Chariots of Fur

Me and Jedi at Chariots of Fur in 2015

I've decided I'm going to walk a 5K in February. It's called Chariots of Fur -- and Jedi gets to go with me. How fun is that? I've walked the Mutt Mile the last two years, and chickened out the two years before that. This year I’m going to do the whole 5K!

Up until this year Chariots of Fur has been hosted by St. Francis Animal Hospital. It was a big fundraiser for their Helping Paw program. The race is under a different organization this year. Other changes include:

• Later start time
• Slightly higher fees (that increase the later you enter)
• Fun Run and 5K are same price and start at the same time
• Medals will be awarded to the first 700 finishers
• Ribbons are given to all participating dogs
• Dogs' names are on the entry form so dogs can be announced at the finish line!

I have several friends that are going too. We've done it together for the last couple years. Some walk, some run, some do the mile, while others do the whole thing. Regardless, we all meet up after the race to socialize. Last year we ended up at a dog-friendly restaurant for pizza and beer.

Interestingly, St. Francis Animal Hospital is still hosting a dog-friendly 5K. They’ve moved the date to March and changed the name to Paw Prints in the Sand. I'm debating entering that one too. (I'm a glutton for punishment.)

To get my fat ass ready to go, I've downloaded a walking plan. Here it is if you want to see it: 5K Training - Walkers Program. Wish me luck? I need it!

P.S. I want a medal, dammit!

Coaching, Week 3

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So, I only hit half the goals from last week. I did walk at work for about 15 minutes each time. Pretty good!

However, couldn't find the stupid Fitbit. Hubby got tired of hearing me whine and he bought me a new one. And this one is pink! Hopefully it's harder to lose.

This week we talked about personal goals. Then I was given homework. With a little soul-searching I decided that:

I want more . . .

• Time with friends
• Time to read
• Healthy foods
• Structure
• Sleep
• Training with Jedi
• Exercise
• Creativity
• Cooking at home

I want less . . .

• Junk food
• Clutter
• Stress
• Wasteful spending
• Forgetting to take my meds
• Negativity
• Mindless TV watching

Then I had to prioritize what I wanted. I don't know how well that'll work out. Coach is optimistic. But she's only known me three weeks. I happen to know me better. Teaching me to organize is probably as easy as teaching a pig to sing. Fortunately, there's this:

Look: singing pigs!

So, I'm still a big hot mess. But now I'm a mindful hot mess!

Coaching, Week 2

I did pretty good with last week's health coaching goals.

First, I made a double batch of seasoned ground beef. We had tacos for dinner one night and the second half was saved for taco salad. It turned out pretty damn good too. I also made a giant batch of fried rice. It reheats well, though I don't think it's diabetes-friendly. Stupid pancreas.

Finding healthy snacks is harder than I thought. I try to keep fresh fruit on hand along with some Fiber One bars. Low-fat yogurt and 100 calorie packs of cashews are stashed at work. Still, when there are donuts in the break room it's hard to walk away.

This week we're tackling exercise. I've got to find that damn Fitbit! Anyway, I pledged to walk 15 minutes a day at work. It's not much, but it helps.

I told Coach I was toying with entering a 5K in February. She got all happy, like when Jedi sees the Pupperoni bag. Guess I can't back out now. Dammit. Sometimes my mouth runs faster than my brain.

Health Coach

I saw an email from HR the other day. Work is offering five weeks of free health coaching -- on the clock. I went ahead and signed up. What do I have to lose? Maybe a coach will help me get my act together. Maybe not.

The first meeting was today. Coach and I discussed how I feel and where I'm at. Basically:

• I eat like crap
• Sleep like crap
• Don't exercise and
• I'm way too stressed.

Coach didn't look at me like I had four heads, so that's a good thing. There were some tears. We discussed everything, but decided to break it down in a teeny tiny parts.

** Kelley needs baby steps. **

What's first? My eating. I came up with two small goals for the next week:

1. Buy healthy snacks to keep on hand.
2. Preplan dinner for two nights.

Hopefully that'll keep me from mindlessly grazing and hitting the drive-thru. We'll see.

Let's Begin

I guess I need "before" picture to get started. I don't like having my picture taken, so there's not much to choose from. How about this one:

This was a fun day. Jedi and I went hiking with a friend and ended up at the beach. Jedi was being goofy and my friend snapped this picture. The smile is real. I wasn't feeling self-conscious about how I looked.

For reference: I weigh 210 pounds -- gasp -- in this picture. I'm wearing size 18 jeans and a 2X t-shirt. It hurts to say that aloud. Fortunately, nobody's reading this!

Numbers Game

Because I have the wussy pancreas, I'm supposed to keep an even stream of carbohydrates coming in. No skipping breakfast then pigging out at lunch. That causes spiking. Very bad.

Carb loading (my fav!) is bad. But going on a no carb diet is also bad. WTF?

So here's the formula for babying the pancreas:

Good snack = 15 grams carbs, 7 grams protein, 5 grams fat

Good meal = 30 grams carbs, 14 grams protein, 10 grams fat 

Of course nothing is exact, so I need to try to stay close in carbs without going over/under too much in protein or fat. It's exhausting.

When looking for pre-packaged food, I'm supposed to find something that fits within these parameters. It's not as easy as I would like.

Even more difficult (for me at least) is trying to figure out non-packaged food. How many carbs are in an apple? Can I eat an Egg McMuffin? I have a few booklets for that. Honestly, they're inconvenient to tote around, so I don't. I wonder if I can find an app. I always have my phone with me! Until then, I'm trying to wing it. I have a feeling that I'm failing.

Other numbers I need to watch are my blood pressure and blood glucose levels.

As I mentioned, I have hypertension (high blood pressure). I bought a wrist cuff to monitor my BP. I don't think it works very well. The numbers are all over the place, even when I take my blood pressure several times in 10 minutes. The good news, however, is that every time I go to the doctor the corpsman taking my vitals seems unfazed by the number. I guess that means my medicine is working!

Then there's my blood sugar. Ugh. There are many things that affect this number:

• When I ate
• What I ate 
• Exercise
• Hydration
• Stress
• Illness
• Pain
• Other medications
• Menstrual cycle (yes, hormones are a factor)

Unfortunately, my blood sugar mg/dl number is not as steady as I would like. My target range is between 80 and 130 first thing in the morning, and less than 180 two hours after eating.

I should test my blood at least once a day. (Honestly, I don't.) One of my doctors wanted me to test twice a day: first thing in the morning, two hours after lunch, two hours after dinner and before bed. It was difficult to keep up. I had an inconvenient full page chart to tote around and/or store in my tiny bathroom. I'd forget to take my glucometer to work. I'd often eat late so two hours after dinner was bedtime, thus skewing the data. I got frustrated and quit.

And finally, there's the A1C. This is a blood test that has to be done at the lab. The number reflects an average blood glucose levels over the previous 3 months. As a diagnosed diabetic, my goal is 7 or less. I've had it up to 9.2. (Very bad.) I had my A1C taken this month and it was 7.5. (Better, but not great.) I'll do it again in three months and see where I'm at -- hopefully heading in the right direction.

Something to note about the A1C: The number isn't 100% accurate. I've recently discovered that there is a +/- of 0.5. (So my 7.5 could be 7. Then again, it could be 8.)

So many numbers. So many terms. So many things to think about. They really do make my head spin. Will I ever get this down?

Finding Fitbit

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Good news: I've refilled my medications and am taking them regularly. I've also started taking a multivitamin. And I'm drinking lots of water these days.

Bad news: I can't find my Fitbit. I have torn the house apart. I looked under, inside, next to and behind the couch.

No go.

I tore the bedroom apart too. Hubby and I cleared everything out from underneath the bed. Still no Fitbit.

However, I found lots of books. Seriously, LOTS of books. Don't tell anybody, but I collect books like a squirrel collects nuts. I found books I've been looking for for a while, including THIS book:

I found it on Amazon during one of my "WTF Do I Eat NOW?!" pity parties. Who knows, maybe I'll cook. Then again, maybe I'll have another pity party. I'll let you know.