Health Challenge DAY ONE Oct 1st 2011

[Guest guest]

Well today was not the easiest day to start a challenge but it helped a lot

that it was planned ahead.

I weighed myself and measured my waist and recorded both.

My starting waist is 5 inches - the amount I want to lose in this challenge.

My starting weight is 42 lbs - the amount I want to lose in this challenge.

If/when I can achieve either of those, my reward will be to buy enough fancy

yarn (well maybe not Yak or Quiviut yarn, but something almost as good) to knit

a new sweater to fit my new shape.

Progress report day one:

I did half hour of fairly good exercise today, with a few rests. (For me it is a

fair bit.)

Over the past " preparation " month, I lost 3 pounds but I gained another waist

inch - so for me that is actually the opposite of what I want. It did not help

that I have had (and still have), nasty bronchitis all month long in Sept.

I want mainly less dangerous waist inches.

So I am doing something wrong. I am losing protein and turning it to fat around

the middle.

It is a high risk result of trying to diet with Cushings syndrome.

But it is all the more reason to look for a solution that works.

My conclusion is that I need to eat more protein. It is VERY hard for me to do

that - it is the last thing I feel like eating as this illness makes my blood

sugar high and that makes you feel like NOT eating protein. A catch 22 I realize

so I shall keep looking for a way to succeed, and not feel ill doing it.

I see this as a process and not something I have to be perfect at, from the

get-go (or any other time).

Today I did discover an idea from a magazine that I plan to try:

The Kuna (Blas Islands off Panama) are said to be the world's healthiest people.

One thing they do is to drink lots of (unsweetened) cocoa, 5 or 6 cups a day.

A barista I know says the way to make ready to use cocoa " syrup " to add to hot

drinks is to heat equal parts of sweetened cocoa powder and water. So tonight I

tried to make such a " syrup " , but minus the sugar - using Ghirardelli pure cocoa

powder and water. Equal parts is a thick paste, so I added about 1 2/3 parts

water to 1 part cocoa powder to get a thick but pourable consistency, and heated

it in the microwave. I'm not sure the heating is needed as there is no sugar to

dissolve.

I tried three spoons of this in a cup and a half of hot skim milk latte with

one shot of espresso, (no sweetening) and it was very acceptable.

I also tried it in plain hot water and that is a lot less drinkable though it

may be an acquired taste,

Harvard studies show cocoa lowers bad cholesterol and blood pressure, raises

good cholesterol and improves insulin sensitivity - all of which I need. But it

needs a lot of unsweetened cocoa.

I already use a lot of turmeric and ginger (6 capsules of these two mixed, per

day - I make them) as anti-inflammatory supplements. So maybe the cocoa will be

a good increase to that.

I've discovered organic, no salt added, smoked herring in cans and I am using

those for good protein.

I have not found the ideal thing to eat with them. (Potatoes are easy to find

but inappropriate.)

I have tried using walnuts as a snack - but I can not eat them, and have had to

use cashews as they are soft enough for my very damaged esophagus - but cashews

are avoids and walnuts are beneficial. How can I make walnuts softer? Can one

soak nuts? Would that soften them? I tried a nut grinder to make walnut butter

but they are too hard to work well in the nut grinder I got. Any ideas?

Clearly an avoid type snack is not the way to go, though they work as a hunger

beater!

SO ... my improvement strategy for today - or for week one perhaps - is cocoa

:-)

Namaste,

Irene

--

Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.

P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.

www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)

" Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it. "