My doctor was pleased

Had my 3-month checkup for blood glucose today. It will take a few days to get the results, but Dr. Mohamadi was happy about my weight loss -- 9 pounds since April. His nurse, Tamika, was very supportive, too.  It really helps to have a good medical team in your corner.

I'm now 8 pounds away from my goal, in the first tier of healthy weight, leaving the overweight tiers. Tamika brought out the body mass index chart and showed me that my goal was right in the center of the target tier.

Whether once achieving my poundage goal I will set a new one at the bottom of the 1st healthy range for me I'll decide when I get there.

My broad goal in losing weight is to keep the pounds off when they come off -- cuz the little devils are so resistant to leaving me. Parting is not sweet sorrow  -- it's pah-leeeeeeeeeaze go.

Ah, aging.

(Please enjoy the black-eyed susans that I saw on one of my daily walks. Thank you, Rudbeckia hirta.) I'm averaging almost 4 miles a day.

Also, I did read the Traci Mann book, Secrets from the Eating Lab: The Science of Weight Loss, the Myth of Willpower, and Why You Should Never Diet Again. 

Her warning against the body's inevitable longing to regain lost weight was sobering.

We all know it's true because we've all done it. Lost, then gained. Lost, then gained.

This is being a great summer -- I'm really happy about my progress and even better, I feel really good!

Keeping the blood glucose under control really does produce a feeling of stable energy.

(Here's the Big Cedar gang on July 4 -- Ben, Nick, Jolanta, Bob, Sophia, Maria, and me.)

I'm doing it by eating oatmeal and berries for breakfast, a salad with a protein for lunch, and maybe for dinner another protein like ground turkey burgers (no bun) with two vegetables.

Between-meal snacks like an apple and a little cheese or nuts.

A slice of bread when eating out, otherwise no bread at home. Bread is my downfall. Wasa crispbread in the cupboard so I don't freak out wanting bread. I don't like it so much so I'm not drawn to overeat it.

No sweet rich desserts. On the 90^o days, Trader Joe's Fruit Frenzy Bars, fruit juice popsicles. 130 calories, 30 g sugars -- yeah. But I seem to be able to handle it at this point. The pancreas seems ok with one sicle.

Grape, tangerine, and blood orange. Or raspberry, lemon, and strawberry.

Had a lovely visit with my cousins over the 4th of July on Big Cedar Lake a half hour west of Milwaukee.


Handled all the holiday goodies pretty well. There were lovely salads and plenty of delicious protein -- barbecue. Yum.

Beautiful morning walks around Big Cedar -- Kettle Morraine country, where the Wisconsin Glacier went through scouring and most interesting terrain east of the Gran Canyon.

And lovely Wisconsin prairie lands.

Morning yoga class one morning with Emily and Mary Pat.

And most exciting of all, a welcome to little Isadora Violet Drake-Hames, here with Great-Aunt Lila, Auntie Gosia, Baba Grandma Jolanta (which means Violet in Polish), and mom Kasia.