Mad, the Tart Cherry Extract that I take comes in capsule form. When I tried to find it in GNC they did not have it but had it in liquid form, Tart Cherry Juice. Some people drink the juice. I got it mainly because when I was having all that foot pain DH said it was very similar to his friend who suffered from gout. When reading up about gout I saw that Tart Cherry Extract is said to decrease Uric Acid which causes the pain of gout. I have never actually had my Uric Acid levels checked. I was taking it at bedtime because it also said it could help with sleep.

fatmad I still get the Tart Cherry Extract in capsules from Walmart. I was taking 1200 mg until Carol Sue said the ones from Amazon is 3000 mg. So I started taking 2 of these so am getting 2400 mg which seems to be doing the job.

Carol Sue I'm glad you are getting more comfortable driving on the highway. I always hated driving in Charlotte when we lived in SC. I had to do it a few times when DH flew to or from FL and I got kind of use to it, but still never liked it. I suspect if I did drive in the city more often, I would have no problem.

Another day when I threw food away from our main meal. I've decided not to worry about it as one of the rules on one diet I was on was to leave a little something from each food item on your plate to learn to eat less and also to learn that you don't have to eat everything on your plate. I seem to be falling into the IF/IE way of eating. I just hope I can keep eating this way.

I was just reading more about the tart cherry extract. It t seems it contains Melatonin which promotes sleep and it also activates Tryptophan. I will get it in a few days. I think I will start out with it every other day instead of going right to 3000 mg.

According to my Fitbit I am getting more sleep but mostly light....very little deep sleep. I want deeper sleep that does not make me feel drugged.

I don't know if I told you. Step son and family are coming tomorrow. Hope they don't bring stomach virus with them

well, if it doesn't trigger an insulin release, I may be interested. I think I can get it at the supplement store, but will also check walmart. What brand do you all get? I also prefer natural stuff for sleep.

My Sister came to visit today. We had a good visit, she gave me a couple of Christmas presents, and then: DVDs of my Dad's home movies from our childhoods.
What a lovely walk down memory lane. Seeing my parents in their younger years, even my grandparents when they were hale. Hilarious stuff of cousins tumbling about.
A lot of the film was in bad shape when it was transferred onto DVDs, and no editing so its warts and bad lighting and all. But no worries. Its a treasure. I will take copies of a couple when I go to see family in Quebec later in January. There are some of aunts, uncles and cousins who have now passed away. I can't believe at my age I have lost two of my first cousins, both to cancer. Both were smokers. But both died by age 50. It was nice to see them youthful and well though.
My Dad was a Big Brother for a while too and I hope we can find his one little brother, there is footage of a camping trip they took with my cousin who has now died. They look like they had a lot of fun. So great for my dad, this was when I was a teen and couldn't be bothered with that kind of thing.

So that has helped me into a better frame of mind. How great is that to have a sister who gets a thing like this altogether.
I feel blessed. A much better end to the day today. I still overate, but DH and I are going to fast together tomorrow. He will have supper tomorrow night, I may not do so.
Time for a hot tub.

Wt up 1 lb to 184. FBG 103 with G.

DH wants meatloaf today but I will have to see if my oven is ok. I'm afraid to use it. He will have to be nearby to see what it does. I could probably make it in the toaster oven or slow cooker but the potatoes he wants will be tricky without the oven. We'll see.

I don't understand the new rule of hospitals have to post their prices for everything. In every Instance my insurance has adjusted the price down to accepted amounts. This would apply to anyone who pays out of pocket. People with out insurance usually only have emergency procedures. My recent blood work was billed to insurance at $600+ but insurance only paid $70 and I had $0 copay! Big difference.

Mad i can't find any info regarding the effect of tart cherry extract on insulin. The brand I had from Walmart is Spring Valley. I will have to check my Amazon order for that brand. I ordered by price and free shipping.

fatmad Spring Valley is the Tart cherry extract I use as well. I'm glad you had a nice visit with DS and the dvd sounds like a sweet gift. Daddy did for us when Mama passed away. Someone took mine and I never knew who. Then BS lost hers in storage she couldn't pay and DS has no idea where her's is. So we have lost all those. No one seems to know what ever happened to all the family pictures that Daddy and Mama had. We only have some of what Daddy was able to hold on to.

Carol Sue I have often noticed the enormous bills the doctor's etc turn in to Medicare and of course, they can't get more than what Medicare pays and then we pay 20% of what Medicare allows. I pray the family coming to visit today aren't still sick. I wonder about DGS since he never seems to get completely free whatever the bug is that hangs around him.
I don't cook meatloaf any more because DH and I like it made differently. However, I have actually seasoned the meat and then took half of it and made it only with onion in his and then added the veggies I like in the other half for me. I wrap them separately in foil and cook them in the little toaster oven. I bought a little toaster when we moved here, but I have to say that I really miss the one we had in SC that was big enough to cook pizza. I just may have to think about getting another one. I gave it up because we had another microwave so I didn't have room for it all, but I gave that one to DS when hers went out on them. I think I could actually find a place for it now. I could even bake in it and it was cheaper than heating up the house in the summer time with a big oven.

Weight was up to 216.8 but no surprise and FBS 161. I had to many carbs yesterday, but 1.8 isn't too bad. I didn't drink enough water yesterday. Today will be better. Not sure what we will eat, maybe breakfast for dinner. I want to save those foods DH bought for days I'm too tired to cook or we come home late. They are nice to have for days like that.

We also have a video DH's brother made from back when our kids were 9 and 11. I wanted them to watch it but they are watching football. No chance of interrupting that!.

I am not making dinner today because Stepson bought pizza.

Carol: I am glad they thought to bring something. that takes the pressure off you. At what point will someone meet with DH and read him the riot act about his atherosclerosis and what diet changes he might make as a result? Even if I don't personally agree with it, clearly how he has been living has helped lead to his needing surgery, and surely returning to his old ways is not in his best interest. I just think it should NOT be you who pushes the changes.
Trish: that's too bad that so many old photos etc have been lost. My BIL has been scanning Mum and Dad 's old photos, and DH plans to do ours. There are also on-line storage places for a lot of that too, so we can share and keep them indefinitely. I look forward to sharing these with relatives.
DH and I are both fasting today, however, I am making borscht (beet soup) for the potluck tomorrow night. Getting laundry done and other housework, as we have overnight guests coming tomorrow night, who will be here 2-3 days. They are old friends and former neighbours so it will be great to see them. They are here for family gatherings, and will only spend a little time with us socializing, so that should be ok for not feeling like we have to entertain the whole time.
I would like to do something social tonight, will have to see what DH would like to do.
Have a lovely day friends

Carol Sue So very nice that Step-son thought to bring pizza so you didn't have to worry about it.

In spite of eating pizza, my wt is down to 182 and FBG 135, with G. The pizza DID spike my blood sugar. I ate the pizza around lunch time and didn't eat any dinner, so that's probably why weight is still down a lb. I hope it sticks.

Step son probably thought there was a chance I would have sandwiches or something because I do that sometimes. They actually ordered the pizza for delivery after they arrived. They used the excuse that DGS was hungry but everyone ate. They were only here a couple hours because they wanted to get home in time to watch the Steeler game. So, less time to spread germs.

DGS also ate a bowl of peas. They said he eats a can of peas every night. He has loved peas since he was a baby, eating them strained out of a jar. LOL Step son has hated peas all his life so he is amazed that his son loves them so much. Sometimes when he stays here overnight he will ask for peas in the evening. He also loves corn and will eat the whole bowl when I serve it for dinner.

Mad, the Tart Cherry Extract I recently ordered was by Zazee. Like I said before, I ordered according to price and free shipping. Here is what it said about it.

• OUTSTANDING VALUE: Our Tart Cherry Extract contains 3000 mg strength per capsule AND 200 capsules per bottle – an amazing value! A single bottle contains more than a 6-month supply. Compare this to other leading brands that require 2 capsules per serving, contain far less than 200 capsules, and do not provide a 3000 mg strength dosage. Our Tart Cherry Extract is a bargain not be found elsewhere!
• MAXIMUM STRENGTH AVAILABLE: Our Tart Cherry Extract is the strongest dosage available! Each capsule contains 3000 mg strength of Tart Cherry Extract made from a potent, powerful 10:1 extract.
• NATURAL, VEGAN, & NON-GMO: All ingredients, including the capsule, are 100% vegan. Our Tart Cherry Extract does not contain any sweeteners, artificial flavors, wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, or tree nut ingredients. Enjoy the amazing benefits of tart cherries without the unwanted sugar and excess calories of eating dozens of cherries.
• JOINT COMFORT, PAIN RELIEF, & BETTER SLEEP: Our Tart Cherry Extract is a powerful, potent Uric Acid cleanser that helps relieve stiff joints. Tart Cherry has been shown in dozens of studies to reduce inflammation. Additionally, Tart Cherry is loaded with natural melatonin and proanthocyanidins that help to support health sleep cycles. Relax, feel less pain, and drift off into a peaceful sleep with Tart Cherry Extract!
• GOLD STANDARD PRODUCTION: Your health and safety mean everything to us. For that reason, our Tart Cherry Extract is manufactured in the USA, in an FDA certified facility with adherence to good manufacturing policies and under the most stringent quality control. You can rest assured that you get the best value for your money!

For the record today I weigh 153 and measure about 33.5 on the waist. I haven't been this light for so long. Sometime in the 90s I am sure.
My peeve today is that when I change the ticker on my user CP, it changes all my posts to the new weight. SO I can't go back and see what I weighed this time last year. Trying to figure that out, for the last few years.

Any how. DH is down about 8 pounds measuring today. his waist is down an inch. when you are not overweight and not struggling against years of obesity and insulin resistance, time restricted eating goes great. I think he is also a little less carb-y in his eating, he is doing better when I am not eating that he eats better now too.

I don't really have resolutions except to continue to do what I have been doing and keep getting healthier.
I wish the best for everyone here, to maintain what they have gotten rid of this year, and to get better or maintain health this year too.
Have a lovely New Year everyone

I read through old posts from last winter here. Mostly after my Dad died. I was surely struggling with eating and my digestion. I still have occasional discomfort, that doesn't seem to be gluten related. Last night I was up at 330 am with BMs and it took a while for the pain to subside afterward. But I no longer worry about it, but I do wonder what is causing it if I am not eating gluten. I was pretty sure last week it was the wings cooked in the deep fryer. Nothing like that yesterday, (I was fasting) but the night before I did have Brussels Sprouts with supper. So maybe I am sensitive to the cruciferous veggies. It wasn't a large serving, but you can' t always tolerate even small servings.
Still a little sensitive in the belly this am.
I only really read my own posts, but of course some of that was responses to other posts. Carol, you were just getting into wonderland then, and Trish, you were just starting to deal with your father's issues. I was so sad reading about my Dad dying, and I can almost feel how sad I was then. The tummy pain took me out of the grief a bit. I still think things were really triggered by the stress and grief, but its all good now. Becoming gluten intolerant and finding IF have changed my life for the better, so I will not complain about having had to go through everything that I did then. Dad would be so glad that I have found a way to health.

Have a good day friends. Take a trip down memory lane with some old posts.

Mad, unfortunately, when you change anything in your profile, all previous entries are gone. I have been posting off and on on Fitday. Although I very rarely track my food there anymore, it has my weight and measurements saved from previous years. I also have several little notebooks that I used off and on to record, weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, food and exercise. I can check back in them if I need to. But that doesn't help you now, that you want to look back at previous numbers.

DH's nurse forgot to come today. It's not important. She doesn't do much except check his blood pressure, listen to his heart and lungs and check his incisions. This home health service they assigned to us is not as good as the one I had through my 3 surgeries. They were very dependable and thorough. I suggested them when they asked who I usually go with but the nursing home probably works closely with this one.

Yesterday, a CRNP came from Aspire. They said they got a referral from the nursing home. This nurse did nothing. She just talked to DH for about a half hour, did not check BP or anything. Didn't even bring a bag in with her, just her purse. That was a waste of time, but she got paid for it.

Luckily, DH is not having any particular problems except pain during the night. If he does, we have our nurse's phone number.

Mad, it just so happened that I read through some old posts last night. I had trouble with my CPAP again and wanted to see what I said about it last time and how I got it working again. I did not find those particular posts, but finally did remember how I solved the problem. This probably occurs when I don't have the water reservoir seated in the machine properly and I get an error message and the blower will not work. Even after I reset the reservoir it will not work. I fussed around with it for a while then I remembered that although it is set for automatic, once it malfunctions you have to push the start button to get it to work, and then it becomes automatic again.

At the time I was reading I was in the high 190s and still eating way too much for my body. Now I am just eating less, mostly only when hungry. I was also having a lot of pain back then. It seems that the dietary changes brought pain relief. I notice the lack of hand pain the most since that was one that never went away. I'm still having knee pain, though, with so much more activity.

Looking back at past measurements.

In July 2011 I weighed 194 lbs and my waist was 39.25. This is the smallest in my records. This was shortly before I had my colostomy reversal that messed up my muscle tone in my ab muscles.

The largest measurement was in Mar 2017 when I weighed 199.5 lbs and my waist measured 46 inches.

Today, at 182 it measures 42.25. My days of ever having a waist measurement that it is line with the rest of my body measurements is gone. But a 17 lbs loss did bring it down 4 inches.

Weight 217.6 and FBs 167. II know why as it is my fault. I haven't been exercising and I've been back to old habits of eating at night. I almost went back to CAD this morning and just may start back on that tomorrow.

I looked at what I weighed on January 1, 2018 and I've only maintained this year. All I know is that the past year has been such a nightmare with all that has gone on that I'm amazed I even maintained. Hopefully 2019 will be much better. I was doing CAD when I moved here and had lost all the weight I had lost about 2 yrs ago and it is time to seriously get back to it. I can always us the oatmeal somewhere else. BS and I used to grind it and add to our flour when frying foods. Doing a low fat type of CAD I can even make some desserts to be eaten with RM. I do like the RM mostly balanced with healthy foods, but I also like being able to have a not so balanced meal once in a while. I just need to be better at it like was before. Also thinking back to when I lost so much weight when I 1st married DH, I ate a lot of tuna salad for breakfast for my CM (low carb meals). I recently realized that breakfast doesn't have to be eggs, especially on Friday mornings when I don't have time to cook, I can always make a tuna or salmon salad the night before and have it ready to eat before I leave. So many more options than I have thought of. I've kind of gotten in a rut on my thinking of how to eat on a CAD like food plan and continue doing it with IF 8:16 ratio.

Going to see Daddy this afternoon and decided to cook half the sirloin steak that I bought him. He eats so little these days that I will cook half and take him the other way half maybe next week.

I am not making any New Years resolutions except to work at getting healthier. I think those resolutions always get broken and I don't want to set myself up to fail. I am just going to promise myself that I will work at being better in 2019 than I was in 2018. Maybe I should look at it like my DS did. To me 2018 has been like my DGS said, "walking in a dark place". So like I say it is amazing that I only maintained this year. Now it is time to start walking out of that darkness and make my life the best it can be by a lot of hard work and the grace of God.

A new year a new beginning.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year's eve celebrations.

Trish, what kind of salmon do you buy? I recently bought some little cans of salmon at Dollar Tree and I really like it. It's just enough for one serving. I like salmon, but DH is not crazy about it. He will eat it grilled occasionally and would eat salmon cakes if I made them, but I like to eat it plain right out of the can. I really like red sockeye salmon but it is pricy.

The nurse just came. She forgot us this morning, but called and stopped on her way home. I like when she comes because she is very encouraging about how well DH is progressing. Today she was talking about him driving himself to out-patient therapy. I can't wait until he is OK to drive again. I don't want to give up my driving, but with winter setting in, I will not drive in snow.

When the nurse came, my neighbor followed her in with a little bottle of bubbly which I doubt we will drink and some New Year's cake. She probably bought the cake because she told me she does not bake. She said she is cooking pork and sauerkraut and will bring some over later. I hope she doesn't bring a lot because DH doesn't usually eat other people's food, plus I was planning on making some tomorrow. Just enough for the two of us.

My hope for 2019 is that we all do well at getting healthier. No real resolutions. I want to get back to exercising, but I wanted that all of 2018 and I still plan on doing that after DH is better.

Happy New Year to all!! :newyear: