Diabetes and Prediabetes Chat - Fall 2018
 

Have you been diagnosed with Diabetes or Prediabetes? Diabetes causes different challenges when it comes to weight loss. You have to always consider what you are eating, and when. Some diet plans have restrictions that we cannot follow. We can tweak the diet plan to suit our dietary and lifestyle needs, or we can choose another plan. Some of us configure our own plan and that is fine, as long as it works for us and keeps us healthy. Either way, our blood sugar readings are of utmost importance. Dietary choices and exercise are both necessary to keep our Diabetes under control.

Join us here to discuss strategies to manage both your weight and blood sugar.

Good morning, everyone. I am really late getting up today. Last night my neck started to hurt, as if I had a stiff neck. I took a shower to allow the hot water hit on it hoping that would help. Took some Tylenol and went to bed. It did to a point, but still hurt during the night. After DH got up I fell back to sleep and feel much better now, so I got some extra good sleep. I sleep so much better alone. I first got up around 5 AM and at that time blood sugar was 134, but now it's 150, so mine continues to go up a good bit in the AM. DH is starting breakfast, so I will be eating and taking morning meds. I think something was out of alignment in my back/neck because I could feel a hump at the top of my spine, where it joins the neck. That's gone now.

Mad, big congratulations on dropping into the 150s!! That's wonderful, and I'm sure you feel so much better at that weight. I notice the difference just with the 10lb drop I've had recently.

I've been sleeping later because I go to bed later. DH stays up so late and I stay up later just to be with him. I've done it to the point to where he expects it so hard to go back to my old way. The problem is that I'm not having to time to do all the things I like to do before DH gets up. I'm having to restructure my life and decide what things are most important to me.

Don't know what has happened to baby sister. She took everything off of FB and her cell phone is turned off. Not sure what is going on with them. It's not the first time they have pulled this kind of stuff. I just hate that it hurts Daddy. So everything is back to just DS and me taking care of and going to see after Daddy.

FBS and weight up today. I think I'm eating too late at night although bs reading later before main meal, it is staying under 110. I have to believe that is a good thing. I may have to start journaling again although I really don't want to do MFP calorie counting unless I just absolutely have to. I actually need to get back to exercising and I think the bike is what I do need to be doing.

Carol Sue and Mad Y'all are doing great bringing your weight down. Congratulations to you both.

I told DH that I don't think I'm going to buy Halloween candy to give out this year. It will be just too tempting to have it around and then if I don't give it all out, we just have to eat it. LOL. I think it would be better not to buy it in the 1st place.

DS and I have already decided that we aren't going to do the holidays this year. I just don't want to stand and cook all that food. We will go out to eat sometime around Thanksgiving and we will check to see if they are cooking a dinner that we can go to retirement center and eat with Daddy.

DS daughter is having surgery Monday. Once everything is done with her then BIL will be having shoulder surgery so there is just too much going on for us to plan a big meal or anything else at this time. That will take a lot of pressure off of both of us.

Trish, I usually go to bed later than DH but I watch TV because I don't like the programs he watches. Most of the time I'm still awake when he comes to bed but not always.

I would find a way to check up on your sister since she has been having marital problems. Heaven only knows what's going on. If she doesn't want to talk to anyone that's one thing but you should at least know she's OK and it's her choice.

We get under 10 kids for trick or treat buy we buy things that DH likes because he eats candy anyway. A couple times we bought the little bags of potato chips, then DH ate what didn't get handed out. There are very few kids in our neighborhood.

I don't want to do Thanksgiving for the family either. Step son and his wife are going to her mother's. I will try to talk step-daughter into going to her sister-in-law's and then I will just cook for DH and I. We will not go out. I will just cook a small turkey without all the sides, and of course I will bake pumpkin pies for him. I'm tired of doing it for the big family, and we don't want to go to someone else's house either. We would just like to spend a relaxing day at home, just the two of us. I'll have to see how it turns out. I usually invite my BIL and his wife, but DH doesn't really want me to invite them. I guess we have spend a big boisterous Thanksgiving for 40 years. That's enough.

I think it would be great if you could spend Thanksgiving with your Dad. I think he would like that, too.

Hey Gang, home from my long day. All well, and stuck to plan.
I always buy Hallowe'en treats on the day, so I don't eat them over the days, if I have any, its just that night, and we throw out anything left. We had about 50 kids last year, and all those years in the country just have a couple of neighbour kids coming. I put out big treats for them, but they would ring the bell so we could see their costumes. So lovely.
Lots of kids in both our own townhouse complex and the surrounding neighbourhood, so I expect about 50 again. I plan to get peanut free chocolate bars, and something for the kids who don't want chocolate, (yes, there are a few!) There is also a neighbour girl allergic to dairy, so I will get her a little something different. I love to see the kids in all there different costumes. We will have some community pumpkin carving the Sunday before for all the kids to do.

'thanks for the new thread Carol, perfect timing, no? I hope your neck is ok after that, I hate those muscle spasms, so painful. I do crazy things, because I usually find that pain relievers hardly help it. I use the TENS machine, which makes life bearable. I also do some modified acupuncture, which is awesome, but difficult to do to myself.
I am glad you felt better and were able to sleep.
Have a good night everyone

Mad- Congrats on hitting a new milestone. Hope the arm is doing better.

Patty- Hope all is ok with your sis and good luck tuning your schedule.

Carol- Thanks for starting a new thread. A quiet Thanksgiving sounds nice.


I feel like I have the 12-16 hour fast down pretty well. I want to try to work in a couple of 24 hour fast during the week and lower my total calories. The thing is I plan for these things then when push comes to shove, I make a last minute bad decisions (usually because I am tired). Though, today I did well with the calorie count and I am very happy about that. Since it takes me so long to get the scale going in the right direction, I have a visual tracking system. Basically, a sticker chart that hangs in my bathroom. I really like it but it doesn't seem to help as much as I want it to. It does show me that I don't really take good care of myself. That's something I want to change. I also have another log to track more numerical things like FBS and total calories.


I saw the doctor this week and got a refill on my thyroid med. I didn't want to test my A1c and he was okay with that. Last time, I thought I had a high A1c. If I did, it seems like he would be more insistent to recheck it, right? I'll have to go back to see if I read it correctly.


We live in the suburbs and get about 30 kids. It is fun to see the costumes. It's the only time we see some of our neighbors. Though we get some older ones that don't even try to dress up.

Today exercise in fall cleaning: getting rid of the diet books and the logs. Will scan some of the log pages that list weights and measures, and shred any personal info, then they go in the trash. I am so glad to be done with tracking and all the obsessive food thought that goes with it.
I did have some difficulty in the grocery store last night. In spite of doing so well on this plan, I really started craving and obsessing about Hallowe'en candy and sweets. That's why I wait to buy that stuff for the day of Hallowe'en. Im pretty sure I won't be able to resist that night, but one night won't kill me, as long as I throw leftovers out afterward.
But even after weeks of very little sugar, and doing so well, the cravings and obsessive thoughts can still come, Had trouble getting sleep while visions of sugarplums danced in my head.
I did resist, reminding myself I wanted to keep these victories and keep going. That was successful, but I feel like it was a near miss. I may ask DH to do the shopping the next while.
But even after feasting on Tuesday and 2MAD yesterday, I am under 160 this morning: 159.6 So pretty darn happy. I plan for 2MAD for a few days before I think about another fast.
Everything I thought I had planned for today I somehow messed up, so have no appointments. I can just stay home, or run simple errands, which is sounding really good.

Pipsicle, congrats on getting used to IF and having eating windows. My advice is to just plan one 24 hr fast to start, and not look too far forward. I am just getting to managing more that one fast in a 7 day period, and usually its 5 days between. Most people on the facebook group have to learn to "stretch their fasting muscles" and this for me has been very hard. On the other hand, I have been very successful, maybe not losing as fast as others on that group, but amazing for me. I truly have NEVER been successful with weight loss like this, and now that I am adapted to IF and occasional EF, I feel like I have the tools for maintenance as well. I truly hope it works for you. Did you buy any of the books (Obesity Code/Diabetes Code) or get from the library. They are really helpful, but the free stuff from Dr. Fungs blogs on the IDM site will be helpful too.

Have a good Thursday everyone!

I have never heard this Chris. I would be wary if the information was coming from producers of alkaline ionized water.

Carol: I think these one off posts are from robots, or MLM sellers who have managed to infiltrate the group. DO the moderators track or remove members like this?
its not so frequent that its a major pain, but I agree, they are advertising without 3FC getting the revenue, and are being sneaky. I don't like that. When someone who is here a lot talks about a supplement, like Trish using berberine, or you using turmeric, that is not a sales gimmick. But someone we have never heard of jumping in, no back story, talking about this kind of thing, makes me very suspicious.
just MHO

We have a family meeting at the retirement center in a little bit. We have to leave in an hour so I'll make this a fairly quick one today.

Mad Congratulations on not giving in to the cravings. I am so thrilled with your progress and you meeting another low weight. I think that has been my problem lately is giving in to cravings. I seem to have slid back into eating at night. I'm thinking that the 8hr window just might be the wrong move for me. I do appreciate you sharing your experiences because they often touch right where I am at that stage. So please keep sharing with us.

Pipsicle Congratulations on your IF progress. I have got to get back to that again too so I can get away from this evening snacking. I agree with Mad that it is the easiest way to lose weight and keep things under control. IDM is a good place to get info without buying the books although I do have them and probably should go back to reading them again.

Chris77 Seems like someone told me about alkaline water years ago, but I don't know anything about it. If you want to know about alkaline, I would suggest looking up alkaline foods because you will fine that a lot of fruits & vegetables you eat help balance the alkaline/acid in your body. You don't really have to worry about it though unless your body has a tendency to be acidic. You might be surprised that drinking lemon water actually is alkaline so you won't need to buy a product and it is probably a lot less expensive. I got into that years ago and even bought some strips to check my acidity/alkaline and when I told my doctor, he told me that I wasted my money because you couldn't check it that way.

Carol Sue I did text the niece she is supposed to have moved in with. I asked her if my baby sister is okay. All she wrote back and said is "Yes, she is okay". It seems they aren't talking so I wrote her this morning and told her about our family meeting with Daddy today, but I don't expect her to be there. I told her that she doesn't have to go but we did want to include her if she wanted to come because she is one of his daughters. That is all I can do. They have been secretive before and that was when her DH got in trouble with the law. He still is under parole rules and I'm not sure he was out of state legally when they were here so that may be why she took everything off FB and had their phone cut off. She will tell us when she is ready.
It is sad to say but they, especially he is a con-artist so you never really know when they are telling you the truth. DS and I have our theories, but will see as time goes on. They have conned all of us out of money and can't get anything from us any more so we may not have much to do with us any more. Sad to say, but we all know it is true. She is our sister and we still love her though.

Well, I see that I am going to have to get serious about IF again and get back to my 2MAD. I think by considering 2MAD & a snack or 3MAD within an 8 hr eating window just gets me into trouble. I have learned that it really doesn't matter if I do lowfat, low carbs or even count calories etc or not. What works for me is 2MAD period. Most of the time I will try to keep them 5 hrs apart so I can have a 19 hr fast, but some days depending on what is going on, it might turn out to be more like 6 or 7 hrs apart. I think the key for me is just do 2MAD regardless.

We are going out to eat after the meeting today to celebrate DS birthday since this is the only day we can get together to celebrate. This will be the first time we have celebrated it on her birthday because Mama passed away on this day in 1992. It is time for us to make it her day again.

Better go get dressed. I hope everybody has a great day.

Trish, Dr. Fung would say that the fasting window is most important, but also to change it up from time to time. So if you eat 2MAD most of the time, but have a day where you do 3 MAD and back to 2, don't get worried. I started just doing 2MAD every other day. The snacks are what get you. I know how hard it can be.
But once you have done 2MAD for a while, it gets easier. But as you saw, last night was really hard. If there were snacks or candy in the house, I might have gone wild.
Keeping yourself busy really helps. I have been doing lots of housework today. I am so relieved to have a day at home, it was wildly busy this past week. And with my sore arm, I have been unable to do some things I wanted to, and taking pain meds from time to time just leaves you feeling blah and unable to do anything. Good thing I like reading. I don't like having the TV on all the time.
Last week I met my CBT counsellor, tomorrow after noon we get started on therapy.
Last week she taught me the 5 things therapy. I am to use it when suffering a flashback, or anytime I feel overstressed and unable to cope.
You think about 5 things you can see, 5 you can touch, 5 you can hear. You get a sense of the real world around you, instead of the flashback or the focus on a stressor.
Then you think about 4, 3, 2, 1. And start again if you have to, until you are calm. It worked in the grocery store line up, and the times I have had flashbacks this week, was helpful. Tomorrow we start EMDR and I'm kinda excited about it. It should also help with the PTSD, as well as the other issues, as a "brain rewiring" exercise. It feels good to do positive things to move forward, instead of taking another medication.

Have a good day everyone.

Mad Thanks for the advice. Thanks too for sharing what you are learning from your coping therapy. Believe it or not it comes at a good time for me too.

I think I've shared that my Daddy and I never had a great relationship until a few years ago. He and I have had some conversations lately that has bringing back some really bad thoughts and feelings we experienced through the years. I have been listening to a minister the past few days who has been discussing how people can rob you your destiny because you are made to feel like you either don't do enough for them or feel that you don't ever measure up. I've been kind of dealing with that stuff again. This minister calls these people in your life "People who steal your peace".

Suffice it to say that I am finding myself re-evaluating my life and seeing somethings in me that I don't like, but at the same time, I think I always try to please everybody around me and that is impossible. I think my Mama tried to be that person and when she died, I tried to take on that job. I finally realize I do not have to try to fix everything for everybody around me. For one thing, it isn't even my responsibility. I basically told my Daddy that today without going into detail as I don't want to hurt his feelings.

We had a good meeting with facility. They are pleased at how Daddy now takes part in so many activities. He hasn't even told us about him going to activities they take him to in the evenings. He was going to a movie when we left the meeting this afternoon. So I am glad to hear those things. That means I don't have to try to go or call him all the time. He is beginning to accept his situation and have a life there which is good. I am still glad I am here to be there for him. I feel like there are things I need to resolve in my own life and as I always tell DS, when Daddy is gone, she and I will have no regrets because we have stood by him and we do our best to see that he has the best care possible.

It felt good today when the Activity director said, "When they told me about our meeting today, I told them that y'all would definitely show up so call or text me when they arrive". That is what we wanted is for them to know that he has people who care and that would hold them accountable. That mission has been accomplished.

Thanks again Mad. You are an inspiration. You always have been and I appreciate your input.

The arm still has minor issues. But no meds, thank goodness for the hot tub, was installed in time for this. Yesterday my neck and shoulders so sore, mostly from not moving correctly because of this arm.
Still not sleeping well, and getting frustrated with the CPAP, and that no one from the sleep clinic has got back to me. Should call my doctors office today.
Still having difficulty with motivation in general, but I managed to go out for a short walk. Its supposed to get hot and sticky today, and have a thunderstorm later, so good to get out before it gets to warm and humid. The winds are already picking up, hope they will bring the storm on fast and it leaves just as quickly.
DH gets home tomorrow, so I decided to try another fast at least until supper today, but will go into tomorrow if possible. I am still hovering about 159-160, and would like to get down enough that I stop going over 160 and have a new set point (if I do set) a bit lower.
It is easier when he isn't around, so I get what you say Carol. It does seem anti-social not to eat with a spouse. At least mine doesn't gripe if I don't eat like him. It is usually me griping if I cooked something nice and he says "I had a big lunch, just soup for me" grrr. But I had to get over that.
One thing I am missing a bit is cooking. When I have time, and someone to cook for, I actually enjoy cooking. But I also can't cook without tasting. I am glad I am not trying to fast and needing to cook for kids and spouse. So tomorrow night I will make a nice supper of salad and something on the grill, depending on what looks yummy at the farmers' market tomorrow morning.
Have a good day friends. TGIF

Trish, you have been very attentive to your Dad since you moved back to Texas, there's no doubt about that. I'm glad he is accepting his life in the rehab facility and participating in the outings. I think a lot of people have the wrong idea, thinking that once you move there, you will lie in bed and be cared for, and surely some do suffer that fate, but I think they try to have activities that make their life more interesting.

I think if 2MAD is what works best for you, then that's what you should do, but I strongly believe that you should mix things up now and then so your body does not adjust to one set eating schedule. Do 3 MAD once in a while, even it it's 2 and a snack, or OMAD on other days. I think a snack is OK if you get hungry. Many people think of a snack as a poor food choice, but a snack can be fruit or veggies, food that is the same as your meals, but just a smaller portion.

However, I often watch My 600 Lb Life. None of us here are in that position, but the doctor puts those people on a 1200 calorie diet of 3MAD of 400 calories each with no snacks. One patient asked about snacking on carrots or celery and he said if you eat your meals, you shouldn't need snacks. I think most doctors frown on snacking, as it is usually food beyond what your body needs. Having said that, I understand how you eat, and there can be times that your meal is small, and you may need a little something to hold you over, to keep you from sticking your hand in the potato chips! LOL I think you know what you're doing, here.

I have to go to the store, so I will be back later to finish my post.

Mad, my DH worked somewhere where there was no opportunity to eat anything for lunch except what he brought, so there was never a time that he didn't want dinner. And he would eat whatever I cooked, because he wanted the kids to eat whatever I cooked. He didn't care that I didn't eat dinner. Eating dinner with his kids was very unpleasant. They were always fighting, hitting each other, poking their fingers in each other's food. LOL After the kids moved out he didn't want to eat alone so that was the end of my not eating dinner.

We went out for breakfast today which I hate. In 2 hours he will be asking me what's for dinner. I will not be hungry.

I hope you are able to find a solution to the problem with your arm. My feet and knee are doing well these days.

I went to the store when I left the beauty shop today because it was a little cooler and it is supposed to rain this afternoon. Daddy had told me that he wanted Bush's fried chicken tenders so I got him the 2 pc dinner because it is cheaper than buying just the tenders, gravy and bread and took it to him after the store. I wanted to get home before it rains. I told him that if I had to pay for a full meal that he might as well have the coke and fries with it. We sat in the little room with tables by the nurses station while he ate because they were cleaning up the roommate and the smell would have ruined the enjoyment of the meal. I think he and I need to go down there more often to visit.

DS finally heard from our baby sister last night. She said they would be in and out of town for a while until they get everything straightened out. She had told me that he owes a certain amount of money to pay off everything so he can be free to move back to TX so I assume that is what she is talking about. She has yet to call me, but that is fine. Like Daddy said when I told him about it is that all he wanted to know is that she is okay. We know that so that is fine. I"m not in the mood for the drama so it is all good to me.

Mad I am sorry you are still having pain with your arm and sleeping. I joined a FB Diabetic group yesterday and I noticed some of them talking about Metformin causing them to experience insomnia. I don't know if that would be a problem for you at this point or not, but then with your new way of eating, perhaps it could be. Just thought I would pass that on to you.

Carol Sue I bought another book last night on the kindle. I could have read it for free but had a problem getting it so just paid for it. I read most of what I wanted to know last night. I could have downloaded it from the Diabetic FB group, but I figured I would just get it on the kindle. It is called Diabetes by Noel Bradshaw. It recommended the GL and eating pretty much like I read from the Reader's Digest Magic Foods book. However, he says there are 5 Super foods that Diabetics should include in their diet and when I read it, I realized that it was pretty much like I used to eat in SC. They are Chia seeds, Wild Salmon, White Balsamic Vinegar, Cinnamon and Lentils. I used to eat these foods, but have gotten away from them. I was told by a lady years ago that chia seeds would lower blood sugar. So when I went to the store today, I did get these foods.

I noticed on this group I joined on FB that some do IF with their plan and some don't. Some do a moderate low carb and I see some of them eat fruit in place of candy. No one criticizes how you eat because they stress eating the way your dr recommends and/or the way that works for you and it is working for them.
One thing they stress is that even if you don't count calories, you have to measure the carbs you eat like potatoes, rice etc and they do recommending limiting them. This book I read last night seems to recommend having no more than 1 of those veggies each day while I read where someone said no more than 30 to 45 for each meal. They don't seem to count fruit or veggie carbs.

I have a pot of lentils cooking now. I will start counting what starchy carbs I eat each day and I continue to do this with IF but use the 8:16 ratio for now.

BBL

Trish, I really enjoy lentils, and a good lentil soup is right up my alley. Reading one of the blog posts recently on the IDM site, they talked about ways to control insulin, and high fibre, plant based diet is a fine way too. So its really not necessary to always do low carb, or LCHF, etc. Its really about the IF, and enjoying. Maybe do a day of plant based foods and a day of lower carb. Alternate sometimes. The eating window is key. And even if you don't lose a lot of weight, may help control the blood sugars.

Thanks all about the arm. It IS better, just not getting back to normal as quick as I would like. So I am glad I got the schedule switched and I won't go on call this time next week. I will work the clinic days next week, (no heavy lifting) but not the call week afterward. More time to heal, and no stress about the timing. It could be all will be well by that time, but if not, I have the time to heal. After next Thursday then, no work for 4 weeks. Travel etc but not work.

I have organized a happy hour at 5 pm today, last day of summer, last day of warm weather for a while in the forecast. Kids had a day off school today, so I am sure their parents will be happy for a break. Snacks and cocktails. I will break my fast with cheese and cucumbers. yum.
have a good TGIF

Mad thanks for the advice. I have had fiber today, but I spread it out over the day. I ended up eating this evening but I had a small cup of lentils and later had a small bowl of high fiber cereal with chia seeds added. I'm curious to see how my FBS will be tomorrow. I feel like I probably had a lot of food, but I will be tweaking things so I won't feel that way.

Carol Sue We had hamburgers today made with the Angus beef burgers from Sam's and I have to say that it made it so much easier to make them. I through them in the grill pan on stove top frozen and put a lid on them and they were done in no time without me having to form them. I told DH it wasn't going to take long for them to cook and to get his bread ready. He thought I was nuts because they went on the grill frozen. LOL He was surprised when I told him they were done. We make our burgers on the Sara Lee MG bread so they are healthier and less calories. I used to buy HB buns, but they ruin on us and I don't like them thawed after frozen as they are usually too hard. They make the thin WW bread but I find they become too soggy and become mushy. So we decided using the regular MG bread was a better choice.

I have felt pretty satisfied today. I want to add the fiber, but I also want to be careful not to feel stuffed. I think it was pretty much a good day.

Patty- Thanks for the input and the burgers sound tasty.
Mad- Thank you for the tips. Love hearing about your progress.
Carol- Glad to hear your pain is better for now.

Had a scale victory today and was down a pound. Pretty sure it won't stay but so glad to have a moment where it edged down. We are having a party at my house tomorrow for the kiddo's b-day. I was working on cleaning up and my shoulder started hurting quite a bit. It started to hurt again a couple of days ago when I tried to lift something heavy. Really hoping a good nights sleep will calm it down.

Also, almost stayed within my calorie count. I was over by 100 calories. I've been over by a lot more lately so I will take it as a victory. I think I'm having another non-scale victory. I play 'brain strengthening' games on an app. I had been getting new high scores pretty infrequently (maybe 1 every three months). Since I have been doing IF, I have been getting new high scores roughly every 3-4 times a month.

Saw the discussion on alkaline water. I don't have much to add except a friend of mine firmly believes it has helped her kiddo with an autoimmune issue.

Was thinking of Ruthie after the tornados in the Ottawa Gatineau area, near where she lived. I am sure that kind lady's spirit is in heaven rooting for us.
All my family there seems to be ok, but one cousin has yet to check in. Her husband is a fire fighter, so they may be very busy. I don't think she was in the area that was badly hit.
Went to my folk club and enjoyed the live music, and just sipped a nice herbal tea. Avoided the snacks and sweets just fine.Weight staying at or just under 160. I think I need to feast a bit before I try another fast.
Tonight may be harder, we are having a board gaming evening. I will plan a big supper and hope that will see me through. This seems like a day where breakfast and lunch isn't the way to go, so will do lunch and supper.
DH doesn't get home until late evening about 930 pm.
Pipsicle: so glad you are feeling mentally better. Be gentle with yourself about calorie counts. Sometimes you just need to eat good real food. If you can do IF, thats a biggie. Lots of research has shown that the same number of calories, people doing IF lose weight more easily and lose more weight with IF than eating the same calories throughout the day with many small meals or snacks. Giving your body the break from digesting sugar and releasing insulin really does work and really helps.

Going to the farmers market soon to buy food for the next few days. Have a lovely day friends

I googled ionized alkaline water and some sites did say it was good for diabetics and others said it depends and others said save your money. Seems to depend on who you talk to. I think most have found that diet and exercise controls it just fine. Also when some say diabetics they are talking about type 1. And getting your body too alkaline isn't good either.

Blood sugar was 132 at 3AM and 130 at 8AM. Not much different.

Trish does your DH still eat cauliflower every night? I have been craving cauliflower. LOL .I am glad you both liked the Angus burgers. Yesterday was the first time I saw preformed burgers in the fresh meat case at Wal-Mart. I just never noticed them. I only buy ground meat at a full service grocery in our neighborhood. Its what we like and the only thing he will eat. He will not eat the frozen Angus burgers but one time I didn't have any ground meat so I used the frozen . He didn't know and didn't get sick or die. He doesn't know what he's eating when he gets a burger in a restaurant. I figure someone who can eat a fast food burger can eat anything. He is afraid of ecoli.

Carol Sue Yes DH still eats his cauliflower every night. I was telling DS and BIL the other day that if he had to go back on Warfarin the dr said that he wouldn't be able to eat greens and that I told him there was no problem with that as he won't eat them any way. I told him the only green food he will eat is broccoli which the doctor said he could eat. BIL said "Good! If they ever say he can't have cauliflower then we will have a problem". LOL

Actually our PD insurance is going to be taken over by Aetna and they are going to cover Jardiance which was the blood sugar medicine that really worked for DH and they are going to cover Xerlto so he can go back on those 2 meds in January. They also have some sort of deal with the companies to automatically move him into a discount program if he goes into the GAP. So it looks like our problem is going to be solved for him in January. They are also going to cover Trulicity so I could go back on that one if I have to, but I hope I can get things corrected without it.

I'm not clear on the e-coli thing any way. I just know I don't want it ever again. I saw where a company in Colorado recently had a recall on their ground beef. I really don't like to use any of them except from Sam's or one local store here. It has always been my understanding that you need to be absolutely sure the meat is cooked clear through till done. I don't like mine any way but very done so but I definitely would throw it out if I had a recall brand just to be sure. I agree that when you buy fast food that you don't know what you are getting. Plus I've heard so many bad things about how they treat their food. They have a segment on the news every night where they have inspected and graded some of the restaurants around here and when they get a bad grade it is announced on the news. Sometimes it makes you wonder if you ever want to go out to eat at these places. I remember years ago taking my grandkids to a certain burg place here in a nice part of town. It was so filthy in there just in the eating area that I never at there ever again any where. Not fair to judge a chain by one, but the memory stays in your head.

Pipsicle Congratulations on your 1 lb. It will probably fluctuate, but it will go down. You are still learning how to make this work for you. Just remember that every success adds to an overall success. I need to remember that myself.

Mad I have a grandson that lives in Canada in the military. I don't hear from him ever since they told the soldiers not to put their info on FB. However, I noticed that he did check in on FB that he is okay. I too miss Ruthie. She was such a sweetheart. I think of her often. I hope your cousin checks in soon and is okay. Thanks again for things you share. I don't really want to go to small meals but I certainly could if I had to. It is good to know that there are variations I can do and still do IF.

Trish, my step son is on Warfarin for the rest of his life and he cannot eat any veggie that contains Vit K. Here is a list, and it includes broccoli and cauliflower.

Had a couple of phone calls so decided to write more after the calls. I took advantage of the morning talk with Daddy and got my 20 minutes on the bike done. I sure need to do that more as it actually makes me feel better. I hope to get a minimum of 5 days done but will just plan to do as many days as possible starting out. I also spent the morning getting ready for Teddy DS dog. I even went out and swept the front porch but didn't help much since it was windy, but at least I got the cob webs swept off the corners. I want to get DH to get the pressure washer out and at least let me clean the porch with it. It would be good exercise too. I want to do that before Halloween as I still haven't decided 100% if I will refuse to do it. The kids are just so darn cute. I can get enough to give out some and turn the porch light off by 9 am.

As for exercise, I know what doc says about walking, but I do better with the bike and will be using it. I know walking might be good, but I feel so much better after using the bike. There are a lot of museums etc here to see and believe it or not many I haven't seen although I grew up here. I told DS that now that Daddy is settled that I want to start going to see them during this time when you don't have to fight a lot of tourists. I can take the walker and walk it and get plenty of walking done. She and I both need to get out do things together again. We really enjoyed going out to lunch recently.

My weight as my FBS is going back up which could be from switching from lower carb back to a more moderate carb and fiber. It hasn't gone way up, but enough for me to make some important decisions. I have decided to continue to keep up with everything on MFP after all. I've decided that I want to be healthy and improve or reverse blood sugar readings more than I don't want to count calories. I've raised the carb count because I realize that fruit and veggies and legumes, beans and nuts are carbs although good carbs. From what I understand on the things I'm reading you mostly have to measure and count the starchy carbs like brown rice, bread, potatoes, or corn. I don't eat a lot of those, but will be keeping those low and will watch helpings of all carbs using mostly lower GL carbs.

I think when they say have at least 30 g carbs per meal each day that they are also counting the good carbs along with the higher carb or bad carbs. I also read that it is good to keep calories between 1500 to 1800 calories for women each day. I am wondering if it is good for me to keep my calories around 1200 or not as I read one doctor said 1400 minimum. Not sure about that one. I like to leave room for error which is why I like keeping my calories between 1200 to 1500. Maybe throwing in a higher calorie day isn't too bad after all. Maybe that is why that through the years when I was strictly OP that I would show a big loss when I had a day when I ate a lot. Perhaps that is why a lot of diets now say have a cheat meal or day. I'll have to research that more.

Any way, I have my basic plan and am back OP for today. I am going to be wiser this time and take this One Day at a Time and be thankful for those day, but remember not to get cocky when I get going good because I realize that no matter how good I do that there is always a chance that I will get off and mess everything up.

Have a great day everyone.

Trish in the hospital when they told me to pick 5 carb items per meal it included fruit and veggies and also milk I was drinking. They gave it to me for my cereal but I drank it. When I count carbs I include all carbs.

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Once again I had to stop because DH wanted me to go somewhere. We went out to eat already and we're back and he left for the car cruise.

My blood sugar and weight are both up a bit, and I know it's because I am once again eating when I am not hungry. I don't get a chance to get hungry and then DH wants to eat again. I think I need to start eating smaller portions. I told him before not to cook so many eggs in the morning and he didn't for a while but now he's back to cooking more, so I eat them all. I have to start eating half of them or I won't be hungry when he wants to eat again.

I ordered wings for my dinner and only ate 3 of them. I brought the rest home for leftovers, but I don't know when I will eat them. DH ordered pizza and only ate 3 pieces. He took the rest of it to the car cruise for the guys to eat. They are big guys who really eat a lot, so they will eat the pizza and also walk over to Subway and get sandwiches. They all need to lose weight!!

Right now I'm cooking some cauliflower because I was craving it.

I will probably watch some TV this evening because with him gone, I get to be in charge of the remote. :D

I made my steel cut oats cooked in milk this morning, with a tiny bit of maple syrup to flavour and sweeten. I eat so little sugar/sweetener now that I need very little to make things taste sweet. I think I put a teaspoon in the whole pot, and got two large servings. I am doing carbs today, because my planned meal at the restaurant later will have rice. Then back to LCHF tomorrow and for a while to come. Or I may start a fast tomorrow, Sometimes easier while working, I'm too busy to think much about food.
Decided not to check weight until later in the week. Trying to get off that obsession. Sometimes it works.
Off to lunch and a play today with several friends. DH back from the cottage, his chronic fatigue is flaring up and he overall doesn't feel great, sleeping 12 hours a day. He will take it easy for a while.
DD was here, enjoyed time with her, and plan is for her to take or get rid of stuff left behind.
Left hope that happens, she doesn't always follow through, LOL.
Just a flyby, and hope everyone enjoys their Sunday.

My blood sugar has been too high lately. It's as if my body is becoming more sensitive to them. Not liking meat much isn't helping. So I need to start eating to my meter until it comes back under control.

Right now I have the urge to eat something. Not a craving for anything in particular. Just grazing like I used to do so that bad habit is coming back. Need to nip that in the bud. I'm making meat loaf for dinner and will enjoy it better if I'm hungry.

.

Early this morning there was a church fire and the church was destroyed. Inside, however, the cross was still standing, untouched. They showed it on the news. Amazing!

Carol Sue That is amazing that the cross was still standing. I love the message I see there that seems to come directly from the Lord. :)

I see I too have fallen back into some old habits as well. I have got to get things under control too. The problem I'm having with eating more carbs is that my weight is going back up. I cannot allow that to happen. I've got to get back to NO NIGHT TIME EATING!!! I just wonder when I'm going to get that in my head. Every time I try this higher fiber eating, I find that I absolutely hate the way it makes me feel. I do so hate that full feeling. I know it is good to have more fiber, but it is not good for me to have a lot of it. I see I need to learn the balance of this for me.

My weight is going up, but my FBS was back down to 149 this morning. This may be due to the 20 minutes on the bike yesterday. I guess I know what I need to do and now I need to tweak it to make it fit into an 8 hr window and do it.

This morning I wanted my eggs and bacon and decided to try adding the diabetic super food chia seeds to the eggs. I only used about 1/2 TBS along with my SLMG bread and I feel stuffed so I will cut it back some more tomorrow if I eat them with breakfast. I am not sure what I will make for lunch today. I think I'm going to make a BLT for DH and not sure what I will have. Maybe if I'm not hungry I will try a fast today since at the moment I don't feel like I could eat another bite today. I hope it stays that way.

I spoke too soon about the Angus beef because DH didn't like them. He said he likes it better when I make them. I think he complained about it being too big so I may try thawing one out next time break it in half. I tell you sometimes these men are so difficult to deal with. LOL He is just so picky.

We have DS fur baby with us for a few days as they left today to go to MD Anderson for nieces surgery. He is so sweet but at night we have to put him in his kennel to sleep because he gets very active. DH said he had to take him off the dining room table and put him to bed. He said he was walking all over everything trying to get into stuff. It is really strange that he does that because he doesn't do it at home that we know off. But then DS doesn't have chairs around her table unless she is having company and he is too little to get up there. It is really funning. He mostly wants to sit in our laps much of the time. We remembered this time to keep all the doors to other rooms closed. He is almost completely blind but he still like to explore. LOL

Mad I was just telling DS yesterday that I think that my attitude each day seems to be determined by the scale. I let it define me too much. I'm not sure it is good for me to weigh everyday, but haven't been able to break the habit yet.

Y'all have a blessed Sunday.

Exercised while talking to Daddy today. I don't usually exercise on Sunday but I feel like I am starting over especially when it comes to exercise. I've made Saturday my weigh in day so this makes me 2 days of exercise so far this week. I am doing 20 minutes a day at this time.

I decided that if I have to count calories and I like to use MFP since they have more food lists than any other group of seen that I am going to use it to my advantage. I've done my food plan for today. I want to use some of the super foods I read about on the kindle book in my food plan especially the balsamic vinegar and the lentils. I also want to use several from the Magic Foods Reader's Digest book such as oatmeal from time to time. If first thing in the morning I plan in advance, I can adjust the foods so that I won't get more fiber than my body can handle. Maybe I can learn how to do it more with veggies, but for now this is a good place to start. I still like the eat 2MAD with a snack within 8 hr window, so I will keep the 8:16 ratio along with this new way to create my own guideline for now.

The thing I find interesting when I do this is that my calories do not even get to 1200 calories. In fact, sometime I have to add something to even get to 1000. My calories today are a little over 1000 calories today. I'm wondering if that is why they say eat more protein and fat since they add calories but don't have any carbs. Makes sense to me.

Trish, the scale is so contraversial. If you weight every day you know right away if you are starting to gain, but because of fluctuations it can look like you're gaining all the time. I think weighing once a week would be enough to let your know you are gaining but not enough to get you upset about it every day. The only time I can weigh daily is if I am being very strict about my diet and I KNOW the number is going to go down. Otherwise, I feel discouraged that I'm getting nowhere.

I'm sorry to hear your DH didn't like the hamburgers. DH likes his thick, but I think he would know if I made them from those preformed burgers. We only cook ours on the George Foreman grill because that's the only way we can get a thick burger to be done in the middle. Sometimes DH tried to cook one in a frying pan then gets mad when it's still pink in the middle.

My meatloaf is in the oven, probably for another 45 minutes. I put potatoes around it with tomato soup over the potatoes. DH likes them. I will probably cook green beans with it. We just love those frozen green beans from Aldi's. We both got hungry since we didn't eat lunch so we each ate a salad. Years ago I used to go to a restaurant called Sweet Williams. It was in the mall. They had a salad called a Swiss Salad Supreme. It contained swiss cheese and croutons and had sweet and sour dressing. They are no longer around, but I have started making that salad for myself. I really like it.

We had a dog who was blind. He knew his way around the house. He would walk really slow up against furniture and walls and find his way around. Toward the end DH had to carry him outside and back in when he had to do his business. I never had a dog who could climb up onto a table.

Trish, this is so amazing. Here is the story about the cross surviving the church fire.

https://triblive.com/local/regional/...ht-no-injuries

And here are other stories of the same thing happening elsewhere!!

Pastor of Mt. Pleasant church on cross still standing after fire: 'There is no rational reason'

https://abc13.com/iconic-cross-still...-area/2746937/

so today was definitely a "treat" day. Had a nice lunch out with our friends before the play. But I didn't worry about calories and did have a few carbs. Had some pretty good gluten free bread with my pate' that was pretty good. even had a small chocolate mousse for dessert. SO fasting now. And yes, the cravings are starting. definitely feeling the urge to splurge and eat my head off. So tonight will not be easy, its easier now that I know I will feel better by tomorrow. I have DH here to give me strength, and least I hope he will be supportive. Planning an early night tonight.

Carol Sue That is awesome about those crosses isn't it? It's almost like the Lord reminds us that nothing can destroy the fact that the message of the cross cannot be lost. I love it.

I know it would probably be good for me to weigh only once time a week, I just don't know if I can do it or not. I've heard people say they do better not to weigh every day. I am trying to change so much in my life right now so maybe that is another one I need to change.

I've had 2 meals and my total calories for today was 1044 and my carbs minus fiber is 76 which is good. I am going to do my best not to eat anything else today. My fiber is 17 and I need to keep the fiber grams under 20. The doctor who did my colonoscopy said 21 g, but my primary said that isn't necessary which is good because that much makes me feel miserably stuffed.

I will use those HB patties any way. I think angus beef is a top beef and I will thaw one or two and use it for meatloaf etc. I've been wanting to make some spaghetti sauce and I will see how it works for a small batch.

Trish when I had the first box of Angus Burgers I used a couple for chili, just defrosted them the same as you do with ground beef. My meatloaf turned out great yesterday. I made it with 93% lean ground beef. Now that the temps have dropped I can have the oven on cor these things.

I still can't get my blood sugar down. I tried cutting Met back to 2 a day so now I'm going back to 3. I guess I need it.

Mad I guess you posted just as I came on last night so I didn't see it till this morning. You are such an inspiration with your progress. I am beginning to see a lot of gluten free products in the store and wondered if they are good. I've heard not to trust it just because it says gluten free. Do you use them at home? I don't think I have a gluten problem since I seem to be able to handle multigrain. I am glad you have found your way.

Carol Sue Sometimes I wish I could still take Metformin. I've heard some bad things about it, but I always liked the benefits and thought they out weighed the bad. I do so hope that the fact that the Berberine seems to be what some drs use in place of Metformin, I sure hope I get the same benefit.

I saw on the internet where WW is changing their name to Wellness. I tried to read it but some weird thing came up on my computer that I couldn't get rid of. I wonder if it is just another advertisement gimmick to get people to join like they do every year. The new one last year was just the same as before except they were trying to get people to eat more of the Simply Filling type foods without counting them. However, when you tracked them online, they weren't really freebies because when I would put them into a salad, they still had points. I do agree that if you ate that way it would be healthier, but nothing is free calorie for real. When I track those same foods in MFP they add up to a lot of points really fast.

I dropped a little more than a lb this morning. I did eat more calories although not sure since I'm using MFP more as a guideline to get the minimum amount of fiber into my plan. I think my body is adjusting to the fiber better. I don't have a problem going to potty but my regular has increased which I hope is a good thing. I do try to remember to drink more fluids so that it does work properly. I'm back to drinking mostly water again.

I'm including 3 of the 5 super diabetic foods everyday... lentils, chia seeds and basalmic vinegar. And I am staying within 8 hr eating window. I will work at keeping the exercises to at least 4 times a week. My FBS was a little high this morning from yesterday but still below 160 and my bs reading before our main meal is always below 115. I know it was not that good for 6 months last time and my A1c was less than 6 so hopefully if I can keep it like it is for the rest of the year, it will still be that good in January when I get the next one.

DH only checks FBS and his is running in the 160s most of the time. He gets upset because his is like that with so much medication, but I'm just thankful he isn't seeing any 200s any more. I think that means he is making progress. He did so well with the Jardiance before our Part D wouldn't carry it any more and I am hoping when he can go back on it in January that his FBS will get better again.

Our power has gone out which usually happens when we are in a thunderstorm. Not sure what the cause is this time. I think they are building houses out her in this area so fast that they need to put more transformer up. DS said theirs went out a lot when they were building houses where she lives. Now they seldom have that problem any more.

Y'all have a great day.

Trish, when I was a teen, the area where I live now was all farms and wooded areas. Over the years the farmers started to sell their property and it became all housing projects. Our house is 47 years old, and it is one of the last houses built in our plan. They added another plan up the road a few years ago with maybe 500 more homes. Now there is another one coming in with 21 more homes. They don't even have the model built yet and some of the lots are already sold. But so far, we haven't had any problems with electricity. I guess I should knock on wood. The only thing we've noticed is more traffic.

That's good that your DH's FBS has come down. I know you said he eats more carbs than you do and you could mention that to him next time he is upset about his readings. Maybe if he tested later in the day he would see a difference. I'm curious about my friend's next A1c because she never tests, but she said she has been eating more carbs since her cancer treatment, plus she doesn't know what effect that treatment had on her blood sugar. I couldn't go all that time without testing. I would want to know.

I think WW changed those foods to 0 points in an effort to get people to eat more of them. I don't know if it's working. There's a woman on another forum who was doing JUDDD and then her weight loss stopped. She joined WW and said she is losing again, but she does not eat all her points.

I tracked my food in MFP today just out of curiosity. I ended up with 1360 calories, with 87gm of carb, 87gm of fat and 76 gm of protein. The only carbs I had were 2 slices of toast in the am and the breading on my 3 wings leftover from Saturday. I just wanted to see were I stand. I was not hungry at all, all day. I like to stay between 1000 calories ad 1300 calories. MFP has me set at 1300 per day. I don't know how they arrived at that number, or if it was something I entered. I really don't understand MFP. It was very hard for me to enter the wings. They are whole wings, pretty big, so I just chose one of the highest calorie wings on their list, which was pretty long. It goes by name brands, and these were from a restaurant that is not a chain. It is just a wild guess. That's what I don't like about MFP, or any other online tracker.

By the way, my fiber was only 5gm.

I fasted until supper. It was a hungry day though, so not as easy. I'm sure it was the higher carb day yesterday. So I made sure to put lots of butter on my broccoli with supper. We also had ham. Did that with cucumbers, red peppers and some creamy cheese.
So a very healthy supper. and quite a lot of it. As planned, sort of. I hadn't decided when to eat when I got up today, but DH wanted to have supper together, so I agreed.
Gluten free foods seem to have gotten better, but I still want to avoid grains most of the time. So its still an exception. Its not going to be a regular part of my diet.


Need another early night. With the CPAP not working right (have lost the weight, need an adjustment argh) I am not sleeping well.
Sometimes, Canadian health care, with its waiting times is frustrating, even if i don't have to worry about money.

I hope everyone had a good day.

today should be a 2MAD day, and fast tomorrow while working. weight is settling between 159 and 160, so will likely do the fast to get the weight down into the 150s a little lower. The 140s are now in site. That would take me back to before the year 2000, to a pre and post pregnancy me, so very exciting. I have never before felt that my posted goal weight was really possible, but now it seems I will be able to get there, and maybe I will change my goal and go lower. I will see how I feel and look when I get there. And accept feedback from others. Apparently, its not unusual for lots of people with weight issues to see themselves as fatter than they think. We might often see our younger and thinner selves in our minds, but not in the mirror, or just consistently see ourselves overweight, even if we have lost the weight.
Reading about this, a few tips have come through. Exercising helps, as it tones us up, and seeing the muscle outlines help to see the thinner inner you. And looking through others' eyes. Ask other people about changes, which is hard, but spouses and kids can help. I have greatly appreciated DD who talks about it in a non gushy ways (none of that, you've lost weight and look great) but says, I can see your face is thinner. When you wear that I can see more of your waist etc. specific and helpful.
I have noticed that my face is thinner. I was worried I would be more wrinkly but the IF people say they have not been having issues with saggy skin anywhere and I don't feel more wrinkly than my normal aging self. Another help is the non-scale stuff. Waist size changes, smaller clothing sizes.
In fact, I seem to have lost another 1/2 inch in the waist, now 35.5 inches. So thats slowly changing too. and i can feel it.
Today is lots of appointments, including the ultrasound on my sore arm. Really happy about that getting done.
Have a great day friends.

FBG was 157 this AM. Too high but going down. Forced myself onto the scale and got a pleasant surprise. Back down to 194. I remember when I was bouncing in the 200 s but I haven't been there for months. Now the battle is to get to the 180 s. Should be easy! Its up to me.

I also haven't had bad pain for a while. I'm getting used to the achiness. I go about my business and forget about it. I cut back to 1 on the hyaluronic acid. Got a twinge in my knee so took 2 that day. That works.

I ended up eating more yesterday so the scale totally surprised me. Someone on LC is going to do a 30 day daily weigh in so I'm going to join in and see if it helps. I could never face the scale daily unless I was firmly on plan.

Mad we all seem to have those hungry days. I feel it's best to roll with them with healthy food
which you did. I consider that to be an indication that your body needs. nutrients.

I bought a lot of ground beef on sale and want to make chili today. I also got eggs for $1.29 which is really good right now so I bought 3 doz .All set now!