Mad, I recently read that "no bowel movements" is not necessarily constipation. Constipation is when you feel that you need to to but can't. Sometimes your food just takes longer to go through your system or what you ate is low residue. In that case I rarely feel constipated, just don't always go every day.

Adrienne, the lab I go to is Quest. I always tell them where to draw from because I have one good spot. When I'm in the hospital they always have trouble because they draw every morning. They run out of places to draw.

Rolling cabbage rolls. First shave the hard vein on each leaf so it's flat. Lay the leaf flat with the filling near the top. Fold one side over,, roll, then tuck the other side into the meat filling. I hope you understand that. It gets easier the more you do it. I use all the leftover cabbage to make halusky. (cabbage and noodles.). Some people serve it with mashed potatoes and put the sauce over the potatoes. My DH just eats the cabbage rolls alone. They are very filling. They contain meat, carbs (rice) and vegetable (cabbage.) I'm starting to want some soon.

Trish, I dont remember Rose. Maybe she was before I came here. I have often noticed that I get hungry then it goes away In 20 minutes or so. I think your liver dumps glucose and hunger stops. "She's not going to feed me. Guess I have to do it!"

I forgot to tell you about the strawberries. In the summer our stores have a big table filled with quarts of strawberries. They have a very small section with pints of other berries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries. I didn't know, but in the winter they have a few quarts of strawberries in the small section with the other berries. DH bought some but didn't eat them fast enough and they got moldy. I don't eat berries very much.

Just got my lab results online. They are TERRIBLE! I am so upset, but its my own fault. I need to make positive changes immediately! I dread this doctor visit.

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I am settled down a bit after researching all this online. The changes I need to make are more water, more exercise especially after dinner, and more vegetables and fiber. All doable. I hope the doctor doesn't want to add more meds. There's no more room in my pill box!

Fatmad glad your lab results went so well and thanks for the advice on what to do to ward off hunger during fasts. I like the idea of getting broth and adding my own salt. I will do that. I also read in the book on fasting that if you really need it that you could eat a small dill pickle because the calories are so minimal. The juice or ACV would be better I'm sure.

Carol Sue Sorry your lab results weren't as good as you wanted but they can be corrected. I think the hoiday eating hasn't helped a lot. I am hoping that DH and I have satisfactory lab results because I know we ate off a lot in December. We get our results from doc when we see him Wednesday 16th. DH is working so hard to get his down and I want him to see good results in his future. I think my last A1c was 4.8 so hope I'll at least be in the 5s this time.

Adrienne Always good to hear from you. When I worked nights, I had a very hard time eating OP. Glad to see it starting to come together for you.

I ended up eating a 3rd meal last night. It started out a snack but ended up more of a meal. I slept a lot yesterday evening and just didn't fight it off like I should have. Today is a new day. Since I have made the 1st day of the month my actually WI time, today was one week WI day and I kept my 182.2 from yesterday so I have lost 1.2 lbs this week. Scale actually landed on the 181.6 but just couldn't hold it and bounced back up to 182.2 and stayed there. I am happy with this 1.2 lb loss.

I found quiche in frozen snacks at Sam's. Four is a serving but there are 2 flavors, ham and spinach, so I had one of each cooked in air-fryer, a protein shake, banana and coffee for brunch around 10ish. It was very good and just enough to hit the spot. Drinking water now until dinner. We have left over chili but not enough for a meal for 2 so we will have chili dogs mine will be on WG macaroni and DH will eat his chili on 1 sl SLMG bread. I may end up doing a 2 meal and 1 snack with 7 or 8 hr eating window. Not sure yet.

Have a nice day everyone.

We went to Rodney's and I had a salmon salad. DH wanted Rodney's or Texas Roadhouse and Texas Roadhouse is 20 miles away, Rodneys is 5. They were surprised to see us when it wasn't Friday. Texas Roadhouse has a good salmon salad too. So I had 1200 calories with 35 GM of carb. All healthy food, no junk. I have to learn to say"No thank you" when DH offers me food. This is now a matter of my health.

I am going to have a problem with the extra water. I already go to the bathroom constantly. We went to Goodwill and their restrooms were closed so I told DH we had to leave. Maybe I will need to buy diapers!

Trish, I think your A1c will still be good. Your blood sugars have been good all along. I hope your DHs are good too. I know he has a bit of a problem with it like I do.

My step son is having surgery tomorrow. Please pray that all goes well. We are mostly concerned there is no cancer.

Carol Sue I am so sorry about your step-son and pray he will be fine and will not have cancer.

I don't drink a lot of water or anything else when I am going places and then I have to try to make it up when I get back home. Of course, we don't go out as often as y'all do.

I did an 8 hr eating window today. I think I just might do that for a while. I am finding it fairly easy to make the fasting hrs cleaner. If I need to cut back on the hrs, I will but for now I want to do it this way as long as I can lose. It has warmed up here so easier to drink water.

Goodnight.

Wt still 189.

I tried a Premier shake yesterday. It was ok. There was something about the taste that I didn't like but I'm not sure what. After the first sip I got used to it. Maybe I'd like a different flavor better than chocolate. It was a little sweet for me.

The cold doesn't bother me drinking water but living in PA I am used to cold. Its just the frequent bathroom trips. I heard that eventually your body adjusts. Often when I've gone to the ER they told me I was dehydrated and put me on a saline IV right away. I think I drink enough but my body passes it quickly. I don't have low sodium but its very low normal. I need to add salt or electrolytes maybe. Something to hold the fluid in. I never worry about water weight. I care about losing fat and inches. Dehydration can cause medical issues. I will continue researching til I figure it out.

DH cooked breakfast this morning but I refrained. My stomach feels very empty and I want to keep this feeling for a while. I want to work on cutting back to 1 egg like I did during previous weight loss. DH has a tendency to over cook, cook for an army as I call it. I have gotten into the habit of eating a lot of eggs because they are low carb and nutrition rich,but often I am still not hungry at dinner time. I might try 3 small meals in my eating window rather than 2. I am usually not satisfied until I'm stuffed. I'd like to break that habit and only eat enough to curb hunger.

Yesterday I had a salmon salad at Rodneys. I stopped when satisfied but was not going to leave salmon! I took it home and finished it later.

When I worked, I drank a bottle of water while getting ready for work. I will try to get back to that habit again. Now I just drink coffee right away. Caffeine can be dehydrating. More water should help with my dry itchy skin, too.

I will fix everything that's wrong!

Weight up 1 lb but that isn't unusual for me to bounce up. The main thing I want to do is to stay within 8 hr eating window and lower when I can. I just don't want to make a hard fast rule that I have to eat only within 4 or 5 eating window. I want to do this in a way that will be successful for me. No one else can do this for me so no one else can tell me what I have to do. I need to learn to live within my own lifestyle.

Carol Sue, I drink a glass of water every morning while I get dress. I read somewhere years ago that orientals, not sure whether Chinese or Japanese, drink water as soon as they get up. So I've been doing that every morning since then.

I love that empty feeling. I remember the first time I felt that way after I had been really sick. I remember when I got well that I didn't feel hungry, I actually felt good because my belly was empty. I actually was shocked at how good it felt. I want to do that again. I think that is why I really like the ideas they teach in Intuitive/Mindful Eating. I still love the thought of only eating when I'm hungry and eating what I really want and savor it and stop when I am satisfied. I still think it can be done along with IF.

I had French toast for brunch this morning. I don't always want the shake but have it when I don't want to cook something just for me. My French toast is made with just one egg with nothing but Mrs Dash with 2 sl SLMG bread dredged through it. I'm not going to eat 2 eggs or anything else as far as that goes when I don't want it.

Have a nice day everybody.

Trish, somewhere I read that we should drink a glass of water as soon as we get up but I don't remember where. Dinner was half of a Big Mac. So far I've had 755 calories and 78 carbs in 4.5 hours. I will eat vegetables later. I could stop eating now and be happy with that eating window. I am not hungry but I want to make sure I get a good portion of vegetables every day. They add very few calories or carbs.

I wonder where Ann is. I will look back and see if she was going away.

Yep! Went to VT.



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good evening
Before I left on Monday I played with the scale, I heard someone here talking about resetting theirs. Mine is a WW scale made by Taylor, no reset, just a switch for KG or Lb. At least 13 years old. While I have been blaming the scale, I really didn't think that was my issue. I was the same Monday morn as on Sunday, I changed it to KG, waited 5 minutes got on and off, switched it back and waited. I kept reading 4.4 lb and would not zero, I decided to replace the battery, I got on in my kitchen in several places and it varied 4 lbs. That made me decide to replace it.

DBF has one of the old, old scales with a dial and a pointer, just for the heck of it I got on fully clothed with sneakers and I was less than my own scale in my nightgown. At this point I was laughing, I went out and got another WW by Conair, I got on before using the bathroom and I was 226.4. I will toss the old one when I get home.

Looking back, I stopped losing when I had Covid, my food intake was the same, but I hardly moved off the couch for about 10 days, so maybe that slowed down my metabolism-my body thought I was hibernating. I am stepping up the exercise and getting in 1500 calories a day so my body should not feel I am starving. Got a walk in here in the city-grrr-the pavement raises trouble with my knees, but I need to move. DBF and I looked at elipticals, his Dr wants him to get in some cardio but not until after his nuclear stress test next week.

Mad, happy your lab work came back so well. I hate waiting for results.

Carol, hoping you get good news on your step son, so sorry for your worry. Also on the bloodwork, are there any numbers that you could improve without meds? Just a thought.

HI everyone: just hello, I am not weight since I am eating. Hard to stick to plan, so I am not doing it just right. I think in winter the carb cravings are more. I am not doing a lot of carbs (unlike DH who just ate perogies) but more than usual for me. I had soup and a low carb sandwich and 2 cabbage rolls today. And a small square of chocolate.
So I am ok.
I am happy to see everyone doing ok. Carol: I know you can get back on track, this winter has been hard, and with Covid and not seeing people, its even harder.

Have a good day all.

Wt still 189.

Ann, my scale comes with instructions to recalibrate. Take batteries out for 10 minutes, put back in. Put 1 foot on the scale until you see 00 CAL ( for calibrate). In a few seconds it goes blank and its done. I did this because it was not changing up or down which is unusual for me. I'm glad you found one you like. I think its hard to find two scales that say the same thing but it should not be different if you get on several times.

I have a Sole E25 elliptical. When I got it, I went to Dick's Sporting Goods store where they had them all on display. I started on the lowest price one and tried them all out until one felt comfortable. It was the lowest priced Sole. It felt very smooth and had a ridge around the foot pedal that kept my foot from sliding off. The higher priced ones have a stride adjustment that can be helpful for some. I had a cheap one before but it was uncomfortable and my feet sometimes slid off the pedal so I never used it. I sold it. It was funny because a couple was standing nearby watching me try them out. I turned to DH and said "That's the one I want" and they turned to the salesman and said "We will take one of them. " It takes up a lot of room but now they make some that are a lot shorter. Just my 2 cents.

Mad, I would love to have some of those pierogies. That's one of the things I can't buy. DH doesn't eat them and I would eat the whole package.

In my opinion, all my lab numbers can be improved without meds but my doctor loves to prescribe meds. I think he gets a bonus for each one. Doctors seem to want to prescribe pills instead of recommending lifestyle changes. Lifestyle changes don't increase profits. Also, many patients prefer to take the easy way out with a pill. Lifestyle changes are hard. I am a good example. I know what to do and I have good intentions but I'm a procrastinator. I have already been feeling better from increasing my water. Lowering carbs and exercising will help, too. Also, I ran out of fish oil and didn't buy more, so now I know that it was working when I was taking it!! I know I can do this but my resolve tends to fade and I fall back into old habits.

My step son's surgery went well. He will be in the hospital for a few more days. I don't know when they will get the report from pathology.

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The doctor's office just called to tell me my labs were satisfactory. But they aren't to me. So no new meds as long as my BP is ok tomorrow. I have 3 more months to work on this, or 6 months, whatever he chooses. I would like to do 3 months until I get this worked out.

Hi all: weighed 158 today! this after eating everyday. But I have not stayed strict keto and am out of strips. After walking Buddy this am, I drove to a nearby natural area and walked with a friend. I have not done enough of this kind of thing. SO I now have 10,000 steps in for today, at noon. wow. DH and I are both happy with the new mattress for our bed. No "sleep soreness" so it really was time to do it.
I am planning to fast today for sure. see how long before the weight comes down a bit.
Carol: I hope things went well for your step son, and no cancer. That is always a big concern. Is this the one who is the father of your grandson? that would be so hard on that family.
Ann: so glad your new scale is working for you. I do think getting sick makes you hold onto fluids and weight, but now you are better that should go.

Enjoy your day everyone.

Yes, step son is,father of 13 year old DGS. Doctor is optimistic.

I had a scale in SC that was always right on with the doctor's scales, but they were old and when we moved to TX they must have gotten thrown around are something because they quit working and I had to buy the one I have now. You aren't supposed to have to reset, but I do sometimes because every time I step on them they have a different number until I have to do the same thing you do Carol Sue and then the number will be the same each time I weigh.

Not much happening here. I am just trying to get used to not having to go anywhere except store, doctor's appointments etc. My weight is stuck back up at 183.2 but no real gain since the first day of February. In fact, .2 lbs down so now I need to get my act together. I think we have kind of learned that we can maintain our weight, now I need to learn how to get the scale coming down more consistently. I am working on a 2-meal day today. I had a nice brunch kind of large for me but more balanced. Will eat a fish dinner around 3ish and call it quits for the day. Shooting for a 19:5 hr IF ratio. I haven't checked calories because I don't want to start counting again. I think I can do this with just 2 meals a day; I just have to get into the routine so it can become a "new habit". After all, I ate this way for a lot of years so I know I can do it if I just do it.

Ann, Glad you made it to VT safely and you found the scale you want to replace the other. Must have been nice to get on DBF scale and find you had lost weight.

Fatmad I had to look up pierogies. I never heard of them and I can see that it is a good thing I haven't because I would love them. There are a lot of doughy things that my family loved that I never got into. I think some of them came into the menu when Daddy married my Stepmom. I met DH and married and moved to FL soon after they married so never ate any of them. Since I strictly low carbed back then, and when I moved back here and we would go to buy the sausages etc at the little Bohemian store in the little town north of us that was popular for that kind of stuff, I wouldn't touch them because they would be too carby.

Carol Sue I am glad your lab results pleased you doc so he won't add meds. I agree you can make changes for improvement yourself. Prayers continue for you DSS that results come back showing no cancer.

Adrienne, I hope things are going well for you.

Have a nice day everybody.

Still keeping 100% OP here, DBF is so easy to cook for and he is supportive so if I need a wierd low carb meal he is happy to eat it. His Dr wants him to keep his BS stable so he was really happy to try Right Rice, it is made with 90% veggies and 10% rice, shaped like rice. Higher protein and fiber than white rice with lower carbs. Last night I made broccoli, cheese souflfle, a nice light dinner when he doesnt' get home until 8pm.
Tonight I am making roasted red pepper cream sauce and having with Edamame Spaghetti. I have some Italian seasoned chicken sausages to make with it,

I am going home tomorrow, I will be glad to get back to my bike. DBF is coming down on Sat and staying til Tues so we get Valentines Day together. He is teaching dog classes Wed, Thurs and Sat so we have to work around his schedule. I need to clean the house, meal plan and grocery shop and I will pick up a bottle of white wine or two.

I didn't get on scale this am as I am having bathroom issues , again.

Mad, the town where I went to high school was a predominantly Polish population, galumpkis and perogies were always on the dinner table when I got invited to dinner at friends homes. I make the galumpkies often, kids always loved them, I did perogies once but too much dough for me especially to stuff with potatoes.

Carol, I had the paperwork on the scale-I keep everything- it touted itself as no need to calibrate. I stored it vertically for a few months when the bathroom was gutted and I move it a lot so I think it was just tired. I was tempted to leave the new one here and buy another for home but decided not to go to that expense. I will always be OP here and hope for a pleasant surprise on the scale when I get home.

Patty your French toast sounds good, I was thinking that might be a good use for all the dry keto bread I bought. I have 2 or 3 more loaves in the freezer to use up.