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Second time around and desperate.

pamelaory
pamelaory Posts: 18 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello, this is my second time trying logging all my food in hopes that it will help me get healthier and lose weight. I tried once about 4 or 5 years ago and lost a few pounds but didn’t stick with it. At that time, I was a pre-diabetic. Now, I’ve graduated into full blown type 2 diabetes. I’m desperate for this to work as my numbers are terrible for triglycerides, alc, and cholesterol.

My doctor put me on ozempic and I’m hopeful that it will help control the cravings long enough for me to develop some better food habits and skills.

Anyway, I’m glad you are all here.
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Replies

  • Rxman1971
    Rxman1971 Posts: 422 Member
    Good luck
  • pamelaory
    pamelaory Posts: 18 Member
    I typed out a nice long reply then hit the wrong button and lost it. 🤪. Let me see if I can sum up:

    Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply Springlering62. I met with a dietician on Tuesday and am currently keeping a log for her. I realized I don’t know how to cook healthy meals, I’m excited to learn some new ways to nourish myself.
    I’ve got my smart scale, Apple Watch, and my fitness pal app. Synced and am tracking everything at the moment. I know what you mean about learning how much food exercise “buys” you. lol. I’m having to reframe why I’m doing the exercise. I’m doing it to help get myself back to a healthier state when I could hike etc. not to enable eating more calories.
    I’m hoping the ozempic will buy me enough time without the wild cravings to establish some healthier eating habits and learn some new skills.
    Thanks for sharing your inspiring story!
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,069 Member
    It makes me so happy to see someone putting all the tools in place!

    Go, you!

  • totameafox
    totameafox Posts: 754 Member
    Hello Pamela,

    I also have diabetes. I take metformin and glipizide. I've rearranged my eating habits quite a few times and was able to lower the medication I take. The first time I took out high glycemic foods which was scary at first because I knew that rice was a stable of mine the previous time I lost weight. But I switched things up and made my doctor happy... until I didn't.

    This time I'm just eating normal portions of everything, even rice and my blood sugar is stable. I actually eat the same volume of food, maybe even more because I'm preparing the meals and including more vegetables for the fiber.

    I'm sure you will figure out a meal plan that will work for you. :)

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/147555-speak-friend-and-enter
  • pamelaory
    pamelaory Posts: 18 Member
    Thanks Totameafox.

    I’m hoping to learn how to cook healthy meals through this. I’m great at making spaghetti (tonight’s dinner) but I’ve secretly envied people who can cook those amazing meals I see advertised for food plans and such. I agree that it’s about moderation. I had a fulfilling plate of spaghetti tonight and the tracker still said I would lose a few pounds in 5 weeks at this rate. Not to shabby.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,069 Member
    Beware the tracked, aka Destroyer of Dreams. It drives a lot of people here bonkers because they don't understand that every day is NOT the same as today.

    You’ve obvs got more sense than that.

    I’ve found ground chicken works great in Italian dishes, especially lasagna. I mix a generous bit of Italian herbs or herbs de Provence into the ground chicken, let it absorb the flavor for a couple of days, and then brown it in a dry, un-oiled pan. Be sure to break it up while it browns, because (like sausage), it clumps.

    You’d never know it wasn’t Italian sausage.

    My ninja frying pan is tha bomb. You preheat it, and can “stir fry” veggies, brown diced or cutlet chicken, and more with zero oil and it tastes great.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,069 Member
    edited February 14
    I had a Taylor Farms Mediterranean Crunch salad last night, topped with diced, browned chicken I’d hit with a sprinkle of Lawry’s/ season salt.

    Half the bag + 7 ounces chicken was 428 calories, a ton of protein, and nutritious greens.

    And it was delicious.

  • pamelaory
    pamelaory Posts: 18 Member
    That sounds delicious Springlering62! Thanks for the tip about using ground chicken in place of sausage, I’ll have to give that a try.
  • dmkoenig
    dmkoenig Posts: 307 Member
    Springlering62 has some great suggestions. I try to minimize simple carbs like pasta and rice as much as possible, and look for healthier alternatives. Quinoa is a great sub for rice, and you can get inventive with pasta replacements by using spaghetti squash instead or making zoodles from zucchini with a spiralizer. A zucchini is like 4g carbs and almost no calories. Food prep is your friend, there is a lot of fat, sodium and sugars in prepared packaged food to make it taste better. If you are serious about making a healthy lifestyle change it will reset your trajectory. Good luck!
  • TinaBrenton
    TinaBrenton Posts: 4 Member
    Welcome Pamela
    I know the frustration I have done this so many times, I too am starting once again.
    @springlering62, your comment is so inspiring, even though this is not my post thank you for leaving such positive reinforcement I am definitely taking your advice as well.
  • pamelaory
    pamelaory Posts: 18 Member
    Thank you Dmkoenig and TinaBrenton!
    I have heard of zucchini spirals instead of noodles but haven’t tried it yet. I’m going to have to make a point of it. Tina, we got this!
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,069 Member
    Brief hijack….

    @dmkoenig every time I make zoodles they turn into a soupy mess. I’ve tried draining, pressing, salting, decanting them into paper towels.

    If there’s a trick, please share.
  • dmkoenig
    dmkoenig Posts: 307 Member
    This is a good site for explaining how to prepare zoodles. https://downshiftology.com/recipes/how-to-make-and-cook-zucchini-noodles-the-most-popular-methods/.

    I personally use a spiralizer made by Mueller which holds the zucchini vertially instead of horizonatally. The mush issues comes into play if you overcook them, since zucchinis are 95% water. Really, you don't need to cook them at all, they can be served in their raw state or microwave them so they warm up a bit. If you try to cook them like pasta then you will likely end up with mush.
  • pamelaory
    pamelaory Posts: 18 Member
    I’m thinking it might be helpful for me to post on a regular basis about my goals, accomplishments, struggles etc. is there a section of the community boards for that sort of ongoing thread? I’ve been clicking around and haven’t seen one but maybe I missed it?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,428 Member
    pamelaory wrote: »
    I’m thinking it might be helpful for me to post on a regular basis about my goals, accomplishments, struggles etc. is there a section of the community boards for that sort of ongoing thread? I’ve been clicking around and haven’t seen one but maybe I missed it?

    @pamelaory, there are several threads here and there where people have invited others to join in posting for daily accountability. They're spread around, but more concentrated in these two areas:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/challenges
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/motivation-and-support

    Read beyond the title of the thread, at least the first post. Sometimes the title isn't a clear guide.
    Don't be fearful just because they use a word like "challenge": Some of the challenges are essentially just "tell us what your goals are, and challenge yourself to stick with them and post on the thread about it". Some of them might have titles like "Susie's accountability post" but in the text Susie invites others to participate.

    I can't recommend a specific one(s), because different things will suit different people. Personally, I participate in a thread where people post their workouts, sometimes chat a bit about them. That doesn't seem to fit what you're looking for, but it helps me keep my head in the game.

    Or . . . start your own accountability thread, if you prefer.

    Best wishes!

  • totameafox
    totameafox Posts: 754 Member
    I'll post my community here again. You are welcome to join. I post in it every day and encourage others as well.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/147555-speak-friend-and-enter
  • pamelaory
    pamelaory Posts: 18 Member
    totameafox wrote: »
    I'll post my community here again. You are welcome to join. I post in it every day and encourage others as well.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/147555-speak-friend-and-enter

    I wasn’t sure if other people could start a blog/thread there as well?

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,745 Member
    springlering62 wrote: »
    Brief hijack….

    @dmkoenig every time I make zoodles they turn into a soupy mess. I’ve tried draining, pressing, salting, decanting them into paper towels.

    If there’s a trick, please share.

    I don't pre-cook them, I just toss them through the hot sauce in a pan for a moment. They stay nice and firm :)

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