Day One

So another attempt begins with its renewed desire, as it does each new day. Today, I started my diet pill and am now awaiting wondrous miracles to happen - NOT. So far I have had my newly found breakfast of 1/2 cup of Fiber1 with 1% milk and a handful of fresh strawberries and blueberries. Sounds like a great healthy start to the day. This glorious Saturday morning was one where I did not cater to the call of the alarm or the necessity of a meeting, but rather - slept until I decided I wanted to get up. (I did wake up at 7:30 am for a nature call then proceeded to resume my sleep, thinking 8:30 am would be perfect today - it was 9:30 am when I woke again.) It's no use me trying to sleep in any later because I pay for it with baggie eyes and a puffy face - wtf - I guess lying around pools your water levels in your face!

So, after the good breakfast, I moved on to the coffee with vanilla creamer. I am writing today and need my coffee companion. Vanilla creamer (it is a soy product) is the one thing I will not forgo no matter the challenge. I can drink black coffee but choose not to - it's allowed, right?

In the back of my mind I am thinking - it's time for lunch or something and I should make something to eat. The fact that I haven't yet is more because I am busy trying to get a lot of "write" stuff done, not because I am consciously refusing to eat. Perhaps a rope to tie me to my chair when applied with the consumption of the pill, will allow me some achievement in this new task. I remember to take my vitamin d3 and calcium everyday because I know it is going to make my life a lot better, why can't I remember that not eating will also contribute to that fact.

Okay, I am not going to starve myself, but rather, I am going to try to remember to not eat what's not good for me. Difference? Sometimes, I wonder. When you look in the fridge and all you see is green stuff (the healthy stuff not the moldy stuff - very little food is going bad around here) and that's not what you are craving, you almost scream "screw the labels - give me some damn ice cream."

Oh, yes, and being a house hermit is a good thing when these feelings hit - not having bad things in the fridge and not going out so therefore not having access to stores and food and stuff - is a good thing. Challenge on.

Confessions of a Cholesterol-holic

Not sure if there is even such a thing or person or condition - but it could be connected to the deep feelings we have with things we know are not good for us, yet still devour on occasion. This is where the confession part comes in, and geez, it's out there for all the world to know. I have eaten some things I know are not good for me but can't help myself - every once in awhile I get cravings, okay blind urges to indulge: that croissant with coffee the other day, the chocolate bar from the last stand before the check-out counter with groceries, the piece of dessert with lunch the other day at work, and that scrumptious piece of homemade pie after supper on the weekend... I know we need to allow ourselves that little bit of leeway because if we don't it just nags at us until we really cave.

I also wonder if I am really trying as hard as I can. Sometimes I think wow, victory and other times I feel like I am not really giving this the chance it deserves. I deserve. I am wondering how many little bad things eliminate all the good things you are attempting, achieving, and succeeding at. There have been changes for the better, and yet, there is so much more to do.

Tomorrow I go for the results of my cholesterol re-testing that the doctor ordered. The delay was to allow me to try and bring the numbers down myself with changes to diet, etc. I am not sure how it will go but I will place my prediction here and will compare once I get my results in the morning: I was at 4.0 LDL (bad) which is twice what it should be, although, overall I was told that I was only moderately high. I will predict I managed to bring it to a 3.6. I will also get myself weighed in and will predict that I lost 6 1bs. since my last doctor's appointment on June 23rd. It's not so much that I feel I was trying extremely hard to bring my numbers down, but I did make changes and ensure that some things become habits.

The Mayo Clinic rates the following 5 food categories or items to be the best in an attempt to lower bad cholesterol, while actually leaving good cholesterol alone or even raising it:
1. Eat foods high in fiber, such as oatmeal, oat bran or others - kidney beans, apples, pears, barley, and prunes are very good sources. *Kelsey and I have been watching the labels and trying to up our fiber intake. I believe a previous posting pondered the predicament of making precious pals with fiber packed food. We have bought a cereal that has 14g of fiber in 1/2 c.
2. It is recommended that you have two servings a week of fish and/or omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, sardines, Albacore tuna and halibut are great examples - but remember to bake or grill them so as to not add unwanted fat to the fish. A supplement is good for some of the daily recommended allowances but fish is a better source due to the selenium content. *Although, we have had salmon recently we have not picked up the pace to twice a week yet. We have, however, been taking a daily flax oil supplement which is a source of omega-3 fatty acids. One of her clients recommended it to my daughter - this lady and her mother are living a very healthy life at 80 and 100.
3. Although high in calories, nuts - without salt or sugar coatings - are an excellent choice. Just a handful of walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, peanuts, pistachios, and some pine nuts will do the trick. *We don't have them handy all the time, but I love nuts! Glad they are on the list but I do have to remember "only a handful" ... it's easy to get carried away.
4. Olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil. Use 2 tablespoons per day in place of other fats - saute vegetables, use as a marinade or a salad dressing. The warning is the same as nuts - it's high in calories so keep it to the minimum. *I use olive oil for cooking but must remember its other uses for vegetables and salads. I have a history with olive oil - when I was having problems with gall stones when I was younger, 2 tablespoons per day (right off the spoon!) helped soften stones enough to pass them. It finally got to me - the stones not the oil - and it seems that organ has no real use as I didn't have to be on a special diet in any way. Pity!
5. Foods with added plant sterols or stanols... this is confusing because it seems that common sterols are cholesterol (??? - maybe the good kind) and stanols are naturally occurring substances that block the absorption of sterols (??? - okay, that means they are the bad kind) - if anyone can comment and straighten this out for me - great - otherwise we'll let it be. Anyway, some margarine, orange juice, and yogurt drinks contain these components. *We use Becel (free advertising here, hope someone from Becel is reading this... :) and have tried a few different "blends" including: olive oil, low calorie, vegan, and regular. We prefer anything but the low calorie as that one just leaves your bread surface mushy - what's up with that? The others are great, almost tasting too good.

If we take all things above into consideration, there has been significant movement towards eating healthier. The best insurance is, of course, to cut back on total fat consumption especially saturated or trans fats. Reading those labels can be enlightening and trying to juggle all meals and snacks around what's needed and what's not is sometimes quite an act. But we are managing.

Well, time for the pursuit of another thing that does a body good - sleep. Good night and good cholesterol.