Or at least Dec 20?!?! That's when we fly to Florida for our first vacation since Hawai'i. We really need to get away more. At this point it's been 8 months since we took any real time off and I think it's pretty obvious to everyone around us how much we need a break. Leigh and I are both grumpy all the time and tired and bored at work. We're letting things go like our diets and our housework and we're starting to lose our grip on the pre-vacation budget we set for ourselves. There's only so much scrimping and saving you can do for so long! We're even being less diligent about making sure our puppy gets the exercise she needs, which means more time defending myself against the giant hyperactive snuggle monster who lives in my house!
Anyway, we need a break.
On a more positive note, I plan to submit my law review article TONIGHT. Then I'll have a little piece of my life back. I can just focus on my work, my health, and my family responsibilities. While we're away I plan to really relax, read for pleasure, and start drafting some cover letters to apply for jobs after the New Year. If everything comes together well I should be preparing for interviews in early spring (*fingers crossed*).
In the meantime I'm literally counting down until we fly out the morning of December 20. We have two amazing weeks planned enjoying time to ourselves and with both sides of our family. My dad even emailed me our Christmas gift: two tickets to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!! So excited!!! AND last weekend we got a great deal on a digital camera at Costco, so I might actually start posting pictures again one of these days.
*sigh* well, I have a very busy week at work so I should get back to it.....
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Healthy Numbers- It's All Relative
For the past 6 months or so I have attempted to change my lifestyle to accommodate a recently discovered metabolic condition. It was mystery to me how I came to have this problem. My doctor says these things are almost always genetic. My father has high cholesterol, but not nearly as high as mine. My brothers are overweight but healthy regardless if their diet is poor or healthy. I remember my mother saying that her cholesterol was high and taking medication, but I do not remember her having as much drama with this as I do and I never heard her discuss blood lipid levels. Both sides of my family battle with weak pancreas function, diabetes on one side and hypoglycemia on the other side. Still, no ideas. Until I mentioned my condition to my maternal grandmother (I hadn't told her before because she tends to get overly upset over most things). She told me that she has always had high triglycerides but it was a side effect of her diabetes. My uncle, her son, high cholesterol but thought it was due to bad eating habits. Mystery solved. My mother's side of the family is plagued with metabolic issues as well as adult onset diabetes (though I believe this part is obesity-related).
Anyway, I had my 6-month endocrinology check up last Tuesday, followed by a blood draw and a full metabolic panel. Honestly, I was nervous to get the results. Leigh and I went animal product free for about 2 1/2 weeks and I've been eating very little meat for the past month or so. But I've also been eating a lot more sugar lately. For a few days Leigh and I even went nuts for Nutella, doing the "after dinner with a spoon and the jar" routine. No wonder I gained 2 pounds the last 2 weeks (and I didn't get any exercise for those weeks either).
Today I got my results. My cholesterol is 184, down from 212 over the summer. My triglycerides are 242, up from about 220 over the summer.
Following my first set of labs and being put on medication I made drastic changes to my diet. I cut out all refined sugars, all white flour, white rice, fried foods, most cooking fats, alcohol, and milk chocolate. I reduced my intake of nuts, coconut products, and tropical fruits (all known to spike triglycerides). My last blood tests came back much improved- 212 cholesterol and 220 triglycerides. I can live with that. Since those blood tests were run I have reduced my intake of animal products even further, but have reincorporated some other food items. Namely, I've allowed myself to drink alcohol every few weeks and indulge in a dessert item. I've also relaxed about eating white rice and noodles made from white flour at restaurants. At home, however, all of our grains are whole and I eat as much oatmeal as I can handle (for cholesterol).
Even though I've relaxed on certain food items, basically the ones that are too difficult to avoid or hard for me to give up entirely, my results are pretty good. For some perspective, when I was diagnosed my cholesterol was in the 400s and my triglycerides were nearly 2,000. Healthy cholesterol is under 200, anything over 240 is high cholesterol. Of course, the compilation of LDL to HDL makes a difference, but my doctor says my cholesterol at 184 looks pretty decent, all things considered.
Triglycerides are kind of funny, as they fluctuate about as often as a person's blood sugar does (which makes sense because blood levels are directly related to what kind of food you eat each day). Healthy triglycerides are under 150. "High" triglycerides are in the 200-500 range, usually because these people eat a lot of burgers, fried foods, drink lots of alcohol, or eat a lot of white, refined sugar (in my case it's due to a metabolic condition.). Anything over 500 is dangerously high. So I went from 2,000 to 220, and now 242.
I was probably operating with high cholesterol and hyperlipidemia for many years. I really don't understand how I was able to function, sometimes even playing sports, with that consistency of lipids in my bloodstream. Anyway, 242 is still a high number, but considering that my body is incapable of metabolizing a large percentage of what is found in the American diet, I think I'm doing OK. At any rate, I will live a while longer.
Anyway, I had my 6-month endocrinology check up last Tuesday, followed by a blood draw and a full metabolic panel. Honestly, I was nervous to get the results. Leigh and I went animal product free for about 2 1/2 weeks and I've been eating very little meat for the past month or so. But I've also been eating a lot more sugar lately. For a few days Leigh and I even went nuts for Nutella, doing the "after dinner with a spoon and the jar" routine. No wonder I gained 2 pounds the last 2 weeks (and I didn't get any exercise for those weeks either).
Today I got my results. My cholesterol is 184, down from 212 over the summer. My triglycerides are 242, up from about 220 over the summer.
Following my first set of labs and being put on medication I made drastic changes to my diet. I cut out all refined sugars, all white flour, white rice, fried foods, most cooking fats, alcohol, and milk chocolate. I reduced my intake of nuts, coconut products, and tropical fruits (all known to spike triglycerides). My last blood tests came back much improved- 212 cholesterol and 220 triglycerides. I can live with that. Since those blood tests were run I have reduced my intake of animal products even further, but have reincorporated some other food items. Namely, I've allowed myself to drink alcohol every few weeks and indulge in a dessert item. I've also relaxed about eating white rice and noodles made from white flour at restaurants. At home, however, all of our grains are whole and I eat as much oatmeal as I can handle (for cholesterol).
Even though I've relaxed on certain food items, basically the ones that are too difficult to avoid or hard for me to give up entirely, my results are pretty good. For some perspective, when I was diagnosed my cholesterol was in the 400s and my triglycerides were nearly 2,000. Healthy cholesterol is under 200, anything over 240 is high cholesterol. Of course, the compilation of LDL to HDL makes a difference, but my doctor says my cholesterol at 184 looks pretty decent, all things considered.
Triglycerides are kind of funny, as they fluctuate about as often as a person's blood sugar does (which makes sense because blood levels are directly related to what kind of food you eat each day). Healthy triglycerides are under 150. "High" triglycerides are in the 200-500 range, usually because these people eat a lot of burgers, fried foods, drink lots of alcohol, or eat a lot of white, refined sugar (in my case it's due to a metabolic condition.). Anything over 500 is dangerously high. So I went from 2,000 to 220, and now 242.
I was probably operating with high cholesterol and hyperlipidemia for many years. I really don't understand how I was able to function, sometimes even playing sports, with that consistency of lipids in my bloodstream. Anyway, 242 is still a high number, but considering that my body is incapable of metabolizing a large percentage of what is found in the American diet, I think I'm doing OK. At any rate, I will live a while longer.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Reving Up
Oh my gosh it seems like so much is happening so fast. The past several weeks, no, MONTHS have been a lot about maintaining. I've been trudging through my job (though not very well, I'm hardly impressing anyone these days), gathering comp time and PTO days as much as possible, eating carefully, trying to get exercise, planning this crazy Mad Men party, and basically counting the days until I leave for Florida/Virginia for the holidays.
It's starting to get to me. No, really.
Every day is a tiny struggle. I'm starting to feel the world close in a tiny bit. The other day I started thinking about my trip to Europe. Instead of feeling excited and ready to hop a plane I felt NERVOUS. WHAT?!?! Who is this person?!?! I never feel nervous, I only feel excited and enticed to do research and plan and then get started on my trip. This whole staying in one place and always seeing the same people thing is turning me soft. Must. Travel. Now.
Then there's the article. I've been working on a law article for about a month and a half now. It's due Dec 1. That's really coming up. I have no idea if the article is ready for submission yet. I have no idea if it's been worth all this time and effort. Hopefully my lovely volunteer readers will serve as my oracles and help me get over this hurdle of self-doubt.
Then there's the job search (see part about article). All I'm doing now is writing the article and trying not to panic at the lack of correspondence with my professional contacts. My new mantra is "it's not personal, they're just really busy." God I hope that's true.
On Friday I'm throwing a party. I think everyone in Anchorage between the ages of 24 and 35 is coming. I didn't plan it like that, it just happened. It should be really fun. We're doing a Mad Men/ 1960's theme. This means lots of drinking, funny clothes, and downright scary snack foods. Planning this party has made it all too clear how American obesity epidemic started.
Then there's Thanksgiving. Last year Leigh and I made a mini Thanksgiving just for the two of us. That was a fun, quiet day at home together. This year my friend Joanie and her hubby are hosting for about 15 people. Leigh and I are bringing deliciously naughty foods (mac'n'cheese and PIE) to add to the celebrations. There will be lots of people and lots of food plus hopefully a few glasses of wine. This should be fun. After several weeks of keeping my head down and working my tail off, it sounds like a great way to spend a fake holiday (sorry, I had to throw that in there).
Yesterday I learned that my grandpa is very ill and will likely pass away soon. But "soon" is a very relative term. It could be tomorrow or next week or in a few months. We have no idea. I just hope he's not in pain and that my grandma is holding up OK. We aren't close, but he's family and my dad and his siblings are dealing with a lot right now. The bottom line is that I might be flying to Maine at the last minute to help with the family stuff. That's kind of stressful, but I want to be there for my dad and that means being flexible and available to my loved ones. This also might change any and all of the above goings on, but that's life. I guess another mantra could be "go with the flow, it's much easier that way."
It's starting to get to me. No, really.
Every day is a tiny struggle. I'm starting to feel the world close in a tiny bit. The other day I started thinking about my trip to Europe. Instead of feeling excited and ready to hop a plane I felt NERVOUS. WHAT?!?! Who is this person?!?! I never feel nervous, I only feel excited and enticed to do research and plan and then get started on my trip. This whole staying in one place and always seeing the same people thing is turning me soft. Must. Travel. Now.
Then there's the article. I've been working on a law article for about a month and a half now. It's due Dec 1. That's really coming up. I have no idea if the article is ready for submission yet. I have no idea if it's been worth all this time and effort. Hopefully my lovely volunteer readers will serve as my oracles and help me get over this hurdle of self-doubt.
Then there's the job search (see part about article). All I'm doing now is writing the article and trying not to panic at the lack of correspondence with my professional contacts. My new mantra is "it's not personal, they're just really busy." God I hope that's true.
On Friday I'm throwing a party. I think everyone in Anchorage between the ages of 24 and 35 is coming. I didn't plan it like that, it just happened. It should be really fun. We're doing a Mad Men/ 1960's theme. This means lots of drinking, funny clothes, and downright scary snack foods. Planning this party has made it all too clear how American obesity epidemic started.
Then there's Thanksgiving. Last year Leigh and I made a mini Thanksgiving just for the two of us. That was a fun, quiet day at home together. This year my friend Joanie and her hubby are hosting for about 15 people. Leigh and I are bringing deliciously naughty foods (mac'n'cheese and PIE) to add to the celebrations. There will be lots of people and lots of food plus hopefully a few glasses of wine. This should be fun. After several weeks of keeping my head down and working my tail off, it sounds like a great way to spend a fake holiday (sorry, I had to throw that in there).
Yesterday I learned that my grandpa is very ill and will likely pass away soon. But "soon" is a very relative term. It could be tomorrow or next week or in a few months. We have no idea. I just hope he's not in pain and that my grandma is holding up OK. We aren't close, but he's family and my dad and his siblings are dealing with a lot right now. The bottom line is that I might be flying to Maine at the last minute to help with the family stuff. That's kind of stressful, but I want to be there for my dad and that means being flexible and available to my loved ones. This also might change any and all of the above goings on, but that's life. I guess another mantra could be "go with the flow, it's much easier that way."
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Week 2 of the Whole Foods, Plant Based Diet
Leigh decided we should give up meat and dairy for 3 weeks to see how it effects our habits, our weight, and just generally see how we like it. Generally it's been a really nice experience. We've been eating at home most of the time and I've discovered that I prefer soy milk in my coffee to cow's milk (soy milk has a little hint of vanilla that makes the coffee oh so rich!). A few nights ago after skiing in some very cold weather we gave in to our craving for Pho soup, but got vegetarian with tofu instead of beef. It was delicious!
We're revamped our fridge so it only has non-animal products in it to make the transition smoother. We're eating tons of veggies and grains and experimenting with tofu in things like Thai style curry. The no animal products thing is still problematic though, particularly when we crave convenience or comfort foods (pizza! burgers!) or just want to grab a simple meal out somewhere (sandwiches, soups, etc are generally NOT vegan-friendly).
But we're doing really well and avoiding temptations, sticking to our guns. Until today. I got these texts from Leigh over the period of about an hour:
"Someone just brought in 3 giant trays of meats and cheeses. Quality stuff too."
"It's from last night's soiree" (her office had a party last night that she didn't attend).
"Oh man, lemon bars."
"Well, I'm done not eating meat."
At so it goes, folks. 2 weeks of dedication and a fridge full of healthy vegan food rendered useless. The experiment is a flop due to contamination. Oh well, c'est la vie. It's not like we were going vegan for political or moral reasons. We just wanted to cleanse our bodies of heavy, difficult to metabolize, foods before the holiday season. I'm sure there's plenty more vegetarian friendly meals in our very near futures. But for today Leigh's body is wrought with the flesh of dead creatures. Of course tomorrow I'm going to want a chorizo pizza from our favorite theatre pub or, at the very least, a salmon burger made at home.
What's the lesson in this experiment/failure? First of all, vegan food is pretty awesome. Though we've been getting into healthy food for about 2 years now, this was our first time diving headfirst into the world of soy and various protein replacements. It worked out well. I think I'll continue using soy powder in my baking, taking spirulina most days, and incorporating tofu into our meals. Also, meat isn't necessary to have a good, hearty meal. In fact, it should be eaten sparingly. We will probably eat a lot of vegetarian dishes from now on and only eat meat when we have a particular craving. Ultimately, that's better for my health anyway, considering my chronically high cholesterol.
With this strange turn of events, I wonder what we're having for dinner???
We're revamped our fridge so it only has non-animal products in it to make the transition smoother. We're eating tons of veggies and grains and experimenting with tofu in things like Thai style curry. The no animal products thing is still problematic though, particularly when we crave convenience or comfort foods (pizza! burgers!) or just want to grab a simple meal out somewhere (sandwiches, soups, etc are generally NOT vegan-friendly).
But we're doing really well and avoiding temptations, sticking to our guns. Until today. I got these texts from Leigh over the period of about an hour:
"Someone just brought in 3 giant trays of meats and cheeses. Quality stuff too."
"It's from last night's soiree" (her office had a party last night that she didn't attend).
"Oh man, lemon bars."
"Well, I'm done not eating meat."
At so it goes, folks. 2 weeks of dedication and a fridge full of healthy vegan food rendered useless. The experiment is a flop due to contamination. Oh well, c'est la vie. It's not like we were going vegan for political or moral reasons. We just wanted to cleanse our bodies of heavy, difficult to metabolize, foods before the holiday season. I'm sure there's plenty more vegetarian friendly meals in our very near futures. But for today Leigh's body is wrought with the flesh of dead creatures. Of course tomorrow I'm going to want a chorizo pizza from our favorite theatre pub or, at the very least, a salmon burger made at home.
What's the lesson in this experiment/failure? First of all, vegan food is pretty awesome. Though we've been getting into healthy food for about 2 years now, this was our first time diving headfirst into the world of soy and various protein replacements. It worked out well. I think I'll continue using soy powder in my baking, taking spirulina most days, and incorporating tofu into our meals. Also, meat isn't necessary to have a good, hearty meal. In fact, it should be eaten sparingly. We will probably eat a lot of vegetarian dishes from now on and only eat meat when we have a particular craving. Ultimately, that's better for my health anyway, considering my chronically high cholesterol.
With this strange turn of events, I wonder what we're having for dinner???
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