MC - Hope you get the sugar numbers down.

Kitteh - Have your indulgence. If you don't you will eat around it and probably end up eating it too in the end. It's all about moderation and lifestyle change.

Petra - Be Strong Woman! New Orleans is rough for healthy eating. Everything is Good there as you well know.

Barb - New Orleans is great. I feel your pain too about eating nice places and having to settle for a side salad or a baked potato. Since I'm doing dairy free I can't eat pizza and my husband says can't you get a salad or something. Pizza is my favorite food on Earth. But I went with them and watched them eat pizza while I ate a side salad. Good for you on doing the dam walk too!

Annie - I'm glad you got the swimsuit!!!!!

Hi to Ange, WLW, and Peanut - Glad to see ya'll.

Well, I got the results. They were mixed. The good news is I DO NOT have celiac disease!
I did test positive for Epstein Barr Virus but it was inactive. Whatever that means.
No mono
However, my liver enzymes continue to rise. One of them almost doubled from the last test. The other is up considerably as well. Now I'm off to a gastroenterologist. Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! I'm waiting for the referral office from my doctor to call to set it up.

I'm still really tired of course. But now I'm itching on my legs and I have pain with eating and a dull ache on my right side that doesn't go away.
I really wish I had an answer. I'm so ready to be over this so I can get on with my life. I have stuff to do!

Anyway, thanks again for listening to my saga. It helps to get the frustration out.

Ya'll have a great day and weekend.

kittehM - spin classes are great, i did one last night. My trick is to go to the gym straight from work. You're right, if you go home it's an opportunity to choose whether you want to go back out again to the gym, and choosing isn't always a good thing!!
Did you have the treat? I'm with Wizzie - have it and enjoy it, you deserved it.

Wizzie - great to hear good news on the celiac but i'm sorry that you've still got other wierd stuff happening. It doesn't seem fair when you're doing everything you can to be healthy. Like your new avatar!

MC - don't beat yourself up too much. Think forward, but also take a look at your ticker and see how far you've come already.

I"ll pinch Wizzies idea and say a general "hi girls" to kathi, barb, petra, annie, peanutsmom and all you other regulars!

After my 4 days at 122, it seems i'm safely back up to 123 and holding steady. Don't know why i've gone back up. Effectively then, i've been at 123 for more than 4 weeks now and in that time my diet has changed heaps and in the last week i've been able to exercise again and done tough stuff at the gym 6 out of last 7 days, but the scales haven't moved a sausage... I'll tell myself i'm exchanging fat for muscle!

Realistically i'm happy enough with my weight - just a bit miffed that i've put so much effort in and got nothing out. Anyway, it's good that i'm happyish with my weight cos yesterday we just booked ourselves a few days up in Bali in 3 weeks time, so i'll be dragging out the swimsuit and summer dresses!

Annie - love your new swimsuit by the way, it's really nice.

Good morning. It's the weekend (sigh of relief). This was a hectic week.

I went to the Zumba class yesterday evening to find out what it's all about. It's fast paced aerobics based on Latin music and dance, with a lot of hip movement thrown in for core work. It was fun and I sweated like a horse, but I have two left feet and got left in the dust more than a few times. I'll try it again--I can learn a routine, given time, but if the dance moves change all the time, it just may not be right for me. (The instructor just leads, he doesn't take time to show us the moves, so you have to pick it up on the fly. That was also my complaint with the step class I tried.)

I ate my treat yesterday--it was a rough day at the end of a long week, and I really, really wanted that treat. It seems to be working for me to have a sanctioned treat that I can look forward to without guilt.

Of course, now I'm back up half a pound, but I've written out my menus for today and tomorrow to help me stay on track, and I plan to hit the gym for a class each day, so that nasty ol' half pound should be gone soon.

MC--so sorry to hear about the diabetes. I was once diagnosed as pre-diabetic and that scared me straight (for a while--I've slipped back, but I'm still aware of what could be). Be strong and take care of yourself.

Wizzie--sorry you still don't have a diagnosis. Not knowing can be so much worse than knowing. I hope your doctor figures it out soon.

Ange--Bali! Wow! I'm jealous.

Everyone else--have a safe and happy weekend.

hello and Happy Saturday morning everyone!!! It's just 8 am and already 72 degrees here! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Petra, Dark chocolate is a good idea. I switched to that several months ago and it does not make me crave sweets like regular chocolate. Nice to indulge a little without going overboard! Enjoy your trip!

Annie, you have had your fair share of nasty weather. Hope it’s done for the season! Did you get the bathing suit? Hope it fits! I like it!

Wizzie, Love your new avatar. Hope your Drs. Figure things out soon. That has to be so frustrating!

PeanutsMom, Hope those 220’s are a fond memory real soon. You are getting so close to the teens!

Angelskeep, I thought you were enjoying the hiking? If you are, there’s no punishment in doing that for the rest of your life! As for splurging when you go out, you need to be able to do that once in a while. If you eat well all week and splurge a little on one meal you shouldn’t undo a whole weeks worth of work.

WLW, Hope that ice cream was for just one meal!

Ange82much, I think you are right on about a meal being more than just the calories. Bali sounds terrific!

Kitteh, You have to do what is working and giving you the results you desire in a time frame you can live with. Sounds like you have a great plan for the weekend. I’ve never tried Zumba but have a couple friends who love it. I’m not a dancer so I don’t think it is for me!

Motivated chickie, A size 4! That is awesome! Put that sugar binge behind you and move on. Getting test results can be a huge motivator to stick to plan. The numbers usually don’t lie!

I’m down to my last 3 days of school before summer vacation. 2 days with kids and one day in our classroom to get things packed away! I’m looking forward to having the time to enjoy with my DD11. She is growing up so fast! My neighbor and I will be back to walking each day. It’s nice to have someone waiting to keep you on program. We have warmer temps without rain today so I’m planning to get the last of my flowers planted. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Sorry I have not been a regular poster lately, but I do check in regularly to see how everyone is doing!

MC: the high fasting glucose could be a fluke, did they do an A1C to get a better idea of what your glucose levels have been doing on average?

OMW: yes, the icecream was just one meal! I think it's funny Mary and I had icecream for dinner on the same night : )

Kitteh: if it was fun and gave you a good workout, stick with it for a while. once you get the hang of it you'll be able to keep up. or maybe somebody else offers zumba with a better teacher. Good for you sticking to your once a week treat! I don't think I could limit myself to one a week...which may be part of my problem : (

Wizzie: love the new avatar : ) If I remember correctly the dormant epstein-barr is just an indicator that you've had mono in the past. Sorry to hear you're still dealing with a mystery diagnosis. I hate when that happens!

Barb: sounds like you had a poor-pitiful-me day! I hope you got it turned around. It seems like you've been enjoying the walking and geocaching. It's hard to give up favorite foods and traditions. Can you get your normal meals on the trip and split it with dh? Or just limit yourself to only eating half (or less) of what you order? (and trash the rest?) I know that sounds wasteful but it may be a way you can treat yourself without blowing the bank calorie and fat-wise.

Mary: hope you enjoy new orleans!

I made a trip to the farmer's market today with a gentleman friend : ) The peaches I got last week were absolutely awesome, so I got more. Have some plums and an apple so I think I'll make a fruit crisp : ) Last week's experiment was locally raised organic chicken. This week it's raw milk. Was hoping for some fresh local eggs but they were sold out, as were the duck eggs...since I'm not a big egg eater to start with I'm not sure what I would do with duck eggs anyway : ) I failed the eating out challenge, my precooked food ran out earlier than planned and I forgot to eat breakfast before I left this morning (not sure how I managed that) and didn't even think twice about lunch out with my friend. However, 3x in 1 week is a reduction in eating out/ordering in. And except for today I did give it some serious consideration before I placed the order. So I'm paying closer attention to what I'm eating and when/where/why. Well I did a good bit of walking at the farmer's market, and if they thunder storms let up I may hit the pool later.

I hope everybody is having a great weekend!

Howdy everyone. I'll have to get caught up tomorrow. We went caching early-ish and stayed out all day. I took my food with me, and managed not to cave in to cravings for my usual junk in the usual places. was getting a headache, so I did have a latte, but I'm pretty sure I'm still on plan for calories since I didn't add any extra sugar or cream to it and they just use skim milk in it. And I ate skinny food for dinner.

Yes, it was a pity party, but only for a bit. I am enjoying the walking and hiking and bicycling tremendously. I'm eating healthy food and I'm a good cook, so it isn't like it all tastes like cardboard. I think I'm just scared of having to start all over and I also don't know what it will be like to maintain. I used to be able to pretty much eat anything and I got enough exercise not to gain much weight. I'm guessing I'll never be that way agin, but I also hope it isn't the other extreme. And there are foods I miss, but I keep telling myself that just because I can't have them right now, that doesn't mean I can never have them. I will still make good cookies in 6 months or a year. And biscuits. And fried chicken. All those things.

Hope y'all are having a great weekend. If the weather cooperates tomorrow, we'll be doing more yardwork.

Barb

Good morning. Just a quick post--busy day today.

I missed my exercise class yesterday--overslept, of all things! But I did stick close to my eating plan, so I am pleased about that. I'm going to do some step aerobics at home this morning. If it stops raining, maybe I'll go for a walk this afternoon, too.

WLW--good job on thinking about your order--awareness of one's eating habits is half the battle. I wish I had a good farmer's market near me. There's a great one fifty minutes away, but I have trouble driving nearly an hour to buy a few groceries.

Have a great Sunday, everyone.

Yesterday, I ate on plan...sort of.

I had one meal instead of my customary two (yes, I eat only twice a day- somehow two big meals work best for my cravings). I was busy and didn't get a chance to make lunch.

Eating all my calories in one sitting felt strange- I usually don't calculate calories, but I did. Sure enough, I ate about 1,200 calories, right on target. But I don't like the feeling of that at all. The nice thing about my dinner is I had more protein than usual and my body liked that a lot. I must try to keep my protein up- especially with all the exercise I do.

Today I must clean my place and pack for my trip. I'm trying to remind myself that cleaning is good b/c I will feel so happy to come from my travels with a clean apartment. And packing shouldn't be a bore because I'm so excited for my trip.

Quick drive by to let you all know I'm still alive. I'm in New Orleans. Not the best for eating "on plan" but I am not wasting calories either. I have had some incredible meals and I plan to have one ot two more before I leave. I'm having dinner with a friend from medical school tonight at Brennan's.

I'll catch up with you all soon.

My turn for severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings! Welcome to summer in Charleston : ) I lucked out and walked in the door 2 minutes before the bottom dropped out. Had an awesome lunch of leftover roast chicken, fresh corn on the cob and leftover fruit crisp. washed it down with half a glass of t raw milk from the farmer's market. There's a bit of a taste difference but I think it tastes pretty good. I was dead on 163.5 again this morning, I'm usually up on the weekends so I guess I'm doing something right. Planned a swim for later but I'll have to wait for the weather to clear up. I unpacked eight more boxes earlier today...have to have the floor clear so they can come in and treat the carpet for fleas tomorrow, then steam clean again on tuesday. Somebody please lock me in a closet the next time I mention moving! Unless I move back to tx or buy as house, I don't want to do this again : ( I am much happier with the new place so far, especially with a working oven, garbage disposal and dishwasher. Makes me much more likely to cook and eat at home. (but I still hate moving!)

Petra: I'm glad you're enjoying New Orleans : )

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!