January Keep In Touch Thread
 

2010 ~ HAPPY NEW YEAR ~ 2010


May this new year of a new decade be a year of new beginnings, renewed hopes, new dreams, renewed health, new victories, and a year full of new blessings for you and yours ...


RUTH ~ ya, you need a fuller stomach to go with that wine! Remember that tonight too eh? :lol:

:hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Good morning in the New Year.

We have lots of folks who pop into the Diabetes Support Forum, ask a question and then leave. Please post in this thread once in a while so we can see how you are doing. You will be very :welcome:

Thanks to Rosebud's reminder, my BGL has been fine the past two mornings. Some friends were over last night and I did have champagne but remembered to eat properly too. It's all about balance.

I've been regularly doing time on the treadmill which should help with weightloss. Things got a bit out of control but now I want to get down to 185 by mid-March when I go to Disney with my grand daughter. I'll need to keep up with her and she's nine!

How did you survive the holidays? Check in and let us know.

holiday success
 

Hi friends. I want to share that I have had some success over the holidays.
I coped by not sitting near the food at gatherings, and giving up alcohol completely.
(can't figure out why giving up drinking wasn't the least bit difficult, but eating properly is so hard!)
In fact, at our own holiday party, I bought a case of large bottles of Perrier, and they were more popular than the wine, the beer and the soda pop, even the diet soda. We went through the whole case. People who were avoiding drinking and driving really appreciated it, as did folks who didn't want the sweetness of pop all night. (even the diet pop is too sweet to drink all evening). So that was a great success.
I also didn't gain any weight. I did not lose weight, but didn't have weight loss as a goal during this time.
I kept my blood sugars within target range the entire time.
So all of these are non-scale successes.
My next goal of course will be to keep this up AND lose weight.
My other goal is to increase activity. I did this to some degree, but didn't quite keep to plan on exercise. So I have to work on this too.
I am off work for the whole month of February and am planning a holiday that includes lots of physical activity, (cross country skiing) so I want to be in better shape to enjoy that more.
I hope to check in here to report on my progress.
I thank you all for your posts, I like to read them and get inspired by you.
:hug:

Great idea getting a case of Perrier. There was way too much wine consumed around here over the holiday.

I also posted my tempting chocolate dessert that I made over the holidays, (twice). I adapted it to sugar-free myself. It is helpful for choco-holics especially (that would be me) and would be ok for atkins types too. It is very rich, so maybe wait for valentines day to try it. Enjoy friends

WOWIE RUTH ~ that was magic! :lol: I saw this thread and thought ... how did that happen? I'm sure I didn't start a new thread while I was sleeping! ;) By the way, that's a great holiday movie, if you haven't seen it; a nice modern holiday romance called "While You Were Sleeping" with Bill Pullman and Sandra Bullock.

Well, I did pretty good; like FATMAD, I was also just looking to maintain and do the best I could. Now, we did have some treats, and I cut my stocking down to three things; but I still have most of it left and put that away for future snacks (ie dark chocolate). We had lots leftover, and found that people preferred the nuts and mini-crackers this year.

So I am taking note of that for next year; and both ladies shared my sugar-free custard and like it too! Only DH had the pumpkin pie; the other guys passed as I think they ate some snacks before dinner. My plan is to get better and better each year; and I think I accomplished that. I tried to stay at a set number of calories a day for maintainence; and I had some days that were even under.

FATMAD ~ I think the Perrier was a great idea too. People are really becoming more and more health conscious in this country, and it is very noticeable these days.

It's time to get all the indoor decos put away; and I will be sorting them out as I go becuz I need to downsize this year. We have way too many boxes and I want to get them down to a more managable number, as we don't have as much storage space here. So that is my big project for this week.

Hope you all have a great week coming up; and take good care ... Rosebud :flow1:

It's great that Fatmad is here with good ideas and disgusting but yummy food PORN recipes. By the way, there are lots of good recipes for Diabetics in the Recipe Section of the South Beach Forum - and in Sugar Busters too.

Today was my first back to normal day but a drift of snow against my door kept me from going to the gym at 7:30. My exercise was major shovelling :shrug: with a second treadmill session later this afternoon. I have decided to leave my "bling" tree up for the dark month of January as I do enjoy sitting in the parlour with my late afternoon tea. (I have a small artificial tree decorated with the contents of my jewellery box. My guests are frisked before they leave!) I will stash away the rest of the stuff before my cleaning woman comes on Thursday.

Just had a huge salad with all sorts of good things. I seem to avoid salads in winter but this one tasted great - romaine, shredded carrot, a bit of turkey bacon and a wee piece of blue cheese. I had some excellent crackers with it - www.marysgonecrackers.com. A friend brought them to me from the States and I need to figure out how to get them again.

Happy first Monday of the new year.

Hi and Happy New Year to you all. I ran out of test strips and was unable to test by bgl over the holiday. Just as well, since I probably would not like what I saw. Had a pre-New Year's gastritis attack, but that didn't slow me down much as far as wine and other good stuff. Now I feel bloated and sluggish. Time to implement my resolutions and get on track. Came into work today and found four boxes of candy on the kitchen table! I'll just stick to my banana and yogurt, thank you.

Hi Rosetta. I was wondering where you are. Those people who put candy on your desk are agents of the devil. Stick to your guns. I had the first big salad in a long time and already feel perkier.

RUTH ~I figure the real reason people bring those boxes of chocolates to work is becuz they don't want to eat them either -- they want us to eat them! We have to be strong and say "No way, Hosay!" ;) BTW, I luv your new avatar ...

Oh, and I am leaving my tree up for a while too; it's too lovely to take down. Mine is a small artificial one that looks like a real fur tree and it's so pretty! I'm just gonna sort boxes out for now. DH & decided today to leave the tree up for January too; great minds think alike, they say ... :D

HI ROSETTA ~ I didn't check my sugars either; maybe this week ... haha! Somebody should throw all that junk out! Where's the food cops when you need them? ;)

Hope you all have a great OP week; did good today ... yeah! :carrot:

Funny you should mention my avatar as I was considering changing it. It's a bit negative and also too pastel - I'm not a pastel person.

Down a pound today and excellent BGL so I'm feeling pumped! Now to keep that feeling through treadmill and snow shovelling. Food is all planned for the day. I have another foodie event tonight but am taking hummus and red pepper strips plus Perrier.

stepping to the tv shows!
 

Hey friends: Don't know if any of you are fans of biggest loser. I have never watched it before, have never really liked "reality" shows of any kind. Decided to watch the season opener tonight, since there was nothing else of interest, and I wanted some inspiration. Others here are fans, so I wanted to see what the fuss is about.

One thing, as I was watching these people work their butts off, I couldn't just sit and watch, I realized thats how they got there. SO I started using my wii fit balance board as a stepper and stepped through about 20 minutes of the show.
this was great since I hadn't done much exercise today.
Then I thought that might be a good thing to do regularly.

I am not sure if I will continue to watch, I don't like the whole concept of eliminating people, punishment instead of reward. But I may try stepping while watching tv otherwise. hmmm, guess I was inspired!:carrot:

Fatmad, I am inspired by the exercise as long as it's not extreme but seldom watch the show because of the punishment concept. I think the show convinces people here in 3FC that they can lose massive amounts of weight in a short time although we all know a week of BL is much longer than a real week. That being said, I think stepping or weights while watching TV is a great idea. I am going to move my five pounders downstairs today!

Did OK yesterday except I forgot to take my Perrier when I walked to Book Club. Hmmmm. I did have a single glass of wine as I didn't want to be picked up for impaired walking! :rofl: Today will have to be another OP day if I want to keep my ticker honest.

Happy first Hump Day of 2010!

Ruth, good for you for walking to book club. I have been doing well all week, but no sign of change on the scale yet. Hosting a potluck tonight, have made sure the dessert is low carb and sugar free, (the person bringing it is married to a diabetic.) I am doing a big salad, and will have a back up main that is low carb if no one else brings something appropriate. So then I have to be sure not to overdo it by eating too much.

Hi, all. Still fighting the new year's blahs. My BGL has been great though. 82 yesterday and 110 today. Must be doing something right. I'm trying to scale down my food intake but it's hard. That candy is still sitting in our office. Most of it doesn't appeal to me, but I'm a goner for See's. Fortunately that's almost gone.
Fatmad - I have watched the Biggest Loser in the past, but like Ruth, I don't like the punishment aspect of it. Also, I believe a lot of those people put most or all of the weight back on because there is no follow-up maintenance program. That said, I wouldn't mind being secluded for six months with nothing to worry about except losing weight. My exercise is minimal right now because of some wierd hip problem. Guess I'll have to find an orthopod.
Have a good week.

No coffee this morning as I'm off for bloodwork. I sure hope Nurse Dracula hit with her first stab. It'll be interesting to see where the HA1C is after the holiday festivities.

RUTH ~ Hope your tests go well for you ... the decription of your tree was very funny! I tried to get in here to post last night and just couldn't; something was causing my PC to freeze or jam on and on and on. DH & I had just been talking about it being a shame to take our tree down so soon as it looked so pretty; it's an artificial Pine tree, but looks so real people think it is ...

Anyways, we also had decided to brighten up this long dull winter -- that we are going to leave our tree up longer too: starting a new tradition. We took down most of the room decos yesterday; sorted out the boxes, and the spare room. Gots lots of exercise yesterday for sure. Today, had to go to the dentist's and it went very well! :carrot:


ROSETTA ~ those are good numbers! Each day, I am getting better; a few days, I was borderline, but eventually scaled 100 c's off and now am back under my line. Today we went shopping and I bought myself a bunch of healthy foods & snacks: bananas, turkey pepperettes, babybells, hickory nuts (which are a complete protein), baby cukes, granola cereal, and no-sugar added maple syrup to add to what I already have here.

FATMAD ~ there are so many good foods out there; that it is possible to eat well even at a potluck -- lean meats, salads, raw veggies & dips, etc. I went to a party that had two kinds of salad: broccoli salad & confetti coleslaw plus raw veggies & low-fat ranch dip; plus a few meat dishes like
turkey sausages, meatballs, lean ham; and baked rice & veggies (mock fried rice). I filled my plate up with the salads & veggies & meat. Hope you have a nice time ...

Take good care and have a great Friday ... Rosebud :flow1:

a bit disappointed
 

I thought I was doing well with diet and exercise,but gained a pound this week. :(
My sugars are fine, and I am going to do some glucometer checks in the next couple of weeks to see just how out of line they are. When I spoke with my educator mine in within acceptable range, but if a 10-20% variance is going on, then my 6.5 might be a 5.5 and am well within normal.
Somewhen mentioned doing labs and worrying about dracula getting the vein the first time....
I had a terrible experience last year at the lab. Extremely painful.
I take blood myself at work, as do my colleagues and have never had complaints. Have been asking clients since then to let me know about painful blood draws but no problems. When I get my colleagues to draw blood it is not anymore painful than the pinprick of the needle. SO don't accept poor quality blood draws, they don't have to hurt. Of course sometimes people have difficult veins, but even so, if you find a good tech who does it well, stick with that tech. We do enuf poking and pricking and have lots of ouchies, lets not make it worse!
I will double down on my efforts for exercise and eating well and hope for better next week.

Fatmad, since I live in the boonies, I'm sort of stuck with going to Nurse Dracula at the clinic in the next town. Otherwise I have a half hour drive (usually with my low morning BGL) to get it done at the lab. I tease about Nurse D but she really does try and is finally listening to me when I tell her where to find a vein. The little buggers roll away from the needle. Anyhow, she got her nine vials - not sure why so much as it's usually only 7 but....

It'll be interesting to get the results which won't be until next week. I always ask for a copy of the lab report.

Shovelling on the agenda today. Will it ever stop snowing?

Howdy, All
 

I hope everyone had a happy holiday season and happy new year. I have not posted here in awhile but I lurk from time to time. The holiday season has not been kind to my weight loss. Through November and December, I have been stuck on a plateau. Lax dieting and too many days off from exercise showed me what it takes to maintain my weight, but I want to start losing again. I met with my dietitian this morning and I managed to lose a pound in the past week. Not much, but it's a start in the right direction. I am able to jog now and have joined the "1000 miles in 2010" challenge. My miles will be done via walking and jogging. My blood sugars have been in check, except for a minor hiccup on Christmas day at the movie theater. There was a drink mix up and I somehow ended up with regular Coke instead of the Coke Zero I ordered. I can't taste the difference, but about half way through the large drink my body told me what happened. Boy, it was like being drunk but without the mental impairment or giddy happiness. Feet and hands went numb, fuzzy head feeling, and blurred vision. Not quite the surprise gift I was hoping for on Christmas. ;)

Regarding the topic of blood draws and good techs, I absolutely adore and appreciate the great work done by the gals I see. I have a big vein on my left arm that is every techs dream. I am, however, afraid of needles and cannot bring myself to watch. The tech who draws my blood for my blood tests is very skilled. I'm usually in and out in no time at all, plus there is very little pain. The ladies at Bonfils, where I donate platelets, are very accommodating. They know I only donate from my left arm and try to get me into the lefty chair whenever possible. We now have an ongoing inside joke whenever I show up for my donation. Each time, I will be asked by everyone, several times, if I need to go to the little boys room. Platelet donations can take up to two hours and I made the mistake of drinking something prior to one of my donations. I was almost at the finishing point but I broke down and asked to be disconnected so I could use the restroom. Murphy's Law was in effect and it took longer than usual to get me disconnected and to bandage me up. I really thought I was going to wee in my pants that day. :o

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I'll try not to be such a stranger.

Hi, all. Rainy here. BGLs still up a little but still in a good zone. Haven't been too successful in reining in the food yet. I'm going to try to cook next week. I rely mostly on takeout but have a freezer full of healthy stuff I haven't touched in 6 months.
Re blood draws. I apparently have difficult to find veins and there are lots of clutzes working for the lab I am required to use. The turnover there is horrendous. I usually end up with a bruise. Once a mean nurse in an ER gave me a huge bruise that lasted for months. Occasionally I luck into a good phlebotomist.
Z - I hate it when they switch the drinks. I can usually tell after a few sips and I take it back and have it exchanged.
Have a good weekend.

I should get the HA1C results tomorrow. In the meantime, everything is stable including the darn scale. Sometimes I don't understand why it stays exactly the same weight or blips up when I've been perfectly on plan. I suspect salt in the soups I've been indulging in lately.

RUTH ~ I think you are right; salt is likely the culprit most of the time -- causing water retention. At least you didn't gain. I have cut down our salt intake quite drastically. If I use soup base, I don't add any salt to the soup or other dishes. Hope your test results are good.

We are blessed to have skilled technicians here; they have done a pretty good job over the years, and I do have small veins (they get that larger vein in my left arm too). I can usually tell regular pop from diet on the first sip; sometimes they mix up DH's and my drinks, I taste the other one then hand him the right one. :lol:

Hope you all have a SUPER SERENE SUNDAY ... Rosebud :flow1:

:( I'm a bit disappointed. My HA1C was 6.7 which is up a tad from 6.5 last time. I guess the extra carbs over the holidays did me in a bit. I did have several high (for me) morning readings.

Down a pound today from good eating yesterday EXCEPT for being attacked by Christmas cake I'd forgotten to serve. It was soaking in brandy in the pantry cupboard but is now re-wrapped and frozen for next year. It was delicious but my BGL was up a bit this morning. :nono:

Raising my coffee mug to us all for a good day! :coffee:

Hi, all. It's supposed to rain here today so it's warmed up a little. My BGLs have been going up this week. I'm not doing anything different. :?: Ruth, I had my A1c done before the Christmas influx of temptations so it was still below 6. We're down to the last box of office candy (I hope!). Glad you put the rest of the Christmas cake in the freezer. That would have done me in too.

good stuff
 

I went skiing twice on the weekend. DIdn't workout yesterday, worked a 14 hr day instead. tonight am watching biggest loser, so plan to get on the treadmill or step in a few minutes.
My blood sugars have been good. BUT
I am not losing weight, and am struggling. I can't seem to stick to low carb, so will plan to go lower carb. I think I have to accept doing weights and measures of my food and/or calorie counting. I have been in denial, thinking I can do without that. But your posts have me convinced.
I meet with the diabetes educator tomorrow, and well schedule a session with the dietition after that. If I have to I will even join weight watchers.
Dammit, if nothing else, watching the biggest loser is convincing me that if I don't get a handle on myself now, I will wind up like these people. They are just regular people, normal human beings with human failings, just like me, and I could get there too.
Ruth, too bad about the difficult blood draws, but I can sure understand not having a long drive when you have low blood sugars. take care.

FATMAD ~ you know, I am actually glad to hear you say what you did, though some might be offended -- sometimes I want to SCREAM at younger folks to watch what they are doing now, or they will end up like me! BUT, I don't becuz they might think I'm looney tunes ... :lol:

Yes, I thought I didn't need to journal, but once I tried it, I was amazed how much it helped me. I stopped for a week or so, and back I went to mindless munching -- oh, on good stuff, but too much. Even too much good stuff, can send your sugars up and keep you from reaching your goals ...

Just try it for a month and see for yourself; that's what I did. It's good to get things sorted out now BEFORE bigger health issues come into play -- I sure wish I new 10 years ago what I know now! :hug:

Hello everyone .. Im new to the forum and recently diagnosed with Type 2. I must admit I was a bit miffed when all I received was a phone call to tell my this in early December with directions to pick up my glucometer at the pharmacy and to stay away from junk food and pop. I would have thought I would have met with someone who would teach me what I need to know. So I used the excuse that if it wasn't that bad to warrant a visit to the doctor then it couldn't be that bad. I started cutting out my sugar .. and really the only time I have sugar is in my 12 cups of triple triple coffee a day. I rarely eat potatoes, pasta or rice ... but I must admit I like the occassional french fry. I dont think I am a typical over eater ... cuz I dont like the texture of food .. if I could drink my meals everyday I would. So I avoid chewing my food as much as possible .. I know most people dont understand me about the texture but hey .. why would they. Im 5'8" and weigh 260 lbs.
Since the phone call my BSL has had one high of 12 and a low of 4. I have gone on alot of website to read and got some GI info from a friend but I am finding some of the foods that should raise my levels arent doing that at all. I have stayed away from bread after having a sugar jump from WW bread .. last night I had a small pumpernickle bun with my huge salad and boiled chicken breast ... my level were 4.3 two hours after eating.
I dont know maybe they messed up my test or something .. even after having two XL double double coffees and special K cereal yesterday morning my levels were at 4 by noon.
I guess I have alot to learn and alot of weight to loose. I am kinda of active in that I am on the go all the time .. not necessarily "exercise" .. I garden in the summer .. and garden all winter in a large greenhouse ... lots of lugging and lifting. Its not a cardio workout by any means =) I am planning on joining Curves as this will at least get me into some type of exercise routine.
I am hoping to lose 80 - 100 lbs and I know it will be a long haul but I think Im up for it ..
Is there some place that I can find out what all the abbreviations mean? Sometimes I will read posts and I have no clue what they are talking about .. its a whole new world and language for me.
Laura

exercise success
 

I am really happy that I have managed exercise 4 days of the last 5, with the day off being a long work day. THis is major for me. Although I truly believe that exercise is necessary for my health and weight loss (and of course to help my sugars) I am notoriously lazy and a poor exerciser.
I certainly don't mean to offend anyone when I am talking about the size of people on biggest loser, what I am meaning to say is that I can't judge them at all for their size, I am in the same position, but hopefully getting on track earlier in the process. I see them as just regular people with eating problems very similar to me. In a few years, I could be in the same position if I don't act now. I am "officially" obese by my BMI.
To our newest friend, just come along and the abbreviations will start to make sense. We will be happy to answer any specific questions.
You should definitely ask for a referral to a diabetic counsellor, and keep learning about diabetes. Good for you for coming here for support and education too. best wishes to you

Hi Laura. I'm glad you found us. Yes, it takes a while to get used to the abbreviations. There is a thread here in South Beach that will help. I know it's missing stuff but it's a start.

Actually South Beach Phase II seems to work very well for me in keeping my BGL stable. Exercise is also key. (I'm a gardener too and envy you your work at the RBG! I worked as a volunteer in a local greenhouse here for many years and just loved it.

Problem: BGL was 3.2 this morning
Cause: No carbs with dinner last night
Solution: Smarten up!

:welcome: LAURA ~ there is a list of ACRONYMS in the Announcements and Forum Help Section at the top of the main Support Forum page ... here's a link to it; just click on it and you'll be there ... plus there are some other good info threads there to read that might be helpful to you ...


http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/anno...-acronyms.html

And yes, I find that some breads like pumpernickel and rye don't raise the sugar levels as some so-called whole wheat breads, which actually have a lot of white flour in them; they are not WHOLE GRAIN, so look for that on the label of your breads too ...


RUTH ~ I like that avatar too; very cute ... just like the last one!

FATMAD ~ it's OK -- I knew what you meant ... :hug:


Having nice warm temps here right now -- about 0C or 32F which is great for January here; love it ... hope you all have a wonderful day! Rosebud :flow1:

Hi Everyone and thanks for the warm welcome =) I need those warm fuzzies =)
Most of the acronyms for chat I do know =) Its more of the various abbreviations regarding BGL and various blood work etc that I don't understand. I skipped the RBG today due to a ill pet so I am cleaning the house .. so Im dust bunny hunting.
I would love to know what diets worked well for all of you. I have been eating fairly well mostly high protein and lots of salad and crystal light =) Crystal light is ok to add to my water isnt it??
As a rule I don't sleep alot and therefor I seem to start picking at food in the wee hours of the morning .. can someone point me in the snack food isle for dieting diabetics?? I give in far to easily and really maybe when I think about snacking I should just grab a bottle of Crystal Light and move on ...
I am finding it much easier to cook the meals for the kids than I thought it would be =) They requested to have chili fries for dinner last night and I was able to resist all that crunching goodness and the cheese .. =)
Wish me luck cuz its another day of learning and change =)

Peatpod, are there any particular acronyms that need explaining? Let us know.

Check out the South Beach Recipe sections for snacks that are OK for us. I think Sugar Busters has some too. Basically we should focus on complex carbs which means no sugar or white stuff like white flour and sugar.

Crystal Lite is fine to use. My only problem with that and diet colas is that they keep my body thinking sweet stuff and that's a thought pattern I'm trying to break.

hey everyone. My blood sugars are coming down a small amount, I'm usually in the 8-13 region when I wake up after 10am.

We've had around 6 inches of snow. Entire country ground to a halt! :(

:wave: HI CASANDRA ~ nice to see you back here; yes, I have heard that the UK had snow this year, and for Christmas too! It's just that they aren't used to all that snow and weren't prepared for it either ... but in time, it will all melt and things will get back to normal again. Enjoy it whilst you can ... :D


Had a good day; eating well, but did have some hungry moments this afternoon ... cravings to eat more for some reason, but fought back! Had fish and homefries with coleslaw, and cukes & tomatoes for dinner; trying to fill up on raw veggies to fill me up! ;) Did lots of housechores today too ... Rosebud :flow1:

diabetic educator
 

Had my meeting on Wednesday, learned a few things and got confirmation on some of what I am doing. Will reduce frequency of testing and do mostly 2 hr pc testing now. Will do food diary for a week etc. New round of blood tests ordered so will make my poor student do the blood draws, she needs the practice. Cant be as bad a nurse dracula, gee Ruth, wish you lived near me in western ontario instead of eastern.... I like the new avatar too.
I am also happy to announce I have exercised a minimum of 30 minutes for 6 days of the last 7. I think I have found ability to manage boredom on the treadmill and even bumped up speed and incline today. Not getting so sore so easily. Just might be getting in shape!

Re: snacking in the night.....I often have to pull all-nighters for work. my key is to avoid caffeine, (I only have a couple of cups of tea in the mornings, stop all caffeine after noon) and drink ice water during the night. I don't usually snack when awake. I try to keep meals to regular mealtimes during the day, since I am not a real shift worker. I will have a good meal with complex carbs before heading to bed, to help me to sleep and stay asleep. I think there was a thing on Oprah about night snacking, and about this getting to be a habit that is hard to break, and a bane of dieters and the overweight. Are you struggling with insomnia or just a night owl?

Have fun with the snow, it has warmed up a bit here and ours is melting some, but I still want to ski some this weekend so I hope it won't get too warm.
Have a nice weekend friends

:wave: We awoke to some lovely :sunny: this AM, and it stayed til about an hour ago, when some clouds rolled in ... drats!

I am eating well this week, even with a few cravings yesterday, but battled it out. Today, I made some healthy mini-muffins for snacks, while DH fixed one of my cupboards for me. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend ... Rosebud :flow1:

Casandra, so nice to see you again. I feel for you folks and the snow and cold. I was in France one year when it snowed and the world just stopped! The power was out too so we just napped and drank wine and napped. Repeat until done.

Rosebud, I remember the sun! I hope we see some too today. We have tons of snow, of course, but yesterday I could see the wood at the edge of the deck. I am looking forward to those March sunny days when I can sit out there in a sheltered corner and plan my garden.

Fatmad, congrats on the consistent exercise. How do you overcome treadmill boredom. I got some large print books and am trying to read while treading bit it's a bit awkward. Maybe I need a book holder. Your words about snacking are very true.

Weight is holding steady :( which is better that blipping up. I indulged in some salted dried green beans last night while watching TV. I might have better done embroidery to keep my hands busy!

Have a good weekend.

I am keeping the treadmill boredom off with television, if you can believe it. It all started with the biggest loser, I just can't sit still to watch it, the people on it are working out so hard....so I got on the treadmill. Now I am "taping" (using the pvr) for some favourite shows and watch them while on the treadmill. I sometimes get dizzy if I try to read on the treadmill, and its harder to pick up the pace etc. I have headphones I can connect to the tv if needed, or turn up the sound loud if no one else is there.
stay warm everyone

Hey Guys ... Well I am eating well .. at least I think so. I think I figured out how to get my average for my glucometer .. my 7 day average is 5.6 .. 30 day average is 6.1 ... 14 day average is 5.7 Are the numbers being this low normal for someone who has been newly diagnosed?? I keep thinking they messed up the original test. But I have been eating much better .. still giving into some cravings but very minimally =) Even if it turns out they messed up my results I still need to lose weight. This has been a wakeup call for me. I cant believe that I have only had a coffee on a few occassions .. and damn it was good =) The kids are complaining about having salad with dinner every night but they will get use to it. I'm not even sure if what I am doing will actually make me lose weight but it feels good.
I'm taking my foster daughter and myself to Curves on Sunday or Monday depending on what time she returns from her visit and signing up. She will make me go =) With the running around at the greenhouse and that I should be good for exercise until I feel I can handle a "regular" gym. I cant see myself huffing and puffing at a gym right now and I know I can do Curves.
Wish me luck =)