Carol Sue Sorry you are having problems with the pain again, but hope it improves quickly. I'm glad you have the scale and bs going down together. That in itself is an improvement.

My weight and FBS was down a little today. I had about 7 hrs apart and my bs before dinner was 100 so that is good. My weight went back up after adding the fiber foods, but it is nice that it is coming back down. It is coming down slowly but at least it is coming down. I really haven't been hungry. We took Daddy for his nerve test and so DH had to fin for himself. He likes eating soup so that is what the had. When I got home I decided to have a can of Progresso soup that I found in the pantry. I also had a Canadian bacon sandwich for a snack later. I am lazy and don't take home to put mayo or mustard on it as I learned from DH Mother that a dry sandwich with just meat tastes just as good.

I've been busy today shopping for cable. Our 2 yr contract has run out with Dish and the bill has gone up a good $40 and I'm looking for something cheaper. I hate giving up some of the stations we like but if I can find something cheaper I will switch.

Baby sister is in town and I am going to get her and take her to our beauty shop to get a perm. Beautician is in a new place and I am going to take her so she will know where it is. Then when she is through we will go see Daddy for a bit. I thought they had taken rain out of the forecast until Wednesday, but it looks like it may rain any way. We've been having rain once a day the past few, but rained some this morning before I
left and just a little while ago. Our grass in the front yard looks pretty and green right now. Everybody is having to mow or have their yards mowed.

Mad Sounds like you are having a great time. Enjoy your time with your DD and you can get things going again when you get home. I forgot y'alls Thanksgiving is before ours. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Pipsicle I really love learning new things from the books, etc, but sometimes it gets really confusing and is easy to miss the nuggets.

I'm going to head to bed early tonight since I have to get up earlier tomorrow as baby sister's appointment is at 10:30 am.

Goodnight.

Carol- Have you noticed if eating liver affects your FBS?

I'm curious because one more thing I should have had on my list for the recent good FBS is using a new type of digestive enzyme. It seems there could be some digestive enzymes in the liver. Years ago one of my dogs had a cancerous pancreatic tumor. The first vet said at most he would live a month. The second vet said he could live up to three months. He ended up living nearly a year longer (the dog, not the vet). We did treat him with some alternative medicines. However, the only way I could get him to take them was to put them in liverwurst. I always thought that gave his digestive system a boost and helped him live as long as he did. He was such a good dog; I still miss him.

Pipsicle I cant really say I notice an improvement in BS from any food except the food I don't eat. I don't know a lot about digestive enzymes. But I can always learn.

Its hard to lose a pet. We've lost 5 over the years. Now I worry that we will die before this dog and what will happen to him. He loves us so much.

Trish I rarely put any condiment on a sandwich. Mayo on a BLT or turkey bacon club but never with deli meat. Mustard on a hot dog. We throw a lot of condiments out because they get old. Buy small jars even ketchup.

FBG 160 weight 195.5.

I'm dying here, with nobody to talk to. LOL You guys have to get less to do!! I guess I'll go do some of the things I'm supposed to be doing instead of surfing the net.

Carol Sue I miss y'all when I come here and y'all are here either. LOL!!! I have had a few days that seems like I was meeting myself and haven't had time to say a lot here, but then there are times when I probably talk too much. LOL

I really enjoyed my time with baby sister although we ended up in a lot of rain and I got drenched. She didn't get a perm as she has over processed her hair with bleaching etc and color so our beautician is working to get it healthy again. She will go when DS and I go on November 2 to get it cut and treated again. Any way she gave her a cute new hair cut and style. Just before we got ready to walk out and get in the car a someone came in and said the cold front had just blown in. We walked out got in the car and it came down a gully washer. We needed the rain, but it was raining so hard that I could hardly see. Baby sister said we could skip going to see Daddy but I told her we really had to go because we just couldn't disappoint him. I drove her to the front door so she wouldn't get her hair wet or ruined because I wanted her DH and kids to see it fresh made. Then I drove over to a different place to get a closer parking place to the door, but it was raining so hard that even with a umbrella I got drenched. I wore tennis shoes today because of the possible rain and by the time I got into the nursing home, I was drenched. A resident asked me if I got wet and I told her I had just got a second shower for the day.

Daddy just beamed with the 2 of us being there. She tole me he looks better every time she sees him and I told her that it is because he got to see her. I think she finally understands that. She said she and her DH are always talking about going and her DH wants to go talk to Daddy to help him get through all that he is feeling because of the situation he got into with the other woman. Daddy has counselled a of couples through things like that. That would be good for Daddy because it would make him feel useful. Any way she said they needed to just go. I told her that he really misses his family.

It was nice having her there with me. I clip his fingernails once a week, but she wanted to do it and I can't squat down to cut his toenails, but she can so she did both for him.

I did see my BIL for the first time since they came back and it was just like old times. He loves to joke and pull little pranks with me and it was fun to just be together again. We talked about me wanting to get him to go get a brisket and cook it and he told me that the stores have them on sale right now for about half the price they usually charge so I gave him the money to go get one to cook. I told him the only thing I ask is to be invited to eat some of it.

My FBS seems to rock between 140s and 150s. When I started eating this new way Saturday my weight had gone back up to 223.8, but for the past few days I have been losing almost a lb a day. I am down to 221.4 this morning. FBS was 159 which was kind of surprising to me, but I can't really eat protein at night as it always is a little higher. My system just seems to be different from when I used to eat Atkins low carb.

I was telling (I'm going to use DBS for baby sister) about this and she told me she doesn't do strictly keto. She does more of a low carb. As I told her what I'm doing, I realized that I am actually doing the plan laid out in Low Carb for Dummies book. She said you need a minimum of 3 15 grams each of starchy carbs but not more than 5 to lose weight. You don't have to count fruit, veggies or low fat dairy. This is pretty much what I am doing. I'm finding that I am eating less and less. I can't eat a whole serving of anything for breakfast. I am eat 1/2 serving of oats whether regular or steel cut, 1/2 a container of a 1 serving NF Greek yogurt, 1/2 banana and 1/2 serving of the cherry berry blend. I just cannot eat more as it makes me feel absolutely stuffed. However, I can go for hours without getting hungry. I ate around 9 am this morning but still didn't eat
until after 3 to eat. However, I do seem to notice that my bs is less before second meal of the day if I don't go more than 5 hrs without eating although yesterday I did go a little longer and my bs was 100 before lunch. But then my FBS was 142 yesterday morning and was higher 159 this morning so that could be why it was 118 this morning.

I really believe I have found what is going to work for me in the long run. It might slow down later but as long as the weight and fbs continues to go down, that is all that matters. You know Dr. Whittaker used to encourage his diabetic patients to eat similar to this until he switched to them eating more of a low carb IF routine. So evidently they both work.

Trish please don't worry that you talk too much. I like to hear how you are doing with your food plan and the stories of your wonderful family. You are truly blessed. It is heart warming to hear. I'm sure your Dad is thrilled to see you girls. I think you sisters marriage will be stronger now that they are around family who loves them I want some of that brisket, too!

I think I forgot to take my supplements this morning but my pain level has been lower. A puzzle. Some times when I'm walking I get a stab in my knee or ankle. Its unsettling and scary. I'm afraid of falling.

My eating was good but blood sugar is not. I am cooking at home to try to use up the food in the freezer then not stock up so much. The freezer is bursting at the seams. DH sees things in the store and tells me to buy it but then he doesn't want it for dinner. The pantry downstairs is emptying out nicely but not the freezer. I will start buying food when we want it. So today we had pork chops with Stove Top. The stuffing did me in. Now it's gone and I won't buy more. Too carby for me. I will save stuffing for a treat on Thanksgiving. Its better homemade in the turkey anyway. I do have a lot of frozen veggies too and I want to be eating them. I has some cabbage and spinach at lunchtime. So I did have some veggies and carrots broccoli cauliflower Brussels sprouts at dinner. I want to keep that up.

I took a nap again in my recliner but I'm still tired so I will be going to bed early.

Pipsicle You were talking about digestive enzymes. I saw something on line about probiotics, but they had to be the right ones. I fell for that before and bought supposedly a good brand that didn't do a thing for us. However he was talking about all the poison in our food which makes us toxic etc and claimed his combo would help and if you get the digestion working right that the weight will come off and bs will come down, bp etc. He called his product Synbiotic 365. I always go to Amazon and check for these things and most of what I saw like that were expensive but found a brand that only 5 people had used but they were all raving about it and all 5 Stars. Supposedly when we are so tired it is because of our digestion isn't right. It was $29 for 30 days which is a little steep but I decided to try it. If it works, I'll let y'all know. I bought this one not just because it was cheaper but it was the only one of them that was 5 stars. So I decided his couldn't be all that great if it wasn't a 5 star.

I also hated how he talked about the pesticides in the foods we buy and the antibiotics in the meat etc and the he said not to trust organic either because they still end up having pesticides on them because the wind blows it over on them. By the time I quit listening, he had talked about eating fiber but admitted that the wheat and grains also have the pesticides. I decided that he wasn't encouraging because I ended up feeling like we shouldn't eat anything. LOL!!!

Carol Sue Thanks for the kind words. I am truly blessed. I also have a lot of food in the freezer and pantry that I need to use. I need to get rid of a lot of the food and start buying just what we will eat. Now that I don't have to eat a lot of meat, I don't need to be buying much more of it. DH won't eat a lot of the veggies, but I bought them because I like them so I need to get busy and start eating them.

I hope your pain continues to get better and the sharp pain in ankle and knee will get better. I'm tired tonight. I went to bed at midnight last night and forgot to drink my glass of wine and wouldn't get up and drink it. I like to drink it with final meal so I ended up tossing and turning most of the night. I got up before the clock went off, but with driving in the rain which I don't like was stressful. I am really exhausted tonight. I need to go to Walmart tomorrow, but I have talked myself out of it.

I'll catch y'all tomorrow. Goodnight.

Weight this AM still at 195.5 and FBG 124, better than it's been. Sleep was good last night. No pain this AM to speak of. Just a twinge here and there. I took the wrist support in the bedroom to put on if I needed it, but I didn't need it. I don't understand, but not complaining on a pain free day!

Yesterday I read about digestive enzymes. You can buy them in a bottle, but the foods that contain them are mostly things I don't eat, like pineapple, papaya, kiwi, etc. Here is the article listing the different types of enzymes and the foods that contain them.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition...ymes#section12

They list saurkraut, which I knew about, but they say it should not be cooked. So I guess, open a can or jar and eat it like that. I do eat saurkraut but it's usually cooked, like with saurkraut and pork. I have heard of people who make their own in a jar and eat it in small amounts daily. I would like to do that.

I took some probiotics once, but didn't notice any difference so I never bought them again. I know that yogurt is a probiotic and I do eat that, but not every day. I think the one I bought is healthy, but I like Cabot better, so I should buy the one I like better so I'll eat it. I stopped buying it because it has whey protein in it and someone said it should not have whey protein in it, but I feel if it makes me eat more of it, it's better. The one I have been buying isn't as good and it's been going bad and I've been throwing it away. That's not helping my health OR my pocketbook.

If you listen to what different people say, you will keep hearing different opinions and everything is bad for us in one way or another. We just have to decide for ourselves. I don't buy grass fed beef or organics. One time I tried cage free eggs because they were on sale for the same amount as regular eggs, but I won't pay that extra price all the time. Maybe the young people have something to worry about because they have a long time to live and have to worry about the changing food supply, but at my age, I don't think it's going to make a big difference in my health or lifespan. I think you would have to have a farm and grow all your own food to know what you're eating. I just want to eat the foods I like in amounts that my body needs. I don't want to worry about how it's grown or fed or if it's treated humanely.

I have to look on my Walmart account because I think I ordered something but I don't remember what it was! LOL Am I old, or what? I did order a supplement, MSM, and I got the notice that it's in, but I thought I ordered something else, too. Maybe it was the Turmeric I ordered, that came in the mail.

I just had lunch of leftover veggies from last night's dinner. That means I will have 3 meals today, but I don't always count the veggie lunch as a meal, but just a way to get more veggies in my diet. Carrots, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli, with butter flavored spray and salt. It was so good I want more. Who does that? LOL

I checked my Walmart account and discovered that the other order was another supplement I ordered. I'm beginning to scare myself with these supplements. I used to refuse to take supplements. Now I can't stop. I remember looking up this supplement but didn't realize I actually ordered it. It is glucomannan. It is a fiber supplement, that is supposed to delay stomach emptying and therefore delay the obsorption of sugar, helping to lower blood sugar. I'm skeptical. I ordered the powder, so I can control the portions, and I will start small and see what happens. I got an email saying my order has been delayed, so who knows? I might not even get it. It is also used as a thickener for low carb cooking, in place of flour.

I came across this by accident. I'm going to try it. What can it hurt? This is similar to how I make my pickled eggs, but they also include beet juice. I wonder if the beet juice would make a difference?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F6tqxQrQaY

There was just a report on the news that doctors are finding that type 2 diabetics can better control their blood sugar and take less medicine if they follow a program of Intermittent Fasting. They didn't elaborate, give details, or say any more than that.

Carol Sue Thanks for sharing the article and the info on the ACV and egg. I'm going to try that egg. I copied the info on Digestive Enzymes. There are some of those foods I don't like and I don't think DH will either, but there are a lot of them we do.

I take a lot of supplements but I have been reading that it is better to get some of them in the food than in supplements. I read yesterday online about the foods that are good for getting magnesium. I know I need more magnesium but I cannot take it in supplements so I'm going to start using some of the foods that contain it. I realize that it won't take a lot because I think they are more satisfying. I am actually seeing more and more why WW new program is so good because they push so much fruits and veggies that have a lot of the nutrients we need. It really isn't a new diet, it has just figured out a way to count their points to encourage to get points more from fruits and veggies instead of high carby junk foods. I remember at one time there was a bunch of us in WW who were doing the Core plan which became the Simply Filling Plan decided to go ahead and count points by combining Core with the Flex plan and we called it something like Flore. It was crazy how those who were on Flex got mad at us and criticized us, but we were having great success with it.

I got up late today. I took a Benadryl because I was so keyed up last night and decided to stay in bed until I "naturally" woke up. I actually got 8 hrs sleep that way. My FBS was 150 and my weight has come back to 220.4 lb which is 3.4 lbs off since I switched to this woe.

Daddy has messed up his pc again so DH and I will have to go see him tomorrow afternoon so DH can get it working again for him. We will go ahead and go to Walmart and get DH meds and get some fruit. Not sure if I will go to see Daddy Friday or not. I may just go to the beauty shop and come straight home.

I called and had things set up just had to give go ahead for changing to cable, but I didn't ask to have the Sports pak because I didn't think DH would want it. I could have saved $44 but then when I told him, he said he wanted the sports pak so he could have NFL programs. We decided that it would cost more so we wouldn't save enough to make it worth changing. So we are staying with what we have. Men. Just can't always figure them out. LOL At least I don't have to think about that any more and I get to keep my Christian networks I like.

I'm glad you are feeling better Carol Sue and I do hope things will keep improving. I'm getting less and less hungry the way I'm eating and I like the idea of just eating veggies for an evening meal. That would help me get rid of some of the stuff I have in the freezer.

We have always had cable. We cannot get dish because of the hill behind our house. My step-son has no choice but to get dish because there's no cable in his area and I don't know if there ever will be. Not enough houses out there to make it worth their time and trouble to run the cable lines. They also have no internet. They have to use a hotspot that goes with their cell phone plan, so any time they are on the computer gets taken out of their cell phone data plan. I would be in big trouble!!

I don't understand about the sports package though, because with our cable, we don't have to have the sports package to get the NFL games. We get Monday night football, Thursday night football, and 3 games on Sunday all without the sports package. Maybe your DH misunderstood, or maybe your cable in Tx is operated different from ours.

This morning DH got up around 5AM to let the dog out and make coffee. I usually get up with him then too. He goes back to bed and I stay up and read or get online. Today I stayed in bed. I was surprised that I fell back to sleep and slept until 9AM. DH was already up and dressed by the time I got up. That was a switch. I have been so much more sleepy than before, both with sleeping in in the morning and falling asleep in my chair. I think it's the Tart Cherry Extract. My body probably needs this extra sleep.

I have always tried to get my supplements from food, but I would have to eat an awful lot of Turmeric to get what I get in the supplement. I don't know if the Hyaluronic Acid is found in any foods. The same with the MSM or Glucomannan. I will take whatever I need to feel as good as I do today. It's so amazing. I have not been losing my balance today, either. It feels as if none of this ever happened.

I wonder how the people on the new WW plan are doing? I will have to ask my DIL if she is doing the new plan or still doing the old points plan. The woman on the LC forum who is doing it is eating mostly the zero points foods and not eating many of her points. I can't imagine if people eat the zero points foods and also the points how they can lose weight.

I made spaghetti for dinner and I will probably be up on the scale and also on my blood glucose meter. I was looking in my pantry and for some reason I had 3 boxes of spaghetti. DH doesn't even like it much but will eat it occasionally, and I should not be eating much of it. I try to eat a small portion of pasta and fill up on meatballs. I don't know how I ended up with 3 boxes. I cook 1/2 box for the two of us, so there's enough there for 5 more meals. And we only have it every two months or so. So maybe I have a year's worth of spaghetti!!! I am going to be eating veggies every day to get rid of all the frozen veggies I have. The broccoli I opened today was full of ice, but I ate it anyway. That's the thing I want to avoid. It's unnecessary and I hate to be wasteful. I ate it rather than throw it away. I buy frozen instead of fresh because the fresh would go bad before I finished it but I don't need to have more than 1 package of each veggie on hand at a time.

I haven't been out of the house for two days. I didn't need anything from the store. I love staying home. Both my orders are in at Walmart so I will go tomorrow and pick them up.

I had another normal FBS. I'm really surprised and very happy about it. Still working on getting the calories down. I do okay about half the time but it is not enough.

Pipsicle, it is not enough, but it is a step in the right direction. That means you are half way there! Just keep trying!

Blood sugar 135, weight up to 196.5 probably due to the spaghetti, medium pain level. I don't know if it's connected to the spaghetti. I was sleep in pretty good but got cramps in my calves around 8AM so I got up.

It's raining. Supposed to stop around noon, then temps will drop into the low 60s. Fall is here, maybe.

Hi everyone: checking in from the Isle of Skye. Have had internet issues, and not so much down time, so this is the first time in a while to check in and see what's happening.
I am doing pretty well. We bought food at the grocers and ate in last night, everyone having something a bit different. I have been worried about getting enough fat, and DD wanted more veggies of a certain type, DH wanted pasta. LOL, it was all fine.
DD was in a snit this morning, the village cafe was not open, and we had problems finding a place with coffee. She will NOT drink instant, and didn't buy coffee not knowing what kind of coffee maker was here. I hope we can figure something out for tomorrow morning.
We were ok after she finally got coffee, but I suspect we are at the hump day of travelling together and she is a little tired of us, but not sad that we will be parting yet.
Today she and I hiked a couple of hours over fairly rough terrain, (look up the Quiraing Walk if you want to see what we did). We are hoping to do Ben Nevis on Friday, but not sure if that will work.
The weather has been better than expected, we expected colder and wetter, and while its not exactly balmy, it has not been as cold as expected, and there has been more sun and less rain than we planned for. We packed all sorts of rain gear and cold weather clothing and we have not needed some things at all yet.
I have not been sleeping very well. Last night I took a benedryl, I was so tired and grumpy but not able to sleep, and then slept well. Maybe that will turn things around.
I did get a gluten reaction one day. We were touring a distillery and when we were viewing the toasted barley, we were encouraged to try it, I put 3 pieces into my mouth without thinking. Two hours lated the digestive issues started. I forgot about barley, not something we eat often. And of course, once it is distilled into whiskey, its not an issue. But the barley of course is why I must not drink beer any longer.

Carol: I'm sorry your pain is back. It is so hard to tell what is up with food. I think if you really think food is an issue, an elimination diet is the only way to find out. Its difficult, but I am sure I never would have figured out the gluten issues without doing that. It was not in my mind at all, and I would not have believed it if someone had suggested it.
Unfortunately, at a certain age or with family history, sometimes its just arthritis. With my hands, thats it, thats all, no food seems to make them better or worse. Only texting on the cell phone seems to worsen it, so I am mostly emailing people these days. They think I'm crazy when I tell them that texting is painful though.

Trish: so glad you are feeling your way into a WOE that can work for you. I have mostly stuck to 2MAD, but having lots of carbs in alcohol, but thats holidays for you.

Pipsicle, there are certainly some people who have difficulty losing weight, even with 2MAD, longer fasts, etc. I was able to do it, even with some carbs, but some people have to get hardcore into fasting or Keto before things budge. But if your blood sugars are better, thats great. I like your pants being your measuring tape, so true. That is one thing that I have that helps, I am wearing slacks that were tight before, and fit fine or even a little loose now. One set of nylon pull up slacks are still size 14 they are a little loose. I wore them for hiking today, because it was too warm for wearing splash pants over anything, and jeans would not dry well. These nylon ones are stretchy, and when they got wet, the dried very nicely, and I have some of the same in 12s now. (I get these from costco, I had some 16s that I got rid off too) so if they get wrecked I will leave them behind in the trash with no problem. But the jeans are 12s that I quit wearing a few years ago, getting into them again was a great victory, and wearing them so comfortably now if lovely.

Have a good night everyone. ttfn

Mad, I don't want to do an elimination diet per se, because there are not many things that I eat on a regular basis except for eggs and vegetables. I have already started to eliminate the whites most days. I think I will start to keep a notebook where I record what I eat each day and where my pain level is. When I get pain, I will look back to a couple days before and see if I can see a pattern in what I ate. It could also be something not food related at all.

The pain in my hands is not always in the same place. My fingers rarely hurt, but right now my rings feel tight and my fingers feel puffy when I try to make a fist. My pain can be across the top of my hand, across the bones that make up the hand. Recently it has been in my right wrist, but along the outside, above and below the wrist bone that protrudes. One time the bone appeared to be very swollen. That is helped by compression.

I noticed lately that my calf muscles seem to be getting firmer, even though I'm not exercising. That could be because of the shoes I've been wearing as they have a bit of elevation in the heel that I'm not accustomed to. They don't hurt, but I do get some cramping in my calves and feet at night. I also seem to have muscle pain in the front of my thighs, right above my knees. I sometimes wonder if the muscle pain could be from my statins, but I've taken them for years with no pain.

This all started with foot pain. I seldom have that now, with taking the Turmeric and wearing the shoes I'm wearing. I want to try different shoes now and then, but not when I'm going to be somewhere for a longer time without having these shoes in the car, available if necessary.

I also get a bit of pain in my right ankle. I will be walking along and it will stab, making me feel that I might fall.

I don't know what a doctor would think of all this. When I went to the doctor with the foot pain he referred me to a foot doctor. I didn't go, because then all the other pain started, and it just seems to keep moving from one place to the other. Once starts to feel better then the other one starts up.

I will say that rarely now is the pain debilitating, the way it was a few times when it first started. And some days, like yesterday, and totally pain free!

I'm glad you're enjoying your vacation and the time with your DD.

Mad So glad to hear from you and glad you are having a great time. Sounds like you are having some good quality time with DD. Sorry to hear the barley issue. It is so hard sometime to figure out or remember when we can or can't eat certain things. Probably the worse is when one slips up on us. I'm sure the hikes and all the walking are helping too. I know exactly how your DD feels about her coffee. I would be the same way and I don't like instant either. My Mama called always said she didn't want the fake stuff. LOL!! However, I might have had to drink it any way.

Carol Sue I don't like taking a lot of supplements any more either and there is no way I can get DH to take another one. So I am trying to learn which nutrients are easy to get from food and which ones are better or okay from supplements. I know I need magnesium but I just can't take a pill because of the potty issues, but I seem to be able to do fine with it in foods. I read on a nutrition article that it is better to get it from food. I'm glad to hear that and will be eating those foods again.

I was hungry for eggs and bacon this morning so I did have it with the MG toast and mixed my 1/2 banana with half serving of Greek yogurt and chia seeds. I forgot to do the boiled egg in the ACV yesterday but will try to remember to do it for tomorrow. I need to learn how to have the fiber with less grains because I just don't like this stuffed feeling. I'm going to get some fruit and nuts to eat to get some of the nutrients I need without me feeling stuffed. Ate a bowl of fruit last night but it didn't help the FBS neither did the wine. FBS was 160 this morning. Weight was up a little but we had a large lunch when I cooked the beef roast. That may drop by tomorrow. I really need to work at getting back to 2MAD with 1 small snack perhaps of nuts. not sure.

Going out to see Daddy today so DH can try to get his pc working again. Then we have to go to Sam's and Walmart. Not sure about what we will eat when we get home. This week has been wild. I surely hope next week will be a little slower.

Have a great day.

I just read that grains contain anti-nutrients that act as mineral inhibitors. It explains that grains can stop uf from absorbing some of the minerals in our foods. It goes on to say that low-carb dieters tend to stay away from eating grains and eat a more variety of nutritious food, so magnesium intake should be sufficient.

Perhaps this means I would do better to eat fruits, veggies, and replace the grains with nuts. I will have to really think about that.

Carol Sue I guess we were writing at the same time. The only thing that really bothers me is the sharp pain you get in your ankle. Don't you think you need to have it checked to see if you have sprained something? You might should think about seeing that foot doctor just to be sure everything is okay. JMHO

Carol: i know I have a lovely pair of sandals, very comfy for my feet, but my knees complain about them. In fact, when I regularly wear shoes with heels, my knees complain.
I like birkenstocks for me feet. I know there is a lot of joking about being some kind of crunchy granola hippie if you wear them, but my feet never complain in them. I bought a pair of birk shoes too. Sometimes they are tight across the vamp, so it will take time to break them in, but in the morning they are fine before my feet swell at all.
Also Carol , the tightness in the joints etc makes me think you are retaining fluid in your hands, either from fluid retention or mild allergic reaction.

I think I have managed the inn down the street to give DD a cup of coffee in the morning. We had supper there tonight and we spoke with the landlord. He seemed receptive, although they don't usually do breakfasts etc except for paying guest. But I guess supper there tonight (it wasn't cheap, for sure) was like being guests.

its a good thing I am exercising a lot, is all I can say.

Have a good night chickies, ttfn

I'm up late tonight. LOL

The stabbing pain in my ankle just started recently, a few days ago. If it continues, possibly I will have it checked out, but if it is like the other pains, they go away after a while and show up somewhere else, so I will wait and see.

Next morning

Weight 198 Yikes! I think I am retaining fluid! FBS 133. Not bad. Pain relatively low except for wrist. Walking is good.

Hope to reign in eating and drinking. I picked up the new supplements. I'm going to read more about them again before taking them. I don't remember being sure about the glucomman. I'm surprised I ordered it. I don't feel I was sure about it. Usually if I feel I can get the same benefit from food I don't choose the supplement. So I guess I can add senility to my list of problems LOL.

Carol Sue Just don't wait too long concerning the sharp pain. You don't want to make something that could be fixed to get worse. This is from me who sometimes does the same thing you are doing thinking it will get better.

I think the glucomman is supposed to be helpful with diabetes, but I can't remember right now.

I'm headed out in a bit to go to the store before going to get my perm. DS and BIL are going to see Daddy after she gets her perm so I'm not going today. I've gone almost everyday this week. I will be the one to go all next week too because BIL is having is other shoulder surgery Monday morning so they will be out of pocket for at least a week or more. Daddy doesn't like me planning to come certain days but it makes my life much easier.
I will stick with my MWF visits although I don't go to the beauty shop next week because beautician is going to Spain.

I am really concerned about the article I read about how grains interfere with mineral absorption so I am going to spend time later today researching that. I think I may have to cut way back on grains or make them a rare treat like for holidays or something. I also need to get back to fasting closer to 20 hrs with a 2MAD. I'm just not happy with the way things are going when eating the grains.

Fatmad Glad to hear from you and you are enjoying quality time making memories with DD. I would so love to be able to just go to So. FL to have a visit with DH daughter and her family. I really miss them.

Got to get going. Have a great day and I'll get back here later.

Trish I am on my phone so I cannot post a link but I just read about the grains interfering with mineral absorption. This article said that the presence of animal protein and certain vitamins at the same meal offsets that effect. Reasons why we need to eat balanced meals. We can discuss this further when I get to my pc.

Glucommanan when eaten with a meal slows the absorption of carbs and sugar. Also swells up and makes you eat less. I'm not sure I like the idea of it swelling in my stomach. I plan to proceed with caution

this day has been a wash. I didn't sleep well last night, but did fast until about 2 pm. I had a curry with rice though, all vegetarian. Then some nachos with cheese, and tomato soup for supper. Somehow this morning when I was packing up I brought the milk instead of the cream. That was disappointing.
Did get a nap in, and tomorrow, will start again, with LCHF. Will get cream first thing!
How is the pain now Carol? Trish, you save up your energy for when you are on deck for visiting your Daddy. I assume he doesn't need visits every day, sounds like he is living his life these days, but enjoys visits too.

Have a good night all.

Trish, here is the article I was reading,
https://feelfabnutrition.com/things-...cium-and-zinc/
and here's the passage where it says that animal protein and some vitamins offset the interference of mineral absorption.

(Some phytates are water soluble, so can be removed by soaking foods prior to cooking and the presence of animal proteins in the same meal appears to also help. In addition, vitamins A, beta carotene and vitamin C are thought to help prevent the chelation of these minerals, so eating foods containing these vitamins at the same time as grains may help absorption of minerals. Spelt has a lower phytate content than modern strains of wheat, so bread eaters could be advised to eat spelt-based bread.)

I wouldn't think it was a really big problem unless you were eating large portions of grains, and not including a variety of other foods.

I am finding more and more problems with the Glucomannan. I see now that it can interfere with the absorption of meds because it becomes a gel like substance in your stomach and absorbs some of whatever's in there, and that would include meds, and they especially mentioned drugs like Glimiperide. I think it said to take the meds 1 hour before the Glucomannan, or 4 hours afterwards. Since I'm supposed to take the meds before meals, and also the Glucomannan, I guess I would take the meds 1 hour before, and the Glucomannan immediately before. So I might be tossing this stuff out. I can't understand why I even ordered it, but it might have been because it was very inexpensive and I figured if I didn't like taking it I wouldn't be wasting much money. I don't know what I was thinking.

Mad, I started the day with little pain. We went out for breakfast and then to Walmart and Dollar General. By the time I got home both my feet and legs were hurting. It wasn't my ankle though, it was the bottom of my heel and my upper calf right below each knee.. I gave in and took pain meds, so I'm pain free again. I never know where the pain is going to be next, and I feel like a hypochondriac. I see the PCP mid November, but don't know what pain I will be having by then, if any.

fatmad No Daddy doesn't have to have visits everyday. He mostly gets upset when my sisters don't come like he wants them too. Baby sister went when I took her Tuesday. He didn't seem to remember that I took her there which bothers me because I often notice he seems to forget little things lately. Now DS seems to only go once a week. Of course, I think a lot of that has to do with all the problems going on in her family right now. Her baby girl had the surgery etc with the cancer scare. Then she found out that her only son's wife is an alcoholic and they are getting a divorce and Monday her DH has shoulder surgery. At the same time she isn't losing weight and isn't feeling up to par herself. She hasn't talked to me about what is really bothering her. I told her I knew something else is going on, but I know she doesn't want to talk right now. I know she will eventually when she is ready.

Any way, I thought they were going out to see Daddy today but she changed her mind when she got through at the beauty shop. I try to take up the slack when the others don't go by going 3x a week. I didn't go today because I didn't have time. When I finally called Daddy I could tell he was upset and didn't really want to talk to me. That is kind of hard for me because I do all I can as it is. I am also trying to take care of my own health too. I try to just process it in my mind and just go on knowing I might feel the same way if I was sitting there. One thing I have learned is that I do have to take time to rest and take care of me. I love my Daddy however, he didn't let anything slow him down with what he wanted to do in his life. I mean he was a great provider, but he took the time to do the things he wanted to do. If I don't take care of me, I won't be able to go see him the way I do. I'm not going to neglect him, but I'm going to take care of myself at the same time.

I'm sorry your day didn't go well. Was it because of sleep deprivation? I assume jet lag doesn't help with any of that either. I'm sure there are several things that factor into everything. I hope you get to feeling better soon.

Carol Sue Thanks for the link. I will check it out. I usually eat protein with the grain except at breakfast when I have the oats. I'm just in the mood for eggs when I eat oats. I remembered to do the boiled egg in ACV today. It is in the fridge now for tomorrow morning. I'll see how it goes tomorrow. I asked DH if he wanted me to make him one, but he doesn't want to eat it when he gets up before he eats his fruit to take his meds so he wouldn't do it.

You know one of the things I don't like about eating the grains is that it swells in my stomach and makes me feel stuffed. I have never liked that feeling and is one reason I thought about leaving them off and just get the fiber from the fruit that I eat. My FBS was 163 yesterday and today. Weight was back down .2 lb, but still not back down to 220 as of yet. I'm not sure if that means that the diet is working because things are slowing down and neither the bs or weight is going up ad it will start coming down or what. I am eating less although I am eating the nuts for a snack, I don't be able to eat as much as I did when on South Beach low carb. I'm thinking that is because of the fiber in the small amount of grains and the nuts swell in my stomach and I can't eat more. I may ride this out another week and see what happens. I've already cut the breakfast in half when I eat oats. We'll see.

I used to have the problem with my feet when I lived in FL and when I first moved to SC, but I don't know what happened but one day it just went away. I don't think I ever had the sharp pain like you have though. That is something I'm not sure about. Can you tell if that is weather change related? Wish I had an idea of what causes it.

I think I'm going to take a nap. Have a good evening.

Trish, I am wondering if that is why the hospital always gave me both oatmeal and an egg at breakfast. If they knew I had to have some animal protein with the grain. I was the one who made the menu selection the morning before. I could have had Total cereal instead, but I chose the oatmeal because I don't put milk on my oatmeal so I was able to just drink the milk. If I had the Total, I would have put the milk on that.

This foot pain started last year in the months of October and November. That was in the left foot. It just went away one day. So during the really cold months of winter I didn't have the pain. Then this year it started in March in the right foot. This time it took longer to go away, but started moving around from location to location. First across the front of my foot right below the toes. Then on the right side of the foot, then the left side. On the bottom of the heel, then the knees started, then the pain in the ankle. I have had the ankle pain for about 3 days. None today, but then I took the pain pills for the pain in the heel, so that could be masking the ankle pain. I really don't think it's an injury. I think it is coming because of all the other pain, I am changing my gait and that's throwing my ankle out. I had ankle problems back in my late 40s. I have 2 elastic ankle supports that I wore for it back then. It lasted several months then miraculously went away. I was working in an office at that time and I remember I could not wear heels during that time. I'm really not worried about it being something that can get worse. I think it's something systemic because of all the other pain that comes here there and everywhere.

Do you think your Dad was upset with you that you didn't come to see him? I remember him telling you once that you didn't have to come all the time, but maybe he forgets that. He is very fortunate that all of you visit him from time to time. I really think if each of you went once a week on different days that should be sufficient. He does have activities that he does there to keep him busy. I don't recall you seeing him every day when he had his apartment, but I could be wrong.

I think our furnace might be on it's last legs. I hope it doesn't break down on the coldest day of the winter. It is the original furnace. 47 years old. DH put a new motor in it about 20 years ago and it has been fine since. Today he told me that the motor was stuck on. It wasn't blowing heat, but the fan was blowing constantly and wouldn't shut off. He banged on the motor with a screw driver! LOL At least it's working properly for now . Guess I will have to save up my money!!

Carol- Hope the furnace behaves itself. That's awesome a repair gave it so many years of functioning. I hope the pain goes away.

Mad- Glad to hear your trip is going pretty smoothly. I use a bottled coffee concentrate that you add water to and heat up. Not sure if it is available where you are but it could help with coffee woes. It tastes like proper coffee (not instant).

Patty- Totally spot on about taking care of yourself first. In many ways that is what this whole journey is about.

I have five small goals I have been tracking- eat within (generous for now) calorie limit, spend 20 minutes outside, drink beverages other than sugared soda, exercise 20 minutes a day and go to bed by a certain time (later for now). I am continuously surprise by how hard these basic self care things are for me. I probably shouldn't be surprised because I understand the underlying reason.

My day went well. I worked a couple of hours in the morning. Currently, my job is a contract position that goes until the end of the year. I was very happy to get confirmation that they will extend it for next year. I had another normal FBS.

Pipsicle, congrats on the job extension. That must feel good, that they value you, and a relief that you don't have to go looking for something else unless You want that.
I understand how hard those things can be to accomplish on any given day. Some people do well changing little things one or two at a time, for others, if they are going to make a change, they may as well do big changes and just get it over with. I am a big change kind of person, I think. I can make occasional small changes, but they are harder for me to keep going. Of course, the big changes don't always work out either. But the IF and fasting are sure doing well.
Carol: I wonder if you could see someone about orthotics, and about your gait. The different pain in the lower body, may be responses to different footwear, and gait changes, etc. The fact that you start the day feeling fine and get worse with movement too, less like arthritis and more like response to other things. A physiotherapist where they also do orthotics may be helpful. And take all the footwear you might wear.
Trish: sounds like too much grain might be an issue for you. A little goes a long way for me now, before I feel way over stuffed. The small serving of rice and a few corn chips made me feel stuffed all around yesterday. Just had soup for supper.
Its dull and drizzly here today. We expected that the whole time here, and have had more sun than expected, but the remnants of hurricane Michael have come this way now. Lots of damage and power loss in some areas, we are inland now and no concerns other than the rain.
Have a good day everyone

Weight 197 FBS 128

Pipsicle, I think the coffee concentrate is a good idea for someone who travels or doesn't drink a lot of coffee. Does it need to be refrigerated? How long does it last without spoiling? We drink coffee by the potfuls. I can go without it if need be but DH cannot.

I think it's a good idea to make small changes. I am working on doing the same thing. We get into habits for no reason and then find they are not really beneficial to us.

Congratulations on the job extension. That's one place where a contract really comes in handy. You know you are employed for the next year.

Mad, I thought you were home already. I must have misunderstood.

Good Morning everyone,

I went to bed at 1 am and went right to sleep and then I woke up and was ready to get up at 8 am. I seem to do well on 7 hrs or sleep and am going to do my best to keep that schedule. I have about 2 weeks that I don't have to be anywhere and even when I go see Daddy I will be going in the afternoon so it will be easy to keep up with this schedule. I am going to spend this next 2 weeks on getting myself into a good healthy routine of eating, exercise etc.

I got the probiotic I read about on Amazon that was 5 stars with no complaints. It said give it 2 to 4 weeks to see if you feel better. I started the boiled egg in vinegar today and will let you know if that helps with bs etc. I went to the store and got foods that have the magnesium and I also picked a couple more enzyme fruits that are so good for digestion. I was surprised to see that avocado is actually on both lists. Perhaps that is why it works more like a laxative when I eat it everyday. I might could eat less of it each day but then the problem with that is that it ruins on me so fast. So I will try just using the other foods that I like. I don't like all those on the lists.

Mad So sorry to her about the weather turning so bad. I forgot about the hurricanes going to Europe. I hope the weather gets better for y'all. I wasn't clear on how long your trip was going to be either. I think you said, but I have forgot.

I agree with you about the grains. I don't think I am going to need it if any as long as I am getting a lot of what I get from the fiber etc by eating fibrous fruit and then a small amount of nuts. It is really strange how I am handling these fruits and especially the nuts. We are always told to be careful with the nuts because they are high calorie. I notice that eating them on a low carb type plan, I cannot eat a lot of it in one sitting like I used to. I take it out and then sometimes I end up putting some of it back into the can. I think it just be the healthy fat in them are satiating. I'm not cutting out all foods, but I am finding that some of the foods I used to love just don't taste as good any more.

I don't like almonds for a snack but I can use it as a batter on chicken or fish and get it that way so DH and I will get the benefit of it. Also, babysister and I used to grind a little bit of oats into powder and add it to the almond flower which is helpful since almonds are so expensive.

Pipsicle What a blessing to know that your job has been extended into next year. So many people lose jobs at the end of the year which I always feel is so sad especially for people with families to feed and care for. That is one problem you don't have to worry about.

I think I do better when I have goals too. So congratulations for using them to gear you toward success.

Carol Sue I don't think my Daddy really is aiming things at me as much as he is using me for his soundboard when things don't go like he wants. Maybe the fact that I go 2 or 3 days a week makes it harder on my sisters, I don't know. My personality is just so different from them. Both of them suffer with depression and other emotional problems. I have a tendency toward those things, but I just refuse to let them rule my life.

I learned years ago that I don't have to allow things around me dictate how I am going to act or respond. I do catch myself falling into those feelings sometimes, but I don't living there. I grew up feeling not good enough and like a dummy because of people around me. I realized later that those people didn't feel good about themselves and couldn't make me feel good about me because they didn't have it to give me. In my early 30s, I learned that I could improve myself and my attitudes. When I took my kids to the library to read for the summer programs, I would look for self help books to help me improve me. Once I started reading self-help books that I wasn't dumb and I could learn. I even went back to college for a while and enjoyed it. I feel like I only get one life and I am going to do my best to be who I want to be. The only place I have had difficulty with is the weight and I refuse to give up on that one.

I hope you can find the answer concerning you foot issue. Again, I don't think you should let it go too long.

I looked back on my weight at the beginning of October and my weight has bounced but is the same as Oct. 1. My FBS is up though. My beautician who does low carb told me there is a low carb plan where you eat fruit, but no grains. I took the grains out of my plan today and will be researching a plan keeping my fruit no grains.

Sorry this was so long. Y'all have a great day.

well, as its DD who is the coffee drinker, not me, I don't know what she would find acceptable. I remember my aunt and her neighbours making the coffee concentrate when we visited them in South America. It was their version of instant coffee, just add boiling water and stir. But I also think it is up to DD to plan. Was the only day it happened, but we saw the grumpy side of our daughter, for sure. DH and I are doing our preliminary packing so that we are only using one small case for the next couple of days and have the souvenirs all packed up safely in the big suitcase.
I am making plans for fasting when I get home. For sure Monday when we travel, and Tuesday on my way to the conference, which starts Wednesday morning. that gives me 60 hours or so if I go from Sunday night to Wednesday am, maybe more like 65 with the time change. I expect to have major carb cravings after eating this way. I have stuck to 2MAD but with alcohol and these yummy gluten free baked goods, I am sure I will have a lot of work to do to get back to my new normal.
Sigh.

Trish, I am sleeping longer too. I still wake up in the middle of the night and sometimes have trouble going back to sleep, but once I do I sleep til 8 or 9. I never did that before. I used to get up early and read or get online. I am not reading anything right now. I have tons of books to read. My friend gives me her books when she finishes with them and I have a couple bags of them in the exercise room. One day I went through them and donated the ones that didn't seem to interest me. I could never read all those books in my lifetime. I have a few free books on my Kindle, and I like to read them when I'm out somewhere and take my Kindle in my purse.

Today I want to go through my bills and make sure they are all caught up, and ready to be paid on SS day. Then I want to put my summer clothes away and go through all my clothes and take out some that I need to donate. I have a lot that I just don't wear for whatever reason. I will keep only what I love. I am not longer buying clothes. There's nowhere to put them.

I used to work with a woman who donated her clothes at the end of every season and bought new ones the next year. She was very into fashion and would never wear last year's clothes. It would be great to be the recipient of her barely worn cast offs. I could never afford to do that. I have black and navy blue pants and capris that are very old. Each season they go with so many different tops and never look the same twice. I would be very happy to have to donate them all because they are TOO BIG!!

Trish, you should not let your sisters intimidate you about visiting your father. You should go when you want to and let them go when they want to or when they can. You are the one who has to live with yourself after he is gone and you want to be able to feel that you have done all you can. You are a good daughter and I'm sure your Dad realizes that. Spend as much time with him as you like.

I appreciate the concern about my foot pain. I am not ready to do anything about it just yet, until I feel that the pain is following a specific pattern. I think I'm just discussing it to make conversation.

Carol Sue I missed your good weight loss and fbs. You have got your plan working for you. I know you will go have your foot seen when you feel it is time. I do the same thing with my health too. I figure I can try to figure it out in a natural way first, but if I can't take care of it on my own then that is what my doctor is there for. So I definitely understand.

I'm not really intimidated by my sisters. I know if DS who is in charge of Daddy's medical care would be going to see him more if she was able. Right now she is just so stressed out with her DH 2nd shoulder surgery, still waiting for results of just one more test they are doing on her DD and then her DS divorce etc. She does have problems with stress. She finally told me this morning that she is having a lot of aches and pains almost like the flu, but she said she will see if that subsides once her Hubby gets past the surgery. In fact, she told me today that she appreciates what I do to help with Daddy.

As for as my baby sister, she is just spoiled plus she has a huge family just with all her 5 boys and I figure she is spending time with them when she is in town. They still are settled yet and I don't talk to her enough to know what they are doing. So I'm fine with them. I just wish Daddy could be more settled.

I think Daddy was a person who picked his responsibilities as much as he could. My Mama took a lot of the pressure off of him so he could just do what he wanted. Most of his worries he created on his own because Mama tried to make his life easy. He was a person who wanted to be on the go and do just what he wanted to do when he wanted. Now he has no choices and no one to take the pressures for him and he can't get up and go. Actually, DS and I think he is doing better than we ever thought that he would.

He isn't going to be to happy with me this week because we are having storms today and this week. I probably will only go to see him Wednesday and Friday afternoon this next week because those are the only 2 days when aren't supposed to have storms. We are under a tornado watch until 6pm today. We sure need the rain because we are in a deficit.

Trish: we all do what we can, when we can. I saw my dear Dad much more than my sister, but it is me who has been over-grieving and needing counselling. Perhaps because i was so close to him. I was so much the caregiver for my parents, I feel at a loss sometimes. It became part of my identity. Even though I am feeling more ready to retire, I consider my identity closely associated with my career. We have only been legally in the health system for 25 years, so we had to fight for our registration, so losing that will be hard.
I think caring for people is a big part of your life, and part of your identity too. Scaling back needs to be on your terms. Things are much better for your father, and for you and your sister, now that he is cared for in the home. At his age, his own daughters are senior citizens too, and full time caregiving should not be on the agenda. You will continue to see him as often as you both need and can do. Thats a gift to be able to love him in these late years.
Carol: have fun going through things you don't want. I really enjoyed going through my clothes. Glad I didn't get rid of some that were too small, but was happy to give up those that were too big. I will need a couple of new things for winter, but seem to be ok for fall and the "shoulder" season. But I think I will only get one or two things at a time as needed, I don't want to waste a lot of money on things that will be too big next season, (if Im lucky and can stick to plan)
I really hope you can get a handle on the pain. When it was keeping me awake so much, it was awful, and affected everything. I don't know what I or doctors will be able to do for the pain and the problems. I always wonder why a particular part of the body gets attacked. For you it seems to be knees and below. For me its hands, and often upper body, like my shoulder bursitis, my arm injury, tendonitis in my forearms. ugh.
Last full day in Scotland today. If I were younger, I would try to convince DH to move here. Just love the friendly people, and the landscape. Housing prices are reasonable too.
But I will be really glad to get home. Hallowe'en is coming, and I look forward to all the activities with the children that comes with that. As DH reminds me, I would miss the little girls too much.
DD will be going to the Caribbean with the ship shortly after this trip. It will be an intense work period for her, so I don't think DH and I will visit there when she is there. They will head back to Europe in February to get to the next phase, so maybe Spring in Paris would work.

Best wishes to everyone

Weight 196 FBS 144

Mad, my pain has been mostly in my wrist this week and now I have a twinge in the left wrist, too. I haven't had the ankle pain for several days, but a touch of pain under my heel, like plantar fasciatis. The knees have been fine for weeks, since I started taking the Hyaluronic Acid. That was a life saver. Last year, all my pain disappeared mid November, so it would be nice if it did that again. It's easier for me to tolerate the pain in my hands, but when it effects my feet and legs to the point that I am unable to walk, it becomes disabling. You need to walk for most everything you do, or resort to a wheelchair. I talk to other women on another forum who have similar pain to mine. They have doctored repeatedly, had shots, follow elimination diets, etc, with no real relief. The only difference between them and me is they have been diagnosed. Given a cause for their pain. But they are not receiving long term relief. I don't understand why people today are having so much unexplained pain. Maybe older people had it in the past, but just considered it part of ageing and didn't complain about it, so we didn't realize it.

Trish, I think if my pain was continuously in my foot or ankle I would see a need to consult a doctor. But I could make an appointment next week with a foot doctor and have the foot be fine by the time I got there. The pain would be in my hand by then. It's just unpredictable. I feel it would be very difficult to diagnose since the pain moves all over the place. And a diagnosis does not mean it will go away. I'm just taking things day by day.

I think a lot of men are like your Dad...the woman takes care of everything and they grow to expect that. Then when they are alone the can't really cope. My DH is very much like that. I hope to think that he would change his ways if something happened to me.

I was 11 when my Dad passed away and 34 when my mother passed away. My Dad was 60 and my mother 64. So I cannot really relate to what the 2 of you had/have with aging parents. You have had your parents in your life for a much longer time, but I think the longer you have them, the harder it is when you lose them. I met and married DH around the time of my mother's passing and it was as if he took over being my family, since my parents were both gone.

So as for the subject of weight and blood sugar, my weight is going back down again, but I wish I hadn't had that uptick. And blood sugar is not bad, but I know if I would eat lighter at dinner FBG would be lower. When I was eating a big salad every night for dinner my FBG was below 120, which is great for me.

I finished all my laundry yesterday and have the clothes all ready to put away and purge. I am really looking forward to this. DH will be watching the football game, so that gives me 4 free hours to do this. I have collected some empty boxes in my exercise room to pack the clothes for donation and I have space bags for the ones to be stored until next year. I'm looking forward to this and I'm all ready.

You have to read this!! I'm going to look into this further. I know there are articles that claim this is not possible.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-39070183

Carol Sue Thanks for the link. It confirms my decision for today. I had already decided to go back to 5/19 IF. My weight is bouncing up threatening higher and my FBS was 184. Obviously I am getting back into old habits again and have got to stop. I am so mad at myself for allowing this to happen, but will just shake it off and move on. I know better not to let it get me down or derail me. The article actually confirms all the good things I have heard about fasting before. I don't know what my doctor would say, but I won't be discussing it with him. He doesn't seem to care as long as I keep it down. Of course I want to do more than just keep it down. I do know one thing, I am looking at is the statin I take. I take it faithfully, but if I can't get this under control while taking it, I most definitely will stop taking it. I told him that I would take it as long as it doesn't interfere with me controlling my bs. I know that diabetes causes a lot of the health problems he is trying to prevent, so why would I take a medication that is going to cause my bs to go up.

Your weight is coming down. Maybe slow, but it is moving. You are making progress. I'm glad the Hyaluronic Acid is helping ease the pain. Years ago I had a problem with the plantar fasciitis on the bottom of my right foot. This is going to sound crazy but a friend told me to stand on the edge of a door facing and move up and down a few times and it would go away. It is amazing but it works every time. I usually only have to do it once. I don't know why it works unless it stretches it out or what. All I know is it absolutely works. Sometime I can tell that one is going to try to come on me and can do the exercise and stop it from ever happening. LOL!!!

Mad Thank you so very much for the encouraging words and you are so right about my personality. In fact, I always have taken care of someone. DS and I used to be the ones to go stay with our grandmother when she was older so we never had to put her in a nursing home. They were so terrible in those days. When I married 1st husband he was a paraplegic and I took care of him until he died. Then when I married DH#2 I not only raised his 3 children, but I baby sat taking care of other people kids as well as taking care of his daughter who was a burn victim. I took helped Daddy care for my Mama till she died, then Hubby #2 mother and then DH mother. Along the way I either took care of nieces, nephews, grandchildren and even worked as a caregiver in nursing homes as well as being sent to care for patients in their homes. When Daddy got sick, I told DH that I couldn't let DS carry this by herself. She isn't in the greatest health herself another reason it is so important for me to take care of myself.

I actually got to wondering one day what I was going to do when Daddy passes away. My life is so wrapped around him and what is going on with him. I usually call him 2x a day, but I have gotten to where I have cut back to 1 some days. I do think about this a lot and know I need to make a life for DH and me without having
to do what everybody else wants or needs me to do.

I'm glad you have had a good visit with your DD. It is neat that you can look forward to seeing her again in the spring. I would so love to be able to go see DH DD now that she and I are so close. I text her everyday and she answers when she can. She really is very sweet in spite of the problems we had in the past. We have grown way past all of that. My sisters have their kids and I have really thought about moving back to FL closer to her and her family someday if we possibly can swing it. It is just a thought, but everyone needs something to look forward to.

Y'all have a great day.

Trish, I never discuss my diet with my doctors. They don't ask, I don't say. One time my doctor asked how I got my triglycerides down. I told him I cut out carbs and exercised. He didn't criticize me for the low carb, but told me I should have lost weight. Even with low carb, I have to cut calories way back.

I get angry with myself, too, for letting my WOE go by the wayside. It sure doesn't take long for the weight to pop back on compared to the struggle to get it off.

I was surprised in that article that it said the 5 fasting days should be 800-1100 calories. Even JUDDD DD is lower than that. I find it so hard to believe that this plan will allow the beta cells to repair. I know that the longer you are diabetic the worse the damage is. Maybe this works for pre-diabetes or someone who was recently diagnosed, but I wonder about someone who has been diabetic for a long time. It's been 10 years for me. When I had my bowel surgery, I was on a complete fast for 6 days. It did not "cure" my diabetes. I will have to look into this further. There must be more to it.