Welcome to a new week

Do you count Sunday as the first day of your week? At my house we do. I always consider it the first day of the week and the day we can get things going again with a bright shiny new outlook.

After last week, I need a new one.

I lost five pounds last week. Pretty respectable! They say the average loss is 2-3 so I am happy. I have always been an average loser so I am not expecting great jumps downward. Steady as she goes, that's me.

This has been a lazy weekend. We haven't touched the house and we both slept a lot yesterday. I had to. I was up ALL night Friday night creating a great new webpage. Then I had it up and it looked so good. I took a one hour nap and got up and looked at it. It wasn't working right.

SIGH! all that lost sleep for nothing. I went and took a long nap with my DH later in the afternoon and never got back to it. Oh well, such is a lazy Saturday.

So, cheers to you Maxine! Keep up the good work, and I will check on you this week.

One Week Down & Feeling Mighty Good

I'm truly amazed. Although diet is a four-letter words, I'm encouraged about how good I feel after shedding those first ten pounds. When you're as heavy as I am, they're not visible to the naked eye, but that's okay. Getting rid of the weight is doing me a world of good mentally, not to mention the affect it's going to have on my health and that's what is keeping me going.

I'm really proud of myself too for not giving in to the bagels, cream cheese and chocolate milk a co-worker brought into the office yesterday. I love them, but I'm SO damn determined this time, I wasn't even tempted. Maybe watching the Winter Olympics has something to do with my incredible desire to get back in shape this time. Ha! All those sleek, firm bodies squeezed into (what is that material anyway?) those tight-fitting ski suits--hmmm. Ha! I'll be happy to get out of my tight-fitting jeans. Seriously, I hate the way I look and I have nightmeres of my daughter, a lovely 24 year old, to call us one of these days to say she's getting married and I don't want to look like a baby Orca dressed in gabardine. Other insentives include a 30-year anniversary coming up in June and several other public engagements that I'll be involved in later this year.

Ask anyone, I'm a control freak and proud of it, so why haven't I been able to to control my weight? I have no idea, but that's behind me. So, the big question is, did I cheat this week at all? Does eating two slices of mushroom and green pepper pizza last night count? Hmm. Over all, this week went well. I'm not an expert on dieting by any stretch of the imagination but the only way I'm going to stay on this is if I give myself the "okay" to stray once in a while. Fridays in our house is usually pizza night. So what may seem like cheating was a well-planned approach. My focus is to reduce my calories and fat intake by 1) food preparation, and 2) portion size. So this was my Friday intake.

Breakfast:

• a scrambled egg (cooked with cooking spray)
• one slice of whole wheat toast with a small amount of margerine
• a small glass of O.J.

Lunch:

• 1/3 cup or rice and 1 cup of pork/carrots/broccoli (left over from the low-cal stir-fry I fixed the night before)

Snack:

• a small banana

I'm not up to 8, 8-oz. glasses of water a day, but have been drinking at least five and that's an improvement too.

Today, I start to exercise. Hmm. I'll keep you posted.

Confessions of a rocky start

This week has not been conducive to dieting.

First, I have gotten slapped with several new bills that I wasn't counting on and now affording to get my taxes done is going to be a stretch. Well, I must do them must'nt I? So in March something is not getting paid.

Second, my job is absolutely nuts. I have never had so many people clammering for my attention at one time before. And screw ups? Let me tell you, we have reached an all time high.

Next, they have had ANOTHER lay off and one of the guys who has been there for twenty years was chopped. Good grief. I am not concerned about my job but the stress of losing others who are friends and colleagues is killing me.

So... I am being honest here. I have not done well with the diet this week. I am a stress eater. Whenever things in my small world go off color, I eat. I admit that is a terrible problem to have especially when you are overweight and diabetic, but there it is. Help me somebody.

Creamy Potatoe Soup

Last night I learned that I don't have to add cream and cheese to make one of my favorite soups creamy.

I peeled and cubed 4-5 medium size potatoes, one cup of carrots, chopped two stalks of celery and half an onion and placed them in a pot. Added 3 cups of water and just enough beef bouillon (I know, lots of sodium but you don't have to go overboard with it) to give it flavor.

Let it boil until the potatoes and carrots are tender--about 15-20 minutes. Place the vegetable mix in a food processor and blend until it's smooth. Place the vegetables back in the pot and add about a cup or so of low-fat or skim milk until you have the consistency you want.

I seasoned it with garlic powder and had a cup of soup with a large dark green salad; lettuce, spinach, onion, celery, tomatoes olive oil/vinegar dressing.

The 35 Symptoms of Menopause

I thought I was losing my mind. Turns out, I'm just getting old.

Aside from feeling like crap for a couple of weeks; aching, shortness of breath, headaches, etc., the following list is what actually led me to deciding that weight loss was now or never. When I mentioned to Auntie Em what I was feeling, she suggested I might be experiencing menopause. No big news there, I've been in pre-menopause for what seems like an eternity. What I didn't know was that there were so many other symptoms aside from the mood swings and hot flashes. I found these on a site called Project Aware. As luck or divine intervention would have it, my doctor's receptionist called the next day to remind me of my physical the following day. I took this list for my doctor to see what I'd been experiencing (see bolded items). I had already gotten back on a "silver" multiple vitamin plus 100 mg of B1, 2000 mcg of B12, and 50 mg of B6. To these he suggested I take 500 mg calcium, 2000 iu of vitamin D, and 1200 mg of Omega 3. He also suggested taking B complex.

The next obvious step was to get on a diet. So far so good.

1. Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling
2. Irregular heart beat
3. Irritability
4. Mood swings, sudden tears
5. Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)
6. Irregular periods; shorter, lighter periods; heavier periods, flooding; phantom periods, shorter cycles, longer cycles!!!!!
7. Loss of libido
8. Dry vagina
9. Crashing fatigue
10. Anxiety, feeling ill at ease
11. Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom
12. Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion
13. Disturbing memory lapses
14. Incontinence, especially upon sneezing, laughing; urge incontinence
15. Itchy, crawly skin
16. Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons
17. Increased tension in muscles
18. Breast tenderness
19. Headache change: increase or decrease
20. Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea
21. Sudden bouts of bloat
22. Depression
23. Exacerbation of existing conditions
24. Increase in allergies
25. Weight gain
26. Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair
27. Dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance
28. Changes in body odor
29. Electric shock sensation under the skin and in the head
30. Tingling in the extremities
31. Gum problems, increased bleeding
32. Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, change in breath odor
33. Osteoporosis (after several years)
34. Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier
35. Tinnitus: ringing in ears, bells, 'whooshing,' buzzing etc.


Please go to Project Aware site for additional information about these symptoms.

Tuesday

So far so good. I have been getting up early and walking for twenty minutes around the living room. Yes, I have a treadmill, but it is upstairs, and there is nothing to entertain me whilst I am on it. I keep begging the DH to bring it down but so far it no dice.

I got a huge surprise when I tested my sugar yesterday before lunch. 105! whoo hoo! That's great.

Overall, the diet is a no brainer. I eat more carbs in the morning (yogurt, Kashi Go-Lean, berries) and fewer as the day wanes. I seem to have found a great combo to get going with this diet thing. I am pleased.

I am not pleased about the terrible backache I have began having. This started Sunday night and it is tres painful. The ache is from my back around my hips and down the front of my thighs. Feels terribly like nerve pain. Sort of worries me, but a dose of ibuprophen seems to keep the pain tolerable enough to work.

Have to keep an eye on this....

First Day At Work

... with the diet. Not bad, I didn't starve. I did feel a little light-headed in the afternoon though but eat my snack of a few crackers and string cheese and felt better.

I got some encouraging news this morning from my scale and that's incentive enough to keep going! ;0

Getting underway or weigh...

...depends on how you look at it.

I am already one half day into my new "plan" which isn't a plan at all, but rather a whole foods natural eating lifestyle. Nothing artificial, no sweetners, no caffeine, no table salt. (Kosher sea salt in moderation is okay) and lots of water and fresh air and sunshine, which I am happy to report we have a ton of today.

I am diabetic too, and so I have to watch everything I put into my mouth.

The problem with me is, I am putting food into my mouth far too often. I need to cut that little habit out.

So starting today, I woke with the chickens, and drank water. Then with my breakfast I had 32 oz more water with lemon. I ate two eggs over hard and sliced tomatoes for breakfast.

Blood sugar two hours later 130. Sigh. Okay this is going to take a day or so, but it will be okay.

For lunch, I had blueberries and organic vanilla yogurt and for a snack I had 1/4 cup of sesame seeds, raw and unsalted.

I am still hungry, yes I am. I admit this diet is truly torturous and probably not for everyone. Unfortunately, I am still recovering from a bout of bronchitis, which has me feeling pretty darn rotten. In fact, today I have almost felt as though I am relapsing. BUT! I am going to persevere. I have put a butternut squash in the oven to bake and for dinner I will have a bit of that and steamed veggies or salad.

I MISS MY COFFEE!!! No caffeine? What was I thinking?

So What's the Plan?

I should probably mention that I come from a long line of Italians—people who were making homemade pizzas and lasagna long before Chef Boyardee started marketing his canned wonders back in the 1920s. Home meant growing up in an environment where everything centered around the dinner table. Every dispute was settled and each achievement was celebrated with another serving of mom’s gnocchi’s.

I can still remember the aromas that drifted through the house from her kitchen—the smell of spices mingled with the aroma of freshly baked bread. That’s what I’ve come to know as “comfort food.” So comforting in fact, that I’ve carried them on my hips and thighs for the past 40 years. I’m especially annoying that that even though my sisters and I were all raised on mother’s cooking, they’ve remained slim and trim. What’s up with that?

Okay, so I’ve had a day to think about this and I’ve decided that for me, the best course of action will be to follow the Diabetic diet.
First, I’m going to (dramatically) reduce my portions. Then I’m going to dust off the treadmill and Bowflex that have served as clothes racks for too many years, and get on a daily schedule—I promise!

I shoved all my other cookbooks aside and pulled out two I purchased through Prevention Magazine. Of course, I bought these with the best of intensions a couple of years ago—the spines haven’t been cracked yet, but that’s all about to change.

The first book is titled: The Sugar Solution Cookbook by Ann Fittante, MS, RD and Julia Van Tine-Reichardt. The second book is titled: “The Diabetes Dtour Diet by B Narbafra Quinn, MS, RD, CDE, and editor of Prevention. My past failures have been due to diets that demanded I only eat certain foods. Eventually, I got board and let it slide the minute I got sidetracked with a better opportunity. No, I think the best approach to this will be common sense and using these books as guides will help to train me (again) in proper nutrition and appropriate portions. The goal is for the pounds to melt away while tricking my head into not thinking that I’m on a diet. After all, just because I’m dieting shouldn’t stop me from enjoying my favorite meals, I’ll simply have to find alternatives.

Tonight I’m planning to make lasagna, but wait! I’ll do the regular recipe for the family and a one-serving portion for me of roasted vegetable lasagna. Instead of the meat, it uses zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms carrots and frozen spinach.

Sounds good to me!

Where Do I Start?

How about with every diet I've started and failed at.

Actually, I stayed with several of them for months. With one I lost 30 pounds, 25 with another. Both times I looked and felt great. Most of the other diets were nothing but frustrating.

The truth of the matter is, I have the will of a jelly fish when it comes to eating. I simply enjoy food. So the minute I got sidetracked from the diet (company, vacation, etc.) I’ve always found it hard to get back on track.

Another thing is that I always feel consumed by the process of dieting--measuring this, weighing that. I don't want to spend my entire day thinking about the next meal (even though I look as if I do). I would love to come home and not have to think about what to fix, having said this, I don't believe those high-priced diet plans; the ones that only allow you their prepared foods work. They may help people lose the weight, but what happens when they go back to eating “normal” food?

My mother was a diabetic for the last 45 years of her life. I grew up with the diabetic meal plan. I know and continue to cook (believe it or not) the way she did. However, being the otherwise healthy person that I am, I don’t watch my portions or my snacks. Heaven knows I wish I was the type of person who couldn’t eat when they were stressed. I’d be skinny as a rail. Not me, nothing takes my appetite away. Whether I'm happy, sad, stressed, content, angry, tired, excited ... it doesn’t matter, I eat.

The only thing I know to do is to make my story public and journal my diet and exercise successes here. Wish me luck.