Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Weight: 135.4
Macros: Cals - 1,457, Carbs - 126, Fats - 51, Protein - 115, Fiber - 27
Sleep hours: 7
Vegetable/Fruit Servings: 8
Exercise: Aquarobics and walking
Meditation: Yes

Wishing us all a terrific Tuesday. :)

Just plugging away here. This morning after yoga I'll see my GP. The rest of the day I'll be trip-packing and working with some guys who are coming over today to cut down a dead tree, weed-eat ditches, and saw down tree limbs that are still trying to murder me when I mow. I will have my revenge!

Tomorrow morning I must be on the road by 3:45 am in order to catch a 7:00 am flight in The Big City to Michigan (connecting through Chicago). I'm really looking forward to this trip. I may not check in much while I'm traveling, since the schedule will be packed. I'll be home next Monday evening, then home for a whole month!

Today's theme comes from Tiny Tim: God bless us, every one!

Good morning!

No weight until Monday, calories 715 (protein 103). I drank about 110 ounces of water as well.

I slept 8.5 hours last night (9 pm to 5:30 am). If I can stay up until 10 tonight and sleep until 6:30 or so I'll be back on local time! DH slept until 9:30 am yesterday and had a really good day, so being back into the familiar routine is definitely a plus for him.

We are unpacked and all laundry is done (though not all put away). The only thing on the schedule for today is another Support meeting at 5:30, which we may or may not go to. The rest of the week is unscheduled except for yoga. That makes me very happy!

Have a tranquil Tuesday!

Wt down 3 lbs. Fasted 2 days and dropped 6 lbs, but normalized to 3. I figured mostly diuresis. Did 23 hrs the first day and 17 the second. The book says it gets easier the more you do it. I started one other day but only made it 10 hours. That is not really fasting but I am more committed today. Did not try to fast any over the weekend because of company. Plan to do it twice a week like Tuesday and Friday for a while before I advance to multiple days. I have listened to the last 3 chapters about 4 times. It makes so much sense. Most diets do in the beginning. My hardest part is I use stevia in my coffee and tea and lemon water. He says that insulin levels are raised as much as sugar with sugar substitutes even stevia. Insulin increases 22 percent. Plain water still is hard for me to drink. I have had lemon concentrate and stevia since day 3 after WLS. I usually drink a gallon a day but can't seem to get even half that when it is plain. I like tea but can not drink it unsweetened. Nausea. Speaking of WLS. Just past our 4 year mark on the 15th. Would still have it done. Mostly because I would never learned what I have learned about myself, food, food addiction, food related to anxiety and I would have never even considered reading a book on fasting much less try it. WLS has been good for my head. Been great for my body. My older brother and SIL came to visit from south AR. He is 4 years older. He was the one I always wanted to be. Harley, long hair, cowboy. It was a good visit. He is wanting to help me out after my surgery. Do not know about that. I have a built in private duty nurse. He just wants to help out. I need to find a project so he can. I can not even hold Adalyn for at least 2 weeks after surgery so maybe he can do that for me. LOL Pain management appointment today. I am under pain contract so I do not know about receiving meds during surgical process. I will find out how that works today. Thinking about staying at the Searcy house for recovery because the bathrooms are handicap accessible. Grab bars, huge shower and fast internet for entertainment while I am less mobile. Adalyn is listening to books. That is fun. My oldest would listen to them. You could hold him for hours and read. DS#2 not so much. I did not think Adalyn was going to be the type but she is. One book makes animal noises and she is talking back to it. Her vocal skill have been slow. Maybe this is a turning point. When we got DD#1 in foster care she only said a couple of words at 15 months. Now it is hard to get a word in edgewise. More later, David

I must know if it is an audible book making animal noises or Pop-pop making animal noises. I just know you make the best animal noises!

Your forays into fasting are interesting.

I have been cutting back on my zero calorie sweeteners. I try to split my use between all of them to limit my over-exposure to any one of them. I had no idea about insulin response, tho.

You might look into Tazo glazed lemon loaf tea which SOUNDS like it has artificial sweeteners in it but doesn't. (Since WLS, I seem to prefer lemon over chocolate tho that messes with my self identity)

I don't feel any sort of need to add sweetener to it. It has zero calories, zero caffeine. Ingredients: apple, natural flavors, green rooibos, orange peel, chamomile, rose petals, licorice root, ginger.

That insulin response is why it is said that diet soda makes people fat. The brain senses the sweetness and doesn't know it's not sugar. It sends a message to the pancreas to step up insulin production to metabolize the sugar. With no sugar to metabolize the insulin CAN (but does not necessarily) increase hunger levels. The research is somewhat skewed, IMO, but the most reputable studies have shown that caloric consumption in those who are obese tend to be higher after using artificial sweeteners in drinks than in those who are not obese. The reasoning is not yet understood, but it is suspected that it is part of the metabolic disorder of obesity. Hope that makes sense.

My initial understanding was that the extra unused insulin was stored as fat, but from further reading I have come to believe that was an incorrect assumption. It is a very complex issue, indeed.

The book has electronics in it but I always make the animal noises too. I have decided that fasting is good enough... stevia will remain. PS when you are not eating it does not take very much alcohol to control the pain. PSS I have a severe aversion to licorice. Gag reflex and everything.

I hate licorice, too. I never thought it triggering the gag reflex but I know I have never swallowed black licorice. (There are very few foods I won't swallow: Slugs. Snails. Licorice.)

I can't taste it in the tea, tho, and was surprised to see it on the list

I use a lot of artificial sweeteners and am not sure I could manage without them. My sweet cravings have been super active as long as I can remember and if I don't have enough sweetness in my day, I'm not sure I could stay on track. Funny that my children don't seem to have that problem - they tend to overindulge on savory choices instead.

So Adalyn is surprising you - good for her!

Hello!

I have a few days off....planned vacation so I don't go over maxed accrued. I'm staying home getting some tasks done (which feels good) and trying to organize to climb a mountain (which is confusing.)

I think both DH and I feel unsettled since FIL's passing. At least I do, DH admits to nothing.

DH finally admitted to DD that he is using marijuana. He told her "don't tell mom." As if I might not have already noticed his altered state since it legalized.

I don't care about marijuana use, in general. I voted to legalize. I have to grudgingly admit, tho, I have a visceral disapproval of being high, by oneself, for hours. (I feel the same about alcohol)

We come from different households. My dad would maybe have a beer at night, my mom rarely drank at home. I associate alcohol with social occasions but even then, it was minimal.

I have never seen either under the influence. His parents drank daily for hours at a time as a companion to their daily activities. They ended up classified as alcoholics. (There was incredible push back on that diagnosis by many but DH accepts that both were alcoholics without question)

There is one aunt in DH's family who isn't an alcoholic, otherwise all aunts and uncles (both sides!) were alcoholics. By the way, that one aunt is the only one still alive.

When does a drink (or toke) or two turn from a relaxing pleasure to a negative habit? Can someone tell me that it is ok (for example) to be high, on a regular basis, from 3-4 pm to bedtime? (I feel like such a Puritan just typing that). He doesn't seem self aware enough to realize how OBVIOUS it is. He is altered. He doesn't drive while altered.

I have a history of worrying about stuff, excessively, that I eventually look back and think WTH was wrong with me?

The only good thing is that he is nice when on marijuana. He is mean with even a drink or two of alcohol.

Enough about that.

Ann, no getting impaled as you wrestle with the tree, ok? Liz, glad you and DH are settling back in with routines and pups. Paula, revel in life!!! Hugs to all of you!

Shel

Very thought-provoking post. As I've said previously there is a lot of alcoholism on all sides of our families (mine, DH's, DS and DD birthfamilies). DS smokes marijuana daily which he says is better than taking an anti-depressant regularly and helps him avoid the migraines and stomach issues he used to have (probably stress induced). But I can't help having some of the same concerns you gave voiced.