And yes, I recognized one or two of these things in myself (I promise that I will try very hard not to eat your food again Casey). Here are the bad habits along with the good habits that we need to--and CAN--develop to overcome them. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44063730/ns/today-today_health/
***Also, I've been asked several times for an update on my mother-in-law's progress on the 8-ounces-of-food-every-3-hours diet and as of 2 days ago she says that she is still doing it and still happy with her downward progress!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
WoOt!
I know it's been too long since I've posted, but I've been reading everyone's posts. I found the last one particularly interesting.
I've been eating a salad a day for the last couple of weeks, as well as making sure at least 60% of my plate is vegetables rather than meat, and it's working!
I weighed in this morning at 205.2--I've lost 7 lbs!!!!
Oh, and I read a column in yesterday's paper, and Dr Oz says when you measure your waist, you're supposed to suck your gut in, like you're trying to impress someone. That was news to me. And a woman's waist is supposed to be 32.5 inches or less.
Just FYI.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Four Rules for Weight Loss
My mother-in-law was telling Casey about this yesterday and said that she had decided to try it , so she bought a food scale and began last Friday. She's been sticking to it for 5 days and she's lost 20 lbs. I'm just sayin'.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Almost...
Another .5 lb. and I will have lost a total of 10 lbs. Unfortunately, it's Saturday morning and the weekends aren't usually that great for me, so we'll see where I am on Monday morning. Wish me luck!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Sweets...
The past two weeks have been so bad for me. I made brownies on Tuesday two weeks ago for the kids I was watching and it's been all downhill from there. The Fourth of July was absolutely no help in starting out week number two with its grilled burgers and homemade gelato.
And leftover gelato.
Mike and I are usually really good about our rule to only have/make sweets over the weekend--foregoing any extenuating circumstances like a holiday. But on holidays, we have the sweets, then they're gone and we don't deal with it all week. But this has just been ridiculous.
And so for the next week, starting tomorrow, I am OFF the sugar. And I'm resolved to work out (really work out, not going for a leisurely stroll) every day. I mean, really, there's no excuse except that I tell myself I have far better things to do. And certainly some things are better, but not enough things to fill up 24 hours. It's all about priorities, and this is now a priority.
And leftover gelato.
Mike and I are usually really good about our rule to only have/make sweets over the weekend--foregoing any extenuating circumstances like a holiday. But on holidays, we have the sweets, then they're gone and we don't deal with it all week. But this has just been ridiculous.
And so for the next week, starting tomorrow, I am OFF the sugar. And I'm resolved to work out (really work out, not going for a leisurely stroll) every day. I mean, really, there's no excuse except that I tell myself I have far better things to do. And certainly some things are better, but not enough things to fill up 24 hours. It's all about priorities, and this is now a priority.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Report!
Okay--here's a quickie. Lost .5 lbs. this week--everything downward is good! AND on Sunday, after a very long dry spell, somebody actually said I looked very nice in the skirt I had on. Okay--it was Eden, but still....
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Thyroid?
The thyroid has a big job: The hormones it secretes help regulate heart rate, maintain healthy skin, and play a crucial part in metabolism. When the gland is sluggish (hypothyroidism), it can rob you of energy, dry out your skin, make your joints ache, cause weight gain, and kick-start depression. When it becomes overworked—hyperthyroidism—and produces too much hormone, it can cause racing heart, sleep disturbances, and weight loss. That's a lot of grief for a gland the size and shape of a buckeye butterfly.
Given what can go wrong, you may be surprised to hear that about half of the estimated 27 million Americans with thyroid disease remain undiagnosed, according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.
Most people with thyroid disease, about 80 percent, have the hypo version. Should symptoms drive you to make a doctor's appointment, one of the first things your physician will ask is if you have a relative with the disease, since thyroid disease tends to run in families. Your risk also increases as you get older; in addition, being female (the disorder is as much as eight times more common in women), or having another autoimmune disorder such as type 1 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis can worsen your odds.
Here is how you can test yourself for hypothyroidism--this was sent to me by Janel--
If you suspect hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid function) – you may consider the following methods and tests to help identify this problem:
Symptom Questionnaire
Complete a questionnaire on hypothyroid symptoms such as the one found in books by Mary Shomon’s Living Well with Hypothyroidism or Richard and Karilee Shames’ Thyroid Power. You may want to bring a completed questionnaire to your physician for his or her review.
Basal Temperature
Record your underarm basal body temperature with a glass thermometer (not digital). The procedure for doing so is the following:
1. Get a glass thermometer, not digital (the digital ones stop reading after a minute or two and are not as accurate). Non-mercury glass thermometers are now commercially available at Walgreen’s and other pharmacies (if you have trouble locating a mercury thermometer).
2. Shake down the thermometer the night before you do the test (using your muscles to shake the thermometer will raise your temperature and throw off the test).
Place the thermometer at your bedside with a book (the book will be obvious in a moment).
3. Go to sleep without an extraneous heat source such as a bed partner (spouse, dog, etc), an electric blanket or on a waterbed (they are heated). You are allowed to wear pajamas and use as many blankets as you desire, as they do not throw off the test.
When you wake up in the morning (or if you sleep during the day, when you wake up after at least 4 hours of sleep), use as little movement as possible (all movement moves your muscles and raises your temperature) and place the thermometer in your armpit. Why the armpit? Patients with low thyroid often have allergies or get sinus infections – which raise the temperature inside the mouth. Patients rarely get armpit infections, so this site is more reliable. I have had only one patient who had a difference in temperature between armpits, but that was due to unusual anatomy (she had something called an atrial-venous malformation (AVM) in one armpit). Leave it there for at least ten minutes (hence, you have a book to read. J)
4. Women who still have periods should take their temperature over the first 3 days of their period and average the numbers. Women who have had a hysterectomy but still have at least one ovary will probably want to test over a period of 14 days and use the 3 days with the “lowest" readings. Men and postmenopausal women can test for any 3 days and average.
5. Normal axillary body temperature is between 97.4 and 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures below that are suggestive of low thyroid.
Given what can go wrong, you may be surprised to hear that about half of the estimated 27 million Americans with thyroid disease remain undiagnosed, according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.
Most people with thyroid disease, about 80 percent, have the hypo version. Should symptoms drive you to make a doctor's appointment, one of the first things your physician will ask is if you have a relative with the disease, since thyroid disease tends to run in families. Your risk also increases as you get older; in addition, being female (the disorder is as much as eight times more common in women), or having another autoimmune disorder such as type 1 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis can worsen your odds.
Here is how you can test yourself for hypothyroidism--this was sent to me by Janel--
If you suspect hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid function) – you may consider the following methods and tests to help identify this problem:
Symptom Questionnaire
Complete a questionnaire on hypothyroid symptoms such as the one found in books by Mary Shomon’s Living Well with Hypothyroidism or Richard and Karilee Shames’ Thyroid Power. You may want to bring a completed questionnaire to your physician for his or her review.
Basal Temperature
Record your underarm basal body temperature with a glass thermometer (not digital). The procedure for doing so is the following:
1. Get a glass thermometer, not digital (the digital ones stop reading after a minute or two and are not as accurate). Non-mercury glass thermometers are now commercially available at Walgreen’s and other pharmacies (if you have trouble locating a mercury thermometer).
2. Shake down the thermometer the night before you do the test (using your muscles to shake the thermometer will raise your temperature and throw off the test).
Place the thermometer at your bedside with a book (the book will be obvious in a moment).
3. Go to sleep without an extraneous heat source such as a bed partner (spouse, dog, etc), an electric blanket or on a waterbed (they are heated). You are allowed to wear pajamas and use as many blankets as you desire, as they do not throw off the test.
When you wake up in the morning (or if you sleep during the day, when you wake up after at least 4 hours of sleep), use as little movement as possible (all movement moves your muscles and raises your temperature) and place the thermometer in your armpit. Why the armpit? Patients with low thyroid often have allergies or get sinus infections – which raise the temperature inside the mouth. Patients rarely get armpit infections, so this site is more reliable. I have had only one patient who had a difference in temperature between armpits, but that was due to unusual anatomy (she had something called an atrial-venous malformation (AVM) in one armpit). Leave it there for at least ten minutes (hence, you have a book to read. J)
4. Women who still have periods should take their temperature over the first 3 days of their period and average the numbers. Women who have had a hysterectomy but still have at least one ovary will probably want to test over a period of 14 days and use the 3 days with the “lowest" readings. Men and postmenopausal women can test for any 3 days and average.
5. Normal axillary body temperature is between 97.4 and 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures below that are suggestive of low thyroid.
Resource: about.com and oprah.com
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