Going Along

Did the stupid return on the Title again and it posted before I was finished writing, let alone finished editing. So sorry for the double post -- again.

Hi,

At this moment in time, the pain is gone and I am thankful. But my hands seem a tad swollen and a little stiff. I am not exactly sure whether it is the chlorine in the water or the beef that I've eaten over the last few days. I make sure to get organic beef (no pesticides, no hormones) and I've even found a little grass fed which is so much better for a human body. It seems the pain strikes most after the water exercise, though, so I'm still not exactly sure what to think or how to correct.

This morning when I got up I was having a lot of pain in the low back (and I secretly decided that if my physical therapy causes this much pain so often, maybe I need to stop doing that...). The therapist is trying to build core muscle, so keeps increasing the reps or positions to get to the point of fatigue. She points out that irritation is not fatigue, though, and cautions me to notice irritation so the exercises can be modified. I pay attention, I do them carefully, and still I get a lot of pain the next morning. Last Tuesday was the worst after PT on Monday. This morning was worse than usual, but not as bad as Tuesday.

Since the pain has subsided, I'm thinking maybe my "not doing this" decision was premature. I've decided to make sure I have a day of rest in between bouts of exercise so I shall play around in the pool tomorrow, but not today. I have just remembered that I know how to deal with this pain with another kind of exercise, which I think I might try on the days in between the pool. It consists of 10 minutes on the Airofit and some low back stretches that my doctor gave me, plus some crunches with my Gold's Gym apparatus that helps me do them without straining my neck. I've done them religiously in the past and they help to remove the pain for a while. I just don't know why I keep stopping doing them when the pain goes away. It is like I get lulled into a sense of, "OK, the pain is gone, I can stop now" -- but it is the continuing that keeps the pain away. I'm pretty tired on the in between days, so I'm not sure I'm quite able to do that, but will think about it -- maybe test it and see how it goes.

As to the eating program: I've got my salad made this morning but have not eaten yet. On this program, you only have to eat if you are actually hungry. My blood sugar was high this morning (127) so I think the reward meal I chose last night was not good. I knew it was not the best when I did it, but decided to test it out. It failed the test. I had gotten a grilled chicken salad and a turkey, ranch, and bacon, sandwich at Arby's. I needed the salad but could have done without the so-called grilled chicken (which I chose instead of the breaded chicken). When I opened it up at home it turned out to be deli-type sliced chicken and not grilled chicken at all -- but I was too tired and hungry to fuss, so I just ate it. That was the reason I had gone that route -- I was too tired to fix something at home. I'm thinking that with the salad and sandwich I just did not have enough salad greens and vegetables. It was also overboard on the protein, and it seemed there was too much bread, too. The blood sugar number this morning is the final confirmation that I should not do that one again -- and I am back up to 338 this morning.

I had run out of salad last night before going to church but did not have time to make the new salad -- which went against my plan. The plan is: when the salad bowl is emptied, make a new one. I did not make the new one, because I just did not have time. Then later, on the way home, tired after a day of PT and then church and the two-hour drive I wanted something fast and easy. It sure seemed fast and easy to go to Arbys. Hardees was closed or I would have gotten a low carb burger there and a salad at Wendy's. Arby's and Hardees are right next to each other, about a block from my house on the highway. (I live inside an RV/mobile home park.) So it seemed logical to go to Arby's. I like their market fresh sandwiches. I chose the one I did because it has more lettuce and tomato, though not much. Anyway. Now I know better. Trying to do the reward meal without strictly following the guide lines is what got me off track so many years ago. I don't want to continue the pattern, so must be careful to always have what I need at home -- especially the bowl full of fresh salad.

I'm liking the combination of scrambled eggs and salad. It seems faster than peeling boiled eggs, and has more flavor, too. I just scramble the eggs, and pile them on top of my salad. The taste is amazingly good, to me. I always sprinkle the eggs and salad with what Julianna calls my "Everything" spice. It is my home made curry powder that I've written about before. I was also running out of that, so I made a new batch this morning. No more being caught without what I need to stay on the program. That does not work. I also need to go and get some new salad greens today. The ones I have are either gone or just a touch old, so new ones will freshen up the larder and the program.

I am still waiting for my Shiritake noodles to arrive. The Fedex delivery says they will arrive on Saturday and I am looking forward to trying them. I'm planning to use them for reward meals. I think they will be better for me than bread (especially) and I don't want to get used to eating too many high carb items. Although the night before last, I did a legal reward meal that included fried potatoes flavored with onion and mushrooms, which I could not even remember making for at least ten or fifteen years. I used to make them at home when I was growing up. It was a family staple. And I really enjoyed them on my legal reward meal. My blood sugars after the meal were normal at 130, but in the morning everything had dropped back to about 111. I was completely surprised and pleased to find out that if I do the reward meal the way it is supposed to be done, I get good blood sugars, while eating one high carb item.

I'm thinking that the Arby's meal may have also had MSG or other hidden sugars for my blood sugar to stay elevated through the night, like that. It is back to the real salads for me.

Don't really have much else on my mind.

Hope all is well with you.

God bless.

Be back soon,

Marcia