sugar

Glucose Test

| cheriarmour

HI!

How was your week?

Mine has been good.  I had to work on Monday, even though folks had the day off.  It was fine – most of my team was there, and I was able to steal my way into a step class again.  Funny enough, the week still felt really short and really compressed still, and I found myself rushing to get things done.

Tuesday and Wednesday, I spent a good chunk of the day at my desk ironing out some of the holes in the June schedule, and before I knew it, it was Thursday, the day of a much-needed chiropractic appointment and my glucose test.

So, my lower back has started to feel irritated, and like it could use a good crack, but since I can’t really contort, I can’t get it to crack, and I didn’t want to do anything too twisty.  Per the recommendation of the instructor of the prenatal yoga workshop I did a few weeks ago, I consulted a chiro that specializes in family chiropractic, but my back was such a mess, I called my old guy, and kind of remembered that close to the beginning of my pregnancy, he’d said something about his ability to adjust preggos.  I couldn’t wait the two weeks, and I went and saw him, and I am so glad I did.  He had me like lay on some contraption that allowed me to lay technically on my stomach, but…idk it’s weird to explain.  Anyhoo, he totally adjusted me, and it was fine.

On the way back, I’d scheduled my glucose test, the test to determine whether I have gestational diabetes.  That is the weirdest thing ever.  So here’s what goes down.

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I have heard this varies between practices, but the general idea is the same. So you chug this thing one hour before your scheduled appointment.  You have like some limited amount of time to chug it, but I got it down in like two or three minutes, and I was like “oh man, that is easy!”

Ugh.

Like 20 minutes later, I just was not feeling well at all.  The stuff is really syrupy – it kind of reminds me of those ice pops you eat that cut up the sides of your mouth in the summer time.  Except maybe sweeter.  And not really cold and there’s not a pool.  So I started to feel kind of sick to my stomach before I came into the office, and by the time I got in there, I wasn’t in great shape.  But you tell the receptionist when you get there when you finished the drank, and they get you back really quickly, since you only have an hour from when you finished, to like an hour and fifteen to get your blood drawn.  After that, I laid down in the exam room while I waited on the doc, who measured (right on track) and listened to the baby’s heartbeat (fuerte) before I hit up the TDap vaccine.

I fully anticipated going back to the office to take care of a few holes and return some emails, but I was feeling pretty icky after the test, and I ended up at home, napping sort of fitfully for an hour before I had to be back to teach my strength class and teach a short class for camp training.

I think since my body has recovered from being assaulted by the orange drank and I was able to burn off some of that sugar, I’m feeling like I’ve returned to the land of the living, but holy shit.  I hope I pass that test so I don’t need to take the three hour one.  God only knows what the in the hell they’re going to have me eating.

How was your week?

Weekend Buzz + The Best Holiday for Candy

| cheriarmour

I hope your weekend was the tits.

I actually had a bomb weekend because I got to spend time with my husband.  I don’t know about you guys, but a lot of times of the weekends, we make so so many plans that we barely get to see one another.  And by the time we get into bed too late on a Sunday night, we haven’t seen one another more than an hour or two.  This weekend was a little different – I made plans and drank with friends on Friday, and because I wasn’t teaching or anything, we spent all day Saturday together – cleaning, napping, working out, and finally, falling into bed, deliciously exhausted, but together.

Austin’s the bomb.  I love him a lot.  I like spending time with him.

Now.  Let’s talk candy. 

On the way to run yesterday morning, I got into a big discussion with Mama Cheri about candy.  Now, neither of us eats a ton of candy – she for health reasons, and me, because once I start, I can’t stop.  So when I eat candy, I typically do a single-serve York Peppermint Pattie, or the holy grail of candy, a Reese’s Big Cup, where the peanut butter to chocolate ratio is one that is angelic.  So I’m of the firm belief that Valentine’s Day is one of the best holidays for candy.  But I got into this argument discussion with my mother and a friend regarding the best holidays for candy, and they were not in agreement.  So let’s break it down.

The best candy, in no particular order.  

1.  Reese’s – the big cup variety is the best, which I’ve stated time and again.  NOW, the reason for this is that the peanut butter to chocolate ratio.  This includes the trees, the eggs, and the hearts.  All solid choices.

2.  Whoppers – malted milk balls are the absolute best.  Now, there IS a variety you can get at Whole Foods, which makes you feel a little better about stuffing your face because it’s made without HFCS and real chocolate, as opposed to Whoppers.

3.  York Peppermint Patties – the 140-calorie variety that you can commonly acquire at most checkouts at the grocery store.  I mean, DUH.

image via Wikipedia
image via Wikipedia

4.  Pretzel M&Ms.

5.  Sweet Tarts– you can shove these in your mouth by the handful, which makes them really convenient.  But really dangerous, as I’ve found out, because when they’re in the admin office, for example, you might eat them all every time you have to go down there.  Which is not productive.

Now, let’s move on to the worst candies, in no particular order. 

1.  Circus Peanuts – my mother disgustingly loves these.  If you read the description on these, you’ll find that they’re considered some sort of marshmallow candy, flavored artificially with BANANA?!  WTH?! Who would do such a thing?

image via Wikipedia
image via Wikipedia

2. Okay, so I’m having a really hard time moving past the Circus Peanuts thing. But my mother reminded me of these atrocities…

image via Candywarehouse.com
image via Candywarehouse.com

These guys are called Old Fashioned Marshmallow Eggs. There are a number of things that are pretty disgusting about this candy, mainly the fact that the sugar on the inside is suspended in this marshy thing. It’s really disgusting and not acceptable.

3. Jellybeans – they’re just too sweet and sort of pointless. They also get stuck in your teeth, and you run the risk of getting a horrible flavor, which is totally the opposite of the point of eating candy in the first place. Would you ever just go actively seeking out jellybeans? Probably not because they’re pointless and add nothing to your day.

4. Raisinets – I want to know who on God’s green earth decided that they would combine raisins, which are pretty disgusting on their own, and cover them in crusty chocolate? Why would I ever eat that?

image via Wikipedia
image via Wikipedia

So the holiday with the best candy?

For me, hands down, it’s got to be Valentine’s Day because of the variety of chocolate. Yum!

The worst?

Omg, so many worsts here, but I’m going to have to say that Easter provides us with the worst candy because it’s all smooshy and sugary, and that’s just not the way things should be. But Easter, don’t be sad because Easter is going to be closely followed by Christmas, because there is truly nothing fun about sucking on a peppermint stick.

All that said…

How was your weekend? What did you do?

What’s your favorite candy?

Least favorite?

Best and worst holidays for candy?

Coke

| cheriarmour

Wednesday morning, I went for a sweaty, hot, sticky run with some folks through downtown Raleigh.  I’m friendly with the Raleigh Ambassadors of Rock, the name bestowed on the Ambassadors of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Raleigh.  So when one of the Ambassadors stopped by my office and mentioned they’d be running the course for the half for next year as a recon-type thing, I was in!  Any excuse to actually RUN with living, breathing people is one I try to make – sometimes I welcome a run by myself, but for the most part, especially in the summer when I’m not particularly motivated, I love being with other folks.

We started out a little fast for me – consistently hitting just over 8-minute miles, which I was able to maintain for about three miles before I started to fall behind.  At one point, my vision short of shifted, and I realized that my blood sugar was dropping, and that immediately following the run, I would need to grab something to bump the sugar up.

I didn’t really tell any of the folks I was running with because the minute you mention the words blood and sugar together, people start freaking out and running around with their arms flailing like muppets, which I experienced once when I actually fainted in front of a class and came to with folks just standing over me, staring in horror, and not really doing a whole lot of anything else.

But I digress…

So following the run, I immediately hit the gas station, grabbed some change from the bottom dusty part of my purse, and hobbled into the gas station to find the source of all things life when your sugar is low, and popped a can of Coke as soon as I got myself back to the car.

It was really sweet.  Like…really sweet.  And within minutes, I started to feel myself perk up enough to make my way to my couch.  I flipped the can over, and was shocked at what I read.

The can was one of those 16-oz cans, the tall ones, and I’d managed to get a few swallows in, when I discovered what the “nutrition” in one of those bad boys was like.

Coke

The can listed the calories as being over 200 – but that part in itself wasn’t what kinda tweaked me out a little bit – it was the sugar and carbs. In each 16-oz can, there were 53ish grams of sugar, and like 57 ish grams of carbs, which is a pretty decent chunk of carb consumption that you really need to be doing each day.

Mind = blown.

Not that I’m inherently against fun things to eat.  I actually really enjoy sweets and have to reel myself in from going ham on the York Peppermint Patties, but 53g of sugar in anything is really overkill.  And the thought that folks are consuming this along with their meal is really sort of scary.  I mean, I just want everyone to be able to flip over the can, and realize that Coke is being a little unreasonable with their ingredients.

It also made me a little sad.  Back in the day, prior to me conscious of what I put into my mouth, I was a Coke-drinker, and and I no idea what it was that I was consuming.  And it makes me really sad that there might still be old Cheris running around and doing what I did.

What is (or was) your guilty pleasure?

Day 1 – Breaking the Sugar Addiction

| cheriarmour

First and foremost, let’s address the VMAs shortly.  This is the time we actually get to see what the artists can do, can they deliver on the songs of the summer?

  • Gaga – absolute weirdo but she has the voice/body of an angel.  Seriously, she was really lookin’ weird/good.
  • Miley – my heart is sad.  I’ve addressed this before here, but she’s 20, and she will look back at this performance and be embarrassed.  She’s not a “slut” a “whore” or a “skank”, ladies, so chill out with the nasty language.  She is very, very, very, confused, quite obviously, and I’m concerned for her well-being. It’s really not funny. It’s sad.  Normally I would take this chance to break down her “dance skills” but since she has clearly lost her mind, she gets a little pass.  THIS ONE TIME.

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  • Robin Thicke – I’m sorry Paula, for what Miley did to your husband.  It was inappropriate, I agree. But forgive her, I don’t think she knows any better.  Also, your suit was weird.
  • Macklemore – Beautiful.  Beautiful song. And I forgot he’s SUPER cute.  I really enjoyed his performance.  And props on Jennifer Hudson popping out at the end!  I thought she was gonna start singing a jazzy weight loss tune, but she stayed on task.  Hot.
  • Justin Timberlake – Wow.  Just.  Wow. Justin saved the entire show and shat upon the mess that Miley had created.  Oh, and this band called NSYNC reunited? (OMG I WAS COMPLETELY FREAKING OUT, it was so great!)

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  • Kanye – It was cool.  He performed completely in silhouette.  His spirit seemed a little more gentle since the birth of his baby girl.
  • Bruno Mars – Little Peter Hernandez worked it out. I’m loving the 70s vibe he’s been into for this new albums.
  • Drake – Bye girl.  I don’t have time for you to be weakly singing a ballad.
  • Katy Perry – I adore this little minx.  She’s like a sweet treat.

Okay, now moving right along!

My little 7-Day Sugary Cleanse

So, just in time for me to break my unhealthy relationship (addiction) to the white stuff, my dear husband-to-be, returning to Raleigh from a visit with family, brought an apple pie to me, knowing that I loved the crust. Seriously, dammit.  I sadly looked at the pie, and put it in the freezer for company or something at a later date.

This is harder than I thought it would be. 

I went to make some Nutella and toast this morning.  DANG. Too much sugar.  Okay, reached for a regular coffee and a homemade smoothie instead.  I passed the Starbucks, and thought of how a scone might taste.  What is wrong with me?! It’s not as if I eat this dessert stuff  breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but even denying myself Nutella is spinning my thoughts like cotton candy? Dang, there I go again!

Ugh, sugar, why can’t I quit you!?

Gimme some shuga! The 7-Day Sugar Challenge.

| cheriarmour

Firstly and foremostly, tonight is the VMAs. You know how straight males feel about the Superbowl? That’s how I feel about awards programming. Most namely, the VMAs, the Grammys, the Teen Choice Awards, and the American Musical Awards. And I general don’t care who wins, I watch for the performances, and to see if The Hot Mess Express drops anyone new off at the show. Lilo, Kanye, and Brit-Brit have been the latest drop-offs, but there’s always more.

Anyhoos, so that’s why you’re getting this post a little early, because I will be indisposed for the next day or so.

Okay, we have a problem. Well. I have a problem. A sugar problem.

I believe I’ve pinpointed the source of my issues, at least somewhat. My Dad is diabetic, so I’m something of a sugar substitute connoisseur-sommelier-type individual. I’ve been privy to when every single sugar substitute sprinkled itself onto the scene, and I can tell you what’s good, what’s bitter, and what leaves a nasty aftertaste.

And then, in 2010, when I shipped off to Fat Camp, I unwittingly increased my artificial sweetener intake by leaps. Staff, on our times off, enjoyed a lot of Diet Mountain Dew (literally the worst diet drink in taste and for you known to mankind), and enjoyed our Dunkin Donuts Latte’s with two Splenda and skim. The ungodly amount of artificial sweetener I consumed in the period before I went super healthy and started eating more whole foods set me up, and my sweet tooth has raged out of control ever since. Every few days, I’ll get a taste locked into my head, and I cannot rest until I get my hands on it. Sometimes it’s fro-yo, sometimes it’s a piece of chocolate, and sometimes, it’s one of those giant cookies from Zoe’s Kitchen. And I need to cut these out. Not for my weight, not for my skin, but for how terrible I feel after I eat these things. I feel slow, sluggish, my brain feels like it’s sleeping, and overall, I think eating more stuff that comes from the ground, and not made in Willy Wonka’s factory, will improve my health overall.

Also, the ferocity of my sweet tooth is starting to scare me a little. I feel like a little of a crack addict. Amirite, amirite Lamar Odom? Too soon?

The Skinny on Fake Sugars

This challenge, which I’ll describe to you in a second, is in no way meant to bash fake sugars. I definitely think these things have their place. First, my dear Papa is diabetic. I thank God for the invention of some of these things so that he can enjoy a slice of cake on his birthday, or a sip of Diet Coke when he needs a little pep on a long drive. Second, I think these things are SO helpful when it comes to weight loss, as a stepping stone for folks who’ve had terrible eating habits. First, let’s eat stuff with the fake stuff, and while you’re doing that and consuming less calories and starting to get more active, maybe you start going to Whole Foods and trying the stuff there. And once you really get into good habits, it gets easier and easier to break up with fake sugars.

I know, I know, the artificial sweeteners have risks. So does sitting around all day and not working out. I think an active person having a little Splenda in their latté won’t kill them. Lay off.

Tha Challenge

I need to break up with this habit I’m developing, because it’s starting to scare me. I feel like a fiend when I open a York Peppermint Patty and sigh, “come to mama” before I devour the entire disk. And it’s weirding me out. I don’t feel like one should really be that way about anything but your significant other and Gavin DeGraw (hay boo). So for the next 7 days, I’m chilling on the sweets.

Let’s Better Define These Terms:

  • No fruity alcoholic bevs. Which I’m typically a beer and plain liquor girl, but this means no Ciders for the week, while I figure out why I’m acting like a crackhead with sugar.
  • None of those sweeties from the coffee shop. It’s too much wasted money, too many empty calories, and too much of what I’ve been craving.
  • No diet sodas. They’re making it a lot worse. Crystal Lite too.
  • More natural sugars. Fruits, veggies, and seltzers with a squeezy of lime are okay, and hopefully will teach me to smash the cravings with some of this stuff once I get back to real life.
  • And finally, most tragically, no candy! Which should be a thing anyways because I think I freaked up one my my fillings eating candy a few weeks back and I can’t go to the dentist til like next week. NO CANDY CHERISSE. NONE. None from the checkout line either.

What I’m hoping to accomplish with this little sugar fast?

I’m hoping to reset my naughty little sweet tooth, and enjoy treats in a little bit more of moderation when I get past this little challenge. Anyone joining me this week?