Circle of Friends

[carollynne]

Lori, good for you ! I hate spiders too! Sounds like that was a really giant one too.
So glad that you are doing so good too. The exercise is the key for me. I did my wii exercises for 33 minutes this am. I love that crazy little machine, talking to me, ahe the music is so up beat too. Hey, I think it is great you are off the diet soda too. Remember what the good Dr lisle said in that Pleasure Trap lecture: and after so many days or weeks, it no longer has a hold over us, and we can escape the pleasure trap completely.
I like my raspberry zinger tea iced and unsweetened too.
I was just reading up on my HBP med and one of its side effects is wt gain... now that is a real bad side effect!! I wish I could start to get off it anyway... My cardiologist Doc said if I lost enough wt, I would be off the meds.. wish it could happen fast!

[LoriJenny]

Carollynne, the wii sounds like so much fun I was on high bp meds for a long time and I also noticed that a side effect was weight gain...seemed sort of preposterous since weight gain contributes to high blood pressure. Have you noticed a difference yet in your BP? Surely with the good food, weight loss, and exercise you soon will!! You are doing so great, and also thanks for the thoughts about being out of the pleasure trap soon...I look forward to that time!!!

[carollynne]

Lori----Yes I have noticed that my bp is somewhat lower, or a lot, and that is before my pill... so I do have some hope of getting off them. but when?? I think that in the end I will have to walk about my them against medical advice.... or I shall never be off of them.
So you are off of the HBP pills. if so, congrats to you. that is a great big accomplishment if you ask me!!
I too, thought the pills will just sort of slow you down, and so you end up exercising less and get more lethargic, etc, but my energy level has shot way up, eating no animal products and such low fat too.
I think I over ate today, but it was all on plan anyway... perhaps too late at night...
Night!!

[sksamboots]

You girls are a great support to each other. Looks like lots of improvements going on. Keep on at it then

[carollynne]

Hi to all! did I mention that I now have the Artful Vegan cook book? It arrived just yesterday, and to only my first name, no last name.1 I think that is due to my long name 10 letters, and software boots the rest out.


Anyway, it is a really cool cookbook, but a tad fancy pants too, if you know what I mean. but DS seemed really happy browsing thru it, as he likes the more complicated recipes... He has worked a lot of over time, and with 2 classes online too, he wonder how he will get it all in, but still he says to cook, is relaxing to him too... and I thought wow, there are so many other poorer choices out there to relax too. Good for him!
sun is out, and I have been up since 4 am again, phooey, manchooey, I hate when that happens. So I am cooking up the rest of my collard greens from the garden, and some kale leaves from the store and a few other good times to make a tasty soup. Need to get on the wii still this am.
You all have a great day out there !

[Christine in Cali]

Hey all you fine Babes! I have been out and about doing my busy thing, getting walks in and for the most part eatin' on plan. I have been just throwing food stuffs together and keeping it simple, as per EteSelle's advice that I read. It is true that when you take the salt out you really get to taste the true flavor of the food....I have been opening a can of no salt added stewed tomatoes, a can of low or no sodium beans and frozen corn. I don't even have to cook it just stir and pour a few spoonfuls over precooked brown rice and go. It's so easy to take for the day and then I add some hot sauce or salsa which has a bit of salt but it doesn't over power the taste, Nuke it where ever I am....I am so satisfied!!

It's rainin' here today but I still got a walk in this AM early with my Sis. It started to rain while we where out but we didn't mind. I had found at a thrift store a folded up light weight clear poncho which I dug out and it fit over my pack with a hood...kept me dry.

Lori...The Vision Quests are a week long event where we leave our county at around 9 PM and drive all night till we get to Mono Lake, we have breakfast at a small diner, stock up on items that are needed then head out to base camp about an hour away. We then set up camp, take a nap and have council in the evening. The next day every quester goes out and finds the spot where they wish to quest and leave their supply of water....some go miles away. We come back and ready ourselves for the next day when we leave at dawn with just our packs going in differant directions. We stay out 3 days, 3 nights and the last night we are supposed to stay up all night praying waiting for a vision. I have a hard time with the last night because I am scared outside of the tent in the dark with all the four legged critters about, so my visions and insight comes to me in my dreams. The last morning we come back to base camp eat a light meal of fruit and then head to these hot springs to wash the weeks crime off. We hold council again and tell our stories and the elders or guides reflect on the what they feel is the meaning...cool really. I have decided not to go this year after all but maybe next.

[Christine in Cali]

Carroll and sksamboots...nice to see you here and welcome. Keep coming back, we love it when new friends pop on in and stay awhile. Keep us informed and bounce off ideas.

I am always learning new things and then it eventually becomes ingrained....

I went to my storage unit yesterday and pulled out a huge suitcase full of clothes that had no longer fit me.....most fit now!! I have some cool stuff. My room is so full of clothes that I need to take the tubby clothes to goodwill and just get it out, never to be worn again. Oh and I got a new haircut yesterday...took off about 4 inches I have a cute bob now but not too short....I feel like a new woman, new body, new hair, new me. Can ya dig it?

[Rosey]

I'd love to join you guys. I have loved reading your messages.

[Christine in Cali]

Rosey...You are more then Welcome here. I always jump on over to your journal to see how things are coming alone, so it would be great to have you here too. You have a good out look, and it's fun to see how you are progressing.

[LoriJenny]

Hello everyone!! Welcome Rosey, Debbie and Sksamboots! Hello energy! The sluggishness of yesterday did not last I am happy to say. I awoke today refreshed and full of energy and I have been ever since. I took Bear to the dog park first thing and he played and we walked and worked on "sit, stay, and come". He is doing pretty good! Back at home I worked in the yard for a while, filling some holes that Bear dug! Then I did my daily housecleaning chores and relaxed and watched some tv...then off to the gym for 2.5 miles on the treadmill...I walk about 3 minutes and then run for 1 minute. At the end I turn around backwards and put the treadmill on an incline and back uphill for a minute....this really seems to do my knees some good! I am still experiencing some foot pain, I had hoped that giving up the diet soda might be the total answer to it, but apparently not...they still are hurting, although not as much.

Carollynne...how great that your son likes to cook and is a vegan as well...that must be so nice!! And if cooking helps him relax...super!!! My son says working on his car helps him relax! I'm so impressed with your gardening too...someday you will have to post some pics of your garden Yes, I'm off of the bp meds. As soon as I started McDougalling my bp dropped dramatically...so much so that I could not take the bp meds because it was dropping too low and I was getting dizzy. So, I'm off of them and my bp seems pretty stable right around where it should be. I had one really upsetting day at work last week and when I got home my bp, the top number was about 160...whoa!! But it quickly came down and has not done that again.

Christine...That Vision Quest sounds like quite an undertaking!!! I think I would be scared at night also, but I imagine it is a very powerful experience! I'm a little familiar with the tradition of it as I have taken several courses in Native American History. And congrats on your new hairdo!!! So great to hear of you enjoying clothes that you can wear again!!! This diet brings us nothing but positives into our lives, that is what I love so much about it...we are not complaining of not feeling well like we probably were on every other "diet" plan we tried...instead we feel great and are making great progress!!

Debbie...Yep that spider was really ugly!! I hope I don't see anymore of them...there was an outbreak of little tiny baby black widows and my DIL's work today...yikes!!! What is this, spider week?

Alrighty...well, the evening is still young and I need to decide what to do with it. Hope you all are having a peaceful summer evening

[Rosey]

Hello everyone!! Welcome Rosey, Debbie and Sksamboots! Hello energy! The sluggishness of yesterday did not last I am happy to say. I awoke today refreshed and full of energy and I have been ever since.

Thanks for the Welcome. I know what you mean about energy I've had so much more and I'm feeling like getting up and doing all kinds of things around the house even with my allergies acting up. My hubby is loving the fact that I'm feeling better.

[sksamboots]

It's so nice to find old clothes that fit like new clothes

Lori sounds like a good day for you

Keep on keepin on all!!

[Loveskale]

Congratulations on getting off the BP meds! My dad went vegan many years ago and went off them. He surprises nurses every time he tells them that he no longer takes them, they don't know that it's possible to. What a great feeling that must be!

[carollynne]

Dear all!! I am loving this thread too. Love it and the plan!! I have been up since 6 am today, and did the wii for my 30 min again, watered the whole garden, dragging the hose all over and then reeling it up again. Next I am going to walk the dog at the park again, ad yesterday while I was there, she kept going to my usual spots to rest up and I stood there waiting for her!! what a shock that is to me...
I just need to keep myself up and moving.. sitting here at computer is not good for me... I had super amounts of energy it seems.
All is well, and I have one little brother who is very interested in what I am doing, so I just sent him a long email, with some good things to watch like the Pleasure Trap lecture and the Starch Solution, and some books, to read, he is also concerned with his medical issues, and wants to know more about what I am doing to get so healthy.
I really hope to get off my HBp pills and it is a slow go of it, but wil not give this up either... I do not want my chest cracked open. I have seen too many of those scars in the pool for my water class, with some of the ladies there. bless their hearts and them too.
Gotta go and just wanted to stop in and say I loved the VisionQuest that I worked at for 7 yrs, and hope to see another real circle and sweat lodge too.

time will tell, but I am so serious that it scares even my husband that I am not giving this up. Once I got thru the initial period of withdrawal off the junk and diary/meat I am fine. Next it is the flour stuff, every now and then I want some bread too. No more bread no matter how many whole grains is in it..

[carollynne]

Lori, forgot to add, I am impressed by your exercising too. My garden pix on on my computer, but need to get them on here too. a challenge.
I want to be like you too, and let my BP drop dramatically, would I ever love that. But I will say that no and I mean no processed food, and simple far it is, now, my feet are so good looking now, and that is great, I know that soon, the bp will follow, if I stay the course!