Update

I am going strong. I have lost 35 pounds.
I have started an exercise program.
I did this so that I will have stamina and I will go to Paris.
I will go to Paris in 2010 after I am 80 years old.

Aging..and diet

I am amazed at the success of my diet plan. I have been on 1200 calories a day for seven months. By concentrating on my health and not ever on the weight loss has been the key. I will weigh myself once a month. When I hit a plateau I will not be discouraged as my daily feelings of success of eating a healthy diet are being met. Iam sure it will be a let down if there are two months in a row. I will write it up when it happens.

I do not have an exercise program but I am out of the chair after one hour. I cook, garden, and find some kind of activity . Our house in long and I am able to walk up and down. I read that exercise has the same drop out rate as alcohol and dieting which is 85% faliure. Therefore I believe I am setting some realistic goals that I can keep.

Diet at 80

I am coming up on 80 years old. Since I will be asking the doctor for answers to my problems I thought it only fair to follow his advice. His advice is to lose weigh and exercise. I have been struggling with my weight my entire life. Yo ..Yo isn't the right word for me as I kept my weigh off for years at a time. However! after menopause the number of calories to maintain my weight at 50 pounds was 800. This I could not do and got discouraged.But now I decided to follow 1200 calories a day, not for weight loss but for a contract with myself. I decided not to weigh myself as that is what got me discouraged.When I stopped losing I stopped dieting.

So now I follow 1200 calories and do not weigh myself. It has been over six months. As my husband and I have been eating a healthy low fat diet there were not many changes. I keep a record. I weigh my foods. I think that a diabetic does this and so can I. Funnily, it hasn' t been that difficult as being retired give you all the time you need.

The second piece, exercise hasn't been as easy. My muscles are sore and slow me down. I have a treadmill and use it. I am active in the house and garden. I limit sitting to an hour here and there.I don't consider what I do much of a program but am working on it.

aging

About six months ago I was thinking about my health,again! In a little over a year I will be 80 years old.I am beginning to have aches and pains. I am wondering about pain medication and how to plan for the future. As the body gets used to narcotics such as codeine and aspirin, and since you have to increase the dose to effect the pain I don't want to take these medications unwisely.

So, I decided to make my own pain scale. If I have pain that I can ignore through activity I will not take any pills. If I sit down to read and pain interferes with my concentration I will take two Tylenol or Motrin depending on the reason for the pain. If the pain comes from a recent muscle pull I will take Motrin to lessen swelling. I will only take the pills twice a day, when I sit down to read and when I wake in the middle of the night.This will lessen the chance of liver complications over the long haul.

I had a serious fall four months ago. I was in the yard and fell flat on my face. I had tripped over a small fence. I sat for a minute or two and then scrunched over to a chair to help my self up. I took half a codeine and aspirin and a half a librium which I had on hand from years ago when I had panic attacks.My husband also took half as he was scared too. I did not have to go to the emergency room as I had no injuries except for aches and pains and cuts.

In my plan for pain medication I am taking my mother's death age as my possible demise. And as such will be conservative on my pain medication plan. If I ever have a problem I will always try to get off the strong medications as fast as I can. Then if something happens I will not have to use stronger and stronger medications.

Prostate Cancer

Over ten years ago my husband Richard had surgery to remove his prostate gland for cancer. His cancer was a fast growing type and after surgery his PSA did not drop.In desperation I turned to the Internet and found a study done by a doctor at Sloan-Kettering. This study showed that a fat free diet was successful at stopping the cancer. Apparently the hormone testerone uses fat to grow.

We immediately started on a low fat diet. I was the cook and I followed the diet too.(I am overweight but it didn't help me as it doesn't cure overeating). And "miracle of miracles" he is alive and cancer free ever since.

Soon I will start uploading video of my methods of cooking delicious meals prepared without fat.