Carol Sue Diet drinks always work like a diuretic and a appetite suppressant for me so I honestly think it is good for me to drink one in the evening. The main reason I drank it years ago was the fact that it kept me from eating. I keep those drinks for electrolytes too but don't drink them often. I don't seem to get leg cramps any more and like I said I use a lot of salt as far as I'm concerned but I guess I don't. Perhaps where I used to get all my sodium before was from all the chips I used to eat. So maybe I don't eat enough. I use Mrs. Dash most of the time with a little bit of salt. So I guess I have cut it back more than I thought.

I think I need to get a new blood pressure gadget because I always show low bp, but at the doctors office it is always high and yesterday it was even higher than usual. I don't know if my salt being off is the difference or what. Like I told him, I didn't take my bp pill yesterday before I went to the see him but it still shouldn't have been that high unless it was the fact that I had drank coffee yesterday morning instead of eating. They tell me it is white coat syndrome, but I told him I didn't understand that since I am not nervous about coming in to see him because I have no reason to be. That is so strange to me because it has always been low and they gave me bp meds to prevent that even when it was always low when I went in. I've had nurses tell me years ago how strange it was for me to over weight and have low bp. So I'm wondering what changed since I'm losing weight and have the diabetes in remission. I need to get a new one so I can be sure my home readings are accurate.

Weight is back down to 195.2 but I am making pizzas for lunch and unless I can figure out how to make it with even less sauce and cheese than usual, it will be back up tomorrow. I know what causes it, but don't seem to be able to balance it yet. I'm hoping the way I'm eating more veggies evens it out.

I'm way behind on everything today because I stayed up late and slept late. I had some unusually long updates on my pc last night and wasn't sure why so I stayed up to be sure it was legit and not someone messing with my pc. Since I went with Microsoft instead of Google it works a little different and I don't really like the way they work some of my other programs. And I just want to be sure no one is messing with my pc who isn't supposed to. :dizzy:

I hope everybody has a great Saturday.

Trizh, you have always told me your sodium was low and it was probably the diuretic lowering it. But other things can increase BP besides sodium. My sodium is normal and I don't use a lot of salt. I don't like salty foods like chips or pretzels but I take 4 BP pills a day and they can't get my BP down. When I was thin they told me my blood pressure was low but not dangerously low, but I would never have to worry about high blood pressure when I'm older. They were wrong. I have something called Isolated Systolic Hypertention where my top number is too high but the bottom number is low. If my top number comes down the bottom number will be too low.

DH finally told me that he wanted Mac and cheese for dinner so I made it. He got broccoli and I had mixed vegetables. I ate 1/2 cup of Mac and cheese. There is a lot left. I hate to throw it out but if I don't I will eat it.

Carol Sue that is interesting because my top bp number is always way higher than the bottom even when it is bp reading is low. The same when it is high. I just don't understand why it is high only at the doctor's office. Telling me that a lot of people do that isn't sufficient for to me.

I read about neuropathy and learned that it can be caused from your electrolytes being off and it mentioned salt. It also says eating processed food can cause it too. I know we eat more take out than we did in SC. Evidently I need to get back to eating less take out and processed foods and exercising regularly which I've not been doing formal exercise like I used to a lot of things would get better. So I will get back to eating like I did in SC. I've got the diabetes under control so now it is time work on the rest of my health.

I love mac and cheese but the points are so high in calories and pts. I don't make it because I'm don't trust myself to eat just one serving.

I am happy that my weight is only up .2. So I'm at 190.8 instead of 190.6. I expected a higher jump after that low from potty issues. After that happens I don't go to the bathroom for a day or two.

Trish, I asked DH what I should do with the leftover Mac and cheese and he said throw it out so I did. That was very hard but I knew it was the best thing. I had my serving and ate my veggies and I was not hungry. I wasn't hungry at all yesterday which I told you I rarely get but had some stomach rumbling during the night. I hope this becomes a lifestyle for me. I think DH is catching on. Last night he was eating home fried and asked if I wanted some. He said he will always offer. I don't like the way he makes them. I like my way. In the past I would have some even if I didn't like them. So I'm making positive changes. I'm praying that I don't lose this control and fall off the wagon. A binge is always looming in the background.

That's good that you won't eat the Mac and cheese because it doesn't fit into your points. There is some pasta that is low carb. It is made from vegetables. DH would not eat it. And you can use low fat cheese and milk. Also if you use extra sharp cheese you need less cheese. There are ways to make it more diet friendly. DH doesn't care, he likes the old fashion high carb recipe.

Trish, if you exercise regularly your BP will come down. It will go up while you are exercising but will be lower overall. My top number is rarely lower than 140 and my bottom number rarely higher than 60. Sometimes the top number goes to 160 or 180 but the bottom stays at 60 or below. I've read that the bottom number should not go below 55. Online it says this occurs in the elderly, which means me. There doesn't seem to be anything to do about it. If you lower the top number the bottom number goes down, too.

I know you make the frozen chipped beef but there is an easy recipe online using the Hormel beef in a jar. This woman says she soaks the beef in very hot water and rinses it twice to remove some of the sodium. DH would not eat that or I would make it. The sauce is the same recipe I use for Mac and cheese but I add cheese, naturally. It is just a white sauce.

Carol Sue I think we are changing our bodies response to our foods. My weight is only up .4 lbs after the pizza yesterday, Where my bounces used to be 2 lbs after the higher sodium meals, it doesn't seem to be that way any more.

I bought a large jar of PB2 a while back but didn't like it as well as the real pb which is much higher in pts. I think my crunchy pb is 6 pts for 2 T this is 1 pt for 2 T. So I think I'm going to mash up my banana and put the PB2 in it and use it on toast. When the weather cools down this fall, I can add it to my oatmeal. WW came out yesterday with a lot of recipes they sent us using powdered pb so I will try some of those.

I found that jar chipped beef one time and used it but it was so salty. Washing it is a good idea. I will have to see if I can find it again. I don't remember where it was in the store. But I am not good at making sauces and gravies but I need to learn how. I need to get my old Betty Crocker cookbook out. I still have DH mothers old cookbook and it has some great ideas to that I could update to healthy versions of recipes. Thanks for the info.

Weight is bouncing around in the 195 range and FBG is 111 today. I feel so good as long as I can keep it under 120 and would like to get it even lower. With an A1c of 5.1, I am thinking that I never see my low. So as long as I can keep it like that I will be happy. I

I am going to clean up my diet better starting today and work at using less processed foods. I think we have a habit of doing that as we get older because it is easier but obviously that is what makes elderly people fall into so much sickness from what I can see with my research. I have gotten lazy about a lot of my preparations of food so I will stop doing that. In fact, I had planned to cook a pork roast today but I may change that and eat our Sunday breakfast today and cook the roast in the crockpot tomorrow so it will be ready when we get home from Sam's instead of stopping for fast food. There are healthier changes that I could make.

I got up earlier this morning so my weight was more but if I can get back to getting up earlier like I used to that will still be better. That way I have more time to do things I used to do that I never seem to have time for when I get up so late. I also decided to start my day with a cup of green tea before I have coffee. I will have a cup of coffee after the tea. I like exercising on the bike before I eat and will try getting back to that too. I want to follow the plan I found on line that is supposed to help improve neuropathy and keep it from getting worse.

Carol Sue I'm glad your DH is learning to ask you if you want to eat something with him rather than expecting you to and just making it for you. I pray he will continue to get better with that. It kind of helps me that DH needs to make some of the changes I need to for his health too and having worked in the medical field he is better at some of it than I am. Like he could eat some chocolate but he only eats it in his diet ice cream. I make the WW brownie and offer it to him but he won't touch it. He won't eat any of the chocolate things I make and I finally decided he does that for the same reason I don't eat mac and cheese. Hopefully your DH will become more comfortable with y'all's eating differences.

Have a great day everybody.

Trish, my DH does not ask before he cooks. He ALWAYS makes too much. Then he asks if I want some. I used to eat all that was left. Now he's learning that I will throw food away. Before I never would. When I'm cooking he will look and tell me I'm not making enough. Recently he told me I was right and we both ate and it was enough.

Today we ate breakfast at 10:45. He made scrambled eggs, fried tomato slices and sauteed mushroom. I didn't feel hungry yet but after I ate I wanted more. If I was at a breakfast buffet I would go back for more. My satisfaction button is broken but I am learning even though I wanted more I was not hungry so I stopped. But I didn't want to. By entering my food in MFP I see how many calories I have left for the day. MFP has me set for 1200 calories but I try to stay at 1000. It is a guess though because I dont know if what I eat is the same as MFP. If I come out below 1000 I add something into snacks to bring it up because MFP does not allow it and it won't send it to my Fitbit if it's under 1000. I know I don't eat snacks so if I see something there in know I did not eat it. If I didn't know how many calories my breakfast is I would eat twice as much and use all my calories before dinner. I used to do that with points.

Yesterday I read something about how counting calories is useless. I will have to read it again to try to understand it. If I am counting calories and I'm losing weight why is it wrong? I am still learning how to stop when satisfied and calories helps me know when I had enough. It is a guide, not gospel. I think this is why if we stick to our calories or points our bodies don't always do what we expect them to do. I understand that 1000 calories of candy and fast food is not going to be healthy even though you could still lose weight. And some people do that. But that's not what we are doing. We are eating healthy food according to our calories or points. I think the end justifies the means

Trish, the sauce is EASY. You put 2 tbs of butter in a pan. You kept it over low heat and sprinkle 2 tbs of flour and stir until smooth and thickened. This is called a roux. It's the basis for a lot of sauces. To that you add 1 1/2 C milk (I use skim). Add it slowly stirring constantly and eventually it thickens a bit. Don't let it stick to the bottom of the pan. If the heat is too hot it gets lumpy. Season to taste, salt and pepper. For the beef you don't need salt because the beef is salty. Rinsing it in hot water reduces the salt. You can also do that with ham. I will send you the recipe so you can see if you want to try it. It is healthier than processed food, but I don't know how you would figure out the points. This is why points didn't work well for me because I don't use processed foods. I usually cook from scratch. I am NOT a good cook. There are some things i'm good at but many others I'M not. I make a good pot roast but not a pork roast. It was a long time before I understood how to make a roux but It is easy. The main thing is knowing how much butter and flour to use with how much milk depending on how much sauce you need. Most recipes tell you how much to use. Milk, butter and flour are cheap. If you mess it up you throw it out and start over. But it's hard to mess it up. My mother cooked everything from scratch and that's all I knew. It is only in the past few years that I started using spaghetti sauce from a jar or can. I use Hunts because it is only $1.

Carol Sue Thanks for the recipe. I see that I probably cooked with too high temperature. Also, I tried just mixing without measuring and it just didn't work. I will try that next time.

I know what people say about counting calories, pts etc but I always do better using them. I used to change things up according to things I read like that but I've finally learned to just do what works for me. Calorie counting worked for me for a really long time until I got to the place it was so easy to eat more and more calories. Now I am working at finding "healthy" ways to eat using the lower pts. I think the 0 pts veggies and fruit may be psychological effect but it makes things so much easier. I am so careful to eat the 0 pt foods I like and then use my pts for the ones I like to eat. I don't feel like I'm dieting. I also have a problem knowing how to count some things when I make them too. I usually try to track individual items and count it as close as possible. That is one reason that I like having left over pts in case I'm off too much. Any way this works for us and that is what we need to do. I also felt good about what I'm doing when my doctor told me that WW had always been a good way to diet and that I couldn't go wrong using it.

I doctored up my PB2 concoction but I still don't like it. Wish I knew somebody who would use it. I may see if my baby sister will eat it. She is coming for a visit this month and if she likes it I'll give it to her. I think some keto/low carbers use it. I added my homemade yogurt to it and cinnamon and it still has a bitter after taste that I don't like. I don't know how you make powdered pb any way. Oh well, wish I could like it.

Didn't do the bike today. I may wait till tomorrow unless I find time to do it later.

Confirmed loss in danger!
 

Carol: Glad you a finding a way to work around your husband!
Trish: Congrats on the fantastic a1c!
Mad: I hope you are having a relaxing and refreshing time at the cottage!

Had low carb meal last night and added an extra exercise session yesterday and was rewarded with a gain. The scale says I am up 4 pounds since the beginning of the month. ~Sigh~ This week I was really careful about being accurate with my portions and even drank more water. I also changed the number of calories I burn with exercise. My values were too high and had to be lowered. According to the keto test strips, I was burning fat every day. It is hard to see such and awful result after working even harder. I'll need to make more adjustments but am not sure what they are. However, I am already challenged by what I am doing and feel like if I try to change any more it will be a bigger failure. My appetite is already giving me issues today.

My BP was looking better to day. My FBS was barely in the pre-diabetic range. On a bright note, I no longer see a giant jump with the dawn phenomena. This morning there was no change. Plus last night an hour after my low carb meal my BS was only 134.

Yesterday, we went to the rec center for the first time since March. It was an interesting experience. We have to reserve a window of time and specify the type of appointment (pool or cardio/weights). The windows are set up in 2-3 hour increments and you can show up any time in your window. They close the center and clean between the appointment windows. They also spread out the exercise equipment so it is six feet apart. At this time, we have to wear masks while exercising. I'll probably go back but I don't think my husband would.

Summer thread results summary: https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon7.gif https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon8.gif https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon7.gif https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon8.gif | https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon4.gif https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon4.gif --- https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon4.gif | https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon11.gif https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/images/icon/icon4.gif

Pipsicle I know how frustrating it can be when you are working so hard at doing everything right and the results are the exact opposite results of what you expect. I had that result myself so many times before I found what works for me. I have even had things work for me to change later down the road. So believe me it is frustrating. However, it is good that you keep trying.

I know Carol Sue said she read that when we start dieting that our bodies sometimes will start holding on to the what we eat rather than let us lose. Ii that is true, I think that is why people end up losing a little and then get stuck with a stall. I have also heard that determines on how long you have been at that weight. Of course, I think I remember you have some health issues that may be what makes it more difficult for you. I hope you will be able to find you answers and things start working because you ae working really hard. Hopefully your body will get the message and start working with you.

I think I should not have had breakfast other than the fruit because I actually got hungry a little bit ago. So I had a peach. I didn't have eggs this morning because I'm having them for lunch.

Praying for you Pipsicle that things will start working for you.

Fatmad I forgot you were at the cabin. I hope you are enjoying it and things are going good for you.

Pipsicle, I too am sorry you are struggling. A bounce up comes from so many things. I am proud of how you are sticking with this in spite of the difficulty. It could be your medical problems or hormones. Keep working on being healthy.

I would not take into account the calories burned from exercise. Really, they are minimal. Exercise is good for strengthening muscles but fat is controlled by our diet. As Trish was saying, I recently read that our bodies will fight to hold onto every pound. It's similar to the old setpoint theory. If we lose a couple pounds our bodies reward us by trying to get back to the previous weight. We really have to fight for every pound. Make sure every bite you take is nutrients that your body needs. It is hard, discouraging, and it's not going to get easy. Just don't stop trying!!

I am shocked to be down .4 to 190.2. So close. If I can just hold on a day or 2 I may see 189 this week. I can't figure out how I'm doing this. Yesterday I ate breakfast then nothing all day. We were out so I wasn't drinking my water. I got so hungry. I rarely can say that I'm hungry. I had to eat! I got a big chicken sandwich on a big bun, and ate some of DHs French fries. When we got home I ate some vegetables. I did not expect a loss. I wonder if the MCT capsules are helping? I took 4 yesterday. I will reevaluate after this bottle is gone and maybe get the 3000mg so I only have to take 2 per day. I still don't understand when I am supposed to take them in relation to when I eat. Yesterday I took 2 after breakfast and 2 at bedtime. I know it would just take 1 normal meal to blow this and I pray that I can stick with it. Yesterday DH asked if I wanted to stop at DQ and I yelled NO. He started laughing. I think he's learning.

My step daughter's BIL got tested for Covid because he was exposed to someone who tested positive. My SIL was around him so they are all quarantined until the BILs test results come back. They have not been here for a while. Step daughter dropped off a zucchini last week but did not come in the house. I hope no one gets it.

When I made the Mac and cheese I had some cooked macaroni leftover so I made some macaroni salad with tuna. I'm the only one who likes that. I am trying so hard to eat a couple forkfuls each day to just taste it without pigging out on it. So far so good. The old me would just sit down and eat the whole bowl then be sorry afterwards. I think my stomach is getting used to being empty.

I only got up for the bathroom once because I didn't drink a lot of water. When I got up this morning I was shocked that I walked without any pain in my legs. It's almost 11:00 and still no pain. I wonder if it's the MCT oil capsules? I took 2 at bedtime. I just read that they help with inflammation and pain is usually caused by inflammation. They also lower LDL and triglycerides and raise HDL. This is after 8 weeks. So I will continue taking them as long as they don't cause a problem at least until I get my bloodwork and see if there is a difference. That would be an amazing benefit!

Carol Sue I too was shocked to see a .8 drop this morning back to 194.8. I expected an up and hoping to weigh the same. FBG back to 105. So we must be doing something right or our bodies are catching up to the program.

I'm late on everything and DH just got up so he will be ready to go to Sam's in a few minutes so I'll have to come back and finish my post later.

Carol Sue When I looked up that info on neuropathy, it said take Cod Liver Oil. That was when I remembered that in SC DH and I took a TBS of some kind of oil not sure it was cod liver everyday. Another one of those things I stopped us taking but it was a hassle. When MCT caused me so much stomach problems I was going to bariatrics and I was eating a lot of fat. Now that I don't eat fat, maybe I should try taking the MCT oil again. I still have a bottle I haven't finished. Perhaps I will try that again.

I bought some walnuts at Sam's instead of the pecans I usually get. They are supposed to have more omega-3 than the pecans. I used to eat them but got tired of them. I hope I can enjoy eating them. When I make my WW 1 minute cup brownie, I was adding pecans so I will use the walnuts instead.

I didn't cook the pork roast today. DH mentioned getting Long John Silver's fish so we got that. We won't have any take out the rest of the week so we should be okay. I will cook the roast tomorrow and cook it the way we like it
Dutch oven style on stovetop.

Trish, I don't know if the MCT is what caused my potty issues. I am going to take it again tonight and see if I have pain tomorrow. I was supposed to get a nerve test done to see if I had neuropathy but when I took the gout med and my foot pain went away so I didn't go for the test. I don't think my leg pain is neuropathy. It feels like pain from too much exercise but that's not what it is.

I think I have 1 more bag of walnuts in the freezer but I don't eat them anymore since I don't snack. I will save that bag for Christmas baking. I buy Almonds. I eat a few but DH grinds them up and eats them with a spoon.

DH and I miss LJS. Ours closed and the nearest ones are farther than we like to go. I had a chicken sandwich and coleslaw for dinner then when I came home I ate veggies. I felt like I got too full but I am hungry now so I guess I didn't eat too much. I won't eat now. We wanted gyros today but the truck is only there Tuesday thru Friday so maybe tomorrow. DH is eating less, no lunch for a couple days, so maybe he's trying to lose. He never mentions it but I just noticed that he's eating less. He had fruit salad for dinner.

I am down .2 to 190.0. .2 more and I will be in the 180s. I took the MCT last night and my legs are ok. Just a tiny bit of pain but not like normal. I will continue to see how it goes. You know I don't like to take supplements with all the meds I take. If it is what is taking my leg pain away I will continue. I have a good many left. They are supposed to help you get in ketosis but what I'm taking is a very small dose. And I'm still eating carbs. I don't feel like I'm in ketosis. I have keto stix that aren't registering, but they are old and expired so I don't know if they are any good. It doesn't matter. As long as I'm losing I dont care.



It's 10 am and DH did not cook breakfast yet. If he doesn't, I will skip it or at least delay it until lunch time. I am a little bit hungry but feel OK. Hunger is not an emergency. I want that drop into the 180s more than I want to eat.

Ok, so he cooked and we ate at 10:45. It was delicious, that's the way it is when I eat when I'm hungry. But my binge reflex is still there. I want to go in and cook 3 more eggs, that's how good they tasted! So I have not changed my satiety response. But I will have another cup of delicious hot black coffee and then wait for dinner. I could continue to fast longer, but once I eat my appetite wakes up and I want to eat and eat and eat. I wonder if that will ever change. We decided to have the gyros we could not get yesterday. I hope they are open. It's a food truck so there's no telling.

I ordered a new recumbent bike with arm exercise handles. I can't wait to get it. DH wants his brother to take my old one. He insists he CAN'T exercise but he can sit on that and push the pedals. If he won't do that then he just doesn't want to. It is useable. I hope to give it to someone who will use it.

Carol Sue That is great that the MCT oil is helping you. I haven't decided to try it myself because I am not doing low carb. WW is more low fat. I really think that is what bariatrics was and why they okayed me eating more keto is beyond me. I am thinking if I was doing low fat with it that it may have worked. So not ready to try it. I do take fish oil and hope that along with my diet will help.

My weight is up today to 196 which I'm not surprised because even DH said to me yesterday "You aren't going to like this because it is really salty" about the LJS fish. However, my FBG was 102 and my bp was 105/59 so it was just too much processed food. It will probably be like this off and on until we use all the processed foods. I try to only use them once or twice a week. At least I am still in Onderland.

Roast is cooking on the stovetop and we will have mostly veggies along with it. It will be a very healthy eating today.

Hope everybody has a nice day.

Switched back to Blue Plan. I can't eat all the pts on green and since I will be getting some of my favorites as 0 pts plus the pts are lower on the ones I do like I probably won't be able to use all the 23 daily pts on it. I know I couldn't use them when I was on blue before. However, all my fish will be 0 pts. Plus my can beans I like are 0 as well.

I read a couple of interesting tips on WW newsletter I got today. 0 pts fruits and veggies are only 0 if you are eating them. When you put them in a shake/smoothie then you must count the points. So I will no longer have fruit in my Premier shakes. Also printed out a very interesting idea on how to use some of my veggies as salads and not have to use lettuce. Funny to me I always saw those packages in the store with them already cut up like Brussel sprouts etc and thought of them as slaw but that would really be a nice break from a regular salad and I could even have them for a evening meal and they will be 0 pts except for whatever I use for a dressing. So I've got some new ideas on this plan.