Saturday, March 2, 2013

Hear Me Roar!!!

Happy March Everyone. I don't know about where you are, but it's still blustery and cold here. I was hoping for an early spring, but it's not looking promising so far.  March has come in like a lion.


So right now I am dealing with a complete tear of my meniscus in my knee. This is getting me down, because I  don't want to have an arthroscopy to get it cleaned out, but I'm not really walking well either. This has been going on since December and my activity level has plummeted. I haven't been able to walk my dogs, and I hobble around everywhere with a stiff, swollen joint. The MRI said I have alot of degeneration in my knee, total cartilage loss in some areas, and osteoarthritis.  Here's something that I just found out and I'm a nurse!! Osteoarthritis has many causes, but obesity/being over normal weight is one of them. 

I found this info from the John Hopkins web site:


Being only 10 pounds overweight increases the force on the knee by 30-60 pounds with each step.


Overweight women have nearly 4 times the risk of knee OA; for overweight men the risk is 5 times greater.
WOW!! I could have prevented this from happening over the years if I had been at an ideal body weight. As we get older, all this stuff that we may have known and stored somewhere in the back of our minds, all of the sudden comes crashing into reality.
Losing weight isn't about just looking good in our jeans. It's about giving our heart a break from pumping through miles of extra blood vessels, giving our pancreas a break from constantly releasing so much insulin, and giving our joints a break from carrying so much weight. 
There are enough things beyond our control that can hurt our bodies, but it's a hard pill to swallow when we cause our own problems or we could have prevented them. So with renewed focus and determination to get to my ideal body weight, I recommitted myself to doing the right things in this new month of March.
 I believe in the core principles of the BFC, but you have to do what works in your life. For me,  keeping the sugars low and the carbs complex and limited, significantly lowers my cravings and keeps my appetite in balance. Whenever I have a binge or uncontrolled eating of something, I can usually trace it back to something I ate that I shouldn't have the day before. I REALLY believe that sugar is the real enemy is our society and the cause of many health problems.
I am keeping my sugars at 15 gms a day.
 I am keeping my carbs to whole grain and limiting them to no more then 120 gms a day/and no more than 2 servings a meal.
 If you are following the BFC the guidelines are:
15 gms sugar/ 6 carb servings a day
No more that 5 gms a sugar a meal and 2 carb ( 40gms) servings a meal
A carb serving is calculated like this:
5 - 20 gms   = 1 carb serving
21- 40 gms = 2 carb servings 
If you are eating a meal, add up all your carb grams for the whole meal and that is your total.
Here's a great recipe that I found on a  blog. It was very good and if you cut it into 8 slices, it has a carb count of 7gms and a sugar count of 2 gms.  So the s/c value is 2/1

Vegetable Quiche with Gluten Free Almond Flour Crust:

1 onion
3 tbsp butter
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
5 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk ( I used unsweetened almond milk)
3/4 cup shredded cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Crust:
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter  ( I think this can be cut down a bit if you want)
5 tbsp whole milk ( I used unsweetened almond milk)

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°. Mix together the crust ingredients. The crust dough wont be pliable like a pie crust dough. This style of crust is more of a crumbly pressed crust. Take dough and press firmly into a pie dish. Stick a fork in the crust in various places so it doesn’t puff up.
2. Heat crust in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. Then remove from oven and set aside.
3. In a skillet heat butter then add the chopped onions and garlic. Add rosemary and oregano. Cook until onions are almost but not completely clear then add spinach and cook until slightly wilted.
4. In a bowl whisk eggs, milk and shredded cheese. Add salt and pepper and sundried tomatoes and mix.
5. Add the onion and vegetables into the egg mixture then pour over pie crust and put it in the oven.
6. Let cook for 30-45 minutes at 375° until the egg mixture is set. You can sprinkle some extra cheese on top. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend, and be kind to yourself!! XO

Thought for the day:  Love is the great miracle cure. Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives.
- Louise L. Hay




10 comments:

  1. Sorry about the weird formating. I have no idea why some parts of this post has a white background!

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  2. Boy you are so right, I feel so much healthier now that I lost all that weight then I did before. I never realized what I was doing to my body before. I have seen a few posts for quiche and yours looks amazing. I hope it warms up for you. Have a great rest of the weekend. :-)

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  3. Oh gosh, the knee issue sounds painful. Is surgery the only way to get relief?

    I'm always intrigued by what nurses have to say about eating plans. I used to work in a hospital (in technology). At that time Atkins was going strong. One nurse in the building swore by Atkins and a nurse I worked with swore by a low fat diet. Both were very successful in weight loss and each plan worked for each person.

    Sorry to hear about the roaring weather! We've had a decent winter (in Illinois) until the end of February and then we got hit by snow, ice, wind, sleet, rain, slush, cold for about a week. Hopefully we can look forward to March ending like a lamb.

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  4. So sorry about your knee.....I hope it heals fast. I started to understand about the pressures of being overweight on the body when I sold Xenical (Grosss.....I know!), but really figured it out when I was pregnant. I used to bound up the stairs at work everyday (when I had an office job) until I was about 5 or 6 months pregnant. Then I slowly crawled up the stairs. The 20 lbs I had gained really affected my energy (as did the growing needs of the baby and all the excess water that increased my blood/fluid levels) and I completely understood how the weight affects the whole system. One of the guys at work was making fun of how slow I was walking and I told him to grab a 20lb weight and run up the stairs and let me know how he felt.....he got the picture! Anyhow, take it easy, you want that knee to heal (but I know how hard it is to take it easy):) Hugs to you and I am mentally sending the nice Calif. weather over to you.
    Carey

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  5. Oh Pattie, I'm sorry about your knee, it really changes everything doesn't it? You could try the "sit and be fit" videos;) I'm kidding, but if I don't get back to doing something I feel like that is what will happen to me. I've had 2 friends that had a similar surgery and had great results? Are you just wary of having surgery? I don't blame you a bit if you are. Our knees are definitely a critical part of our body and they need to feel good.
    Everything you posted makes so much sense and yet we don't always do the right thing. Ugh!!! I get so tired of myself!
    I love quiche so I should try that crust recipe. I never think of making something like that for dinner and I should.
    We are still here and still trying so we will WIN this battle:)
    Blessings my friend:)

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  6. Pattie, That quiche looks really good! I wonder if we could substitute almond/coconut milk for the regular whole milk. I'm going to have to give that a try. I so agree with you about our health! I started this whole thing just to lose weight and then it turned into more of a way to also get healthy. I thought all my numbers would be so good from at least basically eating low carb and no sugar so I was surprised to find I had somewhat elevated numbers. As we get older we really have to start thinking about these things more seriously. I like your idea of getting back to basics. I think I tried to integrate baked goods, and treats back into my diet before I was ready. Sometimes its hard to see all those good treats on these blogs that everybody else is able to make and eat with no problem. I have to remind myself constantly that I shouldn't be eating anything but basic, real food, meals for right now.
    -By the way, the weird formatting with the white background happens when you cut and paste into the blog. I had to change my last blog to white background because I cut and pasted my lab results in. Not sure how to fix it.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the tip Beth. I will remember that because I do cut and paste alot too. I agree with you. I baked the quiche yesterday and some bread, but I'm stopping there because even the good sweets get me going and I can't stop at one portion. And I did use Unsweetened Almond Milk in that crust instead of milk and it turned out fine. I'll note that on the recipe. I melted the butter for the crust, so it was batter like, but it still was ok to press into the pie pan. I think it's very good. I also think I can cut down on some of the butter next time in the crust and for sauteing the onions. That is where I think we have to be careful. I don't think fat is the problem, but that doesn't mean we have to over do it!

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  7. That is a bummer about your knee Pattie! It really is amazing how much more stress we put on our bodies with the extra weight. I remember when I was at my heaviest I was really uncomfortable and it was hard to get around. I thought at the time that it was just a side effect of being pregnant, but now I know that it was much more to do with the extra 85ish pounds I was carrying around.

    I can't eat all the treats all the time, either. And one day I realized that even though there are all these bloggers posting all of theses wonderful recipes, they are not eating them all the time! Some of them aren't even eating them at all, rather feeding them to their children and family members who aren't watching their weight or health issues. Once I stopped feeling like I 'ought' to be able to eat all these lovely goodies just because they fit into a diet plan, it became easier. You just have to pick and choose, and adjust accordingly. This is part of why I weigh in daily, so that I can stay on top of how food is affecting me 'that way'

    Way to go on the re commitment, though! I sure hope that 'getting back to basics' is what drives you towards success.

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  8. What a bummer about your knee, I know you don't want surgery but I bet you will feel much better once you get it over with. At least you are not in need of a big surgery like a knee replacement. I love making almond flour quiches, and hubby loves them too in fact I think he would like to have them more frequently. The recipe I found called for using 1/4c grapseed or olive oil to 1, 1/2c almond flour, a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon water. Have a great week :)

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  9. First off, you are always so darned clever with your posts....love teh lion pic & the title!!! Ok, now Im in nurse mode. Pattie, GET YOUR KNEE FIXED!!! We do knee arthroscopys every day and you will feel so much better having it cleaned out. Please....just do it!! You wont regret it. My husband had a meniscal tear a few years ago & had it repaired & he doesnt limp anymore.Recovery wasnt bad at all & he was back to his normal lifestyle in a few weeks. Its worth it. Dont worry about having to tell them your weight either. You arent the first person to be carrying extra weight and honestly, at the end of the day, nobody is gonna be talking about your weight. They will probably be talking about what a wonderful person you are & how much they enjoyed taking care of you! I know I have never spoken to you personally, but I can tell by your posts & your comments what a lovely person you are. If we lived close to each other, I know we would be the best of friends. :)
    Good luck my friend & go get the phone book right now & call a good orthopedic surgeon to get you back on your feet again.
    ((Hugs)) to you!!! Sherri

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