Motivation

Great news Kari!

Spring- so glad you had good weekend! I have to get that ped figured out and get walking some more- really do feel better w/exercise.

DITTO!!  Doing the happy dance in my seat here too....although getting funny looks from coworkers, heehee

Kari -congratulations on the excellent news.... now I hope you can find a more compassionate or at least a more sensitive PCP.  We don't have time for those who bring us down!

kmmd - how are the new foobs?  Are you getting used to them?

Spring - it is amazing how much differently I look at food.  Prior to cancer I never even read the labels on a box of anything.  I never looked at the fat content, chemical make up or any other piece of information.  I just figured with enough exercise I could stay healthy forever.  Now I actually cringe when we have pot-lucks at work.  Most of the food grosses me out.  I also avoid any of the "all you can eat" type places that some of my girl-friends like to go to.  All that does is encourages you to eat eat eat to "get your money's worth"

It has been hotter than Hades here.  Where did April showers bring May flowers go?  I went to the gym over the weekend but had to skip yesterday due to excessive car-pool needs.  I am pretty sure that I had the potential for blood clots with all the driving I did yesterday! 

Tonight is kickboxing.  I have a good friend who is undergoing brain surgery (for mets) right now as I write this.  I need to kick some cancer-butt tonight at the bags.

PT63, getting used to the new foobs, my PS did a great job I think.  I'm not having the problems with heaviness a lot of others complain about, even if they are silicone.  No issues with ROM with my arms either.  We had an unusually nice burst of Spring weather since surgery so its been easy to do a lot of long walks and not resent my limited activities.  It will be a little harder today now that cooler rainy weather has hit.

Agree with you, I stay away from potlucks at work.  I also stay away from the food brought in for meetings.  Pet Peeve of mine, actually.  They're bringing weight watchers into work, running contests to see which group will win the ipod for walking the most, trying to encourage a healthy work force etc.  Then daily we have meetings where they bring in food.  Always bagels, or lasagna, or other starchy things with the "healthy" salad on the side..  Which means iceburg lettuce and the first few people in line take all of the feta cheese etc and glom it on, so that no one else wants the lettuce left and they all load on the pasta.  Grosses me out.  I'm always in the corner with my brown bag from home.  

Kari!!!

This is for your B9 Happy Dance, woman!!! Woooooooo!!! Thank you God!

Did my 3.7 mile walk yesterday eve, after a day of good healthy food, and dropped 2 pounds from the "retreat"!! This makes me realize, "new me" needs to plan about food with events like this. I may need to bring my own food and a cooler. I can have a salad or something healthy with others, to fellowship, but avoid the glop.

Also, there was  C A N D Y everywhere. I need to bring my dark chocolate and stick to that. I think I can do this. OH One success, I did avoid the wine. I have not had alchohol since diagnosis last year, July. My husband does not drink, so I am going to see if I can do it too!

Spring.

Yes, my Kari, I wonder if I should put all my determination into avoiding sugar, and allow myself a little wine once in a while.

What do you all think of the relative harmfulness of alchohol vs sugar in our diets going forward? I had read somewhere that for BC, "there is no safe amount" or some such thing. But I keep thinking, hey, even Jesus had wine! 

Would love to hear your thoughts, sugar, wine, etc.

Spring...

Black bean brownies. This I have to try. Recipe??? I will use Agave nectar!

Spring...here is my black bean brownie recipe...and yes it has white sugar in it!  LOL  I'm working on substituting agave in it, just haven't had time to experiment!

1 15.5 can black beans, rinsed and drained, 3 eggs, 3 T canola oil or applesauce, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 pinch salt, 1 tsp vanilla, 3/4 c white sugar, 1 tsp instant coffee (optional), 1/2 cup chocolate chips

 Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 8x8 baking pan with Pam.  Combine the black beans, eggs, oil, cocoa, salt, vanilla, sugar and instant coffee in food processor and blend until smooth.  Pour into baking pan.  Sprinkle with choc chips.  Bake for 30 minutes or until top is dry and edges start to pull away from pan!

Spring ~ Their website shows the ingredients.  It's actually a fiber bar, with 12 g. of fiber.  They have other flavors, too, but it's the chocolate one that I think is unbelievably good.

http://www.gnufoods.com/ourproducts/chocolatebrownie.cfm

Thanks for sharing your recipe, Lisa!       Deanna

Hi all

This food and drink thing drives me crazy.  I don't eat many sweets but I do like a glass of wine in the evening.  My first year out I only had around one glass of wine per week at the most because I was soooo paranoid about Tamox. and liver dysfunction.  Then my oncologist told me that the liver side effects are extremely rare and that if I want a glass of wine I should have one!  As they all say "you only live once".  I don't have any estrogen left so what havoc could it possibly wreak?

On that same note I agree with Vivre. We all only do live once and that is the point of taking care of our bodies.  Some of us may live longer than others but if you don't take care of your body you eventually will have to pay the price.  Do I want to live until 95 but have to be on oxygen for the last 20 years due to emphysema? or live to 95 but the last 20 years are in a nursing home due to a stroke from not being heart healthy? or amputations and blindness from adult onset diabetes secondary to obesity?  Our bodies already took a cellular detour which thank goodness we found and conquered.  We all had a huge wake up call.... so lets do all we can to keep our cells healthy.

So here is my mantra: Go for it....but only in moderation or with modifications.  Want chocolate?  Choose the dark kind!  Want alcohol?  Have one glass and savor the flavor!  Want ice cream?  Choose the low fat kind.  Want to go out to eat?  Cut your dinner in half at the table to maintain adequate portion control and take home the second half to savor the next day!  I don't believe in denying myself some of life's greatest pleasures.... afterall I only live once....but I would like to enjoy those same pleasures for many years to come.

Wow... that was a little soap-box-y.  Sorry

PT-If you are going to imbibe, I hope you at least drink the good stuff! Don't waste that one drink on cheap wine. I have not had more than a few sips since dx, but if I ever get back to Paris, I will be toasting! As for the soap box, I try to follow my 90% rule. If I stick to doing the good stuff 90% of the time, the rest won't kill me!

I upped my pace today. Well, maybe it was the wind blowing me along.  I did my 4 miles in under an hour, with my hand weight. Then I made a very healthy dinner of sauteed mushrooms(in grape seed oil) and broccoli with garlic and lemon. Yum! So I was a good girl today. Does that mean tomorrow I get to be 20% bad? 

Well looks like not only will I be being walking during the Relay for Life, but I'll be teaching zumba at midnight to all the walkers and again in the morning to wake them up! LOL  That is in June! 

You just can't stop Lisa!

Yoga tonight for me... I have only 501 steps on my pedometer! Wednesdays are always a "low step" day for me! (Maybe my feet and legs appreciate the break??)

Spring...