Disney Grannie's journal (life after Grave's Disease)

[nancyj_pa]

Sunday, November 9

My official weigh in was this morning and I lost 2 pounds last week! I am thrilled. My total is now 21 pounds and I got a new clippie.

I'm eating dinner a bit later now and trying not to snack in the evenings. Maybe that helped. I have only 8 pounds left to reach ONDERland. My goal is to be there by Christmas. It's hard to believe that Christmas will be here before we know it.

I am almost at my first 10% goal as well. 2 more pounds and I'll be there.

NancyJ

 

[jean88]

I'm absolutely delighted for you Nancy, you've worked so hard, well done.

Jeanxx

 

[nancyj_pa]

Sunday, Nov. 16

I lost half a pound last week. It's not much but better than not losing any. I started my WATP 2 mile tape Friday because the weather has been so bad. I did the first half. I will try to build up to the whole tape.

This afternoon DD and her family and DS and DDIL are coming for dinner. It's DDIL's birthday. Since we won't be together for Thanksgiving, I'm cooking the turkey today. I also made a cheesecake from the Low Carb recipes listed on WISH. I didn't try it yet so I hope it tastes O.K. I'm planning on having a small piece so I'll let you all know.

I'm still sticking to my eating plan. I haven't had sugar or flour since starting low carbs in early August (at least knowingly). So I'm about 2 1/2 months cheat free. I wish I could be as good at exercising. I usually only exercise when I'm off from work - 2 days a week - now that it's dark when I get home. I used to ride my bike outside quite a bit but I don't like indoor exercise. Maybe I'll get to love the WATP tape after I get used to it.

I still have 7 pounds to lose to get to ONDERland by Christmas. It's starting to look out of reach. I might need a couple of extra weeks but I won't give up!

 

[lulu201]

Hi, Nancy, I just wanted to stop by and say "hi" and tell you how much your positive, "never-going-to-quit" attitude inspires me. I think it's amazing that you've been sugar and flour free for almost 3 months!!

I've heard great things about the WATP program. Good luck with it!

Erin

 

[nancyj_pa]

Erin,
Thanks for the postitive comments. I always enjoy reading your posts. I finished the WATP 2 mile tape yesterday. It wasn't difficult at all. I felt so good when I finished.

NancyJ

 

[nancyj_pa]

Sunday, November 22

Things have been moving SLOWLY! I only maintained last week and I was so good. I managed to exercise a bit, too.

The last two days I rode my bike outside since the weather was so nice.

This will be a difficult weekend coming up. We're going to DS's house in southern Maryland for the holiday. I won't be cooking (first time in 37 years), but I'll be bringing along some of my low carb goodies for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Thanksgiving dinner itself is at my DDIL's sister's house. There will be about 30 for dinner.

I'm really looking forward to seeing my 3 grandchildren there. Weather permitting, I'll try to walk outside, and I'll be sure to drink a lot of water.

 

[nancyj_pa]

Friday after Thanksgiving

I did pretty well on the holiday. I had turkey, green beans, a little bit of turnips, two tablespoons of stuffing. I didn't have as much water as usual. No dessert. Later in the day I had a 0 carb bar. I feel I did O.K.

I won't be getting weighed until sometime Sunday P.M. because I'm away from home. This is probably a good thing. I'm enjoying my grandchildren, but I'm not getting much exercise. The weather here is not very nice...very gloomy and drizzly.

 

[nancyj_pa]

Well, last week I managed to maintain. Since I was good on Thanksgiving, I was hoping for a pound or two lost. But this is a new week and I'm still trying.

I find I really miss the nice weather and exercising outdoors. I really wish I were at WDW now. We don't manage to get there very often, but maybe next year. There's always so much going on.

I'm still basically eating the same meals. About 6 carbs for breakfast, 0 for lunch, and meat/fish/poultry, veggie, salad w/dressing for dinner. Trying to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Snacking on macadamia nuts or sugar free jello. Lack of exercise hurts. I just can't seem to get started after working all day and I have no time in the morning since I have to drive an hour each way to and from work.

The older I get, the slower my metabolism. One of these days maybe they'll invent something easy to speed it up that's good for you.

 

[nancyj_pa]

I lost another half pound last week. That's a total of 22 pounds...just about my 10% level. I was hoping to lose another 7 pounds by Christmas to reach my ONDERland by Christmas goal, but time is running out. I won't give up. If not by Christmas, then by Valentine's Day for sure.

I feel good and my knees no longer ache. I get up and down the stairs a lot easier. I'm fitting into a lot of my old clothes. I have a lot to be thankful for.

I set up a few doctor appointments in the next few weeks. Hopefully, my cholesterol levels will be better as well as the blood pressure. My thyroid function should be the same since this way of eating doesn't affect that.

Winter is here with a vengeance. Lots of snow this past weekend. No way I can ride my bike outside. Too cold anyway. But I'm just too lazy to exercise indoors. I did a lot of dancing, though, since I just attended a wedding and a Christmas party the same weekend.

My shopping is almost complete. All those presents to wrap! I haven't even started decorating. Everything is still in the attic. Hopefully, this weekend will be productive.

 

[DoeWDW]

It sounds like you're seeing a lot of positive changes! Isn't it great?? When we take good care of ourselves, we usually get rewarded - less aches & pains, clothes fitting better (or a smaller size!). Makes it easier to stick with our healthy way of life!!

I know what you mean about missing the outdoors. I miss walking my puppy. She's small and loses body heat very quickly so I have to be careful about walking her when it gets very cold. Also all the road salt is not good for her paws. I hope this is a short winter in PA!!

Good luck with your doctors' appointments and tests! Hopefully your healthy lifestyle will show up as better test results!!

 

[nancyj_pa]

What a hectic week this has been. Trying to get ready for the holidays and extra things to do at work. I plan all the social functions (Holiday party, associate luncheon) and the community service (adopt-a-family, toy drive, etc).

My eating has been on plan. I still snack in the evening which I would like to cut out. I have some macadamia nuts or cheese around 8:30 or 9 P.M. I make sure not to eat too many carbs, but the nuts do have a lot of calories.

I am still losing, although slowly. Since this is a lifetime commitment, that will have to be O.K. Even half a pound a week will add up in the long run. Once in a while maybe the WHOOSH fairy will visit.

 

[nancyj_pa]

Although weigh in isn't until Sunday for me, I did peek. It looks as though I might have lost a couple of pounds. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because it's been a while since I lost more than half a pound a week.

Hopefully, the scale wasn't just being wacky. I'm not going to change my clippie or anything drastic until it's official.

NancyJ

 

[nancyj_pa]

Sunday, Dec 13

Official weigh in was this morning. I lost two pounds last week for a total of 24. Almost time for another clippie. I haven't been exercising at all with the exception of dancing at a wedding and Christmas party last weekend. The weather here is cold and dreary, and I hate to exercise indoors.

I'm sticking to plan. I'm never tempted to cheat. And I'm drinking a lot of water most days. My carb count is usually between 20 and 25 per day.

I am feeling tired a lot. I'm sure exercise would help. I think it's just the weather. My physical is scheduled for Dec 29. I haven't been there for about a year and a half. Hopefully, I'll have good results with my cholesterol, blood pressure, and thyroid problems.

Well, I'm off to wrap some more gifts. Decorating is finished as is most of the shopping. My cards are mailed out. I'm really looking forward to Christmas and spending time with my children and grandchildren.

 

[nancyj_pa]

Thursday, Dec. 18

Well, I weighed myself this morning and lost another pound. That gives me a new clippie. I feel great!

Official weigh in is Sunday, but I was so excited I changed the clippie this morning. Hopefully, things will keep going down.

 

[nancyj_pa]

Sunday, Dec 21
It was just the one pound loss last week but that's O.K. I got my new 25 pound clippie and am close to ONDERland. I won't make it by Christmas (my goal), but it shouldn't be more than a few more weeks.

I've attended a few holiday parties, had some wine, but otherwise stayed on plan.

 

[lulu201]

Congratulations, Nancy, on all that you've accomplished this year! I hope your holidays are happy ones,

Erin

 

[nancyj_pa]

Thanks for the good wishes, Erin. Merry Christmas to you and good luck in the new year.

I'm trying to be good. I made two low carb cheesecakes this morning to take with me to my sister's house, and I'm bringing along a big salad, too. I had some wine last night and I'll probably have more today. This will slow me down a bit, but after all it's Christmas!

I don't see any weight loss for this week coming up. I'm going to try to maintain and begin again after New Year's. I'm going to eat mostly on plan and I should get a little more exercise since I'll be with my grandchildren for the next week. I'm really looking forward to having them here with me.

For New Year's, I'm going to set some new goals for myself. First, get to ONDERland by February 1. Second, another 10% weight loss by summer. That should give me plenty of time.

 

[nancyj_pa]

Monday, Dec. 29

I just came from the doctor's office for my annual checkup (actually about 9 months late). I am a lot lighter with the 25 pounds I lost. He took blood to test my cholesterol counts and my thyroid counts as well. I should get the results in a few days. My blood pressure was a bit higher than I would have liked...140 over 90. I have to go back in 6 weeks to have it rechecked.

I should get the blood test results in a few days. I'm anxious to see if my cholesterol went down.

As a point of information, my doctor (who has always been a bit on the chubby side) looked like he lost a lot of weight. I asked him and he told me he just lost 30 pounds on Atkins in less than 7 weeks. He said he feels so much better and I told him I do as well. So I guess doctors are now endorsing this plan a lot more than in the past.

 

[nancyj_pa]

How disappointing! The doctor's office called with my results. My cholesterol was 228 (and I've been on meds for a few years) but doctor said it was O.K. I've always had extremely high good cholesterol.

But my glucose was abnormal. I'm not sure what that means. They left a message that if I was fasting when the test was done (and I was), to schedule a follow up visit. I wonder what could be wrong? After losing 25 pounds, eating hardly any sugar, and exercising more than I've done in the past few years I thought everything would come out much better. I couldn't believe my blood pressure was up and now this.

I have an appointment I made previously in about 5 weeks. I'll try to get in for another blood test before then. Maybe it was fluky since it was only a few days after Christmas although I was basically pretty good.

 

[nancyj_pa]

Saturday, Jan 10, 2004

Well, I've had this cold (Upper respiratory thing) for over a week now. Today is the first day I haven't taken medication. Still stuffy and cough now and then. No exercise, just stitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket most of the time when I'm not at work.

Good news is I've dropped another 3 pounds, I think. Weigh-in is tomorrow. I've been eating pretty normal despite the illness but drinking more water than usual.