Still going....

From my previous entry it took me until December 17 to hit 190. Since then I've been meddling around the 180s. I've decided to try to lose five more pounds by the end of May and that will put me solidly in the 170s. I did go down in clothing sizes and fit most of the old sz 18s. I also did some shopping so I can stay fully dressed.

That ten pounds was pretty hard to do, and I am just glad that I didn't gain any back. In January I went on a small cruise vacation with SO MUCH FOOD. I hadn't been worried about it because I had gone on a cruise last year and I was so active that I didn't gain. On the second night of the cruise I hurt my foot, actually breaking one toe. :( I spent the rest of the cruise either in a wheelchair or walking clumsily with a cane. I've spent some time in the state of Depression, which generally means less activity, more time wallowing in sorrow, I mean bed.

I'm starting to perk up now that some warm weather is here. I've gone walking the last three nights and I definitely feel better, though still dealing with financial issues, which are an invitation to depression and its friend despair. I may have to take a second job, which I absolutely dread. ABSOLUTELY. Or a new job altogether. I'm working on figuring this out.

My foot a couple of weeks after the cruise. 

Keto On...

August 28 is a significant day in my history. I went to the "doctor," who is a Nurse Practitioner, and got the results of my insurance exam labs. My A1C had gone up significantly, even though I had accomplished the 30 days of no soda and was starting on no ice cream. I had been contemplating a change to my way of eating, evident by the soda snub, and while she was talking to me, trying to convince me to add another medication, I told her, "I am going to start eating very low carbs." She kind of argued and I said, give me 30 days (I am into these 30 day periods, LOL!) and let's see what happens. SO with me promising to make an appointment in a month with the pharmacist, a diabetes educator, I left.

Normally after I leave an early morning doctor appointment I go through a drive-through on my way back to work and get an egg McMuffin and a Coke, or a Chick-Fil-A biscuit and lemonade. Instead I went to Bloomingfoods and got boiled eggs, sausage and veggies from the breakfast bar. There was no waiting-to-start-tomorrow going on.I had stuck to it pretty well and was approaching that 30 day appointment, when I got a sudden toothache - a sudden SEVERE toothache. During the week prior to my originally scheduled appointment and the week of I got an emergency root canal and a crown! I had cancelled my appointment because of the dental work and THEN my fabulous trip to California (where I did NOT eat very low carbs, but mostly tried to be sensible), but now it is rescheduled.

Since that initial appointment and eating very low (low for me, not as low as some ketogenic eaters go) I've lost about fifteen pounds (calling 212 my starting weight) and my glucose readings are getting lower all the time! I can't wait to go back and get checked. My appointment is scheduled for November 9. I hope that I even lose a few more pounds before then. I am a slow loser compared to what some people report on social media - I am in two keto groups - but I am fine with that. I will repeat my refrain, "I don't need to lose weight quickly, I need to lose weight FOREVER." So today is day 57. I have made (not counting birthday week) almost two sets of thirty days on low carb, three complete sets of no soda, and I am keeping on with both plans, with resolve! When I get to 190 I will get some new photos. I might also dig into my size 18 clothes and see what I can wear!

My first Keto Brekky!

Boiled Eggs, Sausage, grape tomatoes, and Cooked Cabbage. 

Hope's Homemades Hamburger Cabbage Soup

1 lb hamburger 85% lean 15% fat
I medium onion Chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic
2 15 oz cans petite diced tomatoes
1/4 head chopped cabbage, about 2 cups
kosher salt to taste (I used about 2 tsp)
pepper to taste

Finely grated sharp cheddar cheese for serving

Saute onions in olive oil over low heat until almost translucent, add hamburger and stir it around, add garlic and salt and pepper.... keep cooking and stirring until browned and cooked through, add tomatoes and cabbage on top, cover and cook on low/medium until cabbage starts to get tender, about ten minutes, stir it together and cook until desired amount of liquid remains and cabbage is well cooked. If you like soupy soup, you may need to add water or broth. When cooked down pretty well it made about 8 one-cup servings.

I figured the nutrition information using My Fitness Pal, per one cup serving:

Calories:   200
Carbs:         8g
Fiber :         2g
Sugars:     3.5g
Fat:            13g
Protein:     16 g
Sodium 280 mg

Well.....

I didn't quit blogging here because I got skinny, or healthy, or much better... BUT I did find out what was causing all that nausea and vomiting. I finally got my gall bladder removed in 2015!! I suffered for THREE years with that!

Finally one night after my normal 2:30 am pain it just didn't stop. I lay there three hours just counting until 5:30 because I felt like that was when I could decently call Gillian. I called her at 5:30 and she said something like, "It's okay. I've been lying here awake since 2:30." So she took me to the emergency room at the hospital and they gave me IV with some liquids and pain meds.... I can't remember the whole sequence of how it went now, but I was quickly referred for an endoscopy, then an ultrasound, and eventually to a surgeon and got that puppy out! Oh! and it was one gallstone as big as a chicken egg! Maybe I can find the photo somewhere and add it to this post. delicious!

I had a rough time in the hospital and ended up staying a couple of days instead of getting out later that same day. Once I got out I healed pretty quickly, went back to work the day after I got out of the hospital and got better. I think part of the rough time in the hospital was just feeling very lonely and sad. I did have friends who helped me, drove me to the hospital, took me home, called me, etc. and I still felt really alone. Big events like that are times I notice not having a partner. I have friends who help me and I love and appreciated them, but it's not the same as I imagine having a supportive partner will be, whom you assume will be the one to do those things for and with you. I will probably never know.

WELL..... eventually after I got better I got fatter again! Imagine that! So here I am floating around 210 and uncomfortable. I feel like I am WAY too fat if my belly sticks out farther than my boobs, and it does. I feel like I am WAY WAY too fat, if my arms kind of rest on my belly roll and they do!

So I am trying to start getting back on track. I am on DAY 34 OF NO SODA. I am on a debate of trying 30 days with NO CANDY or NO ICE CREAM. I am stating that it's only 30 days, right? I can avoid a food for 30 days! I went years with no soda before. I went a year and a half with no gluten. I went like FIVE YEARS with a sweet only once a week, and the same with fries. I know that I am internally a disciplined person - I just have to exercise it! ... Okay, I haven't had any ice cream today. That's DAY ONE. My exercise in discipline and good food choices is that I will go at least 30 days with NO ICE CREAM. Maybe I will go a little over and say that I will have no ice cream until my birthday trip to California in October (pulls out the planner) that's 41 DAYS. I can do that!

Okay, I on writing time at Rachael's and even though my 30 minutes isn't up I am done writing here. I will go check my other blog and see if I posted the gallstone pic....

Hanging in there

Weight is about the same. I have felt SO GOOD physically. I feel kind of sad that I haven't taken off with this and just been back. to. the. gym. I was an extra in a play which was an amazing experience and I thought to myself, "I will take the play performance and rehearsal time and use it in the gym." I knew that would be the solution to all my ills...ill - yep. I got something pretty much right after the play ended. A killer migraine, then a scratchy throat and I've been sort of yucky since. I took a time release decongestant today and came home after work and pretty quickly went to sleep for two hours.

I'm going to rest the remainder of this week, then go on a trip this weekend and when I come back I am going to the YMCA!! I will return and report.

Twelve months

Forty pounds in the next twelve months will get me to my goal weight.

1st mini goal is 180 by the end of February... I had dipped into the 180s when I was sick, but I seem to have settled back into 190 - 191.

1st daily goal, no more soda for the rest of August.

Ugh-ly way to lose weight

I'm so tired of being ill. It seems like it is always one thing or another. This past six weeks or so has been digestive issues. I have lost several pounds and am consistently in the low 190s, dependent on swelling.  The problem is that I've lost it by being nauseated a lot of the time, actually vomiting once or twice a week. Two Sundays ago I was so ill I couldn't even keep down my ginger ale. I ended up calling Debbie and asking her to take me to Urgent Care. They gave me a shot of phenergan to immediately stop the nausea. They also gave a prescription in pill form. I've only taken it once. The info (and commentary) states it will cause extreme drowsiness. It didn't seem to do that for me. I slept after I took it, but had extreme nightmares. I have an appt in June to see a GI doctor. Until today I had secretly planned to cancel it. Today, however I went back to nothing sounding good to eat. Finally I thought mashed potatoes sounded good. I made some and ate them and one and a half small sausage patties I had cooked to freeze for future ease.  I've been feeling disgusting ever sense. All I have consumed today is one can of Sprite, one small packet of fruit snacks, a gluten free ginger cookie and the above mentioned. Even typing about it makes me feel sicker. Ugh.