Health and Fitness, November, 2009

[Harriet]

Let's do something healthy with November! There's a 30-day clean slate awaiting us! For some of us it's the month that leads up to the season of more social engagements, more visitors and more acquaintance-renewal than any other time of year! For others, it's going to be a month of recuperation back to strength, so we're making plans to feel a lot better by it's end! No matter what, we can see a positive change a month from now with a little Habit Forming!

Can you "put your finger on" the change/trend you'd enjoy seeing over the month? What is it?

What is the habit(s) that, in 30 straight days (or 15 "every-other-days"), could offer you that change?

If you'd like to, commit with us to the new habit(s) you choose for November and we'll cheer each other on for 30 days!

[lucylee]

Okay, Harriet, I'll try to jump in for at least 15 every-other-days of at least 15 minutes exercise.
I know that's a small step, but since I only exercised about 6-8 days in October, I think it would be a HUGE improvement for me.

I also REALLY need to do something to cut down on sugar consumption. I feel like that had a LOT to do w/my stomach upset AND sleepiness yesterday. Sugar is like a drug for me, and I have experienced pretty strong hypoglycemic episodes from time to time. So I need to realize this can be serious and that my energy level would be a lot better if I could just lay off the sweets.

Yesterday, I had a banana before we left home, and 2 pieces of ham, (didn't eat the biscuits w/them) & a cinnamon-raisin biscuit from Hardee's for breakfast, around 6:00 a.m.
At some point on the road, I ate a pkg of peanut butter crackers.
Then for lunch, I had a Papa John's personal pepperoni pizza and 4 (very sweet) sugar cookies, around 11:00 a.m.
That's not so terribly extreme, b/c I was eating the sweets along w/more nutritional foods... but still... those cookies were pretty sugary. I think they are "Christie's Cookies" -- if anyone is familiar w/the brand. They look homemade, but I think it's a chain.

[Harmony]

I need more consistent exercise this month. I also need not to skip meals because then I find myself making more unhealthy choices. So I will be working on those 2 things this month.

[Harriet]

Yep, lucylee, having a protein breakfast is less likely to cause you to eat carbs later. A carb-rich breakfast is likely to bring on the cravings for all kinds of sweets and starches later. This a.m. I had a scrambled egg and did rather well avoiding sweets/starches the first part of the day. (However, I am a big believer in fruit, and know I do best with them on an empty stomach in the a.m. - but then, there are carbs and then there are carbs. ) My dVetNeighbor, in hearing about my acid reflux, suggested a low-carb diet for a while, with lots of lean meats. We'll see.

Harmony, there is nothing worse for me than if I haven't had my own meals regularly while taking care of everybody else. Then I will do the wrong thing for sure, and just eat whatever's convenient instead of thinking. Gotta plan, gotta plan.

Did everyone see Harmony's report at the end of last month? Woo Hoo!

For November, I will jump in with lucylee and Harmony and say exercise for my habit.
The trend I can put my finger on is to slim down and build stamina.

I want to continue my 4 days per week of exercise (minimum lately of 30 minutes each - usually 40), started the middle of last month. The first of the month was a bust because of acid reflux and other tummy troubles that my have been related to the "cure being worse than the disease" - who knows. Anyway, the schedule has been working well since then and I finished up the month with 10 workouts in for October, an average of 30 minutes each. Yay! I know it will be hard to continue when the little family visits.

This is a good schedule for progress for me. I've learned over time that 1.5 hours per week of my video workouts is a good maintenance level, 2.5 like this means real change.

So in the coming week I'll work out Mon and Wed, then take time off until my long workshop Sat. I hope I get to see NCShe like I did at the last one a few years back.

[Harmony]

Still losing here. Yay! Almost holding my breath, too good to be true. Losing my belly fat!

Harriet, my hurdle is when I'm out and about too long, missing a meal, coming back in starved starved starved. Hard not to go through drive-thru's or hit the house and do something very stupid. Stoopid, DGS's say.

Sometimes the lightest thing on the drive-thru menu is almost better. Satisfies for a long long time and less calories overall.

Anyway, I am 10 pounds lighter than I was 3 years ago, the number I was stuck at for years. Still need to jumpstart the exercise again though.

[lucylee]

Harmony -- you are doing GREAT!!! Hang in there. Ten pounds lighter is FANTASTIC!!!

[Harriet]

Just moving this from last evening's PWYC. I decided overnight it was better to reflect on this here rather than bother everyone there with it, when we want to talk about our households there.

Last night was not so good but joy comes in the morning - I feel a lot more confident.

Well, today was THE WORST day as far as how I feel. I think I will decide to give myself my own advice from now on. The point was that I was getting better, so I was given a date for exiting the med, with the supposition that I would continue getting better through diet. So this change in diet has been a backwards glitch in an otherwise slow-but-sure plan. Food combining works for me, that's what I need to remember. Changing to low carb right now is not wise. Harmony mentioned keeping things moving - well, increasing the percentage of meat would not help there, either. I've got a veggie tray with my name on it tomorrow - if I can just get through this night. ouch.

I read more about food combining and learned that one expert believes when we need it because of acid reflux, we need to do a restart for our bodies of at least one day that is all-veggies - he likes 2. That allows our digestive tracts time to clear of any previous conflicting choices we made, and lets our stomachs stop reacting, to get ready for the best shot at food combining. So I'll try that today and maybe tommorow for a half-day if I can. He also said start thinking in terms of just 3 far-spaced meals a day, no snacking, which makes sense. Our tummies are busy - why send anything new, even it is the same food.

One of these days I'll be all well, and be an expert on this, and can give advice myself, LOL.

Today is my last exercise day before the workshop, since I'll want to have a couple days of rest before that. I always feel better after I exercise, anyway.
-

[Nancy]

Wish I had this info. especially on the low carb fruits
a long time ago!

High Carb: Veg.
• Potatoes = 20g (approx. 1 cup mashed) Higher than the fruits except banana
• Corn = 19g (approx. 1/2 cup raw) almost as bad as the potatoes
• Peas = 14g (approx. 1/2 cup cooked) peas are right up there too! *
• Carrots = 10g (approx. 1/2 cup raw)

Low Carb: Veg.
• Celery = 3g (approx. 1/2 cup raw)
• Zucchini = 4g (approx. 1/2 cup cooked)
• Peppers = 5g (approx. 1/2 cup cooked)
• Broccoli = 5g (approx. 1/2 cup cooked)

High Carb: Fruits
• Banana = 23g (1 small)
• Cherries = 16g (approx. 1 cup)
• Apple = 13g (1 small)
• Pineapple = 13g (approx. 3/4 cup)

Low Carb: Fruits
• Rhubarb = 5g (approx. 1 cup raw)
• Cantaloupe = 6g (approx. 1/2 cup)
• Grapefruit = 8g (1/2)
• Watermelon = 8g (approx. 3/4 cup)

[Harriet]

Thank you, Nancy. I stayed in the "low carb veggie" group today. (I stuck with what that same expert thought was best for a veggie day or two. He calls them "neutral veggetables".) Along with the celery and broccoli you mentioned, I had fresh carrots, cauliflower, and spinich. And I cooked fresh green beans, added olive oil and sea salt as he suggested. It was surprising to me that I couldn't be sure snap peas were low-carb/neutral. They are a cross between a snow pea (low carb) and a green pea (high carb) so I avoided them. I had everything together for each meal. That was absolutely ALL that I put in my mouth except water. I do feel better than last evening when I'd had all the protein (but last evening was awful, so that's not saying too much).

Felt just fine to exercise, good stamina, not weak at all.

Anyone else dealing with dry skin/itchy skin right now? I am experimenting with products.

HRH's glucose level (fasting) was 102 and his A1C was 5.3. This is a fantastic improvement for him and a success for me, helping him eat sensibly. We are still concerned about his nutrient absorbtion, but he is taking the prescription dose of vit D now so that level should improve. Dr needs to find out what is causing this.

[Harmony]

Nancy, enjoyed reading that info. I had always thought grapes were the highest sugar fruit. I'd also heard them on the biggest looser discussing how bad mango was too. Also Pineapple. Isn't that high carb too?

It's not enough to just do fruits and veggies these days, we have to be aware of which ones are best. It's a never ending struggle.

Harriet, you do know that going off that medicine causes a tsunami of acid until that tapers off, don't you? I would ask your Dr. about that before you try to go off it. I had an awful time for the first few days off medicines until it tapered off.

Actually I didn't know when one was on that stuff anybody ever got off of it and recovered - except if the problems were from bacteria and ulcers which were fixed. Did your tests ever say if you had any of those problems?