Gwennaford's Journal

[Gwennaford]

Thanks for encouragement to one & all!

I had a fun day.  Kayce was gone most of the day seeing old friends & attending to wedding details.  Neil took a very long afternoon nap (YAY), so I spent the afternoon busy boning, skinning, & grinding raw turkey breasts, and cooking & grinding beans, onions, etc. for making LDL Turkey Burgers & Sausages.  Roasted the carcasses to make broth later, so nothing is wasted when you do it this way.

A few days ago when I made a huge vat of Little Mary's "The Most Filling Tomato Soup Ever!" (TMF Tomato Soup) I used a pound of dried red beans and FOUR 26 oz. cans Dei Fratelli Tomatoes in puree.  No sugar or salt, but the sweetest, richest tasting canned tomatoes EVER.  I pureed three cans of the tomatoes with the beans, and diced the fourth.  I wanted it to taste like the Campbell's Tomato Bisque Soup of my childhood, but it was lacking something . . .?  hmm    I Googled "bisque soup" to learn what makes it bisque (a rich, creamy puree of seafood or vegetables).  Mary's recipe is already rich & creamy enough, so I searched for tomato bisque recipes.  Seems like I remember it a little sweeter than my result, so to one bowl I added a touch of Splenda & a squirt of lemon juice.  Eureka! ! !

I swear I could eat those canned tomatoes for dessert.

Feel very peaceful and fulfilled tonight.  Neil's getting up so we need to get dialysis started.  It's already very late, so we won't be finished until 1:30 pm.  I'm sure I will be snacking on popcorn once he gets wound up & starts his non-stop round of wanting things from the kitchen.

BYE!

[MsHeirloom]

Gwen- I am so happy for the progress you have made since you re-committed to following LDL to the letter and am pleased that you are reconsidering your acceptance of the disability label.  Several years ago when I received my diagnosis of MS, my doctor told me I was paraplegic and couldn't exercise or even take an MS water class at the "Y"!  He made me so mad.  I remember saying, "I walked in here didn't I, and I successfully run my own business."  I took the water class and only quit when the chlorine gave me hives.  I think of him when I am doing something he would consider impossible such as parasailing or climbing the Great Wall of China.  Pooh on him!!!!!  :wrong:  You are on your way to Onderland and to increased mobility and are a shining example for all of us.  Keep up the great results.  We are all pulling for you, Gwennie!  BTW, I love seeing your ticker and hope you keep it up to motivate us all.  Pam

[crickadoodle]

It is amazing what a label can do to someone.  I agree with you Ms. Heirloom and am so glad you didn't listen to that doctor.  We should be encouraged to live our lives to the fullest.

Gwen, I'm so happy to read all the positive things you've been experiencing.  We are all getting our lives back in different ways, aren't we?  I am able to walk pain free now, and I was starting to resign myself to always having that heel pain.  I just am so thankful to the Lord for directing me to this wonderful way of eating.  I really feel so free from those cravings that caused me to be heavier than I need to be.  I truly don't want to ever go back to the way I use to eat.  I don't miss it at all! 

[MsHeirloom]

Crick- This is an answer to our prayers.  You are closing in on your goal.  Hips, hips, away!!!
Gwen- Congratulations on making the news in the LDL article.  We're so proud and inspired by you'
Pam

[tprouty]

Hi Gwen!

I'm so glad things are settling down a bit for you right now! It must feel really good to have a little bit of a breather, even if there are so many things that still require your attention. But YAY! You've getting around so much better -- and I know it feels good just to have the added freedom and reduced pain. That is so awesome!

I love your ideas about the tomato bisque soup! I love the basic tomato soup, but I also love to change things up. One restaurant that I like does their creamy tomato basil soup with finely shredded carrots that are cooked until soft. It makes the soup sweeter, but doesn't change the texture much. I haven't tried this yet with LDL soup. I used to make it with blended cashews instead of milk, but I know it would be a delicious variation of the LDL Most Filling Tomato Soup.

Keep experimenting in the kitchen!


Terri

[crickadoodle]

Ms. Heirloom, I am amazed at how well things are going.  With my exercise and weight training on the Total Gym, my body is reminding me a bit of how it looked in my teens.  Maybe it's my imagination, but I don't think I'm imagining this.  To be over 50 and to start looking better than you have in years is such a boost.  I wasn't expecting this.  I've never looked this good at this weight before.  I'm not in such a hurry anymore to reach that goal I set.  I'm looking like I was expecting to look at the goal right now.  I think I'll probably continue to lose, but if I didn't lose another pound and stayed looking like this, I'd be happy.  I never expected to feel that way, but I really do.  It'll be fun to see where it stops.  To think I could eat until satisfied and enjoy what I'm eating and still lose weight!  It so is like a miracle to me.  I thank God all the time for this discovery.  Just 3 short months ago I was almost 30 lbs. heavier than I am today.  It was so painless to lose -- in fact, it was a joy.  No deprivation.  I'm just amazed when I think about it all.  Thank the Lord Jesus for LDL.

[Gwennaford]

Doodle, Terri, Pam, Beth B., Snoopy, Bethann, MrsJ, Jaz, Roger, Mary, and all the rest of my friends -- I would love to comment fully on every single one of your replies, bit I don't think I need to, it would be redundant.  It's like each of you took a walk through my mind (that's scary!), picked up my thoughts, feelings and impressions, and posted them here.  My heart is bursting to hear of your successes, as well as with love and gratitude for your support.

I forgot to check for the newspaper article.  I hope it promotes Let's Do Lunch in a way that helps a lot of people.

I pureed cooked carrots and roasted squash in my TMF Tomato Soup, too.  Gives the flavor more dimension.

About the ticker, I won't keep it posted full time, because it's just a reminder to me & everyone else to keep getting on the scale, and I won't do that.  I'm finally free from that addiction and I refuse to become a slave again with the scale as my master.  

That said, updating my ticker was not a wasted exercise.  I discovered that I HAD actually lost weight since Christmas -- quite a bit, in fact.  Looking back at my ticker entries I discovered that between January & October, 2009, I had lost 26 pounds.  I don't know how that worked out, because I thought I was 90 pounds down at Christmas and I'm at 111 pounds down now.  I must have started retaining a lot between Christmas and the middle of January.  ANYway . . . the ticker/scale thing was making me crazy -- it was down one month, up the next, down a little bit more the next, etc. etc. etc.  That's when I boycotted the scale because I KNEW I was NOT eating the wrong foods.  It bothered me a little bit to hear Ms. Heirloom say I had "re-committed to following LDL to the letter", because I honestly don't believe I strayed.  The only thing I have done differently the past month is try to more clearly define a beginning and ending to each meal, and try to force myself into something of a traditional "daytime B-L-D/nighttime sleeping" time frame instead of slotting in meals & naps around the clock as time permitted.

It was a wonderful, whirlwind weekend with Kayce being here.  Saturday she had a great time at her half sister's wedding on Sand Key (the other half of her parentage, LOL).  Sunday Neil decided he didn't want to go out with us, so just the two of us jumped into Kayce's 2010 Dodge Challenger rental and headed for the beach.  We ate fish tacos (no shell  :happy:) and got our feet sandy, scooped up a bottle of seawater to spray on her hair and shared a lite beer with lime under the palm trees on Honeymoon Island in Dunedin.  :cool:  Then we drove for 100 miles up & down the Gulf coast with the windows down, the a/c blasting, and the car stereo rocking.    Picked up a bag of dried garbanzos at the Tarpon Springs sponge docks, some sunscreen on Clearwater Beach, a bushel of peaches somewhere in Belleair, a watermelon & some tomatoes in Indian Shores.  Googled & phoned in an order for sushi somewhere on Maderia Beach that we picked up on the way home.  Took Neil a Blizzard from DQ.  He was happy.  Still hungry after eating sushi (only sashimi and cucumbers for me) and half a bushel of peaches, we ordered Chinese food delivered to the house.  She had Lo mein, I had steamed vegetables with hot & spicy garlic sauce on the side.  Exhausted, everyone fell into bed early.  We were happy, and a good time was had by all.  

She flew out of Tampa late this morning to return to Oklahoma.  I wish you could have heard her goo-goo baby talking with her sweet husband back at home.  It was disgusting ! ! !  

Going to try & find the article and TRY to reconstruct in my food diary what-all I ate over the weekend.  

Loves to all,
Gwennaford

[MsHeirloom]

Gwen- What a wonderful weekend.  I apologize;  I thought you were doing things a little differently.  However it's happening, I am just so happy for you that the scale is showing a downward trend and that you are doing so well.  You have been an inspiration to me and to many others on this thread.  We're behind you 100% and love to hear of your success!  Congratulations on making the article!!!  Fondly- Pam

[EnJae]

Gwennie,
I tried to find the "Petticoat Junction" song knock-off that you did, to show my foster-dad. He would have gotten a kick out of the lyrics. But I could not find it. 
NJ

[hopefull]

Gwen, just wanted to chime in here and let you know just what an inspiration you are to me! Yeah!

Thanks so much for sharing all that you do!
hugs,
Bobbi

[Gwennaford]

Gwennie,
I tried to find the "Petticoat Junction" song knock-off that you did, to show my foster-dad. He would have gotten a kick out of the lyrics. But I could not find it. 
NJ

Hi gang! 

EnJae, the song is a couple pages back on my journal:  http://www.letsdolunch.com/boards/http: ... 055#p76055

HI Bobbi (hopefull)!  Thanks for stopping by!  I hope to talk more soon.  On my way out the door now for another appointment.  All is good.  Praise God!

Gwen

[EnJae]

Thanks!

[southernyankee]

Hi Gwen, I just wanted to add my (belated) congrats to the many you've received for reaching Two-terville!  Wow, what an accomplishment! Also wanted to tell you what I figgered out re:photos....I haven't initiated the requisite number (10) of independent posts under my LDL screen name, so it seems I can't get my photo on board with my messages 'til then. Ya know, sometimes - like my misunderstandings about the photo thing - I think I can be incredibly DENSE  for a supposedly "educated" person  Now, don't chide me for that self-deprecatory statement. It must be true because I have read the related postings.....and reread and reread 'em again and again and still  didn't GET IT until FINALLY a lightbulb came on in my head!  No wonder RT reminds us so often to read and reread the book which I have done. Actually, LDL is one of my favorite books in my collection  ... I love the plot, the characters and the happy ending! Don't you, too?  Again, congrats to you and keep on keepin' on.....you are doing great! And thanks again for the help with getting my photo posted. Love ya!
southernyankee

[EnJae]

southernyankee;
As of my reading of your message, you've done 39 posts. So that isn't the problem. Do you have your pictures up somewhere on a website? And is the picture you're trying to post, perhaps too large? Let's keep trying to figure it out.
NJ

[southernyankee]

NJ - Guess I'm busted again?    "Dense is as dense does" - my apologies to Forrest Gump for borrowing his motto for self-description ...    Yep, I'm gonna keep working on the photo thing 'til I figger it out....I thought I had read on the boards that it had to be 10+ self-initiated messages as the criterion? I know I've been jumping in on other folks' postings....very enjoyable being part of this wonderful LDL community! The sharing and support here is the GREATEST!
Thanks for the encouragement!
southernyankee

[EnJae]

Nah, any post counts. It was set up that way to keep an automated spam message from printing nasty pictures. So where are you in your picture posting attempt? What have you done so far?

[southernyankee]

  NJ, Gwennaford, and all of y'all: I feel like Rocky after his first fight when he hollered, "Yo, Adrian! I did it!" I finally got my "avatar" photo posted...but I didn't do it alone! With y'all supporting and encouraging me and other nontechnical types, it was easy as A-B-C....  just merely a few weeks past the agreed-on picture day of Oct. 1st.  But as the saying goes, "All's well that ends well!"
Gwen, what helped to make this task finally click for me was your message entitled "Posting Tickers and Pictures"....in particular, the advice to resize my photo (it was too large to fit (talk about an "Aha!" moment!") coupled with the info originally from Bonnie CHA! on posting to the gallery first, etc., etc. Since you had already put my photo in the gallery for me (many thanks!) it just took no time at all to finish it up. And NJ, thanks for the friendly challenge I perceived in your questions! NO, REALLY!!! Your response really pushed me to figure it out ...'cause for too long a time, I've wanted to pass this hurdle and move on. So, now I'm moving on.  YIPPEE!
Again, a great big LDL THANK YOU!       
southernyankee

[EnJae]

ALRIGHT!!!!!!!

[MsHeirloom]

Southern Yankee- I just spent a very frustrating 2 hours, and two computers to change my picture.  I still don't know how I did it, and it will probably take me another 2 hours next time.  Gwen, I hated to bother you again.  Pam

[heretotheend]

Gwennie, I just read where you are in TWOTERVILLE!    Congratulations on a job well done......I so enjoy your journal, so thanks for all of the wisdom that I have gleaned from them....



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