night, and I think my body just needs this. Next week I'll be back to my usual schedule, but for today and tomorrow, I'll continue resting up for the New Year. :wink: :lol:
Oh, and it was amazing to actually sleep in this morning (until 8am). I couldn't believe it had happened, to be honest. A delicious treat that I don't think would have happened if I hadn't gone all lazy this week.

Oh, and 1 week until we pick up Flowerpup! She's 7 weeks old today! We visited her at 4, 5, 6, and 7 weeks, and get to bring her home next Saturday!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sun Jan 05, 2020 4:12 pm

Sunday, January 5

118lbs
FBG: 104
Resting HR: 65
Sleep Score: 80

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 4 hard-boiled eggs
L: yogurt w/2 strawberries, walnuts
dessert: 2 90% dark chocolate squares dipped in peanut butter
- 2 hours after this my blood sugar remained at or near 120mg/dL for 2 hours. So it took 4 hours from eating time to get back to fasting levels. It's fascinating how sensitive I am to carbs (I estimate 20g in this meal + dessert). You know, I almost think I might already have a diabetes diagnosis if I hadn't started taking things so seriously in 2018.
D: pork tenderloin + cheesy broccoli
dessert 2: sugar-free jello
decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
My goal is to do as little as possible today. :roll: Tomorrow back on the horse with work/school/everything. Feeling a bit overwhelmed.

That apple gave me cramps last night and my blood sugar went to 125mg/dL, which is above my personal limit. Then my blood sugar remained about 107mg/dL all night. No apples today.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Sun Jan 05, 2020 4:30 pm

Oh wow!! So exciting that flowerpup is coming home next weekend!! I can't wait to hear all about it. I hope today is very restful and relaxing for you. I'm having pork tenderloin tonight for dinner too. :)

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Sun Jan 05, 2020 4:38 pm

Great news re Flower pup :)

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

iflytoohigh
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 2:20 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by iflytoohigh » Mon Jan 06, 2020 8:59 pm

Yay on getting flowerpup! Also, thanks for the response regarding the peanut butter and yogurt. I might just have to try it! :)

Teammoney
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Teammoney » Mon Jan 06, 2020 9:51 pm

You are getting a puppy! How exciting. Will go well with your walking. And I’ll definitely try peanut butter yoghurt.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Tue Jan 07, 2020 1:05 am

Well, Alene, my pork tenderloin was amazingly good. :-)

The weather forecast has SNOW from Saturday through next week! And we are supposed to pick up FlowerPup Saturday!!! Ack! Normally our family would be ultra-stoked about the snow possibility, but this could really be a bummer! The drive is very rural to get her......

Monday, January 6

118lbs
FBG: 108 :shock:
Sleep Score: 86
BP at doc: 136/78....

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half
L: leftover pork loin, yogurt w/2 strawberries, macadamia nuts
D: Italian chicken breasts and avocado, cheesy broccoli
decaf coffee w/half&half

Blood sugar went up to 125mg/dL this morning and all I'd had was coffee w/half&half. :cry:
Then I had my endocrinologist appt. I don't even want to spend the energy to tell you all about it. Suffice it to say he is a dinosaur. He was happy to put me on drugs (metformin, e.g.) but we had to haggle for 10 minutes before he'd write me a prescription for the continuous glucose monitor. And even then he wrote me for just one freaking month. He doesn't want me to be "hassled" or find glucose management "intrusive". I get it, I really do - I see where he is coming from, but isn't the amount of effort that I want to put into managing my condition MY decision, not his? He said that prediabetes isn't helped by diet (omg he's a dinosaur). At least he agreed exercise helps. Probably the worst thing he said was in response to me explaining that thanks to the monitor I discovered my reactive hypoglycemia to foods like french fries. He said, and I quote "Now why would you want to know that and ruin the french fries"?
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Tue Jan 07, 2020 6:33 am

How annoying that your Doctor isn't supportive of your attempts to not use drugs to control blood sugar.

Keep at it I'm sure you'll find the right diet to manage it.

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

Teammoney
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Teammoney » Tue Jan 07, 2020 7:08 am

How frustrating when a doctor would give drugs. Are those monitors expensive?

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Tue Jan 07, 2020 2:36 pm

The monitors are crazy expensive, Team$. I pay out of pocket, so that's why I wanted to switch to the Libre (from the Dexcom). The Libre is half the cost of the Dexcom.

Tuesday, Jan 7

117.4lbs
FBG: 100 (although I bobbed along at 108 all night, then a quick dip when I get out of bed)
Sleep Score: 89
Resting HR:

Eating
B: Coffee w/cream, leftover steak round
L: yogurt w/2 strawberries, walnuts
D: leftovers - chicken, cheesy broccoli, avocado
decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
Finally getting back in the groove of moving again. Overdoing it at the Trampoline place + stress of wanting to avoid going back to work seemed to completely enervate me in the last week.
Went on 2 walks today and did some mobility work.

First day back with students. Things went well.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

iflytoohigh
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 2:20 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by iflytoohigh » Tue Jan 07, 2020 6:28 pm

Some doctors can really be a pain about this sort of thing. I ran into this as well when I initially began to taper off my anti-inflammatory meds and looked towards natural ways of managing my Crohn's. My PCP at the time was staunchly against me pursuing anything holistic. It's shocking at times how readily they will write a prescription for medications that make you feel like you're going through chemotherapy, but they won't support you on your journey towards natural remedies and self-sufficiency in wellness. Quite frustrating.

ladybird30
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sun May 07, 2017 10:41 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by ladybird30 » Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:01 pm

Intrusive eh? I applaud your efforts to get your pre diabetes under control. Personally, I am very keen to avoid the intrusions
that diabetes leads to. One of the reasons I want to get rid to the rest of my excess upper body fat.
Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Wed Jan 08, 2020 2:12 pm

Auto, sorry about the struggle getting your CGM prescription. So frustrating that doctors can be so closed-minded. He needs to listen to the patient, and use that feedback to decide what might be best for them. Obviously, it's been a very effective tool for you.

I hope you have a great day at work. It's definitely a challenge to get back into the swing after a break!

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Jan 08, 2020 2:42 pm

Thanks to everybody for your understanding about my doctor frustration!

You know, after my "trampoline" day, I got so sore and it's like I'm only just this morning feeling good again! That's crazy - I'm getting old. :roll:

Back to teaching this week. I'm feeling surprisingly great about the quarter so far! Isn't that funny how I swing from one extreme to the other about my teaching. Ah, well. I see the patterns now after all these years.

Wednesday, Jan 8

117.2 lbs

Eating
B: coffee w/cream
L: yogurt w/2 strawberries, macadamia nuts
decaf coffee w/cream
D: pork loins in the Instant Pot, avocado, cheese
decaf coffee w/cream

Moving
walked 4k steps w/HappyHerder this morning. Didn't feel energetic enough to jog, but it was a good outing.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Thu Jan 09, 2020 5:52 pm

Thursday, January 9

117.0
FBG: 105

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 2 hard-boiled eggs
L: yogurt w/2 strawberries, walnuts
D: I was RAVENOUS when I got home at 4pm. Not enough food today + missing one of my morning creamy coffees. So I had: 2 leftover pork loin chops, a salad w/blue cheese, and an entire avocado.
Now having a cup of decaf w/cream and a piece of 90% dark chocolate

Moving
Already got in a nice morning walk w/HappyHerder - - and it was snowing!!
Also took a lunchtime walk.
Up to 13k steps already and still have a lot going on tonight.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Jan 10, 2020 3:09 pm

Friday, January 10

117.2 lbs
FBG: 101
14 day Standard Deviation: 10mg/dL
5.8% A1C (estimated by CGM)
Time in Range: 94% (this means how often I'm between 70mg/dL and 120mg/dL, which are my goal parameters.
Sleep Score: 87

Yesterday at work I found out that a long-time coworker also has prediabetes. She is slim, beautiful, and has dealt with it her entire adult life!!! She is a WEALTH of knowledge for me. I was picking her brain so much. I was delighted to get some suggestions, but then also amazed that we have both found the same things out through trial and error (we are both scientists, so we were laughing about all of our experiments on this stuff). It made me realize how alone I've felt with my condition. Just wonderful wonderful to talk to someone that knows what it's like.

Eating
B: last leftover round steak, a few avocado slices, coffee w/cream
L: tuna fish w/yogurt, cheese, pickles, and macadamia nuts (packing more food today, but I also had a "meatier" breakfast (literally, lol) so hopefully I will not get so hungry like yesterday.
*went to movies with Creator and this time I had only a few kernels of popcorn. Blood sugar stayed nice and level.
D: instant pot round steaks and steamed broccoli with cheese - this meal turned out so great! I ended up making a stew in the intant pot - the steaks, onions, and a lot of bone broth. Then I scooped it all into a bowl, and added sliced avocado on top + steamed broccoli and cheddar cheese. What a tasty meal!

Moving
Already out for a nice walk w/HappyHerder in the snow again....
fit in an afternoon walk as well.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Fri Jan 10, 2020 4:12 pm

So pleased you have found someone to talk to about your prediabetes :)

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

Teammoney
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Teammoney » Fri Jan 10, 2020 5:05 pm

So happy for you auto! It’s always great to find someone with a similar frame of mind who is dealing with the same challenges.

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:25 am

A couple kernels of popcorn takes some willpower! So glad you have someone to talk to that gets it. Makes such a difference in life.

We just got an instant pot for Hanukkah. How do you like yours? I’m still trying to figure it out. 😊
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Jan 11, 2020 2:16 pm

Linda - I love the Instant Pot! This thing is right up my alley. Easy-peasy. I've only had it a week, and I've already made chicken breasts, pork loin chops, round steaks, and spaghetti noodles in it! I know that your family eats mostly vegetarian; there are many, many recipes for beans and grains, etc. But for me I am enjoying being able to (relatively) quickly, and with little mess, make a bunch of meat at once and then eat it for a few days. I'm looking forward to trying to make hard-boiled eggs, and perhaps making my own bone broth.

Saturday, January 11

Eating
B: coffee w/half & half, (will be) 4 hard-boiled eggs
L: yogurt w/peanut butter sounds good
D: more round steak stew with bone broth and onions and avocado slices
decaf coffee w/half&half

Well, we picked up Flowerpup about 1pm and all productivity of any kind came to a screeching halt around here. :-) It's like having a newborn!
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Sat Jan 11, 2020 4:33 pm

Auto, I'm so very happy for you that you have found a friend at work to talk about your pre-diabetes with. That is just wonderful!

Oh my. I'm so excited for you and your family for your new pup!! Have so much fun at the pickup, and I can't wait to hear the details.

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Sat Jan 11, 2020 5:54 pm

I hope flowerpup settles well, so exciting.

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Sun Jan 12, 2020 3:10 am

Congratulations on the new puppy! I’ve been out of the loop though so what kind is she & where’d find her?
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sun Jan 12, 2020 4:13 pm

Good morning! Well, having the puppy is actually like a cross between having a newborn and having a toddler, I've decided. The last time I had a little puppy like this was when I was 11. :-) Creator has been a huge help; he said this morning that he has never been less relaxed. LOL. It is a lot of work! And in this rain and cold weather, sheesh. Snow and very frigid temperatures expected for the whole week.

Linda, our little sweetie is pure black, long-haired, and cute as a button. She is half cocker spaniel/half golden retriever. She is only 8 weeks old! HappyHerder is obsessed with her, which is actually a small management issue. But the bigger management issue is definitely the cats. :roll: Poor things. They are horrified at this new development. But we are doing what we can to make sure they feel safe and have lots of places to get high.

It will be interesting/challenging to make sure I don't let my eating fall all apart in the next few months of life dominated by puppy-dom.

Sunday, January 12

B: coffee w/half&half
L: yogurt w/peanut butter (this is definitely one of the laziest yet still nourishing meals in my repertoire)
D: more steak stew with bone broth, cheese, and avocado
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Teammoney
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Teammoney » Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:33 pm

The little pup sounds so cute and no doubt will keep you all on your toes :D

cedar
Posts: 312
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2011 5:30 am
Location: Australia

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by cedar » Mon Jan 13, 2020 5:20 am

How sweeeet! So exciting about the puppy Auto 😍😍😍. Enjoy the sleepless nights and the chewed everything 😂😂 and ofcourse the gorgeousness! X

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Mon Jan 13, 2020 2:48 pm

Auto, congrats on getting the pup home and introduced to the family. A new pup is indeed like having a new baby. It truly does disrupt life as you knew it, but you will find your new normal over time as you all settle into the new routine and she gets bigger and older. Sorry about the cats. I know how much they dislike having their lives interrupted with unwanted changes! I hope they settle in before too long. At least they're used to dogs since you already had one.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Mon Jan 13, 2020 7:34 pm

Thanks Team$$!

Cedar, so great to see you on the boards. I was just thinking about you because of the wildfires in Australia. Hope you are not too affected? :cry:

Alene, thanks for reminding me that we will find our new normal! Managing the cats, the puppy, and HappyHerder (who loves the pup but does have resource guarding issues - ugh) is a lot! So far Flowerpup has gotten swatted by one of the cats and trounced one time by HappyHerder over a food remnant. Poor thing squealed so much, but I have to remind myself that is how the pups communicate and that she wasn't actually hurt in either scenario - just terrified.

Eating
B: coffee w/half&half
L: yogurt w/peanut butter
decaf coffee w/half&half
D: steak round stew with bone broth, cheese, and avocado
decaf coffee w/half&half

Moving
Did most of my mobility workout
was moving constantly but didn't get any walks any. Don't worry about HappyHerder, though - he's plenty overstimulated, ha!
We'll find our (new) groove.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Teammoney
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Teammoney » Mon Jan 13, 2020 11:00 pm

Haha, I got so confused, I thought happy herder was one of your children but it is another dog? 🤦‍♀️😂

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Tue Jan 14, 2020 3:01 pm

LOL, HappyHerder is our other dog. And currently he is the biggest problem in the household!! He is obsessed, freaking obsessed, with the puppy. He never leaves her alone, and he constantly wants to play with her, and he is too rough. If I separate them for a while (try to put him in the room with my husband and a rawhide, for example) he just whines and whines and whines. Yeah, that's the adult dog, not the puppy. :roll: Add this to my general exhaustion of potty-training in snowy, rainy, and icy weather, and yeah - I've hit the puppy blues, haha. Well, the other thing is that Creator and I have literally not been apart for more than a couple of minutes at a time since Friday afternoon. Even at night, because we are sleeping downstairs these first few nights with the puppy. And yesterday and today both snow days. Poor Creator is getting stir-crazy and of course his basketball practice was cancelled due to the snow. Challenger spent the day with a friend that lives close by (so we could get there through the snow).

Tuesday, January 14

Sleep Score: 74

Eating
B: coffee w/cream
L: yogurt w/peanut butter
D: fajita steak soup with bone broth, cheese, onions, and avocado - I ate this meal super early (finished BY 4pm) which is great for my blood sugar. We'll see if I get hungrier than expected. The coworker with prediabetes says that she tries to always eat dinner at 4pm and that it helps keep her fasting BG down.
decaf coffee w/cream
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Teammoney
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Teammoney » Tue Jan 14, 2020 4:49 pm

The good thing about puppies is that they grow up faster than kids otherwise it sounds the same!

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Tue Jan 14, 2020 5:43 pm

It's a phase it will soon pass, you might have more grey hair and lose your sanity!!

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

cedar
Posts: 312
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2011 5:30 am
Location: Australia

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by cedar » Tue Jan 14, 2020 8:02 pm

Oh Auto..I hope everything settles down for you very soon. Thankyou for your thoughts about the fires they are terrible, we are thankfully not affected.

All the best to you x

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Jan 15, 2020 3:15 pm

Good morning! Tons of snow here this morning - about 7 inches, which is a lot for us! School closed again (3rd day in a row). You can imagine how fun this is for the kids, and the dogs. Shoveling a path for the puppy for potty-training gives me a little shovel-glove, haha.

$$ - LOL, so true that puppyhood goes fast. I kept reminding myself of this when I was planning my schedule (with a puppy) for winter and spring quarters. I knew it'd be hard (but also fun) but not last too long.

Soprano - my hair is so gray already....what's a little more at this point.... :roll: :wink:

cedar - great to see you stop by! Glad to hear you are not affected directly by the fires, but it must be a rough time for your country.

So. Good news! Flowerpup slept in her crate from 11pm until 6am! Creator and I still slept downstairs with her. Once she is a little more reliably crate-trained and potty-trained, we'll move the crate up to his bedroom at night. And this little puppy is a trooper - she seems to be an "all-weather" dog, loving the snow and laying right down in it. Her thick coat suits her well.

HappyHerder was exhausted by last night. 3 days of constant focus and play and being on alert completely wore him out. I've pulled out his big crate so that he can have some breaks and impulse control timeouts as needed. Sexy took HappyHerder on a nice walk and that seemed to mellow him out. He was much better last night and so far this morning. I think it is just a big adjustment for everyone. And it really does feel like when you bring a newborn home and then need to still be really attuned to your toddler's needs. All quite overwhelming for the dog parents.

I want to make a note here that anxiety-wise I am coping much better than I did when we got HappyHerder. That time I ended up going to Urgent Care and getting a short prescription for Xanax. :roll: :cry:
This time I just didn't have that same anxiety going into the new pup acquisition, and I am so grateful. I wonder if my diet changes have helped my mood. I also gave up alcohol last April and perhaps that is also helping.

Wednesday, January 15

FBG: 96
Sleep Score: 84 (much better!)

Eating
B: coffee w/cream
L: yogurt w/2 strawberries and walnuts
D: I'm thinking I'll do some chicken tenders in the instant pot and keep making these bone broth meals - yes, this is what I did and added in some parmesan cheese and avocado slices.
decaf coffee w/cream
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

alene1
Posts: 533
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:06 am
Location: Washington state

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by alene1 » Wed Jan 15, 2020 3:24 pm

Wonderful news on the pup progress! It sounds like she is settling in, and HH is coming along too. I'm so glad for all of you for a long stretch of sleep. So needed! You all are doing great with the transition.

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Wed Jan 15, 2020 6:34 pm

I'm sure you're coping better with FP than HH will be connected to your change in diet, giving up alcohol and also all the emotional work you've done this past year.

You are stronger than you think :)

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

Teammoney
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Teammoney » Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:25 pm

I think J made a good point there and your baby&toddler metaphor made me laugh as so apt.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Thu Jan 16, 2020 2:54 pm

Thank you Soprano, Alene, and $$! I was pondering my reaction to the puppy situation and realized that a few things stand out. As opposed to previously, now I #1 - I tell myself "in this moment, everything is fine and just the way it should be", #2 - don't contemplate what I would be doing if I didn't have this responsibility, and #3 - tell myself that everything will be just fine, OK, dandy. Simple tools, but they are helping.
In the past, trying to control for everything (now and in the future) was a very bad habit that caused me to tie myself in anxiety knots. I have made some improvement on, and that is the key difference. Soprano, I bet you're right that all my counseling and personal reading last summer has given me new tools. I hadn't thought of that.

Thursday, January 16

FBG: 99
Sleep Score: 80
Resting HR: 66

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, leftover round steak and avocado slices
L: yogurt w/2 strawberries, macadamia nuts
D: leftover chicken tenders w/bone broth, parmesan cheese, and avocado
decaf coffee w/cream

Snow is melting fast! It is going to be slush-mud out there today.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Jan 17, 2020 3:27 pm

Friday, Jan 17

Sleep Score: 75
Resting HR: 69
FBG: 106

Eating
B: last round steak w/avocado slices, coffee w/cream
L: yogurt w/2 strawberries, walnuts
D: yogurt w/peanut butter
decaf coffee w/cream
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Jan 18, 2020 3:16 pm

Saturday, January 18

FBG: 100
Sleep Score: 85

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 3 hard-boiled eggs
L: 3 bites of Challenger's restaurant french toast - yes - and then yogurt w/2 strawberries + more coffee
D: ground beef, cheese, avocado, sour cream
2 squares 95% dark chocolate

Lots of driving around with the kiddos for basketball games this weekend. 6 games in various towns/schools.
Also quite a bit of schoolwork to get done that I have neglected due to the new puppy. I'll be leaving her home with Creator for 3 hours this morning - hopefully not too many messes when I get back......

I actually got over 10k steps in today. What with the snow and the puppy, exercise has been nonexistent this week. I can barely look at my fitbit because it just makes me see how inactive I've been.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:31 am

Sunday, January 19

Today was insane. Last night HappyHerder bit Flowerpup when the pup ran over to his bowl while he was eating. My typical anxiety roared back: I threw up all my dinner and couldn't sleep. Today I spent all day trying to quell the anxiety - not much appetite. Against Sexy's wishes, Creator and I had some professional dog trainers over this evening and it was such a good decision (despite being expensive). We are sending HappyHerder to a "daycamp" where he will be trained two days a week in the presence of other dogs and even learn how to walk on a treadmill. Not only that, they are PICKING HIM UP at our house because they want to work on his car phobia. They basically encouraged us to use our crates a lot more, and to keep the puppy away from him a lot more. Crate them when they need to settle. I can do that. Creator and I felt like we could manage better. Now I just hope I can sleep tonight. Thanks all for listening to this blather. I feel like I am crazy and need to put a disclaimer on my thread - you guys see all the crazy in me. How can I want to have these dogs so much and then go so worked up about everything? Cray-cray.

Eating
B: coffee w/cream
L: mandarin orange
D: 1 hard-boiled egg, diet coke
maybe I'll try some decaf coffee now
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:49 am

Oh poor you. HH reaction is his way of showing flowerpup the boundaries. It's early days, I'm sure things will settle.

Always good to get professional help if needed.

Take care.

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

Teammoney
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Teammoney » Mon Jan 20, 2020 7:35 am

Sounds like the dog training is a good decision! Happyherder might need some extra strokes with all the change too. I think his reaction to the food bowl is totally normal and they will work it out. And you are definitely not crazy! Or at least no more than any of us 😂.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Mon Jan 20, 2020 6:29 pm

Thanks Soprano and Team$$. I noticed I was hesitant to admit my anxiety attack over the weekend, but then realized that this thread is no good for me unless I can admit some of the things I feel shame about. And journaling always helps me process and move forward.

A good morning so far. I slept better last night. Using crates for feeding both dogs.
Got a lot of grading and school stuff done - at least 3 hours of pretty good work in already.

I even had the urge to go on a walk/jog. Not sure if it will happen but I'm considering having the urge as progress, lol.

Monday, January 20

Sleep Score: 80
Resting HR: 71

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, a mandarin orange, bacon, eggs
L: yogurt w/peanut butter
D: decaf coffee w/cream, 2 squares dark chocolate
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Teammoney
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Teammoney » Mon Jan 20, 2020 9:59 pm

I’m actually very grateful that you shared it. I’m always grateful when I hear/read about someone I believe is really together having their own anxieties and it normalises mine! And nothing to be ashamed of here as it is certainly a stressful situation.

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:56 am

Not crazy. Very human of you. You care about both dogs so want them to be happy together. You want them both in your family so to see this discourse is understandably stressful! Getting help is so awesome. I remember reading an article about how outsourcing is money very well spent towards better mental health so I think you made a great decision:

https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/want-to-be-h ... old-chores

It’s like having an infant. I remember the early days of having both my pups were crazy but we’ve reaped the rewards of those early days and now they’re delightful and easy 95% of the time. Hang in there. You got this!
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Jan 22, 2020 12:42 am

Thank you Linda. I appreciate your kindness so much. I'm in a pretty dark place.

Team$$ - yep, I'm certifiably cray-cray. Ha. I'm here to help others be glad they aren't so wild. :lol:

Tuesday, January 21

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, some shredded chicken
L: yogurt w/ 2 strawberries, walnuts and pumpkin seeds
D: these weird mini-tacos I made for my kids
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Wed Jan 22, 2020 7:42 am

automatedeating wrote:
Wed Jan 22, 2020 12:42 am
Thank you Linda. I appreciate your kindness so much. I'm in a pretty dark place
So sorry to read this, is it just the worry and concern over the puppy or is something else going on?

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Wed Jan 22, 2020 3:04 pm

It was the bite, for sure. When I was in my 20's, I had an amazing rescue aussie/border collie (we aren't sure which he was or if he was a mix). Along with his amazingness, he was unpredictable with other dogs and even with people. He nipped people multiple throughout his life, and near the end, I had toddler Challenger and just kept them separated (management!). But this dog was also unpredictable with other dogs, and one time in the woods on a hike, he got in a serious fight with another dog, which I stupidly got in the middle of. I was badly bitten on my thigh by the other dog - nasty scar - it took forever to heal. The dog's canines had literally connected through my leg - it took a chunk. But what never healed was my fear of dog aggression, despite (as everyone here knows) my enjoyment of animals and desire to share my life with them.
After he died, we waited 9 years to get HappyHerder. Of course I got the same breed (weirdo! but I love those herding breeds - Soprano, I know you relate!). Anyway, the anxiety hit my like a FREIGHT TRAIN when we got him, and I ended up in Urgent Care and got a short-term prescription of Xanax (which btw is wonderful and partly why I want to avoid it again - I liked it too much!!!). I was so fearful HappyHerder would grow up to be a biter. Well, he (up until Flowerpup) has been so beautiful with people and other dogs. We've been so pleased with his temperament. So here I go, trying again to have 2 dogs (which I've always wanted to have). I did avoid a herding breed this time, haha. Flowerpup is half golden retriever/half cocker spaniel and I met her parents and other relatives, all of which were delightful. Nonetheless, bringing her home did evoke a bit of anxiety for me, which in that first week I thought I was handling really well. But then HappyHerder attacked her (truly, it was frightening) over the food bowl and here I am. Basket-case extraordinaire. omg I just had a thought - do you think my issue is almost more like PTSD than typical anxiety? Something to chew on (haha pun intended). And, it is interesting I haven't explored what happened to me in my 20's more with my new therapy methods (the change triangle). Probably worth spending the time to do that.

This morning I am markedly improved. The first 24 hours were pure agony, and in hindsight I would say I've gradually improved since then. I can't remember if I mentioned on here that the trainers got HappyHerder walking on a treadmill (LOL!) and they are working on lots of training around other dogs (which he is really bad at). So, it costs a lot but it's sort of like paying for therapy for me at this point. It was also lovely to have a few hours with just one dog. Ha! Be careful what you wish for, as they say.

Wednesday, January 22

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, mandarin orange, hard-boiled eggs
L: yogurt w/peanut butter, pumpkin seeds
D: chicken thighs in bone broth w/cheddar cheese, avocado, and sour cream
decaf coffee w/half&half
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Teammoney
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Teammoney » Wed Jan 22, 2020 9:25 pm

I had two dogs in my life and the last one was absolutely psycho - he was a rescue from a abusive situation and he was totally unpredictable too. He was the best to our family but no way could he have been near any kids. However, my point being from absolutely everything I have learned about dogs that even the most beautiful souls need to establish their boundaries when it comes to their food and sounds like that is all happyherder was doing. If a grown dog wants to kill a puppy with one bite they absolutely can so I am certain he was only establishing his boundaries.
Aren’t we all cray cray 😜

Soprano
Posts: 1184
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Soprano » Wed Jan 22, 2020 10:16 pm

I certainly can relate re herding dogs, beautiful souls. I've had 3 border collies in my life all very different but so loyal.

That said I've also had a rescue Springer spaniel, an older dog who the rescue centre were not entirely truthful about and unfortunately we had to send back. He attacked other dogs out of nowhere, which we tried to deal with with a trainer but we couldn't undo years of ingrained behaviour. I was still prepared to keep him but would just muzzle him when out. Unfortunately he then bit a neighbour, the circumstances were understandable and neighbour was fine over it but we couldn't take the chance with kids around.

But what I had to watch was how I reacted with our next dog as I was concerned he might be the same. Dogs do pick up on our worries. Worth working on your very understandable feelings from the past.

I'm sure though that you will get through this and sort it. Try and stay relaxed :)

Jx
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Thu Jan 23, 2020 3:12 pm

Thanks $$ and Soprano. Interesting how so many of us have stories of working with "troubled" dogs. It's tough for animals to fit perfectly into our human world.

Creator and I are sort of tackling the bull by the horns, and this morning we leashed up both dogs and had them eat sort of close (not close enough that anything could happen). We dropped chicken in each dog's bowl, pet them, worked on sits, mess with their bodies while they are eating and made the whole thing a happy occurrence. HappyHerder looked totally relaxed and enjoyed every second. And of course the puppy enjoys everything, ha. I thought we could do something like this for one of the daily feedings - it gives us some nice training time with both dogs and potentially could desensitize HappyHerder for down the road, in case of an accidental food meeting (we can't control and guarantee perfect separation during feedings for life, is my take and therefore natural anxiety). But this sort of training is fun for me if I don't have the expectation that I have to succeed (does that make sense)? I figure it's a win-win, even if it doesn't accomplish turning HH into a bullet-proof safe dog around Flowerpup. And if there's one thing I know about myself and my anxiety, I know that having a plan of action calms me enormously.

To focus or highlight a positive, HH is incredibly tolerant of the play aspect of Flowerpup. She is constantly jumping on him, biting on him, tackling him, even when he's resting (I do try block her in this case; the trainers said she is quite obnoxious to him!). Anyway, my point is that I doubt very many adult dogs would be as tolerant of the constant play/sneak attacks that a puppy brings. He also doesn't guard any of the toys or our attention or sleeping spots, etc. So. Positives.

On Tuesday we took Flowerpup to the retirement home for our first visit among seniors, walkers, canes, oxygen tanks, etc. She did great of course (so did Creator). One old lady was like, "who cares about your puppy, I want this adorable boy". :-) Creator lit up.

OK, so on to Thursday, January 23

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, 2 eggs
L: yogurt w/peanut butter, 2 strawberries, and pumpkin seeds (I'm loving these pumpkin seeds recently)
D: anxiety nausea returned tonight so I thought it wise to not eat much. Had decaf coffee w/cream and called it good.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

Teammoney
Posts: 120
Joined: Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by Teammoney » Thu Jan 23, 2020 9:50 pm

“She is constantly jumping on him, biting on him, tackling him, even when he's resting (I do try block her in this case; the trainers said she is quite obnoxious to him!).”

(I messed up the quote ha! But anyways:)
Sounds exactly like my life with my two toddlers so I’m definitely team happyherder 😂

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Fri Jan 24, 2020 7:03 pm

Oh Team$$ those are hard years! I remember the constant fatigue and always wanting time by myself. In fact, once the youngest was 3, I would go to a hotel by myself once or twice a year and leave Sexy home with the boys! I'd order room service and literally not leave the hotel room for 24 hours of quiet. No TV, just silence and my books and journals. I was not ideally suited for motherhood, that's for sure. But I did (and do!) the best I can. "Good enough" parenting is my motto.

Friday, January 24

Eating
B: coffee w/cream, some chicken thighs
L: macadamia nuts, yogurt w/peanut butter
D: another night of little appetite. Decaf coffee w/cream
My weight is down to about 114 but I don't really even like logging that. It's not a real weight - it's reflective of extreme stress. I'm probably losing muscle mass, which really bothers me (another thing to stress about).
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by automatedeating » Sat Jan 25, 2020 4:54 pm

Saturday, January 25

I have big plans for today. My in-laws are visiting with one of my nephews next weekend, and this house is an embarrassment right now. Today the plan is to work in both boys' rooms (because people will be sleeping there) and get them in tip-top shape. I'm going to crate the little monster (I mean sweet perfect Flowerpup, haha) and get some serious work done with those boys of mine.

Then we have 2 basketball games in two different cities.

I got a lot of schoolwork done in the first couple hours of the day, so I can rest easy about that until tomorrow.

On my Coach.me app, I did post a bit about my anxiety (I didn't mention that it's all dog-related, because I feel like people will dismiss me for being crazy and overly high-strung - probably true, but I get sensitive about it. You all on this forum accept me and are very gentle with me, which I appreciate.) Anyway, one woman wrote back that when she feels overwrought her husband encourages her, "just survive". I thought - you know, that's a good motto for me right now. I like to focus on thriving, but surviving has to come first. I'm going to hang on to that little motto for a few days.

Flowerpup slept for a 6 hour stretch last night. Longest chunk we've had in the 2 weeks we've had her. I need to keep remembering that she'll grow so fast and soon be able to hold it all night. Once I get more sleep, I'll be able to cope with the "bite-issues" anxiety far better.

Eating
B: coffee w/cream and like 4 squares of 90% dark chocolate - S day + massive anxiety coping lol. Fairly guilt-free in the big picture. Also had a ton of bacon.
L: yogurt w/peanut butter, a decaf coffee w/cream
D: cheeseburger from Dairy Queen on the way home from basketball game

Moving
The last few days I've seen an increase in my movement - mobility work. Handstands, pull-ups, push-ups, mobility work, all starting to happen again. Still no walk/jogs.
Hurrah! I also got in a 40 min walk/jog today! It felt SO good.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

User avatar
lpearlmom
Posts: 4812
Joined: Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:59 am
Location: Arizona

Re: automated eating tracker

Post by lpearlmom » Sun Jan 26, 2020 2:37 am

I think that's a good motto auto. It kind of let’s your brain know that this isn't forever and help it prioritize the really important stuff and put aside the rest for now. I remember going through a really stressful time and my friend said that she tells herself “this is just my life right now”. I found it surprisingly calming kind of a similar idea i think.

Anyway, hang in there & I definitely don’t think you’re being over sensitive. You've had a lot of trauma surrounding dogs. Besides your feelings are just your feelings neither good nor bad.

Best of luck today—im exhausted just reading about your plans!
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

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