2017--This Year is Our Year!!!

Helene610

All I can say about our weather is it's not raining. It's overcast and way too cool (57 degrees). The weather is part of the reason we stay so long in FL. The Cape doesn't really get spring weather. We'll go from this to hot one day in June. I find it hard to motivate myself on dreary days like this. I made a recipe from a website called the Low Carb Maven. It uses the principals of a keto diet. I'm just going for the low carb aspects rather than total elimination. I made a spinach and cheese dish that resembles a no crust quiche. It was very tasty and made 8 servings. DH thought it was a keeper. I used it in place of a salad, I'll have to explore her other recipes for other things I can work into our eating.

mdubbs1

DH says the long term forecast here for the summer is cool and rainy. I'm getting TIRED of rainy. We don't usually have spring either. Normally it would be hot summer by now!

I lost two pounds last week. I am now overweight! Who would ever have thought that would be a big step! One thing I am sure of - I can't take breaks from weighing myself like I did before and after my birthday. I need the cold hard truth. I need to figure out how to occasionally work in the food I love without binge'ing. But right now I need to stay on track.

I also beat my goal last week of 150 minutes on the treadmill. I'm going to try to slowly work in a little strength training on the treadmill. I've been keeping a 2-lb dumbbell on the treadmill; just swapped it out for a 3-lb'er. Baby steps. Pulled "Strong Women Stay Young" off my shelf to re-read and hopefully get re-inspired. I would like to go somewhere for strength training machines but for now weights will have to do.

My next goal is my 30-lb bear. Three more pounds to that goal.

Trying to up my protein as I've been craving protein. I had a variety box here I bought from Nashua Nutrition. Had a packet of 100 calorie/14 grams of protein maple oatmeal. I've had the "bariatric" oatmeal before and didn't like but this one isn't bad at all. Added a tiny box of raisins and a splash of milk. Leaves me enough calories to have a high protein coffee or hot chocolate or cappuccino later. Light bulb moment - I don't have to use the high protein packets only on "packet day". (I can be slow sometimes.)

If I could just lose 1/2 a pound a week, I'd be roughly at normal weight in a year. That sounds like it should be just about impossible NOT to do. Why is it so hard?

I'm watching 600-lb life while on the treadmill. Re-watching the older shows and then watching the update. For some reason I find it motivating. Sometimes after I watch one I read the forum on previously.TV. Anything for continuing motivation.

Helene610

I watch 600 pound life and particularly enjoy the where are they now show what happens after the first year. Most still have a long way to go after a year so it's nice to see what happens long term. I don't know how they develop the lympodemas they have on their bodies but it must be excruciating to have something like that hanging off their lower limbs. I recently watched Joe and Pauline. Joe was amazing. You just know he'll be one to make permanent changes and his mom seemed pretty supportive. Many families are enablers big time.

I think you are right about frequent weighing to stay in control. If you have a slip up but are weighing, it can be nipped in the bud before 1-2 pounds becomes five or ten pounds. Your goal of 1-2 pounds a week is smart. You'll be 50 pounds lighter at the end of the year. I really need to get a handle on exercise. It's my Achilles's heel. I haven't found anything I like to do since water aerobics and Curves.

During DH's check up, he noticed his BMI on the report. He's on the thin side with a little bit of excess at the waist. His BMI was 25. I looked up the chart and he came out just edging into the overweight category. I find that hard to believe. So now I'd take BMI with a grain of salt.

mdubbs1

I'm a sedentary bookworm. Always have been. Intellectually I understand the concept of finding a physical activity you enjoy but it's just so not me. The next best thing may be watching something on TV or listening to a book while I'm on the treadmill. Maybe the best I can shoot for!

I'm currently rewatching Pauline. Joe next and then the update. Just finished rewatching June and Dottie and their update. The different body configurations that 600 pounds can settle into is amazing. At the last flea market the vendor across from us - I'm guessing late 30's, early 40's - had horrible lymphedema, oxygen and a wheelchair. Weirdly her upper body -
above her knees - wasn't that heavy. I wondered if maybe she's been losing.

mdubbs1

Helene - the two Curves places closest to me are apparently both closed. It looks to me like it would be harried? I really enjoyed it when I went to PT and spent half an hour or so on the treadmill and another hour and a half or so on balance exercises and the strength machines. Zooming around in 30 minutes (with a "coach" standing by?) doesn't sound as appealing to me.

Helene610

Many of the Curves have closed. They had weird hours which didn't work for most people. I thin they geared to stay at home moms, retirees and teachers. They were open from 5-12:30 and then 4 to 8. Saturdays were mornings only. Working people need night hours and better weekend times. I found it hard to get there but I enjoyed it.

mdubbs1

I have similar issues with hours of the senior center near me. It's too bad because they are at least arguably walking distance and they have a fitness center (no idea how well equipped but they say they have strength training machines and trainers although the gym itself apparently isn't staffed - weird, because even my PT place had a certified gym manager because of the times they were a "gym" rather than a "pt facility"). Everything that comes across my desk in my professional feed talks about how people are working longer but the senior center assumes everyone is retired. (At least that's the only way I can explain their hours).

Anyway, right now I'm doing the treadmill and starting to ease my way back into the arm weights. It's the leg machines that I'd really like to have access to. But I shouldn't make that an excuse. I have the leg weights and the instructions - just have never done it.

mdubbs1

I have my food laid out for the day. We have a cat show this weekend. I'll hit up a grocery store for portable snacks and bottled water for the two days I'm at the show. This cat show has no food service and even if it did, wouldn't be anything I should be eating. I'll probably go to the chinese food place and get food for Bonnie but I shouldn't be eating that.

KonaKat

I see sunshine...a rare event lately. I'll be making a run to the city today to get groceries. I am now out of coffee and the local supermarket's shelves are bare again.

Speaking of 600 Lb life, I have a friend who was very obese and had bariatric surgery. She has done very well with the weight loss but her lower part of her body will need plastic surgery. She doesn't have those big growths shown on the TV series but she has a lot of excess skin. She has lost 125 pounds.

I need to get my motivation back.

mdubbs1

125 pounds? Wow! That's amazing.

No question that my last blood work was a kick in the behind in terms of motivation. Maybe I needed that.

The cover of Time magazine this week is about weight loss. The gist of the article is that calories in/calories out is too simplistic and that no one diet/exercise plan works for everyone. They studied a group of people who'd lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off.
Most had tried many times before. All used different approaches. Maybe the "Maryanne plan" isn't as out there as I thought. I'm going to hold onto this article and read it more carefully a few times. See what I can glean.

Why am I paying for a subscription? I found the article online. Already. http://time.com/4793832/the-weight-loss-trap/

KonaKat

Maryanne--I think it is more of what makes up the "calories in" that results in weight loss and that can differ from person to person. Age is a factor also. I need to see what the article says.

I went to the city today and loaded up with groceries especially since the shelves were bare in the local supermarket....not even a can of coffee. I got back at 1pm with plans to do some outside work but by the time I made several trips from the car to the house to take in all the goodies, I was so tired that I chose not to do anything.

Helene610

We were out all day, mostly dealing with truck repair. I think I mentioned DH and a second driver backed out at the same time in the church parking lot. Each driver was 50% at fault so our own insurance companies are dealing with their own customer. We already have the paperwork and a check for our repair and our rate will not go up. We drove over to the auto body shop so they could view the damage. DH mentioned we have a medical appointment in CT next week. They said if we could bring it in this afternoon, they'd start right away. It's supposed to take 2 days so we're pleased with the insurance co and auto body shop's responses.

Jean, I often buy coffee when it's on sale at CVS. DO you have any large drugstores like that? Is the grocery going out of business? We had a dry and partly sunny day today but the drizzly weather is supposed to be back tomorrow. We wanted to divide our hostas but by the time things dry out, they'll be too big to move.

Maryanne..I've always thought your packet days sounded smart. Whatever works for you. I'll have to read the article.

KonaKat

Helene--Sorry you had to deal with the truck repair. I just got my car back from its fender being "caressed." At first, it just looked like a paint scratch but when I got in good light, I could see a dent. The insurance company took care of it and paid for a rental. I was referred by the insurance company to my dealership to take care of the repair so I was happy. Excellent job all around, so I hope all works out for you.

Coffee? We have a CVS in the city. No large drugstores here. No one can get a straight story on what is happening with the supermarket. It is part of a family owned chain and the story is that the one in a town 20 miles away is having the same problems. The popular story is that the owner is behind on payments so the trucks are not delivering as many supplies as before. The people that are suffering are those who can't go to the city and shop. It sounds bad that we would have to shop in the city but the savings on one trip can easily justify it. This supermarket was great when it first started almost 30 years ago and ended up running the other groceries in town out of business. It even won awards. Family management changed hands during the years so perhaps the successor didn't have the same financial wisdom.

I do dumb things so with all the interest in ancestry dna, etc., I decided to play with this one which also suggests lifestyle and dietary plans based upon dna:

https://www.amazon.com/Vitagene-DNA-Test-Nutritional-Assessement/dp/B01NCISWQT

The website for the company is vitagene.com so it can be ordered from them directly. I chose Amazon because I get 5x the points on my Amazon Visa Signature Card. I play these games to maximize rewards. I also read reviews elsewhere so time will tell if my experience is the same as those providing reviews.

It is interesting that this company's pitch seems to reinforce the article Maryanne referenced. Vitagene states:

90% of diets fail because each person's body reacts differently to various foods, exercise, and micronutrient levels due to their DNA. Your genes don't just determine your eye color; they also determine your diet and nutrition, physiological traits like endurance, fat burning ability, metabolism and undiagnosed nutrient deficiencies.

By analyzing your DNA and applying our expertise in ancestry, nutrigenetics, fitness, and micronutrient deficiencies, your Health + Ancestry Report will provide you with personalized, actionable recommendations including a tailored supplementation regimen designed to help you reach your health goals.

mdubbs1

Jean - I've had many experiences over the years dealing with the second generation in family owned businesses and it almost never goes well. There's sort of a level of entitlement (best word I can think of) in the second generation that replaces the hustle from the first generation that built the business.

I can't imagine not having easy access to groceries. Even in the 500-person town I grew up in we had two grocery stores and 8 miles away were all the stores in Gettysburg. Now I have tons of grocery stores near me and if I'm willing to driving 15-20 miles even more.

DH is totally into supplements (although he has almost a phobia of prescription medication) so I wonder if he'd be interested in that. I was amazed that he sent his DNA in to Ancestry. I never told him when I did it because I thought he'd throw a fit. Privacy concerns.

Helene - so sorry about the vehicle but sounds like you're getting great service.

We're gearing up for this weekend's cat show. I have someone feeding the colonies and people covering shifts on Saturday. Bonnie and I will do setup and Sunday. This is a small enough show we're better off not trying to use someone else for set up. (We've never had anyone willing to learn enough to be really helpful.) Yesterday I unloaded the colony feeding supplies into the storage unit. Today I'll go over and load for the cat show. And then tomorrow morning I'll load Bonnie. I printed up event flyers. Still need to print up adoption flyers for Elsa and Rebel.

KonaKat

Maryanne--I was going to do the DNA thing today but forgot and drank coffee when I got up. They prefer it to be done first thing in the morning before eating, brushing teeth, drinking, etc. Some of the reviews said the ancestry part agreed with what they got from 23andme.

Good luck with this weekend's cat show. Midnight is enjoying my being home.

PamS53

Maryanne, I agree with you on the family business issues once the business goes to the second or third generation. One of the saddest examples of that to me was what happened to Windjammer Cruises. Captain Mike built the business from 1 sailing ship to 7 or 8 at its heyday, but after he retired and his children took over, within about 5 years they had bankrupted the business and left their vendors unpaid and many of their employees stranded in foreign ports with no way home. We sailed with them several times and in fact, were on the very last cruise they were able to sail. It was very sad to see the deterioration of the ship as well as the demoralized crew, many of whom we had come to know on previous cruises. And the beautiful old ships were left rotting at the docks, abandoned and in many cases seized by the government of whatever island they were left in for non-payment of their dockage fees. They had a very loyal following of former passengers who raised quite a large amount of money to help the crew members get home. Many of them had not been paid in months. Truly a sad situation. Poor Captain Mike would have been horrified at the demise of the business he worked so hard to build.

I've been busy doing a whole lot of nothing worthwhile lately. We attended a party Friday night and some friends invited us for dinner on Monday night. Both were very fun with lots of good food and company. The rest of the weekend was pretty quietly spent doing chores around the house.

I'm also blessed to have many great grocery stores nearby. Within 2 miles of my house I have 3 good stores, and within 5 miles 3-4 more specialty stores that carry more exotic items as well as all the normal stuff. And that reminds me, I need to go to the store!

Helene610

We too are blessed with grocery stores within a reasonable distance. We tend to get spoiled and don't always realize how lucky we are. We have a large chain plus an upscale family market and an organic market in town, We have another 6-7 choices 5-10 miles in other towns. We have CVS and Walgreens in neighboring shopping centers so our needs are well met.

I went to my first book group since December and everyone was very happy to see me. The book we read was The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. It's set in WW II France during the Nazi occupation. We usually meet at the library but one member wants to do a potluck at her house in June. We're all sick of the crummy weather and hopping for a beautiful day by the end of June.

Maryanne..Thanks for mentioning storage. I haven't paid the May bill for our unit. I forgot but with your reminder, that will be my next stop.

Pam..That's such a sad story about the cruise line. Aas you've all said, not an uncommon result when a new generation takes over a family business.

Helene610

A friend sent me this on FB and it made me think of Jean and Midnight.
https://www.facebook.com/n/?thecatlifememes/photos/a.518618841523377.1073741828.518616414856953/1486350761416842/&type=3&aref=1496072802610037&medium=email&mid=673363262859305&n_m=

mdubbs1

I'm reading the most recent Eve Duncan/Catherine Ling. Sort of "bleh". Can't Ms. Johansen think of any plots other than having some nasty person threaten Eve's loved ones or Catherine's loved ones? It feels old but the book got great reviews on Amazon.

mdubbs1

I was surprised to see this on the "worst" breakfast list:



Just because a brand is somewhat associated with healthy weight doesn’t give it a “free pass” onto our BEST list. In fact, this frozen breakfast sandwich is so disappointing that it meandered its way all the down to the WORST list. Sure, it only hits you with 200 calories, four grams saturated fat, and no trans fat, but this is a clear-cut case where what seems beautiful on the outside is not so pretty on the inside. What’s in it? The biggest letdowns here are pasteurized process cheese, including the preservative sorbic acid, as well as bacon, including sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite and artificial smoke flavor. In fact, smoke flavoring may have a potential DNA-damaging effect. Just say no. Per Serving: 200 calories, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 12 grams of protein, 630 milligrams of sodium.

The article: http://www.livestrong.com/article/1011875-7-breakfast-sandwiches-8-avoid/?utm_source=aol.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=7-breakfast-sandwiches-8-avoid&utm_campaign=AOL-Wellness

KonaKat

I just finished reading "The Breathing Series" of 3 books, thanks to Kindle Unlimited. These books are great but have to be read in order. Each book has over a 4 star rating with large number of reviews. The first book is "Reason to Breathe" and has over 3,300 reviews. I read it and got hooked.

I love that Special K breakfast sandwich.

OK, here are just two pics of the local supermarket:

mdubbs1

Jean - that's just sad! I'm going to have to give strong thanks for the bounty here when I hit two stores today (one mostly just to refill Jack's Famciclovir using a GoodRx coupon). I should quit complaining about what my local stores don't have (decent produce). At least they have it.

How did you end up where you are? Did you grow up in that area?

mdubbs1

With respect to the second generation family business, I've been thinking about it a lot lately because of course our ridiculous "President" is a second generation family business person.

mdubbs1

this one amewsed me this morning:

mdubbs1

Just printed out for DH:

KonaKat

Maryanne--Love the graphics!

I'm originally from this area. It hasn't been like this, but during the last ten years things have begun to go downhill. The people here are great but it is unfortunate that some business people such as this supermarket chain's owner are not responsible or responsive to people's needs. At least, we still have a somewhat functioning supermarket. In the adjoining county, none no longer exist. People either have to get quick needs at a gasoline convenience store or drive up to 50 miles to better stores.

mdubbs1

Consumer Reports this month has an article about how grocery stores are going to disappear and the ones that don't disappear will be majorly rejiggered. Then I read an article online about how 30% of malls, at least, will disappear in the next 5 years. I can see the malls disappearing. Haven't been to one in years and years. But I'd miss the grocery stores. I like to pick out much of my food although I admit to buying a lot of diet items online and even some meats. Well and the occasional item like Harry and David pears. But I don't want to do everyday shopping like that.

Helene610

Jean..That pic of the store shelves is pathetic. Have you tried something like Walmart.com for groceries. I read where they went to free delivery to compete with Amazon. I too have a bounty of stores to choose from plus a couple of good produce stores within a short drive. I didn't get much done today. A friend needed a ride to urgent care. She had an infection in her leg and needed antibiotics. She lost her license after a minor accident, largely because the police officer looked at her age and decided she should lose her license. she had a 50 clean driving record and has been through hell since then trying to get her license back. I always through she was exaggerating but she was 100% correct. I like the Jimmy Dean breakfasts better but the amount of sodium in all of them concern me.

mdubbs1

At the rate we're going the only jobs around will be clerking at Walmart or a fast food restaurant and working in the big distribution centers. I've seen those distribution centers on TV. Those jobs must be soul destroying. But that hasn't stopped me from ordering online. Hmmm, have to think about that.

mdubbs1

I bought a couple of the new(ish) Medifast Optavia packets on ebay. One day I was sitting here and read up a little on Medifast. Seems to me it's essentially "packet day" on steroids. So far most of the things I've tried from the original Medifast line have left me cold. I do like the spiced pancakes. The oatmeal sounds good (unique flavors) but is awful. The gingerbread you mix and nuke is awful. I'm curious if the Optavia is any better.