Jeanne’s Food Blog

Well, this is my third day on this diet. I’ve noticed some interesting, yet positive, changes.

1. No heartburn!  I haven’t chewed on antacid tablets since I started doing this.  Yea!  I’m so tired of heartburn, it’s awful!  I’m usually chewing on antacid tablets like they are candy.
2. The swelling in my right foot is markedly improved.  It’s still a bit swollen, but no where near where it has been lately.
3. Ok, this is a bit personal, my urine is almost completely clear.  I drink a lot of water as a general rule, but I would still have urine that was almost a dark yellow at times.  Not a good thing.  Now, it’s the color it should be.

I’m not as hungry as I’ve been the past two days.  I may be going through a weird type of withdrawal.  Sounds odd, but I’m so used to eating tons of junk food, cookies, etc.  My stomach is used to having a lot of food. 

Ok, yesterday, I decided I was really tired of my right foot swelling.  Its been swelling off & on for about 17 years.  Now, before you make any comments about how my foot is going to fall off, I need to have it amputated, or I have gangrene - Yes, I have seen several doctors about it and had an ultrasound on my leg.  There are no clots or anything else that is causing fluid to pool in my foot that the doctors are aware of.

So, I’ve decided to first count my salt intake & then see what I can do about lowering it.  I suspect that salt is the cause of my right foot swelling.  Yeah, its odd it only the right foot, I know.  Rats, I guess the junk food that I *really* love isn’t going to make the cut.  Ok, so since I’ve decided to lower my salt intake, I figure I might as well count my fats & sugars while I’m at it.

Current Fat, Sugar, Salt Intake Goals:

• 30 grams of Fat or less
• 30 grams of Sugar or less
• 3000 mg of Salt or less

Did you know that 3000 mg of salt is only 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt?  OOPS!  I eat WAY MORE than that a day.  Ok, so I need to throw away my salt shaker - you know the one that is in the living room next to the remote so I can easily salt my fries, onion rings, or popcorn while watching TV?  Yeah, that one.

Obvious Health Goals (the ones I can measure at home easily):

1. Reduce swelling in right foot
2. Reduce the stupid spare tire that has developed around my mid-section. (For goodness sake!  I want to look nice in my wedding dress, not outgrow it!) LOL
3. Reduce my weight - which really should be a natural consequence of the first two goals, right?

Also, in Sept I’m scheduled to have my blood drawn for a cholesterol test.  I’ll post those results when I get them.  This is done about every 6 months.  My results are not where they should be.  I’ve finally become irritated with myself to try & adjust my eating habits.

What about exercise?  Um…  not right now.  Don’t bother suggesting it.  Yes, exercise is definitely important, I totally agree.  However, one person can only take on so much at one time.  So this is where I’m starting…  food first.