Week 3 of my Weight Loss Journey with Nutrisense

Hello and welcome back to week number 3 of using the Nutrisense program [and Continuous Glucose Monitor]. It feels like my routine is beginning to be second nature this week.

Per the plan I mapped out with Carlee [the dietitian from the Nutrisense team that I am working with] I worked out four times this week with my Peloton and continued to follow my dietary outline with the help of Mealime.

My daily eating habits have remained the same with the exception of my coffee maker breaking. I usually wake up around 8-830 and have my coffee by 930. I’ve noticed that I’ve been more sluggish in the mornings without it and am also having slight headaches mid morning. I usually eat lunch around 1-2PM. I’ve been aiming to move my dinner time earlier in the day, which for me means around 830-9PM.

Monday:

Monday was a tough start without my usual morning coffee. I skipped breakfast and had a hamburger for lunch. This was my peak Glucose level of the day at 112. Dinner was salmon and asparagus. My glucose levels only hit 77 after dinner. I totaled 1285 kCals for the day. I exercised for 20 minutes before having lunch.

Tuesday:

I had another grumpy start to the day on Tuesday without coffee. I didn’t log lunch because Tuesday was the day that I swapped out my CGM.

I ate a healthy meal for lunch, but I don’t have my glucose levels for that meal. I worked out in the mid afternoon for 25 minutes on my Peloton.Tuesday night produced the one big spike that I had last week. It was again due to eating my dinner late at night [almost 10PM]. I had a turkey egg roll bowl and my glucose capped at 103 at around midnight while I slept. I didn't understand why a regular eating schedule was so important to maintaining my levels until I discussed it more in depth with Carlee.

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The hormones that are responsible for us breaking down our food and clearing out glucose are actually tied to a circadian rhythm [just like our sleep hormones]. As a result, we generally tolerate food better during the day. There are some meals that you can eat during the day that may not cause a spike in your glucose levels, but at night they will. A good example of this is the chicken and carrots that caused me to spike in week 1 that caused my levels to spike. The meal itself is healthy and balanced, but when I ate it at night, my body didn’t process the glucose very well.

A quick tip that Carlee gave me regarding later eating times is to add a little bit of movement before eating a late meal. Another was to make a low carb meal if I was going to be eating late.

Wednesday:

Wednesday was a good day. I felt tired, but energetic in the morning and ate very healthily all day. For lunch I had chicken with vegetables and noodles. I hit 111 on my glucose levels. For dinner I had a protein shake. This week it is clear that it is becoming easier and easier to make meals in a healthy way without craving or thinking about the unhealthy foods that I used to eat.

Thursday:

I really missed my coffee on Thursday morning, but I ate lunch a little earlier and felt better after that. I had a sausage and egg sandwich for breakfast, a protein shake mid afternoon, and a chicken and artichoke spinach sandwich for dinner. I worked out for 20 minutes in the afternoon.Physical fitness [actively exercising] is the biggest challenge for me in this new routine. I have never enjoyed working out. I still feel out of breath after beginning my workouts, which can feel discouraging. On average it takes a person 2-4 months to notice differences in physical fitness when starting a new fitness routine. I know that I need to be patient with this part of my journey, but sometimes it’s difficult not to feel over eager for more noticeable results.

Friday:

Friday morning I woke up needing fuel and started the day with a protein shake. For lunch I had a chicken and artichoke spinach sandwich. I worked out for 30 minutes in the afternoon. I went out with friends that night and had Korean BBQ. I stuck to the things that I really wanted at dinner and made sure to include some vegetables even though it was a “splurge” night. Surprisingly, I peaked at 91 afterwards. I stuck to the brisket, vegetables, rice, and vegetable sushi which ended up working very well with my body.

Saturday:

On Saturday I slept in a little and made breakfast for lunch. I had eggs and hashbrowns at noon. This meal did make my levels spike drastically. Afterwards my glucose hit 153. For dinner I made chicken with Chinese noodles and vegetables. This meal also caused me to spike higher that I normally do after eating, leaving me at 131. I went for a walk after dinner and it seemed to help level me out.

Sunday:

On Sunday I skipped breakfast. I made a Bolay chicken bowl for lunch, had strawberry chia for a snack, and a sushi burrito for dinner. I was surprised when the burrito made my levels higher than normal [126]. I spoke with Carlee about the spike and she explained that certain carbs can have an adverse effect on our glucose. She advised me to eat meals like this earlier in the day when my body is processing glucose more efficiently.

Challenges:

This upcoming week is full of social engagements and temptations. My birthday and the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashana, are coming up this week. I know that I’ll be out to eat with friends once or twice to celebrate. And also….cake. I want to be able to fully celebrate and enjoy myself so I’ll be talking to Carlee about what I can order out to stick closely to my new diet, but also enjoy my birthday.

I know that some things will slide between both of those celebrations as the traditional foods for both are not glucose friendly, so I do expect to see some spikes and inconsistencies this week. However, I will be doing my best to continue following my new self commitments [within reason and enjoyment] as I transition into my next year around the sun and celebrate with my family and friends.With that said, my overall outlook on the way I live is definitely shifting. For the first time in years I have high levels of energy when I wake up and I’m feeling more positive about myself. My weight has continued to drop. I am down to 239.5 from my original 250lbs. This is a record low for me in the last 5 years.

My old pants are beginning to fit and I find myself more confident when I’m around other people.

As I move into Week 4, I know that this coming week won’t be perfect in terms of the lifestyle I am outlining, but I intend to treat this as something sustainable, and to me that means continuing to enjoy holidays and celebrations without intense restrictions. I’ll be reporting back on this week and all of the effects that my CGM records with 100% clarity.