Looking My Best

June 19, 2023 by GmasPhoto 6 Comments

Looking My Best

Hi, I took the plunge and joined Weight Watchers. For the past year I have tried cutting back on calories and walking. Not much success. A friend, Linda, returned to the program. She had fabulous results and then waivered from the program. It was during one of our virtual walks she had mentioned her return.

Saturday I went to my first meeting and signed up with Weight Watchers. With Linda doing the program and our virtual walking, I feel like I have the needed support and accountability to be successful. I do want to mention that I am not being compensated, endorsed for this post. I am merely explaining what I am trying to do to meet a few of my 101 in 1001 goals, #’s 66, 68 and 69.

Counting calories wasn’t working. One day using the tracking method with weight watchers I discovered is more convenient. The Weight Watchers app is very user friendly. The foods I thought I was eating that were ‘good’ was not. For example, I would eat yogurt with granola for breakfast (and still be hungry) for a calorie count of 300. On a 2000 calorie diet this isn’t bad. But that’s 8 points with Weight Watchers. My daily point count is 29. Even with tracking calories, the point method brings more light on weight loss. Most of what I was eating were high points. As long as I can stick with my daily points, I should see 1-2 pounds loss each week.

One thing I will need to do more of, drink water. I do not like the taste of water. Kind of funny, does water have a taste? 🙂
I do have a plan to conquer my dislike of water taste. flavor water

After my first Weight Watcher’s meeting, I did my grocery shopping. Kevin went with me and he did not complain about the time it was taking me to scan each item I placed into the cart. And I did, scan each item. Quite a few items I used to get, I had to choose an alternative. I expressed my concerns about the water with Kevin. We went to the water isle and it was here that Kevin pointed out the flavors. Some of the guys Kevin works with uses flavors in their water. I thought I’d give it a try. Water is 0 points and the flavor is 0 too! I selected the berry flavor this time.

One of my main concerns is how my diet for Crohn’s will work within my 29 daily points. I remember telling my doctor I could not be diabetic. All I can eat is potatoes, pasta and meat! I’ll give an update on what I discover for meals that work for me.

I’m embarrassed with my current weight. So I will not share. But, what I will share is my weight progress with you here. Another accountability measure to help keep me on track.

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra

Influenza or Salmonella

May 1, 2023 by GmasPhoto Leave a comment

Influenza or Salmonella

Influenza or salmonella Hi, I must confess something I allowed my adult children do as kids. Please keep in mind, my husband did not want to live in town and we have been living on our ‘farm’ for the past 30 years. Kevin has always had a garden, cattle and chicken.

After leaving work, I would pick the kids up from after school care. We would go home and I began cooking dinner. The kids would do their chores and then they would come in and want to have some of the hamburger or whatever I was preparing as a small snack. I would let them take a piece or two.

The kids were always wanting to have samples of the food I was cooking. This included desserts. Cookies and cakes were the main desserts. After mixing the batter and dough they were right there with their tongues sticking out ready to lick the spoon/bowl. Kevin said our home eggs were better than the store bought eggs but even still would tell me to not let the kids eat the batter/dough. Bad mom was I. Not only did I let them lick the spoon, I would too! A few years we made homemade ice cream using raw eggs. Never had issues. We transitioned to recipes that the eggs were cooked or did not require eggs.

Influenza or salmonella
This past weekend I was down right sick. It started Saturday morning. I had a brunch date with my friend at Perkins. I ordered from the senior menu! All was good until after we ate. My stomach was beginning to feel not right, a bit achy. I suggested we go to the second hand store. Getting up and walking made my stomach feel better.

I did not do my usual go to the library and getting groceries. Instead, I went on home. Once home I got the chills and I climbed into bed. It was downhill from there. It ended up lasting the whole rest of afternoon/evening throughout the night. Every two hours going to the bathroom to sit on the throne with the trash can between my knees. Sunday I stayed in bed all day resting and sleeping.

I was trying to think of the possibilities of where I could have caught the flu. I work from home, only leaving on the weekends to go to library and pick up groceries. My husband did not get sick. Then it dawned on me. When I baked the brownies I made for my neighbors, I did lick the spoon…..

I panicked. My Google search was on. Most people with Salmonella infection have diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. These were the symptoms I experienced.

Symptoms usually begin six hours to six days after infection and last four to seven days. I licked the spoon Friday evening. However, some people do not develop symptoms for several weeks after infection and others experience symptoms for several weeks. I am suspecting I had the influenza. My symptoms were the weekend only, thank goodness.

This grandma learned a hard lesson. I will not allow my grand girls to lick the spoon or bowl after making brownies, cakes or any dessert. Influenza or Salmonella, whatever I had, I will not chance it again!

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra

I Have Crohn’s Disease

April 17, 2023 by GmasPhoto Leave a comment

I have Crohn’s Disease.

Hi, this past week I was not feeling well. It affected my regular weekend activities. One of which is going to the library to write my weekly post. I was debating on what I would post this week. This week post will be about Crohn’s Disease. In a nutshell, it’s ulcer’s in the colon.

It was the summer between my junior and senior year of high school I was diagnosed. My first flare was the diagnoses itself. The second was just before my wedding. And the third was during the dark time of a close family member’s diagnosis. Crohn’s disease

Thursday evening is when I began feeling uncomfortable. Friday was the beginning of the worst. I knew I was constipated. Constipation and Crohn’s who would have thought the two would be associated! Friday night I did not get much sleep. I moved to the couch so I wouldn’t wake Kevin up each time I had an urge getting up to go to the restroom with no results. I did manage to have a couple trips that produced, TMI 🙂 And felt somewhat better by Saturday morning.

Kevin took me out to breakfast which I looked forward to. I never ate Friday and was rather hungry by Saturday morning. I had gotten up, took a shower, got dressed, put on make up. After we got home I felt uncomfortable. The exercise must have stirred things up! The grand girls were coming to the house to spend the day. Well I retreated to the bedroom to get as comfortable as I could. I resorted to taking stool softener.

Sunday evening I was finally feeling better and comfortable. I had to Google on how to prevent constipation Include plenty of high-fiber foods in your diet, including beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grain cereals and bran. Eat fewer foods with low amounts of fiber such as processed foods, and dairy and meat products. These are not on the diet for people with Crohn’s Disease!

What I can do is Drink plenty of fluids and stay as active as possible and try to get regular exercise. One of my 101 in 1001 goals is exercising more.

I look forward to aging. There was a time aging was not a certainty for me. So each day my feet touch the floor I praise to God. Getting older presents some new challenges and constipation is just one of these!!

Take Care. Best wishes, Debra

Life Balance

April 3, 2023 by GmasPhoto Leave a comment

Life Balance

Life balance using a chair Hi, today I would like to share my experience with balancing. It began right after my car wreck. While taking showers it has become necessary for me to hold on to the rail as I turn in the shower. I hold my head up rinsing the shampoo from my hair, facing the shower head. During the rinsing I turn around to have the back of my head facing the shower head. During the turn is when I need to hold onto the rail. If I do not, I loose my balance. Have you ever experienced this? The first time I have ever had this sensation was when I did a lemon drop with my eyes shut. To do a lemon drop stand flat foot, squat down, wrap your arms around your knees and simply lean over the end of the diving board dropping into the water head first. Creepy feeling!

Originally I thought it was the brain injury I suffered from the wreck that was causing issues with my balance. However as I was searching on the internet I discovered balance begins to decline as early as age 50.

Getting dressed is another instance I have noticed my balance is not as good. Standing on one leg while slipping the other into a pant leg is not so easy now. I found when I sit down to put on pants and shoes this works much better. A chair is now part of my dressing routine.

Any chair will do. I follow these steps when getting dressed:

And I do this in the order listed. Yep, the socks before my pants. The pant legs are not in the way while I am putting on socks. And for shoes, I have found the Sketchers Slip Ons a blessing!

My goal is to age gracefully. I will still go to the beauty salon for my low lights and wear my makeup. What I will not do is worry about my wrinkles. Wrinkles are my smile lines and I sure like to smile and laugh! I will have another post on what exercises I do to assist me with my balance and staying active.

The image above is a chair from the library. When I write my posts, I enjoy going to the public library. Even a picture of a chair can look ‘professional’ taken with your phone. Just need to take the shot!

Best wishes, Debra

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