Tag Archives: diet and exercise

October 28, 2024 · 8:55 am

Monday 10-28-2024

Sent by my friend, Marsha

I spent a total of 4 hours in the art room yesterday and finally finished the reorganization. I’ll show you pics in another post this morning.

Today’s project is the back porch, which has been studiously ignored since our too-rainy-too-cool spring followed by HOT. Now that we have our doors open, it’s getting on my nerves, so I’ll see what I can do about that today.

r/midjourney – Reddit

I have finally figured out how to incorporate the protein shake my doc wants me to drink daily into my keto lifestyle AND continue trying to lose the lard. The past two days have almost undone the damage I did with the change. To describe my scale results as ‘yo-yo’ just isn’t sufficient to the concern I’ve had that my efforts were being sabotaged. I’m beginning to regain the confidence that I CAN do both of these things with a sustainable eating plan. :O)

LINDA’S CRAFTINESS – I’m providing a link to one of my newest listings on my Etsy site HandmadeHavenbyLinda. It’s a set of 5 different watercolor paintings on stationery sheets and coordinating painted envelopes, plus 5 blank sheets for longer letters. It’s fun to have the person you’ve written call you and ask where you got the stationery. You can decide to tell them or keep it as your secret… The set will come in a nice gold box with transparent lid and a tie. Fun for you, or thoughtful as a gift.

I hope your day is a fun one.

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October 17, 2024 · 10:03 am

Thursday 10-17-2024

Stone-Impression-Pinterest

I don’t know the artist, or whether this is really stone, AI, or what, but I think it’s lovely.

Bakoor Fitness Tracker

This is a FitBit competitor ‘watch’ that was delivered yesterday afternoon. I didn’t need all the bells and whistles of the ‘main brand’ of tracker (though I would love one that cooks dinner), so opted for this one that was about 1/5 of the price.

All I really wanted was a pedometer so that I might be encouraged to move more, particularly to take several short walks around our yard each day.

This is paired with a software app called, “Keep Health”. I managed to install the app on my phone and sync it with the watch! (Imagine that! Non-tech old broad prevails!) I even got the clock face on the watch changed so it shows time, day and date, number of steps I’ve walked today and calories used for the walking.

I also have it set to send reminders that I need to get off my duff and get moving every so often, plus reminders to drink another glass of water.

I put the watch on late yesterday afternoon and just went about the rest of my day, doing a bit of yard work, cleaning, etc. just to get a feel for my normal number of daily steps. I ended up last night with a bit over 1800. Double that for not having it on for the morning, and I get ‘normal’ is about 3600 steps daily. I may die of old age before/if I EVER get the at LEAST 10,000 steps one is SUPPOSED to do daily for good health.

My plan is to simply try to log in more than the previous day. My hips burn and ache pretty soon after I start walking, so that’s an obstacle. But maybe that will ease up if I just continue my efforts to walk more. I’ll log my number of daily steps each day on my exercise notes on MyFitnessPal.com and see how it goes.

I did finally show some progress on the scales this morning. I had been on a roller coaster and plateau since I added the Premier High Protein Chocolate Shake to my diet at my doctor’s suggestion to improve, or at least preserve, my kidney function. I’m hoping that the combination of losing more weight, the added daily protein, and the exercise will result in better numbers at our next routine appointment in January.

Ah! My WATCH just sent me a reminder to ‘do exercise.’ Hahahahahahah. I’ll finish this and go take a walk around the yard. I wonder if she’s a nagger…

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October 1, 2024 · 9:17 am

Celebration!

Calvary Baptist Church of North Lenoir County

Yes, I’m definitely in celebration mode this morning, “tooting my own horn”, dancing around the room, grinning from ear to ear, dancing with the animals, dancing with my husband (who was very encouraging). I FINALLY REACHED THE 40-POUNDS OFF INTERIM GOAL!!!!!

Giphy.gif

WOO HOOOOOO! I’ve been trying to get to this goal for so long that I actually weighed myself several times before I really believed it. :0)

I hauled out my really old NutriSystem weight loss bears so that I could document the GREEN 40-pounds-off bear. (He has “40” embroidered on his chest.) I’ve lost track of how long ago it was that I earned him. The minute I quit eating the prepared NutriSystem meals, though, I began gaining it back. It just wasn’t sustainable for me.

Now I’m eating low carb, plus trying to cut down on salt, plus trying to drink more water, plus trying to exercise on a daily basis. This is something I can stick with and control, tweaking when necessary, reassessing goals as I go.

I’m a little past halfway now, I think to my ultimate goal- again assessing as I go. The overall plan now is to lose another 30 pounds or so and improving my blood work. I have now set my next 5-pound interim goal.

I will set my sights on the next NutriSystem Bear (50-pounds-off) when I reach the next goal.

Onward and Downward!

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September 30, 2024 · 10:37 am

Monthly Accountability – Sept. 2024

Tracy Grondahl-Pinterest

At this, the last day of September, I’m 2/10ths of a pound away from my interim weight loss goal of 40-pounds-off.

This is a report from MyFitnessPal.com showing the last year of my ‘lose-the-lard’ efforts. Although I’m only about halfway to my ultimate goal at this point, the trend is encouraging.

My husband and I had a talk this morning, since he has Type 2 Diabetes (though he won’t admit that and says he just has a ‘sugar problem.’) We BOTH are having to accept that our bodies don’t respond to our efforts as they used to. It takes being more serious with more consistent effort to actually realize improvement.

He says he’s being ‘good,’ but looked kind of appalled when I calmly reminded him of what I noticed he ate that was not on his diet recently. I told him I wasn’t the food police and that he was responsible – as am I – for what we put in our mouths. We BOTH need to keep tweaking to make the changes happen.

What seems to be working for me right now – with the occasional plateau – is monitored by my daily use of MyFitnessPal.com. I put in my information on KetoKarma.com (Suzanne Ryan’s website) and came up with this as my daily eating goal –

My experience after doing this about a year is that I need to stay under 1000 calories, where fitness pal says, “You might not be eating enough.” I eat as few carbs as possible, staying as close to 13 or 14 as I can, and try not to eat too much protein – that may throw off my progress. I’m trying to drink more water, alternating between that and coffee until my eyeballs are floating. I’m not snacking – at all. I’m taking Fruits & Veggies vitamin supplements daily to make sure I’m getting all the nutrients I need, as well as taking Calcium for my bones. I’m hoping that eventually, when I meet my ultimate goal, I might be able to stop taking most of the prescription drugs I’m taking now. We’re monitoring blood tests at the times my doc deems appropriate. I’m trying to exercise daily – videos with weights and my half hour yoga stretching.

SO – as of today, September 30th, there are 39.8 pounds less of me than when I was at my heaviest. There are 41.2 inches less of me now.

“Keepin’ on keepin’ on. “ I’ll report again at the end of October.

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July 31, 2024 · 9:33 am

Progress Report – as of July 2024

Pinterest

In the interest of transparency and my promise to be accountable for my efforts to lose the lard, here is my report as of the end of July 2024 –

Poundage Gone (from my heaviest) – 34 pounds

Girth Gone (from my widest) – 36.5 inches

____________

I’m hoping to lose the last pound for my interim goal of 35 off today. If not, I’m still going in the right direction, albeit VERY slowly after a roller coaster of scale readings depending, I think, on how I hold my MOUTH when I step on the scales. I’m being “good” most days, staying under my calorie limit and under my carbs-for-the-day limit. MOST days I’m under my salt limit, though sometimes that sneaks up on me, or I cave at the last minute and have a late night snack of some almonds.

We’re back under ‘excessive heat warnings’ daily now, so, unless I get outside first thing, it’s simply too hot for me to spend much time working in the yard. Today I’m PLANNING to change the time on the watering units and get a bit of weeding done. I also PLAN to check my tomatoes and sucker plants. (I say, “PLAN” because often – even when I’m heading out the door – my husband snafus my intentions and then the cooler part of the day is gone.

He told me yesterday that he feels like a kid waiting for Christmas, waiting for the new mower to be delivered. I got a text from them yesterday, confirming our address and that Friday was still a good day for delivery. There wasn’t a real person attached to the text, though. It said I would get another one Friday morning, telling us morning or afternoon. I’m hoping a person is attached to that one, so that I can warn them about the steep graveled driveway and tell them that having us come down and putting the mower in the back of our truck and leaving US to get it out again is not acceptable, since we’re OLD. Fingers crossed this all works out well.

I hope that you are able to stay cool and comfortable today.

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June 26, 2024 · 9:11 am

Binge is Over

Shut My Mouth

123RF

It’s all my husband’s fault for being so nice last week. He asked me out to lunch on Friday. I was good, eating only part of my carefully chosen lunch and bringing home the rest. But then it was as if the dam broke.

Pinterest

Shorter story – I gained 3 pounds over the next several days. :0( Now I’ve finally stopped the binge and am back to following my low carb plan and doing yoga – and yard work if Mother Nature isn’t being cruel – each day. I hope to be back to where I was very soon, and then will tackle the next 5 lbs.

I don’t know if my husband was just trying to encourage me to lose more lard, just being nice, or what, but he said last night that he ‘thought I was losing weight.’ He’s never been particularly quick to notice things (and, in some cases, that’s good) but it would SEEM that 30 pounds less of me would be a little more noticeable… But – he sees me daily, so I guess we both probably miss ‘details.’

Onward and downward.

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June 4, 2024 · 9:28 am

Mini-Goal Met!

It is with great relief that I FINALLY met another mini-goal on my weight loss efforts. Today I am 30 pounds down from my heaviest. (Is it weird that 30 pounds off sounds like SO much more than the 29.6 pounds yesterday?) Round numbers can be so satisfying. :0)

My new goal is now 35 pounds off. My current practice of setting 5 pound goals makes it seem that I might actually be able to accomplish it. AND I can give myself pats on the head when I reach them, knowing I’m inching closer to where I would like to be eventually.

I will also get out the NutriSystem bear I earned years ago that says ’40’ – using that as a strengthening of my efforts. I’m getting used to the new eating plan, day by day. I’m using MyFitnessPal.com to track what I’m eating to stay under 1,000 calories a day, under 20 carbs per day, cutting my salt as much as possible every day, resulting in the note to me from the website, “you’re probably not eating enough.” I’m losing a bit at a steady rate this way. If I’m feeling consciously hungry, I make a snack.

Four Paws

I’m TRYING to do my session of old lady yoga stretches daily, and I’m also trying to add some online short exercise videos.

I like Mike Kutcher from MoreLifeHealth.com. He specializes in working with ‘seniors.’ Though I hate that term, I like Mike.

Onward and downward!

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May 28, 2023 · 9:43 am

Squelch the Snark!

Daily Motion

The effort to shed my lard is showing a bit of progress.

I decided that what I’ve been doing obviously isn’t working, so decided to change things up a bit and see if this helps.

I had been skipping breakfast, calling it “intermittent fasting,” but the result of that was a LOT of hunger for lunch – so I’m now eating some of my husband’s Cheerios with milk for breakfast.

I’m consciously trying to consider each thing I’m including on my plate for lunch, NOT including something that is less important to me in an effort to keep my metabolism working but not load myself down.

Dinners are 1) an individual frozen portion of something I have cooked (like spaghetti, a casserole, hamburger patty); 2) an individual portion frozen entree (I’m eating Atkins Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo tonight); or 3) a new entree I’ve cooked. I make a side veggie and we have a dinner roll.

The MyFitnessPal.com calorie counter thinks I’m ‘not eating enough’ (based on 1200 calories per day) until I add a snack. I’m waffling on this one, since I know I’m eating healthy and mainly wanted to make sure I wasn’t shooting myself in the foot inadvertently.

I’m trying to make SURE I’m either working in the yard, doing my yoga, or both, daily, plus I’m trying to drink more water.

____________

IndiaMART

So far, I’ve lost 3.2 lbs. Suffice to say I have a LONG way to go before I get to my goal, but I have started. I’m happy that my scales have finally noticed, and are registering a difference, but they continue to be quite snarky. I’m hoping to squelch the snark with my continued efforts.

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May 6, 2023 · 9:56 am

Yo Yo

Pinterest

I was doing well on my ‘no-eating-between-meals‘, ‘no-extra-salt,’ plus ‘yoga-every-afternoon‘, but had a bad day yesterday. I felt like I was starving to death. I fell off and gained back two of the five I lost. UGH.

Today is a new day, though, so I’ll give myself a break and do better today. I’ve never been a runner, and these days my hips start yelling at me if I walk a lot, so I’ve been redoubling my efforts to practice my yoga each afternoon, doing lots of slow, careful stretches, breathing into each pose, relaxing as much as I can. This, combined with working in the yard, should make a reasonable amount of exercise.

Motivation Monday – Pinterest

Hopefully, by the end of the weekend, my scales will stop laughing so loudly.

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March 24, 2023 · 9:20 am

Eating Lead?

Wall Here

I’m not throwing in the towel, but my weight loss efforts seem to be a joke lately. Lunch and dinner remain as usual, but ‘somehow’ I’m eating pretzels in the afternoon and ice cream with chocolate syrup before bed.

I have no one to blame but myself. I had a birthday recently (a wonderfully happy one, even though the numbers are beginning to get pretty impressive) and I have been on this binge ever since.

I’m still doing my yoga practice most afternoons, but I was planning to be active outside, getting my veggie garden set up, and the weather has not been cooperative yet.

Those are my excuses and they’re pretty weak, but they’re the only ones I have right now.

Each day I’m trying to say that “today will be different. “ Hahahahahahah

I’m going to continue to tell myself this and ONE DAY I’ll believe it and hopefully begin to make some improvement. Until then, my scales will be snarky.

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January 9, 2023 · 10:58 am

Trying to Eat Healthy

Sent to me by my friend, Marsha

Two days ago I pulled a couple of salmon fillets out of the freezer. When I thawed them, I discovered I had FOUR, instead of the TWO I had expected. I went ahead and cooked them, serving them with some steamed veggies. I had never had salmon leftovers, so I looked on the net to find suggestions for using them. I hadn’t thought about making a salmon salad, like tuna salad, but I decided to try it. My husband was pleased with both dinners, and I got some other ideas of what can be done with the leftovers, so I’ll probably do it again – on purpose next time. :0)

My husband’s request is for spaghetti tonight. We used to enjoy a large pasta bowl of it with garlic toast. Now we eat in a much more careful manner, trying for moderation, rather than eating what probably amounts to 3 or 4 servings each at one sitting. Now I serve it in small bowls, with a salad on the side and maybe a dinner roll. I divide the leftovers into individual portion freezer containers, ready for us to heat and eat at other times.

I’m building a portion of cashews into my daily calorie count, particularly when MyFitnessPal.com concludes “I’m probably not eating enough” after I list my eating plan for the day.

We’re enjoying our lunches, comprised of fresh fruit, potato salad, a slice of ham or turkey, and maybe some cheese. It’s colorful and delicious.

I’ll get back to my exercising, warm-up and weights exercises online one day and my elliptical trainer on alternate days, plus my session of yoga in the afternoons – once my arm quits complaining.

I’m cooking more, but carefully, and am enjoying the ‘cooking once’ getting several meals out of each session.

And I’m hoping this, along with trying to drink more water, will result in a healthier, sassier me for 2023.

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December 29, 2022 · 10:35 am

Mirror, Mirror…

Source Unknown

Can you say, “yo yo” three times fast?

All the goodies are finally gone. My scales are not only smirking – they are guffawing.

guf·faw

/ɡəˈfô/

Learn to pronounce

noun

noun: guffaw; plural noun: guffaws

  1. a loud and boisterous laugh. :0(

123RF

_______

This generates hostility and frustration, obviously. Since we’re not planning any more holiday stuff, I can hopefully get back on track. (I know. You’ve heard this before. Whine.)

SO –

today is a new day. I have not eaten breakfast yet, since I’ve been trying to reach a tech to work on our dishwasher. I also haven’t gotten out in the garage to do my elliptical trainer session for the day.

I’ll go do both NOW.

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December 16, 2022 · 9:03 am

It’s Friday! 12-16-2022

BoredPanda.com

My computer says it’s 32, but my thermometer in the window upstairs said it was 25 when I was dressing awhile ago. BRRRRR! The high is supposed to be 45 this afternoon, so there is hope to get outside later.

I thought I would yesterday, but my plans got snafued by my husband taking on a couple of big projects. We created a fulcrum to pry up the center of some big shelves in the basement so I could move a 2×4 into place as an added support. Scary, but we did it with three tries. (This was after I was using a can of dried beans to try to pound the 2×4 in place and bashed one of my fingers. I have a black place on my fingernail and a really sore finger today. :0( )

The second project that took up much of the afternoon was that our truck has been making a noise as we put on the brake, like something was dragging. We’ve checked and checked, but haven’t been able to see anything. We backed the truck into the shop and took both back tires off. We checked, but couldn’t see anything. My husband said we could have a stone in between the wheel and the brake disc that might make a sound like that, but we didn’t find anything. We laboriously got the tires back on and drove the truck back to the garage. It DIDN’T make the noise, so maybe something fell out when we took the tires off. No more noise! (The air compressor wasn’t working the way it should, even after my husband put a new hose on it, so that may be one of his next projects.)

Today we’ll get our mail, meet our friends for Lunch Bunch, get an oil change, then hit Walmart and another grocery store on the way back home. Exciting stuff, huh!

My scales didn’t smirk as much this morning. I’ve lost a couple of pounds this week. Since MyFitnessPal.com concluded that I ‘wasn’t eating enough,’ I’m now eating a hard boiled egg as breakfast each morning and am eating 1 oz of cashews as a snack during the day. That brings my calorie count up to where they think it’s healthy and will help me lose the lard. I’m hopeful, since the scales have started to maybe take my efforts more seriously.

QuotesGram

Today is DAY 154 on my efforts to make daily yoga stretching a habit. I’m holding the plank pose now for a count of 30 three times during my practice, so a bit of progress there.

Make this a fun day!

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December 11, 2022 · 8:15 am

DAY 149

Tenor

Today is DAY 149 on my trying to make daily yoga a habit. I may never get to the point where I consider my yoga practice ‘habit,’ but it’s a normal part of my afternoons now. I start thinking about when to do it starting mid-afternoon each day. I’m still putting a sparkly star on my desk calendar each time I finish and keeping track of the number of days. I’m so immature it makes me laugh. :0)

lifestyle.livemint.com

I’m doing the plank daily, doing several short holds of the pose, rather than trying to hold one long one. Yesterday I did three times, counting to 25 each time.

Then I’m doing my ‘regular’ yoga practice. I’m doing some extra poses and exercises for my abdomen and core, trying to build strength.

I’m noticing that I’m using the yoga more and more to loosen up and stretch out after working in the yard or doing something else that makes me stiff and/or sore.

As we get closer to winter and I can’t work outside, I’ll switch to doing a session on my elliptical trainer in the garage.

As for losing the lard, my scale is still laughing and smirking at me. It doesn’t laugh out loud as I walk up to it, but it’s close. I really wish I were the type of person who had to be REMINDED to eat….

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November 29, 2022 · 9:28 am

A Bit of Light

Giphy

I’ve finally lost a couple of pounds over the last few days. My scales are still smirking at me, but not so widely.

I’m fasting from dinner until lunch the next day. Typical lunches are a slice of turkey or ham, a piece of cheese, a hard-boiled egg, and some fruit. Sometimes we also eat a very small ramekin of potato salad.

Dinner is a frozen dinner or individual portions of leftovers from meals I’ve cooked, a side veggie or salad, and a roll.

steve cole images-Getty Images

My yoga practice is going well. I even forgot to give myself a glittery silver star on my desk calendar for yesterday until this morning. (I’m on DAY 137 of daily yoga practice, but I’m getting to the point I almost don’t need to keep track anymore. Yesterday, since my back was sore from working outside, I held the plank pose four times at a count of 15 each. I don’t know if that’s equivalent to one longer session, but I do what I can do each day and don’t worry about it.

123RF.com

I also worked in the yard, and that gave me more exercise for the day. I finally got the deck planters cleaned out for the winter. Since we have 8 or so planters out there, that was a good amount of work for the day. Today I plan to cut the rose bushes way back. I’m not sure what else I’ll do, but the weather will be 75 and quite breezy with lots of sun this afternoon.

We’ll leave for errands in a couple of minutes. We have our Christmas mailbox decoration in the back of the truck, ready for us to put it up as we leave. On the way back, we’ll put our trash can in the back to drive it back up.

Have a wonderful day.

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November 27, 2022 · 9:20 am

Hopefully Restful Sunday

cutnessoverload-cuteness.com

We had a challenging day here yesterday, so I’m hoping for a calm day today. The weather is still rainy and gray, encouraging quiet activities and maybe even a nap!

solorganix.com

I had a nice session of yoga yesterday (DAY 134) and I could FEEL some improvement in my ability to stretch into some of my poses. I decided to do my plank pose with 3 attempts, trying to hold each one as long as possible, since I had sore muscles and couldn’t hold for the quick-count-of-45 yesterday. It makes sense to me that several sessions holding the pose should be good for building strength, too.

Giphy

One Thanksgiving meal and the next day Turkey sandwiches meal have done their worst. Yesterday I got-back-on-the-horse of trying to eat right. Hopefully, the scales will start to notice a difference by the end of next week. Loss to Date: 23 pounds and 26 inches since my heaviest.

Hopefully, this will be a nice day for all of us.

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November 12, 2022 · 10:01 am

Sunny, Cold Saturday 11-12-2022

Dogtime.com

______________

Weather –

My husband saw snowflakes when he took Amber out for the last time last night! It’s 37 degrees with bright sunshine right now, with more snow possibly Monday. Ooh. NOOOO! I’m not ready for this! I’m still trying to get the yard cleaned up!

Diet and Exercise –

I’ve lost 2 lbs this week. I’m really trying not to stuff my face between meals, after dinner, in the middle of the night…. DAY 120 on my yoga practice. It’s still quite difficult for me to hold the plank pose. I made it to 21 seconds yesterday. Pathetic, but progress.

Ham Radio Tower –

It’s gone! George and a friend came at about 1:30 yesterday afternoon. They were able to get the tower lying on it’s side on the ground without problem (amazing) and then proceeded to take it apart. While they were doing that, I helped my husband get the antenna controller unattached from the shelf in the office where it has lived for umpteen years. It did NOT want to come out of the sturdy metal bracket my husband built for it, but FINALLY he was able to get it down. He also decided to give George a signal analyzer. I found the paperwork and we bundled those together. George was thrilled with his ‘goodies’ and we were happy that the stuff has obviously found a good home.

Lunch Bunch –

It was great yesterday. Kay’s husband, Bud, wasn’t working because it was rainy (he works a backhoe). He greeted me with, “I thought it was time for you to enjoy my smiling face again.” :0) He, Kay, and Linda were there. Linda is moving to a retirement place in Greenwood and may actually be moved by next Friday, or soon thereafter. She is looking forward to a more active social life than she has now. I’m really happy for her. She meets people easily and should be happy there. If not, we’ll help her move again.

Supplies –

Since the forecast is possibly snow Monday, we’ll probably get out today or tomorrow to replenish supplies so we can hole in up here, if needed. I’m planning to wait until it warms up as much as it’s going to if we go today. The sun is shining, but it’s COLD out there!

Have a nice Saturday.

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September 26, 2022 · 10:15 am

Breadth

arosetintedworld.co.uk

I’ve of two minds on our change to a more Mediterranean style eating plan.

MIND ONE:

Part of me is VERY happy that I feel better. I’m not eating Mediterranean recipes much – since my husband gets hostile when I talk about veggies and the recipes I’m finding lean heavily toward veggies he doesn’t consider ‘food.’ I’m basically just trying to focus on adding more veggies and fruit to our diet.

When I make beef stew, for example, I’m consciously adding more veggies than I used to, loading it up with less beef and more veggies. The same with casseroles.

I’M consciously choosing frozen dinners which concentrate on veggies, such as Healthy Choice “Steamers” and “Power Bowls” while my husband loads up on Pineapple Chicken or Sweet and Sour Chicken dinners. When we have the frozen dinners, or leftovers from my cooking, I add a side veggie, plus a fruit.

MIND TWO:

The other part of me is frustrated at my slow weight loss. I’m trying to watch my portions and track my calories on My Fitness Pal, but the scale is still laughing at me. I want there to be less of me. I am eating healthy, doing my daily yoga practice (DAY 73) and trying to be more active in general. I keep telling myself, “One day at a time…”

Good Housekeeping

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September 2, 2022 · 9:27 am

Hi! It’s Friday!

boredpanda.com
Hand-painted, One of a kind Memory Box

Yesterday I spent much of the day listing memory boxes I’ve painted on my Etsy site, HandmadeHavenByLinda Today I’ll try to finish the clean-out-and-reorganization of my bedroom bookshelves, fold and put away laundry, and other equally exciting stuff. :0)

Today is Lunch Bunch. I know that two of our friends won’t be there because of needing to see a doctor. I’m hoping that Kay, and her husband, Bud, will be there. We finally got some rain overnight and are supposed to get more today. It would be nice if it holds off until we’re back from Lunch Bunch, but I won’t complain if it doesn’t. My flowers are saying, “ahhhhhhh!”

Glenning Welhan-Yoga Journal

I’m feeling more in control lately. Our eating in a more Mediterranean fashion, with lots more veggies and fruits, using meat as a flavoring, rather than the main focus of our meals, is working for us. I’m continuing to find ways to sneak veggies in, since my husband is hyper-sensitive to that, already deciding the veggies or the recipe featuring them will be ‘awful’ before he even tries it, but I’m getting better at it. :0) Some of the meals are getting rave reviews! I’m still kind of on my own, since there are very few ‘Mediterranean Recipes’ as such, that DON’T feature things I KNOW my husband will throw up his hands about, but what we’re doing seems to be in the right direction.

I’ve discovered that either cottage cheese or almonds is a good, filling snack for me in the afternoons. I’m trying my best NOT to be up in the middle of the night, when NOTHING deters me from stuffing my face. I’m on DAY 49 of my daily yoga practice today. Although I’m still an old, stiff broad, the yoga stretches really help me feel better. Our yellow lab, Amber, looks forward to my practices now, running over to smile at me, snuffle me, and try to push me off the mat before I sternly order her to get in her “PLACE.” (Can you STERNLY order anything while laughing?)

Over the past week I’ve lost 4 lbs. I’m using MyFitnessPal.com to make sure I’m staying under my calorie limit for the day. The big thing is that I’m feeling more in control of what I’m eating, drinking, and doing. The fact that all seems to be coming together to result in my losing part of the lard is definitely motivating.

Enjoy your Friday!

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September 1, 2022 · 9:31 am

Happy September 2022!

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Happy new month! May this month bring nice, calm weather to all of us so we can spend as much time as we would like outside. Things outside here look pretty ragged. I gave up trying to get things under control since Mother Nature was trying to fry me like a piece of bacon or steam me like veggies in a steamer each time I went out. I would love to be able to enjoy being outside again, to get my veggie garden under control, and my flower planters. It’s super-humid here right now, so it’s another ‘steamer’ day – but we MIGHT finally get some rain this afternoon and evening. All appendages are crossed.

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I’m finally seeing some progress again. I’m being a good girl with my snacks now, unless I’m up in the middle of the night. Then I can eat the entire fridge in one sitting. I don’t know why my motivation/determination/common sense flee the scene in the middle of the night. I’m just trying everything I can to NOT have to be up, and therefore NOT having to control myself when my defenses are down. So far, the smirk on my scales is fading. :0) DAY 48 today on my daily yoga practice!

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PROJECTS UPDATE –

I should be able to finish my project to reorganize the books in my bedroom bookshelves today. I moved more books into the guest room shelves yesterday (my Robert B. Parker collection), so my shelves in the bedroom are now ready to clean and reorganize.

My husband remarks every time he gets another drink from our main fridge how good it looks. (his highest compliment in that regard comes from the fact that he’s a Marine (‘once a Marine, always a Marine’) – he says it’s ‘shining like a diamond in a goat’s ass.’ Iffy as a compliment at best, but quite colorful and heartfelt, nonetheless…

I’m taking pictures today and will try to get some more products listed on my Etsy site today.

Enjoy the start of a new month today!

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August 31, 2022 · 9:06 am

Wednesday Thoughts 8-31-2022

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We’re about to put this month to bed and I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m hoping we’ll get a cool-down soon – with more than a tease of rain chances – so I can enjoy being outside again.

IndiaMART

Even though my scales are still laughing at me, I saw improvement this morning. I found a new snack – 1 oz of Blue Diamond Lightly Salted Almonds with Sea Salt. The 1 oz is about 28 almonds. 170 calories. Filling and delicious. I’m enjoying them with a bottle of water after my yoga practice (DAY 47).

When we leave for errands today, we’ll change out our mailbox decoration. This scarecrow helps us welcome hopefully cooler weather with open arms.

Right Attitudes

I’m going to concentrate on my bookshelves in our bedroom today. I’ve moved a bunch of books out of there into the guest room, plus gathered a grocery bag of books to donate to the library. Today I’ll see if there is more to donate and then clean the shelves and reorganize the books.

Let’s make today a good one.

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August 20, 2022 · 11:02 am

WHAT!?!

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I have gained 5 pounds since I switched from Low-Carb eating to Mediterranean style eating. I’m trying to take one day – one meal – at a time, but the 5 pounds is a round number that I really don’t like. If that were all I had to lose, I would look at it more calmly – but it’s just the tip of the iceberg I’ve been trying to lose for quite awhile now.

Add to that – my hips and knees have been strenuously talking to me for the past week, making it much harder to do my daily yoga session. I’ve modified that, trying to do all my poses, but fewer reps or not pushing quite so hard, adding muscle gel and Tylenol to the mix, trying to exercise my way through it. (I’m on DAY 36 today.)

The good news is that my digestion is good now. My body seems to really like the increase in veggies and fruit. I’m not having to take ANY medications now related to this, and for that I’m grateful.

I’m just ‘making a note’ that I’ll be happier when there is less of me.

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August 6, 2022 · 9:39 am

Good Saturday Morning 8-6-2022

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I wish I woke up eager to start the day, a smile ready. Instead, I always get up reluctantly, grudgingly, putting one foot in front of the other, trying to get morning chores under control quickly and then enjoy a cup of coffee.

Today is much nicer because I just finished chatting with our son. Before he moved to Thailand, he set up a secure chat program for us, as well as a conference call program, so we can have good communications even though he’s all the way across the world. He has recently purchased a condo and is having it renovated. Huge new windows have been installed that will be much more efficient and make his condo much quieter from the outside traffic. He’s now going to set up a 2nd bedroom to be a combination office and music room. I’m eager to see how he sets it up. We can type-real-time with each other, plus send pics, leave messages and pics, plus actually visit on video when we’re all up at the same time, so I get everything but his stellar hugs. Can you see me smiling?

Empowered Parents

Yesterday I got the Christmas presents I’ve made for friends protected from the elements and stored safely until gift-giving time. I also got some work done on the inside of the Christmas cards I’m painting. I may be able to finish them today – except for flattening them again.

Now Cook This!

I’m using the chicken we brought home from yesterday’s Lunch Bunch and making what we call “Main Meal Salad” for dinner tonight. I’ll sneak some extra veggies in there. My scales are finally beginning to notice my efforts on eating – or NOT eating – and I’m on DAY 22 on my daily-yoga-practice goal. (Picture my husband cheering me on in his recliner while chomping on some Fritos . :0)

Enjoy your Saturday.

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June 18, 2022 · 9:22 am

Achieving Balance

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I am finding some good answers on what will work best for me as far as eating and exercising, getting healthier, more flexible, and feeling good.

Last night we were simply heating up individual portions of things I had cooked before and frozen. Cooking another veggie seemed too much, so I just got out some of the raw veggies I cut up recently and have been eating with dip for snacks to put to the side of the plate. I asked my husband if he wanted some, and he said, “Sure.” Later, when we were eating, he said they tasted ‘good.’ :0)

So, I’m consciously eating more veggies every day, less meat (used mainly as a flavoring now, some fruit, nuts, avoiding added sugar, salt, most white things, except for one dinner roll – a thing to which I look forward. I’m trying not to eat snacks, or anything after dinner. Many times I’m successful.

I’m consciously more active. Right now I’m in a cleaning mode. My house keeps asking, “Who IS this?” I’m working on really deep cleaning our master bathroom. It’s large – with a room that has a double lavatory and countertop, a whirlpool tub, and my walk-in closet. Another room has the toilet and a shower. I’ve been doing the minimum for a while, so I’m trying to DEEP clean it this time.

I’m adding some new poses to my yoga routine in the afternoons, though late afternoon is the best time to be outside working in the garden or my tomatoes or my yard, so I’m having an internal fight over this one. So far I’m doing one or the other, but I would LIKE to do both. I’m working on it.

The result of all this is I feel better. I’m sleeping better. I’m starting to lose some of my lard. Win/Win/Win.

Balance is all.

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May 27, 2022 · 9:13 am

Veggies and Fruit

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I’m trying to adopt new eating patterns now. My doc told me to take my thyroid med by itself in the morning, then wait at least an hour to eat or take my other meds. I have an alarm set for that now as I type this. Today that means I won’t eat breakfast, since we would leave in another our for Lunch Bunch. Most days, though, I’ll plan to eat a bit of breakfast when I take my other meds.

I’m concentrating on adding as many good veggies and fruit as I can to our diet in this first push toward a Mediterranean plan. When we’re busy, I’m eating a Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer Bowl while my husband eats something else, and making us another veggie to go with our meal. I’m eating a piece of fruit as a snack each day. We’re cutting back on meats, using them as flavoring, instead of the main focus. I’m making a beef stew in the crock pot tomorrow, with lots and lots of veggies.

So far, I think this will be the thrust in the change in diet, since my husband rarely meets a veggie he likes. I downloaded another Mediterranean cookbook onto my Kindle last night. It got lots of good reviews on Amazon, but so far, the recipes I’ve seen in other cookbooks or recipes online center on chick peas, couscous, eggplant, kale, tofu, etc. and this would cause not only derision, but revolt from my other half. I’m hoping I can find a few good things in the new book. It may be that I just collect one or two from several sources, add them to the recipes I already have that my husband likes, and start a rotation. Whatever the case, I’m hoping that eating lots of fruits and veggies coupled with my moving more regimen will result in a happy result on the scales and from my measuring tape.

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May 16, 2022 · 12:50 pm

Short Rant

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Okay. I’m feeling MUCH, much better.

I’m eating more veggies and fruits. I’m eating healthy. I’ve even splurged a couple of times, but not badly. My ‘rant’ is the frustrated question – why does feeling better have to mean I’ve gained 3 pounds? I’ve been trying really hard to lose the lard. I haven’t been doing anything ‘weird,’ in my efforts. I have now learned that the high fat on the keto plan is not the best one for ME, with my lack of gallbladder, after trying all the suggestions for compensating for that.

I’m trying to eat more whole, fresh veggies, fruit, nuts, meats as a flavoring. I’m still trying to move more, including more exercises as I am able. I’m drinking water. Increasing fiber. Watching my portions.

I’ll keep on keepin’ on, but it’s aggravating that what is supposed to be GOOD for me results in MORE of me so far…

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May 12, 2022 · 9:48 am

Adapting

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Because I’m older-than-dirt and have no gallbladder, I’m having to adapt my eating program to lose the lard. Even with taking all the suggestions I could find on making it work and trying several meds, it’s with regret I’m changing my eating regimen once again. I had done a good, conscientious job, turning the keto stick dark purple. I was losing weight gradually, but my digestion wasn’t being cooperative.

I’m still avoiding any added sugar, trying to keep it as low as possible. I’m still trying to keep starches to a minimum. I’m concentrating on veggies and fruit, with meat as a flavoring, rather than the focus. I’m adding fiber, trying to get my system working the way it should again.

I’m not worried about the scales or the measuring tape until my system is under good control again and my normal energy is back.

I AM continuing my exercise program as much as possible, though my cleaning-and-re-organizing-the-pantry-program has been a substitute the past three days. I’m getting all the exercise I can handle pulling and hauling things around, scrambling up and down the ladder for at least an hour each day.

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April 30, 2022 · 10:51 am

Finagle’s Law

Finagle’s law of dynamic negatives (also known as Melody’s law, Sod’s Law or Finagle’s corollary to Murphy’s law) is usually rendered as “Anything that can go wrong, will—at the worst possible moment.”

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Since I’m finally losing some weight – and losing inches in conjunction with that, I hope – I put in an order for a size smaller jeans.

I ordered one pair. (They are too long and I’m having to roll them up, but they are a much better fit otherwise.) I put in a follow-up order for the same size, but in ‘petite’ (a tactful word for SHORT.) I received one pair (I’m wearing them now) , but the other pair is on back-order.

My husband suggested I order a couple more pairs in the same size, so I would be in good shape once they arrive. I did that, and also ordered a size smaller, since I’m hoping I’ll be ready for that in the future. I also ordered some shorts, since our weather changes from spring to summer temperatures sometimes in the space of a couple of days.

Yesterday I had a delivery! The package was on our front porch waiting, since we had gone to look for my husband’s sugar-free drinks.

Finagle’s Law of Dynamic Negatives definitely applies –

  • Did I receive the back-ordered pair of jeans from the original order? NO.
  • Was it the additional order of the current sized jeans? NO.
  • The shorts? NO.

The delivery was the two pairs of SMALLER jeans I’m hoping to be able to wear in the future, once I shed more of my lard. :0)

Hahahahahahaahahahah. I guess they will be further motivation on my efforts…

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April 29, 2022 · 2:20 pm

Hostility vs Maturity – No Contest

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This is a fight between my head and my gut feelings and my gut feelings are winning right now. It doesn’t matter that I KNOW I’m being childish/immature/unrealistic/whatever-other-adjective-you-choose. It’s how I FEEL, and that is overriding any chance of my acting like an adult.

And, why am I feeling/acting this way, you ask? (Assuming you’re still reading :0) )

I’m being really, really good on my low-carb diet and exercise program. In fact, I’m finishing a month of low-carb eating and tracking, and am on Week 3 of a really good exercise program created by Mike Kutcher, a Seniors’ Specialist Physiotherapist and Exercise Scientist on the website MoreLifeHealth/Seniors.com.

SOMETHING seems to be happening, because my Keto Stix are turning deep purple now. My scales are yo-yo-ing in results. I don’t care if I don’t LOSE weight every day. I realize there is a lot that goes into what shows on the scales any given day. But I resent GAINING weight. Yesterday, for example, the scales showed I had GAINED 2 lbs. Today I’m down half a pound from that, but I’m varying too much for me to handle like an adult. I’ve been told not to weigh every day, and I see the sense in that. The trouble is, I’ve learned the hard way that if I DON’T check it every day, my mind seems to go into relaxation mode, figuring ‘a little bit of this or a little bite of that shouldn’t matter.’ The scales represent my personal accountability.

SOMETHING ELSE seems to be happening, too, in that my jeans got loose. I ordered the next size down. My husband told me to go ahead and order more in that size. I did, but my NEW jeans are loose again. The MEASURING TAPE isn’t showing ANY progress, though. I’ve also read that measurements can be off from one time to the next and that you need to be really careful with it, but I AM.

So. I’m feeling hostile. I would LIKE to have results on the scales and with the measuring tape that I can point to – at least in the comfort of my own home – giving me positive feedback.

I’m SUPPOSED to be reporting to you today the end of WEEK 4 on my low-carb and the end of WEEK 3 of my much more active exercise program. I have lost the pandemic weight gain of 6.6 pounds and am back to my 30-pounds-off-from-my-heaviest point. I have lost about 28 inches from my heaviest, but no difference except the jeans thing to this point in my new push to get and stay healthier.

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I will ‘keep on keepin’ on.” Fingers crossed that my results by the end of May will be more encouraging.

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April 25, 2022 · 12:06 pm

Eating, Not Eating…

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I’m word playing off the title of the Demi Lovato song, “Sorry, Not Sorry” in the title of this because I’m “eating, not eating,” a lot of what I used to eat. Some I’m just giving up until further notice, if not forever. I’m substituting ‘acceptable foods’ for other things I don’t want to give up completely in my quest to get and stay healthier.

An example of this is that I now make spaghetti sauce for both of us as usual, the only change being that I look for the one with the lowest carbs I can find. I make macaroni for my husband (he likes that better than actual spaghetti) and make ‘zoodles’ (spaghetti substitute make from zucchini) for mine. This is okay because I really like meals with pasta and will go for a lot of things that are supposed to pass for spaghetti, noodles, and rice. I also use spaghetti squash and plan to make more of the spaghetti squash and zoodles soon and keep individual portions in the freezer. I’m not as fond of ‘cauli-rice,’ (a substitute for rice.) I’m TRYING to convince myself I like it.

Each week my new regimen of low-carb eating and a lot more exercise gets a bit easier. I now write out what exercises I’ll do each day for the week on my desk calendar. I give myself a star for each part. :0) For example, I consider the videos I’m doing daily (warm up, stretches, and one of two weight videos) as one star. A second star is bestowed when I do my elliptical or 30-minute video workout on alternating days. A third is earned when I do my 30 minutes of stretching yoga. It feels good to see all the sparkly stars on my calendar. :0)

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April 23, 2022 · 10:42 am

Sunny Saturday

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It’s beautiful here in Arkansas today – a great day to do some work outside. I finished weeding my veggie garden yesterday, and will either cut stuff in the yard down today or choose a planter to clean up. Tomorrow brings “rain and storms” all day, starting early morning and ending late, so it’ll be an inside day.

Here is my garden. I’m still working on trying to get the irrigation system programmed correctly, but with rain all day tomorrow, the pressure isn’t so great. I plan to start harvesting spinach and leaf lettuce next week for some lovely main meal salads.

Our yellow iris are just beginning to bloom now. We have purple ones left, but they are fading.

This is the first bloom on one of our Rio Samba rosebushes. I need to prune them carefully.

I don’t remember the name of these sweet blue flowers. They are perennial and seem to last a long time. Maybe this planter – heavily in need of clean-up, will be the one I work on today.

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I feel triumphant today because I have officially broken into ‘new territory’ on my ‘lose-the-lard’ project. A couple of days ago I got back to my pre-pandemic weight which was 30-pounds-down from my heaviest. This morning I lost some more, so HOORAY! I’m setting a goal of another 5 lbs down (which seems more doable with the goal in sight.) Today I’m wearing new jeans which are one size smaller than I was wearing before, so that’s a concrete, satisfying thing I can enjoy while I try to move more and keep my mouth shut. :0)

I hope that you have a safe, happy Saturday.

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