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Of refeeds and diet breaks
Replies
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It sounds promising!
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Terebynthia wrote: »It sounds promising!
Well, certainly not as bad as it could be. CRF on top of lymphoma would be pretty damn sucky.1 -
@Nony_Mouse I am sorry there is still no definitive answer/news. It is so worrying. Still hoping for the best for you and Mario!
My strength is up folks, am doing reps with all my old barbell one rep maxes. Very pleased. Am gonna miss all these calories. Hoping the strength stays when I go back to cutting in 3 weeks. More muscle, here is hoping, even if it is the lowball 3lbs worth!5 -
Thank you for the update about Mario, @Nony_Mouse including the lab data. Big hugs to you.1
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Midday Mario update: surgeon just called, all went well and she said everything looked 'very boring'. No unexpected surprises. Lymph nodes were slightly prominent, which gels with the tentative lymphoma dx (gawd knows what's going on if it's not that). I also asked her if, in her experience, given the lack of anything that screamed 'cancer', if she would say we've caught it pretty early, and yes, that would seem to be the case. So, uh, thanks Vidalta (thyroid med)!
He's in the surgical ward for the rest of today, and will transfer back to the other ward I think tomorrow. I'll get another call later to let me know how he is, and I can ring any time. Damn, they're good!10 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Midday Mario update: surgeon just called, all went well and she said everything looked 'very boring'. No unexpected surprises. Lymph nodes were slightly prominent, which gels with the tentative lymphoma dx (gawd knows what's going on if it's not that). I also asked her if, in her experience, given the lack of anything that screamed 'cancer', if she would say we've caught it pretty early, and yes, that would seem to be the case. So, uh, thanks Vidalta (thyroid med)!
He's in the surgical ward for the rest of today, and will transfer back to the other ward I think tomorrow. I'll get another call later to let me know how he is, and I can ring any time. Damn, they're good!
Thanks so much for the updates! I feel like Mario is a favorite nephew having health problems - fingers crossed that if cancer it's caught early enough to be successfully treated.6 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Midday Mario update: surgeon just called, all went well and she said everything looked 'very boring'. No unexpected surprises. Lymph nodes were slightly prominent, which gels with the tentative lymphoma dx (gawd knows what's going on if it's not that). I also asked her if, in her experience, given the lack of anything that screamed 'cancer', if she would say we've caught it pretty early, and yes, that would seem to be the case. So, uh, thanks Vidalta (thyroid med)!
He's in the surgical ward for the rest of today, and will transfer back to the other ward I think tomorrow. I'll get another call later to let me know how he is, and I can ring any time. Damn, they're good!
Boring is very good. Early is also very good.4 -
The good news with lymphoma, assuming it's small cell, not large cell, is that it is very treatable with chemo. Cats tolerate chemo well, and the remission rates are good. If we've caught it early, that presumably increases his chances of full and lengthy remission. It almost always comes back, but a paper I just read had a max survival rate of 6 years for one cat in the study, median overall survival 3 1/2 years (this is with it returning and being treated again). I'll happily take that. Don't get me wrong, I will still cry, and probably get drunk, when the official dx comes in, but these things are relative. And within the context of feline cancers, this is the one you hope yours has.8
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sorry, Nony, but I'm glad that if it has to be cancer, its a good one to have!
I'm in that boat myself. I was diagnosed with thyroid goiters in 2012 - the doctor stumbled across them when I had a neck ultrasound for something else. The endo biopsied them, it came back negative, so we watched them for 2 years. Then my mother's brother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer which had spread to his lungs and brain, so my endo really started pushing to have my thyroid removed, especially as they had gotten larger in those 2 years. We did a second biopsy which also came back negative, but I agreed to have them out. Good thing too, because it turns out all 3 goiters were half filled with cancer cells and the biopsy needle just missed the cancerous sections.
But because I was so young (34 at the time) and thyroid cancer is so slow growing (in most cases), my endo and the surgeon both told me that if I was to get cancer, what I had was what you'd want to get because the prognosis is excellent long term, especially since mine was caught so early.
the treatment was relatively painless, too - I had to do radioactive iodine, but no chemo, no other radiation treatments - in fact, I have a really hard time calling myself a cancer survivor lol
Meanwhile, I finally, finally got the rest of the Christmas water weight/lb or 2 weight gain off, and checked in this morning with a total of 101 lbs lost in the last 365 days. that last 10 lbs off has been an absolute bear! We're moving furniture into the house this week and I was able to finally go grocery shopping yesterday, so hopefully I'll be able to settle back into my own routine in the next few weeks! Especially since I still have a lot more weight I need to lose (120 lbs just to get to the high end of my BMI range)!8 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
Yup.... I'm a southern hemisphere-er! Summer for me - I don't cope well with the heat, so most days getting out during the day is not really possible without melting or burning to a crisp! I think that partly contributes to my boredom and sloth like tendencies - I do make myself walk/run 2kms to the supermarket as many mornings as possible to buy something random.
Ok so then it's not necessarily the cold and the short days. At least not for everyone ... I think for me I'm more inclined toward the bottle of red in the evening, and I've been making a lot of hearty soups lately. For me that means stock cubes I'm afraid, as I'm just not THAT great a cook, so although I haven't been doing horrifically CICO-wise, I seem to be retaining water. My measurements this week were strange: my waist-at-narrowest-point and also my hips were half an inch down each, but my trouser waistline was an inch up (meaning my jeans are tighter and therefore I'm angry and sullen, which doesn't help). Goodbye hourglass, hello pocketwatch!3 -
I have to say I credit my D3 supplements with being at least part of what's enabled my to restart on a weight loss journey after 10 years throwing my toys out of my pram. They've been a game changer for me.2
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To both of these sentiments, there's a predominant theme which likely applies to the majority of dieters: there was a habit formed to create and stay within a deficit by eliminating or reducing the intake of hyper-palatable foods; as soon as the holidays came around, that habit was broken with reckless abandonment and now there is difficulty in going back to prior habits.
Hyper-palatable foods are the primary driving force behind increasing rates of weight and fat gain. It's not necessarily the fault of the consumer or the manufacturer, but convenience food is specifically designed and engineered to be damn tasty and drive sales up. Along that same of thought, even the tastiest foods and recipes we cook are usually a mix of salt, sugar, and fat, creating our own versions of hyper-palatability.
This leads to asinine conclusions that "sugar is addictive!" and other forms of horse$hit with over-reaching statements. Sugar in itself is not addictive, but when you combine it with contrasting flavors and consistency, this amalgam of explosive flavors sends a surge of stimuli to your reward center neurotransmitters and all of a sudden foodgasms become the only thing our bodies respond to, and anything less is just unsatisfactory, usually leading to difficulty in trying to cut calories in the long run.
The problem seen in a lot of dieting strategies is that people seem to misinterpret the reduction in hyper-palatability as "completely eliminate them from my diet because will-power alone is weak" or something along those lines. I've said before that it takes years to develop the habit to become overfat. That means you've trained your body to respond excitedly to foods that stimulate pleasure and become averse to foods that don't meet that sensation, for years. It will take years to train your body to respond positively to nutrient dense food as well. And that doesn't mean you have to learn to love eating kale. Srsly fk kale.
All it means is that you need to adjust your food choices to be a bridge between palatable and nutrient dense. Instead of chicken nuggets, fries, and a coke, opt for grilled/rotisserie chicken, roasted potatoes, and a diet coke (and if you have an argument against diet coke because cancer, rat studies don't count). You haven't changed the macro composition, but you've eliminated refined vegetable oil and high fructose corn syrup already with that change.
The point is you can still enjoy food that is both tasty and nutrient dense, just not to the point of "zomfg I need to change my underwear" calorie bombs. And if you want a quick tip to help you naturally cut calories, if you focus solely on whole food protein sources, your body will almost always feel uncomfortably full before you can eat anything else. In itself, protein is self-limiting in that way. Think of what you gorged on over the holidays. How much of it was protein dense? Probably not a lot.
TL;DR - Protein is, was, and always will be a priority macro. Eat a lot of it and eat it first before anything else. Simplify your diet to follow a 70/30 or 80/20 rule: 70/80% nutrient density and 30/20% whatever you like. That keeps you sane while remaining adherent to your goal. Don't do extreme restrictions on any one food group, but don't make crap the majority of your meals either. And it's a learning process. Enjoy the knowledge you give yourself as you find out what foods you like, tolerate, and can't stand. Because fk kale. With a rusty spoon.
I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it (said Alice).
I really do know from experience that the simpler I eat, the better my success, and the more protein (within reason), the better – but I keep wanting to elaborate on that. I read the forums and keep seeing, “eat what you like, but in the right portions” and “no food should be forbidden”. I do wonderfully with things like chicken or shrimp stir fries, grilled or broiled meat and fish, simple steamed veggies, yogurt and fruit. It’s when I start adding in things like bread/pasta/rice/potatoes that things start to go south. I have diabetes; I have to control starches and sugars for the sake of my blood glucose, so I try to keep them minimal. I can keep them minimal for a good while, but I’m all too fond of starchy carbs and eventually I start to build up cravings and a bread orgy looms. Even that wouldn’t be too awful if it was a one-off, but it takes me a while to get myself back down to being happy with “minimal” again. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with tortellini, chicken sausage and pesto, or a turkey club sandwich with a spinach salad on the side – but it starts me on a bad tangent.
The holiday diet break was like that. Yes, the sweet hyper-palatables are definitely a big old trap for me, but that’s one I can see coming. Cookies, candy, cake, holiday specialties, those don’t really surprise me, and knowing the enemy helps. It’s when I think, “oh, I can have a small baked potato with a grilled steak and green veg, it fits in my calories” – that’s the thin edge of the wedge.
I know this, I KNOW all these things. I think I just keep hoping that I can open up my food repertoire and try something less plain to eat, and I’m not ready for that now, if I ever will be. So back I go to simpler and greener and minimal-er carbs for a few months, when I’ll try another break with better-tweaked macros.
And fk kale indeed. It actually isn’t bad, it’s just been so overhyped as a superfood that I don’t ever want to see it again.
This post has been sitting in my drafts for days under rewrite while I tried not to sound like a whiny four year old.
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Realized I also didn't give thanks where it's due. Anubis, I really appreciate hearing it all spelled out by someone who knows what he's talking about. You do that so often, and even when I don't entirely grok the science and terminology, it's good to know that does actually make sense to someone smart. Thanks.6
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Thanks! I'm intrigued and will have a look. I've been more or less back to it since the New Year but also experiencing some of what others have said about having greater difficulty with compliance, so another, longer term way of looking at things might help. I also wonder if any of it is to do with the weather and the short days? Are any of you all for whom it's currently summer having difficulty staying in calorie range, staying focused, etc.?
Me, too! Just downloaded it.0 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Morning Mario update: I've had calls from both his student vet, to let me know he did well overnight, and his internal med specialist with blood results.
T4 is up a bit, so his hyperthyroid is (finally) on the upwards march. He will get radio-iodine treatment possibly as early as mid-Feb, but it will depend on how he is doing and how well he will cope (eat) in isolation.
SDMA is back in normal range - yay!! (this means unlikely he is in early renal failure)
Urea is up a bit more again, and specific gravity is showing inadequate concentration. Lots of things could be causing these, and he will either get a retest this afternoon because he will be well hydrated from his drip during op, and/or at two week follow up when he gets his stitches out.
Lymphoma does look like the most likely candidate given the intestinal wall thickening, not showing any physical signs of IBD, and other possible causes are less common. Can't be ruled out yet, but less likely.
Everyone loves him, so he is getting lots of cuddles and pats
Next update this afternoon when the surgeon rings.
(sorry, I know the lab stuff is probably Double Dutch to most, copy pasta from my FB update, where I have a network of crazy cat people friends)
Happy to hear news and be supportive!
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Setting off to pick up Mario spaghetti in about half an hour 6
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I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it (said Alice).
I really do know from experience that the simpler I eat, the better my success, and the more protein (within reason), the better – but I keep wanting to elaborate on that. I read the forums and keep seeing, “eat what you like, but in the right portions” and “no food should be forbidden”. I do wonderfully with things like chicken or shrimp stir fries, grilled or broiled meat and fish, simple steamed veggies, yogurt and fruit. It’s when I start adding in things like bread/pasta/rice/potatoes that things start to go south. I have diabetes; I have to control starches and sugars for the sake of my blood glucose, so I try to keep them minimal. I can keep them minimal for a good while, but I’m all too fond of starchy carbs and eventually I start to build up cravings and a bread orgy looms. Even that wouldn’t be too awful if it was a one-off, but it takes me a while to get myself back down to being happy with “minimal” again. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with tortellini, chicken sausage and pesto, or a turkey club sandwich with a spinach salad on the side – but it starts me on a bad tangent.
The holiday diet break was like that. Yes, the sweet hyper-palatables are definitely a big old trap for me, but that’s one I can see coming. Cookies, candy, cake, holiday specialties, those don’t really surprise me, and knowing the enemy helps. It’s when I think, “oh, I can have a small baked potato with a grilled steak and green veg, it fits in my calories” – that’s the thin edge of the wedge.
I know this, I KNOW all these things. I think I just keep hoping that I can open up my food repertoire and try something less plain to eat, and I’m not ready for that now, if I ever will be. So back I go to simpler and greener and minimal-er carbs for a few months, when I’ll try another break with better-tweaked macros.
And fk kale indeed. It actually isn’t bad, it’s just been so overhyped as a superfood that I don’t ever want to see it again.
This post has been sitting in my drafts for days under rewrite while I tried not to sound like a whiny four year old.
I hear you. Carbs hate me, and I'm much happier without them - pretty much all my carbs come from veggies and glasses of wine 3 -
It’s when I think, “oh, I can have a small baked potato with a grilled steak and green veg, it fits in my calories” – that’s the thin edge of the wedge.
This post has been sitting in my drafts for days under rewrite while I tried not to sound like a whiny four year old.
Ah, that thin edge ... I know it well. This is where scheduled "refeed" days have been really helpful. That's the designated time for the baked potato, the really good dense bread, or the whole grain pancakes, all of which I can fit in my calories and sometimes do during the week, but they don't have the "gateway drug" effect they once did.
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Mario says thanks for all the good thoughts efurryone!!
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I'm glad he is home. I rarely know what to say in these cases. I just want to wish you both plenty of strength.5
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Mario looks very bright eyed after all that. Here's to more adventures for him when he is up to speed. I am glad you got the answers and some relief Nony_Mouse!3
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nexangelus wrote: »Mario looks very bright eyed after all that. Here's to more adventures for him when he is up to speed. I am glad you got the answers and some relief Nony_Mouse!
Mario was quite stoned in that photo! Answers will hopefully be forthcoming mid week when the biopsy results are back. If it's not lymphoma, then who knows what the hell is going on. The hospital didn't send any pain meds home with him, because he wasn't showing any signs of pain. Yeah, he does that. Doesn't mean he actually isn't in pain. I have some though, so can dose him if necessary (they know this).
It's going to be stupid hot again the next few days, but at least he has less fur now which will help with keeping him cool. Already have two pedestal fans and the ceiling fan running in the lounge in a bid to keep it a bit cooler, one fan pointed along the big long window that all the sun streams in in the morning to push the heat out. If worst comes to worst I will have to buy him a crate to hang out in so I can open the house up more (which may also be necessary because he's not very good at the whole convalescing thing), but needless to say trying to avoid spending more money. It's been an expensive couple of weeks!7 -
Yay Mario! He looks like quite a character 0
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Terebynthia wrote: »Yay Mario! He looks like quite a character
Personality plus!
Another day of trying to keep the house cool for us. It's already 25 C at 9am2 -
At least it’s stupid hot during summer! It was 83 here yesterday and it’s supposed to be Winter!
Hope Mario is doing well—fingers crossed for him (and you)!
My TSH is up, almost out of the normal range. My GP didn’t do a full panel, so I plan on asking for one at the end of this month to see if it’s a fluke or not. And to see if I need to go back to the endocrinologist. My weight is up about 7 pounds pretty consistently, more than just normal fluctuations for me. I’ve been on this Ned level for about six years. Though it has gone up and down of it’s own accord—my previous doc thought my thyroid’s production of hormones was being inconsistent and spitting out more at some times and less at others.
Found something interesting with my fitness tracker. For my walks around my apt. Complex, I get fewer calories for my adjustment when they’re formal exercise (using one of the settings in the watch and starting it and stopping it) than I do if I just walk and the movement is counted as steps. I watch tv on my phone, and my pace is pretty consistent. Though my heart rate spiked high last night because I rented “It.” Holy crap! I can’t wait for the next one!!!! I have most of “The Walking Dead” to catch up on, too.
So, in order to better calculate my TDEE, I’m going with eating back 50% of my exercise calories and 30% of my steps calories for a month or so as the adjustment. I want to do a recomp, but need a better sense of numbers first. And need to have the stupid thyroid behaving.
On the bright side, I really go my protein up another 5% to about 30-31% this week!
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@Psychgrrl if your exercise is of a consistent step based type, I would just calculate a percentage difference between expected and apparent tdee and just take it into account. For example my difference is about 5%. (It is actually almost 6.5% when over 20k steps and a bit less than 3.5% when under 15k steps as far as I can tell; but on average about 5%)3
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I made goose liver parfait yesterday. It's absolutely delicious, and has even managed to make the stack of rice cakes I have lurking in the cupboard edible.
Thank you MFP recipe tracker for enabling me to track it
I may even have to eat some more to make a sensible deficit today. The hardship! 5 -
I'm so mad at myself right now! I did the stupid last Thursday, and did a bootcamp (light) class using heavier weights because I had such a successful PT session the day before I felt like a real badass. It was a Very. Bad. Idea. By the end of class I couldn't feel my hams at all, like I had to concentrate on moving the muscles so I could walk to the car and into the house. I did all the rolling and stretching and icing, but Fri I literally couldn't walk. Running was absolutely out of the question. And Sat. And Sun. And this morning my PT gave me some more ways to stretch and just upper body work (no matter what I come in whining about, she's got a way to work around it!) But I'm still hurting and I still can't run and it's raining and I'm feeling sorry for myself blah blah. I'll get over it, but today just sucks.
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