Hello everybody. Just hanging in there trying to stay OP between now and Christmas. I've decided to do what I did last Christmas. I'm going to do the best I can through Christmas day and then I will start back OP on December 26th. Not going to put pressure on myself about all of this.
Hi everyone! We are all sick here because apparently that's our Christmas tradition. I find myself faced with such questions as, "are there carbs in this cough medicine" and "how about I just never eat again because I can't taste anything anyway."
I am going to try to finish up my holiday shopping this weekend because it's really now or never. I'm planning a big deli tray with meat, cheese, olives, etc. Also a vegetable tray with a few low carb dips. I had thought about taking a break and going off plan around the day but it's not worth it for me. It's too hard to get back ON plan and when I did that for Thanksgiving, my numbers were ridiculous. Besides, I need to save all my carbs for wine We do our BIG thing on Christmas Eve with family, and then Christmas Day is sort of open house, buffet style so it's easy to avoid the big starch sit down and just pick the safe stuff (and I could probably eat my weight in cheese and olives, so it's not like I'm feeling deprived).
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
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Secondhalf, I'm sorry to hear your family is all sick. So far we have avoided it. We had to watch my grandson one day because he had a fever and couldn't go to school. I think we got through that OK. If we can just make it to Christmas.
DH and I try to just stay home and relax on Christmas Eve, and then everyone is coming here on Christmas Day. I, too, do a buffet, with fixin's for sandwiches and a lot of finger food. I bake a lot of cookies, but I'm pretty good at avoiding them. I am like you, I prefer the cheeses and olives, etc.
Trish, I think we will all do well over Christmas because we are aware of what we need to do. If we slip, it's usually just a little slip, and we get right back down to business. I have not been doing well the past couple days but am planning to get serious once the mahem of the holidays goes away. Too much to do, too little time to do it in, and not enough money to do everything I want to do. I have decided to focus on the real reason for Christmas and be satisfied doing what I can.
Last edited by Wannabehealthy; 12-20-2014 at 07:15 AM.
TheSecondHalf I hope you and your family are feeling better. I am happy for you that the scale is moving in the right direction. I don't think I will see that happen for me until after the holiday.
Carol Sue We don't have a lot to work with money wise either. Since DGS is going to be here through the rest of this year, we are trying to make it as nice for him as possible. I am going to make a small batch of cookies, but won't do those until Monday. Looks like my beautician and maybe her son who is in college in Columbia will be joining us for Christmas dinner. I am doing a ham, sweet potatoes and fruit salad. My beautician is making potato salad that DH likes and maybe a dessert. I haven't decided what my veggie is going to be yet. I wanted to make something different. DH and I love the Boston Market creamed spinach, but I haven't been able to find a recipe for it. I may end up making the broccoli and cheese dish that DH likes. I'm just not going to go overboard because I do NOT want a lot of high carb foods in the house after Christmas.
DGS is going to take a flight out of Charlotte early January 1st. His step-dad is paying for him to fly home to surprise his mother. He doesn't want her to know until he gets there. I'm not sure it is very nice to let her spend the 1st Christmas without her son crying and sad just so he can surprise her on New Year's day. But it isn't any of my business. One thing I have learned the hard way is to tend to my own busines and stay out of theirs. DH didn't like her having to suffer, but I am keeping my mouth shut.
DH is a Christmas Eve baby and he has always had to celebrate his birthday with other December people in the family and usually not on his birthday, but this year is going to be different since none of them live around us or are here. I'm taking him out to eat at Texas Roadhouse on his birthday. It was going to be just the 2 of us, but turns out DGS is going to be off work that night so it will be the 3 of us. Originally he was working Christmas eve, but he is going to be off because he is working Monday and Tuesday.
I don't know if it is because it is Christmas and we are here for him or what... actually we are all he has here right now, but he has really been a pleasure to be around the last few days. He spends time talking to us and comes in to spend a little time with us. He has always had Christmases with his DGD, but never without his Mom and siblings until now. He has been without a pc and we don't let him use ours because he is too rough on these. He threw his cell phone so many times in a fit that now he doesn't have one. I let him use the house phone, but not my cell phone. DH and I both have been talking to him about his temper and his priorities. We used to buy things for him when he wanted or needed something, but we don't have the money any more. His mother and step-dad just started new jobs and they are trying to get back on their feet so they don't have it. I think he is finally learning that if you want it or break it, you are stuck with figuring out how to replace it yourself.
Well, I have really been wordy today. We will all probably be really busy the next few days. So I'll drop in when I can.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
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Trish, my father's birthday was Christmas Eve also. I don't remember us ever celebrating his birthday, but I was only 11 when he passed away. We were very poor and sometimes didn't even have a decent Christmas dinner. Since Christmas was at the end of the month there was no money left. Once the church found out that we had spaghetti for Christmas dinner one year they started providing the fixings for dinner. This was back in the 50's. There were no food stamps or foodbank back then. I guess this is why I know how to live frugally, because whatever I have now is so much more than we had growing up.
DH grew up in the land of plenty. He doesn't understand having to do without anything. It's important that your DGS learns to be more responsible and self-sufficient. You have opened your home to him to help him out and he should not expect you to supply everything for him.
You know, looking back, I recall that we never had a meal at my grandparents house. They were poorer than we were. Sometimes we coudn't even go to visit them because we had no car. We had to go by bus. If we did go, we went in the evening, after dinner was over, for just a couple hours. I never received a birthday or Christmas gift from them. Things were really different back then.
It sounds like you will have a nice Christmas. What you have planned is fine. Actually, all we need is a healthy meal. Too much focus is placed on food around the holidays and most people today overeat. I have scaled back my menu a bit. I know I baked way too many cookies, but my family takes them home. I will have some of DH's favorites saved for him, a dozen or so. My sister-in-law usually brings something. I hope it's not more cookies! LOL
Last edited by Wannabehealthy; 12-21-2014 at 07:25 AM.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,398
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Height: 5'2
In 2013 my insurance paid 100% of my medical supplies, so the company that supplies my CPap was sending me supplies every 6 months, saying that I should change everything that often. IMO, it didn't need that, so I have a lot of things still on hand. I did need just the velcro straps that hold the mask on, but the company said that was not available. I guess the fact that I saw it for sale on Amazon for $14.99 didn't matter. They just wanted a bigger sale, but now that I pay 20% I didn't want a lot of stuff I didn't need. I was all set to order from Amazon. Last week I had to call my insurance company to give them the name of my primary care physician and I mentioned the trouble I was having with the medical supply company. Yesterday, I received the velcro straps from them. So they WERE available!! LOL I think maybe someone from insurance called them. They are billing it out at $43. So how can Amazon sell it for $15? I will be curious to see how much the insurance company pays them.
I'm new to this. I was diagnosed in January with diabetes and vowed that I would be diet controlled by my anniversary. Well I procrastinated... A lot. Here is November and still I hadn't taken action. I have now been on ideal protein for 3 weeks and have lost a total of 15 lbs!! I measure my levels very morning and they are anywhere between 97-111. I have an appointment with y doctor next week to review my levels and medication. I can't tell you how excited I am. Thanks for listening!
I'm new to this. I was diagnosed in January with diabetes and vowed that I would be diet controlled by my anniversary. Well I procrastinated... A lot. Here is November and still I hadn't taken action. I have now been on ideal protein for 3 weeks and have lost a total of 15 lbs!! I measure my levels very morning and they are anywhere between 97-111. I have an appointment with y doctor next week to review my levels and medication. I can't tell you how excited I am. Thanks for listening!
Good for you!! I too used Ideal Protein to get my weight and numbers down and lower my meds to one per day. My FB runs between 95 and 115. I plan to finish my losses in Jan -March... Maybe that will be the end of my meds too!
Welcome!
Are you on the IP message board here? There are also some great FB pages too.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,398
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Height: 5'2
Congratulations Marcye! You might not need your meds anymore with numbers like that. You too Laurie!
I know this sounds like the old cliche, but I plan on getting back down to business after the holidays are over. I just cannot get back to exercising right now. I am hosting Christmas for DH's family, and I have too much on my plate, no pun intended! No time for myself. My eating isn't terrible, but it's not what I want it to be. My next DR appointment is in March and I want to be able to show a weight loss.
A quick flyby. I'm checking in to just keep myself going. I've got to be at a friends house in about 20 minutes to have a very unhealthy breakfast. These holidays eating out so much and then my darn munches at home etc are doing me in.
Carol Sue I'm with you. My next Drs appt is in March too and I want to do the same thing. However, at this particular moment, I am not doing very well at all and it is all because of these holidays. I am going to get with it as soon as they are over.
I weighed today for the first time in a month and wow, I am really gaining weight. I knew I was by how my clothes were fitting and how I was feeling but seeing it on the scale is kind of shocking - 10 lbs since we moved (4 mths ago). So yes, it's time to get serious again. I also, will probably not get super serious til after the holidays - which for me is Christmas, New Year's and DH's birthday the day after - but between now and then I think I'm going to try to be more mindful than I have been. The last 4 months, other than a week or a few days here and there each month, I have just been back to how I used to be - eating out alot, eating wheat and sugar - and binge eating alot. Honestly, cutting grains and sugar helps me keep my BS down and lose weight but the true treasure of it is how it seems to stop my binge eating disorder behaviors. I really don't understand it other than what I've read in Wheat Belly but when I eat grains and sugar I cannot stop with carbs, I have no ability to say no. When I cut grains and sugar, I can say no. I don't understand it and some tell me you should not eat that way long term but it really helps my eating disorder. I know the ED is secondary to my prediabetes but honestly, my ED behaviors make me feel way worse than not honoring my prediabetes so for me, controlling the ED is more of the motivator. Anyway, that is where I'm at mentally - ready to get going again in the New Year!
Over the weekend my DH finally did stuff I've been asking months for - mostly hanging things on our walls. My dining room finally has a painting up and is starting to look more like a real room, lol! He also hung a painting in Olivia's bathroom, three little racks in her bedroom for books, repaired some holes left in the walls by the previous owners (still have to paint over) and took down the racks they had in the laundry room which were not very useful to me and repaired and repainted the wall so that we can hang the coat racks I have bought to make an area for coats, scarves, my pocketbook and Olivia's bookbag. He also did a few other small things I had asked for. There is still alot more to do but it really made me happy to get started on some of it. The DH is the type that he has to be in the mood to do stuff like that and the 'mood' seems to only strike a few times a year, LOL!
I still have to get gifts wrapped for DH and Olivia - need to do that tonight. Tomorrow Olivia has some appts in the town we moved from so we will be gone most of the day and then boom, it's Christmas Eve, LOL!! I still actually need to mail out a few more cards.
Today has been the first really good day I've had with Olivia in a while. I've been taking advantage of it and prepping food - made spaghetti sauce for the crock for dinner tonight, another for the freezer and made a quiche for the freezer. I am going to try a grain free sausage ball recipe (we always have sausage balls at Christmas) so I've been shredding cheese for that (I know it's probably crazy but I do not like pre-shredded cheese because of the fillers in them so I'm all the time shredding cheese! In the new year I want to get back to more prep ahead and freeze. I have done alot of that in the past and it has been incredibly helpful but when I went low carb I just did not have as many recipes to choose from for that and have gotten out of the habit but I'd like to get back to that again - dinnertime is a nightmare over here.
Last edited by Shannonsnail; 12-22-2014 at 02:08 PM.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
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Height: 5'2
Shannon, I really believe that in your case, the ED takes first place over the prediabetes, because getting the ED under control will improve the prediabetes, if that makes sense. I too have been eating more carbs than usual. I have been eating the bun with my hamburgers, when I was doing so well being satisfied with just the burger and the lettuce and tomato. I had a couple high carb days because we were busy and not eating real meals. Then one evening I was actually sick from the carb overload and I baked a couple pieces of chicken. It tasted so good after all the carbs! So I know what I need to do to feel better and get back on track. I remember my single years when I didn't have to do much for Christmas...very little decorating, no baking, no cooking, just enjoying the season. I want it to be like that again. Some people feel sorry for those who are alone on the holidays, I sometimes envy them. LOL I say sometimes, because in reality, I would not want to be without my family.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
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Height: 5'2
I'm cooking a turkey today. I have had this turkey in my freezer since Nov 2013. I didn't want to cook it for Thanksgiving because I didn't know if it would still be good after being frozen over a year. It looks ok, but it might have lost some of it's flavor. DH and I will have it for dinner today and I will save some to put out on Christmas in case someone doesn't want ham. I personally prefer turkey. It is only 12 lb. I haven't cooked that small a turkey since I started hosting Thanksgiving. It looks like a chicken on steroids. LOL
Later on I will go to the store and get some buns and a few other last minute items. I hate the thought of that, but I don't like to buy bread and buns too far in advance. It is going to be soooo crowded. I wish I could have gone earlier in the morning but I was busy getting the turkey ready for the oven.
I still have 2 gifts to wrap, and tomorrow I will make brownie bites and cheesecake bites since they don't freeze well. I have never made them before so I hope they turn out. I don't have a recipe...I am just using a mix and making them in little tassie pans. Whatever, if they don't turn out, I still have all those other cookies I baked.
Hope everyone is doing well, getting ready for the holidays. Remember, the holiday is going to come whether we are ready or not. Just celebrate the reason for the season.
I weighed in Sunday and am down .6lbs. Not a huge loss but the scale is moving in the right direction so yay!
My BS has been down too. I;ve hung out around 103 which is great.
Been so busy with Christmas stuff I haven't been working out
I am sure I will be off plan during christmas eve and christmas but I will try to be mindful and not go crazy.
We do our BIG thing on Christmas Eve with family, and then Christmas Day is sort of open house, buffet style so it's easy to avoid the big starch sit down and just pick the safe stuff (and I could probably eat my weight in cheese and olives, so it's not like I'm feeling deprived).
These holidays eating out so much and then my darn munches at home etc are doing me in.
