<p>Had a good LOL at iDads streak. :)</p>
<p>I can understand missing the time outdoors - I crave it!!</p>
<p>@PlantMom , you often mention that you down a good bit of olive oil - is there other ways you have it besides stir frying veggies or whatever??</p>
<p>^^No kidding. What’s a person to do about diet for a heart patient? It’s scary territory to navigate, especially with the prevalence of anecdotal evidence offered as firm science/fact. This is what H’s cardiologist told him: Lose 25-30 pounds. Exercise–at least by walking --every day. Exercising the heart muscle is good for it–especially a heart that’s trying to rebuild part of itself. Take an aspirin–it helps thin the blood, especially important with a stent. Monitor blood pressure. Take a statin. The latter, he told us when we asked how one could stabilize unstable plaques-rupture of which, followed by clotting is the cause of heart attacks, was the only known way to do so. Statins appear to have an “anti-inflammatory” effect on the artery walls–mechanism unknown. Other drugs that simply lower cholesterol do not do the same things statins do. I wish H had been a bit thinner. Heck, I wish he had taken a statin. With his family history of early heart attack, he would have been a good candidate. After the MI, there was no talk of eliminating saturated fats. In fact, his doctor took us out for a dinner which included some very delicious lamb. Moderation? Sometimes it seems to be the only common sense approach to eating. Cardiac rehab, following AHA guidelines was a lifesaver. Adding bits of “rich foods” has happened over the course of H’s recovery, but he (and I) will probably never be comfortable switching to a high sat fat/low carb diet…Can you blame him? I will be surprised to see evidence in our lifetime that the high fat/protein diet is preferred for heart patients. Realistically, we’ll never be able to follow a very low fat diet. I like to cook, and it’s hard to cook real food with such severe limitations in fats and carbs. On the other hand, I don’t use vegetable oils often, because I don’t like the taste. Those McDonald’s french fries everybody loves–not I. They taste of chemicals to me–I suspect the fat. Sugar, refined carbs–I totally buy that they’re problematic. I don’t know…I guess have to use common sense and moderation and have a constant hope that some definitive nutrition science will provide an answer about what’s best to eat. </p>
<p>There’s a disconnect in this world about eating/living for weight control, and eating /living for optimum health even though they’re no doubt intimately connected! </p>
<p>Abasket, I’m guilty of using olive oil in just about everything. Salad dressings, drizzling on cooked vegetables or an avocado, on fish to cook and flavor it. I’d pan roast a steak in olive oil, if I still did such things regularly! Today, we had olive oil in a green salad, in tuna salad, in and on the slice of toasted ww bread (w/parmesan cheese) I served at lunch, in the gyros-style turkey burgers I made, on the grilled onions, in the roasted corn…on the sweet potatoes (along with spicy seasonings). Probably elsewhere I’m just not thinking about :)</p>
<p>Well that all sounds delicious! (A piece of good bread with olive oil and parm cheese is a guilty pleasure for me too!!). Do you have a fav brand of olive oil??</p>
<p>I have been buying [California</a> Ranch Extra Virgin Olive oil](<a href=“http://www.californiaoliveranch.com/]California”>http://www.californiaoliveranch.com/). In my grocery store, it’s not that much more expensive than the generic “Mediterranean/N African/Greek” cheapo brands or the TJMAXX bargain bottles, but it is WAY better/cleaner tasting. I used to use it for salads and stuff and the generic brands for sauteeing, but I’ve stopped buying anything else. When it’s on sale, I grab three or four bottles. It’s not like I’m not going to use it. I practically drink the stuff in my salad dressings.</p>
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<p>I think the operative question is “compared to what?” To the extent that cutting saturated fat leads to eating junk, then that’s a problem. If oxidation is a major contributor to heart disease (still a big IF), then switching to veggie oils to cut down on saturated fat might be a step in the wrong direction. Substituting sugar for fat is definitely bad news. I am so glad to not be in your hubby’s situation. It’s hard enough to make nutrition choices when healthy. I’d hate to sort it out with the extra layer of complication he has to deal with.</p>
<p>Personally, I think the best things I can shoot for are:</p>
<p>1) Stay at lean weight.</p>
<p>2) Exercise.</p>
<p>3) Keep LDL particle counts in a good range</p>
<p>4) Keep triglycerides ultra-low</p>
<p>5) Keep HDL high</p>
<p>That’s after I did the single most important thing: stop smoking.</p>
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<p>I use olive oil, butter, bacon fat, and lard exclusively. I’ve stopped using canola oil. I see nothing to suggest it’s healthier. I will probably try some coconut oil just for variety. This time of year, I’m not using a lot of any oil for cooking as I try to grill a lot…</p>
<p>One rest day (Monday) for me after the 3-day walk. Went to hot yoga yesterday and today. My D is visiting for the week and I went to a more advanced yoga class with her. Lots of poses that I’d never done before–I hung in there and tried to do what I could, but I’m never going to be able to do a headstand! </p>
<p>Good luck with marathon training Sabaray. Congrats on your race FNR. yoga</p>
<p>Glad to hear that you recovered from three days of marathon walking unscathed. </p>
<p>My view on headstands? I hope I never do one. If I recall, the last one I did was on my last ever downhill ski run, when I drove home from Waterville Valley with blood trickling down my face.</p>
<p>idad, I like discounted clothes at TJMaxx, but I avoid the food items there, especially such perishables as olive oil. God only knows where and when they bought it and to what kind of heat and sunlight conditions it has been exposed.
I buy my olive oils at Costco and store them in tightly closed containers in the darkness of the “appliance garage”. </p>
<p>I like the California Ranch olive oil as well. It’s quite frequently a very good buy at our grocer. I also buy it (olive oil) at Costco. </p>
<p>Headstands…having flashback to gym class and even trying to do a tripod. Scary stuff. </p>
<p>I got behind on this thread and then watched in horror as the numbers got over 1000! Checking back in though to celebrate a 5 pound party! It’s been a lllllooooonnnngggg time since the last one!</p>
<p>No special secrets - a little bit of exercise nearly every day (and by little bit I mean as little as 5-10 minutes with the kettle ball), the usual diet of moderation during the week and a little less moderation on weekends.</p>
<p>Congrats, mathmom! Toasting you!</p>
<p>I put olive oil (flavored) on ice cream! It is SO good. (sounding like MiamiDAP here…) Just a drizzle (and just a very small amount of ice cream).</p>
<p>MOWC, what flavor of olive oil and what flavor of ice cream is a good combo? I usually buy my olive oil at Costco or a local market. </p>
<p>Congrats Mathmom - woohoo! </p>
<p>We have these gourmet olive oil/balsamic vinegar stores. Ours is called Olivia. I learned about putting it on ice cream when I was at a legal seminar in Napa (see-who says lawyers aren’t constantly trying to improve themselves?). A local olive oil shop offered us samples. They served high-end vanilla ice cream with blood orange flavored olive oil. What I have at home is lemon olive oil. We put some blackberries on the ice cream and drizzle it with the olive oil and it is an incredible dessert and simple. I think at the seminar they put something on a chocolate ice cream, but I forget what it was.</p>
<p>Probably not on iDad’s approved recipes, but strawberries roasted with balsamic are a delicious dessert that can be served over ice cream. I’ve never thought of olive oil and ice cream. I love olive oil cake. That’s probably not an approved use of olive oil for healthy eating either, but what do they say? Everything in moderation? 
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<p>Congrats, mathmom! I think your way of eating is working well for you. I think it’s a sensible long range plan. </p>
<p>Fact: I reserve the right to fully enjoy dessert on a semi-regular basis! Doesn’t have to be a lot but don’t mess with my dessert! Ice cream is right up there! But I’d rather have just a little of a fabulous ice cream, then more of a mediocre one. </p>
<p>I’ll have to consider buying a fruit flavored oil and giving this a try. :)</p>
<p>4.2 miles run/walk. That is all – and I’m beat. BUT, I discovered after the fact that today is National Running Day, so I’m glad I did it. Still waiting for this to become “fun” though …</p>
<p>Yay mathmom! I’m not quite ready for a 5 lb party, but I’m working on it. This time around the scale is just not moving.</p>
<p>I was within half a pound for at least four or five Fridays, and then I’d have an extra bad weekend! I’m sure I’ll still be bouncing around this weight for a while. But my job tends to be more active at this time of year and that always helps.</p>
<p>Yay, mathmom. Five pound party time! </p>
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<p>CBB: Yeah, I’m waiting for running to become “fun” too. I’m not holding my breath. It was odd yesterday, though. I actually felt my glute muscles while running. I think that’s a good thing?</p>
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<p>Sabaray: I’m on a strawberry binge lately. My dessert/bed time snack is fruit. Usually apples. Sometimes blackberries. Lately, strawberries have been on sale: 2 pounds for $2.99. So that’s nights of a big bowl of fresh strawberries. I used to put sugar and half and half on them. Now, I just cut them up and eat them plain. Less sugar than my usual apple, I think.</p>
<p>Speaking of parties, I officially hit the 2 times 5 pound party mark since New Years Eve. 10.2 pounds to be exact. That’s a little bit of a fluke because New Years Eve was a fluky high weight and today was the lowest weight I’ve seen in 2.5 years, but even my 7 day running average is down 7.5 pounds in 2014. </p>
<p>Big difference for me? Laying off the nuts. When I nosh on nuts, my weight creeps up. When I don’t have an open bag of snack nuts, it creeps down. And, I think there’s a seasonal factor at play, too.</p>
<p>Cherries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and kiwis are our desserts as of lately. </p>
<p>Congrats, mathmom!</p>
<p>I have picked up a nasty cold again - what’s up with that? Not a good thing for my running, since it keeps me awake at night. So today I only had 2 hours of sleep. Not as bad as having to walk on crutches for 6 weeks, so I’m telling myself to quit whining! :)</p>