Lettin' it slide
I've been very lax since the July/August time frame with "What" I ate and "How" much I ate.Well it's payback time!! I went to my PCP and had some blood drawn as part of my annual check-up. The results are in and... - My Cholesterol number is up. It's 3 points above the normal range. It's not very high but it is high.
- My LDL Cholesterol is up. It's 2 points above the moderately high risk factor range. I don't have any risk factors so I've got a ways to go before I'm in danger. I shouldn't be worried but this is me were talking about so I'm worried.
- The good news is my HDL is up a few points. My Triglycerides are under control and my PSA is good.
- I've gained 7 pounds since last year.
So I've got to get back to the careful watching of what I eat and how much. I posted a bit ago about me starting up again with the what I eat, how much I eat, and exercise. I think the exercise helped trim a few pounds off and get my HDL number up.
Now to work on those pesky 7 pounds and LDL number...
Bye, bye Jo Jo's Diner.
So long Pamela's Kitchen.
Labels: Bulge, frustrations, Health
Bulge Update
So we've been trying to be more careful of "what" we eat and "how much". I've been exercising a couple times a week and watching "how much" I eat.I'm seeing results: I've lost 1 or 2 pounds since my previous post. I also feel more energetic. (Which is kind of counter-intuitive since I'm working out more but I can't argue with the peppy feeling.)As far as exercise goes, sometimes I'll get on the recumbent bike and pedal slowly while I'm watching TV. I'm not pedalling as fast as when I'm working out but I'm moving along. I figure, it's better to be moving than sitting still. Any movement is better than inactivity. I'm burning calories.Labels: Bulge, food, Health
Bulge 1, Chowderhead 0
This weekend wasn’t so good for watching what I ate and how much. I’m a P.I.G. PIG I tell you. I know I'm being a bit hard on myself. But I'll let you decide once you hear what & how much I had this weekend. It's going to be tough getting back to "Smaller portions". This weekend was a bump in the road. Minor obstacle.
I had a few vacation days left over from last year so I took Friday off. I ran a few errands and then met S for lunch. I had a nice "light" lunch of Jaeger Schnitzel with Spaetzle and potato salad. Oh, and a pitcher of beer to wash it down with. Yeah. Nice & light! At least it was delicious. P.I.G. oink, oink I say!
More errands after lunch then off to meet up with Michelle and some of my other friends for happy hour. Yep, more food and drinks. So Friday was spent drinking and eating. Not necessarily in that order. Again, P.I.G. Then we went to the ElectroBelly 2 show. Belly dancing and electronic music. Different and entertaining. I had no idea “how” they were going to blend the 2 different styles but they pulled it off. I can’t wait for ElectroBelly 3!
Saturday morning I felt guilty for having my 100,000 calorie day so I got on the recumbent bicycle (a.k.a. Chowder Cycle) for a while. Then I took HRH to the dog park since it was a decent day. I got a walk in. He got to run, hump, mouth, wrestle with the other dogs. We were both happier for it!
I took HC out for her belated birthday dinner. No I didn’t forget. She didn’t feel like going out last weekend so we postponed it. We went to Ma Provence in Squirrel Hill. The appetizer and salad were great but the main courses were only OK. I made an effort to not gorge myself. (But failed since we HAD to get the appetizer since it was foie gras. Simply had to. P.I.G.) And Foie Gras. Come on. Does it get much worse for you than that? But I HAD to have it.
Yesterday: Brunch at the Point Brugge Café. Have I mentioned I love this place? I do. Omelette with fruit salad. I shared a waffle with HC. I wanted to try them out since the waitress said they were different than regular waffles. (Oh any excuse to eat more. P.I.G.) They used crystallized sugar so the waffles have crunchy parts to them. They were great! I’ll have to get them next time!
I had a great time with everyone and had some nice meals. This weekend was a minor set back as far as diet was concerned. But I’ll do better this week since we don’t have any plans in the evenings. I’ll get to Chowder Cycle. And I bought a truck load of fruits and veggies so I can make a large dose of them to go with our dinners.
It’s an ongoing struggle but it’s worth the effort. No need for Hypertension, High Cholesterol, Heart disease, or Diabetes just to name a few things I’m trying to avoid.Labels: Bulge, food, frustrations, Health
Battle of my bulge
I love food. I love to eat. I love to cook. Totally love it.
There's not much better than having a meal done well. It doesn't need to be Fillet Mignon. Or lobster. It can be a hamburger. It can be pizza. As long as it's done well.
A few years back my doctor said I needed to watch my weight and cholesterol. So it began. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, I’ve been trying to:
- Exercise more. (It's sometimes tough to make time for this.)
- Eat less (Very tough.)
- Watch what I eat (This keeps me from dropping it on myself.)
These 3 things have helped me lose 20 pounds and keep it off for over 3 years.
The past 5 or 6 months I’ve slipped from my regimen and probably gained about 10 pounds back.
Why did I stop?
- I got tired of always being careful
- I had been stressed about LIFE & work.
When I’m stressed, I use food as a coping mechanism. (I know this and try to stop myself from doing it but… I also shop but that affects the wallet more than the body.)
I’m trying to get back to watching what I eat, how much I eat, and exercising. Boy I had forgotten how tough it is to break bad habits. It’s hard to stop at 1 serving of food. I’m on the see food diet after all right?!
But I have to do it. My metabolism did this mean thing in my mid-thirties of slowing down. Before then I could eat as much of anything as I liked but not anymore.
Besides, I felt better. My clothes fit better. I have more energy. It's not that I'm grossly overweight or anything like that. My BMI is 25.1 so I'm barely in the "overweight" range. But the doctor said I had to.
Labels: Bulge, food, frustrations
