"Mary's Support Friends"

[Pcola Girl]

This is a support group for all my low carb support friends. Anyone can come in and join me here to chat about our losing our weight and just have fun to.
We can share recipes, joke and laugh togther, and just make alot of new friends also.
Hope you will come join me with my low carb way of life.
Mary

[NoSugarShell]

Hey Mary,

Here I am! Been a rough couple of days for me. I had the stomach flu. Nothing like a little stomach flu to drop a few pounds....lol.

Anyway, I have been researching like crazy this whole thyroid thing and realize that alot of people with thyroid issues have issues with gluten as well. I have been keeping a food diary for a long time now and see a pattern with some of my joint issues, fatigue, etc. when I eat gluten. Crazy huh?

I have a long road before I figure this out I know. It's a very complicated puzzle. I do not like to take prescriptions unless it's a last resort.

Well, I have two job interviews tommorrow so I am a little stressed and can't sleep. I am going to go give it another try though.

How have you been?

Michelle

[Rubyred025]

Just popping in to say a quick hello and hope all is going well.

Little under the weather today so i'm going to stick to soups and liquids.

[Pcola Girl]

Here's a interesting article I found in my Prevention magazine. Thought I would share it with you all.
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Stick to Your Diet No Matter What
Feeling sidetracked? Learn to regroup!
By Pamela M. Peeke, MD, MPH ,

Dr. Peeke is a senior scientist in developmental endocrinology and metabolism at the National Institutes of Health, where she has researched the relationship between stress, nutrition and longevity.
Many women let stress and special occasions get to then, and then they gain weight. The way to tackle this problem is to learn to handle daily stresses by regrouping each day and become more stress resilient.

What does this mean? To regroup means that no matter what hits you, you can cope. Regrouping means that you see life's events, and you adjust and adapt to them without engaging in self-destructive habits.

The art of regrouping is a powerful tool that allows you to use opportunities that appear during crises and to continue a healthy eating and activity plan. Here are some tips and exercises to help you as you learn how to regroup throughout the year.

Step 1: Get an Attitude Say to yourself: I am stress resilient. Imagine that you are a strong oak tree. No amount of wind will cause your trunk to bend. The trunk is your inner core. Your branches, however, are flexible. They are your protective stress adapters and bend with the wind. On a calm day, the branches don't move. But in a storm, they may twist and turn to keep from breaking.
Step 2: Use All of Your Plans Create a Plan A. Write down your healthy eating and activity plan on a low-stress day.

Now, make a list of everything that could wreck your plan. It could be unexpected guests for dinner, an illness, a deadline, financial problems, or a broken treadmill. Now, rewrite your Plan A incorporating any of these problems and show how you can work around them. Create a Plan B, C, D, and E. The trick? Make do! Example: It's too cold to take your Plan A walk. Plan B means walking in the mall or on the health club's treadmill.

Tell yourself each day, No matter what kind of curveball I have to catch today, I'll simply make do!
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[Pcola Girl]

Michelle, I sure hope you can get your thyroid better. Are you on medication for it? What does the doctor say about it?
I have to fight with this arthritis of mine everyday so I guess we all have something to deal with when it comes to our health. I have arthritis in my spine, knees, hips and shoulders and hurt so much everyday. I seen a new arthritist doctor yesterday and he gave me some injections in my knees so I can walk without so much pain but he also made me appointment for next month to see a rheumolotist. So hopely we can get all this arthritis better some so I cna function better in life.
I know a thyroid can be as bad as arthrist can so you take care of it ok.
My sister has to take pills everyday for her arthritis and always stays on low carb to keep her weight down but still she is yoyoing up and down with it no matter how hard she tries.
Right now its all my arthritic pain that keeps me from doing things and i get so depressed because of it to and that makes me want to eat because all I do is sit around the house. The only place i do go is to the Aquatic Center to the pool but as far as shopping like i love to do I don't do much of that anymore, I do most my clothes shopping now on line..If I do go to to the mall my daughter has to take me and push me in my wheel chair because my legs and hips will not stand to that much walking. Its the pitts I know but i have to deal with it.
We both need to get our weight down some to make our health better so lets get really strick with it and just do it and not fool around.
What are some ways you are doing to lose, like with your cooking and snacks? Its hard for me to stand to do much cooking so i try to keep food already prepared in the fridge so I can just heat it in the microwave when I am here alone all day. My hubby cooks most the time or my daughter. I tryto to eat alot of salads but I get so tired of them. I am a meat eater so I keep alot of that in the fridge already cooked up. My problem is snacking and wanting to eat at night. That urge to eat then is terrible for me. I will try to fight it and just get in bed to sleep but I am still thinking of something to eat even then. Its like i am a food addict or something.
I think it has all to do when i was growing up and my parents would make us eat everything on our plates no matter if we were full or not, they did not believe in wasting food and believe me there was always so much food around to, our family ate like pigs and it was all that good old southern cooking with alot of fat, potatoes rices and gravey and such, the fattening stuff. Now all my life I have had a battle with my weight to, can't seem to break those old habits.
you take care and post when you can.

Ruby Red how are you doing these days? Keep us up on your progress to ok.
Hope you don't have the health problems like Michelle and I do.
See ya later.

[Rubyred025]

Sorry to hear about all your medical issues. I think being over weight just brings out all the bad. I was in an auto accident 2 years ago and it messed up my knees and left arm. Dr says that things would be better if I lost weight, well 30lbs and it still doesn't feel better. I had the left operated on and it still hurts. Hoping with losing more weight I'll start to feel better soon.

Mary, what do you recommend to eat when your stomach doesn't feel great? I ate soup yesterday but I seem to be retaining from the salt in it.

[Sandytoes]

Hi everybody,
Is there room for another? My name is Sandy, I have been on Atkins before
about 2003, lost alot of weight and assumed I could just take it easy, no such luck the pounds came back with friends. So I started again after a long absence on 8-1-07, 23 days and I feel great.
Here's to never giving up

[Pcola Girl]

Welcome Sandy, nice to have you to join us here.

RubyRed when my stomach bothers me I try to munch on some whole wheat saltine crackers. I know they are not low carb but when you cannot eat anything else I guess it is ok.
I try to stay away from cannned soups because of the high salt content. Take you a gas X pill or some imodium for it if it is upset or cramping and feeling ucky. I use those sometimes to.

Its a quiet day here today, I plan to get my ironing board out later to press off a few things. I wear mostly cotton clothes and sometimes they can get really wrinkled and need ironing. I have to sit down in my chair to iron and lower the ironing board to height because I cannot stand long because of my bad knees. But its more relaxing to iron this way anyway to me.

I ate some left over sirloin steak for lunch today, My hubby put two of them on the grill last night and we had one whole one left over so I cut part of it off and had it for my lunch with a slice tomato. Didn't feel like making a salad so I just sliced the tomato and ate it like that.
I am really trying to do better with my eating because I have to get this weight off my knees and hips before I cannot walk at all and get confined to a wheel chair and i sure do not want that.

So you all hang in here with me ok and I will do the same for you to. Anytime you need anything just let me know and I will be here for you. Let me know what you are eating and lets exchange recipes sometimes to, I love trying out different foods. Sometimes I get tired of all the same old ones, think I have tried most here that they have here on this board.

Stay cool where you are, its really hot here where I am so I stay inside alot.

I need to check on my other email and will be back later to chat with you all.

[Sandytoes]

Hi Mary, Thanks for the invite,
Today for me B: 2 fried eggs, just was not that hungry.
I know what you mean about the knees that is my down fall I carry way too much for mine. I'm in Ill hot, windy and more storms tonight.
Take care all.
Sandy

[Pcola Girl]

Here's a cute joke for you today..

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Nutrition
According to a recent article I just read on nutrition, they said eating right doesn't have to be complicated. Nutritionists say there is a simple way to tell if you're eating right. Colors. Fill your plates with bright colors. Greens, reds, yellows. In fact, I did that this morning. I had an entire bowl of M&M's. It was delicious! I never knew eating right could be so easy.

[Pcola Girl]

Here's and interesting article for you to read...
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How to Curb Carbohydrate Cravings
By Kim Beardsmore
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As a weight loss mentor it never ceases to amaze me how people inadvertently set themselves up for a huge snack attack mid afternoon. For many, the set up is so complete that it is almost impossible to control! The result is that people think they are weak-willed and lacking in discipline. Often the answer has little to do with character or determination. More often the reason for the mid afternoon carbohydrate cravings is due to gaps in understanding how our body works and responds to different types of food. Read on to see what you can do to control those mid afternoon cravings.
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Trigger foods
If you want to control those cravings there are a few principles you must be aware of. The first is concerning trigger foods. Nutritional research has documented, carbohydrates trigger the brain to crave more carbohydrates, leading to a cycle of carbohydrate eating that becomes hard to control. Trigger foods keep you fat. The goal is to have control over these foods rather than allowing them to have control over you.
What do trigger foods look like? Well, they vary from person to person, but typically look like soft drinks, potato chips, corn chips, peanuts, french fries, cheese, pizza, chocolate chip cookies, pretzel, apple pie, candy bar and so on. These are the foods that for many, "once we pop, we can't stop!".
Isn't it amazing that all these types of foods are available from take-away places? They are so readily available and have crept into our daily routine without us even planning it to happen. We get hungry, we are busy, we are distracted, and one serve leads to another; and we don't realize just how much we are eating as the triggering effect takes place in our brains. By eating a small portion of any of the above you can easily consume anywhere from 350 to 1000 calories. Two serves could be 700 to 2000 calories! Most women on a weight loss program are aiming for between 1200-1400 calories a day, so you can see that one snack can seriously sabotage your plans. Does this sound like you? I can hear the deep sighs of regret and frustration! Don't worry, there are answers for you.

You can be empowered to take control when you know how to avoid the nutritional set up that will drive you towards trigger foods.
Here are a few simple principles that will deal a wounding blow to the late afternoon "snack monster".
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Five steps to avoid carbohydrate cravings:

1-Incorporate protein in to your breakfast AND lunch. Protein is key to controlling carbohydrate cravings. The RDA of protein for women is 60 grams a day. For women wanting to lose weight, health professionals recommend approximately 100 grams of protein daily. Why? One of the principle advantages of protein is that it creates a feeling of fullness and satisfaction in the body that makes overeating much less likely. Source your protein from ultra lean sources so you don't pick up unwanted calories and saturated fats. Even better, than providing a sense of sustained fullness, protein can block the triggering effect that carbohydrates can have on the brain. If you eat protein with a carbohydrate it will reduce the cravings caused by eating the carbohydrate.

2-Never skip meals. Research has shown that people who skip meals are more prone to obesity than those who regularly eat 3 meals a day. In fact, people who space their daily food requirements by making appropriate use of healthy snacks do even better. Why is this? When you skip meals you are more likely to get hungry and fill up on easily obtained fast foods which are often trigger foods.

3-Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water throughout the day. For some people sugar laden soft drinks are a trigger food. Make sure you don't get thirsty in the first place. Water creates a sense of fullness and has a host of other health benefits.

4-Plan the timing of your meals so that you don't get hungry. Despite having three healthy meals a day, sometimes your work schedule can mean the spacing of those meals still does not guard against the carbohydrate cravings. If you have a long gap between meals, make sure you carry healthy snacks to cover the distance, otherwise hunger will set in

5-Plan your snacks. Plan out your weekly snack schedule with some delicious, healthy snacks. Purchase these with your weekly shopping so that you are fully prepared. If you need to, get up a few minutes earlier in the morning so you have time to prepare and take your snacks to work. Remember, healthy snacks don't live in a vending machine! You are less likely to get hungry when you have a ready supply of healthy snacks.
Carry emergency supplies of nutritional protein bars in your handbag or brief case. When you feel a carbohydrate craving, eat the protein bar instead and wait 30 minutes before acting on the craving. More often than not the craving will pass and you will be in control again. This truly works!
Incorporate these principles into your daily routine and you could be well underway to change

[Sandytoes]

yellow eggs, orange cheese, i'm o.k.

[wistyluv]

hello everyone! my name is Wisty.
I had originally posted in the main lobby as the thread "new kid on the block". I have been yo-yo dieting for about 10 years now but have made a resolution to get off the merry go round. lol
My eldest daughter just had a lovely baby girl 2 months ago and i have just returned home from staying with her and her hubby to help her heal and get started. I have realized that since i will be the babysitter when my daughter goes back to work in a few weeks i really need to get into shape to keep up with this little one. im at 235 lbs now and would love to get to 135. ohhh myyy 100 pounds sounds horrid cringes
i figuire that the baby wont be giving me a run for my money for a few months so i need to get a head start on it now. chuckles

Everything came to a head a few days ago when my hubby decided this "tough love" tactic and yelled some very cruel things about my weight. I almost wish it had been fists that were flying <no.. he doesnt get physical with me like that> but it seems that would be easier to heal from then the words that were said. I dont think i have stopped crying yet. Even tho i just got home from staying with my daughter for 2 months. i'm contemplating going back and staying for awhile. my daughter would like to lose about 50 pounds and perhaps we could diet together. She has said that she doesnt want to go the LC way. she said it is too hard lol but she wants to go with jenny craig or nutrisystem. I feel really blessed to have found lowcarbfriends at this time of my life. I look forward to getting to know all of you and helping if i can besides just receiving the help and encourament i have already been shown. big huggs to everyone Wisty

[Pcola Girl]

Welcome Wisty, nice to have you join us here. Hope to see you postin more ok and let us know how you are doing and how we may be a help to you.
I have been low carbing since year 2000 and lost 100 lbs. and did really well keeping it off until this last year and then I had some health problems creep up on me and I got to where I could not do much or walk much and some of my weight was trying to come back up on me thats why I had to really watch myself again before I did gain any back. I still have around 60 more lbs. I want to lose. I was really big when I first began low carb in 2000. So low carb does work but you have to have patience and stick to plan. There may be times you will cheat but always remember to eat right your next meal, that is what keep me on plan. I try to never let my eating right get away from me.
I am here anytime so call on me whne you need something.
BE GOOD AND I WILL SEE YOU ALL ON MONDAY, I TAKE OFF ON THE WEEK-ENDS SO I CAN SPEND IT WITH MY HUBBY.

[NoSugarShell]

Hi Wisty,

Welcome to the group.

Michelle

[Sandytoes]

Wisty,
Sorry about the words dh said to you, stay strong you can get past this. What a treat you have to help with the raising of your gc and your right you need to be fit they are fast little buggers.
Sandy

[Pcola Girl]

Good day everyone, I have been feeling alittle down today with my sinuses all stuffed up and a terrible headache so I will keep this short. Just wanted to let you all know that I am here for you. Really have not ate much today, just some coffee and a bran muffin this morning, so far no lunch yet for me.
How is your menu going today?
Wisty you stay strong and and forget what the hubby said about your weight, I am sure he did not mean anything by it, sometimes men are so incentive to their wives feeling that they do not even remember what they say to us. I have heard it before to but its usually out of him just being angry. We all are here for you so call on us anytime you want.
Michelle how is it going with the thyroid? My knees are beginning to feel some better after the injections I had in them last week.
Take care and will check back in later..

[Sandytoes]

Hello Everyone,
Mary have you ever used a Neddy pot (sp) they sell them at health food store or walmart and walgreen or just about any drug store. Use to clean out sinus. Since I used it I have not needed nasal sprays.

[Pcola Girl]

Sandy, I have never heard of a neddy pot but i am going to check them out at wal mart and wal greens to see if they have them. What are they> Are they like a vaporrizer? Do you have to use medication in them?
My doctor told me to use Afrim 12 hr. nasal spray with moisturizer and it has helped me alot. I don't have to use it half as much as the other nasal spray I was using.
But i will check on these neddy pots.

[Rubyred025]

I saw the Neddy pot on Oprah. Basically you pour warm water through your nostril and it comes out the other side. Which in turns cleans out your sinus.

[Sandytoes]

Mary what Ruby said, you make a saline solution at home luke warm water and the action cleans out the sinus. Since I started using the neddy pot I no longer use nasal sprays for allergies as a matter of fact I no long have any allergies, my were only seasonal anyway. Hope it works for you and remember it seems strange at first put it is really easy to use.

[Pcola Girl]

I know a guy who told me he made up a salty soultion and just snorted it up his nose every now and then to clean out his sinuses. Is this the same thing?

[Pcola Girl]

Ruby, that video on the Neti Pot is awsome. I never knew your nose could do that, drain like that from one side to the other........
Someone had to be desperate for a sinus cure when they invented that thing.......

[wistyluv]

Hello everyone!
Where is everyone! So far so good. I've stayed on plan.
Been having alot of trouble sleeping tho. Anyone else have that trouble
on the atkins inductions part?

Well, would be happy to hear from some of ya again. take care

huggs, Wisty

[Sandytoes]

Mary, you can buy a mixture of saline solution, but if you make it at home make sure that it's not too hot, should be luke warm and not too strong should not burn the inside of the nares.

Wisty, Still going strong, good for you. I don't have a problem with sleep (work two jobs and school) so when I go to bed a trail can roll by and
I would sleep. this woe makes me sleep better or I should say have a better quality of sleep. Do you wake up at night or have a hard time going to sleep?