Ok, today I start 16/8 IF and LCHF. I have GOT to get my diabetes under control - 7.5. Too high for surgery. Ticker is updated, also.

It's been a while.

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The love of my life is back in my life. He knew me when.  I was 19 when I broke up with him.  And he's back. I can't let him see me like this. Waaaayyyy overweight, gray hair grown out haircut.  Depression and a life that completely fell apart will do a number on you.

My blood sugars are out of control, A1c is 7.5. I have got to get it together!

Arthritis and Exercise

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I do believe my little bit of exercising is beginning to pay off.  I have severe arthritis in my hips, knees and spine.  Years ago, I went to PT when it was just my knees.  They showed me some exercises to do.  Of course, I just kind of dabbled at it. Here and there.  And when I decide to get back at it, again, I go back to these old exercises; with a bit of yoga thrown in.

I do them in the morning after my pain pills have kicked in (AHHH) and after my shower when my muscles and joints are most flexible.  Don't worry, I don't work up much of a sweat.  That's not the point right now, anyway.  Right now, I am just trying to strengthen very weak muscles.

At the end of the day, I am in so much pain, I can barely put one foot in front of the other.  Right now, 8 pm, I am doing ok.  Better than usual. 

CLICK!!!

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It's funny how when you finally decide enough is enough, and it just clicks.  Everything just clicks in.  You are suddenly on a roll, eating and exercising wise.  Not too hard, you know what to do and you do it.  Weight-wise not so much.  But, I digress.

As I said a few days ago, I gained 15 pounds, a few weeks ago.  After this happened, it was in the back of my mind, "I need to do something about this."  Take some diuretics (not working), make some half-hearted attempts at eating better, a bit of exercise here and there.

And then you have a trigger.  Something happens and then CLICK!!!  You are charging forward like a boss.  No stress, no struggle.  Just doin' it.

My beach photo was my trigger.  I don't feel that big.  But there you are.  For all the world to see. 

I have clicked.  I wonder if anyone else has this.

Beached Whale

SIGH...

I guess it's time to get back to this blog.  If I remember correctly, I think I lost a good amount of weight while doing this.

I stopped taking my blood pressure meds, because after taking them for several years (with no problems at all), they are now making me sick. They were causing my blood pressure go too low - 90/60, dizzy, nausea, extreme sleepiness.  Anyway, I feel much better, buuuuut, I gained 15 pounds in a week and a half.  I have pitting edema in my ankles at the end of the day.  Desk job.  The meds were part diuretic.  I am taking an over the counter diuretic and an herbal diuretic, but no luck.

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Here is my photo from today:

Carbs

For various health reasons, I am having to cut out carbs for a while.  Does anyone have any advice to help with the transition?  Thanks!

Wellness

When I started this blog, quite some time back, I decided it wasn't neccesarily going to be about weightloss.  At that time, my main concern was wellness.  Weightloss, should it happen, would be the icing on the cake.  I am beginning to be well.

I haven't posted in quite some time.  There has been A WHOLE LOT going on.  The biggest thing is, I quit my job in Oregon and moved to Southern California.  I was busy getting settled and looking for work.  

In the meantime, I became sort of ill.  Before I moved, I suspected I was having a problem with starches, and wheat in particular.  I went to the doctor and she suspected Celiac disease. Well! I did not want to hear that, so I pretended I didn't.  

One day, I went to a highly reccommended diner and had a big pancake breakfast.  I was sick for at least a week.  Even with cutting out as much gluten as possible, it took about a month before I even began to feel normal again.  At least in my intestinal area.  But, I have also noticed I can think clearer, I have a bit more energy and I am sleeping better. 

And bonus!  I have lost six pounds!

OOOPS

It looks like I've had a heart attack.

Fibromyalgia

I also have fibromyalgia, and today is a flare day.  The exercises I normally do to loosen things up and feel better, are not working.  To make matters worse, my skin is hurting, so I can't rub my back and legs, because it hurts to touch my skin.  It feels like a sunburn, but without the actual burn.

Progress

I have been on a pretty steady exercise routine for months.  Sometimes I slack off, but not permanently or for very long.  I am gradually getting stronger and starting to see muscles develop in my arms.  I can feel some in my legs, but can't see them yet.  The best part, my shoulders seem to be getting better.  They were beginning to bother me, but not so much anymore.

I have learned that I don't hurt nearly as much if I am consistent.  I have just resigned myself to the fact, I will have to do this for the rest of my life, if I want to have a life.  I can't afford a gym membership, but have set up a little space for myself to work.  I kind of like it.  I usually start about 3:30 or 4:00 am.  No bright lights, just a few night lights on here and there.  The windows are open, with fans pulling in the cool night air.  It is cool, dark and quiet.

When I first started, it was very painful to get down on the floor, to turn over, my arms used to shake when I tried to hold myself up.  None of that is happening anymore.  My routine consists of floor work with some gentle yoga thrown in.  And an exercise video called, "Chair Aerobics for Everyone" (this one helped me lose 30 pounds).  I have recently added a Youtube video I do at work called, Sit and Be Fit, Workplace Workout, by Maryann Wilson.  Here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqfGRx8k_zA.  I do this about mid-day and it really helps my day.  

Rules

The other day, the book title, "Seven Habits of Highly Successful People" came to mind.  My mind wandered on to, "I wonder what the habits of naturally slim people are?"  My mind wandered on back to the 90's, when I was slim, fit and physically active.  I remember, I set a few rules for myself and posted them on a bulletin board in my kitchen.  I had forgotten all about them.  Below are some I can remember:

1.  No eating after 6pm.
2.  Drink 8 glasses of water daily.
3.  Nothing fried.
4.  Skin the chicken before cooking.
5.  A serving of a fruit and a vegetable at every meal.
6.  A session of stretching every evening.

That's all I can remember for now.  I will post more if I can.  I didn't think to add exercise to this list, because I was already walking and hiking quite a lot.  Please feel free to add your own.

Processed Food

It has become more and more difficult to cook, clean and care for myself.  I can't stand but a couple minutes, my hands have become pretty weak, so cutting and chopping is a pain (HAHAHA!).  I am having to resort to processed and or convenience foods to eat.  This just galls me to no end, because that was one of the biggest changes I made to lose weight...stop eating processed food.

Sooo, I am on the hunt for healthy processed food.  Is that an oxymoron?  Of course, there are bagged salads, but I also found  precut fresh vegetables and fruit.  Eggbeaters are also helpful.  Does anyone out there in bloggy land have any suggestions?  I sure would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks for reading!  <3

Binge?

Ugh!  When will I ever learn?!!  One of the things that has come up with my health is, I can't eat wheat.  Really bad itching (I have drawn blood in my sleep, from scratching), stomach aches, many bathroom trips, etc.  It took me a while to figure this out.  Anyway, avoiding wheat has helped me to feel much better.

Anyway, I have gone off the deep end.  I have had butter horns, Ding Dongs, carrot cake, fruit tart.  And now I am sick.  I friend says I am binging.  I have never binged.  I have never hid food, eaten an entire package of anything.  And now, I just feel BLECH!!  The itching has started too. 


I am so dumb.  

My New Ride

On Friday my legs were doing pretty well.  I was zipping around at work with very little pain.  I don't know what happened (my I did too much, don't know) but suddenly in the late afternoon I could barely put any weight on my left leg.  My knee was in soooo much pain.  It felt like a torn meniscus.  I had that back in the late 90's, surgery and all.  Anyway, it hurt like crazy and I had a terrible nights sleep.  So on Saturday, I decided to do it.  I got a walker.  I have been needing one for a while, especially first thing in the morning.  Holy cow!  I wish I had done it sooner!  My legs feel a whole lot better!  Who'da thunk it??   Walmart has one for about $60.00, I got mine for $6.99 at Goodwill.  HA!  I love it.  I looked it up and it is a $137 Invacare Walker.  The person that had it before me installed a clown horn.  It's lightweight and easy to maneuver. Here is a photo:

Better

The pain is better today.  Most of the time, the pain occurs just when I am doing stuff, not just being (if that makes sense).  But the last few  weeks, the pain has been constant.  However, I have been experimenting with supplements.  I take 2 prescriptions daily for the pain, and two other heavy duty stuff for when it is really bad.  Every component is important and helps.  Along with my prescriptions, I have been taking hyaluronic acid.  This week I have added turmeric.  I should say, re-added.  For a while there I was taking 39 pills (scrips and supplements) daily, just to stop hurting and I stopped all of the supplements and am gradually adding SOME back in.  I am going to give each addition two weeks before adding something else.  Today is day two of the turmeric.  I chose turmeric because it is so important for other things as well.  Anyway, today is better.  Not needing the cane as much, just a little bit.

Whining

There's going to be a lot of whining on here, and I will not apologize for it.  I don't have anyone to talk to about any of this stuff and I need to get it off my chest somehow.  Writing with pen and paper hurts too much, so this is it.  

I want to keep my blog public, because if anyone has any suggestions (if they are so kind as to read and comment, Yay them!!), I want to hear it.  I am always open to suggestions.  I saw a quote once that said, "There will always be people that know things you don't."  Einstein maybe, I'm not sure.

Thank you Lyn and C for your kind comments yesterday.  I will do my best to cut back on the sugar.

Change Of Focus

I haven't been here in a while.  My journey back to wellness has been derailed.  Big time.  I have so much wrong with me.  Diabetes, arthritis, and other stuff.  My focus is no longer weight loss, but just general stuff.  I think probably leaning more towards arthritis and the pain that comes along with it.  And then, some other stuff along the way.

Today is not a good day.  Walking is becoming more and more difficult and painful.  Very painful.  It used to be just my knees.  Now it has moved into my feet, ankles, hips and spine.  My shoulders are next.  I can feel little twinges now and then.  Anyway, back to today.  I hurt very much.  Especially in my spine.  And I am so very, very tired.

Pain wears you out.  I have been trying to find some kind of online support group.  I have given up.  So, I will just post here.  Actually, today, I did find some advice in an online article for housecleaning.  My house is so bad and it is so depressing because I just can't do the things I used to.  

Tracking

I am doing much better keeping within my calories today.  Yesterday was a complete bust...I didn't even try to track anything.  However, the food ranges within those calories are still way off.  But I will get there.  I know I will.  I think.  :-)

HOLY COW!!!!

No wonder I'm not losing weight!  

So, there is this website called My Plate at https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/.  I know, some people will have the attitude, "Oh it's the government!  I'm not gonna let the government tell ME how to eat. They have an agenda."  I say BIG FLIPPIN DEAL!!  I'll bet their suggestions are a whole lot healthier than what most people are eating.  You enter in your age, height, weight, activity level and it will tell you how many calories, and what type of food and how much you should eat.  For instance, I should have 3 cups of dairy daily.

Anyway,  they have the best food tracker I have seen on the internet.  Most trackers I have come across make it so the user can enter into the database.  This is just terrible!  Some of the measurements are Imperial, some are US standard, some things just aren't in there (so you have to waste time trying to figure out the website's method of entry), some measurements aren't available.  I won't even talk about how the food itself has been listed in the database.

At My Plate you can use measurements in quarter cup increments, by the teaspoon, tablespoon,  you can enter whole, pieces, sections, ALL KINDS of choices of measurement.  This drove me nuts on the other sites. And the food choices are wonderful.  SO MANY CHOICES!!  Take corn for instance.  Is it canned, no salt or fat? With salt no fat? With salt and margarine? With salt and butter? Fresh?  You can create a favorite food list so you don't have to always search the database. And you can create a combo list, for things like tuna sandwich or and entire meal.  I usually eat the same stuff when I eat oatmeal, etc.  And then, there are the charts and graphs.  It keeps track of your nutrients, are you ok, over, under?  All kinds of things.  You can also create reports.  This site is AWESOME!!!

So here we go.  My calories should be 1600.  Yesterday was my first day of tracking.  I wasn't trying to do anything but see how I have been doing, generally.  Here is the eye opener.  I thought I did ok.  2295 calories!!!!!  HOLY FREAKING COW!!!!!  And grain was off the chart.  No vegetables to speak of.

Best of all, this site is free.  Give it a try.

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I have no idea why.  Absolutely none.  Nothing has changed.  AT ALL!!