We went to the gym but otherwise dh went fishing and I have been very lazy. Took a short nap then got up and cleaned our bathroom and then watch Netflix movies on my computer, wasn't even very interested in them, just felt like sleeping all day.

Yesterday our son and his GF and her kids plus their baby came over. The baby is getting bigger and is so pretty. We really enjoyed holding her while she looked around some but slept most of the time. Mama said she still wakes up about four times a night but goes right back to sleep and doesn't cry much.

I haven't eaten much today but haven't eaten very healthy either...again just too lazy to even think about what I'm eating. Trying to decide now what to fix for dinner. I have ground beef thawed out...dh suggested sloppy Joes so maybe that will be it but doesn't sound very good to me. I'm in a strange mood today!:?:

Bobbi - I can't imagine eating only 1000 cal/day. The last time I lost any significant weight was on about 1200 cal/day and I felt like I was starving. Fortunately I can lose on more than that, but I do feel it is harder to lose now due to the meds I'm taking. Still if I stick to less than 1600 I can lose just slowly so know it is still possible and if I did go down to 1200 I would lose faster I'm sure. Don't think I'll ever go below 1400 again though. When I eat healthy I feel really good, but not like I ate today. My problem is all I really want to eat is carbs and that is not good even when they are not heavy carbs, carbs are carbs for a diabetic, except most veggies are ok. I have a hard time getting protein just naturally so I have to plan to get it. I do love smoothies, no problem there and I often add protein powder to them but have to limit them due to the carbs. See, when I like something I have trouble disciplining myself. I don't eat much bread usually thank God, but at times I do. It is always a lower carb/low cal whole wheat.

Carol - Dh and I mainly watch detective shows or news together, but I am more picky...he watches a lot I don't care for, but it's usually drama of some kind or a music show. He also likes pageants and award shows which do not usually interest me at all. And most of all he loves to watch the Filipino channel. Since I can't understand most of it, I don't care to watch. The one different type show I love is Downton Abbey and he is totally bored with it.
These days I often come back to my office and watch Hercule Poirot episodes and other British TV episodes on my computer monitor. I think the British do very well with their TV shows.

Karrine - Unless your TV came set up with internet access and Netflix you will have to have some way of connecting to the internet. If you already have that, I am not sure whether you need a separate remote. Our TV was internet capable but we had to have a device to use it. We now have a BlueRay player but there are other ways like Roku. Our BlueRay player came with a remote, I don't know about Roku and others but suppose they do too. I'm a bit disappointed with Netflix streaming though...actually prefer to get the DVDS from Netflix (just sign up online if you want that) because so few of the movies we like are available to stream. If you have Roku and I suppose other similiar ways (amazon Fire is another), you can have access to other programs that offer movies. There is a new one called Pureflix, I'm trying on my computer but you have to have Roku to use on TV. I'm considering going that route. Hulu is another. I'm assuming that like Roku the other devices come with a remote but not sure. Most are just plug in devices now so you'd have to be sure you have the ports available on your TV. Since I have not tried them I don't know much about them...only what I've read.

Sandy - I can imagine how great that singing was as that is a beautiful song.

My laziness is creeping in again and I need to get moving to get dinner ready. I'm not even hungry so hopefully won't eat much. You all have a good evening.

Newbie
 

Hi, I'm Barbara. I live in central Oregon. I'm almost 76 years old and I feel this is my last chance to lose weight and succeed at maintaining it for the rest of my life. Have yo-yo'd all my life and am tired of the roller coaster ride. It's really depressing to get started and be all hopeful and then slide down again. I really need contact with people who get it. I'm looking forward to receiving and giving support. Never been on a forum before and am facing a learning curve here ;)

Good morning everyone,

We got a lot more snow with all the snow squalls yesterday and overnight again so guess what I'll be doing today (limping around on my driveway lol).

Gayle - thank you for the Netflix information.

Carol - I never thought to go to the Goodwill for DVD's. I'll have to check that out at a Salvation Army Store not too far from me.

Mary - I have a BlueRay DVD player and I just got a new modem for my office. I can access my laptop and printer remotely. I do have a separate remote for my DVD player if that works for Netflix. I was thinking about Netflix's DVD delivery service but when I look at their site it doesn't look like they ship to Canada. In other information I have read, you are right about more selection with their delivery service which I would prefer too rather than increasing my cable service to unlimited streaming which would cost more in addition to the Netflix streaming cost. Thank you so much for all the information ---- you sure do know your stuff :).

Barb - Welcome to Golden Girls thread. You'll find everyone here to be very supportive. We talk about everything and not just diet and it is fun getting to know everyone even though we are a small group. I am 73 years old and by Christmas 2015 I was at my highest weight. I'm trying desperately to take these pounds off as I only have 1 pair of slacks and one pair of jeans that fit me anymore plus I look and feel awful. You'll learn more as you post more so don't give up. We are all in the same boat. It is much harder to lose weight at our age.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

I am embarassed to make this confession, but I have never cooked regular rice. I have always used instant. My excuse is that we don't eat much rice, mostly the small amounts I put in stuffed peppers or stuffed cabbage. Even my brown rice is instant. I finally bought a bag of brown rice to learn to cook it. The bag said to use 2-2 1/2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. I tried that, and it turned out really sticky and mushy, so I dumped it out. I hate to waste food, but a bag of rice is so cheap. This morning I tried again but in a smaller amount. I used 1/2 cup of rice with a little less than 1 cup of water. The water was absorbed in less time than it said, but the rice was dry and a little crunchy, the way I like brown rice. It made a smaller amount that I put in the refrigerator. I know it's carb, but I heard it's healthy so I think I will try eating 1/4 c per day and see what it does to my blood sugar and weight. DH doesn't really like brown rice but he will eat it in stuffed peppers and cabbage and doesn't even notice the difference.

Mary, your whole paragraph about streaming, Netflix and Roku were like reading a foreign language to me. LOL I know nothing about those things! My daughter-in-law uses our WIFI to download games on DGSs Kindle for him because their WIFI uses up their data on their phones. We have unlimited WIFI. When DGS was here he wanted me to download games for him and I had to tell him I don't know how to do it. I think I would have to have their information from their Amazon Account to do it, also.

Karrine, we have only been getting a few flurries here and there because it's so cold. It's been in single digits and today the high is only supposed to go to 17. Be very careful with the shoveling!

Hi Barbara, and welcome to the thread. Jump right in posting, you will like it here!

Hi Sandy, Gayle, Bobbi, Lynn, and anyone else reading here.

Barbara WELCOME. You are close to my age so I understand the feeling that this is the last chance to make a difference in my health and weight. Scary at times.

Mary when you mentioned that your husband was going fishing I felt some envy. Little snow here, but temperatures can't even reach 20 degrees in full sunshine!!! I'm house bound as Asthma is acting up.

CarolSueDH just made his great chicken soup and Pat (sick with sinus infection) is enjoying it with left over brown Basmatti rice. This is the absolutely best brown rice. The white version is also the best, even healthier than any other white rise. We have rice at least twice a week.

Cabbage rolls or Stuffed Green Peppers are always a hit in our house. This time of year the Cabbage rolls will be most likely as Peppers aren't in great supply here. DH makes them so good. I'll suggest it for sometime this week.

I also am like Carol Sue in my need for chewing my food. Love a crunchy apple, crackers, celery, carrots, and feel satisfied with far less than I do with a smoothy. The yogurt and fruit smoothie are tasty, but I find myself very hungry shortly afterward.

Sandy, will have to google Basmatti Rice. I'm not familiar with it. We ate a lot of rice growing up because it was cheap and fills you up, but it was always white rice and I never knew there was anything else. I didn't try brown rice until about a year ago. I didn't like it the first time I had it but I gave it a second chance and now it's my preference over white rice.

EDIT: I just googled and it sound like something I would like to try. Bob's Red Mill's has it so I will look for that in my store.

If you have an Aldi's nearby, they always have plenty of peppers. DH likes the green and I like the yellow and red. Another thing I never ate before is raw peppers. I only ate them cooked and stuffed, but now I'm starting to like cutting them in strips and eating them as a snack. They are very healthy. They are supposed to be bad for psoriasis but I don't notice myine getting any worse when I eat them.

Today I'm making hot sausage in the crock pot and I have some peppers cut up in the sauce along with onion.

Bobbi, I have a question about how you do Fitday. Under Weight Goal I see an optional section for setting up your goals for protein, carbs and fat. I have never done that. Do you do that or do you just enter your food and see what the values were? I feel that I am not taking advantage of all the features it has to offer.

A busy day....started out early getting my lab work done in prep for tomorrow's doctor's appt. My regular diabetes appt. Came home for a short time to get ready for dh's retirees brunch in Portland. Had a nice time, I ordered crepes...good tasting but too many carbs but carbs and eggs and bacon are all they have and I don't like their eggs and trying to stay away from bacon. At least I didn't eat it all.

Tried to connect with our dd to give her the things they left here (incl our gd (6)'s Chrismas gift) but she was in her Bible study and then shopping. We were far from her anyway so prob for best. So we went on to Costco and did some shopping there and also Home Depot. Now home, and I'm resting...dh wrapped up the Ring thingy had to run to post office to send it back.

Carol - I like Basmati rice although we don't often cook it...get it in Indian restaurants mainly. I enjoy Indian food. I like brown rice sometimes, but dh refuses to eat it. There was one kind he liked in a restaurant but we never could find it and now I've forgotten the name. We make our white rice in a rice cooker. Per one cup of dry rice, we use at least 2 c water. Recently dh has decided he likes it stickier so I've been adding about 1/4-1/3 more water.
I used to use 1/2 cup more water but it was so sticky I couldn't stand to eat it. Tasted like starch to me. Dh liked it but we have compromised on a little less water. I would still prefer only two cups water, but this keeps him happy and I can tolerate it. That's what compromise is about I guess. I usually don't eat much rice anyway. Your sausage and peppers dish sounds really good, we do that too only we stir-fry it...it's a favorite. We do not add oil though as then it tastes too fat, but of course we haven't done it with turkey sausage...that might need a little oil.

Sandy - I will try the Basmati BROWN rice...maybe dh will like that. Worth a try.

Carol - Two of my gk spend a lot of time watching Netflix movies on my computer these days. They aren't here often and don't know we have it on our TV yet. I noticed once they were playing a game too...and suppose they can do that on the TV as well or maybe would need a different controller:?: I think I'll keep them on the computer.

Barbara - Welcome to our little group..you are not so far from me...the great NW...I live in Vancouver, WA. The number of our group changes from times to time and right now we are smaller than we used to be but we still enjoy chatting. What we chat about varies all the time, whatever comes to mind I guess. Some of us have been dieting so long and this gives us a chance to talk of other things as well. I used to lose weight so easily, but now it's much harder. I am taking a med that has made me gain (known for that) even! When I had to increase it (doubled), it didn't seem to add weight but it did make it harder to lose, then recently I have had to increase it 1 1/2 times (and poss may have to increase it to double), and it has made me gain again! It is still possible to lose but I have to be very careful now whereas before a few slip ups didn't hurt much. BTW, there are getting to be more of us in our 70s now....I am going to be 73 next month.

Carol - remember how I told you I hoped I didn't feel ashamed of my sig again? Well once again eating no more than usual (still too much sometimes though), I have again gained (see above note to Barbara) and now I wish I hadn't added my sig back on! I am sure it is because of increasing the Amaryl. I have either got to be much more careful of my carbs or I may have to increase it yet again. I am usually getting one or two good readings but overall it hasn't helped much. He told me I could take 4 mg morning and night but because of the weight gain I have kept it at 1mg in the am and 4 mg at night. I had very little carb last night and it was over 225 this morning. Of course, not having enough carb can cause one's liver to release too much glycogen so that maybe what happened, who knows, I've tried so many different things and it is still high (although not usually that high) in the ams.

Karrine - Didn't your BlueRay come with it's own remote? If so that would be what you use to access Netflix. If your internet is connected just click on the Netflix icon...it will probably ask you to open an account. I don't know since I was already a member, but suppose you can open up an account on the TV. Sorry I didn't think about you being in Canada, I don't know whether you can still stream Netflix or not. I still get the DVDs sent to me. We just stream when we don't have one and want to watch a movie. Of course, we could use On Demand but we are already paying for Netflix so that's cheaper unless we download a free one from On Demand. If you can't use Netflix, you might like to try Roku like Glynne has or something similar...I don't know
whether they work in Canada or not, you'd just have to check the websites.

Well need to get busy. I bought some new cleaner to try to get the soap scum off our main bath shower door. Before my son moved in I had it pretty good, using natural cleaners and the magic eraser, but lots of work involved. This new to me cleaner (also by Magic) seems to work. I didn't even let it set, just sprayed and most of the scum came off even in areas around the door where it never did before! So hopefully if I let it set it will get it all clean.

Hope you all have a good evening.

Mary, do you take Metformin? Most with Type 2 do. I was having a lot of AM readings above 200 so along with cutting way back on starchy carbs I started taking my Metformin at bedtime and my AM readings are all below 200 now. A couple times I was in the 130s. I know that's still not where we're supposed to be but it's a big improvement. I have faced the fact that I cannot have starchy carbs, but I'm not happy about it. Every time I slip up I'm sorry about it afterwards. My doctor increased my RX to 2mg of Amaryl twice a day but I'm still using the 1mg I have on hand. I would rather not eat any starchy carbs than take more Amaryl, mainly because of the weight gain. If I can lower my A1c without using the 2mg I will be much happier. I have been taking 1/2mg in the AM and 1 1/2 at dinner.

Since I never cooked regular rice I have never had it become sticky. When I made that on Tuesday I hated to throw it out. I usually never waste food, but now I am learning that it's better to throw it out instead of forcing myself to eat something I don't like. I love rice and could eat it every day, every way. I would love to try Indian Food but I know DH wouldn't like it. His food choices are so limited. Once I got used to brown rice I don't like white rice anymore. DH would never eat stir fry. When I make these hot sausage links I simmer them in some water for a while and poke holes in them with a fork. That releases some of the fat and starts them cooking. Then I rinse them and put them in a crock pot with tomato sauce for several hours with the peppers and onion. DH would never eat turkey sausage either, but might eat it if he didn't know that's what it was.

We don't have a shower door, just a shower curtain, but I have to constantly clean the tub out because the body wash I use makes the tub very slippery. I continue to use it because I like the way it makes my skin feel. DH doesn't understand body wash. He says "Why can't people just use soap?" LOL He doesn't understand being a woman I guess.

RE: Rice. I certainly agree with Mary, a rice cooker is an excellent too. I've used one for decades. With Danny from Korea living with us for 3 years, he gave us one for Christmas many years ago and we are still using it. It makes the rice perfect. White Basmatti rice is 1 cup and 2 cups water. The brown Basmatti is 1 cup rice, 2-1/2 cups water. Cooker shuts off when water is gone.

Shower door scum. I finally convenced our family to simply wipe down the shower door and walls after each shower with a hand towel. Haven't had to clean shower in ages. Daughter didn't listen at first and had quite a job - her job on the shower she used. Ours was fine. Thank goodness for more than one bathroom!!!

Carol, I haven't been able to climb into and especially OUT of a tub in ages. I'm so thankful for the walk in shower in the Master bedroom. I prefer showers any how. I've never used a body wash. Sounds good. I do use lots of lotion when I've dried off before putting on clothes.

In this frigid weather, Snow covering roads now and temps below 20 deg, I made lots of calls to cancel our Prayer Chapel people who come for an hour each week. We close till after Mass on Sunday. Thank goodness most of them I can send text detailing the information. Had groups of 3 or 4 so I didn't have to constantly make calls. I asked each to text me back so I knew they received info. I'm concerned some may have asked for a substitute to take their hour and I have no idea who that would be. If someone is out of town and I leave message on their home phone, they probably wouldn't know to call their substitute. I worry that someone goes out into the slick weather unnecessarily.

DH and Pat call me a worrier. I am, but the idea of my actions causing another to take unnecessary risk is something that really bothers me.

Weight climbed for another number that I haven't seen for a long time. So much for trying to eat away from counting calories. Also I've spent more time sitting than usual. Can't breath in the cold weather so am stuck in the house. TV and books are way to enjoy the time indoors, but too much sitting. Treadmill calls me but I've ignored the call.

Raw Green Peppers. Aren't they great? We grow peppers mixed in with the flowers in the sunny areas because the foliage is really pretty. Eat them raw or scrambled with eggs lots. I love the red peppers raw, too.

Our internet service is slow, but promises to speed up as more people join. We are still waiting. Even U Tube takes forever to spin and let me hear what the people are saying. Netflixx would be a waste of money so far.

Today I begin again to move more and eat less. Pounds added are scary.

Sandy

Good afternoon everyone,
I went out for groceries this morning to two stores that had sales on. I am really into clementines for this past month and will be sorry to see them go out of season as I don't like peeling a regular orange...too lazy I guess. I also had salt delivered for my water softener this morning. Tonight I am having 3 or 4 oz. of steak; mashed potatoes and peas. I can't get over the high increases in price for just about everything due to our low Canadian dollar vs. US currency. Most of our fruit and veggies are imported and the cost has doubled and tripled over the past month. Good news finally in that my ankle is feeling a "tiny" bit better today. The stairs aren't as difficult.

Carol, Sandy, Mary - I see that you all eat rice either cooked; instant or brown rice. I seldom eat rice except for the odd time but need some kind of sauce to put over it. I also have never had a stuffed Green Pepper and can't imagine just eating a pepper all by itself. I only use peppers when called for in a recipe. I know....I am "weird" LOL.

Carol - sorry you are having such a struggle with your Alc readings. It is a real challenge to lose weight when diabetic and on meds.

Mary - I hope your doctor's appointment goes well. Please don't be ashamed of your ticker. With all the meds you take it is even harder to get those lbs. off.
Yes, I do have a BlueRay remote so I went to have a look at it and it does have a Netflix button on it. That button just never registered in my head before today LOL. There is a Canadian Netflix streaming service but it sure doesn't have the content that the US Netflix streaming service has. I am still looking into whether or not Netflix has a DVD delivery service in Canada. I don't think it does. Thank you ever so much for all your help and advice.

Sandy - sorry about your weight climb. I too, sit around too much during the winter months even when my ankle is ok. I don't have a shower door but I use a bathroom squiggy on the walls of my bathtub after each use and that keeps everything nice and shiny with no water marks.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Good morning GG's,

It is overcast here today. It is 56* outside, but because the sun is hiding ~ it looks like it would be chilly.

DH is headed out soon to run various errands. I hope to maybe make some more progress sorting and organizing a stack of papers I started working on last week.

I did a stupid thing and the scale went up. DD brought a little box of left overs (I think chineese food) and a box of cookies from (I guess) a grocery store. The food, she said we could eat it if we wanted. It was some kind of beef, rice and broccoli with a little of some kind of sauce on it. I ate it for breakfast yesterday and it was pretty good. There was only a little bit of rice, so I didn't think it was such a bad thing to eat that. It was those darn cookies that got me in trouble. Sweets are my downfall. She didn't want them and said none of her family would eat them ~ they were some kind of coconut cookies. Steve loves coconut, but of course because he never messes up and has such great self discipline, those cookies being here was no problem for him. We were gonna give them to Jason ~ for either him or his girlfriend. Well, those darn cookies kept calling to me. I put them on top of the fridge where I couldn't see them, but that didn't work. Little by little over a couple days, and those cookies were history. I just hope DH doesn't notice. I can imagine the eye rolling I'm gonna get. I probably deserve it. He just doesn't understand how a person can do stuff (eat) they aren't supposed to. Story of my life and why I am in the shape I'm in. Sigh......

I confessed to my daughter about what happened to the cookies. She felt bad ~ said that it was her fault. I didn't tell her so she would feel guilty, but because I wanted to ask her to help me and please don't bring stuff like that here. Everyone's intentions were good, but I just can't handle having stuff like that here and be able to leave it alone.

Not moving very fast today. I do so much better when it is sun shiny. Guess I'd better get off here and try to get something done.

Hope you all are having a good day.

Went to my dr appt this morning..dh had an eye dr appt too so we went together as the buildings were within a couple blocks of each other. The doctor noticed that my weight went up and I told him it had just recently jumped that high and I felt it was the medication as I hadn't eaten anymore and in fact for about a week I ate less. He agreed it probably is. He wants me to watch my diet more closely though because overall my bs are still high. I told him I agree that is mostly my eating. He offered a referral to a dietitian but I know nutrition and feel it is up to me. He is so nice and takes time with me...I even shared my short-term memory issues. He gave me a three part test and I flunked one part. Still he said he didn't think it was so worrisome but to let him know if things get worse.

Carol - I used to like instant rice but dh does not like it at all. Occasionally I have bought a small pkg of instant brown rice just for me. Yes I take 1000 mg Metformin twice a day. I dropped the Farxiga though so it's just the Amaryl and Metformin now. Good idea poking holes in the sausage to release some of the fat.

Sandy - I make my own daily shower cleaner and dh and I use it diligently in the small bathroom, I made some for our son too but he would get in a hurry and forget it. I sprayed that shower door again and let it set but can't see any further improvement. Disappointed in that. At least it is better than it was. May have to remember what I used before that worked so well but also used quite a bit of elbow grease as well. I used to ONLY take tub baths when home...had to use shower in our RV where we used to live three months a year...then when our son moved in his bath had the tub and all my personal care items were in the other bathroom so I just started using the shower. Now that he's gone, I often take a "soak" in the evenings esp if I'm feeling cold as I take very warm baths..but then I get a hot flash and I'm too warm. I think I'm into the showers now so doubt I'll be taking a tub bath to actually get clean anymore. I love the body washes but don't buy them much anymore as we have so much soap we've gathered from our resort/hotel traveling. I only take what we started using there cause I think they will only throw it away. Sandy, sounds like your church activities/work keeps you busy...I think it's good to have something besides just the regular stuff to keep us active and mentally occupied.

I think now that our son won't be here often, I may slowly start transferring a few items back into the other bathroom. He never really filled the cabinets that full any way. It will be things that I can easily move back if necessary.

Good morning everyone,
So far this week I've been having good eating days so hopefully will lose weight this week. I'm having leftovers today but will be making a chicken tomorrow. I bought 2 chickens yesterday on sale and low and behold when our new flyers came to the house yesterday there is an even better sale on chickens starting on Friday so I'll head out early Friday morning and purchase 2 or 3 more. I'm eating a lot of chicken on this diet.

Gayle -- sorry about your cookie story. I hear you and have the same problem. I just can't forget about anything I have in the house that I shouldn't have until it is all gone. You are not alone so cheer up and keep trying ok?

Mary - isn't it awful when you have to eliminate even more food to lose weight because of the meds you take. I feel for you. So far I'm ok with my A1c but my own bs tests at home are pretty high. I hope it will be awhile before I have to start diabetes medication. I am prediabetic now and try to watch my sugars.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Hi everyone! We got some snow last evening but it's only a couple inches and the roads are good already this morning. A bigger storm is coming Friday into Saturday but we are in the upper area and are expecting a few more inches. States to the south and east of us are going to get a lot more. This will be our first significant snowfall of the season.

I went off plan a little bit yesterday. I ate a sandwich bun. Bread is not on my plan. It raises my blood sugar too high and I wasn't hungry when I ate it. This new plan I'm on requires that I only eat when I'm hungry.

Karrine, chicken has always been my favorite meat. My mother even told me that when I was a little kid all I would eat was chicken and hot dogs. I make it often for myself as DH only tolerates it. He prefers beef.

What did your doctor tell you regarding your pre-diabetes? You actually have to watch more than sugar. All carbs, bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, sweets, turn to glucose as soon as you eat them and you have to watch them too. I don't mean to be preachy, but a lot of people don't realize that when they are first diagnosed.

Gayle, I think it's best that you told your daughter not to bring food into the house that's going to tempt you. DH brings sweets home all the time and I have learned to resist most of them. Jelly doughnuts are particularly hard for me to resist. I just have to pretend they aren't there. He will not stop buying things because they bother me. We had that discussion. He says that he should not have to go without things just because I can't eat them. In the long run, I think I'm better off that I had to teach myself how to resist them. When I go out, there will always be foods that tempt me and I just have to say NO.

Sandy, my electric pressure cooker is also a rice cooker. I never cooked rice in it because we don't eat rice on a regular basis and when I make it I only make 1 cup or less for the recipes I'm using.

I never liked green pappers raw. I only ate them cooked as stuffed peppers. They made me burp. I recently bought colored peppers, red, yellow, orange and found that they do not make me burp and started eating them raw as a snack. DH still prefers green peppers so I use them when I make stuffed peppers. Last time I made a green one for him and a red one for me. I can eat just a stuffed pepper for my meal, but DH like potatoes with everything.

Mary, we have a tub/shower combination but no door. Just a shower curtain. I haven't taken a bath in years. I prefer showers, and if I sat down in the tub someone would have to come and help me out of it. I always tell DH he would need a crane to get me out. LOL I have tried several body washes but recently tried Aveeno and it is best for my psoriasis. But it's very greasy and makes the tub slippery. So I have to scrub the tub every time I use it or one of us will slip and fall.

Went to the gym this morning, did my usual, followed by some grocery shopping. Picked up some samples at New Seasons...a tiny bit of cheese, four or five corn nuts, and a small pc of chocolate covered toffee...it was very small and very good! So that was my morning snack. Took my bs when I got home (before lunch), and it was great.

My weight was up again to 176 though this morning. Gee I haven't seen that high a number in a long time, and I am definitely not eating more, so know it's the Amaryl. I mean 3# could be sodium but not all of it. Some of you may remember that my weight was 165 not so very long ago. That med does help my bs but I sure hate this side effect! :( I'm going to avoid increasing it again as long as I can. The doctor offered Januvia or one of the injectibles but I declined at this time. I'm doing better on my eating most days and seeing some lower bs so think I can wait a while and see how it goes. There for a while I was considering insulin, but then remembered that it causes weight gain too. :dizzy: Isn't it strange that so many of the meds made for diabetics who are being told to lose weight actually MAKE them Gain:?: I suppose it is because they cause the release of insulin but it really doesn't seem fair! Whine, whine, whine...

Carol - I can still get out of the tub but sometimes it's not so easy. It's my knees...I'm having more trouble rising up on them, even from sofa, and esp the floor! not just tub. Perhaps losing weight will help with that too. My dh is the same way as yours in regard to his snacks. I understand but it does make it hard if I know they are there.

Well need to get moving...have a good day/eve.

I changed my ticker to be honest with my weight.

Sandy, I hope you are not in the path of the big snowstorm that's coming. If so, stay safe and warm! I am on the edge of it and we are only expecting a couple inches of snow.

Bobbi, I have a Fitday CD that I ordered years ago. It's dated 2004, so it was the paid version from back then even though I know they have changed it since then. I just recently learned how to enter a custom food and where to see the vitamins and minerals that I'm taking in. There is a place where you can enter your own goals for carbs, fat and protein but I have never done that. I like it and would like to use more of the features it offers.

Mary, I agree with you that it doesn't make sense that some diabetes meds cause weight gain. Metformin is supposed to help with weight loss, and I did lose weight when I was first diagnosed, by the Amaryl causes weight gain and counteracts the weight loss. I am trying very hard to eliminate starchy carbs completely so I can get off the Amaryl and see if it makes a difference in my weight loss, but that is a very hard diet to sustain. I can't seem to stick to it for more than a couple days. I am so determined to lose weight this year. January is almost over and I'm only down a couple pounds, but I am trying so hard not to get off track. I find that I do so much better if I eat a lot of salads, but in the winter I prefer hot food.

Exactly Carol Sue ~ that is what I am struggling with. When we started this way of eating, it was June and hot weather. I did well with all the vegetables, salads and fruits through the summer and fall. But when the cold weather came ~ salads and foods that aren't warm, just don't appeal to me. This is not new with this way of eating, it is the same every winter.

I think Bobbi said that she snacks on that soup she shared the recipe for. I am wanting to make some of that, but haven't gotten around to doing that yet.

Gayle I agree that cold weather cries out for substantial food. Thank goodness DH started a good stew with lots of veggies in the slow cooker.

Even if we loose power there is a good chance we'll have some stew to eat at least for tonight. Snow is already up to 5 inches or more and still coming down hard. Expect a foot. It is beautiful from inside a warm home.

Hope the snow doesn't cover the DirecTV satellite and cause us to lose TV options. BobCat is out clearing our subdivision roads of this first batch of snow. Thank goodness. Problem is that the snow is coming over and blanketing our drive way. We don't go out today or tomorrow.

Sunday I'm Reader at Mass but our church is 16 miles away into even heavier show area. I've called someone to take my place because she lives far closer to the church, also is Fr. Harry's secretary and will notify him if she can't get there.

I wish I were more dedicated to exercise. however, "if wishes were horses, beggers would ride." I'm going to try now, one more time, to get some strength exercises and walking on treadmill done as I watch the snow outside and the birds enjoying the seed DH puts out for them in the two feeders.

Sandy (trying again, just for today.)

Did It!!

30 Minutes of in the house exercise, walking, bit of stretching, and some very light work with stretch bands. Sweating so either it was lots more than usual (which is was not) or I"ve really allowed myself to get soft. Day one of doing something positive instead. Sandy

Sandy, I'm glad you don't have to go out anywhere. I didn't think our snow was going to start until later this evening but we went out to pick up dinner around 4PM and it was starting to snow then. We don't expect more than a few inches by Saturday afternoon.

Went to the gym as usual then I came home and got ready to go to the mall to get my manicure. Considered getting my usual one scoop ice cream cone I usually get when I go to the mall (1-2 times a month) and it didn't really sound that good to me so I didn't. Another NSV. I went to the food court instead and ordered a small whole wheat veggie pita incl black beans and a diet Coke. The pita was very yummy, first time I thought about adding the beans. I think though it may have had one carb serving too many as my bs was high 2 hrs after. Then I went to the DMV and renewed my drivers license....mine does not expire until 2/15 but dh was very worried I wasn't going to get it done in time, so this will relieve his worry. :) Don't know how even I could forget cause he reminded me about every day.. When did the price go up to $54!! The picture is certainly not worth that! :(

Dh painted the threshold of the door today to match our house. He will have to repaint it when we get our new siding but it looks nice now. Now he's looking for the paint we used in our living room to cover the spaces where the old rod hinges were. Always something to do. He likes to work outside, not so much inside though.

Got notice from the Vet that Halo needs her shots again and a dental check and more. It's been over a year now. Does a dog really need all those shots every year if they are almost constantly inside the house or a fenced yard, with little to no contact with other dogs?

Have you guys started your taxes? I am ready to start now I think. I may need to to track down some info still but think I can find it online. Last year I also did our sons but not sure this year if he'll want me to do it. The baby will make a nice deduction for one of them and they want to see which one so that makes me think she may do it. I told him I don't mind doing it but if he wanted me to do it to bring his forms over ahead of time, not wait until almost the last minute like last year.

You guys are having snow and for us it's in the 50s and almost spring like. Most people are wearing light jackets but I didn't even need that. If I stayed out long I would though. Sandy glad you are getting exercise and didn't have to go out in the snow. I prefer to just look at it through the window myself. I always make sure I touch it once, but that's enough for me. I grew up the midwest and had enough snow then. Ummm...beef stew sounds really good!

Carol - I remember my previous doctor told me I might lose weight with Metformin and later with Farxiga but I didn't with either one. At least I didn't have tummy problems like some do with Metformin and it did help my bs for a long time. Farxiga didn't help at all and I really had high hopes for it as I liked the way it handled the bs (out in the urine). I am not as strong as you...I cannot do without my carbs, so I am still just trying to limit them and not eat too often. My membership with FL diet will run out in April, so I will continue to use it to make sure I get proper nutrients but will let it expire. I think I have the hang of it and can do it with MFP. I have used MFP for years and really like. Success on a diet is me doing it right..I think any one can lose on any diet plan if you actually stay on plan. It is difficult for me. I also belong to another FB group that is faith based and very supportive. Hopefully they can help to keep me on track too:^: but ultimately it is up to me to do the right things consistently. I track calories, carbs, fat, fiber, protein and sodium with MFP as those are my biggest concerns.

Need to figure out what I'm having for dinner tonight. I forgot to thaw anything out but maybe I can do it fast or we go out. I have a little frog that must be right outside my office window because I hear it croaking all the time. :)

Good morning everyone,
Saturday is always laundry day for me so that will keep me busy for awhile. Having left over chicken for dinner tonight and tomorrow. I bought 3 more chickens that were on sale yesterday morning so now I have 4 in the freezer. I still can't do any walking exercise on the treadmill because of my ankle. I sure will be glad when it gets back to normal. I've had this for ? 3 weeks now? The ankle support I purchased helps a bit.

Carol - my doctor just told me to watch my sugar intake. My mother had bad diabetes and as I was her caregiver I know the foods she always ate. Bread is my downfall but I have cut them back more than half on my diet. I honestly don't know how you can eliminate carbs completely from your diet. I don't think I could do that.

Mary - No, it is not fair that diabetic meds causes weight gains which just makes it all that much harder to lose a pound. I don't blame you for trying to stay away from injectables. Our driver's license renewal is $78.00 Cdn. here in Ontario this year. I do my own taxes every year too and am just waiting for the rest of my tax slips to come in the mail in order to do mine.

Bobbolink - I would love to try Fitday to see if I am getting all the nutrients but I am already journalling my food intake with Weight Watchers and don't want to be doing it twice .

Sandy - I've been watching TV (CNN) for all the news on the big snow storm some of you are all having. I'm so glad you are staying put inside until it is over. GFY on getting 30 min. of exercise in yesterday.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Hi everyone. We ended up with 8.5 inches of snow here and up to a couple feet in the mountains. The PA turnpike is closed and hundreds of people have been stranded for 15 hours. Emergency crews are having a very hard time getting to them. I would not have been out there in the first place, but I guess people think they will get through. Normally the turnpike is kept clear but I guess it was just too much for them. I realize that other areas of the country have it much worse.

We are staying in today and I am planning on making meatloaf. That's about the only thing I have on hand to make. ]

Karrine, I have not cut out carbs completely. I eat a lot of vegetables and very small portions of starchy carbs. This morning I had eggs with 2 slices of sprouted grain toast. I will put bread crumbs in my meatloaf, and make potatoes with it, but might only eat 1 or 2 cubes of potato. It's what I have to do or take a lot more meds for blood sugar, which I don't want to do. It's possible that your diabetes is mild and you only have to watch sugar intake.

Mary, I'm sorry that you have to take that much medicine and still have trouble with your blood sugar. It is really helpful that I don't crave sweets. Bread is my major problem, and I also like pasta. I only eat it about once a month and try to keep portions small.

Just got home from our gd's basketball game. They are so cute at that age and I can see some improvement in them all...some more than others. We took her gifts she left at our house on Christmas. Felt badly that she didn't have them to play with but knew she has plenty other gifts. Our son has a package to pick up and I'm hoping to see the baby too when he comes over today.

Yesterday I got two nice cups from the Jerusalem Prayer Team.. an organization I like to support. I really like the cups and since I'd forgotten they were coming, It was a fun surprise. Since I don't enter sweepstakes very often anymore, I kinda miss the surprises I used to get in the mail every now and then, but I just don't have time for entering so much now.

So far I'm on plan today. I did well here at home yesterday but dinner out really messed me up. I got a hamburger and french fries, intending not to eat many fries, didn't eat them all but I did eat too many. I remembered to take my meds before I ate though and amazingly my bs was great at 111 two hours later!! Do not understand that except must be the meds. This morning was higher than usual but before lunch it was ok. I'm glad to see lower numbers at least 1/2 the time now.

You may remember me saying I told my doctor about my memory problems.
It was really hard to talk about because it is hard to even think about the possibility of dementia coming on. I also find that if you tell someone they begin to think you don't remember anything right and that is not true and it kind of hurts you know? So you want to keep it to yourself, however I feel it is also better to get treatment if it is needed and get it early to perhaps at least slow it down. Not that I know that is my future, but just in case.

Yesterday I was telling my dh something about one of my gs and I could not remember my gs' name. True, I have 12 gc and sometimes I'll say the wrong name, but usually I will say one or two wrong names and then get it right. This time my mind was just blank and I think that's the scariest part. I know it does not necessarily mean dementia though. My grandmother lived to be 104 and she never had dementia, but I remember her saying, one day she was out shopping and suddenly she could not remember her own name! She said it was so scary! But finally she remembered and I never remember or heard of her being confused again. I visited her at age 100 and she was fine, alert, oriented and able to fully engage in conversation etc. Just thought of this...wonder whether any of my meds could cause memory loss. I'll check that.

Well need to get to work...have a good weekend.

Mary Memory is a strange thing. I practice remembering Church member's names by looking in our Directory and try to even remember the children's names, too. Anything to keep the old brain working. Hope you let go the anxiety because that can make you less able to remember. May the diabetes meds work better and better.

Carol Sue We are well above 16 inches and icicles off our 1 story roof have been knocked down so DH could go from back door to feed the birds. Our subdivision roads are fairly good, but neighbor's plow just pushed all the snow over on our driveway - that is not shoveled yet. OUCH.

Strange thing happened to the meat in the slow cooker. It was londen broil beef, but even 10 hours cooked on low it was so dry and hard to chew. Never had that happen with any beef in our lives. At least the broth and veggies were good.

The road from our subdivision to another larger road is horrible. In 20 minutes only 7 vehicles went by as I had my coffee and looked out the back window. We were asked to stay off the roads, all stores closed and churches and Monday school, too. 2 interstates closed yesterday and I assume they were able to clear them by today.

Karrine Laundry day here, too, but I hate exhausting our good warm air outside when the extremely cold air comes in to replace it. Will be ironing after I get some time on treadmill.

Going to get some exercise to get blood flowing and a few muscles stronger.

Sandy

Hello ladies,

Love the thread name and I am 57 now so I guess I qualify. New here so I wanted to say hi and join you in you weight lose journey.

Good morning,
It looks like today and tomorrow will be the big clean up of all the snow some of you got. I'm still surprised that some people just don't listen when told to stay indoors and off the roads. Other than church this morning I don't have any other plans for today except watching football this afternoon. Denver is playing.

Carol - I'm glad you have not cut out carbs completely as I think that would be next to impossible. Sounds like you are doing a fantastic job of limiting them.

Mary - I plan on treating myself with dinner out at the end of each month so I might be having fries too. I know I went out for that 90th birthday but I could not get out of that one. I also think it is fairly normal to start getting forgetful as we get older. I find I am too and I've always been bad at remembering names. You write like you have a very good memory so I wouldn't worry about it too much yet.

Akhomegirl - welcome to our group and hope you stay with us. I am 73 yrs. old and have quite a bit of weight to lose.

Have a good Sunday everyone,
Karrine

Good Morning! Today is my birthday. I am 70 years old and finally consider myself elderly. LOL No one else in my immediate family made it to 70 so I consider myself lucky. We aren't doing anything special. We have to go to the funeral home sometime today and will probably eat out somewhere. No definite plans.

I was looking through some old magazine this morning, getting ready to send them to the recycling. Then when I got online my vision was blurry, even with my good eye. I hope it was just because I was reading the magazines. I am way over due on my eye exam. I sure hope I'm not going to lose any vision in this eye, too. I can see distance in the bad eye but not up close. Welcome to old age! LOL

Mary, I rarely have a blood sugar of 111 2 hours after a meal, even if I don't eat carbs! So you did good. I am starting to remember to take my meds before I eat and it's working out a little better.

Karrine, how did you become a Broncos fan, living in Canada? DH will root for Denver, now that the Steelers are out of the running.

Sandy, we get long icicles on our house too. We don't understand why we get them and a lot of other people don't. We put new insulation in our attic a couple years ago and that's supposed to stop the icicles, but we did it ourselves and maybe we did it wrong.

Welcome AKhomegirl. Tell us more about yourself. DH watches a TV show about a family living in the wilds of Alaska, but I'm sure that doesn't portray all day-to-day Alaskan living. LOL

Happy Birthday Carol Sue ~ hope it is a wonderful day.

Good morning GG's,

It is a nice sunny day here today ~ but on the chilly side. In the 30's this morning, but now up to 46*

I have been needing to go out to the store, but because it is chilly, I keep putting it off. I am such a weather woos now ~ since living in the south and being more used to hot temperatures.

Worrying about my son ~ he came home from work early the other night ~ had hurt his back. He has had back pain for a few years, and had some kind of treatment a few years back that helped it for a while. He had to go to a doctor for workman's comp. They did some xrays and prescribed him some meds. He is supposed to go back to work today and be on light duty. He is worried that he won't be able to tolerate even that ~ said it hurts no matter what he is doing ~ standing, sitting or whatever. I'm worried because the med (the muscle relaxer) makes him feel groggy and loopy he said ~ and I wonder how he can work in that condition.

Trying again to do the 5 minute walks every hour ~ to add up to 30 minutes and to make me move often so I don't get so stiff. So far, so good ~ I've done it twice so far. I think what has happened on the other days is that I get busy ~ working on something or just messing on the computer and lose track of time and before I know it ~ the whole day is gone and I haven't done it. So, I have a small kitchen timer hanging around my neck and set it to ring every hour to remind me to stop and walk.

I have been more stiff and achy here lately ~ I think it is that cold weather getting to me.

Carol Sue ~ gosh, I hope your eyes are ok. Again, Happy Birthday to you

Karrine ~ I like your idea of treating yourself to a meal out at the end of the month. Maybe I will try that. Might give me something to look forward to. For me, I'm thinking that maybe it could be something I don't usually get to have on my regular diet. And I might have to go by myself to do that. DH and I do go out to eat sometimes, but with him along, it is just more of what we usually have at home ~ vegies, salads. Going out and having more of that isn't anything to look forward to.

Welcome Homegirl ~ glad to have you join us.

Sandy ~ you have been doing great getting time on the treadmill. Hope the roads are better by the time you need to get out on them.

Mary ~ glad you got to enjoy your granddaughter's basketball game. Try not to worry too much about the memory thing ~ I think when you feel stressed about it, it makes it worse.

Gonna get off and maybe make a recipe. Want to sort of tune in to the football games this afternoon.

Hope you all are having a good weekend.

CarolSue Ouch on the vision issue. Please go soon to get them checked by a REAL doctor, not just one that prescribes glasses. A week ago I had my eyes dialated, photo of the nerves in my eyes, pressure, check for progress of slow growing cataracts. Actually came out fine on all tests to my relief. Vision in my left eye grows worse, but it isn't the cataracts that are very little.

Karrine The meals problems are really making life hard for you. Wish you could get food off your mind. Agree that having a really good restaurant meal at the end of the month would be a fun thing to anticipate. Believe I'll try that, too.

Gayle. How lucky you are to have warmer temperatures. For the first time in over a week we finally reached a tiny bit above freezing. Usually have been below 20 deg day and lower at night.

May your son's back heal and may he find a job that doesn't put him in such situations of more injury.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROL SUE!!!! Welcome to my neck of the woods, the 70's. To be honest mine have been better than I expected, but I retired before I was 71, so that helped lots. Hope you can continue your goal to stay out of the 200's.

DH is watching NFL, but I am simply too restless to do so. He spent 30 minutes out shoveling those 18 inches of snow off between back door to shed where tools are kept. He began pushing off the snow from our car and from Pat's Van. This meant more snow on driveway and we still couldn't get to either vehicle.

Pat shoveled for an hour and her strong body made a huge difference, we can get to the driver's side of our car, and room to back out of driveway very, very carefully into the driveway directly across the street from us if we have to. Sun melted some after the drive was exposed and the sun heated the vehicles to help melt off the rest of the snow there. PROGRESS.

Sandy

Carol SueDH reminded me that when the sun shines down on a roof it shines THRU the snow and begins heating the roof to melt the snow on the underside. Not all the heat is coming from the house. I didn't know that. If your roof is darker then you'll have more icicles. Our's isn't real dark, but has lots of insulation in attic (plus some boxes of stuff from our kids that probably also acts like some insulation.)

Way to go Denver and Payton Manning. Close game. Will do personals in the morning....I'm off to watch TV in bed now.
Karrine

Ready to go to church, so thought I'd post now. I think its in the 40s this am. Haven't seen the sun yet but it looks bright out. I'm still a little sore and stiff from the weights I 've been using at the gym. Funny, the first day I did ones for my lower body (legs/knees) and my thighs were sore, last time I did ones for my upper body and now my arms are sore.

Looked up drugs causing memory loss/confusion and one type I take is the statins. It advises if your cholesterol isn't too bad, to take B12 sublingually, B6 and folic acid. I take all these except the B12 I take right now isn't taken sublingually, and I don't take nearly as high doses of B6 or folic acid. I messaged my doctor to see what he thinks about this. At my recent visit he did say next time he wants to check my B12 values, so think he might be thinking along the same lines. Today I also spoke to a friend who's dh has recently been diagnosed with dementia (poss alz) and asked about how it came on. His symptoms are mostly different than mine but there are similarities. However that could be just because no one noticed the very early signs and he might have not thought much about them. I can see how that could happen. I am usually very alert to changes in my body.

Glynne/Sandy - While it is kind of scary when these incidents happen, I honestly do not feel I am very anxious about this memory thing...It's just that I am the type that is interested in any symptoms I experience and like to address the issue head on to hopefully prevent future decline or whatever. So I am thinking about this the same way. I do not believe in ignoring symptoms. I prefer to recognize the possibility and do what I can to help myself or at least prepare myself and my family for what may happen. Not now (for fam) but if and when that time should come. I know there are meds that they use now and my friend's dh is so far helped by one of them. I am also very aware that whatever the future is, while I might not like where that is, God will be there when I get there and will help me through it.

Glynne - Hope your son's back problem is only temporary. It's hard when you hurt and have to work. Has he tried laying on the floor with ice under his back? Ten min at a time. Also I was told to keep my body in proper alignment, with a pillow under the curve on my neck. That helps me if I do it a few times when I'm in pain. I think that might be good idea ...that one meal a month where you can eat something different. Your dh is certainly disciplined...I don't think even my dh could do that unless he just really liked that kind of food and he's pretty disciplined, but he doesn't like to stick to someone else's plan.

Carol Sue -:bday2you: Hope you are having a good day...wait, you are going to the funeral home on your birthday! That doesn't sound so good. Well do the best you can.:) I don't consider 70s elderly, Carol, to me they are the "youth" of old age...80s are the middle and 90s are definitely elderly! ;)
Of course it does depend on how healthy we are. My sister in her 80s seems to feel very elderly. I think it is because her back and feet hurt her so much and she now has to use a walker when she goes out which isn't often.

Karrine - We eat out abt once a week, occasionally more, like this week. Too often for someone trying to lose weight! Today we ate in the same diner and I ordered the same hamburger, but no french fries, instead I had a side of tomato slices. However I did share a few fries that dh got with his fish n chips. At least I didn't eat as many that way. They did make a mistake and put one slice of cheese on my burger, but I ate it anyway...figured it only added 50-70 cals. at least I hope. I ordered a diet coke and noticed they had flavorings for the sodas ...haven't had that in a very long time so I asked for sugar free cherry flavoring in my coke. It was so good...would have been even better in a regular coke, but I can't have everything I guess.:^:

AKhome - Welcome to our group! As you can tell we talk of many things not just weight. I look forward to getting to know you.

Sandy - I'm thinking of doing cross word puzzles cause I've heard that helps. suppose there are sites where you can do them...I prefer to do things online. I do jig-saw puzzles (online) fairly often and even just being online you would think is a way of using your brain. I also read. I notice following a recipe is harder for me than it used to be...I often miss a step or an ingredient. Usually doesn't hurt though.;) Like you say memory can be funny (tricky)...most of the time I think my mind is still pretty sharp..then suddenly something wierd happens.

Thinking of you all with the snow/cold. Hopefully spring is not too long in coming. BTW I started this post much earlier before we left for church and just finished now at 4:01.

Found lots of sites for crossword puzzles ..so far I like this one best.
http://games.aarp.org/games/crossword-easy/gameend.aspx

I've never been very good at crossword but tried this one using the regular option and got 2216. Top scorer is 2256. Wonder if I can believe my score? ;)
I did look up a few but I got more myself than I expected. Maybe there's hope for this old brain yet. :)

Sandy thanks for suggesting this...

Good morning,
Today is reporting day for me and I have lost 3.50 lbs. this past week which makes me so happy. They say 10 lbs. is a dress size so I have a couple more lbs. to go to get there. My ankle took a turn for the worse yesterday even though I rested it most of the day. I'm getting so darn sick of this that I'm going to call the doctor this morning. I don't know what he can do but I'll see what he has to say about it.

Carol - HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!! I didn't read yesterday's personals until this morning. Welcome to the 70's club. Hope you had a good time. Take good care of your eyes. My mother was blind so I am very big on eye care and the CNIB is my favorite charity. All Canadians who like football have a favorite US football team. We don't have a big NFL franchise that I know of here in Canada but I'm big on Canadian Hockey and Baseball.

Gayle - sorry about your son's back and the trouble he is having to get comfortable. Hope it feels better today. Keep up the good work of trying to walk a bit every hour. I'm getting pretty stiff now from lack of walking. Yes, I thought a once a week eating out treat will work for me too.

Sandy - yes, I have good on my mind probably too much but I have to journal what I eat every day and plan accordingly. I'm treating this diet like a kind of "hobby" in forcing myself to journal everything. Hope you try my method of eating out once a month too as I feel we deserve it if we have been good most of the month.

Mary - good for you in going to the gym regularly. That kind of stiffness you get is a good stiffness from working out as you know you are doing something right. You bring back fond memories of my teenage years when you spoke of "cherry cokes" which were very popular here as a teenager. I'm a real homebody and don't go out as much as you do so I'm not tempted to go to a restaurant if I'm out and about near meal time. I'm going to try that crossword puzzle link you posted. Thank you as I like doing crosswords.

Have a good day everyone,
Karrine

Carol - correction. We do have a Canadian Football league but it doesn't hold a candle compared to the US football. I have never watched the Toronto Argos (football) play a game on TV but it is broadcast. Hope this answers your question.
Karrine