Originally Posted by BCL216:
Good morning Carol,
I know what you mean. I started the cholestrol meds. last night and as usual, I had a bad reaction. My heart felt like it was going to stop beating; my joints ached like crazy and was stiff; and I couldn't go to sleep. I am going to try a natural approach. Sometimes you can't win for losing.
But in your case, it is probably inherited from your family and all you can do; is to do the best you can and never give up. I will keep you in my prayers.

Thank you for the prayers, I can always use them! Some people have problems with cholesterol meds. I have never had any side effects that I know of. I get muscle pain, but I don't think that's from the meds. I quit taking them once for a couple weeks to see if the muscle pains got better but they didn't. I think it's just from old age. LOL I don't have it all the time. When I sit for a while, I'm sore and stiff when I get up, but after a few minutes I get going and I'm better. You can try fish oil. I take that too, and honestly, I think that does more than my rx meds do. I was taking 1200mg twice a day but this time the ones I bought were only 1000 mg so I take them twice a day and once in a while I take 3 a day to make up for the fact that they are only 1000mg.

I had a long talk with myself and I decided that I have to get serious about watching my carbs. I think they are causing a lot of my problems, expecially because I am supposed to be limiting them because of my blood sugar. They affect your HDL, too. I have known for years that limiting carbs helps me lose weight, but because my husband loves carbs, I start thinking that I can eat them too, and I can't. I am going to have to get back to passing on them. I can't fool around with this anymore.

We're going to get healthy. You'll see!

A Good BFC Morning to All,
and thanks for the pep talk Carol Sue,
I know we all can do this, When I think of losing 50-60 pounds and getting my cholesterol & blood pressure under control; Its feels hopeless. But then I remind myself of Taking 1 day and 1 pound at a time. I will set my goals of five lbs. by Nov.4th. Thats 2 weeks. I must increase my exercise and decrease my carbs, calories and drink more Water. I read an article on reducing cholesterol, that said you should use the 70/30 plan; that being 70% of your diet is from fruits and veggies because of its water content and 30% nuts, meat and graines. I just need to figure out how to do this with BFC. It just takes planning and I am not good at that, but I can surely learn. It just takes effort. Well, one step at a time and I am starting RIGHT now! I am going for a walk. Have a wonderful day.

Hugs
Izzy

Good morning ladies,

Carol and Izzy, I'm sorry to hear about your health issues - it's always something, isn't it? I'm on BP meds and would love to be able to get off of them.

I've been off work for a week, hiking in the beautiful hills of southern Ohio with my DBF. The scale was up a couple of pounds this morning, but I'm sure I'll get it back in line this week. It's difficult to stick 100% to a plan when the person with you is not doing BFC, especially when he's nice enough to cook REALLY good meals for us.

Anyway, I'm back home (I live alone) and can better control my food choices again. Actually, today I arrived at work 1/2 hour early to walk on the treadmill...hope I can keep it up!

Have a good day,

Andi

Change or Not???
 

Good Morning Ladies
Welcome back Andi and I am glad you had a great trip. I guess we all have some type of medical probablem we want to do away with. I am taking small steps to improve over all health. I started walking last week, first I just walked around the block; this week its a 11/2 miles. I am working up to 5 miles a day. I will do it even if I have to break it down to a 21/2 miles in the morning & 2 1/2 in the evening. We just need to learn what works best for the each of us. The important thing is that we NEVER give up. It is as simple as having a plan and sticking with it. The planning is the hardest part, but not impossible. You would think that anyone could pick up a diet plan and follow it, right? We all know that is just that simple, but never easy. We all resist change; even if it is better for us. We all have spent years of indulgence and self gratification and we have developed a pattern of wanting things to be easy and quick. Now we must learn to balance our wants with our needs. Its going to take time....we can do this! Imagine being 20lbs. lighter by the New Year, what away to start the new year.
I think that the time has come when we must really be honest with ourselves, do we really want to lose these extra pounds; and do we love ourselves & families enough to do this? We only get so many chances in this life time, how many have we already wasted?
Have a wonderful BFC week and take small steps to big and lasting changes:hug:.

Izzy

Izzy, it is so true about the time we have wasted. I think about that often, but I guess not often enough. Splitting your walks between evening and morning is a good idea. When I worked, we had a little gym at work. There was a woman who went on the stairmaster every day at lunch time. She was not losing any weight, so she started staying after work and doing it a second time and she said that was the trick that made the weight start coming off. I really go into a slump in the evening. I would really have to push myself to do any exercise in the evening.

I have not been doing well this past week. We were out shopping a lot for new appliances and therefore eating on the run. Today I have an appointment with the cardiologist. I am apprehensive to hear what he has to say about my heart. The last report I had my bad valve was getting "stiff" which means it isn't opening and closing very well. I think eventually I will need a valve replacement and I wish they had just done it in 2008 when I had my bypass, but they said it wasn't bad enough yet. I thought that was because of insurance but the surgeon said you are better off to have your own valve as long as you can. But I'm thinking that now they have to put me at risk to have another surgery, which is always a risk.

Andi, I too was able to keep my weight in line better when I lived alone. It has it's upside and downside.

Good morning all,

I have not seen a loss in two weeks, actually up a bit although I've carefully avoided sugars and kept carbs in line. People at work have been bringing in pumpkin muffins, homemade cakes and halloween candy all week, but I have abstained.

It's frustrating, but I will continue to follow this plan as I believe in it. I think my metabolism is slowing and that may be the problem, although two weeks is not a good test. I have been taking 2 1-mile walks during work and will continue. <sigh>

Evenings I've spent cleaning out my basement as I'm getting it re-carpeted within the next couple of weeks, and it's not much fun.

Hope to have a better day today and see a loss tomorrow. Hope you guys are having more success this week and continue with our commitment to better health.

Hello Ladies,
Its true we have wasted alot of time and we can't change what has been done. But we can start with a fresh approach and start making changes
that will last. I too have done very poorly on my eating, but on the positive side;I have been walking every day. So little by liitle I am striving to change. I have medical problems as I have said that requires the change. We all have our demons that we have to over come and the only way is just keep trying. If there was a magic pill or words then that would be wonderful, sense there is none. We must find our on magic, what will it take for us to REALLY want to change? Will it be our health, a wedding, Christmas...What?
I feel like giving up at times, but that has been my down fall. I NEVER see things through. This is a real challenge for me, its a journey of self discovery and over coming my pitfalls. It indeed is different for each of us and I think we can help each other by giving support and just keep trying until we find what works for us. I don't know about you ladies, but I am so tired of this battle with the weight. Its time to deal with it and be done.

Lets look forward and move ahead. Carol Good luck on your doctors visit.

Overall, my doctor visit was good. The change in my heart valve was slight, and he didn't seem to be that concerned about it. I asked him what symptoms I should look for to indicate it is getting worse. He said it would be chest pain , shortness of breath, palpitations, all of which I get now, occasionally. But as of right now, the valve is not bad enough to need replaced and it might not ever get that bad. He is going to schedule me for a cardiac stress test and that will show if I have any new blockages. I hope and pray that I don't. I've had enough of this.

I am glad your doctors visit went good and I pray that your test turns out well. We need to take each day and live it well.:hug:

Izzy

I recently joined the library again and have been bringing home various diet related books each week. I am very depressed after reading the 2 I brought home this week. The first one is "Rethinking Thin" about a study done over 2 years where some participants followed a calorie counting diet and some a low carb. They wanted to see how it went over time. When it started out, the low carbers were losing faster than the calorie counters, but eventually it leveled off. But hardly any of the participants were able to stick to their diets and keep the weight off long term. They did testing and studies over the 2 year period and came to the conclusion that this was because of the effects of the hormones ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is produced in your intestinal tract and causes hunger. Leptin is produced in the fat cells and causes satiety. Different people produce different quantities of these hormones, and some people can become resistant to them. They claim that the little children who get so obese early in childhood are born without the ability to produce leptin, therefore their brain never gets the message that they are satisfied and they keep eating and eating until they are obese. There is no supplement you can take to correct these imbalances. Exercise at a moderate rate can somewhat help to reverse the resistance to leptin in overweight people, but intense exercise does not have the same effect. So I guess you either exercise intensely to burn calories, or moderately to slow your appetite.

The second book is "Don't Diet". I have just started reading this one but it seems to be based on the same idea that weight gain is hormonal. They are saying that being fat isn't necessarily bad for your health. It depends on the kind of fat and where you carry it. I will learn more as I read the other chapters. But both books seem to say that it's not our fault we are fat. We are not gluttons or lazy as some people think, but our hormones just operate differently than those of naturally thin people. We can lose weight, but as we know, it is really a struggle, and close to difficult to maintain the loss. I know that everybody tries to get on the bandwagon writing books about weight and you can't believe everything you read, but I tend to believe these books because I have experienced the struggle to lose and the disappointment when you inevitably gain it back, and so has every other overweight person I know. It gets to the point where it makes you feel that you are a failure, when it's actually hormonal and beyond your control.

As much as I don't like what they're saying, it makes sense. It's depressing to me, because I want to think that I can and will lose this weight, and be thin and healthy the rest of my life. The odds are not in my favor.

Izzy,
I have a question about your posts. All the posts have a little icon at the top that looks like a tablet or piece of paper, and on some of your posts you have a little comment or heading in that area. How do you put that comment in?

To Diet or Not To Diet?... Keep Trying or Quit?
 

Hi Carol,
I enjoyed reading your post and it was very interesting and I think true to a point. I too have struggled over and over with my weight and read every diet book I think out there as well as tried the diets. I think it comes down 1 part harmones and so forth; but ultimately if we are honest with ourselves.
We know when we are really trying and when are just coasting along. I don't know about you, But I can always find a reason to fall off the diet plan. I justify every mistake and later hate myself for being week. It comes down to how bad we really want to lose as well as harmones. Really take a long look at how you are really facing facts, are there times that its a matter of choice? I can lose weight and I probably could keep it off, but I guess I just love food. I love that high I get from a pizza or cake, it is truly like drugs.
Seriously, it has been proven that food addictions are worse than being on cocaine. SO I guess it not just one thing, its a group of things that will determine our out come. It is different for us all and we may never figure it out, but let us pray we do and Never give up, just keep trying. Thanks Carol for getting me to examine my truths and realities. I JUST REALIZED THAT I HAVE WASTED YET ANOTHER MONTH.:o
Now as to your question about the icons, they are located at the bottom of the advance post.

Good morning ladies!

We had a birthday dinner for my mother yesterday at my sister's house, and I learned that she has lost 30 pounds since April. I knew she had been losing, but I didn't know how much and I was amazed. She is also doing low carb and low sugar, but her carbs per day are lower than the BFC plan, a little more like Atkins. She eats lean proteins, fats and healthy veggies but avoiding the starchy/sugary root veggies like carrots, potatoes, beets, corn, etc. I'm obviously jealous and am re-dedicating myself to loss based on not being out-done by her! My goal is now to be a size 12 by Christmas!

This morning I'm having two scrambled eggs with bacon bits for breakfast, tuna fish, broccoli, cauliflower and salad for lunch, and something healthy for dinner like Swai (fish) that I bought and am going to try tonight. I'm also going to walk on the treadmill during lunch.

I guess it does no good to bemoan the fact that we have wasted opportunities for weight loss over the last month / years when we can do nothing to change the past. But we can Certainly change what we do no and going forward. Remember, it's not motivation that produces results, but committment and self-discipline. That IS something we can change, ladies.

Have a great day!

You're gonna love BFC!
 

I've only been on the Belly Fat Cure program for one week and have already lost approximately 4lbs. without going hungry and feeling deprived. I have zero willpower and love to eat and must tell you that this is very simple and basically just being aware of all the hidden sugar in the foods we eat. Making smarter choices.

Seems like the weight has really been piling on for about a year now and especially around my waist. I am miserable and ready to get rid of the extra pounds. Good luck and I look forward to hearing about your success :D

Good Morning Everyone
:welcome:Stephanie and congrats on the 4lbs., we are please to have you and hope you will share your journey. Webwoman I know exactly how you feel, my sister has lost alot of weight also. I too need and will committ to losing instead of standing still. Lets all band together to make this a new beginning to a all new you. Have a great day!


:hug:
Izzy