turtlegale's ramblings

[turtlegale]

I just stepped on the scales ( they screamed ) its not as high as I though , but still high . 295 I was guessing 315 or so . I really have a weird relationship with the scales . I can lose 5lbs and be thrilled ...for a bit .. then I start thinking why not 6 or 7lbs why just 5 .. then I start weighing everyday , and sometimes several times a day . So the scales are not my buddy .

I want to lose weight , but I think my main motivation for this is fear . I watched my dad lose a toe to type 2 diabetes , then the foot , then the leg mid calf , then the leg above the knee . Two days after coming home from the last amputation he had a massive heart attack and died . Its been over 10 years since he passed away and I am still whistling in the dark with my health .

I'm more concerned about giving up diet coke than missing meat , eggs , dairy . Both my parents are/were diabetic type 2 ( mom is still with me ) . I grew up drinking tab , fresca , all the diet sodas . Now they say aspartame is really bad for ( causes brain lesions ) , but snopes says it a myth . I'm not sure ...I know its not improving my health at all. Not good fuel for this car . I'm trying to think of it like that . If its not healthy and helpfull why put it in the engine .

I love cooking and trying new recipes . Yesterday I tinkered with a recipe I found on the net and made it vegan . It was cheesy grits with spicy black beans . But I just cooked the grits with water added Mrs Dash ( love Mrs Dash ) Fiesta lime blend , topped the grits with black beans , salsa , and corn niblets , added a touch of chili powder to the bean mixture . It was good by itself and surprisingly tasty on a baked potato . I'm glad I made a large batch of it .

I'm thinking later I might try some oatmeal cooked in water and pineapple juice instead of just water . Then after its cooked I can add the pineapple too and maybe the oatmeal will taste sweet enough .

What do you use as sweetener ? I don't want to use aspartame or splenda . Is stevia okay to use , or is just better to go sweetener free ?

[afreespirit]

Hello, and welcome, turtlegale! I am not sure about Stevia--you could do a search for it, maybe in Jeff Novick's forum here on the board. Dr McDougall suggests that a small amount of brown or white sugar can be ok--maybe a teaspoon or so sprinkled on your oats. In time you may find you no longer need sweeteners.

It sounds like you are already off to a great start and getting "with the program" Hope to hear more from you--

[turtlegale]

Hi afreespirit thank you for the kind words .

I tried some steel cut oats yesterday with pumpkin , allspice , ginger , and cinnamon . I added a spoon full of sugar , but I think soon I won't feel I need to . I had no soda just water and a cup of green tea .

I mentioned this way of eating to a friend . she eats meat , but she eats a lot of meat free meals too . So I thought she'd be interested , but she kinda lumped it in with atkins and seems to think moderation with SAD is the only way to permanently lose weight . Next time I'll just not tell anyone unless they ask .

In the morning I'm going to local herb shop I've never been . They sell ezekiel bread and its so good . I'm thinking of making a spread with pureed pumpkin and spices to have on the bread with my daily cup of green tea . They also sell stevia I'm going to try some of that too.

I had big bowl of air popped pop corn today for breakfast . I have a odd schedule its almost 8pm here , but its morning time to me . My husband has worked third shift forever so I tend to drift to this schedule . I'll have a baked potato with spicy grits and beans later , some oats before I go to bed and maybe some more popcorn as a snack .

I've noticed that when I get hungry its sudden and not just a little hungry . So I'm trying to cook extra when I cook so that there is always something ready to eat and I'm not hungry with no food prepared .

I'm lucky my husband and my mom will eat whatever I cook , so I'm not cooking 3 separate menus . Mom will want some meat ever now and then , but I can just throw some on the george forman grill no big deal . I talked to Ray ( my husband ) about not bringing sweets in the house . He can eat candy at work on his breaks if he wants . We used to buy a bag of chocolate every time we bought groceries . A bag each , 3 bags at least once a week . So far the meat , eggs , and dairy in the fridge do not tempt me , but chocolate . I do have some hazelnut chocolate decaf tea made by stash that I can try if the craving get too much .

[turtlegale]

I have to concentrate on that slow and steady thing too , I want all the extra pounds off now lol.

I ordered the quick and easy cook book , the mwl book , and the McDougall plan for women today . I did not make it to the grocery store though so it is going to be left overs today . I'm thinking spicy grits with beans and corn for breakfast , 15 bean soup with a side of green beans for lunch , steel cut oats with fruit for supper and air popped popcorn for snacks . I like the oatmeal before bed . Yesterday I did not even heat it up I had the pumpkin steel cut oats cold it was like pudding .

I think I should be doing more green veggies . I'll get some salad stuff and stir fry veggies at the store .

I wanted something salty last night so I opened a can of sauerkraut and was really excited cause the sodium was low . Then I looked closer at the label the serving size was 2 tablespoons lol.

[ron_dem]

Hi turtlegate, I can highly recommend oatmeal and pineapple, my start of the day for the last seven years, a can (no sugar added, just pineapple and juice) last me about three days, quite satisfying. MDW goes the savoury route, in that she uses nutritional yeast, thyme, sage and salt, each to their own!

[turtlegale]

Vibrant try just one grit lol. I never cared for them all sugared and buttered .

I'm craving diet coke . I'm not giving in though . I know if I have one it will take longer to detox from all those chemicals . And it will be easier to have another diet coke .

Yesterday I cooked some re-notfried beans in the crock pot , some brown rice with mrs dash chipolte seasoning . I made bean burritos on corn tortillas with salsa , onions , and cilantro . I had those with big salads with raspberry vinaigrette .

I could not find a salad dressing with no oil , and no sugar . I think I'm going to look at some recipes and make my own dressing . Any suggestions ?

Ron-dem I tried the oats with pineapple delicious . I still can't get over how long the steel cut oats keep me full .

[afreespirit]

3,2,1 dressing is popular. 3 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of mustard, 1 tablespoon of vinegar. If that is too sweet you can reverse the honey and vinegar. Oh wait you said no sugar?...

[ron_dem]

Glad you enjoyed the oatmeal and pineapple. I have it everyday for breakie and never get tired of it.

[turtlegale]

I'm trying to avoid sugar as much as I can . I have a major sweet tooth and I'm afraid sugar will trigger cravings . I could maybe try that recipe with stevia though .

Yesterday I made some steak cut fries from scratch baked them in the oven 400 degrees for 30 minutes . They were so good and filling . I loved how creamy they were on the inside . I need to get a new ketchup though mine has high fructose corn syrup .

I'm still enjoying the bean and rice burritos . It does not bother me to have left overs .

I love that I get to sleep easier now . I know it is from being caffeine free . But it is so odd to go from having to take melatonin to sleep well to just feeling sleepy all of a sudden . I have good energy through out my day I just think I forgot what a natural sleepy feeling felt like .

I put off my gardening project yesterday because I forgot it was a holiday and I wanted to do all my errands on one day . I'm going to do it today . I wrote about it here http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=20520 .

I exercised yesterday . I did a 1 mile walk to a Leslie Sansome dvd . I will exercise again today .

I have a long car trip coming up and I'm not sure when . My mother-in-law's bio mother is very ill and not expected to pull through . My husband and I do not know this woman , but we will go there to be support for my mother-in-law . It is a 12 hour car ride .I know I want to take food instead of depending on gas stations and all night restaurants . We usually travel at night because there is less traffic . I'm thinking cans of corn , green beans some fresh carrots and fruit . Once we get there I can raid the family's fridge most are vegetarian so I'll hopefully find something , and they won't mind telling what restaurants serve healthy food . I'm still kinda nervous about eating in a restaurant . It is mainly the desserts and the soda that make me leery .

[turtlegale]

Odd day yesterday I had dizziness standing twice so I opted not to exercise . Checked my blood pressure it was 113 over 77 today it is 116 over 75 . My fasting blood sugar today was 121 , 2 hours after light soy milk and grape nuts it was 140 . I was not really hungry all day . I thought maybe I was tired of beans so I cooked some potatoes but I did not feel hungry for them either . I also tried some stir fry veggies ( microwaved ) with brown rice and a touch of light soy sauce . We went shopping and I bought some grape nuts and light soy milk . It was okay but I'm still not feeling any desire to eat . I'm having cravings chocolate and diet coke but no real hunger .

[turtlegale]

We left for Michigan Thursday night and got back to Tennessee Sunday night . It was so cold when we got there 7 degrees . I had some caffeine and some junk food . I'm still waiting for the books I ordered .

[turtlegale]

I finally got the books . I am loving the quick and easy cook book . I've made California pasta salad , quick minestrone soup , and tofu island salad dressing . Everything tastes great .

[lydia]

As for dressing, sometimes I like to use pineapple crushed or tidbits on my salads. just an idea....

[turtlegale]

Pineapple sounds like it would be good .

I got on the scales today . I was afraid to , because I got off track some on that road trip to Michigan . But I've lost another 5lbs . And I'm not hungry . I'm still reading the books . Mainly I'm eating soups from the the quick and easy cook book and homemade veggie subs . I'm exercising some ( I bought a shake weight ) mainly Leslie Sansone walk dvds .

I'm still amazed how good I feel . Any other time this long into a new way of eating I'd be tired cranky and having daydreams about visiting a chocolate factory and eating all I wanted . But I have energy , I can walk past the candy aisle in the grocery store , I'm not grouchy .

[nomikins]

You're off to a good start!