2022: Become a priority in your life - today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want.
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lol i guess its just one of those weird things we do like the pre dentist flossing.. and opening the mail box handle again after putting your letter in just to make sure it went in the box? ha.. although i may be the only one left who actually sends snail mail these days giggle snort..
Hang in there for the last day today.. and tomorrow night you can treat yourself to that wine after the tests ha....
Vail I saw you posted a loss last nite (or maybe today with the time diff?) Woo hooooo ... you're rocking it girl!!0 -
Yes, I was thinking illness/stress would push the results up, but just wondering if there was a chance enforced partial fasting would push them down! But I suppose not. At least if they are up, you know the cause, I suppose, and that it should get better.
I'm glad you are almost finished with the driving now, Suzy. Time to have a couple of days relaxing, I think. Maybe a nice walk round the neighbourhood!
Yes, I did have a loss (this morning!), thank you! I'm up and down and all over the place. My weight jumped up after my big loss that I posted about (after the cat/vomit/scales scenario). It hung about at a higher level for a few days, and now has fallen back that little bit further. I'm expecting it be up again tomorrow, but as long as it's a downward trend .... trendweight has been really reassuring.
I still have a bit to go to get to my lowest ever on MFP, but not much. Just two or three pounds I think. Of course, that makes me determined to get there! I resisted homemade cake at work today, but it actually wasn't hard at all. I'd rather just keep losing weight at the moment. Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels, as they say. Or in my case, nothing tastes as good as marginally less overweight and but still flabby. Anyway, it sometimes amazes me that it really is just as simple as not eating stuff, sometimes!
In a way, I'm really not looking forward to my shared meal with friends, because I know it will set me back, but I think it's one of those things that should be worth it. I can't possibly eat enough in one meal to do any major damage, so as long as I can accept that I'm going to have a bit of a slow down in weight loss following I think I'm going to still go ahead.1 -
Wow Vail that must be so exciting being so close to the lowest ever on here! And yes.. in our heads we know fluctuation is normal but it doesn't stop us from not liking that little bit of up and down lol.. but for SURE your trend is heading down and that's the big picture to keep in mind..
I know some people only weigh once a week or once every 2 weeks so they don't have to see the actual day to day fluctuation.. i wish i could be one of those lol. but i'm not.. its just habit to hop on the scale every morning for me now and i DO think it kinda keeps me in line.. i was actually up 2 lbs a few days ago which was a first in a while... but this morning i ended up being down a pound lol.. so i don't let it rule my world but i know enough by now not to freak over one weigh in that may show a fluctuation.. and it sounds like you are in such a good head space and i'm so happy the trendweight is reallly helping you see that your hard work is definitely paying off..
I do get what you mean about maybe not looking forward to the shared meal but honestly.. after the last two years the social aspect of getting together with friends can't be overlooked either and let's face it.. most of our social gatherings for anything revolve around food in some way... and giving yourself a day to enjoy the company and some different foods you wouldnt make yourself is a lovely way to spend a day in my opinion... you could always think of your plate as a "sampler" plate.. take a lot of little bits of many dishes! and I'll bet dollars to donuts that you won't even see but a minor flicker on the scales (as long as your cat doesnt sneak up behind you and barf on them again lol).. so i do hope you go and let yourself enjoy the time without worrying about the eating part..
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Yes, my weight is up again today, but that's the way it goes, and I do expect it when I'm weighing daily. I have a little pattern of having a big jump down sometimes (and by "big" I mean maybe a pound, nothing dramatic!), then a bounce back up and wavering about before the next jump down. I wouldn't see this pattern if I was weighing weekly and would worry about the bouncing back up. So that's one reason I don't do weekly/fortnightly weights.
Another big reason is that I would forget, and then I'd go off track. I'd miss a weigh in day and then forget the next one, and gradually stop bothering about what I was eating. I just know it. The daily weigh in helps me remember as it's part of a routine, but it's also a daily reminder that I'm "on a diet", for want of a better phrase! I genuinely would forget if I wasn't constantly reminding myself.
It's good that you can take the weight gains on the chin! I think we are so far into it this now that we know that's just what happens. I see people panicking on the forum I'm on for this diet if they gain, or if they don't lose, whereas we have been there and done that. I suppose it might be even more with you as your body is still finding itself after the assault on your system! Like it doesn't know what to weigh, lol!
Thanks for the encouragement about the meal. I know you're right, and that even if I do get a big jump it will be temporary. There's 3500 calories in a pound, so to gain a pound I'd have to eat that on top of my maintenance calories so a total of about 5000 calories in that day, mostly all in one meal. Even if I did manage to do that without exploding, the pound I'd gained would be cancelled out by the pound I'd hopefully lost from dieting the rest of the week, so the very worst case scenario is a short plateau for a week or so. I think the food will be served to me so I can't sample so I'm not even going to worry about it (OK, worry a little, but I'll just relax and enjoy it I think!).0 -
Vail - you had me in stitches "without exploding".... hahahahahaha!! I honestly laughed out loud!
andyes to everything you said lol.. zackly! So i do hope you go and enjoy (i don't know when it is or what you decided on with the (whispering) dessert.. shhhhhh... but I'm looking forward to hearing how you went.. i hope you wear those pants that you got zipped and not the oversized ones LOL.. let em see how fab you're doing!!0 -
Congratulations on the loss, Vail! Well done! You really are doing great. Keep up the hard work because it’s really paying off for you.
I’ve found that when I stop weighing at least a few times a week then my weight starts creeping up. I still need to look into the scales like Vail has.
I am so bummed y’all. I got my blood lab results today online. My follow up with my doctor is March 8th. I’ve got an ultrasound on the 4th. I’ve been having intermittent pains in my abdomen for a month and just want to get it checked out. Anyway….my labs were worse than they were in November. My triglycerides, hdl, ldl and A1C were all worse. I just don’t get it. I’m doing something wrong with this whole gluten free, sugar free thing. I’m not losing weight and my levels went up. I’m trying not to get frustrated and just throw in the towel. I’m going to stay the course, give up all snacking and start walking every day again. I’ll have a talk with my doctor on the 8th and maybe she can help me figure out what I’m doing wrong.
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What the hell, Suzy??? No wonder you're bummed and frustrated seeing your blood work results being what they are, with everything you have done to try to get them better??? That's SO not right!!! Holy cow... that's so not fair... sending you a big hug!!
For my triglycerides i was told to follow the mediterranean diet.. pretty much cut out red meat and butter, and stick to plant based foods with small amounts of chicken/fish and use olive oil.. and yes to exercise.. all of which is supposed to help lower bad cholesterol and up the good cholesterol.. i tried it but honestly.. the only thing i've really been able to do is cut down a lot on the red meat and upped the veggies. I do roast a lot of veggies now in olive oil.. but i still use butter on my veg.. but i've also been on a statin drug for a few years too to help bring it down.. I won't find out my own results til next week when I have a phone apt with my endocrinologist.. and i will be just as upset as you if it has gone up since my last one.. but i hope to goodness your doc consult will get you some answers to explain why if you appear to be doing everything RIGHT.. the numbers don't jive with your efforts.. because it just plain SUCKS and I feel really bad for you.... !! Hug hug hug !!
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Oh, that's really frustrating, Suzy. Especially when you've been putting all that work in with the diet. I wonder if it's because lingering stress from the house moves, parents, etc?
I can't remember if you are on a statin? I've been on one for years: lots of doubts, and I was very reluctant, but to be fair, I haven't really had problems with it and it does mean my cholesterol results are always good. I had to change it a few years ago due to interactions with other medications. The big, big drawback for me is that I can't eat grapefruit, but that's the same for a couple of my other medications. Something about the enzymes enhancing the effect.
I get a bit frustrated with my results too, as the kidney ones just tend to get worse over time, whatever I do. I think it's just a progressive disease and not reversible, unfortunately. I'm hoping the weight loss will help to slow down the progression at least.
I agree with Snoozie, there seems to be quite good evidence for a Mediterranean style diet and exercise. But I don't know if anything gives dramatic results like the statins!
It doesn't sound like you have any answers about your abdominal pain either? I suppose you are waiting for the ultrasound. Good luck with that and with your follow-up appointment - I hope it's all OK. Good that you are getting it checked out.
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Thanks y’all. I had a pity party for myself last night but this morning I woke up angry and determined. I am not on statins but my doctor wanted to put me on a low dose atorvastatin. I told her I wanted to try to bring it down with lifestyle changes first. I’m getting everything retested in three months. So I’m going to make some more changes. I’m going to give up the gluten free stuff and incorporate some whole grains and oatmeal. Going gluten free was for inflammation but I think I need the whole grains. I don’t eat butter but I do eat cheese so I need to eat low fat cheese in very limited amounts. Luckily the weather is turning warmer and spring is in the air, so I’ll be walking every day. I’m thinking of volunteering at the Humane Shelter that’s about ten minutes down the road. It’s actually at the park where we go walking. I’m thinking that I can walk the dogs in the mornings a few days a week. I also need to get back to the gym for weight training. So, that’s my plan.
It may not be enough to bring down my cholesterol levels. That may be hereditary. I just want to try before I go on a medication for the rest of my life.
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I think I would be the same as you, Suzy, and give it a go without the medication. I didn't have much choice as I have existing heart disease, and actually I think the benefit/risk ratio is better if you have known heart disease. But just to say, if it does come down to medication in the end, it's not the end of the world. There do seem to be possibly some other benefits of statins beyond lowering cholesterol (anti-inflammatory?) which makes me feel a bit better about being on them. But you are right, it's an odd thing to be on it for life. It has been almost fifteen years for me.
What a pain, eh? Do you remember years ago when we just didn't think about this sort of stuff?
I love the idea of volunteer dog walking. All the fun of dog walking without the commitment of a dog, lol! You might meet some nice locals too. I actually live very close to a rescue centre too and have thought of volunteering but I think it's actually difficult to get a place as so many want to do it!
My pudding drama was a disaster: the lunch was today, but I felt unwell last night and this morning: am perking up a bit now, but didn't feel up to the meal and didn't want to possibly spread something around. Which means I have a house full of toffee apple crumble ingredients! I had already made the crumble topping, so have put that in the freezer, but have no more freezer room. I have a load of cream, custard, etc., which I'll have to try to give away. I did whip up a small amount of cream (25ml) to have on my black forest quinoa porridge and that was such a treat! I'm having a new type of fish tonight. It's a kind of Northern salmon/trout type fish that I can't remember the name of! Will let you know if it's worth having.0 -
Arctic char is the name of the fish. I also managed to source some live sauerkraut and it's delicious, if a bit expensive! Trying not to eat too much all at once! And also some kefir and kombucha - not going to bother making my own again.0
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I’m so sorry you weren’t feeling up to it! I know you were looking forward to it. Black Forest quinoa porridge sounds delicious to me! You’re so adventurous with your meals.
I stopped by the animal shelter yesterday when we went for our walk. They do have people who come in to walk the dogs and pet the cats. They said to just come by whenever they’re open and sign out a dog. I’ll start doing that on Monday I think. I love dogs but just don’t want any pets right now. I may even give the cats some attention, if the cats will let me. Lol. You know how cats are!
As far as the medication, I know I may end up having to take it eventually. I just want to try and see if I can manage with diet and exercise. I compared my results to the tests in November and they are slightly different. I mean just a couple points. The one that really concerns me is my A1C. It jumped from 5.6 to 5.9, so now I’m in the prediabetic category.
Our weather has been so nice except for the frequent rainy days. I’m ready for spring but I know I have it better than y’all so I’m not going to complain! Lol.
I hope you’re feeling better Vail!1 -
Vail I'm so sorry you missed out on your luncheon!! i would totally volunteer to take the leftovers off your hands if I could - but i do hope you found a willing recipient.. im really sorry tho you missed out and hope there will be another one soon for you! Did you like the arctic char? I've never tried it, i tend to stick to halibut, haddock, salmon and cod unless i'm at a restaurant where someone else is making it lol - then i'll try anything..
I'm a little jealous you found the live sauerkraut
but altho it and the others are a little expensive, i'm with you on not making my own .. they all last a long time so when you break it down per serving, it doesn't seem quite as expensive to me that way... I buy the tri packs of cauli/broccoli/baby carrots in a large tub and it's $10 .. BUT... i get at least 4 sometimes 5 meals out of it so I figure it's only $2 -$2.50 a serving and i don't waste as much as when i buy it all separate. Plus i admit the convenience of just grabbing a handful of each and tossing it in the steamer makes me eat more of it and less waste. i know it might seem lazy to those who enjoy the cleaning and prepping (like my sister lol) but it works for me
Suzy.. i look forward to hearing how your decision to add grains back in goes - i really need to get back to that.. i really liked the farro when i did it up with mushrooms and onions.. so i should do up a batch this week... I froze a plain batch of it last time marked into 6 squares in a large freezer baggie, so i could take out a square and just warm it up, adding the mushrooms and onions fresh and that seemed to work better. There's no excuse really it only takes about 30 min to do a batch ... so thanks for that reminder. I really wanted to get some swiss chard but it's stupid expensive at the moment.. like back when a head of cauliflower was going for 8.99 (it's back to a normal 3.99 now) so i'll wait it out lol.
I LOVE the idea of walking the doggies... benefitted both you and them what a great idea!! So pleased for you!!
I finished the online classroom style training for my Red Cross volunteering this month, so hopefully this week i will find out how i get assigned to the different teams and although a lot of the responses are still virtual at this point I'm looking forward to a more active involvement soon.. there was a LOT more training than i realized but it was good for my little brain to be active again too lol..
I've been to indoor pickleball a few times.. still uncomfortable with indoors but at least the place i go they wear masks when they are on the sidelines waiting for a court .. we're going thru a bit of a cold spell still here but hopefully in the next few weeks the weather will warm up above 0 so we can play outdoors again (well the others are still doing it... but these joints dont like it LOL)..1 -
Wow - hard to believe its already March today!! Spring is just around the corner for us (I live in hope lol) and it's a new month - a great time to look over our goals and our motivations and continue to work on making ourselves and our health OUR priority!! Have a great week.. and remember...
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That’s awesome!!! I love that! I needed a good laugh!
I did some reflecting today on my drive home (had to take my mom today). I’m feeling pretty good about the steps I’ve been taking for improving my health. Of course, I’m never going to lose weight as easily as I did even ten years ago but I feel more in control right now. I was just logging what I’m going to have for dinner and I’m going to go over my calories for the day. So I’m making a few changes to the recipe and cutting down on the serving size. I like the feeling of being proactive instead of reactive.
I honestly think my biggest obstacle right now is exercising or lack there of. We took an afternoon hike yesterday. It was that trail near us that we had to turn back on awhile ago because it was going to be dark soon. Anyway, I had not hiked any elevation in quite awhile and I decided to wear a lighter (different) knee brace than I usually wear. Terrible decision!!!! Halfway through we started down a steep part of the trail and I had shooting awful sharp pain in my knee with every step!!! I honestly had tears in my eyes. I tried to soldier on but it was bad. I wondered if the different brace was doing something to the alignment of my knee or something so I took it off. After an excruciating ten minute hobble it started getting slightly better with each step. Finally it wasn’t too terrible and I was able to finish. I know it was that brace and I threw it in the trash but it was an eye opener! I’ve got to get in better physical shape.
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I thought I had posted here but obviously went in to the ether, sorry. Interesting reflections, Suzy. We know it's all about the psychology, and definitely, for me, feeling in control makes me more likely to succeed - I hadn't really thought about that, so thank you! I love that you calmly rejigged the recipe to fit your calories. It sounds like you have got into the right mindset, which seems to be 90% of the battle! Then it's just doing it! And good that you are feeling pleased about it too. Also good that you found out that knee brace was doing more harm than good! What a nightmare! It must have felt so awful to be stuck out there and knowing it was going to be so painful getting home. As you say, if you're concentrating on your diet for your A1c, etc., hopefully it will take some weight off your knee. I read something on my diet website about menopausal women and insulin resistance, and how that means the weight loss can be really slow or stalled at the start but there are still health changes going on under the surface and the weight loss will eventually follow.
I do get knee pain, and am kind of shocked at myself that I've been bouncing all this extra weight on my knees for so long! Determined to keep going and give my poor old joints a bit of a break!
Quite exciting that you have finished your training and ready to get on with the volunteering, Snoozie. Well done for getting to grips with the online training. It has been new to us all! It will be good if you can get outdoors for your pickleball. I have been considering going back to the gym, but would probably wear a mask. I just don't know. I keep going on the website and looking at the classes - to be honest, I also worry about whether I'm fit enough to do them now! Still paying a monthly membership and I don't think I've been since 2019!!
Oh, the arctic char was delicious! I think I preferred it to salmon. Similar, but seemed a little bit lighter, and the skin came out very crispy and delicious! I have another piece in the freezer, but think I will order that again. The live sauerkraut is amazing! I think I could just eat the whole jar at once if I didn't stop myself. I ordered two different kinds so will be interesting to compare. So low calories too! I'm not naturally very adventurous with food, but I think all this experimenting is helping to keep me interested and on track.
I'm still making my usual slow, steady progress. I'm desperate to lose another couple of pounds because that would take my to the lowest I've ever been on MFP, which I hit for one day on the 12th of May 2017, lol! I was doing extended fasting then and going to the gym a lot, if I remember, and a little bit obsessive. I'm a little bit frustrated that I let the weight creep up again over the years after going to that effort, but I just need to keep going and my future self will thank me!
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You’re so close, Vail! I know you can do it! Isn’t it eye opening to realize that the only person standing in our way is ourselves? You are doing fantastic!
I’ll have to try the Arctic char. I wonder if we carry that in our grocers. There’s a wonderful butcher grocery shop nearby so I’ll have to ask. I’ve never had live sauerkraut. I’m intrigued.
Snoozie, let us know what your first volunteer opportunity is when you get it. You’re so encouraging and supportive that I know you’ll be wonderful at this.
Vail, I like the thought of health changes going on under the surface and weight loss to follow. I think I’m not as hung up on my size as I am on my health at the moment. Of course, I want to see weight loss too! Lol.
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Hiya
Suzy omg on the knee!! Hells bells I hope you didn't do any serious damage - is it any better today??? omg if not i hope you get it checked asap with a doc .. that so sucks!!
I have to start walking seriously again.. no more gentle strolls now that the sidewalks are all clear .. i have definitely noticed a difference i used to walk for an hour fast no prob.. now 20 min in and i'm like.. ok thats enough (and that's not walking fast!) so my plan is to start at it, just 15 min a day until i can do that comfortably and increase by 5 min each day til i'm back to an hour.. keep us posted!!!
Vail - at my indoor pickleball most of us wear a mask when we aren't on the court .. like if we are waiting on the bench to play.. masks are still rquired here indoors altho they have dropped the vaccine mandate requirement for rec centres and community centres.. which i don't like.. BUT.. i'm kinda glad i went indoors a few weeks ago to try it.. because i know everyone who goes there had to be vaccinated to play - so as long as i don't see any new faces i know those playing with me have all had the jab too.. so that is a little reassuring. But i'm happier its warming up a bit (not today tho lol) and i'll be able to play outdoors much more soon.
I can't WAIT til you hit that # you want to be at the lowest since joining Vail - and i know it will happen so we will have a party here when we see that post!! You're doing great !!
I just had my annual appointment with my endocrinologist (via phone).. went over everything and ALL my numbers are great.. A1C, cholesterol, my liver and kidney functions are also great and my kidney has even stopped leaking protein. Plus she has dropped my thyroid medication to one every 3 days instead of every other day.. so I was quite pleased. She is going to continue with the bloodwork every 3 months for the next year, but if the numbers continue to stay good then i won't have to see her again, my family doc can just monitor. The only "down" side was i asked if i could come OFF any of the meds and that was a firm no.. lol but really that's ok too cause she reminded me one of them also has side benefit of helping protect my heart and protect from stroke etc.. so instead of bemoaning the meds I have to start looking at them as just tools that are helping me stay well. So i guess dinner will be the small boneless pork chop, broccoli and cauli and carrots after all LOLOL.. (I actually considered "treating" myself to something decadent after that call.. then thought to myself.. really??? You just got good news about your insides doing better... and your first thought is splurge on a pizza or something? sigh.. so i slapped myself upside the head ha..
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Great news, Snoozie!! I’m so happy for you! What a huge relief, right? Lowering dosages is wonderful. Also, good for you for not indulging in that impulse to reward yourself with food. That’s something I still struggle with.
My knee was a bit tender the next day but now it’s fine. I want to try that trail again just to prove to myself that I can do it pain free. Lol.0 -
Oh my goodness, Snoozie! That's amazing news about your appointment! I'm so pleased for you! It's a pain about the medication, but if that's the only downside, it's still amazing! As you know, I'm on loads of medications and not "allowed" to come off, and it has so been so many years now: I'll never know for sure what good they're doing! But would much rather take the meds than have my heart disease get worse. I'm on medications and had treatments that simply didn't exist when I was a student nurse caring for heart patients all these years ago, so in some ways I'm grateful for the opportunity, while at the same time having mixed feelings about spending years on drugs which only slightly reduce my risk! But I have had to try to keep my thinking away from the idea that lifestyle change means being able to come off medications - it's an individual thing, and depends why we're on the medications, I suppose. You are so right - our aim is to improve our health and the medications can be another tool. I am just so pleased about your results! Absolutely amazing!
Also really impressed that you didn't reward yourself with pizza! I hope you are proud of yourself! Actually your pork chop dinner sounds very appetising. I had a "treat" meal last night: small portion of flank steak, a few sweet potato and celeriac "fries", a big grilled portobello mushroom, some green veg I can't remember the name of, sauerkraut and mustard. There's definitely some satisfaction in having a really nice meal that's still "on plan"!
I still worry around vaccinated people, as Omicron seems to have ripped through them! The vaccines do seem to be offering really good protection against severe disease, but aren't really that effective in preventing transmission. It's difficult because when I've been out with vaccinated friends, they think I'm only concerned about other people in the venue, and don't realise I'm worried about catching it from them too! I'm six months post booster now, so probably not great protection. Thankfully I've been told that I'm still "allowed" to wear a mask at work. Apart from protecting myself, I'd feel awful going into people's homes spreading things about now!
I'm glad your knee is recovering, Suzy. I hope you can manage the trail again, although be careful! Sounds like it was maybe just the knee brace and you would have been better without it?0 -
Thanks - as you pointed out earlier Vail it's good to know that the insides are doing better along with the weight loss!
I forgot to tell you.. i had mentioned to my endo about the weight loss (and the reason for it with the gut bug) just in case it messed with my A1C levels, and because i'm still having the nausea on occasion..she pointed out that the bowel cleanse i had to do for the colonoscopy, while it seemed to have gotten rid of whatever bug i had, that it would have also cleaned out and destroyed all the GOOD gut bacteria we need to have for digestion etc.. so she suggested i might want to look into taking a probiotic to replace them.. so i said .. a pro or a pri biotic? and she said honestly .. i have no idea im not an expert by any means lol.. so i said ok i'll do some research - i told her i had already done some looking into it re the sauerkraut etc, but honestly it had never occurred to me that the cleanse would have killed off all the good stuff needed too. So i have started looking into it and learning what i can..
and from what i have gleaned so far.. this is the simplest one i could understand best and now i get it.. so i thought i would share. I suspect for me i'm going to find some yogurt and eat that for a few weeks until i can get some good bacteria going again in my gut, and then make sure i push the fibre from fruits, veggie and whole grains to keep it going rather than taking any supplements ment. But here's the gist of what i found most easily explains it:
* PRO biotics are the living microorganisms cultured in a lab to be used as a supplement. When we ingest them (whether in food or supplement form), they survive in the gut and provide benefits to us like the good bacteria that we naturally have.
* PRE biotics is a food source for the friendly bacteria in your intestinal tract. Our digestive system can’t break down prebiotics, so they survive the journey through the digestive tract. They eventually reach the part of the colon where the friendly bacteria hang out. The bacteria have the chops to break down the prebiotics into nutrition that helps them grow and thrive.
In a healthy state, you can trust your gut to do all the right things for you. Since you already have a good composition of friendly bacteria, you won’t need pre- or probiotics.
For some people, it may not be a lack of fiber, but rather a chronic disease that results in not enough friendly bacteria in the GI tract. “Gut dysbiosis refers to the bad state of the friendly intestinal bacteria in people whose condition may negatively affect the blend of good intestinal bacteria,”
Whether your diet is out of whack or you live with a chronic disease, a probiotic supplement has the potential to help restore your gut to optimum health. There are supplements commercially available that deliver both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, as well as other probiotic species.
“For most people, taking a probiotic is safe,” says Dr. Cresci. “I recommend people living with a chronic disease or who have a suppressed immune system discuss with their doctor about adding more probiotics to their diet to make sure that taking a probiotic is something they should consider doing.”
Since probiotic supplements can be hard on your wallet, Dr. Cresci recommends other ways to build your gut army, such as eating fermented foods like:
Yogurt that contains added Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains.
Kombucha, a fermented tea.
Tempeh, fermented soybeans.
Sauerkraut, fermented cabbage.
You can buy prebiotic supplements, but you don’t need them if you eat the foods that fortify the army of friendly bacteria in your intestines,” Dr. Cresci explains.
She recommends these microbiota-loving foods:
Fiber-rich foods: Fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Potatoes: Ideally, a boiled and cooled potato, since the starch is more resistant to digestion.
Bananas: Green, less-ripe bananas are rich in resistant starch.
Jerusalem artichokes: A root vegetable rich in the prebiotic inulin.
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p.s. so I did a search on the best yogurt with the highest amount of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains available in Canada.. and while i realize not all brands are sold everywhere, I suspect most of these are widely avail in at least the U.S. and probably the U.K.. (i.e. Activia, Danone, Astro) but I'll just post the link that lists the best ones on the list so if you're interested you can click and if not won't be bored by it LOL
It also covers greek yogurts and kefir brands too
https://cansumer.ca/probiotic-yogurts-canada/
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Vail - your comment I had a "treat" meal last night: small portion of flank steak, a few sweet potato and celeriac "fries", a big grilled portobello mushroom, some green veg I can't remember the name of, sauerkraut and mustard. There's definitely some satisfaction in having a really nice meal that's still "on plan"!
That's SO true.. and i need to remind myself more often that a healthy meal can also be delicious and filling.. ! i think a big part of it for me lately has been just eating the veggies i LIKE lol.. i stopped eating anything just because its good for me if i don't like it (like kale lol).. but there are loads of veggies i do like and that taste delicious, including sweet potatoes and reg potatos! i definitely want to try your portobello mushroom.. and i used to love stuffed mushroom caps as an appy - no reason im sure i cant find a healthy version of them and treat myself to those! now you've got me putting my thinking cap on!
Suzy im so glad to hear your knee is ok!! Phew! and I have no doubt that since you've set your mind on conquering that trail again, you'll do it!! Keep us posted!0 -
Good information on the gut flora. I do eat a lot of prebiotics (including those good old 10 calorie a packet konjac noodles!). And at the moment I am surrounded by sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, etc, at the moment, so swimming in bacteria! The issue with me, I think, is that I'm on medication that upsets my gut flora (I also have IBS which doesn't help, and of course the drugs make that worse too!). After me saying it's fine to be on drugs for life, that's actually one big downside. So frustrating. But will carry on with the flora-promoting diet.
Mushrooms are one of those foods that are much lower calories than I expect them to be! As long as you don't fry them in butter, lol! I think they taste kind of substantial. Yes, you could easily do healthy stuffed mushroom caps!
I had the rest of that flank steak thinly sliced with other leftovers in a salad with miso soy sesame dressing for lunch. So good! I think because I'm eating so little food, I want to savour it more and really appreciate the good stuff! I like kale, but completely with you on not eating things you don't like, when there are so many delicious foods that are good for you!0 -
LOL Vail.. i'm actually picturing your gut swimming pool right now!! hahaha.. and yes one of my diabetic ones also disrupts the gut flora too lol.. so i figure it can't hurt to take hte probiotics for 2 weeks to replenish the base amount then get the rest from food ... as my gut doesnt even have enuf bacteria right now for a little pond... let alone a swimming pool
Am i weird i kinda found that visual pretty funny??? don't answer that!!0 -
Well, if you think the swimming pool is funny, when I tried to picture it, I instantly visualised the bacteria as sperm swimming around! I am renaming it in my mind to tadpoles!0
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Oh nuts, I just did a long post and lost it! I'd found out how to copy and paste highlights from kindle so I'd add in some bits from Tim Spectors book, which is where I got my main information on the gut microbiome back in 2015. I'll see if I can post it again as there were a few quotes I thought were relevant to our discussion - bear in mind, now a few years old:
"Once someone has been obese for a while, a whole series of biological changes transpire to maintain or increase their fat storage and the brain’s reward mechanisms for food. This is why most diets fail."
"We don’t say that someone becomes alcoholic simply because they drink more alcohol than they can metabolise. We are obviously interested in the reasons some people but not others become alcoholic in the first place. Yet we are happy to say that obese people are fat simply because they eat more calories than they use up, without asking why."
"Careful exercise studies, in which sedentary volunteers exercised intensively for six months, found they lost only 1.5 kg in weight as opposed to the 4.5 kg expected. Their hunger and food intake did increase, but only by 100 calories a day, which wasn’t enough to explain the failure to lose weight.31 Many other exercise studies show that energy expenditure when at rest stays low or that it drops by up to 30 per cent with more exercise. This reduction is mainly due to a drop in metabolic rate or in subconscious movements like fidgeting, which also expends calories."
"Unpasteurised hard cheese, when given with antibiotics, has been found to speed up recovery times and reduce bacterial resistance compared to sterile industrial cheeses. It was postulated that the cheese microbes may be helping maintain the greater diversity of microbes in our guts."
"One cheese, Mimolette, used to arrive with so many mites crawling on it that the US health authorities banned it. After its banning, the bright orange cheese, a French seventeenth-century copy of aged Gouda, became a big black-market seller."
"It was assumed this was due to statins’ cholesterol-lowering effects, but it turns out that was a red herring. The drugs’ main benefit comes from anti-inflammatory actions on the blood vessels, and they have both good and bad effects on many other diseases."
"Of the basic starter lactobacilli probiotic, studies show that only 1 per cent passes from the acid stomach to the duodenum and then the trail goes cold. Most studies can find no later trace of viable microbes in the stools, or evidence that they survived in the colon.21 Increasing severalfold the concentration of microbes in the yoghurt or using a slightly different strain can sometimes pay off, but overall it looks like no one single microbial type suits us all. The common probiotic strains in commercial yoghurt may just work well in one person but not in another"
"Until a wider range of probiotics are developed and ways of delivering them to our colons are improved, real foods containing both a wide range of beneficial bacteria and microbe fertilisers would have a better chance of helping most of us than gambling on just a few added species of bacteria."
"Both Mediterranean diet groups with high fat consumption had 30 per cent fewer heart attacks and fewer strokes, as well as improved lipid and cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Although both Mediterranean diet groups did well versus those on low-fat diets, the extra-olive-oil group did even better than the extra-nut group at preventing diabetes and in respect of several other parameters." (I probably don't eat enough olive oil. I treated myself to an expensive tin of it, but I measure tiny amounts because of the calories - need to up that a bit).
"Although the trial had directly tested only extra virgin olive oil, they also recorded data on the use of cheaper varieties. These low-quality products had no obvious beneficial effect on the heart or diabetes risk"
The mite-infested cheese really stuck in my mind! I'm now more likely to eat the mouldy rinds of good cheese, thinking that there may be beneficial microbes there! There were quite a lot of quotes I'd saved on the benefits of cheese but I won't share them all - I don't think I need any encouragement to eat cheese.
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Ha - thanks Vail!! I don't feel so bad now about my own visualizations!!!
Thanks for re posting that after you lost it... i found a few things quite interesting.. one of which is that while your info might be from a few years ago, the part you posted (below) agrees with what i found in current research that in truth our best source for keeping the good gut bacteria going is from our food choices!
" Until a wider range of probiotics are developed and ways of delivering them to our colons are improved, real foods containing both a wide range of beneficial bacteria and microbe fertilisers would have a better chance of helping most of us than gambling on just a few added species of bacteria."
Mine also agreed with yours that everyone is different and no one product will work for everyone. I am comfortable with right now, adding the one serving of the yogurt i picked per day - it has the 10 billion beasties in it, but I will only do it for two weeks, and only to see if it will help replace what i lost during the cleanse.... i like to think of it as kinda a "starter" like you do for sourdough bread hahahaha.. I figure i have nothing to lose by trying it, and at a total cost of $7 dollars for the full two weeks.. i won't hurt me financially. After that i'll be looking to foods to keep the swimming pool clean and healthy lol
I also found it interesting about the exercise studies.. we all know they "say" weight loss is 90% the fork and 10% exercise.. I've never really looked at any exercise (and lets face it.. other than a few occasional fitness classes, most of mine is just walking and pb) but as more to keep me healthy rather than weight loss. But of course i don't do enough actual "exercise" as in working all the muscles in the body for it to have any impact on either my weight loss or my health to be honest.. that's something i am going to have to address for sure
As for the olive oil - "Although the trial had directly tested only extra virgin olive oil, they also recorded data on the use of cheaper varieties. These low-quality products had no obvious beneficial effect on the heart or diabetes risk""
I TOTALLY agree with this one.. when my doc sent me to the mediterranean diet i did a lot of research and joined some groups and used the Oldways website to learn about whole grains and the research behind the med diet.. and like you, I bought the expensive cold pressed extra virgin olive oil... unlike you tho.. i do use a lot of it lol.. especially for roasting my veggies. I probably use more than i should because of the high calorie count - i tend to prep the veg and toss it all in a large ziplock bag with the olive oil and spices and toss it around then dump it on the cookie sheet .. so its probably more than the 1 tbsp suggested... and i use it for salad dressing occasionally too.. but im ok with the extra cals from that because its definitely a heart healthy oil.
That's too funny on the cheese tho... there's a tv show here called The Amazing Race.. where teams race around the world and have to do different challenges .. in the last one in Greece i think it was.. they had to eat cheese with these little bugs crawling around in it lol.. its some kind of famous cheese and at the time i had to look away.. .now i'm thinking they probably got some really good gut bacteria out of it without even knowing hahahaha..
That was a good read for me so thanks for posting it!0 -
Oh my gosh! I immediately thought of that cheese on the Amazing Race show, too. That was so gross. I don’t need bacteria that badly! Lol.
I appreciate all the info. I definitely need to buy a better quality olive oil. That’s all I cook with and I never thought about the quality of it having better health benefits. I do eat a bit of avocado every day for breakfast and that’s supposed to be a good fat, right?
The flank steak on salad sounded delicious! Interesting thought of savoring your food and appreciating the good stuff. I do find myself sometimes looking at food and asking myself if it’s worth the momentary taste versus the long term effects. Is it going to help me achieve my goals or set me back? I wish I did that more often. Lol.
We were out for dinner last night and I thought of you, Snoozie. They had a brussel sprouts/kale hybrid vegetable called kalettes on the menu. In Britain they’re called flower sprouts. It was roasted and absolutely delicious (of course there was a bit of bacon involved)! I had never seen it before.
Had my ultrasound yesterday and meet with my doctor on Tuesday next week. Now that I’m getting this pain looked at it has mostly gone away. Lol.
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Suzy.. i love brussel sprouts... so i might have overlooked the kale and had that too lolol.. specially with the bit of bacon in there! My fav way to prepare swiss chard is to chop up one slice of bacon and fry it, then add the onion and then toss in the swiss chard... actually im down to 1/2 a slice of bacon now lol but i swear i eat it right out of the pan its soo good..
and absolutely avacado is one of those lovely good for you oils - its high in cals like the olive oil but to me the benefits outweigh the bit of cals so good on you... i haven't tried that altho its very popular here of course.. maybe that will be my next foray
and yes on amazing race... ewwwwwwww lolol.. i might have eaten it for the million dollar win tho even if not for my gut bacteria lol
Isn't that always the way with the doc? same with cars.. it never makes the noise you want looked at when you get to the mechanics! but its still good your going and that they did the ultrasound.. keep us posted pls!
I don't know a whole lot about the different olive oils.. but my research i did on med diet said to buy the COLD PRESSED extra virgin from greece or italy i think.. the cold pressed makes sure none of the good benefits are destroyed apparently.. i admit i did watch for a sale on the one i chose before i bought it tho lol
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