2023 Healthy Lifestyle Discussion.

[Iggy aka IG]

Doc visit complete.  What a relief.  He genuinely shook my hand regarding the weight loss and encouraged me to keep going.  I am proud of myself.  Routine blood work results should be in by tomorrow.  I also got my first shingles shot.

Regarding blood sugar and eating:  I've been following a low carb diet (ie low sugar, too) since 2012.  Mostly strict, though I will splurge at holidays and vacations.  I agree with steph08 about watching carbs.  I was never diagnosed with high blood sugar, though a great grandma had issues, and a close relative has hypoglycemia.  I started the low carb for weight loss purposes, and realized how much better I felt not ingesting sugar, wheat, etc.  The best tool I use to this day is a low sugar produce chart as a reminder when making the grocery list.  Breakfasts are usually eggs, and lunch and dinner are proteins with a low carb vegetable and/or fruit (berries).  Seasoned cauliflower or broccoli slaw zapped in the food processor make for a tasty rice substitute.  Zoodles (zucchini), shirataki noodles, or canned Palmini hearts of palm pasta are excellent wheat-based pasta substitutes.  I stopped buying low carb tortillas as they contain wheat.

I could go on, message me if anyone has any questions.  

[Iggy aka IG]

Blood work indicates everything is in within normal range except my BNP, which isn't surprising.  BNP is B-Type Natriuretic Peptide which is the hormone related to heart failure.  Diagnosed with it a few years ago, losing weight and moving more has definitely helped.  

[Ava]

I've been tracking my blood sugar levels every day since I started Ozempic.
The doctor needs me to do it, so she can adjust the dose.
So far, it's been going down a little bit. The first day it was 175, today it's 149.
I'm on the lowest does. I know she'll increase it, but I don't want to go too high if I can avoid it.

Been exercising regularly, and increasing the time of exercise.
My weight has remained stable, at least it's not going out.
The only thing I still need to change is the food I eat.
I'm a little less hungry, and eating slightly less, but I need to improve the quality of my food.

The next appointment is next Friday with my doctor. Will let you know how it goes.

[giramomma]

Low steps for this week at 39, 760.

I also needed a rest.

(OK, who am I kidding. I always need a rest. I need to solider on).

Did not bother checking the scale. I can tell my midsection is changing a little. I'm having a hard time finding a comfortable spot with my belt.

[Lizard Queen]

I weighed myself yesterday and was down 2 lbs from Monday, and I was also seeing my waist again--I was so happy! Today, my tummy looked bloated again and I was only down 0.8 from last week. I actually didn't eat much yesterday, but had nuts and also a white claw. I also needed to go for a run, but can't go to that gym without my husband. He couldn't go earlier, and then my washer started acting up, so he couldn't go later. It was too damn cold for me to run outside, so I just did a kettlebell workout. 2 weeks to go until my 5k.

Have a great week, everyone!

[ners]

Quick check in as I am running late again.

I did not hit step goal (came within 800 steps so the best in the last few weeks).

Missed water goal   Did oaky with other goals.

Weight did not increase so that is a plus.  


01/01/19 177.2
01/01/20 165.2
01/01/21 169.0
01/01/22 167.2
01/01/23 172.2
02/01/23 173.6
03/01/23 173.8
04/01/23 177.2
04/10/23 177.2
04/17/23 179.2
04/24/23 179.0

Goals will be the same this week.  (Oh already behind on step goal).  Just been such a funk. 

[daisylu]

Hit 200 this week. Unhappy with myself, but moving on.

My hip has been bothering the last week. New job has me mostly sedentary, so I dug out my under desk elliptical and am standing and pedaling. The hip issue is from an old fracture that was never detected and healed improperly, with excess bone growing. Physical therapy helped years ago, so hoping getting movement will help. I really  want to avoid surgery as long as possible.

[Iggy aka IG]

Hugs ners and daisylu.  

[Ava]

My doctor's office called yesterday to say the doctor won't be in today.
So they postponed my appointment for next Friday.
Not what I wanted, since I already have a colonoscopy prep meeting on Monday, and the eye doctor appointment on Thursday. Too many health care appointments in one week.
But, what can I do?

[Lizard Queen]

Down 2.0 lbs today. Clothes are fitting better/more comfortably. Gearing up for my 5k race on Saturday morning. Going to have to miss 13yo's soccer game, as i will be runnung 45 minutes south, and he has a later morning game 30 minutes east. Too bad, because his team is working so well together. I'll be able to make 10 yo's game, which is an hour drive northeast early afternoon. Our family's going to be all over that day, and I'll be on my own for the race (other than some coworkers as my employer is a sponsor.)

[busymom]

Something happened to my knee last week.  Not sure what, but it hurts like crazy, especially when going down steps.  (I'm in a multi-level house.)  So, I had to completely stop my daily walks, which is driving me batty, but even when the knee feels better, then the pain is in my ankle.  Not sure what's happening, but as I've mentioned on another thread, it's been awhile since I replaced my walking shoes, so when the new shoes I've now ordered arrive, I'll see if that helps.  When you get past age 40 it seems like one thing after another...  

[giramomma]

 Sorry to hear about the knee, busymom.

My step count was horrific last week.

Good thing it's a new week this week.

Today, I did a 10 minute work out before a stressful meeting. I thought that was better than eating.

I have been eating more plant matter, though.

And really down to one adult beverage a month for the past couple of months. I mean to have a second (my full allotment), and I end up forgetting.

At least that a few less liquid calories I'm taking in.

[ners]

Check in.  Still in a funk.  Did not hit any goals last week.  Not sure what upcoming week's goals will be.  I do not think I will set any.  Really want to work on getting rest.  

busymom Hope your knee and ankle feel better.

giramomma My steps were around 7000 less than below goal.  Yesterday's steps were under 3000 so this week did not start well.


Have a good week everyone.

[seriousthistime]

busymom, I had knee pain last fall, in my good knee.  I had just taken a 2000 mile car ride and had a history of blood clots below the knee in that same leg, so the concern was another blood clot.  It hurt like hell when going down stairs.  However, it was a Baker's cyst, not a blood clot.  Rest and pain relief did the trick. 

You are probably walking on that leg a bit differently in response to the painful knee, and that is causing your ankle pain.  You are favoring the knee and putting a different type of stress on that foot.

I have had five surgeries in the past on my left foot.  It was mostly to reconstruct a few toe joints or fix problems that arose from the previous surgeries.  Lately I've been getting painful foot cramps at night, then shooting nerve pains started in my arch.  When the nerve pain starts it is 10 out of 10. Fortunately it lasts maybe 20 seconds at a time, and not even every day.  I also have a plantar fibroma (self diagnosed, thanks to the Internet).  I suspect it's because that's the leg with the bad knee. 

Knee replacements are probably in my future.  However, it seems the more urgent thing seems to be a cataract that has to go. 

In better news, my friend and I walked a 5K race the other night.  The weather was great, there was free hard cider at the end, and we felt like we had done something good for our health, despite the cider.  

After a few months of spending time with friends in a warmer climate, I detoxed from all the wine.  Being away from the all the social stuff and not having wine at the ready in my fridge, my digestion immediately improved.  One glass does not seem to cause a problem. More than that, every day, was not good. I'll need a new strategy for next winter. 

 

[busymom]

seriousthistime, I know a trick that can help with foot cramps and leg cramps.  The first time I heard of it, I thought this "solution" was crazy, but give it a try.  I was shocked it worked for me.


So, if you wake up in the middle of the night, and have one of those sudden leg cramps, or foot cramps (Mom used to call them "charlie horses"), put your foot on a bar of soap.  Any brand.  I literally keep a bar of soap by my feet, underneath the covers.  When I start cramping up, I place the bottom of my foot on that bar of soap, and within seconds, the pain reduces down to manageable, or disappears completely.  I don't know why it works, but I'm not going to argue with success.  

[Ava]

Had my doctor's appointment this morning.
 Sigh...

Let's start with the good news.
Did not put on more weight. Blood pressure, heart, etc everything looks good... except

The diabetes is out of control. Cannot get the sugar level down.
I know it won't go down until I change my diet. It's the only thing. But, like ners, I've been in a funk. I've been like this since last summer.
Food is, sadly, my only escape and joy at this moment.

She tested my feet and I have less feeling in my toes than the rest of the foot. Now I'm really worried.
The day before I had an eye doctor's appointment. He said my eyes are good but could be better and I need to bring my sugar levels under control.

We talked about the Ozempic. I told her I don't like this medicine. I don't like having to inject it, I don't like it has to be refrigerated, I don't like it's complicated to travel with it. When I go to Uruguay it has to be on a cooler, the trip last 24 hours, etc. And then when I retire and move back to Uruguay, they are not going to have Ozempic available there, probably.
So she put me back on the Metformin. 

Now I have to see her at the end of June. I'll make sure my sugar is coming down then.
Right now, even though I'm worried, I'm almost on vacation and my fridge is bare. I know I have to get my act together as soon as I come back from the vacation.

[Ava]

I'll be at the office Monday. They have a salad bar. So I'm getting a salad to eat for dinner Monday.
Then I'll be at the office again Tuesday, and I get food from the salad bar.
Will bring enough to cover Tuesday dinner and Wednesday lunch.
That will provide me with healthy meals for this week.
I don't have any food at home, since I'm traveling in a few days.
Once in Uruguay, I'll make sure I don't buy any goodies to bring back. I cannot afford it, from the standpoint of my health.

I'll be back by the end of May, have a doctor's appointment on June 30. My sugar level needs to be lower by then.

[jerseygirl]

Please be careful of your blood sugar levels Ava
So many dire consequences

[seriousthistime]

It's really hard to take control of your health through healthy eating and exercise, even when have very good reason to know you should. 

If doctors told us that today we have to eat and exercise healthy today or else we will die tomorrow, we'd be able to ignore the temptation to go off the rails today.  But with many of the things that are not good for us, we have ingrained habits that might cause real problems at some point in the future, beyond needing to buy new clothes to fit our ever-expanding bodies.  The indeterminate nature of "do today what may benefit you a year from now" allows us to postpone starting on that "today" and converts to "try it tomorrow."  

At least that's the way it works for me. 

[ners]

Check in

Still in a funk.  Here are my goals for the week:

1. Average 37 ounces of water.  The number is a little bit more than last week's average.
2. In bed by 10:30 on work nights.
3. No eating after 9:00 PM
4. Get back in the habit of doing arm exercises.  (Do at least 3 complete sets this week.)
5. 49000 steps.   


01/01/19 177.2
01/01/20 165.2
01/01/21 169.0
01/01/22 167.2
01/01/23 172.2
02/01/23 173.6
03/01/23 173.8
04/01/23 177.2
05/01/23 179.0
05/08/23 180.6


Have a good week everyone.

[Lizard Queen]

Good morning! Up 0.6 lbs today from last week. My 5k went well Saturday, despite getting my period the day before. I'm glad I didn't get it during the race, but I was hoping to skip this month seeing as how I had previously skipped 11 months in a row.

Anyway, I had my anniversary last week and birthday this week, so I don't anticipate a lot of weight loss happening these couple of weeks. It's okay--I'll keep getting some workouts in.

Have a great week, all!

[ners]

Weekly check in

Hit water goal.  Did well on getting to bed.  A couple of days of eating after 9:00. Missed step goal by about 4500 steps. Did more arm exercises however nowhere near goal.  

Only good thing is weight went in the correct direction.

1. Average 38 ounces of water. The number is a little bit more than last week's average.
2. In bed by 10:30 on work nights.
3. No eating after 9:00 PM
4. Get back in the habit of doing arm exercises. (Do at least 3 complete sets this week.)
5. 49000 steps.

01/01/19 177.2
01/01/20 165.2
01/01/21 169.0
01/01/22 167.2
01/01/23 172.2
02/01/23 173.6
03/01/23 173.8
04/01/23 177.2
05/01/23 179.0
05/08/23 180.6
05/15/23 177.4

[Lizard Queen]

Only down 0.2 this Monday. I had dropped down nearly 2 lbs last week, but then I had my birthday with all the cake that entails, and went out to eat mothers day, plus incredibly busy every day in between. All that to say, I'm pleased to be down at all this week, and looking forward to more normalcy coming up within the next couple.

[Lizard Queen]

Happy Monday! Down 1.6, which is a surprise from what I weighed yesterday. Tummy looking flatter. I bought a couple pairs of shorts in my normal size without trying them on. They were slightly loose, so got the next size down, and they fit. I'm a bit torn on the Jean shorts, as they aren't as comfortable and might shrink. Plus, I always seem to buy clothes when I lose weight, and continue to have nothing to wear after I gain weight. I mean, I'd like to never get that heavy again, but I've fluctuated enough to not believe I never will.

Hope you all have a great week and are able to enjoy some nice spring weather.

[busymom]

Hi Kids!  My joints are feeling better, but I'm getting back into my exercise routine VERY slowly.  I don't want to irritate my joints.  Sadly, I've regained 7 or 8 pounds due most likely to lack of activity.  

[Iggy aka IG]

Hugs from afar, busymom.  I cannot seem to lose the 7 or so pounds I put back on at the end of 2022 after the 32 pound loss.  I am unable to seem to find the laser focus I had last year.  Not sure if it is because of the long winter, the fact several of my friends have passed away recently, and/or work stress, but I certainly have been turning to comfort food for months now.  

[busymom]

I was raised on food as love, or comfort, so I feel your pain, Iggy aka IG.  So sorry that so many problems have been piling up on you.  Hoping the rest of your year is a lot kinder!  

[Iggy aka IG]

Thank you, busymom.

[ners]

Check in

I have not checked in in a while.  I have been in a funk.  Oh well, goals are going to remain the same.  Have not really hit on all the goals in any week. 


01/01/19 177.2
01/01/20 165.2
01/01/21 169.0
01/01/22 167.2
01/01/23 172.2
02/01/23 173.6
03/01/23 173.8
04/01/23 177.2
05/01/23 179.0
06/01/23 177.0
06/05/23 177.2

Have a good week everyone.

[Iggy aka IG]

Hugs ners.  Good to see you.