[Meemo]

Originally Posted by me first this time

Are any of you guys experiencing very dry skin?I have increased my flax to 9 a day but my skin(especially hands) are awful-sandpaper!Yuk!One of the counselors mentioned the MSM so I got some at Wal-Mart tonight. What exactly is that for? Thanks to all for listening to me rant. Take care and have a great weekend.

I doubt that MSM will help with dry skin (it's good for joints).
I highly recommend Fruit of the Earth Vitamin E cream - it's fabulous stuff, and not expensive. You can get a two-jar pack at K-Mart for $5-6 (I think). I think I've also seen it at WalMart & Target. Best stuff I've ever used, everyone I ever recommended it to loved it as well (I even gave it as stocking stuffers one Christmas - that's how much I love it!).

[Meemo]

Originally Posted by graduatethin

Tonight we have a staff party with a big pot luck. I am trying to figure out what to bring......any suggestions? I thought I might just do a big green salad and bring some of that grilled chicken that is already cooked. That way I could still eat. Let me know if you have any better ideas.

Sounds like a great idea - I've taken the salad below to pot-lucks for years. (This is the basic recipe - I like to add strawberries or dried cranberries too, for taste AND for color - and a package of the pre-cooked grilled chicken). It's a wonderful make-ahead salad, & here's the beauty of it for MRC. I put the greens, celery & green onions in my salad bowl (the romaine & radicchio mix is nice this time of year), take the almonds in a baggie, the strawberries or cranberries in another baggie, and the oranges in the can. It's much better if it's "tossed" just before serving (although leftovers ARE tasty).
When I get to the party, I mix it all up. And you can pull out your serving before you add the almonds & fruit. Yay! (If it's a luncheon, even better - you can eat the fruit too!)

MANDARIN SALAD

1/4 c. sliced almonds
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. sugar
1/4 head lettuce
1/4 head Romaine lettuce
1 c. chopped celery
2 green onions with tops, chopped
11 oz. drained mandarin oranges
Sweet-Sour Dressing

Cook almonds and sugar over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar is melted and almonds are coated. Cool and break apart, store at room temperature. Place all lettuce, celery, and onions in salad bowl. Pour Sweet Sour Dressing into bowl, add oranges. Toss until salad greens and orange segments are well coated. Add almonds and shake.

Do Ahead Tip: Before dressing is added, bag of salad greens can be closed tightly and refrigerated up to 24 hours.

Sweet-Sour Dressing for Mandarin Salad.
1/4 c. vegetable or olive oil
2 tbsp. sugar (or splenda)
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. snipped parsley
1/2 tsp. salt (opt.)
Dash pepper & red pepper

[Hvnlymzic]

Lil's Mom - welcome welcome! This is a great group for support and encouragement along the bumpy life path we've chosen Make youself at home because we're all one big family here!

texdoc - Stress can defintely affect your weight loss.

Cortisol is a corticosteroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex (in the adrenal gland). It is a vital hormone that is often referred to as the "stress hormone" as it is involved in the response to stress. It increases blood pressure, blood sugar levels and has an immunosuppressive action.

We love you too! And we're here to encourage you all we can. Not having been in that situation, I sure won't claim to know how you are getting through everything, but I will say that you're my "shero" of the day. You show amazing strength here. You come and share your experience and then in the next breath offer advice to another. That's ... amazing. Congrats for connecting the pieces there between emotions and eating. Thats a big one to try to conquer and being aware of the connection is the first step (at least I think so). We're here for you.
mefirst - Too bad ShineOn is on her cruise...she's a fount of knowledge about MSM. From what I know...and I'm no expert...MSM is really good for joint health, but it also can have benefits for the skin. Initially I took it with the dream that it might help my skin not sag as I lose...is it working? I don't know... I also recommend Nivia's Q10 Lotion. I put it on after my showers in the morning and have been loving the results of that. Also...a secret I gave my sister for softer hands...i use an apricot scrub cleanser on my face in the shower every morning and before I put it on my face, I rub it between my hands. She noticed how soft my hands were and I told her about that and she's started doing it as well. As the air dries out for the winter, moisurizing if VERY important. The combination of the scrub, the MSM, all the water and the weight loss has really helped my skin health. I have a co-worker that comments on my skin all the time. At first I thought she meant that it looked clean (no blemishes) and then she explained it was a radiance, some shining light. It was a really great compliment.

Oh...by the way everyone...the manager of my center asked for direction to the forum here so we can expect to see several newbies from that, I'm sure. She may even pop in herself Just FYI.

[Goal4Life]

ok, cravings and all..I lost at my morning wi today! Woohoo, 2 pds!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend, we are about to begin decorating the house. So, I just wanted to pop in and say hi.

[graduatethin]

Meemo: Thanks! I think I will do that, that sounds really good! And adding all the "bad" stuff at the end will be a great way to take care of myself, too.

Goal4Life: Yeah for you--2 lbs. -- That is great!

We got the Christmas stuff out today, I am 3/4 done and I am tired. The family helps at the beginning, but leaves all the final things for me, their interest only lasts so long.

[Hvnlymzic]

I forgot to say...i did my first workout on my shiny brand new Gazelle this morning. Hubby and I picked it up last night and put it together. He couldn't ever remember the word Gazelle, called it a Gazebo or Gazoo, so now we are the proud owners of Gazoo, the Gazelle. Gazoo and I are going to have a wonderful relationship, I can tell. I actually enjoyed the workout (which means I probably didn't go hard enough, but I'll get there) The computer on it (which i don't know if I fully trust) told me I went a mile and I know I was on for 32min...So who knows. The only thing I worry about is my foot slipping off the side of the footpad. I don't think it'll happen, but for now, that freaks me out a bit. Thanks for the encouragement to get up and move.

[Lilyannas Mom]

Good afternoon all!

I woke up at 3:00 am with a killer cold. Had to run to the store and get some cough suppresant. This stinks!!! But I am still doing what I need to do, minus the exercise, for today and perhaps tomorrow. We will see how I feel.

I was wondering if any of you have tried that Apple and Celery salad in the MRC cookbook? I found it three days ago and have had it everyday for lunch since then. It is so darned tasty and an easy way to get your fruit and vege in!!!

I hope that you all have a fabulous weekend. I am going to go curl back up on the couch and watch Gilmore Girls.

PS. Do you think that Homemade Chicken soup would be okay if it was all breast meat and celery in the broth?

[chopingirl]

Just a quick story - I have been getting foot cramps pretty regularly during the night (although I faithfully have my shot of minerals each day) and got one this morning about 4:30 a.m. I stood up out of bed to ease it and woke up my sleeping dog. I heard him go out into our living room and scratch at our back door, so I got back up out of bed to let him out. I was standing there in the dark in my 'altogether' (you get the drift) and was cold, so I crossed my arms in front of my stomach to try to keep warm until he came back in. I felt a mass on my right side. Cancer is rampant in my family, so although I had a huge initial concern, I calmed down, feeling around to figure out how big it was. I have cancer insurance, so I stood there telling myself it was SUCH a good thing that I have lost this weight, because the mass was huge and had obviously been there a long time, and the fat must have been covering it all along. I was concerned, but calm......then the realization.....IT WAS THE LOWER PART OF MY RIBCAGE! It had been a LOOOONNNGGGGG time since I had felt it!!! What a dork!

[Hvnlymzic]

chopin - Ahh...feeling bones! Boy have I been feeling those recently. I can feel my collar bones, my ribs, my hips and the bottom of my hip bones when i sit...if you know what I mean. Thats one reason I wanted to start working out. I need to build up those glutes so that I'm not always squirming around in chairs.

[Lilyannas Mom]

chopin that is awesome! Good for you!! Bones.... man I don't think that I have ever felt those. I can't wait!!!

[me first this time]

Meemo-Thanks for the dry skin suggestion. I'll look for the cream next time I'm in town.

Hvnlymzic-Thanks to you also on skin issue and I'm hoping for good results with MSM. Good luck with your "Gazoo" - I got a Big Red last year thats collecting dust in my room. I'm going to pull it out and start twisting. It's a nice workout and I've got to start me some excercise soon!

I have also been having leg cramps in the middle of the night - last night was a doozy! Usually I can rub my calve when I feel a charlie horse coming on and work out the spasm but last night that didn't work. I'm sure DH didn't like getting woke up because of me hollering OH! OH! OW! OW! @#%@#!#!#. I try to remember my minerals but there are days I've forgotten them. Guess I need to try remembering better. I probably need to get some potassium pills. Any other suggestions?

Thanks again!

[daisy07]

Hi I'm a lurker delurking.LOL I did MRC almost 3yrs ago and am wanting to start again this week. I live far from a center so I'm planning on doing it on my own at home. I still have all my papers from when I joined years ago. I was just wondering if there is a place to buy the protein drinks ect. It doesn't have to be their brand just something similiar. I would also be interested in someone letting me in on the nutrition on the box of the protein drinks and the Creamies (if they still call them that). I really want to avoid having to join again to buy these things. I live almost 30 miles away and hardly ever go into that part of town. Would love any suggestions! Thanks

Oh..and all of you are doing wonderful!! I'm amazed.

[nomoredonuts4me]

A big hello everyone

Hvnly ~ YAHOO on your new GAZOO!!!! It almost brought tears to my eyes when I read your post about your first workout on your new Gazelle. I am soooo proud of you! Isn't it a fun way to exercise? Here's to all my Gazelle workout buddies out there

Speaking Gazelles, someone here posted about resistance. I believe the only model that has extra resistance is the Power Plus model. That's the one I have. The Power Plus has 3 levels of resistance including zero resistance. I decided to buy the Power Plus because I was using an elliptical at the gym at a resistance level of 12 out of 20. Level 1 resistance on the Power Plus feels similar to level 12 resistance on the elliptical. I can't imagine what Level 2 and 3 will be like.

The nice thing about most of the other models of Gazelles is that they can be folded and rolled away for storage. The Power Plus model can only be rolled away. It weighs 88 lbs, but is easy to rolls away. Holy cow! I just realized I've lost more than a Gazelle of weight! It just hit me like ShineOn's suitcase story.

BTW Hvnly, I wouldn't recommend playing a KAZOO on your new GAZOO

daisy07

[nomoredonuts4me]

I decided to repost info on Triphala and Guggul since there seems to be new interest in them recently. I take both. The Triphala (AKA Internal Cleanser) I especially like because of it's liver purification and keeping me super regular with all the cheese I eat. I like Guggul for the bad cholesterol control and it's ability to decrease salty and carbohydrate food cravings. I was (emphasis on was) a huge carboholic.

The following is from a handout provided by my center.

The Wonders of Triphala

Triphala is more than simply another lower bowel tonic-laxative, it is a uniquely balanced herb-food preparation that has literally centuries of traditional usage within the Ayurvedic, East Indian Tradition. What is unique about Triphala is its versatility and its effectiveness.

* A bowel regulator for diarrhea and constipation
* Purifies the blood and liver
* Restores digestion and metabolism
* Safely reduces excess weight when taken over a prolonged period

When used regularly, Triphala is not only for bowel regulation but also for internal purification to maintain strength and health. With regular use of Triphala, many beneficial effects arise such as:

* Appitite and digestion are normalized
* Anemia is corrected
* Unwanted fat removed
* Feelings of heat or burning of the legs, feet, palms or soles, usually attributed to a lack of B vitamins, is corrected
* Feeling of inner calm with effective sleep is assured

Most important, Triphala is metabolically balanced and the unique herb combination does not produce a laxative dependency or "bowel lag" after it has been stopped, nor will there be any depletion of the body's vital reserves.

If you do choose to use Triphala, I recommend starting with 2 tablet at bedtime. If that doesn't keep you regular, increase to the max of 4 tablets at bedtime. I've been using Triphala from the beginning. Let's just say I feel clean from the inside out

Guggul Raj

For anyone interested,
here is some info on Guggul Raj that my center provided in a handout.

Guggul is the resinous extract from the Commiphora Mukul tree of India. Guggul is rich in essential oils, a gum resin, and volatile oils. Guggul Raj is a combination of Guggul extract and Triphala. The legendary combination has a spectrum of benefits such as:

* Lowers cholesterol
* Reduces fat
* Weight loss
* Anti-inflammatory for arthritis
* Enhances thyroid function
* A stimulant expectorant
* Promotes blood circulation
* Enhances liver metabolism
* Decreases the amount of cholesterol that is reabsorbed through the intestines
* Helps regulate blood sugar
* Lowers triglyceride levels

The Guggul extract combined with the Triphala provides a more complete spectrum of activity for those needing cholesterol lowering help.

As stated by others, Guggul also helps reduce carb and salt cravings.

OK, class is over

[jantdieting]

I haven't posted since Thursday night....and I will be late for church this morning because I read through several pages!!! Anyway, I am blown away at some of the losses and all the new people joining our group, too! The inspiration & encouragement this weekend was too good not to read every post!!!

WI on Friday and I lost 1.5lbs!!! Hopefully I'm back to in the 3lbs a week club!!! The ticker thingy gets the best of me so....I've lost at total of 38.5lbs!

Read alots about the water intake.....if I don't get my 100oz a day, I get dry mouth and crave water! I can chug-a-lug a whole bottle now...this is coming from someone that did good to get in 3 cups a day before MRC. So keep at it!

Someone else asked about Triphala ...at first I was taking 2 @ 10AM and 2 @ 2PM and I couldn't tell any difference so my center changed me to 4 at bedtime. And I'm proud to say.....it works...first thing every morning! You know, southern girls don't talk about that!!!

Someone asked "Why did my co-worker quit MRC?" She suffers from panic attacks and thinks the vitamin supplements were doing strange things to her body...plus, her dr (who knows NOTHING about MRC) is totally against anything natural and advised her to double her meds and give up the natural stuff. She was doing so good on the diet, I am trying to get her to go to the center and talk to the manager.....maybe she did this weekend.

The Gazelle....well, I'm still working on that regularity!!! So far twice this week!

ShineOn ~ I WISH I WAS ON THAT BOAT WITH YOU!!! 19 more days before I leave!

Did I say....I LOVE HEARING THE AAAAAAAAAAAH MOMENTS!!!!?!?!?

Keep up the good work!