A Better View 🌄

Fortune_Smiles

LadyWithAPlan said:

Loving these so much  - so cute - and they are an inspiration for me to get sewing .... Your meadow /buglife sounds great I will mention it to my sister...

On the willpower /cakes  eternal dilemma etc I had a lovely slim  relative die last year due to a diabetic amputation left too long - at 56 yrs of age - so  such a shock - this is why now I have added dark greens - a huge plate every day  to my food - it has had the nice side effect of filling me up and making my blood sugar level more stable... I like kale but also add broccoli, spinach etc as much as possible - I now have gone from haribo excess in 2023  to craving kale so worth just adding in extra greens  even before or whilst also reducing some things.

You crave less 'rubbish' when your blood sugar is stable which kale helps with healing the liver  - at least that has happened to me and I have just googled and the science agrees with me

'Kale is known as a “superfood” because it is packed with substances that can help lower blood sugar levels such as fiber and flavonoids antioxidants. A study including 42 Japanese adults showed that eating 7 to 14 grams of kale-containing foods matched with a high carb meal can lower post-meal blood sugar spikes'

Absolutely agree with you on the greens LaPlan.  When I'm eating healthily I rarely feel hungry.  We are largely vegetarian with a little fish and meat every now and then.  I suspect we have too much dairy and I do binge on chocolate and cake from time to time (probably more than I realise 🙄).  I have an underactive thyroid and, after menopause, have to work harder to keep the weight off.  Some injuries/illnesses last year have resulted in my weight creeping up and that seems to be the primary cause of my current issues.  I'm only a little into the overweight category.  I'm short but an average dress size and, if you saw me, you probably wouldn't consider me overweight.  However, I suspect I'm one of these people who carries a lot of weight internally and that, of course, is the worst kind of fat.

Anyway, it is within my power to fix this and I'll just keep reminding myself that the temporary pleausre of a slice of cake or bar of chocolate is just not worth the cost to my health.

Fortune x

save_dog

I love your commitment to your health @Fortune_Smiles! It’s so easy to let it slide to the bottom of the to do list isn’t it - but you’ve inspired me to do a quick workout today and @Cheery_Daff you’ve inspired me to consistently get greens into my diet!

Fortune_Smiles

save_dog said:

I love your commitment to your health @Fortune_Smiles! It’s so easy to let it slide to the bottom of the to do list isn’t it - but you’ve inspired me to do a quick workout today and @Cheery_Daff you’ve inspired me to consistently get greens into my diet!

Ah well SD - I've been saying I'll make my health a priority for years and then letting other things take precedence.  I really want to step up this time though.  It's lovely that we can all encourage and inspire each other.

Fortune x

badmemory

I find the underactive thyroid thing frankly a pain.  The moment I stop concentrating on my weight I put pounds on.  I have found I need to consume well under 1000 calories a day & that is doing 10k steps.  When mine first went I put on 4 stone in under 3 months.  To lose it I cut down to 400 a day except on fridays at 600.  It still took me 18 months.  When I felt hungry I just did another exercise tape.  I'm out for lunch on Tuesday then it is back on the half portion evening meal only.  It is a good job there aren't too many calories in coffee.

Fortune_Smiles

badmemory said:

I find the underactive thyroid thing frankly a pain.  The moment I stop concentrating on my weight I put pounds on.  I have found I need to consume well under 1000 calories a day & that is doing 10k steps.  When mine first went I put on 4 stone in under 3 months.  To lose it I cut down to 400 a day except on fridays at 600.  It still took me 18 months.  When I felt hungry I just did another exercise tape.  I'm out for lunch on Tuesday then it is back on the half portion evening meal only.  It is a good job there aren't too many calories in coffee.

Yes, it does make things very challenging BM.  I really admire your discipline.  I will channel you on the tough days 😁

Fortune x

badmemory

I just wish I could lose it as fast as I put it on.  I always bear in mind that there are ages when your thyroid changes.  Did you know that in the past many people were diagnosed with dementia when they actually had an underactive thyroid problem.  My father had overactive treatment in his 50s but in his 70s needed thyroxine.  He got angina from the overactive because he was in denial & wouldn't see the doctor.  Resting heart rate 120.  The interesting thing about his treatment was that most of the other men had landed up there because they had been violent caused by their thyroid.  Can you tell I have found it a fascinating subject.  Also did you know that in the USA they prescribe higher doses than we do.

badmemory

There is an Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes short story about it too based in Spain if I remember rightly, so it is nothing new.

Fortune_Smiles

badmemory said:

I just wish I could lose it as fast as I put it on.  I always bear in mind that there are ages when your thyroid changes.  Did you know that in the past many people were diagnosed with dementia when they actually had an underactive thyroid problem.  My father had overactive treatment in his 50s but in his 70s needed thyroxine.  He got angina from the overactive because he was in denial & wouldn't see the doctor.  Resting heart rate 120.  The interesting thing about his treatment was that most of the other men had landed up there because they had been violent caused by their thyroid.  Can you tell I have found it a fascinating subject.  Also did you know that in the USA they prescribe higher doses than we do.

badmemory said:

There is an Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes short story about it too based in Spain if I remember rightly, so it is nothing new.

That's so interesting BM.  And explains a lot 😂

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Progress

The scales tell me I've lost 3.5lbs this week 🥳  My official weigh in day is tomorrow but I couldn't resist a peep.  It's first week loss though so I suspect mainly water.  However, I've almost stopped suffering from acid reflux and feel a little more energetic.  My blood pressure is also coming down 🥳  It's frustrating to think that I'd only be four weeks off my target weight if I'd carried on last time 🙄  Which makes me all the more determined this time.

Breakfast yesterday was Mushroom, Goat's Cheese & Thyme Omelette.  We had leftover soup for lunch with buttered sour dough.  Supper was Braised Sausages with Beans & Greens, potato and carrot mash and purple sprouting broccoli.  This morning we had avocado on rye bread.  There are sausages left from last night for lunch and we'll probably have Carrot, Ginger & Turmeric Soup for supper.  I'll make some wholemeal bread in the breadmaker this morning so we can have fresh bread with it.  Due to some judicious portion control everything has/will come in within my calorie and saturated fat goals.

Mr F had a lot of rugby watching to do yesterday so I got on with some admin.  I packaged up the rag rabbits to post plus boxed up some books for a book buying site.  Other books the site didn't want have been put aside to donate to our little local castle book shop.  I also got a bag together for the charity shop and sent an email to Window Man with the signed sales agreement.  One of the Younger Fortunates has a special birthday next week so I ordered a gift for them.

I managed to get an hour in the garden yesterday morning and did some weeding in our little cottage garden area.  There is some Common Bistort growing there which has got quite large so I pulled some out and replanted it in the verges of the lower meadow where it's quite wet.  It's another edible plant so I might try to make Dock Pudding with it.

Our town council is giving away trees again.  Mr F popped in to pick some up and we've planted them in the lower meadow hedgerow.  Just got them in before the rain came down.  We've planted a total of 65 trees now in the orchard and hedgerows.  But we've still got room for more.  I'm in town on Wednesday, which is the next giveaway day, so will see if I can nab some more then.

Right, better get the bread on.

Fortune x

SandyShores

Well done on the steady weight loss Fortune, I seem to start off okay and then get distracted.  The health benefit is key for me too (but its also nice to fit into those summer clothes - when it arrives) so I need to get more focussed.