Hope everyone had a great weekend! I had a very lazy, nothing planned, relaxing one. Great to have one of those sometimes. Bad thing about doing nothing is trying to stay out of the kitchen and not munch on anything that you shouldn't have. Happy to say that I survived the test.

It dawned on me the other night, that I am cold most of the time now. Before, I was always warm. Now I'm bundled up with sweatshirts, jogging pants, and warm socks. This morning I wanted to turn the heat on even though it was 72 degrees in the house. I attended some classes the other day and they had the windows open and people were wearing shorts and asked to have the air turned on. I had a jacket on and was still cold. Maybe the fat I've lost so far was insulation :) I'm happy to be cold now.

Here's to a fantastic week for everyone!

I've also found that I'm colder now than I was before. It's been a blustery fall day here - rainy and windy - but not really cold. My desk is near our woodstove and I put a log in as soon as I got home this afternoon!

Hi, Coastalcrafter! Yes, you were definitely missed!

I like to add fresh veges to the omelette packet and the soups. What I don't add in to recipes, I add to the salads. Sometimes I cook a vege to eat as a side to my fresh fish or meat. I measure my cup or whatever I want to eat and then I save the rest of the cooked veges for my salad the next day. I have so many choices of veges for the omelette, soups or salads, that I find myself adding a great variety to them. Veges can also be added into lettuce wraps with ground turkey or on top of lean beef in a lettuce wrap. The more you try the more you will learn what you like and how you like them cooked and combined. With a variety you won't get bored easily. I also like to munch on pickles (no sugar variety - I like Claussen Brand) or celery or cukes as between meal snacks. You can count them as your two cups too.

I might have this backwards then as I'm pulling it from my overworked brain ;)

I'll find the article and get it posted tonight or tomorrow.

You were missed. If you snoop around the daily threads from the last few weeks you'll see that people were wishing you well, and sending thoughts and prayers. :hug: Great to see you back!

About your bloodwork and your doctor's reaction:
I always remember which is good by thinking of HDL as "happy" and LDL as "lousy". Going off grains and following a low-carb diet will increase your HDL (the "good" cholesterol) higher, and decrease your LDL. In the first few months though your HDL drops and then slowly increases (1-2 years) well beyond original levels. So having been on IP, you've definitely laid the foundation for the changes your doctor is recommending for you. A Wisconsin cardiologist writes a blog about non-pharma treatments to address cardiac risk factors, including blood cholesterol levels. Here's a link to his post on Low Carb and blood levels (sugar, cholesterol)

White fish aren't known for their Omega 3 (n-3) content -- oiler fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and anchovy are the n-3 content kings! Omega 3 fish oil and Vitamin D3 are known for increasing HDL very reliably and quickly, especially D3. So things should be better in 12 weeks! Another Heart Scan Blog post on Vitamin D3 and HDL

My screen name? Well, this probably only makes sense in my head but I'll try to explain....This is a shortened screen name of one I had since the 90s (EatAntsNotTurtles). I love turtles...and always gave friends a hard time for eating turtle soup. I later went on a trip to Taiwan and ate fried ants and crickets at some Aborigine restaurant. When I returned with my story of my dinner I changed my razzes to eat ants, not the cute little turtles...and there you have it. Goofy, disconnected, but a topic of conversation for many years now.

PS. Taiwan, Thailand, China, etc. are all great for weight loss...as is a diet containing ants ;)

Thanks for your encouraging words. Believe me, I was back to "the basics" today and will continue to do so :-)

Better than french fries, really!
 

hi,
I just had to post my new discovery: roasted celery root (celeriac). Peel (need a knife, not a peeler) and cut into 1 inch cubes. Toss in EVOO and roast, after done, add big chunky sea salt. Nummy!

I put them at 350 for about 30 minutes, I think it would be better to do about 20 and then may 2-3 under the broiler so they brown up. I cannot tell you how good these are: they have the faint sweet taste of a potato and then the salty (and crunchy if you buy some chunky salt). AMAZING and its an unrestricted veggie! I may never eat another potato as long as I live! (and from an Irish girl, that's saying something!)

The weekend is just about over and I have my WI tomorrow. I'm so excited and nervous to go. I made a dinner for my family with Potatoes, cheese, Ritz and all the REALLY fattening stuff in it, and it smelled so good, but guess what??? I didn't eat one bite!! That means 1 full week down for me without ANY cheats what so ever. I have NEVER EVER done that on any diet before.

I have to ask Rocky Monarch about the Roasted celery root. Is that just buying regular Celery from the grocery store? Or is it something different. I need to do something besides asparagus, mushrooms and brocolli. Besides, I have to make more vegis just so my 4 year old doesn't take from my needed 4 cups!

Has anyone else experienced insomnia? Before this program I had no energy at all and would nap every afternoon after work. Now I have lots of energy, never need a nap, but I am also unable to fall asleep. I lay awake for hours before finally dozing off. The up side is at least I have plenty of time to read this forum!

Am pretty sure they are unrestricted if I remember correctly.

My Wildberry Yogurt came in a restricted box.

Thanks! Interesting.

cmsgrrl: There is an entire thread on traveling while on IP, you should check it out. I've done lots of road trips, here's what I do:

*Get a smallish cooler, and then think about all the food you'd normally eat that day and just pack it up. On a normal day where I'll be gone alld ay, I'll pack 4 cups of veggies, two salads, eggs, (or other source of protein), chicken, etc. I add water bottles, RTD shakes, ice, and put it in the back of the car.
*I make sure to leave nothing to chance -- you MAY find food you can eat, you may not, which is why you just need to make sure your food needs are met, even if you don't.
*I've often packed a separate thing with my shaker, packets etc, but sometimes not.
Whatever you'd normally eat, add an extra protein shake. It may come in handy if something happens and you come home later than expected. (Learned that one the hard way).

Good luck, and have fun!

Oh, I feel you. I'm cold constantly. I'd be interested to hear from the phase 4 folks if it goes away. I'm in phase 3, and still cold.

Celerac is great -- you can find it at many stores (not all), it's a round ball -- ask your produce person to help you identify it. It also makes a GREAT mashed potato-like dish!

I have the opposite. I suffered from extreme insomnia, and always was real sluggish in the afternoons, and now, I go all day and sleep awesome at night.....except for the bathroom trips. :dizzy: