LindaBabe
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 20, 1999
I'm in. But you've done lost me on how to keep track, so i'm going to give you what looks like the average for the week. This week, it's 219.5, and that appears to be a good number. I started the beginning of 2009 at 267. I like to eat. I like to cook. I never ever met a carb I didn't like.
After physical therapy in the summer of 2008, I was already working out at the pool 3 days a week, for Fibromyalgia. We'd already upped the vegetable intake, and switched to whole wheat, but the pounds were not budging. I know now, it was a few things, too many treats, too many sweets, too many carbs, over portioning. And I too am an emotional eater.
March 2009. Diagnosed with diabetes. My doc showed me how to finger stick and gave me a printed diet sheet from ADA. I was already eating less than that. My friend, mom of a difficult diabetic (due to a HOST of other physical and mental issues) said, I'll be your coach, you just use the doc for your scripts. She did. She had me sticking myself before and after every meal and WHOA. The simplest things shot my sugar right up - not just sweet stuff, but white potatoes, white rice, pasta, dried beans, all cereal including oatmeal. I discovered a whole apple was too much, but half was ok.
This is no fun, but it's the rest of my life, not a diet. I got a scale and weighed and measured everything I put in my mouth, and wrote it down too. perfection didn't come over night, by any means, and still hasn't. But you know what? "will power" had nothing to do with it. Women are strong - stronger than we know - we HAVE will power. But the food industry is conspiring against us. Anyway, the old lady's on a roll, so bear with me.
Why do I say that? Look at all the ads! They've given us a warped sense of portion size. They advertise MOST heavily all the things that are bad for us - soda pop. beer. Cinnabon. big thick juicy burgers. They have specials on the food channel - this weekend it was 5 hours of the top 100 places to chow down - on ribs, fries, sandwiches, burgers, wings etc - and the portions were big enough to feed a small NATION. This isn't normal, folks!
Even more insideous is high fructose corn syrup. It's like crack for the carb addicted, and it's in EVERYTHING. Try finding a loaf of bread without it. <breathe>
I took my usual recipes and made them and calculated the carbs and calories in each one and divided it by the number of servings. The blood glucose number told the story - if I ate something I shouldn't, it went up and, because I had the notebook I could corollate what I ate with the high number. If it shot my sugar, I stopped eating it. And the weight started to come off.
It's really not that difficult, oddly enough. When I was hungry out of meal time, I had a few almonds or olives. After about a month of carb restriction, I lost the craving and wasn't hungry after meals. My MIND says eat, sometimes, but I have a glass of water and ask it - are you REALLY hungry? Or are you bored, thirsty, frustrated, tired. . . If it says, I"M STARVED! FEED ME!! Then I eat - something I know I CAN eat - meat fish cheese eggs nuts olives veggies (not corn) If it says Look, we haven't had a hot fudge sundae in 6 months and I really want one - I say ok, we'll go to Beaches and cream and have the best one we can get when I get to the world. And I did. I told the guy I need the most perfect 1 scoop hot fudge sundae you can make because I'm diabetic and I'm not supposed to eat it. It was a work of art! And I savored ever single small bite. Oh brother. I really am rolling now. You have permission to go on to the next post. Now, I'm writing this more for me than y'all.
I have to tell you about my gym. It's at the wellness center at Sunnyview hospital. I'm one of the youngest people in my swim group. The people who go there aren't jocks in pursuit of buff bodies. They're stroke patients struggling to regain use of their limbs. They're people post bariatric surgery weighing 300, 400 pounds or more, who were told move it or die. They're elders, trying to maintain their independance for as long as possible. They are my heros, every one of them. There's a 97th birthday party next friday. I hope some day to celebrate MY 97th there.
Goal - I'd like to lose another 45 pounds this year. My doctor said get down to 200. I can do that, for SURE.
I now have a bigger goal. I'm 62 this month. Before I turn 65, I'd like to be off all medication. I'd like to weigh 147 pounds. But even if none of that happens, I *will* be the healthiest me possible when I get to 65.
You guys have a few advantages. You don't have 6 decades of bad habits behind you. You're not 100 pounds over weight. You are young. You have energy and stamina. If you don't just "go on a diet" but learn good habits *NOW* and practice them, you won't ever be where I am at 62. And, if they follow your example, your kids won't either.
<old lady lies panting on the floor, rant over>
After physical therapy in the summer of 2008, I was already working out at the pool 3 days a week, for Fibromyalgia. We'd already upped the vegetable intake, and switched to whole wheat, but the pounds were not budging. I know now, it was a few things, too many treats, too many sweets, too many carbs, over portioning. And I too am an emotional eater.
March 2009. Diagnosed with diabetes. My doc showed me how to finger stick and gave me a printed diet sheet from ADA. I was already eating less than that. My friend, mom of a difficult diabetic (due to a HOST of other physical and mental issues) said, I'll be your coach, you just use the doc for your scripts. She did. She had me sticking myself before and after every meal and WHOA. The simplest things shot my sugar right up - not just sweet stuff, but white potatoes, white rice, pasta, dried beans, all cereal including oatmeal. I discovered a whole apple was too much, but half was ok.
This is no fun, but it's the rest of my life, not a diet. I got a scale and weighed and measured everything I put in my mouth, and wrote it down too. perfection didn't come over night, by any means, and still hasn't. But you know what? "will power" had nothing to do with it. Women are strong - stronger than we know - we HAVE will power. But the food industry is conspiring against us. Anyway, the old lady's on a roll, so bear with me.
Why do I say that? Look at all the ads! They've given us a warped sense of portion size. They advertise MOST heavily all the things that are bad for us - soda pop. beer. Cinnabon. big thick juicy burgers. They have specials on the food channel - this weekend it was 5 hours of the top 100 places to chow down - on ribs, fries, sandwiches, burgers, wings etc - and the portions were big enough to feed a small NATION. This isn't normal, folks!
Even more insideous is high fructose corn syrup. It's like crack for the carb addicted, and it's in EVERYTHING. Try finding a loaf of bread without it. <breathe>
I took my usual recipes and made them and calculated the carbs and calories in each one and divided it by the number of servings. The blood glucose number told the story - if I ate something I shouldn't, it went up and, because I had the notebook I could corollate what I ate with the high number. If it shot my sugar, I stopped eating it. And the weight started to come off.
It's really not that difficult, oddly enough. When I was hungry out of meal time, I had a few almonds or olives. After about a month of carb restriction, I lost the craving and wasn't hungry after meals. My MIND says eat, sometimes, but I have a glass of water and ask it - are you REALLY hungry? Or are you bored, thirsty, frustrated, tired. . . If it says, I"M STARVED! FEED ME!! Then I eat - something I know I CAN eat - meat fish cheese eggs nuts olives veggies (not corn) If it says Look, we haven't had a hot fudge sundae in 6 months and I really want one - I say ok, we'll go to Beaches and cream and have the best one we can get when I get to the world. And I did. I told the guy I need the most perfect 1 scoop hot fudge sundae you can make because I'm diabetic and I'm not supposed to eat it. It was a work of art! And I savored ever single small bite. Oh brother. I really am rolling now. You have permission to go on to the next post. Now, I'm writing this more for me than y'all.
I have to tell you about my gym. It's at the wellness center at Sunnyview hospital. I'm one of the youngest people in my swim group. The people who go there aren't jocks in pursuit of buff bodies. They're stroke patients struggling to regain use of their limbs. They're people post bariatric surgery weighing 300, 400 pounds or more, who were told move it or die. They're elders, trying to maintain their independance for as long as possible. They are my heros, every one of them. There's a 97th birthday party next friday. I hope some day to celebrate MY 97th there.
Goal - I'd like to lose another 45 pounds this year. My doctor said get down to 200. I can do that, for SURE.
I now have a bigger goal. I'm 62 this month. Before I turn 65, I'd like to be off all medication. I'd like to weigh 147 pounds. But even if none of that happens, I *will* be the healthiest me possible when I get to 65.
You guys have a few advantages. You don't have 6 decades of bad habits behind you. You're not 100 pounds over weight. You are young. You have energy and stamina. If you don't just "go on a diet" but learn good habits *NOW* and practice them, you won't ever be where I am at 62. And, if they follow your example, your kids won't either.
<old lady lies panting on the floor, rant over>
I'm 5'6" and goal is 175. Last time I lost significant weight, I was doing Jenny Craig and walking 3mi every day. Got within 10lbs of goal. This time, no Jenny, and I have the gym at work, but I gained all that I lost PLUS more significant weight!
gotta see the humor in that...
(I told y'all I was old) And I have lots to lose. I didn't change over to diabetes yet, but the doc said it's looming in my future if I don't do something about it now. I would love to be off the extra meds, and just take my thyroid (auto-immune issue) and my vits!
After 11 months, though he now eats 2 scoops of ice cream instead of a small mountain. It hasn't been easy. You have to sneak up on them, a tablespoon less per time.
It's probably because I'm working now and more active than I was before.
