luella

This morning after I did my routine of breakfast, and exercise I did a little reading about heart attacks.  I put heart attack and time into the search engine.  The thing that is surprising is that heart attacks occur mostly in the morning, but if they occur at night they are usually fatal.  I start my morning slow, and work up to a faster pace.  Breakfast is my first priority, then exercise.

I also read that heart attacks are usually around the holidays, and in the winter.  Another fact, which is not a surprise is that losing weight helps lower blood pressure.  I checked my blood pressure after exercising, and it was 128 over 60 and my pulse was 60. 

My waist line definitely is two inches less; I measured it this morning.  Yesterday I was having a hard time believing the tape measure. 

One other thing that the article I read about heart attacks said that diet and exercise is important in keeping a heart healthy, and it must be lifelong, not a temporary thing, and that in a weight loss group that had lost weight only 13 percent of the people who lost weight kept it off.  Leading a healthy life is for life not until you lose a couple of pounds.  Now I have to keep that in my memory bank.  lol

Have a great day everyone!

                                                                                                       Luella

I was reading the nutri/system weight-loss cookbook this morning.  A section that I thought was appropriate for this topic was emotional support.  The author said the more emotional support you get the better you will do.  I think that this site provides a lot of emotional support.  I think that coming here daily keeps the mind focused on proper food, and exercise. 

This morning I got up made my coffee, oatmeal with raisins, and filled my drinking cup with two cups of water.  I finished up breakfast, and then did three miles on the exercise bike.  Then fed my mind with material about eating properly.  Focusing on eating and exercising properly is really helping me.  Everyone here knows what they should do, but keeping the mind focused on what to do is another story.  lol 

I am not using just one particular diet; I read different books about the subject.  I have several sources since my hobby is collecting cookbooks.  I added weight loss books with them.  One of the things I read about this morning was that putting spices into the food instead of salt enhances the flavor and is good for you.  Some of the recipes I like in each of the cookbooks, and many of them I would probably never  eat.    So I take recipes from each of them, that makes my husbands and my palate happy.  My husband really loves the recipes that I have been trying.

My waist may be getting smaller!  I have been measuring it every day, and I let the tape measure be the loosest it can be.  I think I may have lost two inches from my waist, but I don’t know if I may be pulling the tape measure too much.  I want the measurements to be accurate, not just what I want them to be.  lol

Well we are all in the same boat to speak, and I hope the boat gets lighter for all of us!  lol

Take care everyone; have a great day!

                                                                                                 Luella

Hi Everyone!

I exercised everyday this past twenty one days!  I was exercising everyday already, but this is official.  lol   Nutritionally I have been doing really well making more oatmeal in the morning.  I read this morning that oatmeal is good for lowering cholesterol, and many other things that are good for the body.  The oatmeal is good for keeping glucose levels down, and many other good things.  Oatmeal has a lot of fiber, which is filling, and keeps you from being hungry between meals, and even less hungry the next meal!  I bought bananas and oranges yesterday, which I think helps tremendously having good healthy food for snacks. 

Have a great day!

                                                                                                    Luella

Hi Everyone!

I went to a shower yesterday after my three mile exercise bike ride, and the ab-do.  At the shower I had chicken, strawberry shortcake, and a tuna sandwich, and some fruit salad, with water as a beverage.  Then in the evening I had some lasagne, which I only took half of, and I brought the other half home.  Today I heated up the other half of the lasagne, and I was thinking how long I would have to ride my exercise bike to get that lasagne off my hips, and I threw half of it away.  This morning I had one piece of toast with a slice of tomato, and this evening I had a bowl of cereal for dinner.

Yesterday I saw a woman at the shower that I hadn’t seen in years, and she said you look like your twenty years old, what have you been doing to look so young, you never change.  All the work all these months were worth all the effort.  A sincere compliment sure goes a long way.  I would keep on doing the healthy lifestyle plan just for the sake of feeling good, but it is nice when someone you haven’t seen in years is unexpectedly complimentary. 

I got home this afternoon so my exercise schedule was off a little.  I rode the exercise bike for three miles at 7:00 PM.  Now I am catching up with my journal, and I will catch up with all of your journals.  Thanks for all the comments!  I really appreciate them.

All of you stay healthy!  Take care.

                                                                                       Luella

Hi Everybody!

I just finished my 3 miles on the exercise bike, and did the 8 minute beginner abdominal exercise.   The Ab-Do is a machine that is strictly for the mid-section, it is aerobics for the mid-section.  The guy that invented it is John Abdo, and he trains olympic champions.  He had a picture of himself before he used his own invention with a waist of 42 inches.  After using the abdo machine and exercises he developed he went down to a 30 inch waist!  He took a foot off his waist.  John Abdo said that other exercises make resistance on the muscles and make them bigger, and his exercise is aerobic, and decreases the whole mid-section. 

I think that he is right.  I will let you know how this works!  My husband is using the inter-mediate tape and does more strenuous waist exercises.  He has been working out in the basement about one to two hours a day.  My routine is not as demanding, but I feel it is perfect for me. 

I made Quaker Oats for breakfast with raisins in them, and I stopped putting sugar in the oats.  The raisins have natural sugar in them, and it tastes good.  I am making skinless chicken breasts for tonight.  I found a recipe that calls for putting mustard on both sides of the chicken, and marinating it for two hours in 3/4 cup soy sauce.  I marinated mine all night; I hope the flavor isn’t too strong.   Let you know. 

Our beefsteak tomatoes are getting ripe now, and we have been making toast with butter, and a slice of tomato in the middle.   If you like tomatoes and toast try a tomato sandwich.

Have a great day!  Keep on track!

                                                                                                           Luella

Yesterday I went to the library, and they were having a book sale.  I went back and looked at what they had, and I found some cookbooks.  I found a cookbook dictionary, which will come in handy when I am wanting to know what some strange ingredient is.  The books are old, but have some interesting recipes.  I found a recipe for popcorn as a snack from the nutrisystem weight loss book.  The recipe calls for parmesan cheese to flavor the popcorn, and the serving size is one cup of popcorn.  I haven’t tried this yet.

I have kept up with my exercise, and have been watching my food intake.

Well take care everyone!  Have a great evening!

                                                                                         Luella

Last night I tried the microwave pressure cooker, and I made a pork roast.  I cut off all the fat, and weighed it.  The recipe that I was using called for 30 minutes in the microwave pressure cooker, but when I weighed the roast it was only a pound.  I changed the cooking time to 20 minutes, and used the food thermometer to make sure it was done.

The recipe was so simple:  I used a half of a cup of apple cider vinegar, and a sprinkle of pepper, put it in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes.  The roast was tender, and the taste was excellent.  When I make pork and sauerkraut I like the sour taste, if you like the sour taste you will like the apple cider vinegar added to the pork. 

The chicken breasts that I cooked the other day in the pressure cooker only took ten minutes.  I used a meat thermometer to make sure they were done.  The recipe for that is simple also.  Take two chicken breasts and brown them in a frying pan, I sprinkled a little lemon pepper, and rosemary on them,  then put half a cup of white wine,  half a cup of chicken broth, and then put the breasts in the microwave pressure cooker for ten minutes. 

This morning I made Quaker Oats with raisins in the Microwave pressure cooker, and the cooking time was five minutes.  I bought a ton of Quaker Oats since I am watching cholesterol.  The doctor said I was doing a good job of taking care of my cholesterol since the reading was good. 

I read an article on Ask.com, that I pulled up when I was researching (coffee and weight)  The article I pulled up said that people who drink a lot of coffee are less likely to get diabetes 11, that was interesting.  I love my coffee, and was checking out the pros and cons of it.

Well I am off to the exercise bike!  Take care everyone, and have a great day!

                                                                                         Luella

I have been watching my calories, and exercising everyday.  I had an old microwave pressure cooker that I had in my basement that I have been using this week.  I didn’t have a microwave pressure cookbook anymore, but sent for one.  I found some microwave pressure cooking recipes by going to Ask.com    I found a good one for chicken yesterday.  I cooked two chicken breasts in 10 minutes, and they turned out great.  Today I am trying a small pork roast that is supposed to be cooked for 30 minutes in the microwave pressure cooker. 

I have been watching my food intake, and as Marilyn said it becomes automatic.  I do like to try different ways of making the same food. 

Have a great day!

                                                                                              Luella

Hi Everyone!

I am going to exercise as usual:  Bike, isometrics, ab-doer, and walking.  My husband and I walked two miles last night, and we’re planning on walking two miles tonight.

This morning I have had a bowl of cereal. 

When the sales were on I didn’t get the clothes, and now my clothes are really starting to hang.  I haven’t lost weight that shows on the scale, but I think I am shrinking.  I think I will wait until next summer to get summer clothes.  I want to get the right size.  My husband and my grown children think that I need to get clothes.  I may have to get winter clothes though,  when I am successful with my healthy new me.  lol  It is cold here in the winter, and I layer my clothes to keep warm. 

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over.  Well all of you take care, and have a great weekend!

                                                                                             Luella

Hi Everyone!

Today is free association day!  lol   I was thinking about designing robots that were self-maintained.  A robot who could take care of themselves, and feed themselves, and maintain their robotic body.  Since I am not an engineer, that is an impossible task, but the task of designing my body to the specifications I want are within my limitations.  My specifications are to have regular exercise.  I can do that!  Program my eating.  I can do that!  Hmmmm   I can’t design a robot, but I can re-design the wonderful body that I have been given for the amount of time this body is on the earth.

Today I rode three miles on my exercise bike, and did fifty isometrics.  I didn’t do the ab-doer, as it is supposed to be every other day.  I ate a bowl of cereal, and had a banana, and some yogurt.  Lots of  water.  Maintaining me isn’t too hard.  lol

Have a great day everyone!

                                                                                                 Luella