[Wannabehealthy]

Good morning! I had my scrambled eggs and turkey bacon again this morning. We'll see how it goes. I ate too much at dinner yesterday. I still had my scrambled egg at bedtime, but felt too full when I went to bed. I hate that feeling, and I didn't sleep well as a result.

I have been googling mobility exercises for the elderly. I have noticed how much worse my mobility has become just in the past year. I have trouble getting up from a chair, and let's forget getting up off the floor. I have trouble walking in a store if I don't have a cart. One good thing about going to the casino, it makes me walk without support. I know that general exercise is good, but I want specific exercises to help with this problem.

I previously thought that exercising my thighs right above my knees would help, and I do that with leg lifts, but after reading, it seems that calf strength comes into play. My calves have always been small with not much muscle, so I guess I will do some exercises for that. I am starting to feel like my mother-in-law, but she was in her 80s. She was always up walking around in her house, but in later years I noticed that she held onto something as she went. Through the kitchen she always had her hand on the counter tops. In the dining room, she had her hand on the table as she went by. At that point in her life she didn't go out much, except to the grocery store, where she used a cart. I find myself in the same position. I do ok getting out of my recliner, but have problems with the couch, and also public bathrooms. We have a high toilet in our main bathroom, but with lower ones, I need assist bars to help me. I feel like such an invalid. That's really a sign to me of how old I'm getting, chronologically and also physically.

Today we were supposed to go to an amusement park for Step-daughter's work picnic. I remember last year, everyone was angry with me because I was walking slow and couldn't keep up. They would all turn around and see that I was way behind them. I didn't want to go because this year would not be better. DH ended up deciding that we would not go because it's supposed to storm, and there's very little areas to get out of the weather at this park. I'm so glad. I would love to go and walk around and see everything, but at my own pace. And they like to go on rides. I don't mind some rides, but I have trouble getting in and out of them and would rather sit on a bench while they ride. So I'm getting out of it this year! Yay~!

[pattygirl63]

Carol Sue I started feeling a lot of those things when I was in my 60s. That is why I worked so hard to continue exercising etc. I think I can walk better than I do, but I had a lot of falls back in my late 50s and early 60s, then a few knee injuries and I think I'm over cautious at times. However, I do notice that I don't need my cane as much as I used to. I took it with me in the eye clinic because my knee gave in early that morning. However, I was walking so good without it that we had to go back and look for it because I forgot it. That is what keeps me exercising especially on the recumbent bike. I have started doing an exercise that I did with Sansone dvd where you hold weights kick the left leg while stretching right arm and then kick right leg while stretching left arm. This is supposed to be good for balance. I would love to know any others out there that I could do. Maybe I should google that. I honestly believe it helps.

I'm sorry you couldn't go to the amusement part. I have been blessed because DH DD and family were so sweet and helpful to me when I was going through those things back when I was having the falls. However, his DD used to work for a orthopedic so she was more compassionate. The took me to Disney World and when my feet started hurting so bad that I could hardly walk, her DH got a wheelchair and pushed me all around the place. I was embarrassed but it did get us on the rides ahead of others. Sorry they aren't more understanding with you.

Well yesterday was a big flop. I really over did it. I finally quit counting the calories. Today's a new day and I am OP. I've decided to watch the number of carbs per meal. They suggest 45 minimum a meal for women. I had 32 for breakfast. I had my eggs, bacon and 1 sl Sarah Lee toast, 1/2 c collard greens and 1/2 banana. I plan to get most of my carbs from fruits, veggies and dairy during the day with an occasional starchy carb. I ended up with 103 carbs for today and that is eating out today. Most days the carbs will be more because of the dairy, going by the 45 g minimum per meal, I will do my best to eat less than 135 g on any given day. MFP will help me to do this. I am also working to keep my sodium under 2300 and fat low. I don't like it when the #s goes into the red. However, you can't do the %s exact on MFP, so I am keeping that in mind. Today's fat is 50, but I ended up with 51. No big deal.

I think so much exercise is making me hungry so I'm going to just work at doing 30 minutes a day total of formal exercise. Since DBIL is off during the mornings, we aren't going to be going out so much like we were. I am going to start working to clean my house which will be exercise in itself. I don't think DBIL will be working this shift forever, so I am going to use this time to make my diet and exercise what I want it to be... a habit. I would do JUDDD, but right now, I think IF would be a great accomplishment. So I'm just doing IF/Calorie counting.

[Wannabehealthy]

Trish, I just think that my step-daughter doesn't think of either of us getting old. She remembers us the way we were when she was growing up and just assumes we are still the same. She thought of her Grandma as "old" but doesn't realize I am not that far behind. She just isn't around us enough to realize.

We have a walker that belonged to my MIL. She refused to use it. When she passed, no one wanted it but we took it just in case. I know DH doesn't want me using it, and really, I would much rather strengthen my muscles enough so I can continue to be mobile without it. My right knee has been bad for years, and now I'm noticing some weakness in the left. I don't want to have knee replacement because my friend had it and told me it took a year to recover, and then it was time to do the other knee, and then another year to recover again. I know I have lost a lot of muscle tone and have to keep working to keep up.

It's funny, but yesterday we went to the casino, and I found that I was able to walk around there very well. I don't know what the difference is, except in the park we are faced with the heat, humidity and poor air quality. In the casino, they have a good air conditioning system and probably also have good air cleaners working since smoking is still permitted. So maybe my problem is more environmental that mobility.

The food wasn't very good at the casino buffet. The roast beef was overcooked and dry, the steaks were tough, the carrots were hard. But I still overate! LOL Just didn't enjoy it as much as some other times.

[Wannabehealthy]

Riding in the car yesterday, I was flexing my foot to exercise my calf muscles. I read that strength in the calf muscles helps with pushing yourself up out of a chair. I also did some flexing lying in bed before I fell asleep. Today my legs hurt. I wonder why? LOL To me, that means I did some good. Now I need to take a day or two off to let the muscles heal and repair, and then do it again. It's hard getting around doing things with sore legs. Maybe I'll take a Motrin. I don't know if that's a good idea or if it's better to have the pain. Also, I'm doing laundry today. Our living quarters is all on one floor, but we have a basement and that's where the laundry is. I put the clothes in a laundry bag and throw it down the steps and then go down and empty the clothes into the washer. My mother used to just throw the clothes down the steps, but then when she got down there she had to pick them all up. A cheap laundry bag would have helped her. Sometimes, I will ask DH to go down and put the clothes in the washer, or move them from the washer to the dryer, but I usually try to do it myself, as I don't want to lose my ability to go up and down the stairs. As we age, it would be better to have a house with no stairs. There was a house up the street for sale that had no basement. It was about $30K less than our house is worth so we could have paid for it completely from the sale of our house, but DH was not interested. The former owner had a wheelchair so the house was all wheelchair adapted. I think it would have been a good choice for us, but I am just one vote, and I got voted down. LOL My friend lives in a 3 story townhouse, so she goes up and down the stairs several times a day. She gets a lot of exercise from that and I think that is contributing to her good ability to get around. She's 72.

Before we lived here we lived in a house that was all on one floor, no basement. The weekend we moved in here I was up and down those steps so much putting things away. On Monday, my legs hurt so bad that I had to call off work. I was only 35 years old then and in much better shape, but my legs were not accustomed to the stairs. So I guess age doesn't make the difference, it's just best to be doing it all the time.

I am just musing about things related to aging that might be of interest to others. Or maybe some younger people will learn not to let this happen to them.

[pattygirl63]

Carol Sue I do leg exercises in bed before I get up 6 days a week. I read that you should give yourself 1 day off from exercising. However, recently I read not to go more than 2 days without exercise. That is why I decided to do at least 5 days a week of the bike. I will probably do M, T, W, F and Sat with the bike. We usually go to the store on Thursday when I go to DD to do his meds so I still get exercise.

Yesterday when I went to my nephew and nieces house to see the baby, we walk across the grass to get to the front door since they don't have a sidewalk. I am very cautious when walking on grass because the ground isn't always even. I find that when I am exercising that I am able to walk without the cane. I think by exercising that we strengthen our legs and I know it is good for our circulation and just over all good health.

My day wasn't great yesterday either, but it was better than Saturday. I didn't stay within the 8 hr eating window. I will do better today. I've got about 40 minutes of todays exercise done and still have 5 or 10 of weights to do. FBS was up a bit, but with what I ate yesterday it is no surprise. Weight was down .6 lbs from yesterday. So not all is bad. Just not great.

Have a good day.

[Wannabehealthy]

Trish, I have always heard that you should never miss more than 1 day in a row of exercise, but when I exercise, I do it 5 days and take the weekend off. I figure I am much more active on the weekends so that counts as my exercise. When I do my thigh or calf exercises, I am specifically flexing the muscles, and I heard that muscles need a day in between to rest and rebuild, that's why I don't do them on consecutive days. Some people do upper body one day and lower body the next so they can exercise every day, but alternating muscle groups.

I ended up taking the Motrin yesterday because my legs just hurt too much to function through my day.

I have trouble walking through grass, also. I am so afraid of falling. I'm afraid of everything. LOL

Yesterday we went to a local restaurant we've gone to for years. The reason I don't usually order meal salads is because I prefer my food warm or hot, and have to be in the mood for a salad. This restaurant has a salad that is to die for. They take chicken, zucchini and mushrooms and sautee it in a little pan with white balsamic dressing, then mix it in with the bed of greens. So when you get it, you get this little taste of "warm" in with the cold greens. Then they sprinkle it with sunflower seeds. It is so amazing. I would love to try that at home but I doubt if I could duplicate it. We know this one server and I had her check and find out what the chicken and veggies were sauteed in. I looked and looked and finally found White Balsalmic Dressing in a store, but haven't tried it yet.

[pattygirl63]

Carol Sue I do my exercises in the bed for my back. I do those 5 or 6 days a week. I think I'm going to just do 30 minutes on the bike 5 days a week. I read 150 minutes a week so I figure that gets it. I will probably do M - F and take the weekend off. Then if I think I need do it on the weekend, I can, but I won't make it mandatory. My back and knees have a lot to do with the bike exercise because it does seem to help keep the pain down. I noticed when I didn't do it 5 days last week that my left knee tried to give out on me last Thursday morning. Once I started walking the knee got better. That is when I forgot my cane at the eye doctor's office and had to go back in to get it. LOL My body makes me keep exercising. I hear that the weights are good for diabetics too so I am trying to work in a few days of those too. I try to do them everyday, but I've been forgetting. I used to do weights some when I rode the bike so may have to add them back there. I want to get in the habit of using them for upper body work out.

I would think you going up and down the stairs would be exercise too. You have to go in the basement to exercise don't you?

I tried cooking things at home the way they taste at restaurants and they don't always work and ditched the idea when it doesn't. However, I have ended up with a better taste than they had. So it can go both ways. I heard a guy at church one time yrs ago say that women don't follow recipes. Well, that is true sometimes. I have to take a recipe and work with it so DH will like it so I may have to either change some ingredients to fit him. And then there are times that I decide that it just isn't worth it. I spent this morning looking for a recipe to make homemade coleslaw that we both will like. I wanted to make it to go with our cod fish today and then I remembered we go to the doctor tomorrow so I don't think we need to eat cabbage today. LOL

I had a successful IF day yesterday. I did get hungry last night and I remembered hearing a lady at WW years ago say that if you are really hungry even a carrot or celery stick would taste good. So I ate a small carrot. It actually did the trick. If I were doing WW, it would have been a freebie. LOL It was within the 8 hr window.

Weight is coming back down. I've got my calories figured for today at just below 1300 calories and the sodium is in good range too. I hope I can keep the cals in that range. I lowered my high to 1500. That seems to be a good range since the hospital had me on 1800 calories which is what the SC doctor told me to eat. I might be wrong, but I think that would be too high for me.

Tomorrow will be a fasting day until after doctor's appointment at 1:30 pm. I figured it up that if I do an 8 hr window today stopping at 7 pm tonight, I will have about a 25 hr fast by the time I eat tomorrow. I would not even attempt to do that if I was still on Trulicity, but I'm not and I don't like to eat and then go weigh that late in the day. I could go earlier, but it is easier for DH and me to go together. One hears what the other misses or at least I hope we do.

Here's hoping for another successful day today. You have a good one.

[Wannabehealthy]

Trish, I have to go to the basement to exercise, and I actually have to go down the stairs to leave the house, too. The garage is down stairs, plus if I go out the front door I have to go down steps to get to the driveway. If I go out the sliding glass door it goes to the deck, which is at ground level. Our lot slopes up to the back so the basement and garage are at ground level in the front, and the second level is at ground level in the back. So if I can't do stairs, I'm homebound. I don't like that, but it's incentive to make sure I don't lose my ability to do stairs.

I exercised for an hour today, while watching my soaps. I did some weights with my weight center, I did my kettle bell lifts, and did some other equipment I have. I started to walk on my treadmill but I was too tired by then, so I might do that this evening after dinner. I did not do strenuous exercise, but I was sweating a little and my heart rate was up. I really felt good after doing that. If I do this while I'm watching TV I don't realize the time is going by. I have to get back to doing something every day, and I like that I have so much different equipment and can do something different each day. I also have some exercise tapes that I can do, too.

I do leg lifts when I'm sitting in my recliner watching tv. That strengthens the front of my thigh muscles. While lying in bed, I flex my feet and that strengthens my calf muscles. I have also tried doing the foot flexes while riding in the car....not driving, of course. LOL

My friend who lost weight said she went to the DR and she lost 3 more lbs and now weighs 129. I think she is eating very low calorie, like in the 700 calorie range. I think that's too low, but she's losing weight and I'm not so I keep my mouth shut. Her A1c went from 8.1 to 6.5 with no meds. She has walked outside for 100 days straight rain or shine. She is trying to not miss. Where she walks is very hilly. I don't know how she does it, but she is apparently in very good condition for a 72 year old. I think she will live a very long time. I am jealous of her, but she has done the work...she deserves to have the results.

[Wannabehealthy]

We went out to eat today. I had salmon, broccoli and a salad. DH also had salmon, but he had mashed potatoes and a salad. He didn't finish all his salmon, so I helped him. LOL It was really good. After that we went to Walmart, so that's my exercise for this evening.

I hope I can continue with my exercise. I was down 2 lbs this morning. That's 2 of the 4 lbs I was up before.

[pattygirl63]

I watched the show Adam Ruins Everything last night. Let me say up front that I don't trust everything he says, but he did have a doctor on his show who had info for the show that people go through grueling exercises to lose weight. He said the people who continue to do what they have to do on the show to keep the weight off do keep it off, but not everyone is willing to work that hard and they gain all or some of the weight back.

The doctor said that diets like paleo, lowcarb, lowfat etc calorie works for some people, but not all. The more you exercise you change your metabolism and you will have to keep that momentum up to keep the weight off. He said the best way to lose weight is to eat healthy and do some exercise that you can do the rest of your life. He also stressed that fat is not the problem. The problem is sugar.

I decided this morning that I want my bs under control. I am not sure which direction I am going with my eating, but I know low carbing worked for me before. I had considerable improvement in 3 months before and I had everything back to normal in 6 months. We know sugar is the diabetic problem. What he said makes a lot of what Dr. Atkins said TRUE. I cannot promise myself to never eat carbs again, but I can keep them low. This is my new goal. I am going back to exercising 3 or 4 days a week at 30 to 40 minutes minimum. Most days I will keep my carbs as low as possible with the idea that I can use a RM once in a while. I could live with this.

Doctor's appointment in 45 minutes. Catch you later. I am looking forward to getting my numbers so I have a starting place with this. I changed my ticker to today's weight.

BBL

[fatmad]

thanks for talking about exercise and aging friends: I have been lax about my yoga, and am feeling more "bound up" in movement. So while my walking is fine, I do pant from exertion if going up hill, and am not feeling as flexible as I was. I am only 55 years old! Wake up Madeleine, you will get old in spirit if you don't make fitness a priority.

[Wannabehealthy]

Mad, if I can give you one piece of advice, it would be "do it now." Trish and I have around 20 years on you and believe me, it makes a difference. I wish I had taken care of this at age 55. Keep watching your diet and keep yourself moving. It will be worth it!

Trish, I never saw or heard of that show. I don't know if it's in my area. I agree that fat is not the problem, and I like foods with healthy fat, like salmon, olives, avacados, but don't particularly like fatty meats. The problem is certainly sugar, but more than that, it includes all the white starchy carbs. I believe they can be eaten in very small quantities, though, but most people can't stop with a small serving, so it's better to forgo them altogether.

I believe that without meds, low carb is a necessity for a diabetic. I know it's hard, and we like to have some carbs here and there, but mostly we have to avoid them. That's just our plight. And I am starting to believe that exercise plays more of a role than previously thought. It causes the blood sugar to be taken into our cells and used for energy, making us less insulin resistant. And does that in as little as 15-20 min of exercise after a meal. I don't exercise immediately after a meal, but maybe 30 minutes after. I like to allow my food to settle for a while, first.

The turkey bacon is finally gone. I will not be buying that again. I just didn't like it, but ate it to avoid wasting it. I don't think I need bacon. I am happy with my scrambled eggs in the morning and like to have them with some veggies cooked in with them, and they satisfy me for a long time. I was just adding extra calories with the bacon.

I thought I was going to need to go to the doctor for new prescriptions but I found out I still have refills, so I am getting a reprieve for a while. I have a new 90 day supply, so I have another chance at lowering my A1c before my next visit. Here's to hoping I take advantage of that opportunity.

[pattygirl63]

I had a really good doctor's visit. My A1c was 5.9. It was 5.8 last time. My weight was down 6 lbs from the appointment after hospital stay and down 3 since 3 months ago. My magnesium was still low, but I told him I couldn't take the pills because of potty issues so I will eat a few nuts everyday to get the magnesium. He was pleased and will see me in 6 months.

We talked about # of calories which he said keep them between 1500 and 1800. He didn't say anything about carbs although I did. Mainly eat healthy. He wants me to start walking. He said the recumbent bike is fine, but I need to walk for weight bearing to prevent osteoporosis. I can use weights, but no more than 2 lb weights. I am thrilled with my progress. It is slow, but I've decided slow and steady is good. I in my post this morning that was going to switch to strict low carb, but I don't think I'm changing much of anything. As my deceased hubby would say, if it isn't broke don't fix it. I've played around with this for too long. I have decided that I need to eat a small amount of grains, but not too much because I think my potty problems stems from me not needing so much fiber. There are vitamins in grains that I need and I've come to believe it is better to get our vitamins from our food. I'm not going to worry about the calories too much since being allowed up to 1500 to 1800 calories, I can relax and just enjoy this journey. I doubt I will eat up to 1500 very often and 1800 will be extremely rare.

I will continue the bike 30 minutes 3 or 4 times a week, I'll use my Walk Away the Pounds DVD 3 times a week. Plus I also got my Tai Chi DVD out to do it once or twice a week since I think I need to work on my balance some too. I'll do the weights when I do the bike. Over all, I had a great doctor's appointment and came away with some good ideas in mind that I can do after hearing what my doc thinks and wants and also feel very good about myself. I feel like I'm making progress. It is slow progress, but it is in the right direction.

DH didn't go as well. He was off the Invokana for a while before he got the Jardiance. Doc upped the Jardiance from 10mg to 25mg and raised his Metformin from 500 2x a day to 1000 1x a day. He also added Lisinopril to his meds because it protects the kidneys.

Carol Sue I don't like turkey bacon either. Strange because I really do like turkey sausage.

fatmad I am convinced that exercise is a big factor in lowering bs. It seems that losing the weight is just slower for a diabetic. I never had the patience for it before. My niece has lost quite a bit a weight, but she has done it very slow. She walks her dogs to keep her weight off and control her diabetes. She has done a beautiful job. Her doctor has cut her diabetic meds down to a low dose of Metformin since she got her diabetes under control. I am so proud of her. She is 33 yrs old. If I had learned to do what I'm doing now when I first got my bs under control about 28 yrs ago and stayed with it, I wouldn't be doing this now.

I got a diabetic mag at the doc's office. Interestingly is that it was by Invokana, but it had some really good advice in it as well as a recipe for an omelet that looks beautiful that I just might try tomorrow.

Catch y'all tomorrow.

[fatmad]

https://nyti.ms/2vBE2b0

This article is an easy summary of atkins and low carb theory, as well as a theory about obesity.
Its why I say to people "its not your fault" and helps us to understand that those cravings are real.
I had a binge the other night, ate an entire bag of potato chips, to my great disappointment.
But after a long weekend of overeating and eating carbs including pie and breads, I knew I would have trouble with cravings. I have got back to ticker weight since, (lets see, 4-5 days to make up for 2 days of poor eating?) but the next week will be difficult again because we will have company and DH birthday dinner, (including the dreaded pie, my absolute favourite.)
what to do? I plan to have a small slice of pie, but stay low carb otherwise. And no alcohol. Not sure I will do that last, but we will see. I have the advantage that the company we will be having are not big drinkers, and there will be small children, so someone has to be sober enough to be responsible for them.
Well, time to go for a walk, I have been up for a while now and need some movement.

[Wannabehealthy]

Yesterday, at his little league baseball game, my 8 year old grandson hit the ball and it went foul and hit the coach in the mouth and knocked some teeth out. We weren't there and I didn't hear all the details. I don't know how badly the man was hurt but he was taken to the ER. I think my grandson is going to be afraid to hit the ball ever again. I feel bad for all involved. It was an accident.

Good job on the A1c Trish. I think you are doing very well without meds. Your A1c is very close to normal. I agree, if it's not broken, don't fix it.

I like turkey sausage too, but I have decided to stay away from processed meats containing nitrates.

I never thought about walking being better as a weight bearing exercise. My first cardiologist pushed walking over all other exercises. He said that walking does something to benefit the heart that other exercises don't do, and I never forgot him saying that. When you go to cardiac rehab, the treadmill is the first thing they start you on.

Mad, once again, I have the advantage of not really liking alcohol, along with not liking sweets. The thing is, I like the feeling of having a buzz from alcohol, but no longer like the taste of alcohol. I imagine you know what I mean although it's hard to explain. I take a few sips of wine on holidays. And if DH orders beer when we go out to eat I will take a few sips of his beer. But if I order my own drink, I can't drink it all, so why bother? My daughter in law let me try some Truly, if you know what that is. It's low calorie, low carb spiked sparkling water...grapefruit flavor. I said I liked it, so they brought me a 6 pack on Mother's Day. It's still sitting here because I just never think to have an alcoholic beverage. A lot of my meds say "no alcohol", so that's another reason to stay away from it. But I have enough problems just managing my food intake, so I don't have to worry about sweets or alcohol.