Well, tracking calories making a plan ahead of time does not work for this girl. Per my docs approval I set my calorie limit 1400. I find that planning ahead makes me overeat because I am eating even when not hungry to get all the calories eaten and while my bs is good in low 120, I am going to bed feeling stuffed. A feeling I totally hate and swore I would never allow myself to experience again. Yet I still want to track, so today I am tracking as I go without an advanced plan. I don't believe I will hit my maximum 1400 cals very often this way if I'm eating only when I'm hungry and even eating what I want, I honestly believe that eating and tracking this way, I may still find it difficult to reach the 1200 calories they say you have to eat.

I would love to do a very low carb woe, but I realize that I can't do that any more. I have a friend who does Ducan and she looks great, but I don't think it is good to go totally FF. Also you have to eat nothing but protein for the first 4 days and I couldn't get through the 1st day of nothing but protein when I tried it. I think they alternate... 1 day only protein and next day nothing but veggies no fruit. I want my fruit and I want at least a salad with my protein. So that doesn't fit me, my lifestyle or my personality. I still lean more toward Intuitive Eating where I only eat when hungry and stop when satisfied and for me don't eat till stuffed. I can't standK feeling stuffed and uncomfortable when I go to bed at night. So I think counting cals as I follow the IE guidelines fits me perfectly well.

Jane - To answer your question about the sweetners. I always loved Splenda and still use it when I'm in restaurants unless I have my Stevia with me. I use Stevia because it does not raise my FBS. When I started Intermittent Fasting, I tested my FBS while drinking tea/coffee with Splenda and with Stevia. I also use 1T FF half and half in coffee and my bs rose with the Splenda but not with the Stevia. I would suggest that if you want to use the sweetners to test to see how it affects fbs.

Ksail - Glad you and numbers are good.

Georgia, Ruthie, Mad and everyone else reading.Hi

I was just wondering if anyone who has been on insulin was able to get off of it by doing the Ideal Protein. My husband is a diabetic and the coach is saying he can get him completly off of the insulin and just stay on the pills.

Good morning girls. Couldn't wait to come here and report to you this morning...I read something yesterday and tried it out and I think it's worth sharing. I read a thread on another diabetes support group that touted the use of apple cider vinegar to lower morning blood sugar readings. Some were saying the just put a tablespoon or two in a glass of water and drank it before bed, plus ate a piece of cheese with it. Some said they just had it in their salad at dinner.

That's what I did, dressed my dinner salad with it, around 6 pm. I didn't eat anything else after dinner. My total net carb intake was 25 gm and I didn't exercise but stayed active most of the day.

This morning my fbg was 101! This is an experiment worth repeating! I'll let you know if I can duplicate results.

Have a great day!

Georoia - I know ACV has so many health benefits. I used to drink it in the mornings in water with honey when I was younger. Gave it to previous hubby because he had congestive heart failure and used such a low % of his heart docs wondered how he was living. I also heard about apple cider vinegar helping lower the bs and tried using it in my salads and yes I think it helped, however, I got bored with using oil and vinegar on my salads all the time. I had not heard about using it the way you said in water with cheese, but I would have no problem doing it.

Rie - Have a safe trip.

I'm going to the beauty shop today to get hair done. Usually go on Saturday but my beautician wants to leave early and go to her Mom's so they can go to a strawberry festival. So I'll get to sleep in tomorrow. Yeah!!

Had a fun time with Jaxx this morning teaching him to run a car back and forth on the floor and how to play the little tamborine we bought him for Christmas. He is starting to talk and repeat words he hears on the learning shows on tv. Perhaps this is the purpose of them being here with us. I'm the one who is here so his therapists can come each week and then I am trying to work with him some on my own. If that is why they are here, then it is worth it. He is such a sweetie. I'm trying to get him to learn to come to me or at least stop when I tell him too. I knew a mother who saved her son's life because he knew when she said "Stop" to stop. A car was racing down her street. She heard it as her toddler son was headed out to the street and she didn't have time to run to him so she just yelled his name and "Stop". The child stopped instantly and he is a fine young man today. Right now Jaxx is so focused on what he is headed to do that he will not stop or even respond when you call his name. Therapist told me with repitition hopefully he will learn to respond and obey. Good to know. Still don't know if he has a problem or just slow and needs a lot of training. I'm the one in the family has the time on my hands to do it and it gives me purpose.

Y'all have a great weekend.

Oh I changed my ticker goals. DH always said he thought I would look good at 150 lbs. So I'm making that my goal. Also makes me only have to lose 80 lbs instead of 100 +.

Got that little chick stomping on the flowers because she looks so determined that she is going to do this and that is how I feel and is the way I need to continue feeling that way. Hopefully she will be a reminder to this ole girl.

Hmmm - weight is now up to 184 and should not be according to my calorie logging. FBGL still OK at 4.2. I'm wondering if I am once again heading into edema as I did last fall. I'll monitor carefully today as I may be into too much sodium. Water! Water! Water!

Good morning! Couldn't wait to report here today. I have broken past 290lbs. finally! And morning fbg was 110 after eating a bit over on calories and a little later than usual. Under those conditions my fbg is in the 120s, so I think the apple cider vinegar helped.

Today is laundry and housekeeping day. Looking forward to getting my environment in order.

Congratulations! It's so great when those seemingly insurmountable walls come tumbling down.

Just determined that the weight gain may be edema - one ankle and foot is visibly much larger than the other. More water, my support stocking and a Monday call to the doc is in order.

Good Morning chickies,

Georgia- Congratulations on breaking past the 290 lbs. and the good FBS. I forgot the ACV last night. But wrote it into my plan for today. Also plan to start taking it again 1st thing in the morning like I used to do. It is so good for so many things. I don't think my house will be in order again until hubby's DD graduates from nursing school and gets a good enough job for her and her family to move out.

Y'all don't here me complain about it any more because life is too short to worry about it. I have given up on getting things organized while they are here. I figure when they move that I'm going to have to have someone come in and do a thorough cleaning of the house and have the house painted inside. I will have to replace a lot of things that they break, but I told DH the other day I'm not replacing somethings. I keep it as clean as I can and let the rest of it go. I chalk it up to people that either don't appreciate what you do for them or else they don't think they owe us anything for being here for them. Whatever it is, isn't all that important to me any more. I am focused on the fact of getting through this season of my life as well as I can knowing that "this too shall pass". I'm going to use this time to get myself in better health and come out of it "better" than I was when it started. Just decided not to allow a circumstance I have no control of destroy me or make me bitter. It is my hubby's family and I right now I am just so happy that he is feeling so much better. I know he isn't happy with things either, but we chose to walk through this together and when we get out of it we are never going to do it again. In fact, unless he changes his mind, we plan to sell our house and buy a smaller home so no one can ever live with us again. So on to happier times...

I used to like for Saturday to be my WI day so changing back to that. I am up 1.5 lbs from last week but I didn't drink enough water yesterday so I'm sure that will come back off quickly. So I'll be honest and start the weight with todays weight and will change ticker. Still using the IF, but not limiting myself to just 5 hrs. I read that limiting yourself to 8 hrs works just as well. So I have settled on my own way of weight loss. I will be doing the 8 hr eating window along with cycling calories. Not discouraged by recent gain because it happened while learning and tweaking my own personal weight loss plan. I am very happy with my plan and look forward to getting back to losing and becoming healthy in the process.

Our air conditioner went out on us last night. Got a man supposed to try to come out and fix it tomorrow. I'm just thankful it happened now and not later when it is really hot. House ought to be aired out pretty good by then. High today is supposed to be 85 and low 80's tomorrow. So we should be okay.

Well, it's getting later and DH hasn't got up yet. I am going to put our lunch on and hopefully he will be up and ready to eat by the time I get it made.

Later

hey gang, quick fly-by. DOing ok this weekend, a little stressful with communications difficulties with a colleague, but trying to keep it in perspective. Called into being on delayed call, so couldn't go away for the weekend, as another colleague was in a car accident. Did really well today with keeping in points. Still not logging as regularly as I should to keep them down. But have been eating lots of veggies and some fruits (free foods) to keep the grains down.
Rie: don't know if I forgot about the lupus, but I am happy to hear you are as active as you are with complex problems, as it is such a good way to manage them.
Trish: I think the planning could be used for WHAT you eat, not when you eat it. But if you know what you are eating for your next meal, when you get hungry you will eat right, instead of whatever is easy and handy. I truly hope you can find a way to manage with food. You are doing so well with family and all the busyness you have in your life!
Ruth: elevate the legs a bit too, and hope the edema improves.
everyone else, hellos and happy weekend.

Quick check in.

Fatmad - Thankx. I'm trying to focus on eating healthy more than anything and like the old WW Core (I think it is called Simply Fillings) now eat only when truly hungry. I've actually learned that there are times I think I need to eat something, but when I get busy doing something else that it passes and what I thought was hunger had passed and I wasn't hungry at all. On the other hand if I'm still hungry thin I eat if it is real hunger. Not really planning ahead, but sometimes I do have in mind what I want to eat that day.

Rie - I do try to keep that in mind too. We did this because we couldn't let those babies go on the street and we cared about what happens to them. Still don't understand some things, but guess I don't have to. I just have to do what is "right" on my end. Trying to get and keep the right perspective on all this and try to see the good and focus on less of the negatives.

Well, ac has to have a new motor and the guy can't order it until tomorrow so it won't be fixed any earlier than Tuesday. So now I just hope that the weather stays nice for the next few days. I'm sure thankful that it happened now instead of this summer.

Hope everyone is having a great day.

BGL of 5.1 this morning - probably from too many strawberries last night and the weight is holding steady. Yes, I will get the prescription renewed today although the swelling seems down on the leg.

Happy Monday!

fbs at 91 this morning after a busy weekend. After fishing on Saturday, I have been busy running around and getting organized for my trip. I can't believe that it is already here.

Yesterday I also bought a used, 17 foot 5th wheel rv. I have wanted one for a long time. Lots of bears on my country means that sleeping in tents is not always safe. Also, all the packing, loading and unloading is a lot of work. I am looking forward to just loading up groceries, hooking up and heading for the mountains this year! Yay!

Ruth, take care - that water retention stuff is scary and it is hard on your system.

Trish, yes, I am glad that the AC didn't break down in August. Hopefully it is not too expensive.

My plane leaves at 0600 tomorrow so I won't be back in the morning. I will be in touch!

Georgia, Mad, Carol and others..... have a great day!