Thursday, April 4, 2013

Hello...it's me!!

Trying on a hat in a thrift shop in New York City
I can't believe that I last posted on March 18.  That was one week after my arthroscopy. Since that time I have taken a long weekend trip to New York to visit my son, started physical therapy, eaten out many times, worked out not at all, had Easter dinner with my family and extended family, celebrated two of my sons' birthdays. Throw in a few manicures, a haircut and color, a drs visit, getting tax info to my accountant, work stuff, and a thyroid ultrasound, and I feel like I've been really busy. And I'm still supposed to be taking it easy for a few weeks. I'm a whiner!! 
Dyeing Easter eggs!
Easter Bunny came!
I have been reading all the new blog posts that come up, but sometimes didn't comment because it's hard if I'm using my iphone ( at least for me) to type anything lengthy in the comment section. Yesterday while they were icing my leg at PT, I read Rosalie's blog and typed a long comment. Then my keyboard seemed to freeze and wouldn't type anymore. Anyway, I lost the whole comment. So know that I am still here and keeping up. I have to say, that once some time goes by, you start to get out of the blogging habit. I don't want to lose my "lifeline" of connections, so I'm making any effort, even if  I don't have anything to say, to stay connected.

 I am up a few more pounds and still following the BFC with a few slips ups over the holidays and birthdays. I am logging in myfitnesspal again. Of course it counts calories too, so I am aware of what I'm eating. I swear if I go over 1400, even if my sugars and carbs are in the  BFC limits, I gain. This has been happening since my Dr. just decreased my thryoid medication ( I take two different kinds). My heart was getting alittle "racy" and my blood levels were too low, so she changed my dose. It has been very hard for them to keep me at a stable dose and they are always changing it. During the summer, when my dose was higher, I was losing steadily, but I could tell my heart rate was too fast and I was a little hyper. Not really good to be that way.

A few weekends ago we went to New York city to visit my middle son and celebrate his birthday. New York is such a great city. And while I was glad at the end of three days to get home to my quiet suburban house, the city is just an energetic, bustling place, full of interesting people, sights, and of course great food. My son knows all the great little places to eat that the locals know. One morning we went to this great little ( little meaning really little!) restaurant for brunch called the Northern Spy Food Company Restaurant.
. I had this wonderful baked egg dish. It was two baked eggs served over kale salad with cheddar, sweet potato, almonds and percorino cheese. I wasn't sure if I would like that combination when I ordered it, but it was really delicious. I mean REALLY delicious. Just a small amount of sweet potatoes, and a tasteful amount of cheese. The New York price of $15 might make you gasp, but that's what things run in this city. It prompted me to make my own baked eggs in the oven when I got home. They were so good. Here is the recipe link for baked eggs

A quaint restaurant in New York called Hundred Acres
Pub stop


New York Train Station
My son with his 'vintage" five dollar skies he bought at the thrift shop.


I recently also tried Rosalie's zucchini fritter recipe. They were so, so good. I served them over lettuce and topped with some salsa and sour cream. These were really hard for me to control. I don't think I'll make them again for awhile until I get more self control!

Well that's all for now. Hope all is well with everyone. I also hope spring comes to the northeast soon. It has been very cold and windy here.

Thought for the day:
"Today is a brand new day, make it the best it can be and then go to bed satisfied that you are 1 day closer to your goals! One day at a time friends, that's how this journey is done. Just conquer today. " Jeremy Reid












12 comments:

  1. I LOVE your pictures and you look beautiful in that hat! Did you buy it;) You didn't say whether your knee is better or not? I sure hope so! I would love to visit NY someday and if we do, I'll get hints of all the little restaurants from you and your son. What an exciting life you live:)
    I don't care what anyone tries to tell us, calorie do matter, they are what fuels our body. I know that your body responds differently to different calories, but they still have to be used up by the end of the day. I can eat a little more on Zumba days, but if I eat too many calories, I gain. 1400 seems low for you though?You don't want a racing heart, so I am glad that your Dr. works with you on the thyroid.
    I'm afraid we will "lose" each other if we don't keep up with blogging, no matter how little we have to say. It seems we used to "spill our guts" a little more than we do lately? I know we started because of a common goal, but I have come to love all of you and I would be sad to lose everyone. Blogging is an interesting thing to do and read! I have several that I have never, ever, ever commented on...but I read every day. Maybe that's what it's all about. I do love opening my email and seeing a comment though? Hmm....answers???
    We had beautiful Spring weather for a few days and now we are back to dismal today:( I am ready for some sunshine in GA!

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    1. Kay, my knee is healing slowly. Thanks for asking. Apparently after they cleaned up the meniscus, they did alot of cutting and scraping of rough cartilage and my Dr. said that really causes the arthritis to flare up. I am supposed to be gradually increasing my activity, but I find if I'm on my feet for more than an hour, that knee really bothers me. I'm impatient and this is really starting to bother me that I can't jump around and keep going like the energizer bunny! It's very hard for me to sit still, so this is torture!! I hear what you are saying about how we used to spill our guts on the blogs. I think I am more restrained now because so many of my friends and family members check in on occasion. I should start a secret "spill my guts" blog that is only for those truly struggling with weight loss and maintenance and not for those merely curious as to what I'm saying. I really think being out of touch these last few weeks has set me back. Good or bad, I really need to connect with all of you. i don't want to ever lose the special friendship we have all found through our blogs. Hugs to you my friend!! XO

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  3. It's that time of the year, isn't it? Life is getting busy again, there is so much to do. I think that maintenance in those busy times is really a good thing, isn't it? :) I am sorry to hear your arthritis in your knee is bugging you so badly - have you tried to just do wheat free for two weeks and see if it gets better? i am not positive, but I think I read that it only takes a short while to get relief from arthritis if the wheat is causing the inflammation. I know that I have to keep my calories down pretty low if my carbs are up on the higher end, so maybe you would be able to eat more if you were lower carb? I don't know for sure, since i don't know what level you are eating. :) Hope you have a good weekend, my friend.

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    1. You know Dawn, I have been thinking the very same thing about going lower carb and going wheat free. I just love my sandwiches for lunch on the flaxseed bread an that has wheat in it. I just haven't found anything that I really like for sandwiches or toast. I have made so many recipes from so many places, that I forget which ones I really like!!! I made this brown bread that I really liked, but boy were the calories high from all the almond flour. I think that is the next step for me though. I have to get my weight down if for nothing else then to take the pressure off my knee. I appreciate the suggestions!

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    2. For me, it was a mental change. I had to decide that this was going to change, and forget about the yummy wheat bread options. Now I have my eye on finding the best options for me, and so have had to give up certain things, in favor of other yummy options. For example, if I really want a sandwich, I'll have a half of a sandwich with gluten free seeded bread, and use the same amount of toppings.

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  4. I am very glad you posted and love all your pictures. You are so pretty. I hope you get the meds thing on track. I'm sure that doesn't feel good. I hope your knee gets all better soon. I've seen that egg thingy before and will have to try it, and I'm glad you liked the fritters. Have a great day :-)

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    1. I did love those fritters. So, so good. Thanks for all your nice comments. I hope my meds get on track too. I can't blame everything on my thyroid issues, but since I am so unstable, I don't think it helps my metabolism!

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  5. You sound like me Pattie, eating the right amounts of sugar and carbs and not losing!! It's very discouraging and I can also hear how frustrated you are with your knee taking so long to heal up.
    I'm just curious as to what your doctor thinks about your thyroid medicine inhibiting weight loss? Is there no way to help the thyroid without messing up the rest of our metabolism? I wish the doctors, or more likely, the pharmaceutical companies could get that figured out!!

    I love when you post pictures! I love visiting New York and it would be so fun to have an "in" like your son that knows all the non-touristy hot spots. I'm glad you had such a nice trip!

    You are right in that all we can do is keep going forward. We sure don't want to go back to where we were! The weather is starting to warm up a bit now and I think I even saw the sun yesterday! I think that alone will help motivate us to get back on track.

    So glad we our blog buddies! Blogging does take some effort, and it's easy to get our of the habit, but it's so worth it when such nice ladies can lift your spirits and help get you back on track! I hope you have a great weekend Pattie!

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    1. Beth, I think I have a pretty progressive endocrinologist. She has me on a T4 ( Synthroid) and a T3 ( cytomel). There is a woman named Mary Shoman that has a blog and facebook page about thyroid issues. Of course there is a lot about the thyroid and weight loss. I was really on a losing streak last summer around the time of the wedding, but my levels were too low. She keeps me low, just not that low. It's amazing how the hormonal balance in our bodies is so crucial to our metabolism working correctly. That being said, plenty of people have thyroid issues and lose and maintain their weight. I guess I just have to work harder and eat less. I just commented on your blog about some information that Heather (has the online group that Kim is working with) is starting a new group on April 15. I am seriously thinking about doing it for some exercise motivation and just to jazz things up a bit. Let me know if you are interested.

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    2. I'm going to go look over her blog and check it all out! It might be worth doing. But, do you think your knee, at this point,is up to the exercise?

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  6. Thanks for sharing the pics. I didn't know you could buy anything in NY for $5 - what a deal on the skis!

    Hoping for fast healing on the knee.

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