Coop, I basically follow a gluten-free diet, although I do not have Celiac disease. A couple of summers ago I ran into a casual friend at the beach, and she looked great- absolutely glowing and younger than she had looked in years, and I commented. Her teenage daughter had been diagnosed, and the entire family went gluten-free. This woman told me she was sleeping better, her dry skin had disappeared, she had lost weight, felt healthier, etc. , so I decided to try it. I think it is the reason I have gotten back down to a size 8. I have oatmeal and fruit, cold cereal and fruit or egg on gluten-free bread or a corn tortilla for breakfast; soups or salads or tortillas for lunch, and a normal dinner. My snacks are ice cream, yogurt, fruit, chocolate, nuts...and gluten-free goodies. The peanut butter cookies - peanut butter, sugar, and egg - are addictive!

Most stores have gluten free bread, pasta and sweets. Bob's Red Mill has a number of gluten free items. You need to be careful about the calorie content of some items.....their brownie mix is delicious, but high in calorie. You might want to buy a gluten-free cookbook or check out some gluten-free websites.

I think you will come to enjoy a gluten-free lifestyle and will be surprised at how many products most stores now carry.

Good luck with it.


Hello to everyone else - We had a wild blizzard yesterday - I was prepared with flashlights in every room, the heat cranked up and both fireplaces on, but my street never lost power. Whoo Hoo ! ! We have underground wiring on the street, but the main road leading to us is tree-covered, and we frequently lose power from there.

Thanks Monica, it's nice to read that you had some great health improvements from going gluten free! At least we have that to look forward to My mum also chose to go gluten free while I lived at home, and so I tried a lot of the foods, some good and some really awful! There is a much better selection now though, it's one of the benefits of gluten free becoming so popular. Cross contamination will be the biggest issue really...


Oh goodness guys, sometimes I think life can't hit the people around me with anything more, and then yesterday my sister texted to advise she's had a biopsy taken to check for cervical cancer after some tests showed abnormalities. It will be 4-8 weeks for her test results to come back - is it just me or is that a horrible length of time to have to stress about things? I'm sure it's nothing, but it will be a while before we know for sure.

Yes 4 to 8 weeks is a horribly long time to have to wait! our BEST wishes and hopes for no problems for your sister, Coop!
Also it must have been a shock when the OH's doctor told him that the previous diagnosis was not correct and that he does indeed have celiac. I hope you are able to work your way through this new way of living and hope it has good benefits

good for you for being prepared but glad you didn't lose power! Does it take about a day to 'recover' from a big snow storm there, as it does here?

for the past week, my only exercise has been shoveling

Yes, that makes sense, no need to move out til the last week of the month.

Lisa, I've slacked off my regular exercising, because I've been busy in the mornings doing stupid shoveling I'm glad I can do it but I sure don't want to. Well, it's not really that bad, though we haven't had any huge dumps of snow yet, but we will tomorrow afternoon/into Monday if the reports are right, 8" to 12". I'll try to post a pic of our driveway to show what my exercise has been

Hi everyone,
I'm just coming back to this site after being absent for a little while. I've dealt with depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember. I'm only 22, but I definitely feel like it has taken a lot of experiences away from me (being too anxious to be around people, wanting to stay in bed rather than go out, not wanting to spend time with family).
I've been especially depressed the past few days. I graduated from college last May and decided to move back in with my parents as I figure out graduate school/jobs/internships while I work a couple part time jobs to save up money. I've lived on my own for the past four years (incuding summers), and am very independent, so it's been really hard for me to be here, despite the luxuries of a gym membership, no rent or bills, and free food. I just feel very lost and lonely, and it's hard finding people I can reach out to when I'm low.

I haven't been eating much because of depression, but I know that this will mean when I bounce back to being happy/energetic, I will want to binge.

I look forward to getting to know all of you!

I'm new to this thread. I'm dealing with PTSD, severe anxiety (with agoraphobic tendencies), and depression. I'm a major binge eater to the point where food is one of the only motivators I have that will get me to leave my apartment. I usually only leave for groceries (which always results in a breakdown afterwards) and appointments. I've been working hard to use exercise to tamper my nervous energy but it's hard because I use the workout room in our apartment building. It's probably less than 100 yards from my apartment but some days I have a really hard time going. I sometimes fear that other people will be in there. It's the worst on the weekends. On weekdays most people either work or they have children to watch so it's usually empty. I have an amazing husband who's really supportive, especially because I can't work anymore.

Hello!

We are in the middle of more crazy weather, and I am afraid it will be a February like 2015.

Holly, it takes at least a day for things to get back to normal on the Cape after a storm - we usually get heavy snow because of the ocean, and it is hard to move around. We don't have as much equipment as most towns - it seems for years we would get no storms or one, two at the most; that has changed in the past few years. I agree with Kathleen about your diagnosis; it sounds like worst case scenario, and a second opinion might help.

Coop, I understand how you feel about your father. He is lonely and needs someone in his life; that is testimony to your mother as he is trying to replace what he had. In time, you might come to be relieved he has someone in his life. A close friend of mine's stepfather started dating a neighbor the week after her mother passed away - she was furious, as were her stepsisters. But, now she is relieved. It has been four years, he has had surgeries and other issues that this neighbor is dealing with - not my friend or her stepsisters (his biological kids.) Now, they all say, thank goodness for her, or we would be stuck with him! I am sure that is not how you feel about your dad, but you might be very glad at some point that he has someone.

Kathleen, it sounds like your son is better off at home where you can monitor his meds. It sounded like he was not comfortable in the dorm after starting second semester. Hopefully he will continue in school and continue on his meds. You and he are in my prayers. I know it is not easy to deal with.

Going gluten-free is easy for me, but since I do not have Celiac disease, I do not have to worry about cross contamination or eating a slice of cake at a party, etc. There are plenty of substitutes you can use. One of the brownie recipes I make has a can of black beans, canned pumpkin and applesauce - they are delicious. The flourless chocolate cake is like a piece of fudge! Decadent!

I read the book Wheat Belly - and I can sum it up for you....... The wheat that is now produced is nothing like that in the Bible; in the 1960s, as part of the way to survive the Cold War, we started supplying Russia and other countries with wheat. To do that, we had to genetically alter the wheat to produce a larger amount at a faster rate. The new wheat is what is responsible for the high number of Celiac cases.

Lisa, is your house empty and sold now? What is new with your mother's house? Has your sister considered buying the rest of you out? She could use her share of the inheritance as her down-payment.

Jessika, the first year or two is very hard after you lose your mother. My mother stroked out, totally unexpectedly, right before the holidays - she was combing her hair to go out to lunch and said she had the worst headache she had ever had - the first holidays were a blur for all of us; the second was when we realized she was gone. It is a tough, but natural, part of life.

Hello and Welcome to our new members.

Going to keep this short. Big day tomorrow, heading to town to sign a paper for the closing. Then I'm headed to the new place to go through boxes and try to get the directv up and running.


Great news!!!! The old house closing is next Tuesday. I am so so excited and incredibly blessed.


Hello to all the new ladies joining the thread. We are so happy you found us.

Monica, mom's house is not on the market yet. I've given up hoping. No, my sister is moving out of the house whenever it is sold.

Kathleen, just so excited to move in but I have to be patient. In the mean time, there is a lot I can work on until the last week of the month gets here.

Much love to you all. I'll post again soon.

Thank you for the warm welcome.

Today I met with my psychiatrist. We don't have the greatest relationship since she's pretty stuck in her ways and I'm a pretty complex case. I suffer from paradoxical reactions so I can't take most psychiatric medications without responding the opposite way. Like antidepressants make me suicidal, sleep medications keep me awake, and anxiety meds make me freak out. It sucks. So after a lot of pushing I was able to get her to look outside the box and come up with different alternatives. So now I'm taking a beta-blocker and an alpha-blocker. They are supposed to keep both my heart rate and blood pressure down to help prevent my body from having panic attacks. Worth a shot.

big to Helianthus (though I do remember you from before, I remember your 'sunflower' name ) and to LovelyLeah. LL, I hope the new meds help you! I hope both you ladies visit often! It does help to vent about whatever here, or just talk about your day, and know that someone is listening

Kathleen Hi!! so good to hear from you. Finger continuously crossed for your son and for YOU Yes we did get 14" of snow on, geez, what day was it, well a couple days ago. Regarding my eyeballs, I guess I do trust the new guy, we really are a rural state and don't have the same concentration of possibilities to get second opinions and I am going to put my trust in him/the practice. How are YOU doing, and feeling?? is the tension in your family relieved a bit? i hope so

Lisa today is your big signing day correct? best wishes and congrats!! and thank you for your always kind and caring words to me

Hi Coop!! we are thinking of you, worrying about your sister! Hoping so much she hears good news though it will be weeks.

Hi Monica! Oh I hope you haven't been hit too hard with the crummy white stuff from the sky

So we did get a big amount of snow the other day, Sunday into Monday. Husband ran the little electric snowthrower and I shoveled my butt off we got it done in 2 hours! that is good, believe it or not. It wasn't heavy wet snow which was a blessing. But still alot of it. Then yesterday, before work in the morning, I took a metal pointed shovel and a snow shovel, and climbed up the 5 foot snowbanks and hacked and chopped them back..because our driveway was looking like a canyon.

Now we have MORE snow predicted, not a ton, but 3 or 4 inches today, more tomorrow, etc. So I also got to get the long snow rake and get the snow off the garage roof. At least I have the next 2 days off, and I CAN physically do this, and it counts towards my exercise! Yes. we could hire someone to plow, but we are ruggedly independent and cheap and I am blessed that I am NOT sore afterwards and I can do it.

I have to TRY and make myself not get so frustrated at work, the Rat B@stard Boss is SO infuriating because he arbitrarily changes his procedures of operating, which throws us workers in a spin, because he contradicts what he has told us, and we are trying to follow procedure, then he comes along and does the contradictory thing in front of a customer, which makes us look like fools. Usually it's because he doesn't want the customer to have negative feelings towards him. Even to the point of, we have seen customers take multiple servings of soup or chili, eat it, then approach the counter and state they only had one serving...afterwards the RB will say "you charged him for all the extra didn't you?" and we will say NO, because we're not going to fight with a customer..and he then rants about all the money he's losing. I have told him, 'you cannot expect us to do something that YOU don't have the spine to do yourself!'

sorry for the above rant but it does help to vent doesn't it

Well I am going to do a dvd exercise video which I haven't done in about a week, before the snow shoveling has taken over my time, that is exercise too but I need the discipline of a dvd workout. Have a good day!!

p.s. Now when I have a long post like this, I do copy and paste it in another tab so I don't get the 'lost post' syndrome!

Is everyone else dealing with the white crap from the sky as I am? My formal exercises (dvd's, youtube) have been rudely replaced with daily shoveling, either getting rid of fresh stuff or tackling the snowbanks. I am grateful I can do it and am not sore afterwards. Hello to everyone and say Hi!

I hope it works out for you, Leah. Keep posting here and vent. You'll feel better.

I suffer from depression and anxiety. I have a wonderful cocktail of medicines that help me live a somewhat normal life. I HAVE to take my meds though. I cannot function with them.

So glad you are posting here with us.

Holly, copy and paste is absolutely the right thing to do when posting here. It has saved my butt several times.


The closing isn't until next Tuesday, Holly. I did have to stop off and sign a paper but the actual closing isn't until next week. I am excited.

I had to go to the ER this morning. I don't want to gross anyone out but I had an absess that needed emptied. It was in a very private place on my body. I was embarrassed but it needed done so I sucked it up, buttercup and went. Now I have it all bandaged up and I feel so much better.

Not much else going on here. I may go to the house on Sunday and empty more boxes.

Kathleen, I think I still need to respond to your post. I'll do it tonight.


Sorry I am not in a better mood. I am sleepy. Time for a nap.