Diabetes Support - April Chat

Time for a new thread since it's a new month. Did I ever mention how much I love Spring?

This is going to be a good month for me with Easter, gardening and lots of fun stuff happening. I did succumb to some Cadbury mini-eggs the other day but am feeling so guilty that it won't happen again. My ticker seems to be stuck at 192 but this will be the month it moves! To help it along, I will replenish the freezer stash with my own "lean cuisine" meals and get back into a regular formal exercise routine.

New month! New resolve! Let's go!

HI RUTH ~ ya, spring is a great time of year, but can you believe I had to swat a mosquito today? Gottem' too! Our day was more like summer than spring -- a hot one; in the middle to high 70's F this afternoon. In the evening a cool breeze came in and it was nicer to sit on the deck. It is still a bit hot in here now, so I may just have open a window for awhile ... :lol:


We went for a drive in the country to scout out some stones and pebbles for my planting pots which I want to start tomorrow. Spring and Easter and Gardening all go together well, I think ... ;)

Have a wonderful weekend all ... Rosebud :flow1:

Help! I was attacked by soft butter and hot cross buns. :( Please send water and vegetables immediately!

:lol: Ya, and I was attacked by a chocolate ice cream cone and ended up with the fox trots for the evening too. I hadn't had this in almost a year we think, so my body really over-reactedt to it. There is no doubt about it now -- I definitely am lactose intolerant for sure! I gotta watch that, but who's gonna remind me when I forget? DH says he's not sure he'll remember either ... oh dear! ;)

Good morning and Happy Easter! I am delighted that the Bunny skipped right by my house last night. He must know about the hot cross buns.

Today is a day where I will need all my strength: hot cross buns and Easter egg hunt at Church and a big Easter dinner at my friends' house. I am arming myself for the fight with a good breakfast.

Hope your day is lovely.

Hello everyone. I have had a wonderful and busy Easter weekend.
FOr APril Fools day I got a period after 7 months without. I hope that means I am releasing stored hormones from my fat. It was light and not painful, but still a little surprising.
I did have some dark chocolate eggs, but otherwise did well. Had company and made good dinners that worked with my carb intake, avoided chips and popcorn snacks. I made yummy low carb desserts and ate well, so never felt deprived. We went for walks and played board games.
On Sunday it was harder, my sister came and with Dad we wrote thank you notes for those who came to Mum's funeral and made donations in her memory. IT was a sad job and I didn't like it much. I also took Dad to a nice local church service, and was fine until the announcements when they talked about the plans for Mother's day celebrations and I realized that this would be my first Mother's day without a mother. That hit hard.
I stayed steady with weight and sugars, hope like Ruth I can get the scale moving, I would really like to get to 173 this month and below 170 in May.
Planning to get the bikes out, but my allergies have hit today and reactine isn't helping much yet.
Have a good week everyone

hey chicks. i miss chatting with you all so much but i've been really busy here lately. i'm doing pretty good still losing slowly, but steady which is good. i hope to find more time to get online in the near future. i hope you all had very good easters.

Fatmad- I'm sorry for your loss. I know that feeling all too well. ((Big hugs)) I'm here if you need to talk.

RUTH ~ good for you; I did really well too. Didn't have any chocolate or easter eggs at all. After that bad reaction to the chocolate ice cream cone I had the other night, I didn't want to chance anything else. I even drank my tea with no milk so that my tummy could settle down. I can still eat cheese and yogurt though, in moderation, as they are already fermented.

I have been having nuts or cheese as my evening snacks most nights and that is really helping me a lot. I went to a bulk store and got UNsalted nuts which I count out into small containers. We had a lovely shoulder ham for Easter dinner; and for tonight too with veggies and salad as well. I didn't make any dessert, but I can have a yogurt or ns pudding if I want to later.

:hug:MADELEINE ~ you know what I do when it's my mom's birthday or Mother's Day or whatever holiday: I just yell up to the sky -- Happy Birthday Mom and so on. I think that someone will relay the message to her for me. I really believe she's up there doing some kind of good work as she always like to keep busy here; same for my Grams too! It's really hard the first year, but after that, it does get easier ... :hug:

HI TIMOBA ~ glad to see you pop in now and then; glad you are well and things are going OK too! Don't be a stranger now ... ;)

Even though it is cooler here right now, we had nice sunshine on and off for the Day. I was very busy and cleaned out our back porch whilst DH was out this AM. Then I started in on what was left in the shed (only one corner) and found a box of my missing books, including my new "COMPLETE CANADIAN DIABETES COOKBOOK" that I couldn't find since we moved here.

I new I had both that one and the kid's one, as I had bought them both at the same time. I will go through it and try to post the best ones here for others too. Hope you all have a great week coming up as well ... Rosebud :flow1:

Hi everyone!

Happy April! I hope everyone had a great Easter! I'm pretty new to 3FC and just discovered the monthly chats!

Madeleine - I'm sorry to hear about you mom, that is so sad. I haven't lost a parent, they just live far away from me and my family, and it is hard for me to hear about mothers/fathers day, so I can't even imagine how you and your father felt. My thoughts and prayers are w/you.

Ruth - The Easter bunny cannot pass by my house, I have 4 little ones (ages 6 and under) however, I was able (so far) to resist the urge to bit any little chocolate bunny's head off, thank goodness. I am just starting on the weight loss journey so fighting urges is very hard for me! Sounds like you are doing fantastic though, keep up the good work and don't get discouraged, that scale will move again soon!!! I think that is a really sweet thing you do on holidays for your mom, I'm sure she gets the message and it was really kind of you to share that! It sounds like you are doing great too! Keep up the hard work!!


Timoba - Hi! It sounds like you are busy, busy, busy! I know how you feel. I have four kids, a full time job, and am a full time college student. I log in once a day, usually later in the evenings, but I hope you see you around when you have time! Good luck with all your goals.

EVERYONE: I hope everyone had a great Easter!! I'm looking forward to making some new friends as I reach my goals. If anyone has any questions for me, please feel free to ask! Have a great week! (I hear my DietToGo dinner calling my name)! Have a safe and happy week everyone!!!

Rosebud - Way to go! I had a hard time fighting the urge to eat any Easter candy either, so I know how hard that was! You did great!!

am never gonna lose more weight if I can't manage everyday urges. Ate too much yesterday. Did get to exercising, not even a walk. Today is another day.
Gonna do better. Also seeing my doc this am, gonna get on track with her, demanding metformin.
tell you about that this pm

Good morning! Weight is still up a bit but I did get back to the gym this morning and did a complete workout! I hate to admit it but it actually felt good. BGL was way too low again this morning but I got it back where it belongs before I set out to exercise.

Hope your Hump Day is humpless.

Hey guys~

On day two of my new plan from the dietician. I'm starving! I have plenty of carb allotment, I guess I just don't have the right foods or know what to make.. yet. I have sugarfree peanut butter but it's so high in calories and fat, that I don't know if I should be using that for my snack.

Supposed to start exercising but it's so hard to do it when you haven't in months and you're sedentary like I am.

It's dreary here today and I think some storms are moving in

hey heather good luck with the new woe. I see the dietitian on Friday, will see what she says.

Got the rx for metformin today, will just take one a day (500mg) to start.
Hope it helps with the weight loss. I haven't been doing as well with that as I would like so hope it doesn't make anything harder. Seems like it can go either way and peoples' experiences are different.

Doc was pleased with my progress, is emphasizing slow steady progress and agrees the metformin should help me increase some carbs without paying the price in sugar spikes. Is encouraging lower carbs but doesn't want me trapped in atkins induction for life. This is nice. Not having to argue about this is great.
I somehow doubt the dietitian will see it this way, but I'm not so worried about her.

I got out for 2 walks today too. PLanning for some good strenuous exercise tomorrow since Im covering someone else for her weekend off after she has done so much for me lately.

well, off to the showers.

Rosebud- you mentioned nuts & I just had some cashews yesterday. I'm finding that I grab those much quicker for a sncak now days. I used to hate mothers day and it took me awhile to accept it. last year was the first time i was able to actually deal with it without sinking into deep depression.

Glenlorie- :welcome3::wel3fc: GL to you too.

Ruth- good for you getting back to the gym! Send some of that motivation my way?

Heather- today is our dreary day. It's been stoming since midnight and it expected to hang around all day. Not much I can do outdoors today.

Madeleine- Metformin made me lose. I hope it has the same affect for you.

Well ladies, my diabetes is doing good, but my bp was up quite a bit. My old dr, who left the practice without any notice, told me to slowly weane myself off of my meds taking 1/2 a pill a day until I was completely off. Well, I did that and for the past 2 days was so light headed and dizzy I didn't know what was happening. I went to pick up my kids from school and the secretary in the office kept asking me what was wrong and if i was ok. She told me sit down and brought me some water & peppermints. The whole thing was pretty scary but I'm feeling better now. I remember praying the whole way home that god would let me get my kids safely home. i see a new dr next month but for now, i am taking ALL of my meds !

:wave: Well, the ***** storms have made it all the way up here: we've had windy, blowing snow all day long and it's still falling -- I can see over 3-4" on my patio table right now and it looks like winter out there again.

All this snow brought out the birdies though -- we had a flock of junkos and sparrows, plus Starlings and Doves here all day long. It was fun watching all their little antics around the fir tree and feeders.

My eating was off for the last two days too; just too hungry -- not bad things, just more than I normally eat. So, I did a bit better today ... yeah! Hope to get back on track by tomorrow for the weekend. It seems that this happens every now and then; not sure why. Could be hormones, I guess.

I did get lots walking in this week and some exercise each day; so that might have made me a bit hungrier. I'm glad for a bit of exercise each day; I think that helps in the long run.

Hope you all have a Fantastic Friday tomorrow ... Rosebud :flow1:

WIll have to prioritize exercise tomorrow, I'm working long days so not getting it in before evening when I'm too tired to do it.
Try morning tomorrow.
Second day on the metformin, my appetite is down, so I am actually having to remember to eat supper. Anyone else forget meals or feel too tired to eat when they started this med? May take some adjustments.
So far no problems with nausea or loose bowels. Seems to happen more with higher doses.
Blood sugars are lovely, all sixes after eating, but I haven't much increased the carbs, since I haven't been very hungry.
See the dietitian tomorrow too, will report afterward.

love to hear the birdwatching reports from the north. We have been having april showers here, and my bulbs are blooming all over the garden.

Mad- my only problem with met was nausea and loose bowels. no more loose bowels but i still get nauseated if i don't eat when i take it from time to time.

I am doing well today. I just got back from my Diabetes Consultation and from this time last year, I've dropped 5 point thingers from my a1c!

I am now hovering around the 9.5 area and I'm very happy for that, despite this blood sugar control journey actually has me putting on quite a bit of weight in exchange for the good control!

But now I'm just plain grumpy and I don't know if that is just because all I have eaten today has been a bowl of cheerios and a cesar salad with croutons...bah.

I think its just..

Everytime someone makes me pee in a cup, I get a bit angry at the world. :P

MADELEINE ~ I found that when I took Metformin, my BSL's would dip and that made me a bit nauseated and dizzy at times. I had to make sure I ate or I would feel cold, shakey, and dizzy. Metformin made me more hungry not less hungry! While I didn't have loose stools (looser would be more accurate), I did have to use the facilities as soon as I could; no waiting for me ... I'd be calling out "everybody out of the can" ... :lol:

CASANDRA ~ I agree with you ... I hate that they ask you to do that too; the docs and lab workers think that we are all contortionists! ;) I was thinking that I should suggest that you add some protein in for the day, sweetie, and well -- just some more food, as cereal and a salad isn't near enuff and that could cause your body to produce too much insulin and send your numbers up artificially ... :hug:

The ***** has finally stopped here, but indeedy, it was fun to have all these fine-feathered friends come by the last few days. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend; take care ... Rosebud :flow1:

we had sleet today rosebud, but nothing that lasts.
Saw the dietition, she didn't argue about the low carb diet but was happy that I went on the metformin to allow me to up my carbs a bit. I have done about 40g per day the last few days. Had a cup of popcorn last night which was a real nice treat. Sugars are nice and steady. Want to have a few days of regular hours before I am sure about the side effects which seem minimal.
good day all

MADELEINE ~ I found that when I took Metformin, my BSL's would dip and that made me a bit nauseated and dizzy at times. I had to make sure I ate or I would feel cold, shakey, and dizzy. Metformin made me more hungry not less hungry! While I didn't have loose stools (looser would be more accurate), I did have to use the facilities as soon as I could; no waiting for me ... I'd be calling out "everybody out of the can" ... :lol:

CASANDRA ~ I agree with you ... I hate that they ask you to do that too; the docs and lab workers think that we are all contortionists! ;) I was thinking that I should suggest that you add some protein in for the day, sweetie, and well -- just some more food, as cereal and a salad isn't near enuff and that could cause your body to produce too much insulin and send your numbers up artificially ... :hug:

The ***** has finally stopped here, but indeedy, it was fun to have all these fine-feathered friends come by the last few days. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend; take care ... Rosebud :flow1:

Ahahah! I swear my sister (the gymnast) would make a much better diabetic than me! :P

I'm type 1 and my C-peptide shows that I produce absolutely no insulin, nothing, nada, zilch! lol

It was a whole bag of salad though!! hehe Thursday is our shopping day and DH noticed that the salad I bought was due to expire today, so I had to eat it all up for lunch or let it go to waste!! :(

I did end up having a natural peanut butter sandwich and a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner though!

I'm beginning to see a lot of benefits now that I'm cutting out snacks in the day! It would seem that eating 4-6 small meals a day does NOT work for me. Having a constant source of energy means also a constant source of sugar and a need for a constant source of insulin. I'm starting to become quite resistant, so they've bumped me up to 2x500mg a day of metformin to help with that!

Today I've had a granola bar (one of those nature valley ones), a bacon sandwich (brown roll) and a handful of "goldfish" crackers with a glass of water and some carrot sticks :)

Today I had my lowest EVER captured blood sugar reading of a 4.0 at 8:25am!! 5 gummi-bears later and I was at 10.2 at noon.

My blood sugar is happily hanging out around the 8-10 mark ^___^

I'm hoping that the weight will start to come off as soon as the weather begins to turn out nicer and I can get out more for walkies!! ^____^

Happy Spring to all =) I know I have not been coming on here as often as I would like but with spring comes gardening =) Lots of it =)
I have started attending the Wharton clinic here in Burlington .. its a doctor supervised medical weight loss and education program. Ive only had my initial visit but I am quite impressed with the idea of having all of my medical issues viewed as a whole and not just THE ONE issue. I also have PCO which Im sure many of you know about .. the diabeties is genetic and also part of the PCO. Anywho .. I was wondering if any of you have been told to use PGX Daily as a means to help assist in maintaining BSL .. chlorestoral level and hunger/snacking issues. It is part of the program that I take these 'super fiber' pills prior to each meal .. I was wondering if anyone has tried them .. Im starting on them tomorrow so I am hoping it will help. Im anxious to see if this helps at all =)
Ive lost another 2 lbs slowly but surely Im determined to meet my goals. But I also have not totally given up EVERY SINGLE food that I enjoy .. I just enjoy them more in smaller portions .. and less frequently =)
Laura

well, today the S*** hit the proverbial fan. I am going to break my metformin in half and have it with two meals. THe stomach cramps were really bad today. I was in terrible pain. I can deal with the gas, and the mild cramps I had the first couple of day. But this was real pain, I had to stop in the middle of yoga class. Glad I only need 500mg/ day .

CASANDRA ~ oh, I see -- you are a different kind of diabetic with unique issues and hence, solutions ... ;)


MADELEINE ~ sorry you have had so much problem with the Met so far; that may taper off after awhile. I preferred to take them with my dinner meal, but each person is different and reacts differently to Met.


HI PEA ~ nice to see you drop by for a visit again. What is this PGX Daily stuff? I had some sf berry Metamucil in water before my dinner tonight; someone recommended doing that to help us feel fuller (and other benefits), so we'll see it that works. I may try it before lunch too. I am reading a book that suggested drinking a glass or water before and after a meal; and I have heard others mention that lately too. Hey, I will try them all as long as they are safe" whatever works, you know ... :D


Have a great week all ... Rosebud :flow1:

Hi Rosebud .. PGX is the "new super fiber" It can be purchased at most pharmacies, Costco etc or on line. There are several websites and news reports about it. Just do a search for it to find out if its something your interested in. There is way too much information for me to retype =) It is recommended that you speak to your doctor before taking it. The fact that a doctor that specializes in Internal Medicine has recommended it for me makes me feel at ease with trying this product. Im not one to run out and try diet pills etc. The Wharton Clinic has a website also that has tons of info and stresses education and medical supervision during any weight loss. They look at your medical back ground. On my initial visit I had an EKG and breathing test done. I have a booked appointment for a stress test and several lectures. They suggest several books to assist you .. The Hormone Diet, You on a Diet by Dr Oz, The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Workbook for Weight Management. Im actually excited about this new part of my journey as I believe it will help me to learn how to eat properly and feel good about who I am. They also recommend as an alternative to the PGX to have 1 TSP Metamucil/beefibre 2x's daily. Their meal plans appear to be based on 3 normal meals and three snacks daily of 75 - 100 calories with 7 - 10 g of protein. As I progress I will get more info on the meal plans but as I am a diabetic I have to take two lectures regarding diabeties before they will give me a meal plan.

Just finished my one mile. If my left leg didn't try to hurt the entire time, it wouldn't be so difficult. Every time I do that DVD, the leg starts flipping out. It feels like muscle issues. argh!

Good news is that according to my scale at home, I lost almost 4 pounds on my first week of the dietician's eating plan! Finally, something good. Over the weekend, I started a new cycle, so no babies this time. 2 more cycles until the doctor wants to put me on Clomid. Not sure how I feel about that.

HEATHER ~ Congrats on losing 4 lbs Forever!!! :carrot:


PEA ~ ya, so my Metamucil will do for me for now; it helps me feel fuller, tastes good, and has other good benefits too. Sounds like your clinic is really taking a careful route and that is good. My plan is also a portion-calorie based plan derived from the Diabetic Association; many groups are now using it. I have tweaked my plan and added tips from many sources.

Just finished JORGE CRUISE'S book "8 MINUTES IN THE MORNING" and love it; his eating plan is similar, but he has the easiest way to keep track -- by just crossing off boxes per portion each day under a total calorie heading. Diabetics and others would love the simplicity of his box cards -- so easy to use as he has done all the work for you. Just have to photocopy them; or just write them in a journal or file whichever one prefers ...


****************************

Had the greatest news today; I felt prompted to brave my scale this AM and got a very pleasant surprise -- I lost some weight this winter (at least 15+ lbs) and finally hit the 200's for the very first time in more than 18+ years! :broc:

Thought you'd like to hear about my progress as we all have been struggling with stalls and plateaus. I have added back in some GOOD FATS to my plan; have been snacking on some NON-salted nuts like almonds, walnut halves, and filberts or hazelnuts, and roasted soy nuts (all measured and counted very carefully).

Plus this winter, I added gentle toning exercises upon waking (started at 10 minutes and added 5 minutes a day per week until I reached 30-40 minutes a day total). Today, I also added on JORGE CRUISE's 8 Minutes of Weight Training to build strength too. I'll do the easiest ones first to start as a few are a bit beyond me yet.

As I do from all the programs I read about -- I use what works for me, and leave the rest ... have a great week! Rosebud :flow1:

Rosebud, Hooray for you. I am so happy for you.
This is fabulous news.
Heather: this is fabulous. Good luck with conceiving, whichever way things go, the weight loss and getting the blood sugars under control will make you a healthier mother! good going
You all inspire me, gonna make meal plans for the rest of the week.

Today is the first day I really missed any specific food. I miss regular, yummy, ice cream. I had this sugar free stuff I bought before I got the full plan from the dietician but it's meh... and it's 20 carbs for a half cup serving. It doesn't even taste as nice as real ice cream. I'll live, though. My plan is to lose a bunch of weight so when I go back to the dietician on May 10, she'll say "wow, good job!". My next goal is to get under 300. Only 14 left to go. Ugh, I hate even saying that I'm over 300 out loud.

There is this girl that's really trying to get me to be interested in this particular kind of weight loss surgery but WLS freaks m right the heck out and I know I can do this the regular way. Having WLS won't fix my issues with food (like emotional eating). I did do my WATP DVD yesterday, nothing today. My leg always freaks out when I do it and I keep having to stop and "shake it out". I hope it stops doing that soon.

I hope I can keep this up. My mom was an ex-weight watchers member and she has pointed out that staying under my calories so much is bad and I may lose at first, but then I'll stall out really bad and it will be hard to continue without some sort of crazy calorie cut. I can't help it! I'm usually out of carbs at the end of the day even if I have calories left. :?:

Yay Rosebud! :) Congratulations!

I am starting to get immensely broody, I have at least 5 people close to me who are having babies or have recently had babies. 6 months ago I was saying "I never want kids"...jeez lol Its a good thing that I realize completely that my a1c and my glucose control is just not stable enough for me to risk being pregnant lol!

I woke up today with a 7.4 and was happy. I had a bowl of cocopops (coco pebbles) for breakfast. I am going to try making a quesadilla for lunch, just ham and cheese lol, I've been feeling really ill recently, so I am going to take a break from soups and try solid food today.

I was thinking this morning about just how insanely bad I am at planning, dieting, and just cooking in general, so I'm pondering a diet delivery system. I'll post a new thread about it in a sec to get some opinions on the "menu" that I have chosen. :)

Hope everyone else is well!

THANKS, LADIES ~ appreciate the encouragement! It's been a long haul, but I am finally learning to deal with my emotions in a more positive way -- namely DISTRACTION! I use songs, poems, journalling, positive thoughts and sayings, visualizations, music, plus a lot of Christian principals and strategies like meditating on positive bible scriptures, praise and singing, and so forth to bring my feelings and emotions back into a good place. This has helped me immensely ... :D

This winter, I have also lost a size both on top and bottom; and my clothes are much looser too, so all the toning exercises are really helping too and that feels good. The weightloss is really just an extra bonus, so2speak.

We've been busy last two days; got some more gardening stuff so I can grow more veggies here as they are sooo expensive. Did my daily housechores in the AM: today was floors -- that sure burns up energy but I'll sleep good tonight too! ;)

Hope you all have a FABULOUS FRIDAY tomorrow; take good care ... Rosebud :flow1:

:D 5.2 this morning ^___________________^

I had a bit of a high last night at bedtime, 16.5 and with the insulin dose my consultant has me on, I got to enjoy 5 gummy bears before bed, yay! lol

I'm ready for the weekend. I really need some more sleep. I've been losing out recently with all the bird twittering AND SOME IGNORANT EVIL PERSON HAS JUST BOUGHT A COCKEREL just a couple doors down.

I can totally understand that you want your own farm fresh eggs, but seriously, you can get those from the shop up the road for super cheap without alienating and aggravating ALL of your neighbours :(

I'm tattling on them to the local authority for sure. Poultry is not allowed in towns or even semi-rural areas. :(

I'm off to take another nap lol :)

CASANDRA ~ that is a really good number you have there (5.2) -- good for you! We can only have chicken in the country here; we used to raise chickens, ducks, and turkeys some years ago (in the country though) and we loved it. We didn't just get the eggs, but also the meat as well; and it is cheaper than the store in our country, but I don't relish all the work now that I am much older. I find other ways to be frugal; and I watch for all the sales too.

RUTH ~ hey, are you on another trip? Haven't seen you around lately ...


Hope you all are having a great weekend; take good care ... Rosebud :flow1:

Sorry, Chickies. I have been on a trip but not the good kind - just way too busy with Life and other annoying stuff. Last week was the week from He** but this one will be a bit better.

Right now I am in the middle of the Delta Syrup Festival - pancakes, butter, real syrup and sausages and crowds of people to feed. This morning I am sausage cook from 9 until noon but plan to spend the afternoon at home decompressing and resting up for the next busy week. My book, dog cuddling and maybe a nap are on the planner! The Village is coming alive after a quiet winter and I have to start pacing myself for the May to October whirl of events! I could also just say "No" to some of the requests for volunteers.

My weight is stuck (probably with reason) but BGL is staying in a good range. I seem to be holding onto a lot of water which will go when I change to cleaner eating. Those quickie "diet" frozen dinners are loaded with sodium! :(

Rosebud, major congratulations on such a successful winter. I am sure you are rightly proud of yourself. Good luck with the veggies. I've forgotten how far north you are. Zone ? I'm 5B or USA Z4.

Peatpod, isn't spring gardening wonderful? You are warmer than I am but this early spring is making me feel I'm in your area. I love your brilliant avatar.

Casandra, great BGL readings! Silly person having hens in the city! Too bad he/she didn't realize you don't need a male around to get eggs - there is chicken feed that makes hens lay without a noisy male around!

Heather, your Mum is right - you should be eating enough calories. I'm with you on fake ice-cream. I just refuse to eat it now and save myself for the good stuff about once a month in the summer. When I was a kid - before the middle of the last century :lol - ice cream was a treat, not a household staple.

Hang in there, chickies - we can cope with this.

Hi everyone, its been a little while since I have checked in. I have visited a couple of times, but haven't been able to do much more.
Have been really busy with work, long hours, not enough sleep. Tonight I am almost back on track and insomnia hits. No fair.
THe weight has not been happy with this schedule. I have gained a couple of pounds. I even had a little binge the other night. Not proud of that at all. :(

My sugars have been fabulous, with thanks to metformin. I haven't had one over 7.5 pc. And fasting and before meals is 4's and 5's. This is even when I have been having more carbs. I had to go to a higher carb but lower fat diet during all of this, as I didn't have access to a balanced low carb diet during the
busyness.

I am switching back to low carb now, as the carbs have me craving sweets like crazy. I have trouble sticking to any woe, but low carb really makes me crave sweets. Low carb is still difficult though. I need to plan better......
I have been saying that for a while, time to put that into action.
Also haven't been exercising much, but did get out for a 30 minute walk every except Monday. (yesterday)
DH has been pretty helpful, suggested walks, and helping with food a bit.
Unfortunately, he can't make me sleep.
ttfn,
madeleine

Aw, Mad, lack of sleep is horrible and inhibit weightloss. I've been wakening in the wee small hours for some reason. My scale is slowly changing bit I've not reinstated my ticker. Two more pounds!

Been fighting a cold which has kept me from the gym. Chest tightness worried me on the treadmill. I have been outside for a couple of walks but the black flies have arrived in swarms! It helps to walk really fast.

Don't know what's up but my morning readings have been high. I need to find the right balance of carbs for that evening meal. Grrr!

I have managed to lose the weight I put on since Mum died and my ticker is true once more. I have the weekend off so am planning to do some hot yoga and good hiking. I can eat well with no excuses and if I don't sleep so well, I can nap in the afternoon or anytime I get tired. So I hope at the end of the weekend to move the ticker down again. The metformin is keeping the sugars in line beautifully too. So I feel it was really the right move for me.
I do get really bad gas if I take it with breakfast, but not so much if I take it at lunch. It is harder to remember to take it at lunch though, so I will have to be careful about it.

Ruth, the early morning waking is the major type of insomnia I have. I have a few things that help me from time to time.
I like to take melatonin capsules, (I like vivitas brand) at bedtime. That helped for a long time. Occasionally I will take a 1/2 gravol tablet at bedtime too. That gets me to sleep if I'm wide awake, and seems to keep me asleep too.
I have such irregular hours there are times when these things don't work, and I don't like to take them all the time. But the melatonin has been shown to be safe and non-habit forming. (You could google it, so you feel safe about it, I don't want to be giving medical advice, and of course check with your doc )
Of course, a little snuggle and more with DH is always relaxing too!:o

The weather is stunning here, sunny and will get warm to 17 today, but it gets cold at night still. A lot of farmers have already been planting corn and wheat so country driving is really nice watching the farms change. Watching the seasons rotate is one of my favourite parts of country living.
Enjoy the spring everyone.

Jeepers, I haven't been in this thread for almost a week; didn't realize that ... have been busy this week since the weather has been so nice. We spent all Sunday afternoon up at our lot building better steps for our camper trailer; didn't get home til about 7 pm. Did shopping on Monday, gardening here (cleaning the beds and puffing the soil) on Tuesday. Did housechores on Wednesday; rested a lot on Thursday as DH overdid it on Wednesday hiking for 10+ and suffered terrible leg cramps but I made him homemade gatorade and that helped him a lot.

Today we had a lovely :sunny: morning so we picked up a special lunch and went for a picnic at one of our favorite lakes (now that the ice has melted off them) and it was lovely. This is the best time, as we don't have any buggies out yet and the temps are moderate too. We are supposed to have a nice sunny weekend too, so this will be a great time for more outdoorsy kind of stuff ...

RUTH ~ we are in zone 2B officially, but we can grow stuff up to zone 4 here, esp if near buildings. My little crocuses are blooming this week; the yellow ones, and the purple ones are trying but we had a bit of ***** which melted right away, so they seemed to stop in progress; but maybe I can urge them on again with some warm watering tomorrow AM (it has worked before). Hope that cold goes away soon; there is one here that comes and goes, and comes and goes ... very annoying! ;)

MADELEINE ~ glad you are back on track and the MET is helping you; I find all this :sunny: wakes me up earlier lately, so I just do some toning exercises a bit longer in the AM ...

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend too ... Rosebud :flow1:

Rosebud, your picnic sounds lovely. We are having a rainy day here, and even though we need it, as things have been dry, I find it depressing. I get sad easily still, so am just taking it easy.
I ate to plan all weekend but didn't do a lot of exercise. Will get on the treadmill today for a while.
Today I had a bout of nausea, assume it had to do with the metformin, though it was 16 hours after the last dose. Haven't had that before, was just crampy and gassy before.
The sugars are wonderful though, and the weight is moving. I seem to have lost another pound. Will update the ticker if it is still off tomorrow, my regular weigh-in day.

Mad, I'm sorry for your sadness but you know it is part of the grieving process. I hope the nausea is from the Met, not the start of something like tummy flu. :cheer: for good sugars and another pound gone!

Rosebud, I imagine gardening is a challenge in your zone. My crocus patch is just ending but I'm loaded with daffies and early tulips. I think I have the cold that keeps coming back too. Darned annoying this time of year!

Weight is down to 193 and I'm hoping for 192 before May 1. This was a bad month that started out with hot cross buns and ended with comfort food. (Why do I think carbs make a cold better?) BGL has been all over the place too. Gotta get a grip!

On we go!

4.4 this morning. Good number, but just avoided a low!

I just received my diet delivery! I can fit all of the food that I am allowed to eat for the next 3 days in my crisper drawer, which is about half the size of those found in standard american fridge-freezers!!

:o It all looks so nice! I start with dinner tonight, which will consist of Sweet & Sour Chicken & Rice with an Oaty-Cranberry Cookie for dessert.

On this particular trial plan, each day consists of just around 1400 calories. If I go on to start a full 28 day diet plan, I will probably go up to 1600 calories, as the only other option is to go down to 1250!

The food looks delicious, but I am a bit worried about the "breakfast" portions, they seem awfully small compared to what I usually eat! :D

Wish me luck!

Let us know how it works out for you, Casandra. It certainly sounds convenient. And cheers for the good BGL readings!

Cassandra, that sounds a bit low, I wonder if you might add small and controlled portions, like a boiled egg with breakfast, a glass of milk with lunch etc. Nothing outrageous, but a few extra calories from lean protein should be helpful. You can cut those out if you want to go lower on calories later. But you are right, might be a bit of a shock if you go to low right away, then you can't stick it.
Hooray for you, good luck with it.
Ruth, love the trillium, is that in your garden? how nice. We have had sun again here, and my daffodils and tulips are so wonderful. I am so glad I planted those bulbs last fall, its worth the work now. It wasn't so nice during the rainy days I had to plant them.
Have a nice day everyone.

Madeline, I do have triliums in my garden and in my woods but that picture is from the net, I think. l I need a better camera to take close-up flower pictures.

:wave: We have cooler temps but the :sunny: has returned and is supposed to stay for the week so we will try to get some more stuff done at our lot. We spent Sunday afternoon there and got lots done.

GOOD FOR YOU, CASANDRA ~ I think those tips from Madeleine are a good idea; you can always cut back later.

RUTH ~ yes, we do have to pick hardy and early varieties here. I planted spring and fall bulbs so we have flowers over a longer period for spring and most of summer. Each year, I will add something new until the beds are full and DH wants me to put something more at the front -- am thinking of double-blooming Irises and some bulbs.

Madeleine ~ only the crocuses have bloomed here, but the others are on their way; it is still cool here yet but the trees are now budding too!

Have a great week ladies ... :flow1:

Ah! Ok, today is the last day of my trial. I'll tell you what, I could not do that long term!

That's probably one of my cons. There wasn't enough food during lunch, i had to supplement and found that I was starting to get huge cravings for carbs or sweet stuff during the late morning and early afternoon.

The best thing was the dinners (and desserts)!! They were huge portions, definitely wasn't expecting that!! They were fabulous, didn't taste like diet food at all!

I had sweet & sour chicken with cashews and white rice for dinner on Tuesday, and I got a cranberry chip cookie and 1 cup of milk for dessert! It was extremely tasty and the chicken was so juicy! :)

Wednesday was Red Chicken with Rosemary and Cherry Tomatos with new potatoes and broccoli. I had sticky toffee pudding for dessert, and it wasn't a tinsy portion! Perfectly sized!! ^____^

Best of all was dinner last night, I had Spaghetti Bolognase with whole wheat pasta and a very generous platter of fruit!

In comparison, the lunches were sorry, I found myself supplementing by adding in scrambled eggs or extra slices of lunch meat. It did give me a better idea of portion sizes though. I usually do way too much side dish whenever I cook, I realize this now!

My blood sugar has been constantly low, with morning sugar levels in the 8-11 range, but I guess I did not adjust my insulin doses enough for the diet change. I am treating myself to a portion of curly fries for lunch! lol!! :

It was still fun to try!