Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Why Did I Do That?!

Ok, here we go again.... I have been a little under the weather. My right ear has been hurting enough to force me to seek medical help. Good news is, there is no infection, just some fluid built up in my inner ear. Bad news is, the treatment for that is to take anti-histamines and they wreak havoc on my system. My throat did look bad, so my nurse practitioner offered to give me some mild anti-biotics to take if I chose to. I put that off thinking I really didn't need them, but the pain got worse and spread to the side of my head, up into my scalp. I decided maybe I should try them to see if it would make a difference in how I felt. And they did. I thank my Heavenly Father for medications to make me feel better.

While I was there, I asked if it was time for my usual blood testing. We keep a check on my thyroid and triglycerides. Yes, it was a good time for that, so draw blood we did. Why did I do that???? Results were not kind. Not only is my thyroid elevated, but my triglycerides are through the roof. This after I have been TRYING to eat better and working out daily. It's so frustrating. And because I felt bad, and have been trying already to do the healthy thing, I got very upset about it.

So, now I'm researching...(AGAIN) to see how I can figure out what to eat and stay away from. The hardest part is trying to figure out a menu. And I don't have to tell you how hard that is when you are trying to feed a normal healthy male who lives in the same house. I have no willpower, and no strength when it comes to denial of those wonderful sugary fatty foods, he likes. He is sympathetic, but won't be totally eating what I will have to eat, or staying away from what I can't have. He is entitled to eat what he wants as long as his labs are good. And they are.

I've been looking at the local cardiologist's suggested regime along with the glycemic index. I can figure out what I can and can't eat, that's no problem with all the lists there are on the net. My problem is making them into an acceptable menu. And that's something I must do to keep my sanity when it comes time to prepare the evening meal each night. Not to mention the grocery list for the week. And it's a must if I don't want to stand in the kitchen wondering what there is I can eat.

Every menu I have found to help with that, has foods I've never eaten, and don't wish to, and items that are not locally available. Some of them I would try if I wasn't afraid of spending the money only to find I couldn't handle it. Whole wheat breads and pastas taste very bitter to me, so that's not gonna happen. Salads don't keep me satisfied any longer than an hour or so. I wouldn't make a very good vegetarian, because I like meat too much. So, I'm in a quandary here.

I doubt if counting calories is really going to help with the triglycerides, so that's not a reasonable solution. I can count fat grams, but the carbs are still going to be an issue. Oh woe is me....It's really sad getting old and decrepit. But, at least I'm alive and have options....that's what I keep telling myself...

4 comments:

LeLe said...

I think if you gave the whole wheat pasta more of a chance, you'd get used to it. Especially if you put olive oil and some seasoning in it. I don't have any issues using that and Maburn doesn't really either. When I used whole wheat pasta for spaghetti, I can't really even tell. You may not be using the right brand. Salads keep me satisfied as long as I include some sort of meat. Try canned chicken or some crab meat.

And watching your weight isn't just an old person thing. Just be glad you haven't had to struggle with it since you were 22.

LeLe said...

I just realized that didn't sound very sympathetic. I can definitely empathize with you, especially living with a male who loves sweets. It's really hard.

Sooz said...

I feel your pain. I've struggled with it since college. I'm not a huge fan of whole wheat bread, but I found that Sara Lee's whole wheat smooth is really good. I can't handle it because its not grainy at all. And I buy the purple box of whole grain pasta that is white and its really good.

Y said...

Hey, again! Besides the Dreamfields pasta, Nature's Own White Wheat is a good alternative for bread. I buy it for the kids and they don't know it's good for them! Sooz is right. The Sara Lee is really good, too! The 'real deal' whole wheat pasta is good in some dishes, but NOT with everything (like mac n' cheese). That's when the Dreamfields really shines!

Have fun experimenting!