Sunday, December 20, 2020

Blogging my way through the 2020 Pandemic

Well.  I am just trying to see how it would go to get back into BLOGging again after all these years.  Now that I am retired, I have plenty of time, and The Lord knows, there are plenty of controversial subjects out there to discuss.  I recently tested Borderline Diabetic.  I am going for another test on Tuesday to confirm (or deny) the previous results.   After that, I am sure I will be launching an extensive BLOG about the benefits and side effects of using Stevia in your diet.   I have a Diet Coach and her daughter is a Nutritionist, so she has already shared some things with me to get me started.  On the plus side, I have already lost 30 pounds before this came up since August 22nd, when I started the OptaVia diet.  I am sure I will continue with the diet in some form or another, after consulting with my Doctor about my latest Blood-Work.  Probably, I will try to do it without the Stevia, but I will take it a day at a time.  


Well, this is in the category of an addendum.  I won't try to amend what I said earlier, at this point.  My Glucose was 153 after a twelve hour fast, so Doc says, "Diabetes."  It is still borderline, so we will go another four weeks before the next test with no Stevia in the meantime, but I discovered, thanks to sister, Diana, that most of the Fuelings are sweetened with Fructose Sugar, not Stevia, so here all this time, I have been force feeding myself plain old sugar, something I have avoided as much as possible for many years. The Brownies I like better than any of the other sweet stuff has Brown Sugar and Fructose in it.  I am sort of angry about it.  To make matters worse, the last shipment came short the herb biscuit that I had ordered several cartons.  Now I am going to be severely limited for the rest of the month.  I think after that, I am just going to give it up.  I certainly am not going to eat something I don't like, just to pour more sugar into my diet.  I will try to continue losing weight, simply by limiting the size of my meals and concentrating on Lean and Green.  Lots of salad with low fat meat supplementing.  A hamburger patty with cheese and two eggs for breakfast, no more potatoes, and bread, forever, maybe.  Donna fixed a nice Prime Rib, that I can not eat, and I did try a couple small slices, along with a little rice and squash.  This was Christmas dinner, so I did not want to disappoint her too much and not eat anything at all, even though I had already told her I would not.


Now begins the next phase of my journey.  I did get back to my 240 # weight this morning, without any assistance of fuelings from the OptaVia diet.   I concentrated on the Lean and Green with small portions and added in some exercise on the Snow Shovel.  Now I have discovered I can lose the weight without the OptaVia, I am done with that.  No more orders.  


On the same topic, in another direction, my sister, Judy had handed me a paper a couple week ago now with instructions to listen to a You Tube video by a Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn about the underlying causes of Cardio Vascular Disease.  Initially, I had trouble getting in there, but I finally got to listen to it and a bunch of other Interviews he has given to various venues.  I have to say, he convinced me of the validity of his primary premise, that we have in this country effectively locked ourselves into causing our own demise by the diets we all subscribe to.  The number one issue seems to be ALL OILS.  He explained how even Olive Oil, which has long been given a pass by the medical field because it raises the good cholesterol and lowers the bad, is just as bad at being a causative factor in plaque production, and eventual Cardio Vascular Disease.  He also includes in his list of foods we should not be consuming, ALL MEAT.  Not just red meat, as many will insist.  Even Fish is not recommended, along with all other animal foods, like Eggs, Milk, etc.  In other words, you need to be a strict Vegetarian to be completely safe.  He gives a few other helpful suggestions.  He lists the five best foods as being Kale, Swiss Chard, Beet Greens, Arugula and Spinach.  I will for sure immediately add Spinach and next year I will concentrate on growing Beets and Swiss Chard to can up for next year.  These greens, he advises to add a little Balsamic Vinegar.  I will be buying a quart of that next time I am in town.  I have already begun down that road, but it will take me a while to get off all meat, because I do not want to waste what I have already bought.   I will immediately quit buying any meat and will gradually use up what I already have on hand.  This will allow me to work my way into that total diet over a period of weeks.  He includes in his list of Good Foods, pretty much all grains.  I am not going there, ever again.  I have already decided that I have once and forever conquered GERD by my not eating any bread at all on the OptaVia Diet, and I am never again allowing myself to suffer with GERD.  I will concentrate on the "Good Grains"  Rice and Oats.  Oatmeal with fruit, especially Strawberries, will go back into the OK to eat list.  I will finish up the dairy and eggs I have on hand and will not buy more.  Sugar will still be not tolerated in any form, including Stevia.  As long as I am eating fresh, and not prepared foods, this should not be an issue.