Trish, someone else posted a similar article recently. I understand what they are trying to say, for example in their comment about the 100 calorie pack of cookies not being nutritious even if they are within your calorie allotment. But I copied the part that I don't agree with.

“The takeaway is that the quality of what you eat is incredibly important,” she said. “You may or may not need to eat an 1,800-calorie diet, but what you need is a diet that is based on whole and minimally processed foods without an excess of added sugars, salts and saturated fats.”

This is primarily how I eat, mostly meat and veggies. I rarely eat anything that comes in a package with a nutritional label on it. To me, that is processed foods. I cook mostly from scratch. DH on the other hand eats mostly processed foods, other than the meals I prepare for him. Packaged soups, boxed mac and cheese, canned chili and stew, packaged noodles and sauce mix. So I'm fat and he's not. Although I eat that way, I have to watch calories so closely, and still I lose like a snail. I understand and agree with them that you should eat mostly fresh whole foods instead of processed, but it's not a guarantee of success with weight control. Calories do count, at least for me.

I have almost no pain now. I am able to make a fist without my hands hurting and my elbow is not hurting. It is a wee bit tender if I rub it. I am going to take the Tumeric again before I go to bed and see if the pain comes during the night.

My calories today were a little over 1600 but I did write down everything and I still feel good about the way I'm eating. I figure with practice taking it one day at a time, it will get better.

Leaving early to go to beauty shop and then go visit Daddy. I've got to go get bananas before I come home.

Carol Sue I'm glad the pain in your hands are going away. I'll check in again when I get back home tomorrow.

Well, my hands are hurting a little bit this morning, and also my elbow, but not as bad as they were the night before. This is tolerable. I was reading online that Tumeric is good for osteoarthritis, which is what I have in my knee, but not necessarily for RA, and tendonitis was not mentioned. But it gives me relief, even though it's not 100%.

My FBS was 172 this morning, which is higher than it's been for a couple weeks. My weight is 197.8, so I'm only down .2, but down is down and farther away from 200. And it's lower than I've been since 2012. I do wish it would go a little faster. I don't know how much lower my calories can go. I know I haven't been drinking my water as much as I should. I seem to forget water so easily.

We are getting so much rain here, too. Because it's so hilly here, a lot of places get flooded and roads have to be closed and there have been landslides. Nothing in our immediate area.

Carol Sue I wonder if your pain in your hands are worse because of the weather? I'm sorry you are still having problems.

I often wonder why we will go along and have good FBS and then have a high. Just keep doing what you are doing as you have been having good readings lately. Probably just one of those rare ups.

I think the way I am eating is working for the bs and the weight is beginning to inch down. My FBS yesterday was 139 and today was 132. Yesterday bs reading before I ate main meal was 118 and today was 119. It is interesting that the only problem was the Slimfast. I think I've learned that what I'm doing right now is working and I hope I can be smart enough to stick to it.

Daddy was in OT when I got to the center. Bless his heart, I could tell the exercise was not easy for him, but he was working at it and joking with his therapist. She told me that he is a hard worker and I told her that he always has been. He asked her for a dumb bell he could take to his room to exercise his hand on his own. He tried to use it while I was there but he kept dropping it because he can't grip it. I told him I have a dumb bells that will fit on your hands with kind of a handle. He can slip his hand into it and hold it. I'll take them to him tomorrow. He was pretty tired today. In fact, he said he was glad he was there because if his PT worker hadn't come in and woke him up that he would not have gotten up. He got sleepy so I left so he could get a nap before lunch. DS and BIL are going out this afternoon.

I'm enjoying eating on my own with no rules. I don't seem to get hungry like I did before and I'm better satisfied. I also need to drink more water. I just don't enjoy it when it is in the 40s outside. I'm sitting here now wrapped up trying to stay warm. I've got to try to drink more water. I'm of the old school that a lot of what I drink needs to be water and not other stuff.

I decided this morning to make myself a home made taquito with 2 sl bacon, 1 egg, a sl of 2% American cheese on a low carb tortilla. It was less than 300 calories and was just enough to hold me over until our main meal around 3:30. We had steak, broccoli, regular salad and some of the potato salad. Since I'm not following CAD, I had the regular salad, but I only made a little over a cup of veggies instead of 2 cups and small servings of each food. I take a fillet mignon we buy from Sam's club and I cut it in half and we share it. I get 4 meals out of a $32ish package of steaks. I try to cook one of those every week or so.

I don't like tilapia from China because of how I've heard it is raised in a very clean environment but DH likes it. So I looked at HEB and found it made with no additives, antibiotics and supposed to be raise healthier. I also found some whiting fillets. DH got some more codfish yesterday at Sam's so we will be eating more fish each week. I would like to cook it 3 times a week instead of 2.

How often to y'all go to the casino? I think you usually do pretty good at trying to stay with the not so high carby foods.

I'm trying to get into a routine with having to go see Daddy everyday. I like to get out there around 10:30 or 11 am on the days I go by myself. We go around 2:30 or 3 when DH goes with me. Now I just need to figure out when I can work in my recumbent bike riding for my back. I get a pretty good walk when I go see Daddy because they don't have a lot of parking right in front. In fact, a guy passed me walking to his truck as I was walking to my car and he said "Man you have to be in good shape to walk to your parking place out here". By the time I walked to the front door and walked down to Daddy's room and then found he was in the gym and walked to the gym then back to his room and then to my car, I had quite a work in of walking. I left there and drove over to HEB and walked around the store for at least 30 minutes so I am getting that walking in the doctor wanted me to have. So I'm doing okay with just that, but my back and my knees as far as that goes needs the bike at least 3 or 4 days a week. I have done 3 days this week, but feel like I need more.

Madeleine You are in my prayers a lot. I hope you are okay. I really hope your test the 28th will give you some answers.

I hope we all have a good weekend.

Trish, we just got home from the casino. I ate the Antipasta salad and it was so good. I tried to duplicate it at home. It was pretty close, but today I noticed they had grated parmesan cheese on it so I will have to remember that. It is made with romaine lettuce and has cut up deli turkey, pepperoni and cubed mozzarella cheese, with hot and mild peppers, green peppers, cucumbers, and black olives. We got to the casino often. DH is addicted to gambling, so I have to control how much he spends. He has a limit. We used to go every weekend but now I'm trying to cut back to twice a month. He's not too happy with that, but he needs to appreciate that he gets to go at all. We don't do much of anything else. I am a stay-at-home type of person and we are even eating at home a lot more. I wasn't even out of the house all week, not even to go to the store. I want to go to Walmart in the morning. I want to make a pot of veggie soup so I will have to get the ingredients. I like to use Great Value canned mixed veggies. I compared them to others and the have the best variety and they have lima beans. A lot don't have any lima beans in them. Last time I used frozen mixed veggies and DH noticed the difference and he didn't like it as much.

I bought frozen Whiting Fillets at Walmart that were breaded, and I think they are partially cooked. You just cook them in the frying pan in a little bit of oil and they are pretty good. DH won't eat them, naturally. He will only eat fried fish from a restaurant for some reason, and it has to be Cod. Picky.

I did a lot of walking today at the casino, and I will be walking tomorrow at Walmart. That will be my exercise.

I am really tired, and I can't wait to go to bed.

Like lots of people, I am doing well during the day and losing my control in the evening and snacking on chips and cheese corn. Not doing so well that way.
Yesterday was pretty emotional.
One month since Dad passed away, and DS was here and we finished insurance applications and wrote thank you notes. She gave me a a bit of a hard time that I wrote something personal in every card. But each person made an effort to come and care, so i wanted to honour that effort. SO it took all day.
She brought chicken soup for me. Also not feeling well with my cold. I think its the cold pills have me up now. Woke up about 5 am and wide awake, so just got up and moving. Am planning a nice trail walk after a Skype call with other DD this am.
Trish, sounds like your Dad is doing well and is in the right place, and has found his way with the staff.

Carol, hope you can keep things on the right track this way, seems like an occasional outing to the casino gives you some nice ideas for meals to mix it up a bit. , Enjoy

I am finding out that my pain is worse at night even if I take the Tumeric and improves during the day. It was pretty bad during the night even though I took Tumeric at bedtime. Yesterday, my foot started to hurt, but it was not the same foot that hurt last time and also not in the same location. Last time it was on top of the left foot, and now it's on the outside of the right foot. It started hurting right as we were leaving the casino. I did a lot more walking there than I usually do. I could tell by the steps registered on my Fitbit. Plus I wore a pair of shoes I had not worn for a while. They were Skechers athletic shoes, and I think they were giving my foot a lot of good support, so I don't know why my foot was hurting.

I remember DH had an aunt who was heavy and she always complained that her feet hurt. She went from doctor to doctor trying to find relief but never found the problem. She worked, but after she retired she ended up in a wheel chair. They used to make fun of her saying that she was just too fat and lazy to walk. Now I realize what it's like to have your feet hurt. It's really terrible when it hurts to walk. You don't realize what a big part walking plays in your life until you can't do it.

Mad, does your DH eat chips and cheese corn? That is why I have that same problem. If he didn't buy it, it wouldn't be in the house. Did you ever try pork rinds? They are low carb. I buy them sometimes. DH never used to like them so I had them all to myself, but now he has started liking them, too. I bought one brand that I didn't like but recently found a better brand.

Today I have to go to Walmart and get a few things. I'm not looking forward to that with my sore foot.

Madeleine I think it is a nice gesture for you to write personal note to people in your thank you notes. I know none of this is easy for you. It takes time for our heart emotions to heal. Sorry about the cold and hope you feel better soon. I think being sick on top of the emotional feelings doesn't help. Prayers continue for you.

Carol Sue Sorry about your feet hurting. Just because your shoes feel good and support one time doesn't mean it isn't a problem another time. I know I have 2 pair of shoes I wear around the house and some days one feels better for me to walk in than the other. I've learned to wear the ones that feels good although I do try to alternate them.

I woke up early and decided to go out and see Daddy a little earlier this morning. I actually thought he wasn't going to have any therapy today because the OT had told him that he would get a break for 2 days and she would see him Monday. I got to his room and he was gone. Nurses station told me he was in therapy. Therapist was just wheeling him out to take him back to his room when I got to the gym. I told him that I was definitely getting the walking in that my doctor wants me to do with going to his room and then having to find him. LOL

I took the dumb bells I had for him and he liked them. He used them some while I was there. We had a good visit. He decided that he wanted me to tell my DS to bring him some candy orange slices and I told her to also get him some play dough to exercise his hands like the hospital therapist suggested. She said him being able to feel it give in his hand will help him squeeze it more. I can actually see his hands starting to work a little better. He has only been there for 1 week so I think he is doing very good.

DS told me yesterday that his recliner in his room was broke so his legs were swelling from sitting with his legs down all day. CHF told him to keep his legs up during the day. I was pleased that they had brought in a new chair by the time I got there this morning. He was sitting in it with his legs up when I left.

My FBS was up this morning, but I overdid the eating yesterday. I've got my calories, carbs etc figured and spread throughout the day so that I'm not eating a whole lot at the same time. Since I know I'm a night eater, I'm working at making better choices in the evening. I had pb with banana and cinnamon on toast for breakfast and moved my eggs, meat omelet to eat at night for a snack as well as a 2nd snack of pb crackers that I make myself so it will be less calories than store bought. I figure I can put cinnamon in the pb that I put on the 4 crackers. I used 1 tbls pb for breakfast and will use 1 tbls in the evening so that I still have 1 serving but not all at once.

Trish, I have always tried not to wear the same shoes two days in a row, even back when I was thinner. When I worked and wore high heels, I could not wear the same pair two days in a row or I got pain. DH wears the same shoes all the time. That would kill my feet. They feel much better today, but I can still feel a little bit of ache on the outside of my right foot. I think it's telling that the pain is not in the same foot all the time. The left foot that was hurting before has felt fine for a couple weeks now. I couldn't even go to PT because how would I explain to them that the pain was not always in the same place? LOL Getting old is so much fun.

When I was a little kid there was an elderly man across the street from us who used to hold small balls in his hand to squeeze. I remember asking him if I could have one of them and thought he was mean to tell me no, he needed them. I have some balls I bought at Kohls that are called Hand Therapy Balls and I squeeze them sometimes.

My veggie soup is simmering on the stove now. I'm waiting for some of the liquid to cook off to make it more concentrated. I did not have a soup bone to put in it. I told DH it's not the same without the bone, but we'll see. I bought the wrong barley. I accidentally picked up the quick-cooking, and I usually use the regular pearl barley. I put a lot of cabbage in it, too. It's cool and rainy today....a good day for soup.

I love candy orange slices! We buy them at Walmart, but we get the variety pack of all flavors. I eat all the orange ones. I haven't had any since Lent started, or Milkways either. I am no longer even tempted by them.

We went out for breakfast this morning. I had scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, and sourdough toast. I love sourdough. Made my vegetable soup, and had 3 bowls. Bad news is I had 2 slices of Italian bread with it.

I was reading online about healthy foods and one listed was blueberries. That reminded me that I had some in the freezer, so I just had a cup of plain greek yogurt with frozen blueberries. I only like them frozen. They tasted so good and refreshing with the yogurt.

So all in all, I feel very full, but other than the bread, what I ate was healthy.

Carol Sue I've done pretty good today so far. It is 9 pm and we will have a movie pretty soon and I can have the snack I had planned for tonight along with the 5 calorie Crystal Lite drink I've been treating myself with once a day since DS doctor told her to drink that instead of diet sodas. I've had plenty of exercise today as I've done brisk walk at rehab and did 25 minutes on the recumbent bike besides the house work I've done so if I want a little extra I'm covered. So I'm doing good today. However, I really don't want to get into the habit of going over the calories I've planned.

So over all I've had a good day.

Trish, I was looking for something in my cupboard yesterday and I saw 2 pkgs of Crystal Light that I bought and forgot about. They are the little packages you can dump in a bottle of water. The lemonade is open but the raspberry is not. I might try them in some sparkling water I have. I think I bought the sparkling water to dilute my wine but never tried it. My family drank up all my wine over the holidays and I haven't bought more. I probably won't buy more until the next holiday. The carbonation is what I like about the diet soda.

Our weather forecast has been changed. We were supposed to have torrential rain and more flooding overnight and today, but now they changed it to just regular rain. I'm starting to agree that maybe all this rain could be causing all my pain and it might improve when the weather dries out. I never thought I would be one to have unexplained pain like this.

I had scrambled eggs for breakfast and I don't know what we will be eating for dinner. I will probably have some soup for lunch, or maybe give some to my step-daughter if she wants some. My step-son is renovating his house and we might take a ride out there today to see how it's going. I think they are still in the tear-down stages and I want to see it before they get it finished. They are doing a lot of the tear-down themselves to save money. They are redoing the kitchen, which I thought was fine to begin with, and adding a formal dining room where a spare room used to be. They are adding a doorway to go into the garage, as before, they had to go outside to get into the garage. I don't know why the former owners did it that way.

I will get ready and see what DH wants to do.

BBL.

I'm down a pound but FBS was high and bp was really low. I took one of DH Lasix last night and I've had pain in the right side of my back. I don't think I will take it ever again.

I decided to have a nice big breakfast this morning since I didn't get up and go see Daddy yet. Heller's came out with a book a few years ago, can't remember the name, but Rachel had a problem staying on CAD the way they had tweaked it and used it for so many years. It had to do with stress eating. In the book, you eat your carby foods at breakfast although they don't call it a reward meal. I'll have to get the book out and read it. I've decided maybe with all that is going on in my life that perhaps I should eat a good breakfast and then eat low carb the rest of the day. It is worth trying something different with all that is going on with Daddy right now.

I talked to Daddy this morning and he was disappointed that he wasn't able to get up and walk. Each day he wakes up expecting to, however, he does believe his legs are stronger. He doesn't understand why his right hand isn't better than it is... it is sore from him exercising it so much. I took my 2 lb hand weights to him, DS got him play dough and a soft ball that he can use to exercise his hand in his room. Actually she said the preacher said his hand is stronger. I assume Daddy probably squeezed his hand a little better when he shook it. So there is progress, it is just that Daddy has never been a patient man.

DH and I are going to go spend some time with him and then DS and BIL will meet up with us at the steakhouse next to the Rehab center for dinner. TX roadhouse is our favorite, but this one is a new one and we decided to give it a try. I guess it will be our late Valentine's dinner with our sweethearts that we never got to do because of Daddy's injuries. I like eating at steakhouses because it is so easy to stay on low carb plan.

Carol SueEnjoy being with step-son and family. I'll catch you later.

MadeleineI hope you are having a good restful weekend.

BBL

Trish, I have often heard it said that you should eat the biggest meal in the morning and the smallest in the evening. It might be just what you need. I could do it if I lived alone because I like breakfast food much better than supper food, but I can't do it with DH loving his evening meal so much.

We had a nice visit with Step son and wife. The house is gutted, except for their bedrooms. They have a small kitchen area in the basement next to their game room that they are using in the interim. The people before them had that because her mother was living with them. It's a nice feature when they entertain in the game room. No needing to run upstairs to the kitchen and the upstairs stays clean. When DGS gets older he might want that for his living space to get away from the parents. LOL

I don't even want to talk about dinner. We went to a buffet and I OVERATE. I ate batter fried chicken which I rarely do, and country fried steak. I ate some veggies, but they didn't have a lot of good low carb foods. Back to bare bones tomorrow and lots of water.