Weekly Plan 8-29-16

185/177/135

And another pound up. Not sure how since I'm not eating a lot. Other than what I am eating is pasta and potatoes. I'm still on the journey to find an adhesive that will last more than a four or five hours (if I'm lucky) and not allow the bottom plate to pop loose as soon as I start chewing. I'm sure this will improve once the gums are done shrinking and I have the permanent set.

On the up side, I am eating a lot of fish. Tilapia is a healthy protein I can eat without my teeth. I am also eating oatmeal every morning, drinking almost nothing but water. Though yesterday, after my bottom plate had prevented me from enjoying more than my fish and mashed potatoes at Ruby Tuesday, I splurged on a small cola (mostly ice). Soda will eat away at the adhesive so I figured since the adhesive wasn't working anyway I may as well enjoy a soda. As soon as I got home and the groceries unloaded I cleaned the dentures and called it a day.

I've also drank only 1 small Starbucks bottle of coffee in three weeks, and no tea at all. They just don't have a taste. I'm guessing because some of our taste buds are in the roof of our mouth and that is blocked by the upper plate. 

We still do not have central AC in the house and won't have until Bob gets home Wednesday night. I just can't see paying for a service call (though Woolsey Heating and Air are very reasonable) if it's something Bob can fix - or at lElgin Heating and Cooling) and installing this system, I have confidence he can  at least determine what's going on.  In the mean time, I'm getting stuff done in the studio. Some of the organization is hindered by the fact the sofa bed is pulled out. That's where the cats and I sleep since this room does have it's own AC unit. 

So my plan for this week is to keep doing what I'm doing, hoping the heat will break soon and that Bob gets the AC fixed ( you know, just in time to not need it - however, the AC is also our central back-up heat for those early morning chills) so I can start exercising again. I am more than ready.

What's on your agenda for this week? I'd love to hear how you are mapping out your success.

Enjoy the Journey

Kelly

WEEKLY PLAN - 8/22/16

185/176/135

So, I'm up a pound this week. I'm not worried though. I've added a bit of food into my diet over the past week. Solid food. But I held off on exercising. 

The teeth are doing well. The gums are healing. Last week I got the soft-liner for my temporary dentures and was able to finally use adhesive to secure them in place. Without any adhesive, the plates could bob around whenever I worked my jar. Chewing was impossible.

Saturday, I used polygrip for the first time and went to my favorite Chinese buffet for lunch. Teriyaki chicken was too dense. The gums are still tender and while the plates stayed in place, they still rubbed when I chewed.  I was able to eat the thinner sliced pieces of chicken and beef in their respective broccoli dishes. I also ate shrimp and imitation crab from the Happy Family. I tried biting into a crab rangoon. The filling was super soft and warm... squirting everywhere. LOL

I have two weeks to toughen up the gums so that I can enjoy dinner out with Bob. Our 32nd wedding anniversary is on Wednesday. Bob is on the boat until the 30th so we won't be celebrating until he comes home. Two weeks and counting.

This week is all about learning to chew again and getting on the treadmill.

What's your plan for the week?

Whatever you have in mind, enjoy the journey!

WEEKLY PLAN - 8/15/16

WEEKLY PLAN - 8/15/16

185/175/135

Happy Monday!

I am at the 1.5 week mark with my new teeth. So far so good.

Aspen Dental is a fabulous team of professionals if you need work done. While that may vary from office to office, they do have a standard to uphold. The day I was in for the impressions, the regional manager was in checking things out.

I have not been in ANY pain. The first couple of days I took the pain meds on schedule in case things started to irritate too much as the swelling went down from the extractions. But I've not taken any since. Though I did take a sinus pill today. Steady rains are keeping the mold count up a bit high.

My biggest issue were the antibiotics. As they cleared out my system I was constantly nauseated. I spent a lot of time curled up in the recliner in front of the fan with an ice pack. Keeping cool seemed to help.

With the teeth out I have noticed too major health things and one oddity.  The psoriasis is completely gone. I have not itched once. I also have not been needing the Vicks to try and keep my nasal passages clear at night to sleep. Until you do something about your teeth, you do not realize the health issues they can create. Trust me... go see a dentist. Brush regularly. Get your teeth cleaned. If finances are an issue, most dental offices now offer finance plans to fit any budget. And there are low income programs as well. My big bear of a husband had his teeth cleaned the day I got my impressions. Because of pain issues the last time, he had not had his teeth cleaned in years. And I'm not sure if we were married. We've been together 32 years this month. If he can, anyone can.

The oddity is that I have an extreme sensitivity to smells. Pollution and exhaust fumes in Springfield the other day were really hard to handle. Who knew!

Okay.. I've not been eating a lot but I'm not starving either... but check out that number on the scales this week. 175! I've dropped ten pounds. Will be interesting to see how that works once I can chew food again. I'm not living on jello, pudding or meal supplements. Last night I had a large Tilapia filet and some Teriyaki Lo Mein. Granted the noodles were chopped up super fine but was good to actually fix a plate of food rather than a bowl of mashed potatoes. Oh yeah that's my other thing. I ate Garlic Mashed potatoes and Stout gravy from Applebees both days I was in town last week. 

My challenge has been that I'm not a big sweet eater until Christmas rolls around, then bring on the Christmas cookies :-D  I'm a savory, meat/ taters/ crunchy vegies kind of gal so this part has been tough. But cry me a river. Tonight I'm flaking up a couple of steamed lobster tails and having more of that Lo Mein. 

Due to the low calorie intake, I've not been walking for exercixe. So no tracking the steps for a few more weeks. 

My next appointment is a few days away. Until then, I'm trying to do little things around the house that don't tax the energy.

Whatever you choose to do this week...

Enjoy the journey!

WEEKLY PLAN- 8/8/16

185/178/135

This is it. The moment I've waited years for... new teeth. Teeth that work and allow me to enjoy foods. Though, I'm sure that 'enjoy' part will take some time. But I'll be headed in the right direction.

Wednesday morning, I'll leave early to arrive at Wilson's Creek Battlefield in time for the opening speeches. They have a new history museum I'm looking forward to visiting. But more importantly, I hope to stand where a young drummer boy named Eddie lost both of his legs. An injury which would lead to his death at the tender age of 12 or 13.

While enlistees were suppose to be eighteen, drummers could be brought in as young as sixteen. Young Edward was a special case, taken on by the request of his mother. Her husband had been killed during a skirmish in Tennessee and she had no means to care for him. Remember, they thought this war would be quick and somewhat painless. Though in her request to the commander she did ask that 'if her boy should live', would he see to her son's safe return.

This story of Eddie the Little Drummer Boy is an entry in CIVIL WAR in Song and Story 1860-1865, published in 1889.  You can find out more about Eddie on my Ozarks Journal blog, HERE.

Next week, I'll let you know how I'm doing with my pretty new teeth.. and how many pounds I've dropped over the course of the early stages of healing.

Enjoy the Journey! 

Weekly Recap

While this bowl of oatmeal looks quite tasty, my food options for the next few days will have a lot less texture.

I'm scheduling this to post as I'm pretty sure I'm not up to doing much of anything this morning except take more pain meds and crawl back into bed. I'm typing this on Monday, Aug. 1 because yesterday (Thursday) I had all of my teeth pulled and my temporary dentures put in. For the first time in my life I have straight teeth and a smile I want to share. Unfortunately, my food choices for the next several days are very limited. The first four days will be anything that does not require chewing - broth, jello, pudding, etc. I've discovered cup o noodle soup from Campbell for the Kuerig. The broth packet now comes in the form of a K-cup and the noodle packet (very small noodles) are in a cellophane packet. I know I'm going to be sore for several days. After about day four or five, I need to start chewing stuff that doesn't require a lot but does start the callousing process of the gums. Oh joy.

With this in mind, I look forward to stepping on the scale for the next couple of weeks.
So my weekend is Ibuprophen, pain pills and food items I do not have to chew. But I know the few days of discomfort (okay, probably pain) will be so worth it in the end.

Enjoy the Journey!

WEEKLY PLAN - 8/1/16

I love a new month. I feel as if I've been given a clean slate. While last month was not bad, I really need to do better if I'm to be down the weight I want to be by October 9th.

This week, I'm trying to eat as normal as possible. I've made my dental appointment for the dentures for next week. I'm taking a day to visit Wilson's Creek Civil War Battlefield. Aug. 10 will be the 155th anniversary of the first major battle of the Civil War. Did you know that at the time, they expected the war to last no more than six weeks! I'm not sure if they were delusional, optimistic or just unaware of the true test they faced.

So, my monthly focus is:
1) Get new teeth
2) Enjoy research at Wilson's Creek
3) Learn to adjust to new teeth
4) Drop 8 pounds (for the month)

What's on your plan? Whatever you choose, remember, to

Enjoy the Journey!

WEEKLY PLAN - 8/01/16

185/185/135

I anticipated the numbers going back up after being away from home for three days. Worse than trying to stay on track with how I eat, my struggle is more with when I eat. 

Back in the day (yes, I went there), people ate at specific times of the day. Breakfast was usually before 8 a.m. whether the kids needed to be out the door for school, in front of the television for Saturday morning cartoons or dressed for church, breakfast usually occurred about the same time every day. Dinner (as opposed to lunch) was at noon. To top of the day, supper was on the table when your man walked in the door a few minutes past five. 

Now, most people start their day out at about the same time or earlier but the food choices are, more often than not, not as healthy. If we're part of the working class, lunch is still somewhere between eleven and noon. Then the food plan goes down hill from there. Very few of us have a set dinner time where we sit down with the family to hear about each other's day. We are usually eating much later, the food choices not the best and much larger. 

Like so many other aspects of our life, if people went back to 'the good ole days', I think we would be a much healthier society.. and probably more happy with ourselves. 

I think this is why I am more successful with my weight loss when Bob is gone. I have a schedule and I eat smaller, healthier portions. While I do try to keep a schedule, my hardest challenge is getting involved in a project later in the day and forgetting to eat that middle-of the-day 'dinner'.  But I am getting better.

For the next week, think about how you eat, when you eat, and what you are eating. Are there changes you could be making to your journey more successful?

Enjoy the journey!