I hope you are right! It scared me! I did cheat and have a twix bar from the vending machine at class last night (need to take snacks to these classes!!) but I've done worse than that before and still had a lower FBS so I thought it was really odd.

I totally forgot to update on my weight - so I weighed today since I'm trying to get back to weekly weighing. I thought I'd hold out and only do monthly weigh ins but that is too hard. Anyway, I lost 4 lbs since last Friday but last Friday my weight was up from bad eating all week so I probably realistically had a 2 lb loss and the other 2 was water. I'm happy! It will be a while before I get back to where I was before I started gaining again.

Shannon, if you ever get a reading that seems too high, wash and dry your hands and do another reading right away, using a different finger. If you get another high reading then it's probably right. It wastes strips, but will either give you peace of mind or a really big scare. It might depend on what else you had to eat that day, not just the Twix bar. Either way, you are doing the right thing by getting back on track and the scale has shown that you are being successful.

I could never just do monthly weigh-ins. If I waited a month and didn't show enough of a loss I would be very discouraged. If I weigh more often and am not seeing enough of a loss then I know right away that I have to make adjustments somewhere. I have a tendency to only weigh when I feel that I have lost, but it's usually at least once a week, just not on any specific day. Unfortunately, it's usually the same pounds that I am losing over and over again.

My experiment continues. This morning, due to th 178, I took a glimiperide and ate my usually eggs for breakfast. For lunch I had a piece of grilled fish and a mixed green salad with 1 T of ranch dressing. Oh, and some sunflower seeds in the salad. Walked on the treadmill for 35 min after lunch. Just tested and I am at 135. I plan on eating a low carb dinner without a glimiperide. If I spike at bedtime, I will conclude that my dinner was too big since it won't be from eating carbs.

So, last night before bed my BS was 103. This morning my FBS was 129. ??? I think I must be having some liver dump or something. My dinner last night was a "Crossover" meal - that is when there are elements of E and S but all the food items are still on plan - I had steak (S) and a sweet potato (E). After I got home I confess I made a batch of Skinny Chocolate (S) and because I was sort of experimenting I managed to eat all of it, LOL, so I guess that could have something to do with it but it is made with all low carb/no sugar ingred. so I don't know. I guess I will continue to unlock the mystery of my BS, LOL!

I have a wonderful announcement - my Christmas tree is finally down!!! February 7! My brother came over this morning to help my husband move a big sheet of wood upstairs (for his train tracks) and they also moved the tree - yay! It had been up so long though that now that spot seems really bare, LOL!

hello everyone:

I have been doing better on low carb and sticking to plan better than I ever have without a cheat (planned or unplanned) or deviation.
Kim (jerseygirl) recommended a fat snack when I was craving sweets and I have been doing that. I am also just doing well convincing myself to stay on track. Don't know exactly why I am doing better than usual that way, but happy to stick to plan.
Not exercising as much as I want to be doing, work has been interfering with those plans to some degree.
Altogether tho I am going ok, so hope for some continuation of this for a while.
As lent approaches, I am thinking staying in induction until Easter and see where I get.
Whether I can stick it for that long will remain to be seen.
I am sticking with simply eating the same thing for breakfasts, similar lunches and just mixing it up for suppers.

I may start having water with ACV (can't hurt right?) too. Excited for those finding a way that works for them.

Shannon, yay on the Christmas Tree! LOL I have the same issues with FBS being higher than at bedtime. Like I mentioned, I heard that FBS is the last to go down. Previously, my FBS never got below the 120s but my A1c was always good so my doctor was not concerned about the A1c. I don't know what to do about the overnight liver dumps. Bedtime snacks don't seem to help me.

I am ready to start making a more concentrated effort to get my weight down and not worry so much about BS. I know if I get my weight down, my blood sugar and blood pressure will come down with it. I just CANNOT show up at the cardiologist in May weighing what I weigh now. Although I eat mostly low carb, my calories come in around 1500 or so. I am going to get my calories down to where I start losing, and if that's not enough for someone who wrote a book, too bad. I think it's in the Magic Foods book that they say to figure out how many calories you need, add a 0 to your weight. So I guess I need 1970. Yeah, right!

Mad, I usually eat eggs for a late breakfast, veggies for lunch, and then dinner is whatever I make for dinner that DH will eat. He will eat a low carb entree, but he has to have carbs of some kind with it. I can understand that because he does not have a weight or blood sugar problem. My problem is that I am starting to slip more and more and I am eating more carbs than I was before. I admit that, and I'm paying for it.

Just checking in. As of today, my ticker is right own. My FBS is up to 135 today. Think I'm not going to do the ACV drink any more. I think it is causing my FBS to go up. May be one of those things that doesn't work for everybody.
I am going to continue on my own plan. I also need to get back to my exercising because I know that will help with the bs.

Didn't get to church this morning. I think DH has shingles. I'm going to try to get him in to see the doctor tomorrow afternoon when he goes to get a blood test for his blood thinner just to be sure.

Carol Sue I understand what you are saying about showing up at the cardiologists without a weight loss. I feel the same way about seeing my doctor next month. I do not want to show up without a weight loss and a lower A1c. He knows as well as I do that I can do this. He is nice about it and doesn't fuss at me, but I'm not doing it to keep him from fussing at me any way. I'm doing this for health.

I seem to remember someone here saying they can eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch everyday, but not dinner. When I was a young girl and thin, I ate no breakfast, but I ate the same lunch everyday for maybe 6 yrs while in school. Then when I got home, Mama was cooking supper and she cooked from 4 food groups like I was taught in homemakeing and I would eat whatever she cooked. That was it except for an occasional coke date.

So that is what I've decided to do except I eat breakfast now. I just don't seem to get away from that now. I think it has become a habit, but I am going to be eating it within an 8 hr IF window. I went to the Dollar Tree yesterday because money is tight right now and thought I picked up 3 cans of tuna and 3 cans of chicken in water. Got home and it was 6 cans of chicken. DH said, "I hope that wasn't a mistake". It wasn't. I made a lc chicken salad made with lots of low carb/GL veggies and it was really delicious. So I'll be eating a low carb breakfast and lc/gl salad for dinner. My main meal will become whatever DH and I eat together with low Glycemic Load veggies and fruits or grains. Although the book I read said 3 grains a day, I am going to try doing this with just the one for a while and see how it goes. To be honest after reading the Magic Foods book, I can see why the old Carbohydrate Addict's Diet worked which makes me see how this way of eating tweaked a bit according to the Magic Foods book will work for me.

I will keep y'all posted as to how it goes. There are just so many good foods out there that the Magic Foods book describes how each of them work in the body and for what that I really believe they are important for me to add into my plan.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Trish, I recently bought a can of chicken, something I never bought before. It was so bad that I actually put it down the garbage disposal, and I am one who never wastes food. I don't remember where I got it, maybe Big Lots or Aldis. I believe it was an off-brand, so that might be why it tasted so nasty. I thought it would be something handy to have in the house to fix in a hurry. I will have to try another can of another brand. We have Dollar Tree, so I will look in there.

I also like the way the Magic Foods book describes the foods, but I am still sceptical about some of them not raising my blood sugar. It was the same way that Dr Fuhrman described in detail the different vegetables and what they did for your body. I love getting that type of information.

I sure hope your DH doesn't have shingles. DH still gets pain from it, since April 2014. If he puts his cell phone in his shirt pocket he gets a burning pain in his chest where his shingles were. If he takes it out, the pain goes away. DH would not take the anti-viral meds. If your DH has it, make sure he takes the anti-viral meds.

Trish, the first time I dieted I still lived at home. My mother would not cook special food for me, so I just ate 1 portion of each thing she made, meat, starch and veggies. I never ate seconds and never ate after dinner. I lost weight very well doing that. I exercised at the Y 2 nights a week. I sure wish I could get back to that. There's really no good reason I can't, except that I have to break my bad habits. Maybe today is the day.

When I was at the the cardiologist in November my blood pressure was high. He wanted to change my meds and I didn't want him to so I told him I was going to lose weight by the time I came back in May. He said he would let it go and see if I made lifestyle changes but if I came back and it was still high he was going to have to do something. My blood pressure was perfect before I gained back 20 lbs, so I know if I can get some of it back off my blood pressure will go back down. Will someone just smack me? LOL

I had a really good food day today. I had scrambled eggs with mushrooms for breakfast. A salad with ranch dressing for lunch and for dinner we went to that restaurant that has the really good stuffed pork chops. Before we got there I told DH I was not going to eat the stuffing, so that made me have to stick to my decision. It was hard, but I didn't want him to see me go back on my word. I eyeballed about 3-4 oz of pork chop, which was baked. I ate a small portion of my potato, which was roasted with some kind of cheese sauce on it, green beans and a cup of vegetarian vegetable soup. On Fitday, my calories for the day were 946, 59gm fat, 50 gm carb, 11 gm fiber and 56 gm protein. The fiber is way too low, but it was just in the vegetables. IF I eat anything else today, it will just be some vegetables....low calorie and carb but with fiber. Oh, I forgot to add that I had a half of an orange today, so that will add to the fiber. Hmmm only added 1 more gm of fiber. But I don't feel hungry, and I don't feel stuffed. This is how I should be eating all the time, and I am going to try very hard to continue this way.

I was trying on clothes in a store today and after seeing myself in my underwear in that full view mirror, it was really an eye-opener! LOL

I was hungry so I just ate some cooked veggies. 3 baby carrots, 3 spears of cauliflower, 3 spears of broccoli, 2 brussels sprouts and 5 lima beans. I put salt and fake spray butter on them. My blood sugar was 111 before eating them. I doubt if the veggies will bring it up much.

My step-son just called and he has shingles for the second time, this time on his head. He is only 49, and was around 43 the first time he had them. This is why I got the shot, because I was so afraid I would get it the second time and on my head. It is very dangerous if it gets close to your eye. I hope he's OK. I wish DH would get the shot because he had so much pain with them the first time, but he won't get it. He is so stubborn.

Trish I have been drinking the GGMS with the ACV in it alot and my BS throughout the day are fantastic but my fasting has been high lately. I wonder if that has anything to do with it? I'm not sure but I am just going to give it some more time. I am so pleased with how much better I am feeling and the scale is moving so I will keep things the same for a while and see what happens.

I don't feel like I got much done this weekend but I stayed on plan and the scale is still moving so I'm happy! We had really nice weather today so I did get out and work in the yard and garage for a while but otherwise the laundry has piled up and I didnt' get any food prepped or anything else done. Oh well! I have a BUSY day tomorrow! Mondays are always busy because Olivia has dance in the afternoon but now with me having my sewing class it is even more busy. Mark has to leave work early to be at the dance studio when class finishes so that I can leave and go to class. I have to order food from the place next door (burger joint) while she is in class and eat otherwise I don't get dinner. This will be for the next 9 weeks. One week we know Mark has to go to Atlanta so I will probably miss class that night. It would cost me almost $40 to get a sitter so I could attend class - CRAZY!

hi gang: bad weekend, I turned into a total couch potato and didn't move at all. I did manage to stay on plan so I am on target. (1 pound over ticker from vacation weight)
will get out today, I have promised myself.

I didn't want to go back to very old posts, and I figured out ACV is apple cider vinegar, but what is GGMS?
have a good Monday everyone

Shannon, I am going to go without the ACV for a couple days to see if that is what's causing my tummy problems. My BS reading were great yesterday, but I contribute that to sticking to LC all day. It is either the ACV or the bagged salad I bought. I have had problems with bagged salad in the past. I like to have all types of greens in my salad, not just iceberg lettuce, but buying all those different greens is not cost effective when I'm the only one eating them. They go bad way before I eat them all. The bagged mixes are so convenient, but if they are causing my stomach distress, it's not so good. Actually, I prefer romaine to iceberg for the base of my salad but DH will only eat iceberg so I have to buy that for him. I have used regular ACV in the past, but this time I bought the Braggs, raw unpasturized, so that's why I'm thinking it might be the problem. I read online that it can cause diarrhea, and that you should not go over more than 2 T in 1 cup of water per day. I have been having more than that.

Mad, Shannon will probably come back and explain, but GGMS is Good Girl Moonshine, a drink made with ACV and some other things, and it comes from Trim Healthy Mama, a plan that Shannon is following. She can give you more info.

I did not do any formal exercise over the weekend but that's my normal because I am usually out and about over the weekend, moving more in general. On Friday, I did my exercise at home, 40 min on the treadmill and elliptical, then we went shopping a bit, and then to the casino for the evening. I logged 7,080 steps on my Fitbit, the most I've had in one day since I got it. I have been having much better results since I started back with my exercise, but rarely go over 5,000 steps, as I am really sedentary otherwise.

I have a problem with my Fitbit as it does not always log my flights of stairs. I think that has something to do with the way I climb stairs due to my knee problems. However, sometimes if I am walking a lot at a fast clip, it will register flights of stairs where there are none, such as shopping at Walmart. No stairs in Walmart! LOL

Mad Carol Sue explained it perfectly! If you just google Good Girl Moonshine, you'll get a ton of blogs about it and also offering variations on the original recipe (which contains ginger and alot of folks don't care for it). I really love the version I make that has 4 tbsp ACV, 4 tbsp lime juice, 6 droppers of stevia extract liquid form all mixed into a 2 liter bottle of seltzer (I remove about a cup from the bottle before adding that in and then add as much back as I can and use what is left for my first glass from the bottle so as not to waste.)

Carol Sue On the ACV - I definitely recommend a raw variety that says "with the mother" on the label - that is the good stuff (whatever that means, I have not actually researched enough to know what the good stuff is exactly, LOL). The Braggs is a little pricey. I found a Heinz version that has more in the bottle and costs less than Braggs - just a tip in case the Braggs is too high for you. I just finished a bottle of Braggs and am now going into the Heinz bottle, so far I don't detect any taste difference so I think it's fine. I put 4 Tbsp into my 2 liter bottle I made up so that is definitely within the 1 Tbsp per cup. Plus, I pour mine over a big glass of water so it dilutes some. I think more than that amount would hurt your stomach.

Shannon, I googled this because I didn't really know what the mother is either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_cider_vinegar

I just know that my regular ACV is a clear amber color and the raw organic is cloudy. I didn't have any today but I did have a salad with my bagged greens, so we will see how things "go" the rest of the day. Pun intended! LOL

I discovered diet ginger ale when I was in the hospital, and now I love it. I don't drink much alcohol, but when I do drink wine I mix it in some diet ginger ale. I always have it in the house. If I do go back to the ACV I might do something with the ginger ale, in which case I will google some of the GGMS recipes. I really don't feel that it has helped with my BS. I feel that my drop is due to being stricter with my carbs but I won't give up on it yet.

Trish, I hope your DH has a good doctor visit.

Today I did 30 min on the treadmill and 10 min on recumbent bike. That blogger I have been reading also has knee problems and she said the recumbent bike has strengthened the muscles around her knee and that has helped tremendously. She has also lost lots of weight, which I have not, but I'm hoping the bike will help me, too. It's well worth the $20 I paid for it. Well, actually $17 because I get a senior citizen discount. LOL Sosmetimes it pays to be old

Well, DH does have shingles. Dr. says it is too late to get any medicine to help it after 2 days and it has been 3 to 5 days since he broke out. I've been doctoring it with a Gold Bond cream with aloe vera and vitamin E added and he said it seemed to be drying up already. So he gave him some pain meds that they use for it. I didn't tell him but it never took the pain away when I had them. The last time we checked the shot was going to cost us about $400 dollars altogether and we couldn't pay it He said it shouldn't cost that much so I'm going to check around since our insurance doesn't pay for it and see if I can find it cheaper somewhere else so we can get the shot for both of us.

I found another website on Intermittent Fasting and reversing diabetes. There is a doctor in Toronto who has been using it to help people get their diabetes under control and come off of insulin. He says diabetes is being treated incorrectly. I found out about it through another low carb site under their Atkins low carbers. Since I'm already doing Intermittent Fasting, I am going to give it a shot using low carb. Can't hurt and just might help.

Trish, I'm sorry that your DH has shingles. Usually you have the pain from it for a couple days before you get the rash. I hope he doesn't have too much pain. I hought you would be on Medicare and I thought Medicare paid for the shot, but I don't want to pry in your personal business. Maybe your pharmacist can give you some information about it. There should be some type of assistance for it. I'm angry that DH won't get the shot, but it's his choice. First time he had it he refused to take the anti-viral and he had terrible pain.

When I had it I caught it in time to take the anti-viral med. They gave me Perocet for the first few days then the pain let up a bit. After that I took another med that was not a narcotic and it helped too. I will have to look up the name of it.

EDIT: It was Neurontin. I took the generic version, Gabapentin.

Shannon, I did not have any ACV today and I didn't have any tummy troubles. I did have the bagged salad, so I guess it was the ACV. I will try it again but only 1 Tbs and it will have to be a day when I know I will be ome all day, just in case. Last night when I simmered my vegetables I put some in the water. I read about that somewhere, maybe the Magic Foods book. They tasted really good like that. Tonight I was afraid to use the Braggs so I put some regular ACV in them but it wasn't the same.

I'm so sorry Trish - I have heard how painful it can be - I hope it heals up quickly!!

Well that article led me to this one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_of_vinegar and I learned the "mother" is fungi, LOL! I have read to make sure you mix it well before using it to get that 'good stuff' in! I really think you may have been having too much, I'd recommend to even start back with only a tsp. at a time (in perhaps more than 1 cup of liquid) and work your way up to more - I think a 2 liter is 64 oz so I am using 4 tbsp in that which comes out to 1/2 tbsp per 8 oz but I'm also pouring it over ice that slightly melts while I drink it so it probably a little less than that per cup. I can definitely taste it but it hasn't bothered my tummy at all, in fact I think it has helped my reflux. But every person's body is different and it very well could be causing your issues so just be cautious in your experimentation :-)

thanx for the answers ladies. Too bad, anything with citrus is off my list. I always loved lemon juice in my water and miss having that. I also can't eat most prepared salad dressings and mayo, as they contain lemon juice. its a bummer of an allergy.

So, I think I went low carb again about Feb 2, and today is the 10th, so that is 6 pounds in 9 days, pretty awesome. Officially back at ticker weight.
I know a lot was water weight and just the result of overdoing the carbs for a couple of days, but I am happy to be here again. Am doing ok on the plan, so just gonna keep where I am and doing what I am doing.
Got to hot yoga yesterday, and walked more than I have in a couple of days as well. SO getting back on track with all of that as well.

Good for you Mad! 6 lbs is great. It's so much nicer to have it coming off than coming on. Keep up the good work! I am trying to follow your lead, and also keep my portions smaller.

Shannon, I always shook up my ACV. The thing that worried me was the fact that it is not pasturized, but I guess it's OK. I was fine yesterday without it. I was going to dump it out, but I have half a jar left and will try it again. I really liked it with my vegetables! My favorite veggie combo is baby carrots, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower. I use frozen veggies except for the carrots, and I simmer them in water. I didn't measure, but just added a dollop of ACV and it infused into the veggies. Yummy flavor. My usual ratio was 2-3 tbs in bottled water which is 16.9 oz, with a squirt or two of lemon juice. When I try it again I will only use 1 Tbs and see how that goes. You're right, ice would dilute it. The book I read suggested adding it to soups, stews, veggies, etc, and that might work better for me, or maybe only drinking it before meals instead of throughout the day. I'll experiment.

Good morning ladies. I'm a little late getting up. I bookmarked the Dr. Jason Fung theory about how to eat to reverse diabetes. I've read of 2 other doctor's who taught people how to reverse diabetes, but you ate practically no meat and I can't seem myself never eating meat again. I can give up grains and even fruit if I have too only because I know you can get your fiber and nutrition from meat and veggies. I am very interested in what he has to say. Someone has posted on the internet around 20 hrs of his video teaching and they can also be found on youtube. So I'm checking that out. I'm interested in how someone has successfully used IF to reverse diabetes in humans because of the articles we had a while back when they used it with lab rats. This came up on the Atkins thread on a lowcarb site because someone had noticed that eating low carb eating only 1 meal a day noticed that her diabetes improved. Another lady who has been on there for years and successfully staying low carb for 21 yrs shared this website.

I got my little book out that I keep in my bathroom to measure and I hadn't measured in 4 months. I was glad to see that I had lost a few lbs and didn't add them up but I had either lost inches or stayed the same in some places. So I've got the measurements and weight starting today totally low carb along with IF. I even did the kettle bell this morning and will ride the recumbent bike this afternoon after lunch. I read in one of the books I have on Reversing Diabetes that it is better for diabetics to exercise after a meal.

Mad Congratulations on the loss and being back OP. You are doing good. I had to give up diet drinks years ago because of the ascorbic acid. Can't even take cross the counter Vitamin C because it is usually ascorbic acid. I have to use citrus fruits sparingly. Never thought of that, but my skin has been itching with no apparent reason and evidently that is the problem. Like Carol Sue I can use ACV in foods which seems to help my bs, but I think I need to not have the lemon at the same time. I used to only use lemon water when I was eating out and I didn't use vinegar then. So maybe I need to re-think about that one.

Carol Sue Neurontin/Gabapentin is the medicine they gave him. You are doing really well with your exercise etc. I know you can get the rest of your plan working. I will have to try the ACV in my veggies. I think it would enhance the flavor.


Shannon I think you have a good plan there for you. All that rushing around should also work like exercise too. I used to love experimenting with recipes, but thanks to Mr. Pickyeater, I don't have the interest any more. So sad because I used to love to cook.

I think we all know what to do for ourselves. Yey!!! We can do this!!!!

Have a great day.

Trish, the Gabapentin worked for me after the initial severe pain wore off. You have to increase it gradually, or it will give you the feeling of being intoxicated. I was able to go to work without having too much pain using it, and I hope it helps your DH and doesn't cause any bad effects. If he starts to get a whoozy feeling he needs to cut back a bit on it.

I will look up Dr Jason Fung. I have several things bookmarked that I need to read through.

I just watched one of the videos of Dr. Jason Fung on The 2 Big Lies of Type 2 Diabetes. I thought y'all might want to watch some of these videos.

Mad Being a nurse, I felt you especially would want to see it. As he explains why the regular diabetic treatment does not work and why Bariatric Surgery, Fasting and VLC are the only ways that not only works but reverses diabetes. The one I watched yesterday and today were long about an hour because I think he is lecturing doctors. Especially in yesterdays. So here are the link.

https://www.youtube.com/user/drjasonfung


I also found it interesting that the insulin normalizes before all the weight comes off. I always thought because the weight seemed to come off so slow with the VLC plan that the weight wasn't going to come of because it seemed to stop when the bs normalized. I now realize that I can either do VLC and lose weight although it may still slow.

thanks trash, I will try to check it out sometime. I do not have unlimited internet, so avoid youtube videos etc unless at the office. At once I am there, I tend to work.
I assume there is something that happens at some point with diet change and weight loss that allows the insulin to enter the cells again more easily. For most of us, it is actual insulin resistance that happens, and the diabetes is a result of that.
My administrators husband is insulin dependent, (he is the one who lost toes, and now has a below the knee amputation as a result of poor diabetes control, very inspiring to me to keep all my parts) and his endocrinologists believe there is a late onset type 1 or mixed type 1,2 for him. his beta cells are almost gone, but onset was slow like type 2, and he managed with metformin in the first few years.

oh my, I'm pontificating.. sorry

My DH amazes me sometimes. We just watched 4 hrs of Dr. Fung on youtube on our tv and he wants to watch some more.May end up watching all of them. He is very interested in a lot of things that Jason Fung has to say. DH worked for about 20 yrs in Neo-Natal and saw how sugar affects newborns. He is sold on the concept and wants to know more about Intermittent Fasting. We say a couple... she has gotten off of insulin fasting and her husband decided to do it since it worked so well for her and has lowered his insulin. This will be so much easier with him doing it with me. I did a 5 hr eating window today. Didn't start out to do just 5 but didn't get hungry before our main meal which we didn't eat until after 3 because we were watching the doctor.

He gave 6 Top ways to reduce diabetes
1. Intermittent Fasting
2. Reduce dietary refined carbohydrates
3. Eat high fat (natural fats)
4. Fiber
5. Vinegar
6. Spices and Herbs (he said there are some like cinnamon, turmeric that lowers insulin)

Carol Sue Thanks for sharing about starting slow and building up on the Gabapatin. When I told him, he then remembered the pain specialist he went to told him to build up slow and come off of it slow.

I didn't have a real good day yesterday, food wise, and it shows in my FBG. I'll do better today. It wasn't what I ate so much as the quantity. I just can't stick to those portions.

Trish, It was several years ago, but as I recall, my Rx said to take XXmg the first week, then XXmg, then XXmg, increasing gradually. I had read up on it, and knew when I started to get that feeling of intoxication that I had reached my limit and cut back enough to not have those feelings. I took it for a few months but then I realized that my pain was minimal and I just quit taking it. I did not get off it slowly, but had to effects. Your DH sounds like he's well informed in these things. I hope it helps him.

I still don't know if my step-son actually has shingles or not. He said the pain started at work on Friday and he went to Med Express on Sunday. I don't know how they diagnosed it as shingles without the rash. Maybe they went by his thinking that it was shingles. He still doesn't have any sign of the rash. He is taking the anti-viral meds, so maybe since this is his second bout with it it is a mild case. I worry about him because he had a heart valve replacement in 2009 and I think he should notify his cardiologist of this situation and the meds he taking for it. Maybe I'm too overly cautious.

I have not started watching the DR Jung videos but intend to.

Mad I think my step-son has the same set up as you for internet. They have a hub to use to connect to the internet on the computer and it goes along with their cell phone bill. Their time spent on the internet uses phone minutes so they rarely use their computer. They can access the internet with their smart phones if need be.

Carol Sue I sure hope your step-son doesn't have the shingles. I think when I took the Gabapatin, I didn't know to take it slowly. I took it and even though I didn't think it was working, I decided that it might be worse if I didn't. When the pain finally let up, I just st opped the meds and never went back to it.

This is day 2 on my IF. I am doing 2 meals within 5 hr window. DH saw where some fast every other day, but while this is works for me this is the way I will do although I would like to do 1 meal a day for 1 or 2 days once in a while, but I'm not on insulin and as long as I don't have to I probably won't. However, I was impressed with the woman who went 21 days, but I don't believe I have to. I think that is for special situations.

He says you can do this with very low calorie diets, but not lowfat low calorie as well as VLC and IF.

Carol Sue I had to do something because for the last week or so my fbs slowly inched back up all the way to 147 yesterday. One day on 2 meals of eating lower carb of 2 meals within 5 hr window, it was 129 this morning and my weight is back down exactly in line with my ticker.

I'm kind of using some of the rules of the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet of a RM using what I learned from the Magic Foods. I made a huge salad and ate half yesterday and will eat the other half today. We had pork 'n beans and I put ACV in my mixed frozen veggies, the beans and the salad. Since I still like my eggs for breakfast, I've just moved that to my last meal a day and make it a very low carb meal. And I use the CO to cook my omelet for dinner.

So main meal will have healthy carbs with the salad with ACV and veggies with butter and use the ACV to enhance the veggies. Breakfast will be moved to dinner. For a feeling of dessert effect, I'm finishing off the dinner with nuts.

There are a lot of things that I still want to learn to do in my lifetime. Shannon I used to do crafts and would love to take a class at one of our local craft shops to learn to knit. The day I feel like doing something again maybe I will do that. I think I need to set some goals for my life. Hope things are going good for you.

Mad I'm so glad you are back with us.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Trish, I think you are doing great, and maybe now your DH will start eating the same way after watching the videos. DH surprises me once in a while by making roasted veggies for himself. He puts ranch dressing on them, but at least he's eating vegetables by choice, not just because I cooked them. He also started buying bags of little mandarin oranges to eat each day and I'm starting to eat them, too. At first I would eat 1/2 of his, but now I am starting to eat a whole one. They are very small, and I will eat them as long as they don't start spiking my blood sugar.

I haven't had any tummy troubles since I stopped the ACV, even though I have still been eating the bagged salad, so I think the ACV was causing it. However, my blood sugar has risen a bit, too, so I am going back to it again today since I don't plan on leaving the house for the rest of the day. That could be a disaster. LOL I put 2 tsp in my 16 oz water bottle instead of 2 Tbs. Maybe my body can handle that. I am still adding a bit to my veggies because they taste really good with it.

I am not going to buy salad fixings anymore since it spoils before I can eat it all. I prefer hot cooked veggies anyway. I can always order salads when I go out to eat.

I looked up the Bone Broth Dr. Fung speaks about and thought I would share it. They drink it when fasting.

Bone Broth Recipe

– 2 – 3 lbs of bones

– 1 onion, coarsely choppedbone-broth-veggies-2

– 2 carrots, coarsely chopped

– 2 stocks of celery, coarsely chopped

– 2 tbsp of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar

– 1 tbsp of salt

– 1 tsp of whole peppercorns

– Other herbs and spices

(Optional) Roast the bones in the oven on a roasting pan at 350̊F/177̊C for 30 minutes. This gives a nice flavour to the bones.
Place the bones into a stockpot and pour cool water over the bones. Add the raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, and let sit for 30 minutes. The vinegar helps make the nutrients from the bones more available.
Add the vegetables and dried herbs.
Bring to a vigorous boil, then reduce to a simmer.
For the first few hours try to remove any impurities that are on the surface.
When 30 minutes are remaining, add any fresh garlic or herbs.
Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes, then strain.

Simmering Times
Chicken/Poultry 8 – 24 hours
Cattle/Bison 12 – 24 hours
Fish 8 hours


Freezing Tip: Freeze in ice cube trays. One ice cube defrosted is the perfect size for the average coffee mug!

Trish I have never made the bone broth but have heard great things about it.

Oh my goodness! My "H" key on my laptop is coming off and doesn't work half the time so I have to keep checking and rechecking what I type, it's driving me crazy. Honestly, I need a new one. My fan is also broken and it keeps overheating but the fan part was only $10 and can be installed yourself so we ordered one of those. I can't imagine though that it's going to last much more than another year.

I've been doing pretty well staying on my plan. I haven't cheated (off plan foods) since last Thursday. That is pretty good for me. Everytime I've started back before I could never seem to string more than two or three days together so five, almost six, days is pretty good. This plan is definitely slower weight loss, but that is probably good. I did 3 days of all S meals (not on purpose, just how it worked out) and was really dragging. It was very freeing to know that I could have the slightly higher carb meals so yesterday I did two of my meals as E and feel much better today.

Shannon I haven't made bone broth in years. I used to do it all the time when my kids were young so I could use it to make homemade soups/stews. I haven't made it the way Dr. Fung suggests. Years ago there was a diet that had you make up big pots of veggie soup that you cooked until all the nutrients were in the soup, but you had to drink it between mealtimes. They said there wasn't too much in it but it made you feel satisfied so you didn't eat between meals. I couldn't do the diet because it was a rice diet 3 x a day and of course there was no way I could eat that much rice. But I really did like the soup. Congratulations on staying OP. Glad you have found something that works for you.

I only had the one meal today and doing my 1st 24 hr fast. I wasn't hungry when it was time for the second meal so I decided to just drink some broth since that is one of the noncaloric drinks recommended by Dr. Fung. I had some boxed chicken broth without sodium so I heated up a cup of it with a little bit of salt and Mrs. Dash for flavor. I usually do not like broth, but it hit the spot. I drank black decaf coffee this morning. I'm looking forward to seeing how this works for me as my fbs before my only meal today was 110. This is getting exciting.

I used to eat this way, but thought maybe I shouldn't, but I did great the times I have done it in the past. I remember reading in the original CAD book that Rachel Heller lost a lot of her weight eating 1 meal a day. I think when she married that her husband felt it was important to eat more meals.

I wrote a thank you note to the lady who shared about Dr. Fung. She wrote me today and said that she had been able to go to weight management group which Dr. Westman at Duke in N.C. She said as things progressed with the group some people were able to do better eating one meal a day and he approves of this way of eating for those that it works best for. He is one of the doctors who helped write the new Atkins book. I decided to look him up on line. He has a small pamphlet on Amazon for sale. So I read one of the reviews by a cardiologist.

He said that his patients were complaining about the fact that they followed his diet to the letter and were gaining weight and not getting better. So he put himself on the diet plan that he gave his patients because he said it bothered him that they were trusting him to help them and were getting worse instead of better.

He found that he began to gain weight and his health became worse. So he said he did the thing he wasn't supposed to do. He crossed over to the low carb way of eating. He said his weight came off and his trigycerides came down and his cholesterol came down and the good cholesterol came up and the bad came down. So he uses it with his patients and they got better. He said if you have a doctor that questions what you are doing then get Dr. Westman's book and give it to him to read and if he won't work with you then find one who will.

Girls I am totally convinced that Low carbing works. I have decided that low carbing and or fasting is the way to naturally get diabetes under control. According to Dr. Fung, all illness seems to come from the way our insulin works whether we are diabetic or insulin resistant. Get that working right and everything else falls into place. However, like someone told a younger woman on another low carb site, when you learn to eat LC for our health we have to remember that we can never go back to eating like we did before. This is the way we have to eat the rest of our lives. Dr. Fung calls it reversing or curing diabetes, but I am proof that you can get rid of it, but only as long as you keep eating healthy. I've done it 2x before, but I went right back to eating like I did before.

Good night. I'll see y'all tomorrow.

Trish, I hate to hear when people say this or that will "cure" diabetes. They say they don't have to take meds again, but in fact, they can never go back to their old way of eating or their BS would spike. Their body will never go back to processing carbs the way a person with a fully functioning pancreas does.

When I lived alone and was thin, I ate a good breakfast and lunch but rarely ate dinner. If I did get hungry at dinner time I would eat only vegetables, which are hardly any calories. My reasoning was, during the day I was at work, I was actively burning calories, but in the evenings I was relatively sedentary and did not need calories. This kept my weight in line. Then I met DH who is the direct opposite. He can and often does skip breakfast and/or lunch, but dinner is imperative to him. Even after we married, I would cook dinner for him and the kids and then I'd go read the paper while they ate. It was after the kids moved out and he wanted me to eat with him that things changed and I gained all this weight. I was adding an average or 800 calories or more to my daily allotment. It didn't take long for the pounds to pile on. He has tried to get me to skip breakfast and lunch like he does, but it doesn't work for me. The only resolution I see for me is to just eat less and less at the evening meal.

Right now I am really hungry for my morning eggs, but I am waiting until DH gets up to see if he wants to eat with me. If I eat alone, sometimes he's disappointed that I didn't wait for him. When I am ready to eat, I don't care if no one else wants to eat or not, I eat!

I have simmered bones for soup, but never as long as that recipe says to simmer them. I can't see myself doing that.

Shannon, some of the letters wore off the keys of my PC keyboard but we just bought a keyboard at Goodwill for a couple dollars. It didn't matter to me because I touch type, but DH has to see the letters. LOL

I got another book. LOL I bought this book at Goodwill. It is The Sugar Blockers Diet. $1.99. I am not mentioning this as a recommendation, but I looked through it in the store and it caught my interest. It is from Prevention. It is not a diet, per se, but information on keeping your blood sugar under control. It expands on information we already know, like drinking the vinegar. For example, it says that the vinegar should be consumed before eating a carb meal, to slow down the absorption of the carbs. A small amount of fat before a meal is similar. Therefore, having a salad before your meal with oil and vinegar will slow the absorption of the carbs in the meal. I was just drinking the ACV water throughout the day rather than concentrating on having it before my meal.

It mentions other foods or combination of foods that do the same thing, and I will post anything I read that might be of interest to you guys. A lot of the information is the same as the Magic Foods book.

The book also talks about Acarbose, a prescription starch blocker. I don't think it is prescribed very often anymore. But the book says following the suggestions in the book, foods can do the same thing as the med. The proof will be in the pudding....that is, if I eat the pudding with some protein. LOL

Happy Friday ladies and Happy (early) Valentine's Day! Yesterday I had a really long day as all of my Thursdays are now with Bible study in the next town over and then spending the rest of the afternoon with my Mom. I broke my on plan status by having a donut at Krispy Kreme (she wanted to take Olivia) and then when I got home super later I let DH pick for dinner and we went to Chili's and ate their chips and salsa and I had the shrimp tacos (with the flour tortillas). The best thing about this new program is that I honestly do not feel guilty when I eat off plan. The "mentality" on this plan is that your body burns through the fuel source in approx 3 hours so if you screw up a meal then you just get back on plan the next meal or 3 hours later. Now, I realize that if you were a rational person you would already know this but remember I have long term disordered eating and I am a perfectionist (who never really gets ANYTHING perfect!) so in the past when doing LCHF I would read all the other people saying "I ate wheat (or some other off plan thing) and it took weeks to get back on plan" and for some reason that was my experience too, once I failed it was like I just could not get myself back straight. On this plan, not sure if it's the "3 hour mentality" or the fact that I have not completely eliminated any food group but when I get off plan I do not feel the guilt I did all last year and I seem to be able to pick myself up the next meal or next day with no problem. Perhaps it is all the power of suggestion??? At any rate, I am GRATEFUL! So, all that to say, I had an off plan day yesterday but have been on plan all day today :-)

My weigh in is on Fridays and I lost 1.8 lbs this week so my total since my restart is now 5.8 lbs - Yay!

Now, I know that you ladies do not like the pork rinds like I do - or you have issues with them - but I have to tell you about this. In my hometown, where I spend Thursdays, there is a grocery store that is "famous" for it's pork processing. I have never been in there before but the DH has been begging me to buy sausage there so I went by and picked that up. I also bought two bags of pork rinds (the store's, not a brand name). I kind of balked at the $2 tag on the not even 4 oz bag but tonight I tried them out and HOLY PIG! These are like going from skim milk to whole milk! They taste completely different from any others I've ever had before!

I have been super busy lately and have not checked my FBS or BS at all this week! I did pretty good last week checking it but have just fallen out of habit again. Mornings are so hectic here. But, I'm going to try to improve on that so I can see what is going on.

I went out today and bought a bunch of cute Vday balloons, cupcakes and a cookie cake which I hid. Tomorrow I am going to have a "tea" for the DH and Olivia and surprise them. I'm hoping to find time to make some cute little sandwiches too. Olivia is always asking for tea (though she wants it with ice to cool it down) so I think she'll be really happy and the cookie cake is totally for the DH.

Happy Valentine's Day! For me, it signifies that February is half over so spring can't be far behind.

Shannon, I have heart shaped cake pans, and I remember one year I used them to make 9 in chocolate chip cookies for the kids and DH. Last year I made a big heart shaped brownie for my grandson as that's his favorite.

I'm glad your attitude is changing. That really helps. I like pork rinds, but rarely buy them because I'm really not that interested in salty snacks. I'm glad you found some that you really really like. It's always good to have a safe food in that category.

I have been using the vinegar, but not as much as I was. I will increase it gradually until I reach a point that it bothers me, then cut back a bit. I had red wine vinegar on my veggies at a buffet yesterday and loved it, so I had to stop and buy some on the way home. It is not the raw organic, but very tasty. My blood sugar has come down, but not quite to where it should be. I'm just glad not to be getting the 200s anymore. I really don't think it can be carbs causing it as I am not eating many carbs. I still think it's portion size, as my weight is not going down.

Regarding the new book, I want to go back and read this section where it tells how to get your insulin to respond quicker. It says that the quicker the insulin responds the less of it you need, and insulin stores fat. I need to quit storing so much fat! LOL

Hi all. Went off plan Thursday night, out for Indian food and had a cocktail too. HOWEVER, I successfully went back on plan Friday and have been on target today too. I haven't weighed since, and will wait until tomorrow am.
Overall, quite happy to have successfully had a "planned" cheat and able to get back to plan. I often have gone off plan for several days when I do this, and getting right back is the key for planned or unplanned times off plan, I think.
Enjoying reading the posts. Trish (sorry for the typo earlier) I haven't watched the video yet either. No free wifi opportunities yet!

Madeleine That's ok about the typo. I saw it and chuckled. :D I have decided there are always going to be off plan days or meals and I also believe that it is good to just make it a planned cheat meal or day with a plan to get right back on ASAP. Today's lunch was like it is every Saturday a carby meal. So now I just plan around it. all other meals were and will be low carb.

Shannon Congratulations on the weight loss. Appears that the off times are not hurting you. You are making good progress. I'm looking forward to seeing how your BG is doing. I always loved planning fun times with my kids and grandkids. I know Olivia will or did thoroughly enjoy the tea. Sounds like such fun. :)

Carol Sue I too am interested in how to get our insulin to respond quicker. It makes sense, that the quicker the insulin responds the less of it you need, and insulin would store fat. Please share what you learn from it, as I too need to quit storing so much fat! LOL

I am planning to start a VLC using Atkins as a guideline tomorrow. I am partially on it now. As I said, Saturday at lunch is always carby, but think I can do it with an occasional off meal. It will also be easier to do an Intermittent Fasting of an 8 hr window. Obviously the 4 and 5 window isn't working for my BG. I know doing the VLC/IF will. My FBG has been high some days. It went back up to the 120s and I even had a 162 reading this morning. So it is time to re-think the situation.

Since I know from having done more of an Atkin's or VLC plan in the past that it will help me to lose weight and normalize my BG. And I am going to do whatever I can do to get my BG and the weight to go down. Only thing is that this time, I have to remember that this is the way I have to eat for the rest of my life to keep my weight and BG down.

I hope everyone has a Very Happy Valentine's Day.

well, weight hasn't budged from the high after the Thursday cheat, so Trish, there's what a carb day can do to your plan! argh
Sticking to my WOE though, and hoping I get a change soon.

Trish, the main thing the book suggests for getting an early insulin response is to make sure you always eat some protein with a carb. The protein seems to make the beta cells release insulin sooner. If your get an early insulin response, you don't need as much insulin because it is more efficient than if you body waits for a higher blood sugar to release the insulin. I am paraphrasing, and I hope you can understand what I'm saying.

Here is something else I wanted to share. The book lists and explains things you can do to block the starch in your meals. Then it gives a synopsis, a list of the 8 things you can do when you eat a meal containing starch.

1. Have a fatty snack 10-30 min before your meal. They suggest cheese or nuts.

2. Start your meal with a salad.

3. Use a vinegar based salad dressing.

4. Include a serving of vegetables with your meal.

5. Include protein with your meal.

6. Consider having a glass of wine or a shot of alcohol with your meal.

7. Eat sweets for dessert only.

8. Go for a walk after your meal.

And most important of all, never eat refined carbs on an empty stomach. Of course, it might not be realistic for you to incorporate all of these sugar blockers with every meal. But remember combining sugar blockers works better than relying on just one kind. As a rule of thumb, use 3 types of sugar blockers for each serving of starch.

Other pointers they mention.

It only takes a little fat to slow stomach emptying. 5 gm.

It takes 2-4 Tbs of vinegar to slow starch absorption...about the amount you would use on a salad.

A 4 oz serving of protein will boost the first phase insulin response to starch.

Fiber requires 10 gm to do it's job to reduce your after-meal blood sugar surge by 25%. Choose foods that are not only high in fiber but have a Glycemin Load of less than 50. They provide a list of GL of different fruits and vegetables but you can find that online.

They also list some fiber supplements that can be used.

Daily exercise is emphasized, too, as helping to lower blood sugar.

I am going to keep all these things in mind. What I'm doing is not working, so I have been reading up on some other plans to get some ideas. I looked into Slow Carb, and there are some good points, but also some bad points. I do very well with breakfast and lunch and usually have great blood sugar before dinner. But dinner has to be based on what DH will eat and there comes the problems. Also, I have to work on shutting down my eating after dinner. Other than that, I don't know what else I can do.

Carol Sue Thanks for the information. Today has not been a good eating day for me. Reading what you just shared makes me realize why I did better following the Dummie's for Low Carbing book we we read. I didn't get these moments of wanting to eat all the time. Also my fbs came down to 108 in just a few days. So I think I need to go back to eating that way. It also solves my problem of cooking for DH and me. After watching the Dr. Fung videos, I understand that the important thing is to get the insulin down first and then the weight will come.

He also mentioned a medicine that my doctor told me about that causes you to pee the sugar out. If I need to, I just might have him prescribe it if I need it at least long enough to get this all under control if I don't get it back down before my next visit. I know it worked.

I was talking to a friend today at church about the shingles shot. Did you have any of the side effects from the your shot that she told me about? Her sister refused to have the shot one because it cost $400 without insurance and she read the side effects were more painful than having the shingles and even breaking out in rashes. My skin is very sensitive, I sure don't want any more rashes and I don't think I could handle any pain worse than I had when I had the shingles. You are the only one I know besides the 2 of us who has had the shot so I thought you could tell me how it affected you. TIA.