Yes, that is probably the best plan for you, Trish. Sounds good!


My blood sugar is better, but my weight is up. I have been having a few stressful days, so that's probably not helping.

Hi! It's been a couple weeks since I've checked in....things went downhill for a while after my aunt's funeral but I'm mostly back on track now. I finally went to a new doctor where we moved and had labs done and was really happy with my results. My fasting was 91 and A1c was 5.8%....those are both much better then my last labs almost a year ago (and those had been better than the ones previous as well) so even though I am constantly falling off the wagon I think in the big picture things are improving which makes me happy.

Good for you, Shannon! I agree that you may feel as though you are not doing well, but little slip ups here don't always effect the big picture. So happy for you. Hope Olivia is doing well.

Aren't you taking some classes, too? How's that working out?


The past week has been terrible for me. We were having issues trying to adopt a dog from the shelter. The way they are always recommending that you adopt a shelter animal you would think it wouldn't be such a chore. We finally got that worked out and brought the dog home, then he got into a habit of barking all night so we couldn't sleep, ripped some wallpaper off the wall (a little piece was loose), and ran away and had me running, yes, me running, up the street trying to catch him. But last night was a good night, he slept, and so did I, so things are looking a little better. You would think I'd lose some weight with all this stress, but no, I even went up a couple lbs. But I am also getting back on track, and looking forward to a good summer.

Hope everyone else is doing well, too.

Shannon Sorry about the loss of your aunt and the struggle you had after. So glad you got a new physician and your blood work shows improvement. At least your not starting over, but you are able to just pick up where you got off. Pulling for you girl.

Carol Sue Sorry your new dog had such a struggle in his new home, but so glad things did settle down. I know how important your pets are to you and glad that you finally felt ready for a new one. We don't replace those we lost, but it is nice to have a new one.

I've been really struggling lately but I think it has just been my feeling a bit homesick. We have no family here and I really miss family. DH and I know that we need to move, but have been putting it off. Things finally came to a point where I told him that I miss family. I don't care if we live around his family or mine but I want to be around family. We know that we can't afford to live in So. FL. We haven't told anyone yet, but we are looking at homes and ways for us to move to my hometown in TX. My Daddy will be 92 in June and my sister is retired and we want to be close so we can do things together. My baby sister who lives in MS is also wanting to move back home so we can all be together again and enjoy being with our Daddy for the last years of his life.

My eating is ok. I've lost 2 lbs this week and will change my ticker when I'm through here. I've been reading about the Egg and Meat Fast many people on the low carb site talk about. So I've decided to try it. I've only read where you do it for 30 days and then progress from there. I hope to do the 30 days, but am really just shooting for 1/2 the time. Just started that. I've been doing IF up until I started the EMFast yesterday. They say lose 20 lbs in 30 days, but I never put much stock into that as everyone's body responds differently. I'm just using it to get out of this no weight loss stage.

This morning, I realized that this may be similar to the diet that the bariatic surgery diet since I remember my sister talking about how she ate a lot of eggs after her surgery. I'm going to look that up. I think she is eating a lot like the diet, with a few twists, that they gave her after her lapban surgery and she has lost 20 lbs since she's been on the diabetic medicine.

I have become a lurker on the sites I frequent. I do check here to see if anyone has checked in. With planning to move, I'll be pretty busy going through and cleaning out and packing things. We plan a trip in a few months to meet the builder and look at model homes. He built my sisters home 30 yrs ago and he is still building new additions in the same area. We will see what we might want and make our decision. We also have lots of things to do here to put the house on the market. We hope to be moved by sometime this fall..

Y'all have a blessed Sunday

Actually checked out the bariatric surgery diet and it seems to be more lowfat and I don't want to go to lowfat.

I will just continue with the LCHF of 15 to 20 gr carbs and using the meat/egg fast as needed. I don't think I want to play with my plan any more.

Trish, I know that you seem to disappear when you aren't doing as well and I figured that's what was going on. I can understand you wanting to move closer to family, since there's really nothing to hold you in SC. I think I would like TX better than FL. I hear a lot of bad things about FL, although I liked it when I visited there.

It's funny that you are going to try the egg/meat fast, because I am going to try to go a week without eggs. I was reading JJ Virgin's book about food intolernaces and she said that eggs can inflame psoriasis. I had never heard that before and I googled it and just found a slight passing reference, but I want to see if there is any change after a week without them. I really don't know how I'm going to do this because you know how I am about my eggs. I think I've had eggs every day since I was 5. That's a lot of days. LOL I can't imagine having to give them up entirely. One person who said they quit the eggs and their psoriasis started to clear said that they were going to start adding them to see if they could tolerate any. Like having 1 egg a couple days a week, and so on until they started to see a flare starting again. Some other people said that eggs do not effect their PS, but how do they know if they have never tried eliminating them? So I will see how I do with this. I have no idea what I'm going to eat for breakfast. I can still have some sausage. Or I might try protein shakes for a few days.

My dog is improving greatly every day. He is getting much friendlier. He quit barking at night , thank God, and today he learned how to go up and down the cellar steps. I think they said he was in a trailer, so, no steps. When it's time to go outside he goes and waits at the door. Before he would go under the table and we had to drag him out. So, nice changes. Tomorrow will be day 7 that we have him.

I think they have the bariatric patients eat eggs because they contain so much protein and nutrients and they go down easy. I hope we do well with our new dietary changes.

Carol Sue I hope you can find a solution for the Psoriasis problem although I do know you like your eggs as much as I do. Glad the new pet is beginning to warm up to y'all and his new home.

I've decided not to get excited about the move yet and won't believe it until we do it especially when it comes to moving back home. I'm not sure what DH really wants to do. When I headed for bed last night, DH was absolutely sure we were going to move to TX. Today he got up saying he was confused about moving and not sure about it. So I'm glad we haven't told anyone yet. We may end up staying right here in SC. He will continue to be grumpy and I may continue to be homesick, but I am the kind of person who will learn to adjust to the way things are. I really think either way will work out for us financially even if we just sell our house and move into a smaller home. At this point, we just have to decided what to do. I have been looking at new homes in our area as well as looking for some place in TX.

I didn't do well with the meat and egg fast. For one thing it is very high fat and while I don't eat lowfat anything these day, I just can't eat all that fat and protein. I'll just have to continue with a low carb way of eating. In fact, after doing that, AI doesn't look so bad if I can find 2 weeks to do it without going out to eat. May just do the Paleo/Primal version of low carbing.

FBS is pretty good right now so I will just keep doing what I'm doing at the moment which is the low carb/IF combo way of eating.

Have a good day.

Well, I made it through day one without my eggs. I had a small avocado for breakfast and a bratwurst with a salad for lunch. Then we had Chicken Viola for dinner. It has pasta in it, but I cooked 2 extra pieces of chicken breast and some extra broccoli and cauliflower to add to it to lower the total starch in it. Right now I'm having some acid reflux because the Viola is processed food which I rarely eat anymore. But I had it in the house for when I needed to make something in a hurry, and it's not something we eat often. My body cannot handle that, or too much fat. My weight is up a bit. It's a never ending battle.

It makes me feel bad to hear about you being homesick. I think that's the way my mother felt when my father was working in Philadelphia. After he got sick they moved back to the Pittsburgh area where they were from originally. I have lived here since age 7 so it's all I know. We now live about 5 miles from where DH and I grew up. My family has all passed on. One of his 4 brothers moved to NV, but the rest are here, all within a couple miles of each other. I know what you mean about adjusting to the way things are. I hope you get it all worked out.

It seems we all try out different plans once in a while, looking for what is going to work for us, but eventually come back to what we know.

A funny thing happened today. I called Target to order a refill on my Metformin. It had expired so they said they would contact the doctor and it would be delayed a couple days. A couple hours later I received a robo call from a different pharmacy that I never used saying my prescription was ready for pickup. I call them to see what they were talking about, and it is the Met, so I guess the doctor responded to the wrong pharmacy. It has a similar name to Target. I asked how much it was and they said "no charge." So I went and picked it up. Target will probably contact the doctor again to say that they never heard back from him, but I already have my meds. I think I previously had to pay $12 for this at Target.

This morning I had 4 little sausage links, but I'm still hungry. I don't think it's true hunger, but just craving the eggs. Last night I tried one of Dr Oz's recommendations and put some apple cider vinegar on the psoriasis on my left leg. I don't know how long that is supposed to take to see results. If that starts to clear up but not on my right leg than I will know it is the vinegar but not the eggs. I'm not hopeful about any of this. I have tried so many home remedies for this with no luck. Usually it takes very strong meds which I don't want to take. It has gone into remission a couple times for no rhyme or reason, but right now I have a bad flare. I have cut way back on my coffee consumption too, but I can't give up everything! LOL

Carol Sue I found it interesting about your med price difference between Target and CVS. We get ours at Walmart and I always thought they were cheaper. I've been seeing CVS ads on how they try to help you be able to keep your meds. I know my beautician said that one time she had to get her medicine at CVS because Walmart didn't have it and was surprised that it was cheaper at CVS. I might should check on that with DH Invokana and my Januvia.

I know the psoriasis must be terrible. I think that was what my great grandmother must have had. Back then they used some kind of ointment and of all things wrapped her legs and now we know that was probably the worse things to do. I hope you are able to find a way to get rid of it. I've also heard that stress causes that but I'm not sure they really know. My baby sister used to have flare ups with it on her neck. I haven't heard her say if she still has problems with it or not.

I made a few changes in my eating too. I got my book on Paleo for Beginners out. I only skimmed through it last night, but I think I could tweak it to work for me. They seem to be half your plate is protein and the other half is veggies and fruit and snacks are seeds and nuts. This book says avoid all dairy, including butter, legumes, grains and starchy veggies.

Well, I'm not giving up bacon or butter and milk, but I could give up the rest of it 95% of the time.

I got up this morning and had my 3 sl bacon (I usually eat only 2 but that was the last 3 in pkg) and 2 boiled, an apple and a cup of coffee. DH has been trying a new way to tenderize steak that he learned from Alton Brown so we are going to have steak and I will have veggies and a fruit for my main meal with a glass of unsweetened tea. I will look at my fruit as a dessert. Then later tonight when I need to take my Januvia I will have a snack of mixed nuts. They say if you get hungry in between to eat more protein. I don't want to do that. I've been making a cup of hot lemon water to drink 1st thing in the morning before I eat or drink anything else. I will drink water and unsweetened tea the rest of the time. Since we have gotten to where we eat so late in the day, more like 3 or 4ish, I will eat only 2 meals and a snack each day. Like we always do, I am doing my paleo MY WAY.

Carol Sue Adding the veggies to your meal was a really good idea to balance out the pasta etc. I wonder if you drank lemon water with it if it would help with the indigestion. I started drinking the lemon water with meals long ago for something to flavor the water. The more I read about the way it helps digestion as well as other things I am finding myself using it more and more. We ate at a different fish place last night and I didn't have the lemon water because I think it makes me go potty and we had 3 places to go before we got home. My weight was up this morning more than I think it would have been if I had added the lemon to my water. Just a thought. It also might alkaline your body which should help with the psoriasis.

DH says we are going to move to TX. I talked to the builder's office this morning and they are going to email me some floor plans to choose from. My Daddy thinks we should be able to get a good enough price for this house so as to purchase a house there, move and have money left over. He doesn't know we are definitely moving home yet because I don't want to tell him we are and then something happen and it not happen. But at this moment, we are almost sure we are moving.

Catch y'all later. Have a good day.

Trish, I usually order lemon water when we go out, but I forget about it at home.

My psoriasis doesn't bother me except when it's itchy. It isn't always itchy. It doesn't bother me that it shows...I'm past that. Sometimes it bother DH and a lot of times I will wear a 3/4 length sleeve if we go out. Naturally, I'm happier when it's in remission. If I knew of something that I'm doing that is making it flare I would stop doing it. It could be more than one thing. I should probably cut back to a very basic, bland diet and add things in one at a time to see if it flares, but I like my food too much.

My prescriptions are all generics, so that's why the price is so low compared to brand. I try to avoid brand any time I can because the price is so much higher. It is cheaper for me to get them with mail-order and some of them I do, but the mail order company I deal with is very strict and won't give you your meds under certain circumstances. I worked for them for 10 years, and they are hard to deal with. They are doing this for the safety of the patients and to avoid lawsuits. I know that. But when you order your meds you want them to come. The pharmacist at Target told me "If your doctor writes the prescription we fill it to his specifications." But the mail order company questions every little detail. We don't have a CVS in our area.

If you and DH want to continue taking these meds you could check around at different pharmacies and see where you can get it for the lowest price. If they want your business, sometimes they find a way to give it to your for less.

So far, I have put the vinegar on my leg twice with no change. Still itchy, still red. I screwed up with my eggs yesterday. I didn't eat them for breakfast but I ate at the salad bar for dinner and accidentally put eggs on my salad. I had eaten half of the salad before I remembered. But it didn't bother me this morning to do without and I had sausage again. The bad thing is, since I'm not eating eggs, DH isn't eating them either and I have 1 1/2 doz in the refrigerator. I usually put lotion on after my shower. Last night I put it on before bed and when I woke up my psoriasis had calmed down a bit, but will probably get red again once I take my shower. Maybe I should start taking my shower before bed instead of in the AM. I've done AM showers for 40 years so it would be a hard habit to change. The sun is supposed to be good for psoriasis too, but we don't get a lot of sun in PA. It's hit or miss.

Anyway, I'm doing well with limiting carbs. Weight is still up, but coming down.

I'm through messing around with food plans etc. They only work for a short time and then I gain weight back. I've decided go back to WW P+ again. I do love the plan and I seem to do better. I don't like eating lowfat foods, but I will do whatever is necessary to get the weight off and the fbs down although it is slow. LOL Slow steady weight loss would be a blessing at this point since I'm still at the weight I was the last time I started WW. So I've actually just wasted time (sitting and spinning my wheels) these last few years.

Shared this with my closest friend about it when she called this morning and she said "You were doing good on WW before, why did you quit?" Then I remembered that I was doing extremely good on WW and suddenly realized that I had stopped it when the kids moved in with us because I had to buy food for all of us, diapers for the baby and utilities skyrocketed. The kids loved the raw fruits and veggies as much as I did and I felt guilty buying it for me and not sharing so I just stopped buying it altogether.

I'm not going to join WW as I still have the books and the little calculator. I am allowed 26 pts, but I don't always eat all the pts. I will have 5 pts left when I stop eating today. I will eat the non/lowfat foods that I like however, I will keep the good fats that I like. I think I can work with this better by just counting the pts. DH likes eating less fat especially better cuts of meats w/o fat and this just might work better for him as well.

I am almost out of the Januvia and I am going to try the Metformin ER again. I realized that since it worked good for me for 6 weeks that maybe the reason I started having problems with the diarrhea wasn't the Met ER. Maybe it was the fact that I use Trident gum sometimes when we are in church or when we leave a restaurant. Since I cannot handle sugar alcohols in any form, I just bet that was what caused the diarrhea problems. There is a big difference in $118 for Januvia and $0.00 for Metformin ER.

Not sure about moving. We found a house that we could build in TX if we can sell this house, but as much as I miss my family, I do have to be sure this is what I really want to do. We will be further from DH daughter and grandkids. I do have friends here. I'm wondering how much of all this has to do with my weight. I am just not sure which way to go on this so maybe we should do nothing right now. DH and I were talking last night about how scary it is to jump up and start over somewhere else at our age. A lot to think about.

Carol Sue I do so hope you can find something to help with the psoriasis. Have to make that a prayer project. :hug:

Have a good day.

Trish, I just checked my insurance for Januvia. For 90 days at mail order it's $115. 90 days at retail pharmacy $135. For a 30 days supply at retail it's $45. I have a medicare HMO supplement instead of just medicare. This is why I try to stick with generic. I need my money for other things.

I did well on WW and was able to do low carb with it. But once I quit going to the meetings I couldn't stick to it on my own. I don't like paying the monthly fee, and I also don't like having to go out to the meetings. I am a home body. If it works for you, it works for you, and that's what's important. No matter how good a plan might sound, or how good it is for someone else, if it doesn't work for you, it's not good for you. Like your doctor said, any plan will work, if you can stick with it.

Today at the store I bought a package of sliced deli turkey. The store I was in didn't have a fresh deli. I came home and had it for lunch with a slice of swiss cheese wrapped in a lettuce leaf. It tasted so good. I like deli turkey but I quit buying it because I always think of a sandwich with bread, but the lettuce leaf is just as good to me, so I might start buying the deli meat again. Just have to watch the sodium.

DH wants hot dogs for dinner...easy for me!! I will grill a piece of talapia for myself. Since he doesn't like the talapia I make it for myself on nights that he wants something else.

Then we are taking the dog over to my step-sons so they can see him, and we want to see how he does running around their fenced in yard. We are also taking our tie-out because there's always a chance that he will find a little place he can squeeze through and get away. Their dog is very big so they don't have to worry about him sneaking out. Also, as long as they are with their dog he will stay put and not run off.

I would love to move because I like change, but I don't know where else I would like to be. I am used to PA, with the 4 seasons, and even the hills. It's all I know. I stay in when it's cold and snowy, and I also stay in when it's beastly hot and humid. So I could not handle a warmer climate. I always wanted to live near the ocean, but then you have to worry about hurricanes. I would like New England because their summers would be cooler, but winters would be much harsher. DH would never moved, so the decision in out of my hands. LOL

hi all, have been MIA for a bit. Was working off the "conference belly" and got busy with work, and a little down about the weight.
Then we went away for out long weekend, up to our island place on Manitoulin. The shell of the cottage is built, no indoor walls or insulation, no plumbing. no internet of course. We will be "camping" like this for most of the summer, as we work to get plumbing then electrical installed. After that we can start insulating and putting up walls etc. this will be a two year project I expect.
Anyhow, on return, in spite of not eating to plan at all, weight is just above 180, and am feeling ok.
Am still working on increasing my exercise, which was good up there.
I will catch up on my reading of your posts this week.

I find this interesting with my bs. This morning it was 154. When traveling I like an egg mcmuffin. Today, that was what I wanted, but I didn't want to spend 4 pts on an English muffin so I made the sandwich on my Sarah Lee Multi-grain bread saving 2 pts, then used 1/2 sl regular American cheese, 1 egg and 2 sl Canadian bacon and my coffee with Stevia and mini-moo half & half. Later in the morning I decided to have an apple. Checked my bs just before lunch and it was 96. I was surprised because I didn't feel any signs of it dropping.

I made the WW chicken with rice recipe from the WW Plus cook book for 7 pts. DH and I both like Chinese food and this was a good way to have a Chinese meal without the msg since it was made from scratch. I told DH that I can use this as a basic recipe and play with it to make various flavors of a homemade Chinese stir-fry. I think we will both enjoy this pretty well.

Carol Sue One of the things I do love about living here is that weather. It seldom if ever gets to 3 digit #s in the summer... sure can't say that about TX. LOL

Fatmad So glad that you could check in. We miss you when you aren't around. Your cabin work sounds like fun although it is also a lot of work. Think exercise, exercise, exercise. LOL

Trish, I think the reason WW works so well for you is that you are conscious of things like the difference between the points in the English Muffin and the Sara Lee Bread. Normally, as you said, you like the Egg McMuffin. What time of day do you take your Januvia?

When we visited Las Vegas it was October and it was still too hot for me, even though they don't have humidity. But a good thing came out of it because that started me drinking more water and I continued that habit after we came home. We usually only get several 90 degree days in the summer here and mostly 80s. That's hot enough for me. I didn't mind it as much when I was younger but I can't take it now. We never get 3 digits!

My step-son's fenced in yard had too many small spaces where Rusty could get out so we had to keep him on the tie-out. Also, my grandson wanted to walk him with the leash but he was dragging him instead of walking him. Rusty was glad to come home!

Hi Ladies!

I apologize for going dark like that; my DD graduated high school on Tuesday and life has been nothing short of insane.

Oh, who am I kidding- I've used life, again, as an excuse not to do anything for myself and was ashamed to admit it.:mad:

I am going to have to decide which is more important, being able to eat the foods I want, in smaller quantities or eating larger portions of 'sensible' food. I don't love calorie or points counting, but in all honesty, it's the only thing I've seen work for people...long term.

I'll play catch up later today, until then, have a great day!:hug:

Momwithdogs Good to have you back with us. I missed you. I know the feeling about finding reasons/excuses for not doing what I should do with my eating. I kind of had one of those "moments" day before yesterday as I was looking at the paleo diet and some others. I can find a reason or excuse why I don't want to do any of them. Then I had one of those moments when I heard speaking out loud to my self saying "Patricia Ann, just pick a plan and commit to it!!!" I had been thinking about the things I liked about WW for several days so I decided to just go with it. I'm so glad I did. I actually need the portion control aspect of WW. I love the fact that most veggies and fruits are considered freebies because they are 0 pts. I'm shooting for those and a lot of 1 to 3 pt foods.

Carol Sue Sorry your dog wasn't able to get out and run in your step-sons yard. I think kids probably drive dogs crazy sometimes. DH DGD has a little dog she carries around all the time. Sure is good that they got him as a pup because I'm not sure an older dog could or even would put up with it. I think he fills an emptiness she feels and he makes her happy just to love on him all the time. Kind of a security blanket for her.

I had a wonderful eating experience yesterday. One I haven't enjoyed in ages. And it didn't hurt my FBS or my weight. I ended up using all 26 pts plus 2 of my weekly pts. My weight had jumped back up to 220 yesterday and it was 218.6 this morning. Remember FBS was 154 yesterday; it was 115 this morning. So I honestly believe that it is the way to go for me.

I ended up having French toast this morning. I was going to have cereal @ 5 pts, but by the time I add my half and half it would have spent more than pts than I wanted to spend. Besides I wanted milk with it and I didn't have any. I don't add milk to my egg when I make Fr. toast so I just have the egg count. I ended up eating 5 pts. I wanted to save as much as I can today because we will go out to eat today. I still have 33 pts from my weekly pts, but I don't want to use all of those either.

Last night I got hungry kind of late so I just got a bunch of raw veggies and had those at 0 pts. My thought this morning as I made breakfast was "This is fun". Had a pharmacist ask me one time when I was starting on a new diet "Do you have the mindset for this?" Well, I do believe that I have the mindset for this. Funny how all those years I fought counting anything and now here I am doing it again and actually enjoying it. Feeling good about everything today.

Y'all have a great day!!!

I think the problem I had with WW was not knowing how many points an item is. It's OK for pkg foods that have the nutrients on the pkg...you just plug them into the little calculator. But when I make a recipe, it's so hard to figure out how many points it is. It's bad enough trying to figure out the calories. Sometimes I will try entering all the ingredients into Fitday, but then I have to calculate how much is a portion. I like using my own recipes instead of using theirs because DH likes my recipes and I don't want to change what he eats. He always tells me, one I find a good recipe, don't be changing it. See, I have an excuse right there!!! I guess I could take the time to do it once and then keep a record of it. I think it would really help if I tracked my food every day and just kept track of the calories, but I get lax on that, too.

I just watched them make an easy eggplant parmesan on TV and it looked very good. Very easy. 3 ingredients. Eggplant, sauce and cheese. Yum! Don't know if DH would eat eggplant.

Trish- Are you going to try your Metformin again?

This article might be of some help to you.

http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/2...rmin-dose.html

Carol Sue- That eggplant sounds really good! My DH will make a face if I say eggplant is on the menu, so I typically just don't mention that part of the recipe, lol. He always eats it. If your DH will eat summer squash or zucchini, it is very good layered in between the eggplant and you might get away with that.

I just got a script for the Metfromin ER- hoping to see if I can take it once a day.

Momwithdogs, that was an interesting article. I take regular Metformin and I had a bit of nausea in the beginning, and then a lot of nausea when it was increased. But I'm OK now.

I cannot disguise the eggplant in the eggplant parm. DH loves fried zucchini and will eat stuffed zucchini boats, but has never had eggplant. Actually, I never ate it all my life because I thought it was gross looking. I ordered the parm in a restaurant once because I'll eat anything that's covered in cheese, and I loved it, but I've never made it at home. One time I made hummus with eggplant and I loved that too, but again, I was the only one who ate it. I don't mind making things just for me, but if a recipe makes a large quantity then I can't eat it all. Well, I could, but you know that story! LOL

Today, we are going to the casino and will be eating the buffet. Normally we go for the dinner buffet, but because of the new dog, we are going in the afternoon for a short visit and will be having the lunch buffet. Therefor I don't want to eat much in the morning. If I do, I will end up eating the buffet when I'm not really hungry. I could really go for a couple scrambled eggs right now. So far I'm not sure if my psoriasis is improving from having no eggs. It's only been a few days. I took my shower last night and put lotion on because when I first do that my skin gets red and inflamed and takes some time to calm down. This morning it is calmed down and not as red. It didn't matter a lot because it's chilly today so I will be wearing longer sleeves or a jacket. I'm very glad I have never had psoriasis on my face. It can usually be covered if it's flared.

Have a good day, everyone!

Carol Sue- Last night was my first Met ER pill and I cut the dose down to 500mg vs. the usual 1000mg. We'll see how this goes, but so far, no chages in my FBS or breakfast readings. This is a good thing, lol

I get it re: eggplant. If you do decide to try it, make sure you purge it first or it can get very bitter. Not sure what is available in your area, but Japanese eggplant is much more tender and require less work.

http://www.ehow.com/how_6906631_salt...-eggplant.html

And this is a really good zucchini recipe and I find it also works with eggplant.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2...my-lemon-salt/

Momwithdogs Thanks for the article. I was tired when I read it last night, but got good info. I will read again today since I'm more alert. DH had blood work for the Coumadin so I talked to the nurse this morning when she called. I was able to share with her that I was continuing the Met ER and about what I read in the diabetic article as well as the fact that I think it was the sugar alcohols that caused the stomach problems.

BBL

I have seen the purging instructions on other eggplant recipes and I have done that with zucchini but they didn't do that on the show that I watched. They dipped the slices in flour, then an egg/milk wash then in breadcrumbs and fried. Layered it with sauce and mozzarella cheese and parm cheese on top, and baked. It looked so good.

Trish- I hope that article turns out to be of some use to you.

What part of TX are you considering? My DH was stationed at Ft. Hood for awhile and there is a possibility his company could offer a transfer to San Antonio in the next few years. Currently we are in Denver and I really haven't been able to consider this home, yet. :dizzy:

Carol Sue- Eggplant parm is one of my most favorite things ever, lol. IDK if you ever eat at Carrabba's, but they do a wood fired version that is out of this world.

Ladies, I have a question...do you enjoy your meals anymore? I find I am getting sick and tired of thinking about what to eat and how to eat it. This is why IE could never work for me; just not sure a person is always supposed to be this thoughtful about what goes into one's mouth.

I guess what I am trying to say is this: nothing in life ever works perfectly all of the time and instead , I am really wondering if the goal should be more good readings than bad, as a starting place? My doctor said to learn maintenance first and then start the loss portion and maybe that is smart advice. Certainly I am just speaking for myself, but the stress of eating can't be healthy, either.

Sigh, lol.:hug:

Carrabba's is a little too far from us for us to go, and DH doesn't like Italian Restaurants, anyway. There's a restaurant we frequent that has good Eggplant Parm but they serve it with such a big plate of pasta. One server allowed me to choose a veggie in place of the pasta but most tell me "no substitutions." I'd rather make it at home where I can control the ingredients.

I am an impulse eater. In fact, I'm impulsive with everything...where to go, what to buy, what to eat, when to eat. Everything is spur of the moment. I am trying to change that. I find it hard to be working on losing weight AND controlling blood sugar at the same time. I know if I get the weight off the blood sugar will automatically come down. More good readings than bad is a good place to start. After all, no one had perfect blood sugar all the time. the A1c is an average, and that's really what they go by. I am tired of all this trying and not seeing results either way. I know it's me doing the wrong things, but can't seem to get myself moving in the right direction. I'm just spinning my wheels.

I enjoyed eating that deli turkey wrapped in a lettuce leaf and thought I had found something I could work with, but I bought some more turkey breast yesterday and today I woke up with puffiness under my eyes. Too much sodium, so I am going to have to back off on the deli meat and I still have at least 1/2 lb left. DH doesn't like turkey. He got bologna. He likes it fried. Deli meat is "processed foods" and they get me every time!

Momwithdogs I printed the article and after reading it slower, I decided to send the link to it my son's girlfriend. All my doctor told me when he first prescribed regular Metformin years ago was take it once a day with largest meal.I never really thought it helped me all that much. Now I'm wondering if I took it wrong because when I had to take 2 - 500 mg a day, I spread them out. That is how I told DH to take his, but now I'm wondering if maybe that is why it wasn't working like it should and now he is taking 3 different diabetic meds to lower his FBS. I'm even wondering if he should be taking is Glimeperide together instead of separate. Although with him taking the Januvia, he doesn't seem to need but 1 Glimeperide a day instead of 2 since his FBS is below 116 most days and doc said on days it is that low or lower to only take 1. He is actually doing very well. He likes the Invokana but he might be able to stay on the Januvia. Thanks again for sharing the article with me. I believe doctor's do the best they can, but they can't tell us everything so we have to stay on top of things when it comes to treating and controlling T2 diabetes.... probably goes for any health problem we may be dealing with as far as that goes.

I am from Waco, TX and would like to move to a little suburb where my sister and her hubby lives. Their interests are similar to ours and we would love to run around with them now that she is retired. My Hubby of 31 years and I lived in Gatesville when our kids were teenagers. Our little farm was just about what would be considered a block or 2 from Ft. Hood. In fact, we were so close that when they had a plane crash and soldiers killed the police dispatcher (my hubby was a police officer) called to see if we were okay because they thought we had a fire or explosion. LOL

I don't like thinking of food all the time either. There are days that if I didn't have to cook for DH, I'm not sure I would even eat. I'm just tired of thinking about it. I love IE and I do know there are some IErs who use counting calories or WW pts system with IE and do very well. I still think you have to learn portion control whatever you do. I sure know that I have too.

Carol Sue I don't think DH would eat eggplant as he turns his nose up at it when I've cooked it. However, when his DD makes homemade lasagna (not one of his favorites but she makes it for me) he doesn't know that he is eating it then. It is hidden by the flavor of the sauce.

I bought a package of deli turkey today. When I'm doing WW, I like to take a slice of my 1 pts bread and put a couple of slices (I never use a whole serving) and just fold over and eat for a light supper. Sometimes I put 0 pts mustard on it and sometimes I don't. I watched DH Mother who lived to be 90 eat sandwiches with no mayo or mustard and decided I could do that as well. It is actually good. We just think we have to have that mayo or something. I picked up some WW frozen dinner that I absolutely love and some whipped peanut butter for less pts to eat so I don't get in a rut of eating the same thing all the time. I am not counting much of anything right now because this week has been kind of hectic. Next week is going to be a great time to get into the swing of things so I'll officially start on Monday although I will keep my pts reasonable. We never go out to eat on the week end, but DGS called and asked if we would go get his check and mail it to him so we will grab a bite somewhere while out. I really like the idea of cooking at home so I know what is in the food we are eating.

I really am going to enjoy doing WW and I like doing it without meetings and don't think I'm even going to join on line except that I'm sure I could get more pts info on there than I have. May order the magazine though or just pick up the ones I want at the store. Not sure about that yet either.

Y'all have a good weekend.

Trish, it depends on how your prescription is written. If it says take 1 tablet twice a day, then that means space it out. Taking it 12 hours apart keeps a steady amount of the med in your body throughout the day. If they tell you to take it with meals, that is usually done to decrease the chance of stomach upset, or because the food would help it be properly absorbed into the body. If it says take 2 tablets daily, they can be taken together. Then there are some meds that are to be taken between meals or first thing in the AM on an empty stomach. I asked the pharmacist about my Metformin because if I took it at meals I was taking it closer together than 12 hours. He told me that if I didn't get any digestive problems with it I could take it 12 hours apart regardless of whether I was eating or not. It is not lowering your blood sugar based on what you eat. It is to lower the chances of your liver dumping too much glucose into the blood, I think. You should probably not change the way you take your meds unless you check with your doctor or pharmacist to be sure you are not over dosing.

Trish, I don't usually put anything on a sandwich that is made from meat. I put mayo on a tomato or cucumber sandwich and mustard only on a hot dog. Do you use Duke's mayonaise? I heard that it is only available in the south. In PA Hellman's is the big seller. Last week Dollar General had Duke Mayonaise in their ad and I went in wanting to buy some but they said that is only for the store locations that carry that brand. I was disappointed because I have heard that Duke's is the best and wanted to try it. One time I bought a store brand mayo and DH told me never to do that again. He only wants Hellmans.

We know stress is bad for diabetics, however, here is an article about a stress that is good diabetes. I hadn't really thought about it, but I think I will work it into my WW plan.

http://www.healthcentral.com/diabete...sp_mid=7762028

I allowed myself the past few days to eat anything and everything I want... more than I should have just to allow myself to get it out of my system before officially starting WW. Yesterday I thought I would never get satisfied eating as I think I could have eaten the house. But then all of a sudden I got satisfied last night, I knew I was I was through eating that way and my body and mind was in agreement and ready to start and be committed to WW plan. And I woke up this morning completely happy about beginning this journey.

DH didn't sleep all night and is sleeping now so we didn't go to church which is fine. I have my favorites I record to watch so I'm good. He will sleep all day so it is a very good day to start Day 1 of WW. So I've had a good start already.

Have a super Sunday.

That was an interesting article Trish, and also some of the other articles attached to it.

Trish- Thank you for the article. Not going to lie, both IE and IF confuse the living daylights out of me.

IE sometimes feels like it's an excuse to eat. Does that make any sense? You said before that some IE people use IF and WW with it, but doesn't that go against the idea of IE or do I have it wrong? I once mentioned food addiction to an IE person and pretty much got run off of the farm, lol.

Now IF, do you go by a certain eating window, do the 5/2 deal, or combine both?

I honestly wonder, at least for myself, if I spend too much time trying to label my WOE- I mean seriously, who really cares what it's called? If it works, it works.

However, IDK what actually works, lol.

Oh, and girls, please call me Elizabeth.:hug:

Elizabeth, I agree with you that you don't have to label your WOE. You can take ideas from various plans and tweak them to fit your preferences. I do think you have to like the foods that you're eating, and if a particular plan doesn't allow for something you really like, then you find a way to fit it in, in limited quantities, if necessary.

I know exactly who ran you off the IE thread. LOL I don't go there anymore. I can't do IE either. I understand eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're satisfied (not stuffed) but if I could do that I wouldn't have a weight problem. And eating "what you want" is risky to me. I think you need to have some discipline when it comes to eating foods that don't work in your favor.

I like the concept of IF, but find it hard to stick to now. I did it successfully years ago when it didn't actually have a name. That was when I would eat NOTHING after dinner until breakfast the next day, an eating window of a sort. I did it with WW and also followed low carb at the same time and it worked until I decided I was tired of the meetings, and I need the meetings to stick with it. I also tried 5:2. On the 2 days I ate only vegetables and it kept my blood sugar very low, and surprisingly, I didn't overeat on the 5 days. But I kept having trouble when it was supposed to be a 2 day and DH wanted to go out for dinner. I used to be a really good dieter before I got married, but I let DH change my good eating habits and I just can't get back in the groove.

I know that your question was directed at Trish, and I'm sure she will jump in and reply, as she has had different experiences with it than I have. She seems to do better when she follows a structured plan. We are all different, and have to choose our own path.

Elizabeth I like the concept of IE, but don't do well with it. There was a time before I ever gained an ounce and they didn't have a name for it that I ate more of a combo of IE/IF. I've never been able to eat that way when I'm married. I agree with Carol Sue that I do need to more of a structured plan now and even then I seem to have a problem working the plan.

I actually can't do the IE right now. I used to eat a 5 to 8 hrs window. However, I have a lot of my regular Metformin 1000 mg and I've decided to cut them in half and take them 12 hrs apart for a week to see if it works better than the once a day 500 mg Met ER. Today I've had 2 meals and will have a snack to take the other Metformin.

I ate oatmeal for breakfast instead of my egg and WG fettucini with shrimp scampi for our main meal today. Only had the 2 servings of starchy food today and I feel absolutely stuffed. I'm not sure it is wise for me to do that. I like the structure of WW pts for portion control, but I may just try it any way.

Tomorrow is a new day and I will go back to my eggs for breakfast rather than cereal.

Today we had a little Memorial Day cookout just the 2 of us. I ate what I ate. We cooked hot dogs, hamburgers and bratwurst on the grill, I made potato salad and we had canned Bush's baked beans. I made sure I took a glimiperide before dinner. I ate 1 bun, the potato salad and I ate the beans without rinsing the sauce off. It's only 1 day. I'm not going to worry about it. Right now I'm trying not to eat any leftovers.

The neighbors are starting to set off firecrackers already. Our other dog was so afraid of them and summer was terrible for him. This dog just lays there like it's nothing. I'm so glad. It was hard dealing with the dog shaking and crying all the time. This dog is a very nice dog. We're lucky. He still doesn't come when we call him. Hopefully that will come in time. We've only had him 2 weeks.

Carol Sue I think you will be okay with what you ate. You may be surprised at how good things look today. One meal off isn't a disaster it is when we let them snowball on us as I've done many times.

I've had leg cramps since I was a young teenager, but I woke up with one of the worst I've ever experienced this morning and then remembered that was one of the major complaints I had with the regular Metformins. And I have only taken them for 2 days so needless to say I am back on the Metformin ER today. I will take it in the evening with a snack. Then when I see the doctor in 3 weeks I will ask him to up it to (2) 500 mg a day instead of the 1. That is what DH takes.

I have figures out how to eat the way I want to eat and keep the calories around 1600 calories depending on what meat we eat at lunch everyday. So calories should remain between 1500 to 1600 cals a day. I probably won't be counting calories or pts. I'm pretty much a routine person so when I get my routine going I'll be fine. I kept my eggs, bacon and double fiber toast for breakfast. Protein and veggies for lunch with milk and I like the WW frozen tv dinners with some added veggies for dinner when I'll take my Metformin ER. That would give me an IF eating 10 hr window with a 14 hr fast. I don't think I will need snacks. If I can do this with 5 hrs between meals, my bs readings will finally settle down to normal and hopefully with the exercise/activity the weight will come off as well. This is a routine that I can live with. I'm drinking warm lemon water first thing each morning which seems to have great benefits especially digestive. I'm not worried too much about the fat in my diet because when I first got back on WW and cut back the fat, I found that my joints began to hurt again. I'm using both eggbeaters and regular eggs because I sometimes like an egg sandwich for breakfast like the egg McMuffin which I fix on double fiber bread and it easier to use eggbeaters for that. My goal is to make fruit my dessert with my meals instead of other cake foods although I have found a few WW ones that I do like on occasion.

As you can see, I have decided not to do low carb because I am never able to stick to it so why bother and set myself up for failure. It is time to just make a plan that I can live with for the rest of my life because it fits me.

We have looked at floor plans until they are all running together. So I finally set down and took certain things that we liked about different house plans and designed one the way we want it. I've got a couple of others I want to play with to see if I can do with them. I love the family/kitchen area in the house we had in FL. I love looking at floor plans and playing with them. I think I could have done that if I had thought of it when I was young. LOL

My oldest DS is coming through here next week. He will be here sometime Wednesday as he drives up to Mass to get his stuff and take it back to TX. Not sure what is going to happen with him and that girl. She is sweet, but her Mother lives with her and she is a trip. I'm not sure but what she will finally break them up which is what she told her daughter that she was going to do. I think my DS is tired of fooling with it.

Well, I better get busy around here. Hope everyone has a really good day.

Trish, my mother broke me up with every guy I dated, and that's why I finally moved out. Not everyone has that option, I know. It's sad, because DH would have been a very good son-in-law for her. I hope things go well for your son.

I think you will do OK with the carbs you are eating as long as they don't raise your blood sugar. Everyone is not cut out for low carb. You are not eating a lot of carbs, and they are high fiber which is good.

I am trying to lower my calories for a while to get this weight moving. I am no longer worrying about not getting enough calories. I know it is not something that I will do every day or for long periods of time, but will not be trying to eat more to get all my recommended calories in. Around 10 AM I had a leftover chicken thigh as I am continuing the "no eggs" for another week. DH thinks it's working, but I think any improvement he's seeing is from the lotion I'm using. The PS is still there, but sometimes lotion just calms it down so it's not so red. I am a better judge of when it's going into remission.

Good luck with your house hunting. I hope you settle on a floor plan that's right for you.

Trish- I take magnesium supplements and it has taken care of my leg cramp issues.

Your plan looks really good! I wish you the best with it.:carrot:

Carol Sue- Yes, you are thinking of the right person on the IE thread and the only thing she was missing was the pitchfork to fun me off with, lol.;)

I also think you'll be fine with yesterday's meal. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

1000 mg of Met ER at dinner seems to be doing the trick for me. Last two mornings, my FBS has been in the low 90s with no dietary changes.

Sustaining that will be the challenge.

Do either of you food journal? I've never really tried it, but have read that is really is one of the keys to success.

I journal off and on. I did it daily for 6 months a few years back. Then I had surgery and got away from it. Every day I recorded my BP, FBG, weight, food and exercise. I entered the food on Fit Day. I got down to 181, but after surgery gained back 15-20 lbs, which remain firmly in place today! I would like to get back to it again because I can always look and see what calorie count works best for me and which foods I'm eating that might have too many carbs.

If I could have FBG in the 90's I'd be dancing for joy! Good job!

I might try the journal...reality hurts, lol

But, thank you re: FBS. Let's see if it lasts.

Oh, since we were talking decorating/home plans, have you girls taken this quiz?

http://www.bhg.com/decorating/decorating-style/quiz/

These sites are also a great way to waste an afternoon, lol

https://www.floorplans.com/house-plans//

http://www.eplans.com/

Let me know if you prefer I not post non-diabetes related stuff. I promise I won't be offended!