Re-read this blog last night. My goodness on May 20th it will be five years I have been posting about my ETL experience. Some things stand out. I am on a roller coaster. My love affair with CASS which is a result of emotional eating from stress.

I really need to deal with that.

I think maintaining ETL will be much easier if I totally give up drinking alcohol. I do enjoy my drink. It is a stress release for me. I enjoy the social aspects of it. Not drinking would have an impact on my social life. Wow! That says something doesn't it? Okay, limit my drinking to a social occassion and one drink. You know, I think it just would be easier to quit, altogether.

Made a batch of steel cut oats.

Breakfast: Oatmeal, 1/2 grapefruit


Worked at the day job, this Saturday. Took my lunch to work which was steamed veggies and rice. Had an apple.

Tried a new receipe for dinner which was steamed bok choy with orange-agave sauce. Ate a serving of raw almonds and black beans and rice. Ate the last two of almond date banana 'cookies'.

Weighed in at 181

Back on the Wagon

CASS is a difficult mistress to dismiss. I am four days now in not seeing her.
My stats as of Wednesday, 1/18 is
Weight 184.o
Waist 41"
Fat % 25.5

Weighed in this morning at 182.

Have only eaten three meals a day with no snacks. Lunch and dinner have been homemade soups, stews, black beans & rice and spinach salads. Breakfast oatmeal. No alcohol, chocolate or salty snacks. Feeling fine.

Getting back on the wagon

A long slide and hot affair with CASS (chocolate, alcohol and salty snacks). Five days back into ETL. First day was a fast and that broke all my addictions. Really. Lost four pounds so far. Here were my starting stats on 12/15:
Weight 187
Waist 41
Fat % 26

Backslidden

It was a bad week with SAD (standard American diet). For this week I am up 4 pounds. Today, has been good.

weight:177.5

waist 39.5

B-banana
L-green smoothie
D-red pepper with humous, watermelon
Snack-pastachios

B-Cold oats & strawberries
L-Green Smoothie
D-Green beans, Strawberries

Nature Valley Almond Crunch Bar - nonETL

Wt-173.5

Feeling good with energy.

Let's Try this Again

It’s been four months and I’ve gained 4 pounds. Deja Vu!

THE GOALS:Dr. Fuhrman’s Ideal weight for my height - 160. That will give me a BMI of 22 and hopefully the waist of 36”. I need not to dally with CASS! I will keep a daily diary………… :)

Weight 173.5

B-Cold Oats with strawberries

L-Green Smoothie

D-Salad, watermelon, white beans & carrots, pistaichios

The Next Level

It’s time to get serious, again. I am moving to the next level. In 3 weeks I’ve been on a plateau. I was pursuing the web page "How to Eat” and some things hit me.
1. I need to give up alcohol
2. I need to give up caffeine; in my case caffeinated tea
3. I need to give up snacking; eat 3 meals only
4. I need to give up bread and cracker; even though its whole grain its keeping me from filling up on veggies/fruit

The Plan:
1. I’m going cold turkey on the alcohol. I will have it socially out with the buds, but not a home or going out on my own, period.
2. I’m weaning myself off the caffeinated tea. My first week I will allow myself one cup of caffeinated tea in the AM and one caffeinated green tea in the PM. I can have decaf at other times. The second week, I’ll cut out the caffeinated PM Green tea. The third week the caffeinated AM tea.
3. Eat only three meals, if hungry!
4. I have found unsalted nut and non-sugared dry fruit on my field trip to Springfield and finding a Trader Joes. Get rid of the other stuff.
5. Give up the ‘healthy’ whole wheat bread and crackers.
6. Need to exercise, yeah how many times have I said that.

THE GOALS:
Dr. Fuhrman’s Ideal weight for my height - 160. That will give me a BMI of 22. and hopefully the waist of 36”.

Get ready set, GO!

Weight 169.5

Wow! ETL to the Rescue to lower Triglycerides

In November I had my annual physical (it’s been three year, actually). The Nurse Practitioner Dianne reviewed my lab report and said my cholesterol was too high, 237, Triglycerides were 416 which put my pancreas at risk and my LDL could not be computed because of the high triglycerides. I’m writing you an order for Tricor, she said.I said, I’m not taking it. Give me six months and through nutritional eating and exercising, I’ll get accepted levels. Although I am not in compliance to his advice I know of Dr. Joel Fuhrman who maintains that through a diet consisting of plant food; fruits and vegetables you can achieve excellent cholesterol results. With a skeptical look, she replied, I give you three months and I want you to get your lab work done the first of February.

My three months were up and I went in for my lab work. In the three months, I weighed in for a 22 pound loss and three inches of the waist. I got a telephone call with the results of my Triglycerides reading; 141 an acceptable level, three months ago, it was 416.
When the tech gave the number, I said, wow. She said that’s what the Doc said, wow. She said, the Doc says thanks for the Dr. Fuhrman’s book, Cholesterol Protection for Life, which I dropped off for when he I came in my blood test. Definitely a Success Story. So this is a way of life time eating, now. I want to get to my optimal weight of 160, 7 pounds away and trim off another 2 inches of the waist. The doc wants me back in 6 months. Woohoo, success!

Cholesterol, total 237 > 160
Triglycerides 416 > 141
LDL *** > 96
HDL 38 > 36


*** couldn’t be calculated because of high level of triglycerides

Kale – A Scottish soul food?

Growing up in the south (USA) greens was a mainstay of my diet. But until today, I didn’t realize that kale was a Scottish soul food, too!

My Three Months are up!

Wednesday, was my 3 months on ETL and the end of the time to have my blood checked. I weighed in for a 22 pound loss and three inches of the waist. Today, I got a telephone call with the results of my Triglycerides reading; 141! Three months ago, it was 416. Don’t yet know the other lipid readings. The med assistant was to fax them to me, but didn’t get them.

When the tech told me the number, I said, wow. She said that’s what the Doc said, wow and thanks for Dr. Fuhrman’s book, Cholesterol Protection for Life. Definitely a Success Story.

So this is a way of life time eating, now. I want to get to my optimal weight of 160; 7 pounds away and trim off another 2 inches of the waist. The doc wants me back in 6 months. Success!

Weight 167.0