Daily Chats and Encouragements
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Bren, collagen should help with the dry skin. My neighbor uses: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07WW1WZ71 It's a collagen and bone broth powder. INGREDIENTS: Organic Bone Broth Collagen (That’s right, only one ingredient -- pure, nothing added). You often see collagen as "Hair, Skin, and Nails" product. She also uses frozen veggies, already prepared. Sam's has a frozen peppers and onions mixture that she uses often in her stir-fries, as well as a California Blend of veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, squash). Frozen okra works great in smoothies. I also put my baby spinach in my smoothies. I need to go ahead and blend up my zucchini and use it in my smoothie for lunch today!
Marilyn, I sure hope that those stones work their way out quickly. A friend of mine had some and she would walk up and down the stairs to try and work them down, or stomp around the house, jostling them. I guess that's what her doctor said to do.
Not much going on with me right now. Still holding steady at 234.0 -
Having a good day though didnt sleep well as I woke mid morning with an acid reflex attack - couldnt get my breath and scared my dear hubby terribly. So spend a couple of hours sitting up in order to not have another attack.
@Bren5535 - you mention dry skin. I have a terrible time with that. My whole is so terribly dry - so doc said 1st thing to do it each day put lotion all over the body. And wash the hair every 2nd day with a good shampoo to help with the dry scalp.. He then said the way to get rid of the dry skin is water - that when it is dry and flaky it is because you don't get enough water. He advise was drink water, then drink some more, than have another glass and when you think that is enough have one more. He said when the skin is dry you need to drink lots of water over 7 days at least to get it back into the skin - so that is what I am doing. Also the water helps with kidney stones - help prevent them and also help release them when you have the - he recommended 90 oz even with my kidney function down as he said this is one good thing to do for the kidneys - just thought I would pass that on to you.
So here is what my food looks like today (today is Day 4)
**Breakfast** (eaten at 8:30 am)
6 oz cooked oatmeal with 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce and a little cinnamon and 2 small oranges weighing in at 6 oz
**Lunch** (to be eaten around 12 noon)
2 slices 100% whole wheat bread toasted then 1 teaspoon yellow mustard in place of mayo, 1 thick slice of yellow onion, 1 tomato slices into thick slices, and 1 leaf of iceburg lettuce. Served with a granny smith apple
**Dinner** (to be eaten between 5 - 6 pm)
8 - 10 ounces boiled potatoe (about 2 small potatoes) with the skin on with no salt but after cooked I put some ground garlic and onion on them, served with stir fried veggs consisting of a tomato, 1/2 yellow onion, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 cup arugual all stir fried in water and vegetable broth just enough so nothing sticks ( I do no use oil due to the toxins in it) Should I still be hungry will have some frozen blueberries with a granny smith apple
I am really enjoying this plan - called The McDougall Plan 12 days to dynamic health - it is a whole food based program with no animal protein, no dairy and no oil. Sounds restrictive but really it is not. Just different. And eating this way will improve my health. Dr. McDougall has been working with patients for over 50 years getting them to eat this way and has gotten them off all meds. Talked it over with my doctor and he agreed saying this was the only one he would recommend - told him how Dr. McDougall takes all his patients off all meds, checks their blood work and then 3 months later checks again and 90% of them do not need the meds any longer and the rest of them continue for another 3 - 6 months and get to go off all meds. My doctor agrees that in 3 months I should be able to reduce the meds for sure and that in 6 months he sees me pretty much off or greatly reduced if I follow this eating plan. And truthfully, though some people say they just couldn't go off eating meat I don't agree with that - I was a big eater of animal protein= beef and chicken every night but honestly I dont miss it. And we are starting this week to get some tofu and I have been told that it takes on the flavor of what you cook it with and the worked that takes my daughter out says she loves tofu because when she cooks it she spices it so that it tastes like chicken. Only thing about tofu though it is high content of fat - 56% of tofu is fat so a person needs to watch that as it can cause gall bladder problem.
At any rate I would challenge all of you to get the book are just read it to see what you can learn about this way of eating - though I am going through some problems with kidney stones and kidney failure I have not felt so good - and many people are already telling me how much better I look - so making this change really helps
Side note: My day re foods loos like this
(1) 3 meals no snacks
(2) no sugar, no salt and this means been very dilgent to make sure no on other of these
(3) I work at limiting the amount of flour as it is also very addictive
(4) no animal products (protein)
(5) no dairy
(6) no oil ( will look and and share later why oil is so bad)
(7) lots of whole grains - oatmeal, brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes. I have started eating more potatoes at dinner and must say I am feeling better because of it.
Does this way of eating work? Yes. I have lost 2.5 pounds since Tuesday and still have a few more days to go before I officially get weighed again. Also I have met a lady from California who is in her 70's - actually she is now 77. When she was 72 she was 257 pounds but had just lost 30 pounds as she did way 287 pounds. She decided to give this plan 100% effort and in 2 years she lost 155 pounds, has no excess skin and is off all meds - when she started the program she had been told by the doctor that after she lost 70 pounds she would qualify for knee surgery - she lost the weight when to see the doctor who did the medical tests and then told her she no longer needed the surgery as her knees had healed themselfs - all because she changes her eating.. She has a private page on facebook called Esthers Nutritional Journey - daily she shows what she is eating that day, give a word of encouragement and than gives her thoughts. She has done this now for a few years and back 2 years ago was asked to put it all in a book - which she did which is called From Donuts to Potatoes - daily journal for 366 days - well worth having as it is very encouraging - and taking the time to listen to her daily is so worth it.
At any rate, though I am in pain releasing these kidney stones I am making progress with my health and just wanted to share
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That's great Marilyn. You're certainly disciplined in your routine!
I was in a great deal of pain all night...got up at 5:30, fed 3 precious kitties...working on my chore list and feeling much better! Praise God for His mercies each day.
I got the laundry sorted and arranged for Wednesday pick up. I will use the laundry service again. To me, it is so worth the cost right now when I am having such pain and fatigue issues. I'll only have to do it about once a quarter or less...
I had to google how to empty my vacuum thing-ee! Perhaps I will remember next time. It's a one click thing and I was trying too hard. I have a lightweight stick vacuum I bought back in January. I really like it.
I'm working on the kitchen and bathroom and will vacuum and get trash ready for take out. I made me some tea...oh yay!
Now that I have fresh veggies...I need to do up a couple of salad bowls and bento containers. I have boiled eggs, tuna and salmon pouches, thin sliced roast beef, turkey breast and a bit more ham for my protein choices.
I have a pack of ground beef to cook up and am thinking of doing a taco salad bowl with some beans and meat but no chips. I have coleslaw mix to do up an egg roll in a bowl meal too. I'd like to do a packet meal like this too...with the fish...yummo! I need to reduce the size of my pics....and do a meal plan for the new week.
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Thanks so much for the information, Marilyn. I am so happy for you, and hope that you find the success that the lady from California found. There are so many veggies that I can't eat: raw onions, peppers, raw garlic (can do garlic powder), tomatoes, chick peas; and fruit: red delicious apples, strawberries, guava, peaches. It would be very hard for me to go on this kind of diet; but I wish you all the success that can be had by it for you!
Up a pound this morning. Will have it off hopefully by tomorrow.
Love you gals.0 -
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Up another pound but lots of swelling today. Will work on getting more fluids.
Still very hot. Staying indoors and doing just what I have to.0 -
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Bren - Once you get used to your ROKU, I think you will really enjoy it. There a ROKU free live TV that has a TON of channels that are free. My husband loves westerns and there are about a half dozen channels. Unfortunately with his Alzheimers, he can't figure out how to watch iton his own. He can't figure out much on the regular TV, either....except to turn the volume up, and up! He watches whatever comes up when he turns it on.
OH, Kidney stones! OUCH! My hubby had a bout with them about 25 years ago and it wasn't pleasant! He even went through lipotripsy (?) to blast the stones to break them up. It didn't break up the large stone they were trying to destroy, but luckily they found it was enclosed in a sack and therefore will not move. It is still there. Every time they take x-rays they see it.
The veggie diet sure wouldn't work in our household with the low potassium diet that my BIL is on. No potatoes (unless rinsed, boiled, rinsed, then soaked for 12 hours), no tomatoes, no beans or nuts. This is taking me a LOT of research on how to meld all of our different dietary issues into one meal. It is getting a bit boring, but we are making it. I did find that coconut milk is low in potassium, so I am going to give that a try for making sauces to kind of change things up a bit. I don't know if my hubby will try it on cereal, but we will give that a try, too.0 -
Hello Connie! Thanks for your tips and Kim's, on the ROKU thing. When the guys came Monday to do a fiber optics drop in our apartments, it was with the incentive to switch to their cable company but manager says it's optional and I'm set already...with the Roku set up, once I get it plugged in. I would think any day that Suddenlink would cut off the cable but it hasn't happened yet.
Potassium: That's what I was told to really watch as well...and as an avid veggie lover/eater...one I greatly ignore. Like my coffee...I had no idea how much potassium it has until I started tracking....which I restarted yesterday...Boy howdy does it knock the starch from my sails and jiggle my joy factor down...wrestling with carbs, sodium, potassium and protein levels. I hadn't tracked in much too long, to my detriment. Now that my computer issues and printer thing have been dealt with, I have no reason to avoid keeping good records and planning ahead. I like the food tracking here almost as much as I did SparkPeople, now that I've gotten used to it. However....I am so very thankful I only have myself to deal with, prepare for and keep up with. Anyone else would be complaining a lot about my kitchen and nutrition skills!
The laundry service will come for my laundry today. They will bring it back tomorrow. I hope to feel much better before long and able to handle my heavy chores without a physical breakdown and a two week trial by fire.
Wishing you all a blessed day, strength for each task and sparks of joy in this new day. Love and prayers for us all.
I will see my PCP tomorrow and will act like I feel better than when I saw her back in April. I really like her and would hate to lose her services due to my non compliance of 9 years.0 -
No acting allowed! I hope that she saw through it and was able to give you some good information, Bren! LOL! How is the new diet going??? I don't like veggies, but then getting too much potassium hasn't been a problem for me, I actually take a potassium supplement to keep me in the middle of the normal range! I don't have to take as much as I used to (a daily requirements worth in a pill), but am taking about 1/3 of my daily requirement as a supplement.
Connie, it was really hard to watch Mom forget how to do things that were second nature to her. She loved doing jigsaw puzzles, and in her later years on her Kindle - it was so hard to watch her not be able to figure out how to put those pieces together. If I gave her tips and got her started, she would be able to figure things out, but if she was on her own, it was a mess! She eventually just gave up trying. Your little family is in my prayers. I just recently ordered a coconut milk powder to add to my smoothies. It would be really good in oatmeal too. My neighbor uses a Collagen powder in her oatmeal and coffee and says it is very good, makes it super creamy. It's really helped with strengthening her nails, and it's supposed to be good for inflammation too (I believe).
Going to try and move around a bit more today and cut out some of the snacking in between meals. I don't eat much for a meal so I am hungry a couple hours later. I just need to lengthen that time to three hours.
Love y'all. Have a blessed time with the Lord this evening.
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One of my favorite verses in the Bible is in Matthew 6. "Do not be anxious for tomorrow for tomorrow will care for itself, each day has enough trouble of it's own!" Yep. I often write newbies that they need to forget yesterday, it's gone, and tomorrow isn't promised, so live today with all you've got. I struggle to forget yesterday, but am asking God to help me forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead, trusting Him for all the changes that He is making in me.
My weight is back up, but so is my swelling. I'm at 238 this morning. I have my compression wraps on, so hopefully that will squeeze a little water out!
I hope y'all have an awesome day and find success in your diets and in your health. Love you0 -
Just a small update. I am doing well with my food plan - am so grateful that the Doctor has suggested I eat this way as I can't believe how much better I am feeling though I am still dealing with kidney stones. I am not a lover of vegetables as most have never agreed with me. But am learning to like them and finding ways to cook them that don't bring on an attack. I know I can't eat any of them raw so doing a stir fry is the way I go. When doing the stir fry I do not use oil as an oil is not on this plan that I am on but rather I use a little water with a little vegetable broth - just enough so things dont stick and of course I use spices and herbs to flavor up the vegetables. And each day we try a different combination of herbs and spices to find out the ones we like best on different vegetables. I just completed 7 days (as of Tuesdays) on this plan and lost 4.5 pounds and am on Day 5 of the next week and it looks like I am going to have a nice loss at my next weigh in.
I am not focusing on a given goal re weight to lose as I have a lot of weight to lose. But I am at a new set of numbers (have hit 248.2) so a goal with not date to go with it is to get to 239. I have been in contact with many that have been doing this program for years and they have told me that due to my weight and what I should weigh that more than likely for the first couple of months I could just drop the pounds- many of them lost 8 - 10 pounds each month for about 5 months then it slowed down to 4 -5 pounds a month. So if my body does as they think it will I could be down to 239 sometime in August - will be overjoyed.
September 7 2021 I weighed in at 267 so it looks like I could possibly be 237 or less by that day this year which I would be overjoyed with. But I am not thinking or stressing over it - I am just eating each day as I should and let the weight take care of itself.
Here is my food for today
**Breakfast** (eaten at 8:30 am)
oatmeal (about 6 - 8 ounces) with 5 fresh strawberries mixed in (don't use salt or milk) and had an orange as well
**Lunch** (to be eaten at 12:30 pm)
Sandwich consisting of 2 slices of 100% whole wheat bread with 1/2 teaspoon of yellow mustard divided equally over the bread which was toasted ( I don't use mayo as it is made with eggs), 1 thick slice of raw yellow onion, 1 tomato cut into 3 slices and one lettuce leaf. I will also have 1 granny smith apple
**Dinner** (to be eaten at 5:30 pm)
Boiled potato and after it is cooked I sprinkle garlic and onion powder on it, served with a stir fry (I dont use oil but use water and some vegetable broth to help it not stick) consisting of sugar snap peas, green pepper, red pepper, a tomato, yellow onion with 1 couple of tablespoons of homemade tomato sauce stirred into it. I make my own tomato sauce with no sugar, no salt, with lots of spices and different vegetables that have been put through the blender making them pulp. I make enough of this at one time that I can bag it up in 2 cups per zip lock bags and put in the freezer. Comes in really handy. Will also allow myself some frozen strawberries and blueberries for after supper should I want something sweet - I don't put sugar on them, just put them in a bowl, put in the microwave for 1 -2 minutes to slightly thaw them - and they would be eaten within 15 minutes of dinner.
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OK Kim....not much acting was required today. I did a lot of praying as I was in great pain...yet was able to do my appointment today without the cane. I got a good parking spot and didn't stumble about much. Was able to get up on the table thing for her. She got my Tylenol 3 ordered. There was a glitch in the system that was denying the prescription back last month when I sent a message requesting refills.
I am retaining some fluid...and I mentioned the knee issue that hit last month...couldn't remember any injury. She wants me to have an x-ray done so that will be scheduled. She asked if I wanted to schedule with a bone Dr. after the x-ray and I declined because if surgery or PT was suggested, I'd not follow thru.
So...that's done for a bit...next up will be my cardiologist next month, then my kidney Dr. Time is marching on....
I did lose my car when I came out. I stood in the wrong aisle...trying to unlock someone else's silver car. Is it time for an antenna topper?0 -
This is my lovely microwave omelet....1/4 cup each frozen pepper/onion blend and Mezcia Guarnicion blend (love it)...1 precooked sausage link, 1/2 cup egg beaters and 2 squares of Gouda, broken up. Quite delicious.
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One step at a time, one day at a time!
I like how SP taught us to do goals: make a long term goal, then a mid-term goal, and then the short term goals that will get you to that mid-term, which will get you to the long-term.
So much water retention right now. It took me two or three months to lose six pounds; I gained it back in five days without changing my eating! I'm at 240 this morning. Sigh! I am going to have to up my water intake and hope that my lymphedema doesn't suck it all up and store it!
Had a nice headache this morning due to all of these storms going through, and my allergies are giving me some trouble too. Other friends are having a lot of allergy problems as well. Hmmm???
Keep up the good work ladies, I'm so happy for you! You're doing great!0 -
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