Omalani's excellent adventure

[omalani]

I think I have been dehydrating myself. 1 1/2 years ago I was on a BP med that caused my feet and legs to swell. The doctor put me on a low dose of water pills. I have been taking them since then. I have decided to taper off them and only use them if I have a problem. I will monitor my BP to make sure it stays within the normal range. The point is, I think I am craving fruit when I am just thirsty. Before I eat some fruit, I will drink some water and see if that satisfies me. I still haven't received my book yet. It has been about a week since I reordered, so I am getting help via the community site. I appreciate all the help even if it means giving up things like "movie popcorn". My granddaughter is home from OU and visited with me today. I offered her some diet A&W root beer and she said,"Oma that's not diet." I looked and sure enough I had picked up a regular soda. I was so thankful, because I probably wouldn't have noticed. God works in mysterious ways to help me with LDL. Here is my menu for tomorrow:
B. 1 egg scrambled with salsa, baked apple with cinnamon & splenda
L. Seafood salad with celery, onion, grated carrot, and SF sweet relish in butter lettuce cups, green beans, grapes.
D. Upside down pizza, salad with garbanzo and kidney beans EVOO & lemon drsg. (I guess you know that's my favorite)
Snack for work: Apple, oranges, and pineapple (only if I need them)
I plan to do water aerobis and swim after breakfast. Some of you are probably wondering why I don't just take a walk, it's easier, but I love to swim!! 2nd I love to dance. I don't think you should have to force yourself to exercise. GTG

[omalani]

I like blue cheese and ranch drsg on my salad occasionally so I tried to make some with buttermilk, blue cheese and pureed butter beans. It was barely edible  :thumbdown: I found Chef swagger's ranch drsg mix at the Dollar tree and it doesn't have any sugar in it. I made it mainly for my husband, it's his favorite. Tonight I mixed the ranch with my blue cheese drsg and it tasted pretty good. I don't like any of the light substitutes on the market. Any suggestions??
I had an apple as a snack last night at 9:30pm. My blood sugar this morning(11/21) was 174. I may have to cut back on eating anything 3 to 4 hours before I go to bed. tonight I return to the 12 hour shifts so it will be an adjustment. My medication and meal times are all different. Maybe I should have my breakfast at 4:00am. I get off at 8:00am and usually am in bed by 10:00am. It's at times like these I wish I didn't have to work 24/7 hours. My daughter, her husband my my newly wed granddaughter and husband are going to be here for thanksgiving from Iowa. I'm off Friday and am considering going to Dallas with them on Saturday. The family are having dinner at my daughter's house and I told her not to plan dinner around me. I will probably go over around 5:00pm and visit before I go to work. I am not planning a menu for the day but will eat LDL foods. I will eat dinner before going to work at 7:30pm.  I am feeling confident!! God helped me through Oct. 31 with all the candy around and I don't have those cravings driving me. Happy Thanksgiving to you all, all my love Leilani

[omalani]

I switched my dinner and lunch, I was so hungry when I got home from the water fun, shopping and a new modern haircut that I ate the pizza and now I am satisfied. I will make the seafood salad for my dinner or take it to work. I have been off the water pills for 2 days and my weight is the same and BP is good. I can see it is not good to weigh so often because you can be discouraged if you lose fast, then stall. It funny people didn't notice when I lost weight but now I'm stalled and every one notices so the weight must be shifting. Also, my clothes are looser. I will see the doctor again Monday to get my lab results. Be good to yourselves and let your stuffing be LDL foods.

[LINDA RN]

Your commitment is inspiring!

[omalani]

For the most part, I have been stuffing on LDL foods. I had a slip, I decided I could eat 1/4 cup green bean casserole scrapping the onion topping off. That lead to another 1/4 cup before I told myself to "STOP IT!!" Although I have to say this is the 1st thanksgiving in my life that I didn't have stuffing, potatoes, sugary salads and desserts or bread. My granddaughter made pink fluff and said Oma taste it. I told her to leave a bowl for me and she left to go to another dinner with her Dad's family. I'm sure someone ate it. I have been surrounded here at work with goodies, or should I sat baddies?? I told my coworkers that I don't want to get started on that crazy eating again. As Linda said, Be prepared and I brought more food that I'll ever eat but I don't feel that compulsive craving, and I don't want it!!
B. I had fresh pineapple and strawberries, an apple, some scrambled eggs, cheese and salsa from the buffet at my daughters hotel.
L. Turkey, steamed cauliflower and broccoli, salad with EVOO spray and cider vinegar, few carrots, celery and radishes from veggie tray. 1 cup green bean casserole
D. (at 1100PM at work) Turkey, cauliflower and broccoli, salad with EVOO and lemon juice, few carrots, peppers, celery and radishes from veggie tray. 1 cups green pea salad with onion, cheese and mayo drsg.
Was I perfect??  No but I have come a long way and I am making better choices. I hope the book comes soon!!!
Well here's the menu for tomorrow.
B. Fresh pineapple and strawberries,  some scrambled eggs, green tea
L. Salad with turkey EVOO and lemon juice
D. Split pea soup and veggies with hummus. LDL apple pie

[crickadoodle]

You did great!!  I can tell that having Linda as a coach has really been a blessing.  She's guided you through some possible pitfalls.  Successful Thanksgiving is what I'd call that.  I stayed away from all the starches and sweets too.  Don't need them, but could hardly wait to get home to have some fruit.  Fruit is the sweetest sweet I need -- and it tastes better too.

[LINDA RN]

Saw Dr. Don Colbert on Life Today (James Robison) and he has a book out on beating Type II Diabetes.
I nearly jumped to my feet to cheer when I heard him say, if you are going to beat diabetes, you have to give up wheat.
He discussed how just 2 slices of whole wheat bread will raise blood sugar 150 points or more within an hour.
Finally the docs are getting it......
Thank you Roger for getting the message out from the Lord years ahead of science.

[omalani]

I went to Dallas Saturday morning with my DD,Jennifer and her DH, Dennis, my grand, Samantha and new husband Ryan. We went by way of Ft. Worth and stopped at the Kimball Art Gallery for some culture and lunch. I had some Texas slaw, Lemon Romaine salad, chicken salad and Lentil soup. I drank water because everything else had sugar in it. Everyone enjoyed it! Then the kids did some shopping at the Galleria, while I did a lot of walking. Later after checking into our hotel, we took the trolley uptown and after walking again, ate at the Texas Land and Cattle steak house. I had some broiled salmon, steamed broccoli and a salad with blue cheese drsg. When I got home today, the book and recipe cards arrived. I was puzzled because some recipes called for rice, breadcrumbs, tomato soup, and sweet pickle relish. I gave my granddaughter a bunch of food that had a little sugar in it. So what I need to know is, is it alright once in a while or only after you have lost your weight?? Today I had oranges and bananas for Bkt., I spinach salad for lunch, and White chili with left over turkey and a small salad for dinner and grapes for a snack. It is harder to plan meals away from home but not impossible. Menu for tomorrow.
B. scrambled egg and mixed fruit salad  L. Turkey soup with veggies & white beans, 3 bean salad, mixed fruit. D. More soup and veggies, 3 bean salad. Snack lots of fresh fruit. It is a work day so I have to be prepared. Had a marvelous weekend and actually enjoyed the walking.

[LINDA RN]

At the least, those things should be every once in a while if not having any at all will break your resolve to stick with the plan.
You are doing so well, I will leave out the processed stuff until you reach goal.
Many of those recipes date back to 2006 and earlier.
Since then there have been a lot of members reporting different results, hence some of those things like canned soup, breadcrumbs, and rice were eliminated. If rice is a deal breaker, you can use occasional wild rice.

Your choices are great. Keep up the good work. You'll be in Onederland before you know it!

[omalani]

Went to the Doc and HbgA1C is 7.2, it was 7.1. The Dr. was happy with that.  My Cholesterol was 158, the hdl and ldl were normal.  The glucose was 152. I had popcorn and frozen grapes last night and my FBS this morning was 158, after my Bkf. and exercise in the pool, before lunch it was 119. I was very hungry so had some popcorn for a snack. The big surprise is my weight!! After cutting down on my water pills and stuffing myself on Thanksgiving and eating out in Dallas, I'm down 1 lb. Unbelievable!! This really works!! 

[LINDA RN]

[MsHeirloom]

Great job!!!  Keep it up!

[omalani]

Just got home from work. I don't think I'll plan soup for lunch and dinner again!  :yawn: boring! I love the variety of foods, entrees, soups stews and salad.  My day/night went well. I passed up Lemon pound cake and BD cake. I am hoping no one bakes a cake for my BD, because I will have to offend them. I am not willing to fall back into that pit.
Well here is my menu for today:
B. Smoothie with mixed fruits  L. Swiss steak, Beet pickles, salad with EVOO and lemon  D. Eggplant and garbanzo stew  snack pear, oranges and banana time for zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[omalani]

Menu for 11/28/12:
B.Smoothie with orange, 100% pineapple, orange banana jc and pear
L (LDL Tamale pie. Small salad with lemon and EVOO.)
D. Leftover surprize.
Snack: frozen grapes

I slept thru lunch so had left overs for dinner  1 cup turkey veg. soup, 2 cups fruit salad, and a
slice of upsidedown pizza. I will wait and make the tamale pie on my next days off.

[omalani]

I'm new to this, but I am amazed at how much I can eat! If I quit feeling sorry for myself and realize how much I can have and don't focus on what I can't have, I do much better. Today I turned 70, and I didn't post my menu in advance because we went out to eat, then to the IMAX to see Skyfall. I love foreign foods so we went to an Indian buffet. I love the curry and they had a lot of veggies. I didn't take any rice, bread or potatoes. I had eggplant curry, chicken in some interesting sauces, a salad and some spinach fritters. They dipped the spinach in a garbanzo batter and baked it. The spinach was crispy. I'm beginning to think I prefer dishes without all the sauces and gravy. I enjoy steamed and roasted veggies and fresh fruits. Anyway I think I'm going to keep it simple for a while. Sometimes I go to extremes to make some illegal food legal and it's too easy to get those cravings back. I had some popcorn at the movie and a little diet soda. My weight has stalled but I'm 16 lbs. lighter and everyone says I'm looking good, but most important, I AM FEELING GOOD!! I need to remind myself of the KISS (KEEP IT SIMPLE SWEETHART) and to enjoy all the wonderful foods God created for me. This morning I had a frozen orange smoothie, then the late lunch at the Indian cafe, Popcorn at the movie and I am going to fix a smoothie tonight. I think I need to leave the popcorn alone, too much salt and I always want soda too. I am trying to phase it out of my diet.
Menu for tomorrow:
B. 1 egg scrambled with salsa, 1 grapefruit.
Snack: frozen grapes
L. Eggplant & garbonzo bean stew, salad with EVOO and lemon drsg.
Snack: Frozen grapes, oranges, apple and banana
D. upside down pizza, and a small bag of popcorn

[crickadoodle]

Happy Birthday!!  Sounds like you had a wonderful celebration. 

[omalani]

It seems as though my tastes have changed!! When you no longer eat bread, rice potatoes or pasta, you have nothing to put gravy and sauce on. Soups and stews are tasty, and filling with the same flavors minus all the fattening carbs, and fresh fruit in abundance is sweeter and juicier then man made desserts. Going to a buffet is not what it used to be. The vegetables have been on a steam table and are mushy and flavorless. Salads are wilty and no one has my favorite, EVOO and lemon juice. Fresh fruit is not as tasty and nutritious after it has been cut and sitting out. Actually nothing tastes as good as my home cooking. (it's not boasting, it's all cooked per my individual tastes) My DH likes fast foods, so if he doesn't like what I cook, he goes out to eat. He is also not as healthy as I am. He gets winded walking into the house from the garage, I work fulltime, 12 hour shifts and exercise at the YMCA. I thank God every day for this program because it has added life to my years. I encourage everyone to stick with it, because it's not about a number on the scale, it's the pursuit of health and happiness. 

[omalani]

Today I had a melt down!! I was fixing lunch and put some leftover chicken enchiladas my daughter sent home with me,into the toaster oven for DH. He came in from the garage and said he was going out, and didn't want them. Soooooooooooooo I took them out of the oven and threw them in the garbage disposal!! He was shocked because I never throw food away. That started a harsh exchange of words. I think behind it all is that I was tempted to eat them several times and didn't, He didn't even want them. I think I was just saving myself and from now on I am going to ask him before I make a meal. Also I am going to be careful what I bring home. This was my menu today.
B Orange smoothie  L. Eggplant garbonzo stew. Orange and frozen grapes D. (at work) upside down Pizza and a salad with ranch drsg. Snack pear, orange, banana and apple
I think I better be more careful because the high on success could lead to backsliding if you are not careful. That old devil is poised to pounce and looking for a chance to steal our blessings. I did learn that I can throw something out if it is not good for me. Now I'll have to see if it works on the popcorn DH brings home from the movies. I can only resist it for so long before I convince myself that it is on the program, but I don't think it's good for me.

[omalani]

I am at work, I had my LDL pizza while the Pizza Hut box lay on the table unopened. Then I had my salad with blue cheese drsg. I ate a pear and small orange for dessert. It was good and I am satisfied. I am going to try some fruit infused water in my sun tea container. So my menu for tomorrow is: B. Orange, pineapple, banana smoothie. Hopefully sleep 6 hours and L. Red cabbage German style with apple jc. concentrate and cider vinegar, 1 beef brat. with mustard, Fruit smoothie D. 1/2 c. refried beans from Taco Bueno, salad with blue cheese drsg. and grapefruit. I will try not to eat in between but if I get hungry, I have fruit available. I was fortunate to get leave Friday, so I attended church Sabbath and had a nap after church. I dread these 3 12hr, shifts on weekends! I saw the schedule and I am working Christmas eve, day and the day after. I guess it goes with the job, I take care of your family and my family celebrates without me. I will drop by before work and eat with them. My granddaughter from Iowa is coming down with her friend. It will be good to see them.

[MsHeirloom]

As a retired nurse, I remember the unconventional hours and times we celebrated holidays.  The Easter Bunny came many times on Saturday evening while we were out eating dinner at a local restaurant!  With married sons, we often celebrate at a different time than most everyone else.  Thanksgiving Friday...
Pam