Becoming the deadly apple

So now I've become an apple: a woman with a 35-plus size waist. I have high blood pressure already and am now at an increased risk for a heart attack. Why did I let this happen to me? Here's another good reason I must lose weight:

According to the research, elevated health risks seem to come along with a waist measurement of greater than 35 inches in women and greater than 40 inches in men. Abdominal fat is worse than fat on your buttocks or thighs because that extra fat surrounds important organs such as the liver and pancreas. When you have fat in this area of the body, your body can't use the insulin produced by your pancreas efficiently — and that leads to insulin resistance, which causes high blood glucose levels. In turn, the high blood glucose puts your organs at higher risk. If you lose weight, the amount of fat stored around your waist and important organs will decrease, and they will work better, helping you stay healthy.

The advice to reduce abdominal fat is an exercise program that doesn't skimp on other areas of the body:

The best approach is a well-balanced program that includes aerobic activity (anything that gets you breathing hard), strength exercises for your entire body and stretching. For health gains, try to do at least 30 minutes daily.

I need a good chair exercising program or a swimming pool but we can't afford a gym. What a bind! :(

Exercisiing and the Neighborhood

Should I be surprised that the neighborhood can influence how much exercise you get? Of course not. But here's another article that identifies a problem but hasn't any suggestions for a solution. The problem is too big to be solved. If you live in a neighborhood where you are afraid you might be robbed or killed of course you will be less likely to go for a walk. If you live in a such a neighborhood, you're also very likely to be too poor to afford a gym--otherwise you'd move to a safer place, right? Therefore the obesity level would be higher in poorer, high crime neighborhoods. Amazing, Dr. Watson! The whole article is here.

I would love to be able to walk in my neighborhood. There are no sidewalks but I would be able to walk along the side of the road down to the lake and back. The reason I don't exercise in my neighborhood has more to do with pain than anything else. I'm also afraid I'll fall or faint and not be able to get back up. Still, I need to do something. I can't lose weight anymore just by dieting.

Why am I trying to lose weight when I want the surgery anyway? The less I weigh the better off I'll be!

Exercise and Diabetes II

Well, here is a good reason to push myself into an exercise regiment:

Lowering Blood Sugar through Physical Activity
Exercise can do more than help you lose weight. It can increase circulation, decrease stress, and reduce the risk for heart disease and strokes by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Getting some exercise is recommended for overall health. For people with diabetes, exercise can do even more. It can help keep blood glucose levels in range, and can go a long way towards preventing the complications associated with diabetes.

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People diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes usually have something called "insulin resistance." This means that their bodies still produce insulin, but it's not as effective at lowering blood glucose any more. Sometimes the insulin receptors aren't as sensitive, and sometimes the pancreas just doesn't make as much insulin as it used to. This insulin resistance is usually associated with increased fat and decreased muscle mass. Muscle cells use insulin much more efficiently than fat cells do, so building more muscle and reducing fat helps the body use the insulin that is produced thereby lowering overall blood glucose levels.


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How To Begin

Aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week. There are lots of different kinds of exercise. Try some of these or come up with your own:

Walking, biking, hiking, or dancing
Exercise videos and DVD's at home
Classes at the local Y such as yoga, tai chi, or pilates
Team sports like volleyball, martial arts, basketball, raquetball
Winter sports like cross country skiing, snowshoeing, or mall walking
Before beginning an exercise program, be sure to check with your doctor.

My favorite exercise is swimming not only because I've always loved it but also because of arthritis in my neck, spine, hips and ankles. Water keeps you buoyant and so you don't have any weight on the affected joints. I know what I should do and I even have a place where I can swim...it's a matter of making myself do it.

A Somewhat Dismal Update

I haven't spiralled totally out of control but I've been very discouraged with my lack of progress over the last six months. In fact, I've done a big backslide! I've gained 10 pounds and my most recent sugars show my A1C has gone from 6.5 to 7.5. I feel like I'm having mood swings and suspect I may actually have some bipolar going on after all. This is a check list I plan to show to all my doctors:

GENERAL
__X__ Fatigue, made worse by physical exertion or stress
__X__ Activity level decreased to less than 50% of pre-illness activity level
__X__ Recurrent flu-like illness
____ Sore throat
____ Hoarseness
__X__ Tender or swollen lymph nodes (glands), especially in neck and underarms
____ Shortness of breath (air hunger) with little or no exertion
__X__ Frequent sighing
____ Tremor or trembling
__X__ Severe nasal allergies (new allergies or worsening of previous allergies)
__X__ Cough
__X__ Night sweats
____ Low-grade fevers
__X__ Feeling cold often
__X__ Feeling hot often
____ Cold extremities (hands and feet)
____ Low body temperature (below 97.6)
____ Low blood pressure (below 110/70)
____ Heart palpitations
__X__ Dryness of eyes and/or mouth
__X__ Increased thirst
__X__ Symptoms worsened by temperature changes
____ Symptoms worsened by air travel
__X__ Symptoms worsened by stress

PAIN
__X__ Headache
__X__ Tender points or trigger points
__X__ Muscle pain
____ Muscle twitching
__X__ Muscle weakness
____ Paralysis or severe weakness of an arm or leg
__X__ Joint pain
____ TMJ syndrome
__X__ Chest pain

GENERAL NEUROLOGICAL
__X__ Lightheadedness; feeling "spaced out"
__X__ Inability to think clearly ("brain fog")
____ Seizures
____ Seizure-like episodes
____ Syncope (fainting) or blackouts
____ Sensation that you might faint
__X__ Vertigo or dizziness
___X__ Numbness or tingling sensations
__X__ Tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears)
__X__ Photophobia (sensitivity to light)
__X__ Noise intolerance

EQUILIBRIUM/PERCEPTION
__X__ Feeling spatially disoriented
__X__ Dysequilibrium (balance difficulty)
__X__ Staggering gait (clumsy walking; bumping into things)
____ Dropping things frequently
____ Difficulty judging distances (e.g. when driving; placing objects on surfaces)
____ "Not quite seeing" what you are looking at

SLEEP
__X__ Hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)
__X__ Sleep disturbance: unrefreshing or non-restorative sleep
__X__ Sleep disturbance: difficulty falling asleep
____ Sleep disturbance: difficulty staying asleep (frequent awakenings)
____ Sleep disturbance: vivid or disturbing dreams or nightmares
__X__ Altered sleep/wake schedule (alertness/energy best late at night)

MOOD/EMOTIONS
__X__ Depressed mood
____ Suicidal thoughts
____ Suicide attempts
____ Feeling worthless
____ Frequent crying
__X__ Feeling helpless and/or hopeless
__X__Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities
__X__ Increased appetite
____ Decreased appetite
__X__ Anxiety or fear when there is no obvious cause
____ Panic attacks
__X__ Irritability; overreaction
__X__ Rage attacks: anger outbursts with little or no cause
__X__ Abrupt, unpredictable mood swings
____ Phobias (irrational fears)
____ Personality changes

EYES AND VISION
____ Eye pain
__X__ Changes in visual acuity (frequent changes in ability to see well)
__X__ Difficulty with accommodation (switching focus from one thing to another)
____ Blind spots in vision

SENSITIVITIES
____ Sensitivities to medications (unable to tolerate "normal" dosage)
____ Sensitivities to odors (e.g., cleaning products, exhaust fumes, colognes, hair sprays)
____ Sensitivities to foods
____ Alcohol intolerance
____ Alteration of taste, smell, and/or hearing

UROGENITAL
__X__ Frequent urination
____ Painful urination or bladder pain
____ Prostate pain
____ Impotence
____ Endometriosis
____ Worsening of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
__X__ Decreased libido (sex drive)

GASTROINTESTINAL
__X__ Stomach ache; abdominal cramps
____ Nausea
____ Vomiting
____ Esophageal reflux (heartburn)
____ Frequent diarrhea
____ Frequent constipation
____ Bloating; intestinal gas
____ Decreased appetite
__X__ Increased appetite
__X__ Food cravings
__X__ Weight gain (10 lbs)
____ Weight loss (____ lbs)

SKIN
____ Rashes or sores
____ Eczema or psoriasis

OTHER
____ Hair loss
____ Mitral valve prolapse
____ Cancer
____ Dental problems
____ Periodontal (gum) disease
____ Aphthous ulcers (canker sores)

COGNITIVE
____ Difficulty with simple calculations (e.g., balancing checkbook)
__X__ Word-finding difficulty
__X__ Using the wrong word
__X__ Difficulty expressing ideas in words
____ Difficulty moving your mouth to speak
____ Slowed speech
____ Stuttering; stammering
__X__ Impaired ability to concentrate
__X__ Easily distracted during a task
____ Difficulty paying attention
__X__ Difficulty following a conversation when background noise is present
____ Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence
____ Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence
____ Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next)
__X__ Difficulty with short-term memory
____ Difficulty with long-term memory
____ Forgetting how to do routine things
____ Difficulty understanding what you read
____ Switching left and right
____ Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you speak
____ Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you write
____ Difficulty remembering names of objects
__X__ Difficulty remembering names of people
____ Difficulty recognizing faces
____ Difficulty following simple written instructions
____ Difficulty following complicated written instructions
____ Difficulty following simple oral (spoken) instructions
__X__ Difficulty following complicated oral (spoken) instructions
____ Poor judgment
__X__ Difficulty making decisions
____ Difficulty integrating information (putting ideas together to form a complete picture or concept)
____ Difficulty following directions while driving
____ Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving
____ Feeling too disoriented to drive

This is my action plan for now:

I'm going to test my sugar 2 hours after my heavy meal (keep forgetting to do the fasting)

I'm going to re-read The Insulin Resistance Diet, something the authors suggested when you fall off track. I'm going to make healthier food choices and be aware of what I'm putting into my body

I'm going to try and swim a half hour 3 times a week

I'm going to journal more about my health