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Busy

This past weekend was incredibly busy. We had a diabetes class for the Mayor scheduled all day Saturday. He was super cranky Saturday morning and his blood sugar was sky high. His insulin pod died in the middle of the night and he refused to change it. Consequently, the phone was dinging every five minutes all night long. Needless to say, none of us were well-rested or ready to spend a day in the classroom.

The Mayor was the only type 1 diabetic in the class of mostly boomers. Our saving grace was Winnie a diabetic since 2005 with an A1C of 10. She was the anti-hero of the day because she was such a hot mess, she had us all entertained. The Mayor eventually started chirping her because of the ridiculous things she would say. When the class started, she introduced herself with her A1C like it was AA and not a diabetes education class. She was upset when nobody else felt like sharing their A1C.

Saw Air Force One on the drive home

She was also the antihero because her behavior definitely drove the cost of care. When the nurse educator explained it’s best to eat the protein, vegetables and then the carbs, so the sugar doesn’t spike as quickly. Winnie took that to mean the protein cancelled out the carbs and she could still eat her two pieces of pie. Winnie then scolded the nurse educator for trying to make her choose between pecan pie and strawberry cream pie. The elevator was not making it to the top floor for Miss Winnie.

Fortunately, the nurse educator was able to get through the material quickly. Part of the treatment plan for a newly diagnosed or new diabetic patient practices is one one-on-one nutrition counseling and the diabetes seminar. At first I thought it was overkill, but then I met Winnie. Successfully managing diabetes takes a great doctor, but it also takes a patient who is willing to educate themselves and actively manage their condition.

2025 Goal Tracker:

  • Run a 5K: in-training
  • Complete Kayla Itsines program: in progress
  • No afternoon Starbucks (except for travel/vacations): I made it into February and haven’t buckled!
  • Top performer at work: on it!
  • Travel: working on it
  • Eat to lower inflammation: in progress
  • Read daily: in progress. I’m reading  The Eagle and The Hart by Helen Castor.
  • Get out of debt: in progress
  • Financial independence: in progress

Write about your dream home.

I always envisioned my dream house as a large mansion on the beach with several opulent rooms overlooking the water. This house would have enough rooms, so every person could occupy their own beach front room. Rumor has it that as we get older we get more practical. Now my dream home is anywhere my family and puppies lay their heads.

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48 Hours

In less than 48 hours, I will be embarking on Momcation 5.0. I cannot wait!! First of all, I can’t wait to see all the girls and meet the two new moms. Second, I have no responsibility for the entirety of the trip, which is amazing. Lastly, I love exploring and enjoying paradise. In the end, it’s a trip that is good for the soul. I can’t wait!

This is the fifth Momcation I’ve attended. Last year, we went to Puerto Vallarta, which was magical. In 20222, we ventured to Turks & Caicos, which I love. We were supposed to go there in 2020, but we all know how that went. Before the pandemic, we visited the Cayman Islands and Turks & Caicos (North Caicos.). Every location has been spectacular in its own way, so I’m looking forward to what this year’s destination will bring.

I am hoping, after I leave in 48 hours, that the Mayor and the hubby will remember to feed the birds and water my tomato. The birds have become quite accustomed to their morning feast at our house. They don’t even go into stealth mode or fly away when I walk outside now. We wouldn’t want to disappoint them or the squirrels. The tomato plant is now fruiting, so it would suck to lose it while I’m gone. I’m sure the puppies will also miss being spoiled by their mama.

Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.

I think the biggest decision that has helped me grow was to stop looking for happiness outside of myself. Other people can bring joy and momentary happiness, but I’m talking about the deep rooted happiness with one’s life and one’s self. At the end of the day, we can only control ourselves. Now back to working on my doodle. I’m not at all artistic, but I have found doodling and coloring throughout the day helps keep my spirits high and my mind engaged.

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Is it Over?

Is it over? It’s just been one of those weeks that needs to end like yesterday. We finally have the volume at work, but our boss is so far up everyone’s asses it’s not cool. Of course I’m thrilled that our volume has increased. I just don’t and have never appreciated micromanagement. To be fair, I’m way more sensitive than normal due to a liquid only diet and asthma that continues to be a pain in the arse.

So after my doctor’s appointment, to which I was a bit unpunctual having parked on the wrong side, I found out a lot of the family I saw on Saturday has come down with Covid. So far I’ve tested negative. Two of the tests I used, however, were expired. I’m a bit nervous to start the steroids after having been exposed to Covid. I’m waiting to hear back from my doctor’s office as to whether or not I should wait to start taking them. There’s a reason I’m waiting and it’s because prednisone can compromise your immune system. Obviously, I don’t need that ball of fun in my life.

What daily habit do you do that improves your quality of life?

There are a couple of things I do daily that improve my quality of life. Firstly, I start everyday with my Dunkin’ coffee. Secondly, I drink water incessantly and stay well hydrated. Additionally, I have a robust exercise routine baked into my day that keeps me going. Lastly, I end my day by reading my book. I read everyday no matter what I did that night.

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Next Day

It’s the next day and the loss of Athena has started to sink in. I’m so sad. I know, however, we had to say goodbye to her, and am relieved that she’s no longer suffering. Her eyes and skin had become so jaundiced and her eyes had lost their twinkle. Athena had eyes that could convince you to give her whatever she wanted. They were full of love, life, and manipulation. I certainly couldn’t tell her no. As for yesterday, I had mixed feelings about it. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel watching her being put to sleep. In the end, it was a relief that she was free of pain instantly.

She wasn’t your average dog and certainly deserved more than the eight years she was granted. I know we’re not the first to lose our dog (or animal) and feel this way. So many of the people I love have experienced the loss of their beloved pet, which is a total gut punch. I wish our dogs could live as long as we do. I would have loved to have Athena by my side for the rest of my life. It’s almost cruel that we get to share the earth with them for such a short time.

I didn’t grow up with dogs as my dad and brother were severely allergic. In fact, I grew up terrified of dogs particularly big dogs. My neighbors at our first house had a big, black lab that I found particularly scary. I even had a policy against dogs that could eat me like Rottweilers and pit bulls. Consequently, it’s a little ironic that as an adult I’ve had four large dogs including two black lab mixes and two terrier mixes. Maya helped me overcome my lifelong fear of dogs. Maya and Athena both tuned me into a dog mom obsessed with her big dogs.

When we first adopted Athena, I had no clue she had any pit or terrier in her. I sent a picture to the family group text and my sister-in-law pointed out the pit. Naturally, I freaked out due to my policy against dogs that can eat me and ordered a DNA test. Turns out Athena was fifty percent American Staffy with the other half being lab, boxer, and beagle. Or as the Mayor said, “Our dog is a bagel!?!?” What I learned throughout my eight years with Athena is that the breed I feared most made the best family dog we’ll ever have. She was the kindest, highest emotional intelligence, most gentle, loyal, and protective dog you’d ever meet. She was never inappropriately protective (I’m looking at you Anakin.) Athena would only become protective when someone in our family was threatened.

So here I am the next day missing my sweet angels. Maya and Athena brought us more joy than they could ever know. They opened a world to me that I didn’t think I could exist in. Now I can’t see myself living without a canine companion. At home, Anakin is grieving his loss. He’s been carrying around her blanket and his duck with impunity today. Athena and Anakin had a very special relationship. She was an instrumental part of Anakin’s life. It will take him some time to heal.

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Homemade Chicken Broth for Dogs

Homemade Chicken Broth for Dogs is the perfect healthy treat for man’s best friend. I started making this when our dog Maya got ill in June. The hope was that it would help stimulate her appetite and increase her calorie intake.

Homemade Chicken Broth for Dogs
1 chicken carcass and bones (A store-bought rotisserie chicken works really well.)
4-5 carrots
Enough water to cover the chicken and bones

Maya enjoying the homemade chicken broth

Steps:
1: Add chicken bones and carrots to the pot and cover with water.
2: Bring broth to a boil
3: Simmer on low for at least 1 hour. I prefer to simmer the broth for at least 4-5 hours
4: Allow the broth to cool before preparing to store it. I’ve been storing the broth in a pitcher, so it’s easy to pour into her bowl.

I don’t add onions to the broth as they’re not good for dogs. If I was making it for the family, I’d add both onions and celery to the pot.

On that note, I have to go finish the incomplete batch of broth I started earlier today. Then I’ll pack up the latest batch of fresh chicken broth!

Here are the tools I used to make the broth:

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Low Carb Tuesday

It’s low carb Tuesday here today. Actually, too be completely accurate, it’s really low carb intermittent fasting Tuesday. However, that’s a mouthful and not a great title for a blog. This week has I’m starting the 5:2 plan by Dr. Moseley, which is a variation of intermittent fasting. To be clear, I’m following the updated version, aka the Fast 800 diet, which calls for eating 800 calories two days per week vs. eating 500 calories two days per week.

When I got diagnosed with Graves, I followed this regimen with much success. Importantly, my endocrinologist approved of this diet. In fact, I can’t imagine how much weight I would have gained if I didn’t follow it. After all, I went from super active to no exercise at all and no thyroid. Coincidentally, it’s not the optimal recipe for weight loss success. Oh the joys of looking at food and gaining ten pounds.

Now my thyroid levels are normal, I should be able to lose weight. It will never happen quickly for me since I’m a thyroid patient, which is a total bummer. Nonetheless, I plod tirelessly towards my goal of recapturing my health and my former dress size. Here’s the lesson, whether the weight loss is happening at your desired rate or not, keep doing the right things and eventually it will come. For me that’s following Noom, enjoying my low carb Tuesday, getting enough sleep and exercising every day.

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I read the Norse Queen by Johanna Wittenberg.  I love it. Queen Asa’s love interest is now an expatriate courtesy of his evil half brother.

*Goalielocks made it home safely from Orlando around 1:30 this morning. 

*I ran 2 miles and walked a mile. It went really well, which was fantastic. I’m not going to let anything break my streak.

*The family and I are watching The Simpsons now that we’ve finished our movie and dinner.

*The Hubby cooked a Blue Apron meal kit for dinner. Tonight we had some type of pasta.

*After dinner, I successfully made ice cream!

*My favorite surprise on the underwater cams, I watch during work, is seeing an octopus. Today I watched the safari cam, which never disappoints.

*Today’s word of the day is whirlwind. It’s been a whirlwind of success and joy since I started my new job.

*I took my puppies including sweet Anakin for a walk. Today he didn’t pull my arm off or anything like that. I put on his harness, so I’d have more control over him outside. Also, the flies are still here. Did I mention I hate gnats, flies, and mosquitos? I was finally able to hang the fly traps. Nobody loves flies.

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Save Big With Blue Apron

Folks you can save big with Blue Apron this weekend by clicking here:

Labor Day Flash Sale: Save $80 Over Your First 4 Boxes!

This weekend only you can save $80 over your first four boxes. We’ve been using both HelloFresh and Blue Apron. What I like about Blue Apron is the myriad of healthy options they provide. It’s very easy to find dishes that are calories smart, carb-conscious, or Whole30 compliant. I’ve found their recipes easy to follow and very tasty. The best part is that you can choose your meals from week to week. If you’re traveling or your refrigerator is full, you can opt to skip a week.

So try it out and save big with Blue Apron this weekend!

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Handling Thyroid Disease

Handling thyroid disease is the title I settled on after ruminating on coping and dealing. Both coping and dealing felt too passive to me, so I opted for handling. What does handling thyroid disease even mean? It means learning to thrive in spite of the misfiring or non-existence of that bitch is a gland.

When I was first diagnosed with Graves, I did what most people do and consulted Dr. Google. The medical part didn’t bother me too much. No, what bothered me is how those coping with the disease were failing to thrive or continue a productive existence. I was resolute that I would not follow that path.

Of course, in the beginning it was easy to think that way. It became hard as my heart rate soared and the RAI (radioactive iodine) was slow to work. Nevertheless, the fun and my weight were doubled when my thyroid failed. It literally happened over night. For the next several months and even still, I would migrate between hyper and hypo from day to day. It was beyond frustrating.

Thankfully, I have a wonderful Endo and have high confidence in her. Slowly, she has returned me to my normal life. I’ve run three 5ks since diagnosis, restarted my yoga practice and started the BBG workout. Nevertheless, it has taken a lot of work to get back to this place. I’ve read a lot about auto immune disease, worked with my endo and her in house R.D. and changed my workouts. I even feel back to my old gregarious self.

Now that my thyroid levels have stabilized, it will take 1-3 years for the symptoms of Graves to abate. My antibodies still show positive for both Graves disease and Hashimotos. My next task is get rid of those. In the meantime, I continue to research ways to reduce inflammation and improve my health. Each Thursday, I’ll be sharing my autoimmune experience with you. Next week, I’ll be sharing a list of the top 10 items that have helped me through my personal journey.

P.S. the title photo is from my first post diagnosis/treatment 5k.

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Back To The Grind

It’s back to the grind as the holiday season has come to an end.  The roads were back to their usual busy, over-crowded annoyingness with the snow birds amping up the aggravation level. Even as I headed into the office around noon, due to my annual physical, the turnpike was packed with cars unwilling to go the speed limit.  It actually felt good to be back to normal at work.

I booked my annual physical for today as my doctor is going concierge at the end of March. I’m not super excited about this expensive change, but I absolutely love my primary care doctor.  Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to find a good primary care doctor in South Florida.  At this point, I’m leaning towards staying with her in the concierge model.

My appointment went well and everything looks good (well sort of) I would, however,  suggest not going immediately after the holidays lest you want to get yelled at for your weight…  #lessonlearned. I was super excited when the nursing assistant checked my height announcing it at 64.5 inches.   I’m sorry what?  “64.5 inches.”  I’m here to tell you I’ve been 5 ft. 4 since (64 inches) since I was 18.  In fact, I was just barely under 64 inches in 2016 thanks to a lack of stretching a Zumba and running.

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Consequently, when the doctor came into the room, I had to ask her about the gain in height.  She confirmed what I was already thinking that the yoga (particularly the aerial yoga) and stretching had gained me some height.  I mean a 1/2 an inch, can I tell you how stoked I am about it?  I would love to be taller!  Understandably, I made sure to make my reservations for aerial yoga on Thursday and Sunday as soon as I got to the office.

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When I shared this information with my co-worker, she booked herself a class for this coming weekend.  What women doesn’t want to be a built taller? This is especially true for me as I’ve watched my Grandma lose several inches of the last decade or two due to osteoporosis and scoliosis.  You can imagine that both myself and my mom are doing everything in power to avoid that same loss of height.

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Tonight’s yoga class was a mat class, which I love.  Fortunately, Monica teaches both my mat class and aerial classes (Th and Sat.)  I was so excited to share with her that I gained over a half of an inch since my last doctor’s appointment.  She wasn’t surprised by this news since she’s been teaching for awhile, s.  Although, she was quite excited for me.  As a result, I told her our new goal was to get me to 65 inches!   I can’t even tell you how excited I am to have gotten a little taller!

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While the gain in height may seem insignificant, it highlights the importance of staying active and taking care our bodies as we age.  It is easy to get caught up in the cardio mindset and let strength and stretch training fall by the wayside.  However, both strength training and stretching are absolutely crucial to staying happy.  Fortunately, I love yoga, which allows me to work on strength training and stretching at the same time.  I’ve also added weights, TRX and some circuit training to my repertoire to keep me fit.

The bottom line is that I am now 64.5 inches.  Just imagine…. If I gain another inch or two, I won’t have to hem my pants! Now that’s something to get excited about!  Tonight’s song performed by Guns N’ Rose, and in keeping with our South Florida weather tonight, is November Rain.

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Winter Fluff

Winter fluff.  I’m not talking about the white stuff, but rather the extra pounds one tends to gain during the winter season.  Of course, this was normal living in Minnesota.  Activity waned for me as the weather got colder outdoor.   Fortunately, over-sized sweaters were the perfect way to cover up any extra weight.

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Unfortunately, living in South Florida our winter consists of dips into the 40s.  Most of the winter is comfortably warm and bikini season in unending.  There’s rarely sweater weather here, so there’s no covering up any extra winter fluff.  On the flip side, the weather here is perfect.  Consequently, we can enjoy the great outdoors year round.   Not surprisingly, running is a lot more pleasant when the temperatures are in the 70s not the high 90s.  Running in triple digit heat indices, as you can imagine, is not nearly as much fun as it sounds.

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The only the combination of lack of sweater weather and winter fluff are troublesome is around the holidays. Who wants to behave and eat well with all the holiday parties and dinners?  Thanks, but no thanks!  So how does on survive the holidays without putting on the fluff?  I’m glad you asked.  The key is moderation and exercise.  Sadly, diet is 80% of the equation with exercises only making up 20%.   This means you cannot completely correct all your food indiscretions with exercise.

Where does this leave you?  Comprising.  If you’re at a party, enjoy the food, but skip seconds.  If you’re drinking, opt for a drink (like a vodka soda) that is low in calories.  My drink of choice is a peach pear LaCroix with a shot of Peach Ciroc on the ice.  Its refreshing, its light and its low calorie.  Plus, Circoc is very smooth.  In addition, add in some extra workouts as this will help mitigate some of the extra calories.

In honor of the start of the holiday season, let’s kick it back to 2001 with Pink’s Get the Party Started