Hey KO...thanks for the tip, but we've done benedryl (kids and adults), shots, special shampoo, antibiotics, prednisone, we treat the yard for fleas, treat all the dogs for fleas (with the "on the back" stuff..there is not a flea to be found) sprays, ointments, changed laundry detergents, floor cleaners, vacuum constantly... ad nauseum for the last almost 2 years for the tune of about $200 a month in vet bills. I've ordered every potion on the internet that is supposed to help...all the "guarenteed" stuff and not a thing has helped the poor baby. I got home yesterday and he had eaten a hole at the base of his tale even though he was drugged to the hilt and should have been knocked out. We have been trying zyrtec for about a couple of weeks...at first it helped, but once the pollen hit, it seems useless. At my wits end. He is such a sweet, sweet guy and it just breaks my heart to see him suffer so much. Going to try to get some lamb today and see if I can do lamb, rice and veggies. I have come to the conclusion that is he allergic to EVERYTHING!! He started this when he was around a year old. We got him when he was 8 months old right after Katrina when his former family lost their house and didn't want to have him cooped up in a FEMA trailer. (so much for having a "free" dog, bless his little heart!)

Hi all,
I actually am getting to get on for a few.

Cat-enjoying the warm weather also before the "oven" gets turned on outside.

Ruth-Never been "tapping" bet the guys will miss the muffins and coffee.

Gonna-Feel better soon.

Pacer-6" of rain! that is like a whole years worth of water for the desert!!! Enjoy it and the green it will bring in the spring and summer.

Cottage,Nessa,Schmoodle,Fluffy,Kim-:wave:

Today is day 2 of spring break for me and 3 of the kids. Can't plan things though because DS1 has 1/2 day at school and then soccer practice. I get to stay home and wait.... He has spring break next week. Sure wish the schools could cordinate the vacations. I do have to get a new picture for my drivers license so I guess I will head out with the younger 3 and hope we don't have to wait to long. Not so bad just not something they don't want to do so if we have time maybe a quick trip to Target to make them happy afterwards. Laundry is beeping to be changed so will hopefully check in later.

Have a great day and a safe one.

:wave:
Hello everyone!!
I'm on day two officially AGAIN. I didn't do too bad yesterday, I did have a brownie without even thinking about it til it was gone. oops!:o
I tried to not beat myself up a bunch and just went on with the day!

Cat, My dog also has allergies to the nth degree. They are such a pain in the butt and he chews himself up too. When we were training him, my trainer said she fed her dogs chicken legs, which had the proper balance of protein, bone, and fat. I am sure doing a mixture of protein and carbs and veggies is probably easier on the wallet though. My vet said that many dogs are allergic to wheat, corn, and beef, which is in many animal byproducts in dog food. Chester has always been on "natural" food. We recently switched him to Natural Choice and he seems to be doing better, but his eyes still run like crazy. I'm not sure I can afford to keep up with our dumb dog once I have the baby...sigh!!!

Hey Chickies I need to vent.
i spent all morning at cardiologist, blood work came back and didnt look good. Choloesterol went up from August 201 to 222. Triclyerides 253! (should be 1-150) and LDL 131(should be 0-100) Yes, heart disease runs in family-dad died at age 55 when I was 10. All 4 brothers have problems, too. So i was reminded that even with diet and exercise, I still may need to go on chol meds. I already am on high blood pressure.
Weight was down from 161 to 154. Told him I was on SB lately. He rec Nutrisysytem 1200 portion controlled meals-ick I dont want that and its too expensive. The asst said my height of 5 ft 2 in means I should weigh 112! Ha I didnt even weigh that in high school, think I was 117 as a senior. He backed downed and said even if I would lose 20 and get to 134, it would be good. So my goal is 20 lbs and exercise more more more! he also said the SB could have raised the chol, what do you think? My husband just told me on the phone those egg beater were made from real eggs. And I only bought canandian bacon once. any advice. I see him again in 6 months and I want to be 20-30 lb lighter.

SA - Unless you have a tiny frame then 112 seems low to me. I'm 5' 2 3/4" and the lowest I can remember was 120 - 125. When I have done South Beach without cheating my cholesterol has gone down. He probably is thinking of Atkins and thinks we use a lot of unhealthy fats. Eggbeaters don't have egg yolks so I don't think they would raise cholesterol. Do you eat oatmeal? That's supposed to help. I eat that almost every morning with lots of cinnamon (also supposed to help).

Late as always
 

SA, you don't have to eat eggs on this food plan. In fact, he qualifies eating the whole egg by saying if your doctor tells you not to then don't.

I am really sorry to hear that you have such a high cholesterol problem. I have not had my "numbers" checked so I could not tell you if I am high, medium or low. I was 182 about 8 years ago with no discernable heart disease factors at the time. I was very obese too but also very active. (Activity helps lower your cholesterol)

Dr. A. does go into the issue about eggs and cholesterol in the book. He says that it does raise both bad and good cholesterol. (you can read the book for more detail)

I guess, I would follow your doctor's suggestions. Again, you don't have to eat eggs if you can't. It is not a requirement of the food plan for it to work.

Great advice! Skip eggs (I dont like em anyway)
i would like to give oatmeal a try. What exactly do I buy
and and how to cook it? My husband has been buying a
low fat/low sugar flavored one, is that ok? Or
maybe try cooking it in my new crockpot for a weeks
supply-I never have time in the morning!

SAnative, I don't think any of the instant/flavored ones are okay. Even the Quaker weight control oatmeal, which I was eating for a while, but it wasn't totally on plan. Just buy plain old rolled oats (not quick-cooking). The easiest and quickest way I fix it is to put equal amounts of water and oats in a big bowl and stir (big because it bubbles up). At this point you can also add dried fruit or frozen blueberries if you like. Then I zap it for a couple of minutes. Pour some milk on top and eat. If I'm feeling extravagant, I'll drizzle some agave nectar and sprinkle a few nuts. I like mine thick though, so you'll have to experiment with proportions, particularly if you like it more soupy.
There are a couple of recipes on here also for doing the steel cut oats in a crockpot. I tried that recently too and it was very good, and lasted me all week.

The low fat/low sugar ones are going to be instant and are not approved on South Beach. I do use them if I am going camping and need oatmeal but I don't use them at home. There are recipes here on how to do oatmeal in the crockpot but I haven't tried them. What I do is I get the Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oatmeal (or the store brand depending on which is cheaper) but remember it must be Old Fashioned. I put one half cup in a LARGE microwaveable bowl with one cup of water. I microwave for 5 minutes at 40% power. The power will depend on your microwave so you may need to experiment a bit. Then I top with cinnamon and Splenda, blueberries and a small banana. I use the frozen organic wild blueberries because they are small and I can keep them in the freezer and just pour out some as I need them.

Five minutes might seem like a long time but it really isn't. I just start mine and then go to wake up my son or do other stuff while it cooks.

Pacer, my biggest fear when DD1 was dating the loser was that they would elope or she would get pregnant or something. Fortunately he showed himself to be such a loser even she had to see it. A year is a long time, maybe it will all work out alright.

SA - considering that Agatston is a cardiologist, I think you're safe. The issue is that you MUST have a ton of veggies and not rely on meats, nuts and cheeses to satisfy you.

As for weight, my Dr. told me that a good healthy weight for me was 126, and I'm nearly 3 inches shorter than you. If I were you, I'd aim for 130-135.