Fessing up to some weird ways

Today I had a follow-up appointment with my doctor after some blood work that was done. For about two years she has been watching my cholesterol and glucose levels. The cholesterol was at an acceptable level in January, but not the glucose. I had very little hope that my June blood work would show improvement. In fact, I was afraid it would be worse, considering that I gained some weight back this spring due to my injured foot and crazy schedule. To my surprise, my glucose level was at an acceptable level for the first time in two years! My doctor congratulated me and shook my hand two times! She said, "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it." I said, "It seems like a miracle that it would be better. The only thing I can think of that may have helped is the flax seed I started taking every night."

So now I'm going to "fess up" to my unusual bedtime routine. Years ago I had heard that it was beneficial for weight loss to take wheat bran by the spoonful and wash it down with water. I used to eat a spoonful or two of raw wheat bran after each meal, back when I was a stay-at-home mom.

Last summer when I began a new effort to lose some pounds I remembered the wheat bran. So I bought some and began eating a spoonful or two at bedtime. A few months later I needed to buy another bag of it (they sell it at the country stores around here). But at the particular little store I was in that day, they did not have any, but they did have oat bran. So I decided to substitute with that. I remembered hearing that oat bran is good for lowering cholesterol. A few weeks later I found wheat bran at another store, so I began taking a spoonful of each at bedtime. We also keep ground flax seed in the frig at all times. Dick sprinkles it on his salad each day, but I didn't like it that way, so I wasn't using it even though I knew it was tremendously beneficial. One time this winter it occurred to me that I could just eat it by the spoonful with water like I do the brans. And I added that to my bedtime "snack"!! So each night I pull out the ground flax seed, oat bran, and wheat bran and wash down heaping spoonfuls of them with lots of water. Weird, I know. But hey - my cholesterol and my glucose levels are better even though I haven't been able to lose the weight and watch my carbs like I'd like to. As my doctor was leaving the room today she said again, "So it's wheat bran, oat bran, and ground flax seed. I'll have to tell my husband about that."

Now I have to tell a funny story. Last fall when a few of my sisters were here for a sleepover when Barb was in from Idaho, I got out my bran to take it when we were ready to turn in for the night. My sisters had never heard of such a crazy thing as taking dry wheat bran and couldn't believe I actually do it. Barb said, "I gotta see this." So there we were - me on one side of the counter with my bran and water, Barb on the other side to watch me. Just as I put the heaping spoonful of bran to my mouth I looked up and saw the look of disbelief on her face. I CRACKED UP laughing and there went that whole spoonful of bran right off my spoon!!! So a word to the wise - if you try this, don't laugh, don't even breathe on your bran!

So I'm about to try one more weird thing that I've been hearing about from various sources - vinegar. Drinking a spoonful or two of vinegar in a glass of water is supposed to have great health benefits. Has anyone out there tried it?

So don't worry - other than a few of these weird things, I think I'm a fairly normal person!