Welcome back to Mustard Seed Botanicals. Author Karen McCullough is a guest today.
Cutting the Carbs
By Karen McCullough
I recently had a bit of a health scare. Every year, I have a physical that includes a blood workup. For the last twenty or so years, my blood glucose level has been in the slightly elevated, pre-diabetic range. My father had type 2 diabetes late in life, which means I likely have some predisposition toward it, but otherwise I don’t fit the standard profile. I carry around an extra few pounds on my hips, but my BMI is within normal range, I exercise regularly, and I eat a reasonably healthy diet.
Last fall, though, when I went in for my annual checkup, my blood glucose had risen significantly. It was still in pre-diabetic range, but only a point or two below the cutoff level for full diabetes. My doctor wasn’t convinced this wasn’t a fluke. All of my other readings were firmly in the normal range, which is unusual for a diabetic. Also, I had no other symptoms to indicate I had the disease. But I was a bit freaked out anyway.
My physician proposed that I try losing a few pounds over the next few weeks and then have a test for A1C levels, which is apparently a much more accurate marker of diabetes than the blood glucose.
The doctor asked about cutting out sugar and we actually couldn’t find much in my diet to cut. I don’t drink soda or sweet tea. I subsist on coffee (with a bit of Splenda), water, and an occasional glass of wine. I don’t eat a lot of sweets other than fruit.
But I did eat a lot of pasta and rice bread, and that’s where we found some places to make changes. My husband does most of the cooking in our household since he’s much better at it than I am. He agreed that he could use to lose a few pounds himself, though he’s far from obese, too.
Rather than trying crash dieting, however, we decided to go for changes that we could maintain as part of the way we live in general.
We embarked on a new eating strategy that involved cutting carbs wherever we could.
My daughter suggested that we try substituting veggies like broccoli and cauliflower for some or all of the pasta in our favorite recipes. I’m not a huge veggie fan, but I agreed to try it. I was astonished to discover that tuna casseroles, baked chicken, even some Italian sauces tasted just fine with a broccoli/cauliflower/carrot medley rather than penne or rice.
We also stopped having bread or rolls as a side dish for every meal. Instead we have a sliced apple, orange sections, grapes, or some other fruit that also doubles as dessert.
I used to have a piece of toast for breakfast most days, but I now have an egg or ham or bacon instead. The additional protein helps keep me from feeling hungry. I still have an occasional sandwich, with thin-sliced whole-grain bread for lunch and most days I eat a few whole-grain crackers as a mid-afternoon snack. I’ve found it’s key for me to have substantial protein with every meal, though I try to keep it to lean meats like chicken or fish most of the time.
We also looked at our exercise levels. We’ve been taking walks four to five times a week for a long time, but we decide to try increasing our speed while walking. On the advice of my sister-in-law, I also bought a small trampoline and I now try to bounce on it for fifteen minutes twice a day.
The upshot of those few changes is that I lost seven pounds in just two months (over the Christmas holidays!) and when I had the blood test in January, my A1C level was completely normal.
I’d like to lose a few more pounds so I plan to keep up the effort. Eventually, when I’ve reached my target weight, I’ll add a bit of bread, pasta, and the occasional dessert back into the diet. But on the whole I intend the changes I’ve made to be permanent.
Karen, thank you for sharing your inspirational journey toward gaining a healthier life.
Cutting the Carbs
By Karen McCullough
I recently had a bit of a health scare. Every year, I have a physical that includes a blood workup. For the last twenty or so years, my blood glucose level has been in the slightly elevated, pre-diabetic range. My father had type 2 diabetes late in life, which means I likely have some predisposition toward it, but otherwise I don’t fit the standard profile. I carry around an extra few pounds on my hips, but my BMI is within normal range, I exercise regularly, and I eat a reasonably healthy diet.
Last fall, though, when I went in for my annual checkup, my blood glucose had risen significantly. It was still in pre-diabetic range, but only a point or two below the cutoff level for full diabetes. My doctor wasn’t convinced this wasn’t a fluke. All of my other readings were firmly in the normal range, which is unusual for a diabetic. Also, I had no other symptoms to indicate I had the disease. But I was a bit freaked out anyway.
My physician proposed that I try losing a few pounds over the next few weeks and then have a test for A1C levels, which is apparently a much more accurate marker of diabetes than the blood glucose.
The doctor asked about cutting out sugar and we actually couldn’t find much in my diet to cut. I don’t drink soda or sweet tea. I subsist on coffee (with a bit of Splenda), water, and an occasional glass of wine. I don’t eat a lot of sweets other than fruit.
But I did eat a lot of pasta and rice bread, and that’s where we found some places to make changes. My husband does most of the cooking in our household since he’s much better at it than I am. He agreed that he could use to lose a few pounds himself, though he’s far from obese, too.
Rather than trying crash dieting, however, we decided to go for changes that we could maintain as part of the way we live in general.
We embarked on a new eating strategy that involved cutting carbs wherever we could.
My daughter suggested that we try substituting veggies like broccoli and cauliflower for some or all of the pasta in our favorite recipes. I’m not a huge veggie fan, but I agreed to try it. I was astonished to discover that tuna casseroles, baked chicken, even some Italian sauces tasted just fine with a broccoli/cauliflower/carrot medley rather than penne or rice.
We also stopped having bread or rolls as a side dish for every meal. Instead we have a sliced apple, orange sections, grapes, or some other fruit that also doubles as dessert.
I used to have a piece of toast for breakfast most days, but I now have an egg or ham or bacon instead. The additional protein helps keep me from feeling hungry. I still have an occasional sandwich, with thin-sliced whole-grain bread for lunch and most days I eat a few whole-grain crackers as a mid-afternoon snack. I’ve found it’s key for me to have substantial protein with every meal, though I try to keep it to lean meats like chicken or fish most of the time.
We also looked at our exercise levels. We’ve been taking walks four to five times a week for a long time, but we decide to try increasing our speed while walking. On the advice of my sister-in-law, I also bought a small trampoline and I now try to bounce on it for fifteen minutes twice a day.
The upshot of those few changes is that I lost seven pounds in just two months (over the Christmas holidays!) and when I had the blood test in January, my A1C level was completely normal.
I’d like to lose a few more pounds so I plan to keep up the effort. Eventually, when I’ve reached my target weight, I’ll add a bit of bread, pasta, and the occasional dessert back into the diet. But on the whole I intend the changes I’ve made to be permanent.
Karen, thank you for sharing your inspirational journey toward gaining a healthier life.
Let's meet Karen McCullough.
Karen McCullough is a web designer by profession, and the author of a dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romantic suspense, and fantasy genres as well. She has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy, and has also been a four-time Eppie finalist, and a finalist in the Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards contests. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. She has three children, four grandchildren and lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.
You can connect online with Karen here:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Karen McCullough is a web designer by profession, and the author of a dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romantic suspense, and fantasy genres as well. She has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy, and has also been a four-time Eppie finalist, and a finalist in the Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards contests. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. She has three children, four grandchildren and lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.
You can connect online with Karen here:
Website
Blog
Now that we've met Karen, let's find out some more about her book, A Gift for Murder.
Blurb for A Gift for Murder: The Gifts and Home Decoration trade show provides Heather McNeill with the longest week of her hectic life. As assistant to the director of Washington, D.C.'s, Market and Commerce center, she's point person for complaining exhibitors, missing shipments and miscellaneous disasters. It's a job she takes in stride—until murder crashes the event.
You can find Karen's book online here.
Kindle
Nook
Smashwords
iTunes
Kobo
Karen, thank you so much for guesting today. We appreciated learning more about you, your journey toward healthier living and about your book.
Hope you all can stay for a bit to chat with Karen. Feel free to post your comments below.
Blurb for A Gift for Murder: The Gifts and Home Decoration trade show provides Heather McNeill with the longest week of her hectic life. As assistant to the director of Washington, D.C.'s, Market and Commerce center, she's point person for complaining exhibitors, missing shipments and miscellaneous disasters. It's a job she takes in stride—until murder crashes the event.
You can find Karen's book online here.
Kindle
Nook
Smashwords
iTunes
Kobo
Karen, thank you so much for guesting today. We appreciated learning more about you, your journey toward healthier living and about your book.
Hope you all can stay for a bit to chat with Karen. Feel free to post your comments below.