Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,386
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Height: 5'2
Gayle, I really really liked that book. I wish I could get a cheap copy of it but I don't want to pay full price. I borrowed it from the library. I am not a great cook but I don't eat much prepared foods. I don't cook much from recipes because I usually just roast or grill my meats, then prepare veggies, sometimes from fresh, but mostly frozen and sometimes canned. He has to have potatoes every day. I try to stay away from them, but I usually end up eating some. Neither my husband or I like our meat with any sauces or gravies and he doesn't like casseroles. He just like to see his meat, veggies and potatoes on his plate. I keep it simple. I still eat too many carbs. I love them, but they really aren't good for me. I think that's why eating all the vegetables didn't help me lose weight.
I didn't do my exercise today but I was out shopping for over 3 hours this morning and I put over 4000 steps on my Fitbit, so I should hit 5000 by day's end.
Good for you for walking on the treadmill. Breaking it down into a couple segments is very good for lowering blood sugar and keeping it down throughout the day.
Today we went to walmart to exchange some sweat pants I bought online that were too big. I stopped at McDonalds for lunch and I didn't like the burger so ate less than 1/2, but I did eat the fries. Wish I hadn't because they weren't that good either. Should have just came on home for lunch. I don't particularly like any fast food but some are better tasting than others IMHO. Before we went out I called my sister as it is her 81st birthday. It was good to talk to her. When I got home I weekly cleaned the spare bedroom and hall. I made soup again tonight ..this time it was made with canned chicken pieces, cauliflower and spinach in chicken broth. It was tasty. Everything was soft enough for dh to eat. I wanted him to get some veggies as he hasn't much lately. ETA: Whoops spoke too soon, he just told me he couldn't eat the cauliflower..well, I tried. Feel sorry for him.
I bought a book called The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper started it last night. Not much new info so far but he lays it out in an easy way to remember.
Carol Sue/Gayle - I have the books you mentioned and they are good ones even though I'd never be able to follow his plan exactly. Carol right now I mostly eat my veggies as a side dish but I have done similar things like you do...the plate of veggie for lunch. Even now I try to make sure my plate is 1/2 veggies. But what happened to me...I went on the Medifast diet a few years ago...lost 18 lbs in about 6 weeks. You ate every 2-3 hours which I loved as even though I have always eaten meals (at least when others are around) I really prefer to snack my way through the day. So that worked fine for me, but dinner was called Lean and Green. I was told to eat 3 servings of veggies at dinner. No problem because I usually ate some meat and I liked veggies, right? My problem was that I got sick of the Medifast food I was to eat the rest of the day (began to make me feel physically ill) and because I HAD to eat three servings of veggies at dinner with no carb, I got so I could hardly eat veggies for a long time there. It has only been this past year or two that I have been able to eat more veggies again. I never completely gave them up, but just cut way back for a while. I think if I lived alone I'd probably eat mostly vegetarian with only a little meat now and then, but I would still eat carbs...and they are my problem. We normally eat a lot of stir-fries, with little meat and lots of veggies, but I always serve with rice even though I try to limit myself to 1/3-1/2 c rice. I do use recipes but mostly to keep me on track mentally while cooking so don't forget something or to try something new. Speaking of rice. I thought Bob Harper's opinion on rice was interesting and rather different than most. He says the benefit of brown rice over white rice is so small he doesn't feel it is that much better. He prefers we eliminate rice or eat only small amount. Well, forget that in this house...my Filipino man would never give up his white rice! But we have cut back on the amount we eat. The most I've ever been able to get dh to do is combine white and brown rice now and then but I don't care much for it that way either so we are back to eating white rice again.
Enjoy your gs!! And yes, the parents probably do need a break...seems that's what grandparents are for. We haven't seen our more local ones (so near and yet so far because of schedules and traffic!) for a few weeks now. Good thing they have another Nana but I'm really missing them. Our 5 year old gd has a basketball game on Sat and we are hoping to make it. Because of dh's condition, we have been staying home a lot...he's gradually getting back to normal and we are both getting to want to do more.
I can imagine that neighbor guy in your mostly senior neighborhood! Have to admit I wouldn't like it either but could use it for alarm clock! I really don't sleep that soundly much but am in bed way too long.
Gayle - Sounds like you are doing better with the exercise. I got a walking CD for Christmas and have only used it once.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,386
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
Mary, I made cauliflower soup once from a mix I bought in the produce department. I recently saw them make in on America's Test Kitchen and I'm going to try their recipe. They cook it and then put it in a blender. I doubt if DH will eat it, so I will just make a half recipe for me.
I love rice, more than I like potatoes, but now that I'm diabetic I don't eat it as much as I used to. Since I started making the brown rice I don't like the white rice anymore. I like the crunchy texture of the brown rice. But I just use it in recipes but don't eat it alone. DH likes Rice-a-Roni. I know that packaged foods are not good for you, but I do make it for him once in a while.
DH said we are supposed to get another winter storm on Saturday, so if that happens, DGS will not come over. They live an hour away, in an area that gets more snow than we do. They have 4 wheel drive vehicles, but still would not risk going out unnecessarily, especially with John in the car. We used to be able to buy him cheap little toys and make him happy, but now he is 6 and he's into Wii and hand held electronic games. Too expensive for our budget! So he usually brings his hand held games with him. One time John and Pap Pap were sitting together in the recliner, each playing a hand held game. It was so cute, I wish I had taken a picture. He really loves Pap Pap. Grandma is only good for making cookies. LOL I'm glad that he loves Pap Pap so much because we thought there would be no grandchildren, and this is the only one he's getting.
Got a pretty good sleep last night, only work up at 5:40, took my med, and went back to to bed, still wakeful a lot but continued to sleep off and on until past 9. The dog is still sleeping and it is 11 despite me opening her door. She does that now and then. I didn't have enough mocha mix to make a whole frappe this morning. Going to try and do without it for a while. I think I eat healthier when I don't have it, plus I have some Starbuck Frappes in the fridge...they are less calories and more little more nutritious surprisingly. More expensive though.
I got my housework done yesterday and finally all the laundry done. Today I plan to clean the main bathroom and my office so that's pretty easy. I also have a lot of things to get ready for ARC to pickup. Some small appliances have been in the garage a long time and need cleaning before giving away.
The soup I made was good but I was kinda frustrated at dh as he didn't try the cauliflower until his second helping (at least he ate a 2nd helping so know he liked it) because he thought it wouldn't be soft enough. I told him it was but he wouldn't believe me, so he didn't get as much veggie as I was hoping. Also he didn't try the chicken in it! I really wanted him to get the protein for healing so was unhappy when he told me he didn't try it because it thought it would be too hard to eat...it was actually very soft...I mean in the first place it was canned and then cooking in the broth, you could mash it with a fork! Oh well, I tried. Our son took the rest for his lunch today.
Tonight I am preparing cod fish. Can't remember what else right now.
Carol Sue - I saw a recipe for blending the cauliflower and using kale. Dh doesn't like kale so I used spinach which we both love and I didn't blend. I wanted the whole veggies, just sliced the cauliflower so was thinner. Actually I saw the soup on Bob Harper's Twitter page and it looked good..he doesn't blend either. It was really good and I will make again. I love making soups because they are so easy. I like brown rice too, just not mixed with white because of the different textures. Also I don't like brown rice in all dishes...sometimes like with fried rice, only the white tastes right to me. Mainly though I'm tired of trying to make dh like it. He's almost 80 years old, so I guess he can eat whatever he wants.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
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DH always says he's too old to start worrying about eating healthy. He eats a lot of sweets and salty snacks, but he doesn't gain much weight because he doesn't eat big meals, and skips breakfast and lunch sometimes.
I wonder if you could get some protein shakes for DH, or maybe something like Boost, just until he's able to start eating better. When I had the visiting nurse coming here after my surgery she told me I could use things like that, but I wasn't really having trouble eating.
I did very good with my eating today. I wasn't hungry for breakfast. At lunch time DH got out a can of crescent rolls to make and I used 2 of them to make some pigs in a blanket with some little smokies I had. They made a nice little lunch. Then I made hot sausage and cole slaw for dinner and I ate my hot sausage without a bun. Now I have to see how well I will do this evening, staying away from the snacking. I didn't even do any picking throughout the day like I usually do. I don't know why, I just didn't think about food. I need to check my temperature! LOL
I like to make grilled cod for myself, but I have to make something else for DH because he won't eat the fish. He eats it fried in a restaurant but not grilled or baked the way I make it.
Popped in again as I'm feeling lazy today and have spent too much time online. I did get most of my work done...decided to clean living room instead of office though. Still need to vacuum..may do it tomorrow now.
Carol Sue - Yes, we got some Ensure shakes for dh to drink...the high protein kind even. Ensure was his choice I prefer Slim-Fast but we have both right now. When he can't think of anything else he drinks the Ensure. He tried the cod but couldn't eat it. He ate some pork n beans which he likes, rice and is now drinking some V-8 juice. So he got some protein and the veggies in the juice besides carb. I hope his mouth heals soon. The cod fish was really good to ds and I...I sprinkled it with s/p, sliced up some onions and put on top, then mixed some lemon juice and melted butter and poured over. Served it with some stir-fry veggies...cauliflower, spinach, onions and garlic in a little sauce and the rice. Ds isn't feeling very good tonight but he ate some. The rest will be his lunch tomorrow.
Uh-oh, Halo just ate a piece of caramel popcorn! I hope it doesn't make her sick. Dh won them at Bi-Mart, otherwise wouldn't be in our house, but of course since there were there I was eating some at my desk and dropped one. So far I know that raw fat makes her sick but don't know what else.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,386
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
My step-son has a list posted on his refrigerator of things that are toxic to dogs. The only ones I remember are chocolate and raisins. There are about 10-12 things. They can actually kill the dog if he eats enough of it, not just make him sick. Your dog is big enough that the small amount of chocolate she got into that one time was not enough to effect her.
Joe probably needs Ensure more than Slim Fast because he actually needs more calories since he's not able to eat. I can never drink a weight loss drink because I still want to eat something. It might have the calories and nutrients I need, but I don't feel as though I've eaten unless I have food.
So far they aren't forcasting our snow until late Saturday night into Sunday, so my grandson will probably be coming.
Beautiful day today! Dh is putting up some shelves in the garage and he put Halo on a leash...one of those kind that they can pull and go further and it is looped over a pole. We cannot let her loose in the front yard because she will not stay even if we are there...she will follow her nose all over the neighborhoods. So this is a nice compromise since he is out closeby and she can enjoy being with him plus have a little room to roam safely.
Dh continues to lose weight but seems to feel better and he looks very nice. He has wanted to lose weight for a long time and so has the doctor wanted him to but could only lose a little and then back up again. He is 143 - 144 now...I'd like to see him stay at 145 at least so hope he doesn't lose anymore. Yes, I figured the Ensure was best for him. Used to give it to patients but it is much too rich and sweet for me. Dh doesn't usually care much for that sort of thing so I am thankful he has realized the need and does drink it now and then. Funny thing is he says he's eating potato chips and dip on Sunday for the Super Bowl...I don't think the chips are a good idea but he is sure he can eat them on one side. Doesn't make sense to me when he didn't think he could eat canned chicken in soup or baked cod. The chicken in soup esp was very soft and the cod was much softer than a potato chip...but hey what do I know. He says it is because the chip is thinner. I hope he doesn't mess anything up but it will be almost a week since his implants were put in and I have to trust him to know what he can eat..
I've gotten a lot done today...just kinda this and that but mostly sorta caught up. I say sorta because some things didn't get done this week or were done very quickly. It seems like the next week comes so fast that I'll be doing it all over again soon, you know how it goes. I got everything out early for ARC but they haven't gotten here yet.
I had Slim-fast for breakfast this am, and I'm like you, Carol, although I like it, it doesn't fill me up. I should have eaten some fruit but my bs was pretty high so didn't want to push it. I'm anxiously waiting for lunch now.
ETA: Did any of you watch the Biggest Loser finale? I love seeing the transformations...some were pretty amazing. I was pleased with the guy who won. I have a feeling Rob was quite disappointed since he was the largest guy and lost so much...he did look so good, but it is percentage. I was trying to get my mind around that...I used to think that was the best way but now wondering...seems like if a person is short that if they lose a lot it is a large percentage but if they are a big tall person, they can lose the same amount and it will still be a smaller percentage. I'm not sure which is best...I can see why they don't go for pounds too, so perhaps they chose the best way. I can get something in my head and go round and round with it..
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,386
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
I didn't watch Biggest Loser this season. I usually watch it, but I don't know what night and time it's on so I totally missed it. I didn't even know it had been on until I saw the winner being interviewed on TV this morning. I don't like to watch the whole show, just the weigh-ins. I think percentage is the only way they can do it because a bigger person will lose weight a lot faster than a small person, but it still could be a smaller percentage of their total weight.
I think I could figure out a way to eat potato chips, too! LOL Especially with dip.
I was down a pound this morning. I was surprised. I didn't feel as though I had lost. Usually I can tell. I hope it continues. I have started having my first meal a little later in the day and for some reason, I end up eating less in total. I really like to eat breakfast as soon as I get up.
Looks like it's just you and me Carol Sue. I hope you had a good day today. It's fun to lose a pound even when you don't know why. I gained back the 3# I lost a while back but continue to go up and down. I'm still not working hard enough on it even though I know I'm probably damaging my health...very dumb. I do so well during the day and I ask myself why is evening different Seems like I've always been this way. I've tried all the tips people suggest but I keep overeating. I think it has to just be no eating after dinner ...I've done it before a few times but never for very long.
We started out our day at our gd's basketball game. The kids are five years old and so cute! It is really fun to watch them. But I had taken Tyl and Benedryl last night to sleep and was still very sleepy so we came straight home and I took a two hour nap! After my nap I went grocery shopping but didn't get it all so will do more tomorrow after church.
Today something happen to Halo....she got lost in the woods while roaming around with her master. He was concentrated on looking for deer antler (shedded) and deer and suddenly realized she was not with him. She had gone off following the scents like she does, but has never gotten lost before. He looked for her and called her name but couldn't find her, then finally he hears her barking and starts toward the sound calling her name and finally she comes to him whimpering and howling. He could tell she had been really scared and stayed very close to him as they walked back to the car. She's been exhausted this evening.
Dinner tonight was very easy...I microwaved potatoes and made a fajita mixture to put on top for ds and I. I shared a potato with dh and he ate his half with Smart Balance and cheese. I tried to get him to eat some cottage cheese or drink an Ensure but he wouldn't. He did eat a few pcs of a chocolate bar tonight. He tried to eat a tangerine but couldn't chew it. He takes vitamins and other supplements but it is protein I'm mainly concerned about. He had a cup of milk at breakfast at least. I should have made the meal with ground beef...he night have tried that at least, but I didn't think about that until later as my recipe called for fajita meat and I used sirloin steak meat sliced thinly. I am so used to having something different every night but most meat he cannot eat right now and I have to remember that. It is almost a week now so hopefully his mouth will be healed soon.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,386
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
Yes, Mary, we seem to be the only ones left except for the couple that check in from time to time. Everyone went somewhere else. I know some were not happy with the way others were posting here.
I hope Halo is OK. She was probably so glad to get home to familiar surroundings.
I think Joe will be ok as long as this doesn't continue for an extended period of time. After my surgery I was not allowed any food for 6 days. I only had intervenous saline. Then when they gave me food it was just jello, broth and pudding for the next 3 days before they introduced soft foods. I think the human body is resilient. If he is still not eating when he goes to see the doctor you could mention it to him. Does he eat scrambled eggs? They have protein and don't require chewing.
I'm still here Mary and Carol Sue. I read every day, but don't always have anything interesting to tell.
Spent a lot of time last week with Dr's appointments and such. And with DH talking about and figuring out stuff with the health insurance to get ready for all these upcoming Dr's appointments and tests and all.
Been working on trying to finish up thank you notes for Christmas things. I had headaches almost every day last week ~ not horrible like I used to have years ago thank goodness, but enough to where I didn't feel like doing stuff. Then there was that stupid sciatic pain ~ and that gets to where I hurt so bad that I can't enjoy sitting at the computer ~ so I just don't spend as much time doing that (coming here) as I used to ~ which is maybe a good thing ~ LOL. Also, I have been more stiff and achy it seems, so I haven't kept up with the walking as I had hoped to. Oh, well ~ it is frustrating, but I just take one day at a time and do what I can do ~ that's all I can do. Thank God for the days that are a little better.
It was a good day...we finally got back to the gym. I walked with dh and he walked a mile with one short break. I continued walking at my faster gait during his break then slowed down again when he got back on the track so I got in 1 1/2 miles even though most of it was at the slower pace. That's all we did and came home. We thought after all this time it'd be better to gradually work back into our usual routine.
Dh went to the VA this afternoon ..they are going to replace one of his hearing aids that broke and also his streamer (wears around his neck to adjust his hearing aids plus is a bluetooth)...the cord had worn very thin and fell of Sat. Not sure when it happened but we can't find it. We were at our gd's basketball game, so I called the school just in case and it has not been turned in. So thankful that VA will replace it..may take a while..but these things are expensive.
Someone got my Visa# and made a charge on Facebook for some ads. I was alerted and they are voiding it, so all is ok, but I'm amazed and saddened (for them and society) that some people will do things like that.
Finished our taxes and we have less to pay this year, so happy about that!
Well our team didn't win the Super Bowl ..was disappointing how it played out at the end but that's life...it's only a game (to me, anyway!). As usual we bought way too many snacks and I ate far too much. Also today as I was finishing off the leftovers. Why do I do that
Carol - Dh is now down to 141#. I think he will eat more when his mouth is healed, my biggest concern is that he eat healthy and try to make sure he gets enough protein for healing of that abdomenal incision. It looks better but is not together yet.
Halo is fine but seems a little more subdued.
Gayle - glad to hear from you. Hope things are working out right for you. Keep us updated when you can. Sorry to hear of your pain. Pain is so tiring I know.
It has been a rainy dreary day here today. Thankful though that we are not where that could turn into freezing rain.
I tried to keep busy today ~ and keep out of the food. I got a walk in in the morning (15 minutes). I hope to do one more 15 session, but I can feel myself trying to talk myself out if it. I shouldn't have waited so long and done it earlier. At least I did it once and was up and down as I did stuff.
My low back is achy this evening. If it isn't one part of me aching ~ it is another part of me. Oh well, at least I am alive. Sorry for always talking about my aches. Thank you for listening.
Mary ~ glad you were able to start at the gym again. Sounds like you both are doing pretty good ~ Joe especially after what he has been through recently. Sorry about the credit card mishap.
Carol Sue ~ how are you doing? Did you get much of that snow in your area? Have you finally gotten your computer issues fixed.
I cooked some spaghetti squash and after Maddie goes home, will have some of that for supper. It will be a quick fix. I have seen this thing called a vegetti that will make spiral noodles out of a zucchini ~ I am thinking to maybe get one of those. It will make another option that I could use instead of pasta.
) I really prefer to snack my way through the day. So that worked fine for me, but dinner was called Lean and Green. I was told to eat 3 servings of veggies at dinner. No problem because I usually ate some meat and I liked veggies, right? My problem was that I got sick of the Medifast food I was to eat the rest of the day (began to make me feel physically ill) and because I HAD to eat three servings of veggies at dinner with no carb, I got so I could hardly eat veggies for a long time there. It has only been this past year or two that I have been able to eat more veggies again. I never completely gave them up, but just cut way back for a while. I think if I lived alone I'd probably eat mostly vegetarian with only a little meat now and then, but I would still eat carbs...and they are my problem. 
We normally eat a lot of stir-fries, with little meat and lots of veggies, but I always serve with rice even though I try to limit myself to 1/3-1/2 c rice. I do use recipes but mostly to keep me on track mentally while cooking so don't forget something or to try something new. Speaking of rice. I thought Bob Harper's opinion on rice was interesting and rather different than most. He says the benefit of brown rice over white rice is so small he doesn't feel it is that much better. He prefers we eliminate rice or eat only small amount. Well, forget that in this house...my Filipino man would never give up his white rice! But we have cut back on the amount we eat. The most I've ever been able to get dh to do is combine white and brown rice now and then but I don't care much for it that way either so we are back to eating white rice again. 
I hope he doesn't mess anything up but it will be almost a week since his implants were put in and I have to trust him to know what he can eat..