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Acceptance

April 1, 2016 by HealthyLatina 4 Comments

Today is the first day of the A to Z challenge and it’s been forever since I’ve taken the time to write a post on this blog. Mainly because up until now I was not accepting who I am. It’s been a long journey to get to this point. 

Denial

Two years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes… along with high cholesterol, high blood pressure and acid reflux. At first I jumped all over this and was working out, completely cut sugar out of my diet. Within the first month of being diagnosed I dropped my A1C down to 6% (from over 8%), dropped my cholesterol and lost 12 pounds. I was doing great! Then something happened. If I could tell you I would, but I don’t know. I went back to my sugar addicted life and that is where I have been. I came to a point that I was denying the fact that I had diabetes. I still took my medication on a daily basis, but I stopped monitoring my sugar levels. Dangerous and deadly I know.

Acceptance

The fact is, I love to eat. But living with diabetes you can still love foods, you just may have to do it in a different way. I know having Type 2 gives me the ability to change my health, this is reversible. I am Healthy Latina Living!

Challenge

I love to find new recipes and probably like a lot of you I just LOVE Pinterest. So for the next 30 days I am embracing my love of Pinterest. My A to Z challenge will be that of finding new and exciting recipes that are easy to make, nutritious and yummy.

In addition I invite you to join and follow me for my 30 minutes for 30 days. What is this? Being active 30 minutes a day for 30 days, yes creating a healthy habit of exercise.

A to Z Challenge Badge

 

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock Photos Farias

Filed Under: Diabetes, Health, Random Thoughts Tagged With: diabetes, Exercise, Health

My Sugar Addiction

November 12, 2015 by HealthyLatina Leave a Comment

I have a sugar addiction and I am a Type 2 diabetic. Yup I said it, a few months back I wrote about my struggles and the fact that I didn’t know if I could really change my ways. The truth is I lived on sugar even though I “thought” I was eating healthy, I really wasn’t.

Change in Meals & Reading Labels

Case in point my breakfast. Greek yogurt, frozen berries and a little granola. Sounds great right? Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Why? Basically I wasn’t reading the labels and I was eating way to much sugar!! Especially from the yogurt, no wonder it tasted so good. When I discovered the yummy taste of yogurt and berries with my old yogurt, I went absolutely crazy. Since I hadn’t read the labels I really had no idea what I was eating, all I thought was, ‘Hey I’m eating healthy, it’s Greek Yogurt!’ Boy was I wrong. Eating a cup a day all of a sudden made a big impact on my weight, at least that was what the scale was telling me, but it didn’t hit me why the numbers kept going up.

Sugar Addiction Greek Yogurt Label Comparison

Label comparison of two national brand Greek Yogurts.

Sugar Cravings

It seems like I have lived a life of  craving sugar non-stop. But the sad fact was that I was not listening to what my body was trying to tell me and that was I needed water. In some ways I kind of already new this, but like any drug, I would reach for something sweet instead. If I think of it that way it sounds kind of scary. My drug of choice has been sugar, and like any addict I have been choosing my drug of choice over my own health.

Sugar Addiction

photo credit: Adobe Stock Photos / dulsita

The Price of Addiction

Like any addiction there is a price to pay, either for your fix or your health. In my case I had a big wake up call a few weeks ago when I went to the pharmacy. Even with great health insurance, my total came out to be over $180! Is that just crazy? I’m 45 years old, what the heck is wrong with this picture? And at this age why am I taking a high blood pressure and high cholesterol medication in addition to the diabetes meds? 

I feel that I am falling into the system of western medicine. It’s easy to treat diseases by giving medication. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my doctor. But the simple fact is that with medicine the way it is in the United States today, it’s easier to write a prescription than treat the underlying cause of the problem. My underlying cause is my sugar addiction. See that picture above? That is my weakness. Even writing this and looking that picture is almost unbearable, I just absolutely love buttercream frosting. But I know the additional price I will pay from my sugar addiction will be my life being cut short. Which I don’t intend on happening! My great-great-grandmother was 103 when she died, my great-grandmother 101, my grandma was 94, and my mother is a healthy 78. If you met my mom, you wouldn’t believe she is as old as she is… she looks great.

Sugar Addiction Photo Money and prescriptions

photo credit: Adobe Stock Photos / ZIQUIU

Recovery

I’ve finally decided that a change is at hand. I need to change my habits, my lifestyle and take control of my eating. I need to come to the understanding that sugar is the enemy, not the comforting friend that I have always thought it to be. It is I alone that can change my ways, and it is because I love myself too much not to make this change. I have started on my journey, and I hope you join me… there is a great big world out there and I am determined to become healthy and experience all that it has to offer.

Filed Under: Diabetes, Health, Random Thoughts Tagged With: Berries, Breakfast, diabetes, Lunch, Snacks, Sugar, Yogurt

Diabetes Diagnosis: The End and The Beginning

March 9, 2015 by HealthyLatina 57 Comments

When I first thought of writing this blog I knew I had to lose weight. At 5’3″ & 198 pounds, I was no longer the cute girl wearing a size 4 or 6, yup I had now reached maximum density. This really came to light in May when I returned home from the BlogPaws Conference and saw a pic of me and Riley walking the red carpet for the Nose-to-Nose Awards.

Diabetes Diagnosis

OhMyShihTzu.com Finalist for Best New Pet Blog of the Year

 

Yes that is me and Riley, so embarrassed to say. But when I look at it I just can’t believe it. How did that happen? Because in my mind I still look like this.

Diabetes Diagnosis, Christine & Friend at Baseball Game

I’m not sure what happened, but somewhere along the way I stopped working out. No quick 30 minute 3 mile runs or leg pressing 300 pounds, now I am 60 lbs overweight. But is that the worst?

Change Needs to Happen NOW!

Apparently NOT! September 10th, 2014 was a life changing day. It was the day I was diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol, hypothyroidism, anemia and high blood pressure. OMG!!! I’m too young for all this to be happening. I was sent home from the doctor’s office with a glucose meter and a ton of prescriptions for medications. To be honest I cried on the way home, but at the same time I knew this was not going to be the end of the world or my life. It was going to be the beginning of becoming healthy and beautiful once again.

Being Healthy is a Journey

Fast forward a few months and I have managed to lose 12 lbs, no longer anemic and my cholesterol levels are normal. Yes, medications have been helpful with a few things, but I don’t want to stop my progress. I have a goal to become healthy and not have a need for my Type 2 Diabetes medication. I have a goal to run a 10 minute mile again. I have a goal to live a long happy life.

To help me along on this journey I have decided to join Weight Watchers. Even though I know how to eat healthy, I need accountability and love the idea of weighing in every week. I have a competitive spirit, so competing against myself is great! After my first week I lost an additional 2.2 lbs! So we are down 14 since I was first diagnosed. Yippee!!!

This is going to be my journey and today I invite you to join me on that journey.

Be sure to check out my About Me page know a little more about me and what you will find coming up on this blog!

Filed Under: Diabetes, Health, Uncategorized, Weightloss Tagged With: diabetes, weight loss

California girl, living a life of food, love & laughter all while becoming healthier by eating local, organic foods as much as possible.

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