Health and Fitness, May, 2014

[Twins' Mom]

Great tips OKay! So sorry that you're under the weather but your brain still works well, as evidenced by your tips.

WTG, Ivy on the loss!

I'm feeling kind of stalled - am actually eating okay for the most part but got behind on journalling what I ate this week and then never got started with it.

I have the new Fitbit up and running - only 4500 steps yesterday but didn't get it going until on in the afternoon.

Managed to enter yesterday's food at least.

[Harmony]

Good tips, OKay.

I eat slower than anybody I know. My problem stems from not eating enough at mealtime. I use smaller plates, and I'm mindful of how much I put on my plate. But because I do this, I'm hungry a couple hours later and tend to snack on stuff that's not as healthy as the meal I had prepared. I also am not really hungry in the mornings so eat sparingly if at all, but once I start, look out, it seems as if I get in catch-up mode.

I would dare to say if each of us was brutally honest with ourselves, we could write a very concise list of just what we're doing wrong, listing every bad habit. I don't think any of us simply do not know what the problems are. It's the fixing those problems that's the hard part, don't you think?

On a health note, I've decided to put it in here because it's health related and might be useful information for anybody reading... I accompanied DH to dermatologist for a boil or something that appeared on his neck practically overnight a few weeks ago. In a short amount of days it swelled up and looked similar to a raised doughnut with the middle being the part that bled. Turns out that is squamous cell carcinoma. Biopsy done. I put that here because I had thought all skin cancers were irregular in shape and darkish. No, this type is perfectly round, skin colored and fast to appear/grow. So, if anybody ever grows something like this, get thee to a dr. immediately! I'm sure glad we did.

[Nancy]

Yesterday I walked after dinner.
I was going to mow this moring but it rained so that will have to wait.

[Harriet]

Harmony, that's exactly the kind they said my dmother had (although it was not raised - possibly it was discovered more quickly or just every one is different, who knows). We were told that if hers had been anywhere else it would have been no big deal at all. (Of course, on the tongue, it was terrible for an already elderly lady.) So I am wishing for Mr. Harmony, "no big deal at all"!

I would dare to say if each of us was brutally honest with ourselves, we could write a very concise list of just what we're doing wrong

Sigh. Um... ... no comment.

((OKay)) this too shall pass, and you will emerge like a butterfly, dear one. As Twins' pointed out, your brain is darting along despite your body's fatigue.

Ivy, that's a great report from Jan to now.

Nancy, hope your lawn doesn't grow like wildfire while it's too wet to mow! That's what usually happens here.

I had a great day yesterday with best, best eating, then succumbed to unsweetened-coconut-milk pudding last evening, and way too much of it. But it was evidently not so bad, because it even allowed the scale to repent a little. Was the pudding as good as if I'd used dairy milk? No. But it had the same charming skin across it (best part) and a very pleasant flavor, just a little thinner texture, so I'm grateful. At least by using an alternative ingredient I retained some control.

[Harmony]

Wow, Harriet, I had no idea that was what your mother had. I thought they were always found on the outside of the skin. DH's was about the size of a dime, and several dimes high. DD had one on her thigh and she must not have checked on it very quickly, as they cut it out but thought they hadn't gotten it all and she had to use $300/tube ointment on the rest...was supposed to get another biopsy and I called to ask about it but haven't heard.

Dr. said it's most dangerous on places where it might get into lymph gland... yes that's the neck, but DH's is around the back up at hair line...and it's been there about a month at most.

Ha, I asked if his recent operation and stay in hospital & rehab might be a contributing factor...and she said no, it's more like "when it rains it pours" syndrome! Did I already say that?

Anyway, willing myself NOT to worry.

At hair salon, conversation turned to thyroid and thinning hair. Gal has low thyroid and when younger took med but dr. thought she was ok now (I never heard of it correcting itself) and she has symptoms but no $ or insurance to get it checked. How sad is that?

[Nancy]

Wind came up and dried things out so I was able to mow it was deep but I got it done. Got a walk in today too. YEa for that success.

[Ivy]

Oh, my. I've been on track with calories, had a little "goodie", but counted it. BFF said Trishia Yearwood, married to Garth Brooks, (do I have the RIGHT wife's name/) has a cooking show. She had a recipe where you take caramel, I think, melt it onto a soda cracker, then top it with sea salt as it's hardening. I had 1.4 cracker(s). It was delicious. I'm glad I counted it.

Later, I called DD to tell her her DBro's 40th b-day's on the 19th, could she get him a comical 40th b-day card, & she sounded like she almost fell over when she realized he's turning 40! She's going to get him a card/gift, because we're giving him a card/$ gift on Mother's Day, while they're here. DD will do the same...... Anyway, DD & I talked 50 minutes, I walked up & down the halls & into other rooms, at a moderate walking speed, worked up a good sweat, & now think I'll take a p.m. shower, so I sleep well/better. A nighttime shower zonks me out. So I'm glad I got my walk-talk in. It pays to walk-talk because you not only get to talk, but you get in activity & good exercise, too.

It's that way with housework. I set the timer for 30 minutes, then move, put out hot spots, declutter, start laundry, & do all sorts of stuff & if I'm standing in 1 place, while doing housework, I march in place, to get more activity in. So this is another way I burn calories to count expended ones in my calorie counter.

I ordered 5 more calorie counter books, they'll arrive Thurs. & I'll date each page. I'll label the cover with the starting & ending dates of each 1, then put them in order I'll be using them. It'll keep me organized & the pages being dated will motivate me to continue the calorie-exercise counting journey on into the new year. I got to wear my tight jeans today, too. We went to dfriends' because it was her b-day & I made her a gift. It was so fun to put on a bright aqua sweater set I wasn't able to wear last year. I felt so Spring-like & fresh in that nice color & with the tighter jeans, I felt so good about myself. I know I have a long journey, but I can still be proud as I slowly decrease, right? I can hardly wait until the more energy - less pain days, too.

[Harriet]

We also asked about the previous hospital stay, Harmony, because my mother was unconscious for a while during her previous stay and had the impression she had bitten her tongue (or caregivers had done something re: anesthesia or other). There is a thought that trauma to an area can cause this to start. However, no one really had a clue about it, of course.

Gee, I don't think there's much chance that the lady has had a reversal of thyroid concerns, no. I pay nearly nothing for my prescription - never has been more than $12 a month. But I don't know if my insurance is doing anything there. Don't think so, because the January cost is the same as every other month. Dsecondmil says I should go to WMart where she pays less than $10.

The new scale is nice. Tiny increments of change are shown and it never changes its mind depending upon how you step, etc.

Lately a few ounces daily downward trend. Hope that continues.

Ivy, there were two kinds of health-tracking pads/spiral notebooks at the B and N bookstore when I was there the other day. One seemed small to me and the other was WAY in depth, tracking so much that I believe it would become tiresome, with very boring pages that looked like accounting work to me.

About how we feel in clothes - I am not at a good place right now about that, but I am trying. My most recent catalog order had some "fails" but did yield one church outfit. I need to find summery-weight slacks that meet all (the many) criteria for fitting and color, not wildly patterned but able to blend quietly with several tops.

[OKay]

(((Harmony)))) When it rains...it pours. Bless your heart. I am soo very thankful this place on your DH neck was seen and will be followed up.

As I was reading this thread, I kept thinking WOW! So much to celebrate! I kept going back and reading the inspiration and information again.

I started to stop.....does that make sense? I'm on steroids for the next week so I almost decided to give myself a pass on focusing on healthy habits until I get off all these drugs (antibodies & steroids). However, I decided that I fear losing focus more than I fear doing poorly.....so I'm not stopping.

My focus this week = Slow down. Stop eating when full . These are more suggestions that I found -

** 20 minutes to finish meal =
** use timer to learn how long 20 minutes is when eating.
**  treat meal time as a true break, worthy of your attention and cherishing.
** Look at the clock and mentally add 20 minutes. That is your goal: take at least 20 minutes to enjoy your food.
** There is a "sensor" in our brain (in the hypothalamus) that needs about 20 minutes to get activated (give or take a few minutes for individual differences). Digestive and hormonal processes need to take place before our brain realizes we are not hungry anymore;
**  keep track of how long it takes me to eat
** If I don't finish in 20 minutes - GREAT! Save the rest for a snack later.


Actions that I am implementing this week -
** Eat with smaller fork & spoon (Thanks Cowinkle!)
** Start timer when I sit down (My wrist watch has a timer)
** Document how long it takes me to eat.

[Nancy]

I took a walk with dgson this afternoon.