Good job Shannon! 9 lbs is nothing to sneeze at!

Soon Olivia will be eating your foods instead of you eating hers. My gs is 6 and he is starting to want what mom and dad are eating. Gone on the days of chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. YAY! He actually ate chili which was made with deer meat, but didn't know it was deer meat. He might not have eaten it if he knew it was Bambi. LOL One of his favorites is BBQ ribs! He is going to be a meat lover like his dad.

Where is everyone? Did everyone "spring forward?" Nothing is really new with me. The sun is shining and melting the snow. It's 46 degrees out there now and supposed to get into the 50s through the week.

I think I did well with my food yesterday. I had eggs for breakfast, I don't remember what I ate for lunch, and I had a salad and a piece of liver for dinner. You read that right. Liver! I love it! DH had 2 hamburger patties and a salad. I am down another pound this morning, so I'm happy about that. I don't know what plan I'm following. I haven't been eating any bread, rice, pasta, potatoes or sweets. But the veggies, lentils, and hidden carbs are keeping my carb count in the 70 range.

Ha Ha Last week I was cleaning the kitchen. I actually moved the breadbox to clean behind it and found a Hershey's kiss leftover from Christmas. I ate it. LOL

I have not been taking the Glimiperide. My blood sugar has improved but it's still not good. I'm happy that I haven't gone over 200 for a few weeks, but I've also not gone below 130. I need to get back to exercising. That will help. I'm just so lazy lately. I know once I do it I will stick to it. Maybe now that it's a little warmer.

Have a good Sunday, everyone!

I'm still here. Just haven't been doing really good. Not OP plan. I have got to find my way back to IF/IE. Got to get my head on straight. Don't know what my problem is. I have docs appt Wednesday and my weight is up. If I could I would skip the appt completely. I know he is going to want to put me on some medicine. The bad thing is that I'm ready to cave in and take it. I need to work on my 5 hr window eating. I know eating every 5 hrs is good, but it throws me eating as late as 8 or 9 at night because of us not eating our main meal until 3 or 3:30 since DH has changed his eating time to being later. I sometimes go as much as 6 hrs between breakfast and lunch, but I'm only going approximately 4 hrs or less between lunch and dinner. That just doesn't cut it for me.

Catch y'all tomorrow.

Well, interesting turn of events. I knew or thought that I had overloaded on the carbs Saturday and Sunday, so I took one of DH bs pills. I felt really weird last night but wouldn't tell him that I had taken one of them. I was lightheaded so I ate a cheese stick. I was determined not to eat any more carbs. Checked bs before I ate the cheese stick and bs reading was 86. So I knew that I would be ok because it wasn't too low, it had just gone down too fast. This morning I checked the fbs and it was 80.

I've decided that this is a good place to get right back on VLC eating semi-Atkins to keep things down. I'm not sure what my A1c is going to be when I go Wednesday. I hope I've had enough low readings in the past 3 months that it will show a slight improvement because I really don't want to get on any diabetic meds. I think I would find myself in a hypoglycemic state most the time. I do believe that if I get back to faithfully eating low carb again that my bs will return to normal. The only thing I might agree to taking would be the pill that my sister's doc gave her because he wasn't originally giving it to her for bs. He was giving it to her to help her to lose weight. After he decided to put her on that pill, he checked her bs and found she was diabetic. I think she is more of a pre-diabetic, but her doc is like mine. You are either diabetic or not. They don't even think in terms of pre-diabetic. If it does turn out that he insists on giving me a medicine, I could get it and use only if and when needed like Carol Sue has done and since I do know what to look for and if I get too many hypoglycemic reactions and I don't need it I sure don't have to continue taking it.

My weight is up about 5 lbs from the ticker, but since that is from the carby foods, it should come back down although maybe not enough by the time I see the doctor. I don't think I can do the IF any more and I know I can't fast right now either, because I seem to need at least 1 egg or something later at night, but I can do the low carb. And that was one of the 3 options Dr. Fung said would lower and/or reverse diabetes. I've also decided that people who do low carb do not wrinkle as they lose the weight and at 71 y/o that is a big + as far as I'm concerned.

I've been reading some of the success stories here on 3fc and also reading about what others eat on another lowcarb site. Under the Atkins on the other lowcarb site is a thread of foods that get them through. I was impressed with one lady who said that no particular food gets her through, but the fact that she just made a commitment NOT TO CHEAT. I remember when I did that. However, I did like the fact that a lot of others shared some of the foods they kept on hand for when they needed something. So I think I need to do that too. Lately I really do enjoy the scrambled eggs in butter a little before bedtime. So I may make that one of my "get me through" the tough times foods.

Sorry this is so long, but my tendency is to just back off and say nothing, but decided to use the thread for therapy today and share what I'm feeling/experiencing right now.

Here's to a good week.

Edited to Share: Set MFP goals Carb 38 to 44g, Fat 111g and Protein 96g. with 30 min day of exercise which includes housework etc 6 days a week.

Trish, don't stay away when you're doing poorly. I miss you! I get lonely here all by myself. When I'm not staying OP I still come here, but don't always discuss it. Sometimes I just come to give support to others, and hearing of other's successes makes me want to do better. I'm too gabby to stay away! LOL

I am anxious to hear what you A1c is. Remember, it's an average, and you have had a lot of good reading through the past 3 months. I don't think your Dr will put you on meds unless you're over 8. Remember, many of the diabetes drugs cause weight gain, and the weight loss drugs only work as long as you keep taking them. Stop them, and you regain. You have seen that. You are much better off doing it with diet and exercise, even though it might be slow. It is nice to see those readings in the 80s but remember, you didn't do it, the drug did. I think you felt light headed because your blood sugar came down quickly instead of more gradually. That happens to me too, and it's a scary feeling. I am so glad I'm not taking much glimiperide any more. Maybe a half tablet once in a while, and mine are only 1 gm. It makes it much easier to cheat when you know you can "fix" it with the pills. I don't want to depend on them. I think if your DR did put you on it, it would be a 1gm does like I have rather than the higher does your DH takes. Does DH ever get hypo?

I am not recommending that others do what I'm doing. You should always take your meds the way the doctor prescribes them. I have no proof that I'm not doing myself harm. I just hope I'm not.

There is a woman on another LC board who is doing Atkins Induction continuously, not just 2 weeks. The only carbs she is eating is salad with lettuce, cukes and radishes. The weight is falling off. I am envious, but can't bring myself to do it. I want more veggies than that. My salads have lettuce and baby spinach, onion, shredded carrots and radishes, sometimes cheese, and I am also still eating sauteed cabbage with onion and kale with some lentils for xtra fiber, or mixed veggies...brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. I use regular dressing on my salads, but have quit using real butter on my veggies. I use the 0 count buttery spray. When I remember, I put some red wine vinegar on them. When I make dinner, I sometimes have green beans, peas or corn, because DH likes them, but that's not a daily thing. I really find them boring.

Yesterday, I had a few home fries that DH was eating. A little taste like that once in a while satisfies me, without eating a whole serving for myself. I'm lucky that DH never finishes everything on his plate because then I get a taste. So Atkins is pretty much out of the question for me.

Oh dear! I am such a sinner. I've not been testing FBGL which is OK with my darling doctor BUT have not been taking my meds regularly since I came back from Cuba. Weight was 187.2 this morning so I've not made much progress on the ten pound loss that my ticker wants. I skipped breakfast except for coffee (3 cups) this morning and had two microwaved hotdogs in buns for lunch.

Somebody needs to yell at me!

Shrimp stir-fry with veggies is on tonight's supper menu and this afternoon I will fill the morning and evening dosettes ready for bedtime and tomorrow morning.

Bless me, Sugar Sisters, for I have sinned.

You know what Ruth? Testing your FBG is not going to change anything. All it does is tell you if you were bad or good, and if you've been bad, you already know that! LOL Your DR probably doesn't care if you test as long as your A1c is good.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of whomever they believe in!

RUTH!

get out the veggies and add some protein. Eat just one really good meal today.
we love you!

I forgot what time I ate breakfast so don't know if I went 5 hrs or a little longer before lunch. My bs was 67 before I started cooking lunch. I will eat dinner around 8 pm. That will be about 5 hrs after lunch. Scrambled eggs are planned. I did eat a few more carbs at lunch. Just felt that I needed to with the way I was feeling. I was talking to my sister when I tested and got the 67. She said her daughter had told her not to go under 60. Her doctor's nurse told her to eat a little sugar if it went too low, but I don't want to use sugar. I would much rather eat a bite of something lowcarbish and healthier than sugar instead. I am feeling good this afternoon but haven't checked it as I want to check it just before I eat.

I don't think I mentioned that I read on the lowcarb site that the diarrhea I was having with the Metformin was not uncommon for some lowcarbers who take Metformin. They say it usually goes away within 3 weeks. I just might talk to doc about trying it again, but it will have to be during a time that I'm not going to be real busy for 3 weeks. Also they said that taking Metamucil while having the diarrhea will help. Seems weird since I think of Metamucil as a way to make me go potty not stop or slow it down. I do like the protection that Metformin gives and I do have a lot of it left over from when I took it before. So that is another possibility and I don't expect to have to be on it for very long especially once the lowcarbing effects take over. Since I get the impression from Dr. Fung's articles/videos that by eating only 3 meals spread out over the day that we are teaching our liver to deal with the insulin better and for our cells to accept the insulin and learn how to use it instead of resisting the insulin, then perhaps it will help speed up the process. It sure couldn't hurt and I would have the protection from any damage from diabetes.

Ruthie I got such a laugh at your way of saying things. The sad thing is that you have a way of saying exactly how I have been feeling lately. I have felt like a complete failure because I KNOW what to do and I just love to be able myself. But that won't help either of us. We just have to get back OP and do what we know to do. Come on dear friend... we can do this. We all have those times "trips, etc" that throws us, but it won't control us if we don't give up. I'm not going to give up and you won't either. Check you fbs in the morning for your starting check point and lets move forward.

Carol Sue Thanks for the encouraging words. You are so sweet. I do appreciate your friendship and we both do get a little wordy, but what the heck. I enjoy reading everyone's experience to. It helps me a lot. We are all human and have our moments but we are not quitters. We keep working at this.

Shannon and Mad

Got clothes to fold. Exercise today has been housework.

Today has been a great OP day with no problem and I didn't need the bedtime snack. Just checked my bs and it was 115. YAY

I'm with Ruth, I have fallen into glucose transgressions. DH came home and we ran errands most of Saturday that took us away from home. I made a bad lunch choice. That was fine though bc I got back on plan til the next evening when exhaustion had set in from errands and yard work and stress bc Olivia was just really misbehaving all day. I made a bad dinner choice, partly bc DH expected me to order off plan and share with Olivia and 24 hrs of carb loading resulted. Tomorrow sanity MUST return!

Woohoo! Sewing retreat is in 4 sleeps! Attempting to load a collage of things I've sewn recently!

I was the bad one yesterday. I guess we're taking turns. I will be back OP today.

Shannon, thanks for the pictures. The things you made for Olivia are so darling. You have talent. And it's so hard to believe that that little sweetie misbehaves. You must be mistaken. LOL

Trish, I was thinking about your time change with lunch, and I think it's just fine to not have 5 hours between lunch and dinner because your dinner is small. 4 hours is good.

I think the rule of having sugar for a hypo is if it's lower than 60. I've only had that once when I took glimiperide but didn't really need it and I went to 44. Now that's when you need sugar or glucose tablets because you need something to raise it quickly, like in 15 min. But just a tiny amount will do the trick. Then you wait 15 min and test again. I had one piece of hard candy. Some people get scared and take too much sugar then end up with a spike. In a case like that with a true hypo, something low carb will not work fast enough. If you are in the 60s right before a meal there should be no problem because you will be eating soon. This is what I hate about the glimiperide. If I took it twice a day the way it's prescribed, I would have to eat more carbs to keep from going too low. That just doesn't make sense to me. I think it's based on assuming you are eating the ADA recommended diet, which I refuse to do.

Mad, I like that little guy pounding the other guy with the frying pan! And also the guy kicking the other guys butt! LOL I never use those emoticons. I need to get with the program!

good morning friends: true to ticker still, not down, but not up. I am trying to be less obsessive about weighing myself and am doing it 2-3 times a week instead of daily.
I suggest we all give ourselves a break about little cheats. In fact, many lifelong weight watchers (not the trademark type) state they have a day a week or every two weeks that is "eat what you want" day. I had an indian meal out again Saturday, and just enjoyed. I was careful not to "overdo" it and overeat like I had the previous time, but didn't stint myself. Weight is normal today. Funny, my treat didn't involve a sugary treat. I may be over that now.
I am wondering if a treat meal or day weekly would actually help someone who is stuck on a plateau. Might rev the metabolism a bit
have a great day friends.

Mad, I agree. I always have those days, like yesterday, when I eat something I know I shouldn't eat, and I also have some planned "cheats." Thanksgiving is one of those days. I know I am always going to eat some stuffing, and I usually plan it so that the stuffing will be my only carb. I can always have potatoes or bread any day of the year, but stuffing is a Thanksgiving only thing at my house, so I enjoy it.

My basic plan is to eat like a normal person, and a normal person doesn't obsess if they overeat. They just eat less at the next meal because they are not as hungry. I have to keep in mind that it was overeating at every meal that got me where I am. And also grazing. This 3 meals a day with no snacks is my way of breaking my habit of grazing. I think grazing is OK if that's your only way of eating...more smaller meals throughout the day. But I eat my meals and then graze in-between. I was reading online about grazing vs compulsive eating and found that they are BOTH considered a form of binge eating. I always thought of a binge as when you eat thousands of calories at one sitting, but by grazing, you are taking in many more calories than are needed, and it has nothing to do with hunger or nourishing your body. Knowing that my problem is actually an eating disorder give me a different perspective. I still find myself doing it, but now I am more aware and I can stop myself. If I really want that item I am about to eat, I can include it in my next meal.

My fbs was 123 this morning which is probably truer than yesterdays. I did get a little hungry last night just before I went to bed, but it had only been a 3 or 4 hrs since I had eaten dinner and got the 115 reading so I opted to go to bed without a snack. I knew the morning reading would probably be up a little from the 115 and didn't want it to be too high. I think the 123 reading shows that I made a good choice. The 3 meals spread out was a good choice.

I've decided that Thursday I just might start taking 500 mg or Metformin and see how my body reacts to it. I started drinking Metamucil last night and I need to get B-complex to start taking with the Metformin. I already take the folic acid that Madeleine says she takes to keep down the leg cramps. I know that I might have some stomach problems, but hopefully these little tricks will keep it and the leg cramps to a minimum. I just like knowing that the Metformin is protecting me from breast cancer and any diabetic damage. I agree with Madeleine that the benefits are worth it. See Madeleine we need your input here. So glad you are back with us.

Carol Sue & Madeleine So true about the cheats. Stress is also a diabetics enemy and if we get so stressed out because of the cheats, how do we know if a rise in bs is from the food we ate or the stress we are experiencing.

I watched DH DD when she lived with us. She is extremely thin. DH says she is too thin. But she stays that way because of how she eats. When she cooks, she cooks healthy... more Mediteranean style since her DH is Jewish and his parents eat that way with a lowcarb twist to it. She lives on coffee all day and eats only 1 or 2 meals a day. When she goes out to eat, that girl can pile on the food. We used to take them out to Ryan's buffet when they lived here and that girl really ate. She ate more than I did when we ate there, but when she came home, she was good until maybe late the next day. She only ate if and when she was hungry. I'm not sure living on coffee with only creamer in it is good for her either, but it works for her. Sad to say she isn't the healthiest person in the world because her bone density is that of a woman older than I am. But you get what I'm saying. Half the battle for diabetics is to STOP STRESSING OUT!! JMO

Shannon Love seeing the things you make Olivia. I used to do that for my daughter when she was little. I even made Mother/Daughter look alike outfits for us. You are such a good Mom.

I talked to my sister yesterday and a few moments this morning. I am so proud of her. She is writing down everything she eats and testing to see how her body responds to it. I don't think she will have the struggles that I have had. For one thing she already is sharing with me some of the things she is feeling and I'm able to help her miss some of the pitfalls that I have fallen into.

I have another friend who is trying to lose weight. She goes to the Y for aquarobics and is under drs care for bp and also she is concerned about diabetes since her mother's death was from complications of the disease. I am enjoying being able to encourage her as well. I honestly believe that by helping them avoid some of the pitfalls that I've experienced is helping me keep from falling back into them.

I intend to be honest with my dr about what I am doing. I am going to take him a copy of a graph I copied from the Dr. Fung articles about the way I eat and why. I am going to go back and watch the video again because I want to be accurate when I share. I think when he gave the options of how to lower bs that he said that it takes about 6 weeks to see the results. That has helped me a lot with getting OP with the 3 meals a day because I know that I won't see great and steady low numbers for at least that long and that it will take a while before I see really good numbers on the scales.

[B]Madeleine[/] Saying that, I just realized that the fact that the scale isn't moving either way for you may not be a bad thing because from what I understand of what Dr. Fung said was that you have to get the insulin working properly before you start seeing good weight loss results. Since you mostly do VLC, I would think that the scale not moving only means that your body is beginning to use the insulin the way it is supposed to. Probably sometime in the future as the body adjusts to working properly you will begin to see the scale move downward. I've got to remember that too.

Ruthie I pray you are having a good day. Stay in touch with us.

Ok, I've been too wordy again so I'll go. Y'all have a great day.