Makaren's diary

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Makaren

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I'm new to the forum and after several suggestions that I start a diary, here I am. My main goal is to get healthy and take off the weight I gained while being my husband's caregiver over a two year period. He passed away last fall and I find I'm in the situation of finding a new place in this world. We were married for 50 years, so being on my own is -- kind of weird. Years ago I had a bit of a crisis with my Type 2 diabetes and went on a healthier eating/exercise plan that allowed me to lose 110 lbs. Over the two years my husband was ill I regained 50 of them. Now that my knees are giving me trouble, I want to take those pounds back off. I keep a written diary that is very personal but maybe a thread here will help me feel less alone in my efforts.

After I retired my life mantra became "I refuse to do anything that is a pain in the a**". Food preparation falls into that. If I pay attention and do some planning, it isn't as hard as it sounds. I don't follow a particular "diet" because the moment I restrict a food or food type, that is ALL I want to eat. So I cut back, adjust recipes and portion control. At this point I have a limit of 1500 calories a day and I exercise in the pool at the Y three times a week. I've lost 8 lbs so far but have hit a small plateau that has lasted for a week so far. I know I have to just keep on keeping on. So ends my first entry.
 
I just found this little primer for the diary section. I'll add it for more information:

-- How much weight do you want to lose?
50 pounds or more if I can

-- What is the timeframe for reaching your target weight?
12-18 months

-- How do you want to accomplish your goal (what methods do you want to use)?
Reduced calories, exercise, self awareness

-- Who or what can support you in reaching your goal?
I am fortunate to have family and friends who support me and are actively helping me get back a social life.

-- How realistic is your goal?
I think my goal is pretty reasonable. I know I may have to readjust every so often but I'm okay with that.
 
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Hey Makaren, good to see you started a diet.

Your goals and approach to getting there all seems quite rational, I can see you have thought this through.

You should be proud of only having regained 50 of the 110 lb loss. Keeping 60 lbs off for more than 2 years is an accomplishment. And your recent 8 lb loss is great! I am sure you already know intellectually that a small plateau means little when your goal is to lose the weight over 12 to 18 months, so long as you are eating right the weight will come off. However I know that a plateau can be discouraging anyway, nothing feels better than to see the weight going down, a lull in that is no fun. Just hang in there and all will be right.

Best of luck to you, I look forward to reading about your progress.
 
Welcome to the diaries, Makaren! Taking care of a loved one for so long is tough, so kudos for not completely forgetting about your own care along the way.
Best of luck with your journey!
 
Welcome to the diaries! And I'm sorry for your loss. It sounds like you are going about this in a very level-headed way. Good luck!
 
Hello Makaren & welcome to the diary section of the WLF forum. I don't want to imagine how my life would change without my lovely husband & without knowing you at all I am sending you a hug :grouphug: You have done very well with keeping off 60 of those lost pounds & I'm sure you will lose the remaining 50. You seem to have your head screwed on well. Glad you have joined us xo Cate.
 
Thank you all for the messages. This is just what I joined the group for.

I bought a new kitchen toy to help with my healthy eating plan. An Instant Pot. I fixed Honey Garlic Chicken on Saturday and put it over broccoli and cauliflower rice. It was yummy! Today I'm going to go for French Dip sandwiches. I think this will really help me. I haven't been in much of a cooking mood for the last several months but I'm coming around on that. Now I want to fix all sorts of good things.
 
Delicious homecooked food makes SUCH a difference. I don't like cooking but I do love good food and when I'm honest 75% of bought food isn't worth the money OR the calories compared to what I can make at home.
 
LaMaria said:
Delicious homecooked food makes SUCH a difference. I don't like cooking but I do love good food and when I'm honest 75% of bought food isn't worth the money OR the calories compared to what I can make at home.
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I couldn't agree more. I've been so out of the notion of cooking since my husband passed that it's just recently that I'm getting excited again. Cooking is like dieting to me -- when my head is on straight, it's easy. I made some French dip sandwich filling today and it was a snap with the Instant Pot. And I have enough for a few more meals in the freezer.
 
Agree, agree about the wonderfulness of home-cooked meals, and especially about bought food being so often not worth the money. I'm not much of a gourmet chef, but I am a pretty competent home cook, and I enjoy seeing what I can make from what's on hand. (I must now go and find out what's in a French dip sandwich filling - sounds fun!)
 
Makaren said:
Thank you all for the messages. This is just what I joined the group for.
I bought a new kitchen toy to help with my healthy eating plan. An Instant Pot. I fixed Honey Garlic Chicken on Saturday and put it over broccoli and cauliflower rice. It was yummy! Today I'm going to go for French Dip sandwiches. I think this will really help me. I haven't been in much of a cooking mood for the last several months but I'm coming around on that. Now I want to fix all sorts of good things.
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I'm glad you came back in here & I'm sure you will find this forum to be friendly & supportive. Home-cooking is the best. It doesn't need to be gourmet food, but good healthy nutrition is very important as is looking after yourself.
 
Yesterday was not a terribly good day. It was one of "those" days. I wasn't sick but I wasn't 100% either. A friend called these days ADR for Ain't Doin' Right. It's part depression, part fatigue and it messes with my mood. Luckily they usually don't last more than a day. Needless to say I fell off the wagon a bit but I'm climbing back on today. As long as I can take a breath and analyze what was happening it doesn't get out of hand. One day of not-so-great eating won't completely derail me. My sister told me years ago when a day is particularly rough I need to lower my expectations. It was a powerful notion. Sometimes I have a hard time recognizing it until after the fact. Anyway, I just wanted to document that little hiccup.
 
Makaren said:
My sister told me years ago when a day is particularly rough I need to lower my expectations. It was a powerful notion. Sometimes I have a hard time recognizing it until after the fact.
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So true! Having compassion for ourselves is so important.
 
:iagree:

(And I found out what a French dip sandwich is! Not at all what I was expecting - I vaguely thought it would be something involving ricotta cheese and chopped-up gherkins! :D)
 
I'm solidly back on my plan. The French dip sandwiches were awesome and I have a couple of freezer packages for future use. I'm struggling with a bit of depression still but it's mild and will pass soon. I picked up a saying on Pinterest -- "This too shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone but it will pass." Not quite to the kidney stone stage so I'm good.
 
Makaren said:
This too shall pass. It might pass like a kidney stone but it will pass.
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I seriously love that :D
 
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