the results are in...

I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry. I just
realized that I haven't had a cupcake since
September! (Roya has photographic proof.)
I was hoping I would cash in on my bday.
However, I still haven't had a cupcake.
Nope. Not even one.
Not that I'm complaining... frozen brazo de
mercedes from Tribu Grill is just as yummy.

I celebrated my 35th birthday this weekend. It was fantastic. Many thanks to everyone who sent me lovely birthday wishes. Unlike many people, I always look forward to my birthday. Making it another year is definitely an accomplishment. As each year passes, I am grateful for the wisdom and courage that comes with age. I am grateful to have the wisdom to surround myself with good people and situations. I'm also grateful to have built up the courage to rid my life of useless people and situations. As I get older, my tolerance for b.s. runs thin. It's a long time coming, but I'm glad I'm here. Again, many thanks for the birthday wishes. (Ahem. Pix of the candy tassels to come. haha!)

I finally got my blood test results in. For the last three months, I've been going "as primal as possible". For the most part, everything is fine. My HA1C went from 6.7 to 6.3. With more tweaking of diet and exercise, I think I can keep it at the low six range. Once more weight drops, I'm thinking I can let go of the byetta.

The only other red flag was my cholesterol level.  At my last blood test, I checked in at low cholesterol levels because I was taking Lipitor. This past spring, I decided to stop taking it because I'm trying to just cut the drugs out of my body. (I've also decided to stop taking the flu shot. I didn't take one last year and I'm opting it out of it this year. I haven't seen a difference, so it looks like I'm okay.) My doctor isn't happy about me opting out of the Lipitor. In fact, she logged in another prescription for me. I'm not taking it - especially after reading this post. I think if I just bump up the fish oil, greens, and vitamin D, I'll be just fine.

Okay... so my cholesterol level was at 200 (optimal is less than 200, so that I am at exactly 200 with no Lipitor is to me, a good sign). My triglyceride levels are at 119, which is within range (optimal range is 40-149). The HDL count is also normal, at 60 (optimal range is over 45). Finally, the LDL, at 116, is considered high for a diabetic (optimal range is less than 100; I am at the near optimal range 100-129). Personally, I think 116 with no drugs is a good number and I'm aiming for a better number when I go back in March. Much to my doctor's dismay, I have no intention on going back to Lipitor.

health stats

Ah yes. Two things that bring a smile to my face. Red velvet cupcakes and my dear friend John W. This was taken at the Fish Tourney when a small group of us shared the cupcakes that Mikee I. brought. I'd tell you about John W.'s vivd description of the cupcakes... but I like to keep things PG-13 around here. And that is the end of all things smiley (for now).

Yesterday was my doctor appointment. I was anxiously awaiting my test results because I was positive that with the challenge and all, my Ha1c was going to rock! In September, it was the lowest it had ever been at 5.8. I did this without even trying! Ideally, I should be in the mid 5 to mid 6 range. However, as long as I'm somewhere in the 6 range, I should be fine. Sadly, my results came back at 6.7! I don't know how the hell that happened. I was so sure I'd hit the high 5 range again. Gah! Note: All of my other readings are fine and my blood pressure is fantastic!

I've spent the last day or so beating myself up for the bad numbers. They just don't make sense. To get 6.7 while making a conscious effort to change the diet and such is discouraging. Yes. It made me want to eat a cupcake. But I didn't because I figured those suckers were the culprits!

For now, I'm trying to figure out a game plan that works. Exercise is fine. I've been back on primal after having a "loose" week. At this point, all I'm focusing on is the diet. I'm taking another test in May because that will be a better indicator of whether eating primal really works. (Note: The 6.7 could be from eating badly over the holidays and such because it covers Nov-Jan.) I let it be clear to doctor that I want to get off the meds. Right now, I've decided to completely cut the lipitor and focus on taking more fish oils. My cholesterol levels were great - especially considering that I rarely took the lipitor (only 2-3 times per week as opposed to everyday). The doc is also pushing real hard for me to take a flu and H1N1 shot. I'm not doing it. Though the doc and I don't see eye to eye, I have to take a stand some time! At thirty-four, I figure the less s--t in my body, the better. I want food to be my medicine. Also, I feel like I'm taking meds just so that I can handle eating s--t. If eating s--t is causing the problems, I should just train myself to eat better and lay off the meds. Period.

It's tough. I hate being a slave to my body. A slave to the diabetes. There has to be a better way to handle this. Right now, I'm still trying to figure out what works...

Today's Small Victories
1) I did some cookin'!
2) I love my back way more than I love deadlifts.

Warm-up
Row 500 meters

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Deadlift 5 sets x 3 reps @ 80% of your 1 rep max
Note: 80% of my 1 rep max is 204#. Since my back is a little sore, I scaled down to 175#. It was plenty.

Conditioning:
Complete as many rounds as you can in 12 minutes of:
3 clean and jerk @ 65% of your one rep max (63#)
6 pull-ups (modified)
9 Abmat sit-ups.

Joanne's Final Count - 6 + 1 sit-up

Notes (to myself) about this workout: There seems to be some mix-up on the WOD because at the box, I swear the sequence was 3-6-9. On the website, it's 3-7-10. Oh well...

Though it's been almost two months, I still don't like the idea of warming up with heavy weights. I think people who can do well are those who come in early to warm-up or do a class before hand. Heavy lifting without a proper warm-up just isn't safe for my body. These days I've been trying to avoid injury by letting go of my ego and going lighter if need be. Besides, it's not like I'm training for the games or trying to be crowned Miss CrossFit. At the end of the day, it's my body and my workout.

I will say that I do like the strength and conditioning combo. I just need to make adjustments accordingly. (Big thanks to Jerry L. for the talk today.)

Today's WOD was fair. My max on the clean & jerk (to my knowledge) is about 93#. I thought 63# was light, but it does get to you in those later rounds. The squat clean is no joke!

no chubbies?

In case you haven't figured it out, I'm a cupcake fan. I just think they're pretty. Don't make me throw them at you, though...

I found this on the CrossFit Unlimited site. For the record, I'd hate to add to the discussion on The Anti-Gym. Any gym that preys on the vanity and insecurity of people is absolutely insane. According to this article, here are some things to look forward to at the Anti-Gym:

Anti-Gym's motto is "Have Sex With the Lights On." ...A roster keeps track of how people are doing at Anti-Gym: Dean's List, Jimmy Dean's Sausage List and the Fatso List. If you slack off in a drill, your entire group is punished. The men's and women's locker rooms lead to a coed shower area. And then there's the Ravish Room, a private room with a hot tub and sauna and shower that, with a secret code, only admits men with 11 percent body fat and women with 16 percent body fat.

I don't even know where to begin with this one. While I'm as vain as the next person, I have absolutely no desire to pay money to a gym that would dare put me on the "Fatso List." The Aniti-Gym motto is "have sex with the lights on." Puh-lease. Like I need permission from my gym to do that! As for the hot tub, I have one at my house. Anyone is invited - body fat and all. Call it my stubborn-ness. Or my strong opinions. Or my high sense of self. But you have to be a bona fide asshole to pay another asshole to make you feel like shit. Apparently, the owner is known to throw cupcakes at you if you're not hauling ass during his workouts. (Scoffs.) What a freakin' waste of cupcakes!

On to other news... Courtesy of Big Fat Blog, here's a study about overweight people having a longer life expectancy. (Ha! Eat that Anti-Gym!) Aaaand if you're one of those people who likes to post-WOD hydrate with a beer, here's an article for you. Enjoy!

Finally, I'd like to announce that in my last series of blood tests, my hemoglobin A1C was at my lowest ever - 5.8. Woot! When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I was at 10.0 - way over the normal limit. In fact, this indicated that I may have had diabetes for about ten years before they caught it. Since then, I've maintained my numbers in the mid to high 6 range, but my doctors would ideally like me to be in the low 6, high 5 range. I finally did it. Yea!

In truth, I'm surprised because my cupcake consumption these past few months has been a little embarrassing. When the doc asked how I did it, I said, "CrossFit." It was the only thing I could think of. However, I will say that making small changes to my eating helped too. I stopped thinking about all the food I could not have and focused more on adding good stuff like salad and fruit to each meal. I also stopped using Splenda. I don't know if this makes a difference, but I switched to plain old bitter lattes. Finally, I cut down on milk because my Asian genes are kicking in and my lactose tolerance is wearing thin. It's weird because it's just milk I have an issue with. I'm totally fine with cheese (in small amounts) and ice cream. Hmph.

In case you're wondering, my weight has stayed completely the same. Granted, my body composition is different that it was over a year ago, but weight-wise, the scales haven't moved. I'd like to care. But I won't for now.

My cholesterol levels are great too. My HDLs are 51 (ideal range is over 49) and my LDLs are 88 (normal range is 120s, but diabetics need to be under 100). Yeah. That's why I get to do thing with the lights on!

Warm-up
Jump ropes and burpees

CrossFit One World WOD
Complete three rounds for time of:
1 minute of kettlebell swings for max reps 35#
1 minute rest
1 minute of rowing for max calories
1 minute rest
1 minute of burpees for max reps
1 minute rest
1 minute of jumping pull-ups for max reps
1 minute rest
Your score is total reps and calories for all three rounds.

Here was my breakdown:
Kettlebell swings: 26/23/20 = 69
Row: 17/14/14 = 45
Burpees: 13/12/12 = 37
Jumping Pull-ups: 19/19/18 = 56

Joanne's Final Count: 207

Notes (to myself) about this workout: Admittedly, this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The minute rest goes by really fast, but it gives you the chance to re-group and aim for some kind of consistency. (That is, if you remember your previous counts, which I did not. ha ha!) I was hoping to break 200, so 207 was a complete gift.

For the warm-up, we did some jump roping. I managed to either maintain 45 skips or stay within 40-45 skips in 30 seconds. It's not a lot considering most people could squeeze 60 reps or so. However, seeing that I'm really weak on the ropes, I was actually happy with how I held up. I'm finding that I jump twice for each rotation. I need to fix that because the extra jump is wasted energy. Bleh.

health check

During one of my doctor appointments sometime in June, I discovered that I gained 10 pounds. Ew! It was the heaviest I had been in a long time and I just felt gross. Yesterday I had my usual diabetes check up and everything was fine. My HA1C was 6.6, a bit higher from the 6.2 is was about six months ago. The doctor wants it as close to 6.0 as much as possible. So yes, I hate being a diabetic because it takes so much damn work - even with the meds. Ultimately, I'd like to get off the meds. But it's a slow process that may or may not happen. I don't mind taking meds. I hate paying for them. Plus, having to "shoot up" Byetta is just annoying.

The good news is that I lost the ten pounds I gained when I came back to the country. Now, I'm back to where I was when I was in the Philippines. But even better than that, my body feels better. I feel more solid and strong. My next check is after the new year. I'm hoping to lose another 10-15 pounds by then. I think I can do it!

health check

Last night I received some semi-devastating news (devastating to me at least). I've been seeing this new doctor for diabetes, and she wants to keep a really close monitor on my numbers. My HbA1c (which measures out the average of my blood sugars for three months) was 6.9. Ideally it needs to be under 6.5, but preferibly at 6.0-6.2. 6.9 is okay, but it's the highest it's been in a long time - and that's with a higher dosage of diabetes medicine, so that was a bit of a scare for me. I really need to be more dilligent with checking my blood sugars, making sure that I don't eat too many carbs/sugars, and that I get plenty of exercise.

My cholsterol levels were a little higher than my last test, but those numbers were good. The doctor is concerned because it did go up. My cholesterol was at 170, with my HDL (the good stuff) at 63 (they recommend that this be over 40) and my LDL (the bad stuff) at 77 (as a diabetic, the LDLs need to be under 100; I take a small dosage of lipitor because even Lance Armstrong couldn't have LDLs under 100!). My triglycerides are 149 (the doctor wants this to be under 150, so this is cutting it close!).

The doctor also gave the lecture about pregnancy. Not that I'm going to be pregnant anytime soon. She said that if I don't monitor my diabetes now, if I plan on having a child, there's a high chance that the child will develop some kind of malfunction. Apparently, it's pretty common for diabetics who don't monitor their levels and are pregnant, to have children with undeveloped body parts such as the brain, liver, kidney, etc. This was a total shock to my body and gave me yet another reason to HATE it! I'm still swallowing this reality and will deal with it privately.

I spoke to my chiro practor about this. He recommended that I do a thirty day challenge for myself. He said to start with something small and simple. Name something that I will (or won't) do each day for thirty days. At the end of the thirty days, give myself a treat. So here's my first challenge to myself: NO FRIED FOOD for thirty days! This is tough because I have such a penchant for fried food, but I think I can do it. My health is worth at least that. The 1 hour deep tissue massage I promised myself is worth it too.

In the end, I just really need to get my ass in gear and get healthy. This is why today is the first day to doing all of this - slowly but surely adjusting eating habits, making sure I get at least 1 hour of good exercise Monday-Friday, and monitoring my blood sugars. It's hard and ambitous. But I just need to get through this one step at a time. Wish me luck and feel free to cheer me on along the way.