Trish I buy the one that is least expensive also. I don't know if I've ever paid attention to the sugar in it though so I'll have to check. Go to atkins.com and as soon as the site comes up it will say order your free quick-start kit with 3 free Atkins bars, 2 informational booklets and a carb counter and acceptable foods list booklet. No I didn't order an Atkins book. Is that book new? Maybe I can get it at the library. Yes I do use mustard, I would have remembered while making it :) I love mustard also any kind spicy included :) Trish those are some great numbers. Exciting to see I'm sure. :) We learn from each other so every trial helps us all, even when informational :hug:

I think 119 is the number. My strips came in the mail yesterday and I decided to test my bs it was 119 two hours after eating some premium round unsalted crackers with peanut butter that made me smile. YAY FOR 119 :)

Carol Sue, that's funny you should say your hairdresser wants you to come back sooner. I do believe people actually do that to there clients. It certainly keeps them in business and she probably enjoys your company :). LOL you are so correct with the description of the Wasa crisp. I have bought them also. I use to use them also with peanut butter and jelly as my substitute sandwich, they taste pretty good that way :) I like turkey and cheese, ham and cheese or tuna and cheese on a lettuce wrap with mustard, mayo and tomato. You don't even know there isn't any bread. ;) Hope you thumb is ok, I sliced my finger on a meat slicer at work once (I was a teen, like Shannon I still remember that and the stitches) I never want stitches again. Hope it heals soon :hug: Carol Sue that's so cute, and I know it felt good to say :hug: I have never been a big chocolate eater, like Trish my thing is salt. I can eat a huge bag of sour cream and onion, barbecue, hot and spicy, salt and vinegar chips with no problem :drool: I absolutely love potato chips.

Thanks Laurie, yeah I was just reading something about that with the sugar. I bought the iHop sugar free syrup once and it had a yucky after taste. I saw some others I'll just pick one and keep you all posted :)

Shannon, one of the best things I've ever read is when eating out immediately ask for a take out container and half the food. LOL you are like two of my sons and I. When we go to my Auntie's we are happy to be there but no internet drives us nuts. My son said Mom you really need to make at least your phone a hot spot, lol :) I ate a slice of real pizza yesterday with my oldest daughter and burger king also. My youngest and I just made a crustless sauceless pizza and shared it. I would have just ate the topping off of the slice yesterday but I was hungry and we were in the car so I ate it crust and all, even made a mess on my jeans, smh. Take something for that indigestion :hug:

Donna I ate my muffins in a mug because I made them but I'll be honest they were :barf: How do you make you're, what's in them? I don't remember which site I got them from but I made a plain one and a cinnamon one and neither were good. I'm gonna try your recipe in the waffle iron when you give it to me. ;)

Keep up the great work Ruth :)

....

Well bad me did horribly yesterday, I was over in calories by 1193 and carbs by 244. MFP surely puts things into perspective for ya ;). I didn't do any exercise either. Just spent the better part of the day with my thin wanting to stop every where to eat daughter :) We had a good time but goodness I couldn't do that everyday. I drank a nice warm glass of prune juice before bed because my stomach was a mess. Thank goodness it does help me :) Weigh in today was 163.8 up .4 from yesterday which would have been way worse if not for that fiber :D. I did make it to the gym today burned 504 calories so feeling good.

I am still learning with these new pills. The past few days my diet has stayed the same low carb I've been doing. I've been taking the pills, but I haven't exercised for 3 days. As a result, my blood sugar has been noticeably higher. So the exercise IS a big factor. I will have to do some exercise today. We are watching my Grandson today, so I will have to fight him for the elliptical. LOL

Rennie - It sounds like you really had a good time with your daughter, even though you overate. It's ok to do that once in a while. When I first met my husband we used to get a large pizza every Sunday. I was really thin back then. Last night we went through the town we used to live in and went past the pizza shop. We decided to get their phone number loaded into our phone and next time we are going to be going by that way we will call and order a pizza, to see if it's still as good as it was back then. I will have to get ready for that!

Donna, I too would like to get the recipe for the muffin you make in the waffle maker if you don't mind sharing.

Shannon, my mother and I clashed a lot, too. It wasn't about weight or food, but about daily living. She wasn't happy about my lifestyle. I really wasn't that bad, but she was somewhat of a holy roller (I don't know what other word to use) so just about anything I did that didn't include church and praying made me a heathen. Now my much older half sister passed away. She always seemed like the sweetest thing to me, but at the funeral her adult children were telling me about the issues they had with her. I guess it's hard to let your adult children be adults and make their own choices while keeping your mouth shut about it at the same time. I see it with my DH and his two adult children.

I had a friend who used to say "You don't pay my mortgage, you don't get a vote!" LOL

Yay Ruthie! Lower weight and blood sugar! Hope your dental work is going well.

I am so happy about the way this board has shaped up in the past several months.

Where's Mad?

Good morning and happy weekend!

Carol Sue I have read exercise does significantly lower BG. There is a national campaign once a year where people test, exercise 30 min and then test again and log both results on a website....and the whole point is to show that affect. I have personally suspended exercise for the time being. In the past I would start to change diet and exercise at the same time. The exercise made me extra hungry, I binged and gained instead of losing. This time I've decided I need to have my dietary changes more ingrained before starting the exercise part so I'm waiting right now til a few more weeks pass. On the topic of mothers, I imagine I'll have plenty of opinions as well when my daughter is older too. I just don't like my mom's superiority complex she delivers with her comments, lol. I hope to break that part of the cycle!

Rennie yay for fresh new days with no mistakes in them!

Trish your readings are so good!! You are on much lower carbs than me but I am hoping by my initial change in significantly lowering mine I can achieve the same without having to go super super low. I used to probably have around 300 g daily and now I am probably more like 100 g or less.

Donna I looked into THM back in the fall and thought there was just too much stevia in the recipes....but that was before I knew I was going to be giving up most sugar, lol!

---------
Now for some completely random ramblings....
I need some good recommendations for lunches and snacks. Breakfast and dinner I seem to have no problem with but the middle of the day needs more preparedness. I'm finding that when I don't know what to do I don't eat or don't eat enough which then makes me starving at dinner and it's a fight not to get crazy. If you have suggestions or links somewhere with suggestions, bring 'em on!

My husband and daughter usually go out on Saturdays so I can do things I need to do. Grocery shopping, meal planning and coloring my roots (been prematurely greying since 18) are at the top of my list....then cleaning, lol. I really want to try some new recipes this week. I dislike vegetables but have been working on trying new (to me) ones in multiple ways before closing my mind to them. I want to attempt the cauliflower rice and mashed potatoes soon. I have a feeling the hubby will FREAK but I want to at least try!

Also, I am inching closer and closer to onederland. That is exciting but for me, usually, it's like the kiss of death. Everytime I get to around 202 something happens (it varies) and I gain and get frustrated and give up. I know my TOM is around the corner so that is likely the "something happens" this time.

I gave up sugar sweetened beverages for Lent in hopes that it would kick start my being able to give up more and more refined sugar in my diet in general. Before that I mostly had unsweetened beverages at home but always had pepsi or sweet tea out (we eat out usually once during the week and then several times on the weekend). So, it wasn't an everyday thing but it was a kind of regular thing. It has been SO HARD to order water or unsweet tea (when the meal included a beverage....I get migraines from aspartame so diet sodas are not an option for me).

Originally Posted by Wannabehealthy:
This is the first time I've admitted this to anyone but God. When I was a kid I stole money from my mother's purse DAILY to buy chocolate candy. I was so hooked. Never got caught, either. I could eat a whole bag of Hershey's Kisses in one sitting. But it has to be plain chocolate. No nuts, caramel, or anything else.

I prefer my chocolate plain too!

Originally Posted by love2b150:
Trish what brand of mayonnaise do you buy? That mock potato salad is delicious. I put green pepper, onion, celery, and relish in it. I guess I could boil some eggs and put the egg white in it also. I love egg salad with just the yolks :) Thanks it does. I wrote it down :) Which Atkins bars did you buy? I the peanut butter granola bar, not grainy to me so I can eat it. And the triple chocolate bar pretty good. I signed up for the Atkins something and they sent those to me free to try along with another one but I don't remember the name.

Rennie I buy Duke's regular (not light) for 0 sugar. I have not looked at other brands. I do know that light mayo and light or FF sour cream both have more carb content than their regular versions. Brand may not matter, not sure.

Carol Sue, I always have a great time with my daughter. Eventhough she's married and on her own I still see her as my baby. She was here last evening. I love having her around. I didn't over eat really but when I add up the calories of the stuff that I eat out verses what I prepare at home the number are ridiculous. Had I made a double cheese burger at home, I would have used oopsie bread. Had I ate a slice of pizza at home I would have not had any crust or used oopsie bread. So processed/take out/sodium laden food is definitely not the way I want to eat. :) I use to order a thin crust spinach alfredo pizza from CiCi's. I would add more spinach and eat a slice or two a day, that wasn't bad to me. I really miss the convenience of where we use to live. My daughter got that pizza from Little Caesar's and I don't even know if they can make a healthy pizza :dizzy: Does your pizzaria have the same owners? The pizza may be just as great as you remember :) Sounds like a great plan. The places that my husband and I use to eat at are in Washington, DC where we grew up. Washington has changed so much nothing is the same and it seems once the children and grandchildren take over what establishments are still there the food is different. Ah but old times and memories are great :) Carol Sue I like that saying. Now I have just the opposite story of you and your Mother. I grew up going to church all the time and I wanted to go. However, it was my God-Parents that took me and had me baptized not my Mother. She would get me dressed and send me on my way. As I got older and noticed a lot of things that I did not agree with (in that church) per se, I stopped going regularly. My ex-husband was a church goer but did not practice what he preached per se, so another strike for me. However his Mother was a Saint but her church was too far. My now husband grew up in another faith that I did not agree with either but they say opposites attract. We had a ton of major life issues going on and I was about to lose my mind (I think). I had a neighbor that asked me continually to go to church with her and it got so bad that I would avoid seeing her so I wouldn't have to say no. Then my/our world just started falling apart/down/pure chaos. I turned to God who has always been there for me but I never opened up to allow Him to fully come in. (yes I joined my neighbors church best decision I have made) All that to say, when I gave up my cigarettes and drinking cold turkey and got completely involved in my friends church my Mom giggled and taunted me saying things like I'm acting like I am this and that. I thought what is wrong with her she should be happy. But she has never said anything good about me until recently with my weight loss. I have never done anything right in her opinion. Every bed I've made I needed to lay in it to learn from my mistakes. Her words. I use to want her to say I've done something good in life but now it doesn't matter. So to hear her speak about my weight is a shock, and that may have been because the rest of my family was commenting and she needed to chime in. OK long story, thanks for listening.

Carol Sue, what was wrong with this board before, just curious? sounds like we were out of whack! (hope this doesn't sound mean, it surely isn't meant to be :hug:)

Shannon I have been having for breakfast
~eggs, with cheese and sausage or bacon.
~protein smoothie, with yogurt and flaxseed mixed in
~Atkins shake with a scoop of protein powder
~protein pancake, omelet

lunch
~lettuce wrap with tuna and provolone (I heat the tuna and provolone), some kind of fruit, nuts
~lettuce wrap with turkey and cheese, some kind of fruit, nuts

this is when I eat like I am supposed to.

Today I had an Atkins shake, a ½ cup of cream of chicken soup (I prepared for the kids but they didn't eat for dinner) and I was thinking of a grapefruit but I'm not hungry. I try have about 12-16ozs of water before I eat or green tea. Hope this helps when I think of more things I'll add them.

Trish where are you?

I got enough sleep so weight was down .6 fbs was at 120 because I ate hot Takis/Chips late which is a :nono: but today's a new day :)

Oh I have JFG mayonnaise. No carbs and no sugar.

I just read in Woman's World last night that if we eat all food cooked at home and not processed already prepared things our weight loss would improve substantially. I'm gonna try to cook (cook) all of my meals for a week and see what happens. I hope I don't get bord, since it's just for me I will prepare enough to last. Also drinking cucumber, citrus water. I'm gonna give this a shot.

First off, I don't think I welcomed the Newbies. So a big :welcome: to all of you. Great to see our little corner of 3fc growing again. :)

I had beauty appt early this morning so no time to post. I came home and was a little hungry so I tried something I read about on another thread. I know Greek yogurt is supposed to be good for you, but I didn't like the taste. Someone on another thread said that they add Polaner SF preservatives to their Greek yogurt. Now that I'm remembering to subtract my fiber count from the carb count this is working better. I'm not sure yogurt is allowed the first week of Atkins, but I ate it with the Polaner and it was delicious. Since it was a snack to hold me over until lunch, I only ate 1/4 c Greek yogurt with 1 T Polaner. It was surprisingly good.

I'm having a hamburger today minus the bun. I'm cooking so it will be low carb. I may have to add some raw veggies for crunchiness as I love potato chips with my burger.

Rennie When I decided that I was going to do Atkins, I planned it for a time when we don't have any other plans so that all our food would be prepared at home... no eating out. I decided a while back when we were eating out so often that we would do better if we ate at home more and I prepared out meals. I had forgotten about the flaxseed, I hadn't thought about it. Thanks for the reminder; I think I'll try adding it to the yogurt/Polaner mixture. Oh yes, another thing, I agree with Carol Sue eating off once in a while isn't going to be bad as long as we don't allow it to derail and send us on one of those "well, I've blown it today so I might as well eat" attitudes and go wild. We are learning how to make this a lifestyle of eating not just another diet. You will be fine.

Shannon I've never been able to do Atkins Induction before for any length of time. But this time has been different. I won't keep my carbs this low except for the 2 weeks recommended and then I will start raising them 5 g a week. Atkins says that some people can only do between 30 & 40 g while other are able to do much more and still lose weight. So you are probably doing what works for you and that is good.

Carol Sue I know that exercise is definitely plays a great part of keeping fbs down. Mine was 117 g this morning, but I haven't exercised this week. I am thinking I will start riding the recumbent bike again Monday, but just not 45 minutes. While reading the book again, I noticed that if you already exercise pretty good and it doesn't make you weak while doing Induction, that you are allowed to continue exercising. So I am thinking that I could at least do 20 to 25 minutes until my body adjusts.

Ruthie So glad bs is better. I know the dental work is unpleasant, but you will feel so much better when it is done. Always good to hear from you.

Donna I'm interested in the muffin recipe too.

Well, that hamburger on lettuce is calling my name LOL. So I'm going to go make it.

Keep up the good work everybody and have a blessed weekend. I'll catch y'all sometime tomorrow after church.

Y'all are a great bunch and I'm so glad to be a part of y'all.

Oh yes. Weight was 225.4 again. I'm thinking this a good thing because it means my body is making the transition and hopefully the weight will start coming down again soon.

Trish that hamburger on lettuce sound delicious, now I want one ;) thanks for the reminder about the Polaner. I forgot I bought some almond butter today at Aldi and I wanted to try it. I don't like it alone like peanut butter so I made me a half of a sandwich on s/f nature's own with the polaner grape jam. I agree Greek yogurt definitely has it's own distinction :)

I had another crazy eating day :dizzy: thanks to being out too long ... but I got to the gym burned 260 calories not nearly enough but that's all the time we had

B ~ Atkins chocolate shake, ½ cup cream of chicken soup w/real chicken
S ~ whopper malted eggs, banana
L ~ Atkins chocolate peanut butter bar
S ~ ¼ of a pack of cheese/pb cracker so one cracker, almond butter/polaner s/f grape on a slice of s/f nature's own
D ~ little pieces of orange chicken b4 the sauce was put on it, egg roll no duck sauce and 1.5 grapefruits

I bought a new meter today (blue). I went to Walmart to get a refill of strips and discovered they've changed their brand of meters. The strips for the newer meter are half the cost of the strips for my my old meter (green). The new meter would pay for itself on the second box of strips so that was a no brainer. Since I am not diagnosed I get no coverage for supplies.

Anyway, I have to order control material for the new strips and I am out of control material for the old strips so I thought the best I could do for right now was test both at same time to see if they were running the same.....hmmm.....not good....one isn't working properly but I don't know which one. My guess is either my older strips or older meter are the culprit. If I am right that means all my values I've been getting have appeared much lower than they actually are....yikes! (Related but unrelated, my degree is in laboratory medicine...if anyone ever has questions interpreting lab values for any test, please feel free to pick my brain....somedays I miss thinking scientifically, lol!)

I am down another 1.2 lbs today. Tomorrow is my actual WI, so will wait until tomorrow to change ticker if it stays. My fbs was 97 today.

I did not stay with Atkin Induction because I couldn't handle the constipation. I ended up eating about 40 g net carbs yesterday. So I am going to go up a little to get the fiber in. I want to keep my fiber no higher than 30 g.

Didn't make it to church today because my stomach was not good last night, but I know it was caused by the onion on the hamburger. It was hmm delicious while I ate it, but I paid for it later. I guess I will have to saute them for a while till tummy is much better.

Rennie I had an Atkins shake this morning with 1/2 c blueberries and it was delicious. Boy it fills you up. I lost weight before I married my DH 11 yrs ago drinking shakes in the morning, but didn't add anything to it. Didn't know much about it back then. I also ate a low carb bar once in a while with a cup of coffee. I didn't eat right at meal time though. A friend and I would go to Cracker Barrel and have coffee and i would always eat a chef salad. While I did get some nutrition, I didn't eat enough as I was working 3 jobs at the time and by the time Tony married me I was thinner, but not in great shape. I started juicing and eating high protein when I married him and eventually got my health back. I think I could drink an Atkins shake with fruit and eat pretty balanced low carb and do great now.

Any way, I wanted to try the shake this morning since I didn't go to church because I wanted to see how my body deals with it. It is my plan to start drinking one on Sat and Sun mornings if I handle it okay. I am always in a hurry to get out of here those mornings to go to beauty shop on Sat and since we always have breakfast meal when we get home from church and I don't want 2 egg breakfasts on Sun. These shakes would work great.

Oh last night for a snack I whipped 2 eggs and put it in a pan with a little bit of coconut oil and got busy and ended up with an omelet. I added a pinch of mozzarella cheese grated and then. Put it on the plate and though. Wow that looks like a pancake so I spread a Tbles of Polaner Apricot on it and it was surprising good. So a new tasty way to get 3 g fiber.

Lunch today will be eggs, bacon and kale.

Dinner will be cube steak, green beans and maybe a small salad w/mayo.

Not sure what snacks will be yet. Mainly going for 15 to 25 g fiber toay.

Oh yes, Rennie I ordered the free books from Atkins so when I get the bars, I'll see if I like any of those. I finally realized why I don't like the ones I got. I like the plain coconut bars and the one I got has almonds. Just not as good. You know Walmart doesn't carry everything or they were sold out of good ones and not good at restocking. I guess I should have gotten the peanut butter cups instead. Not my favorite, but I like them better than what they had.

Carol Sue Hope your thumb is feeling better today.

Ok girls I'm out of here for now. Have blessed Sunday.

Originally Posted by Shannonsnail:
I bought a new meter today (blue). I went to Walmart to get a refill of strips and discovered they've changed their brand of meters. The strips for the newer meter are half the cost of the strips for my my old meter (green). The new meter would pay for itself on the second box of strips so that was a no brainer. Since I am not diagnosed I get no coverage for supplies.

Anyway, I have to order control material for the new strips and I am out of control material for the old strips so I thought the best I could do for right now was test both at same time to see if they were running the same.....hmmm.....not good....one isn't working properly but I don't know which one. My guess is either my older strips or older meter are the culprit. If I am right that means all my values I've been getting have appeared much lower than they actually are....yikes! (Related but unrelated, my degree is in laboratory medicine...if anyone ever has questions interpreting lab values for any test, please feel free to pick my brain....somedays I miss thinking scientifically, lol!)

I plan to get DH and me one of those when we run out of our strips. We have the Reli-on Ultima they came out with a few years ago. So far my meter has been pretty much in line with my A1c readings. Although there have been times I thought my readings were high and the A1c reading was lower when there was a difference. I never worried about it because A1c is average of 3 months. I sure hope when I get the Prime that it will be as good as my Ultima. I've never ordered the control materials, but I've never had any problems with mine. I remember fatmad told us a while back that meters are allowed to be off a few mg so I didn't expect it to perfect. Maybe I'm wrong about that. I don't know.

DH wants potato pancakes for dinner today, so I am taking advantage of the opportunity to cook fish for myself. I saw on TV yesterday how to bake fish in parchment paper packets so I'm going to try that. I love baked fish. I don't know a lot about cooking fish. I recently made some talapia on my grill pan and it turned out good. I grilled it on one side, then after I turned it over I put a lid over it so it would steam and get cooked through. These parchment packets look so easy. You can put any seasoning you want on the fish.

Trish I also heard that the meters are not perfect, but give you a ball park number. I usually use control solution but what I have right now expired and I got a bad reading with it based on what the book said the control test should be. I asked at WalMart and they don't have the control solution but there's a phone number in the booklet that you call and they will send it to you. I don't know about cost.

One time I had 2 One Touch meters and the readings were way off from each other. I ran a control test and it didn't help. I opened a new canister of strips and that did the trick. They were not expired, but I wasn't testing much back then and they were just old.

I could not stay on induction either. I know that Kim on the Atkins board is adamant on the important of doing induction first, but someone else on that board said that you CAN follow Atkins without doing induction. I guess it's one of those things that isn't the same for everyone.

Last night DH baked a chocolate cake. I tasted one tiny forkful and it was just blah. I am so off sweets! Guess he'll have to eat it all himself!

I think my thumb is getting better. Today I took the bandage off and just have some gauze over it. I want to let it get some air, but the gauze covers it so dirt can't get into it.

Shannon, I am covered for testing supplies but the Reli-On are so cheap I just buy them.

Originally Posted by pattygirl63:
I plan to get DH and me one of those when we run out of our strips. We have the Reli-on Ultima they came out with a few years ago. So far my meter has been pretty much in line with my A1c readings. Although there have been times I thought my readings were high and the A1c reading was lower when there was a difference. I never worried about it because A1c is average of 3 months. I sure hope when I get the Prime that it will be as good as my Ultima. I've never ordered the control materials, but I've never had any problems with mine. I remember fatmad told us a while back that meters are allowed to be off a few mg so I didn't expect it to perfect. Maybe I'm wrong about that. I don't know.

The control material is free so I usually order it. I am having problems; however, getting the online request form to work so I guess I will call tomorrow. The FDA allows up to a 20% difference from laboratory run blood glucose levels and meter determined levels because of the difference in sample type but
I'm not sure what the acceptable difference would be between two very similar meters. I would expect it to have a much tighter Coefficient of Variation but maybe not.

Originally Posted by Wannabehealthy:
I also heard that the meters are not perfect, but give you a ball park number. I usually use control solution but what I have right now expired and I got a bad reading with it based on what the book said the control test should be. I asked at WalMart and they don't have the control solution but there's a phone number in the booklet that you call and they will send it to you. I don't know about cost.

One time I had 2 One Touch meters and the readings were way off from each other. I ran a control test and it didn't help. I opened a new canister of strips and that did the trick. They were not expired, but I wasn't testing much back then and they were just old.

Shannon, I am covered for testing supplies but the Reli-On are so cheap I just buy them.

I thought about it and those strips may have been too old. I had used them a while then quit testing a while, started back, quit again and started back so who knows how old they were. They were not expired but I didn't date them so could have been opened too long. I'm just kind of upset now to know my readings are probably 10-15% higher than I thought. I go for my next A1c draw in about 10 days and my appt is in 17 days so I will get answers soon.

What a day, it's 5 pm and I wish I could get in bed, lol! I'm almost afraid to write this but my daughter has finally started sleeping a little better, after almost 4 yrs of not sleeping well, so she is waking earlier. So we went to the early service at church today. We went to mexican afterwards. I only ate two chips....wow, that's a first. I did order shrimp tacos and they were good but it was more bread than I've had in a couple weeks so I was full after 2 and my daughter ate the 3rd one. Strange though, about halfway through I was craving a taco salad! I never order those but I think that may be changing. I am truly starting to like vegetables more....another miracle. This afternoon I hard boiled some eggs for the week and pulled lots of weeds in the yard. I have a pot roast in the crock. I'm ready to eat and go to bed, lol! Unfortunately I have a lot more to accomplish today so that isn't happening but a girl can dream.

Shannon I'm still reading but I hope you get everything straight will the meters. Hope the strips were just old from opening and you are not diabetic :crossed: I have so many different meters. I wanted to get the Reli-on Prime meter at Walmart (which I see is what you purchased) since it is easily accessible but I bought the Bayer Contour Next USB on sale last year. I had been wanting it so when they marked it down, I jumped on it :). I like that I can connect it to the computer :) Great NSV's today, hope you get to go to bed sooner, than later :)

Trish, :yay: on the 1.2lbs down :) Atkins induction is doing what it says, way to go :high: Congratulations on the low fbs that is great. I'm longing to see those double digit numbers. And now I'm reading it's not making you feel well, I'm sorry. :hug: Glad you liked the shakes. They are good for a quick go to :) or in my case just being too lazy to prepare something a lot of morning ;) Trish how many eggs do you eat in a day? Do they bother your stomach? I bet gassy if I eat too many. :( I bought some organic Kale at Aldi yesterday. I'm not sure if I'm going to cook it or eat it raw. I've never had it raw, so any feedback you all have on the taste would be greatly appreciated. Either way I'm gonna give it a try raw but I'd like to know what you all think :) Trish you know that's the funny thing about Walmart, each one is so different. If I find something at one that I like I keep saying I am going to write the location down because I'll go to another one and they won't have what I bought at the other :dizzy:

Carol Sue I haven't had potato pancakes in years. My Mom use to make them from left over mashed potatoes, so good. We never have potatoes left over in this house though :) I just read on the Atkins site that is offering the free bars that you don't have to do induction. Yet when I did it you had to, so times have changed :) Glad your thumb is healing :hug:

I had a great weigh in this morning down 1.2 to 162.0. I think I'm not eating enough carbs or something because when I eat more of them not some crazy amount like what I did with BK and pizza but with pretty good eats the scale is happier. It could just be the calorie burn also, idk. My fbs is still not down in the one teens like it was so I have got to work on that. It was 131 today.

Hope the remainder of the day is great for you all :)

Two ladies on another thread mentioned that Traditional Medicinals organic Roasted Dandelion Root tea is a a natural diuretic so helps with water weight, helps your bodies natural detoxification process by helping your body breakdown fats during digestion and carry away waste. One lady also said her Mom's friend drinks it to lower her blood sugar and not take metformin. I found it at one Walmart and at Kroger for $4.59 a box 16 bags. Have any of you heard about this or tried this before. I had a cup today. After hearing about the natural diuretic I see why I've been to the bathroom so many times this afternoon.

Rennie, suggestion on gas, I used to have horrible gas with eggs but since I started taking probiotic pills daily it stopped

Thanks Shannon :) I bought some gas relief chewables to help with the gas gas if you know what I mean, but the belching is the problem I have with eggs and it smells toxic. It makes me gag :( The probiotic pills you bought are they the one a day ones? I saw that on television but they cost more than I wanted pay or more than I had money for at the time.

Did you see my post above about the dandelion tea? Have you heard of that before?

Originally Posted by love2b150:
Thanks Shannon :) I bought some gas relief chewables to help with the gas gas if you know what I mean, but the belching is the problem I have with eggs and it smells toxic. It makes me gag :( The probiotic pills you bought are they the one a day ones? I saw that on television but they cost more than I wanted pay or more than I had money for at the time.

Did you see my post above about the dandelion tea? Have you heard of that before?

My husband got on one of his kicks and bought some kind of pricey ones (one a day) he read about but honestly, based on what doctors have told me I don't think brand matters. Consistency in taking them and making sure there are enough organisms in them is what is important. I think I read 50 billion for at least a month or two (to get system properly populated) and then 15 billion after for maintenance. I have asthma and get alot of upper respiratory infections in winter and end up on antibiotics quite often. I am doing 3 months on the higher dose then will likely buy something at walmart for after that. I'm not really into fads but I have alot of GI issues and am hoping this helps along with my other dietary changes.

I have heard of dandelion tea but have never tried it. I had my gall bladder out so it could help with some of my GI issues. I am peeing all the time though from increasing water so I'm afraid to try anything known to have a diuretic effect right now!

Shannon, I only pee a ton when my carbs are high and with bad starchy foods. I just couldn't figure it out today but I had a lot of water today. I've also had a few hot flashes today ... even at church. So I don't know what's going on with this body of mine.

Rennie No, I haven't heard of the dandelion tea for a diuretic, detoxifacation. I don't have any problems with the eggs, but then I only eat 2 a day. My problem seems to be onions right now. I have also heard that you don't have to do Induction, but hadn't read or seen it on official the site. Actually, my carbs minus the fiber are in line with Induction carbs today. Congratulations on your 1.2 lb loss.

So glad you girls mentioned the probiotics as I've forgotten to take mine today and yesterday. I take the Phillips probiotics.

Thanks Trish, I need to look into the probiotics for sure :)

I usually eat 2 eggs or eggbeaters a day. No problems. Sometimes I also eat a hard boiled egg or put one in my salad.

You all know I am into "eat what I like" rather than following a formal diet plan. Well back in the 70's I only had about 25 lbs to lose. I read the Atkins book, but did my own thing. I ate like I'm eating now....meat, fish, eggs and veggies. I avoided, bread, sweets, potatoes, rice...the obvious carbs. If I went to a party or buffet and the only meat choice was fried chicken with breading, I ate it and wrote it off as a blip. I lost the 25 lbs and kept it off until I got married to Mr Carb himself. When I started eating carb again, I gained and here I am. On the Atkins forum, Kim has a section on why you have to do induction. I think I will go back and read it. She is like an Atkins Guru and takes it very seriously. I think if you can lose weight on a general low carb food plan it is not imperative to follow induction to the letter. I know that induction is supposed to get you completely off carbs, and then when you add them back gradually, you learn what your limit is. But my opinion is coming from someone who is very overweight, so in that case, Kim's opinion would carry more weight as she has lost and kept it off.

Rennie With my heart disease, I have to be careful about diuretics. It is just as bad for me to become dehydrated as it is to be retaining fluid.

Your recent post gave me a big reason NOT to want to trade ages with you. You have not yet gone through meanopause, and that is an intentional typo! LOL It is a whole new world! I don't know what women did that God is punishing them so. LOL

My husband doesn't like potato pancakes made with leftover potatoes. Actually, around our area, those are called potato cakes. Potato pancakes are usually made with shredded raw potatoes. I cube the potatoes and put them in the blended with egg, flour and salt. They grate up finer like lumpy pancake batter. That's the only way DH likes them. I like them too, with a dollop of sour cream, but can't eat them.

Trish I used to get so much indigestion from onions, but I've been eating tons of them lately and they don't bother me anymore. My husband doesn't like my breath afterwards, though!

Shannon, I didn't know the control solution was free. I am going to look up the online order form and if I can't find it I will call the company. I really want to have it.

I love a taco salad. We never go out for Mexican, but we do buy take out tacos from Taco Bell on occasion. I bring them home and dump the filling into a bowl of lettuce. They are still considered high fat that way, but I watch carbs, not fat, unless it's sat fat. The lettuce helps fill me up.

I don't date my strips when I open them, either, so if I'm not testing regularly they get old. I was told that unless you are on insulin, insurance won't give you more strips than one or two per day. The reason is because if you do get a high reading there's not much you can do about it besides exercising. It's not like a T1 who can inject insulin. Once you determine what foods spike your blood glucose you should not have to keep testing post-prandial. I know some type 2s who take Metformin and don't test at all.

Official weigh day....202! I'm back to where I was in early Feb when I started gaining and gave up. I would love to 1) not give up this time, lol and 2) lose 2 lbs this week and be at 200 next Monday! LOL! Not sure if that will happen but you heard it here first!

I just read Kim's post on the importance of induction:

It is necessary to rid your body of carb and sugar addiction,

I guess I see her point, in that if you have any bad carbs in your diet in those 2 weeks you will still have cravings for them. It's like trying to quit smoking while still having a cigarette or two a day. You have to go cold turkey to get rid of the cravings.

Now I'm off to see what the actual Atkins book has to say about the subject.

Carol Sue, Oh yeah the ones my Mom made are called potato cakes :) My boys have ordered the ones you make at Waffle House but I just thought they were called hashbrowns :) they put ketchup on them :)



My fbs was a little lower this morning 121. So it's coming back down.

Shannon you can do it :) and I hope to do it with you :)

Been on Atkins induction since last Tuesday a.m. and have lost 9.8 lbs as of today. FBGL has been good. Kim is very, VERY knowledgeable and steared me towards this book: Atkins Diabetes Revolution. Perhaps you can get it from the Library.

Kim also is pure Atkins. Check out this post! Shakes and bars would not have met Robert's approval.

Shhhh - don't let the Beachers know. I am going to use South Beach when I get rid of some more of my winter avoirdupois.

Carol Sue I never thought of menopause that way, but it surely is mean to us women isn't it? Before I went through it, I had no problem at all losing weight. That is interesting because I remember my sister's doc telling her one time that he didn't understand why she could lose weight so easy, but not able to keep it off. Now she has a difficult time even losing like I have had. We have talked about it and wondered why. Never thought it was men/meanopause. Puts a whole new light on it.

Kim has been doing Atkins for a long time and I have to say she knows her stuff. She tried to help me when I fi.rst tried Atkins. I know she and a lot of the original Atkins people don't like the New Atkins plan, but too me when Dr. Atkins wrote his 1st book, it was very good, but I think it was written not only for us, but he was also writing it for medical doctors so they could understand the mechanics of it. Some things I just could not grasp or understand, but then I wasn't a doctor or RN either. For me the new book has helped me, becaue they have taken it and made it understandable so even I can understand it. I personally am thankful for the the new book.

I also agree with Kim about doing Induction. Someone who was on this thread yrs ago made the suggestion to me that if I could not do the Atkins Induction or Phase 1 of South Beach for 2 weeks that maybe I should just move on to the next phase. I think they were stressing the fact that just doing low carb in any form was better than not. I think one of the books SB or Atkins even says the same. Back then I never could go more than 10 days on Induction because I wanted some of the foods not allowed. However, I did get to the place that I didn't crave them, but as we know, I didn't stick with that either or I wouldn't be having to do this now. Carol Sue When I was in OA, we had a rule where if we were in a situation like you described that we could go ahead and eat the fried chicken whatever as long as we got right back on plan at the next meal. We knew we were not to make it an excuse to spend the day on a binge. Don't know why I had forgotten that.

I think I'm doing better this time mainly because of the stomach trouble I've been having. I think it has been a God send. You know God makes something good out of bad. I have to eat like I'm eating to feel good.

I actually am still on Induction. The book plays a "mind game" of sorts that works for me. Don't remember how Dr. Atkins did in the original, but the option of staying on Induction or moving on to OWL is now mine and that is what I need. I need to feel my way of eating is my choice. Another thing about the new plan that helps me where the old didn't explain clearly for me is that you eat a variety of low carb veggies not just a lot of protein with a little bit of lettuce salad like some people thought back then. I know that is what I thought and is probably why it got boring to me and I couldn't stick with it. I never got into ketosis doing Atkins back then. Personally, I am thankful for and love the clarification and down to earth jargon that I can understand from the new Atkins book.

The more I understand of how Induction works I realized that this way of eating isn't much different from the original Overeater's Anonymous gray sheet diet that I followed years ago except that you were only allowed to eat 3 meals a day and absolutely no snacks. I did pretty good on it, but I was hungry all the time. And there were times that I did cave because of I felt like I was starving. I can remember times that I ate all my meat and veggies at a meal and when I got through, I felt like I was starving as soon as I was through. We weren't allowed fat on that plan. Now that I can eat the way I did back then but have the fat and can eat up to 6 small meals if need be, I am never hungry.

The new Atkins says I can stay in Induction as long as I wish even down to within, I think, they said 10 lbs of goal. Then go directly to preparing for maintenance for the last few lbs. So for now, I am going to continue Induction until I feel like I'm ready or need to move on to OWL. They say staying on Induction helps to lose faster, however, if you don't mind losing slower you can choose to move on to OWL whenever ready. So I will stay at AI for a while. I want to lose as much as I possiby can before I go to TX. Then I will slow it down some. I did read in the book you don't have to exercise, but exercise helps the protein function better. So I will stick to exercising anywhere from 20 to 25 minutes 6 days a week. I hope that at 70 yrs of age the exercise will help tone myself as I lose so I won't be too flabby. That is one of the other things that I love about low carbing.

I did an experiment last night with eating before going to bed. It still doesn't work for me. I was up .2 lb from yesterday, but still lost 1 lbs this week. My fbs was up to 116 too. It always works that way for me and I'm sure it must be how my body functions so I'll not have bedtime snacks any more. I've also experimented this week with eating a starch one meal this week. It didn't seem to hurt me in any way so I do believe that will not be a problem on occasion but not on a regular basis. I know on Carbohydrate Addicts Diet you can do this daily, but the weight loss is so slow and so I will use days that I may have to or choose to eat off plan will become a "Planned" CAD day. That way I will never have a day when I will feel that I am really off plan because even those days the eating will be an On plan day.

Shannon While it is possible to lose that 2 lbs by next Monday, remember our bodies don't always act the way we want. At my age I would cautious hope for that, however, you are young enough that it is more likely that you will make it than not and I'm pulling for you. I am so proud of you for doing this while you are young then you will not have to deal with it at my age.:)

Rennie I think I remember you asking about kale. I buy mine frozen these days because it is so much easier. This morning I took 1 egg, 1/4 c turkey sausage and 1/4 c baby leaf kale and mixed with a little salt and Mrs. Dash mixed it in my Stonewave and microwaved it. When that was done I spread a tablespoon of Apricot Polaner SF preserves for extra fiber on top and ate it. My DH thinks I'm crazy but I often take certain foods I cook individually for us and mix mine into one serving. So greens like kale are so easy to mix into other foods. I used to purchase it fresh and break it up and wash it and put some of it in my salads too. I stopped and went to frozen because the fresh ruined too fast since I'm the only one who eats it. I used to even put it on hamburger or sandwiches in place of lettuce when I ate bread. I just realized in writing you that it would make a better bun replacement for a hamburger than the lettuce I usually use. It would hold up better so I could use the kale on the outside for more firmness and then add the lettuce and then build the burger. I'm going to have to get some fresh kale and try that soon.

Well, I got up late and am behind on everything so I'll catch y'all later. I got up late and DH got up early and is already asking what we are going to eat. I will have either Cube beef steak or a pork chop whichever he decides. I will eat either mustard or turnip greens and a salad with mine.

Have a great day catch; y'all later.

Ruth that a great loss, way to go :high:

Trish you are on a roll. Loads of information :)


I have had such an off day today food wise. I am gonna have to pick myself up and dust off. I can stop now with the junk but I don't think I can combat the mess I've already made today :(

Originally Posted by Ruthxxx:
Been on Atkins induction since last Tuesday a.m. and have lost 9.8 lbs as of today. FBGL has been good. Kim is very, VERY knowledgeable and steared me towards this book: Atkins Diabetes Revolution. Perhaps you can get it from the Library.

Kim also is pure Atkins. Check out this post! Shakes and bars would not have met Robert's approval.

Shhhh - don't let the Beachers know. I am going to use South Beach when I get rid of some more of my winter avoirdupois.

If I'm not mistaken, the shakes were only to be used in emergencies not as a regular everyday use.

Glad things are working for you again Ruthie. Congratulations on the 9.8 lbs loss.

Wow Ruthie! That's a wonderful loss!

Tonight I made chili for dinner. The beans are probably the most carbs I have had since I started this plan. I really missed my beans. They should help with the constipation, but I will be very curious as to what they do to my blood glucose. I will check tonight before I go to bed. They say that they are supposed to help lower blood sugar but they have never done that in the past. We shall see.

Kim and I had a discussion once about the New Atkins book. She relies only on the original Atkins. IMO the new book is the same principal as the old, it's just explained differently.

My DH is sick. I don't now what's actually wrong with him, but I'm concerned. In the 37 years I've known him, being sick never stops him. He always went to work sick, and would never lie down and rest when I suggested. He would be down in the basement or garage working on something no matter how he felt. And he would never admit he was sick. A week or so ago he sounded really nasally when he got up and I asked if he was getting sick and he said no. As days went by, he was sneezing and coughing, clearing his throat, and one day he almost lost his voice he was so hoarse. Now he finally told me that his chest is hurting really bad, and the pain is going around to his back. He thinks he has a chest cold and a lot of congestion. He never goes to the doctor unless he is carried into the hospital on a stretcher. He mentioned he might go to MedExpress, then decided to go to the drugstore to get something for congestion. He bought some Mucinex and is taking Alka Seltzer Plus but nothing seems to be helping. He has been lying in bed for the past three days. Definately not like him. He gets up and gets dressed, eats and goes to the bathroom, but is just lying in bed watching TV. I asked how he feels and he said a little better. It is so not like him to lie around. I'm concerned that it's pneumonia but he doesn't have a fever. He's not coughing anything up. Actually, he's not coughing at all anymore. I guess when he's darn good and ready he will go to MedExpress or the ER. From the way he's describing the chest pain it doesn't sound like heart pains. It's like a constant ache. He's usually the one who takes care of me, but I go to the doctor for every little thing, his words. I worry because he won't go. I would rather go to the doctor and have him tell me it's a cold than wait and find out it's something more serious.

Originally Posted by Wannabehealthy:
Wow Ruthie! That's a wonderful loss!

Tonight I made chili for dinner. The beans are probably the most carbs I have had since I started this plan. I really missed my beans. They should help with the constipation, but I will be very curious as to what they do to my blood glucose. I will check tonight before I go to bed. They say that they are supposed to help lower blood sugar but they have never done that in the past. We shall see.

Kim and I had a discussion once about the New Atkins book. She relies only on the original Atkins. IMO the new book is the same principal as the old, it's just explained differently.

My DH is sick. I don't now what's actually wrong with him, but I'm concerned. In the 37 years I've known him, being sick never stops him. He always went to work sick, and would never lie down and rest when I suggested. He would be down in the basement or garage working on something no matter how he felt. And he would never admit he was sick. A week or so ago he sounded really nasally when he got up and I asked if he was getting sick and he said no. As days went by, he was sneezing and coughing, clearing his throat, and one day he almost lost his voice he was so hoarse. Now he finally told me that his chest is hurting really bad, and the pain is going around to his back. He thinks he has a chest cold and a lot of congestion. He never goes to the doctor unless he is carried into the hospital on a stretcher. He mentioned he might go to MedExpress, then decided to go to the drugstore to get something for congestion. He bought some Mucinex and is taking Alka Seltzer Plus but nothing seems to be helping. He has been lying in bed for the past three days. Definately not like him. He gets up and gets dressed, eats and goes to the bathroom, but is just lying in bed watching TV. I asked how he feels and he said a little better. It is so not like him to lie around. I'm concerned that it's pneumonia but he doesn't have a fever. He's not coughing anything up. Actually, he's not coughing at all anymore. I guess when he's darn good and ready he will go to MedExpress or the ER. From the way he's describing the chest pain it doesn't sound like heart pains. It's like a constant ache. He's usually the one who takes care of me, but I go to the doctor for every little thing, his words. I worry because he won't go. I would rather go to the doctor and have him tell me it's a cold than wait and find out it's something more serious.

It sounds like walking pneumonia to me, I've had it a couple times. I hope he goes. I know all about hubbies that won't go to the dr!

I tested after spaghetti for the first time tonight. I actually attempted spaghetti squash instead of noodles but ended up going back for a real plate, lol, as it was not good to me. Is it supposed to be crunchy?

Anyway, back to testing....at 2.5 hrs post prandial my reading was 153. That is too high right? 140 is the cutoff correct? So, I will try Dreamfields next time and if that doesn't work I might have to say goodbye to my favorite meal each week. (Just as an FYI I make my own meat sauce and it is lower carb than jarred sauces)

Carol Sue I agree with Shannon, please convince him to go the MedExpress or the ER. Pneumonia is no joke own of my sons had it. I pray for healing power.

Shannon, my husband self diagnoses also, big 6'6 baby. I have to tell the doctors everything because he will say anything is happening or tell them nothing is wrong, smh :) Shannon my spaghetti squash didn't come out crunchy. You'll have to try it again. I really liked it when I made it. I've bought Dreamfields but I now by the Shirataki noodles not bad at all taste wise, though chewy. I use to make my own sauce. I haven't done that in a very long time. Spaghetti use to be our every Wednesday meal before church, but after 6 years my husband said the sauce was too rich and made his stomach hurt so I don't make it as often. though the children love it. :)

Well I made it to the gym did 4.14 miles (hey my bday ;)) 65 minutes and burned 514 calories. Don't know what the scale will say since it says 165 now, I will probably not have much of a loss unless I happen to get a whoosh which I have yet to see

Carol Sue Sorry DH is ill. It does sound like something he needs to see a doc about. I hope he will decide to go.

Well, I share everything with you guys so I may as well fess up. No Atkins Induction to day. I ended up having a carby day, but stayed within my calories of 1537 so that was good. I had 79 g carbs minus 17 g fiber making my net carbs 62. I will check my bs before I go to bed. I did 25 minutes on the recumbent bike so that could have been the reason I was hungry plus I just didn't want to cook a meal for dinner.

Catch y'all tomorrow. Good night.

DH will not go to the doctor until he is ready. I'm now thinking it's not congestion. He is not coughing at all. Last night I checked his oxygen saturation and it was 98. If he had congestion in his lungs, wouldn't his oxygen saturation be affected? This morning he told me he will be dead in two weeks. I replied, if you aren't better by the week-end, I'm cancelling Easter dinner. He said Oh, I should be better by the week end. I said I thought you said you'd be dead? He doesn't want to get out of bed but wants me to stay in bed with him. When he starts snoring I figure he's asleep and start to get up, then he wakes back up. In my opinion, if he goes to the ER they will admit him, and that's why he won't go. I'm upset, but I can't make him do anything.

I had pneumonia in 2010. I was in the hosp for 5 days. I had a low grade fever and was very very tired. My husband has no fever, and he's not in bed because he's tired, he's in bed because of the pain. I think that's what's different from other times he's been sick. The pain. He just got up so we will see how he does.

Since we've having confession here, I gained 2 lbs. But this morning they were gone again. LOL

I had a victory of a sort yesterday, but I'm not sure why. This morning my FBG was lower than it was when I went to bed. That never happens to me. Fasting is always higher. I was 126 at bedtime and 121 this morning. I'm not sure what did it.

1. I didn't get to exercise in the afternoon, so I walked for 20 minutes in the evening, an hour or so after dinner.

2. I ate the beans in the chili, which is said to help BS.

3. I was not hungry and was not going to eat a snack at bedtime, but I wanted to get some edamame ready to snack on today, so I put some frozen edemame in a strainer and ran some water over it to defrost it and put it in a snack bag. When I did that, I ate several of them.

4. Then I remembered I hadn't had my walnuts I eat every day, so I ate 4-5 walnut halves.

5. Then I drank a glass of diet cranberry juice, which I try to have every day.

So one of those things, either the evening exercise or the snack items, did something. I also see a correlation between my blood sugar staying down overnight and the 2 lb weight loss.

RE the Kale discussion. I cannot eat raw kale. It is just too tough and prickley, and has no taste, but I don't think what I buy is baby kale. I can only eat it cooked. I am also the only one here who eats it so I buy the bunches that they sell by the pound, and I look for the smallest bunch. One time they only had huge bunches so I didn't buy it. But when I do buy it, I have to eat it every day so it won't go bad. I will look for the frozen kale. I've never seen it but maybe I just wasn't looking for it. That would be great to have on hand for times when I can't get the fresh kale. I did see frozen okra. It's not real common in this area, but I guess I never saw it before because I wasn't looking.

When I was googling my new med, I came across a discussion about glimiperide on another forum, so I signed up so I could post. These people are real downers compared to this forum. They were dead set against me trying to lose weight to get my bs down. They said it's more important to control your bs than to lose weight. Take your meds and stay fat. LOL Also, they were quoting studies and trials that PROVE that diabetes has nothing to do with weight and losing weight will NOT help my bs. They said that diabetes is a progressive disease and you just keep getting worse and taking more meds until you finally end up on insulin. Basically, I told them I will be back to report when I have lost weight and got off my diabetes meds. I think it's attitudes like theirs that keeps people from trying to improve their diet and their health. How can we be wrong when we see our weight and bs improve with exercise and dietary changes that produce the weight loss????

We ROCK!

Shannon, the first time I ate spaghetti squash my reaction was like yours. I didn't like it because I expected it to taste like spaghetti and have the same texture. I didn't eat it for years. I tried it again this past year, but instead of using a red pasta sauce, I made a butter sauce with sauteed onion and garlic. I loved that. BUT my bs was not good when I ate it, so I quit. I have not tried Dreamfields but I have used Ronzini Smart Taste. It's good, but I didn't notice it being any better for my blood sugar then regular pasta. Now my husband likes angel hair. I have heard that thinner pasta such as angel hair or vermicelli is as good for you as whole wheat pasta. If I ever get to the point that I am willing to try carbs again I will eat it in very small portions, adding lots of veggies and meatballs for protein.