Thank you everybody for all the tips. I am enjoying the conversation about this topic. I am still about the whole thing because drs. want us so low and I've also read that is unhealthy because our brains actually need cholesterol. I've read that since they were telling everybody no butter, and most went to oleo or margarine, heart disease did not go down, it went up! So what to believe is the issue.
I also think sometimes about our situation here. We have no family in this town. In an emergency, we are on our own. I also think about DH, who, as good a person as he is and as hard-working, is not the type to take on caregiving issues. (And I suppose part of that is my own fault for being proud). So, would I rather have cholesterol medicine side effects (loss of muscle and inability to get up if I fell, etc.) or a bad heart? Yeah, I know that thinking is a bit skewed. But I do think about stuff like that.
About eating out...I'm out quite a bit but I don't care if I'm hungry unless my blood sugar is getting low. I'd rather come home and eat then. I often try to eat a couple spoonfuls of cottage cheese (fat free) on my way out if I know I haven't eaten and will likely be hungry while out. Dinners - well I'll bet we only eat out a couple times a year for dinner. We got out of that habit when the economy went south. I have a stack of gift cards people gave us for gifts that I use once in a while for a special occasion. We are usually so busy that to stop and get cleaned up and dressed to go is more work than just throwing something together to eat, then getting cleaned up and putting pj's on.
Today so far I had a small bowl of cheerios unsweetened with skim milk. When I got home I had a tuna fish sandwich on whole wheat toast, did have mayo in it but a whole bunch of cut up celery. Then I had a handful of blueberries. I am staying out of the ice cream and away from the cookie jar.
I love tomato juice. I wonder if that's as good as V8? I'll bet I could do a little of that if I did it early in the day. It's a lot to think about, isn't it.
Incidentally, my dsmil told me she thinks she is getting muscle aches from the lipitor she was put on 6 months ago.