Jezzie, hi!!! The trick is having protein snacks around. If you eat meat, then have some chicken, organic no nitirte cold cuts in the fridge. Cans of sardines, oysters. If veg, hard boiled eggs, cheese, tofu. You can do it.

Cassie, sorry to hear you are feeling so bad, girl. Low temperature is not necessarily bad, depends on the person, how you run. I run low. If you don't, and with all the other stuff you got going on, maybe get it checked out. You are excused from cleaning this condo we're renting. Someone needed to clean it. That someone was me. Seriously, feel better and please keep us posted.

April, great job!!! Careful with that shoulder, mama!!!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone ♥
 

Hope you all have a great day - especially all the singles out there ♥
No temptations today!
Be strong!

You gonna meet up with lil ole me?

The chips... kinda a hint of vinegar, dill with a little spics. Sounds nasty but they are good! They are also kettle chips so the are crunchy. Y'all yanks don't know nuttin' about kettle chips. ;) j/k

You will be the first one I call when we make our plans...you have proven your travel guide skills :).

Hmm, I love kettle chips. I work them into my macros occasionally; the ones I eat are cooked in safflower oil so I get some healthy fats in there too (dammit, I can rationalize anything). But I'm under the "no trigger foods" goal this week, and sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't, so none for me right now.

But we Yankees (and Utz) do a mean crab chip!

Nyda, welcome back. It sounds like you have a good plan. My sister is a quilter; I understand it can be quite addicting. Enjoy!

[QUOTE=cjohnson728;95699]April, glad you got your burn on. Use the handicapped stalls if you have to; not as low to sink down :p.
[\QUOTE]
And they have handles to help me back up!!

The shoulders are good, it's the thighs that are a-burnin'!

[QUOTE=01gt4.6;95690]So does that mean you'll be fighting the others for the king cake?
[\QUOTE]
Ummmm, yeah, sure!

I like your version better too!! That's some funny stuff!

Lunch out with my hubby today. We'll just say chinese buffets are not within the realm of a diet plan. I doubt I will eat dinner tonight though and I did only have two plates and really tried to pick veggies from the pepper steak and chicken brocolli. And hey...corn nuggets are still a veggie right? LOL

Oh well....I still plan to get my burn on again tonight and we'll see what happens.

Oh and if you ever had Middleswarth Kettle Chips BBQ.....oh my lawd!

Could it have been the cleaning products? I've been told chlorine is a trigger of labyrinthitis.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

- Donna

San Francisco
 

awww thanks.

Speaking of travel guide skills. I just booked our flight for San Francisco in May. Does anyone here live in San Fan?

Cassie, sorry to hear you have vertigo. I know how that feels and it isn't fun! Hope it doesn't last long!!

So...update on Dr visit. Down 3lbs since the last time I went. Wish it was more but I'll take it. Weight is the same since I weighed at home. Which is ok.
Numbers are all the same, which is good. ExceptA1C which is 9. Did find out that I should be eating more protein (between 75 and 100). Which seems conterintuitive but it's based on weight not because I have too much. This is good because now I don't have to worry so much about the carbs balance. I can have yogurt for breakfast or protein shake! She was impressed that I was really knowledgeable in asking questions.

Jenn

Goals:
Water 64 oz per day minimum:T,W
Walk 4 x: M,T,Th
Slower eating, stop wolfing down my food:M,T,W, Th

Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I wasn't feeling so good. But today I am gladly back. Happy to hear what everyone is doing. Together we are geniuses.

So far I have been faced with a box of Chocolates. I have put them out at work for others to enjoy. I did not dare even have one as this is a major trigger food for me. I feel surprisingly indifferent about them.

However, valentine's day is not over yet.

Congrats on being strong so far, Robin!

Glad you are feeling better, Frenchhen.

Jenn, glad to see the three pounds down. Maybe not what you hoped for, but definitely in the right direction. What you know is definitely paying off.

Thank you, Donna...good to know that about chlorine. It was really just cleaning every pot, cooking utensil, and dish in my kitchen, plus flour spills, so no chlorine. I've battled this before but never knew that about chlorine so I will be vigilant from now on.

Another 40 mins spent with the kettlebell! Going up & down stairs is even more difficult but I know it is so worth it!

No dinner since ate like a fat girl for lunch today. Dished out 3 flavors of ice cream for the guys for snack and even though I did eat about 4 spoons of it, I stopped and made myself cottage cheese, greek yogurt, a sprinkle of coconut and about a 1/4 cup of fruit & nut granola. Figured my muscles needed some extra protein tonight.

Great job, April!

1. 1300 calories max daily. 1258, 1244, 941, 1294
2. Exercise 5 times this week. One, Two
3. Log everything. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes
4. Eat clean; no trigger foods. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes
5. 64 oz. fluids daily. Yes, Yes, Nope, No
6. Take vitamins and supplements. Yes, Yes, Yes, No

Mixed bag today. Still a little woozy but certainly better than I was; I've been able to get vertical a bit and hope it's even better tomorrow. DS has four appts (teacher work day) so I'll be running, but I think I'll have him drive.

Happy Valentines Day!!!:D

Goals
Think before I eat, why, what and when.M=N, T=Y, W=Y, T=Well I thought about the chocolate covered strawberries before I ate them but I only ate 2 so I don't feel to bad.
Choose clean real foods.M=N, T=N, W=Y, T=N
Get walking again.M=Y, T=N, W=N, T=Y

Thurs.
 

• Workout > 30 mins x 4: Y, Y, Y
• Cholesterol < 250mg: 203, 122, 93, 162
• Protein > 50 g: 52, 55, 39, 76
• Sugar < (??? g): ~, N, N, N
• Vegetables > 3 /day: Y, Y, N(2), Y
• Calories < 1750: 1283, 1259, 1263, 2162

Veggie Salad Buffet for Lunch, w/ Cornbread. Lots of champagne w/ dinner + Chocolates. Oh, and light wt. workout in the am.

Robin: You get the Valentines Day Award of Valor, for abstention of chocolate!

April: You get the Meritorious Conduct Medal.

I think Mern went MIA...

- Donna

I think perhaps Mern thinks she is posting but she's not lol...

Thanks for the reinforcement Donna. It's easier than it appears. I am learning how good abstinence works for me....I don't feel the least bit deprived. Now if I had one, there would be a different story. But I can see this bowl of chocolates on a regular basis and I know better than to have one.

I think it's sugar abstinence (no sugary foods not no carbs) that is working for me. It took a while. I started that around Mid-December.

I just wanted to say about the protein, I have no guidelines that I am following but my protein is way below what others are following/reporting. I had this big discussion about this with my son who does bodybuilding and is always researching this. The only way he can keep his protein high enough is with protein powder. However I like the suggestion about having high protein snacks. I just don't think I can eat any more chicken lol. Anyway that's a work in progress.

Still working on the water.

Goals:
1) HAVE FUN - YES, YES!!!! YES YES
2) plan meals; yes and are you kidding me? It was Mardi Gras, nuff said. That last post was like War and Piece of Chicken yes, yes
3) stay even remotely near plan, especially lunch and breakfast- yes and there was no plan but I was OK until those chips (Blame Mike 101) sorta, sorta
4) stretch EVERY DAY (you should too, Mr Mike) yes, yes, yes, yes
5) get back to meditation -yes and um I contemplated King Cake no, no
6) water is the new beer, drink more= N, N haven't thought of it x2 (W&TH)
7) Have fun (however will I do that in NOLA?) Notice that is TWO of my goals!!!! I'm taking this seriously. See #1
8) Find a scale (do I even WANT to know?) N, N, I do want to know I think; [COLOR="Orange"]Yes I found one but I was too cheap to buy it; [COLOR] weighed myself on a public scale (with shoes on) and it lied by trying to flatter me into thinking I am 10 pounds lighter than I prolly am.

Plan:
egg whites and turkey sausage (low fat, no nitrite)
orange chicken and salad
grilled oysters, fish and veg
Snacks
clementines
blueberries
protein shake
dried kale
lox, sardines or ham/cheese roll ups

Jezzie, I hear ya about getting sick of chicken. I try to be creative, rethink my idea of snacks.
April, you go girl!!!!
Robin of iron will, I salute you!!! I ate some chocolate; it was sugar free. Still it is not a good food for me, bad health wise and it stalls my weight loss (loss in NOLA haha) The thing about sugar and I promise this is true: the longer you go without it, the less you want it.
Mike, Mern where y'at?

hey hey
 

wow, my stomach is just growling away today.
i've eaten about 500 calories so far as I'm saving for supper so guess I'll have to find something really low to snack on
scale said 203.2 today - my hopes of seeing that number 1 in front are being stretched out, it's torment LOL
go for my intial physio consult tomorrow, hopefully get this arm working right again :(
Anyway, have a great day all and be strong! ;)

"★ﾟ ﾟ★∵★ﾟᵃᵖ ﾟ★∵★ﾟ ﾟ　★★ﾟ ﾟ★∵★ﾟᵃᵖ ﾟ★∵★ﾟ ﾟ　★
❤❤❤Cruising by to wish everyone a Happy FRIDAY ❤❤❤
.........︽.───__________ ...___________..__________
......__|_|__-'''| 門|_田_田_|..||門|_田_田_|.|門||_田_ 田_|
....(◕)_____)•||_||.______|•|| _||.______|•||_||.______ |
...//_\\(●)═(●)•═•(●)•═•(●)•═•(●)•═•(●)•═•(●)•═• ( ● ) "

Kicked butt with another 2 miles on lunch again today. That makes 6.75 for the week. Didn't someone have a goal set to do 7 miles this week? I almost made it!
Came in from my walk to tables in the lunchroom filled with breads, pasta, lunchmeats, dressing, taco salad, blah blah blah. I took one clump of turkey breast (about 2-1/2 bites) and was happy at that. I grabbed my orange out of the fridge and I know that if I need it I still have a Fiber One protein bar in my bag that I have been toting back & forth to work all week. I even got 2 hershey's nuggets yesterday and dropped them in my bag for emergency use later!

I do believe I can say that I got this. Dinner is still my downfall but if I can do as well as I have been with all other aspects of the day I can afford to enjoy dinner with my family. That was one promise that I always made to myself was that I would not let my goals get in the way of dinner with my guys. They are soon going to be moving out on their own (one is joining the navy after high school) and I want them to remember dinner at home with their parents. It is our one strong tradition. Every night (except rare ocassions) we eat dinner together, at the table.

I'm here, I've been a little "busy".;):D

C'mon ride that train... and ride it!

Whoa, you are a BEAST! 6.75 miles and the week is still young. It looks like April got her groove back!

That groove ends on Friday for walking though. LOL! Saturday is my only real day with my hubby now so Sunday is strictly housework day unless I sneak one in with the dogs. I don't usually do that in the winter though. We'll see if I get a workout in tonight yet though.

I am WOEFULLY behind in my posts. So other than addressing some of you in this post, I send the rest of you huge hugs of encouragement or praise--whatever you need most.

AND I'M GOING TO BE SURE THIS POST GOES THROUGH. Gosh, I think I'm losing my marbles! EDITED IN LATER: Now I know for sure this post went through--and if it disappears I'll know there is a poltergeist deleting my posts. LOL

Robin, no, I didn't think I was posting this morning. LOL But I honestly did lose another post today that I swore I made sure went through. I haven't been doing this in other areas of my life--at least my family isn't saying I have and my 8 and 11 year old grandkids would be the first to laugh it up over such mishaps. I can't lay claim to any eating lifestyle "heroics." :p My two evening carb binges were simply my seeing some tempting carby stuff I wanted and having no desire at all to fight those cravings. Once I took the first carby bite I wanted more and more and just kept stuffing it in. The cheats were just at night. I tried something different tonight, though--didn't have my snack planned but did think yesterday that plating my evening snack may help. Tonight I put 4 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast on a plate along with a homemade low carb protein square. Something psychologically more satisfying about that... Wow! Wow! Wow! Major, major, major kudos on putting out the chocolates for others to enjoy and feeling indifferent about them! I was soooo glad no one gave me chocolates for Valentine's Day--I would NOT have been able to resist.

Frenchhen, great report yesterday! "Together we are geniuses." I LOVE THAT!!! :D

Nyda, adding my welcome back, too. :)

Jenn, thanks for giving us your checkup report. It is my understanding that protein helps slow down the absorption of carbs. And protein also helps speed up one's metabolism. I'm glad your doc appreciates your asking questions. My doc is like that, too, and even encourages me to email her any questions between visits--and I do. Best wishes on getting your A1C down. I don't expect mine to be normal this time, either, with my recent evening carb binges.

Donna and Hope, I was just busy with grandkids the past couple days--they were off school Thursday and Friday and will be again on Monday. In the evening DH was on the computer and I layed around with my sinus headaches--wood smoke allergy--several neighbors with fireplaces. UGH
I'm much better now and food is on track. Kudos to both of your on your reports!

April, congrats on all your exercise!

Jezzie, I am sooooooo rooting for you to see 199.9 on your scale! :)

Darlene, kudos on walking and only 2 chocolate covered strawberries!

Cassie, I hope your vertigo is better. Great report yesterday! I've never heard of a temp of 95.1 being normal. My normal temp is about 97.2 as it is for a couple of my grandkids.

Mern, I don't think she "appreciates" me asking questions but is impressed that I take the time to do my homework. I just figure it's MY health and I'm going to ask!
I sent an email to my dietician at diabetes centre because I question my A1C going up 2 percent in 4 months. I know I wasn't eating horribly and my glucose numbers were only 1 point higher than normal. The specialist Dr would like me to go on metformin but I am so against it based on the side effects (like your insides are going to explode). I am willing to do the work.

For the first time I actually have hope that I might be able to lose weight. I was so frustrated trying to figure out how I was ever going to lose weight. Now I can up my protein in the morning!

We had chicken pot pie for dinner and I only put the top crust on. Still the same flavour but less carbs.
Jenn

One more workout for the week. This one was 20 minutes cardio/yoga mixture. Got my sweat on really good but rested my legs a little bit compared to the kettlebell I have been doing.

April, you are ROCKING IT with the exercise. Way to go!!!

Jenn, how was your iron level the day of the test? Red meat, eggs and oatmeal are listed as good sources of iron. So doing very low protein could cause low iron if not supplemented. My source for that question was: A1C test: Results - MayoClinic.com "If you don't have enough iron in your bloodstream, your A1C test results may be falsely high."

I do take over-the-counter meds for my occasional sinus headaches and for occasional arthritis pain, but I turned down a prescription for Metformin, too, and then later was able to prove I could control my blood sugar through diet alone. However, if my blood sugar level ever gets so high that my dietary restrictions don't continue to control it, I will reassess my position after again weighing the risks of meds vs. complications of diabetes. I had a triglyceride test I disputed once and doc was kind enough to consider that my results may have been skewed by OTC sinus meds I took for 5 days before and up to the midnight before the test. Next test was way more believable.

That is so darned cool. Yup, protein is supposed to help with weight loss. This may be your ticket to that. :) Kudos on leaving the top crust off the pot pie. Smart thinking!

April, congrats on your workouts this week. I'm like you...dinner at the table with the family has always been a priority. Some nights it's crazy, especially during the baseball years, but now the schedules are coinciding pretty well.

Jenn and Mern, my hat is off to you ladies again for being so diligent and motivated to control things without meds to the greatest degree you can.

It's good to see so many here on a Friday! Let's keep it going strong through the weekend!

1. 1300 calories max daily. 1258, 1244, 941, 1294, 1296
2. Exercise 5 times this week. One, Two, Three
3. Log everything. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes
4. Eat clean; no trigger foods. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes
5. 64 oz. fluids daily. Yes, Yes, Nope, No, Lost track but I think so
6. Take vitamins and supplements. Yes, Yes, Yes, No, Yes

Thanks for the link Mern. I'll have to check my glucose monitor to see what my average is.
Wow, April you're a machine! Congrats on the workouts!
Cassie your numbers look good--drink that water!

Jenn

Agreed, April is motivating with her workouts.

Cassie, I am here all weekend too and hope you are feeling better. The week seems to have gone well goal wise for you.

I too admire Jenn and Mern for trying to manage the blood sugar with diet. For me I am trying to prevent those issues from developing, any of those issues that are based on lifestyle. There is a lot of Type 1 diabetes in my family and I have had gestational diabetes. So the fear is there, and part of my motivation.

I have stuck well to my goals all week although the scale is moving slowly due to lack of exercise. I am slowly starting to do a bit more though.

Fri.
 

• Workout > 30 mins x 4: Y, Y, Y, Y
• Cholesterol < 250mg: 203, 122, 93, 162, 244
• Protein > 50 g: 52, 55, 39, 76, 103
• Sugar < (??? g): ~, N, N, N, N
• Vegetables > 3 /day: Y, Y, N(2), Y, Y
• Calories < 1750: 1283, 1259, 1263, 2162, 1828

Lots of veggies, chicken and choc. truffles.

Done with the freakin' income tax returns. I wish DH would try to learn how to do our tax returns but he's too intimidated. I'll bet if I pre-decease him that he'll THEN be willing to pay a tax prep service. Well, at least I won't have to whine about this task again until next year. LOL

Jenn, best wishes on figuring out the mystery of your higher than expected A1C results.

April, I agree with everyone that you are setting such a good example for the rest of us.

Robin, kudos on having a lifestyle that may prevent the development of diabetes. My doc told me that if I am able to bring my blood sugar down to normal and keep it there with a low carb diet (which I have since August of 2011) that even though Type II diabetes runs heavily in my family, I may be able to prevent full-blown diabetes for life. I am fortunate--it's not possible for everyone to control it with diet alone. Even when I go off the wagon for a couple days, I am able to reel myself back in and keep my average blood sugar in the normal range. I've done well foodwise for the past few days, but my scale isn't moving due to not drinking enough fluids.

Donna, kudos on your reports this week! Lots of veggies and chicken is good--pass me a chocolate truffle! :D I'm having a nice lean pork chop and mashed cauliflower with cheese, and low carb coleslaw for dinner.

Cassie, thanks for your kind words, too. I'm more afraid of the meds than admirable for choosing dietary restrictions. My hat is off to YOU for your fabulous reports all week! That took more diligence and motivation than I had this week. I hope your scale reflects all your hard work.

It might, if I had the cojones to get on it :p. Congrats on finishing the taxes and for taking that job on! My DH does ours and cranks and grumps every year. He has the background to do it, but between our personal ones and my business ones, they are a real pain in the tuckus. We did have an accountant do part of them last year for the first time and that seemed like even more of a pain! How has your granddaughter been feeling, by the way?

Donna, Robin, Jenn, good weekend warriors all! Hope you all are having a nice weekend. Robin, I need to kick up my exercise, too. Next week will be busy again, but that's not an excuse.

Gacked a few goals today, but overall it's been a pretty good week.

1. 1300 calories max daily. 1258, 1244, 941, 1294, 1296, 1440
2. Exercise 5 times this week. One, Two, Three
3. Log everything. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes
4. Eat clean; no trigger foods. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Oops
5. 64 oz. fluids daily. Yes, Yes, Nope, No, Lost track but I think so, Pretty sure
6. Take vitamins and supplements. Yes, Yes, Yes, No, Yes, Yes

Sat.
 

• Workout > 30 mins x 4: Y, Y, Y, Y
• Cholesterol < 250mg: 203, 122, 93, 162, 244, 251
• Protein > 50 g: 52, 55, 39, 76, 103, 121
• Sugar < (??? g): ~, N, N, N, N, N
• Vegetables > 3 /day: Y, Y, N(2), Y, Y, N(2)
• Calories < 1750: 1283, 1259, 1263, 2162, 1828,1963

Thought I was doing good, until I remembered the baguette I ate before dinner. Dinner was a slab of salmon grilled w/ citrus, onion, garlic, some peanut oil + saffron rice & broccoli. & Wine. Oh, & the oatmeal cookies for breakfast weren't good at all.

Mern, it must have been a taxing weekend. You finished your taxes and I started mine. I used to do mine so I could ferret out all the nooks and crannies of credits and deductions, but I'm getting a bit lazy in that regard.

Tomorrow is the ultimate day of you Mindset Makeover, isn't it? Do you feel like a new woman?

- Donna

Donna, despite the cookies, it sounds like your day balanced out pretty well. And hey, oatmeal's a whole grain, so it's not like you ate Double Stuff Oreos. I hate when I forget about something I ate!

I had a leisurely start to my Sunday with a couple cups of tea and a wheat/cranberry/orange scone. On the agenda today is organization and other home tasks and parallel parking practice with the boy. License test is scheduled a week from Tuesday :eek:.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Cassie

Have fun with the parallel parking..it's all about the practice. Did you know that in England it's not a required part of the test? (so I read) My son failed because after parking absolutely perfectly he pulled out without signalling (he was in cones in a vacant lot).

I am going to try a version of the grilled shrimp in quinoa today. I don't have all the ingredients and we are in the midst of another snowstorm but I am going to improvise. Wish me luck.

To those still today, best wishes for your goals in the week to come!