PrairieQueen, lol! That's how I am. There are a few things I'd like to try but I have to muster up the courage first! :eek:

Carol Sue, yes I remember friendship cakes! Lol, your DH is too funny! What had your step-daughter added to it so far that he objected to? :lol:

Mars, thanks! :D Congrats on another drop! :carrot: I think you might be on to something there with your law of physics-weight control theory. :yes:

SeeMyFeet, wouldn't it be great if people were as loving and loyal and happy as dogs? :yes:

I am up a half lb today. I definitely did not drink enough water yesterday (just sips) and I had baked beans last night so I'm sure the sugar in the sauce got me! :shrug:

Week 23: High 179.5, Low (175)
10/4--179.5
10/5--(177)
10/6--(176.5)
10/7--(175.5)
10/8--(177)
10/9--(176)
10/10--(175) Carb Day

Week 24: High 177, Low 175
10/11--(177)
10/12--(176)
10/13--(175.5)
10/14--(175)
10/15--(174.5)
10/16--176
10/17--175 Carb Day

Week 25: (High 178, Low 175.5)
10/18--177.5
10/19--176.5
10/20--176.5
10/21--175.5
10/22--DNW
10/23--177 Carb Day
10/24--178

Week 26:
10/25--176
10/26--175
10/27--175.5
10/28--
10/29--
10/30--
10/31--

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:
2 fried eggs
3 slices of bacon
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio Water

Lunch:
Got busy and forgot

Tea Time:
None

Dinner (VERY LATE)
Ham, cheese and pickle roll-up
Pork rinds
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Today's Exercise:
Weslo Cardioglide

I haven't been checking my BP because I don't want to see the number. Today it was 164/76. My diastolic is usually good but not my systolic. They always tell me, the bottom number is good but not the top number. Trouble is, they can't give me anything that will only bring down the systolic number. From what I've read online, I have isolated systolic hypertension, when the top number is high and the bottom number is low. It happens often in older people. My cardiologist has never mentioned it, but I am concerned that if he gives me stronger meds the diastolic number will go too low. I think it said it is better to have the top number a little high than to have the bottom number too low, but 164 is probably higher than they meant. I didn't get on the scale because if I'm back over 200 I don't want to know. I will weigh the next time I feel that I've lost something.

I think I found my answer to my dilemma of not really being satisfied eating salads. When I worked, I used to take "salad in a pita" for lunch. I would cut a pita in half and stuff the salad into it. It was a salad, but felt like I was eating a sandwich. I quit buying pitas because of the carbs, but now I found some low carb pitas. I had "salad in a pita" today for lunch. Very satisfying. It was full of hearts of romaine and slices of onion, along with a bit of chicken salad.

I am also trying to increase my water consumption. I get away from water in the colder weather. When I went to cardiac rehab they had us drink water if our blood pressure dipped too low, but I think I need the water. I don't drink enough. Right now I'm drinking a bottle of water but had to go put my hoodie on because I'm freezing. My ears are cold too, so might need some earmuffs.

Yes, SeeMyFeet, big yowza with the perforated bowel. It was horrible. I don't wish that on anyone. I would rather have another heart surgery.

Jacqui, I don't think it was what my step-daughter was putting in the Friendship cake, it was the fact that it was sitting out on the counter for days, bubbling away! LOL

Mars, I will have to go back and re-read what you wrote about BP. Some of it I didn't understand. I have an e-book about the Dash Diet but haven't done more than glance at it. I never thought about foods that lower BP other than what I'd read about dairy. It might be the potassium in the bananas that helps.

PrairieQueen, I wonder what the person thought who got your sausage burrito in their bag? Today, DH brought a McDonald's coupon to me and said "Maybe we should have this today." The coupon expired on 12/31/13. I have no idea where he dug that up! LOL

Today's menu......

Break - sausage burrito w/hot sauce and ice tea w/stevia
Lunch - Amy's organic bean/cheese burrito
Dinner - 6 grilled wings, 2 light beers

Carol That salad in a pita sounds so good! What's the brand of low carb pita, please? I like the grab n go aspect of it. I think the reason I like to eat a salad is that it takes a long time to eat--the illusion of a gigantic meal, lol.

Oops my bad re that medicalese paragraph. There was probably a more readable summary I read before pasting this one. Anyway, the gist is that current thinking is not to be too aggressive with BP goals. But then it said the studies show 150 or below seems to have best results for diabetics. But that they were still sticking to 140 as the ideal even though the evidence did not support that it was better.

What I had in mind was to give you ammo for discussion in case your cardio wants to be more aggressive with meds. You are already so well-informed about it & your concern sounds entirely reasonable~will be interesting to hear what your doc says about the issue with too low diastolic. Is he easy to talk to?

My brother has hypertension, hard to control. He sent me NYTimes article that discussed the pros & cons of lowering BP to the 'ideal'. People were getting dizzy & falling, getting serious injuries. I guess as we age our arteries aren't as stretchy so to get enough circulation to feed our brain, it takes a blood higher pressure. So there is a trend to relax the standard and also to take into account how the meds are affecting an individual. I bet you already know this!

(In case it isn't clear, the numbers after each lifestyle change are how much, on average, the systolic BP is lowered. I think you're right about the potassium. I never could manage to eat bananas without becoming starving afterwards).

Jacqui Baked beans sound soooo good! Doesn't sound like a gain at all.

:wave: SeeMyFeet, PrairieQueen & everyone else :coffee:

I did ok yesterday--nothing like trying on clothes to get a reality check, lol. In the summertime, I was doing some exercise and at this weight, they actually fit just fine. So I'm hoping my shape will do a little re-arranging soon, but I'm not gonna stress about it. There's plenty of time to do that next month! :D

Yesterday
B mushroom, sauerkraut omelet, whey shake & coffee
L salad, chicken, evoo & WaldenFarms 0 cal 1000 Island dsg (so much better than the WF low fat soybean oil dressing that I accidentally ordered--5 bottles left
D a lot of turkey chili, butternut squash, potatoes, cauliflower
S whey shake, pear, chicken, broccoli
2 L vanilla spice tea, no exercise
WI 165.8 2 lbs to go to get back to lowest weight from summer

Healthy fats, low sugar, watching cholesterol, and exorcise are all good things to do for weight loss and artery health--hopefully all these things will help you avoid more BP medicine, Carol. Ya know the high protein, high fat craze, is worrisome to me--prolly 'cause I remember all too well the bacon grease jar in the homes of the previous generation who lived in stroke alley--that thang sat on the stove for weeks (Ugh! Rancid, anyone?). Thankfully, folks seem more mindful of food quality and storage these days...and know what "healthy fats" mean.

For me, just a wee tiny little bit of fine-crumbled feta cheese on a salad is like catnip to a cat or truffles for a pig. Mmmmmmmm tasty....(Although that's a bad addition to salads that have oil-based dressings with sesame oil.) I could eat salad all day/all year--that pita would just ruin it for me! ;)

...to make this thread easier for me to read, I mentally add "...and sauerkraut..." to everything you guys are eating. Jus' kidding! I'm not really influenced...But please don't mention "dates".

lol re sauerkraut! I'm always trying to use it up, but after it's gone I miss it & buy another jar. For me, the saltiness works well as seasoning. I can't keep any sort of cheese around without scarfing it. I usually have a bite of a sample somewhere, that's about it.

My workplace is having a living healthy challenge around the holidays. Usually it's in summer. You can choose what to do, like give up sugar or just lessen the amount, exercise x times a week, lose x lbs, etc. It was a fun way to motivate myself. I'm joining with 4 co-workers so now it will "matter' more that I don't slip. Last time I gave up sugar & I'm planning to do it again.

Carol Sue, your DH reminds me so much of mine, lol! :lol: I love the pita salad idea! Great solution! Yum! :T

Mars, yay on another drop! You go! :high: I hear you on the clothes! I thought the EXACT thing yesterday. I went to a thrift store to buy some inexpensive things to take to Boston with me. (We'll be there tomorrow. Tonight we are staying in Niagara Falls.) There is NOTHING like a dressing room mirror to remind you that you have a ways to go! Of course I'll never look like I looked before I gained the weight. I'm older and have saggy skin now, but wow, dressing room mirrors are brutal! It reminds me of why I hate clothes shopping! :lol:

PrairieQueen, your menu looks good! :hungry:

SeeMyFeet, I'm torn on all the different studies that come out. I'm beginning to think that genetics hold the true key to how healthy you're going to be. I can't think of any no other explanation for the 100-year-olds who have eaten bacon all their life, or cooked with lard, or smoked cigars, or drank soda pop. Or the 50-year-olds who eat healthy and run and who drop dead of a heart attack! I'm reminded of that recent story of the 104-year-old lady who has outlived all the doctors who kept telling her to stop drinking Diet Dr. Pepper! :shrug:

Speaking of Diet Dr. Pepper, all my gosh, I have had TERRIBLE cravings for it today! I mean REALLY bad cravings! We stopped at this one rest stop and if it had been in the vending machine, I have NO doubt I would have bought one! All it had was regular Dr. Pepper though and I didn't want that. Regular tastes too syrupy sweet to me now. But I want a Diet Dr. Pepper so badly that I don't know if I am going to make it much longer! :eek:

I am down to 174 today! That was my goal for this month! :carrot: I am now only 10 lbs away from my overall goal! AND I was able to get my wedding rings back on today! :woohoo: I have been able to wear my anniversary ring for a couple of weeks now. It's a 5 1/2, but my engagement ring is a 4 3/4 and my wedding ring is a 5, so I couldn't get them on till today. :yay:

Week 23: High 179.5, Low (175)
10/4--179.5
10/5--(177)
10/6--(176.5)
10/7--(175.5)
10/8--(177)
10/9--(176)
10/10--(175) Carb Day

Week 24: High 177, Low 175
10/11--(177)
10/12--(176)
10/13--(175.5)
10/14--(175)
10/15--(174.5)
10/16--176
10/17--175 Carb Day

Week 25: (High 178, Low 175.5)
10/18--177.5
10/19--176.5
10/20--176.5
10/21--175.5
10/22--DNW
10/23--177 Carb Day
10/24--178

Week 26:
10/25--176
10/26--175
10/27--175.5
10/28--174
10/29--
10/30--
10/31--

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:
Protein bar
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio Water

Lunch: @ Bob Evans
"Build-your-own" omelet with bacon, cheese, tomatoes, onions, peppers, spinach, and mushrooms
2 link sausages
Hot black tea

Snack:
Walnuts

Dinner:

Today's Exercise:

Today's menu.....

Break - McD's sausage burrito w/hot sauce and ice tea w/stevia
Lunch - country rib meat, 1/2 hash brown
Dinner - Swedish meatballs and pasta, sweet corn

Wow Jacqui you already made it to niagara Falls??? It must be a gorgeous drive this time of year! Congratulations on getting your wedding rings on~what a sweet milestone to savor! :congrat: And 174 too--fantastic! :cp::cp::cp::On the brink of a lower decade!

Re the Diet Dr P., If it's obsessing you, maybe it would be ok to have it, just so you can move on? Or are you concerned about it making you want more? Well, I hope it subsides one way or another. Maybe you could promise yourself to have it on Carb Day if you're still craving it?

I'm not so tripped up cravings as by impulse eating-things that just I come across, like samples. But right now I'm riding the wave of the mirror reality check and eating fairly well. :) I view the saggy skin as battle scars!

Today's food:
B turkey sausage, mushrooms, whey shake, no sauerkraut ;)
S pear
L salad, chicken evoo,
S Whole Foods hot bar had some new dishes they were calling Paleo. Spicy ground beef with tomato, but it tasted like there was sugar, even tho ingredient list had none; Almond chicken
D turkey chili, broc, cauli, butternut squash.
From the takeout food and the Alleve I'm about to take, wt will likely be up tomorrow.

there have been two lonely cookies on the table all evening. I keep imagining sourkraut on them. Naaah, I'm not really tempted...I want this weight to come off more than I want cookies.

Mars, maybe their tomato sauce had sugar.

Genetics and LUCK, Jaq....you don't get to be a 104yo-Dr-Pepper-drinker if you get hit by a meteor...My grandma lived to almost 100, with her horrific RA....makes me wonder if I should leave mine untreated. Life's a crap shoot, ain't it?....Did you find any clothes in your shopping trip?

Dang, you people are skinny...sigh...so much work to do...

I'll bet you're right re tomato sauce, SMF. Well that's one more reason not to expect too much from the scale tomorrow. Sauerkraut & cookies---you crack me up!!! And yay you for not being tempted. Seriously! I would have to throw them out and douse them with detergent. Trust me I'm not skinny, but I kinda know how you feel...We're similar height so maybe this applies--I remember when I got below 220 I felt better & had more energy. It was a benchmark for feeling better.
EDIT Thurs WI 165.2 :)

Mars, since I'm retired, I tend to do a lot of reading online about health issues I have. I have to keep in the back of my mind that anybody can put anything online, true or not. I consider WebMD to be a reliable site and see a lot of information on there. I remember my previous cardiologist told me that uncontrolled blood pressure can lead to congestive heart failure, and there's nothing to be done about that. My cardiologist is great and he's very easy to talk to, but he has never mentioned the ISH and I have never brought it up. Maybe I'll print something out from the internet and show it to him and see what he says. Also, my BP meds lower my heart rate. My resting heart rate is in the high 50s low 60s. My visiting nurse used to tell me that I had a great heart rate, but it was caused by the meds, not a healthy weight or lifestyle. Is an increase in meds going to make it even lower? I am definitely not a patient who just does what the doctor says. I have to know why, and all the details.

The Pitas I bought are Josephs. I bought them in Walmart in the bread department but not all Walmart's have them. I had to go to one 20 miles away to get them. Each one is 5 net carbs for a whole one, and for a sandwich, I cut them and use a half, opening up the pocket and stuffing it. So that's only 2.5 carbs. They are oat bran and stone ground whole wheat and some have flax. Tasty. If you look them up on Walmart.com it will tell you the store locations where they can be found. They can also be ordered online on Amazon, but I don't do that. If I can't find something in my stores I don't buy it.

SeeMyFeet, it's not that I don't like salads, but I have to be in the mood for them and they are not my first choice. I think the reason is I like hot food. If we go to a restaurant I will order soup in place of my salad most times. I do like sandwiches, though, so if I can stuff it into a Pita it feels like a sandwich and is satisfying to me.

Also, I have done a lot of reading about sat fat. From what I've read, they are discovering that bacon and lard is not the culprit, but carbs are. Drop the carbs and your cholesterol and triglycerides will drop, too. My heart disease came from my mother and her entire family. All had heart disease. But I have come to the conclusion that it was not the result of the bacon grease and lard, but the carbs. Being German and poor, my grandmother cooked so much starchy carbs because it was cheap. They really couldn't afford to buy much meat, where most of the sat fat comes from. When my mother died there was no heart surgery like what saved me, but just dietary control. I believe if she had eaten a low carb diet she would have lived a lot longer. Instead they had her eating a low fat diet, and she died anyway. Also, there was a woman in cardiac rehab with me who had had 5 heart attacks. She ate the Dean Ornish diet, very low fat. With every heart attack she cut her fat back even lower and couldn't understand why she continued to have heart attacks. I always wonder if maybe she should have switched to low carb and added some fat, but it wasn't my place to suggest that. I am not really one to be giving advice as I am not able to control my weight and other things like BP and BG. But I have very good cholesterol readings since switching to lower carb and my doctor is very pleased.

Carol Thank-you for the pita info--it sounds like something that would work really well for me.

I've also found WebMD to be helpful & credible, though I hear it bashed a lot. The things I've looked up have been useful and in sync with other sources I check, such as CDC website or my doc.

Everything you've said about your BP is important to bring up. I'm sure not a cardiol or doctor, nor do I play one in real life, lol!. A while back I completed a quarter of NursePractitioner training & our first several lectures of primary care were about BP. My takeaway was that it's crucial, though sometimes challenging, to balance the effectiveness & the side effects. My teacher was an internist and he said he sometimes used 2 or more BP meds at lower doses to minimize side effects.

A lot of patients are maybe too overwhelmed or for some other reasons not interested, just want to the Rx. But it should be a relationship of equals and the doc is the consultant to help find what works for the patient's life. not just dictating from a cookbook. I don't know if many do that--they are under so many constraints and it takes good listening, a skill that is vanishing as they fill in checkmarks on a computer screen during the visit.

Anyway, I hope you don't stress about the appt. Your concern re heart rate is really important imho. Btw, re your lower rate, I think you reap the benefit no matter if it comes from medication or lifestyle. But as you pointed out, too low has its own set of problems.

My parents and grandparents had a similar thing as you describe, cheap carbs, protein not affordable. They were Ashke**** Jews from eastern Europe, so likely had some dietary similarities. There was obesity in middle age on both sides. No wonder my sibs & I are always always either overweight or dieting. I used to rail about all the inheritances that I didn't like. Then it dawned on me that they must have done things pretty well or else I wouldn't be here at all.

Sheesh, 3FC edited out the end of my word. Guess I should have misspelled it Ashkenasi?

Today's menu....

Break - sausage burrito w/hot sauce and ice tea w/stevia
Lunch - leftover Swedish meatballs and pasta
Dinner - bourbon chicken & broccoli on jasmine rice

Oh Carol, I think we all agree that there are too many carbs around these days... Oh my! Perforated bowel and heart surgery--goodness you have been through a lot! Do you know specifics on your family's heart issues? Sounds like paying attention to your diet is helping you--thank goodness for that! It could be that the woman in your cardiac rehab has an underlying genetic defect that causes structural damage to the heart. Not much can be done to correct that, although, high blood pressure and clogged arteries would greatly exacerbate her situation.

Re the bacon grease comment (Gaw! I should be careful to avoid any insult to bacon grease on this forum!)...I don't think you can compare high fat diets of today with greasy food diets from the last century. That bacon grease on the stove top was probably rancid, and was re-used at temperatures past the smoke point. Oxidized and broken down fats are not good for you. Even fast food joints changed their ways and started using better oils and replacing them more frequently. All the trans-fats we used to eat!--from cottonseed with all the non-food safe pesticides. And all the cigarettes! Fewer carbs, Better fats and NO second-hand smoke...ahhh the good life. But as for me, I'm trying to be a pescatarian--just don't tell the chicken I ate today.

I don't like how some of the carb studies lump all carbs/sugars together: starches, non-starch polysaccharides, simple and compound sugars, processed complex starches, even fiber. There's a big difference between fruit versus pasta or a muffin.

But it's probably all going to boil down to the kind of bacteria in your gut anyway. There are some reports that some gut bacteria might increase the amount of calories you get from fat or even foster heart disease by breaking down fats into TMAO.

Good fats/bad fats; good carbs/bad carbs; good gut bacteria/bad gut bacteria--I know nothing about the sequence of my genes or my gut bacteria, or even exactly what's in or on my food! I just experiment.

Oh, Ha, Mars, on the editing.....

Went out for lunch today, and had a salad. Not MY salad, so worried what the scale will say..

Upcoming MIA
 

Morning All! I hear ya re salad SMF! Did the same thing--got the mid-afternoon hungries at work & trolled the cafeteria. Ended up with some string beans & a salad bar salad that I topped with, hmmm 1/4C? bleu cheese crumbles, a few croutons & tortilla strips, olive oil. Coulda been worse. evning hungries & had a big bowl of turkey chili, after dinner. And an Alleve for sore ankle. I'll myself spare the angst of WI.

Stress of stuffing everything into my suitcases just to see what I have to jettison to get them closed. I have been dreading this moment of reckoning, but now that it's done, I feel pretty calm. Maybe I won't have the urges to snack, one can hope. My luggage, like me, is about 15 lbs overweight, lol. But that just means paying $, a lot of the weight is from things I am donating. Wouldn't it be nice if we just could pay our way to make peace with the scale :rofl:

On Tuesday I depart for Cuba and will not have internet access for 2 weeks. I will miss you all on this thread, bigtime, and look forward to catching up the moment I am back under the Verizon sun.

SeeMyFeet, my mother's father had heart disease, but still he lived into his mid to late 70s. All of the children, 11 I think, had heart disease, except a couple who died young of other diseases. I don't know details. My mother was only 64 when she died with her third heart attack. My uncle, the second youngest lived to be 92. He was still getting around well and still driving up until he had a stroke 2 months before. He had had open heart surgery and several angioplasty procedures through the years. He was never overweight and told me that he walked every day, rain or shine, and I think that had something to do with his longevity. He was around when they had started doing open heart surgery as opposed to his older siblings. I also had an older cousin from the same family who had open heart surgery in his 40s and lived to his 80s. My two siblings are both gone...one was older and one younger. They died from other causes. I am the last.

I don't think my diet is bad, but not the greatest either. I eat mostly low carb because of my diabetes. I don't seek out fat, but don't avoid it either. So many low carbers recommend bacon, but I don't like it. Although my mother cooked with bacon grease, I don't like that either. I don't eat fried foods and don't like greasy fatty foods. But I use butter, eat pork sausage, dark meat poultry, etc. I use PAM to cook my eggs, but I do that for easier clean-up rather than fat reduction. When DH cooks eggs he uses butter and his do taste better than mine. So I think I just eat...no extremes one way or another.

I judge my heart health by how long I've gone without a heart incident. Along with the blockages I've had, I also have 2 leaky heart valves. My cardiologist seems to be more concerned about them then about blockages. I have an echocardiogram once a year and there isn't much change. So far they aren't bad enough to warrant valve replacements. I may never need them replaced, but if I do, I hope they are able to do them laproscopically, as I've been cut open enough already.

Mars, I am going to miss you terribly while your gone. It won't be the same here without you, but I hope you have a very enjoyable trip! You are going to have a lot of posts to read when you get home! LOL

Hi Everyone :wave:

I have always said this thread and the diabetic thread are a wealth of information. If you need to know something, just ask the question :) I haven't read everything so I may ask some questions that you have answered sorry ...

Jacqui, congratulations on 174. I weighed in at 172.5 today. Your gonna catch and pass me for sure :). Are you going to Boston for vacation?

Mars, you are the sweetest :hug: Gonna miss you while you're gone :hug:

PrairieQueen, I hope I'm not being an air-head but is your way of eating for maintenance or are you dieting and losing? Didn't know if you had told us before or not.

Carol I saw you were feeling well at one point. Are you feeling better? Did you find out what was going on? I love bacon, pork sausage and ham, yum.

SeeMyFeet, I remember the bacon grease/lard can. They cooked everything with it. I remember not eating eggs for that very reason as a youth. YUK ...

... me I think I've been in a maintenance frame of mind, if any kind of mind at all re: food. My mornings tend to start out good then I blow it in the afternoon. I almost like the way I look minus the belly blubber. I bought some sweet potatoes from a local farmer so I've been cooking those for the family. I bought a bag like thing at Big Lots called Quick Potato that cooks up to 4 of any kind of potato in 4 minutes and I do like that. It beats cooking one potato in the microwave and having to flip it midway for 8 minutes for sure. I have decided that rather than think about losing weight and getting to 150, I will focus on getting back to the weight that I started at on January 1st which is 165.8. which means that I will need to only lose 6.7lbs by December 31st. That sounds/seems doable. I will them focus on the 15.8lbs to get down to 150 by April 14th then I will give myself the remainder of 2016 to do the last 18lbs. Sounds like a plan ...

That does sound like a plan, Rennie, a good one. I rarely plan past the next meal.

I have one of those potato things but mine is called Potato Express. I got it at Goodwill and have never used it. I don't make baked potatoes very often and didn't think the bag would make a difference. I have 1 sweet potato left from my last purchase so I will try it. I buy a lot of kitchen things at Goodwill because they look interesting and the price is right. But I don't always use them. I bought a little kitchen scale but I don't use it to weigh my food. When I am wrapping my ground beef into hamburger patties to freeze, I weigh them to make sure they are 4 oz each, the size we like.

I still have the tail end of my cold but it's getting better each day. Never did end up going to the DR. I am still coughing and blowing my nose, but no longer feel sick. Thanks for asking!

I am so happy that you stopped by Rennie!! I missed you!

Love2b150 I am dieting and losing. I had a routine dr. Appt. in June this past summer (after a fabulous 10 days in Normandy at friends' and Paris) which kind of shocked me (I knew I was big for my height and frame but never really worried too much about it. I'd been wearing same size for at least 7 years). But I didn't plan on losing. When we got back, my veggie gardens were weedy because I'm organic. So I was spending three+ hours a day out there for a couple of weeks weeding and planting. I started to lose. Then I made a conscious effort to get healthy and slim down slowly (but surely). I'd been super skinny until my 20s, then I gained to no longer being underweight and really looked good until my mid 30s, then I changed careers and became a teacher. That's when the real trouble started. Now I'm 50 and need to downsize �� I'm sure this is way more info than you wanted, but that's my story :)

That's not too much info for me, Prairie Queen. I like to hear lots of details about what others are doing and compare it to what I'm doing to see what's working for them. Do you not eat between meals? That's a big problem for me. I can open the refrigerator and pop something into my mouth, just because it's there. No self control at all. Rennie is a lot better at that than I am. Even when I worked and was busier, I wore a lab coat with big pockets. I could fit a lot of snacks in that pocket and munch on them all day. I thought once I retired that snack food would not be around, but it hasn't made a different. I still have a habit of "grazing." That only works if that's your whole WOE. When you do it and still eat your meals, it spells trouble. I just can't get serious about this.

I don't think I am going to have a weight loss or lower blood pressure when I go to the doctor's. My weight is up a pound, right at 200. I have no idea how that could be because I was in the bathroom all night. Can't imagine how much my gain would have been if I hadn't pooped it all out!! LOL I know, not funny.

Lol Carol, sometimes I wonder the same thing! Thank-you for your kind words the other day--I feel the same about you & it will sure be fun to catch up once I'm back.
PrairieQueen, I second what Carol wrote. Also interested in what grade/subject you teach, if you care to share. My mom was a primary teacher. She loved it but came home sooo tired. I can remember every one of my teachers--important people.

Hi Rennie!

Jacqui Can't wait to hear about your Boston adventures, culinary & otherwise!

Getting my last minute stuff checked off for early departure tomorrow to Miami. Among all the details of planning, I have the goal of getting a couple of my whey shakes through airport security. We'll see. They will keep me satisfied & away from junk food in the airport & plane. so worth the try.

I am a high school chemistryteacher. I teach college prep and AP in a wonderful community. I started in the inner city as part of my scholarship commitment. Before that I was a food scientist, nothing glamorous or exciting...processed meat, yuck! I very rarely eat between meals and then it's pretty wholesome. But that wasn't always the case but it was never a problem either. My biggest problem was portion control and eating out once I started teaching (and the cocktails and constant get-together in my old neighborhood). I also started eating diet food in the 90s.....diet coke, margarine, low fat milk, processed this and that....I really think that had a lot to do with the weight gain. Once I kicked the diet coke habit, everything else has been a lot easier.

Yesterday's menu:

Break - McD's sausage burrito w/hot sauce, ice tea w/stevia
Lunch - leftover bourbon chicken and rice
Snack - skinny popcorn
Dinner -2 pieces of Pizza from donatos and three light beers

PrairieQueen do you make your own bourbon chicken? We love the taste of the mall bourbon chicken. :)

Aw Carol, thanks I miss you too :hug: Glad you're feeling better. I hope the cough and nose blowing ceases soon :crossed: The potatoes come out really well when baked in that bag. I'm hoping to get my Mom one. I don't go to Big Lots often since there isn't one near me. I like trying out kitchen gadgets also. I saw this spiral crank thing on tv and forgot to write it down. I was gonna tell the kids that's what I want for Christmas :) Carol, that's how I feel sometimes, like I can't get serious about this!!! but why??? :shrug: LOL Carol, that is funny. It made me laugh out and shake my head ... you're funny :) but I do hope you are done pooping for the day. Do you know what caused you to go like that? Oh Carol, I bought the Joseph's flax oat bran & whole wheat pita bread. I'll try it tomorrow with tacos :)

PrairieQueen, you're response was fine ... not too informative, you laid out what you're doing and how you came about it :) I really like your menu that's why I asked :D

Hi mars :wave: I only remember the teachers that I liked ;) Good luck with the whey shakes :crossed:

Jacqui, :hug:

my weight was way up today 175.2 that's up 2.7 from yesterday. My son and I went to burger king. I came home showered, went to bed pass my bedtime, overslept and voila :rolleyes:

I did make my own. I've never had the mall stuff though. I just sounded good and it was very good. I kind of melded two recipes and made my own version. Hubs loved it and so did I. It will be on the winter rotation :) ( and I used bourbon even though the mall stuff doesn't have it).

Today's menu....

Break - more leftover bourbon chicken and rice
Lunch - 1/2 peanut butter/pear butter sandwich (Ezekiel bread)
Snack - skinny popcorn
Dinner - Swiss steak, smashed potatoes, sweet corn
Snack - skinny popcorn, a skinny margarita and skinny sweet and sour

That's a lot of skinny Prairie Queen! Bourbon chicken/rice sounds delicious for breakfast.
SeeMyFeet, take note, there has been no mention of sauerkraut today :)
Rennie I'll bet that's sodium. Is the DS with whom you have diet challenges?

Thanks SMF! You guys aren't rid of me yet, lol! I will be (attempting) to post from my phone from Miami for a couple days. I read the TSA sometimes allows tamper-proof packages of liquids, so worth a try. I ate my travel snack nutsyesterday--predictably. So will eat light today. There I said it, now gotta do it.

EDIT TSA made me toss my shake. But the shops were open & selection of healthy stuff was surprising. Got ine more shake in checked bag for Tues pre-flight marathon.

SeeMyFeet you are spot on with the thoughts of dinner keeping me from snacking. It's easy to not snack at school....my room is a chemistry lab so it's a no-no. I do keep "emergency" almonds/dried blueberries in my desk. I've dipped into those four times this year (less than 1/4 cup each time). My room is on the second floor and far-far away from any snack machines or the cafeteria areas. Our school has a lot of healthy choices but I've not bought anything in three plus years now. The weekends get me though...I like my adult beverages and popcorn, chips, salsa, guac, etc., etc.

And as for dinners....I'm a really good cook actually and I love to do it so I make sure I behave during the day. As you prob figured out, I make just about everything from scratch which helps with keeping out hidden sugar and salt (and gmo oils and everything else).

Rennie, I think my Metformin caused the bathroom issue in the middle of the night. When the DR first increased my dose I was to take it 3 times a day. I took it AM, at dinner, and at bedtime. I had a lot of 500mg left, so I took 850 at breakfast and dinner and 500 at bedtime. All was well. When I ran out of the 500s I started taking the third 850 at bedtime and found that I was throwing up in the middle of the night. DR said I could cut back to 2 daily, although my rx still says 3 daily. I recently decided to try taking the 3rd one at bedtime, and instead of throwing up, it was otherwise. Two nights in a row. So now I am no longer taking the 3rd dose each day. I should probably have him change it to 1000 2 X day instead of 850.

SMF, sorry to hear the spouse is still hanging around. LOL

PrairieQueen, it sounds as though you are very intelligent and are very knowledgeable about what you eat, and don't eat. Good for you! I can always use your input.

Rennie, I am also wondering what spiral crank thing you are talking about. LOL

Mars, sorry you had to toss your shake. One time coming home I accidentally packed my psoriasis rx cream in carry-on instead of checked baggage and they made me toss it. I told them it was RX but they didn't care. Now what was I going to do with a tube of psoriasis cream???

Jacqui, where are you? in transit?

And where in the heck is that Chickadeee? Did she fly south for winter?

We only get about 3 kids for trick or treat so we went to the casino instead of passing out treats. I did well there!!

B Sauteed kale, eggs, bacon, coffee w/HWCream
L Tuna with EVOO, FF Ricotta
D Steak, green beans, salad, FF Dressing

Evening hike

PrairieQueen please share your recipe, thanks :D :drool: PrairieQueen you're just good all the way around. I wish I had your will/mindset that would surely help get me to goal quicker :)

mars, yes he's the one :) He told me he was going to BK and I said, "wait ... I'll go with!" guess who paid? ;) mars, lol I hope that works for you ... "now I said, so I gotta do it!" Ha I tell myself something similar every morning and what do I do ... just the opposite :D Sorry about having to toss your shake. How much did the one at the airport cost? the same amount that four to six would cost??

SeeMyFeet, you crack me up :lol: re: comment to mars :) I think it was http://www.wards.com/spiral-fruit-ve...qHkhoCZ0Dw_wcB one. I know in the commercial it was red and had a crank :D I sure do like the idea of making my own zucchini noodles finally. Someone on here told me how to make the cauliflower rice without grating it but I forgot who and which thread it was on :( SeeMyFeet, this potato bag reminds me of my daughters makeup bag. It's cloth you can throw it in the laundry. My middle son said he thought it was a pencil pouch until he saw the directions on the back :) Ha I wish there were no white "toes" in our house but someone is always making fries, tater tots or hashbrowns. The oldest boy makes home fried potatoes almost as good as the ones my Mom makes :drool: ok enough of that, now I want some. :nono: SeeMyFeet ????? re: spouse, I'm guessing you want him gone or you want some me time ... either way I understand. Hope things get better. Well with Carol's comment I guess once again I missed something regarding your spouse. :hug: LOL on the essay. Our kids went to church for the Harvest Fest ... they said they ate most of their candy while they were there ... stingy I'll tell ya :D

Carol, Metformin used to make me unbelievably nauseous when I first started taking it. I don't know if you remember me talking about it. I am on two 1000mg a day. Well I hope you are feeling better now that you aren't taking it late in the evening :hug:

Hucklebeary, :wel3fc: and to the thread :) Your menu looks good :)

I had a small .5 loss, not bad considering we had sweet potatoes, peas and bbq chicken thighs for dinner. I love love love green peas :)

Hi Everyone! I have a lot of catching up reading to do and no time to do it right now. I am still in Boston and have had no chance to get on here. We go from morning to night, and when we do get on the computer with our cousins, it's to do genealogy, which is the main reason we are here. But I miss y'all and 3FC so much! I am about to have to leave to go have dinner but I found a moment and wanted to say hello and I hope everyone is doing well! :grouphug:

Hi Hucklebeary! :welcome: I'm glad you're joining us!

Rennie, love seeing you back! :yay:

Well, I broke down and had Diet Dr. Pepper the day after I last posted because the cravings didn't go away :shrug: and the following morning I had gained 4 lbs! So I am back to trying to avoid it. I don't know how long I'll last though, so I may have to make it a Carb Day drink if the cravings get too bad. :yes: On a more positive note, we have been doing loads of walking around Boston! We've had so much fun with our cousins, and we love the city! It's beautiful, and wonderful to visit! :D We have a 12-13 hour drive home tomorrow, so unless I can make it online tomorrow night (and I may be too exhausted), I'll be back on here on Tuesday!

Week 23: High 179.5, Low (175)
10/4--179.5
10/5--(177)
10/6--(176.5)
10/7--(175.5)
10/8--(177)
10/9--(176)
10/10--(175) Carb Day

Week 24: High 177, Low 175
10/11--(177)
10/12--(176)
10/13--(175.5)
10/14--(175)
10/15--(174.5)
10/16--176
10/17--175 Carb Day

Week 25: (High 178, Low 175.5)
10/18--177.5
10/19--176.5
10/20--176.5
10/21--175.5
10/22--DNW
10/23--177 Carb Day
10/24--178

Week 26: High 178, Low 174
10/25--176
10/26--175
10/27--175.5
10/28--174
10/29--174.5
10/30--178
10/31--176.5 Carb Day

Week 26:
11/1--DNW (forgot before we started eating breakfast!)

Love2b150 here is the link to the bourbon chicken recipe http://www.food.com/recipe/bourbon-chicken-10870
I sautéed my uncut chicken in coconut/butter instead of baking. I then used the marinade as my sauce.

Today's menu....

Break - goetta, egg, toast, white sauce, bacon, coke life
Lunch - chicken cilantro mini wontons
Dinner - chicken w/lemon-mushroom sauce over angel hair pasta

I overdid it a bit today. I'm pre TOM and hungry! :) back on the wagon tomorrow I go.

SMF I'm sorry you are down. You are so funny I think you could be a standup comedienne. Is there a man-cave in your home :)
Carol too funny psoriasis cream terrorist!
[B]Rennie[/] I do that too, rebound when I start the day saying I will stick to the plan. I don't know why. I feel like I have to pretend that I'm not on a diet
Welcome Hucklebeary!

I ate so-so today
B Apple Farms turkey sausage links & whey shake/
L salad w vegs, chicken, Asian dsg
S bean/cheese burrito, just ate the filling
D chicken Caesar- pre-packaged
S B up bar x2

Welcome Hucklebeary! You are really doing LOW carb! Good for you. I have no weight tracker. I list no stats or menus. I was having such a hard time that I gave up, and I just post here because these ladies are such nice people! LOL Actually, I am just discouraged and will eventually get back to it. Taking a break from the stress.

I get on the scale when I "feel" that I have lost. Sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm wrong. I haven't measured for a couple years because my weight hasn't changed. I can usually tell by my clothes. Right now my waists are a little tighter so I might have gone up a bit there.

PrairieQueen, I copied the Bourbon Chicken recipe but I doubt if DH would eat it. We don't use many sauces or gravies on our meat, just some light seasoning. It does sound good though. Might try it someday.

Jaccqui, I seem to forget that people are away on a trip when they are still able to check in. It sounds like you are having a great time with your relatives. Long drive home, though.

Rennie, when I was first diagnosed I was very nauseous, but didn't relate it to the Metformin. I lost about 20 lbs because after a couple bites of food I had to stop. I was so unhappy when that wore off. It was the perfect diet for me. I could eat whatever I wanted as I was only taking a couple bites.

I'm going to have to try my potato bag. When I got it DH said that would be no different from sticking them in the microwave. Wish there was some way to get the skin crispy without baking them in the oven or on the grill. I love that crispy skin more than I like the potato flesh.

SeeMyFeet, I was so worried when I retired that DH and I would get on each other's nerves, but he is usually in the garage or basement and I am upstairs. We get together for dinner and shopping, so it's not so bad. Hope you are able to work things out.

I have a complaint. How come full figure pants are always relaxed fit? I need a bigger size, but my butt and hips are slim. If I buy what fits in the waist the pants are always baggy in the butt. Hey Mr Levi, look around! All of us bigger women do not have a big butt!!