Terry Foster's Blog

Category: My health

Five meals a day

There are many parts of dieting that can be a struggle. The part I struggle with is that my doctor and personal trainer (we will get into that later) wants me to eat more meals during the day.

The goal is to eat five smaller meals a day to keep metabolism going so my body is burning more energy. I am a creature of habit. I am used to eating three bigger meals and calling it a day. I am not a big snack guy but I am trying to abide by the five meal rule.

My breakfast usually consists of oatmeal and a natural sweetener called Agava. The reason it is good is because it does not cause blood sugar spikes. Also I might have half a bagel and a scrambled egg on top.

My lunch is soup and salad. And dinner I have chicken breasts or fish and salad and vegetables. I sometimes treat myself with a roll and butter. But I have cut down on bread.

Now what do I snack on? I am still discovering things and I sure could use some help on this. (See, I do not have this totally figured out. )

But here are some of the things I love to eat to fill out my five meals. Grapes and berries. Sliced green or red pepper with a low-fat dressing or crab dip. Dip and crackers.

The key is to find something that is fattening that you like. They want me eating every three hours during the day. I struggle with that because of my work schedule. But if you have any ideas please share with the group.

I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494. You can follow me at twitter.com/bigscoop.

Category: My health

Watch how much you eat when you cheat

After telling me I was diabetic my doctor asked me what I loved to eat. I told her I love pizza, burgers, beer, ice cream and steak.

She said "guess what. You can still have all of that. Being diabetic and losing weight does not mean you have to give up all of your favorite foods. You can still have dessert and enjoy yourself. You have to do it in moderation. Maybe you only have one burger a week, not three times a week. I want you to treat yourself."

I have cheat days. I have cheat meals but I do not go all out like I used to. Before going on this diet I probably cheated twice a day. Now I cheat two or three times a week. But I cheat in moderation.

When I went to New York I was going to have some Juniors cheese cake. Instead of eating an entire slice I split slices with my Son Little B. We decided what flavor we wanted and made joint decisions.

I cheat at McDonald's with two regular hamburgers, a small fry and water.

I cheat at the bar by drinking lite beer and having a drink with diet soda.

But I do not cheat every day. I save it for the weekend or special occasions. You have to be disciplined and you have to fight this battle every day. But you need a break. You need to cheat now and then. But even when you cheat, do it in moderation.

I no longer eat pies and cake. My treat for the weekend is two giant cookies. One on Saturday and one on Sunday. When I have pizza I eat two slices rather than four. Moderation. Try frozen yogurt and fruit instead of ice cream and chocolate sauce. But even when you cheat make sure you drink plenty of water. That should never change.

I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.

Category: My health

I am having an affair. Her name is Ms. Dash

The first plan of attack for becoming healthy was hitting the kitchen and getting rid of everything with high sodium. That meant tossing Montreal steak seasoning, Lawrys seasoning salt and some of the marinades that make your chicken and pork taste so good.

In addition to being diagnosed with diabetes my doctor said my blood pressure was high as was my cholesterol. So salt was a no-no also.

Now I have a new woman in my life and my wife actually approves. Her name is Ms. Dash.

So step one is eliminating as much salt from your diet as possible.

Step two was throwing out all soda and replacing it with water. Pop has tons of sugar. You must get rid of it. I now drink two liters of water minimum a day. If you need taste with your beverage I recommend flavored water from Wal-Mart and Meijer. There is no sugar, no calories and no sodium.

Doc said to have one steak or burger a week. OK. I have two a week. Rome was not built in a day but the bottom line is I have cut down on red meat. I can still have burgers and steak but everything must be done in moderation. If you must have a big T-bone steak four times a week, try this trick. Cut it in half, fill out the rest of your meal with salad and vegetables and lots of water. Then have the second half of the steak at a later meal or the following day.

My outdoor grill will be running all winter and I will be grilling boneless chicken breasts and fish. Those are the main staples of my diet. Boneless chicken breasts, fish, my new girl Ms. Dash and lemon. It is healthy but also delicious.

I don't care how cold it gets. I am sticking with the game plan. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to remain on a diet.

My next blog will center on why I eat more often to lose weight.

If you have questions I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494. You can follow me on twitter.com/bigscoop

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Category: My health

Fighting for the Family

I was not afraid. I did not view it as a death sentence. I simply thought of my wife and kids after I was told I had type 2 diabetes.

I was determined to fight this disease with every ounce of energy I had.

I have known of people who had kidney failure, had limbs chopped off and went blind. A family friend had diabetes. She was a numbers runner who somehow kept the books despite almost being completely blind. I remember my aunt Margo used to take her grocery shopping because she could not drive. And this woman named Blanche wore the thickest glasses I'd ever seen.

But she kept the books.

I do not want to end up this way. I need to help my family for as long as I can. My daughter Celine recently turned 10. My son Brandon turns 8 in December. I helped bring them into the world now I must try to carry them for as long as possible.

I recently heard from a man who said he weighs more than 300 pounds, has diabetes and said he drinks a liter of Pepsi a day along with burgers and fries and whatever else he wants. He said he cannot stop his addiction to food.

He also has two children.

My advice to him was simple. Think about the kids. It is not just about you and your health. It is about raising a healthy family and our children and wives need us to be there.

With that in mind it was time to take step one of battling diabetes and controlling my weight.

I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494. Follow me on twitter.com/bigscoop.

Category: My health

I Had to Admit I was Fat

I can already tell I need to more serious and more timely with my diabetes blogs. I relaxed a bit and my email was flooded with people -- mostly men -- wanting to know how I lost weight and began this fight against Type 2 diabetes.

Step one was when my doctor told me four months ago that my blood work showed I was diabetic. She said when your A1C creeps over 6.0 you are a diabetic. Mine was 8.3 and I was rolling in at a chunky 232 pounds.

Today my A1C is 5.9 and I weigh around 210 pounds. So how did I do it? Well first of all the battle is not done. I want to get my weight below 200. And secondly I had to admit to myself that I was fat and that was the leading cause of the diabetes.

Whenever someone would say "Hey put on a little weight?" I would smile and seethe inside. I didn't think I looked that big. Or I tried to justify things. If the kids can have ice cream why can't I have a scoop?

Hey it was just one half pound burger, but I didn't eat all of my fries.

I was justifying everything fattening that I ate.

When my doctor examined me she asked what are all the things I love to eat? I told her burgers, fries, ice cream, cheese cake and steak. She said I can have all of that. I just have to eat in moderation and I cannot have a burger three times a week. Maybe once.

I do not have to clean everything on my plate at a restaurant. Eat until you are filled. Don't eat until you are satisfied because you always want more.

One of my first real test came when we took our family vacation to New York City. Now I was gonna have some cheese cake during our five day trip. But I never ate an entire piece. Instead my son Brandon and I would go through the menu of cheese cakes at Juniors, decide what flavor we wanted and we split it.

I didn't need an entire piece and neither did he.

Now what do I eat now? Stay tuned for the next blog.

I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494. You can follow me at twitter.com/bigscoop.

Category: My health

My battle with diabetes

The phone call came in the morning. It was my Providence Hospital doctor and the news was not good. She said I was a diabetic, a disease that in my case is caused by being overweight, through bad eating habits, lack of exercise and age.

I was guilty all four things. I ate what I wanted and when I wanted. I stopped exercising and I was getting up in age. I am 50 years old trying to eat and drink like I was 20. It just does not work. But I had not reached a critical stage yet. Doc said we can fight this together through diet and exercise. No medication. She did not seem panicked and neither was I.

The way I looked at it I had a new companion I have to deal with.

I want you to continue to read this blog for sports and whatever else is on my mind. After all, we are here for fun and games. However, I also want to help people by telling my story with my battle with diabetes. It's been about four months ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes during a routine checkup after my 50th birthday. A simple blood test revealed my AIC levels had reached an 8.3. You are technically a diabetic when those levels are a 6.0 or above.

I was overweight but did not want to admit it. My blood pressure was high, but I did not know it. Diabetes is the silent and painless killer. I had to do something about it. Since my checkup my weight has gone from 232 pounds to 209 at this morning's weigh-in. My A1C levels have dropped from 8.3 to 5.9 and my blood pressure went from 140/94 to 120/84.

How did I do it? I will tell you some of my secrets and some of the things I am going through in this blog. I am not saying it is easy but you've got to have the proper mind set to do this. I want to help you live a longer life.

I've had a number of people -- men especially -- ask my secrets. Some have gotten checkups, which I encourage. Others have begun the process of losing weight and being healthy.

Bottom line is I exercise every day, changed my eating habits, have a personal trainer and guess what? I have cheat meals and cheat days. You do not have to give up your favorite foods. You must eat smarter and in moderation. So let's begin this journey together.

I will share my secrets. If you have some please feel free to share with me and the readers.

I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494. You can follow me at twitter.com/bigscoop.