The Journey

Welcome home. It's not possible to be overly diligent in New Orleans. A human impossibility. The fact that you lost any weight is a sign of your being one strong woman--one tough cookie.

Hoping the aspirin continues to work.

Thanks for reminding me that I have to make an appointment with the neurologist.

That is a huge undertaking. Aspirin therapy is much cheaper than Plavix. I hope the switch can be made safely. I am glad that you are keeping the specialist informed.

wow that's great news that you kept your weight, JPB!
I hope your health report will be equally successful once you've switched
medication. Yes, Aspirin is definitely cheaper and easier to obtain, it would
be great if this is all you need to take in the future. Keep it up!

Well look at you being a stubborn bugger.

Excellent news!

Thanks Boida, JW, and CJ!





He was less than enthusiastic about my Susie-granola approach to life after 55 but he's semi on-board with my plan. He kept saying, "You had a stroke!" as if I didn't realize the significance of that. He also thinks that it was more likely caused by a genetic coagulation disorder than cholesterol plaques but there's no way to know for sure. He wasn't convinced by my argument that both events occurred during weight loss and were most likely cholesterol related. It doesn't matter though, he's not going to encourage (or accept) someone with a history of a stroke not aggressively restricting their lipid counts via meds without very close monitoring (if ever). Standard of care requires him to promote lifelong bp, anticoagulant and statin therapies/monitoring in some form and would be "medical malpractice" (he must have said that a dozen times) for him to state otherwise. He did mention in passing that there are natural alternatives to statin drugs if and when I can demonstrate low enough numbers. He also said not to be surprised if my total cholesterol never gets much below 200 even on the statin as the body produces it's own cholesterol based on genetic predisposition rather than dietary intake. We'll see. It doesn't hurt to try.

Obviously, if the mri shows evidence of ongoing TIAs then all bets are off and I'll have to switch gears to focus on preventing a larger event.

In the meantime, I'm back doing my MBS/8mm/walk daily and I'm back in the therapy pool as needed. Ahhhhh.... bliss!

I added a serving each of fruit, cheese and wasa crackers to yesterday's intake. I had the fruit as a mid-afternoon snack and the cheese and crackers as a late night snack. Cheese and crunchy crackers are a big weakness for me so I had them around 8:30 and then hung my "Kitchen Closed" sign. So far, so good!

Just checking in to say "Atta girl!".
I wish I had even half your discipline.

Thanks, George. There was something about the approach of this plan - that it's based on real food alternatives to the liquid protein diets used in obesity clinics, that each component is to be considered as if written out on a prescription pad (he actually does that with his patients), and if you miss a "dose" you do what you do if you miss a life-saving medication which is double up next time or get back on schedule with the next dose, depending on the med. The diet is prescribed, the exercise is prescribed, the oat bran is prescribed, the water is prescribed and it works when thought of that way. Also, there's nothing more motivating than seeing Mr Scale going down every day! I've never been a pastry/sweets/bread eater - giving them up was easy. OTOH, I love meat, seafood, dairy and vegetables so I've never gotten bored with the food choices.

I just completed the first day of the third phase (last weekend in NOLA doesn't count). It's too soon to tell if this is a lifestyle I can keep going with for the long term, but I've got 5 months to figure it out. I'm pretty sure I can do it but the fall/winter months have historically been difficult for me. I think it may be a good thing that I'm not complacent headed into November and the holidays. Coming here every Sunday posting a weekly update is also helping to keep me focused.

I've pretty much covered this week but I'll wrap it up by saying that I've had another 1.0 lb loss since Friday for a total loss of 25 lbs on this plan and 32 lbs overall. My bmi is 23.1 and I'm 1 lb from seeing a 6 in the middle. I'm not trying to lose any more weight but I wouldn't argue with being in the 160s. The supposed ideal weight for someone my height and age is 168 (vs 160 when I was younger). We'll see where I settle out as the consolidation phase moves forward.

I've got another couples week's supply of Plavix and will finish it up before I transition to low-dose aspirin.

Thanks again, y'all! Your feedback and support really does help.

HOLA NOLA GIRL

oooooooooooh, so glad all was good in N'Awlins - and... you've lost more weight You are fabulous JPB! I'm glad all the figures are coming down - I do worry for you a little about the TIA thing and will be waiting for the scan results with you. <you'll feel me squeezing your hand>. I know it's not your aim, but you are inspirational to many of us - truly, your achievement in such a short time is fantastic. I know it's for you, about you - really tho, inspiring for us all.

Keep going girl and enjoy your achievements. We'll enjoy them with you, this is a great ride to be on

Love you always, J xxxx

That's the only effective way to deal with the Crescent City.

Yep, I admit that the concept of ongoing sub-clinical TIAs wasn't on my radar. Not that I wasn't aware of the possibility but the idea hadn't occurred to me. I agreed to the mri - it's the prudent thing to do - and I'll regroup re pharma if necessary. I still don't have an insurance card but I've been informed that I've been accepted into the state group plan. I'll have the scan scheduled as soon as I can so that I can stop thinking about it.

Thanku ((((( Iz )))))



Absolutely! It was a great getaway and apparently recharged my metabolism battery. I was starting to see a normal slow down on the rate of weight loss but my metabolism seems to have gotten a hefty boost from splurging and doing the 2 pp days. Sorta reminds me of the "Wendy Plan" that Weight Watchers advocated a few years back after someone named Wendy (duh) noticed that her rate of loss escalated after a holiday feast followed by a partial fast. I was originally satisfied with my 173 target but I saw a 6 fluttering in the middle this morning before resting on 170.0. My scale only reads out in 0.5 lb increments. I couldn't believe it. In fact, I thought I'd probably gain a bit yesterday after everything I ate. Nope! Down another 0.5+

I pulled down a tree yesterday!

We've had a dead pine tree in the front yard for ages. Mr B lassoed a rope around the top and I held it taut so it wouldn't fall towards the fence/road (or Mr B). He cut a wedge out of the front and a slit across the back and I tugged like the engine that could and pulled it down. And I completely avoided my head!!! Then we spent an hour or so picking up sticks/branches, which for me meant turn-bend-lift-turn-drop into the wheelbarrow over and over again. NO TWISTING!!! I'm sure I looked like a robot out there making 90 degree turns all over the place. No back problems, though, beyond the usual lower right stiffness.

Therapy pool day today. I ordered a new swimsuit on Saturday because my old was is too big. One more warm and sunny day before our next dose of cold and crappy weather moves in. I've got a walk planned with my neighbor later this afternoon.

I love this image.

Go you! You're doing great.

Thanks, soz! How's your workout effort going?

Super badly.

I kind of stopped posting here when you were hurt, and not posting seemed to have a deleterious effect on my own workouts.

So...

I'm going to try for Tuesday and Thursday this week.

Great! I love a plan!!!

How'd it go?

I've decided I need new shoes. I've put about 500 miles on these and they're getting kinda sloppy. My knees and back are happier when I'm in good shoes.

Five hundred miles? Where could you be if you were walking straight?

heh! I mapped out a walking trip to New Orleans on google maps. I got about half-way to the IL/KY border but then got bored with it. I should pull it back up. 500 miles would take me to Jackson, TN.

oh, well that's just plain spooooooooooky girl - I was just talking about walking 500 miles

<insert x-files music>


weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeird!

not you... weird just reading your post

(edit: oh, the convo is still going on, waves to Boida)

Hi JPB, Sorry to hear of your struggles. When we have met, I have always had the highest regard for your independence, energy, and friendship. I'm more than positive that you can overcome the struggles you face with the positive attitude you have always possessed. Here are some ideas on solutions that may have been suggested by others (I didn't read any of the post past your OP.)

You wrote:


As you probably already know, there are many options to reduce the need for medications - especially those you have listed. Many has to do with diet and exercise. The toughest part is dropping all forms of fatty foods, so it's a matter of moderation. I think a good way to stave off hunger is to drink more healthy liquids.

You wrote:


I lost almost 10 lbs when I was sick a couple of years ago, and have managed to keep the weight down to a healthy level. It helped that my wife have increased our diet to more veggies and fruits.

Since friends are waiting for us at a restaurant (early), I'll continue when I return.