Day 1: The Lenten Reboot begins.. 40 days of juicing

Meter test

Want to see something scary?

Get out two tests strips and your meter. Prick your finger and get the first reading. I got a 151. Then immediately pull out the strip and put in the new one. Squeeze a bit more blood out of the finger and test again. My second test was 175. 24+ increase. Same meter, same batch of strips, same finger and almost same time (okay, 30 second later).

Diabetic Data Mining (part 1)

Being a diabetic athlete means a dedication to trial and error. Every diabetic athlete I have ever met or read about is a meticulous record-keeper and is in his or her own way a scientist, continuously experimenting on his or her body to find the best combination of insulin, food, stress, exercise. The crazy thing is that the combination keeps changing and it is highly personalized, so there has to be a willingness to continuously revamp, re-evaluate, re-organize. Having diabetes and being committed to performance requires a degree of mental flexibility that deserves recognition and celebration. It is symbolic of what all of us as humans have to do to perform at high levels.

Mari Ruddy, from An Invitation to Ride

As diabetics, it is essential that we log certain data on a daily basis. We are all told this, usually immediately after we are told we have diabetes and we should stay away from sugar. The problem is that no one ever sits you down and explains the hows and whys of data processing and how they relate to your self-management. At best you show up at the doctors or your Certified Diabetic Educator (CDE) and hand them your log book, they (hopefully) look at it, make a few suggestions and book you for another appointment.

But the real person that should be reviewing the data is you, the end user. Not on a three month basis, but far more frequently than that be it a monthly, weekly or even daily basis. You need to learn how to perform diabetic data mining.

Data mining is the discovery of interesting, unexpected or valuable connections in a set of data. One can then focus on the "big picture" or macro view, where the purpose is to look at shapes, patterns or distributions. Or one can focus on the micro view, and detect conformity or anomalies and determine if they are real or chance occurrences.  When your doctor is reviewing your log, he or she is essentially taking the macro view. Their main purpose is to determine if your insulin levels, primarily the basal, is of a sufficient type and/or amount. They might consider whether or not to modify your insulin to carb ratio, for example, but they probably won't help you determine if you covered appropriately for the bagel you had during an afternoon snack. Or help you figure out what your temporary basal rate should be when you mow the lawn, how many glucose tabs you should take with you when you go for a run, or how much a latte will boost your blood sugar. These are issues best dealt with at the micro level--the personal level--is up to you to do. Too bad no one takes the time to show you how to do it. Until now.

 The Tri-Partite Division of Diabetic Data Mining

The three steps of Diabetic Data Mining are no different than any other form of datamining. You must first collect the data. Then you must accurately record it. Finally, you must analyze the data. Failure to adequately follow all of the three steps means that your analysis will most likely be faulty or insufficient.


Stage One: Diabetic Data Collection

The computer adage of "garbage in, garbage out" is equally applicable to Diabetic Data Mining. It is essential to obtain the most accurate data as possible. This means making sure that you test your blood sugar at the proper times and actually look up the carbohydrates in the foods you eat.

In order to collect your diabetic data, you need to have the proper tools for the job. Then you have to use them. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Regretfully, few diabetics are taught the proper use of their data collection tools or even which ones to have. At a minimum, you need the following:

a) A glucometer (and lancet and strips) for testing your blood sugar;
b) A place to record the data;
c) A means for looking up the carb count of foods you eat

I'm not going into the details of which meter to buy, etc, because that decision varies between people and often depends upon which company's strips your insurer will pay for. What is important, however, is that you always have your meter with you or within easy access regardless of where you are.

You need a place to record the data. Personally, I've found the best and most efficient method is to use a piece of paper. Meters have built-in memories, there are apps, people build spreadsheets. All work AS LONG AS YOU USE THEM. The best spreadsheet is worthless if you don't input the data. Apps are great, unless you don't input the data. Same goes for log books. Pick one (or, more likely, settle upon one) and use it.

Lastly, you need some method of determining the carbohydrates of foods you eat. That can be a special calorie "Food King" book, or an app or even the label on the box. Whichever it is, you need to be able to determine what the carbs and the insoluable fiber are. More on why in a moment.

It is best if you check your blood sugar at the following times:

• Immediately upon waking
• before you eat
• 2 hours after you eat
• before going to bed
• in the middle of the night

It is equally important to look up the carbohydrates in all the foods that you eat, preferably before you eat them. Guessing at the carbohydrate amounts means that you will either give yourself too much or too little insulin. More importantly for diabetic data mining purposes, you'll skew your data set which will weaken your subsequent data analysis.


Stage Two: Diabetic Data Recording and Stage Three: Diabetic Data Analysis will be posted soon!

10 juicing hints

(1) Vary your juices
(2) Sip, don't gulp
(3) Minimize fruit
(4) Don't put too many leafy greens in your juice (25% dark leafy green juice; dilute with rest)
(5) Get a juicer that's best for you
(6) Select freshest produce possible; prepare produce (wash, cut properly); rotate items going into the juice (between ingredients);
(7) keep juice recipes simple (best juicing recipe? see youtube vid)
(8) don't make more juice than you can drink in one setting
(9) always clean your juicer
(10) don't juice produce which is past prime

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

After the kids had gone to bed my wife and I were sitting in the family room. She was on the computer working on a powerpoint for work so I turned on Netflix and ran across a documentary whose title caught my eye: Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. Here's the trailer:

Not only was the subject close to home for me, but so was the locale. You see, I live in Iowa where not one but two of the people covered in the documentary reside as well. Not only that, but my wife's family is from Spirit Lake, Iowa, and we spend our vacations up there. I've shopped at the stores shown in the documentary and recognized places around town.

After we finished watching the show I realized that this might be the answer to my question. A vegetable and fruit juice fast could be the perfect thing for me, both in terms of losing weight and getting into better help because, let's face it, I eat like crap. And with Lent starting up next Wednesday, I'd have a perfect 40 day opportunity to put such a plan into action. Lent is a time to renew yourself, and the juice fast is a time to reboot yourself. To reset your bodily system and get back to what God intended rather than what man has made. I needed a Lenten Reboot, and this juice fast stuff just might be the thing to do it.