Hi all,

Work was a typical Monday. Nothing wants to go right. The idea of flying a white flag outside our building was tossed about. The servers, computer and programs were mean. But beyond that the new person starts next Monday, so there is hope that someday the workload will go down.

My alarm went off this morning but with no sound so I slept in 33 minutes. So I only did 2 miles walking before work and did 3 miles jogging after work. I'm up to 38 miles jogging this month. I had this brainstorm yesterday that if I met 50 miles jogging, then I'd get a $10 bonus towards my new iPod. Well, on thursday the dr. is going to surgically remove the wart so it's iffy. I decided I'd do three on Tues, Wed, and Thurs (all 5 miles in the morning that day). Take Friday off and hopefully do something (exercycle) on Saturday. If I do 3 miles on Tuesday the 31st, I'll make my goal. Exercise goals are way more fun then weightloss ones since you can basically control the amount of exercise and you can't control what the body will lose when you're being an angel.

Well, dinner is done, so I'll be back tomorrow. BTW, DH goes back to swing shift tomorrow. :( I liked having him on days but it wasn't meant to be.
Marie

Girls my computer was really messed up. When I logged on the other day my last message didn't look like anyone had been around. Man these machines can drive yah wild huh? At any rate trying to be better this week. My weekend walk with the kids got me motivated. I had lunch with my great aunt yesterday stuffed cabbage. I don't think thats really bad except she does add tomatoe soup high in sodium level. Thank God the cake thats in my house will be gone today the hubby will finish it for breakfast. My will power isn't so strong these days. As I increase my level of exercise that will come too. I plan a stop at the gym for a little work out today. My goal for Christimas is 165. Oh so far away it seems but I will work towards it. I checked on a chart for my ht. and I guess that is where I should be for normal? But I would like to be at least 160. So its lets move forward. Oh how well I wanted to shove that little square into the toilet as well ! Hah hah! Judy good for you checking out the knitting circle. Oh UTI's can be very dangerous if ignored thats for sure. We have a client whom was in ICU with a bad one last week. At first they didn't know what she had. Tricky! But thank goodness she is moved to a regular room now. Marie 5 miles you keep it up! Penny glad your starting to mend. No fun you and Judy being sick. As far as work goes I had a great eval. yesterday. Knocked me off my seat almost. It was nice to hear how the company values me etc. No raise as that goes across the board with all employees. I really don't care for that system though. Some work hard some not everyone one gets the same. Oh well life goes on! At any rate I was happy about my review. I didn't know it was going to be so nice. Last year with the old supervisor I hated my review and didn't feel very valued to say the least. This review was written by the director and my new supervisor sat in on it. So I am feeling pretty good at this point with work related stuff. Now to get to my feeling great about my wt. and exercise. Time to get really serious and stop my nonsense huh? I have taken my calendar and written in my stops to the gym. Our weather is cold this week in the 40's so no walking outside most likely but we will see if it doesn't rain. At any rate exercise 3-4 times this week is my goal.
Talk to you all soon and have a great day!! Marie one last thought maybe I should make an exercise goal not wt. chart. I will give that a try and look at it from a different perspective.

Evening everyone. Today was a much better day at work. I got lots accomplished so that's good.

I jogged 4 miles before work and walk .5 at work and I'm going to jog 2 more in a bit. Then I'm on track for my bonus jog $$$ even with the minor foot surgery on Thursday.

Food wise, everything is good. I lost another .4 pounds. Yippee. The new resolve to not eat anything where I don't have a good idea of the calories and the bump in miles has paid off. The plateau has lost - at least for now. and my clothes are fitting much looser (the new ones). Good on one hand since that's the goal - bad on the other seeing tht they're new.

Carol, congrats on the excellent review. You deserved it. And from the director no less. Good riddance to the old supervisor that didn't value you. I definitely agree on the even pay raises for everyone. That is stupid. I resent it mightly since there are so many slackers that get paid what I get paid. That's a topic that bugs me. :)

Well off to finish the exercising for the day.
Marie

Marie thanks for your congrats. Yah its not really fair in many ways I agree too. But hopefully this year will be a nice christmas bonus. Last year they gave us 2 weeks pay and a few hundred extra in our 401K. I can only hope this year is as generous it depends on the years finance. Last night I went to a friends birthday party. I cut back on the wings still had my 2 pieces of pizza though. I did only a little slice of cake compared to everyone elses. I did try to becareful with my intake for the rest of my day. I am working towards my old behaviors of being much better. I read an old Japanese proverb Fall 7 times get up 8. So thats my model get up and make it this time. Congrats on your new clothes Marie. Nice buying smaller sizes hey! Most of the time on my bottom half I wear a 10 sometimes a 12 better make of clothing smaller sizes generally speaking. But I am bigger boned an can wear some med. tops but like larges depending on the cut. At any rate now that I want 10's in pants, skirts their more limited in quanity. Yah never can win I tell yah. I am taking friday off a scheduled vac. day. Going to play with the girls at the casino that just opened and then shopping. Doing Boo Hoo at the local zoo with the grandkids on friday night. Should be fun hope its nice out their calling for rain. Getting up in the dark isn't my favorite thing. Its gloomy hard to motivate myself. Well hope everyone else is doing well. I want to get to work early today and maybe get out a few min. earlier too. We sat down and worked out our holiday time. Its looking pretty good we all got what we wanted no concerns first time ever. I am taking no extra time for Thanksgiving we get thurs. and fri. Christmas the friday before and wed after so I will have almost a week off. Hurray and only with taking an extra 2 vac. days. Saving some time for the spring praying for a break to go visit the kids with some last min. flight prices. Keep on moving we can all do this. I know I can with just a little more pressure on myself. Judy and Penny hope things are going well and your both feeling good again.

Carol, yaay for the great review! I can tell from your posts how conscientiously and professionally you approach your difficult work for people with physical or emotional challenges. It's great when hard-working folks are recognized for getting the job done every day. Slap your boss on the shoulder and tell her thanks for me, okay? ;)

Marie, oh Beater of the Dread Plateau:devil: , hooray for getting into high gear. An exercycle, yet another way to diversify your workout. Do you think that when you were struggling with depression that you would ever have been planning how to work out just after surgery?

Penny, I've never been in a corn maze or pumpkin patch (although I remember seeing a few pumpkins on my uncle's farm in AL when I was a kid). Be your own kid! I do that sometime with kiddie movies or the zoo. I'm not going to have grandkids, so I'm not going to wait:) . I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better.

I am, too. The cough is much better this morning and I'm feeling about 75%. We have two days of nonstop, probably stressful meetings at work, so I will need to work out for a bit Thursday AM and/or stop by Curves in the PM, to help with the tension. A therapist owes me a free foot massage--now is a good time to collect on that, huh?

Good news and bad news after seeing the doc yesterday: the good news is that we may have gotten to the bottom of my difficulty losing weight. The bad news is that I have to try a gluten-free diet for the next six weeks to find out. That will take the fun out of T'giving! But I think the doc's onto something, because that would connect to my being diagnosed with arthritis in my mid-20s, which was really young. I will try to find some time to read up on avoiding gluten. Now that I have cabinet full of whole grain cereal, crackers and pasta....I can't even have oatmeal! Just thinking about this has caused me to lose a pound :D .

Okay, need to suit up for work. It takes me a while to remember what coat makes sense for "low 50s" or whatever. Thank goodness that I bought fall shoes a few weeks ago, and sorted through my socks and gloves....

be well--judy

Ha Judy - lower 50's??? When I left for work this morning, the thermometer read 18 degrees!!!! It is so cold and still October. Luckily it doesn't go much colder in the dead of winter.

I'm glad that your dr. has ideas for you. Gluten free, huh??? Even if you weren't intolerant/allergic you'd lose weight since that's all the good stuff. Maybe adkins diet would work for you since that's definitely gluten free. I'd love a foot massage - someday when the obnoxious wart is finally gone. And no, I'd never planned exercise flowing minor surgery - I would have gladly looked forward to a valid excuse not to exercise. Very interesting perspective you enlightened me on. :)

Carol, I like the proverb. I believe this is my 8th diet and I'm not going to fall. Okay, maybe 800th diet but who's counting??? :)

Today is the official 6 month anniversary since I joined Nikki's challenge. Since April 25th I've lost 37.6 pounds. I did re-weigh in this morning just because it was the anniversary - same weight as yesterday's official weigh in. It's so cool. I figure it'll be much slower for the next 39.4 pounds and that it'll take another year. I can wait. Losing weight is awesome.

Well, I'm at work and should probably work. although I really don't want to...
Marie

Marie - Wow, you've lost a lot of weight in a relatively short time. It's taken me about 2 years to lose the same amount, probably because I don't do any where near the exercise you do. I also have around 40 lbs. to go - race ya! (but I know you'll win with your track record!!) I sympathize with the wart on your foot (I assume it's a plantar wart). I had several on my foot when I was a teenager and had to go to the foot doctor once a week for a couple of months to get them treated and scraped. Eventually they went away, but it was quite painful. I'm amazed you do all that running with a bad foot.

Judy - Those stressful meeting must be tough when you're still feeling poorly. Take care of yourself - you don't want to have a relapse. I was on a gluten-free diet for a while because of my IBS (unfortunately, it didn't help). There are lots of bread substitutes out there but most of them don't taste good. The only one I liked was sprouted Ezekiel bread which still has some gluten in it but not as much as regular bread. I hope this approach works for you.

Carol - Congratulations on your good review - it's good that you received this recognition for all your hard work. I'll keep my fingers crossed for a good Christmas bonus for you! :crossed: I like your motto - "Fall down 7 times, get up 8". Mine is "Quitting is NOT an option" and I've had to tell that to myself many a time on this weight loss journey!

I'm still having a bit of bladder pain but it's not as bad. I went to Curves today and felt great after my workout. I've lost a pound so far this week. Now I'm only 1 lb. away from 'halfway to goal' so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the scale will be nice to me on Friday.

Well Judy I happen to have a client whom has to have a gluten free diet. It isn't always easy but much more do able than years ago. She has been on my case load for 6 years. Thank goodness the good stores carry a lot more gluten free products than years before. The health food stores are great resources and if you have one locally checking it out would be a great idea. Having arthritis at such an early age yuk! Your a good sport though cause you don't let it get in the way of activities. Your always so busy. The diet sounds awful but really do able. There are many things you can have. But going out to eat and being out of town will be a bit tricky. But once you learn the in's and out's you'll be surprised at how much is allowed for regular foods. Just the flour made products are the hardest ones to stay away from. But there are many choices available gluten free. If this helps you to discover a health problem then go for it. The 6 weeks will fly by. Time lately seems to fly doesn't it. Seems like we just celebrated the holidays and here we are again. Thanks for you congrats. Yah it was sure nice and I did thank them that was for sure. She even said that the company is lucky to have me and took up my whole space to write any comments as she wrote about me. Well I didn't have any comments this year I told her not with that review. I will take the low 50's Judy we are into the 40's and 30's at night. Now that is not so nice.
Well yesterday I did pretty good staying on track with my calories. I did add in a sweet but made sure the calories were allowed for. I had a yogurt with walnuts when the rest of the folks had a big bowl of ice cream last night. I just read an article about adding in more milk products for better wt. loss. So I am on my yogurt kick. I am not a milk drinker. But love cheese. Healthy dinner last night too.
Today I have a crock pot of sauce going for dinner tonight. It has been awhile since I cooked spaghetti sauce. So it will be nice to come home to a pot of that cooking. I had my first spinach salad yesterday after that big spinach scare. It tasted really good a nice healthy salad with cottage cheese too. Well take care everyone Marie hope your feeling better too. You sure don't let much keep you down.

Go, Marie :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: :carrot: . Congrats again on losing enarly 40 pounds in six months, and doing it the old-fashioned way--you've earned it.

Okay, I know some folks (like my family in OH) are already dealing with snow, and I'm a Midwesterner, so I know what cold weather really is! The weather in DC is nothing to complain about. But this time of year, the temperature fluctuates so dramatically in the course of a day. A 50-degree day can mean 40 when I head out for the subway, nearly 60 if I step out for lunch, and 35 as I wait for the shuttle from the subway back home when the sun goes down. I look at my coat closet in the morning, and dither for 15 minutes over whether or not I need a light coat, a wool jacket, hat or not, etc. I'll get the hang of this soon--just in time for it to be flat-out cold all day :smug: .

Penny, I will trot over to Trader Joe's this weekend and re-aquaint myself with sprout bread, etc. I have to do a couple more tests, but I don't think I have anything as serious as celiac disease or IBS, so I hope that after this trial period, at the most I'll just need to minimize wheat consumption over the long run.

Carol, I've jsut begun experiementing with my new crock pot...yum!!!

judy

Hi everyone,

Well the dr. didn't do the carve out today. It's scheduled for the 21st. Wonderfully, he also didn't freeze it again because he said after this many times it wouldn't work. So my feet are happy. :) Heck so am I but I was pysched (ready) for the procedure. Now I have to think about it again. Oh well. I also did my 5 miles this morning so I have the evening free. I decided I like not exercising twice in the day so I'm going to get up 15 minutes earlier and be fast at getting ready after my workout. We'll see how tomorrow goes... :)

Judy, oh I understand about the swing of temperatures. It was 20 this morning and 65 this afternoon. All I can say is layers. But I'm always cold so I rarely take the layers off. :) Good luck at Trader Joe's at finding foods to fit the gluten-free.

Penny, you're on. Forty to go. Tomorrow is weighin so maybe 39??? I've had plantar warts all my life and I just don't have the antibody to fight them. I'm hoping when this one is gone that maybe I'll never get another (ha, likely...NOT).

Carol, I have sweets every day. I have a half ounce of darck chocolate M&Ms after lunch (about 70 calories) and every night I have an ice cream cone (Oreo cone) with 1 cup of ice cream (light). It is my savior on the diet. About 320 calories. So of my 1500 calories I eat nearly 400 non-nutritious calories. But it works and I'm happy. Such an understatement.

Well, time to work on dinner. TTYL.
Marie

Marie hey thanks for the good info. I also crave some type of sweet most of the time but sometimes something crunchy. I bought some pretzels Paul Newman brand with pepper in them kind of different and only 120 cals. I dipped them in my hummus yesterday. I did make some better for me choices yesterday. One of the girls asked me to go to the store with her its a huge chain store with everything under the sun there. I ordered subs for some of my coworker oh how I really wanted one but I went with a bowl of chili instead to go with my spinach salad. I did know that for dinner I was having spaghetti and Italian bread. Which I started in the crock before work what a nice idea. It was great to come home to. I had a half of choc. bar afterwards but that was it. The hubby got the other half. He is too thin wish sometimes I would have that problem. But some of it is to do with his activity level even with his disability he keeps active, doesn't always stop to eat and certainly could careless about eating healthy. Oh sometimes we can be so different but it makes the world go around I guess. Today I am off from work and planning a fun day with the girl friends. Then this evening with the grandkids to the zoo. Its called the boo zoo all set for halloween we haven't ever been at this time of year. Should be fun and some more walking. The little grandson and I were hanging out last night and did some floor exercises together. I just cracked right up he is such a little love.
Take care and have a great day. Congrats to you folks who've lost I am hanging in there going for a monday scale day. I figure it might keep me better on track this weekend. I have purchased some apples to eat before meal time their suppose to fill you and add fiber. Kept my cals under 1500 yesterday and 1400 the day before. Hurray!

:woohoo: The scale finally moved and I'm down 2 lbs. to 185 - my 'halfway' mark! I couldn't believe it at first, so I got out my old ''backup" scale and it showed the same. I've lost 40 lbs. since I started this journey 2 years ago and it's finally sinking in that I CAN DO THIS!

Carol - I hope you and the grandkids had a good time at the boo zoo. Good for you for avoiding temptation - it's always a good idea to have something delicious but healthy to look forward to when you get home.

Marie - I feel for you with the plantars. You are very stoic to keep going with all the walking and jogging. I'm with you about having something sweet every day. I don't think I could have stuck to my 'diet' without a treat (or two!) every day. My typical treats are a patisserie stick from Trader Joe's (60 calories) with my mid-morning latte and a small slice of Amish friendship bread that I make from a starter my neighbor gave me (200 calories) in the mid-afternoon with my tea. I don't think I'd ever be able to cut out my treats! My new program on *********** is a bit more flexible (1450-1750 calories per day). I tend to eat in the higher end of the range, but it seems to be working as I've lost more weight in a shorter period of time than I have before.

Judy - Crock pots are great and easy - there's so many good recipes on the web. I hope you are doing ok with cutting out gluten. Even if you reduce it a bit I'm sure it will help you to lose as foods high in gluten are also high in carbs. The weather is changing here too - very foggy and 37 deg. this morning brrrr!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hooray, Penny!:high: That's wonderful news, congratulations. And I love that smilie, too. But I would amend your victory statement, since not only can you do this, but you are doing this!

Carol, the National Zoo here has fun stuff for the kids, too, as do some of the Smithsonian museums, which are hosting outdoor nighttime programs. Your grandson sounds like a sweetheart, I know he loves his Grandma! I wish I could remember what it was like to feel so free and unselfconscious in my body.

Marie, I agree with you on not wanting to feel like you can't have something you really love. And they say that dark chocolate is good for you, anyway, antioxidants or something...the trick is just having a little bit. I can't be around M&Ms. I want to buy some candy for the trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood, and I always get stuck with a lot more than I need. So this year I will purposely buy something I don't like, like licorice, so I don't feel at all tempted to eat any of it.

I'm still coughing too much in the morning to work out. I am feeling better each day, so the end is in sight....I changed my avatar again, I seem to be down two more pounds. After this, I'll go back to my old practice of waiting until Sundays to change it. Who knows, if I'm going to start losing again, maybe I'll reinstate my ticker. It was the opposite of motivating to have it sitting so long and not moving in the right direction, so I just stopped using it. Something is good is happening internally, after just a few gluten-free days. I'm eating less than ever but I'm not at all hungry, even in the evening. It will be interesting to see what happens once I start working out again (which I hope will be this weekend).

Have a great weekend, y'all!

judy

Happy Friday my friends,

Judy, glad you are feeling better and I saw on your s/C/G that you went under 230. WAY TO GO!!! That's awesome that you're not feeing hungry. I'm hungry at the moment. I'm pretty sure there is something miscalculating calories in the dinner I cooked last night and had for leftovers this lunch. I'm literally living with a growling stomach. Very odd for me.

Carol, great job on the 2 days of lower calories. You're on your way. Have a great time at the boo zoo that such a cool name.

Penny, WAY TO GO!! You loser you. :) Why's the name of your program starred out **********? Half way to my goal is 38.5 pounds - I'm .3 short. Maybe by Tuesday.

I lost .6 pounds since Tuesday and I did another 3 mile jog and 2 mile walk/kickboxing before work. and it's Friday. One would think I'd be bouncing off the ceiling but I'm in a mood today. Very easily ticked off. Very strange for me. Hopefully it'll go away by the time I get home (1 hour from now).

Marie

Marie - You are sooooo close to half-way! I'm rooting for you! I think they starred out the website because they feel it's competitive in some way - though I don't know how. Anyway, in case you want to know, I'm gonna cheat - it's S p a r k P e o p l e. Ha Ha

Hope everyone is feeling good today!

The sun popped out after torrential rains (and some really cool-looking clouds, all silver and unreal, somehow), so it felt good to out walking around for a while. I'm breathing better and coughing less, although the perpetual sinus headache is still with me, after over two weeks. I will do an "intestinal permeability" test :( and start taking a thyroid pill tomorrow. Perhaps this will help me figure out more about what's been going on. Since the end of the summer, I seem to have full TOMs every three weeks or so, which may be yet another factor to throw into the mix of my body's peculiar behavior this year. What next, I wonder?

Life without gluten isn't so bad, I just have to pay attention to the small print. Alas, even Ezekiel bread has gluten, so I bought gluten-free "french rolls" from Trader Joe's. They're okay if you split one in half and toast it. Meanwhile, I'm going to try a new crockpot receipe tomorrow--and clean house, I've been too listless to even run my Roomba, and you can't get much lazier than that:lol:

Good luck with the scale on Monday, Carol! Maybe the little ghouls at the zoo helped to scare off a few more calories.

judy

Hi Judy, sorry you're still a little out of it. 2 weeks of a sinus headache would push me over the edge.

I'm glad it's weekend but I'm still a little bit in a funk. Not bad, per se, but still a little touchy (easily pissed off). I don't like it and I hope it goes away soon. Usually exercise cures it but not the last 3 days.

I didn't feel like walking/jogging today so I rode the exercycle 10 miles. Took 46 minutes. I put in my Elton John DVD and watched a Madison Square Garden concert while pedalling. I'm thinking that perhaps I'll add exercycle once or twice a week for variety and working the muscles differently.

I cleaned like a maniac today. I can't keep up with DH, DS, DS's GF and DGS. Mess bugs me so that didn't help the last couple days.

Tonight is steak night and homemade bread (Isorry Judy). Others are having potatoes, but I haven't been an angel and need to make sure I don't blow my calories. I also made a Mint Fudge cake that is too die for and only has about 150 calories a slice. No added fat (applesauce). I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder and it should be great. So I still should stay within the calories - maybe...
Marie

Judy - I hope your sinuses clear up soon. You've been suffering too long with that awful cold. I was diagnosed with intestinal permeability by my naturopath, but I didn't have a test - he just went by my symptoms. I'm curious what kind of test it is if you don't mind sharing the info. I was told that it was the cause of some food sensitivities (not allergies) that was causing my IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). It still flares up quite often and I never know exactly what will set it off.

Right now I'm trying very high doses of acidophilus (Continental brand). It's kind of like liquid yogurt but very concentrated (7.5 billion good bacteria per tbsp.!) It tastes good - strawberry flavor. I take six tbsp. per day. Most health food stores have it in the refrigerated section. My doc thinks the permeability was caused by me going on antibiotics so many times, killing off my 'good' flora & fauna which caused the protective coating of my intestines to become worn off. I just finished another course of very strong antibiotics for my bladder infection, so I hope I'm not screwed up even further! There are some schools of thought that believe intestinal permeability is responsible for all kinds of ailments, such as autoimmune diseases like arthritis. I hope you get a good result from your test.

Marie - That fudge cake sounds good - not too bad in calories. I'm baking up a whole bunch of mini loaves for an upcoming bake sale that my ladies group has every year. Unfortunately, they are NOT the low-cal kind and of course I have to 'try' them to make sure they're turning out ok. :o That's a good idea to switch to a different exercise now and then. I'll have to dust off my exercise bike. If only the seat wasn't so darned hard! I hope you've gotten out of your funk and are feeling more upbeat.

I've decided to get weighed and measured once every two months at Curves so that I have some accountability and motivation to lose the next 40 lbs.

Have a good Tuesday everyone!

Penny congrats on your loss. Boy its not easy lots of temptations this month too many birthdays at once. Judy were you on thyroid meds before? I have been for about 25 years now wow! I have also had the surgery about 20 years ago due to a tumor. I have been pretty good with the regulating with meds but lately its been a bit out of wack. Finding the exact dosage isn't so easy for me. But it could be why you have been so sick. When mine is off I tend to catch everything my imune system gets off. It also is a time when my wt. is off too. So I hope for you that it helps give you a new start to feeling good and have more energy too. Thats when its really working hard for us and regulated just right. Sounds like you have a good doctor. Sinus infections yuk I have had my share of mine over the years. Hope your all feeling better. So far I have been lucky I guess. Everyone in my office seems to have sinus or allergy problems they think its sick building syndrome. But the company says no but really hasn't ck'd it out. I wish they would though. I wish we had a Traders Joe here. We do have alot of health foods though. We have a big store chain Wegmans and they carry alot of health foods. Gluten free bagels or english muffins Judy. Nothing is ever easy to give up but thank goodness your didn't have to do this years ago when stuff wasn't so readily available. I am glad to see the end of the month as far as parties go. I love them grandkids but 2 birhtdays and then a friends at work today. Wow! We are planning a lunch in at work. I am bringing salad and made homemade dressing. I will eat a lighter dinner tonight as they are bringing in baked zita I will have some but watch my portions today. Its halloween and time to walk the neighborhood with the little one tonight at my daughters house. That will be todays exercise. Not the best but some other than walking into work and doing the stairs. Good luck with your efforts girls God give me strength. Have a super day and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boo! :bat: I'm wearing my bat earrings today. They're more tasteful for the workplace than my jack-o'-lantern earrings or my big purple ghoulie hunchback earrings, I think :D . I usually have just a few trick-or-treaters stop by, so I bought a few mini-Oreos and Fig Newtons--and will wear my tacky earrings!

Marie, I hope you're feeling a little more centered today. Maybe you need to do a little something special for yourself, or take a mental health day away from home and work...

Penny, you've nailed what the doc from the clinic (not my primary doc) is thinking about how my body is reacting to foods and meds. For some people, sensitivities and allergies mess up the walls of the small intestines, in the worst-case scenario leading to celiac disease, and of course affecting IBS. Too much "permeability" or leaky intestines (yuck!) keeps your body from absorbing nutrients properly, and along with interferring with the digestive process, sets off other reactions like inflammations elsewhere in your body. The test is basically collecting pee, drinking a lactose/mannitol solution, collecting more pee for six hours (and not eating several types of food in the meantime), and sending "specimens" to the lab. I have to say that I've never had a doctor tell me more than eat more and exercise less, so the investment I've made in this integrative medical clinic is already money well spent!

Carol, this my first time on thyroid meds. I've always been told that I'm on the margin, but maybe it will make a difference. I feel a little pukey in the mornings, so I hope my body adjusts soon. Are you going to go in costume tonight with your GS? One of my co-workers is sad because her young son doesn't want his mama to go with him tonight....I think she plans to skulk along behind him anyway.

judy

Hi everyone. Hope you have/had a Happy Halloween. My treat for the evening is DS, GF and DGS are out trick or treating and I'm home alone. :)

The scale was mean this am. I hate the fluctuations but since I track the calories and exercise, I know a little gain wasn't real. Still. It bugs me a little while afterwards.

I did 10 miles on the exercycle before work. I like having the change. Tomorrow I'm going to jog 5 miles. I decided the 50 miles jogging per month for a $10 bonus is good and I'll keep it. I like the idea of getting my new iPod sooner.

October numbers...
Walking: 65 miles
Jogging: 57 miles
Exercycle: 10 miles
Rollerblading: 4 miles

That's 136 miles moving on my own. Wow...

My balance for the iPod is $146.75 (and I have my $50 Circuit City gift card). Only about another 150 to go. By the end of November I hope.

Food: calories averaged 1489
Weight Loss: 3 pounds (would have been 4 if the scale hadn't woken up cranky)

So all together not bad...

Judy, hope you're surviving your gluten free. I just would be so sad if I had to give up past. I live for spaghetti (BTW what I'm going to make myself after posting). And hope the sinus infection takes an exit.

Penny, good luck resisting the hi-cal version. Funny thing about the Mint Fudge cake, my DS chooses it for his birthday cake. It's great, but surprising that the stick boy would choose lo-cal. He does it for the taste, but I want to add calories to if for him.

Carol, enjoy the ziti. That sounds wonderful. As mentioned, I adore pasta. Hope you have fun trick or treating with the DGS. I wasn't invited but I'm glad since it's about 32 degrees out. Brrr.

I'm a little more peppy today. The day didn't start off great, but I kept positive about the scale and did the exercycle because I just didn't want to walk. DS had my laughing with tears rolling down my face last night and the good mood stuck with me. I hope it really stays. I always worry that I'd have to go back on meds and I just DON'T want to do that.

Marie

Judy,
I didn't dress up just hung out with them. My daughter took the night off to spend with him she works 4:30 -1:00 awful hrs. But it was well worth it when I heard the little guy whom now is 5 as we were walking down the street turn to his mom out of the blue and say Mommy I love you! My heart just melted she has done a great job as a mom. I am also a proud mom sure you can't tell. It warmed my heart that was for sure rain drops and all. Judy I am so happy your finding out some answers to your problems. I just learned a year or so ago to take your thyroid meds before food by 1/2 an hr. or 2 hrs after eatting. Never knew that. Its also one med they say not to take generic so I did try it and then went back by docs orders to reg. brand name. I go in a couple of weeks for another blood test to see if this is the right dosage or not. I tend to flex around a bit and thats not so good. Hope you see some positive changes come your way soon. Maybe you will feel healthier and get sick less? I got into the halloween candy yesterday so today I am not going to eat any as I have trouble once I start stopping. So some will come into work the good thing is it is always eaten quickly. The faster its gone the easier it will be. I am going to take a salad for lunch and grill a steak for dinner with some veggies. Headed in the right direction. Hope to have time to fit in a walk today. Take care everyone and hope you had a fun halloween. No tricker treaters come here we live out a ways and houses aren't close together. Tom came for a little short visit so it was a good reason for me to not get on the scale. After the last visit being 7 months ago maybe this will be his last stop. One can only hope.

Carol, thanks for sharing the story of your sweet GS. That was a lovely thing to read...aw, shucks! I just had a few kids bang on the door, less than a dozen, so I'll put the leftovers in the cabinet at work for our next large meeting. Yeah, I was told to take the thyroid meds as soon as I get up, 1-2 hours before eating. I'm not usually hungry then, anyway, but it will take me a while to remember it first thing, especially on weekends!

Marie, you have clocked some great numbers, no wonder you've lost so much weight :hug: . Nothing like an extended, helpless belly-laugh to chase the drabs away. I love pasta, too--spaghetti, ziti, ravioli, lasagna, rotini...I even learned to love whole-wheat pasta and protien pasta. Now I guess I'll learn to love gluten-free pasta, or just stick with spaghetti squash. What I like most is tomato sauce and Italian herbs, anyway.

I've just come out of a meeting about a topic which makes one of my colleagues overly tense and defensive, and I am desperately craving a drink of good scotch or bourbon! Glutens can't survive the distilling process, so beer is off limits, but wine and hard liquor is okay, so I'm going to buy one expensive drink and enjoy it immensely. Just one, though, or I'll want to nosh on bar food. I will go home afterwards and either have leftover lamb stew or a grilled turkey burger.

Hope everyone has a good evening!

judy

Judy - That's quite a rigamarole for the permeability test. I hope it goes well for you. I'd go for the hard liquor over beer any day! :lol: No carbs either! I hope your thyroid meds help. I've been on Armour Thyroid for about 2 years and I seem to get a lot fewer colds and they don't last as long. I don't feel so "chilled" all the time either as my body temp is higher.

Carol - That was a nice story about the little boy - it's those moments we cherish. I hope you didn't have too much halloween candy left over. We don't get any trick or treaters here as we're in a rural area but I remember what fun it was when our son was younger and we lived in a different neighborhood.

Marie - You are really logging some miles! Keep up the good work. I'm glad your DS gave you a good laugh. As they say, laughter is the best medicine.

I'm a bit sore today as yesterday I tripped and fell down the back doorstep. Luckily I didn't break anything but my left ankle (bad one) left wrist and shoulder took the brunt of the fall and I also hit my cheekbone. I iced everything right away and was able to work out at Curves today. Real good timing as we're hosting our annual Guy Fawkes potluck party on Saturday for the women's group I belong to and their families. We usually have 50-60 people and we somehow pack them all into our little abode. Luckily, I had already done most of the organizing. It's supposed to rain on Saturday, so that might put a bit of a damper on the bonfire and fireworks but I guess it's to be expected at this time of the year.

Penny sometimes trying to not fall when your on your way down hurts you even more. Many moons ago when my oldest was 3 months old I fell down the cellar stairs grabing the rails on both sides. Sprained both wrist not a good thing with a baby. I'd better off just fallen. Hope your okay. I only bought reg. sized candy bars for the grandkids no trick or treaters here. My driveway is too long and houses to far apart no one on one side for almost a mile. I love it! Penny I haven't ever run by Armour thyroid yet???? Is that the brand name?
Marie you will make that scale move don't freak out it will happen. Also with changing around your exercise routine you might be building more muscle which weighs more. So don't worry. As far as your mood I think you are doing a great job on your own trying to keep up your spirits etc. Finding things that make you in a good mood. Have you ever done yoga? They say its wonderful myself I haven't done it but should make time to try it out. On stressful days it would be helpful to have an outlet and quick fix.
Judy hope your feeling better. As far as pasta goes I have really cut back on that as well. I do love it though. We used to have it once a week. How time changes. I have some spinach flavored in the cupboard. I should mix it with some olive oil and garlic etc. Oh maybe for dinner tonight. Thanks girls for the thought of pasta. I did well at work yesterday avoiding the candy I did eat a few baked doritos with cheese and my salad. One of my guys had a heart attack and I found myself at the hosptial by 9:30 needless to say a stressful day. He isn't going to make it and its only a matter of time. Sometimes this job can wear on yah. But its all part of life I guess. I just saw him the morning before looking great and ready for his day. Yah just never know thats for sure. Well today will be another stressful one waiting to talk with the family and making arrangements to ensure everything is taken care of for him. I did well with handling the stress for dinner which was later than usual I made a couple of little pita pizzas veggie style. It was overall not bad calorie wise and I didn't go over my cals for the day. Hurray on that note. Well talk to you all soon. I plan on some exercise today.

Wow, Carol, whenever I'm feely whiny about my job (as I surely will again today) I'll remember how your day must be going, to put my own stuff in perspective. I am glad that a kind person like you will be there for your guy's family.

Penny, I'm sorry to hear about that fall! I live in fear of falling, especially in the winter when it's icy. I hope you aren't too bruised up today. I take Armour thyroid, too. I guess I should read up on it; I spent last weekend researching gluten on the Internet, and was happy for my new and improved computer and high-speed Internet. It would have been slow going with Old Bessie and dial-up.

Hey, Marie, now that I have a new home computer, maybe I'll finally look into IPods. I still have my favorite albums on vinyl, and a bunch of cassette tapes, and now CDs....

I'm feeling almost 100%. Still coughing a little, mostly when I'm outside. I worked out this morning and had my short walk to work. It was great to be spontaneous last night, going out for a drink to vent with a friend about work and health issues. I've been focusing on extra sleep for a few weeks, and have fallen out of the habit of meditatation and yoga, and I have to go back to that. Things will be stressful at work for a bit, and I need to be centered so I can listen and be supportive without getting drawn into other people's worries and negativity.

I now have a small stash of "safe" snacks and gluten-free Lean Cuisines at the office, so I feel that no matter what happens in the course of the day, I can always eat on program. Forward!

judy

Hi all, Carol, I'm sorry about your client. I'm with Judy on that one, I'm glad there are people out there like you who give unconditionally. I couldn't do that. I'd be in a deep blue funk (DBF for short) at all points. I hope if you had the pasta it was grand. BTW, I have pasta about 4-5-6-7-... times a week. I should have been Italian. I just measure and track all the calories.

Judy, yours and Penny's comments about thyroid is interesting. I was on synthroid and I stopped it with all the rest of my meds. I was just boderline normal-low. But I'm so cold all the time that I decided I was going to call my dr. and have it checked again. I've only heard good things about Armour and will insist on it when I chat with the dr.

Penny, I'm sorry about the fall. Amazing you could do curves after that. Great job and enjoy your celebration - even if i rains on you (and me since we're in the same vicinity).

Things are going good. The new guy is good, maybe even a great hire. YEAH!!!! My co-worker and I left him in charge so we could go to a training today on the other side of the mountain. He did great and the building was still standing when we returned. Ah, relief is in sight for my job.

Yesterday I jogged 5 miles and today 3 miles and then walked 2 miles. So I'm on pace to get my ipod early next month. :) :) :)

Judy, you must check into it. I'd sell you my old one but I promised it to almost daughter in law.
Marie

Carol - I'm sorry to hear about your client being ill. It must be very hard when these things happen to people you get close to through your work. But as you say, that's part of life. The Armour thyroid is a brand that is usually prescribed for people with 'borderline' thyroid problems. I have a girlfriend who is on Synthroid and she has a hard time getting the dose right and has had some bad side effects. I guess every case is different and we just have to go by what our doctors put us on. You're right about relaxing into it if you fall. I think I would have been hurt much worse if I had "fought" it. A friend of mine got compound fractures in both wrists with a similar fall.

Judy - Yes, the high speed sure beats dial up when you're surfing the web. I'm glad you've been able to find some gluten-free snacks. I keep saying I'm going to try yoga for relaxation but never get around to it. There isn't anyplace close by so I may have to rent a video someday.

Marie - I love pasta too. I think it gets a bit of a bad rap and isn't so bad in moderation. I usually mix about half a cup of rotini or spaghetti with some veggies like zucchini & tomatoes so that it seems like a bigger serving. Like Carol said, you must be building lots of muscle with all that exercise! That's a good idea to reward yourself with an iPod.

Other than a nice big bruise on my shoulder, I'm doing pretty good after my fall. I'm glad I didn't get a big bruise on my face. The cheekbone is sore but at least our guests won't think my DH has been slugging me! :lol:

I've had terrible carb cravings the past few days (ever since daylight saving ended). I get so hungry about an hour before our regular lunch and dinner time and nibble, nibble, nibble. On top of that it's been so dark and rainy which means I can't get outside and work in the yard. I'm going to have to be extra-vigilant or my hard won loss will turn into added pounds :(. I'm going to have to get my act together after the party on Saturday.

Hurray I got through the day without nibbling on the candy. In my office its gone so fast that if your able to wait a few hrs. it will be out of sight and mind. One gal is still bringing hers in today. So I will plan to stay out of it. Especially on a stressful work week. Today will continue with some stress but an end in sight for everyone. I will most likely attend services on saturday or it might be monday depending on things. But your support girls is appreciated and I guess my job has its down falls at time but rewards me with satisfaction in many other ways. Sometimes venting helps. Being an advocate and ensuring they get the best services is something I do well and try to do my best. Your not everyones best friend but after awhile people do gain respect for you and what accomplishments your after. Enough of that. Judy, Marie and Penny I guess thats why I haven't heard of Armour Thyroid meds. I have had surgery many years ago for this disease. I remain on meds for life. Having the right dosage is so important and not easy to always get in my case. Thank goodness over all these years I have never had any side effects to deal with. Good luck girls on this matter. We all have thyroid issues now isn't that interesting factor here. I was able to stick to my calories yesterday even below the 1400. Tracking and monitoring myself closer has helped. No pasta last night I cooked steak. But will have that pasta soon. I feel the want for it craving is rising in me. I feel good about the last 3 days and my intakes, staying out of junk and working on getting those numbers back down. I think Tom has really gone again so I will do the scale. Have a nice day its friday thank God for that. Even with possibly having to work this weekend for a little while I am grateful today is friday. Its been a heck of a long week. I am looking to take a day off soon to work in the yard we have snow this a.m. few inches. Yuk! But next week they are talking about the 60's so I would like that. After this week a day off might be in order.

I am so happy it's Friday! I was planning to work half a day over the weekend (I'm trying to catch up, and I won't have much opportunity next week), but now I'm thinking that maybe I won't....this is the first day in quite a while where I felt good in the morning :cool: . I Curved last night, and did a full (45-minute) aerobic video this morning.

A funny note about Armour thyroid--it's made out of dessicated pork glands, isn't that wonderful:eek: That's what I get for researching stuff online. I'm feeling less nauseated in the morning, which is good. I have been struggling to concentrate in the late afternoons, though. If this doesn't go away, I will call the doc, I can't let this interfere with my workday indefinitely.

Marie, I will manage without an IPod for a while. My first priority, if I can get through Xmas without going overbudget, is will be a new TV. My TV is ancient, and now it's making a loud buzzing sound that I've gotten used to but annoys guests to no end.

Penny, i'm glad to hear that you aren't too banged up after your fall! We are just the same with the carbs. The cravings are almost overwhelming this time of year. I'm going to try eating baby carrots at night if I can't take it anymore. Over time the cravings go away if I don't give in to them. Otherwise, I'll eat too much of something, even if it's food on program, like fruit an low-fat cheese. That extra 250-300 calories at night have kept me from losing for months and months.....

Carol, congrats on avoiding the candy. You have been doing really well. Steak sounds like a good idea, I think I will have some tonight. I took a pound of lite smoked sausage out of the freezer so that I can try out another crock pot recipe this weekend, maybe something with cabbage. I love cabbage but not the smell. But lately my kitchen smells vaguely of cigarettes, thanks to my next-door neighbors, so cabbage will be an improvement!

judy

Happy, HAPPY Friday. I too, like Judy am very happy it's Friday. I'm so sick of working. This is the last week for a while that I work 5 days. On Wednesday afternoon, we're leaving for our big road trip. We're going to Des Moines, Iowa for my niece's wedding on the 11th. Then on the 12th, we're heading to Biloxi, MS for my son's military tech school graduation (on the 15th). So then on the 15th (late afternoon) we'll be starting for home. That's be a 5000 mile round trip in the car. Oh, I can just envision my ability to exercise. :) Thank goodness DVD's are portable and work in my computer in hotel rooms. I can't believe I'm going to see my son after 10 months. It's hard to believe that he's almost done and will be moving back hom. I do miss him. I swore in January I wouldn't have, but alas, he's my baby and I do miss him.

I did 5 miles jogging this morning. Trying to make a dent in my goals before leaving.

I called and left a message with my dr. to get the thyroid test done again. Wow, I actually did it. Mid post here too. :)

Judy, I'm so glad you're feeling better. I hear you about the 250-300 of good for you foods adding up in calories. It still counts no matter how you look at it so it's good that you're toughing out the nibbles.

Carol, I bet you're glad the week is almost over. Your job seems so stressful.

Penny, maybe it was Oregon women's time to bruise this week. I had an argument with the freezer (wanted it moved and it did move...). I have about a 6 x 8" bruise on my right quad. Definitely looks like I've been battered. But the @#$@#$ freezer moved. :)

Marie

Yeah - I taught that @#$@#$ patio a lesson with my face too! Your road trip will be a nice break for you. I hope you have a great time.

Judy - Mmmmm dessicated pork glands! I haven't had any side effects from the Armour (touch wood). Yep those 200-300 calories are so quick to eat and take so long to burn off!

Carol - Yes, it's quite a coincidence that we all have thyroid problems. I've always thought my internal thermostat was set too low and that's partly why I have trouble losing. I guess we just have to work harder at it than most people.

I'm quite proud of myself - I baked 120 mini sausage rolls and didn't eat one of them! Tomorrow is going to be a bit of a challenge, but I'm planning on having a protein shake before our guests arrive so that I'm not so tempted to pig out. I'm also going to limit myself to one glass of wine as my food consumption goes up exponentially the more I drink!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Girls on a cooking show yesterday they froze banana's and then used them in smoothies instead of ice. Added oj and then ice cream you could add yogurt. I am going to mix one up later on for a snack tonight. I have the little guy for a few days this week Daddy is going out of town on training to Minn. He helped us with our garage this weekend. Tam says he's practicing on being a good son inlaw. I think he's already won that award. Though I can't complian I have great loved ones whom joined our family blessed I am. Marie good for you going away on a trip. Your son is accomplishing quite a goal. You must be so proud. He will be suprised to see how great you look as well. Keep up your good efforts. Oh Judy thats awful about the thyroid meds I am not even looking mine up yuk! TV's have gone way down in price. We have way too many in this house 5 to be exact but two are my SIL. Busy but nice weekend the garage electric is done and about 300.00 over the cost we thought! Yuk! But any project so far has been over budget I should just get used to it. But to do it right it cost a bit more. Now its done all but siding which will wait til next year. We all together have sunk in to this house about close to 30,000 and that includes family members and friends just helping out. Wow! Next spring its finish the SIL bathroom, screen in the deck and thats enough. For christmas maybe she will get a toilet????????? Oh thats not a nice gift but a needed one.
Penny I am right with yah trying to be good its not easy nor fun. I made cookies to send to HI. yesterday. I only had one. Packed those babies up and out. I will send them today a fall Thanksgiving hello from home for my son and daughter in law.
Well take care girls I am taking my sneakers today and will go walking after work. I need to push myself into it.
I didn't get any phone calls this weekend my client may still be hooked up to machines.. I will see today whats up but restrained myself from checking this weekend I KNOW the outcome pretty much at this pt. only a matter of time. Thanks for you kind words. I did pretty well this time handling the stress. I went off the beaten path a little but not far.

Marie, you must be very excited about your road trip! That's a lot of time in a car...but it can be fun, if you you and your hubby travel well together. I was hoping to go to Biloxi later this month for work, but the dates have changed and now conflict with a trip to OH for my brother's b-day. You'll have your computer with you, so you can keep us posted on how well you're doing while you're away :smug: .

Penny, how was your big party? Yummm, suasage rolls...I've always loved the idea of hosting an annual gathering, but I've moved so much I never got it together. A couple of years ago, when I was in NYC, I hosted these funny "Rasta Luaus" two years in a arow, and folks asked me about the next one....maybe I'll start a tradition and just keep doing it whereever I am. And like you, my barriers to noshing fall right down if I've had a drink or two. I hope you had a good time, and stayed within your program.

Carol, you must feel good about making so much progress on your sister-in-law's new place. I like the tip about frozen fruit. When berries and mangos are on sale, I freeze them to use in smoothies. Yummy!

My weekend was okay. The lighting in my living room isn't good, and a lampshade needs to be replaced, so I went hunting for lamps and shades, and perused more gluten-free items at Whole Foods. The best part of the weekend was finally, totally cleaning out the clothes closets (including coats) and making ruthless decisions. I had "favorite" clothes Ive almost never been able to wear, and "favorite" shoes that hurt....gone, gone, gone!

Eating mostly on my program, but giving in to tremendous munchies in the evenings. It does feel good to work out at my old pace.

judy

Carol - That's a good idea to freeze the bananas for a shake. I usually put a banana in my protein shake with some ice, so I could just freeze the banana and cut out that step. Wow! You've done a lot of renovations on your place. You've probably added a lot to it's value as well as making it more comfortable for you.

Judy - Whole Foods have just opened a 'super store' near us and we went to the grand opening the other day. It was amazing the amount of different gourmet foods they have - very pricey though! I'm still having the 'evening munchies' too - looks like we're in the same boat! I've started eating a small apple when the munchies get out of hand.

Marie - I hope everything is going well with you. It looks like you are escaping this horrendous rain storm we're having up here.

I survived our Guy Fawkes party and it was a big success. The kiddies really enjoyed the bonfire and fireworks which we did in the pouring rain. The 'middle' generation are now in their teens and twenties and it seems just yesterday that they were the little kiddies twirling the sparklers. The grownups ate way too much and my sausage rolls disappeared very quickly! I kept circulating away from the food and pretty much stayed within my calorie range. I had a wine spritzer (half white wine/half ginger ale) and nursed that all evening.

I had to go back to my primary doc today as my cystitis returned with a vengeance :(. I'm due for my ob/gyn exam later this month so maybe she'll have some suggestions.

Penny parties are alot of fun when there are themes to them. I think its great people are so creative. My daughter recently gave the grandson a super hero party the kids all wore any heroe shirt or costume they had. Then they down loaded super hero music made up some games. I made the super hero cake it all worked out and saved alot of money of going out somewhere to have one etc. Sounded like you all had fun. Memories will be there to look back on years down the road. Penny I wish I had that mango tree in my sons yard in Hawaii. That would of been great to just run out and pick some. During our visit he made smoothies with his own fruit adding in fresh coconut too. Yummy!
Judy sounds like you need to do some entertaining as in the past you've enjoyed it. I like to do that too. I have Thanksgiving coming up and its been at my house for the past 11 years. Now a tradition I think. I haven't been doing to bad with the food dept. Not always the best choices but not a lot of eating between meals. Still very stressful at work my guy is staying around hooked up to machines. It is not reversable so its a matter of waiting. I am helping the family go to court for guardianship but that will take time. Not much I can do for any of them either. So I am trying to deal with the situation the best I can. Last night I had a little me time and went to the casino and won 70.00. I think it will be spent on some new fall clothes. After all I think lately it might pick me up a bit. So maybe after work I will go look for something new. I need another pair of brown shoes casual ones. Well no real work out yesterday unless pushing some buttons count! Hah hah! Maybe today I can sneak in a walk during my day might be a stress reliever. Marie I hope you have a super trip you deserve it. I bet you look great! I think one thing to count on for me is my daughters up coming wedding. Now I have to try to really lose this wt. Only 10lbs would make me so happy if I can just get focused to put myself 100% forward to do so. g
Planning healthy foods today! One day at a time!

This has been a long morning! I did a good workout and headed over to vote. I waited until after 9AM so the lines weren't long. I would have been happy to stand in line after rush hour, 'cuz that would have meant a big turnout...I'll be sitting in front of the TV tonight with my fingers and toes crossed. Win or lose, I'm always happy to wear my "I voted" sticker today. My parents were born in the Deep South, so my grandparents and great-grandparents weren't allowed to vote. I always think of them when I head to the polls.

Penny, I can't believe that the infection is back! What a major drag for you :stress: At least it waited until you had a chance to enjoy your party! It sounds like the party was a lot of low-calorie fun for you, congratulations. And there's a Whole Foods near my office and one not far from home. I go to "Whole Paycheck" now and again to get very specific things, otherwise I pretend that I'm at a museum or something, just there to look and admire. Although if this gluten problem is for real, they will be seeing me a little more often, for things I can't find anywhere else.

Carol, we already knew that you were a winner! What games do you play at the casinos? That's foreign territory to me. I know you can reach your weight loss goal before your daughter's wedding if you're really good about logging your intake.

I did better last night with the extra noshing. I had smoked sausage and red cabbage (crockpot) for dinner, and cottage cheese and fruit for dessert. I managed to fight off the craving for more, but it was touch and go there for a while. It's funny how your thoughts can be consumed by food, even when your belly is full!

judy

Judy I saw a recipe on one of those lovely mouth watering food channels for cabbage cooked with a green apple. All they did was take some butter but you can sub. that, and sauted apple slices with chinese cabbage. They say it cooks faster than reg. added some salt, pepper I think that was it. To me it looked very good. I like cabbage. I also enjoy smoked or polish sausage its the polish in me coming out I guess. At any rate ck. it out and I will too. I have been doing alot better this week with my calories. Yesterday I did only have yogurt for breakfast but then had a little more cals for lunch. I read somewhere to eat an apple before meals it adds in extra fiber and helps you to feel fuller. I have been much better in the evenings too. Last night I had a banana after dinner but that was it. I have ck'd out the Wendy diet. No matter what we do its an effort. If we want results then there is no easy outlet other than variety and counting cals and being creative. At the casino I won on Kenny Rogers penny game. Yeah! For my little bet of 30 cents I won a card game on the machine a couple of times. Then up went the bet to 45 cents and another had of poker with Kenny. Which I won 45.00 on how cool huh? It was fun. I needed a real break from everything else. Yesterday was one more stressful day and I am pleased to say I didn't turn to food. Hurray I made it! I have all the special paperwork ready had to get Dr's to sign and report, mom's signatures all the siblings and now no birth cert. Wow! So I can't file with the court house. Now I pleaded with the Vital Bureau for a fast birth cert. I should have it by friday. Then, at least my filing will be done to help this gentlemans mom get guardianship to make medical decisions for her son. This has been a tough one. I can't stress to people how important it is to have a DNR and Health Care Proxy in order. I am making sure my family takes care of doing this soon. We just never know when something will happen to us or a loved one. Well enough of that stuff. Is it really hard with the gluten free diet? I ask because I have a client on it maybe I am not sensitive enough to what she is going through? But in her case others have to ensure she gets the right stuff not her so much though it can make her sick. I also voted at 7:15 in the morning before work. Its important for people to vote and for you that years ago your family wasn't allowed. You need to always support the voting for all of them they would be proud that you are practicing your rights in the country and trying make positive changes. Keep up your efforts with the wt. and diet changes. My hips are finally feeling better and last few nights I am sleeping all night through. It feels really great. Hopefully it continues. Penny hope your feeling better. Marie hope your enjoying that trip!

So, Carol, you really know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em, huh? I'm glad you found a productive way to de-stress. I appreciate the reminder about DNRs and proxies. It's not a pleasant subject, but better to say what you want now than put your loved ones through a lot of extra drama when you can't speak for yourself.

I did well last night, no extra noshing. I did a long aerobic workout this morning, and will go to Curves after work. I brought some apples, pure cranberry juice (to mix with water) and protein bars to the office to help me get through the rest of the week, which will be nonstop difficult meetings. They will be ordering in food, and sugary snacks will be sitting in front of me all afternoon, so I plan to fall back on my own treats when I want to give in. If I can get through these next two months--changes at work, travel and holidays--still losing a little and managing with this restricted diet, I will start the New Year in a really good mood.

I hope everyone else is feeling good today!

judy

Carol - That cabbage recipe sounds great. I like cabbage but forget to buy it - thanks for reminding me. I'm glad your hips are feeling better. I'm sure that makes sleeping easier for you. I find it extra hard to stay on track when I'm tired.

Judy - "Whole Paycheck" :rofl: That's a good name for Whole Foods! I'm going to have to dust off my crockpot now that the weather is turning cooler and I'm in the mood for some comfort food. Good idea to get some snacks so you won't be too tempted at those meetings!

Marie - Hope you're having a nice relaxing time on your trip.

I've been a bit under the weather with my cystitis but dragged myself into Curves today to work out even though I only got about 5 hours sleep last night. I felt better afterwards - it woke me up more than the three cups of coffee I drank this morning! The pyridium my doctor recommended seems to be helping a bit and I'll soon be having my annual physical exam, so I'll see what my doc has to say then. I hope I don't need a bunch of tests so late in the year as we pay out of pocket up to $3500 and of course the slate starts over on the 1st of the year :(. There goes my Christmas money!