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Post by Gracie on Aug 19, 2008 18:00:38 GMT -5
Well, they took blood and various other things...and all indications are what I suspected, which is diabetes. It's rampant in my family and I have been hypoglycemic for more than 30 years, and as you know, that's the opposite--my body produces too MUCH insulin. (Or did, anyway, and it never made sense, as fast as it burned up my food wouldn't you THINK I'd be thin as a willow? but no....)
But it explains the terrible headaches and stomach aches, the crushing fatigue, and the fuzzyheadedness.
Tomorrow we should know for sure, and then we decide what the course of action is. I know, just because of who I am, that I'll see a dietitian just to be sure I'm doing the right things, I already checked out the newest books we have at the library that are overviews and, of course, cookbooks.
And I've always been big on walking and biking but maybe that's not enough exercise, so I'm going to see what a Curves membership costs here--I had one, in Michigan, maybe I can squeeze out the funds for another one.
I'd like to avoid needles if I can, but all in all, I'm ready to do whatever I have to do so I can start to feel well again...I have felt so rotten for so long.
The good thing is that getting it into proper balance might release the weight block I have had for so long....another marker in this was losing 10 pounds in 10 days, withOUT trying to...and with eating like a horse. It'd be so great to finally get my chemistry in order, because losing weight would be good for me on every level and with every other health issue I have, as well.
Thanks for your good thoughts, everyone. I'm so glad it's nothing worse than this, because this is manageable.
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Post by booklady on Aug 19, 2008 18:26:42 GMT -5
What are all five of the five love languages? I wonder if I speak one of them!
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Post by Gracie on Aug 19, 2008 18:30:55 GMT -5
I bet you do! at LEAST one of them.... Check this out... www.fivelovelanguages.com/learn.htmlWe saw Dr. Chapman a few years ago and he said at the time that most couples had opposite languages, and that it was a true act of love to learn to give what the other one needs instead of what you want yourself. In other words, all my pretty words aren't going to make Grizzy feel as loved as if I touch him. And his grabbing me for a hug isn't as loving as if he really talks to me...see how it works?
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Post by booklady on Aug 19, 2008 18:40:04 GMT -5
Good news, I guess, Gracie, that it isn't something worse and that it's treatable, but still, it's too bad. However, I'm glad that you'll soon be feeling a lot better!
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Post by booklady on Aug 19, 2008 18:45:30 GMT -5
I am clearly still in hibernation mode. Reading all that makes me feel so tired.
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Post by Trusty on Aug 20, 2008 11:06:14 GMT -5
You know, if I had the means, I'd open a cooking school. Wouldn't that be fun? No nouvelle cuisine, just Gracie stuff, a/k/a comfort food. I have a name for it: "Grace at the Table"
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Post by slb2 on Aug 20, 2008 13:50:53 GMT -5
Gracie, I'm impressed with your positive attitude toward receiving that health news. I'm dreading the day I hear it (if I ever do, one never knows...). I've been following a 300 calorie per meal/five meals a day diet for three and a half years. It falls right in line with the habits of eating for diabetics. fyi, just in case: I initially ate by the clock. Whenever my first meal happened, I'd eat three hours later for the next meal. Also, I used a magnetic board and those dime-sized-diameter magnets to track the calories. I did that for well over a year, but don't need to count that way anymore because the amount and frequency are pure habits. I *know* when I've eaten more than 400 calories at a meal. I don't feel happy about it, either. With your food acumen, you'll succeed in managing this.
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Post by Gracie on Aug 20, 2008 15:57:13 GMT -5
Well, well, well.... Doc called a bit ago and he is happy but puzzled: I am NOT diabetic. My blood glucose levels, in fact, are nice and low (but not dangerously so.) My cholesterol is 112! (he said his should be so good!) My thyroid is fine. So we still don't know what's wrong with me but we do know what ISN'T wrong. And I have to say I am relieved. I was ready to deal with it straight on, and I could have, but it's still nice not to have to. So then....being me, don't you just know I'm gonna go on.....I got a book by Prevention called OUTSMART DIABETES. I am wondering if there's some insulin resistance going on (and I will ask when I see Dr. Darr next week) and so I am going to follow the guidelines that are supposed to straighten that out. You know, do the recommended diet and exercise regimen and see what happens, same as if I got the diagnosis. I figure that might be what jumpstarts some more weight loss, and I also figure it might postpone this issue for a while, maybe a long, long while. Maybe even permanently. And slb, I think you're right; I'm going to be way more careful about how often I eat. Thank you all for your good wishes. Don't you love how we take care of one another here....I know I do.
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Post by Gracie on Aug 20, 2008 15:58:19 GMT -5
You know, if I had the means, I'd open a cooking school. Wouldn't that be fun? No nouvelle cuisine, just Gracie stuff, a/k/a comfort food. I have a name for it: "Grace at the Table" What a kind, kind thing to say. I exalt you, good sir!
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Post by booklady on Aug 20, 2008 18:36:56 GMT -5
Gracie, I'm so glad to hear your good news!
I wonder if your teensey weensey bit of anxiety about having diabetes contributed to some of your signs?
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Post by Gracie on Aug 20, 2008 19:46:52 GMT -5
It could have. And my stress levels have been off the charts for MONTHS: financial worries, health issues for my parents, job stress, and so on. I have literally had a headache all summer long. I'm hopeful that this new regimen will make a big difference where I need it most. And now that the Kid is back in school I actually have a bit of time all to myself each day, which is better than any tonic, so.... Serenity now...breathe, Gracie, breathe....
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Post by booklady on Aug 20, 2008 19:56:06 GMT -5
Have you ever tried the Jesus prayer?
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Post by slb2 on Aug 21, 2008 0:28:18 GMT -5
The Jesus Prayer
Yo, Jesu, I be straight wit' you here 'cuz I ain't been straight wit' nobody nohow else
All them things I did wrong, man f---'ed up, like, I say I ain't did it,
but you knows dat I did and I'm sorry.
Damn sorry, So don't quit on me now, Lord
And let me be straight wit' you this here's a scary hell hole
the sh-- dat's been going down man, I wouldn't want my muther
wiping up after dis kinda sh-- so don't quit on me now, Lord
'cuz I straight-up need you and I'm glad you love my sorry ass, man
I don't know that anyone else does.
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Post by slb2 on Aug 21, 2008 0:31:37 GMT -5
I'm truly sorry that I needed to use language that often offends others. And I don't know if anyone here will see any literary value in my "poem" above, but sometimes that's the way it goes.
Stuff just pours out. Usually not like that.
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Post by booklady on Aug 21, 2008 6:22:51 GMT -5
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Post by booklady on Aug 21, 2008 6:23:35 GMT -5
You didn't offend my sorry ass, slb. That's exactly how I feel!
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Post by Gracie on Aug 21, 2008 14:13:17 GMT -5
The Jesus PrayerYo, Jesu, I be straight wit' you here 'cuz I ain't been straight wit' nobody nohow else All them things I did wrong, man f---'ed up, like, I say I ain't did it, but you knows dat I did and I'm sorry. Damn sorry, So don't quit on me now, Lord And let me be straight wit' you this here's a scary hell hole the sh-- dat's been going down man, I wouldn't want my muther wiping up after dis kinda sh-- so don't quit on me now, Lord 'cuz I straight-up need you and I'm glad you love my sorry ass, man I don't know that anyone else does. Doesn't offend me. I like it. I think it's just as heartfelt as an O LORD MAY WE BE TRULY THANKFUL and all that...there's all sorts of prayer language. Plus, I DO have a sense-o-humor.
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Post by slb2 on Aug 21, 2008 18:08:53 GMT -5
ty ladies, for your open minds.
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Post by gailkate on Aug 21, 2008 19:23:43 GMT -5
Not offended either. "Lord, don't quit on me now." It may well become an alternate version of the Jesus Prayer for me.
I think I learned about that first in a Salinger book - was it Franny and Zooey? I say it often but have never achieved what Paul apparently taught. The Serenity Prayer steadies and focuses me the same way.
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Post by gailkate on Oct 17, 2008 9:42:12 GMT -5
Chocolate: Great for Your Skin Think chocolate is one of the worst things for your skin? Think again. RealAge skin expert, Dr. Amy Wechsler, has a recipe for hot chocolate that can make your skin glow.
In one study, just 6 weeks of a daily dose of cocoa made skin smoother, better hydrated, and less sun sensitive. And 12 weeks did even more. All thanks to the skin-boosting antioxidants in cocoa, called flavonols. But it’s got to be dark chocolate, according to Wechsler. "Skip cocoa mixes, which don't have the same flavonol levels, and go for the real thing: dark, unadulterated cacao powder that contains 70 percent or more cacao," she writes in her new book, The Mind-Beauty Connection. Here's her to-die-for recipe (actually, it’s her husband Harry's!):
Harry's Super Simple, Healthy Hot Cocoa The secret to this easy recipe? Heat it slowly. Slow heat helps release the antioxidants.
Ingredients 1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder with 70% or more cacao (such as Scharffen Berger natural cocoa powder or Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa) 2 teaspoons sugar Pinch of salt 1 cup skim or low-fat milk
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently (do not let it boil), stirring frequently, until cocoa is just beginning to steam. Pour into a mug and enjoy.
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Post by liriodendron on Sept 4, 2010 14:20:12 GMT -5
Is this the thread you meant, gk? We seem to have recipes scattered about in many threads.
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Post by gailkate on Sept 5, 2010 8:54:43 GMT -5
Oh faithful librarian, you go where the rest of us fear we'll sink into quicksand. Yes, this is one of them, the oldest and probably the richest lode, though the last page would suggest we never actually posted recipes. I'm going to go through them in a leisurely quest for gems I failed to copy.
There was a more recent thread, started I think in response to BB, but this will do fine to go on with. Thank you!
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Post by gailkate on Sept 5, 2010 9:21:07 GMT -5
I've now read through the first 3 pages, and find lots more commentary than actual recipes. Still, I found a couple and will keep sifting.
There are posts from some old friends who've left us - C'lion literally passed away and others drifted away. Now I feel a bit sad, fondly remembering old times. Sic transit and all that. Change is good, right?
The best antidote for melancholy is a good recipe!
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Post by booklady on Mar 23, 2011 6:44:51 GMT -5
Can bean soup be frozen? I mean, can it be frozen and then re-heated and eaten? Obviously it can be frozen.
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Post by gailkate on Mar 23, 2011 9:22:13 GMT -5
I'd say yes, because I freeze practically anything that isn't milk or cream-based. But as you know from our long history, I'm the last person to ask because I will also eat practically anything. I think the issue is separation. Unless you can flash freeze, the water in most things you freeze will separate out. So the nice thick bean soup won't look so nice and thick, but it can all be mixed together again. Not always true with milky sauces, which may look sort of like the precipitate in a chemistry experiment. (Probably still edible, but eewww.) The Dude might know. If Gracie were still with us she could write you a book.
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Post by booklady on Mar 23, 2011 13:33:41 GMT -5
I thought one of our vegetarians would know. Thanks, gk! I made a batch the other night and need to store some for another day. It's just too much to finish before it goes bad. So Gracie hasn't been back for a while? Did she ever mention whether or not she finished her book? And while I am Off Topic and thinking of old friends, I happened to notice recently that Trusty hasn't made a post since reaching 2,000. Maybe this is common knowledge -- I don't know -- but is it thought that he reached that goal intentionally and then stopped posting? I wonder if he drops by invisibly and checks on things, since this is "his" board.
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Post by liriodendron on Mar 23, 2011 17:02:21 GMT -5
Bookie, my Mother often made bean soup (and chili and potato soup) and then froze individual portions (in zip-lock bags so that she could stack them in the freezer). It was either that or eat it at every meal until it was finished. As far as I know, she had no problems with freezing them (and I'm pretty sure she'd have mentioned it if she had).
Trusty hasn't posted in quite some time. I wish he'd pop in and say hello.
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Post by BoatBabe on Mar 27, 2011 14:21:35 GMT -5
Ahhh, yes. A little melancholy reading here. Some great info.
Yes. Freeze bean soup. It works fine. I nuke it a little with the lid half open, stir it up, nuke it a little more.
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Post by joew on Jun 8, 2011 10:45:24 GMT -5
Last night I decided to have Veal Marsala, since it's still Eastertide, with portobello mushrooms instead of my usual crimini, also in celebration of the season. So I seasoned, floured, and browned the veal as usual, added some butter, the liquid, and the mushrooms, reduced the heat to simmer, and covered the pan. As I returned the bottle to its shelf, I noticed that it was Amontillado sherry, not Marsala. Well, I wasn't about to pour everything off and put in Marsala, so I just braced myself for a new experience and let it simmer for 20 minutes, turning the veal after 10.
It was good!
In fact, I'd say it was as good as Veal Marsala.
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Post by Gracie on Jun 8, 2011 13:58:24 GMT -5
One of the very best soups I ever made was during the last weekend at camp one year, and I was trying to use up the odds and ends of food, and still make a nice meal for the pastors who were there for the weekend. I mean, I had SOME things planned, but the rest was a sort of happenstance, you know? So I took stock (ha! soup stock! unintentional pun!) of what I had, and made a chowder--onions and celery diced and sauteed, then redskin potatoes simmered in chicken stock, then adding milk and cream to the softened vegetables, and diced chicken, and defrosted sweet corn (off the cob of course) and poultry seasoning and parsley. It made a lovely thick, rich soup that smelled SO good and tasted even better.
When the pastors came in for lunch, I had homemade honey-oatmeal rolls and this chowder ready to serve, and they asked what smelled so good, and--shades of Garrison Keillor, from his first farewell performance--I asked "Do you like clam chowder?" and they all said, YEAH!" and I said, "Well, this tastes just like it, only it doesn't."
Cracked 'em up. And the soup was delicious!
I love that kind of cooking, just as you describe, Joe....
Oh, and reading here older comments of 'if Gracie were here......' I promise NOT to leave you again. I hadn't realized how much I missed this place until I came back!
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