Old Timers and Newbies!

[Tooter]

Originally Posted by Lost and Found

AND...my fingers!!!!

[Lost and Found]

Originally Posted by *Pear*

Congrats Click on the half pound. Thats awesome, especially since you've been eating off plan, I would have gained 10 lbs by now. You've been working hard and not eating much so I can understand how you are still losing.

On my way home, I stopped at Kohls to look at their clearance stuff. My good size 20 jeans and khakis are getting really big. I look like a clown wearing them. Kohls had an extra 25% off 80%off clearance. I picked up a pair of size 18 olive pants and size 16 jeans. They both fit good. Also got some size 16 khakis and size 14 cargo pants that fit but are a little tight still. The pants ended up being between $6 - $8/ea. I couldnt have gotten a better deal at the thrift store.

My new vest I'm knitting is almost done. I'll have hubby take a picture of me in it once I finish it (hopefully tomorrow night) and I'll have a 'halfway to goal' picture to post.

Hubby appears to be done working nights for awhile (stem crossed). He's going to be doing some projects at the level he actually was hired on to work at (stuff he likes to do). We are happy about that.

I love Kohls. A person can really find some bargains there.

I'm excited to "see" your vest. I bet that it feels really good to know that you are half way there...with your weight loss!!!!


For your hubby's change with his job!!! I bet that he will feel alot better!!!!!

[Lost and Found]

Originally Posted by Tooter

My fingers, and the plate, set aside....

The fish does taste good dunked in melted butter!!!

[Lost and Found]

*smacking Tooter where it counts*















*hiding behind Ailuros*

[Lost and Found]

Well, I suppose that I should go get showered up, and get on the road. I need to be there in between 8:30 and 1:30. If I put it off, until later, maybe...with my luck...they'd already have offered it to someone else.

[Tooter]

Originally Posted by Lost and Found

*smacking Tooter where it counts*















*hiding behind Ailuros*

*Ailuros does one of her yoga moves, bends herself into a pretzel and does a back flip over top of lostandfound, so that she is totally exposed to Tooter*


*Tooter grabs her Super soaker (which has been filled with ink) and squirts lostandfound*

[*Pear*]

Morning gals:

Hippiegirl, hope you are alright.

The scale is holding steady this morning at 202, no complaints. I feel alot better now. I started to feel better yesterday gradually after I took the vitamins with iron. Maybe I was anemic. Didn't know that was possible on Atkins.

Click, I think you have an intolerance to wheat. That is what your symptoms remind me of. Try laying off the wheat and see how you are feeling. Good luck with Meals on Wheels. I know you like to cook so its right up your alley.

[Ailuros]

Tooter, what have you been putting in your coffee?

Good morning, Pear, are you getting back to normal now? I suspect you might be right about the wheat thing. I've been staying around 50-60g carb, but without the wheat, and it does feel different.

Yesterday I baked some Swedish Ginger Thins. I didn't use a low carb recipe, because they're so small that it's only a couple of grams of carb to have one with my coffee after lunch. I substituted arrowroot for the flour in the recipe, and even my totally foodie husband didn't comment! I overdid the cloves and cinnamon a bit, though, so I'll reduce them next time.

Tooter, I've got some vouchers . Nothing clever like yours, just 10% off if you spend a certain amount at the supermarket. My nephew (21), neice (20) and a friend of theirs are all coming to stay next week, so there'll be no problem reaching the qualifying threshold .

[Ailuros]

Pear, I'm really hoping for you to get into onederland when you update your sig!

[*Pear*]

Thanks Ailuros, I am really hoping to post a number starting with a "1" instead of a "2" in my monthly chart.

I am hearing of more and more people with wheat intolerances and autoimmune diseases (RA, fibro, MS, Autism). It really blows me away. I am not sure what is causing it, but it is real and it is big. Almost an epidemic. Most people dont know or recognise the wheat intolerance, they just think that that is the way they are.

I wish the medical community would wake up and see what is going on. There is a huge connection between arthritis and wheat and most people dont know it is wheat causing the arthritis symptoms. The docs just prescribe drugs $$$ and tests $$$.

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

[Tooter]

Originally Posted by *Pear*

Thanks Ailuros, I am really hoping to post a number starting with a "1" instead of a "2" in my monthly chart.

I am hearing of more and more people with wheat intolerances and autoimmune diseases (RA, fibro, MS, Autism). It really blows me away. I am not sure what is causing it, but it is real and it is big. Almost an epidemic. Most people dont know or recognise the wheat intolerance, they just think that that is the way they are.

I wish the medical community would wake up and see what is going on. There is a huge connection between arthritis and wheat and most people dont know it is wheat causing the arthritis symptoms. The docs just prescribe drugs $$$ and tests $$$.

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

*pushing and shoving Pear back up on the soap box*

Preach on, Sis-tah!!


I SOoooooooooooo Totally agree with you. I was just thinking about all this with myself. I have GOT to stay away from Grains. They just aren't worth it. Including (for me) Oats.

I'm going back to my flaxseed And Almond flours.


Pear, it just amazes me, the reactions I have. My Joints hurting, Depression, IBS...The list goes on and on.

[Tooter]

Pear, did you read the thread about cereal in the Main lobby?


Special K Protein Plus





Wifezilla posted this:

Commercial breakfast cereal is basically junk food. Low carb or not, the extruding process kills off all the vitamins and good stuff and turns it in to crunchy toxic waste.

"Packaged Cereals
Dry breakfast cereals are produced by a process called extrusion. Cereal makers first create a slurry of the grains and then put them in a machine called an extruder. The grains are forced out of a little hole at high temperature and pressure. Depending on the shape of the hole, the grains are made into little o's, flakes, animal shapes, or shreds (as in Shredded Wheat or Triscuits), or they are puffed (as in puffed rice). A blade slices off each little flake or shape, which is then carried past a nozzle and sprayed with a coating of oil and sugar to seal off the cereal from the ravages of milk and to give it crunch.

In his book Fighting the Food Giants, Paul Stitt has tells us that the extrusion process used for these cereals destroys most of the nutrients in the grains. It destroys the fatty acids; it even destroys the chemical vitamins that are added at the end. The amino acids are rendered very toxic by this process. The amino acid lysine, a crucial nutrient, is especially denatured by extrusion. This is how all the boxed cereals are made, even the ones sold in the health food stores. They are all made in the same way and mostly in the same factories. All dry cereals that come in boxes are extruded cereals.

The only advances made in the extrusion process are those that will cut cost regardless of how these will alter the nutrient content of the product. Cereals are a multi-billion dollar business, one that has created huge fortunes.

With so many people eating breakfast cereals, you might expect to find some studies on the effect of extruded cereals on animals or humans. Yet, there are no published studies at all in the scientific literature.

The Rat Experiments
Let me tell you about two studies which were not published. The first was described by Paul Stitt who wrote about an experiment conducted by a cereal company in which four sets of rats were given special diets. One group received plain whole wheat, water and synthetic vitamins and minerals. A second group received puffed wheat (an extruded cereal), water and the same nutrient solution. A third set was given only water. A fourth set was given nothing but water and chemical nutrients. The rats that received the whole wheat lived over a year on this diet. The rats that got nothing but water and vitamins lived about two months. The animals on water alone lived about a month. But the company's own laboratory study showed that the rats given the vitamins, water and all the puffed wheat they wanted died within two weeks---they died before the rats that got no food at all. It wasn't a matter of the rats dying of malnutrition. Autopsy revealed dysfunction of the pancreas, liver and kidneys and degeneration of the nerves of the spine, all signs of insulin shock.

Results like these suggested that there was something actually very toxic in the puffed wheat itself! Proteins are very similar to certain toxins in molecular structure, and the pressure of the puffing process may produce chemical changes, which turn a nutritious grain into a poisonous substance.

Another unpublished experiment was carried out in the 1960s. Researchers at Ann Arbor University were given 18 laboratory rats. They were divided into three groups: one group received corn flakes and water; a second group was given the cardboard box that the corn flakes came in and water; the control group received rat chow and water. The rats in the control group remained in good health throughout the experiment. The rats eating the box became lethargic and eventually died of malnutrition. But the rats receiving the corn flakes and water died before the rats that were eating the box! (The last corn flake rat died the day the first box rat died.) But before death, the corn flake rats developed schizophrenic behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions. The startling conclusion of this study is that there was more nourishment in the box than there was in the corn flakes.

This experiment was actually designed as a joke, but the results were far from funny. The results were never published and similar studies have not been conducted.

Most of America eats this kind of cereal. In fact, the USDA is gloating over the fact that children today get the vast majority of their important nutrients from the nutrients added to these boxed cereals.

Cereals sold in the health food stores are made by the same method. It may come as a shock to you, but these whole grain extruded cereals are probably more dangerous than those sold in the supermarket, because they are higher in protein and it is the proteins in these cereals that are so denatured by this type of processing.

There are no published studies on the effects of these extruded grains on animals or humans, but I did find one study in a literature search that described the microscopic effects of extrusion on the proteins. "Zeins," which comprise the majority of proteins in corn, are located in spherical organelles called protein bodies. During extrusion, these protein bodies are completely disrupted and deformed. The extrusion process breaks down the organelles, disperses the proteins and the proteins become toxic. When they are disrupted in this way, you have absolute chaos in your food, and it can result in a disruption of the nervous system."
Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry

[*Pear*]

Wow, I had not read that.

I am just blown away by the food industry pushing that garbage and the medical industry pushing their medical garbage. The more I learn the more I am floored.

Try finding products that don't have wheat in them. Its really difficult and I have read alot of labels. For example, hubby's favorite brand of bbq potato chips were gluten (wheat) free, then they reformulate it last year and they add in a gluten ingredient which is supposedly better. They did that with his favorite cereal too.

If I didnt know better (and maybe I dont) its like the government wants us sick. We're more profitable and easier to control that way.

[*Pear*]

Hubby's doctor recently came down with RA and he is listening to hubby's advice about gluten and dairy free.

[Ailuros]

Pear, do you find the dairy makes a big difference? Is is all dairy? Or is cheese/milk/cream better/worse than the others for him? I know the paleo line is that all forms are new to our bodies, but I wondered if there would be some benefit from just limiting consumption of some forms of dairy.

Edit: I think proteins are the part of foods most often associated with autoimmune reactions, so I suppose that butter would be the least problematic, especially clarified butter. Then, assuming you're not lactose intolerant, cream, then butter, then cheese the worst. But I think some people have problems with certain proteins more than others, so some do worse with milk than cheese, and some the other way round.

Do you have any ideas on this?

[*Pear*]

I think dairy affects some not others. (hubby stays away from all dairy, although he hasnt tried heavy cream and butter on their own).

Corn affects some, not others. Soy... Egg... etc.

For hubby and my nephew (autism) wheat and dairy are big offenders. He went on an elimination diet to find out what he is intolerant to. One can also be tested by a naturopath.

We believe hubby got sick like this because he was overly immunized when he immigrated. They didnt understand his immunization record so they gave him all his shots again all at once and for him that was enough to shock his immune system and mess it up bad.

Society today with all its chemicals and pollution (air, food, water, immunizations, etc) is affecting us in big ways and I think that is one reason why our immune systems are increasingly out of whack. One friend of ours has Multiple Chemical Syndrome. Scented things make her sick. Another example is the huge increase in ADD and ADHD.

[*Pear*]

Ailuros, I just saw your edit. I think that at some point hubby should try butter and cream to see how they affect him. He is still afraid of the pain (reaction) so I'm not sure I can convince him yet.

[hippiegirl]

I'm alive. Sorry for not checking in sooner. I've mostly been working on cleaning out the store. I have no storage, so the things I want to try to sell online are taking up my whole living room. Someone is going to help me with their truck on Saturday (the next time the dump is open).

Eating has been off a bit the last week, but like Click I've managed to go down anyway, which means...

I've now officially lost 50 lbs!!!

I still have a lot to do, so I probably won't be posting very regularly for the next few days. I do read all the posts, I just am not quite focused enough to form responses. I'm sure I'll be able to get in a smart a$$ quip here and there, though!

Oh, and the sale went ok - not quite the $500 I was hoping for, but enough to pay a few bills that need to be paid. Definitely in the penny-pinching mode right now.

Tooter, speaking of penny-pinching, I have the hardest time navigating that coupon site! I can't see the subject headings? Is that normal? Is it set up just so differently than other forums, and I'm missing something?

Everyone take care - and good luck on the interview today, Click! I have a feeling you're getting this one! I hope it pays decently!

[*Pear*]

Congratulations on the 50lb loss!!!!! AWESOME!!!!!!

How many sizes have you gone down? How many inches have you lost?

I am so happy for you!!!!!

[*Pear*]

Someone mentioned this website at another board, passing it on. Tips to stretch your dollar The Dollar Stretcher

[Ailuros]

Originally Posted by *Pear*

Ailuros, I just saw your edit. I think that at some point hubby should try butter and cream to see how they affect him. He is still afraid of the pain (reaction) so I'm not sure I can convince him yet.

Maybe start with clarified butter, so it's really just the oil with all the protein removed. Just heat a pound of butter in a saucepan. It sizzles for a while, then the sizzling dies down, and it's done just as the bits at the bottom show the very first sign of changing from white to brown. Strain it through a seive. It will keep at room temperature for months, and is totally delicious. Unlike butter, you can use it for high temperature frying, because you've removed all the bits that burn. This is the real reason I can never bring myself to cook with coconut oil - I just love this stuff. In fact, I love eating all the scrummy slightly brown bits that collect in the seive when you strain it .

Originally Posted by hippiegirl

I'm alive. Sorry for not checking in sooner. I've mostly been working on cleaning out the store. I have no storage, so the things I want to try to sell online are taking up my whole living room. Someone is going to help me with their truck on Saturday (the next time the dump is open).

Eating has been off a bit the last week, but like Click I've managed to go down anyway, which means...

I've now officially lost 50 lbs!!!

I still have a lot to do, so I probably won't be posting very regularly for the next few days. I do read all the posts, I just am not quite focused enough to form responses. I'm sure I'll be able to get in a smart a$$ quip here and there, though!

Oh, and the sale went ok - not quite the $500 I was hoping for, but enough to pay a few bills that need to be paid. Definitely in the penny-pinching mode right now.

Tooter, speaking of penny-pinching, I have the hardest time navigating that coupon site! I can't see the subject headings? Is that normal? Is it set up just so differently than other forums, and I'm missing something?

Everyone take care - and good luck on the interview today, Click! I have a feeling you're getting this one! I hope it pays decently!

Well done on the 50 lbs, Hippie .

And I'm glad the sale is all done even if you didn't get the full amount - at least the hassle is over. I hope you'll be back with us soon, but I quite understand not having the energy to formulate a reply .

[Lost and Found]

Originally Posted by Tooter

*Ailuros does one of her yoga moves, bends herself into a pretzel and does a back flip over top of lostandfound, so that she is totally exposed to Tooter*


*Tooter grabs her Super soaker (which has been filled with ink) and squirts lostandfound*

You are SUCH a TURD!!!!!


















BUT........I love ya' anyways!!!!!