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Hello Crackers. I have been absent for a few days. Regrettably, it has not been because I was living the high life and completely away from my computer. I have had a medical issue, specifically a bad episode of heart palpitations which put me into Emerg for a large part of last Thursday. The so-called palpitations which I have been dealing with for some time (I always associated the word with a fussy old lady in the novel, Gone With the Wind, who whenever she was over-excited had palpitations; they seemed almost amusing) now have been formally diagnosed as supraventricular tachycardia (perhaps you are familiar with this through your nursing work, BM) and involve a very rapid heart rate (185) and the feeling that your pulse is out of rhythm; it is an electrical problem, I believe. I have been told that it is not usually really serious (read life threatening I suppose) but at the Emerg they were very anxious to get my heart rate down as quickly as possible as such a high rate is not good and can weaken the heart over time. I now have been prescribed a beta-blocker; I have always been very aversive about taking medication so this is quite upsetting. I have had episodes for the past several years occasionally and thought I could manage them with diet and exercise. I am holding onto the idea that three years ago last fall, when I got my weight to the lowest it had been for many years, I was able to compete in a little horse show and do three courses of jumps without incident. Regardless of whether I will ever be able to be drug-free, getting to a lower weight can only be a positive. I have been doing well with my eating plan and have been trying to be consistent on the treadmill and increase that work; this episode has set me back a bit but I have been back on the treadmill three times. Nothing for it but to soldier on! I am definitely glad to have this place to come and write about my problems and to realize that we all have our struggles. BM, sorry you have been under the weather and I know exactly what you mean about not losing any compensating weight when you are ill! Hang in, as MITM, advises and it will sort itself out. MITM, thanks for reminding me of some of Beck's always good advice.
You seem to be getting a good notion of where your problems are that cause that uptick of the scale. PB, I can only shake my head at reading about some of the ways of your NHS. Who are these people who get to make these decisions; I can bet it is not people who actually work in the front lines. We have lots of problems here too. This morning's paper has a long report on the lack of control by Health Canada on drug manufacturers, often offshore, who have been found to produce contaminated or defective drugs; one company with a history of violations supplies 1 in 5 of the drugs sold here.
Well, I really must get off this topic and do apologize if I have gone on too long. I went to my first class for the non-fiction writing. Once again, we are a diverse group of folks, ranging in age from 20's to 70's. Last week, we interviewed the person next to us and presented him/her to the class. My subject was a 50ish Anglican minister with grey hair and a pony tail and a good sense of humour. A young woman, very stylish in tights and a very mini-skirt and dark sunglasses has travelled all over Africa, Iran, and other parts of the Middle East. Another young woman has just graduated from Cambridge. So I am looking forward to what they and others have to share. My next door neighbour has invited me to watch Downton Abbey with her this season. I got her hooked with the DVDs of previous seasons last winter but I don't get it with my tv. We've seen two episodes.
I've been baking for my brother whose wife is very ill as he can not boil water. This week I've made some healthy oatmeal/raisin/walnut/coconut cookies and some date squares that have a twist to the recipe- the crumb oatmeal base and topping has added cocoa which really pairs well with the date filling. I also gave some to a sister who really liked them. I've also made butternut squash soup with ginger and coriander.
Must off now. Regards to all.
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Oh Bracken! I am so very sorry to hear all you have been through. Tachycardia is always very frightening to experience, especially when it is taking a while to settle. I appreciate your dislike of drugs, and understand how upsetting it can be to go against your own beliefs and reasoning's, but sometimes needs be. I feel the same as you with medication, but every day I take my medication just as habit now, initially I resented every troche and tablet. Then OH said to me one day (after another bout of my grumbling), "what is the alternative?", and he was so right putting it in perspective for me. Without my tablets I literally would bleed to death, dramatic but true. So I really hope you can get on with your medication and that it improves your health, which I am sure it will. Also, absolutely well done on getting back on the treadmill. Lets hope you will literally be getting back in the saddle again soon, and I am sure with your determination you will get to jump and even compete again. I am rooting for you! You know I live vicariously through the crackers and I just love hearing about Nellie and your horse.
I am once again going to try and play catch up with the laundry, unfortunately a short while in bed has put me right behind with it. OH kindly offered, but lets just say for my sanity and experiences sake I refused! I know you are also very busy, but could you please let me know how to make your Butternut squash soup, it sounds lovely, I am always on the lookout for soup recipes. Thank you. (and please look after yourself, whilst you are looking after others!!)
MITM, PB, hope you are both OK.
Happy Thursday to all! x x0 -
Hello Crackers I've been lurking for the last few days. I've been having a fairly dull time mostly work, eating, sleeping and driving. I'm fine though BM thanks. Unlike poor Bracken and you who both seem to be a bit in the wars at the moment. I hope you are both feeling better soon. Bracken when it comes to medication BM is right the alternative isn't necessarily an option but on the other hand getting the medication right is absolutely the most important thing as that allows your to live normally with only a small need to take a pill a couple of times a day. A moment only. And yes you will be able to ride a competition again one day. I live in hope of being able to do the same thing myself!
I haven't ridden for the past 3 weekends due to weather and Maria not being well but I've been to see Harley and had a little play. Last weekend he went hunting and was a very happy boy - really enjoyed himself took him a long time to come down off the high though.
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Had a relatively quiet week at work but next week will be fairly mad I'm afraid as I have a lot of things to do and get sorted although I have also got a partners meeting which I'm not really looking forward to.
Well that's about it for me so I'll be back soon. Take care Crackers
PB x0 -
Hello all. BM, I will be happy to tell you my 'recipe' for butternut squash soup; however, it is very much my 'recipe' as I have had to adapt it to suit me because of digestive problems. That said, I am always really pleased with it and other members of the family have said its good. I think my way of making it is very healthy and also low calorie. I'll explain my adaptations in case you want to tinker with it and make it fancier. So here goes:
All the pureed soup recipes I see seem to start with sautéing some onion and garlic in butter. I don't do this step because I can't eat garlic and only a little onion. But butternut squash has such an assertive flavour I really don't think it is necessary. So, step 1. do not sauté an onion and garlic! My step 1 is to bake a butternut squash in the oven at 350C- I bake the squash until it is well baked which concentrates the flavour. I make my own vegetable stock (you could use chicken too) by cooking celery, carrots, a couple of potatoes, a bit of corn, maybe some peas and bits of whatever other veg are around (I've thrown in parsnip, yams, spinach etc.) with some parsley (or flakes) and a couple of bay leaves and a bit of salt. I cook these in the water until there is no flavour left in the vegs. I end up with 4 cups of stock after I've strained off the vegs. I scoop out the squash, and mix it in the blender with stock and some milk ( I use skim) and add some coriander and ginger. Pour into a pot and heat. It really is dead easy.
As for amounts, truthfully I eyeball it and you can really vary according to how thick you really like your soup. I usually make it by individual portions in my small blender (called a bullet) and freeze some - freezes really well. These are the individual amounts I would use:
1 cup squash, I cup of stock, 1/3 - 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 teaspoon of coriander, 1/4 teaspoon of ginger, pinch of salt. This makes a thick soup, good for freezing. When heating up, I may add some more stock, or milk, or even some water. As you can see, you can make it as simple as this or could fancy it up with richer milk and blend in the onion/garlic. I like to serve it with a tablespoon of sunflower seeds.
I've done a mile on the treadmill today but am going to try to do at least another half mile.
It's sunny here today so not so dreary as it has been but still quite cold. I had a nice chat with the barn owner today as I have not been able to ride lately and wanted to check in about my horse- he's doing fine and enjoying getting out too. Some days are so cold and icy that the horses have their exercise in the arena. Not so nice but at least it is safe as slips can lead to nasty strains and sprains.
Hope all goes well for other Crackers. Regards.0 -
Good Evening Crackers!
Well Bracken I saw your long post last night, made myself a nice cup of tea, sat down to read and forgot to drink as I was too shocked at what I was reading and then I decided to log off and read up further on the subject.... Having caught up and read the posts today, I have to say I was quite bemused by yours, as it is like you never wrote the previous one!
However I shall second both BM and PB and their sensible comments. I don't know if I'm reading incorrectly between the lines but your wording seems to almost suggest you blame yourself for this current situation because you're not as light as you once were. I hope I'm wrong as this is certainly not the case.
Regarding your reluctance at taking the beta blockers (which I fully understand) as I know you too are a fan of Beck I thought I would apply her sound techniques from her book!
Sabotaging Thought: I don't want to accept the things I have to do.
Helpful Response: I have a choice: I can struggle with what I have to do and feel bad or I can accept that this is the way it is. It doesn't mean that I like it. There are many things I don't like in my life for example I don't particularly like paying bills. But I accept it. I don't struggle with these tasks, so they don't cause me much discomfort.
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P.S. Well it was not my actual intention to end on that note! My computer screen started breaking up.... (by the way that was page 181 from the book.)
I wanted to just add on one of the current blogs there is an excellent quote:-
'Ask yourself if what you're doing today, is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.'
Which I would say a resounding 'yes' to as you continue on your treadmill. And I shall now close on the subject!!
Be good Crackers!0 -
Evening Crackers!
Finally, I'm really back in the zone again, sensible head firmly back on.
There were still some treats from Christmas remaining in the house last week which I thought (wrongly it has been proved!) were safe from my jaws.... Those that survived have now been removed to my friend's house, to await my daughter's return at Easter when she can scoff them at her next reunion along with her friends. I thought wrongly I could resist the temptation as non of the items would make it onto my 'wish' list, however it would seem when you want to comfort yourself with food you will eat anything... Which I've come to the conclusion had I not had these items in the house wouldn't have been such a problem in calorie terms, although I'm quite sure with the position my head was in, I would still have over ate, but one can only eat so much healthy food!
Well I'm still learning... however I have been rewarded with a 1.6 pound loss from being sensible this week and combining some form of exercise each day. Hurrah. It really is a day by day challenge this dieting lark!
Be good Crackers!0 -
Well that's Bizarre - I know I posted a comment last night but it seems to have disappeared (the bug again?) . Anyway congrats MITM. Can't stop to talk now as Maria has just phoned to say would I like to ride first thing so off to dress and get going. Talk later!
- PB xx0 -
So I'm back again after a somewhat more eventful day than I expected. Lovely ride on Harley this morning - beautifully sunny but with a biting wind. There was a little bit of ice on the road and it had rained all night - hence Maria decided not to go hunting and I got the chance to go and ride. May get another ride tomorrow (don't know yet). Then I popped over to see a friend for coffee - her husband spotted a problem with one of my tyres on my car. I took it straight to the tyre place who announced I needed 4 new tyres and my brake pads/discs replacing. Ouch!
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Other than that everything is fine!
Take care Crackers
PB x0 -
Hello Crackers. A quick pop-in today. Thanks for your support and MITM, very good advice using Beck- she does have a way of setting out the issue. Thankfully I'm not having any problems with my posts here but know how annoying it is when they run amuk for no discernible reason. Well done with the loss, MITM. Yes, it's day by day but a lark- hm! Good to hear you are able to get a ride or two in, PB. You certainly deserve this after the difficult days at the office you are having. Temps getting much colder again here. I've spent a lot of the afternoon working on my writing for the class I'm taking and starting to do rewrites in a story I wrote in the previous class. My previous instructor sent me one of her stories and invited me to critique it which was very flattering but also a little unnerving. It took me a long time yesterday but I was able to get it into the mail in the late afternoon.
I did a mile and a half on the treadmill again today. Tomorrow I want to do some cooking ahead for the week. I've got a nice cauliflower for soup, will prepare some chicken breasts, and baked some apples to have on hand.
Regards all.0 -
Lovely to see so many posts to sit and have a Sunday morning cup of tea with! I am back from an early walk with the dog, if I leave it any later on a Sunday morning I would surely get stampeded in the rush of joggers who use the Marina as a lap of their own personal athletic stadium! They fill up every car park and sidewalk then jog! I am sure they could jog TO and From the Marina which would make life easier for everyone. OK Sunday rant over.......
Bracken, thank you for the lovely soup recipe, I have a squash that needs using up, I bought it for a Moroccan dish, but cooked something else instead. So I will probably do that later today. I also like the sound of your cauliflower soup. I love cauli, but OH will say its a waste of a cauli if its not covered in a cheese sauce! Hope your tachycardia is settling, and you are being easy on yourself over having to take the medication x x
MITM, I have had an alcohol free weekend, for some reason that quote you gave about what you do today affecting tomorrow has really resonated with me. We went out for a quiet supper last night and I thought about it and realised I may enjoy the wine for an hour or two, but then the consequences last so much longer. I never drink enough to be ill, but I know for sure it slows my weight loss down. So I drank sparkling water and had a lovely evening, feeling very pleased with myself! I have often thought the Beck's quotes both you and Bracken put on here are common sense, but also make a great deal of sense. I will purchase the book when I get to the UK. (Many of the passages you have both quoted have made me stop and think, also question myself e.g. re self sabotage etc). Congratulations on the great weight loss, and well done for putting the sweets/chocolates out of temptations way.
PB, happy for you, you have had a chance to ride. I can think of no better way to blow away the cobwebs and forget your troubles for an hour or two. Not the best news with your car, but you are doing so much mileage it's a good thing the problems were spotted. Hope you have a good week in work.
We are off to the Butchers in a short while. Even though I don't eat meat I still trot along with OH as all the vegetables in the Fresh section are freshly imported from New Zealand and Australia. The Butchers is German, with the majority of things being behind glass counters which are then weighed for you. I much prefer this as most things are prepacked here so you don't get to see what's inside properly, and if its not you can guarantee a dozen hands have picked it up and then chosen a different piece. The staff are helpful too which is brilliant for me as I am clueless with meat. I just tell them my recipe and they will chose the meat and advise the best way to prepare and cook it. Its quite a distance away but well worth the journey.
Okay, enough of my prattling on (sorry!), hope you all enjoy your "day of rest" (Yeah right! lol x).
Take care, BM x x0 -
Good evening Crackers!
Well I had a nice cup of tea and my first sit down of the day ('day of rest' ha!) to read your post BM.
Although I was expecting my brother-in-law to come and pick up his schlipfkrapfen order for his supermarket this morning 'via church', I was not prepared when my sister-in-law in Innsbruck rang to announce her neighbour was staying in the area and would be passing through our village, so would pick up her order! It is Sunday! Which in my little part of the world 'Osttirol' to work is sacrilegious unless of course you're in the catering trade! So with the husband working in Italy I had to run around like a headless chicken getting myself into a right flap!
However much needed space has now been created in the freezers because whilst the daughter is complaining it's still 3 weeks until I see her, the husband is complaining only 3 weeks to do 5 weeks work!
I don't care if it is Monday tomorrow I shall be having a lie in!
Be good Crackers!
P.S. Very impressed with your abstinence BM, you will be blessed next week for sure!
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Good evening. A miserably cold day here today so I only let Nellie out for short periods. She was not well impressed! The birds are eating voraciously this weather and have now found my new feeder right outside the dining table window. It's lovely to watch them as they are only about three feet away. It's hard being a small bird as constant alertness is necessary and so their little heads are continually checking the surroundings as they eat.
I have an assignment for my writing class to do a character profile of someone. Originally the instructor's plan was to pair us in class to interview and then write the profile. Since I missed last week, she suggested doing someone else I don't know well. I phoned my neighbour across the street. She has been a wonderful neighbour and consented to be interviewed. I do know something of her but it was really interesting to find out a lot more. To start, I was amazed to discover she is 87; I thought at least a half a dozen years younger. She grew up in rural Saskatchewan where he father was a United Church minister.
One could learn a lot about how to age well from her, I think. She still sings in her Church choir, and volunteers at a local hospital. She plays bridge with a group of people who go to each other's home once a month and prepares dinner when it's her turn. As long as I've lived here (25 years) she and her husband ( still living) have walked every morning before 8 a.m. Their walks are shorter now but even this winter I have seen them out when the sidewalks are passable. Something else I noticed is that she is always impeccably dressed- I've never seen her is sweat pants and tops as seniors stereotypically do. She told me she remembers never having any sweets as a child. Sugar was scarce here during the Depression and she said what sugar her family had was used by her mother to bake for the Church meetings she had to attend. To this day, my neighbour has no sweet tooth and is very trim. She does, however, like a glass of red wine and has at least one everyday.
MITM, here is a point I forgot to make in my previous post. You were very perceptive to detect a note of guilt in my reaction to my condition. Truthfully, I feel guilt rather easily. It is really easily to feel guilt about weight as there is a constant bombardment about weight, the obesity epidemic, and the connections between weight and every imaginable disease. Just today there were two reports on our news. One was about new advice to Doctors to not bother wasting time talking to their patients about weight management because people won't lose weight anyway. The other (and completely contradictory!) was about how since 1 in 4 Canadians are obese and because of the health risks (enumerated at considerable length) Doctors should be doing more to try to get their patients to lose weight. And MITM, I hope you were able to have that well deserved lie-in.
BM, congrats on your dry weekend, a challenge when you enjoy a glass of wine. I hope you can get the Beck book when you are in England as it really is good and different from other diet books with its emphasis on how to manage attitudes and feelings as you diet.
PB, hope you have got your car sorted out and are safely on the road with all the driving you have to do. New tyres are one of the more boring, but necessary purchases one must make- I'm sure you'll not spend much time walking around your car admiring the tyres!
Take care all.
Regards.
Did not mention that my sister phoned this a.m to say her son, a very dear nephew and wife have just had a baby boy- he weighed 11 lbs. 12oz. at birth! Both parents are very tall so perhaps that explains it. Apparently a record for the rural hospital, a smaller one somewhat north of my area.
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Hello Crackers - yes thanks Bracken, the car is fixed (mostly - still need MOT). Its cost me a lot of money this last year - time to get a new one I think as soon as I have moved. My house is sold again (subject to contract) as of this afternoon. Slightly lower price than I had before but at least it should be a relatively quick process as my buyer only needs to finalise the mortgage (he has nothing to sell).
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Congratulations on the new baby (11lbs - ouch). Interestingly, one of the things I found in the consulting room of the GP who has retired was a record of births made by a midwife from 1957 - 1970. Mostly home births with just the midwife present. A fascinating record. I passed it on to the midwife who works out of our surgery who is looking through it and when she is finished I'm going to see if the NMC has an archive they'd like to put it in.
I will be staying at my parents house this weekend as I have a partners strategic meeting on Saturday. We also have a partners meeting tomorrow night so hopefully it won't be too late finishing as the weather is expected to turn a little less mild in the next few days.
well my friend who is currently on holiday in Chile is trying to Skype so I'll close now and talk again later.
Be Good Crackers!
PB xx0 -
Good morning Crackers. A quick pop-in here. I am getting ready for a friend who is staying for a couple of days next week and wouldn't you know it, on cue, a sink develops a problem with draining so I have a plumber in today.He's done work for me before and does a good job reasonably and he likes dogs so doesn't mind Nellie being beside herself with excitement with someone else in the house. It's turned really cold again and we've had some snow so I'm hunkering down inside. I was pleased to get to my class on Wednesday night and have lots of writing to work on.
PB, good news that your house seems to be sold. That will take a weight off your shoulders. Your job certainly seems demanding with Saturday meetings even. Hope it goes well.
Regards to all
Bracken0 -
Hi Crackers - well its been quite a week. The house seems to be sold now thankfully, however, it looks as though I won't be staying in Oundle. They have made it known that they are not happy with my performance! I'm gobsmacked to say the least. The fact is that they clearly expected me to sort out all of their problems, that they had spent 2 years plus making in 4.5 months. I was devastated initially - as I think they have been completely unreasonable and unfair but the more I think about it the more I think I want to cut my life down and lead a less stressful life. So I'm going to continue with the house sale but hopefully I will stay in Suffolk now - which would be fantastic. I have a meeting with them on Tuesday morning and we will no doubt agree a way forward. My plan, if at all possible is to stay in the job for now but I'm already looking for a new role. So the good news is I was able to come home to Suffolk for the weekend as I'm not required at the 'strategic' meeting that they were having this morning - no skin off my news, they will do nothing strategic - simply put they will spend the whole time tinkering with all the things they perceive need sorting out and expect me to follow instructions - so that's what I will do.
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So this morning I've made an apple pie and a currant turnover as well and I'm going to go and play with my Harley this afternoon - and possible give Merlin a little bit of a groom as he was out last week and I did all the others instead.
It snowed a little this morning but not for long and melted almost immediately - they keep telling us there will be more, but seen nothing much so far. It was very icy yesterday morning though.
Well, have a good time with your friend who is coming to see you.
take care
PB xxx0 -
Oh PB, I just don't know what to say! I am so sorry you are having to go through all this. It is a very poor show from the Practice. However having spent a very large part of my career working in a GP practice I have to say they are a very difficult bunch to please, and nothing ever seems to be good enough for them. They also, as you know, expect everybody else to sort out their problems as they are of course "higher beings". Obviously there are good and bad GP's but their demands and expectations can be intolerable. I would say to you, again I am speaking from experience, NO job is worth your health. If you are unhappy there or feel you are on a road to nowhere maybe you could cut your losses and take time to think about what you would like to do. Managing a practice is such a difficult and stressful role without them adding to your stress with this dreadful bombshell. Hopefully the meeting with them on Tuesday will allow you to tell them how unfair you find this news, and make them realise the problems were actually there prior to your arrival and it is unrealistic to expect you to solve them in such a short space of time. I really do wish you well and hope it all goes well for you.
It sounds as if you are enjoying the weekend, I envy you your horse time! Take care,
BM x x
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Ended up taking a little ride this afternoon - we managed it before it began to rain. A little trot and a spook and we were off! Then the snow began. Had a good day though PB xx
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Thanks for the support BM yes I'm planning on having a real change this time. No more trying to please the unreasonable!0 -
Good Evening Crackers!
I don't know if I'm coming or going... But then that's not surprising as I've had my head buried in the sand all week long... I could give you a list as long as my arm of excuses why; friend has been ill so no walking, cold and miserable so couldn't be bothered to go out alone, daughter driving me crazy, lots and lots of work, tired, oh I could go on and on and on... However when I rub the sand out of my eyes it's down to basics again; poor planning, continuous snacking and no exercise whatsoever ... and so I find myself ending the month of January 5 pounds heavier than I started it on the 1st. And there was no Christmas in between!!!
I think that is what irritates me the most, I 'know' it all, I've successfully maintained my weight not going over my 1/2 stone allowance for months... I hover in the middle and I'm happy and content although I always hanker to be at the lower, rather than the higher end of the scale! But if there's a birthday, a celebration or I'm on holiday I indulge along with everyone else, no one knows I'm watching my weight because I get back on the straight and narrow and attempt to knock the gained pounds on the head again and again and again. But this past month there have been no such moments, it has been mindless eating for no reason, which in my book is the most useless waste of calories.
Yes, common sense tells me you don't gain 4 real pounds of fat in a week (although the scales are still refusing to shift and the tape measure is being very nasty too) but I do know, if I continue to wallow and stay on this current path for any longer, it will soon turn to solid flab. In 12 days time, I'm in England where temptation will be everywhere and I will gain yet more pounds, so as of tomorrow, I'm dusting off Jillian because she knows how to kick butt hard and I need a good kick up the backside!
PB - Cannot believe your latest news unbelievable. I totally agree you need a new direction your talents are wasted on the NHS. Bracken - enjoy your time with your friend and enjoy every delicious calorie, BM - 2 weekends in a row without alcohol I'm impressed!
Daughter is waiting to Skype so must dash.
Be good Crackers!0 -
MITM, I empathise with you so much! No matter how "good" we are being or intend to be, we get sideswiped. I read a good quote a long time ago that stuck with me, "Life happens while you are making plans". It really is true! Now you are in the right mindset it will not take you long to lose the weight. As for the fact we all gain on Holidays and high days it is, I think, a sad but true way of our lives. Unfortunately the older we get the more difficult it seems to be to bounce back to shed the extra weight. Still, I firmly believe in us (the crackers) we have all come too far and for too long to just lie down and give up.
As for you having all those "excuses" as to why you didn't exercise, some of the those sound a lot more like reasons rather than excuses. So maybe you are being a bit hard on yourself?
I have been saying all last week and this week I will start swimming again, yet each day I put it off until tomorrow. I feel no (or very little) guilt for doing this as I know one day I will just get up and go. Then once the first day is out of the way I am certain I will enjoy it and go most days without giving it a second thought.
Hope the shlipfkrapfen is going OK. We will be away at the same time again. I go on the 23rd Feb and am back on 20th March. You are so right about the temptations in the UK foodwise! lol. I am not even worrying or thinking about the alcohol this time, I seem to be OK with that. Its just that when I see something that we can't get over here its hard not to "make the most of it" and eat a bit more than you should!!
Have a good week Crackers,
BM x x0
