[Wannabehealthy]

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.

[Wannabehealthy]

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.

[pattygirl63]

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.

[Wannabehealthy]

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.

[fatmad]

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

[Pipsicle]

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.

[fatmad]

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!

[Wannabehealthy]

Originally Posted by Chris77

I heard from someone that alkaline ionized water is good for diabetes. Does anyone know about alkaline ionized water?

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

[fatmad]

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

[pattygirl63]

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.

[fatmad]

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.

[pattygirl63]

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.

[fatmad]

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

[Wannabehealthy]

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.

[Wannabehealthy]

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.