[restingtree]

I miss you-all!

Been a hectic year. When I did not retire in January, began to get busy. This past summer became interested in biological approaches to clean-up some environmental problems in a natural, effective, and inexpensive way. I am committing a lot of time to the effort. Have had a few small successes. Only want to get this effort started and then replace myself with younger folks.

Health is doing well. May be ready for an “After” picture in a few months (started 14 years ago ... just a little slow). Have actual muscle in my core, arms, and legs. My “chin count” has dropped and is now in the low single digits. Tummy has shrunk … circumference is now less than height. BP is about 100/65. Blood sugar hangs in at 95-115. Triglycerides are about the same, 90-110. Cholesterol was 127 last week.

Have eaten about as well as possible this year, while traveling (overseas 28 weeks, wife with me about 1/2 time). Breakfast: tomato slices, red pepper spears, cucumber slices, low salt bread toast. Lunch: green salad with balsamic dressing, 4-10 oz of fish. Dinner: salad or cooked green veggies or veggie stir fry with 4+/- oz shrimp. Once or twice a week (usually once), have a lamb or venison dinner. Also have pickled or cold-smoked salmon when I can. Have lost another 12-15 lbs.

Going hard core “Rice Diet (phase 2)” Monday. Can keep at it until Jan 10 or so. Then go back to routine above. Exercising most every day. Usually have a stationary bike in hotels. I do about 30 minutes. I have some elastic bands and I do a set of exercises with them after biking. Walk when I can … but … last March I fell on ice and cracked ribs … the appeal of the stationary bike increased.

Trust everyone is doing well. Pleased to read about your progress. If you have time and/or inclination would love to hear from you.

Thanks for being here.

Restingtree

[Illinoispainter]

restingtree, on 24 December 2011 - 04:47 PM, said:

I miss you-all!

Been a hectic year. When I did not retire in January, began to get busy. This past summer became interested in biological approaches to clean-up some environmental problems in a natural, effective, and inexpensive way. I am committing a lot of time to the effort. Have had a few small successes. Only want to get this effort started and then replace myself with younger folks.

Health is doing well. May be ready for an “After” picture in a few months (started 14 years ago ... just a little slow). Have actual muscle in my core, arms, and legs. My “chin count” has dropped and is now in the low single digits. Tummy has shrunk … circumference is now less than height. BP is about 100/65. Blood sugar hangs in at 95-115. Triglycerides are about the same, 90-110. Cholesterol was 127 last week.

Have eaten about as well as possible this year, while traveling (overseas 28 weeks, wife with me about 1/2 time). Breakfast: tomato slices, red pepper spears, cucumber slices, low salt bread toast. Lunch: green salad with balsamic dressing, 4-10 oz of fish. Dinner: salad or cooked green veggies or veggie stir fry with 4+/- oz shrimp. Once or twice a week (usually once), have a lamb or venison dinner. Also have pickled or cold-smoked salmon when I can. Have lost another 12-15 lbs.

Going hard core “Rice Diet (phase 2)” Monday. Can keep at it until Jan 10 or so. Then go back to routine above. Exercising most every day. Usually have a stationary bike in hotels. I do about 30 minutes. I have some elastic bands and I do a set of exercises with them after biking. Walk when I can … but … last March I fell on ice and cracked ribs … the appeal of the stationary bike increased.

Trust everyone is doing well. Pleased to read about your progress. If you have time and/or inclination would love to hear from you.

Thanks for being here.

Restingtree

[Illinoispainter]

I'm a newbie, and I'm really impressed with your numbers. I'd kill for that blood pressure. Well, I'd seriously maim anyway. I fell off the wagon, so to speak, this month after finding out I'd have to have some minor throat surgery, which goes to show that I don't deal well with stress. The surgery went fine, and I'm working my way back to the wagon. I may need a GPS this time. I'm going to try a lot of the tips from the forums, and you're certainly an inspiration. I'll be thinking of you. Have a great holiday, and keep up the good work.

[restingtree]

IL Painter

Thanks for the kind words. But don’t be impressed with my results. It took me 10+ yrs to get blood sugar under consistent control. Same as most everybody … it is a torturous journey.

Over the years, it seems as though something happens that allows people to finally reach their goals. For some it is joining Overeaters Anonymous. For some it is a health scare. For others, a change in their home or work environment. Others are striving or waiting or back-sliding.

For me, it was something that didn’t make a lot of sense … when I “almost accidentally” started taking flax seed oil capsules my body somehow started healing itself and food cravings dropped. In addition to getting good blood chemistry, I just went to the eye doctor and she tells me my vision is improving.

Hang in there. Always try hard. Forgive yourself when you fail. Stay positive. Try Overeaters Anonymous or another support group. Plus, exercise.

And stay with this site. For years, it was literally about all that kept me going. As a result, the respect, admiration, and honest affection I feel for so many ricers is immense. Thanks to everyone who has carried me from time to time.

Thanks for being here.

Restingtree

[Kaylagal]

So good to see a RD buddy's post. Happy New Year RT! I am so proud of your good numbers and your continued success with your weight-loss. You have inspired me to get those ground flax seeds out of the fridge once again and plunk them in my food. After your post I googled the benefits of flax again and it seems everyone agrees from the articles I read on the internet that it helps you lose the fat, yet helps increase the muscle. So, a couple of tablespoons twice per day should do the trick. Of course I will introduce it slowly as not to upset the balance too much.

Lots has happened this year. Lost my job on the last day of Sept due to the boss retired. However, I had a new job the following Monday (same boss). He is like you RT, he will never fully retire! We work 4 days per week and are off on Fridays for a long week-end. I am wearing a new hat now secretary/travel coordinator, so it is a stretch for me but I LOVE IT! Ended up with better benefits, etc. So, hooray for getting the pink slip! This past month had bad news from hubs PSA screening. Seems he has prostate cancer and was a real shocker for us since he has zero symptoms. Even the DRE from his physical last summer didn't show anything and the urologist said the DRE he did also indicated nothing, however since a free screening at Sam's Club showed elevated counts they did 10 biopsies and 8 were malignant. I truly believe it was a GOD thing that we were shopping in Sam's that day and they asked us if we wanted a free screening. I said sure before I even knew what they were screening for. We both knew we had very little to worry about since all of our numbers are usually close to normal. Well, 3 weeks later we get the call from the screeners telling us we better call our MD. When MD redid the PSA test it was 4 points higher! YIKES! Last week was a ct scan and a bone scan. We are in uncharted territory for us because neither of us has been sick much, for which we are very fortunate. CT scan came back clear and now we are waiting and praying for clear results from the bone scan also.

Here is hoping 2012 will be a great year for everyone and all troubles today will become tomorrow's miracles!

I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES! Which means the weight-loss battle will be won someday also but will definitely take a miracle also. Again, RT so good to hear from you and hope you and your family had a wonderful time together at Christmas.

Rhonda

[Illinoispainter]

Kaylagal, on 27 December 2011 - 07:05 AM, said:

So good to see a RD buddy's post. Happy New Year RT! I am so proud of your good numbers and your continued success with your weight-loss. You have inspired me to get those ground flax seeds out of the fridge once again and plunk them in my food. After your post I googled the benefits of flax again and it seems everyone agrees from the articles I read on the internet that it helps you lose the fat, yet helps increase the muscle. So, a couple of tablespoons twice per day should do the trick. Of course I will introduce it slowly as not to upset the balance too much.

Lots has happened this year. Lost my job on the last day of Sept due to the boss retired. However, I had a new job the following Monday (same boss). He is like you RT, he will never fully retire! We work 4 days per week and are off on Fridays for a long week-end. I am wearing a new hat now secretary/travel coordinator, so it is a stretch for me but I LOVE IT! Ended up with better benefits, etc. So, hooray for getting the pink slip! This past month had bad news from hubs PSA screening. Seems he has prostate cancer and was a real shocker for us since he has zero symptoms. Even the DRE from his physical last summer didn't show anything and the urologist said the DRE he did also indicated nothing, however since a free screening at Sam's Club showed elevated counts they did 10 biopsies and 8 were malignant. I truly believe it was a GOD thing that we were shopping in Sam's that day and they asked us if we wanted a free screening. I said sure before I even knew what they were screening for. We both knew we had very little to worry about since all of our numbers are usually close to normal. Well, 3 weeks later we get the call from the screeners telling us we better call our MD. When MD redid the PSA test it was 4 points higher! YIKES! Last week was a ct scan and a bone scan. We are in uncharted territory for us because neither of us has been sick much, for which we are very fortunate. CT scan came back clear and now we are waiting and praying for clear results from the bone scan also.

Here is hoping 2012 will be a great year for everyone and all troubles today will become tomorrow's miracles!

I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES! Which means the weight-loss battle will be won someday also but will definitely take a miracle also. Again, RT so good to hear from you and hope you and your family had a wonderful time together at Christmas.

Rhonda

Rhonda, I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's prostate cancer. My husband went through that this year, and he decided to do proton therapy. It's radiation, but not the standard kind. There are about 7 or 8 centers in the country that do it, and most insurance will cover it. It was time-consuming--it required 44 treatments, which are given Monday through Friday, so we were staying in a hotel for 10 weeks. But there were no side effects, and he never felt tired. Proton therapy is also used for children since it has the least effect on their cells as they grow, and it's used for places difficult to reach in surgery, like the brain, eye, neck and spine. Our local doctor didn't tell us about it and my husband found out about it through his own research. Also, my husband's oncologist at ProCure, where he had the treatments, told him that a vegan diet would give him up to a 50% better chance of not having a recurrence. More incentive for me to stay on the dieta. I wish you and your husband the very best, and good luck.

Linda

[Leeney]

My goodness! This feels like old home week! So good to hear from you RT and I rejoice in the good news about your health and test results. I always say, even when not asked, that the only thing I do right is to keep plugging away at this. It's a journey, all right, and one that we should enjoy while we're traveling. It's always a delight to hear from you. I miss your wisdom and humor when you need to be absent.

I have modified my dieta somewhat from the years ago when I started. This has occurred gradually and naturally for me. Of course I had been a vegetarian for many years before starting the RD, and in fact, that's one reason I chose to do it, because it fit so perfectly with the way I already ate. Gradually I got away from eating dairy, eggs and cheese as well until just this past Fall I realized that I was nearly entirely plant based in my eating. So I just committed to it. It seemed like the logical next step. I hadn't even completed a month of eating that way, when I met a wonderful woman who runs a raw kitchen. Well, that got me to increase the amount of raw food that I eat. Truly, that has made the biggest impact on me. I did not do this to lose more weight, because I have been maintaining for a while, but out of curiosity and because it made sense to me not to destroy the enzymes and phytonutrients in my food. I won't go into detail here, but I am loving the results!

Rhonda, it's wonderful that as soon as one door closed on your job, another one opened. Somehow I resist change but am always pleasantly surprised when the new outcome becomes apparent. I'm hoping that this will be the case with your husband too. It must be stressful dealing with the not knowing. I feel heartened knowing that your faith can deal with anything. Sending you much love and hope.

And Illinoispainter, it's so good to see you reading and responding to forum posts. Establishing connections here will go a long way towards ensuring your success.


Hugs to all,
Leeney

[nanacoon]

Restingtree I'm so GLAD I checked in today, seeing a post from you after so long is like a belated Christmas present. It sounds like you are doing GREAT, love those numbers you posted. I'm still combining my Rice Diet base with my O.A. meetings and I'm sure the combination of the two will keep me going into a healthier New Year.
I guess I need to put my Rice Diet Icon back on my desktop instead of in my Favorites Folder ... that way I will keep in touch more readily. So good to hear from you.
Ronda, I'm sorry to hear of your husbands health problem, I'm praying everything will be set straight soon and as you said, the year 2012 will be much better for all of us. Happy New Year to US. Bonnie

[restingtree]

Just opened the Forum after a busy week and wow … so many wonderful replies. I am fortunate to know you folks through this forum. You make my life better.

Rhonda, thanks for sharing the scare you and hubs have had and letting us know it hasn’t gone away … but at least the CT scan is a positive sign. Know you are reaching for and nestling in God’s comfort. As with everyone else, thoughts and prayers are with you. And in the midst of all this, you’re handling a new job and looking for flaxseed products … a little extra time must have been spent designing and putting you together.

Linda, your comments about proton therapy are sage. Interesting to see if the physician in MO goes that route or another. But let’s hope the bone scans are negative and the situation pivots positively in the weeks to come. Look forward to sharing your journey in 2012.

Leeney, you always present positive thoughts and often subtlety link them to welcomewd hints for improvement. You must have been a great teacher. Wish I could be more vegetarian when I travel. I have my European operation in Scandinavia. Up there, salad is salted cabbage. Vegetables are potatoes done numerous ways, corn, pickles, and olives. They have canned green beans and asparagus in grocery stores. I think I buy a large % of it (at least the checkout clerks tell me I do) … and have to eat it cold. I can buy a dried Knorr soup product and get about 0.1 oz of carrots and green beans but unfortunately there are a few bazillion mg of salt.

Bonnie, good to read your post. Sounds as though you are quietly moving forward. You’ve shown the Rice Diet and OA are a potent combination. I’ve been reading about the Northern Lights being really amazing this year (particularly this past week). For some reason, I think I saw them from your area of the country back in the late 70’s. Can you and your husband see them? Are they as spectacular as promised?

Well, I "restarted" on Phase 2 this past Monday. The first day, I had Irish oatmeal and corn grits. The GI system rebelled. So I took a day with tea, toast, jelly, and jello. Now my carbo choices are white potatoes, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, and Ezekiel bread (BTW. I travel with Ezekiel bread … can get it through customs). I cook the carbo’s the day before use, store them in the refrigerator overnight, and reheat before eating. Doing this allows me to keep blood sugar down. Pair this with lots of salad (lemon juice for dressing), various greens (so far turnip and kale), broccoli, green beans, and various cabbages. Also try to eat a half cup or so of beans (kidney, black, or garbanzo) each day. A couple of days this week, I had Ezekiel toast, sliced tomato, sliced cucumber, and red bell pepper strips for breakfast (yum).

On stationary bike about 30 minutes each morning. Starting at local gym tomorrow. Not up to the intensity of some of Rhonda’s and Leeney’s workouts … but not bad for an elderly fellow.

Am I the only one who finds it best to cook potatoes, etc., let them sit overnight in the frig, and then reheat?

PS. Karen remains a caring wife with immense tolerance and beauty. Yesterday was her birthday (60th). She wanted to go to an upscale Mexican place. She had chipotle pork with a savory tamale. Kate had salmon with a Southwestern remoulade sauce. I had plain rice with Southwestern fruit (i.e. it had prickly pear juice in it). It was good and unbelievably expensive. But not up to Taco Bell (in my opinion).

Thanks for being here.

Restingtree

[Leeney]

Hey, RT, I just had a thought while reading your post. Have you ever looked into sprouting as a way to get your veggies while traveling? Seeds are simple and easy to transport and you can sprout with simple equipment...a container and some cheesecloth. Eating a handful of sprouts is like eating 3 servings of leafy green veggies.

[nanacoon]

Thanks for the sprouts reminder Leeney, I have some on hand and think I'll go get a batch of sprouts started. They do have screw on lids available to fit large mouth jars in three different seed sizes. I found a set of them at our local Co-op (health food store).
RT - I LOVE seeing the Northern Lights here in our area, I look for them every night when I go to bed, out the sliding glass doors in our bedroom. They are just so amazing to see. My son was in the Air Force up in Alaska and won some photography awards with his Northern Lights photos. About the potatoes comment ... you're not the only one RT, I usually have cooked potatoes ready and available in the refrigerator too. We had a bumper crop of nice red potatoes this Summer, I'm keeping track of them in our cellar hatchway that we're using as a root cellar this Winter. The temperatures have dropped in our area to minus -6 below zero - so on those nights I've been transferring them back into the cellar to keep them from freezing.
Fred just called me out to watch a quick segment on how horseradish is processed and bottled. I LOVE horseradish, and grow my own roots, last Summer I ground up a batch of the roots, mixed it with vinegar and bottled it ... of course I had to take a taste of it just to make sure it was GOOD. HOLY MACKERAL ... that little taste took my breath away, I was home alone and I told Fred later that I honestly thought I was going to have to call 911. Couldn't catch my breath!!! Not funny at the time, but it's funny now. Happy New Year everyone. Bonnie

[restingtree]

Leeney.

Great thought. I'm on it. Of course it is easier to just complain ... my historical solution.

I'll bet one of my botanists would be willing to start the sprouting cycle before I arrive. Do it at the office rather than in my hotel rooms. This summer, I will have a community garden plot with one of my engineer's family. Hopefully there will be more fresh vegetables then.

BTW, I recently read two books titled "1491" and "1493" ... life in the America's before Columbus (1491) and sfter Columbus (1493). The books assert esentially all vegetables eaten in Europe and the Americas come from Central and South America. The historical cultures in Northern Europe had very few vegetables. Guess it is an inherited cultural thing. The books were fascinating ... at least to me.

You are a real blessing.

Thanks for being here.

Restingtree

[MonicaC]

Happy New Year RT, nice to hear of your adventures on this rice program. I love too love ezkiel bread toasted with some tomatoes and fresh cut basil. I find the herbs to be much looked over and yet give a lot of flavor to a meal. It is so important to listen to your body whose wisdom is there when we pay attention. For you its rolled oats, for me it is milk. I can only have it in limited quantities. Your wife's bday sounds lovely, sounds like you have a beautiful relationship. That is wonderful to hear about.
Have a great day.

[restingtree]

Bonnie. We must have been on the forum site at the same time this morning. When I was a kid, we stored potatoes and green tomatoes in the cellar. We left turnip greens with turnips in the ground. We'd cover them with leaves to protect them from freezing. We would go out clear away some leaves, pull up a few turnips with their greens, and then cook the greens with diced turnips. Kept us in "fresh" vegetables through the winter. A low of 20 F was considered really bad ... never saw -6 F until I moved to Wisconsin.

The tomatoes didn't ripen very well. So we would slice them, dredge them, and fry them in grease (collected in the renderings jar) from time to time. Aunt Bernice said eating them helped us avoid scurvy. Had no idea what scurvy was but avoiding it was a good enough reason to ask for fried tomatoes.

Also, I'm trying to find a way to get to Northern Noway in Feb to see the NOrthern lights. I haven't seen them since my visits to cheese plants in Northern NY in the 70's.

MonicaC. You are so right about herbs. And tomatoes with basil is downright heavenly. Amazing how an elderly man can forget so much. The only herb I have never got to work is dill. Maybe the wrong varieties, growing it wrong, using it wrong, or whatever. But it always smells and tastes like skinny grass to me. Maybe green stings of cardboard is a better description. Suggestions appreciated.

Leeney. Do you have a good source for sprout nutrition info?

Take care. Being here, I feel at home.

Thanks for being here.

Restingtree

PS. I'm overseas too much. Today is "taking down and putting away" Christmas decorations day. I used to do a lot of it. Now Karen tells me I don't know where anything goes anymore ... and just please stay out of her way. Don't think that was a compliment.

Oh well, I fixed a NY strip steak for her yesterday (we were empty nesting) with blue cheese butter ... and she really enjoyed it. I had a green salad, some pre-cooked potatoes, and a home made apple cobbler with a shredded wheat crust. She can't stand my Rice Dieta cobblers.

This morning was Ezekiel toast, a newspaper thin slice of Canadian bacon, plus tomato, cucumber, and red pepper slices. Lunch was a green salad with garbanza (sp) beans plus Ezekiel toast. Karen is making traditional "Hoppin John" for dinner with a poached pear. It will be delicious. Checking out to watch the 2nd pro football game. Talk to you later.

Restingtree

[Leeney]

RT, I've been doing sprouts for years, but recently came across a couple of links that have some good information. The second one is my fave. Bonnie, they have the lids you were talking about. I still do it the old fashioned way with cheese cloth. I just got done growing a batch of broccoli seed sprouts. Talk about a nutrional power house! I did them in a flat, shallow plastic container about8 x 10 that I just covered with cheese cloth and held in place with a large rubber band. I like to give the little beauties breathing room!

http://www.isga-sprouts.org/history.htm

http://sproutpeople.org/

[Illinoispainter]

I'm testing here to see if I can attach the weight loss ticker.

[restingtree]

IL Painter. Your ticker looks great. I can never get the things to work.

Leeney. Thanks for the sprouts info. Read your two links. Somehow, I've overlooked this before. Would like to become more knowledgeable. Will spend some time this week reading and starting a few crops.

Rhonda. Thoughts and prayers are with you. Hope you can feel support coming your way.

Did not make to midnight yesterday. Flagged out about 10:00 pm. Had a goos breakfast ... scrambled eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, and sprouts (bought after first post). Headed out to walk with my wife. It is cold for us (high 30's). Take care.

Thanks for being here.

Restingtree

[Illinoispainter]

restingtree, on 02 January 2012 - 03:23 PM, said:

IL Painter. Your ticker looks great. I can never get the things to work.

Leeney. Thanks for the sprouts info. Read your two links. Somehow, I've overlooked this before. Would like to become more knowledgeable. Will spend some time this week reading and starting a few crops.

Rhonda. Thoughts and prayers are with you. Hope you can feel support coming your way.

Did not make to midnight yesterday. Flagged out about 10:00 pm. Had a goos breakfast ... scrambled eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, and sprouts (bought after first post). Headed out to walk with my wife. It is cold for us (high 30's). Take care.

Thanks for being here.

Restingtree

[Illinoispainter]

Well, I think I messed up that post royally. Sorry about that. I still don't know what I'm doing. I think the post I tried to send is lost, so here goes again. RT, I have no idea how to get the ticker to show up on my posts other than putting in the code every time I post. I think it has something to do with making it my signature, but if anyone can enlighten me I would appreciate it. Leeney, you have me intrigued with the sprouting, and I'm going to try it. Rhonda, I second what RT said, and if you need to vent this is a great community for support. Hang in there. Now I'm going to try to figure out the right way to post and to attach the ticker. I feel like Charlie Brown--Aauuuggghhhh!

Linda

[Kaylagal]

Thanks to all your prayerful support for hubs and I. We saw the surgeon last Friday and hubs will undergo robotic removal of the prostate gland on Jan. 16th. I would appreciate all the prayers you can muster up for us. Apparently he has lots of malignant cells that are microscopic in size but that are the aggressive type. A lot of the biopsies were 7 on the scale from 2 - 10. One biopsy was an 8. So, we are going to try the surgery first to see if that keeps his PSA count low enough. If that doesn't do the trick then he may have to undergo some radiation. (IL PAINTER) I think the beam radiation is the same as the proton radiation you talked about. ??? The Dr thought he was too far along for the beam radiation. However, the good news is he had a clear bone scan as well as the clear CT scan. THANK YOU LORD! So, we are hanging in there and anticipating a successful robotic surgery. That is something our town didn't used to have. So, we are thankful we have a Dr that comes with a good reputation for doing those here. We are trusting the GOOD LORD that when he directed our path to the free screening at Sam's Club that HE knew our future and we are safe in HIS hands. What is the old saying, "Ignorance is bliss". Who would have thought when the DRE's the Dr's gave him were clean that he actually had such an agressive cancer in there??? Both the urologist and the surgeon said the screening has saved his life. The surgeon told him 18 to 24 months later would have been too late and it would have taken his life! Now, the govt is trying to say the screenings are not necessary for men to have!!! (sigh) The screening was our first miracle for sure!

Leeney, we plan to implement as much raw (alkalizing) foods as we can this year. It is tougher in the winter for sure. Any raw comfort food recipes are welcomed! I have a sprout lid that fits on top of a wide mouth jar that I bought a year or so ago. I have yet to use it though but I love SPROUTS and they are so chocked full of nutrition! A genius idea you gave RT for his travels for fresh vegetation. YOU ARE ONE SMART GAL!

Bonnie, I miss your fun stories of all the capers of the wildlife around your place. Glad you are hanging around the forum so we can get an update of whatever it is you are making/canning next. IE: maple syrup, etc.

We have had my sister here from San Antonio and two of her sons' families. There were 13 in our house for a few days. Oh MY! So good to see them and spoil the babies and then send them home.

OK, that is my update for now. Will try like the majority of the population to stay on plan this week, and try to fit in at least a little exercise since I have moved the eliptical, the rebounder, and the exercise bike into the family room by the TV. So far, it just gathers dust but my sister's grandkids had fun with them. At least I don't watch as much TV since they are in there because I feel guilty sitting there looking at them. Not much on TV I want to watch these days anyway. (we are too cheap to buy cable where all the neat shows are)

Rhonda