yduj57's Journal

yduj57's Profile | Weight History

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09 April 2015

Went to the cardiologist's office today, and met with the nurse practioner. Told my results were "exemplary"!! She said I have no need to take a statin. My LDL went down from 160 in the fall to 128 this month, and my HDL is now at 82! Triglycerides are still great! CRP was 0.9. Lower risk than the average person. First time in years a medical practitioner didn't tell me I need to be on a statin! Diet is definitely the best medicine. Too bad most doctors don't feel it is worth pursuing this, or recommend diets that can make things worse!

Deep gratitude that I have found a path to better health. I have been eating this way for nearly 3 years now, and my health has steadily and continually improved. Weight...not so much! But I have not given up. Continuing to explore means of healing and getting better.

(10 comments)

09 April 2015

Weight:	Lost so far:	Still to go:	Diet followed:
125.2 kg	1.8 kg	34.5 kg	Reasonably Well

(2 comments) Losing 0.1 kg a Week

08 April 2015

Winter, is at long last coming to a slow and painful death. We still have snow on the ground in several areas of the yard. We ended up with about 110 inches for the season. It was piled over 6' high at the ends of the driveway from the snow we were shoveling.

Between the snow, and our efforts to fix up the house to sell it this spring, I have had no time for recording food. But my weight has been stable. Not up, nor down. Not good, not bad. Just is.

Had to post about my recent visit to the cardiologist. Had to check in because I have been diagnosed with a.fib. Seldom bothers me anymore, but they like to keep an eye on things. He was not happy with my bloodwork from the fall. My HDL and triglycerides rocked, if I don't say so myself, but the LDL was about 170. Now I have read a ton of information and I am not sure that it is a classic issue of a cholesterol problem. So when he handed me the report, in an accusatory way, I nodded and said, "Yeah, you like the HDL and triglyceride levels, and how low my risk score is?" Distract, right? He wanted me on statins. I refuse to take them for a long list of reasons, not least of which is prior bad experiences. Top that with the bad science, and no, I don't think it serves me.

He was not happy. I was not being a nice compliant patient taking the meds as prescribed. I told him we don't have enough information. I suspected it could be related to my thyroid. And we have no idea about the particle size profile. He was having none of it. Even as I offered supporting evidence. So he agreed to do some blood work, and get a calcium scan done. This is a much better indicator of risk of a cardiovascular event. Lower is better. Zero is best. It is basically a CT scan that measures how much calcium is deposited in your arteries as plaque.

Got the results today on the scan. Zero! Did a happy dance. Was pretty sure I was going to be okay based on how I have been eating for the last several years, and all the reading I have done. Nice to have it confirmed. Tomorrow I go and meet with the N.P. and get the rest of the results. Guess he wasn't up for another meeting with someone who is challenging him. :-)

Still would like to know about particle size distribution. But that will have to wait.

(5 comments)

26 January 2015

Snowmageddon is coming!!

Given the 24/7 news coverage it does seem more appocolyptical than it probably is. It definitely is a big hairy storm, but it is not the end of the world as we know it! Although, I actually did buy a roof rake for the first time ever. We are forecasted to get between 2 and 3 feet. The best thing about the storm is that the news coverage has shifted from Deflate-gate!

Had a wonderful veggie mash tonight. It was a mix of cauliflower, parsnips and carrots. Another Nom Nom Paleo recipe. Made enough for at least 2 or 3 meals. Reheats great! Had it with a modified chili recipe I made the other day. Stew beef cooked in the pressure cooker, with butternut squash, some tomato paste and broth, onions and garlic of course, and a bit of bacon. Ran out of chili powder, so I use an Ethiopian spice blend and it was delicious. Very hot! The sweetness of the veggie puree was perfect with it.

Went to the grocery store today to stock up since I never got there this weekend. We had a snowstorm on Saturday, and I knew the stores would be crazy yesterday with the forecast of a blizzard Tuesday. The cashier at Trader Joe's said that it was a record day for them yesterday! Crazy. Then I had to go to Stop n Shop later to pick up yogurt for DH. It was interesting to notice what people stock up on for a storm. Seems carbs and cheese were big! Mac and cheese, Cheez-its, white bread...Yikes! Would be interesting to do an actual survey of purchases people make before big storm events. How much is rational, and how much is comfort driven? As a former marketing analyst, I would love to see the data of purchases on these pre-storm days versus regular old days.

What did I buy for comfort...chocolate of course! Will keep just fine even if we lose power. :)

(11 comments)

18 January 2015

Went out to dinner last night. My husband has really been enjoying my cooking lately, and the other night, he said he would take me out to eat; so I got a break, and so he could make his point that my food was better than what we could get eating out. So we went to a very high end restaurant nearby. I had pumpkin soup, lamb, and root vegetables with roasted brussel sprouts. The lamb was a combination of roasted and braised. The braised lamb was shredded and a layer of it was in the bottom of a tiny little cast iron pan, topped with a layer of the root vegetables, then the roasted brussel sprouts, and topped with duchess potatoes. Didn't care for the potato, but I could have eaten about five of those. It was great. The roasted lamb was good too, but the flavors and richness of the braised lamb with the veggies was amazing. My DH ordered their fresh made mustard pasta with oyster mushrooms, beef and arugula, and had some kind of fish fritters (tuna?) with blood oranges and pickled snapes for his appetizer. He was disappointed in his meal and claimed this proved how much better my cooking was. I think it was just making a so-so choice from the menu! I guess he missed having pasta at home. ;-)
Meanwhile, my daughter went out to dinner with her new fiancee, Sam. She had gotten a gift certificate at Christmas from her boss to a very nice restaurant. Sam ordered smoked pulled pork with pineapple salsa. She was excited about it because of a dish I made for our extended family holiday get together. It was nomnompaleo.com's Kahlua pulled pork, with her mango and avocado salsa. She took one bite of the dish from the restaurant and said, "Your Mom's cooking is better."
I am a decent cook, but I think I have learned a few things. Use good ingredients to make good food. And I have found a few good sources for recipes. Nom Nom Paleo is my go to site when I am puzzling over what to make for dinner. Her recipes are clear. If she calls for an unusual ingredient, she will explain why she is calling for it, and an appropriate substitute if possible. The more I cook, the more I start making up my own recipes. Starting to get a repetoire of techniques, and a good sense of what flavors combine well.
I am still on a learning curve with my pressure cooker, but my go to site for info is hippressurecooking.com . Her instructions are clear, and her recipes are decent.
I have become a fussier eater. I don't think of it as being a food snob...more of a health snob. When I look at a package of junk food, I immediately connect it with things that will destroy my health. Inflammatory oils, or gluten, or sugar in it's many forms, or the trifecta of all of the above! Whole foods, (not the store mind you), are where it is at. The fewer the ingredients, the more local the origins, the better it is likely to be for your general well being, and the better it will probably taste as well! I am not a purist about this. For instance, mangoes are not grown here in New England, but I am buying them for my daughter right now, and eat a bit of them myself because they are in season. How do I know? Because they are piled high in the store, and the price is good! Squash is great this time of year. It keeps well. Same for brussel sprouts, cabbage and sweet potatoes. By adjusting what we eat to what is in season, it is less likely that I will get bored with what we are eating.
So, I am a health snob, how about you? What are you a snob about?

(7 comments)

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