New and would like a buddy

[yellowhair11]

Glad its a nice day for you. Thats what I use to do hair wise- I did very dk. blonde base with real blonde hightlites. The red is a tough color with the pool and my white roots have a pinkish cast after a dip in the chlorine.

Ok, I signed up for the netrition newsletter so I don't forget, what have you purchased that is in your opinion-good ?

[Denise78]

Just saw a Curves ad on tv. Donate a bag of food to Curves and join for only $30. Limited time. So be sure to ask about that on Saturday. Heck, you could clean out cabinets and donate a bag of items without having to even shop and that would be a $120 savings for you!

I wonder if they would take 5 boxes of GS cookies??!!

[Denise78]

I regularly buy the bran crackers and pita bread. I've tried the Dreamfields pasta but it still raises my sugars so I don't believe their "low-carb" claims but it is very tasty. This time I am trying the soy pasta to see if that is any better. I really miss pasta. Their Hi-Lo cereals, Dr. Sears' Zone cereal and low-carb tortilla shells are very good. Last order I got some Tastycake low-carb cupcakes that are pretty good. I read all the reviews (the bad ones are usually at the end) and take that into account before I buy anything. This time around I ordered some Dixie Diner Carb Counters cini apple-spice cookies, which I've had before. They are pricey but they are a soft cookie and taste like homemade and something in them curbs my appetite a good deal. They have other flavors that you might like. I'm going to try that Stallone high-protein pudding this time too. I think it's a matter of ordering a small amount of something and trying it first because some things are good to some people and taste terrible to others. I didn't like the pretzels but some of the reviews were very good so maybe it is just my taste buds. They also have lots of cake, biscuit, pancake and brownie mixes. I don't order a lot of mixes, I usually stick to the ready-made stuff because I am looking for convenience, in addition to something low-carb, low-calorie. This is where I get my low-carb black soybeans to make chili and taco salads. Be sure to read the fine print. Some of the items are really small portions and might not be worth the $$ so you need to read the entire description carefully. If you find something you want to order, ask and I will let you know if I've tried it before because there are too many things for me to list.

[yellowhair11]

Thanks for the tips on netrition, before i buy anything ill run it by you. That's
a good deal on the Curves with the food donation.

Today

AM-Cantelope and green grapes

Lunch-1/2 C Progresso, salad, and drink potion.

Dinner-Just popped in one of those Butterball turkey breasts, nothing to make stuffing with for the guys so just some veggies, most likely yellow squash. I have not had one of these in ages-meat thermoter vanished but package says 1 3/4 to 2 hrs. thawed.

I am going to rest tonite - that knee is still bothering me-it hurt to brake in the car on the way home so something is up. Going to take bath in epsom salts.
Tommorrow is back to the dental chair to see whats going on-remove an old cap to "see". The antibiotics he gave me took away the pain-I hate to start big expense if not necessary but im sure im looking at root canal and new cap.

Did you get to go to Curves today ?

[Denise78]

That turkey sounds really good. I love making a turkey year round, not just at the holidays. Leftovers will be great too!

I was bad and didn't go to Curves. I just hate that long drive alone, plus it would have been my last visit on the $15 special and I want to join the same time as my friend, which will probably be next week.

Ice is the best thing for your knee. Heat will make blood rush to the knee and cause it to swell if it is an injury or soreness from over-exercise. My ds2 had recent knee pain from wrestling and that's what the dr said. He recommended a hinged knee brace for ds2 to use when he wrestled or exercised. It was more expensive than a regular knee brace, but it really helped him. I do hope your knee feels better soon. I wonder if you need to do more "low-impact" exercising, like maybe swimming or something that is not so hard on your knee or at least wear a brace when you do exercise.

Good luck at the dentist. Never had a root canal but dh has and I wasn't envious of him one bit!!

[Denise78]

Okay I felt guilty that I skipped out on Curves today so I went for a walk outside. Which was no minor feat for me, believe me. I walked for 10 min and then had to stop and rest because my hip sockets were killing me. But I didn't give up so easily. I went and got my cane and then walked another 10 min. Not too far and not too fast but hey, I walked till I was breathing heavy so I got some exercise in. Not much but at least was something!

[yellowhair11]

Really proud of you for doing the walk !!!!

Ending up doing corn on the cob which is probably not great for plan-turkey turned out good.

Thks. for the ice tip- ive been putting a heating pad on it.

[Denise78]

Was reading my Prevention magazine this afternoon. There was an article titled, "The Worst Diet for Your Heart." Guess what it was? Atkins. It said that while it may be a speedy way to slim down, the Atkins diet can also raise your cholesterol and harm your heart just as quickly. In a study done at Univ of Maryland School of Medicine, they trialed the Atkins, Ornish (which I never heard of) and South Beach diets. The people on Atkins increased their bad cholesterol levels by 16 points and experienced hardening of the arteries in only 1 month. Ornish diet lowered bad cholesterol by 25 pts and South Beach lowered theirs by 10 pts. It went onto say that the people on the Ornish and South Beach diets experienced improved flexibility in their arteries. It said that instead of cutting carbs to lose weight, you should reach for a balance of good carbs, lean protein and healthy fats. I'm going to google that Ornish diet since that's one I've never come across before.

[Denise78]

You lucky dog! I LOVE corn on the cob!!! You've got me craving it now. I tell you, I don't care if it is high in carbs, when it's in season here, I am putting some fresh corn on the cob on my plate!! That will be my reward for (hopefully) losing a good chunk of weight between now and then!!

My menu today:

B-2 sl turkey breast w/mustard on 2 bran crackers, coffee
L-2 turkey burgers w/mustard & sl onion in lettuce wraps, broiled eggplant w/ricotta cheese
D-2 turkey burgers w/mustard in lettuce wraps, 1 cup sauteed zucchini
S-2 pickles, 6 olives, grilled pork chop

[Denise78]

No Ornish diet for me! I just looked it up and it's a high fiber VEGETARIAN diet. While I'm not knocking it, there's no way i could give up meat, including fish and fowl. Dr. Ornish also recommends not eating dairy, nuts and olives, among other things. The only thing that sounded good was that you can eat all the veggies, fruits and grains you want till you are full, but I just don't think I could give up the meat. Just a little more willpower than I have in me!

[Teresa3]

Hi, Gals--

I am back--haven't had time to catch up on all your posts yet, and we're going out to dinner now (yikes! after putting back a few lbs. ), so I don't have time for a full report. I'll try to get back to you later tonight, or tomorrow am, but just wanted to say Hi and I missed you, and I'm looking forward to getting back on the program. Hope you all are well! Talk to you soon! T.

[Denise78]

Back Teresa! We have been chatting up a storm while you were gone, so get settled and then come back with your cup of tea and settle back in with us. We missed you lots!!

[yellowhair11]

Welcome back T, we missed you, tell us about your trip, hope you did not gain too much. Was the hotel/resort/weather nice ?

The corn looked so nice at the store I could not resist, I had 2 cobs with the fat free I can't believe and lite salt-I was in heaven. We have corn here year round and I love it but have to restrain myself now.

I was crackin up about the Ornish diet I looked that one up some time ago, I just could not do it - I also see alot of plans eating beans - unfortunately I hate beans except green beans and yellow wax beans. Beans and soy-can't do it. I bought the soy milk once and ughhh. Yeah, the dairy thing-for years it was bad for weight loss -now it's supposedly good. Wow, an Atkins revelation ! I like my meat too, I feel bad when I get stuff in the mail from PETA-I dont eat veal, lamb or corned beef.

I was looking at the knee braces online, I may be better off going to a specialist,orthepedic guy i guess , with my 40.00 co pay if they hook me up with the brace without an extra charge. Of course i may not be able to get an appt. in the near future. What scared me yesterday was it hurt so much when i had to put the brake on the car, I had to put it in P as I got stuck at 2 bridges and long lights. My friend said this was her first symptom when she had to have the hip replacement done.

Today I leave work at 1230 - then to the dentist. Limping today.

Enjoy your day ! Yup, D and I have been yackin up a storm.

[Denise78]

We don't get local fresh corn till late summer so it will be awhile for me. The stuff they have in the stores now is pathetic. I'd rather eat frozen.

I understand the veal and the lamb but the corned beef has me curious?? I asked dh and ds2 (who just won Districts for meat judging and is on his way to State competition this month so he knows his meats) and they said corned beef is not derived any differently than a roast or a steak is from a cow. It's just part of the neck, a brisket that is cured, rather than a different part of the cow and that's the only difference. Unless there is something you read/heard from PETA that we don't know about??

Some soy things I don't mind. The black soybeans I buy, while they are not as good as regular chili beans, are okay. I don't think I could ever drink soy milk. I don't really drink milk to begin with and I only buy skim milk for the kids to use in cereal, but I see those commercials where they're drinking the soy milk and it leaves a film on the glass and grosses me out. I think the only beans I don't like are green and wax. I'm not fond of lima beans either. But I do like all other kinds of beans although I haven't been eating any other since I started low-carb eating.

I would definitely go see a specialist about your knee if I were you. That doesn't sound right, especially where you didn't have an injury that you know of. The hinged knee brace we bought for ds2 was not that expensive though -- maybe around $50?? I think you might be looking at a different contraption. This was soft material that had small metal hinges built into it. But...seriously, don't take my advice because I am not a dr and I didn't realize the pain was that great. You probably should get it checked out if it continues to bother you.

I am very upset this morning. My sister wrote me that her husband told her he has a girlfriend and wants out of their marriage. Been together over 25 yrs and they have a 12 yr old son and just bought a huge $800k house a yr ago. His dream home. Sounds like it's going to be a nightmare now for her and I feel bad that I am so far away that I cannot be more help to her other than a shoulder to cry on. Right now she's asked that none of us call her (got this in an email this morning) so I can't really do anything other than write to her and tell her that I'm here when she is ready to talk.

Well dh has some vacation time to use up so he's coming home early today and will take tomorrow off and probably some days next week too. I'm hoping we can do something fun one day, maybe a day trip somewhere, since it's been ages since we went anywhere just for the fun of it.

Have a good day! ---D

[Denise78]

P.S. Good luck at the dentist today! Hope it's nothing serious or painful!!

[yellowhair11]

The corned beef has nothing to do with Peta, just thought of it because of St. Patty's.

I hope you and dh can have a little getaway.

Your sister-sorry to hear about that-I hope she will be ok- sounds like he/she makes a decent income-does she work too?-she needs to keep cool if she can and stash some $$ if necessary-cool as a cucumber. Thats just lovely-25yrs. and has a GF now or who knows how long it has been going on-my ex has or did have a 25yr. old GF !!!! Did she suspect this ? She probably is heartbroken if she loved the guy. She is maybe traumatized at this point and I can see why she would not want calls if the creep just sprang this on her. She will be better off in the long run but she wont want to hear that now. Well keep us posted, another jerk. How old is she? Where do they live ?

[Denise78]

Well I just called my mother. I guess my sister's husband didn't even tell her, her 12 yr old son did! Apparently he found a text message to another woman on his dad's cellphone and finally after 2 days, he called my sister at work and said, Mom I need to tell you something. That broke my heart, that poor kid having that weight on his shoulders. Sister confronted husband and he says it's only been going on for 2-3 wks but sister says she's not stupid, it's probably been longer. She makes more $$ than him, she is a sr tech support engineer with a company, been there since she graduated college -- in fact just got a promotion the day she found this out, so I don't know what her new title is --she also runs a quilting business on the side. He is in real estate and never knows from month to month whether he will have enough $$ to help pay mortgage. So she's actually better off financially than him, thank goodness. She is 47 yrs old, I think he is 57 or close to 60.

[yellowhair11]

Geez, thats really bad that her son had to tell her. At least she has a good job-she will be ok. Its highly unlikely it was only 2-3 weeks-to just know someone for that short and want out of the marriage does not add up. Maybe there were ongoing problems for awhile - you'll find out when she feels up to talking.

[yellowhair11]

Dentist was lousy-1K and thats with insurance. Infection under old cap, root canal, and new crown. 2 more appts.

AM - cantelope and nectarine

Lunch - Whey potion and apple

Dinner - Leftover turkey and frozen green/yellow beans

Snacks - dont know yet

BF did not go to work again-im not in a mood to cater to him tonite. He better be quiet or ill have to yell at him, Ha !

[Denise78]

Ouch -- that dental work sounds like it's going to be pretty pricey and a lot of work. Sorry to hear you have to go thru all that!

I ran and did a little grocery shopping in town. 2 bags = $60. The bigger supermarkets cost less but are 50-60 mi away so what I'd save in groceries, I'd spend in gas. Can't win.

I stopped by my dr's office to speak briefly with him about how low my sugars went the other night. He told me to cut out my supper-time insulin altogether if my sugars are low before supper. He said I am going to bed with it too low for someone taking insulin. So that's good news that I am able to cut out one injection a day. If this keeps up, I may be able to cut out more.

I've got a beef roast in the oven. Maybe French dip for the guys tonight. They want Rice-a-Roni with it. Guess I will have my old standby of broccoli or cauliflower and a salad. I bought this Garden Salad Mix by Vlasic. It's a mixture of pickled cauliflower, pickle slices, red peppers and pearl onions. Only 5 calories and 1 carb per 2 tbs. Just a little something to nibble on in between meals but nothing that I'd overeat.

Another sunshiney day here but I heard at the store that it might snow tomorrow!!

Poor bf, he better watch out. Sounds like YH is in a feisty mood!!

---D

[Denise78]

Figured I better post today's menu before ds2 gets home from student council mtg and takes over computer. I liked breakfast so much, I had it again for lunch. But actually, the combination of the turkey and spinach did fill me up and hold me better than eggs did.

Today's menu:

B-3 sl turkey breast sauteed w/ 1/2 cup spinach, 1 tsp shredded cheese, coffee
L-3 sl turkey breast sauteed w/ 1/2 cup spinach, 1 tbs shredded cheese, lettuce w/ranch dressing
D-beef roast w/honey mustard, 1 cup cauliflower, 1 cup chicken boullion, lettuce w/low-carb dressing
S-2 tbs garden salad mix, 7 sl pepperoni, 1 bran cracker w/cream cheese

YH, all your fresh fruit sounds soooo good! I have some canteloupe in the refrig but last time I ate it, it raised my sugars too much so dh has to finish it off.

My sugars are still pretty low so I may have to have another snack before bed. Dr said he wants me to have a level of 150 before bedtime so I can get through the sleeping hours without dropping too low. I've been around 90-110 lately. I'll just have a little something that won't raise them too much. Imagine...having to eat more to raise my levels...never had to do that before but you won't hear me complain.

C & T -- hope to see you both back here soon!

Have a good night everyone! D

[Teresa3]

Hi, Gals--

I've been pretty busy since I got back, trying to catch up on all the laundry and paperwork, appointments, etc. You know how it is when you come back after a trip! I was off my diet the entire time, but only put back 3 lbs. which is not too bad, but I am having a really hard time wanting to get back on!
The music was great, and the weather was beautiful, but the dryness really irritated my already burning legs and made them worse, so now I have had to go back on neurontin, a drug for nerve pain and it makes me groggy and ill-feeling. The plane was hard on my back and hips, so I have been stiff and sore since the trip. I don't think I can fly that much any more, which is sad because my daughter moved to San Diego with the grandkids and they really want me to come down there. And my parents want me to fly back to IN to see them. It's hard for relatives to understand how hard it is to be flying around when you have inflammatory arthritis. I want to see them but I don't want to fly. But I'm afraid if I say no, they'll think I don't care enough. I guess I just have to get tougher, but I'm a wimp when it comes to pain and fatigue!

Sorry to hear about your knee, YH, and your dental surgery! Dental work is just so expensive! Do you have insurance at all? What's up with your knee? Have you ever had this happen before?

D, sounds like you are doing well on your diet. So sorry to hear about your sister! That it sooo bad; I really feel for her, having had an unfaithful jerk of a first husband. D, I'm sure you are sharing this burden and feeling anxious about it all. I hope there is some way you can support your sister without taking on too much yourself. Sometimes we just have to let it go and trust that our loved ones are being watched over and taken care of by a power that is higher than ourselves. Hope you are doing OK!
And I'm glad you and your dh are going to get a little vacation--have fun!

Corrisann, I hope the snow is melting over your way by now! Heard you had a terrible snowstorm back there! I have to call my folks to see how they are doing back in Indiana. I haven't had a chance to go back and read all the posts, but I hope everything has been going well for you!

HB, I did see a comment you made about true hunger which spoke to me. I have heard it before and addressed this issue re my food addictions, and I am asking myself again, so thanks for bringing it up. I have been doing some journaling the last couple of days to try to see why I want to eat when I am not physically hungry. I have sought the answer many times before, and never got a satisfactory one, but I have to keep trying, and have found that just the journaling process has been helpful. Mainly I guess I seek comfort in food because I have so much pain and fatigue, but then it becomes a vicious cycle of eating things that just make me feel worse. I'm trying to get a handle on it, but it's a constant struggle for me. I happy you are sticking to your plans and are getting more and more healthy, and that others are noticing! Take care, everyone! T.

[yellowhair11]

T - nice to hear from you. Im glad the trip was really nice, three pounds is really not that bad, it could have easily been 10. I dont think I could stick to a plan while on a vacation-well never have in the