NO FOOLING AROUND APRIL CHALLENGE

[Buffy45]

Morning all.
Picked up DGS 9 from school yesterday, took him to eat to fill up his little tank since he had a baseball game at 6:00. We then went home to get his chores done and homework and I was going to take him to the game but his stepdaddy got home in time to take him. Mom was not feeling good so I told her to skip this game, take a nap and I would go watch the game. When I got there the first inning was over and they were 5 points behind, ended up the game at 12 to 13, just losing by 1 so they did good.
Made it home just in time to watch Real Housewifes of NY, my fave program this year and off to bed.
I have just got to get back to eating better, each day comes and goes and I slip back into my bad habits. I just can't get excited about food anymore, I am bored with it, bored with cooking, I need the excitement that comes when you find a new, very different diet to try, you kwim? Ahh, but, for me, LC is the bestest woe, I know that, I just am in a huge rut with woe, food, cooking, blah blah blah. My bulging tummy is sitting here right in front of me to prove that, not nice and kind of flattish like it is when I do LC right.

ARRRGGGHHHH!!!!

[CindyCRNA]

Gem, I don' think there is a diff b/t pasteurized and ultra. They are both heat processed. I now know why there is a movement toward raw. I see how heat changes things. I can't do raw but I will try to eliminate some of the culprits. Not easy as we cook everything that has cholesterol like meat, eggs and dairy. Raw eggs are a problem too as raw egg whites bind biotin and you get a biotin deficiency. Lord, I'm too tired to sort it out. Just when I get it down, I get a curve ball. I wouldn't mind raw cream. I could freeze portions but even in the heartland, in cow country, it's hard to find. And cream is just a small part. I don't want raw eggs. I like the consistency of cooked.

Oh, well, off to the hormone doc. See ya!

[TuscanGirl]

Everything sounds too hard for everyone right now!

Let's just all start over!

Cindy - let me know what they say about the hormones.

[CindyCRNA]

Well, he put me on everything but the kitchen sink! Estrogen, progesterone, another "p" word (you'd think a nurse would remember!) and testosterone. All bioidentical. He said I should feel better in 2 weeks. He said, "Don't worry, I won't let you gain weight!" Yeah!!! It is the constant exhaustion that I can't take. All of my levels are in the dirt! Except thyroid. Still 124 pounds today so good. But not after tonight. BF has a bad cold so we are staying in for B-day but I bought some smoked salmon ravioli with pesto, garlic bread, wine and brownie sundaes for dessert. Back on the bandwagon tomorrow!

[sjl330]

Is it your BD Cindy or your BF's?

Sounds like you might need to get a milk cow, lol. My aunt and uncle used to milk and we always had fresh milk and cream but the govt. came along and just about made it impossible for the very small dairy farmer to make it. And now they're too old anyway.

[CarolynF]

Hi gang..

Just got back from the hormone doctor. If I were a cow, it would be a good thing I'm hormone free..

Okay..now after being on 14 mcg T3 and 57 mcg T4 compounded, my thyroid results were terrible..terrible. SO, I am switching to 2 grains of Westhroid (Armour), split.
My hormones were: .5 progesterone..(pretty darn low), 17 for the estradiol..(low again), and 34 for the testosterone (should be 100), So the dr. ordered a little dissolving thing of 1 mg of estrogen, 200 mg progesterone, 2 mg of testosterone. She said to take
1/4 of it in the a.m, 1/4 in the pm and 1/2 at night..and see what happens. They are all bioidentical, too. You let them melt in your mouth.

Hopefully, this weight gain will stop... and I can stay awake during the day..

Those Real Housewives are something else. That young gal with the dark hair..what happened to last year's boyfriend? He was supposed to move in. I got the impression he didn't like her too much.

Meeting tonight.......a quick one, let's hope.

Hi to everyone............

[Allison Gluth]

Hello there. Kinda new here. I'm still feeling out the reply and quote and post things... Its a new challenge for me April to jump on the bandwagon, and not get off this time. I'm up to 240 lbs, and have been yo yo-ing for years now. Its now or never. Wish me luck gals! any help with posts etc and how to do them would be WONDERFUL. Sorry if i was intruding on something i wasn't supposed to be on.. Love and Luck!

Allie

[sjl330]

Carolyn, that ought to get you back in balance. When do you get them re-tested? You really should feel the difference within 2 weeks. And let's hope the Armour does the trick for you too. You're gonna be a whole new woman!


Allie, welcome. This is the Eat Fat Get Thin thread which is a bit different from plain Atkins but you're sure welcome to post here. Posting on the forum will become 2nd nature to you before you know it. We were all newbies once too.

[CindyCRNA]

Allison, Welcome Welcome. I have only been EFGT for 4 months so i am still finding my way. There is so much experience on this thread! We talk about everything, diet included so don't feel like your intruding. Jump in. We talk about diet, life, hormones, bathrooms and ducks! I ahd a hard time getting my protein down and my fat up but it's all good now.

Sandy, It's my B-day. 47 today. Needless to say, i won't be posting on the food log today as my dinner selection isn't on anybodies plan! Dessert included! You know, i don't care how great a brownie sundea sounds, the reality is that on any regular basis, all it leads to is a up and down roller coaster of cravings and weight gain so it's good it's only one night.

Carolyn, I love that. We are hormone free cows! That's great! I'm on everything but thyroid. He said I should feel better in 2 weeks. Yeah! The pharmacy called and said my insurance may not pay. I didn't care, I was still going to do this so I asked how much it would be, thinking 4 meds so maybe $200 a month. Im on progesterone, another "p" word, testosterone and estrogen. I didn't care. I wasn't going to feel like this but no, it would be $61 without insurance. I said, go ahead and fill it, i'll pick it up Friday. $61 a month is very good, I think, to feel better. He said, don't worry, I won't let you gain weight. I love him!!

[CarolynF]

Hi Allison..welcome to our little group..

Gosh, Cindy..HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!!!!!!!!!!!! 47..you are a sweet young thing.
I know what "P" word you are talking about..It's in my Suzanne Somers book. I didn't ask what this would cost..I am just sending it into BC/BS when I get it. $61 a month is one Starbucks coffee a day for a month..(without the tip).

Sandy, I can't wait to feel like another woman..

We got the big mirror up in our bathroom without ruining the drywall too much. It's even and looks good. But, it took us an hour.

My doctor said, take your meds according to how you feel ...okay? How should I feel? I guess I will "get" it when I start taking them. I am hoping they come in the mail tomorrow..

[TuscanGirl]

Morning!

Allie!

Cindy -
I hope it was fun!!

Carolyn - I'm going to the doc today and I think it's hormones even though I'm on the patch. My breasts feel premenstrual . . . . so I'm very interested in what both you and Cindy are doing.

I also have 2 meetings today - but I think I might not make them. It may actually be pretty outside!

[sjl330]

Cindy. I hope it was great!

I have a chiro appt. this a.m. and then who knows? I did follow MK to the Flylady thread so I know I'll be cleaning and polishing my bathroom sinks and counters sometime today. I'm also going to check into a new sink and counters for my kitchen.

[CindyCRNA]

Carolyn, my friend did bhrt according to how she felt and ended up way over dosed on estrogen. I think I would have labs drawn again in 2 months to see where your at. I mean, if you feel better but not good, that can be estrogen or progesterone and they won't now unless they draw labs. I need concrete stuff to look at. I pick up my stuff tomorrow so I'm excited.

I'm never eating again as long as I live. That was WAY too much last night. By bedtime, I was miserable. Back on plan today.

[Buffy45]

Morning all you menopausal maniacs

Cindy! It was DH's birthday yesterday too. He went to our lodge for happy hour, I told him I wasn't going to stop by but we could go out to eat later. But, I surprised him there by coming by with a huge carrot cake I got at Sam's which we asked everyone who wanted to join us and have a piece. They serve hamburgers on Wed. nights so we ended up eating there. I did have the cake and was miserable when we got home, again. Am telling myself this morning that this is going to be an onplan day.

Allie. Yes, we talk about everything here and are always glad to have a new "friend" join us. Feel free to join in and tell us all about yourself.

Oh Carolyn, I don't think that is a good idea to tell a person newly on BIHR to take them according to how you feel??? That is crazy, for one thing, right now between that and your thyroid, you don't feel good and it has been awhile since you have. You need a guideline to go by until you get your levels right, determined by blood tests. That doctor I had that I liked so much worked to get me to the point in time when I could recognize if something was off but that was after months and months of taking, testing, etc. It is hard to get all the levels right at the same time. And, to me, a good thyroid doctor goes by both your tsh test results and your current symptoms. It is such a puzzle.

Cindy, hope your doctor is right and you do feel better in 2 weeks. I do remember feeling better fairly soon after starting to take the bio's. Turn it into your insurance anyway, I didn't think mine would cover them but they ended up covering 50% and they would have covered more but the compounding pharmacy was not an in network one.

Sounds like Sandy and MK will by flying around all week making things shine.

Zilla, are you still warming those new eggs? I think you said you were trying to hatch some more.

One of my DD's is in Denver right now, going through another round of in vitro, trying to get a sibling for what she calls speciman #1, DGS 11 months.

Office work again today, didn't get much done yesterday. I have been trying to sit outside in the sun about 30 minutes a day to get my vit D up and get a little color before we go on our trip in May. Gives me an excuse to browse through my magazines that pile up on my coffee table.

Hi to everyone

[sjl330]

I started a thread on the PG about posting spoilers in the threads about TV shows that some people haven't had a chance to watch yet. I got this great idea from one of the posters and wanted to share it with you all.


Quote:
Originally Posted by sjl330 View Post
I'm in a couple of challenge threads and a lot of us watch some of the same shows. When I go into my challenge threads and wham! there's the spoiler of a show that was just on the night before it's right there.

This is the idea:

Maybe ask the challenge members in the threads where this happens to not do it or maybe if they are going to talk about the show, do this (highlight to read the text) ---->: [COLOR="Yellow"]Type in a super light color so that it is "invisible" until the text is highlighted.[/COLOR] The spoiler part is in a very light yellow color which can't be read unless you highlight it.

I will thank Shellpurr for that little trick. .
End of quote.

Thank you for reading everybody. I'm sorry if I sound petty, I promise that's not the spirit intended.

[CarolynF]

Hi kidddds...

Yup, I think I'm going slow on the BHRT..and probably just doing 1/2 trioche a day..1/4 in the a.m., 1/4 in the p.m. Having blood drawn after 8 weeks is a great idea to keep track of what is happening..

Plus, Pam told me to start my Westhroid at 1/2 grain twice a day and build it up to 1 1/2 grains and see what happens. So, I will do that. My handy pill splitter will come in handy.

Good trick on the spoilers, Sandy................

Gosh, I did 4 WW calls today..Time for bed..

The peeps are coming to spray my tub and shower tomorrow. Poor Alex (cat)..he hates workmen with noisy things. They said I didn't have to scrub down my shower and tub
really well either..Hey, that's worth the price of admission.

My son is busy at KState Open House days..He is a "greeter"..for Mechanical Engineering, etc..and he has volunteered to help a couple of professors for extra credit.
Extra credit is always nice..

Hugs all around..I think I'll cook some steak on the barbie tonight..Hopefully, there will be some gas in the tank.

[sjl330]

What company are you using for the tub Carolyn? There's a local company here that sprays countertops to make them look like granite. I'm learning all kinds of stuff today after starting my search for counters.

[TuscanGirl]

Sandy - I would hate that too! I belong to a couple of TV threads and our point is to tell spoilers if we know them! But I'd hate it if people inserted them randomly!
We also post spoilers in a different color, so if you don't want to read them, you can skip.

I went to the doc today with sore, tender breasts and he has no clue what the matter is. Neither do I!
He gave me some cream . . . .
He also wants me to stop the patch.
Just rip it off and see what happens.
I'm not sure I want to go that way.
Thoughts?

[sjl330]

That would scare me MK. Is it the once a week patch? If so I might go a few extra days in between and see how that goes. I have thought about starting to take my bios every other day and see what happens but I haven't officially done that yet. I do miss the occasional day here and there and don't seem to notice anything different.

Maybe your PG??

[CindyCRNA]

Mary Kay, you need some blood drawn. Sounds like your estrogen is high but I don't know how old you are. What cream did he give you? I think the patch contains estrogen so that may be the problem.

Wonder why Gord never chimes in??!! LOL

[Buffy45]

MK, I agree with Cindy, it could be too high of estrogen. When I first started bios, my breast got sore and tender, the dr. immediately cut back on the estrogen and that solved it for me.

[TuscanGirl]

Not PG! No equipment!

I've been on the same patch for 7-8 years, so it's weird it should stop working now - unless it's a bad batch.

I haven't picked up the cream yet - not sure what it is. I'll keep you posted!

Gee - do you think Gord saw the thread and ran away screaming??!!

I have a fasting blood test (cholesterol), so I'm off to do that, then come home and get my coffee!

BBL!

[sjl330]

I saw Gord over on the VLC/ZC boards where I visit sometimes. I'm just all over the place lately, lol.

[Buffy45]

Morning all. Rainy here, the moisture is needed.
Did much better on eating yesterday, will try hard again today to eat LC. Yesterday I had 3 eggs scrambled with 1 slice of cheese for 1st meal and tuna salad for 2nd meal. Several bites of DH's birthday cake after the tuna but it was that and not a whole piece.
Office work/laundry today, going shopping and out to eat with a friend this evening.
Sandy, one of my DD's had the stuff sprayed on her countertops that looked like granite, it looked good. I recently saw an ad for something that they pour over existing countertops that was pretty neat looking. No seams which is nice. I want the HGTV people to come in and make my house look beautiful for less than $2,000.

[CarolynF]

Hi ladies and MIA Gord,

Well, the men from Topeka (140 miles away) came to re-glaze my bath and shower. I have high hopes for a big improvement in the color. It's not cheap, but alot cheaper than tearing it all out, getting new, and having the plumber come again..

I do think that our hormones change with age and we do have to get readjusted..However, I was at the bottom of the barrel with the hormone thing, so the only way to go was up. I'm hoping it will help my brain stay active..My mom had Alzheimers, so I don't want that..at all.

I have been good, but I didn't get on the scale this morning. Will weigh tomorrow..

Have a great day. I have a WW call at 11:00..one lady who has an autistic child and 3 dogs, so she is one busy gal, I'm sure.

[CindyCRNA]

Carolyn, I'm not getting on the scale till NEXT Friday. I was WAY too bad on my B-day. I'm not sure if I'll do that again. I was miserable for 2 days. Let me know how you like your re-glazing. My BF wants to do that on a blue tub we have in the basement. Speaking of basement, I with you in it, hormone wise. Supposed to pick hormones today and I can't wait. He said 2 weeks till noticeable improvement and I am ready. For me, it's not weight. It's energy levels.

I have been reading on this board (Sandy, I jump all over too!) and there is a lady who is SUCH an inspiration. I'm not sure how much she has lost but she is a marathon runner and is a strict adherent to Atkins. I never think of the 2 together, I don't know why but she really ALWAYS eats on program. I love her tips (If cake batter is on your fingers, wash them, don't lick them!) And I think she is at least my age so that's an inspiration. We are going to Vail this July and will do a difficult 12 mile hike that I have done before but not LCing. My plan is to nibble on macadamia nuts the whole hike with a almond butter and SF jam sandwich on LC bread at the top. If she can do a marathon on cashews, I can hike on macadamia nuts!

Oh, well, off to work. Made about 80 cupcakes for someone at work today and have some left over for the rest of the crowd so it will be a lot to carry in. And I didn't lick my fingers!!

[TuscanGirl]

Cindy - on washing your fingers!! It's the little things!

The cream is a generic for Lotrisone.
Thoughts?

Have you hiked in Vail before? Does the altitude bother you?

Carolyn - I hope I don't have to worry about hormones yet - but, do you use your regular doc for that?

Buffy - no you don't! I heard when they leave, your house is very shoddily put together!

Sandy - do you need more to do? Come and clean my bathroom!

[Buffy45]

Oh MK, I am sure you are right, you can really even tell that on the show when they do it, but they do make it look surface pretty to sell. It is funny how many people who are buying houses can't see past current decorating or even dirt. There are some real great houses out there that with just some elbow grease and redecorating are real jewels.

Carolyn, I have heard really good things about the reglazing, and I think it is important you get someone who has a good reputation and knows what they are doing.

I don't want to work today, I am like that on rainy days. And, sometimes on other days as well

[sjl330]

Hey Buffy, do you know the name of the company your DD used for her countertops? There are several who are franchisers and I'd rather deal with one who I already know has a good product/rep if I'm going to deal with one.

My fav so far is the granite transformations technique. It's 75% real granite mixed with a polymer. It's the product used in the Tokyo airport floor and is lifetime guaranteed. The bad part is, it's as expensive as granite and I really hate to spend that kind of $$ right now. Plus, I'm not sure if DH would let me spend that kind of $$ right now, lol.

Anyway, if she knows could you let me know? Thanks.

MK, what's the meds for? I thought you were having a problem with tender breasts. Did I miss something else? My memory is about a mm long lately, lol.

Carolyn, did you take before and after pics of the baths? You know we all want to see.

[CarolynF]

Hi..

The reglazing looks great..I peeked in. The guys arrived at 8:30, did both bathrooms (tub and shower), then left for lunch. They are going to another lady's house for a "look see"..per my suggestion..(maybe I can get a discount for references). They will be back at 4 to finish up. Both jobs are $900..$400 for the tub and $500 for the shower. I know I could have bought a new shower, but it's a tiny master bath and this was much simpler and quicker. There are 2 good companies that do this..Miracle something (which is what I got) and Permaglaze.

Cindy, let me know how you like your hormones and how much he "gave" you.
Maybe we will all look like Suzanne Somers after a while..LOLOL.

MKay: My hormone doctor is a PA..no kidding..But she is my age and very thin. Need I say more? You know, I had a total hysterectomy 6 years ago and I think that our hormones start slipping out the back door, so we do have to adjust..

Waving to Miss Sandy and all our other friends..I'll have to figure out how to take pictures and post them of the bathtub. My "tech" guy is at school..