Wow

It's been a long time since I posted anything here. Over the summer I lost a few pounds (my last check in was already a few weeks ago and I'd lost a combined total of about 10lbs this summer). I'm going to see my dietitian next week, so I'll get the full story from her then (but hopefully I'll remember to weigh myself tomorrow just to see).

Unfortunately for my efforts, school has just started. And unlike last year, I'm extremely busy now because I'm in Grad School!!!! I just went a week without really working out (unless vacuuming counts) because I felt too busy. Then today I came home exhausted, but I knew I needed to get moving a bit to relax, so I did some Yoga (3 segments from 10 Minute Solution Yoga to be exact). And I feel 100 times better for having done those 30 minutes. So I'm going to have to really work and maybe schedule some exercise time for myself. I've said before that even 10 minutes a day is better than nothing, but I think this year I'm going to shoot for something more concrete. Maybe a half hour three times a week? I figure I'll just try to fit in some workouts for the week to see how things go then talk to my dietitian next week for some help.

I will try to check in here once a week to help keep myself accountable. I'm also going to try to get Fitness Reviews up and running again, but I can't make any promises with that. My first priority is to fit some sort of exercise into my busy school schedule!

Continuing to See Results!

I weighed myself again today, even though I was a bit afraid to. It was my birthday this last week, and so I have NOT been eating healthily. I went out a few times, had some drinks and Cheetohs...all the fun associated with birthdays that doesn't tend to go hand in hand with weightloss. But luckily, all of my fears were pushed aside when I jumped on the scale....and discovered that I lost another pound!!!! (This was even more exciting because my period should be starting in the next day or two, which is another time when I tend to weight a little bit more).

This last week has really shown me the value of exercise - I managed to be active five out of the seven days, which is my current exercise goals. And thanks to that, I was able to lose a healthy amount of weight even though my diet wasn't the greatest. Let's just hope I remember this in the future, for when I don't feel like exercising!

A Bit of Weight Loss!!!!

I weighed myself today, and I have lost 1.5 pounds!!!!! For the last several weeks, the number on the scale has not budged. But now that I've added the Fitness Lose 10 Pounds in 30 Days workout twice a week to my attempts to be fit, the scale has started to move! I hope this continues in the future, and I am definitely planning on using this workout! The first time I tried it, my abs were dying, but now, having done it a few more times, I already feel a bit stronger!

Lose 10 Pounds in 30 Days Workout!

During my meeting with my dietitian today, she encouraged me to get a lot of exercise in, including strength training. Personally, I prefer aerobic exercises, but she told me it is necessary for weight loss (and health) so I agreed to get in a few strength sessions a week. So when I got home, I decided to give the Lose 10 Pounds in 30 Days Workout a try.

It's been about a week since I joined the program, and I only glanced at the workout once. So I was really unprepared for everything! This program supposedly tones your entire body in just 12 moves, and I believe it! It's broken down into four sections: lower body, abs, butt and upper body (3 moves per section). And there's a short video accompanying every move, which shows you exactly what you're supposed to be doing.

The lower body segment went pretty smoothly thanks to the videos. The moves were pretty straightforward. It was during the abs section that I first encountered problems. I had a really tough time with all of the moves! It seems that my abs are in no shape whatsoever, so I shortened each move down to ten reps instead of the fifteen the program said to do (but even this was tough to get through!)

The butt section was also pretty straightforward. All of the moves were a derivative of the basic squat, so I know they'll help shape things up back there. But then I hit the upper body section, and I thought I wouldn't be able to make it! My upper body has never been my strong point, and all of the moves were derived from a basic push-up. I felt like crying. But amazingly, I psyched myself up to try all of the moves and I made it through ALL of the reps! I couldn't believe it! I know my form wasn't perfect, but hopefully it will improve over the next few times I try this workout. My current goal is, as the Lose 10 Pounds plan suggests, to do this workout twice a week.

Meeting with my Dietitian

Earlier this afternoon, I met with my dietitian at Diabetes Health. The reason for my meeting was that I intended on joining Weight Watchers, but wanted to talk to her first to see if it was a god idea with my diabetes (my mom was the one who suggested this meeting; she said that I am lucky enough to have access to such people and should make use of them).

Right off the bat, we determined that Weight Watchers might not be the best avenue for me. I wanted to join because of their points system; I do not like counting calories. But I failed to take into account the fact that I would then have to juggle carbohydrate counting with the point system. She told me that other people have been successful with this, but she didn't think that it would be the best idea for me. After thinking about this a bit, I whole-heartedly agreed; I'm sure the points system would be easier than calorie counting, but I'm going to try other ways before going to a counting method.

So by the end of my meeting, I agreed to attempt to eat more mindfully, and shoot for at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week. I will eventually move up to an hour of exercise 5 times a week (which is apparently what you need for weight loss) but I have to start somewhere. I'm also going to meet with my dietitian every month for the next while to chart my progress and maybe get some more tips. (And if all else fails, she'll make a meal plan for me). Oh, and she gave me a magnetic whiteboard calendar to keep track of how much I work out! Hopefully the visual reminder on my fridge will help motivate me to get moving!

Tofu

I've never really eaten Tofu. My family all enjoys eating some meat, and so we have never really gotten into Vegetarian dishes. But when I started eating sushi, I encountered tofu in miso soup. After looking online for a recipe, and being unable to date to find miso paste, I found myself with a block of soft tofu with no idea what to do with it. Another internet search found me a recipe for crunchy soft tofu.

I decided to try the recipe out today. The actual coating for the tofu is simple: combine cornstarch, salt and pepper. I ran into trouble while frying the coated tofu; luckily, my brother came to the rescue and helped.

Once the tofu was cooked, we decided that it needed some kind of sauce. The one included in the recipe was out because we don't really like ginger. So we decided to cobble together a stirfry with the tofu, noodles, peppers and brocoli. All in all, it came out extremely well. We're going to try making it again tomorrow for supper (with baby corn added into the stirfry, too!), but this time with firmer tofu so it is easier to work with.

Magazine Workouts

I have decided that I need to get active, as my weight has gone up in recent months. So I planned on joining the Self Challenge. I've joined it before, but I always fail to keep on track with all of the workouts and things. But I decided that this time would be different! So I jumped onto the Self website, was all ready to submit my info....when I discovered that this year, the Self Challenge is not open to Canadians. I tried emailing someone at Self magazine, asking if I could get in just for the workouts and whatnot, as I am not interested in their sweepstakes. But to date, I have not heard back.

And so I went looking on other fitness magazine websites that I knew of for a different plan that I could try out. I stumbled upon Fitness Magazine's Lose 10 Pounds in 30 Days plan. Since I have quite a bit of weight to lose (my goal is to lose about 30-40 pounds), I thought this might help kickstart an exercise habit. And losing 10 pounds by July sounds good to me! I'm just not so sure of whether that will be accurate - I just had a look at the meal plan that accompanies it, and I don't think I'm going to end up following it super accurately. But I'll worry about that later - I have an appointment with my dietician next week, so hopefully that will help me more with my eating habits!

Home Again!

I got home from Toronto today! I did a ton of walking while I was there! That's the thing I love about where I was staying - it's right downtown, so you can walk practically everywhere! Toronto is so walker friendly, it's awesome!

While away, I feel like I ate a ton! Everything was just so delicious! From sushi, traditional Chinese, street meat and bubble tea, I had awesome meals all over the place! Of course, I also now feel like I won't need to eat for a few days, which is definitely not good! I'll have to weigh myself tomorrow to see if I gained any weight (I sure hope not!) Also, a note about the bubble tea: I totally guessed how much insulin to use. As far as I know, bubble tea is made with fruit juices, which is something I try to avoid as it sends my glucose level up. But coupled with the walking (the bubble tea place was a little ways away from where I was staying) all seemed to be okay.

The one problem with the trip was leaving. I was helping my bro move home, so we packed our bags to the brim! That was all well and good - except that I couldn't lift them for long. I ended up having to use the wheely suit cases while my bro had to carry the duffle bags, which was not cool. I'm also a bit worried that I hurt my back, so I'll have to be careful over the next few days. I'm hoping to do some yoga to help everything out a bit - stretching my back, and my calves from all that walking!

Now that I'm back, I'm also hoping to get back into using my fitness dvds (I know, I know, I haven't posted anything on Fitness Reviews since February!) My goal for this summer is to build an exercise habit, one that I'll be able to carry on this coming school year. I know this is going to be a bit of a challenge, as this coming school year is going to be tough. But I know I can do it!

Going Away

I'm off to Toronto tomorrow morning at 6:30am! I can't wait! I probably won't be posting on here until I get back. Have a good weekend everyone!

Month of Sensors at an End

Today was the end of the Month of Sensors. Sensor 5 was a success. I started it right after Sensor 4 ended, so I will have 6 days in a row of sensor data. I am going to get the data off of my pump sometime over the next few days, then off to Diabetes Health it will go!

Sensor 4

Sensor 4 was a success! I was a bit worried that it wouldn't be, as I inserted it on the left side of my body; I usually have more success when it is on the right. But today is the final day (I have about 17 hours left) and all is fine. I even played some DDR yesterday without it coming out! (I lost a sensor in the past because I played too much DDR and it fell out). So this sensor has been a success in more ways than one: it has shown me that I don't have to give up DDR during the three days!

I also wanted to make a note about tegaderm. When I originally started using the sensors, I used sheets of tegaderm to enclose the sensor and hold the transmitter in place (for a vague picture, see this). Right after the first sensor that I ran during my Month of Sensors, I ran out of the usual sheets that I used. Heading to a different pharmacy, I found larger sheets of tegaderm. I wasn't sure if they would work very well, so I decided to try only one. Well, it turns out that these larger sheets work a lot better than multiple small ones! I need someone's help setting everything up (even with the smaller, multiple sheets it is a lot easier when you have help) but they are a cheaper ($3 a sheet vs. $15 for 6 smaller sheets, which is about $2.50 per sheet. When you need 2 of the smaller sheets, this works out to $5 per sensor) and better option.

Month of Sensors Update

I forgot to update this blog on how the Month of Sensors is going. To date I have attempted to run three sensors; only two were successful (the first and second ones). I attempted the unsuccessful one earlier today. I think I hit something I shouldn't have. The sensor didn't take right from the beginning. So I am going to attempt another one tomorrow. Hopefully #4 will work!

Strategy for Cravings

While looking through my backed up folder full of The Buzz from Bikini Bootcamp newsletters, I found this one that I thought I would share:

"'Cravings Begone!'

Q: I've never been one for self-control, especially these days — I can't seem to get a handle on my cravings! Every time I feel like eating ice cream or — my newest favorite — those microwavable potato puffs that are about a thousand calories apiece, I resist for a minute or two, but eventually I give in. If I'm going to be bikini-ready, I really need your help!

A: To beat your cravings, the key is to formulate a plan. Come up with a list of at least 15 things you can do when you feel a craving coming on, and jot them down in your journal. For instance, you might decide to call a friend, do your nails, walk the dog, catch up on e-mails, or work on a fun, do-it-yourself project. Then, if you find yourself reaching for food when you're not really hungry, choose one of the alternatives from your list. You'll probably find that once you're swept up in the activity, you'll forget you had a craving to begin with! Remember to also use your new tools: Yoga, walking, pranayamas (breathing techniques), and the other workouts you've learned to keep you out of the kitchen in between meals. "

I thought this was a great tip, and decided to share it here. I'm also going to have to come up with some strategies to help me stop any cravings I might have (this isn't a really big problem that I have, but like everyone I get cravings sometimes!) which I will eventually post here.

Concluding Remarks for "No Crap for a Week" Week

I believe that this "No Crap for a Week" Week was a bit more of a success than the last time I attempted it. I got through four days successfully (the first three and day 5). I started off really strong, but definitely lagged as the week drew to a close. Part of this was due to what was happening at the end of the week; the group I help out with usually has some unhealthy things and I know I eat things that are in front of me mindlessly. Plus it is the weekend, which for some reason seems to signal that it's time to eat unhealthily. But I know that I've also been super tired lately, working on papers, so I've found myself eating for the energy (which isn't a good thing).

So I think that I need to try to remain mindful of what I'm eating. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to accomplish that at this moment (I've tried food logs, but I lose interest in keeping them), but that will definitely be my food goal for the next while.

Day 7 of "No Crap for a Week" Week

Well, today was the last day of "No Crap for a Week" Week. Day 7 started out alright. I ate rather healthily all day until supper time. We had company, and someone brought an extremely good cheesecake that I couldn't pass up...I also had a Mike's Hard, which was unnecessary (but good!) Oh yeah, and then I ended it all with some Mini Eggs at a friend's house. Definitely not the healthiest day this week!

Day 6 of "No Crap for a Week" Week

Well, I'm now at the very end of "No Crap for a Week" Week with only one more day to go! Day 6 started off relatively well. I had breakfast, then ran off to help out with a group I volunteer with where I was going to have lunch. Things started off really good; I ate a sandwich, grapes and yogurt. But when I was helping to clean up, I ate a couple of the desserts that were left over! I think what sort of happened was I was feeling tired (late night last night) and I sort of grabbed one without thinking. I'm going to have to try to be more mindful whenever there are instances such as this.

Other than this one incident, the day went smoothly.

Day 5 of "No Crap for a Week" Week

There wasn't anything really exciting to report about Day 5. I had a really nice meal of Greek food. Didn't have a whole lot of fruit, but overall the day was a healthy one eating wise anyway - I had school and then didn't really do anything last night. I didn't even do a short workout, which, in hind sight, I probably should have.

Day 4 of "No Crap for a Week" Week

Well, Day 4 of "No Crap for a Week" Week was a dismal failure. Everything started out alright until I went to my grandmother's for supper. I had a wonderful meal, but then dessert was brought out. Amongst the fruit, there were fresh hot cross buns (which I had to try - I had half of one) and poppy seed loaf. Poppy seed loaf is so incredibly delicious, that I wasn't able to pass it up. And then after dinner, I ended up at a friend's place, where I had a bit of chocolate as well.

So as I said, Day 4 was a failure. I did eat some stuff that wasn't good for me. Hopefully I will do better over the rest of the week!

End of Sensor 1

My first sensor ended earlier today. It lasted for the full three days. I'll be getting the information from my pump sometime tomorrow. I'm rather excited to see the information I will be getting from the pump (there's one time of the day that I might need to fix my basal rate - I'll find out for sure tomorrow!), but I am also excited to be able to compare it to the other sensor reports that I will be getting this month!

Day 3 of "No Crap for a Week" Week

Well, Day 3 has come and gone and I'm still doing alright. I had more soup for breakfast, a homemade banana muffin for snack, and another homemade dinner. I think the worst thing I had today (other than the soup) was the cookies I had after dinner (as a snack). Oh yeah, and the 1 Mike's Hard (whoops!) But the cookies were the Lifestyle shortcakes, so they're a lot better for me than most. A little questionable maybe, but I think I'm still doing alright. (Well, other than the Mike's Hard). Hopefully this will continue - I've (reaonably) successfully made it to the half way point in my week!

Day 2 of "No Crap for a Week" Week

So far so good with "No Crap for a Week" Week! Day 2 continues to be a success. Lunch was soup (which might not have been the best choice, as it was canned soup, not home made), crackers and an orange. Dinner was leftovers from the last couple of nights and a nice juicy pear. Then for snack, I had a bowl of Cheerios, milk, a banana and a bit of peanut butter. All in all, I think I had a pretty good day food wise. The next couple of nights might be a bit challenging though - I'll probably end up at a friend's house where I normally eat some junk food, plus I'm going to be having supper at my grandmother's house, so that might not be the most healthy meal either. Wish me luck!

Day 1 of "No Crap for a Week" Week

Well, this time "No Crap for a Week" Week is off to a good start! I think the worst things that I ate all day were two slices of Ukrainian Easter Bread (bobka) for breakfest and five baked cheetohs for snack. Otherwise, I've been trying to snack on healthy things like oranges and nuts. I was writing an essay all night, and I kept finding myself going off to snack on things (and I wanted unhealthy things). I think next time, I'll have to have a study break where I do yoga or something.

Sensor Update

Well, so far so good! My sensor has lasted almost 24 hours. I find that once you can get past that, you're generally good to go until the sensor ends when it is three days (72 hours) old. Well, I'm generally good to go unless I do something like DDR, where I get sweaty and the tegaderm (which is what I use to hold everything in place) comes off. So the first of the five sensors should be giving me two more days of valuable information. (This one is really good timing - my period started yesterday, so I will get some good info from the first few days of my period).

Another "No Crap for a Week" Week

Last night, a couple of friends and I went out to an open mic event at the school. We stayed for about an hour, but then decided to leave as we had heard a bunch of this stuff at the last event. My one friend was hungry, as he hadn't eaten supper yet. My other friend and I decided to run to a corner store while the first friend was buying a sub sandwich; we ended up buying chips and dip. We had a fun evening, but after I got home, my stomach was bugging me a bit from the chips (and from some egg rolls we also had). As I've been eating rather badly as of late, I decided today that I was going to attempt to have another "No Crap for a Week" Week. The last time I attempted such a thing was in July 2007, and it sort of failed. I'm hoping that this time things will turn out better (and that I'll actually make it the full seven days without eating crap, rather than just six). I've done fairly well today, but I am going to make the week officially start tomorrow. I'm hoping to get online to check in daily (but I don't usually do very well with such a thing, so we'll see how that goes!) Wish me luck!

Sensors!

I had forgotten about a few sensors that I have. They've been in my fridge since the New Year, and expire in just over a month. So I'm going to be running them all before their expiry date (which happens to be the end of April). I started one today, and will most likely be running one weekly until they're all used up. I'm hoping to gain some very valuable information from this "Month of Sensors" as I am terming it!

What's Been Going on Lately

I know, I know, I haven't posted here or on Fitness Reviews in awhile. This has been due to two things over the last few weeks. First of all, I got sick. I don't know what exactly I had, but it didn't want to go away. I slept a lot over the few days when things were really bad. By the weekend, I decided to try DDR, but couldn't breathe (it felt like a lung was full of phelgm or something). So I avoided exercising for awhile. Today I finally went for a walk, and other than having to breathe through my mouth because my nose was runny, I was fine. I was also really lucky - my glucose levels remained fine throughout everything!

The other reason is due to school. Yes, it is crunch time once again! I have one book left on my reading list, two essays coming due in the next few weeks, and two exams. Thankfully my final exam is on April 8th, so I just have to get through about 3 weeks and I am free once again! (And I am going to celebrate by going to Toronto!!!!)

I've also had some good news: I was accepted into one of the MA programs I have applied to!!!!! I'm extremely excited - I will be working towards something next year that will actually get me somewhere!!!!! I'm still waiting to hear back from a few places, so it will be a bit before I know where I am off to next year.

Weight and Inches

Well, I weighed myself a few days ago, and also measured the inches on my waist and hips. The weight is a bit higher because it was during my period. But I was excited that my waist and hips are slightly smaller than they were back in August. So even though I haven't been as active as I was a year or two ago, I seem to be doing okay. Hopefully things will continue this way in the months to come! I've been doing yoga every few days, and I'm going to start adding some cardio back into my days (dancing dvd's, here I come!)

Crunch Super Slim Down

I like having pictures on a blog, so this is sort of an excuse to spice things up on here. I just finished my second time through the Crunch Super Slim Down: Pilates Yoga Blend. Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed it!

For my full review, check out my other blog here.

New Blog!

In an effort to go through all of the fitness dvd's that I own, I have started a new blog. In theory, every week I will be choosing a new dvd out of the approximately 40 that I own. I'm going to try out the dvd during that week, and then at the end of the week I'll write a review of it. I'll be giving more information on each dvd than I do on this site. I thought that this would be a good way to actually try all of the dvd's that I own - I own over 40 of them, and a good chunk of them have never been opened! You can find the new blog here.

First Skiing Success!!!!!

Earlier today, I went skiing. And my skiing adventure was a success! At supper, I did only 1/4 of the insulin that I needed. And then I had only 1/4 of my basal working the entire time. My glucose was 12.4 mmol/L when I started out, which was good. (I didn't feel altogether terrible, the way I do when I start off really high).

We went the normal, lighted way to the Northern Lights trail. Stopping to do glucose, I was about 9 mmol/L. I got around the entire trail, and was about 5 mmol/L by the end of it. I had a few glucose tablets, then Jackrabbitted back. Through the whole adventure, I did not go low (although I needed the help of a few glucose tablets to get through).

I'm so excited - it looks like I may have found the insulin dosages tha work for me while skiing!!!!

Another Skiing Adventure

Friday night I once again went skiing. This time, I decided to do half of the insulin required with supper, and 1/4 of my basal while skiing (although my calculations turned out to be more along the lines of 1/3). But things were sort of against me from the beginning: I started out low before supper.

I got to about the same spot as last week when I did glucose; once again I was low. I ended up stopping to eat something while my mom went on ahead. She met up with me again, then we took the Jackrabbit back to the chalet. I was doing fine when we got back and I did glucose once again.

I guess the next step I'm going to have to try 1/4 of the insulin with supper. I'm not entirely sure how much basal to try. I just hope I'm getting closer to figuring all of this out!!!!

Skiing Again

On Friday night, I once again went skiing. I decided to stick with traditional Cross Country skis, as I'm comfortable with them. This time, I decided to do full insulin with supper, and then run a basal of 0 units while skiing.

To start out, we went down one of the unlit trails at Kamview to get to the Sundial. (The unlit trails are a lot of fun, plus it's a faster and easier way to get up to the Sundial). When we got to the bottom of the large hill after the Sundial (I believe it is on what is called the Sundown Trail), I decided to do glucose. And I was about 3.9 mmol/L at the time. So we had to head back to the Chalet. (We took the Jackrabbit back, which is another unlit trail. It's the fastest way back to the Chalet from where we were).

Even though I didn't get to ski as long as I wanted to, this was a valuable learning experience. I found out that I need to do some insulin with supper (which prevents me from ending my skiing escapades around 18 mmol/L), but I can't do the full amount with supper or I end up too low. So next week I'm planning to do half insulin with supper, to see where that gets me.

Out of Commission for a Few

Well, I feel kind of dumb.

Yesterday, I was doing some more of the Caribbean Workout Stretch Into Yoga dvd, trying out the other two segments. I got through the first segment, Basic Yoga, without incident (well, except my cat was under me when I was trying to do Downward Dog). But when I was working on the other segment, the Strength one, I injured my back a bit.

Shelley McDonald was going rather quickly through some sun salutations, and in an effort to catch up to her, I think I didn't do something properly. The next thing I know, something just felt a bit wrong in my back. I immediately stopped what I was doing (and ended up stopping the rest of the segment). Whatever had happened, things felt a bit off, rather than completely sore.

A little while later, things still didn't feel right. But luckily by that time I was able to figure out what must have happened. I think I tore one of the muscles on my low back (the left side). So I'm going to take it easy today again, and hopefully be okay to go skiing tomorrow night (if it isn't too cold out!)

Caribbean Workout: Stretch Into Yoga

Last night, I finally did something about the fact that I haven't done yoga in a long time: I did a yoga dvd. I also haven't tried any new dvds since June, so I decided to try one of the Caribbean Workout dvds that my mom bought for $4 each several months ago.

I only did one yoga segment on Stretch Into Yoga: Flex Yoga. I haven't done anything resembling yoga or pilates in about 6 months, so I didn't want to overdo it.

The Flex Yoga segment was a bit of a challenge for someone who hasn't done any yoga for several months. Every time you turn around, you're back into Downward Dog. I have trouble with this pose when I am actively practicing yoga (my heels do not touch the ground), so this was a bit tough to have to keep coming back to it. But other than that, I found Shelly McDonald to be a wonderful instructor. The only problem I had with this segment was that sometimes the camera guy doesn't properly train the camera on Shelly, so you can't see exactly what she is doing. But overall, I thought this was a great 20 minute workout, and I can't wait to try out the other segments on the disc.

The Skiing Saga Continues!

So this past Friday night I went skiing again. But this time I decided to use my traditional skis. I wanted to know what was going on when I ski traditionally (which is how I usually ski), and to see if there is a difference between traditional and skating. The answer appears to be a resounding NO.

Armed with Sebastien Sasseville's tips, I kept my glucometer in an inside pocket of my jacket. I also decided to run a sensor, so I would have a rough idea of what was happening through the whole skiing trip. I also decided, under consultation with my diabetes nurse, to run half of my basal during the ski trip. So I did no insulin to cover dinner, but always had some insulin working in my system. I started the whole affair at about 15ish mmol/L before we left my house.

I checked my glucose with my glucometer when we were finishing up the Northern Lights trail. My glucometer said I was about 8.5 mmol/L. My sensor said I was about 18.5 mmol/L. Deciding to err on the side of caution, I had a few glucose tablets and continued on my way (we were heading back to the chalet anyway). Back at the chalet, after my glucometer had a chance to warm up, I checked my glucose, which now agreed with my sensor: 18ish mmol/L.

So now I am thouroughly confused. What is going on?

I should not be hanging out around 18 mmol/L during a skiing trip. Especially with some insulin working the entire time. So I am going to speak to my diabetes nurse again this week, before attempting skiing next Friday night again. Maybe we can figure out some new strategy to try.

The Skiing Strategy

I went to see my Diabetes Educator today. I told her about my experience skate skiing last week. She suggested that I try everything again, but this time I should run my basal at half strength instead of cutting it out completely. I will also be running a sensor so I will have back up for my glucometer. The only difference is that tomorrow night I am not planning on skate skiing, but will be skiing traditionally. I'm going to put my sensor in tonight so I will have time to change it tomorrow if it goes bad.

Glucometers in the Cold

Last night I emailed Sebastien Sasseville, the first Canadian with Type 1 to summit Mount Everest, for some tips on keeping a glucometer warm when you are outside in the cold. Sabastien had to deal with the brutal temperatures on Mount Everest, so I thought he would have some tips on what worked for him during his adventures. Please keep in mind that if you use these tips, Sebastien is not a doctor, medical professional, or glucometer engineer. These tips are all based off of his personal experience, so they may not work for everyone. You should always consult with your health care professional for all of your diabetes management needs.

Sebastien writes: "First important thing is to keep your meter warm. Your outter pocket is pretty much at outside temperature so yes, your monitor must be inside your jacket. Even that is not always enough. I recommend to keep in a pocket (travel bag type), right next to your skin, under your first layer. Some straps pocket are designed especially for this. Keep your strips warm too, that is just as important if not more. (still keep them in the vial).

Then you also have to test with warm blood. If your fingers are frozen and if you have to sqeeze them to get blood out, you are likely to get a false result as well.

Most times when your supplies are too cold you'll get false lows. What you have observed is very frequent.

hope this helps!"

Again, please keep in mind that if you use these tips, Sebastien is not a doctor, medical professional, or glucometer engineer. These tips are all based off of his personal experience, so they may not work for everyone. You should always consult with your health care professional for all of your diabetes management needs.

Skate Skiing

On Friday the 2nd of January, I went skate skiing again. This was my second time out, the first time having been that disasterous incident last year.

This time, I wasn't taking any chances. I did no insulin with supper, backed off my insulin while skiing, and had lots of stuff with me to get me around the trail. My glucometer was wrapped up in my pocket, and my pump was in an inside pocket to keep it warm. I was ready.

I started the whole affair somewhere around 18.5 mmol/L (it was this when I left my house, so I'm assuming it was a bit higher when I actually started skiing). Like last time, I made it to the beginning of the Northern Lights trail before I decided to do glucose. (I was also starting to feel weird at the time). I was about 8.5 mmol/L.

This threw me for a loop. To come down about 10 mmol/L so fast with no insulin seemed insane. But I trusted my glucometer, and had some stuff to eat to get me back to the chalet.

The next while got a bit difficult. I made it a little way back before I felt low. I stopped again to do glucose, but at this time my glucometer was too cold. So all I could do was eat some more, and do my best to get back to the chalet (to make things worse, we were under a very strict time limit before the chalet closed; we had rental skis that had to be back before 9pm). So the food and the added stress of having to make it back had me feeling quite unwell in a matter of minutes.

We got back to the chalet and I was feeling terrible. I got my shoes back on (sitting down for a minute helped me feel a bit better) then headed for the car where my regular pop was waiting for me. I drank half a can on the way home.

Of course, the biggest surprise was waiting for me when my glucometer warmed up. My glucose level was extremely high (I'm talking high twenties). So this left me wondering what exactly happened during this whole escapade?

I'm not 100% positive, but I think I did not go low at all. If I did go low, then it does not make sense that I went so high afterwards. In my experience, I've gone up to the mid to high teens after treating a low, but never over twenty. For this to have happened means that my glucometer was unaccurate when I tested during the ski.

I am going to be looking into this matter more in the coming week, first with research and speaking with my diabetes educators, and then hopefully this coming Friday I will be attempting to ski while running a sensor to see what is going on.

DDR Universe

I bought this a few days ago and finally had some time to try it out today. I was a bit leery of buying it, as I looked up the songs online awhile ago and didn't recognize anything. Luckily, after having played it, I'm very glad that I bought it!

I played for around an hour and a half, but I wasn't really playing very intensely so I only took about 5500 steps (compared to the usual 7000 + I was racking up before Christmas). Some of the songs were a lot of fun to play. The only thing I didn't like was that there's a bit too much rap in my opinion. Oh, and the Challenges are identical to Universe 2, so they're going to be incredibly tough to beat (I still haven't beaten them on Universe 2).

Happy Holidays!

I know I missed Christmas, but I thought I would wish everyone Happy Holidays anyway! It's a new year, bringing a new slate, and a chance to re-evaluate goals (once the partying is over of course!) 2008 was a bit of a rough year for me, so hopefully 2009 will be a bit kinder! As always, my goal is to get in shape, but I am not going to put a specific date on that right now. I want to be in shape for the sumer (who doesn't) but I also need to maintain my mental health (I do not want a repeat of the summer!) So right now I am going to try focussing on rebuilding an exercise habit (and hopefully on getting my sleep schedule to a semi-normal one).