Friday, March 8, 2013

A Step in the Right Direction!

Happy Friday everyone! Snowy, windy and cold here. Won't this winter come to an end soon please??The weekend forecast calls for some warming up and it should be close to 60 on Monday.  That's the day I'm having my knee arthroscopy.

I have been having trouble since I did those boot camp classes in November.  My knee has had fluid drained from it, but it remained swollen, tender and caused me to walk with a straight leg limp most of the time. The Dr. finally ordered an MRI and it shows that I have a completely torn medial ( near the inside of your knee) meniscus. We only get two meniscus when we come into this world. They are little rubbery, crescent shaped cushions of cartilage that protect your thigh bone and your shin bone from rubbng against each other. Mine is a complete tear and it's not repairable. So Monday they are going to go in and clean it up, take out what they need to and hopefully I'll be able to walk normal again. My cartilage is gone and he tells me it's bone on bone in the inner part of my knee, so I'm sure somewhere down the line, hopefully not for awhile, I'll be looking at a knee replacement.


I have been trying to be very diligent with my recording of what goes into my mouth these last two weeks. That's an area that I have  never been too good at. I am using myfitnesspal.com and I'm kind of getting addicted to it. Once you get the hang out of, I think you will really like it, so try it if you haven't already. The app for the iphone is great, because there is a bar code scanner. You can scan the bar codes off whatever you eat, and it automatically adds it to your food diary. I am being really careful with my carb and sugar counts and staying with in the 15 sugar/6 carb serving guidelines. I am not sticking to an exact number of calories, but starting at 1200 and usually going over to about 1500. For me personally I can overdo the low s/c food items ( cheeses, nuts, fats) and I need to watch how quickly they add up. It's easy to see that on myfitnesspal and it's a good way to add or subtract food items before I eat them to see where I'll end up. It's working and those pounds I gained since our Italian vacation and Chrismas are starting to come off.

This week I rediscovered a refreshing beverage that I had forgotten about. It's called Steaz zero calorie sparkling green tea. It is sweetened with Erythritol and Stevia. It has zero calories and zero carbs and is very refreshing.













Also I rediscovered the Smart & Delicious Tortillas. I haven't bought them in awhile and I made a delicious fajita on a warm tortilla filled with grilled chicken, cheese, avocado, sour cream and salsa. the s/c value on these tortillas is 1/1.



















I also used one to make a white "pizza." I spread some ricotta on the tortilla, and topped it with some spinach, grilled chicken and mozzarella cheese. A few minutes in the oven and it was hot and bubbly.
 
 
One last thing, my daughter-in-law just sent me a short wedding highlight video. The whole thing is finally done and I can't wait to see it. Here's the link if any of you want to see it.
 
 

 Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'll check in next week after my visit to the OR!! XO
 
Thought for the day....actually seven of them:
 

Seven Ways to Have a Good Day

 1.    Talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

2.    Look at the sunny side of everything.

3.    Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best.

4.    Be as enthusiastic about success of others as you are about your own.

5.    Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

6.    Give everyone a smile.

7.    Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others

 




13 comments:

  1. Wow I have never seen a video like that before. Very beautiful, made me cry and I wasn't even there.
    Good luck with your knee thing and I hope you will be joggin in no time.
    Love all the food and I really love all the 7 ways.
    I'll be thinking of you next week :-)

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    1. Glad you liked the video. It was a special day.

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  2. Hopefully you'll be good as new after next week!

    We've had a mild winter here but when it has snowed, I've been ready for it to melt quickly! We did have sun and blue skies yesterday and today so that helps perk up the attitude a bit.

    I like it when you, Rosalie, Kay and others posts quotes/thoughts!

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    1. Thanks Dana. I love quotes and motivational thoughts too!!

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  3. I am glad you are getting your knee fixed. I know it's hard to admit that you need intervention sometimes, isn't it? Great job keeping track of your foods - it does get a little addicting to put your food into the tracker, a little bit. I notice that if I don't do it I can really overeat, though, just like you I like my cheese and nuts and such. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Thanks Dawn. I am really going to keep at the tracking, even when I have something shouldn't, I'm putting it in there. Have stayed away from the nuts and cut back on cheese lately. I love them both alittle too much!

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  4. Pattie, you are doing so good with your foods and tracking!! It's just like in the beginning! It's funny because I just bought one of those Steaz ice teas at the grocery store to try. It's sitting in my fridge. Your picture sure makes it look good! I've been trying to track my foods too and I'm also giving up Dairy for awhile to see if that's what is stalling me. I got the step exercise dvd out the other day and made it thru the first routine. My puppy went crazy wondering what in the world I was doing.
    -Good luck on your procedure on Monday. A shiver went up my spine just hearing the words "bone on bone". I'm sure everything will go well and you will feel much better once it's all over and done! I'm going to go watch the wedding video now!

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    1. Thank you Beth. I know my knee will feel better after my 'clean out." I hope something finally starts to work for you. Are you done with Maria now, or still continuing on with her?

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  5. I am so glad you are getting your knee fixed, here's advice from a friend: It will feel so good that you may tend to overdo a bit, DON'T!!! It may still be kind of numbed and it isn't ready yet:)
    Great job on tracking, I believe it really does help a lot. I have been very lax lately, but I basically eat the same things over and over so I have an idea.
    I am so ready for Spring here too. At bunko the other night my friend had a porch full of impatiens and it looked so pretty, and Springy...I have a feeling they are all frozen:(
    I will say a prayer for you for a successful surgery and recovery! Lots of hugs being sent:) I tried to watch the video but I don't have the right flash player so I have to figure it out. Isn't it wonderful to see your children happily married?
    Blessings:)

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    1. Thank you Kay! I will take it easy after. I have to get this knee better.

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  6. Good Luck with your knee surgery on Monday. I hope it works and takes the pain away. Also, great job on writing down what you put in your mouth. That's something I should be doing more of, as I know I haven't been recording my wine intake :) If it makes you feel better, it's been cold and rainy here in Calif. and it should warm up next week, too. HELLO SPRING! :)
    Carey

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    1. Thanks Carey. It's warm and sunny here today and supposed to be that way through Tuesday. C'mon spring!!!

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  7. Hi Pattie, I know you were checking in on me (which I really appreciate :) ). I haven't been posting lately as I've been struggling with some serious anxiety/insomnia. I wonder if my very low carb woe contributed to it (but we'll never know). I'm following Paul Jaminet's Perfect Health Diet (http://perfecthealthdiet.com/) now which is pretty much paleo with some added "safe" starch (white rice, potato and fruit). I spoke with Paul on line re: my symptoms and he said they can be caused by very low carb (women especially are sensitive). My condition is starting to improve - albeit very slowly. It's been a very rough time. I am really enjoying my new eating freedom and have actually continued to lose weight. Funny since Paul told me that many who stall on their low carb woe will actually start losing again when they add back carbs. I’m not focused on my weight at the moment just trying to get better. I sure hope to post about it when I’m back on track. The doctor had directed me to stay off the internet until I was better (I’m cheating a little even checking in on everyone from time to time). With my current sitation I am desperate for spring here too. I need more happy hormones swimming in my brain :)

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