Last Post

This is the last post on this blog.  I  managed to be sugar-free for months.  I managed to be disciplined about exercise.  But because of illness, I am not sure my weight loss is accurate.  I basically lost about 20 pounds and went down a size or two, but how much of this is from diet and exercise, I am not sure. I do think the exercise helps slim different parts of your body.  I still eat mostly sugar-free.  I do have some occasionally, but nothing rich and sweet.  I started wheat-free almost 2 weeks ago which wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.  I have not had much of a headache in five days but whether it is because of the wheat-free diet I do not know.  What I can say is that there is wheat AND sugar in many things; all, so it will taste good.  There is also salt in MANY things especially restaurant food.  And, although, I am eating healthy, none of it has helped the problem in my tummy.
 My next step here is to ask for an MRI because it can visualize tissue problems that a cat scan can't pick up.  I have left a message for my GI doctor's nurse to call me.  That's the way with U of M.  It's not too effective I have learned, but I will be persistent.  It seems like if I eat healthy, I should feel healthy right?  Uh hum!  I am thankful for minimal headaches again and good cholesterol and sugar numbers.  The rest....it seems up to God's timing and diagnoses; something simple and fixable would be nice.  I will stay on the wheat-free diet for 2 more weeks and always watch the sugar since 4 of my siblings and my dad have diabetes.  Sugar really isn't good for you.  I will still swim/walk 4-6 days a week; it is good for stress and energy.  It was fun doing the blog; I love the title, but writing two blogs is hard.  So thanks for reading and your comments.

It Would Be So Easy....

To not go swimming tomorrow.  I didn't go today, so tomorrow is the day.  But when I think of it tonight...sleeping in sounds so much better. 

It would be so easy to eat something with wheat in it.  Just a little bit...you know?  But then I would have to start over.  I want to try this for one month.

It would be so easy to skip my Bible Study tomorrow morning.  I have a lot I want to accomplish tomorrow.  But I love that time I spend...it is special...I need it. 

It would be so easy to eat something sweet and sugary but it wouldn't be good for me and would probably make me sick.

It would be so easy to spend a lot of time on the computer.  But then I would get a bad headache and that would be the end of my day. 

It would so easy to sit and read all day tomorrow, but then nothing would get done. 

The things that are easy aren't always good for you.  Sometimes we just do them because....it is so easy.

Early Morning

The early morning swim is getting harder and harder as it gets darker and colder.  It is becoming a matter of discipline now.  It was so much easier in the spring and summer. The water feels colder when I first get in, but once I get warmed up, it's better. The reward is the hot tub and sauna and feeling energized afterward.  Funny thing is...I am NOT a morning person and now I have become one.  Today, though, I did not feel like socializing with the gaggle of women who walk and talk.  I needed some caffeine.  
 I am beginning my eighth month of swimming.  Donaldo said "that's a huge accomplishment."  Yea it kind of is. 
As far as the diet....my daughter suggested a juicer.  We tried that once and you have to buy bags and bushels of fruits and veggies to have enough to make juice.  We sent it back. 
The doctor suggested I have a test for Gastropareisis.  It is a medical term for delayed stomach emptying.  You eat an egg sandwich with nuclear pellets and they follow them through for four hours to see how long it takes for your stomach to empty.  She said I could have the test or just try the diet for a month.  But the diet has stuff on it I never eat.  White bread, white rice, saltine crackers no fresh fruit or veggies just cooked and canned. And you can only eat small meals-like a palm-sized; you just eat more often.  I don't know if I will do the test or not.  I googled the condition and even if I have it-they try different things to help you manage it and they don't always work.  It is most common in people with diabetes which I don't have. The doctor gave me the choice of the diet, the test or just stay on my wheat-free diet. I see her again December 6.  She mentioned an MRI at some point.
So, I have decdied to just stop eating....peiod.  Nah, just kidding-still eating wheat-free while I ponder. 

Update

Due to a comment from my friend Dottie on the previous blog post, I decided to write an update. It's hard enough to write one blog let alone two:)
 I have maintained a 19-20 lb weight loss.  I am still not feeling 100% and am going to my final doctor appointment tomorrow with a new GI doctor; a woman.  I have also developed a painful condition called "burning mouth syndrome."  It affects my mouth, my tongue and sometimes the rest of my face.
I am actually tired of talking about all this because they can't find anything wrong which makes me feel like "it's all in my head."  My dermatologist suggested I stay off all wheat for a month. Her sister had some similar symptoms and she felt better after a month of not eating wheat.  So I have have been wheat-free for 6 days.  My chiropractor said to eat things that are NOT processed and that are as close to being natural as possible.  Sounds good to me, I've got nothing to lose well...um...except more weight. I am going to look on his web site for links and yummy recipes. 
Not feeling well is a great motivator to eat well but it's not a fun way to lose weight. Is there any FUN way though? 
Hoping the wheat-free might also help my headaches which have returned in number and intensity.  So, this is my journey; not sure why I'm on it.  I am trusting God and trying to take one day at a time. 
I still swim, mostly every day ;  it's harder to get up and go when it's cold and dark, but it is worth it to get up and go. 
Will post some good recipes that I come across. 

Not Sugar Free

But oh so good.  Found it at Costco.  Great in coffee too!

Grandma's Pumpkin Bread

There is nothing like a recipe in a person's own handwriting.  This is Donaldo's mom's recipe-oh so good....probably not so good for you.  She was a wonderful baker and she lived to be 89.  The recipe is especially sentimental when the person who wrote it is gone.  I once went to an estate sale on our street and grabbed up the woman's recipe box.  And what do you think I found?  Recipes from all the neighbors who are now gone.  It was a special find for me. 

                                                 

                                

Stealing Blogs............

 

Yes I have resorted to stealing a blog right off of someone else's blog-my sistopher kindly put this pumpkin pie recipe on her blog.  Thanks Kath.  Hope you can read it.  That's what I get for stealing.