My HCG Journal. Looks like I need to start one!

[shelbyla]

Ok, so yes, good busy, but still busy and dang tired! A couple of things before some labs questions...

1st - congrats on how you handled that situation with your sister. That was very well-done, sensitive, and yet showed your respect for yourself.

2nd - men and planning! This is what I know from the current state of men in my life (except oddly for the young guy..at least for right now!)... They like to say that they want to be "spontaneous." This, to my ears, is an excuse to say "I want to do WHAT I want, WHEN I want, so that in case something better comes along, I don't have any commitments." When they accuse women of not being spontaneous, they are really saying, "I'd like you to wait around your house, ready at the drop of a hat, to go out or make plans with me." Well, guess what? I have a LIFE. I really don't care whether I see you on a particular night or not but if I don't have plans with you, I'll be making OTHER plans. Even if that plan is having a bubble bath or watching a movie by myself. Make a plan and STICK to it if you want to see me. That's my 2 cents--obviously colored by some bad blind dates!

3rd - Ok now some q's relating to labs (Riddle me this, Batman... ). You're right, your labs do look decent. HOWEVER, I know the lab told you to do the spits starting when you got up as opposed to the actual times on the vials. So here are my q's...
-1 What times did you actually TAKE the samples (i.e. was 8am really 11am, etc.)?
-2 You've mentioned many times that you normally get up late, stay up late, etc. Do you WANT to have a more normal sleep/wake schedule, or are you happy to exist the way you are now?

When I have these answers, we will have a place to start with the herbals.

[CherylB]

1- Around noon, 4, 8 and 11:30 pm.

2- I do like to sleep late, but that's because my life is pretty empty right now. I say "empty" in a good way. I like it like that! But soon I will have to get my keister in gear and get this house packed up for moving to God-knows-where. So, I will need to be awake for more hours of the day.

Needing to sleep so late in the day can be a royal pain. I have to make all Dr appointments (any appointments that I can arrange) for the early part of the afternoon. If I absolutely have to get up in the morning to an alarm, I can't sleep well through the night. (Anxiety more than hormones.)

So basically, my labwork looks good without taking any additional supplements. Is that correct? Hmmmm...

BTW, people. I will report on the chicken in a little while but it was not like normal, sinful fried chicken. Not worth the bother, the time or the mess. Bummer!

Shelby, thanks for the support and the rant on MEN.

[TerriMM]

Oh how I miss sinful chicken!

[CherylB]

Me, too! But I can live without it so I can enjoy the real thing once in a great while.

This coating stayed on (90%, which is good,) but it lacked the crisp crunch of real batter. I think I had better luck using crushed pork rinds on chicken fingers in the past. I'll go back to that next time. This stuff had a fragile nature and lacked "umph."

Live and learn! Trial and Error (lots of error.)

[TerriMM]

Hey, if it was easy, anyone could do it!

[CherylB]

I guess.

[CherylB]

Just want to add one thing, post nasty chicken recipe. I did mention the other day that I was getting really tired of eating meat/meat/meat. I think that chicken was the final straw tonight. So, I'm going to try and make the rest of my P3 look something like this:

Eggs (scrambled, fried, hard boiled, egg salad, deviled eggs, yada yada yada.)
Cheese (cottage, cheddar, provolone, cream cheese, etc.)
Dairy (whipped cream, sour cream, yogurt, mayo, ranch dressing, butter, etc.)
Bacon, tuna fish, deli turkey breast, real bacon bits, etc.
Salad and fixin's (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, etc.)
Avocado, Salsa, Jalapenos (poppers!)
Berries, other low glycemic index fruit.
Diet soda, tea, coffee, occasional n/a wine (if I didn't screw up with it today.)

I think that will be a refreshing change from how I've been eating since the middle of March. I need a break from "flesh."

Wish me luck! Sweet dreams, ladies. Catch you tomorrow. Should be an interesting scale day.

[shelbyla]

Hi Cheryl.

So your labwork looks OK IF you want to continue to have the sleep schedule that you have now. It could stand a little improvement with some herbals, but on the whole, it's decent. On the other hand, IF you want to have more of a regular schedule (rise 8am, bed 10pm) on a consistent basis, that's going to take a bit more work. It will also require that you kind of "force" yourself into that schedule, and not sleep late or go to bed late.

Let me know what you think you'd like to do--either do a little work on your adrenals, as-is OR do quite a bit more work, but have more of a regular sleep schedule (rise 8am, bed 10pm). I am going to pass your labs by some other folks that I know to confirm what I think as well.

[dazygyrl]

Sleep well tonight, Cheryl! ((hug))

[CherylB]

Wow! Did I ever! (sleep well.) I even slept through the alarm that tells me to take my morning thyroid meds. I seem to recall forcing myself to reach up and take the pills from their dispenser on my headboard, but I must have only dreamed it. They ended up getting taken at 11:30 am.

I am at another new low today. Yesterday, I drank 750 ml of N/A Champagne. I ate the coating and skin off of the fried chicken thighs (almond meal and coconut flour, among other ingredients.) I ate a big bowl of sliced strawberries with HWC and Ez Sweetz on it before I went to bed. I drank lots of diet soda and chewed the usual "lots" of sugarless gum. I fried the chicken in Crisco! I also ate 4 string cheeses in the morning.

So, today my new battle-plan goes into effect. I will eat more dairy. I will enjoy some cottage cheese soon (full fat) and make more Jalapeno Poppers with Cream cheese later on. Cottage cheese usually always stalled me on Atkins in the past, so this should work. I will also make scrambled eggs and bacon a little later on. And I'll have my strawberries and cream tonight. (YUMMY) I might chill a bottle of n/a wine. I thought surely that champagne would cause me to stop losing or maybe even make me have to do a correction day.

So, the ticker is happy, I can't help but be happy, but I know that I'm supposed to be stable in this phase. Though I will never eat in order to try to regain something I've lost (or "earned"), I will do something different each day to see if I can halt the losses of more weight.

Maybe I'll add some chopped walnuts and tomatoes to my cream cheese. That should help, too.

Have an awesome day, ladies! See you later. Shelby, what are you able to come up with, oh wise and wonderful Thyroid and Adrenal lady?

[TerriMM]

Wow Cheryl! Can't help but be happy for you

[CherylB]

Thanks, Terri! I know it! I am delighted, but I am seriously trying to stay steady. If I slip down the ladder in spite of all I'm adding to my diet, then I'm going to take that as a sign that my body wants to get to goal just as badly as I do! What's REALLY awesome is, I may be able to eat my new plan without having any trouble with gaining. So maintenance might be truly an amazing way to live and eat.

I really am thinking that I'll only do P3 for 2 weeks, instead of 3. I really think it's important to be on P2 at least 2 weeks before going off plan for a holiday or special occasion, and July 4th is looming!

[TerriMM]

If you keep going the way you're going, I'd be hard pressed to change anything!

Have you heard from motorcycle man?

[dazygyrl]

yay! so glad you slept well.

and yay on the cont loss. i bet's it's hard to be happy to see the scale continuing to go down.

[CherylB]

Yes, on the biker friend of mine. I didn't get a reply from my two voicemails I left him or the comment on his FB page, but I texted him yesterday. He called back and said that if he does come back this way, it will be on Friday. He PROMISES me ("will try very hard") to call me an hour or two before coming.

Thanks, ladies! Have a very special day.

[TerriMM]

Men!

I guess he expects you to sit and wait all Friday just in case he might come by? Must have a very high opinion of himself.

[CherylB]

That's okay. I'll settle for a one-day window! I'll take it! Actually, we really are more just acquaintances, so I wonder why he takes the time to try and see me and my dog when he drives all the way back here every year or so (from AZ). So, it will be nice to see him for the few minutes that he'll be here with us on Friday. He'll be blown away when he sees me! I can't wait to see his expression. Maybe I can even wrangle a ride on his bike! Haven't been on a motorcycle in so many years that I can't even recall. But I still know how to lean on the turns!

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by shelbyla

Hi Cheryl.

So your labwork looks OK IF you want to continue to have the sleep schedule that you have now. It could stand a little improvement with some herbals, but on the whole, it's decent. On the other hand, IF you want to have more of a regular schedule (rise 8am, bed 10pm) on a consistent basis, that's going to take a bit more work. It will also require that you kind of "force" yourself into that schedule, and not sleep late or go to bed late.

Let me know what you think you'd like to do--either do a little work on your adrenals, as-is OR do quite a bit more work, but have more of a regular sleep schedule (rise 8am, bed 10pm). I am going to pass your labs by some other folks that I know to confirm what I think as well.

see above lol

[CherylB]

Okay, Shelby. I'd ultimately like to sleep without the aid of Ambien and Benadryl, getting tired around 10 pm and sleeping soundly until 0900. Then I'd like to have lots of energy to last me to do any amount of work that needs to be done from 0900 up until around 7-8 pm. Then I want to start chilling down in the evening before passing out around 10-11 pm.

Does that help?

[obraxton]

Catching up with your journal, Cheryl...looks like some interesting things going on. I would like a good sleep pattern myself. Waking up is so hard to do, i have to turn my alarm on an hour before I should be getting up b/c I snooze so many times But I don't start my sleep very well either. Glad do see you're still going down down down...160s coming?

Oh when you use your pellets, do you follow strict protocol...I know you have a menu somewhere but I don't know what page it's on...not for me, but I'd like to share it with some others that may be struggling, and for when I can do a protocol later down the line

[CherylB]

Woohooo! I just found a place to go tubing! I used to go tubing alot in TX. I've missed it so much! This place is only about 17 miles away and the river looks interesting with challenging rapids! Here's the link so you can see the pics:

Farmington River Tubing

I just sent this link to my sister Donna. I hope we can make plans to do this soon, because river levels tend to get low and tubing gets sucky in the summertime.

The water is bound to be alot colder than in TX, but it will still be so much fun!

OMG! They don't allow any food or drinks that could lead to "littering," so that means you can't bring along a little tube with a cooler in it. I MISS TX!

[CherylB]

I must be having a touch of Mania today because the "flight of ideas" is in full-force. I just reserved three days at our family camping spot. It will extend the same site my sister is already going to be staying on for three more days. That means I gotta get Cisco to the Vet and have all her shots updated soon. She'll be in "Camp Canine" for five or six days in August!

[Bierarsch]

Originally Posted by CherylB

Woohooo! I just found a place to go tubing! I used to go tubing alot in TX. I've missed it so much! This place is only about 17 miles away and the river looks interesting with challenging rapids! Here's the link so you can see the pics:

Farmington River Tubing

I just sent this link to my sister Donna. I hope we can make plans to do this soon, because river levels tend to get low and tubing gets sucky in the summertime.

The water is bound to be alot colder than in TX, but it will still be so much fun!

OMG! They don't allow any food or drinks that could lead to "littering," so that means you can't bring along a little tube with a cooler in it. I MISS TX!

I tubing the Comal and Guadalupe (" the Lupe")!!! I have not had a good tubing trip in about 10 years. It's either flooding or in a severe drought every year we go. The Guadalupe is cooooooooooooolllllllllllddddddddddd! But so refreshing in our 100+ degree heat and humidity! What part of Texas did you live in?

[CherylB]

That's where we always tubed and canoed! I have some nice pics of the Guadalupe. Maybe I'll post one or two of them. I love Landa Park and Canyon Lake! Last time I was there was in May of 2007. I just really needed to revisit the old haunts and take it all in again.

Geeze, Maggie! Next time I come down there, I'll go with you on that tube trip! You think the water is cold down there, try CT!

Hey! You should have gotten the ability to create your siggy by now! Check it again. If you still can't their must be a problem that the Moderators can help you fix.

[CherylB]

Here's a few from that trip I took back in May of 2007. I miss you, Texas! (But not in the summer!)

[chicamala]

Looks really beautiful and fun!

[shelbyla]

Originally Posted by CherylB

Okay, Shelby. I'd ultimately like to sleep without the aid of Ambien and Benadryl, getting tired around 10 pm and sleeping soundly until 0900. Then I'd like to have lots of energy to last me to do any amount of work that needs to be done from 0900 up until around 7-8 pm. Then I want to start chilling down in the evening before passing out around 10-11 pm.

Does that help?

Yes, it does help because the treatments are different if you wanted to keep your regular schedule. So I will email you with some thoughts on the labs specifically. I need to get in touch with one other person on these who won't be back until the 13th. Can you hang on a little longer?

[CherylB]

Originally Posted by chicamala

Looks really beautiful and fun!

Caught you lurking! It was an incredibly fun place to live.

Originally Posted by shelbyla

Yes, it does help because the treatments are different if you wanted to keep your regular schedule. So I will email you with some thoughts on the labs specifically. I need to get in touch with one other person on these who won't be back until the 13th. Can you hang on a little longer?

I can wait as long as it takes. I know you are really busy right now, and have a young man on your hands. (Did you go out on your date yet?) I trust that you will let me know what you think in the Adrenal support category when you have time. Until then, life will go on as usual.

I'm up one lb today, so that is called stabilization! It took two bowls of cottage cheese, walnuts and coconut and 10 halves of jalapeno with 4 oz of cream cheese and bacon bits. I also ate a bowl of strawberries and cream and drank a 750 ml bottle of n/a wine. All told it ended up being around 1700 cals.

Mega heat wave underway. Had a sudden intense line of T-storms that blew through here last night! Poor doggy was in a panic until it was long gone. I think I did that to her when she was pretty young. Once there was a terrible storm system all around us and there were tornado warnings. There were no good places to go inside the house I was living in, so I took the dog into the bathroom and kept looking out the window, trying to see whatever I could. I think that one day of her sensing my energy during a storm made her into the mess she has now become!

So, today will be basically the same food-wise though I'm out of jalapenos. I may go shopping for a few things. Then again, I took MOM and shouldn't probably stray far from the bathroom.

Have a blessed day, ladies! See you soon.

[CherylB]

I was just posting on your journal thread and you were over here on mine! Yeah, we sure have put our body's through some turmoil over the years, haven't we? We're getting things all fixed now, though.

[obraxton]

Yes, we are! New day, no looking back! This time when I get to Onderland I'm not going back!