Linda RN's Journal

[barrypaxton]

Linda,

Stay safe from the storm.

I read somewhere on these boards that a raw apple everyday will help to promote better weight lose. Since reading that, I have tried to eat an apple everyday. I figure that it can't hurt any and may even help.

Take care,
Ollie

[LINDA RN]

Have not posted much because I know the reasons for my lack of pounds discarded is my own fault for no following LDL as written. The big reason is breaking habits years in the making. Not horrible habits, just not planning ahead or even feeling like doing what I know to do. Had to go back and revisit an old revelation that I keep bypassing. Last night I determined to stay up and cook a big pot of pizza soup. I momentarily considered leaving the beef out so I could do fruit and soup flush today. I have been low on energy and wanting to sleep alot but plugging on. Sooooo, I threw in the meat and divided it up in ziplock bowls. Took the largest bowl with me to work today. Med size, probably a quart. Just had eggs for breakfast and nothing to snack on, so I was famished at 12:30! I ate the whole thing! I am still stuffed with an apple still on the table in the break room. Usually I am eating again around 3 and famished again by the time I get home. It is 4pm and still stuffed. Eating small amounts every couple hours is a hard habit to break. Breaking it takes planning. I am still working on that. I know when I get it right, I will be moving faster toward my goal.  Once I make the new habits permanent, maintaining will be a breeze.

[jkate]

Linda ~ Glad I stumbled onto your posts. I donated the other day and they gave me a reading when they tested the finger blood and she said 14 or 14.2 something like that but I didn't have a clue what that meant or what she was talking about. My BP was 117/73 and I ask what my pulse was - 76. I was very pleased as a doctor had once - 2 years ago put me on BP medication that I took for 2 months then got off of it but regularly had it checked. I am anxious to get the total cholesterol reading which will be ready in about ten days to read after donating. Last time when I donated in November it was 230. I am so hoping it will be down.

Did you get the neat calendar that they sent out with your Name on it every time you turn the page? Neat huh?

I am trying to follow LDL WOE correctly but some days I don't succeed but sure does feel good when I do and can't wait for the weight and inches to start dropping off! Keep posting - love reading your posts and always love hearing about the Oklahoma weather. Usually AR weather follows it. ha  Hop you have a great week!

[LINDA RN]

jkate,
Two ways to measure the relationship of iron and red blood cells in the blood. The Hemoglobin and the Hematocrit. Sounds like the numbers they gave you was your hemoglobin and if so your numbers are very good. Your BP was excellent also. Congrats for being able to get off The medication successfully. I think my cholesterol was 230 or 240 a big jump from my usual 210. But I know it will come down also. No calendars Here. In Oklahoma everyone wants TeeShirts. I have quite a collection. No prize for getting turned down though

OK I still had stuff in my fridge I needed to use. Thought the recipe for Red and Green Crockpot Soup sounded good. I am going to post what I did so some who may be new can see how easy this WOE is to adapt. No expensive special foods to buy. Started with some frozen onion, pepper celery, seasoning mix sauteed in EVCO. Poured in about 4 qt filtered water and the carcass of a Sam's Club Rotisserie chicken. Boiled that about an hour Then chunk-ed up 2 large turnips, about half a head of cabbage, a large seeded the diced jalapeno pepper.  Was going to cut up some tomatoes from the garden that had ripened but they looked too far gone. Let it simmer another 30 min or so and it was so good. DH went for seconds. I ate again until stuffed. Now I am ready for bed without snacking!

Predicting snow in the morning so I'm glad I am all stocked up with great soup.

[jkate]

Linda ~ Thanks on the interpretation of the numbers. I figured the blood test must be really good because of the comments that I get when they read them! We just have to get that total Cholesterol number down! I will let you know what my new number is on the total and if it is higher I may go back to the doctor on that.

Came back in here to edit - just received the new total cholesterol number 218. Yea it was down but would have been delighted if it were down just a bit more - at least below 200. If I can just eat LDL WOE I know that it WILL come down. Keep your fingers crossed for me - I am weak *****

Yes I can't believe snow is BACK in the forecast! Your dish sounds delish! I may make a big pot of stew to go with the cold weather we are having. Have to work tomorrow and Friday so will be nice to have something already cooked to just warm up.

Hope your doing good today.

[LINDA RN]

Well, the replacement heating element for my turbo oven just arrived. DH is baking banana nut bread for company and I decided to try one in the turbo oven. Nooootttt....It browned only on the top. Had to finish it in the regular oven. They showed baking a cake or brownies in it and had a recipe for home made wheat bread in the accompanying cook book. Maybe needs some tweeking but will not be doing any of this kind of baking in it for a while.

Then I decided to try some fish (DH bought a bag of catfish fillets and did not know they were not breaded). I had done a steak on the rack before the elelment went out and it still turned out tough so I thought I would try Mary J's recipe for the salmon. It was late at night and did not have all the ingredients so here is what I did:
On the low rack I placed 4-5 frozen fillets on the non-stick round pan. Brushed them with some EVCO and then seasoned with Goya Adobo. Cooked them at 400 for 30 min, then turned them over for another 20 min. I was surprised how moist and tender they were. DH did not like them at all because they were not crispy, sooooooo I cooked them all and put 3 in each ziplock bag and froze them. That will solve the problem of me not having enough protein on hand to take to work. Will buy the breaded cod fillets from Sam's for DH. They cook very well in the turbo oven on the "cookie sheet".

Been wanting to do the roasted veggies for some time so started with frozen corn. Spread a little EVCO on the cookie sheet then poured enough corn on the pan to cover in a single layer and sprinkled a little salt. Baked at 400 for 15 min, stopped and stirred the corn a bit and baked another 10 min and they were evenly golden brown! Yummy.  These will be a staple to take to work for that mid-morning munchie attack. Next time, I will leave off the oil all together. I am going to do the garbanzos next. Also have some frozen peas I will try. When I get the recipes down pat I will post maybe in a new section...Cooking LDL with a Turbo Oven.

[LINDA RN]

Hopefully plateau is broken!

Started LDL in November, just in time for DH to try his hand at baking Holiday goodies (for the kids and grandkids, LOL) Well I couldn't resist so I did try to limit and ate LDL with everything else. Weight stalled for obvious reasons. Got a little more serious Jan 1st. Stayed with LDL choices as much as I could, still not completely pure and for 2 1/2 months watched weight fluctuate up and down 5-6 lbs but never breaking under the lowest weight I recorded early in November. Been thinking it was because I have been eating to late at night, eating protein at night because I did not get enough at lunch and came home famished, too much popcorn, too many bananas, etc, etc, etc. Had company this weekend so still ate too many bananas and popcorn, then all of a sudden this morning I am down to that lowest weight. I truely think my body was resetting. 2 1/2 months is a long time but I am glad I waited it out and stuck with the plan. I believe i will start loosing again now never to go back to where I started. I am sure I could have broken it sooner with adding some exercise or more fruit, but hey I am just glad I am not gaining. Everyone would love to drope sizes in clothes rapidly. Even yesterday I hated how fat I looked, then today my clothes are loose and I feel great! If you can't loose quickly, what's the alternative? Gain even more? Not me, I am staying here as long as it takes! Size 10 is my goal but a size 14 right now sound like a great short-term goal

[jkate]

Linda ~ You are doing awesome and with the right attitude! Your steady stay with it progress is encouraging!

[LINDA RN]

Thank you,
I was already committed to eating healthy in order to stay healthy. But when I saw the LDL plan I knew this was something I could teach to others

[LINDA RN]

Well, today 2 people at work commented on me looking like I had lost weight since the last time they saw me. Said it showed in my face! WooHoo. One of them was a lady I had talked to about LDL and gave her the copy of the magazine article. She said, "I have been reading that article and look, I even have my fruit." She was holding a fresh orange. Thanks be unto God! It is working.

Found this article on AOL and thought it was interesting that now everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon of lets make our favorite foods healthier. This one is not LDL friendly, but wanted to post it as a recipe to try on those friends and family who have not converted from junk food yet. Would be a healthier dish to take for church or other social functions. I also thought the recipe guru's could work it until they came up with a tasty LDL-approved version to post.

Skinny Ambrosia
by Jennifer Iserloh, Posted Mar 22nd 2010 @ 1:00PM

Ambrosia salad is one of those 1950s marshmallow concoctions that I ate at picnics and graduations when I was a kid. It's a fruit salad but there's nothing healthy about it -- candy-coated fluff traditionally made with Cool Whip, mayonnaise or sour cream and marshmallows.

The salad gets its name from the magical strength building food eaten by the Gods of Greek mythology, reputed to retain immortality. I'll admit that this marshmallow and mayo disaster does have a dreamy flavor, but it needs a serious shape up. I've added dried mango for sweetness in place of the high-fructose corn syrup-laden marshmallows. Instead of Cool Whip, mayo or sour cream, I've used high-protein, low-fat Greek yogurt and kept the coconut flakes. I've replaced all canned fruit with fresh, and if you want to serve this as a healthy breakfast, leave out the powdered sugar.

Skinny Ambrosia
Serves 6

3/4 cup (6 oz) reduced-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
2 large navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
2 cups green, red or black seedless grapes, cut in half
1 large banana, sliced
1/2 cup flaked, unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds
1⁄4 cup chopped dried mango

In a large serving bowl, whisk yogurt, sugar, and almond extract until smooth. Fold in the pineapple, orange sections, grapes, banana, coconut flakes, almonds, and mango. Chilled covered one hour before serving.

Nutritional Stats Per Serving (1 cup):
194 calories, 4g protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat (2 g saturated), 2 mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 42 mg sodium.

[LINDA RN]

I have to admit being somewhat envious of Crickadoodle and her LDL class at her church. Wished I could do something to impact others lives with LDL.

All started with the posting about how the microwave ruins our food and that was all I had to warm my soups at work. I was just glad to now get soups made ahead of time and be able to take them to work. But wished there was something better. Then, I believe the Lord reminded me that I have a large crock pot stored in the back of a cabinet, that I was not using. The idea given me was bring the crock pot to work and invite everyone to bring in their fave canned beans and veggies and every day we will throw together a soup of what is on hand! Everyone likes the idea so I am getting stuff together to take tomorrow.

I figured that after a couple weeks we may tire of soups and can switch to other recipes or salads or smoothies. We can post a daily menu of suggestions. I will print off the recipes I have saved off the boards and invite anyone who wants to try one to post a day to fix it for everyone else. The pizza soup I took to work was a hit and now people are starting to ask more questions about the food and the healthful benefits.
Praise God and thank you Roger.

[VickiLynn]

Linda

What a great idea  :thumbsup: .  I'm sure your coworkers are really appreciative of your efforts to not only have a great, nutritious meal, but to learn what you have been eating to lose all those pounds you have lost so far on LDL. I think you are having a great impact on other's lives!!

[MsHeirloom]

That's a great idea, Linda.  You are spreading the word.  I was wondering if those immersion heaters are still available.  i had one when I lived in the dorm in the 60s and used it to heat water for tea.  It seems like it might work for a single serving of soup for those in an office setting who are avoiding the use of the microwave.  Pam

[LINDA RN]

They do still make them. But I thought of small crock pots too. You could take your frozen or chilled, made-the-weekend-before soup and put it in a small crock pot when you get to work and it will be ready for you at "lunch time."

I guess I have always been a leftovers cook and that is what I love about this WOE. Without a recipe, here is how the soup went:

Took along a fry daddy pot have not used in a while and fried the very lean ground beef a doctor brought. I had a bag of that frozen seasoning blend (Diced onions and sweet peppers) and instead of cooking it with the meat as I usually do, I threw it in the pot with the beef broth. Then I threw in rinsed and drained one can each of pintos, black beans, garbanzos and corn and then the meat. For flavoring I added a can of Stokes Green Chili Sauce with Pork Ranchero ( I need to use up). I also threw in about a tbsp of salsa someone left in the fridge, and about a tsp of cumin and turmeric and diced garlic, a tbsp of roasted paprika. Had some shredded cheese for the non-LDL'ers but hardly no one used it. Said the flavor was so wonderful without it. They cleaned up every bit of it. Going to make a similar pot today. Next week will try some chicken base soups. Hoping soon others will want to bring their own recipes so I am not doing all the cooking. Already one coworker is calling me "Aunt B", LOL

[MsHeirloom]

Linda- If you could convince the person who supplies the meat (chicken or beef) to precook it, just think how fast this soup would go together.  How about if you copied off a bunch of soup recipes and put them in a binder.  Then the group could use them as inspiration.  Sounds like you will have the whole group convinced.  When I have someone over for lunch who has expressed an interest, I like to make a LDL treat- just to show off and help "hook" them.  You are starting a food ministry!  Congratulations.  Pam

[wendysgoodnews]

Linda what a great idea you have come up with.  I agree with Pam about taking recipes they can choose from to bring ingred.  When we do women's retreats everyone takes a stab at cooking a meal.  Maybe as you get going and get everyone hooked on these soups a schedule could be made so everyone can enjoy being the cook. 

[LINDA RN]

Thank you Wendy and Pam....we are on the same wave length because I already had those ideas, just did not take the time to post.

Cooking the meat in the fry daddy only takes a few minutes and while it is cooking, I am opening cans and rinsing and filling crockpot.

I planned to print the recipes and put in a binder, just have not done it yet.

Also planned to put up a schedule or calendar so we can plan ahead who wants to bring what.

Started out yesterday disappointed, made a bigger pot and only 2 of us ate from it at lunch. Was wondering what I was going to do with the leftovers since I had not brought any storage containers. We were having a retirement party for one of our nurses so many were going out at lunch to get gifts, cake, etc. Even one nurse who would wince when I mention healthy food (he is diabetic so I think he knows better) got into the soup later when he got back from getting cake and I heard him on the phone later bragging on the soup and telling someone what all was in it. He told me later how "awesome" it was. By the time I got back to the break room at 5pm, there was only one small bowlful left. Consisdered taking it home to DH but remembered the nurse (who I had told about LDL and gave her the article) was working the evening shift, so I gave it to her.  The Puerto Ricans who work here really love it! Beans are the staple for them. I think this is really going to catch on since deep down, everyone who works there wants to be healthy. They just need to be shown how to make the transition..

A food ministry.
Now that makes me feel really good!  :angel:
Thanks Pam and Wendy, you made my day!

[MsHeirloom]

!

[LINDA RN]

April first was no April Fool. I discarded another pound! WhooHoo. I can finally see myself in much smaller sizes. Even bought some sweaters on sale for next winter in the next size down! Had to cut out the bananas and popcorn to do it. But got to thinking that the bananas and popcorn were necessary to curb the cravings and make me feel full intead of eating unhealthy stuff. So if anyone else is struggling with the scales or sizes not moving down, Praise God you are not going up! Just keep staying with LDL foods until the cravings do go away and you don't feel like you need the foods that you know are stalling the loss. Took me three months but I am so glad because I am lower now than I have been in a long, long time. DH has lost so much, he has stopped his BP meds and his pressure is lower than mine now.

Happy Easter, Resurection Day Everyone

[Joyful Friend]

Great news, Linda.  JF