Health and Fitness December, 2012

[Harriet]

Welcome. This is a thread about gaining and maintaining strength for our wonderful calling, homemaking. As we care for our own health, we grow more capable and competent to care for our families, our neighbors and our communities. As we grow more effective, our hopes for ourselves and those we care about get the best chance!

Okay, December. We can do this.

Much sugar, salt and starch will be on the offensive against us this month. We can hold the line. We can resist!

All around us, loved ones are putting batteries into their cameras. Not to worry. Our posture is excellent. Our self-images are stellar. Our smiles are serene.

We'll have the strength to do lots of the extra things we think up this month, because we will take care of ourselves with enough rest, pace ourselves confidently, and wink at ourselves in the mirror.

The November thread was 7 pages long and so inspirational - be sure to read about the adventures!

If you have a specific plan or commitment during this month, let us know about it. Calendar event moments may be coming up for some of us. Plans for 2013 may be forming.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Wow, you are fast, Harriet!

I'm up and on treadmill. I finished November up 7 pounds over the start of October. Aside from hormone issues (I'm still in my period) I'm thinking the remaining weight is from no diet drinks. Or in other words, I'm drinking my calories. It doesn't matter that I'm cutting juice by half or more, and that one of the drinks is an extra glass of milk - it adds up to 100+ calories extra a very 'good' day. On days out when I have a regular soft drink, that's another 300+ calories.

Weight gain with no other changes in my diet has happened every other time I've given up diet soft drinks. Don't know what to do about it. Stevia isn't the solution - it tastes awful. Cutting out flavoured drinks entirely seems an insurmountable goal. I have cut the juice back a lot but that is only to try and balance the increase in soft drinks.

At least soft drinks replace the jelly beans. My measured 31g of jelly beans (a very small handful) are 3 WW points as is a can of Dr. Pepper but the Dr. P has the caffeine so actually makes a better perk me up than just the sugar of the jelly beans.

I'm still limiting myself to 2 - 3 a week (I've had 4 this week but I also missed my nap 2 days this week due to increased activity outside the home and needed to keep going rather than crash while out in the city, responsible for bringing myself home.)

Harriet: When you say no sweetened drinks does that mean you are having a diet drink? And do you count milk as an unsweetened drink?

[Nancy]

I have done 4 mi. on my ex. bike yesterday.

Today my plan is to do the rowing motion on the total gym now that leaves have been raked up but not bagged up yet.
Walking / shopping today will happen at some point.

H. said I'm looking more toned now yea!
I think so too and my jeans fit better now.

I try to guard against ham b/c of the salt this time of year.

I drink diet soda and try to not have more than one per day we get refills 32 oz. when dining out I know that's a lot of sodium but I seem to like need the caffeine w/low bp. Have found diet 2 carb. per serving ocean spray cranberry crancherry; other brands may be out there too.
They are good with diet 7-up type sodas at a party. Helps with the water retention prob. and UTI's if any one struggles with that even just a couple glasses a week of it!

I notice I need to up my water uptake I like crystal lite type drinks.

[Ivy]

Good Morning, Health & Fitness buddies!

I woke up today, on Dec. 1, weighed in 6 Lbs. heavier than I was a month ago.

My arthritis has been acting up, too. Duh. I wonder why?

I've decided to re-read my book, "Runaway Eating," because it's about emotional eating. I'm eating emotionally because I'm worried about the health of my p.g. Ddil and her unborn child. It's a high risk pregnancy. I've been eating to compensate for worry, although I pray, too.

I've been sitting way too much, too, I usually walk 30 min. daily, but have been only walking once every other day or 2. I feel like I've really failed myself, I'm disappointed in myself, and I'm frustrated, too. I don't know why I let this happen. It just sneaked up on me.

I've been eating DH's ice cream with topping, in the p.m. So this weight gain serves me right- really. I should be 140 - 150 Lbs. so I have to lose 34 - 24 Lbs. now. My first goal is to try to lose 2 Lbs. a week by the end of December, so I'll be back to what I was, 168 Lbs. so I can start the New Year off on the right foot because I've turned myself around in December.

Nancy, It's great your jeans are fitting better now!

Kathryn, WTG on the treadmill, too!

Harriet, Thanks for this starter upper and you're so right when you say this thread is about maintaining and gaining strength for our calling of homemaking. We need to make healthy choices and be strong for ourselves, our families and our homes, too.

I'll be back later to report.

[Ivy]

Hi! I walked 30 minutes, reviewed the book, Runaway Eating, and have made healthy food choices, too.

I'm using my timer today, too. My pain's less, too, from moving and I'm in a feel-good mood from endorphins from walking, too.

I had to edit because the color I'd previously picked was way too pale on white here!

Good luck to Everyone today1 December is a challenging month to keep on track because there is so much to do and there are cookies and goodies everywhere. Then some of us bake, too.

[Harriet]

Kathryn, I have misstated that. I should say, "no added sugars", really, to convey my point. I definitely will drink milk and don't think of it as sweetened. I have had a few diet drinks when faced with choices that made them the most sensible alternative. Not a lot. When I wrote down Dr. Oz and Dr. Roisen's plan for coming off sodas a few years back, I noticed they recommended a week with diet drinks at first, to make it easier. Then a week with diet caffiene-free ones, then 20 percent juice in sparkling water for a week, then nothing but water but having chewing gum often for a week. They thought that plan had a better chance of succeeding.

I have tried sparkling water with fruit juices a few times recently. It seems super effervescent to me and I usually wish I'd had the ratio more on the fruit juice side, or even added plain water. With 100% tart cherry juice, it needs sweetening, and I add a packet of truvia stevia per tumbler. I never catch an aftertaste from truvia, but then I guess I am always having it with rather highly flavored things?
HRH has been trying ice tea with progressively less sugar as he gets used to each new level. He doesn't want it unsweetened, just sweetened very little.

Neglected to post this yesterday:
Checking in Day Five
No added sugars in drinks - Check!
Exercise - Check!
Walking workout
8 cups of water - Check!
5 veggie/fruits - Check!
banana (1), big tossed salad (2), potato (1), green peas (1)
Supplements - Check!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Thanks for the answer, Harriet.

The 20% juice thing I can do but it adds up to calories over the day. And I can't chew gum aside from the fact that it has aspartame in it - my jaw doctor has it on the banned list and given how my jaw reacts to chewy food, I'll just leave gum out of my life from now.

Yesterday I had jelly beans (tough on the jaw but manageable) and thought I might make it through without my nap but felt myself crashing at 5:45 so headed off to bed (with dh pushing me upstairs - he's so afraid of crashes because he gets in the line of fire.)

Ended up with well over 9000 steps yesterday, and that was with watching 4 episodes of Downton Abbey and spending almost the whole evening surfing the internet.

Today is insanely busy so I'm watching my time on the treadmill closely - I can't afford to run over and get behind since I have to spend ages in the shower shaving everything and also need to at least get my nail polish off (would like to throw on more clear after my shower but not sure there will be time.)

[Harriet]

Kathryn, I have learned about myself that I'm okay with water for lots of different times during the day, but for some meals I feel the "need" for something more. I may be "craving" the carbonation when I'm eating bread, since I certainly crave it with a burger or pizza or spaghetti meal. Anyway, one thing that works for me is to plan one drink with that meal, even look forward to it, and have water (or milk) the rest of the day. We had chili and french bread last night and I made myself a juice/sparkling water concoction.

Yes, I have to think of fruit juice as almost a serving of healthy candy and not splurge in other ways much if I'm going to have it. It helps me avoid the wrong drinks, so it's valuable enough to be a part of the day, but if I'm having it I need to "count" it as a treat.

For stress eating - I tell you what we need to do, btw, is use the idea Ivy stated in Cardfile Central about having cards to choose for Alternate Behaviors. The one that fits for me is alternate behavior projects of mini-creativity. Ivy mentioned making bookmarks/cards or doing calligraphy. I like those a lot and added the Zentangle-type doodling concepts. I wouldn't have thought of those except BookSaver heard a teacher last month who used them in making some of her drawing-on-textile art cards.

Yesterday:
Checking in Day Six
No added sugars in drinks - Check!
Exercise - Check!
Walking workout
8 cups of water - Check!
5 veggie/fruits - Check!
apple (1), big tossed salad (2), potato (1), veggie sticks (1)
Supplements - Check!

[Nancy]

Thanks for the suggestion of un-shelled peanuts, they were out of shelled ones at the store. I'm trying to cut back so I had 5 last night worked great!

I have added half water to the cran-cherry drink found in the juice section. H. & I were talking about how we needed to up our water intake.

One meatless day last week helped me to feel better will be considering doing that one day a week. [ Also so results for the spiritual reason I gave it up as well. Nice to have the double benefit.]

Got the Cajun salmon dip I'd been craving for my sinus probs.
it's great with celery [my new secret weapon is celery]; got imitation crab dip my mistake I forgot it is made with potato water and has quite a few carbs like a cookie!

[Harriet]

Have kept up with my healthy habits, though I let my daily check-ins here slip, oops! Except yesterday I absentmindedly drank about a half-cup of HRH's cola. I don't know how I did it or where my brain was. I didn't realize it until afterward and was disappointed, but don't consider it a failure. I'm still saying I've been "off" sugared drinks, and that mix-up won't amount to a hill of beans overall.

I have 17 days until Saturday the 22nd, when the big in-law party will take place and I might as well use it as a calendar goal. I think I've got the other healthy habits down well enough that I'm going to add back in calorie counting just until that date. Haven't yet decided between alternating daily calories or just picking a sensible number for every day. We'll see.

Today's menu is planned out and even though it can be a low-calorie day, I'll have 5 veggies easily if not 6.

Probably mentioned here before that of all the beans and peas in the world I love crowder peas best. But finding time to boil any down myself is just harder and harder. I had been purchasing Margaret Holmes canned brand off and on for a while. Today I entered my whole planned menu into the online calculator in advance, and was happily surprised to find that I couldn't find a single entry - not Bush's, not Lucks', not generic - that had the excellent lower calorie, lower sodium ratio Holmes has. I actually had to divide my entry half-and-half between generic canned crowders and fresh boiled crowders to get close to accurate, so those are healthy, sensible beans.

Nancy, does the dip have horseradish in it? Is that why it's good for sinuses?