[Wannabehealthy]

Peritonitis is an infection in the lining of the abdomen. It can be caused by a tear in the colon. That's what I had. The contents of my colon leaked out into my abdomen and it became badly infected. It's good that you are aware of that, but I wouldn't worry about it because you found out you have the diverticulosis before it caused any problems. I think you can follow most any diet plan as long as you include the fiber, and exclude the popcorn, and seedy things that can be irritating.

Sounds like a good dinner. We had tiny peas today too, with pork chops.

[Wannabehealthy]

Today is a wonderful day! My doctor's office called and changed my June 1 appointment to June 9. That gives me an extra week to try to lower my blood pressure. I really don't want him to add or change my meds. I know if I could lose some weight my blood pressure would be so much better, but that's a whole other story.

I was doing very good with not eating, trying to make it to dinner time for OMAD, but DH made some hard boiled eggs and I had to have one. I love a nice warm freshly boiled egg.

[pattygirl63]

Switching to high fiber instead of low carbing, my weight was up to 220.4 yesterday which was no surprise since that happens when we add carbs back in like that. This morning my weight was down 1 lb and my FBS was 114. I read that high fiber helps lower blood sugar and blood pressure. I'm eating less meat than I was because I'm lowering it to 6oz a day that is recommended.

I talked to my babysister yester day and she told me this is how she lost all that weight. She is the one who started losing and the doctor kept telling her to quit losing and she told her doctor, I'm not trying to lose any more it just kept coming off. She told her to put some fat back into her diet. She old me that when she started eating this way that the weight just fell off. I hope it works that way for me too.

Got to run. Fridays are busy. This has been a full week and I'm so ready for the weekend. I would love to go to church Sunday, but it depends on how I feel by then.

[Wannabehealthy]

How are you adding in the fiber, Trish? Are you having any stomach issues due to the increased fiber? I know i need to up my fiber, too. I still eat the Fiber One cereal occasionally. I remember after I read Dr Fuhrman's book I started eating lots and lots of veggies. I have gotten away from that, and that could be why I keep going back up over 200. It's not a big jump, but I should be going down. This was all part of IF. Because my eating window was smaller, I was naturally eating fewer meals, and it seems the veggies lost out. I used to put veggies in my scrambled eggs, but when DH makes them he does not do that. Also, I started skipping lunch and just waiting until dinner, and lunch was when I ate a big plate of veggies. When I think about it, that wasn't a successful move, since now I weigh more than I did before. I may have to rethink IF, or just open my eating window a little. Veggies are not a good thing to be eliminating!!! They are so low calorie and high fiber and this seems to be making a different in my weight.

I also did not have any bathroom issues all week. I will have to see how it goes over the weekend, because that's when my stress level increases and it might be caused by stress. I have also been eating some yogurt this week, so maybe that is helping my gut bacteria. I haven't had any greasy foods, but will probably be having some of my chicken I like next week. If that brings the problems back then I will have it pinned down to that. I just keep my Immodium handy and hope for the best! LOL

A while back I made some cauliflower rice and froze it in serving size packages. I think today for lunch I will make some cauliflower fried rice. I saw a couple recipes for it online. I love fried rice, but don't eat it too often because I avoid the rice. I don't know how it will taste with the cauliflower rice but I won't know until I try. Some people say that no matter what they do to it, they know they are eating cauliflower, not rice, and others say the cauliflower takes on the taste of whatever other ingredients you add to it, so who knows? I'll let you know how it turns out.

[pattygirl63]

Carol Sue Right now I'm experimenting learning how to eat more fiber. I'm not doing low carb at all. I eat a 3/4 c serving of either bran flake or raisin bran cereal with 1/2 banana and 1/2 c Greek vanilla yogurt. I make 2 c coffee with 1.5 T FF half and half and 1 pkt Splenda.

My meals are mostly veggies and protein. Snacks are multigrain crackers, nuts and or fruit. Today DD wanted to go for soup and salad at Olive Garden. Was okay since this is my UD. I had 1 serving of the salad and a sausage/red potato soup (can't remember the name but it had cooked kale in it) and 1 breadstick.

When DH and I eat, I will make him a plain meatloaf and take my meatloaf add veggies and make myself a stuffed bell pepper using 1/2 a bell pepper. Not sure if I will have a salad, but I will cook some squash that I need to eat before it goes bad. This will be my supper since I ate lunch with DD and DS.

Snacks will be an apple with PB and 2 little mandarin oranges. Hopefully that will give me the 25 g of fiber I need today. If not, I found some 100% Multigrain Wheat Thin crackers that I can have for a snack this evening. I'm not getting exactly 25 grams yet, but I do get close. I'm not having a lot of problems because I'm limiting my fiber to the 25 and the protein to the 6 oz. I already used the 45 Calroie Multigrain bread by Sarah Lee. so I was already eating between 15 to 19 grams of fiber. So I'm just adding a little more. I want to do it slowly so I don't have the cramps etc although I did have too much gas last night which I think was still from the procedure I had earlier in the week. I'm feeling much better today. I am also being very careful to drink enough fluids and thoroughly chewing my food.

I feel blessed to have gained the knowledge I got this week by doing the test. I know now what I need to be eating and why. BTW, DS told me that her DD has her diabetes under control and expects her doc to take her off her diabetic meds soon. I know she eats pretty much this way. One thing I find interesting is that she originally started out being vegan and then moved to vegetarian. Although she was getting her protein from lentils and some of the high protein veggies, it wasn't good enough. Her bloodwork showed her protein too low and the doctor told her that she had to start eat some meat. I share that because we always hear that you get all the protein you need from plants so I thought I would share it. Since she has added mostly fish and chicken to her diet, she has improved. DS told us yesterday that she has lost 80 lbs. She told my DS that it has taken her 5 years to lose that 80 lbs, however, DS told her that is better because she is less likely to gain it back.

You know I've been thinking about Fuhrman's book. He obviously knows what he is talking about.

My DD and DS has had their DNA done on Ancestry.com. DS sent mine in last weekend. It seems like our ancesters came from Mediterranean area as well as Brittan and Wales. It has made me wonder if maybe the predominant Mediterranean ancestry would indicate that I should eat this way. Does make me wonder. LOL

I've rambled enough. I didn't get to the store I wanted to go to today. We got through eating too late so I just came home. I'm tired and will have to cook dinner for DH soon. So I will close and maybe take a short nap before I have to cook. Y'all have a great weekend.

Edited to say: Carol Sue, I'm not worrying about an eating IF window. I'm just focusing on the JUDDD's Alternate Day thing right now.

[Wannabehealthy]

Trish, I will have to go back and look at my tracker entries from when I was eating all the veggies and see what my fiber grams were at that time. When I was eating primarily protein and veggies I was doing much better, although not losing a lot. I no longer eat the one egg at bedtime that I was eating, so I might start eating a half cup of Fiber One Cereal. I was eating Bran Flakes from Aldi's but then one day I read the box and saw that it contains corn syrup. It does not say "high fructose" but the corn syrup turned me off. I will have to look at the Fiber One box and see if that has it too. I think the manufactures feel that they have to add some sweetener or people won't want it, but being a person who doesn't really like sweets, I would love to find one that does not have any sweetener at all.

It has been several months since I lost my hunger in the morning and stopped eating breakfast at breakfast time, although I still eat eggs, but closer to 11 or 12. In effect, I was skipping lunch, eliminating a meal, and eating in a smaller window. And I have gone back into the 200s and can't get and stay back in the 100s. So I consider this plan to be a failure, no matter what the IF people say. The past couple days I have been having my eggs earlier in the morning. But then the appetite came into play, and I continued to eat this and that, although not feeling any hunger. That is my problem, and that is what I need to change. I will go back to eating my eggs in the am, but will work very hard at resisting the other foods that appear in my line of vision. I know I won't get hungry again until dinner, so I will not eat anything again until dinner. Now that I have realized the real problem, I can fix this. Once I get to the point where I can eat my meal and then stop until the next meal, when I'm hungry again, I will review and see if I need to make any more changes to get the scale moving. As of this morning I am down 2.5 lbs. I want this to continue.

I am done blaming someone else. (DH) I know he always give me some of whatever he's eating, but I am the one who puts it in my mouth and eats it. I have to learn the phrase, "No, thank you." If i stop eating between meals, I will be hungry when he's ready for dinner, so no more eating when I'm not hungry. That was happening because I was putting food in my mouth when I was not hungry, not because he wanted me to eat with him.

We can do this!!

[Wannabehealthy]

I just checked my box of Fiber One and it contains no sugar, no corn syrup, no sweeteners at all, 0 Sugars, 25 gm of carb, 14 gm of fiber, 13 of which is insoluable fiber. Here is what I found online about insoluable fiber.

Diverticular Disease

Diverticulitis is a condition that is characterized by inflammation and infection of pouches in the intestinal walls. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, it is a common age-related disorder that occurs in one-third of those over 45 years and two–thirds of people over the age of 85. Development of diverticular disease is normally associated with a low-fiber diet. In fact, the condition is less common among vegetarians as they tend to eat more fiber than non vegetarians. Further, the T. Colin Campbell Foundation explains that eating a generous amount of insoluble fiber reduces the risk of diverticular disease by 40 percent.

Weight Loss

The Colorado State University Extension explains that insoluble fiber has no calories and it keeps you feeling full for longer. Fibrous food remains in the digestive tract for longer periods, preventing your brain from signaling your body that you need to eat. This minimizes the risk of overeating and thus promotes weight loss.


I also have some steel cut oats I bought. They are supposed to be superior to regular oatmeal. I checked the box and they only have 4 gm of fiber. I'm so surprised. I don't think I will buy them anymore. I do prefer hot cereal in the winter, but if I do make them, I will stir in some Fiber One to up the fiber content.

[pattygirl63]

Carol Sue Thanks for the info. I really like my cereal in the morning. However, I had an egg McMuffin type of breakfast this morning. I used the Thomas Light 100% multigrain muffin 8 g fiber bread, eggbeaters and 1 sl Canadian bacon. I'm using FF h & h in my coffee. I only drink 2 12 oz c a day and use 1 T of he h & h in each cup. We are having fish for lunch and broccoli, salad and 1/2 serving of 100% Multigrain Wheat Thins are my fiber sources for lunch along with an apple for dessert. I'm making tuna salad sandwich for dinner. My calories will work out to 1286 and 33 g fiber. I was trying to get the fiber down to 25, but then realized that was a minimum. However, I don't want to eat much more fiber than that each day.

I hope I can keep my daily calories to approx. 1200 to 1300 calories a day and eventually see some good results. This is the way I was eating when I went to see the dietitian and they liked the plan. I am still allowing up to 1600 calories for eating out, but I hope to keep that many calories as a rare occasion. I am going to try to eat within IF 8 hr window and keep meals about 4 hrs apart, but not going to worry about JUDDD. I am basically a routine person and I just want to get into a routine. I am also working at keeping my sodium within the 2300 grams. I have to keep in mind that my DD and his family have the history of heart disease and strokes. Plus I don't want to live on PB and fluid pills. I hope to get off the Trulicity in time, but if I don't, I'll just be happy to keep my bs under control. I will continue to work toward the 30 min exercises 4 or 5 days a week.

I actually see that I can live with this way of eating because I can still enjoy some of the foods that I really like and be healthy. I intend to take what I've learned from my doctors and make it all work in my favor. My DD told me and DS yesterday, "I really believe there is only one diet that works". He said, "You know what that is?" I was waiting for what he would have said years ago which was "push away from the table", but he didn't. He said, "The only diet that really works is the one you can live with". He has been listening to the things I've shared with him as I've searched for the diet I can live with.

I can live with a LF High fiber way of eating. It will work for me. It fits my life style. I will still be tweaking it to fit how I want to eat. I may not have to eat the 8 g fiber muffin. I don't like the idea that some of the lowfat/lower calorie foods like eggbeaters have loads of sodium in them. Even some of the "light" versions of salad dressings etc have loads of sodium. I have decided to go back to the EVOO/ACV for my salads instead. I'm thinking I can use regular eggs for breakfast with high fiber veggies like Brussel sprouts, broccoli and do CAD. They still have less sodium. However, I'm just not sure I can fit enough grain in just 1 RM of CAD. So I really don't think it is going to work, but I will see. I do see that the high fiber in my diet plan is an absolute necessity for a healthy colon and to prevent diseases I want to avoid, so I will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. So CAD may have to go. This is so easy for me to follow and keep my calories within the amount I need to eat in order for me to reach my goals.

One of the helpful conversations I had with DD doctor the other day was when I told him that I appreciated that he isn't treating DD like a 93 "year old man". I told him I didn't ever want him treated like "Your 93, what do you expect?" He said to me, "There is a chronological age and a biological age and your Dad is chronologically 93, but he is not a 93 year old biologically". I appreciated that. Yes I am 73 yrs old chronologically, but I don't want to be or act like a 73 yr old biologically. I see it as my choice as to whether I am going to take care of myself so I can be younger biologically. A lot of doctor's especially younger ones, treat us differently than they used to. I so appreciate that.

Carol Sue I think we both know what will work for us and now we just have to make it our own lifestyle. WE CAN DO THIS!!!

[Wannabehealthy]

Trish, pushing yourself away from the table is not the best diet, it's the best exercise!

I doubt if I will go much over 25gm of fiber per day. The Fiber One cereal provides 14 gm and there is a good bit in lentil soup, so my fruits and veggies will contribute the rest. I like Progresso Lentil soup, and I can get a couple servings out of a can. The only other time I will be eating any beans will be if I have chili, and that's not often.

I ate a very big meal at the casino buffet last night. They had a lot of things I like. The only carbs I had were 2 pieces of these potatoes I wanted to try. I forget what they call them. There are each like a half of a slice of potato. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Other than that I just had protein and veggies, but I did eat a lot. They say a large meal can spike your blood sugar even if it's low carb, but I took 1/2 a glimiperide and I did ok. The main thing I'm working on is not eating between meals and I'm doing well with that too. I have to be mindful of that, as it has not yet become a habit. On the way home from the casino DH opened the crackers, but I didn't have any. I was proud that I resisted. We somehow got into that snacking habit on a road trip. DH said he wanted a burger, but I definitely wasn't stopping for that!!!

I think you should do very well staying in the 1200 calorie range. I don't think I stay that low. I think I am around 1400 most days, but I don't track every day. I would love to be able to eat a whole grain english muffin, but even they spike my blood sugar, and one of those triggers me to eat more. I'm that way with any bread product. I haven't even been buying my Sara Lee bread anymore because I was on a toast kick for a while and was eating too much of it, so I just stopped buying it.

I like cereal, but I prefer my eggs in the am. On my hospital diet, I was eating both for breakfast, in small portions, so I could do that, too, but for right now I will have my Fiber One at bedtime, and let it work on me overnight. I am not much for routine, so I will fit the fiber in where I can.

[pattygirl63]

Carol Sue You made good choices at the Casino including not eating the cracker snack and burger. We have to tweak our plans as it works for us individually.

I've been having a lot of discomfort as a result of the colonoscopy. DH doesn't think it is from that, but I'm wondering if it is just sensitive. Feels like I need to get rid of some gas and sore hemorrhoid. Never had hemorrhoid but 2 times in my life and then just because I was exhausted from standing so long. Sorry TMI. I guess I may have started the high fiber too soon after although I read somewhere to wait a day before eating fiber after having the test. I may have had too much fiber yesterday so I too am going to try to keep the fiber at 25. I don't think I want more especially if it is going to make me feel like I did yesterday. DH digestive doctor back in S.C. told DH to take Miralax everyday. I never wanted to do that, but may have to re-think that one.

My weight was down this morning giving me a 1.2 lb loss from last week. My FBS was 124 which isn't unusual for it to be up when my weight comes down. Trusting the dietitian and diabetic educator, I will continue eating this way trusting it will all come together.

Calories seem to automatically fall into the 1200 range again today. It really helps not to eat out.

[pattygirl63]

Carol Sue I just read that women over 50 don't need more than 21 grams of fiber. I think my problem yesterday may have been from too much fiber. I will be scaling it back some.

[Wannabehealthy]

Trish, you need to up the fiber gradually to allow your body to adjust. My BIL's doctor told him to start eating more vegetables, so he went to Aldi's, bought a bunch of veggies, chopped them up and ate them. He has such pain and gas afterwards he said he will never eat veggies again. It was too much too soon. Cut back, then add just a bit every week and I think you will be fine. You don't want to start with Miralax. Once your body gets used to that it no longer knows how to do it on it's own.

You spoke too soon, congratulating me on the good job eating at the casino. Yesterday, I didn't feel great and didn't want to go out to eat, so DH made a frozen pizza for himself. I decided to have a slice, but unfortunately I didn't stop at one, and I had the worse blood sugar spike I've had in my life. I had to take extra Glimiperide last night and also this morning. Why don't I learn my lesson? It's not like I didn't know this would happen. It wasn't even great pizza. So I am back to protein and salad today. I have potatoes cooking right now for potato salad for DH, but I won't be having any.

I hope you feel better.

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

[Wannabehealthy]

I am so hungry and it's only 9:50. That's what happens to me when I overeat carbs at night like I did with the pizza. DH just got up so he's making scrambled eggs. I wanted to wait until my BG came down more, but I'm having that shaky headachey hunger that you get when it drops quickly, like it's doing from the Glimiperide I took when I got up. I don't think scrambled eggs will hurt me any. They might even help the BG go down.

Yesterday I bought some HWC to try in my coffee. I put it in my first cup and I don't like it. I have grown accustomed to the dry SF coffee creamer I've been using, but I wanted to get rid of the carbs. I like it so much better because I like my coffee very hot, and any liquid creamer cools it down too much for me. So I will stick with what I'm using. The label says it's 2 gm of carb and with the 6 or 7 cups I drink per day, that adds up, but I just looked again and it's 2 gm for 4 tsp, and I probably use 2 tsp or less per cup, so it's 1 gm of less of carb. That makes me feel so much better. What's one or two gm of carb in the big picture? Wish I had worried about the carbs in that pizza! LOL

[pattygirl63]

I'm running fever now. I've been sleeping a lo and not eating much. DH fixed me some chicken noodle soup, but it didn't taste all that good so I only ate a few bites. I had him scramble me some eggs to night. I had that and a couple of dry toast. I'm going to see if I can get in to see the doc or his PA tomorrow. I either have picked up a virus or I need an anatibiotic.

My weight was down to 213.2 this morning, but my bs was 161. My bp is running low. I'm sure it is the infection.

[Wannabehealthy]

I hope you feel better soon, Trish.