Today is a banner day.

I ate a full bowl of oatmeal.

Well, I think it could be called oatmeal. My friend and co-choir member, Jo Orr, told me about Quaker’s Simple Harvest. It’s instant multigrain hot cereal with oats, barley, wheat, etc.

So, I bought a box last week. There are several flavors: Apples with Cinnamon; Vanilla, Almonds and Honey; and Maple Brown Sugar with Pecans. The latter appealed most to me.

This morning I added 1/2 cup skim milk to a package of Simple Harvest, zapped it in my microwave, tasted it, tasted it again and again, until I had eaten the entire bowl full. And it was good.

I ate oatmeal. And liked it.

Finally. 

I saw my doctor a week ago for the first time since I began my fitness journey in early December.

My blood pressure was 117/70, better than it has been in years. When the nurse told me I had the blood pressure of a young person, I bowed up a little before responding: “I am a young person.”

The call on Friday let me know my other numbers had improved as well. My total cholesterol was 222 in December; it is now 166. Tiglycerides, HDL and LDL have all dropped below the recommended target.

And the number measuring my blood sugar that was 6.7 in December is now 5.9.

I feel great and some folks tell me I’m looking good. So, these healthier numbers are icing on the cake. Make that a low-fat angel food cake! 

Last Saturday, I finally tried the Fit for Life Oatmeal Pancakes recipe sent to me by a reader and friend. The recipe appears on this blog.

I was somewhat put off by the cottage cheese the recipe called for. But all ingredients are blended so I tried it.

Made myself one big pancake and enjoyed it immensely with some sugar-free syrup.

Good way to get in some oatmeal. Try them. I think you’ll like them.

Been away from blog for a while. It’s not that I didn’t have anything to say, but I’ve had some technological problems.

While I’ve become fairly adept at finding fitness, this blogging stuff sometimes frustrates me.

My total weight loss at this point is 34 pounds. And I have finally gone and purchased a new pair of jeans. Too many friends and co-workers were bugging me about my baggy pants!

I almost gave up without a purchase, thanks to Lane Bryant’s new sizing system. Good grief. I had to have the help of a clerk AND the manager to help me figure it out. They were kind and helpful, and I am grateful. It’s nice to have a pair of jeans that don’t feel they are going to fall off and humiliate me.

Have been trying to get in some swimming in the Wellness Center pool in the evenings.

And, for the record, I’m still trying to develop a taste for oatmeal. I’m not giving up.

I’m determined to make myself like oatmeal. And I’ve had tons of tips from friends and fellow fitness seekers on ways to make the stuff more palatable.

I got an e-mail recently from my friend Alice who offered me an intriguing oatmeal possibility. I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but plan to try it this weekend. 

The recipe comes from Bill Phillips’ book, “Body for Life.”

Body for Life Pancakes 

1/2 cup uncooked oats

3 egg whites

1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese

1/4 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 packages sugar substitute

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour in hot skillet. Cook, turning once.

Top with warm light maple syrup or fresh fruit. 

Several weeks ago I wrote about my struggle to reach my daily calorie requirement. 

Well, I’m still struggling.

Oddly, it’s a problem with which I, in 50 years, have never dealt. 

I’ve decided it’s the Metformin my doctor prescribed back in December for a pre-diabetic condition. I know … self-diagnosis isn’t a good thing. But, I spent a lot of time this past weekend reading about the drug’s side effects. And loss of appetite is one of them.

So, she’s lowered my dosage and we’ll see if that helps.

I feel good, am exercising regularly. I just don’t want to eat much of anything. And unless I eat enough, my metabolism will slow down and the weight will not continue to come off.

It’s a heck of a dilemma. 

I was talking to someone this week about exercise. I shared that right now I am mostly doing cardio work at the Wellness Center. I do a whole lot of walking around the track.

“Doesn’t that get boring, just walking around and around and around?” I was asked.

Not really. First of all, I’m trying so hard to stay focused so I can keep track of the number of laps … just because I want to make sure I get in a mile (10 laps) at the very least. Usually, I try to do more than 10, and I just like knowing how I’m doing.

Also, I’ve filled my little purple iPod Shuffle with lots of tunes that keep me going.

I see lots of folks watching TV and reading while they exercise. I can’t do that. For me, it’s music that inspires me to walk an extra lap or two. Or keep on pedaling.

My picks probably aren’t what you’d consider typical workout tunes. I’ve got some Beatles, Fogelberg, Vienna Teng, Garrison Starr, Dar Williams and lots of others that keep me moving … around and around and around.

Whatever works.  

I’ve not always been fond of scales. In fact, I’ve detested them, run from them, avoided them at all costs.

But since early December, I haven’t minded them much. I think I can honestly say I like them.

Two Saturdays ago I worked out at the Wellness Center, then took my shoes off to weigh. I’d not done so since a few days into the new year when I discovered I’d lost my first 15 pounds. Well, I was not very pleased to see I’d stayed the same.

I didn’t let it frustrate me, but it did disappoint me to see no numerical results for my hard work.

Truth is, I’m feeling better and my clothes are feeling loose, so I fretted for a few hours about that trip to the scales, then I let it go and pressed on.

This morning just before 7, I decided to weigh again. (I try to weigh every two weeks. Some folks like to weigh daily. I can’t do that because that does cause great frustration for me.) Anyway, I was pleased this morning to see that I’d lost 6 more pounds. That brings me to a total of 21.

And that makes me very happy.

Sure, I’ve still got a long road ahead of me, but I’m trying hard to enjoy the trip and not worry so much about reaching my destination regarding the numbers on the scales. 

Having finally found Miller’s Bran early this week on the organic aisle at Kroger, I made bran muffins last night. I ate one hot out of the oven and they were delicious. I brought one to food editor and friend, Ginna Parsons, today and she has just proclaimed it “fabulous.”

I’m not sure of the calories per muffin, but it can’t be much. When I can, I’ll sit down and try to figure it out.

One good thing about this is the muffins can be wrapped individually and frozen, then zapped in a microwave whenever you want one.

Here’s the recipe:

 Bran Muffins

1 cup 100 percent bran cereal

1/2 cup Miller’s bran

1 cup skim milk

1 cup plain flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg (I used Egg Beaters)

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) melted butter or margarine

Cinnamon and/or nutmeg (optional)

Mix milk, bran cereal and Miller’s bran in bowl and let stand five minutes.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and spices in another bowl. Stir egg and melted butter into bran mixture.

Stir flour mixture into bran just until combined. Don’t over mix.

Fill 12 muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees 20 to 22 minutes.(If you bake and freeze, microwave about 35 seconds when ready to eat a muffin.)

I am not a fan of nutmeg, so I used cinnamon. In the future, I may throw in some flax seeds or some blueberries or cranberries for a different taste. Enjoy.