Aa
New to dieting...
Ten years ago, I was able to eat Ramen noodles for breakfast, Cereal for an after school snack, and fast food for dinner. I was 16, 5'2", and about 100lbs. Now, I'm married with a 7 year old. I'm about to be 27, still 5'2", and I currently weigh 160. My husband and daughter are hesitate about eating healthy foods, but I'm ready to just jump in head first. I will admit I have a sugar addiction. One bite and I can't control how much I eat of the sugary treat. I've seriously let myself go and almost a year ago I found out I was born with a solitary kidney. All I was told by my doctors is to eat foods low in sugar, salt, and fat. Also, the urologist said to exercise. Ok, but they also said not to do repetitive jarring or bouncing or even play sports. So I need to know what kind of diet I could benefit from to keep my lonely kidney happy and functioning a good long time, along with lose about 45lbs. And what kind of exercises can I do that would not cause an injury to my kidney? Any help, links, or videos would help. And I will do my research on any information given because I'm ready to do this and lose the 45lbs to be skinny and happy again. I felt my happiest at 115. I stay at home with no job so I have plenty of time to exercise, I'm just not sure what to do or where to start. That also means our budget is pretty tight so I don't have the money to spend on health foods like tofu or anything crazy hard to find. We have basic grocery stores in my area.
Any further questions just ask me.
Any further questions just ask me.
Could you do an aerobic water work out? Or maybe swim laps?
Don't worry too much about adding artificial sweeteners. I'm not a fan of them and find a lot of natural ways to add sweetness without adding sugar. For instance I add pumpkin to my spaghetti sauce and sweet potato to curries to give it a thicker, sweeter flavor without adding flour or sugar. I find mashed and pureed carrots do a similar thing to the flavor without thickening it up. I would suggest to look at your bread and sauces and mixes. Sounds weird to be worried about, but a lot of those lovely cheap breads have a lot of sugar in them. And ketchup, BBQ are kind of known for their bad sugar. Mustard may also be too high in sodium and can chicken broth and gravy. Also try looking up diabetic friendly recipe ideas and recipes from the sneaky chief. They may give you ideas for your picky eaters.
As far as fresh fruits and veggies go, it's possible to freeze the left overs. (Which depending on season may be better veggies and cheaper unit price.) If you get veggies fresh you can blanch them, by boiling them in water for a few minutes, draining them, then freezing them. You should be able to find the times and procedure online for that. For fruits, just rinse them and toss them in the freeze. I find they're just as nice as store bought packages.
I'm not too sure about other foods but I know my friend who has only one working kidney isn't allowed to eat out at fast foods or get whole roasted chickens from a store. She also has to limit her intake of bananas, watermelon, and potatoes. So I would suggest look at fruits that are really high in their fructose and maybe cut them out.
Don't worry too much about adding artificial sweeteners. I'm not a fan of them and find a lot of natural ways to add sweetness without adding sugar. For instance I add pumpkin to my spaghetti sauce and sweet potato to curries to give it a thicker, sweeter flavor without adding flour or sugar. I find mashed and pureed carrots do a similar thing to the flavor without thickening it up. I would suggest to look at your bread and sauces and mixes. Sounds weird to be worried about, but a lot of those lovely cheap breads have a lot of sugar in them. And ketchup, BBQ are kind of known for their bad sugar. Mustard may also be too high in sodium and can chicken broth and gravy. Also try looking up diabetic friendly recipe ideas and recipes from the sneaky chief. They may give you ideas for your picky eaters.
As far as fresh fruits and veggies go, it's possible to freeze the left overs. (Which depending on season may be better veggies and cheaper unit price.) If you get veggies fresh you can blanch them, by boiling them in water for a few minutes, draining them, then freezing them. You should be able to find the times and procedure online for that. For fruits, just rinse them and toss them in the freeze. I find they're just as nice as store bought packages.
I'm not too sure about other foods but I know my friend who has only one working kidney isn't allowed to eat out at fast foods or get whole roasted chickens from a store. She also has to limit her intake of bananas, watermelon, and potatoes. So I would suggest look at fruits that are really high in their fructose and maybe cut them out.
The things I normally drink are coffee with creamer and very little sugar, tea, and water. I don't really care for sodas or super sweet drinks anyway. When my family isn't home during breakfast and lunch I will have a smoothie with frozen strawberries and watered down 100% fruit juice, coffee, or a breakfast quesadilla with just 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup of diced bell peppers, a tiny bit of cheese to hold one side of the tortilla down and some hot sauce. Those are pretty much what I eat unless there are leftovers. I'm the only one who will eat leftovers in this house. I came from a 'want not, waste not' kind of family. So, I over-eat a lot of times because of the "clean your plate" phrase I was taught.
As for being tested for everything, I have to endure a rigorous blood test once a year to keep everything in check and to be aware of any health problems before they become a threat to my kidney. As far as I know they check everything. They take about 5 vials every time I have blood work done. (I hate needles too. I just about pass out every time.)
My exercise is pretty much cleaning up after everyone in the morning from the day before. Like a hotel maid. They come home to a fairly spotless home. Then they can about their business and mess. So when they leave for school and work I clean up after them. I usually feel wore out about 12 and that's when I get my coffee going. People think I should have time to workout and actually enjoy some cardio, but since I'm the only one cleaning it's pretty hard (to me it seems) to get everything cleaned up and then to exercise on top of that.
Now, with sugar-free.... My tastebuds makes splenda, sweet n low, and pretty much any artificial sweetener taste bitter?? I can't really describe the taste. Its like a mix of perfume and a tiny bit of sugar. It is just horrible. I usually check the nutrition guide and ingredients list of everything we get, sometimes for the artificial sugar and the unnecessary use of preservatives. I do try to buy most fruits and veggies frozen instead of canned since they are already prepped, uncooked, and fairly fresh. I would like to buy fresh but sometimes I just don't know what to do with fresh veggies since everything my parents made was from a box or can. I love to cook everything from scratch if I can. I have just found out a few weeks ago that my daughter and husband will eat sweet potatoes. After all the times I have asked them if they wanted some and got a negative response about them. I said the heck with it I'm making them for me and they got interested in them, tried them, and liked them. Go figure??
Also for my weight, I stay right about 150-155 or up to 158-160 during that Aunt Flo visit.
As for being tested for everything, I have to endure a rigorous blood test once a year to keep everything in check and to be aware of any health problems before they become a threat to my kidney. As far as I know they check everything. They take about 5 vials every time I have blood work done. (I hate needles too. I just about pass out every time.)
My exercise is pretty much cleaning up after everyone in the morning from the day before. Like a hotel maid. They come home to a fairly spotless home. Then they can about their business and mess. So when they leave for school and work I clean up after them. I usually feel wore out about 12 and that's when I get my coffee going. People think I should have time to workout and actually enjoy some cardio, but since I'm the only one cleaning it's pretty hard (to me it seems) to get everything cleaned up and then to exercise on top of that.
Now, with sugar-free.... My tastebuds makes splenda, sweet n low, and pretty much any artificial sweetener taste bitter?? I can't really describe the taste. Its like a mix of perfume and a tiny bit of sugar. It is just horrible. I usually check the nutrition guide and ingredients list of everything we get, sometimes for the artificial sugar and the unnecessary use of preservatives. I do try to buy most fruits and veggies frozen instead of canned since they are already prepped, uncooked, and fairly fresh. I would like to buy fresh but sometimes I just don't know what to do with fresh veggies since everything my parents made was from a box or can. I love to cook everything from scratch if I can. I have just found out a few weeks ago that my daughter and husband will eat sweet potatoes. After all the times I have asked them if they wanted some and got a negative response about them. I said the heck with it I'm making them for me and they got interested in them, tried them, and liked them. Go figure??
Also for my weight, I stay right about 150-155 or up to 158-160 during that Aunt Flo visit.
COMMUNITY LEADER
You don't have to spend money on things like tofu or anything crazy or hard to find. All you need to do is buy fresh veggies and fruits (lean more toward the veggies because some fruits have a lot of sugar), lean meats, low/no fat dairy, whole grain breads or pastas. If you can't afford to buy all fresh veggies and fruits, opt for frozen, since they are most like fresh. If you have to buy canned, opt for low sodium veggies and no sugar added fruits - not sugar free, but "no sugar added". There's a difference.
Start making small changes to your diet, such as drinking water instead of soda, an apple or carrot/celery sticks instead of a candy bar, etc.
For exercise, you could try yoga - it's an excellent way to lose weight and is low impact. You can buy inexpensive DVD's at Walmart, K-mart, Target, etc. Or look online; you should be able to download some videos. Don't worry if you can't do all the poses right away; some of them are difficult and take practice, but you'll get them. In addition, walking is always an excellent exercise; even a brisk pace is still low impact and should not damage your kidney.
You should get a doctor's okay before starting an exercise regimen.
Have you been tested for hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, or PCOS to name a few, in order to make sure you don't have medical issues that cause weight gain/inability to lose?
Stick around here; we'll do what we can help you, as far as motivation, answering questions, etc.
Start making small changes to your diet, such as drinking water instead of soda, an apple or carrot/celery sticks instead of a candy bar, etc.
For exercise, you could try yoga - it's an excellent way to lose weight and is low impact. You can buy inexpensive DVD's at Walmart, K-mart, Target, etc. Or look online; you should be able to download some videos. Don't worry if you can't do all the poses right away; some of them are difficult and take practice, but you'll get them. In addition, walking is always an excellent exercise; even a brisk pace is still low impact and should not damage your kidney.
You should get a doctor's okay before starting an exercise regimen.
Have you been tested for hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, or PCOS to name a few, in order to make sure you don't have medical issues that cause weight gain/inability to lose?
Stick around here; we'll do what we can help you, as far as motivation, answering questions, etc.
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