Back to the...Beginning?

I see that the last time I posted, I said my cholesterol tested over 200.  That should have been under, as it was something like 167.

Of course, I came to see if anyone else has posted.  I see that no one has. 

Two weeks left on this gluten-free business, and I'm tired of it.  I mean, it's not that it's difficult (although, sometimes, it is).  I have learned the easiest way to take care of running through a drive-through (Wendy's for a small chili with cheese and a baked potato....)  I have done well with asking for bread not to be brought to the table and ordering a meal without bread or pasta or whatever that isn't gluten free.  I've had a "cheat day" once a week.  Otherwise, I've done roughly the same things I've been doing -- fruit/veggie juice blend for breakfast, snack of fresh fruit.  Salad and veggie concoction for lunch.  Reasonable dinner of a potato or sweet potato or a super-loaded plate of veggies.  Little or no meat.  (Okay...I've been a little more liberal with the meat....and I have enjoyed a snack of cheese here and there...Nothing overboard.)  GF cookies and milk for my end of the day treat.  (The GF snickerdoodles are YUMMY! <3)

But the weight loss has been non-existent.  Good news: haven't gained.  Bad news: haven't lost.  I don't know that that part is really bad...just not what I expected.

So...

I'm looking at these last two weeks, telling myself I can survive it...but not sure if I want to.  I know I gave up gluten for Lent, but I feel like even God has been saying, "You know, kid...this isn't right for you."  I mean, if you have to be GF, what do you do for Communion?  (Okay....yes, I know there have to be options...but...still....)

So, I think I may be transitioning back to what I was doing before.  It still involved very little bread.  I like the brown rice pasta...and I will do the comparisons and make wise decisions before I go back to regular pasta.  I need to be more concerned about getting more veggies and more exercise than going GF. 

So...back to the beginning. 

What's different?

I didn't read labels to make sure everything I was purchasing was GF.

I was eating GS cookies before bed. 

...

Is that really it?

Tried to avoid rice, too, didn't I?  Hmm...

No or few fried foods...but doing that now because most things that are fried are breaded...and if they aren't, they are cooked in the same oil as something that is breaded and fried.

No bread, although I would eat it if we crossed paths.  Only problem was that all the bread I had in the 2 months leading up to this was awful when I ate it.  Sucks to have a 200 calories of something that just tastes bad.

Okay.  Going to think this through and get back to you.

One More Thing...

My cholesterol has gone way down since last year.  Last year, they couldn't even read it on their machine at the wellness clinic (which means overall was over 300).  This week, it was over 200.  The only bad part is my HDL (good) is still low, and triglicerides are too high (which is common for people who take thyroid meds).

Prognosis: you need to exercise more.  Fish oil wouldn't be bad, either.

Back and Forth...

I didn't really lose any weight in February.  I did, however, get on the scale yesterday (or was it the day before?) to see 212.  I was hoping to be below 210 by the end of the month.  However, I am able to fit into a size 18 pair of pants again, and that's got to count for something.

As much as I would love to be at or around 170 by the end of June, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be there.  But I feel that I have mastered the first step of the weightloss journey: accept who and how you are today.  You can't lose any weight at all if you keep thinking of yourself as a thin person -- why would I need to lose anything if I'm already thin?  This is buying the clothes that fit you because you've stopped thinking in terms of "when I lose this weight" and just accepting that this is how you are and these are the things you need TODAY -- and when we finally need those smaller things because we HAVE lost the weight, dealing with that then.

I feel like I'm rambling... 

So, anyhow, 212.  Down from 227, that's still a pretty big thing.

Gluten-free is getting easier.  My daughter wanted to go to Olive Garden last night for Ravioli, so I got to try their gluten-free pasta.  It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't the same as their regular pasta.  (Next time, I'll just get a bowl of never-ending Zuppa Toscana...yummmm!)  Of course, here I tell them I'm on a gluten-free diet, and they bring the breadsticks.  Uh, no?  (Yes, I did have the personal strength to tell them not to leave them at the table.) 

I found some Xanthan Gum at Publix -- almost $15 for a small bag!  It had better last forever, or make a decent pound cake!  (That's what I'll be trying this weekend, possibly today.)

I should say that I've had a couple of times that I've had gluten.  Last Tuesday was the Kiwanis pancake supper.  We always go to that.  My stomach hurt the next day, but I can't say if it was that, or if it was psychocomatic.  I also had a teeny-tiny cookie night before last (and those awful meatballs probably had some sort of bad filler in them.)  So, I haven't been perfect, but I've been a lot better than I could have been.

Now, I think I've got to take little K to the doctor.  Everything in her neck looks swollen, and she feels pretty awful.  I hope the weather is more or less over.