Really am busy! We have had a flood in the lower part of our wee Village and I've been helping out by feeding the first responders coffee and soup.

We have had more snow this year than I can remember and then the coldest March since 1940. This meant when all the snow started to melt, the lakes are still frozen and the Upper Lake decided to make it's own creek to get to the Lower Lake! Lots of excitement and people leaving their flooded homes. Luckily everyone has relatives nearby so we did not have to set up emergency shelters as we did after the Ice Storm of 1998 when all Eastern Ontario lost power.

Despite it all I have stuck to low carb and am just on the cusp of getting into the 180s. Needless to say, I've not gone to the gym.

Hey girls you are doing great. So proud of everyone.

Ruthie So sorry about the flooding. Looks there is going be to be more snow this next week in some of the upper states, sure hope you get a break. DS said the other day, "Well, it's always cold again before Easter". You are a busy and sweet lady. Good job with staying OP through it all.

I got my free stuff from Atkins the other day. I ate the chocolate bar and it is good. I also like the texture. I'm leaving MFP. I'll be tracking by hand using the carb counter they sent me. I've decided not to worry too much about the fiber except for high fiber low carb veggies. In trying to get the fiber up, my carbs have been too high the last few days and my fbs has slowly been edging up. It was 135 this morning. If I have to eat just meat and veggies to keep the bs down, I'll do it. I'll just pick out my favorite meats and favorite veggies and make my meals that way. Now that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Atkins lowers my fbs and other bs readings, I refuse to lose ground. I've always prayed for the Lord to show me the way to lose weight in a way that I could be healthy while doing it. Since Atkins is obviously that way for me, I need to "just do it". :)

I read something quite interesting on Atkins site today by one of the ladies who worked with Dr. Atkins and has been in on writing all the Atkins books with him and the new Atkins books as well. She explains why she agrees with the new way of Atkins with the veggies that Dr. Atkins didn't.

She said Dr. Atkins and another doctor observed the diets of certain Indians and the Eskimos who didn't eat carbs. However, she said she felt that we need the fiber that we get in our vegetables because we don't have the pure foods without toxins like the Indians and Eskimos had. How many of us can buy free-range animals etc. I paraphrase. You can read it on the website if you want to look it up to read more about it.

I just ordered the new Atkins Made Easy book as it has a better guide on what to eat for each phase according to the reviews I read. The reviews I read on Amazon said that it makes it easier to explain to people how this is really a healthy way of eating. Actually the new Atkins is just eating high protein, high fiber low carb veggies, good healthy fats, seeds and nuts and in Phase 2 you can add low carb fruits. Eventually as you build up your carbs to the amount your body tolerates, you can eat some grains. Some can and some cannot eat them on a regular basis. However, either way there is nothing unhealthy about that. I can live with that.

Carol Sue I wasn't impressed with the faux potato salad with the cauliflower, but I will try the "rice". I like the way you fixed it and will copy follow how you did it.

I also got some cream cheese today to make the lc muffin I think Donna or Shannon told us about. The one we used to make was with just flaxseed meal. I made one for a hamburger yesterday and just couldn't do it. I used my double fiber bread and saved the muffin for an egg McMuffin type breakfast this morning. The almond flour will make it so much better and it is Atkins friendly.

Rennie, Donna, Shannon and others :wave: Hi

Mad Hope you are doing well. Probably staying busy. Miss you.

I'm editing this to say that after looking at the Atkins carb counter, I don't guess I am nor have I ever really been on Induction because I used some foods low carb foods during Induction that either isn't allowed until Phase 2 or 3. Since the foods I was using didn't keep me from losing weight or didn't keep my fbs from going down into normal range, I will continue eating them while counting carbs and just consider myself eating low carb in general. Not Atkins low carb.

Have a good evening.

Oh my! I just had a VERY off plan dinner because we were out for many hours unexpectedly today, it way past dinner and the hubby wanted to pick up Chinese! I knew even if I got some kind of non breaded chicken and veggies the sauce would be full of carbs and I probably wouldn't like it anyway so I just decided to blow it up completely and eat what I like, spring rolls and crab rangoon, lol! Super carbs! LOL! I'm almost afraid to check my BS before bed. But, I'm continuing to practice giving myself grace. I think that was the only way off plan meal I've had in over a week. That is really great for me and I have been steadily losing (198 this morning) so honestly I'm not upset with myself. Most everyone has a totally off plan meal once in a while. Tomorrow I will drink lots of water and be back on plan. I just bought a ton of new produce, including two heads of cauliflower! I think I will plan meals for the week before bed.

I also got a very nice gift today...a Vitamix. I've been wanting one for a while but because of the ridiculous price, never said anything to my husband or even thought I'd ever have one. My husband was laid off in February but fortunately found a new position and started it within a month. A blessing of the layoff was a nice severance package after 14 years with the company. So, today we were at a club store and there was a Vitamix rep with a traveling road show doing demonstrations. I got up my nerve to tell my husband that I had been wanting one. So after watching several demonstrations and asking questions he agreed to get it for me as my anniversary, mother's day and birthday gift (and probably Christmas, lol). I'm excited to get going with it. I did a Pinterest search and there are lots of recipes from low carb bloggers using it so hopefully it will be a valuable asset to my new way of eating.

Shannon, I wouldn't worry too much about one off-plan meal. Remember, you are pre-diabetic, not necessarily diabetic. I know it's serious too, but you are doing very well and tackling this before it gets out of hand. I will have to google Vitamix, because I don't know what it is.

Ruthie - How terrible that you are having all that flooding! Good for you for pitching in and helping out. I hope things dry up soon.

Trish, I think you're doing well with what you're doing even if you are eating some things that aren't on induction. The results are good, and that's what it's all about.

The one good thing about DH being sick is he is not eating much, so I am eating when and what I want. I usually eat what I want, but very often I eat when he wants to when I could really wait awhile to eat. Last night before bed my BS was 104. I was shocked! This morning it is 126, but my fasting is always higher. These numbers are so much lower than I was having before. I remember when I was having good A1cs I still had a fasting bg in the 120's. My doctor didn't care, as long as my A1c was good. I am still not eating obvious carbs. I haven't been tracking on FitDay so I don't know what my actual carbs are, but they were running around 30-35 per day. I think if I decide to go lower I could now that I'm used to not having carbs. This morning, I'm thinking I would like to have eggs with toast. I have some of my high fiber bread in the freezer, but when I think about it, I'm afraid I will start craving bread again, so maybe I'll pass. I don't have to give in to every little craving. I'm getting stronger. I am still using a sprinkling of black beans in eggs and salads. By a sprinkling I think it's about 20-30 beans. And I eat a prune or two every day. I have at least 1 bowel movement each day but not the 4-5 I used to have. I can accept that. I just can't take constipation.

(Edit: I am going to have to rethink the prunes. They are higher in carbs than I thought, and less fiber than I thought. 1/4 C is 24 gm of carb and only 3 gm fiber. I don't eat that much per day, but even at half that, the fiber is too low for the amount of carbs. )

I don't think I would even try the faux potato salad. I don't make potato salad except on holidays so it's not a big deal. DH would never eat it. I would probably like the mashed cauliflower but DH would not so I won't bother with that either. I liked the rice enough to make it just for myself. It was so good I actually felt like I was cheating. LOL

My scale is still at 194 but it's a balance beam scale and it seems to be leaning slightly lower so I think I can expect another pound loss in the next couple days. I am a usually a slow loser. I will go along with no loss and then get a whoosh. I can live with slow as long as it's going down and not up.

When I googled Vitamix I also found recipes. I looked at the first one and fell in love.

http://healthylivinghowto.com/1/post...fake-food.html

This looks so absolutely divine! I wonder if I could make it on a smaller scale. I have to have this. You don't really need to have a Vitamix to make it.

I think cauliflower is my new best friend. I am going to have lots of fun with it!

You all are a great group! I decided to get on here to see if there was any info about when to test in the morning and here's all this info!

Diagnosed 4 weeks ago, just started testing fbg about 2 weeks ago. Was getting great numbers with the strips I had received from the doctor. Then discovered strips had expired. Ordered more and my fbg really hasn't come down as much as I thought! That's not good. I have been eating low carb for about 4 weeks. But I was eating too much, too stuffed especially in the evening. I think that was my major mistake - need to lose the weight and need to eat amount I need, not amount I want.

My morning fbg is 121-128. Then I exercise and it goes down 10-15 points. I want to see if exercising in the evening helps my fbg! Anyone noticed if this helps them?

So for me, I plan to exercise twice a day, stick to low carb and portion controls at meals, and lose the weight. I'm so excited I am down in the 150's today! Haven't seen that in 20 years! ALL my extra weight is around my middle. So I have high hopes that getting rid of the fat around the middle will be great for my sugar levels.

Thanks for helping out a lurker!

Kris2008 WELCOME!!! Glad you are getting some info here. We all just share our experiences good and bad which helps me because it helps to know I'm not the only one who has some of these problems. Hopefully this helps all of us improve our journey. I'm sure the exercise helps my fbs readings, but can't say. The 1st time I had diabetic problems, I could lower my fbs with exercise. It may be because of my age, but now it seems to be diet as well as exercise. I also have learned that overloading my stomach (eating as much as I want instead of just as much as I need) plays a big role in my fbs reading.

Last night I said that my fbs yesterday was 135, but it was 130. Today it was 131. I cut back on the carbs to the point where I only ate about 12 net carbs, but I think the problem was that I had an Atkins bar. For one thing, my body cannot handle the sugar alcohols. So they will NOT be a part of my program even in an emergency.

I decided to keep tracking food on MFP because it does show the calorie, carb and fiber. At the end of the day I can subtract the fiber from the carb count and have my net carbs. I just decided that its been slow, but I have made some progress and I don't want to lose ground. Up almost 2 lbs from a week ago and I want to turn it around for it to continue going down. That won't be a disaster if I don't let it be. Comes down to choice.

Y'all have a super Sunday.

Originally Posted by kris2008:
You all are a great group! I decided to get on here to see if there was any info about when to test in the morning and here's all this info!

Diagnosed 4 weeks ago, just started testing fbg about 2 weeks ago. Was getting great numbers with the strips I had received from the doctor. Then discovered strips had expired. Ordered more and my fbg really hasn't come down as much as I thought! That's not good. I have been eating low carb for about 4 weeks. But I was eating too much, too stuffed especially in the evening. I think that was my major mistake - need to lose the weight and need to eat amount I need, not amount I want.

My morning fbg is 121-128. Then I exercise and it goes down 10-15 points. I want to see if exercising in the evening helps my fbg! Anyone noticed if this helps them?

So for me, I plan to exercise twice a day, stick to low carb and portion controls at meals, and lose the weight. I'm so excited I am down in the 150's today! Haven't seen that in 20 years! ALL my extra weight is around my middle. So I have high hopes that getting rid of the fat around the middle will be great for my sugar levels.

Thanks for helping out a lurker!

Welcome Kris! I am new as well and this is a great group, we are glad to have you join us! All of my weight is mostly around my middle (and chest, lol) and after only a couple weeks eating mostly low carb my middle is deflating. It is remarkably different. I am flabbergasted. I have read the Wheat Belly book and thought it was an interesting concept but now that I have seen it happen to me, I am a believer - of course I would add that it is not just wheat but sugar as well that is causative (though the author primarily blames wheat). Anyway, all that to say that I hope you also see deflation!!

Well, I was right about that off plan meal - my BS was 124 before bed and 126 fasting this morning - that is high for me. I did check my weight this morning - I just could not help myself - and it was only up by .6 so I don't think that off plan meal affected me too badly in the overall. Happily today I am back on program breakfast and lunch so far!

I broke in my new Vitamix today by making guacamole to go on my burger at lunch - we grilled for the first time of the season, yay! It's amazing to me how it's just automatic now to not have a bun with mine, I don't even really miss it. The hubby then took his turn with the Vitamix and made Pink Lemonade shaved ice for our daughter and later a milkshake for himself. I'm looking forward to using it to chop some veggies tomorrow.

We went to church this morning and now I am going to try to go get my hair cut before I need to take my daughter to something tonight. I never did get those meals planned. It was so late last night with being out so much longer than usual and my daughter going to bed later. I didn't get to sleep til almost 2 am :( I am tired today so will be going to bed earlier tonight for sure!

Everyone have a great day!

Welcome Kris! We always love to see new members to our little group. I have been posting on this board for a couple years but just started taking thing seriously and making some headway in the past month or so. I think it's because of the other posters who are having success and I'm thinking if they can do it, I can do it. We like to share our idea, our successes and failures. What works for one doesn't work for all. You have to find your own nitch.

For me, exercise definately helps lower my glucose. I usually exercise while watching my soaps after lunch, and recently I started walking on the treadmill for 15 minutes in the evening, about an hour or so after dinner. That little bit of exercise in the evening packs a big punch for me.

My weight is definately around my middle. My waist is bigger than my hips! I think that goes with having diabetes. I always say I look like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, but if you're not old enough to remember Alice in Wonderland, you won't know who they were. LOL

This morning my fasting was 122, so I did not take the glimiperide. I had 2 eggs for breakfast and I tried it with one slice of my bread. My two hour post-prandial was 137 (under 140), so I think I'm ok with doing that. However, I am going to reserve that for a once in a while treat, not every day. I don't want 1 slice of toast to lead to 2 slices, and that to lead to french toast, etc. That's the way it usually goes with me. I am content to have my scrambled eggs with veggies most mornings, but it's good to know I can have that piece of toast once in a while without doing too much damage. I have cauliflower rice and veggies for lunch and my post-prandial was 119. So excited to see these numbers. I don't know what I'm going to have for dinner because I'm not hungry yet after lunch.

Trish - I tried to make a larger portion of cauliflower rice with the frozen cauliflower with the intention of making it and keeping it in the fridge for tomorrow. It turned out really wet, and I was afraid it would spoil if I tried to keep it. I put it on a baking sheet on parchment paper and put it in a 200 degree oven for 20 min to try to dry it out, but it didn't really help. So I think I am only going to make a single serving at a time when I want it. I don't usually buy fresh cauliflower because in the past I didn't eat enough of it and it would get black spots on it. If I am going to make a larger portion for a family meal I will probably buy the fresh cauliflower.

I don't track every day, but I think I will start because when I do I have noticed that I'm still eating too much, even though I'm keeping it low carb. My blood sugar and blood pressure are coming down but if I want to lose more weight, too, I will need to watch.

I had quit eating cheese because I eat mostly mozzarella and I was just getting tired of it. Yesterday I bought some provolone and now I like it, in fact, a little too much. I might be better off to just not buy it at all. Why add calories I don't need. Tracking really helps you see where you are going astray.

Shannon, good for you on not having a bun with your hamburger. I am getting used to that too. I just cut up some lettuce, tomato and onion and I'm set. I'm glad to see you are getting good use from your Vitamix and your husband is jumping on the bandwagon.

DH got out of bed for a little while today and sat out on the porch. I guess he will get better slowly. I'm sure he's totally bored. He is not one to sit around, let alone lie in bed.

RE CAULIFLOWER RICE -
You can get a fresh cauliflower, grate the entire head and freeze the rice in zip locks in smaller portions. It thaws just fine for later use.

Also, if anyone likes curry... I make a low carb Curried Cauliflower Soup - -

Cook up cauliflower until it is super soft, put it in the blender with a little almond milk, some curry powder, coconut extract, salt, pepper and a touch of Splenda. Blend it up and adjust spices to taste as well as add more almond milk to thin to desired consistency. (I like it fairly thick so it is lush and filling.)

PURE HEAVEN!!!

Originally Posted by JLUS:
RE CAULIFLOWER RICE -
You can get a fresh cauliflower, grate the entire head and freeze the rice in zip locks in smaller portions. It thaws just fine for later use.

Also, if anyone likes curry... I make a low carb Curried Cauliflower Soup - -

Cook up cauliflower until it is super soft, put it in the blender with a little almond milk, some curry powder, coconut extract, salt, pepper and a touch of Splenda. Blend it up and adjust spices to taste as well as add more almond milk to thin to desired consistency. (I like it fairly thick so it is lush and filling.)

PURE HEAVEN!!!

I like cauliflower soup but I never had curry so I don't know if I like it. Unfortunately, the only ingredients in your recipe that I keep in the house is the salt and pepper! LOL I will save your recipe to my recipe file and will try it some day when I feel adventurous.

Thanks!, And thanks for the tip about freezing the cauliflower rice.

No Glimiperide for 2 days now, and this morning my FBG was 113. I am wondering what's going to happen when DH starts eating again and I adjust my eating schedule to his. Don't even think about him adjusting to my schedule because that's not going to happen. LOL Yesterday he ate some pudding and some mashed potatoes without getting sick from it. Foods that just slide down easily. Hopefully he will get his appetite back in time for Easter dinner. He said he is really hungry and would love to have a hamburger and french fries but he's afraid to eat it.

Carol Sue hope the hubby is feeling much better soon!

It's official - I am in onederland! Yay!

Shannon :cp::congrat::cp: So happy for you.:) You are doing great!!!

Carol Sue You are doing great. Hope DH is feeling much better especially by Easter.

Today was my official WI day and things aren't as bad as I thought. Not great, but only up 1.2 lbs which is much better than 2 lbs. Funny how those .8 makes a difference to me. Any way I'm back OP today. Not going to worry about the fiber too much. I think that has kind of side tracked me. I want to get the fiber in, but not going to obsess about it.

I'm not a shake person, but this morning I got up took one of Atkins shakes and added 1/2 c blueberries, approx 1/4 c kale and 1T chia seeds and put them in the MagicBullet and made a nice shake. It is a fast and easy and low carb breakfast. I don't know that I will always use the Atkins shakes but it is a start. I never was a breakfast person although I do love my eggs and bacon. I plan to move those to my evening mealtime. I will have to look around and see what I can find in low carb shakes besides Atkins. With spring fruits coming up, there will be all kinds of fresh fruit to put in the shakes especially low carb fruits like berries.

I've got a salad, broccoli and chicken wings planned for our main meal today. He will have bbq or hot and I like mine plain seasoned good. Then I will have an apple with cheese to hold me over till I'm ready to eat again around 6 or 7 tonight and I will make an egg omelet with veggies and bacon. Hopefully that will see through the evening and I won't need anything else. It like you said the other day Carol Sue, I've got to take this more seriously. I will ride my bike today. I plan to ride 4 days and then start doing Tia Chi 2 days. I notice my balance is a little off sometimes when I walk and DS tells me that it will help with my balance. He has been telling me that for months. It's time to do that too.

Ruthie, Rennie, Kris and JLUS and others :wave:

Have a nice day.

Thank you Trish! I am having some, ahm, bathroom issues and then read your post mentioning fiber and remembered this recipe http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/201...ot-cereal.html (recipe at bottom of post) this has alot of fiber. I'm sure you could sub an alternative sugar substitute if you do not have erythritol. I might have this for a snack later :p

Originally Posted by Shannonsnail:
Thank you Trish! I am having some, ahm, bathroom issues and then read your post mentioning fiber and remembered this recipe http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/201...ot-cereal.html (recipe at bottom of post) this has alot of fiber. I'm sure you could sub an alternative sugar substitute if you do not have erythritol. I might have this for a snack later :p

Thanks Shannon. I just might have that for my snack today instead of the apple and cheese. Sure will help with the fiber problem and stay lowcarb.
I'll make it with my Stevia.

My 3.5 yr old threw a ginormous tantrum tonight before bed. She is exhausted, having gotten to bed late several nights in a row but still waking early. Used to when that happened, after I got her to sleep I would end up eating to comfort myself because I just struggle with feeling like a sub-optimal mom but times have changed and I am just chilling out a little before washing dishes, etc from dinner. That's a nice change. I hated feeling bad, eating to feel better but instead feeling bloated and guilty.

Today I've been back on plan, feeling better about the weekend off plan dinners. I tried the cauliflower rice tonight and it was ok. The hubby and I both ate it but
I'd say the mashed version was yummier for me. I just sauteed garlic with it and added salt and Mrs Dash to it but I want to try the "fried rice" and "mexican" versions before I judge it too critically.

Dinner is when I like to experiment but golly gee, it is also the worst time of day with my daughter. I think I need a new plan. I used to subscribe to this service called 5 Dinners 1 Hour (their website is down right now or I'd post a link). They provided recipes for 5 meals with instructions on doing all the prep in 1 hour on Sundays. I really liked it but they don't have a low carb version. I wrote and asked if they would consider it but the response was that other plans were easily made low carb with substitutions. I'm not too sure about that being true but I really wish they would come up with one! I need a way to prep most of the meal ahead of time but it has to be stuff the hubby will eat too. I am going to think on this a bit. I have got to come up with something. I do stay at home but in order to do things in the kitchen I have to let my daughter watch TV and she is simply watching too much right now.

Even though I have been adding some beans to my eggs and salads, I'm still not getting enough fiber to do the trick, so I started back eating a few of my fiber crackers. It raises my BS a little bit, but still nowhere near what I had a month ago. I usually eat them at bedtime, but I am going to add them to a meal instead and they might not spike me as much. I only eat a few, never more than 5, and they are small. 15 crackers is considered a serving.

DH is getting up and moving around more and he finally ate last night without feeling sick. A hamburger patty and some tater tots. He still gets a lot of pain, but I told him that's because he is not taking the anti-viral they prescribed. He said "I don't believe THAT." He makes his own rules. Every time the pain gets bad he says he wants to go to the ER and I told him they are just going to MAKE you take the meds. So, I do feel bad for him, but he makes me angry that he moans and groans about something he could control if he would do what the doctor says. Even his son is yelling at him because he's not taking the meds, but he's stubborn. If he says no, it's no.

I am down 1 more lb today. It's so slow, but down is down, and I'm happy about it.

I have cancelled my Easter family dinner. DH told me to. I was feeling a lot of pressure over it, wondering if I was going to be able to get everything done, wondering how he was going to feel. I'm relieved. Everyone was understanding and I think I gave them enough time to make other plans. His one brother already said he wasn't coming because he didn't want to catch the shingles. DR said he would no longer be contageous by then, but who knows. I'm wondering how long it will take to find out if I caught it or not. I've tried not to have contact with him, but I've been helping him change clothes and rubbing his back (through his shirt.) I don't know exactly how much contact you have to have to catch it. He didn't catch it when I had it, and I think my immune system is pretty strong right now with my high vegetable intake.

Shannon, congrats on being in Onederland! Isn't it Onderful? Dealing with a young child can be stressful, but you are handling it well. I would make the mashed cauliflower because I know I would like it but it would just be a small portion for myself because DH would not eat it. He wouldn't even try it. He eats cauliflower, but he wants his potatoes to be potatoes. I love the idea of cooking meals on Sunday for the rest of the week, but DH would never eat food that wasn't made fresh. He has some very strange ways. That's about all I can say. LOL I always tell him "Why couldn't I have married one of those guys who eats whatever you put in front of him?" That will be a priority next time. LOL He loves to eat in restaurants. I asked him "Do you think they go back there and start cooking when you place your order? It's premade!! They defrost it and serve it to you!"

I don't know where Monday went. It's Tuesday already, and I will have to bundle the garbage and take it out to the curb for tomorrow. He says he will do it, but he hasn't even been down the cellar steps in a week. I will put on my big-girl pants and do what has to be done.

Have a good day!

EDIT: I JUST WENT IN TO CHANGE MY TICKER AND SAW THAT I DID NOT GO DOWN A LB. I WENT UP!!! NOT HAPPY, BUT IT HAPPENS TO ALL OF US AT SOME TIME OR ANOTHER!!!!!

I didn't do well yesterday and not sure why. Decided at lunch time to have a CAD reward meal and eat lowcarb for dinner and then everything was downhill from there because I was hungry all evening. It was like I couldn't get enough to eat. I just can't do that any more. Plus it is obvious to me that Atkins has suddenly become the only way for me to eat because it controls my fbs/bs. Decided not to beat myself up, but learn the lesson and get back on track this morning. Wasn't really fond of the idea, but had my eggs, bacon and cheese and added brussel sprouts to the meal so that I would have the feeling of eating fiber. Could have had greens but not in the mood for that either. But then I like the greens in omelets and wasn't in the mood for an omelet. My stomach wasn't feeling great this morning so I think I was just being ornary in my old age. It did help settle my tummy, so glad I chose to eat it. Planning shrimp scampi for lunch, but not sure what I will have tonight.

I ordered the Atkins Made Easy book and it should arrive tomorrow. I know from their website that they've made some changes and also the book is supposed to make it easier to explain the plan with skeptics. It also has sample menus for each phase.

Shannon You are a good Mom. I remember wanting to do all the things you do. I was a Register babysitter in my home when my children were growing up so I could be home mainly because my daughter was a burn victim and I wanted to be there for her when she would come home from surgeries. I was very picky about my children and those I kept during the day. I fed all of them as healthy as we knew to do at that time. My sister-in-law babysat and we would trade off so we could get paid while on vacation etc. I loved being with the children and decided to cut my vacation short and go back to work a few days early one time. When fed the children the 1st day back said to me, "Aunt Pat, I'm so glad you're back. I like peanut butter sandwiches, but not everyday". I guess I spoiled them, but I felt it was important to feed them healthy and a variety so they didn't get bored with the food. I was always looking for new recipes to cook for my family and those little kids. I would have really had a ball if I'd had the internet. Great job for not using food to deal with the stress. You are doing great.

Carol Sue My 1st 2 hubbies would eat just about anything. I think the only thing Hubby #2 wouldn't eat was cucumbers. When he was a kid, he argued with his mom that nothing that tasted as good as a pickle could possibly come from a cucumber. LOL Now DH #3 is so picky about everything. One of his favorite foods is cauliflower, but since he eats a package a day made with butter, swiss cheese and Ragu double cheese, I don't ever make it. I love the way he makes it, but I would add a little onion to it and it would be great for me. I just won't make it just for me. These hubbies are strange creatures.

Well, I hear him moving around so guess I will go. I think we are all supposed to get rain and colder weather for a few days here on the east. Looks like Ruthie may still be getting snow. I know she will be glad when it clears up. Maybe we will get some pretty weather after Easter. I hope so.

Have a good one.

I've been eating low carb for a month, but not really watching calories. My fbs has stayed about same 121-128. The last few days I am watching portions and not eating more than 500 calories at a time. FBS was 90 this morning!

I've always wondered about Biggest Loser. There are 400 pound guys who lose 50 pounds and then don't have Type 2 anymore. How can they still weigh 350 pounds and have lowered their sugar that much? I wonder if lower calorie, lower portions - is what does it, even more than actually losing pounds. Gives the pancreas a rest between meals and I really think the not stuffing oneself has a lot to do with T2 sugar levels. Exercise might help them also though, they exercise so much. What do you think?

Congrats on wonderland Shannon!

Where is Rennie? I promise I'm not a stalker but knowing she lives near me makes me notice more when she isn't posting!

Trish you crack me up, "these hubbies are strange creatures" So true!! Tonight mine said (following one of my cooking experiments) "I eat whatever you put in front of me, I no longer eat for pleasure but just to eat, where is the salt? Salt will cure it." LOL!

Carol Sue he isn't taking the anti-viral? Oy! No wonder he's still in pain. Men! We are eating out this year for Easter. My brother is a youth pastor and has an egg hunt to handle on Sat and be in church on Sun. and we will be in church here, an hour away. I guess we will go to an early service and then meet my family out somewhere.

Kris I am at the one month mark as well. My fasting hasn't really improved and strangely tonight, for example, it's 124 before bed and I haven't had anything for several hours and very low carb at dinner. I don't know. My weight is going down though so I'm kind of clinging to the hope that weightloss will help. It can't hurt so I press on.

Today was ok. I made a mistake this morning of taking too long to get moving and didn't get breakfast before I rushed to get my daughter to preschool. Today was a party day and I was planning to stay. I got there and felt horrible so I ended up leaving, going home to eat and then returning later. I used to run out without eating all the time. Times are changing.

Shannon, sometimes Rennie is absent for a few days then pops back in, so I am used to her doing this. I do hope nothing is wrong, but she will probably be back before the week is over. Another poster, FatMad does the same thing, and for longer periods of time.

Trish- I was a copycat last night and ate some bread. I know I can't do that, but I think stress got to me and I wanted instant relief. All I got is I gained another pound and my blood sugar was in the 160's this morning. So it's true. We HAVE to do low carb. Period. The sooner we accept that fact the better off we will be.

Kris - The small meals are a big factor with diabetes. That's something I have to be very careful about. One of my biggest problems is portion control. Watching your calories per meal is what's doing it! I need to learn from your experience. Once I start eating, I have a tendancy to keep eating until I'm stuffed. I guess I've done that for so long that my body wants that.

On Biggest Loser, I think it's the exercise, plus the food choices and quantities that make the BS drop so quickly. Even though they are still big, a 50 lb loss is a lot, and combined with everything else is enough to lower their BS. They are not cured, IMO, just controlled with diet and exercise. If they stop exercising and eating the old way, their BS will go up. There are people who weight 300-400 lbs who aren't diabetic. For whatever reason, their bodies are able to handle glucose correctly even though they are obese. Once your body is not able to handle the glucose, there's no going back. It can be controlled, but it's not cured. Your pancreas is still impaired. If you go back to your old eating pattern your glucose levels will rise. This is a contraversial issue and not everyone agrees with it.

Originally Posted by Wannabehealthy:
Shannon, sometimes Rennie is absent for a few days then pops back in, so I am used to her doing this. I do hope nothing is wrong, but she will probably be back before the week is over. Another poster, FatMad does the same thing, and for longer periods of time.

Trish- I was a copycat last night and ate some bread. I know I can't do that, but I think stress got to me and I wanted instant relief. All I got is I gained another pound and my blood sugar was in the 160's this morning. So it's true. We HAVE to do low carb. Period. The sooner we accept that fact the better off we will be.

Kris - The small meals are a big factor with diabetes. That's something I have to be very careful about. One of my biggest problems is portion control. Watching your calories per meal is what's doing it! I need to learn from your experience. Once I start eating, I have a tendancy to keep eating until I'm stuffed. I guess I've done that for so long that my body wants that.

On Biggest Loser, I think it's the exercise, plus the food choices and quantities that make the BS drop so quickly. Even though they are still big, a 50 lb loss is a lot, and combined with everything else is enough to lower their BS. They are not cured, IMO, just controlled with diet and exercise. If they stop exercising and eating the old way, their BS will go up. There are people who weight 300-400 lbs who aren't diabetic. For whatever reason, their bodies are able to handle glucose correctly even though they are obese. Once your body is not able to handle the glucose, there's no going back. It can be controlled, but it's not cured. Your pancreas is still impaired. If you go back to your old eating pattern your glucose levels will rise. This is a contraversial issue and not everyone agrees with it.

Thanks Carol Sue!

Glucose control is an interesting thing. My husband is 419 and 6'4", he looks like he is carrying triplets. He has a perfect fasting glucose and A1c. Go figure. I thought it would be inevitable that he would become diabetic having gained almost 120 lbs since we married but nope, his labs are always normal. I do not understand but I think it shows that weight does not cause diabetes but it can be a factor in how your body handles the excess glucose or insulin that doesn't function well.

I have bible study this morning so it's time to rush rush rush!

Interesting conversation going here.

The bread and starchy carbs are definitely a no-no for me. Yesterday morning my fbs was 145 and weight was 227. One day back on Induction and fbs is 114 and weight back down to 224.4 this moring. Talk about lesson learned. Bad stomach problems last few days too. I guess one thing is true from Intuitive Eating "listen to your body. It will tell you what it needs" or in my case what it does NOT need. I got the new book yesterday so read the 1st 2 chapters and part of chapter about Phase 1 Induction.

You should eat 4 to 6 oz protein at each meal. It can be be vegetarian protein not just meat. And you are supposed to eat a minimum of 6 servings of veggies a day. I don't think I'm always doing that which may be why I'm tired all the time. They say to be sure and use full fat cheese and meat without fillers and absolutely no low fat products.

I don't think I'm going to track on MFP as some of the numbers mess with my mind. I tried to adjust the carb/protein/fat ratio and just can't get it right. Any way the book says if you follow the plan women only eat between 1500 to 1800 calories.

The Atkins bars and shakes are for emergencies or for people on the go. However, it is best not to use them all the time.

DS is on the phone so be back later.

Ok, back home now....wanted to add Carol Sue is correct, once your body begins losing it's ability to respond properly to glucose/insulin, we can lose weight and eat properly which can bring it into 'control' but from what I understand we will always be at risk if we stop doing the things that help us control it. I don't think we can just go back to eating mostly carbs and be ok. That being said, there is reversal of diabetes. Honestly, I'm not sure there is anything published yet on this, it was something I heard snippets about in my previous job. Gastric bypass removes an area of the intestine that is being investigated. There is some evidence that something important to glucose control goes on in that area and when it is removed, proper bodily function is restored. Don't quote me or even fully accept what I'm saying because I'm not taking the time to look to see if it has indeed been published but I know as of two years ago it was definitely being discussed amongst scientists. So, if true, that may represent reversal. Otherwise, I think we are just keeping it under control. Again, as Carol Sue said, this is a controversial subject and opinions/terminology may differ amongst those reading.

Interesting! Bernstein says there is something in the colon that gets triggered when large amounts of food are ingested - I can't remember what it is. But with glucose problems, it is something we don't want. Wonder if that has anything to do with what Shannon is talking about.

Ate almost exactly the same thing yesterday as I did Monday. Exercise and bedtime etc all same. First day fbs was 109, this morning back to 121. I did have a piece of cheese an hour or two have dinner on Monday though, and then a few too many pickles on Tuesday night. Anyone notice salt effecting their fbs?

Shannon, I have heard that about gastric bypass surgery, but I've always wondered if it worked long term. I did some googling and some say yes, some say no. Anyone can put anything on the internet and it cannot be taken as gospel. A woman at work had her diabetes reversed with gastric bypass, but now that I'm retired, I never see her to ask if her diabetes stayed gone. One website said that if the diabetes is far enough progressed to cause damage to the Beta Cells, that damage cannot be repaired, and they will never again operate the way they did originally.

Trish, you might be getting more servings of veggies than you realize. Cooked veggies are 1/2 c per serving and salad veggies like lettuce are 1 cup per serving. That's really not very much. I had cooked baby carrots and brussels sprouts for lunch and that was 1 1/2 Cups. So 3 servings right there. When I eat a salad, it's rarely only 1 cup. It's at least 2 cups or more.

I don't track every day, but when I first started this low carb plan I was running around 800-1000 calories. I kept trying to up it to at least 1200. Recently I have been tracking at 1200-1400. I think I am going to eat what I want and not worry about calories. I'm saying that if I only eat 900 calories and I'm satisfied, I will not try to increase it to meet someone else's idea of what I should be eating. I believe that "starvation mode" is a myth. I read that somewhere...low calories can slow your metabolism a bit, but not enough to make that big of a difference. Otherwise, anorexics would not get so thin. Their body would hold on to the fat. I know a lot of people who eat 1000 cals a day or less and they are losing. I'm struggling. I need to change something, so this will be my next experiment to see if I can get the scale moving downward.

Kris, I have not noticed any difference with salt, but I don't eat pickles. I eat olives, which would be on the same order, but haven't paid that much attention to how they effect blood sugar. It's crazy sometimes. You can never tell what it's going to do. I think this is why doctors base their findings more on A1c rather than individual daily testing. Does your meter show averages? Mine shows 14 and 30 day averages. I never used to pay any attention to them, but recently I noticed how far they have come down since I made the recent changes. I have a chart that tells you what your A1c would be based on your average blood glucose. Of course, if you're only testing fasting and not testing post prandial you won't get a true average.

Just thought of something....did the pickles contain sugar?

Carol Sue I feel the same way about eating as much as someone else thinks I should eat. When I've tracked, I've seen some days lower than others as it seems to vary according to how my hunger is each day. I know when my sister had lap band surgery, they had her eating only 500 calories a day of low carb meals. I remember thinking "why would you have surgery if you are going to eat only 500 cals". If you're eating only 500 calories, of course you're going to lose weight. My point is that if you can live on 500 calories a day, then 900 or 1000 cals isn't going to hurt you. Just my theory. I'm just counting carbs now in a notebook, no calorie counting. It is so easy because just about everything has label info that makes it easier.

Kris I honestly believe and have often thout that salt (because I have a tendency to retain fluid) does affect my fbs except when I'm eating Atkins Induction because it is a natural diuretic. Atkins recommends eating salt when on Atkins to keep from having leg cramps which I get really bad when I low carb with low sodium. However, I still don't eat a lot of sodium. I've also learned that how much sleep I get also affects it. It is amazing what can or cannot affect your FBS.

Shannon It is true that once we get the diabetes under control that we cannot go back to our old way of eating. I am a perfect example of that fact. I've had mine under control 2x's. Once I did it with lowfat and the second time just eating healthy, no real diet. It was more like Intuitive Eating although I had never heard that term at the time. Actually I guess I did it 3x, because about 5 or 6 yrs ago, I did Atkins and got my fbs and all my other numbers down to normal. I never got did get the weight down to goal, but when I got things normal, I started eating my old way again and here I am having to do this over again. I know I've always tried to do this my way, but I think I finally got it into my head that this has to be a lifestyle.

Hi Ladies,

I'm not doing well right now. I have allowed my eating to get out of control. Weight is up and so is fbs. Gonna work on a new start tomorrow and hope I make it the entire day. One day at a time, however today started off great then mid-afternoon I ate every wrong thing there was ... so I'll try again tomorrow.

Rennie i was missing you! :hug: hugs! We all have bad days! I try to take it "one meal at a time" i am so all or nothing that used to, if I had a bad meal then a bad day resulted. Now I try to just do better at the next meal.

Well ladies, I am nervous. I have a blood draw in the morning and my fastings have been high (for me) the last few days, I've even had a couple that would be "diabetic", not "prediabetic". Today I had more carbs than usual and my post prandials have been a little higher. This lab draw might be "the one". I go in for the actual appt next Tues so I will face whatever the music is then but I am feeling a little nervous about this draw. I have also never been testing in conjunction with my draws before so in the past it was a complete mystery and now I'm all full of knowledge. I feel like I just ate the fruit in the garden of eden.

Edited: i feel better. I just checked my BS before bed and it is good. Usually my fbs is slightly higher than my before bed. If that holds true (through til 9:30 am when I am usually up at 7:30 or 8 am) then it will be "prediabetic" still.

Trish - The one difference with gastric bypass is that they are really not getting enough nutrients, and therefore have to use a lot of protein supplements, vitamins etc. And because of the surgery, they don't feel hunger, but they do still have cravings, and for me, eating is probably 75% cravings rather than actual hunger. 500 calories is really extreme and neither of us would probably ever do that, except maybe one day here and there, whereas they have to do it every day. Many of them lose their hair because of the lack of nutrients. In our case, our tracking might show 900 calories but we might really be eating more due to actual portion sizes etc. I think programs like Fit Day and MFP give you estimates. I can go back to my same old mantra.....thin people do not track. They eat when they are hungry and stop when they are satisfied. Sometimes tracking could backfire. It could say, "I still have calories left. What else can I eat?" when you are really no longer hungry. Tracking is good when you aren't losing and you want to see where your extra calories/carbs/fat are coming from.

I have a funny story. Yesterday, I had to go to Target to get an RX for my husband. I dropped off the script and left to go to another store. As I left the store I passed the snack bar where they sell pizza and those big soft pretzels. I haven't had one of those pretzels for years! They looked so good. I did my shopping then came back to pick up the meds. As I was walking in the door I said to myself "I want one of those pretzels. I'm going to get one on the way out." I got the RX, bought a few other things, and was driving down the highway before I realized I forgot to buy the pretzel!! I think God intervened here. He knew I was weak and he made me forget. I realize now that I checked out at a register that was past the snack bar, closer to the door and didn't have to walk past it on the way out. I will have to remember that from now on when I go there. Don't go near the pretzels!

I ate some of my fiber crackers with dinner and my BS was 146 this morning, so I guess that didn't work. Now I've decided to try them with lunch, on days that I'm going to be exercising in the afternoon.

Last night before I ate dinner my bs was 109, so I didn't take the glimiperide. I had roasted chicken and peas, then I ate 5 fiber crackers. I suppose I shouldn't be playing around with the meds, I should just be taking it, but I'm concerned about having a low if my bs is 109 before a meal when I'm not eating starchy carbs. The crackers were not planned, they were an afterthought. Now that I see how much my bs can drop if I don't eat carbs, I know I can do away with the med eventually. If I continue to take it on a regular basis it will further damage my Beta Cells and why do that if I can control it without it. I can't say this to the doctor because they want you to just take the meds they prescribe.

Rennie, we all have been there. I was so confident that I was not going to have a gain ever again and got so depressed when I went up 2 lbs. It put me in my place. You have done so well, this is just a blip and you soon will be losing again.

Kris, I have Bernstein's book. It is geared mainly toward type 1, but still has a lot of information for type 2. I will have to look it over again and remind myself of what he has to say, especially about large meals.

Shannon, I hope you get good results with your labs, but even if they are still a little high, you are doing well and are headed in the right direction. Do you think your doctor will put you on meds if it's still high?

Carol Sue my temptation at Target is the popcorn and drink combo. I used to get my pepsi/coke and my big bag of popcorn, eat and drink while shopping, then refill my soda before leaving. Then I had my daughter and she wanted my popcorn. It wasn't as much fun, lol!

Back in the late summer the dr said she wouldn't prescribe unless I had an official diagnosis. She wanted to push lifestyle change but I wasn't ready yet. I still had metformin so I put myself back on it but I stopped shortly after bc of the cramping. Then when I went back in Dec she said the same thing so I'm giving it a go. I tested on my meter in the bathroom before my draw and it was 117. It was 104 last night. I definitely think I have the dawn phenomenom.

Good news, my scale is still moving!

Yay! The scale still moving is wonderful! As for the dawn phenomenon, I think everyone has it. LOL If you happen to wake some night at say 3AM, get up and test your BS to see where you're at. The only explanation I've heard that makes sense to me is that when you go a long time without food, such as overnight, your body senses a lack of glucose so it squirts some out, but it doesn't have good control and it squirts out too much. This is why they say 1) have a snack at bedtime and 2) eat something as soon as you get up. Number 1 doesn't work for me, and they say number 2 will stop the body from squirting out the glucose...but I figure that eating is going to add more glucose anyway. There's a lot I don't understand no matter how it's explained to me.

I love popcorn, too. I can eat tons of it. DH doesn't like me to eat it because of the hulls, since my 2 bowel surgeries were due to diverticulitis. Now I avoid it as much as possible because of the carbs, and because it's empty calories. I don't consider the fiber important enough because you can get fiber in better foods. When I was single and thin I stopped in snack bars in a lot of stores. But I didn't keep much food in the house so that was my meal, not a snack. If we should happen to stop at the food court at the mall the only thing I will get is an egg roll at the chinese shop because it's something I rarely have. DH gets McDonald's. We are so adventurous! LOL

I am down 1 of the 2 lbs I gained, so I am heading in the right direction. I want to be at 193 by Sat because that is weigh-in day for my One Pound a Week Challenge. I was at 194 last week.

How much Metformin are you taking? When I started taking it I was on 500 twice a day. I lost 25 lbs with that, easily, then another 15 with my first bowel surgery. Needless to say, it didn't all stay gone. There is no magic.

My fbs was 125 this morning and I was down .2 lbs. I was disappointed in the fbs and couldn't figure out why it was up since I did everything right yesterday. We went out to eat at Cracker Barrel today and I ordered the fried catfish fillet, green beans and a salad with ranch dressing. DH always gets dumplings and apples. He never orders bread so I was surprised when he ordered the corn muffins. I love dumplings so I ate 2 of them and took a bite of the muffin. I never get tempted with the apples. However, I decided to do a 3 hr check. I figured it would be high, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was only 119. That really thrills me to know that I can eat a little more carbs one in a while and it won't hurt. I was going to get their chef salad, but the ham was sugar ham so I had to pass on that one. I'm thankful that what I chose didn't hurt me.

Not sure what is for dinner, nothing sounds good.

Carol Sue One of my big problems with counting calories etc on MFP is that I can have more calories and I find myself trying to get enough. I think my fbs was up today because I ate dinner. I had an Atkins shake around 4 or 5. Then because I felt I needed to eat, I made a hamburger patty and put it in a salad and ate it. I don't really think I was hungry, I was just eating to get the calories. I still like the IE idea of eating only as much as it takes to satisfy the hunger. I think I'm going to implement that into my eating plan.

Shannon You have been doing so well overall that I bet your blood work will be really good. I'm pulling for you. :)

Rennie We all have the little blips. I think we just have to know they are going to happen from time to time. Just hang in there you have come a long way and you are doing great so close to goal. Just don't give up. I was in a strange mood today and could have really screwed everything up. I really wanted to at one point and just didn't care. Somehow God got me through it. I know I still have to tweak things because I am fully aware that Atkins Induction just isn't something I'm going to stick with especially as strict as it is. I just have to find a balance in my carbs and it is real drag. I know I won't feel like this all the time and perhaps tomorrow I will get up and be strong about the low carb eating again. We just have to take it one day at a time. If we have a blip, we just have see it for what it is and move on. We can do this.

Kris, Ruthie, Fatmad and others :wave:

Trish, I think we will eventually find a balance where we can eat some carb occasionally, as long as we don't make it an every day thing. I have had the same situation where I know I didn't eat carbs but my BS is still too high. It's weird. Since our A1c is based on a 3 month average, an occasional spike will not matter much. Is your husband able to eat the dumplings without a spike?

Originally Posted by Wannabehealthy:
Trish, I think we will eventually find a balance where we can eat some carb occasionally, as long as we don't make it an every day thing. I have had the same situation where I know I didn't eat carbs but my BS is still too high. It's weird. Since our A1c is based on a 3 month average, an occasional spike will not matter much. Is your husband able to eat the dumplings without a spike?

I don't know if he gets spikes or not after he eats. He never checks after eating. :dizzy: He only checks fbs when I insist on it. He takes Glimiperide so it probably takes care of his. I just don't want to have to take it myself.

Well, I missed getting my coffee this morning and had a horrible headache all day. I also had a backache from sleeping crunched up most of last night like a cat at the foot of my daughter's bed. I wasn't eating enough all day but couldn't seem to figure out what to eat to feel better. So, all day I was in a bad mood, just didn't feel great. That has continued into the night and I've been snacky because I didn't eat enough all day. Waaah! Hoping for a better tomorrow.

Oh No! No coffee!! I went completely off coffee for about a year in 2011 and I handled it fine, but now I'm back to it more than I ever was. I think it was just so cold this winter I felt that I needed it constantly. It's probably not too good for me to drink so much with my heart disease. I'm always doing something that's not good for me, no matter how I try.

When I went to bed last night my bs was 99. When I got up this morning it was 113. At best, when I was having good A1c my fasting ran in the 120s so that 113 floored me. When I went to bed I was hungry, but too tired to get out of bed to eat something. Once I fell asleep I forgot about it. I lost my other lb I gained, too. This morning I tracked my food for yesterday out of curiosity and I had 1,243 cals, 30 gm carb, 12 gm fiber and 94 gm protein, 85 gm fat, half of which was mono fat. I ate more protein than usual, which gave me more fat. It was a chicken leg and some meatballs in sauce plus my morning eggs. I also ate about 10 olives, but the fat in them is mono fat. I was surprised that my calories were that high but I had more protein and fewer veggies than normal. But it did lower my BS to a new low, and I didn't take any glimiperide yesterday. I wont give up my veggies. Yesterday was just and unusual day. I'm trying to get rid of leftovers. LOL I don't want to have to take the glimiperide either, Trish. It burns out your Beta Cells because it's forcing them to kick out more insulin. I realize it allows a lot of people to eat carbs, but it's not something I want to do. Just a personal choice, and nothing against your husband for taking it. My husband would not be able to go without carbs like I do.

I don't know what we're going to eat today because it's Good Friday and we usually go out for fish or DH gets a plain pizza. He won't beeating either of those today. Your catfish sounded good Trish. I've only had it twice because it's not really common up north. I love any kind of fish and eat it more than once a week, usually.

Rennie I'm back on track today and have my plan for today. So come on and join me. We can do this TODAY. You are so close to goal, please don't give up.

Shannon I hate days when I don't know what I want to eat. It makes it so difficult for me to eat what needs to be eaten. According to the new Atkins Made Easy book says that low carbing will help us get rid of mood swings. I sure hope so because, I get tired of these roller coaster swings. It is bad enough to deal with this weight/bs and this is just another thing I have to deal with. However, recognizing what is going on may be a helpful lesson for us to beware of these things so they don't derail us.

Carol Sue I would love to be healthy one more time in this lifetime and I don't want to just patch this problem I have with a band-aid. So while it is difficult for me to think of giving up all the carbs, I also am aware that it is better to do that if necessary and have my health.

Well, I guess I didn't do too much damage yesterday. I ate some high fiber triscuits with the Polaner and I was up half the night running to the potty, but it paid off. I had a gain, but only .8 lbs, however, the fbs was down 2 pts to 123. I consider that a good thing because I remember when it would have been 200 or close. So I see improvement. I think walking through Lowe's and Sam's (probably an hr or more of walking) probably helped too.

Today I'm back OP. I haven't left MFP as I think it is good to see what I'm doing. I still was under my allotted calories for the day yesterday and today I have planned my meals ahead of time. I'm not sure having 1 off day a week is really bad. Normal, thin people don't eat the same way all the time. DH #2's mother worked for a diet doctor when she lived in California. He had his patients follow low carb diet 6 days a week with 1 day that they could enjoy eating whatever they wanted. Mother said they were successful dieters. In fact, she kind of ate that way when she was thin. In fact, she didn't gain weight until she and her sister moved in together and she felt she had to eat the way her sister ate. That woman ate mostly low carb, but she did include some fruit every day and she had the most beautiful skin you ever saw. Didn't wrinkle or gain weight until she switched to lowfat eating with her sister. It was down hill for her from there. I've thought a lot about her lately. She had a complete check up in the hospital before she switched to low carb and her heart everything was perfect even though she smoked. But when she switched to low carb her health went down. Interesting.

Well, I need to get busy around here. Haven't talk to DS in a few days so need to check on him. I like to know where he is and he is okay when he is on the road.

Have a nice day.