Shannon, I envy you all your sewing and crafts you do. I used to sew when I was in my teens and 20's but got away from it. All I do now is hemming and mending. When a seam starts to come out I'm really glad I have my sewing machine, old as it is.

Olivia probably had so much fun with Grandma there! And your DH sewing the kite!! That's great!!

I have no doubt that you will get things back on track with your eating. It seems to be a solid decision for you.

Shannon You had a really busy weekend and got a lot accomplished. I too have been eating too many starchy carbs lately and I'm having to work at getting things back under control. I know you will be good at doing it and probably much better than it. It you will be able to stay on plan at the retreat?

Carol Sue I believe that I need to do Intermittent Fasting. I've been working at eating 3 meals and adding the grains too. I don't think that is me. I can do the 8 hr window of eating and fast 16 hrs. So that is what I am aiming for. I'm making my eating window Noon to 8 pm. Since I want to get in the 1 fruit, I decided to have an apple with a serving of peanut butter around noon. Then I will eat 2 meals and stop eating by 8 if not before. I also put 1 teaspoon of CO in my coffee this morning. So far so good.

I'm cooking cod fish for lunch with a salad and broccoli and I'm going to have a chicken/broccoli stir-fry with Alfredo sauce for supper and take my Metformin then.

My goal is to eat as little starchy carbs as possible. Today the apple will be my only carby type food. First thing today, I did my morning exercises that I plan to do 5 or 6 days a week and I also have been really busy with housework. I still have 20 min to do on the bike later this afternoon after lunch. Boy my legs and arms are really sore, from my morning exercises, but I sure did sleep good last night. One thing I'm doing this go around is that I am Only taking this just One Day at a Time. I am working at being healthy, but I just cannot think about how long this is going to take me. I know if I can change my habits to do what is healthy "Just for today", I will eventually be rewarded with good healthy results.

We will do this.

Trish, last night after I went to bed I was hungry. I can fall asleep if I'm just a little bit hungry, but I felt really hungry so I got up and ate a bowl of Cheerios. I know that was not a good choice, but it's done. This AM I did not check FBG. I had a couple cups of coffee with my flavored creamer, which does have a few carbs and at lunch time DH was making a bacon egg and tomato sandwich. He left some for me, so I tested to see if I could chance eating the bread. My blood sugar was 162, so I ate the bacon and egg but no bread. I could have taken a glimiperide, but I don't want to become dependent on them so I didn't. I also grilled some hearts of romaine and ate that. Just now I checked my BS and it's 104. It dropped down without the glimiperide because I didn't eat any carbs all day. So I don't need that glimiperide if I can stay away from the carbs. I am cooking stuffed cabbage rolls for dinner. They have brown rice in them, but very little. I made 1/2 cup of rice and that was distributed among 35 cabbage rolls, so that's not much per roll. I haven't been on the scale for a few days because I don't feel as though I've lost. I only have a week or so until I get my bloodwork checked again. I am not expecting it to be as good as it was last time.

My husband saw the guy who had the really high blood sugar over the weekend. He was asking one of the guys to pick him up and drive him to the restaurant where they go to eat because he has trouble seeing to drive at night. That's scary, because he's only 47 and he is too young to be having trouble seeing at night. I'm concerned that he has damage to his eyes from the high blood sugar. DH says he won't talk about his diabetes.

I wonder where everyone has been? Are we scaring everyone away with our gabbiness? LOL Dgramie is usually here every day.

I've been reading another book I got from Goodwill. It is Living The Low Carb Life by Jonny Bowden. It would be a good book for someone just starting out on low carb. It has lots of information, and gives a review of a lot of low carb plans so you can decide which one would work best for you. I saw some used copies on Amazon and Half.com very cheap if anyone is interested. I am still not finished reading Grain Brain, but this other book is so interesting I keep going back and forth between them, and I'm getting confused which one says what! LOL I have too much time on my hands.

Carol Sue My fbs was 155 this morning. That is what got me working my plan. I just can't let it go up higher. I know that I can low carb and get it back down so why do I fight it so. I just checked my bs about 1 hr after lunch and it is 142 which I think is pretty good for an hour out. I will check it again around 3 hrs. I also finished up my exercise with my 20 minutes on the bike before checking the bs.

It is good that your bs came down without the glimiperide which shows that low carb really does work for you too. Wish I could get DH interested in doing low carb so he could cut back on the glimiperide. But one can only hope. But then maybe it is my since I'm never staying with the plan for very long at a time. Maybe when I make it a way of life and he sees the results, then he will take it seriously.

I did my plan on MFP and even after adding 1/4 avocado to my salad at lunch, I still will not make 1200 calories for today, but since this is my plan, I'm not going to worry about it. I've got to do this the way it works for me.

So sorry about the 47 yr old friend with diabetes. As serious as his is, I'm not sure he has much time for the denial stage. I had 2 cousins (a brother and sister) who were diabetics who never would even follow the diabetic diet that was given back then. I don't know about the brother, but the sister was T-1 and was always sneaking around eating candy when we were kids. I know it had to be very difficult for her as a child. I didn't hear from her for years and then the last few times I talked to her before she died, she was blind and she still didn't eat any better. Of course, we know now that the diabetic diet they give diabetics even today are not going to help a whole lot. So, so sad.

My son's girlfriend had a Glucose Tolerance test last Friday afternoon and is waiting to hear if she is diabetic because her doctor said that her blood sugar was too high at her last check up. She already has MS and Fibromyalgia and now maybe this. She knows that low carb diets can help her MS and Fibromyalgia and doesn't do it so not sure what she will do if she has diabetes too. However, I've got to be a good example for her. Hopefully this will give me the incentive that I need to get me to stay with this plan.

We do get gabby sometimes don't we.

I think dgramie is the one who said she is carpooling kids to college 3 days a week so she would check in when she can. Don't know where everyone else is.

Caramel How are things going? Did you have your doc's appointment?

Hope everyone is doing okay and they will check in soon.

Trish please recommend to the son's girlfriend researching dropping grains from her diet for her conditions. My mom, brother and a cousin have MS so it is near and dear to my heart. Grains are associated with inflammation and both those conditions are believec to be tied to inflammation.

Shannon Thanks. I will let them know.

I'm here!! Sorry I have been Mia. I got sick and went to the dr last Tuesday. Weight was up to 269. My bp was up but glucose was 112 and that wasn't on a fast. I have a bad respitory infection. I have been having asthma type symptoms. So lots of meds as well as a new bp med. she was very blunt about having to lose weight!!
So a wk later my weight is down 9lbs. I have been using a gazelle edge for exercise. Not a long time on it but a few minutes several times a day.
I am back to counting calories. I am watching carbs but not focused on them. Glucose has been about the same.
I have felt bad for months and now convinced it's from Prilosec. My hair has been falling out bad. I feel quilt complaining about it because I still have a head full. I have 2 sisters and a SIL with cancer. So as of today I'm off Prilosec. Anxious to see if I can control my symptoms with diet.

dgramie, I'm sorry you aren't feeling well. I hope you feel better soon. I have a hiatal hernia. The only symptom I get is this chronic cough, and part of that is due to allergies. If I take my Claritin like I should it isn't as bad. I take so many pills I hate adding that Claritin to the mix. I used to get really bad reflux and lived on Pepcid AC. After I changed my diet I rarely get it now unless I eat something really fatty and later at night.

I have a generic gazelle. I use it once in a while for variety, but use my treadmill and elliptical the most. The gazelle does not put a lot of strain on your joints.

Trish, that's Donna (lotsakids) who is carpooling kids to college. She is very busy and only get in here about once a month. She said her kids are always using the computer. We haven't heard from Bonnie or Mad for months, and Ruthie pops in once in a while.

I am glad I am doing well sticking to low carb for my blood sugar, but disappointed that it isn't helping with weight. I know I have an extremely low metabolism and lose very slowly. We are still getting a few small tomatoes here and there, so I'm still eating the sandwiches once in a while.

Shannon, the books I have been reading talk a lot about inflammation. I have always know the importance of sleep, but I haven't been able to sleep good for years. I fall asleep instantly, but don't stay asleep more than 2 or 3 hours. Then I have trouble falling back to sleep. I don't like to take anything for it, and they usually only help you fall asleep, not stay asleep. I can remember when I was in my 20's and 30's I would fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and not wake up until the alarm clock went off. I haven't needed an alarm clock for years. One of the books I was reading talked about the problems from lack of sleep and that it causes inflammation, but none of the suggestions they have help me, because falling asleep is never a problem. A pulmonoligist in the hospital asked me what wakes me up, and I don't know. I just wake up and lie there, awake. I only have coffee in the AM and when I drink soda, it's usually caffeine free. In the hospital they used to come in at 4:30 AM to draw blood and they would ask me why I'm awake. LOL Before I retired there were days that I went to work after being awake all night. That was fun....
My Cpap keeps me from waking up gasping for air, but I still wake up.

Well, I was really upset this morning because my fbs was 167, but then I remembered that my bs goes up after exercising. And I had just done my kettle bell exercises. Since I'm Intermittent Fasting, I decided to check it just before I'm getting ready to cook to break my fast and eat and it was 130. So I think it is really ok. My weight was down a little, but still higher than the ticker. Judging by that and what I weighed on September 1st, I lost no weight this month. So I guess I will begin October the same way I started September.

It is time to buckle down and get this healthy eating plan working for me. I'm going to go with the Intermittent Fasting and eat healthy and keep my exercises going. I think I will do the bike and kettle bells 4 days a week. Of course, I will continue being active on the other 3 days although I will make Sunday my rest day except for the back exercises that I have to do each morning before I get up. I really want to stick with this plan through out October and November up to my next doctor's appt in December just to see how it will affect my blood work then.

Carol Sue I have to take a Claritan D from time to time but my doctor doesn't like me to take it. I don't like taking it either because it always makes my fbs higher. So I don't take it very often.

Dgramie I didn't know that Prilosec would cause hair to fall out. I noticed that my hair thinned out some for a while and also dried out some. The strange thing is that I didn't make the connection to the Prilosec until now. Maybe that is why DH hair has thinned out so since he takes it pretty regularly.

I've wondered what happened to Mad and Bonnie. Bonnie had a lot of medical problems herself and her family. Mad was so helpful with the info she was able to share. I know Ruthie stays busy in her community. They are really missed.

Shannon Hope things are going good for you today. I think you said today you were going shopping while Olivia is in school.

All the lurkers etc

Y'all have a great day.

Trish, exercising make my BS go down, but I never checked it right after exercising. Usually a couple hours after.

Right now, I'm feeling sorry for myself because I was looking at some progress pictures and I don't have any because I never make any progress.

Who's fault is that, Carol???? I'll get over it.

Years ago the exercise made my bs to go down, so I've been surprised to see it go up. However, an hour or so after it was 146 and then like I said just before I ate it was 130. I will just have to keep an eye on it and see how it words.

Carol Sue I know the feeling. I feel the same way when I see how pictures of when I've lost before and then I see recent pics where I've gained it back. But I know we can do this and we will.

Hi ladies!

Regarding Prilosec, I don't know....I have been on it for about 14 years (yes, you read that right) and the only hair falling out I have experienced is over the last few months since hitting the 30 lb loss mark. Up until then my hair left my head in normal amounts.

Carol Sue I read someone talking about waking up like that during the night and she said it was due to cortisol rising...?? Have you read anything about that? My problem is falling asleep. No matter how little caffeine I ingest I still cannot fall asleep on my own without melatonin. I've been like this since my daughter was born because she wakes so often, even now at age 4. My brain can't rest!

Yesterday I spent a couple hours working in our garage and made some headway! There is more floor showing! Now that it's cooler in the mornings I really need to start moving stuff into the attic. When we moved in the movers put everything either in the garage or bonus room. Our attic is actually empty. All our Christmas stuff needs to get organized in there so it's ready to be pulled out. That way, too, the bonus room will start looking more like part of a house and less like a warehouse!

Trish I shopped on Monday...so proud....2 weeks in a row I've made a menu plan and shopped it! The cookbooks are helping! So far I've made about 5 dinners from it and only 1 was a never again...that's pretty good.

I still need to work on my sewing plan for the retreat. Just found out my hubby has to leave Sun afternoon for a work trip and won't get back til Thurs night. I leave Fri morning for the retreat. I hope nothing happens to delay his return. I am carpooling with another lady and need to be at her house, a couple hours away, by around 8 am....yikes! As for eating, Trish, we share meal making. I am making breakfast Sat and Sun (omelettes and a quiche), Fri dinner is fajitas (hopefully I can make a salad with mine).....Sat will be less easy bc we are just going to snack through lunch and dinner is some kind of spring roll (???). I'm thinking of making a soup to have going in the crock that day. I'm still trying to get back on plan from going off over the weekend. Today was mostly on except I made a green bean casserole from the cookbook but since I had a can of those fried onions I needed to use up I did use those (they contain wheat flour) instead of what the recipe called for (frying your own onions).

Totally forgot to get a weight for last day of month but looking back to end of last month, pretty sure I am the exact same.

Shannon, my hair is extremely thick. I keep waiting for the thinning hair that is supposed to occur as we age but it's just not coming. I know, be careful what you wish for. My step daughter's hair is thinning terribly, around her hair line and her part. She had it analyzed at one of those hair replacement clinics and they said it was from stress and would never grow back. I have tried to get her to try many different things but she tries them for a week and then says it didn't work. I think she has thyroid issues due to some other symptoms she has, but I'm not a doctor.

I hope DH gets home on time so you can go on your retreat. Could your mother come to stay over as a back-up? It would be a shame if you had to miss it.

I have read about cortisol, but don't really remember what I read about it. It's very possible that that's the cause. It started around the same time as menopause, the same time that all my issues reared their ugly heads, along with my weight gain.

Tomorrow is the new month. If you don't start the new thread by tomorrow I will start it, but you will have to close this one since you started it. Fall is upon us. If fall is here, can winter be far behind? Where did I hear that? LOL

I had an on plan day today and had between 1400 and 1500 calories today and yesterday. In fact, my eating window was 4 1/2 hrs. I ended up doing 1 hr and 10 min of exercise counting the exercises and housecleaning that MFP counts today. I had about 1 hr and 35 min yesterday. So I'm taking a break tomorrow. I'll do it again Thurs.

I'm headed to bed. See y'all tomorrow on the new thread. Good night.