Carol Sue I forgot to congratulate you on the 198.:carrot: Happy for you.

SeeMyFeet :wave: Thanks for the welcome. I have the same problem with people sometime. I think it bothers me more when it is someone really close to me like husband or one of my kids. I feel your frustration.:hug: Glad you met someone nice a the gym. I don't know why those situations affect our self-esteem so. I'm trying to learn to not let it get to me so.

Today WI up to 173. Whoops! I got in 2 good nights' sleep & can't help wondering if there's a correlation.
The ship is turning around but ever so slowly! My goal today is to stay out of the work cafeteria. Next, need to work on grazing & right before bedtime. Stressful time can be an opportunity to exercise control over food choices, an area that there actually IS control, lol! Viewed from the right perspective, sticking to a healthy WOE can actually be a source of comfort. SAD is extra challenging--I think an enormous number of people have it. It seems to increase with age. That said, I do like to go horizontal once I get home when a short outdoor walk might do wonders. SeeMyFeet gonna try to follow your example!
Here's today's plan, maybe pre-posting will increase my commitment :crossed:
B broccoli omelet, whey shake/coffee
S B-up protein bar
L salad, chicken, kidney beans, evoo, Walden Farms 0 cal dressing (100 Island)
S whey shake, coffee
D turkey chili, broccoli
S potato, broccoli
6 glasses cold herb tea
get outside at lunch

What is everyone doing for the holidays? Are trees & decorations up? :snowglo::shocksn::snow4::wreath:

"My example", Mars? Grrl you don't know the pressure your'e putting on me! Thanks for the dx of the shake. Now that I know it has crack in it, I'll be sure to avoid it. Oh My! sunburned eyes! What you described is what I expected, so thanks for the sunburn story--now I can put that idea to rest and stop browsing for a light. I have had so much eye trouble, I just cannot risk anything more. (but I do like the idea of bathing in light :( )

Whell...day off. Going for the (fearfully dreaded) periodontist surgery soon :sp:. I really should be taking the wrapping off the new washer and getting laundry done, but I'm reading up on longevity studies in animals and wondering awful things like "Is my glaucoma an indicator of a shortened longevity?" "My RA prolly isn't 'cause GM lived to almost 100, but is my treatment going to shorten my lifespan?" Sometimes I think way too much. Think less, live more. I need to put that on a T-shirt and wear it.

I'll have to check back in while I'm on drugs. It'll make for a much better conversation!

oooooo, I hope my prattling on isn't bothering you PQ...I cannot imagine how you're feeling and what you're going through. Well, I can, a bit, because I've been there. I know it's awful. Forgive my prattling and my desire not to go back to that place. We're here for you and we're all wishing, hoping and praying for the best with your DB and that you are finding the shelter you need in this crapstorm that life has thrown at you.

I just lost my post. :?: Oh well.

Mars Thank you for the shake info. I will look for it. It is so hard to find one that is low carb besides Atkins and I can't drink theirs. I think they changed something in it or my system changed because I have to run to the potty a lot when I drink theirs. I think I have developed a reaction to sugar alcohols because I can't even chew diet gum any more. I had a brand I did like that was lc friendly but the store that sold it closed and none of the other stores carry it.

I ended up with a bingeing last night on my favorite cookie I get from the $Tree. I've eaten them from other places, but don't like them from any where else because of the texture. I could have saved them for carb day, but I had a moment. I don't have binge moments much any more so not sure what triggered it. Maybe it was the thought of starting a new way (slow-carb) of eating and the old "last supper" syndrome kicked in. Any way, even though this is Friday and tomorrow is Saturday, I am going to get started with this today. Funny thing is that I expected the scale to go up, but it was down a fraction. Go figure.

Jacqui I noticed when I was reading online about the slow-carb that sweet potato and lentils were on the plan. I will have to look back on your plan, but do you eat the sweet potato? I think of a potato as a potato sweet or not. Now I notice he uses lentils and black beans in omelets. I like lentils, but not black beans and not sure if I would want them in an omelet.

Haven't decided if I want to buy the book or not, but probably will.

Morning/afternoon all and thank you for all the support. And don't worry about it SeeMyFeet. Coming on here gives me a diversion. We just got back from some grocery shopping ..... The cupboards are pretty bare. We have put off going to hospital so early.....the long days there are wearing mom out. We're getting ready to head out now. No calls from hospital....no news is good news.

This morning when I got up my BP wasn't as high as usual before meds. 155/66. Since we are going to the casino and I don't want to have it drop dramatically there, I skipped one of the old pills that I don't think ever did anything but too the double dose of the new pills. Right now it was 135/57. Good enough for me! Down, but not in a danger zone. I realize I am supposed to take my meds the way the doctor prescribed them, but he is not looking at the results every day like I am.

PQ, I agree that no news is good news, in most cases. Hope he's improving. One thing about having empty cupboards, if it's not there you can't eat it!

SMF, I love your sense of humor. Don't stifle. We need it here!!

This morning I was reading about the difference between binge disorder and compulsive overeating and I have decided that my problem is the latter. I don't eat large amounts of food in a short period of time, but I tend to eat too much food and hunger has nothing to do with it. It's just the availability of food. Recently I have been waiting until I feel hunger to eat and stopping when I feel satisfied, instead of eating until I'm stuffed. I think because of doing this I am eating less food and that is causing the weight loss. I don't feel deprived, but I also don't feel overly stuffed. The trip to the buffet at the casino today is going to be challenging. I am still in the process of making this behavioral change become a habit and I realize I can overeat at any moment if I'm not careful. In most cases it helps me to tell myself that I can always eat more later if I'm still hungry, but that's not true with the buffet. Unless I just sit in the buffet area for a couple hours to see if I get hungry again. LOL

Trish, the book on Slow Carb is ridiculous. I borrowed it from the library. Trust me, you don't want to buy it. There is so much information in it that doesn't even apply, and it is such technical jargon. And the book is about 5 inches thick. About 1/10th of it is information you will use. I think that's why there is so much good information about it on the internet. The choice is up to you, of course.

What were the cookies from Dollar Tree? DH loves cookies and we shop there a lot.

Mars, sleep is supposed to help you lose weight, not gain! What's up with that?

Jacqui, I think part of the reason the darkness doesn't bother me is because I'm inside most of the time and don't really notice it. Then I tend to go to bed so early that it's only been dark for a short time, and I usually get up around 5 and it's almost always still dark at 5. I think my body adjusts to the rising and setting of the sun. My step-daughter is really bothered by dark dreary weather. She lives in the wrong state. PA doesn't get a lot of sun. I don't imagine OH is a lot different from PA. I was only in OH once. That was when we were trying to find Mountaineer Park casino and we made a wrong turn and ended up in Ohio.

Carol Sue Thanks for sharing with me about the book. I won't buy it. As you say there is a lot of good info online. Instead I may just create my own plan. While googling Slow-carb, I also found out about something called Carb Nite Solution. I read about it on a lowcarb site and it seems to be eat low carb for certain number of day... I think it was 10 days and then on the 10th day at night meal make it a carby meal. Makes me think people have taken Dana Carpandar's way of doing low carb in her book about losing 40 lbs and made some different ways of doing it to fit their lifestyle.

Sorry I can't remember the name of her book something like, How I lost 40 lbs and kept it off. Not sure. I have it around here somewhere. If I remember correctly, she ate more like an Atkins low carb most of the time, but on holidays or special occasions like her birthday or anniversary, she would take one meal that day and eat the carby food of her choice.

All this tells me that we can make a personal low carb lifestyle that we can live on and get good results. I personally like eating low carb during the week and take either one day or one meal each week and make it a carb day or meal.

You will do good at the casino. You always do. I read somewhere last night when googling to be sure and eat plenty of protein and low carb veggies. I think you are especially good at doing that when y'all go to the casino. So relax, you will be fine. I think it is good to try to eat until satisfied and not full. I want to learn to do that again myself because I never liked the full/stuffy feeling.

PQ :hug: Thoughts and prayers are with you and your family today. I pray your brother is improving.

Well....I'm back home already...shaky and feeling a bit traumatized....that procedure is Grue Some!! But I had the utmost confidence in the skills of the physician--a compliment that I sadly am seldom able to pay to others. The same procedure he performed on the other side 1.5 years ago was model, textbook perfect, so I anticipate a good outcome. More Importantly, in my discussions with him afterward, this procedure was necessary due to a developmental issue with my teeth, and he did not see any indications of inflammatory periodontal disease, which I thought my dentist was implying. So yippety yay yahoo! But unfortunately, he agreed that the expensive nighttime mouth guard was a good idea. Boo!

I agree with Carol. Don't buy the book. Not that I've read the book, I'm just biased. I don't buy any diet books. You can read about the philosophy of a diet plan and look up the nutritional value of foods online. That way, you save yourself some money, have fewer things to dust at home, and avoid making some undeserving Quack rich. Plus: you're (A) not really going to stick to their plan anyway, or (B) you're going to turn into a fanatic disciple of that plan and live to judge the rest of us who do not follow your religion, and then we will all start avoiding you :rofl:. (I did say I was biased, didn't I?) I don't buy plan food, either, although PattyGirl's experience with the Atkins shakes makes me want to run out and buy some. (Seriously, everyone on this thread seems to have outgrown the need for such books.)

RE the sugar alcohols, my DS will eat a whole box of breath mints because the sorbitol does that to him. He thinks its funny. Weird sense of humor is obviously a genetic trait. Unfortunately, the reaction to sorbitol is not. (yeah, you bet I tried that one.)

Oh, thanks for the mention of sweet potatoes and lentils. I tend to avoid them, too, on accounta the carbs, but I keep meaning to plan them back into my diet. These foods have high nutritional value, and lentils pack a lot of protein for a veg. Also lots of fiber--my new obsession--so that subtracts out the effect of carbs in some people's minds. (If I were diabetic, I would test out that theory, tho.) They have exactly the nutrition I need: folate, vitA, minerals. Back when I made beef stew, I would add in sweet potatoes. Yum.

Wow, Carol, your bp IS all over the place. THAT is what you should be discussing with your cardio, and if he doesn't show concern, get a new one.

Another lesson learned today: avoid the Dollar Tree and the Dark Side...they have cookies.

Woohoo! This thread is hopping! :trampo:

PrairieQueen, I am so glad that your brother is continuing to heal! I will be praying for him until he's back home! :yes:

Trish, oh those rolls at steakhouses are pretty hard to resist, and with a celebratory birthday dinner, it's easy to give in! I like that you accept it for what it is and just jump back to eating well! :dancer: I don't think sweet potatoes are an "official" part of the plan; however, I believe Tim Ferriss, the author, gives the go ahead to try things out and see if they work for you, and some slow-carbers have discovered that sweet potatoes work well for them. I haven't tried them, not because I'm against them but because I am not fond of sweet potatoes. Carol Sue did really well with small sweet potatoes though, so if you like them, I definitely think you should give them a try and if they don't trigger your appetite or raise your blood sugar unduly, add them! :hungry: If you are interested in the book, you may want to see if you can check it out from your library. From what I understand, only a very few pages are dedicated to the Slow Carb Diet, and pretty much all that info is online. Personally, I think he's a bit of a kook. I just happen to like the gist of his Slow Carb Diet. :lol: Oh, lol! I just read that Carol Sue and SeeMyFeet gave you the same advice! Great minds think alike! :D

Aw, SeeMyFeet, I'm sorry you've been under such stress lately. :( And yes, PQ's situation keeps bringing back memories for me too. I am SO glad she traveled to see her brother. My father told me to wait with mine and that still haunts me. I keep praying for her brother, and Mars' mother, and Carol Sue's BP, and now I'll add you to the list too because you need some PEACE. :hug: Yay on the good news about your teeth! I'm glad the procedure went well and no periodontal disease! :woohoo:

Carol Sue, Oh I missed the 198! YAY!!! I am so glad that how you are monitoring your hunger is working for you! We all struggle with that I'm sure. Great job! :broc: And I love the good news of your BP being lower but not dangerous! :high:

Mars, no doubt I look and feel better than I used to, so I'm happy! :D Oh yes, I walked down the aisle at my daughter's wedding to that song. Love The Beatles! A lot of people in Ohio have a winter Florida home. I'm beginning to think that's not a bad idea! My DH wants a home in Panama (not Panama City FL, but actual Panama), and I always laugh it off, but maybe I should take him a little more seriously! :sunny:

DH was in a hurry for breakfast this morning because he had to leave so I forgot and ate before weighing. Oh well, I'm guessing I'm...hmmm...170. :D

Week 29:
11/29--171
11/30--170.5
12/1--170
12/2--170
12/3--170
12/4--DNW
12/5--

Today's Meals:
Breakfast:
2 fried eggs
A slice of ham
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Mio water

Lunch
Fage Greek yogurt with Mio
Diet Dr. Pepper

Tea Time
Hot green tea

Dinner: @ local sports grill
Vegetable soup (ate around the potatoes)
Salad with grilled chicken and craisins
Hot black tea

Today's Exercise:

Hi all! Things today were good (considering).... A tiny improvement in heart rate. Docs have decided that tomorrow is going to be oral surgery. He's reached a plateau and has been stable for three days. He cannot get any better until teeth are removed and antibiotics can get to "pockets." If he survives this surgery then heart surgery once he's stable again. I'm headed home n morning although I know I may have to go back.

Break - McD's sausage burrito w/hot sauce
Lunch - subway club
Dinner - slice of pork tenderloin, sliver of key lime pie (mom's friend brought over

PQ Glad your brother is improved enough for surgery. Praying everything will go really good tomorrow. :hug:

PrairieQueen, that is wonderful news! :cp: May he continue to improve!!!

Mars, I think DH may have first heard about Panama as a retirement location from a morning news program when International Living Magazine selected it as their 2014 World's Best Retirement Haven. Here's an article about that: http://internationalliving.com/2014/...nt-haven-2014/. He's talked about it ever since! :dizzy:

We came home with empty pockets but I sure enjoyed the buffet! I ate steak and shrimp, baked fish, chicken, collard greens and mac & cheese, . which they only have on Friday. So, I did have a bit of carb. I consider it a choice, not a cheat, since no food is actually forbidden for me now. I didn't feel uncomfortably stuffed, but full, and was still not hungry by the time we got home so went to bed having only 2 meals yesterday.

PQ hope brother continues to be stable enough for the surgeries.

This morning before meds, my BP was 141/63. I took all my meds as prescribed, even though I was a little worried about that diastolic dropping too low. I am going to check it once an hour to see what happens.

Mars, I know you're concerned that you enjoyed the treats at work, but this happens around the holidays. It's not something you will do every day and I think you will keep it in line over all.

I get absentminded, too. DH tells me I'm getting Alzheimer's, but I told him not remembering where you put your keys is one thing. Alzheimer's is not remembering what keys are.