Everyday Systems

Well, Deb, you don't really know better, do you? But I assure you, you're right.

If you haven't tried peanut butter and bacon, you haven't lived. Especially on toasted white bread. It's one of those things that sounds wierd and tastes, well, it's hard to describe the taste, the mouth feel, the overall experience...

Another fabulous combination that you'll never try (and therefore you will never know bliss) is strawberry preserves on grilled cheese... unbelievably good. You'll know living well when you try it.

You mean you are a pregnant lady??????
I guess on the internet.. anything is possible!
You seem to like combos with salty and sweet stuff...
Whatever brings you bliss, go for it!!!!
I might just have to try bacon and peanut butter...
Hey they use peanut butter in lots of different things....
It's great stuff! And really healthy (that counter balances the bacon! LOL...)
Love,
Deb

Deb, you know better: nothing counterbalances bacon.

But you can't live forever.

I like contrasting foods. But mostly, I like peanut butter and bacon...

If you try it, make sure it's on white toast. Go the whole nine yards. You have to put the PB on when the toast is still hot so it melts and drips on your plate. Something to lick off later (father and son eating experiences are often beyond the Pale).

Hi Kevin. I just wondered, is this "natural" (like Smuckers) PB you're talking about or the junky stuff with sugar added? I might have to try this, but wanted to make sure I got the recipe right.

It's peanut butter and bacon on toasted white bread. It's hardly health food. Use whatever peanut butter suites you. :0)

I had one for breakfast this morning with a glass of milk. No, it wasn't skim milk, either.

Most of you are probably far better eaters than I. I really, really like food that I really, really shouldn't eat. Oh, well.

As someone who comes from a culture that eats Schmaltz sandwiches (schmaltz = lard), peanut butter with bacon sounds delicious. I'll have to give it a try... maybe with a glass of champage.

Please don't sweat the extra meals. Hypoglycemics get the three stooges exemption, no question.

That's what my (German) wife's family called those...

My mum use to give us lard sandwiches with a sprinkling of paprika. I remember they tasted really nice. The lard was made from the dripping of roasts etc, so hence why it was so tasty.
Some people think lard is good to cook with and that its better than using hydrogenated oils.

I haven't checked in for a while.

Things are going well. My weight continues to drop, although very slowly. It doesn't really matter, though, because I'm a little lighter every week.

Anyway, that's it for today.

Starting weight 195 or so.
Current weight 178.5.
Initial target weight 175.
Revised target weight 165.
3 months on No S.

Yay Kevin!!!!
You will reach your revised goal!!!!!!
ps.. How tall are you? 165 might make you look like skin and bones if you are a tall man...
PS.. Did you notice that spiralstares likes pb and bacon too? LOL....
I've decided to definitely try this one day... But no white bread.. I like Oat Nut whole grain!
Gotta love this group!

Love,
Deb

I'll be ideal at 165.

It's gotta be white bread to get the complete experience. It isn't supposed to have a hint of healthiness around it.

Ha ha!!! Good for you..
My thing about the white bread isn't a health thing... The oat nut bread I like isn't really whole wheat or anything healthy either, it just has extra texture... I never liked white because it's too "nothing" tasting to me....
But I am happy you love your food...
Go for it!
I'll see you at 165!
Love,
Deb

This brings back a fond memory. Many years ago there was a nice restaurant that my husband and I used to frequent, and on the menu was the million dollar sandwhich which was peanut butter and bacon. So, one day I ordered it. The waitress got all flumoxed and said that all the years that has been on the menu, I am the first person who ordered it and they didn't have the ingredients in the kitchen. They offered to send somebody out to buy the ingredients, but I told them not to bother.

I did try it at home, though and I have to admit, delish. Figured if it was good enough for Elvis, it's good enough for me, and it was.

I can't think of many things I don't like bacon on....bacon and avocado is another made in heaven combination. Luckily, I'm not Kosher.


Peetie

Well then Peetonovitch....
Why not try a Bacon, Lobster and Shrimp wrap???
With prune salsa!!!
Love!!!
Deb

Deb, Bless your creative heart. You need to start up a catering business with all your clever food combinations. And we know what the senior special will consist of! Pass the Prunes Flambe.

Peetie

That wasn't Roy's Place, was it?

No. It was actually a place called Lani's Inn that was a little on the high end side. So, I think the Million Dollar Sandwich was supposed to be a joke, but I didn't take it as such. Sounded good to me!

Peetie

Million dollar sandwich!!!!!
I just went out and had a dollar hamburger at Mc Ronalds and I was still hoping for change back....
Won't be trying out no beluga blintzes either.....

Bless you too Prunella!
Love,
Debovich....

No-S is going well.

As I've mentioned before, I added a fourth meal to my diet (really a snack of 15g of carbohydrated of some sort) to help control my Bg in the late afternoon. If I'm not hungry and my Bg is normal or above normal, I just eat a couple of baby carrots to enforce the discipline.

Since I began eating it, my lunch and dinner sizes have gone down substantially. I'm losing weight more quickly again. So, I guess, for me, four meals a day is working. But I think it works because I spent 2.5 months at three meals a day and developed discipline, if that makes any sense...

Stats:
Starting weight 195-197
Current weight 177.0 (a significant drop in the last 10 days of 1.5 lb).
Initial target weight 175.
Revised target weight 165.
3 months+ on No S.

It's bizarre to be so close to a target that three months ago I would have thought impossible. Now I know it's just a milestone on my way to what I actually should weigh... and I'm still gaining muscle mass. I was truly 40 pounds overweight. I just carried it well.

Unbelievable success. Thanks, Reinhard

Great success Kevin. Adding that 4th meal maybe fired up your metabolism a bit? Anyway, glad its working for you.

Maybe it helped my metabolism, but what I really think happened is I cut back on calories at lunch and dinner.

Kevin wrote:Maybe it helped my metabolism, but what I really think happened is I cut back on calories at lunch and dinner.

Yeh, that too, as your meals are smaller.

Okay, I had a breakdown at a picnic on Thursday night, but I'll make up for it Saturday.

Otherwise, full steam ahead. I have to be careful about eating while I'm preparing food, but otherwise, I'm right on track.

Best wishes for a nice weekend and an easy week.

I guess it's been two weeks...

Things are going fine.

Vital stats:

Starting weight 195-197
Current weight 175 (another significant drop in the last 10 days of 1.5 lb).
Initial target weight 175 (hit it in four months... Dang!)
Revised target weight 165.
4 months on No S.

Congratulations, Kevin.

I too, went through some goal revision due to my unexpected success. I used to think my "natural" weight was 185, mostly because I was usually a bit north of there and had come to think of myself as naturally pudgy. Now I'm a stable 170 and "naturally" thin.

I'm glad the 4th meal is working so well for you. The trick is to adequately compensate for it other meals, which you seem to be doing brilliantly.

Hey, Kevin! Wow!!!! You met your target weight!!! That's terrific! You gotta be feeling good right now.

Congrats Kevin! You seem to have managing your food intake down to a fine art. That is really impressive. I know with the diabetes you have to be careful. It is really wonderful that you are managing it so well. I work at a hospital and there are many sad stories about non-compliant diabetics. I'm really very happy for you.

PS - I think I'm going to have to try the PB and bacon sandwich on white bread.

It rocks. Truly.

Unfortunately, even for us compliant diabetics, there are sad stories. But so far, so good for me.

I forgot to post last Friday.

Things are going well. I saw 174 on the scale (briefly). I find I weigh the least the morning after a day off from exercise. Maybe worked muscle holds more water? Who knows.

I'm alternating SG days with pushup days. I'm up to 500 pushups a day, in sets of 50-75. This is putting a little muscle on my arms, so maybe that's why the weight gain slowed a little. It's fairly easy to get 10 sets in a day if you do the first one when you wake up, then one when you get to work, etc.

Anyway, I'm still a devotee. It's a joyful discipline.

You are an inspiration Kev

Congratulations.

Dru

Things are going fine. No-S is well engrained.

Starting weight 195-197
Current weight 174 (a pound in the last two weeks).
Initial target weight 175 (hit it in four months... Dang!)
Revised target weight 165.
4.4 months on No S.

Yay Kevin!!!!
Love,
Deb

Okay, I'm at that point now where I'm hitting a long plateau. I've changed jobs and daylight is getting scarce, so I'm not walking very much. I think that's the biggest contributor to my weight gain over the past couple of weeks.

Still, I'm sticking with it. It's really not hard anymore except when dinner is delayed. I'm glad I started this months ago. With the impending holidays, I expect to be tempted.

You can reverse it Kev!
Posting was the first step in getting back your control!
Give it a few good weeks and you will be back to your normal NoS self!
I had to do this about three weeks ago, and it felt like starting all over again... It was tough, cuz the habits get back in there and then you have to rehabituate yourself as if it was for the first time again.. But it's not long before you are feeling great once more!
You shall overcome strong Kevin
King of Maryland!
LOL..
Love,
Deb

ps... For some reason, I think the Seasons are at play here too....
Like some ancient mechanism in our primordial beings that says..
"Winter is coming, store lots of food in you! and on your behinds!" LOL

Dear Kevin,

Just hang in there. As a fellow diabetic (although type 2), I know how hard it is to lose weight while taking insulin. You've done a great job!! It is harder to exercise when the sun goes down so early and I think, as the weather gets colder, we all get hungrier.

I have no doubt you can reverse this small setback.

Best to you,
Galemarie

Hi Kevin,

At least you're plateauing in a good place! You're made quite a bit of progress.

Don't be discouraged. Remember all that "maintenance is more important than progress" stuff. A plateau is a platform. Whatever you do, don't slide off. Build from there, slowly, stably -- or at least don't budge. If you can make it through the job change, the winter, without falling off, you'll be in an excellent position to climb further.

Walking makes a big difference. If you realistically just aren't going to be able to do as much, try to identify some seasonal alternative, at least as a supplement. Or look for some oddball nooks and crannies of time to walk during the daylight. I bet you can find something.

Reinhard

Good Morning Kev.

My husband has a recumbant device that attaches to his bicyle's back wheel so that he can ride it in the house (or garage). I got it for him at Big 5. If you have room in your house then maybe you can try something like that. Who knows, maybe you can watch the morning news, read the paper and exercise at the same time. LOL

Good Luck,
Dru

It's been a while, hasn't it...

I'm doing pretty well. I'm fine on No-S even though I'm not losing much - in fact I've gained a couple. I'm up to 176. I think it's because I've increased my upper body workouts significantly. I SG every other day, and on the off days I do 300 pushups (4sets of 75), dips, Hindu pushups and squats, rows, pullups, etc.

Deb, you'll be happy to hear that my shoulder pain is almost gone, although I'm still a bit limited in certain motions (I can't do the chicken dance - it just doesn't move in that plane). Still, it doesn't affect me day to day, so I'm good and getting better.

Anyway, I hope everyone else is doing well.

I took Friday as an extra S day because we took our yearly Black Friday trip into NYC. Not a great idea, but there it is.

BTW, we saw Spamalot. It was worth every penny of the admission. Very, very funny stuff. Tim Curry as King Arthur and David Hyde Pierce as Sir Robin... too good to be true.

Deb, you'll be happy to hear that my shoulder pain is almost gone, although I'm still a bit limited in certain motions (I can't do the chicken dance - it just doesn't move in that plane). Still, it doesn't affect me day to day, so I'm good and getting better

I am very happy for you Kev!!!
Your wonderful exercise regimen has been a great rehab program for you!!!!
Too bad I won't get to see you do the funky chicken though~

Three hundred pushups will keep you from looking like a chicken for sure!
I am so impressed !

I wouldn't be in any way surprised if your exercise is causing some weight gain... You are bulking up your muscle mass! Yay!!!

Peace and Love,
Deb

Maybe, Deb. I have much more functional strength and I'm happier for it, so that's good enough for me. :0)

I took the extra day that I just preached against, too.

75 pushups in a set? My God. Your weight is never going to go down if you keep building muscle like that!

Reinhard

I'm aiming for 100. When VG was here, we were going to race to 200, but I doubt I'll ever get there. Well, not when I have so many other goals (25 pullups, 25 dips in a set).

I don't really feel like I'm building much muscle mass, but I sure am stronger, and I don't really get tired out doing upper body aerobics (raking, etc.).

All in all, the No-S/SG disciplines have helped me greatly.

So when are you planning on taking your Navy Seals exam??? LOL..

You are rocking babe!!!

Love,
Deb

The pullups are the sticking point. Holy Crap, are they hard. I can only do 7 or 8 right now. It's a hard motion to train for - you can either do the next one, or you can't.

I hope everyone had a nice Holiday.

Okay, so the week between Christmas and New Years wasn't a good one from a No-S perspective. We had lots of visitors, too much food out, and ate at odd times. I just went off the wagon for a week.

Two interesting things happened. First, I gained about two pounds in a week. Jeez! Second, I found it *very* easy to get back to No-S. Even now, with all the food still sitting on the counters, I'm not having any difficulty. And I feel better!

On the exercise front, I'm still doing more, getting stronger, and not feeling the urge to quit. I SG three times a week, do bodyweight exercise three times a week, do tons of pushups every day, and take one day off.

Life is good!

Yay Kevin!!!!

So congrats on a really great sounding December, even with the week of partying...
2 lbs??? That's what I used to be capable of gaining in half a day...

Isn't NoS life awesome!

Have a great day
Peace and Love,
Deb

Kevin, I have been looking over your old posts and find them very helpful as I begin my NoS journey. Thanks!

My doc says I'm "prediabetic" (that would be Type II of course if I develop full-blown diabetes) and my bloodsugar tends to drop if I eat too many carbs. I'm learning to listen to my body and tweak my diet--for example I had a headache yesterday after breakfast and so today I cut the fruit from my fruit-and-oatmeal and added a scrambled egg. I'm a little stuffed (probably should cut my oatmeal portion) but no headache!

I'm sure your doctor told you these things, but in case he didn't....

Stick with foods that are low on the glycemic index. In general, that means fewer bakery products, more whole grains, etc. A review of a glycemic index can be enlightening. You can Google them; they are all over the place.

Equally important is regular exercise... the very best one being walking. One long walk a day and a short walk after each meal might go a very long way towards helping you control your Bg.

You might also have to consider eating more than three meals (to level out the amount of Bg available to your system at any time). But you can still apply all the No-S rules.

Good luck, and be healthy.

Thanks for the tips. My doctor said "low carb, low fat" but didn't expound much more than that. I do need to add regular exercise--I've been very sporadic about that.