Last Monday, at the doctor's, I weighed as much in all my clothes, and my shoes, and my purse and phone as I last weighed when I'd checked at home, in my nightgown: 110. On the way home I made an over speed left turn into Schwebel's out of date bakery store. I put $15 of junk food into half the cart. Sort of decent junk food, but nevertheless...
Can you conceive of all the sugar and preservatives! Before bedtime I'd consumed four creme sticks, in addition to lunch and supper. On Tuesday I ate half a carrot cake extra. And the other half on Wednesday. Today, I just picked something. Oh, the sugar high. Oh, the headache!
This morning the scale announced 115. No matter what, all that stuff is out of the freezer and off to cards next Tuesday. I cannot deal with the headache! Nancy's grand kids can look forward to getting off the school bus for at least a week!
Overnight there was steady rain, and the temperature today, and forecast for a week to come, is 78, or 25.5 c's. The wind has been steady though, and I should not have been surprised to find the soil dried out already.
I worked my way along all the plants, watering, and look what came for a short visit. It took me three shots to get it in focus. Fortunately, it was patient. Such a beauty! I looked it up and found the life cycle of a dragonfly is about six years. Sadly, they have only a couple of months in flying beauty.
At the end of summer the sweet potato vine has bloomed a bit. The mandevilla are as beautiful as ever, and the Gerbera's last buds are in full bloom.
I hope you feel better Joanne. To me too, the mandavils are the most beautiful flowers.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing photo of that dragonfly! I love it! But sorry about your headache. You can gain weight with starchy carbs rather than sugary ones. I hate headaches, but rarely have them. Love the sweet potato vine because I don't see them often.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that I've never in my whole life forgotten to eat. My first thought every morning is pretty much- what can I make for supper?
ReplyDeleteAren't dragonflies magical? I think they are. And they do like to pose.
And my first thought is breakfast! I get out of bed to eat breakfast.
DeleteIt's dangerous to get into the habit of not eating Joanne. Could try keeping a food diary as a reminder.
ReplyDeleteI do not like it at all. That damn brain injury is the problem. I have to focus on most everything to get it started.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteLike you, I favour brekky - then tend to forget 'lunch', wherefore it becomes afternoon tea/early dinner. I rarely go a whole day without (unless fasting deliberately). It is not a good habit to form and I think Tasker's suggestion of a food diary is a good one - if for no other reason that thinking you have to put something in it will be a trigger to eat in itself. I agree also that veg carbs are a good way to go; indeed, sweet potato! Carrots, turnip/swede and similar. Do consider, also, something like Complan Supplement, as this suits when the appetite is lacking. ... the dragonfly and the gerberas are simply gorgeous. YAM xx
i can imagine the headache from the sugar and preservatives, Joanne. Feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteI love your dragonfly shot. Ephemeral magic. And your garden.
ReplyDeleteSigh on the sugar/preservative headache. It sounds as if you need to get into an eating routine again. Not easy, but possibly necessary. Good luck.
Hopefully you're feeling better soon.
ReplyDeleteThe dragonfly is quite photogenic.
A food diary (as Tasker Dunham says above) is a great idea. Instead of counting calories to keep your self from going over, you'd be eating to reach your goal.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can put on some permanent weight if that's what you meed. Please take care of yourself.
ReplyDeleteGreat picture of the dragonfly! So exquisite! Can you take some ibuprofen or Tylenol for the headache? Drink plenty of water, maybe that will help chase the sugar away.
ReplyDeletebetty
Beautiful flowers. Lovely flying critters too. There are kliquid drinks in the drug stores or grocery stores that will help too.
ReplyDeleteI waited too long to eat tonight, so after a healthy vegetarian chili and some microwaved squash I found some almost pure sugar junk in the pantry and ate it. Ten minutes later I already have an upset stomach and the beginning of a headache.
ReplyDeleteSorry about your headache Joanne but I'm so glad you gained 5 pounds. That dragonfly is beautifully captured.
ReplyDeleteYou've already gotten three solid suggestions that I would have also made (food diary, liquid meal replacement, and starchy carbs not sugary carbs). I'd also add upping the fat content of your dairy products (skip the skim milk and low fat yogurt and go for full fat instead) and add milk or cream instead of water to soups, and make creamy pasta instead of tomato based pasta. People think it's wonderful to have the problem of being underweight but it can be every bit as hard to put weight on as it is to take it off. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are still lovely, and that dragonfly pic - perfect!
I'm a full fat girl, Jenny. After a childhood of margarine, I put butter in my home. When mother came to live with me and questioned me, I told her how I hated the stuff. She said If I had only known. Made me feel good.
DeleteSorry to hear that your sugar high wasn't that great. Hope you can find a better alternative to put on weight. I didn't realize that about dragonflies either. You did a wonderful job capturing that one.
ReplyDeleteHow about baked potatoes with butter and cheese, or sour cream if you prefer? Baked potatoes might help you put on weight. I forget to eat, too. Sometimes it's 8 or 9 p.m. and I haven't eaten yet. If you go to bed and realize that you haven't eaten, then maybe you could get up and at least have a snack.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I wish sugar would give ME headaches! Maybe then I wouldn't be needing to take off weight. Old Man eats ice cream every single day, trying to keep his weight at 116. Even with that it sometimes drops a few pounds, I think his issue is that he burns more calories than he takes in. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteI think about food too much! However, you would do well to consider drinkable supplements. When I was quite sick after contracting something on holiday, and couldn't eat properly, I drank those. They are quite good and will give you the extra calories and other nutrients you may need. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteYour red Mandeville is outstanding, Joanne. I didn’t have as much luck with my peach colored ones. They bloomed but we’re not a standout as those with a more vibrant color.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry that the sugar gives you headaches. As we age, we tend not to gain weight easily. I am a two meal a day person and have no appetite for lunch. If I do, I don’t eat dinner. If your doctor thinks you are too thin, maybe he can suggest something to help you put on a few pounds. On the other hand, I have read that thin people live longer.
I've had peach mandevilla's before, and while fun to have the vines grows so willy nilly all summer, the blooms are not vibrant, like the red and white.
DeleteI wish I needed to put on some weight, don't forget to eat!
ReplyDeleteI love the dragonfly photo, I'm glad he stayed still long enough for you to take it.
I get sugar headaches too. You have my sympathy. After my husband died I often forgot to eat. A new relationship with a master chef isn't doing me (or him) much good these days.
ReplyDeleteLunch is hardest meal for me.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on
Great shot of the dragonfly! Oi with the sugar-induced headache. :(
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! That is one cool dragonfly!! And I love the red flowers, but are they Mandevilla too?? And what's the purple leaved flower with the pale pink/lavender blooms?? Lovely. Some of our ground cover appears to be dying. I'm so disappointed. I really think that the plants can't take the heat. A friend told me to try again in the spring when the snow is done and the heat of summer hasn't hit yet. Give the plants a chance to get set in and to grow some roots before they're stressed with extra sun. You must have just the right climate for your plants -- they're always so lovely.
ReplyDeleteI love the dragonfly and your flowers. Try fruit and some water when you need to eat but don't feel like it, gentler on the head and tummy. Happy weekend.
ReplyDeleteOh Lucky you! I have NEVER been able to catch a dragonfly on camera. I understand the self-inflicted headache. Mine is usually from dehydration though as I forget to drink water when I'm out with my camera.
ReplyDeletePlease remember to eat Joanne, if only for our sake. Also remember to drink water. Lack of it will give you a headache.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem gaining weight. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteNote. There is nothing different about my template, except increasing the font size as requested. Your browser is seeing it wrong. Try pressing CTRL+0 to reset it. If that doesn't work, press CTRL++ (CTRL and Plus sign) to force it to be bigger. And you can always click on a photo to make it bigger. And then you can scroll through the rest too.
Remembering to eat...or constant grazing..are problems of living alone, I have found personally. One just gets busy and consumed by what one is doing!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful flowers..and that dragonfly..breathtaking when you see one, those shimmering colours.
We usually have Dragonflies that fly above the pool, but this year none. Maybe there is still time for their appearance; I know little of their life-cycle.
ReplyDeleteI try to avoid sugar where I can - that seems to be enough to keep my weight constant.
ReplyDeleteI love the dragonfly and I am addicted to sugar which is pitiful. I try to buy only the "best" sugary things that are not drowning in chemicals and additives.
ReplyDeleteI find I am far more energetic when I've eliminated it.
XO
WWW
most of my adult life I weighed between 95 and 105. at 5'4" that made me pretty skinny. skimpy breakfast, often skipping lunch, dinner and a high metabolism. I used to tell people that I ate 3 times a day and my body ate 5 times a day. then I was diagnosed with osteoporosis and joined a gym. and started forcing myself to eat. after a while my stomach would start to hurt. took me awhile to figure out it was hunger. I never really ate enough to experience it. once you start eating your body gets used to having regular food. I hover around 119 - 122 these days.
ReplyDeletelove the mandevilla and I didn't realize sweet potato vine bloomed. looks sort of like a morning glory. I wonder if they're related.
Ugh - a sugar high headache is the worst because you just have to wait until the sugar works through your system. Maybe you might set an alarm on your phone to ring a noon and/or 6/7pm as a reminder. Not eating is bad!
ReplyDeleteI did not know that a dragon fly has a six year life cycle with only a few months of winged beauty. I hope you find a way to remind yourself to eat 3 meals a day, some sort of an alarm. I think my cell phone can be set to buzz, haven't tried it. I do count units of sugar since women are only supposed to eat 24 units a day, that is not much!
ReplyDeleteI can imagine not wanting to eat something; my boarding school food was dreadful and, apart from the bread, inedible.
ReplyDeleteBut now we can buy peeled fruit and single packs of cereal, you're just going to put one out after breakfast every day in front of the bathroom door ready for the next time you go in. Or the coffee pot?
I couldn't possibly go through the whole day without eating. I'm always mildly hungry. I don't think I've ever had a sugar headache, I don't eat many sugary foods. It sounds nasty.
ReplyDeleteBefore I forget, do you read Olddognewtruck? Lovely spinning and weaving.
ReplyDeletehttps://olddogsnewtruck.wordpress.com/2019/02/24/spring-ahead/
Oh my! Very similar to my diet breakfast of a box of six Kwick trip doughnuts along with their quite good coffee Mrs. T would kill me if she knew my real eating habits these days. My diet though improves when I help feed her at the memory care place as the food is quite palatable and properly nutritious as well. Surprisingly they don't charge me for any food I eat there which considering their monthly charge for care definitely appropriate
ReplyDeleteThat is a great photo of a dragonfly. We have noticed a lot of them recently whenever we escape the concrete jungle and venture anywhere green.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's unusual to lose your appetite as you age. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be aware that you must eat healthy. I don't eat much breakfast or lunch... but do eat a regular supper. (We don't eat canned, only fresh - told to do this 20 years ago from my Oncologist) But in general, tea and toast will do me most of the time.
ReplyDeleteLove the dragonfly pic!