Visited this site and wondered whether you guys know about it. I don't like every single thing about it but there is something about it I really like. I think it's the simple easy way they go about dieting. They don't claim to be all knowing, so scientific etc. At least this is the way it seems to me. I get good ideas for things to eat ..not all would appeal to my dh but breakfast and lunch esp are just for me anyway. dietbites.com

I have many diet sites bookmarked but this is one I always return to. I just like it.

Good morning,
Got my toilet fixed yesterday so hoping my next water bill isn't too high. I don't have any plans yet for today except to go through all the newspaper flyers for sales on some things I want and of course trying Gayle's method of exercise.

Carol - too bad your husband doesn't like casseroles. I love them but right now they don't fit into my diet plan. I don't blame you for wanting to control your diabetes with diet and exercise even though it sure is hard at times to get the exercise in. I'm also glad you had a good endoscopy experience the last time but do have it again if your doctor recommends it. Sorry that your new jar opener doesn't work properly on a large jar.

Gayle - that is a really good plan to walk 5 min. each hour. I think I'll try that method but I think I can do 10 min at a time so that would be 3 x a day to get the half hour in. Don't get discouraged as each day is a new day.
In the afternoons I sometimes have diet jello (as much as I want) and 14 Vegetable Thin crackers for just 2 points. Do you like jello?

Mary - You sure are doing great on your eating plan. I looked up flax seed as I've never had that and in everything I found it says not to keep the seed longer than 2 weeks. I don't think that would work for me as I would be throwing out too much. I'll also have to purchase some grape jelly. I really like that and have forgotten about it. Do you make your own chili?

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Karrine, I have a bag of flax seeds that I've had for months, but it's not open so I'm assuming they are OK. I had a recipe for Flax Crackers that I was using but got tired of making them. They were just OK. I think maybe they could be frozen like you can do with nuts, to keep them fresh.

DH said casseroles are for women. He likes to see his meat, potatoes, and veggies separate on his plate, noting mixed together. To me, they are so easy to make. Just mix the stuff together and bake. It's going to be all mixed up in your stomach after you eat it, anyway. For me, it hard to cook a meal and have everything get done at the same time. If the potatoes get done before the meat, he will eat some potatoes all by themselves. Also, if the meat gets done and it is supposed to rest before you cut it, he cuts it anyway. No matter how early I start dinner, he wants to eat it as soon as it's finished cooking. I am used to him, and it doesn't bother me, but is just noteworthy. I have told him that when he's in a restaurant he doesn't go back in the kitchen to see if his food's done. He waits til they bring it to the table. Also, while I'm cooking, he comes into the kitchen and stirs things. He turns the heat up or down, and repositions the pots. He will ask what time we're eating and I tell him "When it's done." LOL

Mary, I bookmarked that site. It looks like it has a lot of interesting information. I don't like following a specific diet plan, but maybe that's why I never lose weight. I follow my own plan, which means trying to eat very few carbs because of my diabetes. I think a lot of my problem is just eating too much. If I cook and have leftovers, I keep eating, even if I'm not hungry. Also, I have a tendancy to snack between meals. That's a hard habit to break. I will see something and pop it into my mouth before I stop and think. So I guess calorie counting would be best for me. When I tried WW Points Plus the first time my points were usually gone by 11 AM. The second time I had better control, eating a lot of veggies since they were zero points. So for me it's not what or when I eat, it's how much.

Another problem I have is buying things that I think are healthy but not getting around to eating them. I like steamed kale, but it comes in such a big bag and DH doesn't eat it. I bought this bag of cut up kale. It was $2.99 for a 16 oz bag. Kale is very light so it's a huge bag. It really wilts down so you get a lot less when it's done cooking, but still that's a lot of kale for one person. I don't think you can freeze fresh kale. Maybe I will try it. It might work. I have a Food Saver that sucks all the air out of the bag and seals it up. I could package it up when I buy it and just cook it when I want it instead of trying to eat it all in a couple days.

Good afternoon GG's,

It is sunny off and on today.

So much for my plans for exercise. Today so far ~ nothing. That is the story of my life. I come up with all these plans/ideas ~ do it a few times or less and then don't keep up with it.

Eating hasn't been so good either :(

I know I need to do it, but getting upset with myself isn't gonna help anything. Every day is a new day to try again. I really would like to get into some kind of routine for every day. The truth of the matter is, I don't enjoy exercise ~ I would rather be doing other stuff. I am good at putting off. Today, I am leaning towards doing it in the afternoon after Maddie gets here. Often times, she and grandpa are busy with homework or reading a story. Maybe I could do 3 ten minute chunks. I've had that idea before, but what happens a lot of times is that I find some excuse why I can't do it ~ or think I will do it later after she goes home, but when that time rolls around, I don't feel like it ~ and then there goes another day. Then I begin thinking about the next day ~ part of me wants to do it in the morning and be done with it. Part of me convinces myself that I will do it later. It is easy to sit there and plan what I am gonna do the next day ~ I always feel like it when I know it isn't until tomorrow ~ LOL. Sigh..... An endless battle.

With the diabetes, they say to treat the exercise just like a med you have to take. My head knows I need to, but the rest of me can't seem to get up and do it.

Now my head is kind of achy ~ I guess I've been thinking too hard ~ LOL.

Gonna get off for now. Maybe I'll get to the personals later.

Hope you all are having a good day.

So nice to get out today and go to the gym. Walked 10 min...1/2 mile for me these days..alternating regular walking, fast walking and jogging. My jogging is probably kinda funny ...I just sorta wobble. :o Then I used hand bike for 10 min on 4.7 setting. I don't worry much about the setting for that bike ..as long as it's in the 4-5 range at least. Then I used a couple weight machines, was going to use one more but dh was ready to go and since we go so seldom now it always feels like we should take it kinda easy. We are planning to go tomorrow though. :^: I really need to go daily or exercise more here at home. So far I'm on target with my eating plan other than not eating soon enough after waking and eating my snack too early (by 15 min). The timing is to keep you in fat burning mode, but it's the hardest part to me.

Texted my son and he said the baby is doing well. I didn't ask about the jaundice but I'm sure they would tell me if there was a further problem. He is coming home for a night or two because of his military drill I think.
Will be good to have him here again but I'm surprised how well we are adjusting to his absence. Another answered prayer.

Karrine - I keep my flax meal (the seeds have to be crushed...sometimes I do it other times I buy it already done) in the fridge or freezer. I believe they last much longer that way. When I freeze them I put them into a plastic container. The meal does not get hard, just cold. I rarely make my own chili but it's a good idea and maybe less calories. Only thing I don't like about casseroles is so many call for the canned cream of soups..I don't like like them..but at times I have made my own substitution. I do make mac and cheese casserole and some times others. Glad you got that toilet fix as a leak can really run up your bill.

Carol - We are so much a like...I'm the same way about eating something without even thinking and I hate being told what to eat by some diet. I had the same problem with WW. With Food Lovers, I can eat the foods I like as long as I make sure to get all the nutrients in and to watch my portions. Sometimes I do feel forced to add milk, cheese or cottage cheese in order to get enough protein since I don't eat much meat but since I like to eat it's not a big problem. :D The hardest part of Food Lovers for me is the timing, esp with the way I sleep/don't sleep. Also I'm to eat every 2-3 hours and sometimes I get busy and forget. I don't eat much if I keep busy which is probably a cue to my overeating right there.:dizzy:

Well I need to get busy...I'm behind in my housework this week.

Sandy and Fluffy - Hope you're having a good day!!

Mary I agree about canned cream of soups, never have used them. Someone suggested cooking cauliflower and puree in blender, and use it instead of the cream of soup or even 1/2 and 1/2 cream for home made soups. I may try the cauliflower and see how it does.

Gym: This week the side room was set up with TV's and opened to have enough space to put the aerobic equipment in there. Only problem is that the recumbent bikes are in morning sunshine from nice large window, and it gets very hot there. The other bikes are elsewhere, but don't know where they finally put them. I used some of the strength machines, but ran out of time before my next appointment.

Casseroles are usually a treat, but not too popular here. In local paper the suggestion was made to thinkly slice eggplant or squash and use it instead of pasta in casseroles, such as lasagna. I will try that soon. Squash would work easily, but eggplant would be hard to slice to thin.

Trying to decide what to take to the next pot luck dinner. I usually take salads because they often come after another event. THe next one we go to immediately so I may take something hot. Takes 30 minutes to get there so I'll need to wrap the casserole in something to hold heat.

Gayle I like the idea of walking 10 minutes at least once a day just in the house (winter time) Our home is shaped like a T so to walk inside is possible and I do it at times.

CarolSueWhat do you include as carbs because you limit so tight? I do agree that to stop eating before all the food is gone would help. I'm trying that and we'll see how the scale talks to me.

DH and Pat are so good to have very healthy suppers. DH cooks good breakfasts. It is up to me to choose snacks and lunch carefully. Doing better this week, thank goodness.

Working on finances has me very tense. Thank goodness I'm neither a bookkeeper or responsible for doing our taxes any more. I hate to pay someone to do it but with the complicated papers for pension in 3 parts and lots of medical payments to sort out, Mary earns her money when she does our taxes each year.

I've used My Fitness Pal for years and really like it. Even though I don't have to count calories with FL I still like to use it. Today I just noticed they have a cookbook. Thought you might like to check it out for ideas. I haven't gotten very far yet but have bookmarked it.
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/category/eat/recipes/

May have mentioned this before but when I'm feeling energetic, I do this. I set a timer for at least 3 min (or when the microwave is working), and I start out walking/marching in place for one min, then change to a little more effort...lift knees higher or side to side for another min, and then more aggressive movement for another min (depends on how many min I set the timer for), then back to just walking/marching in place and increasing per minute over and over, but the last minute is always back to just walking/marching in place (to cool down). You could do this for ten min. if you're up to it and make it as easy or active as you want. I usually do it in the kitchen and set the timer on my stove or the microwave. Whenever I heat something in the microwave I do it for as long as it takes to cook...sometimes that's not long though...better than nothing, better to have at least 3 min. Just an idea to work more movement into your day.

Also if you have any weights...lift while watching TV ..as many reps as you can...work up to 25 if you can. Your weights should be light enough to do 12 reps with a little challenge but not too much. If it's too easy you need heavier weights.

I stuggle to find something I really like for breakfast...yes, I love my mocha frappe, but feel I should get more variety. How about cookies for breakfast:?: I have a bil who loves cookies for breakfast...not sure what kind he eats though. Carol they are 32 gms of carbs so maybe too much for you? I usually get 15-30 gms at each meal and sometimes a little more. Of course I may have to cut back too.

Just found this recipe. Don't know whether you guys will like them but I'm going to try them.

PB Breakfast Cookies (3=serving)
Ingredients

2 large (140 grams each), ripe bananas
2 large (50 grams each) eggs
2 1/2 cups (200 grams) rolled oats (certified gluten-free if necessary)
1 cup (260 grams) peanut butter
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Add the ripe bananas and eggs into a medium mixing bowl. Mix with a spatula, mashing on the banana to get chunks as small as possible. Add the oats, peanut butter, honey, and salt, and stir until just combined. The mixture will get thick and hard to stir.

Use a 1/4 cup measure to portion cookie dough into 12 balls. Take each ball and split it in half to create 24 smaller balls. Roll each ball and lightly smash it between your palms to create a mini cookie.

Place the cookies on the baking sheet. Bake until the edges start to brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 3 cookies

Per serving: Calories: 299; Total Fat: 15g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 53mg; Sodium: 131mg; Carbohydrate: 34g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 13g; Protein: 11g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 271mg; Iron: 13%; Vitamin A: 2%; Vitamin C: 4%; Calcium: 3%

Went over on carbs today, however before having my eve snack, my bs was only 124 and that is really good for me.

Breakfast
PB Mocha Frappe with added protein and fiber

am snack
3 very small tangerines
1/2 cup NF filtered milk

Lunch
1/2 cup chili
5 saltine crackers
7 baby carrots
Chai tea latte - made me go over on carbs, just didn't think about it.

pm snack
1/4 lg apple
1/2 T PB
another Chai latte

Dinner
A skillet dish called Joe - est 3 oz ground beef, little onions and spinach and an egg. FL didn't like this..too much fat because of the beef.

pm snack
PB mocha frappe - 1/2 size, very small

1427 calories (only because I subtracted some of my cardio calories burned)
194 carb gms after subtracting fiber. Hope I do better tomorrow.

Good morning,

- Mary - I also bookmarked the site you posted and will browse through it hopefully sometime today. Thank you for the flax seed info. Your cookie recipe sounds very good but when I put the nutrition information into my calculator they work out to be too many point for my diet.

Gayle - my treadmill exercise plan fell through too as it really aggravated my ankle again that I thought was mostly healed. I guess I'll have to wait until it is fully healed before trying again. I have no idea how I hurt it but I don't enjoy exercise either.

Carol - LOL on DH & casseroles. He sure is picky.

Sandy - I like Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Celery soups in some of the casseroles I make but can't make them right now because of my diet.

I am just doing some cleaning today and am not going out anywhere.
I bought 4 apples. I peel; core and quarter one; sprinkle it with brown sugar twin; add a little cinnamon and microwave until soft. It tastes just like apple pie.

Have a good day everyone.
Karrine

Gayle, I put off exercise, too. I don't like it before I start or while I'm doing it, but I feel so much better after I do it. I have a schedule for it, but haven't been following it. Most days I watch the Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful between 12:30 until 2 PM A while back I made a rule that I had to be exercising while I watch them and I stuck to that for quite a while. It was when I had my bowel surgery that I had to stop and never got back to it 100%. My reasoning was, I'm going to be watching the show anyway. It's better to be exercising while I watch than to be sitting in my recliner. Sometimes I'm doing something in the kitchen while it's on. I can hear the TV and go into the living room when I want to see what's going on. If I have something to do and miss the show it's on again in the evening on another channel. Mary gave that suggestion of lifting small weights while watching TV and I do that sometimes. One time I was doing it while riding in the car and DH made me stop because he said people were giving me odd looks. I don't care what people think, but he does. One time when we used to walk in the park I took hand weights and was doing punches while I walked. He made me stop that, too. LOL

I recently read that lifting weights after a meal (or some other strength training) is good for making your glucose go into your muscle cells, and it only takes 5 minutes of lifting the weights to make that happen.

Mary, I lost my sweet tooth and don't eat sweets very often. I would never eat cookies for breakfast, or donuts, cake, pie etc. DH would gladly have them. I eat eggs or egg beaters just about every morning. I know they are contravertial but my cholesterol is 145 despite eating eggs every day so I don't worry about it. My problem is dinner. I have to make something that DH will eat, but that I can also eat with my diabetes. Mostly it is a meat entree with vegetables and I make potatoes or rice for DH. Sometimes I'm good at not eating the carbs, but most times I do have some and try to keep my portion small. Over the holidays I had some chocolate candy, dips and crackers around the house and I did indulge in them. I didn't gain any weight but my BS readings went up a lot. That stuff is gone and I hope to get back to normal.

Sandy, I try to eat a lot of vegetables. They are good carbs. I like beans, too. I try not to eat sweets, baked goods, bread, rice, pasta or potatoes. When I do eat these things I try to keep my portions small, to 2-3 TBS. Just enough to taste it. I'm not very good at stopping once I get a taste. I love rice and could go on and on eating it.

Karrine, I use the cream soups. I have a casserole that DH will eat. I put boneless skinless chicken in a casserole, pour a can of soup over, then top with home fried potatoes and bake. There's something that DH really likes. Fried potatoes in one pan, browned ground meat in the other. Combine it together with a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup and bit of water, and a can of green beans and heat until warm. It's fast and he likes it, so I make it. When I eat it I try to pick out the potatoes. Also, on Thanksgiving I serve turkey gravy with dinner, but when we eat leftovers the next day we combine the leftover turkey in a pan with some Cream of Mushroom Soup and a little bit of water. Sometimes I will add some peas and carrots and we put that over toast. Like Turkey Ala King. DH doesn't think about food until he gets hungry, so he wants me to make something that doesn't take long. I make chili, meatloaf, steak, pork chops, chicken, with a side of vegetables and a starch. That's the things he will eat. I like to eat grilled fish, salmon, sometimes calf liver. He won't eat those things, so when I want them I will grill a steak for him. Sometimes he will tell me that all he wants for dinner is a big plate of fried potatoes. I make that for him and I get to choose what I want to eat. He likes when I make soup, either vegetable soup or chicken noodle, but that's not dinner for him, just lunch or a snack. He will eat some, but still wants something more hearty for dinner. I have grown accustomed to this over the years.

I used to have trouble with my ankles hurting when I exercised. I bought 2 elastic ankle braces and wore them. My ankles quit hurting after a year or so. It might have been from the shoes I was wearing. (heels at work,) Now I have a bad knee. Arthritis and fluid on the knee. I have an elastic knee brace that I wear when exercising. If I don't wear it I pay the next day. Before Christmas when I was doing all that baking my knee started swelling and hurting. I should have worn the brace then, too.

Today I have to balance my checkbook and pay the rest of my bills for the month. I always wait until I have deposited our pension checks for the last batch of bills.

Bobbolink Oats are always good for breakfast, and we use steel cut, too.

CarolSue You have a good portion of day just cooking for DH likes and your health needs. Short cuts like the cream soup would be appreciated.
If my plate fails to have color from veggies I feel I'm not really eating right. DH is getting better and better on having low carb veggies at all suppers. Once in a hurry he served canned corn (which we love) AND peas - way too much carbs. He agreed that those were either, or, not both.
He once had fried potatoes and pork and beans with fish for meal. I had to choose, not for diabetes, but preference.

Yesterday as I balanced my check book, I had to do it 4 times before I realized I had a double error. Forgot to enter a $25 check on Quicken, and had transposed 2 numbers on another check. Spent way too much time on that task, but finally all was balanced and I could relax.

Should receive Visa statement today or tomorrow. We really had lots and lots of medical costs in December. OUCH.

DH would love to replace the very old TV in Living room with a new, larger flat screen. He disagrees that this is a WANT not a NEED! He hardly ever goes to living room (that is also Pat's Painting Studio.) He hates the huge old TV and agreed the picture is far smaller, but exceedingly good and clear.
I've been the one who handles finances, he has always been the primary money maker. He is feeling trapped that he can't simply work extra hours and bring in enough to buy what he wants.

He must find the limited income far more restrictive than I do. Can't do anything to help him, he will work this out his way eventually.

Mary I copied the breakfast cookie recipe and DH thinks he would like this, certainly worth a try. We buy the Kashi bars that cost about $3 per box of 5 or 6. Great to grab and take as a snack when away from the house, or occasionally with coffee here. The cookie you suggested would be a healthier substitute if we like it.

Wonder if 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup of cocoa could also be added? . . .

Karrine Sorry the treadmill didn't work out at this time. Ours sits where we can look outside, but I hate to walk on it.

I'd rather march in place, or walk back and forth in the house. Lifting weights while watching TV make lots of sense. I have them in waste can by TV = and dust them but don't use them.

Back to house hold tasks. Sandy

I slept pretty good last night but I was still so tired after my workout even though I just did the usual. We have just not been regular enough I guess and it shows. So far I'm on plan with my eating.

Today a man is coming to inspect our door because we have complained about how they finished it. We've been waiting a long time and had to call at least a couple times as well as dh dropping into the office. Not so happy with this company right now. Too bad because we did like their work in the past for our windows and really like the young guy who does the installation.

Sandy - I used to struggle with reconciling my check book and hated the time it took sometimes. So frustrating! I think I've probably mentioned before that I now haven't balanced a check book in years because I don't often even write a check. I do quickly check my budget most days to be sure the online accounts are the same. Sorry about all those medical expenses..that's tough. I hope the months ahead will be better. I think TV is more important to many men...sure is for my dh. I would miss it but not nearly as much as him. I'd just stream TV shows to my computer and get news on my phone or computer too. I haven't tried the cookie recipe yet but I would think adding a little cocoa would be ok. Might need a bit more moisture? can't remember the recipe right now for what supplies that.

Carol - I wish we were also alike when it comes to not eating sweets! I think it would make me much healthier. Its funny about my mocha...sometimes it doesn't bother my bs and other days it does. Candy will often make it go up, but many carbs even sweet ones even in large amounts don't, it's really strange. I have pretty much given up understanding it, but common sense tells me too much sugar can't be good. I also love potatoes. We eat rice often (almost daily) but I rarely have any problem with it...sometimes I don't eat it, sometimes just a little (about 3 T), but with potatoes it is much harder to resist them.

Karrine - Your apple sounds like a nice treat! I love fruit. Wish I didn't have to limit them. I usually try to work in two a day if I can though.

Well break time is over. Today I weekly clean my kitchen. I did a little bit of cleaning on it last night but still need to mop the floor and a few other things.
My son is coming to spend the night tonight. Yea! Oh I think I changed my avatar..I decided to be a bit more private and not have my pic there.

LOL Mary ~ I thought it was Fluffy's post i was reading (she has the same avatar pic as you do now). I thought as I read ~ oh, she is having trouble too with her door. Then as I read on I realized it was you. :dizzy: Doesn't take much to confuse me.

That is probably a good idea about not making your picture public. I probably shouldn't put family pics on here either.