Hi Everyone,

I don't post much lately, but I'm still here reading.

Tammy Sorry about your pet. It is so difficult to give them up especially when you've had them so long and they are like a family member.
Time heals things as you remember the sweet things about them.

Jane I loved the pic of the flowers. I would love to have them but can't get down to take care of them. My mext door neighbor has done a beautiful job with her landscaping hobby so I just enjoy looking at hers. I know you are really enjoying the grands.

Right now I am doing the Atkins Induction plan to get the carbs down to about 20 grams a day. Then I will slowly work up from there. So my carb focus is on legal veggies according to his plan. Also it gets rid of the sweet cravings. I read what I could on Dr. Bernstein's website about how he has taken care of his Diabetes 1 for all these yrs. He is around my age. My sister who had the lap band surgery eats mostly very low carb and has lost 75 lbs since her surgery in December. I felt that Dr. Bernstein is a little more strict than I want to do. I re-read Jersey Girl's story on Atkins thread and decided to order the Atkins book instead of the Bernstein book. Will get my book next week. I think it is good idea to learn my carb limit according to this plan and work with it. Sometimes bad things turn out for our good just as the Bible say. I think the diabetes is good for me because it gets me focusing where I should in order to control it and get it down. Right now numbers are all over the place which I learned last year is normal when you first start getting control. Weight is wild too although I show a 2 lb loss this morning. Just hope I'm able to keep it. Also with all that is happening with DH is causing him to eat healthier too. I got a phone call this morning from the nurse who keeps up with his coumadin levels and it was within the range they want so I guess he is going to once a week checks now. So that is good news.

Well, I've got shopping to do today. Going to health food store to see what I can afford to buy there, one store in town has perch on sale which I don't see around much any more and is one of my favorite fish so I want to go get some of that. Then will hit Wally world for the rest. Tony decided that he wants to go to so he can get a little exercise so I'm waiting for him to get up. I just hope it won't be too much for him. At least he can use the riding carts if needed at Walmart. Lot of people don't like Walmart, but I'm thankful for them especially when I hurt my knee and couldn't walk the store. The carts help us be able to get out and shop when we need them.

Coralee, Linda, Mary, Doris and everyone else reading this

Y'all have a good day.

I've been really lazy about posting recently. so much to do and when I sit down I relax a little too much. But I do enjoy reading all your posts even if I can't quite keep up.

My dh has been bored recently so today I took him to Costco. We were hoping for one of those carts for disabled people but there wasn't one available, but he was able to get a wheelchair. I was afraid he would be too proud but he handled it very well. I was so proud of him!

I still need to go out to another grocery store but think that one trip was enough for him for today. It's pretty warm too so now he's content for a while inside in the ac watching tv.

Patty - I understand about the diabetes being a "good" thing in a way. We ate reasonably healthy but it made us think more about what we were eating and about portion size. I was already trying to diet but getting the diabetes dx made me get more serious about it. It's been a struggle...and we've gone through the steps of denial and on..now we are accepting it and making the best of it and it has actually improved our lives and health in some ways. I realize it is still considered a progressive disease but there seems to be more and more evidence that if you control your eating esp early on before there is much damage to your body you can keep it under control and stay much healthier than people used to. I am thankful we live in such an age! And I'm thankful that we woke up and realized where we were headed with our habitual overeating and other bad food habits...esp me. My dh has always been much more disciplined than I and although the doctor would like him to lose about 8 lbs, he really looks fine.

My legs have been hurting me a lot recently...it is not new, comes and goes but hurts more when I sit...another reason I am not posting as much. Can't stand to sit at the computer very long. Doctor thinks it might be my cholesterol med that causes this but not sure as a trial without it did not help. He prescribed a supplement that seemed to help but now it is not Maybe it's just because I'm not going to the gym these days and my body is telling me to move!

Talk to you all later...have a good day!

Hello Everyone

Tony and I saw our primary doc today. I had lost 3 lbs since visit last month. BS was still not down like we want it so he doubled the Metformin and said that should help with the weight loss. He was pleased for now how the BP is coming down so left that medicine the same. I told him it was better at home this morning, but was rather high after nurse told me I was having a physical and I hated/dreaded having a pap smear. I didn't know that was scheduled. My good cholesterol was too low and triglycerides high so I'm on meds for that. However, the doc was very pleased to learn that I had decided to do low carb because he said it good for bringing trigylcerides down and maybe help the cholesterol as well. Tony's had the same problems... his blood sugar was up as well so he gave him a meter to use to keep up with it, but no meds for the BS at this time. He said Tony has had so much blood taken that it might even out. He got meds for the cholestrol and triglycerides. We go back for blood work in 4 weeks. I have to go for the dreaded mammogram and also for an ultrasound for the lymph glands under my left arm that he wasn't sure about when he did my regular check up.

Jane I forgot to ask you about your church? Were you able to have church Sunday? Hope things are worked out for y'all soon. Oh, and I loved the picture of the flowers. Can't remember if I already told you that.

Mary How do your legs hurt? Are you on meds for diabetes? I read online dlife.com I think that Metformin causes leg cramps, but if you take a B vitamin that it will keep you from having them. So could some medicine cause it? However, I notice that when I do my Walk Away the Pounds dvd that my legs get awfully tired and achy. Just a thought. Oh, I see you said your doc thinks it is you cholestrol meds.

Hope everyone has a great week end.

Hello to everyone!
I am beginning to think the over 50's group might also be called the gals with diabetes group.. so many of us, myself included, have this disease. I am so grateful that medicine has progressed so quickly. I intend to live a full live with this, and also continue to build towards lower weight and better health.

I showed Beth some photos of an older fatter Coralee. Now that I have found them, I should post them on the web page. I am amazed that I thought I was okay at that size. (Body dysmorphia anyone?)

So glad that the readers have checked in with us. Hello right back to y'all.
Summer is such a busy time, eh? I think we will pick up writing more when it cools down in the Fall.

I will be heading up the Freeway to Gainesville tomorrow. Will be visiting my lady's son and daughter in law. It appears that most of their entertaining involves food/restaurants. I will drink lots of water and look for the healthy stuff. It also appears that they understand and sympathized with weight issues so I should be okay.

The dreaded plateau seems to be eroding, I hope that more swimming will do the trick.
All for now from FL where at 9PM it is still 90 degrees.
tropical paradise or the other place.. sometimes I wonder

Hi to everyone. I wanted to post somewhere to say THE FIRST 5 LBS ARE GONE.
Feel like I am on my way!

Just a quick pop-in to say hello! I've been so busy with the grandkids, but we've been having a blast! School will start in 4 weeks, with scouts, soccer, tumbling classes, etc, so we're trying to see them as much as possible now.

Congrats to all the "losers"!!

Have a good Sunday!

Hi everyone! It's been a nice day although dh has been a little down. I did get him to talk...and told him there will be days like that..most people go through something like that after any medical procedure/surgery at some point. Tried to help him realize that this too shall pass...at least in his case it really is only temporary if he takes care of himself. We also have a dd who has chosen to forget about us and I think he (both of us really) is morning that too. I guess out of 4 you are bound to have one but it still hurts. But other than that we have had a good day. I mowed the lawns while he supervised and sprayed some pesky weeds that I can't pull. Since it was getting pretty warm we came in the house and I finished my housework. Also we've been having trouble with our DVD player so I went out to the RV and brought in an inexpensive extra one we had out there and working together we finally got it to work. So will probably watch a movie tonight.

Jane - glad you are enjoying your gc. Ours are scattered about...the closest ones are 2 hours from us, but they are 15-21 and busy with their own lives.

Gonnadoitthistime - congrats on the 5# loss!!

Coralee - good to hear from you again. Enjoy that swimming!

Patty - Sounds like you got a good workup at the doctors! My cholesterol is under control with med but my triglycerides are high, however my doctor doesn't seem too concerned about them yet. I monitor the fat in my food and I notice I do tend to get at least a little too much most days although generally most is the good kind. GFY losing 3#! I do have a lot of trouble with leg cramps but that was even before the Metformin so don't think that's the problem. I do take B12 ...got that info somewhere...maybe it was here? If I don't get enough calcium, they start cramping so I have to be sure and take my supplement. No this is not cramping, this is an ache that is esp bad in my left leg behind the knee and is particuarly bad after sitting a while but continues to hurt even when I get up and move around. I've had it before and then it went away. I take Co Q 10 (not sure I have that right) for it per doctor. It went away for a while but now it's back.

Hope you are all having a good evening!

See you at Daily Chat #6.