tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65802611871673591282024-03-14T09:58:31.695-07:00Proving the Pyramid WrongHow rejecting Conventional Wisdom on nutrition led my 3-person family to lose the equivalent of a 4th person (in weight).KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.comBlogger1492125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-85190976663339035372016-04-12T08:41:00.001-07:002016-04-12T08:41:26.194-07:00I know...<div dir="ltr">Not blogging. I'm really rethinking things right now, and the urge to write about my weight is nearly gone. Not that my weight is - 160.4 this morning and I'm just pissy about it. But of late, I can't find anything I've done that's at all causative, and without something to build on, well, a) I can't control my weight, and b) that's not very compelling writing. <div><br></div><div>Stress may be involved. Hormones almost certainly are. Shit sleep is probably playing a role - although last night's sleep seemed to be pretty solid, for the first time in a while.</div><div><br></div><div>Anyway, I think I'm taking a hiatus from writing about it. Maybe I'll find the urge again, and maybe not. And I'll try to stop snacking between meals. About the only thing I can think to do that is a bona fide change of something that's not good.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-12628071527482099622016-04-04T06:46:00.000-07:002016-04-04T06:47:10.562-07:00Monday<div dir="ltr">It may be slightly apparent - just slightly - that my compulsion to write this blog has tapered off a bit recently. Guess I don't have anything compelling to say right now. I would like to lose at least 10 pounds. Instead, I seem to be gaining weight. I would like to get more exercise; I find myself at home in the evenings, mentally drained and unwilling to budge. I thought I'd found a way to get better sleep, and that's proved to be elusive as well. <div><br></div><div>It's very frustrating. And I don't do frustration very well.</div><div><br></div><div>In any event, we are trying again - at least, I am, and Lee's not unwilling to go along for the ride - to rein in the eating in the evenings, by having primal "big-ass salads" for dinner all week. I hope we will manage, and I hope that it will be the first of many weeks of eating better. That said, see above.</div><div><br></div><div>We shall see.</div><div><br></div><div>I did manage to get a lot of walking in over the weekend; we went to watch a professional golf tournament and put in about 6 miles doing so. Hit goal yesterday with a walk after dinner. Really great weather both days - and today, so I hope we will make a third day. Slept fairly well last night, the first in several days - we've been having dog issues, among other things. And yesterday's eating included an omelet, home fries, cashews, a big-ass salad, and ice cream - and, I think, nothing else. So not terrible. For this week, I'm leaving the walnuts at home - I went through a lot of them last week - maybe avoiding them will help. I have cheese and salami with me for today.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-11968310668596434072016-03-23T07:36:00.000-07:002016-03-23T07:37:15.850-07:00Wednesday<div dir="ltr">Wretched sleep last night - 2 days in a row that I woke up in the middle of the night and never really got back to sleep. Ugh. Lots of audio - on, but I napped through a good chunk of it. Also a leg cramp, I think. Might have dreamt that. <div><br></div><div>We figured out why. Lee had the heat on 2 days ago because it was cold out, and at night, it doesn't get cold enough for me to sleep at all well, unless we have the A/C on. So tonight, if it's not already, I turn the A/C on around 8. Talk about a 21st century problem...</div><div><br></div><div>158.2 this morning. Eating a bit more properly right now. Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>the usual supplements<br></li><li>bacon<br></li><li>cheese (3 pieces of cheddar)<br></li><li>walnuts (rather a lot)<br></li><li>chicken breast meat<br></li><li>green beans<br></li><li>a single serve Haagen-Dasz coconut pineapple ice cream<br></li><li>a coconut flour banana nut muffin with butter<br></li></ul></div><div>I think that was it. The muffins are surprisingly good - just bananas to sweeten them, so not very sweet. Had one for breakfast with more bacon this morning. They rose nicely as well - I tried a trick in the recipe of setting the oven higher than baking temp to start with, then turning it down as soon as they went in - I'm guessing that bakes the outsides a bit more early on, or something. Anyway, they're a keeper.</div><div><br></div><div>No exercise this week; mentally tired, and with shit sleep, physically sleepy. Just trying to eat sanely.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-73850128542308249662016-03-21T08:45:00.001-07:002016-03-21T08:45:22.717-07:00Monday<div dir="ltr">A nice, productive weekend. In which I ate too much. 160.2 this morning, which is annoying. I had popcorn yesterday, so I shouldn't be surprised, though. <div><br></div><div>No real walking, but we did things like plant herbs, recover chairs, sew a little, run errands, and cook a lot. I made ham broth, chicken broth, arancello (started it anyway), and lemon and orange extracts. And we got the sous vide steak thing to work - perfect medium rare meat for dinner last night, with roast brussels sprouts. And I made lotion bars, and we went to a movie. And to our new Costco that doesn't take a trek to get to.</div><div><br></div><div>I'm feeling pretty chuffed at life this morning, in general. And it's a nice sunny day after a chilly sort of weekend (sunny, but windy and cool). The first week of getting used to the stupid time change is over, and Easter is next weekend. Oh, and I have Friday off from work, as a holiday. Weird.</div><div><br></div><div>Fasting today, mostly because I wasn't hungry at breakfast. I'm mildly hungry now, so I don't know how long it will last. I'd say I'm at 15 hours right now, so on the brink of autophagy.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-65798707835973517272016-03-18T06:13:00.001-07:002016-03-18T06:13:04.592-07:00Friday<div dir="ltr">I had a chicken caesar salad last night for dinner. And then chocolate almonds, cashews, and strawberry ice cream. Gained back the weight lost the night before. 159.4 this morning. <div><br></div><div>Sleep should have been good - woke briefly at 3 am, turned on audio, and didn't stir until 5:30 - but I don't feel rested. When the alarm went off I was awake-ish, but wanted desperately to go back to sleep. It's dark and foggy outside, and I'm very glad it's Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>My neck is sore. And my back and ribs and shoulders. I spent quality time last night laying on a golf ball trying to get my right shoulder calmed down, and I do think it worked - it no longer hurts to drive, anyway. </div><div><br></div><div>No walking yesterday; unusual for me, but I was outright sleepy when I got home. We went out to dinner (hence the salad; that's going to be my default plan going forward), came home and ground up deli chickens for the dogs' food, and watched TV (and, for me at least, ate).</div><div><br></div><div>Weekend plans involve a trip to Costco (so exciting, I know, but one is finally opening near our house), a bit of gardening, and some woodwork refinishing. We were going to New Orleans for a party with some friends, but the highway there is closed due to flooding, and the dog's blood sugar is all over the place. I think that's a 21st Century sentence. And staying home means I'll be better rested on Monday; our plan was to get home around 11 Sunday night.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-50931839746101343422016-03-17T08:44:00.001-07:002016-03-17T08:44:56.164-07:00Thursday<div dir="ltr">I'm not getting around to blogging this week. It's possible that this has served its purpose and is dying out - or I may just be at a low ebb right now. In any event, I wrote something Tuesday and am writing something today. Tomorrow? Who knows.<div><br></div><div>158.8 this morning; down from Tuesday, thank goodness. But probably not "weight loss", just more of the same wobbling around the upper 150s that I've been doing for months. Am I on a diet? I'm trying. But I feel like my mind isn't quite all there yet.</div><div><br></div><div>Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>cheddar cheese (4 pieces)<br></li><li>walnuts (probably 1/2 cup-ish)<br></li><li>an Angus beef patty - I'd bet 1/2 lb.<br></li><li>roasted root vegetables - carrots, beets, parsnips?? (frozen stuff from TJs)<br></li><li>a single-serve Haagen-Dasz strawberry<br></li><li>a handful of cashews<br></li></ul></div><div>And the usual swig of Gatorade at bedtime with Magnesium, to try to fend off leg cramps. Which I had one episode of.</div><div><br></div><div>Sleep seemed pretty continuous, but not restful. I have a sore shoulder (my right one) from sleeping with Charlie two nights in a row, and while I took aspirin and did some trigger point stuff to it last night, both of which helped, I think it kept me from getting deep sleep. Tireder this morning than I have been all week.</div><div><br></div><div>We are getting walks in, though, before dinner. I like it - it lets me get work out of my system as well as providing some means of de-sludging my bloodstream a bit. I don't think I'd quite categorize it as "exercise", but it's better than sitting on the couch.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-22876355519779301982016-03-15T06:37:00.001-07:002016-03-15T06:37:12.307-07:00Tuesday<div dir="ltr">So I declared (to myself, mostly) that I was starting a diet yesterday. Makes sense, then, that I gained nearly a pound, right? Ugh. 160.4 this morning and not at all happy about it. <div><br></div><div>So what gives? Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>the usual supplements<br></li><li>scrambled eggs<br></li><li>bacon<br></li><li>walnuts - probably half a cup<br></li><li>a piece of cheese<br></li><li>about 5 chips with salsa<br></li><li>a chicken breast with queso and tomatoes and peppers<br></li><li>2 chips with fajita meat and cheese on<br></li><li>a spoonful of black beans and a bit of rice<br></li></ul></div><div>That was it. The last was Mexican restaurant food, if that's not glaringly obvious. Salty, for certain, but I did work to avoid heavy carbs.</div><div><br></div><div>The whole point of committing to "a diet" for real was to change my mental state. Did it? I think so; I worked hard at avoiding a lot of chips, and choosing something that seemed lower in carbs. I just need to avoid restaurants altogether, I think. But that's highly unlikely.</div><div><br></div><div>So, what should I have done differently last night? Half the chicken, and no appetizer (that's what the chips with fajita meat were)? Maybe. Or a salad instead. I did a lot of grilled chicken caesars back 6 years ago, I think. That might need to be my plan going forward.</div><div><br></div><div>Sleep was okay - got to sleep pretty quickly once the lights were out, and woke around 4:20 briefly, then closer to 5 for good. And I feel reasonably rested. Considering it's Daylight Saving week, that's actually amazing.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-52437393924117578982016-03-11T06:20:00.001-08:002016-03-11T06:20:51.269-08:00Friday<div dir="ltr">Better sleep last night. Certainly should have been; I took major precautions, including eating Mexican for dinner (chips, salsa), taking 2 Mag Citrates, a bath with Epsom Salts, and rubbing both legs with Magnesium Oil. First night with dreaming in quite a while, although they were some very weird dreams. <div><br></div><div>The Mexican was sort of a mistake in other ways, though. 158.8 this morning. Sigh. I decided on the way to work that I need to decide whether or not I'm actually dieting, and if I am, to commit to it. And that would mean going to a Mexican restaurant only for Fajita meat and veg. Last night, I had chips and some chicken/cheese/jalapeno things wrapped in bacon. From the taste, the chicken may have been breaded. </div><div><br></div><div>Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>the usual supplements<br></li><li>scrambled eggs<br></li><li>bacon<br></li><li>walnuts<br></li><li>4 pieces of Kerrygold Dubliner<br></li><li>chips and salsa<br></li><li>queso<br></li><li>chicken/cheese/jalapeno things wrapped in bacon<br></li><li>a small amount of rice<br></li><li>a small amount of beans<br></li><li>a strawberry Haagen-Dasz<br></li></ul></div><div>That doesn't even look healthy in a list. </div><div><br></div><div>Weekend coming. Fish for dinner tonight, shrimp some time this weekend in some form. Hopefully some natural exercise while doing stuff. Hopefully some time outdoors. Depends on the weather.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-37402786367267821982016-03-10T09:00:00.000-08:002016-03-10T09:01:01.047-08:00Thursday<div dir="ltr">An edict has been issued: No more good sleep. Somewhere, by someone. I don't know who. But last night, it was properly cool and dark, the dogs were in their kennels, and all should have been well. So I had leg cramps for hours, starting around 1 am, I think. And not easy calf cramps, either; these were shin and outer ankle cramps that twist the foot up into very unnatural positions. They subsided enough for me to get back to sleep periodically, but when I got up at 6, I still had them. <div><br></div><div>I take potassium and magnesium. I drink Gatorade with the latter in the evening, to try to keep in electrolyte balance. And last night, before bed, I ate quite a large quantity of salty potato chips. Amongst all that, I SHOULD have been fine. I wasn't.</div><div><br></div><div>So I'm tired and achy again this morning. 157.4 - whether it was the salt in the chips, the chips themselves, or the fact that I had breakfast yesterday, I do not know. Not a big gain, maybe just a blip. We shall see. Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>the usual supplements (you don't suppose adding them in did all that, do you?)<br></li><li>scrambled eggs<br></li><li>sausage patties<br></li><li>walnuts<br></li><li>3 pieces of Kerrygold Dubliner<br></li><li>about 1/2 pound of grassfed ground beef (in patties)<br></li><li>mushrooms and asparagus sauteed in butter and pan drippings<br></li><li>a handful of cashews<br></li><li>a mouthful of Gatorade<br></li></ul></div><div>Kind of a long list, really. I think we're having something seafood tonight. Not sure what.</div><div><br></div><div>It's still raining. Good for the crops. Not great for walking outdoors. But I'm not really in the mood for that right now anyway.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-57559963031969845972016-03-09T06:51:00.001-08:002016-03-09T06:51:16.250-08:00Wednesday<div dir="ltr">And the lovely week of catch up sleep draws to a chaotic end. Charlie would not be appeased last night; now that Lee is home, he had to sleep with him. So he did. And Anneke wanted up several times, probably due to thunder outside. Which I think I would have slept through, left to my own devices. Oh well. <div><br></div><div>I'm really sleepy and achy this morning. And it's dark and stormy out, so no bright sunlight to wake me up, either.</div><div><br></div><div>Guess it could be a long day.</div><div><br></div><div>157.2 this morning, and I'm puffy still. Water leaving slowly, I guess. Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>walnuts<br></li><li>3 pieces of Kerrygold Dubliner cheese<br></li><li>hot and sour soup<br></li><li>half an order of Mushu pork, no pancakes<br></li><li>a few fried noodles<br></li><li>a fortune cookie<br></li></ul></div><div>I think that was it. Chinese usually puts me in a stall, so it's nice to see I lost a bit overnight.</div><div><br></div><div>Life can now return to normal. Well, home life, that is. Work is being a bit stressier than I would have liked. But there's not much I can do about it, except to try to find something less so. That's always a long slog, though. In the meantime, I'm trying to see the funny side of it all.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-22035175074246136352016-03-08T06:41:00.001-08:002016-03-08T06:41:28.042-08:00Tuesday<div dir="ltr">Well, at least I didn't gain. A bizarre thing to say after eating hardly anything, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. <div><br></div><div>157.4 this morning, a slight loss. Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>walnuts (really not many)<br></li><li>3 pieces of Kerrygold Dubliner cheese<br></li><li>ground beef with salsa, tomatoes, sour cream, and cheese<br></li><li>a mixture of salted peanuts, dark chocolate chips, and dried cranberries<br></li><li>a swallow of Gatorade<br></li></ul></div><div>I always forget that last thing - like I forget when I have hot chocolate at work because there is no decent tea upstairs. I have been taking a nightly magnesium citrate with a swig of Gatorade (for the other electrolytes) to ward off leg cramps. Whether it's been that, or whatever I've been eating (hardly any carbs), the leg cramps have been mostly not a problem.</div><div><br></div><div>Back to eating breakfast tomorrow, I think. Lee should be home tonight, and I'm grateful. The putter weekend alone was all right - got lots of small stuff done that I've had on my list - but handling work stress alone has not been at all nice this past week.</div><div><br></div><div>Sleep good again last night. I didn't even have audio to fall asleep - apparently passed out on the way to turn it on, because the speaker was in position, but the night's fall-asleep playlist had not even been selected. And I didn't use it in the morning, either. I've needed the sleep, for sure.</div><div><br></div><div>As for the weight - there is still water. My fingers are swollen. It will go away. And then we shall see what this period of not really eating much has done. And, I hope, be able to continue it, until my set point (I do tend to believe that exists) moves down a bit.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-78632768735949843942016-03-07T08:35:00.001-08:002016-03-07T08:35:58.283-08:00Monday<div dir="ltr">Good weekend. Productive, didn't eat much, de-stressing (which helped until I made it into the office, but you can't have everything). Got decent sleep, including last night, which was really good. <div><br></div><div>So, of course, I gained a pound. Water, I promise - I ache from head to toe this morning. I painted yesterday, which is why.</div><div><br></div><div>157.6. Here's yesterday (which is not unlike Saturday, really):</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>3 pieces of Kerrygold Dubliner cheese<br></li><li>2 handfuls of cashews<br></li><li>a burger patty - something between 1/3 and 1/2 pound, grassfed<br></li><li>zoodles (a whole zucchini) with butter, sour cream, parmesan<br></li></ul></div><div>That was it. I meant to eat breakfast, but got busy. I meant to eat lunch, but got busy and grabbed a snack. I nearly didn't eat dinner, but thought maybe I should, so I cooked quickly and hoovered it up.</div><div><br></div><div>Saturday my first food was peanut M&Ms - a mistake, I should add. Add to that some cheese, cashews, and beef-vegetable soup, and you have the whole day. </div><div><br></div><div>The only thing I probably should have got more of was sunlight. I didn't get outside much, and should have, because the weather was super nice. We need some furniture for the back patio.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-49036327044357986022016-03-04T07:05:00.001-08:002016-03-04T07:05:24.262-08:00Friday<div dir="ltr">This has been, on average, a no-good, very-bad week. Lots of work stress, nobody to blow off steam with except the dogs, and they've been needy, to say the least. <div><br></div><div>That said, I lost a pound yesterday. 156.6 this morning. Which tells me that my success in weight loss 6 years ago had mostly to do with the long stretches when Lee was in Arizona. I'm trying to get ahead of the game while he's gone this time, and maybe get a few of the habits re-ingrained.</div><div><br></div><div>Fasted yesterday. Nothing except cream until dinner. Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>meatballs with spaghetti sauce and cheese<br></li><li>a swallow of Gatorade (cramp preventative)<br></li></ul></div><div>That was it. Fortunately (I guess) work was very busy and I didn't have time to wonder if I was hungry or not.</div><div><br></div><div>Today won't be much different - not explicitly fasting, but not eating much - a bit of cheese as breakfast, carrots and dip for the day (and walnuts), and who knows what for dinner. Not chips, though.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-83191718017822081592016-03-03T06:52:00.001-08:002016-03-03T06:52:03.992-08:00Thursday<div dir="ltr">Ah, hubris. <div><br></div><div>That whole sleep improvement thing? Completely blown away last night. I let the dog out. I knew I would regret it, and I did. He slept on the small of my back when I lay on my right side, and when I rolled over, my face was full of fur. He does not move. He transforms into lead at night. </div><div><br></div><div>Anyway, I gave up trying to sleep around 3:30, I think. Listened to old radio shows (Information Please is often soothing enough to get me right back to sleep, and entertaining enough if it doesn't work) for about an hour by themselves, then another hour with an overlay of play fighting growling, and then I just turned the light on and read until the alarm went off. Got up, fed them, and got the day started. I don't feel too awful, but it's early.</div><div><br></div><div>Fasting today - had a goodly dollop of cream in my tea this morning and will try to make it through to dinner. I think a spot of autophagy is in order; clean up all the dreck from that cold and the stress of the past week. </div><div><br></div><div>157.6 this morning; water, I suspect. I had chips and dip for dinner, which is not exactly salt-free, and certainly not nutritious. I wasn't in the mood to cook. Here's the entire day:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>sliced deli chicken<br></li><li>walnuts<br></li><li>5 pieces of Kerrygold cheese (getting my vitamin K, anyway)<br></li><li>chips and ranch dip<br></li><li>a large handful of cashews<br></li><li>a limoncello<br></li></ul></div><div>That last was just in the fridge from our bottling activities and after hearing that it tastes right from folks who would know, I figured I'd try it again. Not sure I get the point, but it wasn't bad.</div><div><br></div><div>Not doing much this week at home. Reading, letting the dogs through the back doors. That's pretty much it. Thinking a lot, about life and work and that sort of stuff, trying to figure out the best way to spend my time here (on earth). Deep, I know, but that's what alone time is for. No solutions, yet.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-68475851424672108252016-03-02T07:06:00.001-08:002016-03-02T07:06:34.187-08:00Wednesday<div dir="ltr">Yeah, I know. Bad week. In terms of time, anyway. I'm on my own for a week and a half, and on top of that, work has been nothing but aggravation. One of those times when I wish I were a hunter-gatherer more than usual. <div><br></div><div>That said, I've lost weight this week, I think. 157.2 this morning. Mostly because I haven't had time or willpower to snack. Okay, maybe no energy to snack; I hardly think willpower has been involved.</div><div><br></div><div>And I've been getting some good sleep. Ignoring the dog's pleas to sleep on the bed with me, and not dealing with anyone in the room coughing or having to get up in the middle of the night for any reason. As an example, I woke briefly this morning at 4:33, thought I was awake enough to need audio to get back to sleep or pass the time, turned it on, and my next conscious thought was that it wasn't working. An hour later, when it had stopped because it was a 1-hour playlist. Now that's what I call sleep. I'm feeling much more rested than I have in a while, and I have about 7 more nights of it, so I will try to take full advantage.</div><div><br></div><div>Eating - breakfast is light, to say the least. No time to cook. Sliced chicken the past 2 days. No real lunch either - an apple and cheese yesterday, just cheese today. And a light dinner, at a point in my day when I'm not all that hungry anymore (no fooling, because I'm hungry now, in the morning). </div><div><br></div><div>I am taking potassium at night. No other supplements just now, because of not being organized enough on my own behalf to get them laid out - all my organization at home goes to getting the dogs fed quickly.</div><div><br></div><div>Evenings are spent reading in a room with just one light on, for the most part - iPad initially, but I try to put it down when it gets dark outside, and shift to paper. No TV. And I've been running the AC at night as well - the temp is set at 65, and it's quite cool.</div><div><br></div><div>Could I do this if I were not alone? Maybe the eating. Definitely not the quiet evenings. Don't know about the temperature. But the combination is working for me so far, and I'll take it as long as I can.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-19560252824761538062016-02-25T06:36:00.001-08:002016-02-25T06:36:57.966-08:00Thursday<div dir="ltr">Rough sleep last night - 2 leg cramps launched me out of bed, which was not fun. Other than that, I didn't really wake up for any length of time, and I fell asleep pretty quickly, but I don't feel much rested. Trying to keep an eye on that - see if I can spot any correlations with much of anything. FWIW, I read on my iPad until 9 last night - maybe that was part of it. <div><br></div><div>158.8 this morning, so the leg cramps weren't for naught, I guess. Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>the usual supplements<br></li><li>scrambled eggs<br></li><li>sausage patties<br></li><li>walnuts (only a few)<br></li><li>an apple<br></li><li>cheese - 6 slices of cheddar (nasty flavor)<br></li><li>1/2 lb "hamburger steak" at Cracker Barrel<br></li><li>green beans<br></li><li>sweet potato with butter<br></li><li>a handful of salted dark chocolate almonds<br></li></ul></div><div>That was it. Pretty balanced for me - fruit, veg, meat, nuts, dairy.</div><div><br></div><div>Still no exercise. Lee's still coughing from his version of the cold. And I've been drained the past few days. Better than last week, but not terrific. If we can continue to get the food dialed in, I'm hoping it provides enough energy to get started on something.</div><div><br></div><div>Still driving without sunglasses. I think it's helping with the sleep; even last night, I stayed "asleep" rather than having extended awake periods of thrashing, and that seems like an improvement.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-4482565658420869142016-02-24T06:44:00.001-08:002016-02-24T06:44:08.094-08:00Wednesday<div dir="ltr"> <div>Another decent night's sleep - this one, despite a dog. Anneke refused to kennel at bedtime last night, and Charlie went with the "whine and drive them nuts" route well past 10 pm, so we gave in. He was good, though - didn't lean on me more than I could bear. So I feel pretty good this morning. Melatonin only last night - and honestly, I don't think it worked much, because I didn't fall asleep until after 10 myself, and that's been unusual lately.</div><div><br></div><div>159.8 this morning; we ate Mexican last night. Lee had wanted it the night before and we'd already prepped stuff; I don't know if the need (stuffiness) was as urgent as it was yesterday, but whatever. Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>the usual supplements<br></li><li>eggs scrambled with ham and cheese<br></li><li>walnuts<br></li><li>carrots with ranch dip (sour cream)<br></li><li>chips and salsa (not an overwhelming number)<br></li><li>Enchiladas Suiza (chicken with a tomatillo salsa and cheese) - 3 of them<br></li><li>a bit of beans and rice<br></li><li>a sip of limoncello<br></li><li>small handful of cashews<br></li></ul></div><div>That was it. The limoncello was to taste what I'd been concocting since before Christmas as I bottled it up so Lee can take some on the road with him next week (as gifts) - I have no idea what it's supposed to taste like, but it tastes a good bit like lemon cough syrup at the moment. We're chilling it now, to see if that improves things. It's not bad, just kind of odd. And it is supposed to mellow for at least another week before drinking, so maybe that's part of it. Or it's just odd. I'll wait for the verdict of connoisseurs once Lee's handed it over.</div><div><br></div><div>Not much else, really. I'm feeling more rested every day, but not full of vim, yet. I would like to feel like that again. I'm sure it's coming - sure hope so, anyway.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-47388460757983268482016-02-23T06:52:00.001-08:002016-02-23T06:52:56.618-08:00Tuesday<div dir="ltr">I should feel rested. I don't. Bother. Sleep was solid last night, I thought. But I'm just a bit draggy right now. Feel like doing a header onto my desk, truly. It's rainy and dark out, and that might be why. <div><br></div><div>159.6 this morning. Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>the usual supplements<br></li><li>scrambled eggs<br></li><li>bacon<br></li><li>carrots with ranch dip (sour cream)<br></li><li>walnuts<br></li><li>chef's salad (ham, chicken, cheese) with blue cheese dressing<br></li><li>peanut-cranberry-chocolate chip trail mix<br></li></ul></div><div>That was it. A short list. More veg than usual. Today will probably be similar, except I think we're going for Mexican for dinner, which means chips and PUFA. Maybe I'll feel like being good. We shall see.</div><div><br></div><div>No walk yesterday - grubby weather and a long drive and we weren't in the mood. I made liquid hand soap instead. Possibly scented, although when I was putting it in bottles, it was smelling more like soap base than anything. If nothing else, it kept me occupied for part of the evening.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-57356616903488546132016-02-22T07:16:00.001-08:002016-02-22T07:16:55.317-08:00Monday<div dir="ltr"> <div>I think I'm recovered from the cold. Finally. What was it - 2 weeks? That was one nasty disease. But I feel normal today, not exhausted, not wheezy, and I have a voice. So I think I've achieved health.</div><div><br></div><div>At 160 pounds. Bother. I gained about 0.2 pounds every stinking day last week. Not eating anything bad for me, either. So annoying. Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice (from our tree)<br></li><li>the usual supplements<br></li><li>scrambled eggs<br></li><li>bacon<br></li><li>cashews<br></li><li>swiss cheese (about 5 thin slices, I think)<br></li><li>1/2 pound hamburger (grass-fed)<br></li><li>a bunch of roasted asparagus with avocado oil, salt & pepper<br></li></ul></div><div>I think that was it. I feel like there was more, but I can't think of anything. The orange juice was an experiment - and pretty darn tasty. Obviously, juice isn't as good for us as the whole fruit, but it tasted good as fruit, and I figured the juice was worth a shot.</div><div><br></div><div>I spent yesterday doing stuff. Painted the upper half of the foyer, sewed shorts for Lee (altered them), washed sweaters, and went for a walk. Don't know if we'll get another one in tonight, because it's pouring outside, but it's a start. Saturday was draining - we ran errands from 7 am until around 2 and then collapsed. And I slept that night with Benadryl.</div><div><br></div><div>So now that we are feeling better (I think Lee's still a week behind me, honestly, but that's a huge improvement for him as well), back to working on our eating. Meat-and-leaves is the plan, and we have a list of things planned for dinner this week that are mostly paleo and/or low-carb.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-77033187351941909882016-02-19T07:31:00.001-08:002016-02-19T07:31:15.150-08:00Friday<div dir="ltr">Last night's sleep was successful. I feel rested this morning - miles better than yesterday. I have more voice than yesterday as well. Recovering, I think. Finally! <div><br></div><div>Here's what I did yesterday that was intended to influence sleep:</div><div><ul><li>Drove without sunglasses, to and from work. I know that one is supposed to get bright sunlight outdoors without glass in the way, for at least 30 minutes, preferably early in the morning. I can't really do that with my schedule and the solar options available right now, so I opted to get as bright sunlight as I could on my commutes. Including the sunroof - not open, but without the shade on.<br></li><li>Took gelatin before bedtime, after dinner. It's supposed to help.<br></li><li>Wore shorts in the evening, to get my body temp down.<br></li><li>Took melatonin at bedtime.<br></li></ul></div><div>The last thing works reliably for me. It might be too high of a dose (5 mg), and if I can find 3 mg or less quick-dissolve ones next time, I will. But if I take it around 9, by 9:30 I'm drooling, and by 9:45 I'm usually comatose. That hasn't been the problem much. It's the 3 am wakening that kills me. These days, it's almost always from a hot flash (body temp rise), and sometimes I can go right back to sleep after it, and other times I can't. Last night, if it happened, I didn't know it. I do remember a leg cramp, that also didn't wake me much.</div><div><br></div><div>159.2 this morning. Right now, I'm a bit more focused on getting health and energy back than I am on weight loss, and once I feel 100%, we'll get back on working at the whole ketosis and low PUFA thing. I need to design something that isn't quite so cheese-based, though, because honestly, I'm getting super tired of cheese. Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>the usual supplements<br></li><li>scrambled eggs<br></li><li>bacon<br></li><li>3 pieces of cheddar<br></li><li>walnuts<br></li><li>3-tortilla cheese enchiladas with 505 mild sauce<br></li><li>peanuts/dried cranberries/dark chocolate chips (a sort of trail mix) - about 1/2 cup<br></li><li>lemon gelatin water<br></li></ul></div><div>Light on the veg yesterday, but not terribly mucky otherwise. I'd give it a 7.</div><div><br></div><div>Still no exercise. Hopefully this weekend. If the upswing continues, anyway.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-33802323171570032562016-02-18T07:10:00.001-08:002016-02-18T07:10:11.752-08:00Thursday<div dir="ltr">I feel like such crap.<br clear="all"><div><br></div>No, I'm not sick still - or again. I'm just so effing tired. And I can't get enough sleep, even being exhausted. Woke last night before midnight and again around 3. Dog-related in at least part - Charlie ended up on the bed with us, as he does periodically. So I also have a backache, which could be part of what I'm interpreting as exhaustion - for whatever reason, I always feel exhausted with a backache. <div><br></div><div>Anyway, plodding along. I'm sure much of the exhaustion is still hanging on after the cold. I'm really hoping that we can get ahead of things this weekend. Hoping, not counting on it. Sigh. Maybe reverting to every other night Benadryl would be a crutch that would help. I really don't know.</div><div><br></div><div>159.0 this morning. So much for weight loss from being sick. Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>the usual supplements<br></li><li>scrambled eggs with ham and cheese<br></li><li>walnuts<br></li><li>2 pieces of cheddar<br></li><li>an apple<br></li><li>bratwurst (2) with Dijon mustard<br></li><li>sauerkraut (live)<br></li><li>about 5 salted dark chocolate almonds<br></li><li>a handful of cashews</li></ul></div><div>That was it. That's pretty darn Paleo. It could be better, but really, not bad. PUFA from the nuts, obviously. Sugar in the apple and the almonds. </div><div><br></div><div>I think I'll keep the sauerkraut coming for a while - see if maybe I'm gut flora deficient after all this fun.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-34312642590994833462016-02-17T06:20:00.001-08:002016-02-17T06:20:58.212-08:00Wednesday<div dir="ltr">I am over this cold. I have not yet recovered from it. I'm extremely tired right now. Getting decent sleep, but not enough - whether not enough quantity, or not enough quality, I'm not sure, and maybe it doesn't matter. I just know I'm tired. <div><br></div><div>It will pass. Lee's much worse, because he had it 2 weeks longer and harder than I did. I guess I should be grateful that I made it through quickly and relatively lightly, and if I felt more energetic, maybe I would be. Not so much right now.</div><div><br></div><div>158.0 this morning; here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>the usual supplements<br></li><li>scrambled eggs<br></li><li>bacon<br></li><li>an apple<br></li><li>2 pieces of cheddar<br></li><li>a few walnuts<br></li><li>3 Taco Bell tacos supreme<br></li><li>about 10 salted dark chocolate almonds<br></li><li>lemon gelatin water<br></li></ul></div><div>I think that was it. The tacos were so tasty - unimaginably good, last night. Not something I'd do frequently, but in our somewhat trashed state, they hit every spot we could think of. Nice, really, because we were neither of us interested in eating much else.</div><div><br></div><div>Sleep was okay last night - a goodish amount of deep sleep, which is what I think I need for healing. And without Benadryl, even better. No exercise, obviously.</div><div><br></div><div>I'm still taking Mucinex, but have stopped the Sudafed again. I am mostly done with coughing, but want to keep things flowing until it's all gone.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-77292609216176608882016-02-16T06:32:00.001-08:002016-02-16T06:32:43.180-08:00Tuesday<div dir="ltr">The coughing is subsiding, thank goodness. I am feeling like I'm recovering - not recovered, mind you, and I'm a little nauseated (probably from swallowing a lot of stuff) and limp this morning. But I don't feel like I have the active cold that I did last week, and that's definitely an improvement.<div><br></div><div>Sleep last night was mixed. I felt like I slept well until around 2, and then I had a hard time sleeping for any length - I used old radio shows to get back to sleep, and they worked fine (within probably 5 minutes each), but sleep would last at most a little over the hour that they were playing, and I'd be back awake again. I didn't cough much at all - and I'm eternally grateful that I didn't have to have a cough drop - but I did wake up with a very dry and itchy throat. So, blecch.</div><div><br></div><div>158.8 this morning. Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>the usual supplements<br></li><li>scrambled eggs<br></li><li>bacon<br></li><li>2 pieces of cheddar<br></li><li>leftover chili from Saturday<br></li><li>mongolian bbq at Genghis Grill<br></li><li>a handful of cashews<br></li><li>a smallish praline<br></li><li>lemon gelatin water<br></li></ul></div><div>I think I had the nausea last night as well - I really didn't want anything to eat that was paleo; I wanted sugar. So I had the praline. Whatever.</div><div><br></div><div>Sleep last night was with the aid of gelatin/collagen and melatonin only. I'm really trying to get away from the Benadryl.</div><div><br></div><div>I may try my shoulder exercises again tonight. We shall see. Not doing very well at making them a routine. And I'd really like to get feeling well enough to walk again. I suspect we will have to start with very short walks - unless I stop being so limp, that is. This has been one nasty cold.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-4336727643307473012016-02-15T06:10:00.001-08:002016-02-15T06:10:16.444-08:00Monday<div dir="ltr">Two days of rest. As complete as we could make them. We had breakfast out yesterday, but stayed home the rest of the day. Saturday, I went for a few groceries, but otherwise stayed home. And apart from chasing Charlie around to prevent him from tracking mud all over the house last night (complete fail, by the way), I spent most of the weekend in a recliner or on the couch. Lee took a few naps. <div><br></div><div>Do we feel better? Yes. Are we fully well? Not quite - but on the mend, definitely. And my cold didn't turn into an infection of any sort. So far, anyway. I'm still a bit congested; my ears are stuffed up and my sinuses nasty. But nothing is green at the moment.</div><div><br></div><div>158.2 - my weight has been all over the map the past 2 weeks. So I'm good with that. I ate enough carbs with a gluten-free pizza Friday night to stop the leg cramps, and I had a few corn tortillas in the course of breakfast yesterday, along with a lot of cashews and cough drops (nasty things, those!), which has kept them from coming back.</div><div><br></div><div>I got decent sleep for the first time in about 2 weeks last night - without Benadryl. I've had to take a full dose a couple of times just to get to sleep at all, and even that was starting to fail. </div><div><br></div><div>No exercise, obviously. Saving that for when I'm over this mess completely.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6580261187167359128.post-45052126028594376572016-02-12T08:02:00.001-08:002016-02-12T08:02:54.247-08:00Friday<div dir="ltr">Got sleep last night. Per my wearable, over 5 hours of it deep sleep. It took 2 Benadryl to get it, but I got it. I feel more rested, and at the same time, wobbly and weak. Drained. This is one NASTY cold. <div><br></div><div>I think I was running a mild fever on the drive home yesterday - my eyes started burning, I was clobbered with a headache, and started freezing in the car - actually, I couldn't get temperature stable. Also nausea. Seriously lovely time. I made it home, crawled into sweats and under a blanket on the couch, where I pretty much stayed put. By the way, that's the bulk of my weekend plans.</div><div><br></div><div>Lee says he lost 9 pounds in the past week or so with this thing. Well, I'm having the same thing - down to 155.8 this morning. More leg cramps last night, despite eating pizza for dinner, with a carby but gluten-free crust.</div><div><br></div><div>Here's yesterday:</div><div><ul><li>tea with cream<br></li><li>the usual supplements<br></li><li>sausage patties<br></li><li>cheese (6 pieces of cheddar, I think)<br></li><li>half a gluten-free pizza with pepperoni, bell peppers, mushrooms<br></li><li>a Gatorade<br></li><li>a handful of cashews<br></li></ul></div><div>I think that was it. It's always hard to recall accurately, and worse when your mind is mushy from being sick.</div><div><br></div><div>I'm happy to report that I managed sauerkraut this morning for breakfast. It tasted pretty darn good, and I drank the juice as well. I don't imagine it will be a cure, but it did settle my stomach pretty well. </div><div><br></div><div>Anyway, if I can get through today's workday, I have a fighting chance of getting over this thing. I will certainly be fighting my hardest over the weekend.</div></div> KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03432152345084127345noreply@blogger.com0