I haven't used this blogsite since last November, when I weighed in at 294.  My last weight was 288, just before Christmas, I believe.  So you can see I hardly lost much weight before the holidays.  Then during the holidays I have to admit I fluctuated a bit, but essentially stayed the same weight.

I last weighed last Friday, the day before I started Phase 1 of the DASH diet.  That was 289, but it was during the day, after eating and drinking diet soda and water.  So in order to stop myself from panicking too much, I am calling it 288 and saying I managed to keep my initial weigh loss over the past couple of months, or "over the holidays."

My highest recorded weight was 354.  I finally found that I could admit that after getting below the 300 mark!   It got up that high after our move to Watertown when Bob retired.  We moved here September 30, 2012.  Perhaps I had been that high or higher before we moved.  I remember I would plan my steps through the house to "conserve my energy."  I couldn't make it from room to room, from the bedroom to the bathroom, from the living room to the kitchen, without needing to sit down to catch my breath.  I got winded going from the parking lot into the clinic and needed to sit down to catch my breath before going to the check-in desk.  Then it hurt to stand and wait my turn because of my back.  I had to sit in the extra wide chairs in the waiting room.  At the stores I got breathless walking even short distances and was constantly looking for places to sit down to rest and catch my breath.

When I went to the bathroom, I had to use the wrong end of my toothbrush--with a cloth or flushable wipe wrapped around it--as an extension to clean myself after a bowel movement.  I couldn't reach that far back with only my arm and hand.  This is one thing I have mentioned to almost no one until today.  It is not a very pretty item to mention, but I guess I'm feeling kind of confessional.

And while telling about my weight, I should mention this one kind of uplifting note.  Use Lamisil--which is recommended for jock itch and athlete's foot--in the fat folds.  I like the spray liquid best.  I know someone who uses a generic creme with the same drug/ingredients, and she says it works fine for her.  She uses it every day after she takes her shower.  It takes care of the yeast that grows in fat folds.  I only use it when I think I'm getting a yeast infection again.  But when I'm off sugar, I rarely grow any.  Yeast feeds on sugar.  I wish I knew a way to spread the word on this.  I saw a young teen girl on a talk or health show, talking about how she wanted obesity surgery.  She talked about how much "infection" she got in her fat folds and how it itched and stunk.  (Her mother, like mine, was trim.)  I wished I could have jumped into the TV to tell her about Lamisil!

So I'm on day 3 of Phase 1 DASH diet.  I woke up with a big headache Saturday, the first day.  It must have been because I had no sugar of any kind Friday before I started day 1.  I was pretty wiped out that first day, but I kept on program and the headache finally calmed down by the end of the day.  I was looking forward to church on Sunday, partly because it would get me away from home and my eating plan for several hours.  But church was canceled because of the icy roads and snow.  So I didn't do much but watch TV and read.

Today I got dressed, even with my bra on!  I slept through The Price is Right and Jeopardy and started with breakfast about noon.  No headache, not much appetite now at 3pm.  I ate breakfast and a snack.  Now I have to eat lunch and another snack before dinner!  The DASH eating plan says not to skip any meals, so I'm spreading them out and will catch up by this evening.  After completing this entry and posting on Facebook, Il write to a couple of friends and do some sewing.  Not going out of the house until Wednesday because of the cold.  We have plenty of the right foods stocked.

Yesterday I finally admitted I do NOT like plain Jell-O.  I decided I would not use it, even though DASH says I should.  It is one item I can have as many servings of as I can eat.  Today, however, I'm thinking I should go ahead and eat it.  The author of my book on the DASH diet says it kills your hunger for sweets and fruits (fruits are not on Phase 1), so since we have a number of cups of it in the frig, I'm eating it as suggested in the Phase 1 menu.  If nothing else, it does kind of turn off my ability to enjoy food.  I suppose I will learn to love it after a while.  When I get to Phase 2, I think I'll put some fruit in with the Jell-O.

Sunday I did eat some refried beans.  I microwaved about 6 ounces with some shredded cheese.  That was not expressly on the menu, but it was something allowed during this phase.  It really filled me up and seemed to comfort me.  The book says to have more of, say, a protein food if you are feeling weak.  So I used that advice as justification.

On DASH, we can have diet gelatin and non-starch vegetables in unlimited quantities.  I have my peanuts in the form of organic peanut butter, which I spread on celery.  I LOVE that.  I also love my lunch meat and cheese roll-ups in place of sandwiches.  (It's a sandwich without the bread.)  Wednesday when we go out, I'll get lots of Romaine lettuce so I can roll up the meat and cheese in it.

I'm going to go now and fix my lunch and have a whole can of string beans, which we got for 29 cents a can of sale.  Oh, and I want to mention my discovery of Walmart's Great Value brand light yogurt Banana Creme Pie flavor.  It contains fructose and artificial sweeteners, but I love banana flavor!  And only one cup (6 oz) of yogurt is allowed per day during Phase 1.

So happy eating to anyone reading this blog.  I will journal about my eating plan here.  And I encourage all of us to pray for the strength to do what it takes to make ourselves healthier.  I thank the Lord for the strength he gives me to carry on eating right and for His forgiveness of so many years that I did not take care of my body.