There's our Susan ... Please don't go too far incognito

Thanks Ilene,

I will check out hatha yoga.
I thought you were the one that mentioned long work out sessions. Biking or running? I am so sure your muscles are firm with all that activity.

3 glasses it also depends on my carb intake of the day or week even, and/or if I've had too many nuts... You really have to play around with it and see what works for you... Also, what I've noticed is, that my resolve to eat while drinking wine gets lax when I've had wine... KWIM, it's just easier after a couple of drinks to let things go by the wayside...

Mahalia, have you looked into Mark's Daily Apple, or getting the book from the library before buying it... The site is great though, there is a lot of information there...

Yes, well, I am the one who works out a lot and I am fairly muscular, so they say, but I guess we are our own worse critics ... Although I'm only 5'3" I weigh 155 and wear a size 8 pant, they were even loose this morning... My tops are mediums ...

Ilene, I've been reading Mark's Daily Apple and loving it!

OH MY GOSH! 5 pages of reading to get caught up! Poo, LDL, HDL, Chocolate, Yoga, WOW......

I too have been on MDA alot, probably too much to cooperate with my work load!

Tracking: highly suggest to do a 2-3 stretch every couple weeks, even when you think you are right where you should be--you might be surprised!

Family progress: 14 yr old daughter has lost 25 lbs in 2 months, I have lost 15 pounds....DH I am not sure

Gout: DH has gout, but he is doing nothing besides sitting in front of his computer all day long, addicted to Facebook games..serves him right LOL, I dont think it is really PB related, he just needs to be moving!

Tropical Traditions has a sale with free shipping right now, (free shipping today 10/18 only) I ordered 64 ounces of coconut oil, gallon tub of coconut chips unsweetened, and 4.4 lbs of coconut flour for $48, I saved more than 50% if I had bought at my grocery or health food store.

want to try to post more, feel very out of the loop, like the support here when I am plugged in......just need to manage time better

Well I weigh 155 and I bet I cannot get into a size 12 unless they are jeans. Most of my work at home pants are sweats or gym shorts. They are hanging on me a little. My hubbie has a pleat in the back of his pants.

My waist is down to 33.5 from 42!!! Lots of bloat on SAD.

Sorry, I was thinking the conversation might have made you uncomfortable, as a medical professional.

With our health care issues here in the states, I feel almost desperate to find answers to my issues before Medicare Advantage goes away. Soon there will be no VAP testing unless I pay for all of it. I do not expect others to pay for my health care, so it is what it is. I guess I do not have much patience for doctors who give advice that is outdated. I pay them money. I will be paying them more money. I need them to do the research and be sure.

I read a statistic that there is a 10% survival rate in hospices. Once they decide Granny is at the end, they take her off all her meds, except pain killers and she recovers! This is probably not true but it feels true!

Thanks for the perspective of someone working in the medical profession. I appreciate what you're saying about encouraging anyone to go against medical advice. I've been very fortunate that the few MDs I've dealt with have been open to what I've had to say and willing to discuss my concerns.

There are some areas of medicine where the protocols are well-established and clearly effective , and others that seem to require a lot of trial and error and best guesses (mental wellness, for example). The knowledge about the human body is always evolving. I don't think we'll ever understand everything about such a complex system. There will always be more intricacy and more detail to understand. One hundred years from now, some of what passes for expert opinion will be considered a breakthrough, some will be considered absolute rot. But it's the best we've got right now.

I certainly think docs could be more open to alternate approaches for limited time periods. I've worked out "deals" with my MDs -- I'll do it this way for "x" time, and we'll re-evaluate (tests, etc). We talk about the risks of say 6 months of doing it "my" way, maybe I change my mind. If my way works, maybe I change the doctor's mind! My deals always include the promise, "If my way hasn't produced an improvement after time "x", I'll do it your way for a similar period of "x" and let's re-evaluate." I've probably been very lucky because I only once had to do it "their" way (SSRIs and it was sort of my idea) so far!

The more I think about this, it's about risk management. Understanding what the best guess of the risks is and what the time frames are for re-evaluation and "course correction," is critical. Maybe that should be the focus of the discussion with our doctors, making educated decisions about the risks. (Of course the risk of malpractice looms largely in the background of these discussions)

And of course, it's easy for me to say all this. At 46, I'm very healthy except for having been seriously overweight for 8-10 years, and now just overweight and on my way down. Trying to think if I've ever had to see a medical specialist. I have had out of spec cholesterol and triglyceride levels, largely induced by my (hopefully) former lifestyle. I expect that my blood results will look much better for having been lower carb for the last 3.5 months as well as having dropped almost 60 lbs.

Svelting...You are right. Your approach is reasonable. I get too emotional.

Sandy, on the waist size !!

Hey there!

IF today until dinner, mainly because I had soft serve icecream last night, and the night before. WHY? its not that great. This morning my face is all puffy and my neck and shoulders ache just out of the blue.

15 pounds in 2 months, thats really not that good considering how much I have to lose. I am discouraged, very! I have so much more to go. I am at a spot on the scale that I believe is my lowest in several years, its the mark I get to and then run away from...in the wrong direction. I just dont know if I have what it takes to do this..........its too much...for any program. I dont want to throw in the towel, but I wonder if this is worth it if I cannot take the weight off anyway...

I need to get my head back in the game, but it seems like so much effort

15 lbs in 2 months is great, even though it's less than you wanted. Just because you've approached this weight before and backed off, doesn't mean you can't move beyond it this time. You can do this.

If I remember correctly, you've taken on a lot of PB all at once. You are doing a great job! MDA's insider today talks about slumps. It might be worth a read.

If you can't take it (PB) all on right now, what single PB change/habit can you commit to for the next few days? Just one.

I can stay on PB, thats not a problem. Other than sugar cravings the last two nights I am pretty much 80/20 primal (85% choc, and seasoned cashews with sunflower oil ingredients, and blue cheese dressing, and mayo are my occational off plan foods.

I just have that feeling of hopelessness---alright I know that is NOT spelled like that but I dont care right now LOL

Slump---yeah, that could describe it I guess......depressed? not really..... Maybe I am focusing too much on the big picture, maybe I need to set those small goals

Mikkijoe small steps lead to the big picture, 15 lbs in 2 months is great!! .... you're doing so well, keep it up ....