Geriatric MM Warriors June 13, 2010

[kater]

Kate, HI and good to see you!

Hey, Kathy. I was reading a book called the Primal Blueprint recently. And the Paleothic Diet (? Robb Webb is the author). I finally understand what sugar does to us and why we can't burn fat if we have too much glucose in our blood (which is what happens when our pancreas tells our body to release insulin). Once the glucose is in our blood as a result of the sugar telling the pancreas to release the insulin, our body uses that glucose for energy and doesn't burn fat. At least, that is what I think I learned. Anyway, it has helped me stay away from all that "white" stuff. Although, I do have to confess to really good french bread with butter last weekend! It was definitely worth it! I am not going to be wearing a bikini in Hawaii anyway>

 

[gettinhealthy]

Happy rainy morning everyone!! LOL It is a rainy, dismal day here in PA. Perfect day for staying in bed, but work is calling to me!!

Kate, I so wish I were going to Hawaii with you!! My sister has been there and showed me the pictures they had taken. Absolutely beautiful!! That is one of my life's dreams. Go there and just relax and enjoy nature!!
As for how you're feeling about your body, don't worry about those people who use surgery to enhance their looks. They have chosen their way, and you chose yours. I think our way is a bit safer also I don't really care to be put under and have had it done about 4 times in my adult life. I know they are careful, but with all the horror stories out there, people who aren't put completely under and hear/feel everything, or the risk of not coming out of it at all. That happened to a lady beside me in recovery when I had Tris, I had her C-Section. The lady never woke up. Just as I was waking up, they were calling the code.
I say go to Hawaii and enjoy yourself!! It may be the renewal you need to see yourself in a new light As for the bikini, I wouldn't be wearing one either LOL
I also think I may be getting that book. I know Diane goes into it a bit about glucose/sugar but I find it very interesting how it affects your body. That may be the kick I need to get going!!

Lisa, forgot to comment about this on my last post. You are so right that this being a mind thing. I think this where my main problem is. I keep remembering where I was this time last year and I am finding I wish I was still on MM. Or at least part of it. I would be on step 2 if not 3 had I stayed on it. I am now wondering if I should start now or wait till after the holidays. But if I wait, I will find myself thinking where I'd be if I had started now. I know life is full of "What ifs". But I really am finding myself wanting to start again. I am going to read the book again and see if that jump starts anything for me.
I looked at your site quickly this morning, and really like it so far. I will check it out a bit more this weekend. Give Tom our love, and still continuing to think of you guys daily.

Robin, hate to be a pain, but could you email me the pumpkin bread recipe again? The people I work for that her husband had cancer surgery last Nov. really liked it and was hinting again this year LOL. I don't know what the heck I did with the recipe I looked it up online, but it didn't seem to be quite the same as the one you have. Thanks a million!!

Diane, prayers heading out your way today. I know how frustrating it can be. Mike is also still looking. I think he's more or less deciding to go with a company that means working 12 hour days or perhaps another company that works 10 hour days/7 days a week. Not quite what he wanted, but his unemployment will be running out in about 3 weeks. So glad our economy is turning around. Ya, right!!

Here is a couple pictures of Bailey over homecoming weekend. I hope you all enjoy it.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=445309303257&set=a.88059698257.83973.618338257

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.ph...8257.83973.618338257&pid=5131465&id=618338257

 

[gettinhealthy]

Lisa,
Forgot to mention this also. I have been taking Ashwagandha for stress and it has really been helping. I seem much more relaxed than usual.
Also, not sure if you can use this or not, but magnesium also helps with sleep. I take 3 pills about 30 minutes before bedtime, and I pretty much sleep the whole night. Unless I have to pee LOL. But I am finding I pretty much sleep a full 8 hours and feel a bit more rested than I did prior to taking it.
Hope this is a bit of info you can use

 

[kater]

Lisa,
Forgot to mention this also. I have been taking Ashwagandha for stress and it has really been helping. I seem much more relaxed than usual.
Also, not sure if you can use this or not, but magnesium also helps with sleep. I take 3 pills about 30 minutes before bedtime, and I pretty much sleep the whole night. Unless I have to pee LOL. But I am finding I pretty much sleep a full 8 hours and feel a bit more rested than I did prior to taking it.
Hope this is a bit of info you can use

Kathy - what kind of magnesium do you take? My naturopathic doc recommended it a long time ago for sleep and reducing my neck tension (which leads to headaches/migraines). I looked for some the other day but got confused and didn't buy any. There was magnesium glyconate and others?

I have been having migraines since last March. As weird as this may sound, I don't get an actual headache. I am just nauseated and can feel pressure at the base of my skull. Imitrex (sp?) helps. So has paying attention to my posture (picture a person hunched a computer all day with their shoulders all scrunched up using the keyboard). I haven't had one in a few weeks. I don't know if it is a coincidence but I have been pretty good about the no sugar/no white flour stuff for the past few weeks.

I have to take my car in for some work today. I hate how much I hate not having a car all day.

 

[kater]

P.S. I have found that my "magic" help me sleep through the night medicine is Ibuprofen PM (not acetaemenphine). My naturopathic doc says that the ingredient in it that makes you sleep is the same thing that is in benedryl. She would prefer that I just take Benedryl. I have tried it and still feel like the Ibuprofen PM works better. I don't have a problem falling asleep - I can't stay asleep. Brad has had several different prescription sleep medications and my PM stuff works better for me.

 

[Virginiaponygirl]

First things First this morning...OMG Diane that is such great news about the interview! Prayers from here and I will be crossing everything I can too! LOL, still too chubby to cross SOME things, but I have plenty of fingers and toes!

Ah Thursday morning! At least it feels like a good thing to be halfway through the work week... spending so much time with Jim the past 6 months means I was taking far too many days off and skipping far too many OT opportunities...it was a great time, but of course the pocketbook suffers when I play too much!

I forgot who asked about the kitties, but they were born the end of April under a dumpster at a business near my office. I have a co-worker who goes around to several of the large businesses and traps these feral cats and has them fixed then tries to find homes for them...I took these two because I figure life on my farm has GOT to be better than living under a dumpster in the city, even if I dont let them in the house! They are adjusting well, and it is so cute to watch them pouncing on every bit of hay that blows in the wind, or flipping around chasing the baling twine ends, or getting brave and strolling up to the ponies and going nose to nose! I even caught one of them up on the 100 gal water tub the other day, "*****-footing" around the rim like a little blond acrobat...of course now I have the nightmare thinking he might fall in!

Kate - sounds like you are in the right frame of mind about the whole weight thing...if you didnt gain any back thats a great thing! I admit I did gain a few back traveling around with Jim and eating out too much, but I too, still strive to stay away from the white stuff. The occasional white bagel is about it for me...just get sick to death of the darn whole grain bread sometimes! I swear that stuff sticks to the inside of my mouth and I can still find bits and chunks of "whole grain what is this" 5 hours later! My biggest problem is fitting in the veggies....I guess you are supposed to eat about 4-6 cups a day and that is just a huge project for me, unless you count a few lettuce leaves on a sandwich, or some onions and peppers in an omelet. Thats why I am trying the soup thing...I can pack a abunch of stuff I dont really like in a pot of soup and get it down. Im throwing in spinach, tomatoes, and I think I am going to try other greens like kale and collards, since I absolutely hate them, but the yummy soup taste covers them up! Since I am away from home from 11am on, I have no time to sit down to a regular meal and WW has now informed me there will be no eating after 7pm, so thats going to be HUGE for me! I almost always eat when I get home from work, which is around 9:30PM, and dont eat breakfast until around 10:30 in the morning...maybe this new regimen will help me out!

Kathy - I will be happy to e-mail you that recipe again....I know you had some trouble with cooking times last year, but I swear when you get it figured out so they are cooked all the way through it is the most amazing pumpkin bread I have ever had! I have been making it for 30 years now and still get requests from all over the place for it! I make a ton of it and bring it up north with me at Christmas, and now I have to make it for all my office buddies too...mad the mistake of bringing it in one day and created a monster! LOL, I think the hardest part is staying away from it myself!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Diane: Many prayers for you and the job!

Kate: I’m so excited for your trip to Hawaii. Remember, you look amazing to Brad and that’s all that matters. I voiced to Tom yesterday how grateful I am because he loves all of me. You’ll be away for this first trip of ours to UCSF then, but I imagine we’ll be back for other treatments. J-P will be there for the first 4 days, then my sister is taking over so I think I’ll be well supported.

You hit the nail on the head with the sugar analysis. This is the problem I have with diets that count calories or points and you can eat whatever you want as long as it adds up – you can eat artificial foods with food coloring and artificial sweeteners, etc. I think as long as we take what we have learned this year as Robin said and then overlay another eating plan we should be fine. We’ve all learned to let go of the white stuff, except for maybe a special occasion. I think if we eat well 6 days out of 7 we’d actually be doing great. I agree with Robin about the soup getting in the veggies. We also grill veggies to go along with our fish and chicken. Toss in a bit of olive oil and grill peppers, zucchini and even asparagus. We make extra to put on our salads the next day. Making salads with raw greens instead of just lettuce is another great way to get them in – or juicing, which is delicious. Just make sure you keep the Gas X handy, lol!

Kathy: I will have to look up that supplement. I am really suffering from not sleeping well. I’m up at least 3 times a night. I drink Sleepytime Tea and watch a taped Oprah or something and go back to bed, but I had to stay there til 8 am today to catch up. We’re both having bad dreams and sometimes yelling in our sleep. I’m trying so hard not to cry in front of Tom and the anxiety is high sometimes. I am also trying very hard to stay positive, but waves of fear come over me and my mind is not my own, it seems, at times. I have a good prescription from the doctor that also reduces stress in the brain. It’s a sleep aid and helps people that have panic attacks. It makes me groggy the next day even if I only take half. Dad swears by calcium with magnesium so I will renew my efforts to find it today.

Kate: I used to have hormone migraines. Have you had yours tested? They went away when I finished menopause.

Oh, and go to Mala restaurant on Maui. Make a reservation to sit on the patio at sunset when the turtles swim in. The food is amazing; the owner travels the world in search of new flavors, etc.

 

[kater]

Lisa - thanks for the Mala tip. I will let you know what we eat! I LOVE the turtles. I think it was in the Primal Blueprint book that I was reading recently - they talk about the importance of eating natural foods. The author said to strive for eating right 80% of the time. Which I liked because I am so black/white, oops I ate a little bit of something "bad" so I might as well a whole lot more.... Do you have an ipod? One thing that I like to do when I am going to sleep is listen to a guided meditation. Kelly Howell has some that I have down loaded from itunes (I like to read the reviews on Amazon before I buy it on itunes). There are several on healing. I usually fall asleep before the end and wake up with the ipod in the bed somewhere. It might also be something to think about for Tom to have in the hospital with him?

Diane - how did it go today? Did you feel all of our good thoughts coming your way?

Robin - I think that I mentioned this a long time ago but one my favorite ways to eat veggies is roasting them. I just throw them on a cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil, toss around a little, and toss the pan into the oven at 325. String beans, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, etc. I throw any leftovers on a salad for lunch the next day. Yummmm.

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Everyone!

Kate - Yes, I felt the good vibes being sent my way! The interview went really well. It was a preliminary interview and the second round will be in 2 weeks. I hope I get called for the second round. It went so well that I think I will.

It's been raining since yesterday afternoon. So dreary outside.

 

[gettinhealthy]

Diane, sending good vibes and prayers your way. I know it will be hard to wait 2 weeks! Keep us updated!

Kate, it is chelated magnesium and I got it at walmart. I'm pretty sure it's chelated. I forgot to look this morning I will double check when I get home this afternoon.

Starting tomorrow I will be starting step 1 yet again. I weighed myself at work yesterday and it said 199.5! I have never weighed thids much, even when I was pregnant. I had a small discussion with Mike about it last night. I know y weight is why my back, neck, legs and feet hurt.
Can someone tell me if this is legit on step 1? It is a flax, oat bran and whole wheat wrap. 1/2 a wrap is 4 net carbs. It is made by joseph's bakery and is called lavish. If it is ok, I'll pick some up on the way home. It was sooo soft! And they also make a 5 n/c pita with same ingredients. I am thinking a good one but need confirmation LOL

Got to get back to work. I'll check in later!

 

[Wisteria1956]

Kate: You have saved our minds today with the guided meditation idea. I had just told Tom last night we need to go get him some for healing. We both have ipods. I actually have a device that even has the glasses that make light pulses to open the mind, along with amazing meditations that make suggestions as to solving problems, sleep, etc. I loaned it to a friend and the SIM card disappeared! I think my sister might be able to copy hers for me. I'm sending her an email right now and going on Amazon for Tom. Perfect! I love you!

Diane: Yippee on doing so well at the interview! Did you feel us with you?? Let us know when round 2 comes.

Kathy: You can have anything that is 5 carbs or less within a 5 hour period so as long as you don't stack anything else with one half of that lavish it is legal. We found large low carb tortillas that are 6 for the whole thing so we just tear off a strip. You get more to eat. They are La Tortilla. I don't know if you get them there??

I had a scary day with a lot of messages from UCSF. They want Tom there on Monday for a chest CT and a pre op appt with anesthesia. On Thursday they want him there for a full bone scan, an appt. with the oncologist and an appt. with the surgeon. I got so scared about the scans. I have to work on seeing that as a good thing they are being proactive. Terrified at the idea this could be in his bones already. I will remind you right before but Monday and Thursday mornings at around 8 PT we need big prayers for clean scans.

We had a long walk with Bonnie last night instead of watching TV. Holding hands and getting exercise, plus having time to talk. Take my adivce and try to do those things before you have to, if you know what I mean. Why don't we live like we are dying all the time, as in the Tim McGraw song? Human nature is funny. We have to be frightened sometimes to be fully present. Silly, huh?

Have a great day!

Love,
Lisa

 

[Wisteria1956]

P.S. Kate: Mala only seats about 10 people on the patio so when you arrive on the island, pick a night and call them right away. Go just before sunset. The handmade guacamole comes in the coolest pestle. They have a lot of organic food, if I remember. It was our favorite meal.

Best sushi is Sensei up by the Kapalua golf course. They have nights with early bird specials where all rolls are like half off. Your hotel will know. Our favorite dish there had a pile of crispy bits that went very tall. I can't remember anything else about it, but some people in line told us to order it and they were right on! It was fabulous. People line up about a half hour before they open for dinner on those early bird nights.

 

[gettinhealthy]

Just got home and picked up a tad. Getting ready to head to the chiropractor, but wanted to stop in for a minute first

Lisa, the wraps are actually pretty big. They are bigger than the flat outs that I have bought. And those I could only eat 1/2. I am going to pick up a bag of them on my way home from my appt.
I will put those dates in my calendar and be sure to be thinking and praying that day through out the whole day. I do think of you both a lot through the day. I hope the good vibes I send your way make it there
I forgot to tell you that the picture of your family you have on the caring bridge site is so beautiful! You have a lot to be proud of with them and yourself.

Kate, I just checked my magnesium, and it says magnesium with chelated zinc. Don't know why I bought that one. I know it is to be magnesium, so I'll have to double check my notes.

Ok, have to take off again. Take care everyone!! I'll catch up later.

 

[gettinhealthy]

Kate, I checked my notes, and I was taking the zinc because if your adrenals aren't functioning correctly, zinc helps boost them. I have 3 pages of notes regarding different vitamins/minerals and what you may need to take extra of for stress, etc. I can PM it to anyone who may be interested in it. I have been talking to a homeopathic person online who has also been helping me.

Off to surf the web for a bit. then off to bed. I think I am going to take an epsom salt soak before bed to help relieve my back/neck aches. Had a good crunch at the chiropractor today thankfully. He said I am carrying a lot of stress in my neck/shoulder area. So, thinking I need a hot tub to help with that LOL.
Good night everyone!!

 

[Wisteria1956]

We mapped out our week and twice we have to leave home at 4 am for 13 hour days to get in the 5 medical appts in SF! Phew! We had a blast at a concert our friends treated us to last night. Stayed up way too late, but it was really fun. If I'm a bit MIA this week, it's because of those long days coming up. In between I have home inspections for a couple of new clients. Good distraction.

I had the hardest time last night at the concert looking at all the other couples and wondering how long they've been together, how they met, etc. I'm trying so hard not to let my mind go to the negative, but it's hard to be strong all the time...

 

[Diane W.]

Hi Everyone!

Lisa - I will definitely be praying for Tom on Mon. and Thurs. mornings. Such scary stuff. Sounds like you had a good time at the concert - who was performing?

 

[Wisteria1956]

Diane: It was Tommy Castro with special guest Rick Estrin (of Little Charlie and the Nightcats). They are blues bands. Tom used to play blues harmonica in a band. It was awesome! Thanks for the prayers this week. Still holding good thoughts for you and the job!

 

[gettinhealthy]

Sorry just now getting here to check in. Been trying to enjoy the beautiful days while I can. I know winter weather will be here soon enough.

Lisa, so glad you enjoyed your concert. I also like to listen to blues. It is just so relaxing to listen to in my opinion.
I will be keeping you and Tom in my prayers for sure Monday and for sure. Try to not dwell on the negative. I know it must be difficult sometimes, but I know what you mean about being positive all the time. It's hard to do that.

I started step 1 today. So far so good. Having the munchies all day, but eating some cashews and some cheese here and there. Not sure what supper will be. Had an omlet with cheese, peppers (yellow, red, orange) and onions. I need to pick up a few more veggies for in them LOL.

Not sure if I told you all that Bailey is pregnant. She is getting pretty big LOL. But I think she'll be a good mommy. Tyson wants to play and she just wants to relax and sleep. She gets snippy once in a while with him. She is about 4 weeks along so figuring she is about 1/2 way through it. We will be keeping 1 and we have about 9 of them already taken when they are born.

Well, going to head back outside for a bit. Such a nice day and I don't want to waste it. I need to bring some plants inside and plant some tulips for next spring.
Later everyone

 

[disneyeveryyear]

Hi Girls!

Lisa pointed me back in this direction after I "spoke" with her on FB about her current "fight."

Robin - I'm with you on WW. DH and I went back about 4 weeks ago. I have lost 9.2 lbs so far. I had gained back almost everything I lost on MM (not that I ever lost that much). Having done this more than once, let me know if you need any recipes. My current favorite is a 2 pt. cupcake. Take a chocolate cake mix and add 1 can of pumpkin and 1/2 cup of water. That's it. If you get 18 cupcakes, they are 2 pts. Then bake as if regular cupcakes. They are wonderful and you can't even taste the pumpkin (I don't like pumpkin). You can also make with a spice cake mix, but you get more of a pumpkin flavor (or so I have been told).

I was diagnosed as diabetic, and so we are trying to deal with it with diet and exercise. I don't want to have to start meds.

As of October 1st, I lost my job of 18 years. So this week I subbed at a local school district 2 days. Hopefully that will work out. I have been on 2 interviews, and was offered the first job, but things didn't work out with pay, etc. The manager got kind of squirrely, so I am not sure I want to work for him. I have another app out for a PT accounting job, and am waiting to hear if I get an interview for that.

Lisa - know that my prayers are with you and Tom and the Drs. You are an incredibly strong woman, and I know you will do what has to be done this week.

Kathy, Jocelyn, Kate, Pam, Diane (and anyone else I didn't see because I didn't read back far enough), hello and it's good to see you. I hope everyone is doing well, with your health and family.

I plan to check back in frequently, because I need to support of you amazing women!

 

[kater]

Diane: It was Tommy Castro with special guest Rick Estrin (of Little Charlie and the Nightcats). They are blues bands. Tom used to play blues harmonica in a band. It was awesome! Thanks for the prayers this week. Still holding good thoughts for you and the job!

I represented Tommy Castro for awhile..... He is a local boy. I have seen him play quite a few times although not for a couple of years.