Mrsj's Jots & Jive

[crickadoodle]

Mrs. J -- Part of what helped me to stay focused and stick to the plan was realizing if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to care for my mom the way she needed me to.  I understand, though, how sometimes the busyness of caring for others can cause you to neglect yourself.  Love you!!

[mrsj]

Mrs. J -- Part of what helped me to stay focused and stick to the plan was realizing if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to care for my mom the way she needed me to.  I understand, though, how sometimes the busyness of caring for others can cause you to neglect yourself.  Love you!!

Rhonda, I sure have thought of you throughout all this....with much admiration for how you help your Mom while taking care of yourself.  DH & I talk about how we need to help ourselves first so that we can be of help to the moms.  There is still an adjustment time for getting back in the groove of living with my mom again.....for her as well as ourselves......and hopefully we'll do better this year than we did last year.  Thanks Rhonda for your love and understanding.......kind of knew you would. 

[mrsj]

MrsJ, I understand your situation.  All of our parents are deceased, but my I remember those days, but how we miss them.  It is hard to focus on yourself when caring for others, but when you think about it, you will have more energy and be more healthy.  I've missed you.  and    JF

Thanks JF!  I feel your love and support! DH & I have also talked about how we would miss our moms and how we would look back thankful that we had this time with them.  Too many friends have shared as you have how much the parents are missed.  There's no doubt it is the right thing for us to do to help our moms in this way.  I definitely need more energy now.  It takes more out of me when my mom stays with us than when DH's mom stays with us.
I'm still working my way to eating LDL only but so far have fallen a little short.  Funny thing is my mom needs to gain weight as I need to lose it!  I just need to get cooking! 

[mrsj]

LDL is absolutely the best WOE to keep those Moms healthier!
I wish I had known about LDL years ago.
I am sure I could have prevented my own mom's premature death.
(Premature meaning passing on at 79 rather than 120!)

I agree Linda!  LDL is the healthiest way to eat.  Actually, my mom is one of the healthiest eating people I know.  She's one of those skinny diabetics (diabetes just diagnosed last year) and I'm guessing heredity has more to do with it than how she eats.  Seems she's handling that pretty well always having good numbers.  She has more problems staying on top of her indigestion problems.  However, the worst for her is missing my dad who died in 08.  Mom will be 78 and I see what you mean about premature passing for your mom, especially when I see how amazing dh's mom does at age 90.......or as she says, 90 1/2. 

[LINDA RN]

If you can get your mom off the grains for even a little while, the indigestion may go.
She may also need a round for Probiotics for a few months.
Taking Probiotics and stopping the grains completely cured DH of 30+ years of Tums, Myland, Pepsid and Zantac!

[crickadoodle]

I think probiotics and enzymes could both be really helpful.  My mom is taking both.

I'm also ignoring my mom's complaints that she doesn't want to do her exercise.  I'm doing really well with that now.  For a time I let her complaints get me down and I didn't force her to do it.  Well, I realized, she will do what I ask her to do if I insist.  She was getting skinnier and skinnier.  Her muscle was down to practically nothing because she sat in her chair all day and if I didn't try to reverse that, she'd get to the point of having to be in a nursing home.  I guess I'm sort of a drill sergeant with her now, but I find that she complains less and less when she realizes that I will not give in.  Kind of like raising a kid, I guess.    It is the tough love thing. 

[Joyful Friend]

I understand completely!    JF

[LINDA RN]

Maybe you remind her of herself when you are pushing her the way she used to push you.
It is rough when you have to b Mom to your own Mom.

[mrsj]

@Crickadoodle - guess it's the teacher in you helping you to help your mom do what she needs to do.  Sounds like it's working fine for both of you now.  You have my admiration!

@Linda & Crick - where do you get your probiotics & enzymes.  I don't have a clue how to include that in a diet.
That's for indigestion?
Linda, my mom eats oatmeal every morning lately.  Grains would be this or any cereal, right?
Mom's latest blood tests has her a1c at 7.4 and the doc wants it lower.  She was prescribed only 1 metformin tablet before and will now take 2 each day.

B: smoothie - banana, frozen mango, iced tea, truvia
L: salad, chicken & green beans in tomato sauce, beantatoes (instead of the rice that would normally go with this main dish), & finadene which is a Guamanian condiment of soy sauce, vinegar, & chopped onions.
D: grapes   

[jsprik]

hhhmmmm.... i can never remember if it's mango i don't care for or papaya...which one is like a reddish orange??

[LINDA RN]

If you have indigestion or gas, the probiotics will correct that. But they do so much more.
They will correct digestion and absorption problems which will in turn boost your immunity.
The first Probiotics we took were Dr. Becker's Probiotic Plus.
http://www.bioinnovations.net/prodinfo. ... er=BN66060

You can also find other brands at Vita Cost or Pilgrim's Pride on line, or a local Health Food store
I usually try to get the most cultures with the highest count for the best price.
They come tablet or liquid. I really don't think you get enough in the Activia Yogurt plus you get alot of extra sugar.

I would find something else for your mom other than oatmeal or cereals in the morning for a while.
Try her on some fruit smoothies with white beans blended in to stabilize her blood sugar in the mornings.
Hope this helps.

[crickadoodle]

I get probiotics from Vitacost.com and also from Nature's Sunshine.  Enzymes from Nature's Sunshine.

[mrsj]

hhhmmmm.... i can never remember if it's mango i don't care for or papaya...which one is like a reddish orange??

Hi Jo!  I think it's the papaya that's reddish orange.  I searched for "picture of papaya" and "picture of mango" to compare them to each other.
I see you and I are restarting LDL this year.  Good for you.....and me! 
mrsj

[mrsj]

I would find something else for your mom other than oatmeal or cereals in the morning for a while.
Try her on some fruit smoothies with white beans blended in to stabilize her blood sugar in the mornings.
Hope this helps.

Thanks Linda for the info on the probiotics!
Mom decided to back away from oatmeal or cereals for awhile.  She had strawberries and fried eggs this morning.  For right now she is also staying away from tomatoes and corn.....ingredients in a lot of my LDL recipes that I love.
She does seem interested in the beans more.  I wish I had thought to put her eggs over refried beans!  She liked that last year when I had her try it.  She also had some beantatoes with her supper tonight and liked it.  Stay tuned on the smoothies.

@Crickadoodle - thanks my friend for your info too!

B: not hungry
L: egg salad on corn thins (Wasn't it Jasmine who called them corn things, lol?)
D: ham & cabbage that mom cooked; bowl of chicken & green beans over beantatoes all topped with finadene from yesterdays lunch; asparagus; one slice of sweet potato plain, iced tea w/splenda

[jsprik]

hhhmmmm.... i can never remember if it's mango i don't care for or papaya...which one is like a reddish orange??

Hi Jo!  I think it's the papaya that's reddish orange.  I searched for "picture of papaya" and "picture of mango" to compare them to each other.
I see you and I are restarting LDL this year.  Good for you.....and me! 
mrsj

cool, thnx!! 

and yes...i restarted the middle of april somewhere, i love ldl and i am sticking with it for life!! 

best wishes and many blessings,
jo

[mrsj]

So this seems to be my downfall - not focusing on LDL while focusing on moms.  Who knew this would be hard!?
Now that I realize this is hard for me, hopefully I will figure out quicker how to be better at helping myself take care of myself with LDL.  I've got to!

I'm not there yet......focusing on LDL like I need to.  I was doing good and had reached the point of no cravings during the 1st few weeks of starting over.  Love, love, love when I am at that stage even when I'm not losing.  However this month I've been gaining.  If stress makes you gain then that could be part of it.  Our household had 15 medical appts. for the month of July.  So tired!......and so I caved the end of this month.  Maybe if it had not been dh's birthday I might not have given in.......but in my weakened state........  Lol, how weak is that?
Yeah, it's back to the drawing board for me.
   
Fortunately I can say that my mom is doing better with her health now than when we first brought her down to stay with us.
God bless you all!
mrsj

[jsprik]

glad your mom is doing better!! now maybe you can focus a little more on yourself....and yes, stress can do a number of things to your body, the least of which can be weight gain or loss, depending on the person...you apparently are one of the "lucky" ones that gains, as am i!!

speaking of birthdays..mine is tomorrow..thankfully i have no desire to eat anything i shouldn't so i can steer clear of the cake and ice cream! but i know i'll hear  from at least one person "come on, you're not even gonna eat it on your birthday"...and i'll say "no, not even on my birthday"... she just doesn't get it... she doesn't eat stuff like that ever cause she doesn't really like it and she knows it will make her fat but i have to eat it cause it's my birthday??

anyway just checking in...
God Bless...
jo

[mrsj]

speaking of birthdays..mine is tomorrow..thankfully i have no desire to eat anything i shouldn't so i can steer clear of the cake and ice cream! but i know i'll hear  from at least one person "come on, you're not even gonna eat it on your birthday"...and i'll say "no, not even on my birthday"... she just doesn't get it... she doesn't eat stuff like that ever cause she doesn't really like it and she knows it will make her fat but i have to eat it cause it's my birthday??

Happy happy birthday tomorrow Jo!!!  That's great you are at the stage where you have no desire for cake & ice cream.  You're doing great!.......and yeah........she doesn't get it......it's your birthday present to yourself to pass on the sweets.  It's funny that someone who doesn't eat that stuff would make an issue over someone else eating it.
Hope you have a great day tomorrow!

mrsj

[LINDA RN]

Jo, make you a big batch of your favorite fruit smoothie. Make it thick and creamy and then put it in a container and into the freezer.
Tomorrow when you treat yourself, I will bet everyone will go for your smoothie.
If they really pig out on it, ask them which kind of frozen fruit will they be bringing you tomorrow so you can make more!

[mrsj]

I have started over with LDL on Oct 26th.  I weighed in on Dec 26th and have lost 6 pounds.  That's only 3 pounds a month but it's also eating LDL during the holidays so I am happy.

My Mom is in her home as we took her back in Oct. and is doing fairly well.  My LDL focus while she was here just did not remain strong as we helped her through her health needs.  I certainly understand Roger's need to focus on his Mom over being here on the boards.
In the last 2 years I have gained 23 pounds with letting myself get sidetracked, especially with my mother.  I need to rely more on the Lord at these times apparently.  I did better focusing on LDL when I was with my dh as he went through chemo and radiation.  Btw, he's still doing great and cancer free.

So now I have 18 pounds to lose to reach my goal again.  It was such an awesome feeling to reach my goal weight in Nov. 2009 and I want that again.  LDL is the only way I know I can do this.  Now to find that unstuffed cabbage recipe!
mrsj