Consistency is more important than perfection.
Replies
-
That does sound like a really nice meal, Snoozie! I'm sitting here laughing about you waiting till your starving and eating while you're trying to cook - that is so me! To the point that sometimes by the time whatever I've cooked is ready I'm not really hungry any more (but I still eat it). You reminded me that when I did the low calorie years ago I had lot of readymade stuff so I could make a meal in five minutes to get round that! Good thinking! And you've also reminded me to cook up some roast veg more often.
My dad is not too good: he's having some tests, but it might be partly just aging. It's difficult with him being so far away. He used to have a good social circle up there with friends and relatives but only one is still living. I think I'm just a bit stressed and sad with it all, and tired. I only work part time now, but it's hard and stressful, and I had a mini meltdown yesterday. I just can't do all the work and I feel overwhelmed and demoralised. My son and his family are having some problems too, and my cat is stressed at the moment as I've been moving things around for having some work done on the house. So yes, I think you are spot on about the emotional eating. I think we are subconsciously trying to care for ourselves, but go off on the wrong track.
Suzy, thank you for sharing your advice from the nutritionist. So funny, but I read it all and was already rebelling: no, I don't want to walk for 15 minutes in the evening, I don't like low fat yoghurt, I don't eat breakfast, if I'm eating bread I want nice bread, etc. etc. And it's not even my programme! Hopefully you are not as contrary as me, ha ha! Good luck with it, and good that you are adapting it to your preferences. Good idea about the soup for your vege intake. I would buy some premade salad for side salads too. And Snoozie's famous roast vegetables!
1 -
Vail.. im sorry about your dad... you and Suzy are both having to deal with the sad situation of parents aging and all that encompasses.. my heart goes out to both of you.
Suzy.. you mentioned wondering how you are going to get 2 cups of veggies in a day ... are there certain veggies you like over others? there are a few ways i've managed to get in some extra.. but i use a lot of frozen veg to accompish it cause a) im lazy and b) im lazy.. sometimes i will toss a handful of frozen mix of peppers & onions in a little fry pan. takes 3 min then i crack an egg over it and have that, or sometimes put it in a wrap or a sandwich. if you like shepherds pie, its a great way to get a bunch of veggies in per serving; i just do up a little ground beef with a packet of gravy and dump in a bunch of frozen veg and toss it in the oven for 20 min.. (sometimes i dont even put the potato topping on lol) and i use the jamie oliver one pot method other times.. i'll throw some fish or a pork chop in the oven, sometimes i'll slice a potato along side them and roast that up too.. then i take one pot about 1/2 full of water and just open a bunch of bags.. a handful of broccoi, a handful of cauli, some peas or corn or green beans all in the same pot.. they all take about 3-4 min so its all ready at the same time.. that way i can mix up the veg too so im not eating the same thing every day. When i feel energetic, i will peel carrots and turnip or something different, or get an acorn squash cut it in half and toss it on a cookie sheet along with whatever meat or fish im cooking. Soups and stews are also a good way to get a bunch of veggies in.. and you can always just have a small cup of a home made veggie soup before dinner (rather than a whole bowl) to get in a serving of veg) or have a mug of soup as your afternoon snack.. (in winter that works for me.. not so much in the summer lol).. lol
nothing wrong either with adding something to the veg if you aren't particularly a fan of them.. a lot of people put cheez whiz or velvettea or laughing cow cheese on broccoli and cauli.. but i do find its easier to get veggies into your day if you stick with ones you actually like most of the time.. and start small; instead of thinking i gotta get 2 cups of veg in, maybe just try to get 2-3 veg servings in per day to start.. of course you have hubby you have to feed too and that can be an added challenge if as i recall he isnt a big fan of veg lol....
anyway just a few tips that have worked for me in case it helps.. if it doesnt. disregard everything LOL0 -
hmm no sign of either of you for the past month... hope all is well..
if you would rather we just let this chat close, just let me know.. i'll understand... not everything works for everyone forever so if it's time to let this go, just tell me
0 -
Goodness, a month since I posted?!!!! I’m so sorry for being missing in action. My life has been a bit hectic but that’s no excuse.
Vail, I guess I am just as contrary as you are because I haven’t incorporated the nutrionist’s instructions yet. I’ve been trying to high fiber bread and started some of the supplements but that’s about it. It’s too cold for walking. I’ve been thinking about getting a walking pad. They aren’t as big as a treadmill or as heavy duty but I could get a few 15 minute walks in each day with no excuses. Snoozie, I love the idea of a cup of veggie soup before my evening meal or for lunch. I’ll have to look up a recipe. I’m not good at just “winging it” with cooking. I could make a big batch and freeze it in one cup portions. I don’t really like frozen veggies from a bag but I also haven’t tried them in years. I bet they’re much better now. I’ll check some out next time I’m at the grocery store.
I continue to visit my parents every Wednesday. Dad is going downhill quickly. He really isn’t eating much and just sleeps all day. My mom is in pretty bad pain all the time with one thing or another. She fell again and hurt her hip, wrist and feet. It’s just so sad, y’all. It’s awful to see them this way.
On a good note, we spent last weekend with our new grandson! He’s amazing! They’ve asked us to come watch him for a long weekend in May. We’re driving to Kentucky for a day at the horse races then to Kansas City to see family then to Chattanooga to a bed & breakfast for our 42nd anniversary in April.
Did I tell you that I’m the president this year in the woman’s club I belong to? It’s been a lot of work but I’m enjoying it quite a bit.
Anyway, I’d love to keep our little group going. I value both of you and appreciate your support.1 -
For some reason the new post update thing wasn't showing, so sorry!
That's great that you're president, Suzy! Glad you are enjoying it. You retirees seem to work very hard!
I'm sorry about your parents. I hope your mom gets her pain under control at least. I've just been up to see my dad. He is doing OK, waiting for some tests. I was hoping to move him closer to me, but I don't think he wants that to happen at the moment.
That's amazing that you're getting a whole weekend with your grandson! Although I'm sure it will be hard work! Hope you have a great time on all your trips.
I am OK. I'm still not doing well with eating. I am exercising every day but not doing my old programme at the moment. I just do my pre-op exercises. I also have a step set up and sometimes watch TV while stepping on and off there - it's got to be good! Usually I find it pretty painful to walk anywhere but not always, so on better days I'm having short walks. The weather is getting a little bit warmer and sunnier here so I feel more like going out!
2 -
oh my gosh!!! I had the hardest time trying to find this group discussion thread. Everything under “community” has changed. I hope it was just a glitch.
My dad has been put on hospice. His mind is just gone. Mom is so depressed. Ugh. I don’t think I want to live to be in my nineties.
I’ve been trying to make small baby step changes lately. The weather is turning warmer and the sun sets later now so we need to start walking after dinner again.Vail, good for you for doing some type of exercise every day. Does the step hurt your hip? It’s good you’re doing the pre-op exercises. They’ve got to be helping, yes?
I’m finding that we have a lot of club functions that include food and wine. I think Snoozie has this problem with her seniors group. How do you handle it?0 -
I'm so sorry, Suzy. How awful for you all. At least it sounds like your dad is in the right place and being cared for. Thinking of you: it's such a hard thing to go through seeing your parents deteriorate. And of course, thinking about your own future.
Well done making your changes. Yes, I think it does get easier when the weather is warmer. It's a bit brighter here too. It has been a very grey winter.
Yes, the step hurts my hip but everything does! I'm sure it's better to do the exercises than not. The way it was explained to me, it won't actually damage my hip any further (although it might cause more pain). The pain seems a bit better when there's better weather, so that looks positive for the summer! Of course I might have had an operation by then!
I'm still really mixed on my eating, but trying to be healthy. I gave in recently and started getting groceries delivered so I wouldn't have to schlepp round the supermarket. The idea was I would buy all this healthy food, but I seem to also be eating and spending a lot more! However, I'll see how it goes. I've had no enthusiasm for cooking recently. But I'm trying some different fruit and veg. Just had some purple sweet potatoes last night which were pretty good. I also have a few cartons of readymade gazpacho in the fridge and thought I could fill up a bit on those while getting some extra veg intake!
Oh, I couldn't see a notification that you had posted. I just checked in and there it was.
0 -
I don’t know what they’re doing with the groups. It’s harder to find anything and it never shows a new post.
I’ve been trying to stop buying sweets and instead buy fruit and veg. Then I end up throwing out the veggies because I don’t make them quick enough and they go bad. Consistency is the key but I’m really struggling with that. I NEVER have any enthusiasm for cooking. That’s the problem! It’s way too easy to just go out to eat. Not cheaper but easier.So, what will you do about your hip? How long will you have to wait for the operation? I seem to remember that you decided to wait a bit or did I misunderstand?
0 -
It's not clear how long I've got to wait for the operation. It could be any time in the next year, but probably a few weeks/months, or earlier if there's a cancellation! Yes, I did decide to wait at one point but changed my mind! I'm really struggling to do some basic things now, work is very difficult and I'm worried about not coping with my grandson. I had thought that it was wise to postpone as long as possible, to put off the time until another replacement is needed. But talking to the surgeon, he made the point about maybe getting the most benefit from it now when I'm relatively young. And the other thing is that there is a drive at the moment to get these operations done, as the waiting list used to be years, not months. I could put it off now and it changes back to years! I can obviously still change my mind if I don't want to go ahead, but I'm pretty sure I'm going for it.
I am the same with fruit and veg. I throw away far too much. I am a bit better if I buy ready prepared stuff, although it's expensive. I'm still in the pattern of being pretty good for a few days, then relapsing, so I never actually lose any weight, and I'd really like to lose some before the operation. I am doing exercise fairly regularly, so that's something, although I'm limited in what I can do.
1 -
Hi Suzy & Vail..
Suzy im sorry to hear your dad is now in hospice.. as Vail said its so very hard to see your parents deteriorate when there's nothing you can do to help or stop or slow it.. gentle hugs..
Vail i have a friend in a similar state to you with the hip… she can't play pickleball anymore because its so bad; she was hoping that trying to keep exercising and moving would let her postpone as long as possible, but now finds the pain level is increasing so she is also on a wait list for hip replacement and hoping for a cancellation… i feel so bad for both of you i can only imagine how frustrating and painful it is & completely understand why you considered putting it off.. but again based on the wait times… i think you're doing the right thing with going ahead with the surgery when you can.. will you move in with your son tho for recovery? because you're going to have a hard time getting around for a few weeks even with a walker or cane.. altho its amazing how quickly the recovery goes these days i know… but still… i hope there is someone who can be around to give you a hand? it's hard when you live alone, i know.. and scary sometimes when you're sick or immobilized ..
I'm actually in New Brunswick at the moment… i didnt get a chance to tell you guys on Feb 9th at 7am my sister who lives here in New Brunswick got a call from the kidney transplant team they had found a match and she had to go to Nova Scotia (the next province over.. a 6 hr drive from NB) and she had to be there by 1pm as they were going to do the transplant the next day! omg.. she called me and i managed to get the last seat out on a flight to NS that afternoon… and my cousin who lives in NB as well was able to drive my sister to NS .. so long story short i got there that evening and was able to be there when she had the transplant the next day… she was in hosp there 10 days so i stayed in a hotel close to the hosp and my cousin who drove her there ended up staying with me the whole 10 days.. there were terrible ice storms and snow there every day so we just parked her car in the underground of the hotel and took cabs back and forth to the hosp… anyway the transplant went really well and we were able to all drive home to NB the day she was released and just made it in between the winter storms in both provinces LOL.. so i have been staying here with her since.. 5 weeks now as she is not allowed to drive for 6 weeks and she has tons of medical appointments and checkups and bloodwork and stuff pretty much every other day, and the trip to the kidney team here in NB is 1.5 hrs .. most of the stuff can be done at her local hosp but we had to go to the team in person once a week at the start.. now its starting to get much less… bloodwork is down to 2x a week and the kidney team in person visit every 2 weeks now so thats great. anyway she is doing really well managing all the anti rejection meds and the sched of where to be when for what LOL.. so i've been doing all the driving, groceries, taking out the garbage cleaning all that sort of stuff… of course we all know my cooking is not the greatest LOL.. but now she can make what SHE wants .. i just buy the stuff and last week we actually went out together to shop… she basically has no immune system right now as the AR drugs keep it supressed so it doesnt see the kidney as a "threat" and kick in… so we have to be careful not to be in crowds or around anyone who is sick.. and we wear masks when in the store or hospital or wherever there are other people LOL..
I'LL probably be here for another 2 weeks or so… next week she has to go to the local hospital to have the shunt stent thing taken out but after that she should be able to drive again and lift light stuff etc…
as you know i pretty much exist on bags of frozen veggies and some kind of protein… lol.. so i had to do a bit more cooking than normal for a while hahaha.. but she didnt starve to death on my cooking so thats a good thing! unfortunately while at the hosp my eating wasnt great… you both know what its like when you're living out of a suitcase.. you grab what you can when you can to eat… the hotel had a restaurant inside but it was very expensive and huge meals… after a few days it was just too much.. but the hosp cafeteria had actually prety good healthy food for really good prices.. so sometimes we just had lunch there or grabbed a sandwich to take back to the hotel room..
anyway thats me all caught up … it has been SO cold here since the minute i got off the plane… -22C with ice and snow my teeth havent stopped chattering the whole time.. i did manage to throw a lot of sweaters in my bag in the short time i had to pack and head to the airport, but i will still freezing all the time lol.. at least now the weather has finally gotten above 0 for the past few days which has been lovely…
suzy i admit i use the frozen veg over winter especially because of exactly what you said.. if i buy fresh i end up throwing it out because it goes bad before i can use it.. i will buy an acorn squash and roast that along with my fish or chicken because i eat 1/2 that night and 1/2 the next night… but otherwise almost all fresh stuff goes bad before i can use it up … in the summer its easier of course and i can buy smaller amounts of stuff, like a couple of carrots and a few green beans rather than entire bags of it …
my eating however has been pretty crappy the past few weeks.. lots of chips and cookies have made their way in (and i was able to come up with any excuse necessary to shovell them in my face btw).. i have an appointment the end of april back home re my A1C and i know its gonna be awful and im afraid she will put me back on the metformin or other drugs again that i worked so hard to get off… so i've started now trying to do better and im able to get out and walk a bit finally.. especially after dinner as you said Suzy…
anyway sorry this is so long lol… i did bring my laptop with me but i've only recently starting using it since i cant access MFP on my phone cause i forgot my password and its only saved on my puter LOL..
hugs all around!
0 -
Wow, Snoozie!!!! That’s incredible and fantastic news for your sister! I’m really happy for her and you. I’m so glad you were able to be there at such short notice. It’s completely understandable that your eating was out of whack. It was pretty much catch as catch can.
It was cold here today but now I feel silly complaining after hearing what you’ve been experiencing. I’m sure ready for summer, though.
Vail, you’re doing the right thing with exercising before the operation. The stronger you are the quicker the recovery. Snoozie is right, I hope you have someone lined up to help you. Keep us posted.
1 -
i'm with you Suzy i am SO done with winter and being cold all the time lol.. we've having another snowstorm right now here… omg… it never ends LOL.. my sister and cousins keep trying to convince me to move down here.. i'm like sure i'll move there for the summer…. but not a chance in hell i would want to go thru their winters here lol.. where i live in central Ontario we have much milder winters.. and rarely this bitter cold … i was kinda hoping spring was here as we actually had a mild day (sort of .. mild for here anyway) but alas LOL.. the snow rages on i feel like the chick in Frozen… cept instead of singing "the snow never bothered me anyway" i'd have to change the lyrics!!
0
