Doreen's Journal

[Saved4Life]

I am such a newbie at this point, having only been a full time LDL'er for...well this is only my 5th day !! 

I am very satisfied (so far) with this lifestyle change (never say diet again)...and came to a realization last night.  When my sweet hubby and I sat down to eat dinner (which consisted of left over turkey chili with corn added)...I put the chili into a casserole dish to heat it, and said to Wayne (my hubby)...This is mine, what are you having?...(thinking that there was only enough chili for only me).  He was fine with that and was looking in the fridge for something else.  (Now don't think...how rude and selfish of me - we often do our own thing for dinner  in the evening, because we both have ALWAYS had lunch as our main meal, at least during the work week).

Anyway...when I took the chili out of the microwave...and dished it up into my bowl...the "new me" realized that there was plenty left for W to have some too!  So he did, and we both added some corn to it...delicious!  Note: He added gobs of shredded cheddar cheese...and I learned that I can enjoy chili without the cheese

As I was finishing mine...it suddenly occurred to me that this was the first time I knew what "being full" actually felt like!!!  BECAUSE, I knew if I truly got hungry later...there were frozen grapes waiting for me, or celery sticks or baby carrots.  But, as it turned out, I didn't get hungry at all for the rest of the evening.

MEALS:

Breakfasts:  All week I've had a BIG smoothie for breakfast, but today I had 2 scrambled eggs with a smidge of catsup, and a small smoothie!

Lunches:  All week I've alternated with bean veggie soup w/broiled chicken breast meat added, and turkey chilli, some days with a small salad w/Newmans Own Light Balsamac Vinegarette

Snacks:  One day had air popped popcorn...wasn't crazy about it, too dry (but I'm working on that); apples

Dinners:  Salads, bean veggie soup and sometimes a small portion of turkey chili

LAST NIGHT after my yummy chilli for dinner, I got out my laminated recipe cards (love 'em Roger, thanks), and put together Roger's Burger Recipe and cooked 'em up for tonight's dinner get together before Bible Study...THEY are having hot dogs on buns, with 3 different kinds of potato chips.... I'm having a Roger Burger or 2, with catsup and sliced tomatoes.  It's going to be a real challenge to pass on those chips.  (A dear friend suggested I make up some popcorn, having sprayed w/EVOO as it comes out of the popper into the bowl, and adding sea salt - I just might do that!)

RE: ROGER BURGERS - I made a mini one when I was cooking them last night for a taste test...it was totally fabulous and can't wait to eat them tonight

Well, I have rambled on long enough...for now....ttthhhhat's all folks! 

[patsyfay]

Doreen,
Try making your own "chips" with large carrots or parsnips.  Peel and slice really, really thin and lay them on a cookie sheet sprayed with release spray.  Spray veggies with EVOO and sprinkle with salt.  Bake in oven, probably about 375 degrees (you may want to check that, I think there's a recipe on this site) till they're crunchy. They sell these in the stores as "Gourmet" chips.  YOu can make them at home for pennies on the dollar and decide how much oil and salt you prefer. 
Pat

[Saved4Life]

Pat,

Thank you so much for that advise...I'm going to try that!!!

Doreen

[Saved4Life]

  I AM OFF TO A GGGGRRREAT START!!!

Now I know climbing on the scale isn't something that is recommeded early on LDL...BUT...

drum roll please.....

I jumped on the scale this morning (I just couldn't help myself) and found that I lost a whopping 9 pounds my first week on LDL 

I realize this is not the norm...necessarily...I don't expect to lose that much all the time...but I am very thrilled, and totally encouraged! 

I will try not to get on that thing again until one month from the day I started...I promise!

[patsyfay]

Doreen,
I did the same thing.  I weighed every month, too, and I was always happy with the results.  There were times when it didn't go down at all, but it never went up!!  I'm so happy for your success.  That's really encouraging when you've chosen a new path and aren't sure of the way. This should keep you going for quite a while.  Way to go!!!!
Pat

[Saved4Life]

Pat,

Thanks so much...you are so encouraging to me, and helpful with ideas...can't wait to try the carrot Chips!

[Saved4Life]

Well...yesterday I had

Bkft: Smoothie (banana, pineapple, nectarine, dallop of FF plain yogurt)

Lunch:  Doreen's Turkey Chili Soup (will give details if anyone is interested)

Snacks: apple x 2

Dinner:  Big bowl of pinto beans with freshly grilled onion added, and a small Roger Burger

Snack:  100% fruit bar, no sugar added

Yesterday was the first day I felt hungry in the afternoon...hum....But I didn't give in to those old habits that were telling me...
  Just go for it, you know you want to...

I have made SURE I don't carry any change or single one dollar bills that would so easily find their way to that vending machine right outside my office door, that I hear constantly all day, but have gotten to the point to go to Pandora.com and listen to the spiritual music station I created for myself there...It Helps!

[patsyfay]

What kind of fruit bar was that?  100% fruit?  What does the ingredients list say?  I've been looking for a refreshing treat that has no sugar (anything that ends in "ose") in it, and I haven't found one yet.  Let me know.

Pat

[Saved4Life]

Pat...will check that ingredient list...more closely, but I'm pretty sure they're OK.  I will let you know.

[patsyfay]

Thanks, Doreen.

[Saved4Life]

I looked at the ingredient list on the fruit bars...there was one on the very long list, almost to the bottom of the list that ended in "ose"...Bummer 

This weekend was a big challenge for me.  I did all LDL foods but it was a struggle, even though we out for lunch after church!    BUT...late last night...I had to fill a huge glass jar with M&M's for a project for Relay for Life...selling chances to Guess How Many...win the jar and contents...  Well I had to count them and fill the jar and...right about at the 1,700th M&M...a couple of them jumped into my mouth 

Today is a new day...and I am back on LDL foods   I've completed 2 full weeks, and I AM NOT GETTING ON THAT SCALE, until my one month "anniversary" comes.

Made black bean soup, with carrots, corn, onion, garlic - will have that for lunch..possibly all week since I am working our County Fair every night starting at 5pm tonight thru Saturday at 10pm...going from work to work the Fair!!  Hopefully I can make it until I get home to eat anything, but I am taking my popcorn & Diet Pepsi with me if I have time for it... I'll be totally exhaused but we can use the extra money!

[snowbirdie]

hi there, What are you doing at county fair? sounds like lots of fun.
                                            Judie

[patsyfay]

Sorry about the "ose", Doreen. Even a little can give us the "munchies", as I have learned. It must be fun working a fair.  I loved to go when I was a kid, but now that I'm older, I haven't been in a long time.  I may have to give it another try.
Pat

[Saved4Life]

I have not experienced wanting to eat non LDL foods because of the fruit bars...oh well.

The Fair...well I wish I could say I'm going to be doing something fun, but I'll be in the ticket booth selling admission tickets!  This is a VERY small scale Fair...so it'll probably be a bit boring, but at least I'll have more money at the end of this week!

[patsyfay]

What brand of fruit bars were you eating?  Money at the end of the week?  Usually its the other way around...no money at the end of the week.  A kiss from God!

[EnJae]

You wrote:"and...right about at the 1,700th M&M...a couple of them jumped into my mouth..." and "I have not experienced wanting to eat non LDL foods because of the fruit bars..."

I thought the same way. But RT kept telling me differently.
I thought, "No, I made a CHOICE to go off-plan... that's not a craving."
But the fact was I was not eating LDL exactly the way it was given and it made me more easily swayed.

I bet if you watch the times you eat things that have "-ose" in them, you'll find that things like 2 M&Ms are more likely to seem like no big thing. RT knows what he's talking about.

[Please read my message with a loving tone. I don't mean to 'come down' on you at all. But I don't quite have the wherewithall to re-word it right now; I just got some devastating news.]
Love NJ

[Saved4Life]

[Please read my message with a loving tone. I don't mean to 'come down' on you at all. But I don't quite have the wherewithall to re-word it right now; I just got some devastating news.]
Love NJ
[/quote]

NJ,
I totally get what you're saying...and I did not take it as a "come down" at all!  I actually had not had a fruit bar in quite a while when the M&M incident occurred...I think it was more "habit" than anything else!  But I agree, these things can cause stumbles and I want to eliminate anything that might "derail" my efforts.

I hope you're ok...devastating news...I'm keeping you in my thoughts and prayers today.

Doreen

[Saved4Life]

What brand of fruit bars were you eating?  Money at the end of the week?  Usually its the other way around...no money at the end of the week.  A kiss from God!

Pat,
I can't remember the name of the Fruit Bars...I'll check when the next time I am at the grocery store.

Yes, money at the end of the week...what a blessing. 

My 3 babies (3 white male kittens who are now 6 months old) are having surgery on Thursday...getting fixed...so my Fair earnings will cover that, hopefully.  I'll put a picture of them in the gallery!  They are adorable...and to think before I moved to the country, I was a dog person all the way!

[Saved4Life]

THANK YOU LORD FOR LDL!! ...  THANK YOU LORD FOR LDL!! ...  THANK YOU LORD FOR LDL!!

Hi everybody!

I manged to get my kitties to the vet and they are doing fine.  They bounced back in about 8 hours or so...which is amazing to me!

I have to say I am rather proud of myself  I worked the County Fair for 6 straight nights and did NOT indulge in any non-LDL foods!  One night I was very hungry and got a BBQ pork sandwich, tossed the bun, very slightly added the sauce, and picked out any noticeable fat.  That was the night that I didn't have time to make my own popcorn to bring for "dinner" and I really was hungry.

After 3 weeks, the scale is still going in the right direction...13 pounds!!

I have a hard time remembering what I ate to post it here...but I've been faithful to LDL foods 99.9999% of the past 3 weeks.    Most days it's a fruit smoothie for Breakfast, LDL Soup, Chili, or Bugers, w/salad for lunch; dinner salad loaded with veggies and homemade dressing made with EVOO and spices; snack on LDL popcorn, & sometimes fruits.

My hubby loves all the LDL foods and is very supportive.  He loves the LDL burgers I make, I have a hard time keeping them in the refridge once I cook a batch of them!

Pat - I think the Fruit Bars were Eddy's Sugar Free Fruit Bars.

[patsyfay]

I would say that you did VERY WELL during your time at the fair!  Probably better than most people.  I'm proud of you.  And thirteen pounds gone....wonderful.  Praise God for LDL.  Can't wait to see your little kittys.  If I'm remembering correctly, you don't want to eat any more of those sugar-free Edy's Fruit Bars.  I looked up the ingredients on the Internet and this is what I found:

INGREDIENTS: strawberry [water, strawberries, sorbitol, glycerin, white grape juice from concentrate (water, white grape juice concentrate), strawberry juice from concentrate (water, strawberry juice concentrate), polydextrose*, maltodextrin, citric acid, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), natural flavors, sucralose (Splenda® Brand), acesulfame potassium, beet juice concentrate (color), guar gum, turmeric color, carob bean gum], tangerine [water, sorbitol*, glycerin, polydextrose*,  tangerine puree, maltodextrin, white grape juice from concentrate (water, white grape juice concentrate), tangerine juice from concentrate (water, tangerine juice concentrate), citric acid, tangerine pulp, natural flavor, Yellow #6, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), tangerine oil, Red #40, sucralose (Splenda® Brand), acesulfame potassium, guar gum, carob bean gum], raspberry [water, red raspberry puree, sorbitol*, glycerin, white grape juice from concentrate (water, white grape juice concentrate), polydextrose*, maltodextrin, natural flavor, elderberry juice from concentrate (water, elderberry juice concentrate), citric acid, sucralose (Splenda® Brand), acesulfame potassium, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), guar gum, carob bean gum]

* Sensitive individuals may experience a laxative effect from excess consumption of this ingredient.

Those nasty polydextrose and maltodextrin additions make these pretty much a no-no on LDL.  I may be wrong and maybe someone can clarify, but I'd stay away from them for the time being. 

Keep up the good work, Doreen!

Pat