Wow, Trish, I cannot imagine what it must be like to have to keep track of your blood sugar, etc -- I really feel for you -- you seem to be doing great, though....

Hi Karen - From all that I can tell and from my own past experience, the people who are successful at controlling their BS are the one who really work at finding out how foods effect their bs. I've decided the key is to eat the way I'm going to eat the rest of my life and for me I think it is important for me to keep it simple. There are a lot of great recipes out there for people with bs issues... low and high, but not easy to prepare for 2 people. I have been collecting recipes that I can make when the children come to visit. I'll admit that I felt overwhelmed by it all in the beginning, but it is getting easier. One thing I've learned is that just because a book or even a doctor says that diabetics can have a certain food on their diet DOES NOT make it so. That is where my glucose meter comes in very handy.

I get blood work done next week and look forward to seeing how much I've improved thus far if any.

Well today the tree came down. I got pictures and so did some of our neighbors. It was confirmed by our oldest son that it was the tree that Joe and our youngest son planted together. I thought it was but Joe wasn't sure. Now I feel sad about that. But we went back and forth about it and finally I just left it up to him and he decided to get rid of it. They did a good job and removed all the debris except for mulch left from grinding the stump. I will work on that this week, and spread it around in various areas. There was a hole left in the yard where they had to dig out a large root and I did fill that in tonight as didn't want anyone to get hurt. But the rest I will do over time as I am not feeling very good right now...have a UTI. Taking an analgesic and am drinking lots of water and cranberry juice. Hopefully it will go away but we do see the doctor anyway in a few days.

Funny how no matter how I feel, I never lose my appetite! But at least I didn't overeat today.

Mary Hope you get over UTI quickly. We have a stump near the pond in our backyard. Have tried to get the builder, the landscaper etc to remove it and it never gets removed. Lady next door who has beautifully landscaped her own property finally put ivy around it.

Hubby has a blood test today so we will do grocery shopping while out. Don't know if we are going out to eat are grab something when we get back home. Now that I have to eat to keep bs down, eating out isn't as much fun as it used to be. We both are going to have blood work done next Thursday and I am hoping for improvement for all the good work I have done. I haven't had anything with sugar in a month so hopefully it will show.

Everyone must be staying busy. I hope you are all doing good and have a great day.

Have a good weekend, ladies! Stay cool and hydrated!

Hi, all!

Jane, thanks for the good wishes!

Maryea, hope you're feeling better today.

Trish, I hope your blood report gives you the number you'd like.

KarenBee,

Chicpanda,


It rained last night, so didn't have to carry around buckets of water this morning to water plants. I took a nice, long walk, which I so enjoy.

Sending you all best wishes!

Hope everybody has a great weekend!!!

I definitely feel better and am so thankful for antibiotics!

Last night I think I had a revelation...LOL nothing I haven't known already but you know how some times something just hits you and resonates in you? Well, my biggest weight loss problem has always been my snacking...esp in the evening. It has always been that I just felt I HAD to have them before I go to bed..like probably I'd feel so badly later if I didn't, you know? I have over time handled this problem better but it is still a definite problem for me. But last night I was thinking of this issue and all of a sudden I thought...yes, I can have those snacks but I don't have to let them mess up my diet. Hmmm....yes, I know moderation is not a new concept and I have always known moderation was my problem, but somehow I realized I was thinking slightly different now. When I overeat on snacks I am allowing them to screw up my diet for the day. I usually do great on my diet all day and then mess up at night with these snacks. And this thought was coming to me...I can have the snacks but I don't have to allow them to mess up my diet...I can have one snack in the evening of my choice and not eat more. I just need to keep in mind that in order to stick to my diet and to keep my bs stable, I can only have one. Old stuff... just a new way of thinking for me in thinking about it..in other words...my diet/eating plan MUST trump my appetite!! Only time will tell if this will help me but I hope to keep it in my mind.

Patty - we have several stumps in our good-sized yard where my dh has cut down trees. I complain that he is always removing my trees. That's why he had not removed this one. After his accident though I just wanted to get rid of it. But I think we have at least 4 stumps in our back and side yards. One has vines growing all over it and it looks pretty. My dh will sit on some of them when he needs to rest when working in the yard.

Hi, all!

Maryea, I know what you mean about those "Aha!" moments. I wish you all the best with finding the right after-dinner food. I, too, find that it is the drawing of the lines that helps me make progress. Lines I will not cross. I need to make some more of them, and am still working on which, where, what I am willing to make next.

I turned a stump into a stand for a bird bath. It looks better than the bush did, when it was trying to grow, but ever so oddly.

I am trying to gear myself up for the next drawing-of-the-line so I can make some progress. I would so like to wear those clothes....

Am glad to be learning what works and what doesn't, and taking more care.

Sending you all good thoughts and best wishes.

Em

Em - I was just noticing your weight ...you are very near your goal! GFY!! I wish I were that close. I'm down to 157.8 today though and my first goal was just to see that 157 come up on the scale so I'm happy (for now ) On Sundays I allow myself to eat whatever I want...and I have been today...but I really am not feeling that good now that I have eaten the junk I thought I wanted and I'm sure my bs is probably very high! It's been high from the infection I had going on anyway so eating like that has really not been very smart of me! Right now I'm thinking a big salad and a little protein would be just the thing for dinner!

Maryea, thanks for the kind thoughts. These last five pounds are indeed the toughest. I want to know how to take care of myself healthfully and happily and stay slim. I know I could drop the calories and those five pounds would be gone, but I still need to learn how to live so that they will stay gone. With each stage of losing weight, I have to learn how to live at that weight and find what I am willing to change in myself and my choices to be able to go to a lower weight.

Congratulations to you for getting to the 157!

I don't give myself days off from the kinds of things I eat, but I do give myself times of eating more. It seems as though after losing a few pounds, I need some time to adjust, recover, think, and just enjoy other parts of life.

I hope you can take good care of yourself. An infection can be quite a challenge. I know when I have a specific health challenge I have to be very careful about what I eat.

Am working on ways to get better rest, or more rest, and re-thinking what and how much I eat. I watched a Bing Crosby film and got a nice long, rebounding session in today. Have been working on doing all of my exercises each day, and am having to shorten the others to get the rebounding in.

I'm up way past my bedtime, so will wish you all goodnight.

Hi ladies,

I'm too far behind to try and catch up! I had a very busy weekend, and this week will be busy, too. This is my last week with the grands before school starts next Monday for DD's kids, and Tuesday for DSs children. I had hoped to take them to the park today with a picnic lunch, but the temps are supposed to be very high, again, so we'll have to stay in. I'm going to spread a picnic cloth on the floor and we'll picnic there. Hope I can get back up, lol.

I'm down again this week, for a total of 34.2 pounds gone. The more I lose, the better I feel about myself. I LOVE being able to weed the too-big clothes from my closet. The hardest thing is accepting how slowly this journey is going! It's great to come here and share it with you, and encourage you through your struggles, too!

Have a good Monday!

Good Morning all. I have not had the time to post, so before I get to my paperwork, I just wanted to say hi and I will do my best to check in more often. My scale seems to be going up as well as the temps here! Oh, well I am still not giving up. Have a blessed day. Tammy

Just checking in. Not much to say.

Jane CONGRATULATIONS ON THE 34.2 #s gone. Enjoy the Grands.

We have to pick up a prescription and a few other things at Walmart. Gets us out to walk a little bit. I've been staying waaayyy tooo late with hubby. I need to get back to going to bed earlier so I can get up earlier. I don't get anything done. I think he wants to get back to going to church next Sunday which is a good sign. He wants to eat out today... ugh I hate doing that with blood work coming up as I'm hoping for a good report of improvements on mine. However, I hope this is a good sign that he is feeling better.

Hope everyone has a great day.

Jane - congrats on the weightloss!!

Em - I've always heard the last few pounds are the hardest. I wouldn't know as I have never really gotten down that close to my ultimate goal. Last time I lost a significant amount, I went to the doctor and he said I was within my IBW range so I quit dieting even though I originally had wanted to lose about 10-15 lbs more. He said I could lose more if I wanted but as soon as I heard him say I no longer had a weight issue, I started eating more again and within 10 months gained back 2/3 of what I'd lost!! This time I really hope to be smarter than that. I am losing it much slower but hopefully when it is gone, it will ALL be gone and gone FOR GOOD!!

My dh has lost weight through his ordeal. He is usually at least 10 lbs less than me, which is really discouraging to me....I know this is silly but I'm being honest here..I really would like him to weigh more than me! And it seems like every time I lose a few pounds he has to go and lose too! LOL I know I should be happy for him...and really I am...he is now right where he has wanted to be for a long time (145 well actually today he was 144...he is around 5'5" so it's a good healthy weight for him), and I want him to be healthy and happy and I guess I'm just feeling a bit jealous cause I am not there yet myself. And I know it's my own fault.

Didn't do much yard work recently. Today just watered a few plants.