Illinois ladies facing bc
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Lots of positive energies for results that are either outstanding or easy to live with ( for a very short while ) and a carefree trip to Italy for you. Waiting is the pits, so I'll just sit here and wait with you.
Jackie
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If you want to feel rich,
just count all of the things you have that money can't buy.
- Anonymous0 -
How true it is that, if we are cheerful and contented, all nature smiles, the air seems more balmy, the sky clearer, the earth has a brighter green. . . the flowers are more fragrant. . . and the sun, moon and stars all appear more beautiful, and seem to rejoice with us.
Orison Swett Marden0 -
There's nothing like a walk in the forest to clear my mind and get my spirit to calm down and slow down. Any time I get away from the mass of people and find a quiet, solitary spot in nature, be it in the middle of the desert, in the forest, on a beach, or even along a lonely country road, I feel myself being refreshed, revived, renewed. It's a wonderful feeling that I don't search out nearly enough.
tom walsh0 -
Great quote, Jackie! It is a beautiful day out there. Dave has gone golfing but I am home having a pity party. :-) I woke up yesterday with a bad lower back and it hasn't gotten any better. I don't think that swinging a golf club will help any! Everyone enjoy this sunshine!
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This morning take a few minutes to reflect on
how you give of yourself to the world. Often we
get caught up in the frenzy of buying and
giving things. Look at the ways you give
appreciation, friendship, energy, time, love,
and affection, and give of your own special
talents and abilities throughout the year.
Acknowledge yourself for having enriched the
lives of others.Spend some time loving
yourself for the giving light that you are.
Shakti Gawain0 -
Thank You.
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My greatest accomplishments shall never be known, perhaps even to me. Having made someone smile and see the world a bit brighter, having given someone hope for the future, having helped someone see potential inside him or her self that he or she never might have seen otherwise, having helped someone to see just how beautiful he or she really is--these to me are the achievements that most can help this world to be a brighter, more loving place.
tom walsh0 -
You are a child of the universe, "fearfully and wonderfully made." In the history of creation, there has never been anyone like you. Accept this reality about yourself—that you are a special, unique human being who has a place on this earth that no one else can fill. Acknowledge yourself as a glorious expression of your loving Creator. This healthy self-love will form the foundation of a joyful and satisfying life. Then, as you love and accept yourself, your inner light will shine outward to bless and heal your fellow human beings. - Douglas Bloch
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I hope that my achievements in life shall be these -- that I will have fought for what was right and fair, that I will have risked for that which mattered, and that I will have given help to those who were in need that I will have left the earth a better place for what I've done and who I've been.
C. Hoppe0 -
So many brilliant and gifted people squander their gifts because they lack the humility of self-understanding. When we think we know it all, we miss the point. When we think we know everything about ourselves, we show our ignorance and our arrogance. The wonder of human beings is that we are constructed in such a way that we can spend our entire lives exploring our inner universe and its connection to the universe as a whole and still barely scratch the surface.
We are a wonder for us to behold. -Anne Wilson Schaef0 -
It is so pretty outside, mildly humid, but not bad. I do think today and tomorrow we may get rain. Sigh !!!! Feels more like April in that way. Well, just in case I didn't go wash my car ( though I wanted too ) so maybe it will hold off. Murphy's Law kicking in so I'll be slightly embarrassed driving around town. Hope the coming week-end will be treating everyone to lots of delights.
Jackie
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Sunny and mild today by the lake--we're in the low 70s, while inland it's 82. Kinda bummed out after last night's Survivorship meeting at the Cancer Wellness Center in Northbrook--specifically, the “Food Facts & Myths" presentation. Dr. Carol Rosenberg, an OB-GYN who is also a researcher, a mom of a childhood cancer survivor, and the head of NorthShore Health System's “Living in the Future" survivorship program, just got back from the ASCO conference, and apparently in order to lower the chances of recurrence, I have to lose weight. (Yeah, right--I am up almost 20 lbs. now on that damn Letrozole without having made any lifestyle changes from before I started it). But apparently, the eating method that took 50 lbs. off me pre-cancer--low-carb--is the antithesis of what the ASCO recommends.
My PCP wholeheartedly approved of my eating modest amounts of full-fat low/no-sugar dairy, cooking my fish/veggies/eggs in a little butter or olive oil, eating salads with modest amounts of oil and either vinegar or lemon juice, as many non-starchy veggies (no potatoes, peas, carrots, beets, beans except as a main dish, or corn) as I want, small amounts of low-sugar fruit (no apples, pears, oranges, tropical fruit, bananas, or dried fruits), fish, poultry (any part, no need to remove the skin), a little bacon once or twice a week, and good red meat (preferably grass-fed) whether broiled. pan-seared or grilled. Only low-carb/very high-fiber bread, and not every day; no cereal, rice, corn, grains or pasta. And up to a 5-oz. glass of wine a day (maybe the equivalent two for fine dining or tastings). It worked for me. What sidetracked me was first, the 2 weeks between diagnostic imaging and diagnosis coinciding with a business trip to New Orleans & Scranton, then a folk festival. I was so worried that I cheated....not a lot, not full-on, certainly not how I used to eat before the weight loss, but definitely wandering off the reservation. Then, a desire to eat stuff I'd denied myself and (I know perhaps irrationally) I might never get the chance again--maybe one day a piece of pie, the next fried instead of roast chicken, etc. Surprisingly, I behaved myself during the holidays (although I didn't deprive myself on our cruise, I also didn't pig out). After four months, I had gained eight pounds--manageable. Then came letrozole--which not only put the brakes on my metabolism but also gave me carb cravings. (Mind you, not a handful of cookies, a bag of chips or even half a pint of ice cream--but having a little good bread with my meals in Europe, not spurning dessert, eating what I liked but not even cleaning my plate or drinking the whole glass of wine). Net gain ? Zero--I walked a lot. But then I seemed to get derailed with every crisis and had a little cheat each day. (No, it's been literally years since I've had a sundae, ice cream soda, bread and a starch at the same meal or bottled salad dressing). I had resolved to go back on my dead-animals-and leaves diet, and my daily cheats got a little more modest each day--and going several days with no wine. Yet I found myself unable to button a size 3 Chico's shirt, and I had to buy size 3 shorts.
So there I was at last night's meeting: the food was crudités (I skipped the dip), cut-up fruit (including pineapple), hummus & pita chips (nope, too carby), pasta salad (ditto), and chicken salad-on-white-bread finger sandwiches (ate the filling, tossed the bread). And then came the presentation. On the bright side, 1/2 glass of wine a day is safe (men get 2!), and caffeinated coffee and tea is protective against cancer. But though dark chocolate is okay, only 2 little Dove Dark nuggets as my thrice-weekly “sweet" (I don't eat Dove anyway, because it is too sweet for me and has few flavonols, so I can have a square of 72-85% dark chocolate a day (but is it still a whole dessert)? But only nonfat or lowfat dairy, including cheese (which means no imported or artisanal cheeses), no grilling anything but veggies (unless I ruin a good steak by marinating it first), no smoked or cured meats or fish (bye-bye, lox); 7-8 servings of whole grain a day, any kind of fruit no matter how high in sugar...except if it starts racking up the calories, no potatoes (even sweet). And all fats except trans (verboten) are created equal: they are a condiment, limited to one tablespoon a day. Nothing unlimited except green and cruciferous veggies.
Between the fruits and grains alone, I can't lose weight and my blood sugar goes up. In other words, like the 1972 version of Weight Watchers, except with three times the grain, half the animal protein, and the option of wine (but only if it doesn't add too many calories). And still, except for obesity being a risk factor for both cancer & heart disease, the diets recommended to combat both diseases and obesity, though they have some overlap, have diametrically opposed features. It's difficult-to-impossible to maintain on the road unless you keep a cooler in the car and never eat in restaurants. And then there's the "church-of-no-fun" factor.
I've always found this type of eating plan profoundly unsatisfying and difficult to comply with (and medical research bears this out). I know what you're going to say: vegetables and low-fat eating can be delicious. Sure, if you have never been a foodie, and if fine dining. travel and wine (w/in reason) don't play and have never played a role in your life. If all you've eaten all your life is simple stuff, you won't have any problem enjoying these foods. But "how you gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen Paree?" Good food and wine--and local specialties while traveling abroad--are a major source of enjoyment for me (and I share this passion with Bob--since he works such long and hard hours, dining together is often the only time we have to enjoy each other's company before it's time to go to sleep). Low-carb has been the only way for me to lose weight and go out to a nice restaurant dinner or on the road to small-town gigs (and with a little discipline, abroad). To be clear, I don't comfort myself by stuffing myself. If I did, I'd be 100 lbs. heavier. But fine dining and to a lesser extent wine is as central to my life as religion, art or athletics is to others'. (Bad enough that, hating exercise, I have to do that 30 minutes EVERY day).
We all talk about balancing longevity against quality-of-life when we talk about the treatments we are and are not willing to take. Why isn't quality-of-life a valid consideration in the things we are and are not willing to give up? I'm not sure I'd want to live another 20 years if they're going to feel like 40. Seriously, how many people said on their deathbeds “I wish I had eaten more stuff I don’t like and denied myself the stuff I enjoyed?"
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ChiSandy think of food as fuel. If you have a bunch of fuel that isn't used you will weigh more. So maybe you can step up your exercise program without changing your diet/portions too much.
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lago, it’s not that I’m not willing to cut my food intake (portions) or raise my exercise level. I am--and even when I cheated I was practicing portion control. I am not rebelling against trying to lose weight.
What has me so angry is that the plan that has always worked for me--both in terms of compliance (adherence to it) and results--is now being characterized as raising my chances for recurrence. It’s not the reduction in calories I’m resisting--low-carb eating is lower-calorie than unrestricted eating--it’s that I am being directed to eat types of food that I not only don’t like, can’t easily find when traveling, and are incompatible with one of my life’s main pursuits, but also raise my triglycerides, blood sugar and a1c. The very TYPES of foods I am being directed to eat are in large part those my body does not handle well, and the very types of foods that work for me are now being characterized as carcinogens. Low-carb not only took 50 lbs. off me, it was relatively easy to follow when dining out and traveling, and normalized both my blood lipid and blood sugar/a1c levels.
Looking at the food pyramid that the survivorship program distributed, it bears a striking resemblance to that devised by grain-and-corn lobbyists and then “sold” to the USDA. It flies in the face of every advance of the past twenty years that sugar (whether refined or in the form of simple starches) is the true culprit in obesity and metabolic syndrome, and reverts to the old demonization of dietary fat that is increasingly being disproven by more and more respected doctors, researchers and writers (at least those not in the pockets of the sugar, grain and processed food lobbies). The beginning of the spike in America’s obesity epidemic can be traced directly to the fat-free mania that began in the late 1980s, when fats in foods were replaced by sugar and starch-based thickeners.
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ChiSandy And what does your oncologist and PCP say about this diet. I'm with you. I can't eat lots of bad carbs. This article hit's it spot on for me as far as what I can't can can eat in the carb area. But I don't believe 1 diet is good for everyone. That's why you need to discuss with your doctors that know you: https://authoritynutrition.com/good-carbs-bad-carb...
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My oncologist basically agrees with my PCP. This particular survivorship-director doctor disagrees in large part with both of them when it comes to dietary fat. The maternal side of my family, especially, developed Type 2 diabetes in large part because they followed all the “low-fat balanced diet” b.s. I want to delay that as long as possible. My PCP is skeptical about statins in women who haven’t had heart attacks, because the damage they do (nudging us over the edge into the diabetes part of the metabolic system triad) outweighs any advantages of lowered serum cholesterol (which emerging research is showing doesn’t correlate to lower rates of heart attacks or fewer cardiovascular deaths).
Nutritionists and doctors need to admit that not everybody is metabolically identical. There can even be an ethno-genetic component (Japanese women eat soy from birth and don’t get breast cancer, whereas too much soy can cause breast cancer in non-Asian women). I question whether the “French Paradox” (unlimited intake of wine, bread, cheese and butter being cardiovascular-neutral in French people) can apply to those of other ethnicities. We all know that lactose-intolerance is the default for most of the world’s population--but northern and central Europeans' ability to easily process unfermented dairy may actually be traced back to a genetic mutation. Can it not also be argued that certain foods release inflammatory cytokines in some people but not in others? Or that some people can maintain a sensible weight on a vegan diet, while others develop diabetes from it?
Once size does not fit all.
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ChiSandy,
I'd follow the diet that worked for you. As long as it is nutritious and you loose weight, what's the issue? I thought the heavy grain diet was recently discredited by recent research. I suspect ACSO is behind the times on this.
I don't follow the diet your survivorship doctor suggested, but rather a lower carb one. More of an emphasis on protein and nuts. I prefer veggies over fruit and cannot eat wheat/gluten due to a sensitivity, so some days only eat a serving of oatmeal for grains. I'm one who loses weight when eating a healthy diet that includes beans and nuts. I exercise only moderately, but with variety - also a key for me for weight maintenance.
As usual, I've gained over the winter - too much wine and chocolate as stress relievers, but also cracked a bone in my foot, sprained my back, and am now getting over a sprained ankle from a fall, which all kept me from exercising. If I could avoid being a klutz, I might lose the five pounds I need to be in the middle of the healthy BMI range. No way could I have kept from gaining more on the ACSO suggested diet.
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Joy, sorrow, tears, lamentation, laughter--to all these music gives voice, but in such a way that we are transported from the world of unrest to a world of peace, and see reality in a new way, as if we were sitting by a mountain lake and contemplating hills and woods and clouds in the tranquil and fathomless water. -Albert Schweitzer
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Doxie I'm healing from a broken metatarsal/ stress fracture in my right foot too. Broke all the way through at the end of April… and of course I worked the remaining 5 hours and walked home.
Just got out of the little boot a few days ago but still in flats.Anyone headed to the 57th Street Art Fair this weekend. Hoping to make it today or tomorrow. Yeah I got the weekend off!
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I just go back from the far an hour ago.
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Damn. We are leaving now 1:40pm
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I’m playing the “pHusion” show at pH Comedy Theater on Berwyn bet. Clark & Ashland next Fri. night at 9:30 (after the last bands of the evening at Andersonville Midsommarfest are done playing the outdoor stages). I play two songs, the improv team does a sketch based on one or both--then repeat the cycle twice. Gonna publicize it on FB as “Come for the beer and the bands.....but stay for the air conditioning.” (Municipal ordinance says that a street fair can only collect a “suggested donation” at the entrance--it must allow pedestrians free access to the public sidewalks).
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It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human
history is shaped.Each time a person stands up for an ideal or strikes
out against injustice, he or she sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy
and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down
the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
Robert F. Kennedy0 -
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
- Marianne Williamson -0 -
I just got off the phone with Silver Sneakers, and I am LIVID! I have BCBS IL Medicare Supplement Plan F--the most expensive plan they offer. I tried to enroll in the Silver Sneakers program--a friend has the cheaper AARP Medicare Advantage and praises the program to the skies, since she gets free gym membership. I tried to enroll online, but they couldn't find me or my insurance ID in their database, even though BCBS is listed as an eligible plan in the drop-down menu for IL. I called Silver Sneakers Customer Service, and they verified that my plan isn't listed with them and that I should call my insurer's Customer Service. So I did, held for 10 minutes, went through a bazillion menus, only to be told they're closed and I should call back "during normal business hours," which aren't listed on my card! It truly fries me that I'm paying through the nose for a Medicare supplement that won't offer a fitness program (other than, presumably, telling me to go out and walk). I am going to have to pay even more to join a gym (not even the Y is free).
Any other IL ladies here (especially in Cook County) have BCBS as their Medicare supplement, and if so, does it offer ANY type of fitness coverage? I hate to waste time on a phone call tomorrow!
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Well, it's taken me an hour, three website portals, three tech support calls and a wild goose chase, but I finally was able to determine that while BCBS IL's Medicare supplement does not have a free fitness program, it does have one that costs $25/mo. I have my pick of a limited number of gyms--the closest one to me is around the corner--a grungy LA Fitness with few amenities. Fortunately, there's another one in the chain a mile and a half away that's large and clean and has a pool and a bigger parking lot, so I picked it as my “home" gym. And I can also use Planet Fitness or the JCC a few miles away. What drove me especially nuts was spending half an hour on hold trying to find out where the link to print my temp ID card was--there was no page anywhere in the system with the tab that the FAQ told me to click. Apparently, the FAQ referred to a previous iteration of the website, which has since been redesigned. Finally (after half an hour of the same soporific music on hold alternating with the “thank you for your patience" recorded apology), I reached someone who commiserated with me about the screwed-up web design and simply e-mailed me a temporary card.
I'm going over to Whole Paycheck to buy a roast chicken and some more veggies. It'll take every ounce of restraint to steer clear of the wine bar and the bakery samples. Wish me luck.
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Life is the choice to follow the flow of energy within us.Death is the choice to block this flow of life energy.We are faced with this life or death choice every moment of our lives.When we choose not to follow our intuitive promptings, we close off our channel. We receive less energy, and our body begins to deteriorate.But as we follow our intuition, we open up, we receive more energy, and our body regenerates. - Shakti Gawain
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I think a lot of people beat up on themselves, punish themselves emotionally because they're "not good enough" or they haven't done enough.They berate themselves for not living up to their own or somebody else's expectations or for not having taken a different route in life or for not getting better grades in school or a better job . . . . Once you get into that state of mind, you continue to be mean to yourself and hurt yourself in ways you may not even be aware of.It's very important to be kind and loving to yourself.You're the only self you've got, so to speak.Befriend yourself in the same way you feel compassionate and gentle with other people.If you practice the principles of grieving, accepting, and forgiving yourself, you will be making a start in that direction. -Morrie Schwartz
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But judgment may heal over time.One of the blessings of growing older is the discovery that many of the things I once believed to be my shortcomings have turned out in the long run to be my strengths, and other things of which I was unduly proud have revealed themselves in the end to be among my shortcomings.Things that I have hidden from others for years turn out to be the anchor and enrichment of my middle age.What a blessing it is to outlive your self-judgments and harvest your failures. - Rachel Naomi Remen
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