Couldn't write yesterday. Was at Kohl's shopping at 5 am and saved 75% off on my total bill. The went to visit dear dear fiends in Columbus for the day. We are in Dayton, Ohio for Thanksgiving and it has been non stop eating and drinking. I brought my scale and have weighed my self daily but it is not pretty. BUt it has been great to see my son and his family, especially the 3 grand babies.
Today we drive back and I will get my Christmas decor out and wrap a bunch of presents. I am planning on making pumpkin bread, cookies, fudge and buckeyes for gifts this year. The gaining season begins. I will go out now and walk to get in steps before we leave for the 9 hour drive home. Starting today I write my food down again.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving
I am thankful for all of the wonderful blessing in my life but today I want to focus on one particular blessing this year for this blog. My dad was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in July. Diabetes scares me. The fear of it keeps me on my diet.
Diabetes is the 7 th leading cause of death in the US and "Among those age 50 and older, diabetic men lived an average of 7.5 years less than men without diabetes, and diabetes reduced women's life expectancy by an average of 8.2 years. Life expectancy free of cardiovascular disease was reduced by 7.8 years in men and 8.4 years in women with diabetes." (from ScienceDaily June 12, 2007)
I am sooooooooo very thankful and proud that my dad has attacked his type 2 diabetes. He has lost almost 50 pounds, is working out regularly and has no symptoms of diabetes anymore. I couldn't be more thankful because I know that this means I will have my daddy around a lot longer in my life. I love you Dad and today am so thankful for you in my ( and my family's) life/ lives and the many years to come.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Triglycerides
Every year my doctor takes blood and analyzes my Lipid panel, which is cholesterol and triglycerides. The past 2 years my triglycerides were 241 and 267. Normal is less than 150.
My cholesterol levels haven't been above 200 combined, but my good cholesterol (HDL) was too low and my bad cholesterol (LDL) was to high. I found out today that there is an inverse relationship between good cholesterol and triglycerides. No wonder.
I got my blood work results yesterday and my triglycerides are down to 98 ( at 63% drop or I was 272% higher last year than this year!! ) My LDL is about the same but my HDL (good) is up 27%. What a difference a year makes. Seeing the triglycerides number way down is the greatest reward. If I am honest I think that is what scared me into getting really serious about the weight loss. I was on a fast track to type 2 diabetes and I knew it. Diabetes runs in my Dad's family and I was solidly pre-diabetic. No more.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Hair Lost and Found
My hair has been coming out in clumps in the shower for months. It stopped for a while and has started again. I got my hair cut yesterday which I do about once a year whether I need it or not. My stylist said that hair loss was normal with rapid weight loss and then I found this at health-emark.com:
"Hair Loss: This is also a typical short term effect of weight loss surgery. Hair loss in rapid weight loss plans generally occurs due to reduced in take of proteins. Following weight loss surgery, hair loss starts occurring in the fourth and fifth month. This results from the shedding of your hair follicles. With reduced protein intake your body sacrifices hair that is made from proteins to make the little protein available to more important body functions. It especially pronounced in weight loss surgery as these individual have extremely low protein diets.Fortunately once your nutrition goes back to normal and you provide enough dietary protein, the hair loss stops and your hair thickness goes back to normal. " (thankfully)
I know I am not alone in this which helps. Also, I found out that the shorter hairs near my temple which look a bit like some one cut a lock of hair is actually new spontaneous growth. My body decided to start to grow hair in a place it didn't before. Very weird. I have a short bob now, a bit shorter than expected but nice. It will grow out well and will accentuate my curls.
"Hair Loss: This is also a typical short term effect of weight loss surgery. Hair loss in rapid weight loss plans generally occurs due to reduced in take of proteins. Following weight loss surgery, hair loss starts occurring in the fourth and fifth month. This results from the shedding of your hair follicles. With reduced protein intake your body sacrifices hair that is made from proteins to make the little protein available to more important body functions. It especially pronounced in weight loss surgery as these individual have extremely low protein diets.Fortunately once your nutrition goes back to normal and you provide enough dietary protein, the hair loss stops and your hair thickness goes back to normal. " (thankfully)
I know I am not alone in this which helps. Also, I found out that the shorter hairs near my temple which look a bit like some one cut a lock of hair is actually new spontaneous growth. My body decided to start to grow hair in a place it didn't before. Very weird. I have a short bob now, a bit shorter than expected but nice. It will grow out well and will accentuate my curls.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Hunger
1.02 billion people on our planet experience chronic hunger, about one sixth of all humanity. How can we live in world where this is possible? So I think of these people as I struggle with a disease of affluence. That I worry about eating to much when so many do not have enough.
In this country there are soup kitchens that feed the hungry. I volunteer at one and I can tell you that the food is good and nutritious. There is always fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and green salad in addition to main courses, bread and desserts. (The bread and desserts which come largely from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods) There are also food shelves where people can get groceries. I have never been hungry in the true sense of the word. We did get crates of free food bulk cheese I remember in the 70's. I could have gotten free lunch at school but preferred to pack my own.
Be grateful this week as you stuff your self on Thursday, that you can and think about how blessed we are to have food on the table and to never go without. So in my own twisted way I will be grateful for my weight loss struggle. I could literally be starving.
In this country there are soup kitchens that feed the hungry. I volunteer at one and I can tell you that the food is good and nutritious. There is always fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and green salad in addition to main courses, bread and desserts. (The bread and desserts which come largely from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods) There are also food shelves where people can get groceries. I have never been hungry in the true sense of the word. We did get crates of free food bulk cheese I remember in the 70's. I could have gotten free lunch at school but preferred to pack my own.
Be grateful this week as you stuff your self on Thursday, that you can and think about how blessed we are to have food on the table and to never go without. So in my own twisted way I will be grateful for my weight loss struggle. I could literally be starving.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Thanksgiving Tips
Here's how to slim down your Thanksgiving meal.
1. No Green bean casserole. For your green vegetable try Brussels sprouts or broccoli. Spray with Pam, season salt and garlic powder oven roast for 45 min to one hour. Or steam fresh green beans, serve with I Cant Believe It's Not Butter spray.
2. No candied yams. Just bake the yams and enjoy with out butter or with I Cant Believe It's Not Butter spray.
3. Turkey- White meat only. No skin.
4. Gravy- Use fat free stock and flour mixed in water only, not rue, to thicken. Pour off the fat and use the dark part stuck to the pan (de-glazed with stock) to flavor the gravy.
5. Mashed potatoes- Use fat free sour cream and fat free turkey stock to make, not butter or cream. Substitute cauliflower for half of potatoes.
6. Dressing - add no fat, use bread cubes (not croutons) or corn bread, cook vegetables like celery, onion and green pepper in fat free turkey stock add to bread. Season to taste, I use poultry seasoning, season salt and pepper. Spray pan with Pam and spray Pam on top. Bake.
7. Have a green salad with spray dressing.
8. Cranberries- Boil fresh cranberries, sweeten with splenda and add to sugar free orange jello. Or just eat the regular jelly like I do- eat less and count the calories.
9. See pumpkin pie alternatives below.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember all the blessing you have to be thankful for.
1. No Green bean casserole. For your green vegetable try Brussels sprouts or broccoli. Spray with Pam, season salt and garlic powder oven roast for 45 min to one hour. Or steam fresh green beans, serve with I Cant Believe It's Not Butter spray.
2. No candied yams. Just bake the yams and enjoy with out butter or with I Cant Believe It's Not Butter spray.
3. Turkey- White meat only. No skin.
4. Gravy- Use fat free stock and flour mixed in water only, not rue, to thicken. Pour off the fat and use the dark part stuck to the pan (de-glazed with stock) to flavor the gravy.
5. Mashed potatoes- Use fat free sour cream and fat free turkey stock to make, not butter or cream. Substitute cauliflower for half of potatoes.
6. Dressing - add no fat, use bread cubes (not croutons) or corn bread, cook vegetables like celery, onion and green pepper in fat free turkey stock add to bread. Season to taste, I use poultry seasoning, season salt and pepper. Spray pan with Pam and spray Pam on top. Bake.
7. Have a green salad with spray dressing.
8. Cranberries- Boil fresh cranberries, sweeten with splenda and add to sugar free orange jello. Or just eat the regular jelly like I do- eat less and count the calories.
9. See pumpkin pie alternatives below.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember all the blessing you have to be thankful for.
Positive Self Talk
The diet sabotage is coming from focusing on the negative. Shift and change your mind. Why do I eat/ over eat knowing what the results will be? I am a very intelligent woman and I know when I am eating more than I am burning and I do it anyway. Why??? In the past I have known when I was over eating on a regular basis and I remember thinking "am I trying to gain as much weight as possible?" I think it happens when I feel bad about myself, frustrated, tired and when things feel a bit out of control.
Something shifts and I just stop caring for a minute or more. I eat unconsciously. I am wondering about the psychology behind why people are heavy. I think my self-sabotaging behaviors are all symptoms of a self-image that’s inconsistent with present results. Emerson once wrote, “Of what use to make heroic vows of amendment if the same old lawbreaker is to keep them?" Jesus taught us that it is folly to put new wine into old bottles or a patch new material on an old garment. Maybe I haven't change that much.
I am trying to change my self image by driving my Jag and getting out my (mouton) fur coat from college, with moderate success. I have been "pleasingly plump", "sack of potatoes" and "pumpkin"my whole life, while my sister was "skinny mini" and "princess". It is a hard thing to change the vision of myself that was put there so long ago. I know rationally that I look good but in my heart I don't feel it some days and I comfort myself with food. Until the inside matches the outside this will continually be a struggle for me.
I will write down the body image I want and fake it until I make it. (As my wise minister says, "act as if") I will put the body image I want in my gratitude journal, make a daily gratitude for my body and put myself on prayer list to love my body and not abuse it with wrong food or over eating. Treat it as sacred. My body is the temple where my soul lives. The food I eat and the exercise I do, the offerings.
Something shifts and I just stop caring for a minute or more. I eat unconsciously. I am wondering about the psychology behind why people are heavy. I think my self-sabotaging behaviors are all symptoms of a self-image that’s inconsistent with present results. Emerson once wrote, “Of what use to make heroic vows of amendment if the same old lawbreaker is to keep them?" Jesus taught us that it is folly to put new wine into old bottles or a patch new material on an old garment. Maybe I haven't change that much.
I am trying to change my self image by driving my Jag and getting out my (mouton) fur coat from college, with moderate success. I have been "pleasingly plump", "sack of potatoes" and "pumpkin"my whole life, while my sister was "skinny mini" and "princess". It is a hard thing to change the vision of myself that was put there so long ago. I know rationally that I look good but in my heart I don't feel it some days and I comfort myself with food. Until the inside matches the outside this will continually be a struggle for me.
I will write down the body image I want and fake it until I make it. (As my wise minister says, "act as if") I will put the body image I want in my gratitude journal, make a daily gratitude for my body and put myself on prayer list to love my body and not abuse it with wrong food or over eating. Treat it as sacred. My body is the temple where my soul lives. The food I eat and the exercise I do, the offerings.
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