Health

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New diet app for iThings

MyNetDiary rocks.  It's good for food tracking on the iPad - the iPhone app (they are different) lets you scan a barcode to enter nutritional info.  Things I would change:

  • stop telling me in red letters that my plan doesn't call for enough grams of carbohydrate.
  • integrate mapmyfitness.

that's pretty much it.

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Recipe of the week:  another keeper.  Note - next time way more cardamom and a little more turmeric.
* Exported from MasterCook *

Slow Cooker Beef Rogan Josh - indian

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 4     Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    :

Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
1              pound  round steak -- cubed
1                     onion -- diced
4                     garlic cloves -- minced
2        tablespoons  cumin
2        tablespoons  coriander
1         tablespoon  turmeric
2          teaspoons  cardamom
2          teaspoons  minced fresh ginger
2          teaspoons  chili powder
28            ounces  crushed tomatoes
1                cup  yogurt

In a nonstick skillet, saute the beef, onion, and garlic until just browned. Drain off any excess fat. Place into a 4-quart slow cooker.   Add the spices and crushed tomatoes. Cook on low for 8 hours. Stir in the yogurt prior to serving.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 358 Calories; 17g Fat (42.4% calories from fat); 29g Protein; 25g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 75mg Cholesterol; 367mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 3 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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My son (Tom) has the "official" diagnosis.  Mom carries the gene (check) Tom as the symptoms (check).

Now, the idea is to stop it where it is.  Tom's vision is 20/40 in his right eye and 20/400 in his left eye.  There is a blind spot in each eye that (at this point) do not overlap.

He was at college in Marquette when this started, and the closest neuro-ophthalmologist is at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee - Wednesday I drove to Marquette, Thursday we drove (I drove, Tom rode) to Milwaukee and then drove on to Buffalo Grove to spend a little time with Aunt Deb.  Friday, we went back to Marquette and yesterday I drove home.  I'm pretty road-weary at this point.

It was the providence of God that we were sent there (first choice was Mayo Clinic, but there were no appointments) because the doctor in Milwaukee suggested an experimental treatment (the "magic light bulb".)  Near-infrared light has been used in a colony in Brazil that has a very high incidence of Leber's with promising results.  Tom is NOT in a controlled blind study - that means that he can continue to use all of the supplements that are also suggested.

The list of supplements is rather impressive and I learned a few things about vitamins that I didn't know.  More research required.  I'm making a page on this site so I can keep track of what he's taking and how much (since I'm buying)

If his vision stays where it is now, he'll be okay.

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A big stress eating day...not good.

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But I got my bike tire taken care of...maybe.   My back tire has a different valve stem and it doesn't seem to be quite long enough.  There's a screw thingie on it that I didn't know could come off and when it does, the tire will pump up all the way.

I also have really little tires that pump up to 145 psi.  the guy at the bike store says 125 should do it, but if I can get them to 145...nice.  So we'll try for 125 and see if that works.

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The dogwood are blooming and the pollen is so bad it looks like it's snowing...my eyes itch.

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So...even with itchy eyes and a (hopefully) short meeting after school tomorrow, I'm taking my stuff to ride after school.

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and politics...

this is from "Being Conservative" on facebook:

So we're sending 1200 UNARMED National Guardsmen to help secure our southern border. Only Obama could look at our border security problem and determine the solution is more paper pushers.

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slave2freedom.com

Podcast from "Livin La Vida Low Carb"

I like this: "I can't say that I won't eat sugar ever again, but I can say that I won't eat sugar for the next 120 days."

The podcast is talking about the similarities between drug addiction and sugar addiction - after eating a bunch of sugar, your brain over compensates (carb crash).

If you put some awareness about it, you can learn to understand the relationship between the way you eat and the way you feel.

Food journaling...not fat, carbs, etc.  Just write down what you eat and how you feel...and then how you feel an hour later...then you can see the connection.

Sugar - the most addictive substance on the face of the planet.

(note:  I've been off flour for a month and I feel good - the first few days was rough...maybe it's time to fight sugar)

Extreme  cravings?

Everything Starts With Breakfast

- blood sugar is naturally low - if you don't eat first thing in the morning, protein, your blood sugar will never stabilize.

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Really had a tough time this week.

- I am learning that allergens do really bad things to me.

I overloaded on wheat yesterday and I'm having a really hard time with respiratory stuff.

- I learned that I should not even put 1 quarter in the candy machine

because that leads to putting 3 quarters in the candy machine.

- I learned that I need to fix my lunch the evening ahead of time

or else I'll put stuff in it that's quick, but not terribly healthy.

- I learned that I need to attach my keys to my lunch...

Or I leave it hanging on the door knob (which leads to the overload of wheat and quarters...

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Cycling

GOAL:  Ride a "Century" by the end of the cycling season  - perhaps "Apple Cider Century" or "Middle of the Mitten", both in October

I most likely will not be riding outdoors until March or April (I don't have a snow-ready bike), so some of this will be indoors.

Objective: Ride 50 flat miles by May 1 and 50 hill miles by June 1.

At home (winter work)

  1. Watch one movie each week while riding a stationary bike
  2. Three times each week, listen to 20 minutes podcast while "sprinting" on stationary bike
  3. Strengthen "core muscles" using Pilates

As soon as roads are clear and dry:

  1. Get out on Musketawa Trail (flat work)
  2. After 50 miles on Musketawa Trail, begin with 20 miles of "hill work"  (route on Mapmyride and including Grand River Ave and Five Mile Road.)
  3. Beginning May 1 (because of sunrise times) ride to work 3 days per week.

GOAL: Ride my bike to my parents' house (180 miles) by July 4.

That should fit in with the rest of the bike work.

Financial piece:

  1. need panniers and trunk bag

Notes:  for riding to Mom and Dad's house, a good idea might be to either have a "volunteer" ride with me, or have Tom drive ahead and "camp" at a hotel.  I'd like to do the ride in 3 or 4 days.