Tag Archive | #DIET

Badass at 55: Pass the Olive Oil, Hold the Drama

Jul26

When I first started this blog, the goal was simple: lose weight and get healthy. I was going to hit 40 head-on and become a total badass. And honestly? I think I nailed the badass part.

Fast forward to now—I’ve been hit with the trifecta: pre-diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Between my family history, questionable eating habits, and the side effects of my medications, it’s no surprise my body’s a bit of a mess. But the real kicker? One doctor tells me I’m fine and shouldn’t worry about losing weight—because, you know, bigger things to worry about. Meanwhile, another suggests that dropping some weight would be a smart move. Confusing much? I mean, what am I supposed to prioritize? What’s safe to eat? And let’s not even get into the mixed messages about GLP-1s. Some say I could try them, but with cancer in my bones, that doesn’t feel like the best idea.

So, I met with a dietitian (again) and laid it all out. She broke everything down for me, and honestly? It wasn’t complicated. In fact, it felt too simple—which somehow made me more suspicious. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe it doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective.

Here is the sample plan from what she gave me: 

Build your meals around whole grains, lean protein, fruits, and vegetables—then add healthy fats and flavorful spices. Just keep an eye on the salt.

🟩 Food: I’m sticking to a formula that works—whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables. I’ll add in healthy fats and use spices to keep things flavorful (while keeping an eye on salt). It’s not complicated, and that’s the beauty of it. Nourishing, not punishing.

🟦 Movement: I’m committing to walking every day. I’m not tracking miles or steps—just time. Starting with 10 minutes and gradually increasing from there. Some days might be more, some less. The important thing is to move my body in a way that feels doable.

🟧 Strength: Since my knees and ankles have their own opinions these days, I’m starting with chair workouts. Once I build up a little more strength, I’ll ease into standing routines. It’s a process, and I’m giving myself the grace to go slow.

🟪 Stretching: This is non-negotiable. If I’m going to keep moving, I’ve got to stay limber. A few minutes a day can make a world of difference in how my body feels and functions.

🟫 Sleep: I’ve started putting my phone away at 9:00 PM to wind down without distractions. I read a little, breathe a little, and aim to have lights out by 11. Rest is just as important as movement.

🟨 Water: Hydration is everything. I’m being intentional about drinking enough water each day, knowing it supports energy, digestion, and overall health.

I’m not focused on losing weight—I’m focused on getting healthy. The real goals? Lowering my cholesterol, balancing my blood sugar, feeling more energized, sleeping better, and simply taking care of my body. And hey, if some weight comes off along the way, that’s just a bonus.

At 55, I’ve let go of the idea that I’ll ever fit back into my clothes from my 20s and 30s—and honestly, I’m okay with that. This is the body I have now, and it deserves care, not criticism. I admire those who seem to stay effortlessly thin or have a lightning-fast metabolism, but let’s be real: everyone has their own struggles. No one gets a free pass through life. This journey is about being the best version of me—not chasing someone else’s highlight reel.

Back on Track!

Sep19

Of course, now that I’ve committed myself to getting my self together and back on track, this means I’ll probably be posting a lot more. Yay! More blog activity! I’m starting all this with baby steps. And again, I’m trying to learn from the past 20 months! I have always had an issue of having this all or nothing type of attitude. Which helps with some things, but doesn’t always work for others. If I’ve learned one thing with me, it doesn’t work with food or exercise. The patterns I have noticed: I decide I’m going to start eating “right” so I go full force, no sugar, no white flour, no processed. I eat meat, vegetables, and fruit. (Wait! am I allowed to have meat…they said that’s bad for you too!) I typically go strong for 2 weeks. Then something happens and I have 1 cheat meal. Which then turns into a cheat day….weekend….week…month…you see how that works. So step one for me is that I’m not going to say I CAN’T have something. I have learned with my personality if I deprive myself of something it’s like a challenge….that little voice inside me says… “oh yea? watch this!” And I reach a point and go overboard. Cue in rummaging the cabinets for butter and powdered sugar to make icing!

Okay, so how does one find that balance to still eat healthy and not totally go off the deep end? Honestly, I am the type of person who needs structure in their lives. I thrive off of it. If I don’t have a plan or roadmap I get lost. Look! Shiney things! So I have to

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decide what I’m going to eat in advance, write it down beforehand and check it off as I do it. I know all the journals are blank and the instructions that I always thought was that you write down what you actually put in your mouth. Well good for you if you have that kind of self-control. Personally, I do not. Therefore I need a whole special set of rules…because well…I’m special…my mother told me that! My rules are to get that new journal and fill in what I’m going to eat the night before or that morning. I’m not going to pretend that I can fill this out the beginning of the week because I know that by Thursday I’m not going to feel like grilled chicken, so I’m going to try to plan the day’s meals as close to that day as possible. The only thing I’m not like that with is breakfast. For some reason, I can have the same exact breakfast every day for a month and it doesn’t bother me. Sometimes the same with lunch. But when it comes to dinner. I don’t know…I get all finicky! Dinner is my problem meal. The first step to solving this is knowing that the problem exists!

 

 

Now. I know I’m going to sit down the end of the day (or first thing in the morning…when my schedule allows) and plan out my eating plan for the day.  How am I going to decide what I’m going to eat? This is where things get tricky. I would love to say that I’m not a picky eater and I’ll eat about anything. That would be a lie. I’m not crazy about steak unless it’s a tenderloin, I only like chicken cooked a certain way. Not a fan of vegetables, but I do like salad. I LOVE bread and butter. And I love anything in a cream sauce. As you can see I’m predisposed to bad eating habits just based on my likes and dislikes. This means I have to plan and work a little harder. Also with any relationship, there is going to have to be some give and take. I think that sounds fair.th (5)

 

 

 

 

When planning my meals I’m mostly going for balance. I’m going to be more concerned with the nutritional aspect of what I’m eating rather than the overall calories. Are the calories still going to be a factor…of course, but not to the extent as I have in the past. We are going to go a little off topic here for a minute. A perfect example of why I can’t do the “points” system or calories. Years ago I was on Weight Watchers and I could have 22 points a day. Great! So the way my mind works is how can I maximize the amount of food for the points. I gave up eating real food for junk. I found that I could have 22 meringue cookies for 4 points. Score! So I ate a lot of meringue cookies during that time, and I didn’t lose any weight. Yes, there were weeks I ate nothing but meringue cookies and wine. I was still within my points so…what’s the problem? I did the same thing with calories and the low-fat diet. All I’m going to say is gummy bears and jelly beans.  Now you know a little of how my mind works. So no more points and no more calories (really).

 

I was having a discussion with my son, who seems to have a really good grasp on nutrition and exercise, and he was explaining Macros to me. Okay…. He sent me to this website thatIIFYM-How-to-calculate-macros-square explained how all the macro stuff works. In short, my body needs a certain amount of nutrition to function properly. Well, duh, I knew that….I just chose not to listen. So he then sent me to the IIFYM site and said: “start there.” (not I’m not in any way affiliated with or have ever purchased anything from them. You can do a search and use any macros calculator. I’ve actually downloaded an app for my phone to check as well) You put in your information and they calculate how many calories you should eat and what percentage your macros should be. Well okay! We have the beginnings of a roadmap. For those who are going…”I’m not following…what are macros?”  Macros are the percentage of Carbs, Fat, and Protein you eat. (in Weigh Watchers defense, this is what the points system is based on along with fiber…I just found a loophole to eat what I want! I need to be held responsible for real numbers!)

 

Okay so now I know what my macros should be AND how many calories I need. See…you really aren’t going to get away with forgoing the calorie thing. In my opinion, if you are eating the proper percentage of macros and not going off and eating a bunch of high fat and sugar you are going to come in close to your calorie goal. Most of the time! There are always exceptions and that’s why I’m still going to keep an eye on it….I’m just not putting all my focus on calories, but macros. See? Now because I just spent all this time in treatment and I’m taking certain medications I personally need to make sure I’m getting enough vitamin D. So nutrients are another aspect of this little roadmap that I’m going to be keeping an eye on. The whole basis of this is just not about making sure I don’t eat too many calories and I exercise enough. I mean yes this is a fact and plays a role in the whole weight loss plan but, I’m not JUST concerned about losing WEIGHT! I’m working on my overall health. So I need to pay attention to the amounts of nutrients and types of nutrients going into my body.iifym

Nutrition and food is the part I struggle with the most. I have my macros calculator and my daily eating menu. I plan what I’m going to eat prior to putting anything in my mouth. I check off as I consume what is on my list. And then at the end of the day, I enter it all into MyFitnessPal (no don’t work with them either, just the app I use). This will show me where I landed with my macros and nutrition for the day. I look at it and see what I could improve on and then plan for the next day.

Now that I have the food thing figured out. We move on to exercise. Again. I tend to overdo it and go in full force. Again, what I have learned the last 20 months is to listen to your body. Just recently I decided I was going to add a little weight and reps to my upper body workout. Well, I must have done an exercise I haven’t tried since surgery and totally jacked up my shoulder. Yeah…don’t do that! It’s okay to start out slow. It’s okay to not do all the reps and all sets and all the weight at first! Listen to your body! Start out slow. Add slowly. Same thing with cardio. Geeze…work up to that. After surgery, I started walking. Every week I would walk a little longer and a little further. Then I started to add in some running. I would walk and then jog for 30 seconds. I slowly built up and after a year I’m up to running 2 miles without stopping. (not every day though! Haven’t reached that goal yet!) I eventually added weights. Very slowly. I do yoga once a week (should do it more) I stretch, swim, dance, hike and anything else I feel like! The most important thing I’ve found with exercise is to find something you like to do. YOU like to do! If you don’t like it, you won’t do it. balance-rings

I have gone through a thing where I’m exercising 5 days a week and I can’t figure out why I’m not losing weight. Well, the one thing I’ve learned with weight loss and getting healthy is you need ALL components of health. Nutrition is number 1. I don’t care what anyone says if you aren’t putting the right fuel into your body nothing is going to go right. (I could go on about this and disease and a multitude of other topics, but I’ll save it) The second thing is stress management and sleep. I’m going to throw mental health in here..but it could totally be on its own. If you aren’t allowing your body to rest and recover, again it’s not going to help anything. And finally, exercise. Excercise will help with the stress and sleep part (in theory, again…I could take off on a rant here). But you need to strengthen your muscles, bones and keep your body moving.  I didn’t mention water so I’ll throw it in here. Drink lots of water!!! I truly believe weight loss and overall health needs all 3 of these to get the results I’m looking for. It is so beyond just losing weight. It’s about overall health and not just a number on the scale.

Whew! There is so much to this! No wonder everyone wants to find a quick fix to health!

Disclaimer: Because we live in the world we live in today, I don’t want anyone to get their feathers ruffled. I am not a doctor or a nutritionist or have any training in any type of health field. I am expressing what I have learned through other professionals and my own experience. These are just my views and am not suggesting anyone follow anything that I have written without the consent of your healthcare professional (doctors, nutritionists etc.) Everything that I have written is my own personal thoughts and experiences. Please consult a doctor or health care professional before you attempt any diet or exercise program.

 

 

Preparing for The New Normal

Nov3

I’ve spent a lot of today doing research on this new medication I’m going to be starting on Monday. Talking to the Doctors, the Pharmacists, reading medical papers. I started reading people’s experiences, but I don’t know how crazy or truthful these testimonies are…I mean, perception is different for everyone.  Everyone’s situation is different, and everyone reacts differently to things, so it really isn’t helping me. Whatever side effects I get, I will just have to deal with them. I had a total mental breakdown today after talking to the pharmacist….she’s a cancer survivor and she doesn’t candy coat things.  Which is good.

failing

I’m meeting with the nutritionist tomorrow after my radiation treatment. Going to figure out the eating portion of my new normal. See what I’m going to avoid and eat more of. That should be interesting.  Then I have to set up an appointment with the trainer at the gym to see what the best plan of attack is on that end.  It’s going to be quite the challenge because I’m fighting against a lot of things. I have to strengthen my bones since I have osteopenia.  I have joint and muscle pain from the Lupron already, and it may get worse when I start the Aromasin.  There are also the energy levels, and trying to keep my metabolism up.  So I am really going to have to force myself.  I have been doing that already through radiation fatigue.  I like to think I’m a little ahead of the game on that front.

One of the things I’m trying desperately to do is focus on myself. I’ve deleted my Facebook account at this point to make sure I don’t go on to peek. I know there is nothing going on there that could possibly contribute to my happiness or well-being.  Although there are a few people who I really do enjoy their posts…I’ve got some characters as friends.  But I’m trying to stay off my phone and all social media. This is the only social media I’m allowed on right now. I figure once I get myself set and I feel mentally and physically strong, and get into a good solid routine, I will go back on.

preparing4

So my big challenges to keep healthy and going are going to be diet, exercise, and sleep. Gee, that’s totally different than what I’ve been trying to work on for the last 20 years of my life.  Stakes are a little higher, and it’s kind of not an option now.  Before, I had the option of eating healthy and exercising, and not getting all stressed.  Now…not so much.

But I have wanted to change my life and get healthy…obviously, it took this whole ordeal to get me to actually do it. So much drama!!!  (In retrospect, I should have asked for something a little less invasive)

DEXA scan and French Fries

Sep6

We went to Spokane this past weekend.  Boy did I walk.  Friday hit over 11K steps. I haven’t done that since January.  So needless to say I was hurting a bit the next few days. We had a really good time visiting with relatives and seeing the sights.  Another state checked off my list.

Well when we got home there was a notice in the mail that I guess I’m scheduled for a CT scan and a DEXA scan on the 16th. Just when I stopped worrying from the whole NED (No evidence of disease) statement from my Dr I see the CT scan and start getting all worried.  So I’ve been a mess. The DEXA scan is a bone scan to make sure that the chemo didn’t mess up my bones that much.  I’m not real worried about that one.  But I’m confused on the CT scan.  I mean the dr said that I was clear…I was good to go.  Now we are doing this.  WHY!!!????  I’m sure it’s a formality but it made me realize that I’m going to be paranoid with every drs appointment and every little thing that doesn’t feel good.  I mean the last few days I’ve not been feeling all that great.  Of course my mind goes off the deep end.  But I’m sure the humidity and weather have absolutely nothing to do with that (sarcasm).

One of my major issues in life is that I worry about nothing too much. While I was in Chemo I have to say, I was so laid back and didn’t worry about stuff.  Of course I was so drugged up I don’t really remember much. I need to stop freaking out about every little thing. I can’t sit here and say everything will be fine with a clear conscience, but I can say I need to not worry about things I can’t control and live life every day.  I tend to get caught up in the cancer ruling my life.  Even post cancer it’s like a cloud that hangs over your head and you are just waiting. Well, I need to stop doing that.  It’s not doing me or anyone around me any good.

The other thing I really really really need to pay attention to is what I eat. Besides the fact that my taste buds totally changed so did the way certain foods react with my body. Look…I’ve been eating french fries for a good 45 years now….and the other day I snubbed my nose up at them and chose a salad as a side.  This is a huge change that I don’t know how the heck to take it!  I mean…what the hell! FRENCH FRIES!!!  And onion straws.  I love onion straws.  No, no I don’t like them any more.  It’s like all of a sudden…I can’t stomach anything that was fried. (and they just put in a Panda Express in town…..I won’t even attempt it)

I suppose this is all a good thing.  I’ve cut down on bread since my body seems to feel inflamed after I eat it. And wine.  OH WINE. I don’t feel so hot after wine. That has to be one of the hardest things to accept in this new way of life. <sigh> Okay, so lets take count….no bread, no alcohol, no sugar, no fried anything, no potatoes. OH did I mention the smell of meat makes me ill.  Especially red meat.  I can take chicken if it’s cooked a certain way…but any more I’m okay just skipping the meat.

Well I have fought this eating thing for a few weeks now just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. And it truly seems that if it’s not a vegetable or a fruit I get sick after eating it. Fine whatever.  But at least I’m alive to bitch about this stuff.