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Dear Friends,

I feel reticent to ask; I've been successful before, but I'm having medical problems around my weight. Fortunately, I did not gain any weight from the Feast of St. Nicolas to Theophany, but, I didn't lose any either. I know that the Fast of Great Lent is coming, and so on, but I ask for your prayers. I pray that Our Mother of Perpetual Help will help me to be aware when I reach for the cookie, or whatever, is this food I need, or am I just eating habitually? Besides heart and cholesterol problems, now I've learned, from my doctor, that my sleep is affected by it. I have two daughter, 15 & 7 respectively, and I must take better care of myself. No one can do it but me, and with God's help, I can do it. I'd appreciate your prayers. I am a great sinner. Thanks to you all.

Rick

Rick,

I understand exactly how you feel - apart from the age of your daughters I'm in the same boat !
I will certainly pray for you that you have the strength to resist temptation.

Please will you do the same for me ?

Hi,

Watching your diet is tough especially with kids.
You have goodies in the house for them and somehow you wind up eating them too. St. Hildegarde pray for all of us on the forum who need to eat proper for our health and those of us who are completely helpless against Fannie May turtles! We can talk about diet strategies in the town hall section. Diet stategery as Pres. Bush would say.

Nicky's Baba

May the Lord, our God, give us the wisdom to do what is best for us to preserve both our souls and our bodies in good health.

What I've learned is that the way I structure my life and my daily events is what is going to do things to my eating habits.

Personally, I have made the conscious decision to have one meal a day -- at lunch time. I go to one of those hotbar/coldbar places and fill up with ONE piece of meat, steamed rice and a medley of raw vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, onions (love onions!) green beans, etc.

After coming home from the nursing home to visit Mom in the evening, I may have a few crackers, some red wine, and maybe a piece of fruit.

I guess it's hard to do this sort of thing with kids. But might I suggest getting the kids hooked on apple, chuncked oranges, or air-popped popcorn as snacks. Or even those mini-carrots and celery sticks or other vegetables.

I don't think it's a good idea to connect the 'fast' with the necessities of weight control. If the weight control does not work, it may have a deleterious effect on one's prayer life and spirituality. And this would be counter-productive.

May the Lord help us all as we strive to enhance the well-being of our bodies and souls.

Blessings!

Thanks to all of you for your kind words and prayers. I agree, Dr. John, with your comment about fasting and weight control and not confusing the two. My prayers are with all of you as well. Now, if I could just get some sleep!

Rick

Dear Rick C,

As someone with diabetes who was much helped by the Wonderful People of the Byzantine Catholic Forum, I wanted to share this with you.

Number one, my prayers.

Number two, I too have problems sleeping. Perhaps I'm spending too much time on the Forum . . .

But seriously, have some cinnamon tea before bed. Hot, wonderful cinnamon tea will knock you out.

Also, when you go to sleep, hold your tongue (I'm serious) in such a way that it is not touching the sides of your mouth. Try it and see.

Two further things - vegetable juices and bran.

I don't know if you have something called "Ryvita" in the Grand Republic, but anything that is jam-packed with bran will fill you up faster and kill hunger pangs.

If you don't already have one, get yourself a juicer.

Start with one glass daily and move up. Here is a "stress-buster" juice that will give you oodles of vitamins and minerals and will help you sleep:

Juice a carrot, a red pepper, a broccoli floweret, a celery stick, a kale leaf or a cabbage leaf, a tomato, half a beet, some spinach, a handful of parsley and a garlic clove.

(Parsley will kill all the negative effects of garlic, as a Ukrainian, you know what I mean . . .).

This will produce a glass of vegetable juice. Just down it and don't think about it . . .

If you would like a low-cal drink, juice a quarter of a lime and one seeded apple. Pour into an ice-filled glass and fill to the top with sparkling water. Cheers!

A good de-toxifier, and we all need those, is 4-5 carrots, half an apple and some ginger root. Juice and drink this - it's wonderful.

Very often, our weight is a way our body tells us that we're not giving it what it really needs and wants.

Remember to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. If we don't, our bodies react by holding onto the liquids and so helping to bloat us.

God bless,

Alex

Rick,

Lots of good advice given here.

I'm assuming that the "sleep" issue is apnea, which is most common in overwieght (especially bull-necked and/or round-headed) men and boxer dogs.

I am far more familiar with apnea than I'd like to be...

If you are a back sleeper, this may be part of the problem. Yes, losing weight will help, but that's not going to help tonight, tomorrow or next week. Here are some possible practical approaches.

Often in sleeping on the back, the jaw will relax and collapse the airway. Some possible helps:

Get off your back. If you are a pajama wearer, sew a couple of tennis balls into the back of your pajamas.

Get evaluated for a CPAP or similar device. CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) devices deliver air through a mask worn during sleep. The air is at a slightly higher pressure, which helps to maintain the airway. Some people (especially claustrophobes) don't tolerate CPAPs well, but many do. They are by prescription, and are usually available on a trial basis before you really commit.

Surgery - this shouldn't be a first choice. The surgery is done by an ENT. I forget the name of the procedure, but basically it removes a bunch of the "loose" tissue in the nose & throat. It helps some people. It did absolutely no good for my husband.

Jaw "stabilization" - many dentists can create a slip-in mouthpiece which will help keep the jaw in place while you sleep, even on your back. If you decide to try this, be aware that it isn't usually covered by insurance (but ask anyway) and SHOP AROUND because prices can vary astoundingly. You can do a Very Cheap test to see if this option might work - go to a sporting goods store, and get a boxer's mouthguard. Unlike the ones you use in football, the boxer's mouthguard has both uppers and lowers. It fits the same way - you use hot water then suck on it to make it fit you personally... Try sleeping with it. (Some folks find it works well enough that they never pursue the dental $olution.)

Long term of course, weight loss is a good solution (though some folks continue to experience apnea even when they're skinny) but a good, fully oxygenated night's sleep will make it easier.

Best,

Sharon

Sharon Mech, SFO
Cantor & sinner
sharon@cmhc.com

Dear Rick C,

The diabetic diet is really a very useful tool, though it does take some getting used to to build meals thinking of filling in nutrient units by carbs, protiens, fats....

If you can develop a meal plan with a dietician and stick to it, it takes off pounds relatively painlessly. The availability of non-fat and no sugar added products, especially the sweet things is a blessing.

I am praying for you. Please pray for me to get back to my meal plan! :rolleyes:

Steve

Sharon,

Welcome back! Good to see you here. How go things with your family?

Thanks everyone for the suggestions about sleep and eating and drinking better!

Dr. John, how is your mother?

[ 01-14-2002: Message edited by: Inawe ]

My prayers are with you, Rick...

My prayers are with all of our folks here. We seem to have touched on a very important topic.

I pray that the Lord will guide us each and every one to a decent and healthful solution for our needs.

May we all find good physicians and medical folks who can work with us (not against us) to help us resolve our issues of well-being.

Blessings, y'all!

P.S. Mom is doing better-- thanks for asking, In Awe. Now, they're switching medications, so I hope we're not in for another pharmacological roller-coaster ride. The docs just prescribe these things and say "I'll see you in two months." And then they don't, especially if a person is in a nursing facility. So the family has got to monitor and raise holy hell if there are side effects. You gotta be on 'em all the time.

I guess it's just like watching one's weight, or glucose, or apnea, or..... It's a constant vigilance.

Blessings!

I battle with weight, too. I remember a little joke, all of us are Temples of the Holy Spirit, some are little chapels, and some are basilicas!!
I gained weight last year at Great Lent, so I am dreading it's arrival. I pray God will help you.

GLORY TO JESUS CHRIST!
GLORY TO HIM FOREVER!

Hi Rick

In addition to all that was said, if you work outside of your home, like say in an office setting, you NEED the support of your co-workers too! THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING!

I'm diabetic too. I found that I was doing most of my snacking in the office because co-workers brought in cookies and candies and all the left-overs from the Holidays.

We've now taken to having plenty of fresh fruits and veggies instead of the cookies and candies.

We've started a wellness snack area where they have only things with no sugar, no fat, healthy snacks.

We also walk as a group at lunch time. There are 7-10 who walk every day for 20 mins and the results are FANTASTIC!

Hang in there Rick, if I can do it, you'll have no problem!

the least servant of the servants of God

mark

ps

For medical reasons, you should be on a modified FAST during Great Lent. Since you're diabetic, you can do more damage to your own health by following the fast restrictions. Consult your diabetes doctor and see what he/she advises; then talk with your spiritual advisor.

Hello friends,
Thank you for your prayers and experiences. I'm going to have a sleep study on Feb 3 and if that is positive for sleep apnea, I go back for CPAP treatment on Feb 17 to see if it works for me.

I'm not sure how it was communicated that I'm diabetic. Thankfully, I'm not. I apologize for the miscommunication. I hope, if apnea is the problem and the treatment works, that I may finally be rested and "calm down" a bit. I've never really felt rested any time in my life. Oh well.

Again, thanks for your prayers and stories. God bless all of us!

Rick