[love2b150]

Carol Sue, I have cut my carbs down substantially, they were in the high 200's like my fasting blood sugar but that was in the low 200's. When my carbs are high my fbs is high. My carb intake yesterday was 96 total and that came from an apple, chili and a peanut block that I ate. My fbs this morning was 125. I also drink 8-16oz of water with apple cider vinegar in the evening when I get home. I'm not a fan of Kale alone but I will mix it with other greens, mustard or turnip, very good.

[Wannabehealthy]

How much vinegar do you put in the water? I tried that once and I don't know if I had too much vinegar in it but it was so terrible I couldn't do it again. If it's helping, I might try it again. I am getting desperate. I am holding off going back to the doctor for more meds, but my blood sugars are terrible right now. I have to do something. These high readings are really scaring me. I have to find something I can stick with long term.

I never ate greens until recently. My mother never cooked greens and I didn't like the looks of them so I never tried them. After I heard about how healthy they are I decided to try them and I like them. I started out with swiss chard. I like that. Now I've tried Kale. I have yet to try mustard or turnip. They are all very healthy. I like the idea of mixed greens, but since I am the only one eating them, buying a bunch of each of them would give me more greens than I can eat before they go bad. This last bunch of kale I bought was so green and fresh!

[love2b150]

Carol Sue, I put 2 tablespoons in a 16.9 oz bottle of water (and last night I probably had a ¼ of the bottle still left at bedtime. An old friend use to drink it all day in a 64oz jug (I'm not sure how much she used though) but I don't want to sip on that all day. I really think it does help along with getting 8 hours of rest. My blood sugar is so much better when I'm not up 2 to 3 times in the night going to the bathroom. With the greens when you buy a bunch you can blanch them and then freeze them by the serving size that you eat. That's what I do. My husband and I are the only ones that eat them here.

My carb intake for yesterday was 47 total. My fbs this morning was 109. I think the lowest it had been in 2012 was 116. So I hope this keeps up. I should have taken it again maybe it was a fluke, I don't know. I did the control test and it was in range so I guess I did ok for a change.

weight down .6 to 176.2 this morning.

[pattygirl63]

Rennie Great info about the apple cider vinegar. Thanks for sharing. I have been using it with EVOO on my salads because of the benefits. I will try adding it to water and drinking it.

I too love the kale. I bring mine home and rinse and dry in salad spinner and then put it in bags. It has lasted a good 2 weeks, but it was really fresh. I made me a 2 egg omelet with some kale in it this morning. I was in a hurry so I pan fried 2 pcs of turkey bacon and cut it up in the Magic Bullet with the eggs and blended and pan fried in a little bit of EVOO (I just put a little EVOO in pan and use a brush to cover the pan) and cooked the omelet and it was really good. I have some mustard greens that I'm going to see if I can rinse it and dry in the salad spinner again to see if it will get crispy again, if not I'll have to cook it.

I am learning that I need to eat the greens, drink plenty of water and get a minimum of 8 hrs sleep each night in order for my fbs to come down. I hope the ACV added to the water will really help it continue to come down more. I am impressed with how things are working for you Rennie.

Got to run. Catch y'all later.

[love2b150]

Trish the light bulb just went off. I never thought about blending things with my eggs before cooking them. I use to make a spinach and cheese omelet but it makes my mouth dry so I can never finish it. After about half of it I want to gag. But I'm gonna try blending it and see how it comes out, thank you Also another really tasty omelet is zucchini, yellow squash with onion so so good

I've really got to get back to my greens but they all just look so bad here right now, even the ones in my Uncle's field. I'm doing better with my water and sleep is a day to day hit or miss

[fatmad]

Hi friends: no movement down from the 177, but at least it isn't going up. I won't move it again until the new year I think, if I lose a bit, I may gain it back over Christmas feasting.
We completed mediation in the office and things are much better right now, and I have been sleeping without taking anything. Nothing to get me to sleep, nothing to keep me asleep. No supplements that was at all.
I did some blood work the other day and will see my doctor on Tuesday.
Holidays for two weeks starting in the morning. Lots of snow here, may ski around the yard today and get my cross-country muscles into gear.

Don't get discouraged about sugars and weights, we will do better as we learn.

[Ruthxxx]

Sort of sorry I faced the scale this morning as it showed me back in the 190s - then I remembered I had corned beef for dinner last night. I had planned to serve it to two friends last night for supper but we got a big dump of snow and the roads were closed around here by 5 from all the snow. I froze the rest of the corned beef and will use for hash in the New Year.

My lane has just been ploughed by Richard and his huge machine so today's exercise will be shovelling. The monster machine can only do the lane, not the porches, deck, walk and the steps down from the deck to the Dog Yard. The steps drift in so badly that the dogs thing it's gone and won't go down into their yard. I'm going to do the deck and steps and then invite my friend over with her big Rottie who can plough his way around the yard making potty paths.

Sat and watched Steel Magnolias on TV yesterday afternoon and felt really slothful. I made myself stand up and march swinging my arms during commercials which assuaged some of my goofing-off guilt. I never ever watch daytime TV (unless it's a royal funeral or wedding) and certainly don't plan to make it a habit. I was deliberately being good to myself since it has been a stressful week with some unpleasantness here and there. (I think the whole Village would benefit from a mediation!)

OK - time to make those rum cakes I promised as Christmas gifts. I'll arm myself with flossed teeth, a glass of cold water and surgical gloves which always keeps me from "tasting" during baking sessions. I seem to get more cookies per batch when I bake that way - strange, isn't it?

[fatmad]

Ruth, thats hilarious. I can just imagine you marching around while you watch "steel magnolias". I turned it off, so I wouldn't wind up crying, but didnt do much around the house.
Hope things improve in the neighbourhood. Can't be too bad if Richard and the big machine come over and plow.
Big dumps of snow here and there, so stay warm.

[pattygirl63]

This is 3rd time that I've tried to post. Ads pop up and I can't read what I write or knocks me off line completely. Only happens on 3fc, not sure why.

Ruth I laughed at you marching around while watching "Steele Magnolia". Never thought of marching while watching tv. LOL Have to try that.

Fatmad Glad the mediations are done at work and things are better. Enjoy your holiday.

I'm just holding my own with eating right now. Main thing is to get through the holidays without a gain and then get busy with plan. I don't remember if I shared that I'm ready a book called The Daniel Plan written by Rick Warren, Dr. Amen and Dr. Hyman. Learning about foods and how they affect the body. I'm easing into eating some of the food changes. I only drink decaf coffee and green tea now. I use lemon in my water to make it more tasty. Need to go to the store and get some more greens. I was able to salvage enough mustard greens to have in my salads until I can get to the store.

DGS leaves tomorrow on a train to go down to his Mom's for a month. It will be nice to have the brake. He is 20 now and extremely moody. Not sure all that is bothering him, but maybe some time with his Mom and his Dad will help.

Well, it is late and I'm getting sleepy tonight without my sleepytime tea so I'm going to head for bed. I will check back whenever this thing let's me type again. I do lurk even when I can't type so y'all have a great day... After midnight now so it is actually Tuesday. LOL

[Wannabehealthy]

Ruth, I do watch daytime TV...The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, but I watch it on the TV in the game room while I'm on my treadmill and elliptical. I also have a weight machine that I use, and that pretty much take the hour and a half that the shows last. And what's nice about it, they started showing those 2 soaps over again in the evening, so that if I miss them in the afternoon I can watch (and exercise) in the evening. For a while I had a rule that if I was watching my soaps I HAD to be downstairs exercising, but that has gone by the wayside recently. As I'm baking cookies, I'm going between the kitchen and living room watching the soaps at the same time, and then after being on my feet all day I'm too tired to exercise in the evening. One evening I checked my BS before bed and it was high, so I went downstairs and walked for 20 minutes to bring it down.

My worst thing is sleep. I know I need good sleep but I can't get it. I've had trouble for years. I fall asleep a few minutes after my head hits the pillow, but after about 2 hours I wake up. It's not always to go to the bathroom. Sometimes it's aches and pains. Sometimes I can fall back to sleep, sometimes not. I don't want to take anything to help me sleep. When I was in the hospital the doctor told me the only thing he would give me for sleep is Benedryl, so I do use that sometimes. But my problem is not falling asleep. That's the easy part. I just can't stay asleep more than a couple hours.

[Ruthxxx]

Good morning! I am struggling with keeping weight down and snacking on salty stuff is NOT helping! Strangely FBGL is still good but the scale is creeping up again. This is such a difficult time of year for us all. I need to exercise my resistance muscle and hide the goodies I have already bought for my Christmas entertaining!

Keep on keeping on, Chickies!

[fatmad]

fasting blood sugar 5.6 and A1C 5.7 by lab.
Happy with those numbers and so is my doc. otherwise things are good, but the carb monsters are bothering me.
Will have to be strong for a bit to get back on track.
Have a good day friends.

[pattygirl63]

Just checking in to say hello and still hanging in there. I'm sure everyone is getting ready for Christmas and family things. It will be quiet here as it will only be DH and me.

His birthday is Christmas eve so I'll take him out to dinner Christmas eve to celebrate and then we will do our thing for Christmas day. I'll stick to Carbohydrate Addict's one RM both days and eat low carb all the other meals and snacks. I've managed to stay between 233 and 235 sometime 235 lbs so I consider that an accomplishment. If I can end up on 12-26 weighing no more than 235, I will be more than happy.

We don't do anything special for New Yrs do I've decided to do my best to start Atkins Induction on the day after Christmas. I'm going to combine the Daniel's Plan 2 week start along with some of the ideas of Atkins. A lot of the foods are the same minus the carby foods which The Daniel Plan says some people cannot handle. I will take the best foods that are the same or same types and make up a food plan list of the foods that I like and then just go for. I know that if I do this my blood numbers will be so much better if not normal by the time I see the doc in February. Just by doing what I've done so far, the cravings are so much better so why not just go for it. I intend to do this the way Dana Carpendar said she did in her book. I'm going to lowcarb most of the time especially at home with the idea that when we go out to eat or go to a special event, I can have "one" meal with the carbs. Example, I know one morning a month that I'm going to a brunch at the Ladies Brunch at church so I will plan for that to be a carby meal. (Don't want to use special names like "Reward" meal. It sounds too much like awarding myself for a good job and sets me up for a fall.) If things keep going like it has so far this month, I will end the month with a 4 lb loss although I won't be counting it as a loss because it will only make my ticker accurate making me end the month with no gain. I've just decided that it is crazy to know what to do and not to do it.

Hope y'all have a great weekend and time preparing for the holiday. Be back when I can.

[Wannabehealthy]

Sounds like a plan, Trish! Hope it works out well for you.

Mad, your numbers are very good, so you must be doing something right!

Once Christmas is over I will be able to get back to execising. I still have a lot of baking and pre-meal prep to do. I know that is an excuse, but it's the only one I have right now! LOL

[Ruthxxx]

Coping with ice pellets that plan to continue until Sunday night plus flickering lights. However, I do have a propane generator that I can use if I lose power.

In between dealing with all this ice, I am slowly working away at getting my Christmas cooking organized. A tad nervous about baking (flickering power) but did get two rum cakes made this afternoon. Because we have been told to stay off the highways, I did not go to an Open House this afternoon - saved a few calories there! It'll be a comfort supper of Italian Wedding soup tonight and an early bed. Fighting weather tires me out! Exercise today was chipping ice from the steps, the bird feeder and a big soup pot that I left outside to chill.

Wake me when it's over, OK? I totally understand why people head South for the winter from this part of the country.