Following Fuhrman in February!

Carla_wfpb

I got some of the blood work back. It turns out I'm type 2 diabetic, just over the edge. My doctor is going to let me use diet and exercise to see if I can control it, so I'm going for it! My next appointment with her is at the end of this month, so by then I should already have lost a bit of weight and have some improvement. It makes me mad at myself. I KNOW how to eat! I have no excuse. So I'm getting my butt in gear and getting to it!

We're going to try replacing the treadmill drive belt and possibly the walking belt in an attempt to fix our treadmill. While we're waiting for the drive belt to arrive, Joe is going to take it apart and try cleaning it up and lubricating it. Hopefully that works, but if not, we're just going to buy a new one. I know there are plenty of ways to exercise, but the treadmill at my own home is what works best for me!

I am also low in B-12, even though I supplement, sporadically. I'm not anemic, so at least there's that! I haven't heard back on my vitamin D levels or cholesterol.

So, not good news, but the kick in the pants I needed!

bisky

Oh Carla, you can beat this. I know you can. How high was your blood sugar and your A1C? Does diabetes run in your family? I use to love treadmill workouts...keeping the speed up, keeping elevation up. I think Dr. Furhman's advice to diabetics is excellent...avoiding the carbs in flour, pasta, rice and maybe some grains. I keep telling brooks we need to buy a glucometer just to test weekly to see if our blood sugar is creeping up.

So back was excellent until today. I went swimming & walking this week...this morning I decided to flood our house. I mean really flood it. I turned water on in a sink with plug and forgot. Rivers...I could have baptized the dogs. I spent 6 hours cleaning up the mess. Thank God we have a lot of tile and no carpet. A couple of the rooms have wood laminate and that looks like it is going to have to be replaced ....it is already starting to buckle. Then after all the sucking up water with water vac, moping and towels....the floor needs to be vacuumed and my dyson vacuum cleaner became plugged. I tried unplugging it. I hate this vacuum cleaner...it has so many problems and it is heavy to push around. I have had it about 3 years and for 2 of the 3 years it was in storage. So I go around with my little hand vac and $20.00 bissell vac. Sorry I am ranting...oh and the hot water went out. Hopefully that is it. It was too stressful of a day to even eat and I can always eat. Brooks is stopping by my favorite place, Zoes and bringing dinner home. I am close to tears. I was never ever a house wife, cook or cleaner. I worked full time until we went to Italy. Now I feel that cooking and cleaning are my responsibility because I am not working and today I hate it.

Sorry for the rant.

Mihani

You'll beat this Carla! When you get focused you do so well, and you've caught it early. Have you read End of Diabetes yet? It has some amazing success stories. I hope you can repair the treadmill. Good ones are so expensive. Love the February title... taking the alliteration to a new level! LOL

Oh no Donna... I am SO sorry to hear about your mishap, especially if it ruined your floors. That's just awful! I would have cried for sure! And the hot water heater on top of that. What a day. I hope you can relax this evening and enjoy your dinner.

Nothing exciting to report here. Going to bed shortly. It has been a rough week.

Carla_wfpb

Thanks for the support regarding the diabetes, ladies. My fasting blood sugar was at 6.7. I won't have all of the numbers until my appointment at the end of the month. The info I have was given to me over the phone.

Donna, what an ordeal! I'm sorry about the flood. It sounds like it was a ton of work to clean up and then to have the floors buckling too...ugh! I hope your back is doing okay after all of that bending over and cleaning. I did the same thing, thankfully on a smaller scale, at our last home. I plugged the sink on the top floor in the laundry room and left the water running and forgot all about it. I was 2 floors down. Luckily Joe was home and heard running water. The flooring in the laundry room lifted up, and we had water running down through the light fixtures on the middle floor.

Mihani, I have "Then End of Diabetes" and I'm planning to read it again. I don't really want to read what's going on in my body, but I do want to refresh my memory on Dr. F's advice for what to eat and what to avoid, and whatever else he suggests.

Next week's meal plan sounds appealing to me and I'm definitely motivated to batch cook it this weekend and have it ready to go! There's a Greek style dinner with veggies and rice, an eggless egg roll noodle bowl, a roasted veggie bowl with smoky paprika sauce, zucchini enchilada boats, and a caesar salad bowl. I'll have a smoothie every morning for breakfast and a big salad for lunch to boost my greens.

The treadmill lubricant arrives tomorrow, so if that does the trick, the treadmill could be functioning by Sunday. If not, we have to order a new drive belt and wait a few days for that to arrive and try again. In the meantime, I'll be walking around in the rain.

Happy Friday!

Mihani

The zucchini enchilada boats sound really good to me, Carla. If they turn out tasty I'd like the recipe.

I had kind of forgotten about this website: https://hellonutritarian.com/no-oil-tofu-veggies-sheet-pan-meal/ I am going to make this over the weekend. I like some of her prepping advice too.

I have two containers of baby spinach I got for smoothies this week then I didn't have smoothies! So I'm going to freeze the greens rather than letting them to go waste. I think I'll measure out the whole thing, greens and fruit, to make mornings easy.

Carla_wfpb

Why haven't I ever thought to freeze greens before they go bad?! What a great idea! Thanks for the website link, Mihani! It is new to me and I like the idea of roasting up a bunch of veggies for the week to go on my salads.

I had a successful food day yesterday. I had my morning smoothie, a big salad with baked tofu and nut dressing for lunch, and then we went out for dinner at the Thai place where I got a big veggie stir fry with tofu, no rice, and water to drink. Yesterday was day 2 of no snacks after dinner (none all day, actually).

We have all of our groceries in the house and ready for batching tomorrow. We're getting a break from the rain today so we'll be cleaning up the branches that fell during all the storms, and pruning the fruit trees.

Mihani

I agree Carla, love roasted veggies. They have so much depth of flavor. I got home from the office too late today to do much cooking, but I am going to roast broccoli and cauliflower, baby purple potatoes, carrots and yellow squash tomorrow. I plan to go to the office but will just make sure I'm out of there earlier. Also have a few sweet potatoes to bake. And I have lots of good stuff for salads which I should be able to get chopped and ready to go tonight. I am going to go 6 week plan for the rest of the month except one day there's a party and will let loose a little that evening. I figure I'm due to get back to basics, and I can be moral support.

Donna, how is the house and how is your back?

Carla_wfpb

Thanks, Mihani! It's great to have you along for the ride! I hope you have some luck getting out of the office early today. The party sounds like a nice change of pace, when is that coming up?

I had another good day yesterday and no snacks in the evening. I was hungry around 3 pm so I had most of a pear. I've been really enjoying pears lately. I like them a little crunchy, not soft or mealy textured. While I've been doing good with what I eat, I've also been thinking about food a lot. Hopefully that lessens over time.

Joe and I went for a nice walk in a local park. We were there around 9 am and it was pretty quiet. There are good trails and a number of routes to go. Once Ruby's leg heals up, I might start going there with her. It seems like a nice enough area, and visible to houses even though it winds through some open woods along a creek. I would like it to be a little more populated to feel safe, but it borders on 2 schools, so if I time it right it is probably pretty busy.

I'm off to do my batch cooking! It always feels a bit overwhelming before I start, but once I get into it, it isn't bad. Joe is going to help.

bisky

Hi,

Well the flooring will definitely need to be replaced in living room, dining room, my craft room and a guest room. Kinda bummed but we didn't like the flooring and it was on the list to be replaced but not this soon.

I need to get back to food prep. Just not feeling it this weekend. Brooks has night time trauma call and I never sleep well. I took the dogs for a walk while he was sleeping. It is in the 80's today. Yesterday I played tennis in 58*. Here are a few pics of the jewelry and cards I made for gifts for VD. Sorry I don't know how to make the pics smaller.

Mihani

Wow, so pretty Donna! I am not talented with artsy crafty stuff and always envious of those who are! Sorry to hear so much of the flooring was ruined.

I did manage my food prep tonight. I roasted (all separately so I can mix and match) baby potatoes, yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus. Also made a pot of cheeezy chickpeas. I had a big pile of spring mix topped with a mix of the veggies and some of the chickpeas. So good! I drizzled a little coconut aminos and some spices on the veggies before roasting and they caramelized nicely. I have plenty of stuff for salads and smoothies too, so I feel like I'm set for a good week. The potatoes I did in a covered casserole dish.

Carla_wfpb

Donna, beautiful cards and jewelry! Do you have a Cricut or other machine to cut out paper shapes? Too bad all of those floors need to replaced. That must have been a flood of epic proportions. At least it wasn't flooring that you loved.

Great job on the food prep, Mihani. I will have to try those cheezy chickpeas one day. I did some roasting too - cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, onions and bell peppers.

Prep yesterday took 3 hours and then another hour for cleanup. We are washing all of our dishes by hand right now because we haven't replaced our broken dishwasher. I'm still going strong with eating on plan and not snacking after dinner.

bisky

Good job Mihani and Carla on food prepping this weekend. I have to get it together, plan a few meals and then food prep for week. Not happening today.

I have a manual die cut that is similar to a crickit but not as expensive...very easy to use. Yesterday in the 80's today back in the 50's. Crazy weather.

Mihani

Had an almost perfect ETL day yesterday, a few pretzels mid-morning. Today I'm packing up clementines and grapes so if I feel like I really need a snack I have fruit handy. Sure makes it easier when I take the time to batch prep.

Carla_wfpb

Another good food day for me yesterday. I'm in my smoothie groove and not snacking after dinner. Joe hasn't worked on the treadmill yet, but he might look at it today after work.

Friday is supposed to be a nice day with no rain, so my mom and I have tentative plans to go for a walk at a beautiful park nearby that is along the ocean. There's a little coffee shop right there so we can get some herbal tea when we're done.

liapr

Hi guys!! Sorry it was a crazy week. We had a really nice night out on Saturday night - first time in a hotel room with a baby! Lol. I was so excied to have wine and a bath but the bath had no plug so I just had the wine... still okay lol. I've been so tired lately though, I never have a good night of sleep, but last night I got ready for bed at 9, slept by 10, and (aside from multiple wakeups, 2 from my bladder, 2 from the baby), I slept until 7:30!! Woohoo!!

Ahh Donna!! I'm so sad for you for your mini flood. How frustrating. I hate those moments where you just wish you could rewind. Totally something I would do. I also hate taking care of a house... ugh. BTW your jewelry and cards are beautiful. So many artsy ETLers!

Bah sorry Carla too about your blood work!! So good you got it checked though. I also need a kcik in the pants. How is your first week going? Sounds like you're doing great so far!

Mihani I need to take a cue from you and snack on things that are good for me. I think that's where I'm sliding. Yesterday I got hungry around 4:30 and polished a bunch of hummus and crackers.

Tonight I'm going to do some exercising! And I'm craving a big bowl of lettuce for dinner

Mihani

Crazy day. I didn't even have time for lunch. Came home and ate a good ETL dinner, followed by a bunch of popcorn. Ugh.

Did Joe get the treadmill working, Carla? Glad you are enjoying your smoothies.

Lia, yay for sleep! I feel like I never get enough sleep, and I don't even have a baby waking me up.

Carla_wfpb

I got some work done this morning, and then did some much needed house cleaning. A productive day so far. I love having my meals batched and ready to go. It makes eating healthy so much easier.

I had some Tu-No Salad for lunch today. I forgot how much I enjoy it over a salad.

Lia, too bad about the bath not having a plug! Yay for the hotel, wine, and some sleep!!

bisky

Hi

The week is almost 1/2 over. Had a great walk with Cleo today. Left the boys home because it was too cold to walk slow. 47-48* here. I know that is not that cold but wind was blowing and humidity in the air. We saw several red cardinals and one that is a bit rare, a red and white one. We also saw deer.

Lia, I try to get a bath tub when I get away. Have you ever had the Lush Bath Balms. They are so fun but especially the moisture ones leave residue on the bath tub so I only use them on trips.

Mihani - good job on the ETL meals!

Carla - did you get into the craft room today? I need to try the Tu-No salad. It sounds good.

Pictures of walk today:

Mihani

This has been a crazy week at work and I am so glad it's almost over. I need the weekend to get some work done in peace. Night before last we got about 6 inches of snow. Made getting to the office yesterday lots of fun. Took me about twice as long as usual. They had the roads pretty well cleared by the evening commute, but supposed to be icy crud this morning so I need to get out of here pretty quickly.

Have been doing well with having smoothies for breakfast. At least I know I have a big pile of greens in the morning. I've been enjoying my roasted veggies in salads for lunch and dinner. I will try to make something different for the weekend, depends on how much time I have for cooking, but I will definitely make time for another round of batch cooking on Sunday.

Cute how intent the pup is on the deer in the one pic, Donna. Is it warming up today?

Still haven't tried the tu-no salad, Carla.

Carla_wfpb

Looks like a great walk in nature, Donna! I used to live near a Lush store, and I would get bath bombs all the time. I love them! But once I got one that was filled with potpourri and with the oils in there, it stuck all over the bath tub. What a mess!

More snow, Mihani? Yuck! Safe travels to work and back! I think we're done with snow around here. The last snowfall was right around Christmas. We have crocuses and other bulbs starting to poke out so it feels like spring is just around the corner. I'll be batching with you on Sunday.

Joe is working from home today, so I think I'll take advantage of having the car and buy myself a few new things to wear. I don't want to go too crazy because I've started dropping weight and I'll be changing sizes soon, but it is still nice to have a few things that fit and look good now, instead of always waiting for the next size down.

bisky

Carla - have fun shopping! I haven't shopped in a while because I have a few things from when I weighed less and most my clothes are stretchy yoga or workout pants I use for walking. We were in a store the other day and I saw a pair of pants I wanted but I didn't want to try them on. I thought they would be a little tight. They fit great! I am down two sizes! They are perfect for dog walking, wearing in Italy and running around in except no pockets. If you go to a mall it is a safe place to power walk!

Mihani - what a drag. I heard the groundhog saw his shadow so I guess winter continues. You are getting hit hard. I will stop complaining about my 40 weather. It is suppose to get up to low 60's this afternoon. Walked dogs, going swimming and if any energy left over a short bike ride.

Carla_wfpb

Congrats on being down 2 sizes!!! That is so awesome! It is annoying when pants don't have pockets. I have a pair that I like too, that are quick dry and perfect for walking but no pockets. I found a few cotton sports tops that have little side pockets, so at least I can bring along some kleenex and lip balm on my walks.

It is sunny here but the temperature has dropped. I'm hoping it doesn't cool down too much more, or we may end up with a bit more snow next week after all. We have a tree blossoming that I can see from my kitchen window. I am ready for spring.

I'm down about 3 lbs since getting serious about my food. My mood is improved too, and I have more energy.

Mihani

That's very cool you are into a smaller size Donna... congrats! Have you been shopping for new flooring? Have you heard any more about Italy?

Carla, I am jealous of your warming weather. The snow is melting off now, but we're supposed to have ice storms on Sunday. Ugh. I hate ice even more than snow for driving. Well done on the 3 pounds!!! I am down 2, I haven't been quite as strict as I hoped, but I am going to buckle down even more in the coming week and get rid of the little bits of snackiness that are sneaking into my work days. I know I need to up my greens even more, so that's on the agenda this weekend too... hitting the produce section again and doing some prep work.

Karrie, hope you are getting settled in your new house. We miss you!

Lia, how are you doing with your new exercise regimen?

Another good ETL day other than a handful of pretzels at work. I've got to stop that. It's my number one goal for this month. No snacking at work. I rarely snack at home.

I've really been into teas lately. I can't seem to escape any store without another box of tea to try out.

bisky

Congrats on the weight loss Mihani and Carla. That is awesome!

I made a salad and TJ's super protein vegetarian burgers for us this evening with avocado and home made hummus. It was delicious. Brooks gave it two thumbs up. Then added almond milk, lemon and cashews to the hummus glob at the bottom of the vitamix to make salad dressing. Getting really good at that. It would have been a total vegan day except the 2 tablespoons of skim milk in my coffee.

So glad it is Friday. Have a great weekend everyone.

Carla_wfpb

I had a great day yesterday with my mom. She came over and we went to the park on the ocean and went for a long walk. It was cool and sunny, perfect walking weather. While we were out, we walked to a shoe store and each found something. I bought her some polka dot rubber shorty boots for her birthday, and I picked up some walking shoes that are dressier than runners so I can wear them any time and still spontaneously go for a walk while I"m out. After our walk, we sat at a picnic table and ate the pears and pumpkin seeds I'd packed. Such a nice outing!

I'm going to have to sub out 3 of the meals this coming week on the meal plan. For some reason this one is just too rich and bread-y. There's a few days with potatoes as the base for the meal, and one day with homemade biscuits and gravy. I know the biscuits will be made with healthy ingredients, but I also know I can't handle them. Once I have baked goods around, I can't stop eating them, and then worse yet, I end up making them over and over. We're going to make a few recipes that are tried and true from our collection, including the pinto bean chili that is easy and tasty.

We've got another morning here without rain, so Joe and I will take advantage of that and walk through the local park again this morning.

Mihani

That's a cool idea to turn the remnants of your hummus into dressing Donna... will have to remember that one. Your dinner sounds very good!

Glad you had such a nice visit with your mom Carla, and that your weather continues to be nice. It is rainy and cold here, but not down to freezing so I think the predicted ice storm will miss us.

Stopped at the store on the way home. I'm going to do roasted veggies again. That was so good last week and I enjoyed them every day. I got home early enough I'm going to prep tonight and then I can work later tomorrow. I'll probably make yet another batch of the cheezy chickpeas. I really enjoy them on top of the roasted veggies or sauteed greens.

Carla_wfpb

Mihani, fingers crossed for you that there's no ice storm! I still have to try those cheezy chickpeas one day.

Yesterday Joe and I went for a long walk, and then later in the afternoon we ended up doing a bunch of pruning, then gathering all of the branches up in a pile. I am a bit sore today. We just spend about 3 hours batching our meals for the week - a tofu sausage, chili, a wfpb quiche, bean burgers, and more tuno salad for my lunch. I added a bit of dill weed to my tuno, and subbed some black salt for some of the regular salt. It turned out good.

bisky

Keep warm everyone up north!

Carla, you have had some great walks this week! You have all those fruit trees you are pruning? Do you sell your fruit at Farmer's markets? I love Asian pears.

Mihani, there is nothing better than roasting a big pan of vegetables for the week. I think I am going to do that tomorrow after tennis. I love to roast japanese eggplants but have not been able to find them in San Antonio.

It was cold here this morning for Texas, 36*. We were going to go on a long bike ride. It is only 39* now...too cold for me to ride but Brooks is out there. We have that ride next weekend. 25 miles for me and 66 miles for Brooks. Yikes. I rode 8 miles easily on my mountain bike yesterday and my road bike is much lighter and faster so I hope I will make it. Need a couple of long rides this week. I will walk dogs later today.

We have tickets this afternoon to see the Greatest Show with Hugh Jackson. I have my diet tea ready and going to cut up an apple and take some nuts.

I have to make a bunch of Mother Day cards before I go to Italy as my sister wants to sell them at her craft show in April. Too late for Valentine or Easter cards to sell.

Carla_wfpb

Donna, we have a bunch of fruit trees. The mature ones are apple, pear, and 2 kinds of cherries. There are several apple and pear trees that are especially large and take a while to trim. We planted a peach tree and a few more cherry trees, as well as figs, kiwis, blueberries and currants last year. We haven't sold any at the local market, but we donate some to the food bank. I'm rooting for you with your bike ride next weekend! You do a great job of varying your activities. How was the show?

We went for another walk yesterday afternoon. It was sunny and about 10 degrees warmer. I just wore a hoodie and ended up taking off my gloves. I don't have the car today, so I think I'll do some yard work once it warms up.

I haven't returned to any of my previous hobbies yet, but I'm feeling better overall, so that will probably come with time. I might get into some sketching soon.

Mihani

Hello... still buried in work and super busy. Brought more work home to do tonight, but going to make time for treadmill too. Day 2 perfect ETL though... woohoo!

You two are doing great getting exercise. I need to concentrate on that this week.

Better keep moving!

bisky

The show was a musical feel good movie. Good to see this on the big screen. Do you have Costco in Canada? On line there is a movie pass and you can go see unlimited movies any time of the day for a year with this pass.

I finished all the Valentine cards and got them in the mail. I didn't do XMAs cards this year so this is my way to make up for that.

Brooks has today off so we are going to go swim. It is grey and cloudy here but in the low 50's so maybe later a walk or bike ride.

Mihani good job on another ETL day! Keep moving! It gets harder when you are older.

Biscuits are a big weakness for us. We can't have them in the house...esp. warm home made ones.

Brooks is making a vegetable curry for us today.