Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,395
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
Yes, Rosinante, weight loss will lower blood glucose. Also, when you were losing that weight, you were eating fewer carby foods.. Are you talking about morning, fasting blood sugar? Do you ever check 1-2 hours after a meal to see what your post prandial blood sugar is? Some people have good fasting levels but higher post prandial. Others, like me, have high fasting levels, but better post prandial. And the post prandial are only better if I'm eating low carb.
I don't think I will ever stop trying to lose weight. I think from years ago when I was eating very low calorie in order to maintain my weight I messed up my metabolism. They say there are ways to change that, but I don't know. It just seems to me that even when I know that everything I'm eating is nutritious food, no junk food, I am not losing. Also, I know of a few people who only eat 700-800 calories daily and have lost and maintained and it hasn't been harmful to them. People who have weight loss surgery have to keep their calories that low, and even lower than that right after surgery. Many of them lose their hair due to lack of nutrition, so who knows what other ill effects are going on inside their body that aren't visual from the outside. I think if you eat that low in calories you need to make sure that every morsel is high nutrition, and possibly supplement your nutrition.
Actually, I am just talking to myself about this, not asking for advice or opinions. Prairie Queen, I envy you having all that fresh produce at hand, but would not want the work that goes into it. Lazy, I guess. It is so beneficial to you! You have done very well, without eating any extreme diet plan.
When I make zoodles, I cook them....saute them in some butter or olive oil, just to soften and flavor them. It depends on your particular preference. I don't like zucchini any other way than zoodles. Not cooked with other veggies or in soup, not in a salad. DH likes it in the form of cake. LOL
Here's a question for you PQ. Someone gave me some huge zucchinis last year. I grated them down for zucchini bread, and froze the excess in 2 cup portions, as required in my bread recipe. When I went to use it, ice had formed, and even letting the liquid drain out of it, it did not work well in the zucchini bread. What did I do wrong?
Carol Sue I have never tried to use my frozen zukes for human consumption, because it's just nasty to me. I grate it, freeze, thaw, drain, replace part of my overweight senior lab's food with it. He went from 110 lbs down to 100and has maintained for over a year I always make chocolate chip (fresh) zucchini bread in bulk and freeze that if I have an abundance. It's great in the fall and winter when family are staying or hubs needs a sweet. I leave it wrapped while it thaws on condition counter. Sorry I couldn't help.
Yes, Rosinante, weight loss will lower blood glucose. Also, when you were losing that weight, you were eating fewer carby foods.. Are you talking about morning, fasting blood sugar? Do you ever check 1-2 hours after a meal to see what your post prandial blood sugar is? Some people have good fasting levels but higher post prandial. Others, like me, have high fasting levels, but better post prandial. And the post prandial are only better if I'm eating low carb.
I don't self-test, the Diabetes Nurse checks the HbA1c levels at first 3-monthly, now 6-monthly. I was quite surprised that, come June when I had the last test, although I'd only lost about another 10lbs in that 6 months, and although I'd eaten lots of carbs sometimes, my BS still stayed low.
Rosinante you can do it! I know it's easy for me to say now that I'm almost at goal, but portion control gets easier as the months pass by. It's normal/automatic for me now. Once in awhile I've overdone it at a restaurant and have actually had a stomach ache, headache, and feeling bad for more than a day after. When I say overdone it, I mean eating what I used to think was normal and easy for me to shovel in I've had a psychological transformation.
As for my weight loss plateau ( over two months now) of 139-141 lbs..... I'm going to try the Leigh Peele idea of eating at maintenance for 1-2 weeks and then returning to deficit mode....starting today. I know I will gain a couple pounds and will try to not freak out and stay the course. I'm not going to binge; that was never my problem anyway. I'm going to still track calories but allow myself a piece of cheesecake next week, an extra dinner out, and more calories at lunch. I don't think I could do too much more at dinner, maybe more pasta I will have to keep a super close check on my weight and make sure that I'm recording it daily. Fingers crossed!
I was up to 143.2 yesterday when Aunt Flo arrived, but back down to 141.2 today. I usually drop a couple more through the next couple of days....we'll see. I started the month at 140.0 lbs.
Yesterday.....
Break - fried egg, ham
Snack - white grapes
Lunch - green beans, ham
Dinner - homemade pizza w/ham, onions, fresh mozzarella
Drinks - two Bud Select 55s
Last edited by PrairieQueen; 07-31-2016 at 08:15 AM.
Reason: Typo
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,395
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
Rosinante, so you are saying that those numbers are your A1c numbers. They are EXCELLENT! I am so jealous! I know they say it doesn't take a lot of weight loss to make a difference, but I can't even get a small loss. I really don't think I overeat. I know I am eating way less than I used to eat. I used to eat until I was stuffed, actually uncomfortable, and I no longer do that. Also, I used to graze all day, so that I never actually felt hungry at meal time. I no longer do that. I do feel some hunger before meals, so I feel that I'm eating less. The scale will quiver a bit, but not drop more than a pound or two, then back up. I ate up all the snack food that I used to keep in the house for myself and stopped buying it. It wasn't junk snack food. It was more on the healthy side, but it was causing me to eat between meals and I wanted to stop that. So if I do really get hungry and need something, it will have to be celery sticks or something like that. I quit buying crackers over a year ago, and cheese was eliminated in the past couple months. I still have seeds that I snack on....a couple teaspoons a day, and some walnuts. I never eat more than 5 a day of them. My dinner might be higher calorie than I should be eating, but I no longer get that stuffed feeling. I do track for a couple days but not consistantly. I'm doing something wrong but I don't know what.
Good afternoon everyone! I'm just vegging out today, not doing too much....day 2 of maintenance/higher calories. I put mayo on my grilled cheese at lunch, had fried green tomatoes last night and two yummy craft ciders. I'm still having trouble eating more......my body says Yes! But my brain says No, No, No! Last night the plan was to eat dinner out and get whatever I wanted and be care free. We split a fried appetizer and I ordered a.chicken quesadilla with sour cream and a side of spicy ranch. I could only eat half of it, other half was breakfast today. I think I made up for though with two high calorie drinks. My weight was up a pound as well this morning.....at least five days to go in my little experiment.
Yesterday...
Break - pancakes w/Irish butter and maple syrup
Lunch - green beans, new potatoes, ham
Snack - caramel truffle
Dinner - fried green tomatoes, 1/2 quesadilla, two ciders
Hi there. I'm new to this forum and hoping to get some input on how I can get some better results with my eating plan. I tried the no carb but it was terrible so I added some low GI carbs in. Not many. 1 maybe 2 day. My calories are from 1100-1300 and I eat nothing packaged and I only drink water and hit tea. I'm not losing much at all. I can give more specifics if youd like. Any advice would be so helpful. I exercise 5 days a week. Moderate interval training with 5 lb dumbbells and I weigh 200 pounds so I have a longlong journey ahead.
Last edited by mariajc; 08-01-2016 at 12:41 AM.
Reason: Typo
Thanks for the boost, PrairieQueen! Today I'm having a smoothie day. I was going to try the Jason Vale juicing technique, even bought a juicer (cheap) but when I looked at the ludicrous shopping list just for 3 days, I knew I wouldn't stick to it, so I've bought some bottles of the least processed smoothies I can find. Apart from missing fruit on Harcombe, I also need to re-remember what being a bit hungry feels like ~ I was eating to "stuffed" because the Diet implied I could eat as much as I wanted. Only going to do it for one day, and then try to make healthy choices for the rest of the week. Maybe build up an extra day each week of smoothieing.
Wannabehealthy, thanks for that! I'm sorry it's proving so hard for you to lose, tho well done on your losses so far! Would it help to post what you Do eat? Sorry if you already do and I just haven't read properly :blush: And (and this is a question for mariajc [Welcome!] too): are you eating enough? I did lose weight at first on 1100 calories but it was hard work and tailing off. When the otherwise disappointing diabetes dietitcian said I should increase to 1400 I thought she was crazy but it worked, and I continued to lose well ~ until I started carb-bingeing :blush:
Welcome mariajc! I agree with Rosinante. When I was losing steadily, 0.5 -1.5 lbs a week, I ate 1400-1600 Cal a day, sometimes more, sometimes less. I do NOT work out. I walk, occasional yoga, steps, housework, garden, etc. after about 10 months I hit a plateau.....two months now, so I'm switching things up a bit. I believe I'm experiencing adaptive thermogenesis, but no major metabolic damage since it's my first weight lost experience and I've lost over the course of a year.
Everyone here is fantastic and supportive with their own weight loss routine. Some restrict carbs more than others, some post their daily menus to stay honest, some are watching carbs for medical reasons, some disappear occasionally and pop back in Good luck!
Last edited by PrairieQueen; 08-01-2016 at 09:56 AM.
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,395
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
Mariajc, I am like you and have been for several years, so any advice you get will also apply to me. I recently cut back on carbs and have lost a few pounds. We shall see if this continues or is just a blip.
Rosinante, I am not good at keeping records of what I eat, or even checking calories. Occasionally I enter my food in an online tracker and come up with a calorie count which is usually between 1000-1400. Sometimes I feel that I am eating very low calorie, until I add in things like butter that I might have used to saute something, etc, condiments. They sure add up in terms of calories and can vary depending on how much you use. In the past, years back, all I had to do was cut back on my total food consumption and I would lose, with no concern over total calories. I just knew I was eating less than I normally ate. My diabetes meds are known to cause weight gain. I haven't gained anything from them, but I think they may hinder my weight loss. I have to blame it on something, don't I? LOL It makes no sense that they tell you that weight loss will help improve your diabetes, then give you meds that cause weight gain. Since I have cut out the carbs the past few days I have only needed a tiny bit of the meds, so that might be why I'm losing now. Whatever the reason it, I'll take it.
I have heard that exercise does not work toward weight loss. You cannot outrun your fork. In other words, you do have to be eating responsibly, cutting calories, fat or carb, whichever plan you are using. That's not to say that exercise is not important. It's very important. It can change the way your hormones work to process your food, improve lung capacity, improve cholesterol, blood sugar, muscle tone, flexibility, on and on. And it doesn't have to be formal exercise, but just your daily activity, bending and stretching when you clean, or garden, going up and down stairs. Our ancestors didn't go to the gym, but they had to walk everywhere and work hard at their daily tasks. It's all good. This woman who used to work with my husband is 87 years old and looks 60. Takes NO meds. We ran into her at the grocery store and she was leaving when we were. Here, she had parked her car in the last spot, the farthest from the store and walked. DH drives round and round and round, waiting for someone to leave, and will not park more than 5 spaces from the store. Ha Ha
Evening all! Auntie left finally but I'm feeling blah with these extra calories and carbs physically and mentally. I'm only giving it one more day......I can't take it. We're going out to a new-to-us Mexican place tomorrow night and then I'm back to my lower carb/calories.
Break - Amy's bean/cheese burrito
Snack - strawberries (double my usual)
Lunch - grilled cheese
Dinner - New York strip steak, fried zukes, sweet corn on cob, cheesecake
Definitely true about not being able to out-run the fork lol!
My only exercise is walking but it has been SO beneficial to me in terms of mood, stamina, general fitness. My biggest little help is that, now I'm retired I choose to take public transport almost everywhere. While there is a bus stop a couple of hundred yards from my house, I Always walk into the bus station (12 minutes) to catch the bus, and likewise coming home will always go in to the bus station, even when I'm on the bus that zooms past my house. Even just that is about 1/3 of my daily target (the mythical 10,000 steps).
Did ok with my smoothies at breakfast and lunch, and even dinner was a healthy cold roast meat with veg. Unfortunately, I'd had guests who'd come to help with a couple of odd jobs in the house, and who'd requested coffee and biscuits(cookies). They wouldn't take the biscuits home, and although I binned them in confidence, I omitted to bleach them, so fell headlong into about 6 chocolate covered digestives. Hm. Today is another day.
Rosinante every day is a new start the biscuits were counteracted by the smoothies!
I'm down to 142.6 lbs today (yesterday 143.4) even after the cheesecake. I'm sure it was water that left with Aunt Flo. I'm still only giving the experiment one more day (unless I go down again tomorrow).
I hope everyone has a peaceful Tuesday.
Last edited by PrairieQueen; 08-02-2016 at 06:51 PM.
Reason: Typo
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,395
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
I am down 2 more pounds. I was shopping yesterday which kept my mind off food. I felt some hunger, but it wasn't excessive and we didn't eat until 4PM. I realize that this is the whoosh you get when you first start a diet, but a loss is a loss and I'll take it. Just hoping I can stick with it this time and not gain it back. One day at a time. One meal at a time.
Rosinante, I wish I could get a bus. I would have to walk a mile or so on a road with no sidewalks to get to a bus, then that bus doesn't go everywhere I would want to go. I grew up in a town that had great bus service until I was in my 30s. It was so easy. Get the bus, and leave the driving to us!
Glad this plan is working for you PQ. I never lost by eating more. More food = more weight for me. Always. But then I haven't been doing this as long as you. At least not sticking to it as long as you. I've been "trying" forever, just not "doing." I am the type who cannot eat a small portion of something "off plan" without going hog wild. So I only lose if I stick close to plan.
I always make chocolate chip (fresh) zucchini bread in bulk and freeze that if I have an abundance. It's great in the fall and winter when family are staying or hubs needs a sweet. I leave it wrapped while it thaws on condition counter. Sorry I couldn't help.
