Janet......

[LittleDudesMom]

Been thinking about you the last couple days and wondering how the medication regiment is going? Are you feeling better yet?

Sorry I haven't called - it's been so hectic at work and then I'm doing the 5 days at the gym and difficult child is working down at the complex so I'm driving him and his best bud to work and back, blah, blah, blah - you know the drill! Had my 9-week assessment today and got great news! Things are working.....

Hope you are feeling well. I think you posted something a couple days ago about starting to eat a little more.

Hugs,
Sharon

 

[witzend]

I talked to her the other day, the medications are wearing her down a bit but she's holding up. Hope she replies and fills it out some!

 

[DammitJanet]

I am starting to eat a bit more but its more of a 5 meal a day of yogurt, ensure, applesauce and a cheese stick, Tony wants something for dinner so I tend to buy something out and I eat about a quarter cup of whatever that is, and then I have either one of those 100 calorie snack pack cookies or a 70 calorie ice cream bars when I take my medicine because they taste so incredibly bad. I think I am around 1200 to 1500 calories on different days. Maybe a little less.

I am extremely tired and weak. I tend to get so tired that I cant handle much at all. Tony dont seem to really understand that I am going to be even more lethargic than normal. He wants me to step up like normal and i cant. Billy isnt helping either. I have a feeling we are going to end up with our water shut off because Tony was off work yesterday and it was the last day to pay it before late charges apply. I told him to go several times and he forgot. I never have that option every month but sorry Im sick and he was home. He could have gone. He didnt. So he said oh Billy could go this morning. Guess what, Billy has to leave for work at about 8 and they dont open until 8:30 and Tony didnt leave him the money. I dont care if we dont have water, he can take a day off work to go pay it.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Janet,

sounds like you are beginning to be able to stomach more food - that's a good thing. One suggestion I would have - and I eat about 12-1500 calories a day as well - is to add some fresh fruits and veggies to your intake. I also eat five meals a day and I eat tons more than applesauce and yogart.

My normal breakfast is something like a 1/2 cup of oatmeal (steel cut) with fruit or a 3 egg white omelet with peppers, mushrooms, onions and spinach. My next meal is smaller and can be a handful of almonds or a small apple and a baby bell light cheese or some "Food Should Taste Good" chips with hummus. Lunch is usually a huge salad with tons of veggies and topped grilled chicken, left over steak, salmon or tuna or a whole wheat low carb wrap filled with tons of veggies and lean roast beef or chicken along with some homemade slaw (no mayo) or homemade bean salad, or slice tomato with balsamic, etc. My fourth meal/snack is a yogurt with fruit, celery and soy butter, basically like the second snack of the day. Dinner consists of 25% protein (chicken, steak, fish), 25% carb (lentils, small sweet potato, etc.), and 50% veggies. I follow that day with a couple sugar free jello cups or a piece of an endangered species (brand) 88% dark chocolate bar.

The day also includes one cup of coffee in the morning with full test half and half!!!! My splurge for the day.

So look at how much more food I am eating for the same daily calories as you. Now I understand you can't manage to eat that quantity right now, but I think you need to take advantage of your new found eating routine to add some healthier options. Adding some higher quality fats and protein will really help your energy level too - promise! From what you list as your daily intake, I don't think you are getting 12-1500 calories and that is probably why your energy level is so low. You have to fuel your body Janet. Without the protein and quality fat and sugars, your body is not going to run efficiently and your energy level is going to wain as you go through the day.

I'm glad you are beginning to slowly feel better and sorry the men in your life are so resistant to working with your health needs. Did Billy get a new job or is he working part time at the same place?

Sharon

 

[DDD]

There must be "Janet" in the atmosphere. I actually intended to start a thread asking about you last night. Went to bed early and headed to the Board this AM to find out Sharon beat me to the punch. I'm still refining my dietary changes too and know it's not easy. Fingers crossed that you get stronger each day. Hugs. DDD

 

[Hound dog]

I'm glad you're able to eat more food. Sharon is right, the more healthy foods you can squeeze in the better you'll begin to feel. If you like boiled eggs, they can become your best friend as breakfast, diced on a salad, a snack ect. Be careful with those low calorie snacks.......often they lead back into old habits and you said you might want to take this opportunity to shed some of the extra weight. Fruits and veggies will give you more payback than a low cal sweet snack, and it IS possible to retrain your taste buds to prefer them.

I keep trying to indulge in junk foods I used to love when i find them super cheap on sale........and one or two bites and I'm totally over it and wondering why I wanted it in the first place. Not because I'm a super dieter with awesome willpower but because I had bad teeth for so many years and couldn't/didn't eat them without pain.......and learned to eat other things instead. lol

 

[InsaneCdn]

Janet... yogurt and cheese are protein, nothing wrong with applesauce, but probably the most important thing to add to the diet is COLOR. It's the multi-colored (and especially bright colored) fruits and veggies that are so important. What can you add? Fruits like canteloupe and watermelon are soft. Sweet potatoes in place of white. Tomatoes. Some of the other stand-bys aren't quite so "soft", like broccoli and carrots!

 

[1905]

Janet, I'm happy to hear you are feeling a little better. I was so worried about you! Listen, you need to listen to your body. For a long time you couldn't eat anything, if you want anything- eat it. That is contrary to what the others may say, but listen to your body right now. That goes for Tony, if he expects too much from you, listen to your body. You need to heal. You will be back to normal, but your body needs to heal. That's what you say. Don't feel bad for anything, don't do too much and make yourself sick. They're all adults there. (hugs)

 

[klmno]

Goodness- I thought I cooked/ate healthy meals but if I planned meals as healthy as you ladies are, it would be a full time job! LOL! I'm not sure my budget would allow it either- it sounds like some of this could get a little costly.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Klmno? It's not a full time job, it just becomes a habit. We have frozen fruit in the freezer when it comes on sale, freeze our own from the garden, and check the flyers weekly to pick up the least expensive options available and then supplement from "stock" here at home. We're tight for cash, too.... by the time we pay for orthodontics, music lessons, therapies and activities, clothes, and all the other "must spends" (like taxes)... food budget gets squeezed. We eat a LOT of ground beef and other inexpensive cuts. I don't think we've had steak once in 10 years. We get rice at the oriental grocer for way less than the grocery store (we buy 45 lb bags at a time). Supper is always a simple meat, a simple starch (rice, potatoes, pasta or bread), veggies, and fruit. I can't imagine the time and effort of putting together a casserole!

 

[DDD]

I really believe that eating healthy ends up cheaper than anticipated. We haven't been into fast foods or take out pizza, chinese etc. in a number of years but once you eliminate the "easy" last minute meals you really end up "breaking even" or maybe even saving. Lordy, I sure miss MEAT but husband and I are learning to focus on the colorful fruits and vegetables and slowly but surely our taste buds are adapting. For me, lol, I think that the "instant gratification" of pick up and take out etc. is the hardest adaptation. on the other hand, Klmno, you have a teen son at home so it's not a likely time to "go" healthy. DDD

 

[InsaneCdn]

DDD? My male difficult child happens to be right in the middle of the biggest teenage growing years... you know that stage, where you buy pants this week, hem them next week, and the week after they are too short? And... we're eating healthy. Even difficult child likes how his body feels when we eat this way, and definitely knows when he eats differently (school event or whatever). Even pizza is better home-made (as per difficult child).

 

[klmno]

I guess it's me being used to "my personal adaptation" of being raised by a family full of southern cooks then trying to make that a tad bit more healthy and well-rounded for my son. The result is 1 meat, 2 vegies (1 starch, 1 green or a bean), and bread for dinner. Fruit is almost always in the house and there's a variety of things for breakfast and snacks. Occassionally we have fast food- pizza might be once a month, for instance. I can't see those type things going away completely for a while just due to working full time and E having to have a full dinner each night.

But hey, I grew up being taught that healthy foods were those that grew in a graden or were raised on a farm and/or made at home and eating healthy meant you ate at least one plate full and noone EVER left the table hungry. LOL! I rarely do deserts though, as was also a custom, but I don't make all my suaces homemade like my older family members did- I still feel guilty over it, too. I eat a LOT more white meat because E likes it better but I'm a beef person at heart. We do use a lot of ground beef just due to cost. Ie- one week I'll incorprate burgers on the grill in the menu, the next week might include spaghetti, and the following might include tacos made at home. I rarely buy frozen vegies and don't know that I've ever bought frozen fruit/berries. OK- my cholesterol is borderline and I'm not skinny- neither is E but in my mind we eat healthy. LOL!

So as not to hijack DJ's thread, I've had lunch with her and she didn't eat unhealthy by my standards. I don't know what the recommendations for diet are for her so I've witheld posting about this on her threads until now. I'm sure I'll have my day where I have to struggle with eating "healthier" foods too in the enar future so I just hope we can all get thru these 'changes in diet' without too much suffering!

 

[DammitJanet]

I think I had chicken fingers and a sweet potato when I ate with you and took half of it home Klmno...lol. They serve huge servings there.

One thing you have to remember is that I only have 4 upper teeth. 2 front teeth and two molars. I have all my lower front teeth but no back molars. This means it is extremely hard for me to eat anything hard. I cant eat broccoli or carrots. I did roast them once in the oven with brown sugar and butter but I think that would defeat the purpose. I also make a mean broccoli soup but it is filled with cheese so there is that issue. Also its not exactly hot soup weather.

My applesauce is colorful. Its strawberry applesauce. I love it and when I eat it with string cheese I peel the cheese and dip it. I do love that three bean salad and will have to look for it at the store. I havent had it in years and years. There was a place over in Midlothian that made the best three bean salad.

Hopefully once I am off these stupid stomach medications I will have the energy to start experimenting with food. I think right now my energy levels are so bad because of the medications. I have a friend who did this and she couldnt even go to work the entire time she was on it.

As far as Billy goes, he just got very bad news. They are closing down the kiosk that they transferred him to where they promised to make him manager or at least assistant manager. He got neither. He actually has paperwork saying he was supposed to be made assistant manager as of May 1st which would have meant a pay raise of over a buck fifty and they never gave it to him. Now they are saying they dont know where they can transfer him because there are no openings locally. However they want him to work the next few days while the kiosk closes open to close to ship out the inventory to other stores. Oh heck no! I would tell them I am not the manager nor the assistant manager so I will work 8 hours a day and someone else can figure this junk out. Billy just doesnt have the balls for it. I know they are gonna let him go anyway. I would not work my butt of for them beforehand.

 

[Hound dog]

Fruits and veggies don't have to be fresh. Yeah, I know, maybe you're not getting optimum vitamin potential, but we're filling out your diet making it more appealing too. Canned fruit and applesauce is better than no fruit. If you like juice......well, that has a LOT of sugars but you could do the V8 fusions or their "fruit" juices (which include veggies you can't taste) Canned veggies are better than no veggies. Know what I mean?? I have to be careful buying fresh fruit because I am the only one eating them and I can't always do it fast enough and if it goes to waste it didn't do me much good to buy it. Same with fresh veggies. Once the garden starts really producing canning will be done because I won't be able to eat it fast enough. While I enjoy fruit and veggies, I tend to lean on V8 to make sure I'm getting my daily requirement filled. It's nice that I can just drink it. lol

That stinks for Billy. I was worried something like that was gonna happen.

 

[klmno]

That does stink for Billy- and it sounds like it might stink for you, too, DJ.

Hound- I have a V8 for breakfast, when I eat breakfast. When I get shakey in the mornings, I can drink a V8 and 20 mins later the shakes are completely gone. They have tons of flavor for V8 these days.

DJ- I've been thinking of some softer foods since reading your last post. I'm sure you can think of some but I was wondering if I could throw out some and maybe 1 or 2 would sound appealing- if you're allowed to eat it. I have no idea what you need to stay away from and what foods would be ok and sit well on your stomach.

So- clam chowder, lobster or shrimp bisque, grilled cheese sandwich, broccolli/cheese casserole, mexican chicken casserole (can be made very mild and small bites of chicken are very tender), cornbread and pinto beans- maybe with some mashed potatoes, spaghetti with meat sauce, jello with fruit, PB&J sandwich, egg sandwich, tuna salad, polish sausage and rice, pasta and grilled fish and spinach in olive oil, mac&cheese and some fruit or berries on the side.... am I helping any or making things worse?

As an afterthought re costs and health- I am starting to realize that with E and me at least, drinks play into it more than the actual food many times. I spend a lot for our drinks and they might undermine half of any effort I make to feed us right.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Oh Janet, that's a bummer about Billy's job!

 

[DammitJanet]

I do drink those V8 drinks, they are yummy! Especially the pommagranite (sp). I love tomato soup, clam chowder, and split pea soup.

Problem right now is my entire kitchen is completely trashed. There isnt a clean dish in there. I used all my energy probably on Saturday to wash dishes-not the pots and pans I simply ran out of steam- and no one has touched it since. Billy simply doesnt see it. He was home all day Monday and Tony was home all day Tuesday. Oh Tony was also home all day Saturday and Sunday. He claims he washes everything in the kitchen on the weekends but it simply isnt true.

Because of the issue with the water bill this month I made a comment about how I was going to get him a prepaid mastercard and let him put the money for the bills on that and let him pay for those himself and his answer was...oh so now you wont have to do ANYTHING around here. Now he is accusing me of taking $100 from him. He keeps his money in cash hidden in the house. He had to tell me where it was one day because he forgot to leave me money to pay the electric bill and it was the cutoff day. I didnt have it in my bank account. Now there is no way I would go steal his money, if I wanted it I would ask him, he would simply give it to me. I never told anyone where it was, Keyana was the only one here with me that day. She didnt know what I was doing. He is absolutely convinced I did this and wont accept I didnt do it. I say look, check my bank account to see if I deposited it. He says why would you deposit it, you could just spend it. Huh? I go no where without him so he would see me spend that much money! He puts money in there every week. I think he simply miscounted. Or....Buck came over when I never heard him when I was sound asleep and went through the house looking. Tony didnt hide it in a very good place. It would have been in one of the first places I would have looked even before he told me where it was. But now I dont like knowing he is hiding money from me. I dont like that he is expecting me to pay bills out of my money first and then expecting me to come to him for money like a beggar when I need money at the end of the month. That isnt happening anymore. I am going to make him pay the bills from now on.

 

[DDD]

Janet...just had a thought and don't know if it is doable or even a good idea, lol. Perhaps Billy could ask for a letter of recommendation before he volunteers to help pack up the inventory. I could be wrong but his employer doesn't seem to gung ho for him and might not step up to the plate after Billy is no longer working. Sounds like a good tradeoff to me (at the moment) and "maybe" Billy would grasp the concept. DDD

 

[DammitJanet]

Good idea DDD. I will suggest it to him, especially since he is really good friends with his previous manager.