mabelharris1105
New member
Wow, Rob! I'm just starting to read your thread and that's amazing that you lost half your body weight! Congrats 
Alligatorob's Diary
- Thread starter alligatorob
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alligatorob
Respected Member
Yesterday was a good day. I ate well and felt good. Only exercise was mowing the lawn and some yard work, but that was ok. Today I have a bunch of yard stuff planned, putting in a new planter to expand the vegetable garden for one thing. The vegetable garden is not big enough to provide all fresh veggies, but it does help, and I have been eating things fresh picked everyday. Yesterday that included eggplant, okra, and tomatoes for lunch, and bell pepper, more tomatoes, and a cucumber for dinner. Also eating fresh picked peaches from the orchard.
I did hear back from the doctor and my tests were all good, hemoglobin 13.5 gm/dl, which is on the lower end of normal and healthy for men. All other blood work and tests were fine, doctor says I ain't dead yet. Maybe my eating more red meat and taking an iron supplement made the difference, is that possible in only 2 days? Or maybe the first test was wrong, it was a quick test done in the blood mobile, the second one was done on a real blood sample in a real lab. Guess the why doesn't matter so much as the result, I am happy with it. I will try to keep my iron up just to make sure.
I did hear back from the doctor and my tests were all good, hemoglobin 13.5 gm/dl, which is on the lower end of normal and healthy for men. All other blood work and tests were fine, doctor says I ain't dead yet. Maybe my eating more red meat and taking an iron supplement made the difference, is that possible in only 2 days? Or maybe the first test was wrong, it was a quick test done in the blood mobile, the second one was done on a real blood sample in a real lab. Guess the why doesn't matter so much as the result, I am happy with it. I will try to keep my iron up just to make sure.
I think so, but to be honest I just got a call and only asked specifically about the hemoglobin, they are mailing the full results so I'll see whatever else is on it. I did ask for a "full" test, but was not very specific.
Thanks Petal, and I am pretty happy to be at this place. To be honest I probably am obsessed with it, and have been for the past year plus. Ending that obsession is a bit of a challenge. Like right now I do feel a bit of anxiety for not having lost any weight in the last 2 or 3 weeks, even though I think I am still in a calorie deficit. I know I need to let that go, but it is not easy. Maybe it is a bit of an addiction. I think the obsession has been necessary to keep up the steady weight loss, now I just need to transition to some new thinking in maintenance. Can one change an obsession to a habit?
You really can't buy a peach like that. We call them OMG (oh my god!) peaches, that's the way you feel when you bite into one. To be best a peach needs to be over ripened on the tree, soft when picked. Skin pealing off just from holding it. A peach like that can't be picked and make it to market, the farmer just leaves them. Fresh farmers market peaches are pretty good and can ripen to something close, but its just not the same. I guess I have purchased a few that would qualify as OMG peaches but only in u-pick orchards.
I like that idea, so I did some research. There are lots of body fat scales on the market, costing from $20 to thousands, kind of confusing. All seem to be "smart" scales that require use of a cell phone. To be honest I prefer something dumb and simple, no blue teeth or apps involved, and no long list of output that I would not know what to do with. Could not find one of those. Is there a type you recommend?
Thanks Mabel, nice to see you here. I am still a pound or two short of losing half my body weight, but real close. Close enough.Wow, Rob! I'm just starting to read your thread and that's amazing that you lost half your body weight! Congrats
Hey Xena, thanks for posting on my diary, your condolences and best wishes are appreciated. My blood work turned out fine. The condolences made me think of my uncle again. Did not mention that he was a WWII vet, a turret gunner on a bomber in the 8th Air Force, a very dangerous job. He never talked about it, I had forgotten until I read his obituary. Not many WWII vets left now.
Petal001
New member
Rob I never got to the obsessed or addicted stage with my weight . A family member did . Unfortunately it went the other way for her and she put back some weight . She was too strict . I am not sure how you turn it to a good habit . But I am positive that you will tbh .
I would have like a little bit of your addiction to get me further along the down curve but I think your is more will power maybe than addiction .
Glad the bloods are good .
I bought some peaches today . They are just ok .
I would have like a little bit of your addiction to get me further along the down curve but I think your is more will power maybe than addiction .
Glad the bloods are good .
I bought some peaches today . They are just ok .
There´s a difference between the lower end of what´s allowed for blood donation and the lower end of healthy. They don´t want you to damage your own health by giving blood so they need you to have a buffer.
Mine is a solar-powered (well, light-powered) Soehnle. Maybe 40 €? Dumb as a brick but very reliable. Doesn´t care if the floor isn´t 100% perfectly horizontal and only tells you weight, body fat, and water percentage. Had it for years so I don´t know if the exact model is still sold.
Xena1
New member
I was anemic in the past and iron supplements do make a difference. I was in the hospital and they were taking my blood there everyday. One day I was a 4 which was considered too low and the next day I was 7 which was much better. I don't know the scale but after the second day of taking iron supplements they were no longer concerned. That's cool your uncle was a WWII vet. I appreciate and am thankful for his service. I'm sorry if I caused you to mourn by talking about him days after you posted...I was off the forum a few days, so I didn't see before.
Hello, there Rob! Good to back and reading your diary again - and to hear that peaches are back in season. (oh my! how I'd love a ripe-to-bursting, fresh-off-the-tree, sun-warmed peach! I'm glad you can revel in all that peachiness for us!)
Good to read too, about your good blood-test results.
Your assessment of how weight-loss might have drifted for you into being
Good to back and reading your diary again - and to hear that peaches are back in season. (oh my! how I'd love a ripe-to-bursting, fresh-off-the-tree, sun-warmed peach! I'm glad you can revel in all that peachiness for us!)Good to read too, about your good blood-test results.
Your assessment of how weight-loss might have drifted for you into being is interesting - and pretty convincing, from my perspective. Yes, it's probably time to meet the next challenge - i.e. how to turn
I don't have one single doubt that you can do it.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Yesterday was a good day, I ate well, exercised, and felt good. My exercise consisted of a long day of work in the yard, I built a new raised bed garden tank, a big one. It's an 8 ft long by 3 ft wide and 2 ft deep cattle watering trough. Got it filled and ready to go for next year to expand the garden. I also planted 2 new cherry trees (the old one died), and did some repair work on the lawn. Had to fill the holes and seed where the old apple tree and cherry tree had been and a few other spots. I was at it most all day. Good exercise, even if not at the gym.
Also picked a few peaches, most went into the freezer, but I ate one small OMG peach, it was quite warm from the afternoon sun and way to soft to do anything with but eat right away before moving on to the next tree. It was amazing. With the few peaches we have this year it is work to find many ripe ones, we have 104 trees, probably on 1/3 have any peaches at all and most have only a very few. Losing the crop has been good for the trees, the foliage is very healthy and thick. It makes finding the peaches harder. We have a number of varieties from early to late ripening, and we are just at the beginning. A couple of the late trees have more peaches but it will be later in the season before those are ready. This year I pick up all of the ones that have fallen to the ground and salvage what I can, finding more that way than on the trees actually.
Also picked a few peaches, most went into the freezer, but I ate one small OMG peach, it was quite warm from the afternoon sun and way to soft to do anything with but eat right away before moving on to the next tree. It was amazing. With the few peaches we have this year it is work to find many ripe ones, we have 104 trees, probably on 1/3 have any peaches at all and most have only a very few. Losing the crop has been good for the trees, the foliage is very healthy and thick. It makes finding the peaches harder. We have a number of varieties from early to late ripening, and we are just at the beginning. A couple of the late trees have more peaches but it will be later in the season before those are ready. This year I pick up all of the ones that have fallen to the ground and salvage what I can, finding more that way than on the trees actually.
Nothing wrong with store bought peaches, when ripe they can taste good and are certainly good for you, just nothing like a tree ripened fresh one. Before I had peaches sometimes I could find a u-pick orchard where I could find some OMG peaches. Fruit stands that sell freshly picked local peaches are pretty good as well, but even there they don't have the best ones, too soft to make it from tree to the stand.
Petal, thanks for your confidence, things do feel different this time so I am optimistic. And having the support of y'all here will help.
I think that is true, mine was 12.5 when I tried to donate, and 13.5 when I got the blood test two days later. Maybe the iron supplements and food made the difference. 13 is the cut off for donation, for men, its 12 for women.
I will see if I can find one, I don't want a scale that's smarter than the operator!
Not at all, he lived a very long and good life, so while his passing was a bit sad I am more in the mode of just thinking about him and appreciating, not mourning so much. He was my father's only sibling and we were pretty close. It sounds like your iron problem was worse than mine, I think I will keep taking the supplements, can't hurt.
Thanks Liza, and I always like garden planning. I do a lot more of it than actual gardening.Great about the blood work results! And fun garden planning!!
Hey back Amy, and I'd be happy to share an actual peach with you, but by the time it got to Australia I don't think it would be so good. So just drop by in peach season and I'll fix you up. Thanks for your confidence, support from you will help. Did I mention how glad I am to see you back here?Hello, there Rob!
Wellll you did say you made peach wine last year. Maybe it´d be an extra-cheery peach by the time it arrived?
Cate
Long term member
We will just have to imagine how good those peaches are I think. We ate fresh fruit from the garden when I was a kid as I lived in NE Victoria, but we're limited with what we can grow here in Tassie as we're not that far from Antarctica, so imagination & memories will have to suffice, along with reading your diary. Yum.....tree-ripened peaches! I would like one, right now. We get to eat delicious berries for months & yummy cherries.
alligatorob
Respected Member
It was a good day, I ate well and feel good tonight. Did not do any formal exercise, but I did work in the yard and around the house for most of the day. Back to the gym tomorrow.
I ate more fruit and fresh tomatoes today, less protein powder, but still did ok. Had the first pear off of our tree, it wasn't very ripe. We have two small pear trees, just a couple of years old now so not many pears. Lots of tomatoes right now, most are going into tomato sauce and the freezer, but eating all I can.
I ate more fruit and fresh tomatoes today, less protein powder, but still did ok. Had the first pear off of our tree, it wasn't very ripe. We have two small pear trees, just a couple of years old now so not many pears. Lots of tomatoes right now, most are going into tomato sauce and the freezer, but eating all I can.
Yes, and we still have a lot of the peach wine. Its not terrible, but not worthy of shipping to anyone. Its hard to make good homemade wine, the best you can hope for is drinkable and it is. Problem is I don't drink much anymore, it will be with us for a while yet.
I think your winters are milder than ours, and I believe you are no neared to Antarctica than we are to the Arctic. We are at an elevation of about 1,300 meters with much higher mountains very close, it can get real cold in winter -15 to -20 C happens. Must be something else in your climate that makes peach trees hard to grow.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Maybe so, we get a lot of very bright sunshine, pretty much all year.
It is hot today, too hot. Supposed to get into the 100s F (~40 C) this afternoon here. California may have recorded the highest reliable temperature measure ever on earth yesterday, 130 F (54.4 C) 'Highest temperature on Earth' recorded in US .
alligatorob
Respected Member
Working in the interior in Kuwait I have been in 50+, all I did into it though were a few quick trips out of the air conditioned truck. At those temperatures odd things happen, wearing more clothes can protect from the heat, and a wind makes it feel hotter, not cooler. And of course lots of things start to melt and get soft. Fortunately our elevation keeps us out of the 50s here, even on the hottest days we don't get much above 40, still too hot for me.