[Wannabehealthy]

We went to the funeral parlor today for the visitation. It was strained. My niece and her daughter were not speaking to each other. It made things uncomfortable. Families can be strange sometimes. The funeral is tomorrow, and DH and I have decided not to go. We paid our respects.

I found out that my niece and her husband moved a little SW of Austin, Tx. She said she loves it there, so she is probably there to stay.

Mad, most of my life, I did not have much connection with my family. I believe my mother had a lot to do with that. It seemed we only saw family when someone died, and it continues that way still.

Trish, that's good that you are having a new low weight. Good for you! You are doing great. You have really mastered IE.

We told my brother-in-law to sign up for food stamps since he is so low income. He did, and he gets $18 per month! LOL It is spent the first shopping trip. He lives alone, and he really doesn't need to buy a lot of food, but $18 is ridiculous!

[pattygirl63]

Carol Sue It is so sad that your nephews family have to act that way at his funeral. I understand you not wanting to go be a part of that environment. I wouldn't either.

My daughter is on disability and she said that it would cost her more to go in a taxi to fill out the papers for food stamps than the $9 she would get each month. Sad isn't it?

I was told by a nurse that DH and I could get help getting our medicine if we qualified. However, when my deceased Hubby had to go on SSI, we were on a program where he got his medical treatment and meds as long as I didn't make more than $25 a week and we were only allowed to own our home and our car. There is no way DH and I would qualify and I don't want to lose or give up anything in order to qualify. It is what it is.

I over did it yesterday with my eating, but only up 2 lbs so I'm counting it as an UD and today will be a DD. We were going to take DD out for his 94th birthday today at his favorite Chinese place, but we are having bad weather today so we decided to have a lazy do today and go tomorrow when it is supposed to be nicer weather. His birthday is tomorrow any way and tomorrow will be my UD. I guess I am combing JUDDD with IE and IF. Today has worked out in my favor.

I didn't tell y'all what I'm doing in place of the Trulicity. There used to be a doctor Whitaker that was on TBN and my aunt and I used to order vitamins from him. When I was diagnosed with Diabetes, my sister bought a his book Reverse Diabetes. I didn't follow the diet because his plan was more like Dr. Fhurman's diet and I didn't want to give up meat. Any way he has been advertising on tv commercial about a product he has called Berberine that is helping people reverse diabetes. He sales it through his website and it is sold at GNC and Amazon. Any way, his stuff is expensive. DH looked it up when we couldn't afford out diabetic meds any more. We read on Amazon some of the customer reviews and decided to purchase one that is less expensive but had great reviews. I started taking it Wednesday since I knew I wouldn't have the injection on Thursday.

Although my FBS is not low, it has come down to 148 and been there for the past 3 days. Later in the day before main meal, my bs reading has been 112 or 113. It does have to be used with diet and according to all I've read on line about Berberine, peoples bs is normal within 2 weeks. It also helping some people with other health issues as well such cholesterol. I think we spent a little over $20 for 2 bottles of 180 pills each. $20+ for the 2 of us surely is a lot better price than $150 for my Trulicity and $186 for his Invikana each month. I think he is taking 3 a day and I take 3 or 4 and at 4 a day mine bottle will last 45 days. A really big difference price wise. I will keep y'all up dated as to how it works for me.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

[Wannabehealthy]

Trish, i read up on the Berberine and I could not take it because I'm taking Lovastatin. Here is some of the other meds you should not take it with, in case either of you are taking them. Otherwise, it seems to be safe.

Some medications are changed and broken down by the liver.
Berberine might decrease how quickly the liver breaks down some medications. Taking berberine along with some medications that are broken down by the liver can increase the effects and side effects of some medications. Before taking berberine, talk to your healthcare provider if you are taking any medications that are changed by the liver.
Some medications changed by the liver include cyclosporin (Neoral, Sandimmune), lovastatin (Mevacor), clarithromycin (Biaxin), indinavir (Crixivan), sildenafil (Viagra), triazolam (Halcion), and many others.

[pattygirl63]

Carol Sue Yes, I saw that. Thanks for the reminder.

Too much eating out this weekend. Chinese food always makes me gain a few lbs, so I wasn't surprised by the added lbs or high FBG. I am starting to feel more human today so back my diet and exercise routine. No one has any appointments this week, so I plan to slowly start working each day at getting my house organized. My niece and my little great nephew are coming over Wednesday evening to see us. I have not felt like having company in quite a while, but I want to get back to living. She will be having her new son sometime in July and I plan to be available to keep my little great nephew when she goes into labor so my nephew and her parents can be with her.

As you can see there isn't anything exciting going on around here. I've decided today that I just want to get back to enjoying everyday life.

Y'all have a good day.

[pattygirl63]

I ate what I wanted today and exercised. I didn't plan ahead, just ate when I was hungry and ate what I wanted. Decided to track it on MFP and I ended up eating 1234 calories. Interesting to find that left to my own that I didn't eat more. Very pleased with the way things went today.

I'm just taking this One Day at a Time and eating balanced.

Good night.

[Wannabehealthy]

I have to get back to tracking to know what I'm eating. I haven't done it in a while. I usually just go according to how I feel. We went out and had the soup and salad bar for dinner last night, so I always consider that to be a good choice, as it mostly just greens and some toppings. I also had a cup of chili and DH had a cup of chicken soup. My biggest problem this week was DH bought a loaf of Italian bread at Walmart and I've been eating that. I need to learn to say no more often. He had made pancakes for breakfast and I ate some of them also, but still had an egg with it. I always insist on getting my protein, but I would never be eating pancakes if he wasn't making them and they were right there in front of me.

I took 1/2 of a water pill yesterday and my pain didn't go away like the time I took the whole one. I don't know if it was a fluke, or that it only works if I take a whole one. My elbow/arm pain is gone, but not my left hand. It still hurts and is swollen. I'm left handed so it causes a problem. I'm having a hard time opening things. I have a jar opener that works good so that helps, but I have problems with pill bottles and some plastic containers.

Trish, happy to hear that you have no appointments this week and can get back to normal for a while.

[pattygirl63]

I've enjoyed 2 days at home. It also helps when it comes to cooking and eating healthier OP foods. I cooked a small roast with carrots and small red potatoes. It was really tasty and satisfying.

It really helps me to see how I'm doing by tracking my exercise and food on MFP. I still consider myself eating intuitively because I eat what I want when I want it as long as I'm hungry. I just try to eat it sensibly instead of pigging out.

Tomorrow will be busy. Will meet DD and DS for breakfast, DH and I will go out to eat and then to Sam's and Walmart as we are out of almost everything. Then my little great nephew and his Mommy are coming for a visit. He and DH will watch a cartoon movie and she and I will catch up on everything. My exercise tomorrow just might end up being walking the stores.

[fatmad]

Hi friends: back from my travels:
I was up to 179 again in spite of plenty of walking and a bout of diarrhea last night. I have not been happy with my eating or how I feel.
I decided to change my eating for weight loss for a bit:
atkinslike, having my smoothie in the morning, and an early supper most days, and every third day have 2 meals spread out, for an up day. I will average 1200 cal on the 2 lower days and 1500 on the up day.
So tonight, I am having a wedge salad, with lots of bacon and blue cheese.
Trying to start off will stuff I really love.
I am also going to stay off the sweets, even with sugar substitute, so no diet soda. See if I can kick this sugar and sweet addiction. Will have to plan well for when I am working. Tomorrows list includes making mayonnaise so I can have tuna and egg salad when working. Those are easy meals on the run.
I have been catching up on reading what you all have been up to.
Take care of yourselves.

[Wannabehealthy]

Mad, I really hate how we have to keep starting over like this. But I fear the alternative. It musts be terrible to have a sugar addiction. It's so hard for me to grasp as other than chocolate candy, sugar doesn't really interest me any more. For me, I would just say don't have it in the house, but then I realize that sweets are such a big thing at work functions, etc. I might have e a bite here and there, but it could be passed up very easily. I would have to say that bread is my worst problem. When I think about that, it seems so odd, because bread doesn't really have much taste. I think it's more the texture that I'm attracted to. And it's not the things you put on it either, because I can eat it just plain, too.

When we go to the casino, DH makes a couple trips to the dessert bar. I don't even bother. Last time we had to walk past it to get to our seat and I did notice a piece of marble cake that looked good to me. After eating my meal, I went to the dessert bar looking for that cake and there was none left, so I tried something else. It turned out to be a chocolate mousse type of thing, and was really good. This past weekend I looked for that mousse, but the one they had wasn't chocolate and no where near as good. But my point is, there must have been 50 different things on the table, cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, and also an ice cream bar with various toppings. None of it interested me in the least. They just looked like same old, same old. DH comes back to the table all the time with cheese cake, covered with cherries or strawberries, or coconut cream/lemon pie. Not a twinge of desire from me. LOL The bread there never interests me because it sits out and always seems stale. For me, bread either has to be very soft, or toasted.

Trish, today I am hoping to get back on JUDDD, and have my first DD. DH has sweet rolls from the bakery so he will not be making breakfast. I don't feel hungry, but want to go long enough without food to get a bit of a hungry feeling, that tells me I'm on the right track. I don't really have anything planned for dinner, but I can usually stick to 500-600 calories for a light dinner and be OK. I will really miss my scrambled eggs, and although they are not many calories, I would rather save my calories and have a decent meal for dinner. I have to tell myself that I can have the eggs tomorrow. That's what's nice about JUDDD. Whatever you can't eat today, you can have tomorrow.

[Wannabehealthy]

I have been reading some journals on another forum. These people have been posting for years. Some have lost a lot of weight, 100 lbs or more, and kept it off. Then there are some who have lost a lot, but over time, gained it all back. And some are very heavy, 300-400 lbs and are struggling. These people are recording daily, what they are doing, and how they feel. I am trying to learn from these people. Not so much the WOE they are following, because I know what works for one might not work for me, but mostly their attitude. I am very interested in the difference between those who do not regain, and those who do. I gained a lot of weight over the years and unfortunately I know why, but I have never lost a large amount of weight...never got to goal, and it's so hard for me to understand regaining all that weight. Why can't they stop it? I'm not criticizing, just trying to understand. If I'm honest,I would really like to lose about 50-60 lbs, but maybe not if I'm just going to gain it all back.

I'm just mulling this all around in my head, hoping to find the answer to finding my nitch in weight loss and sticking to it long term. I think these people are very brave to put this all out there for all the world to see.

[pattygirl63]

Well DH has changed my plans for today. He doesn't want to go out today. He wants to do all our shopping tomorrow after we leave Daddy's. I hate having to do it all at once, but I can live with it. At least I can cook at home today.

I will meet DD and DS and have breakfast with them. I looked up the calories on the Tacquitta that I eat there with and without cheese. Calories are 50 more with the cheese, which wouldn't be bad but the cheese makes it 1000 mg of sodium and 630 mg without so I'm having it without the cheese. I think I will pick up a chicken at HEB and bring it home and cook it. I'll make lemon chicken, but it won't have the sodium and other stuff they inject into the store bought ones.

fatmad DH and I love certain sweets too and we just don't buy them. Don't even bring them in the house, but as Carol Sue said it is very difficult to avoid when you have them on the job. I have a favorite cake that I only eat when I go to Golden Corral to eat. DH saw an ad the other night on tv of something he would like to have. I will probably make one for him sometime in the future, but thank goodness it isn't something I will be tempted with. I may try to figure out how to make a small one for him rather than a whole one because he has to watch his sugar intake as well.

Carol Sue Fresh bread is my weakness. We used to have a bread company here that made bread and sold it in a thrift store. I loved it. One time when my kids were young, I learned to make home made bread. I thought I could make it cheaper than store bought and I could, but the problem was that everyone was sitting there with butter and knife and ate almost a whole loaf as soon as I took it out of the oven. I learned really quick that wasn't going to save us any money and I would be making bread all the time. I gave up that idea really quick. I have to say the best rolls I have had were the ones that I made one Thanksgiving. My BIL who studied to be a chef had the patience to sit there and roll them so I made and he rolled. I've never made them since then because I don't have the patience to sit and roll them. If they ever move here again, we just might try it again if he is up to rolling them. LOL

Well, as far as I know my little great nephew and his Mommy are still coming to visit tonight. I will have to look for some kind of a treat for him for tonight. He is a little doll. He reminds me so much of his grandma/my baby sister of the way she was when she was little. Such a cute little personality. I hope what we think is so cute now is going to be cute when he is older, but for now we just enjoy being around him. Kids say the darnedest things.

Y'all have a great day.

[Wannabehealthy]

Here is something I just read about bedtime snacks that actually help burn fat. I don't know how true it is, but decided to share.

Here are some of my top pre-bedtime choices:

1. White Meat Animal Protein (not red meat or fish) - White meat protein sources such as chicken and turkey are great pre-bed meal choices because they digest slowly and have a very low insulin release. These sources also promote the release of another hormone, glucagon, that assists the body with breaking down stored carbs and fat within your body to be burned for energy...a double win! Red meat and fish have a significantly higher insulin response so they're best to avoid in the evening.

2. Cottage Cheese - Cottage cheese is very slow digesting and coats the stomach to be assimilated by the body over many hours. As a protein, it also stimulates glucagon release; a solid pre-bedtime choice. Just make sure you're using plain cottage cheese, not the flavored varieties with added sugars.

3. Green Vegetables - While these aren't considered a protein, they contain virtually no calories, are high in fiber, and they're very filling. Often times when I get a late night craving I eat a big bowl of green veggies and it completely kills my craving...a diet savior!

4. A Slow-digesting, Low-carb Protein Shake - I use a slow-digesting protein shake before bed literally every day. It's become somewhat of a ritual and great, tasty way to end my day. The vast majority of my clients have grown to love the habit as well...who doesn't love dessert before bed? I normally blend the shake with almond butter to get some healthy fats in there.

[Wannabehealthy]

Trish, when I was growing up my mother baked bread every Saturday for the whole week ahead. We never got store-bought bread. Back then I didn't like home made bread because it didn't toast well, and I loved toast as a kid. Occasionally the bread ran out before the next Saturday and we had to get a loaf of store bought bread, and I was in heaven. After I got married, I got into the habit of making the Rhodes Frozen bread dough, but I could sit with a knife and a stick of butter and eat the whole thing right away, while it was still warm. DH is not a big bread eater, so I could never do that now with my diabetes. He is the one who bought that loaf of Italian Bread at Walmart, but I think he ate 2 slices and I ate the rest. It was heavenly, but bad for my blood sugar. We usually only buy that in the winter when I make vegetable soup. I don't know what got into him to buy it now, but it is only $1, and we love a bargain.

I love chicken and eat a lot of it. DH will eat it once in a while. There is one store who has the tastiest rotisserie chickens, and they use larger chickens than the other stores, and DH will eat those. I like to cook my own at home. It's still cheaper than the ones in the store. I have 3 chickens in my freezer right now. Aldi's sells them for 98 cents per pound, and I recently got some for that at Walmart, 2 in a bag. It was $10 for the two chickens, which I thought was good. Sometimes I just simmer them in a pot of water like I'm making chicken soup, and sometimes I use the broth for soup, and sometimes not. Recently I have been cooking them in my electric pressure cooker. It's fast, and it doesn't heat up the house. In the winter I like to roast them in the oven. I don't know if I will ever get tired of chicken.

I had a turkey thigh in my freezer and I cooked it in my pressure cooker. It turned out so good! DH will not eat dark meat, but I ate it. It turned out so well that next time I will buy a thigh and a breast so there is some for each of us and we can have it for dinner.

So enough about food! ha ha

[fatmad]

Has anyone tried NuPasta, or Konjac noodles?

I made spaghetti sauce tonight, and instead of using spaghetti squash as usual, I tried this stuff.
I bought it in a packet, had 2 servings of noodles. Konjac is a high fibre vegetable. There were virtually no calories, and lots of fibre in it. Texture was fine, tasted bland like noodles, so was great with my sauce. (Classico spinach sauce with my own meat added) BS was 6.2 2 hours afterward. so no problem with my sugars.
No reports of digestive issues with this pasta substitute, so I hope things go fine tonight. (some types of fibre, like inulin and psyllium can give me an upset if I take too much).
Anyhow, a new way to keep to my WOE and try for more weight loss.
Hoping I can manage this for at least a month, and get things in a position. I have a wedding in July, and hope I can stick to plan and not over indulge then, and another in August, so will plan those as UP days, but get right back on plan next day.
Well, Carol Sue, I guess we all have our triggers re eating, whether its over eating in general, or foods that are sweet, or salty and fatty stuff (chips) or all of the above, etc. While I can usually manage to resist things like chips unless DH has them in front of me, I will crave sweets and even dream of them regularly.
I am gonna plan my meals for the next few weeks, and stick it and see where I get.
Also going to check sugars for the next while again as I do this.

Have gotten my 10,000 steps in every day this month, and most days well over that. But back to work tomorrow, so we see where we get with real life.

[fatmad]

More good news for those who can take Metformin
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...f%2FT0zw%3D%3D