2023: Envision where you want to be: Focus on health, energy, vitality!
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It’s amazing how quickly just a little bite here and small snack there can add up. What great timing though…no junk in the house is a great starting point! You have the best motivation in staying off the meds. You can do this!
I walked this morning with my club friend! It was so nice to chat with a friend and exercise. The Environment committee was at the park working on the club’s pollinator garden. So we ran into four other women I know now. I’m starting to feel like a member of our little community! I love it! We only walked two miles but it’s a much needed start!
The shower went really well yesterday. It was small but fun. My daughter is completely ready for the little one now. It’s amazing all the gadgets they have for babies these days. Now I’ve got to get ready for our trip to Asheville, North Carolina for our 40th anniversary. We’re going for three days then camping for two nights on the way home. I have to go through all our camping gear and see what we need. It’s been ages since we camped. We’ll do some hiking as well.
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Oh Suzy that's awesome you have found a group you not only enjoy, but is helping you feel part of the community too!! yay!! Two miles is great... i was finding that since i am so out of practice and have lost my endurance, that i can't walk as long anymore without my hips and legs hurting like heck.. so i split it up during the lovely week of nice weather we had.. i did 2 walks a day of 30 min each rather than try to do the one hour and it seemed to be better.... near the end i added 10 min so i managed 2 40 min ones the last day .. then the snow came back lol... im hoping it was mother natures last blast to say goodbye to winter once and for all!
YAY on the shower... lol @ the gadgets.. im guessing they have come a long way since the days of washing cloth diapers by hand!!! and thank god for that!! im so glad the shower went so well too
omg 40 year anniversary??? holy cow thats quite an accomplishment these days... when is the trip??? im afraid my idea of camping these days is someone putting a chocolate on my hotel pillow LOL.. but i know you guys love it so im very happy for you!!0 -
Lol, chocolate on your pillow! We’re going this weekend for three nights in a hotel then followed by two nights in a tent. I put up the tent today and made sure our “luxury” air mattress will fit and stay inflated. Lol. We haven’t camped in so long that I’m having to go through all our stuff to try and remember how to do this.
Great idea on splitting up the walking. I can NOT believe that you got snow! It’s April!!
Didn’t one of you tell me about Leslie Sansone videos online? Someone else recently recommended her routines to me. I guess I’m going to have to check it out. I have not been doing the yoga and stretching that I need to be doing and I can really tell. My body feels so stiff. Something else to work on.0 -
Suzy the Leslie sansone videos are "walking" videos... you basically march on the spot or walk up and down that sort of thing.. i used them during the pandemic when we were in lock down... i much prefer to do my walking outdoors when i can but they are only walk at home ones..
The one i need to get back to are those stretching and strength toning videos i used to really like and i forgot about them til i read your post.. the host is Lauren and she's not at all annoying to listen to lol.. and she gives alternatives for things if you have a prob area like my shoulder, or your foot etc.. i quite like her and i desperately need to stretch more so thanks for jogging my memory..
this is her youtube channel if you're interested.. there's about 30 different videos from 10-30 min on different things
https://www.youtube.com/c/SeniorShapeFitness
hahah on the tent and air mattress... considering how much trouble i have getting up off the floor, i'm thinking i'll stick to my hotel room for now ha. but i hope you guys have a great time.. when do u go?0 -
I’ll check out the stretching videos again. I remember looking at them and then just forgot. I prefer to walk outside but was told that Leslie Sansone has some walking at home videos that are short so if I don’t have an hour or more I could at least do that. We’ll see how I do. Lol.
Our air mattress is one of those that sits kind of high, so at least we won’t be on the ground trying to roll out of bed. I was worried it would be too tall for our tent but I think it’s going to work out. There won’t be any room left for much else though. Lol. We’ll be at an actual campsite with electricity and water and can park our car right outside the tent. So we’re not roughing it too badly. We leave this weekend.
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have a great trip!1
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Just catching up! Sorry I have been missing in action. I have been unwell for the past week or two. Have a wonderful trip, Suzy! It's years since I've camped and don't think I could do it again. Although having a good mattress would make a huge difference I'm sure! I'm glad the baby shower went well. It's not long now, so exciting!
I did Leslie Sansome right at the beginning of my weight loss "journey" as they call it. I think they would be too low level for you, Suzy, but at the time I was morbidly obese and it was very hot weather, and so it was ideal for me: low impact and just had to literally plod on with it. Also great for if you're stuck indoors as Snoozie said.
I am gradually recovering so my exercise has just been very gentle walking round my garden. I've just been listening to music on Spotify to get a rhythm going and walking round in circles. So frustrating that I think I will have lost all the strength I've built up, but I don't feel well enough for heavier exercise yet. Oh, Snoozie, I didn't actually do a pull-up, just a negative chin-up (I find chin-up position easier, I don't get anywhere with pull-up position). By negative, I mean starting at the top and lowering down, rather than pulling up. The progress is just that instead of falling straight down, I can hang there with my arms bent for a while. So nowhere near a pull-up, but still a lot farther than I've ever been with that sort of exercise.
On the plus side, I've lost some weight with this virus. Not enough to be worried about, just due to lack of appetite when I wasn't well, I think, plus mainly water weight. I'm hoping the appetite doesn't come back with a vengeance, as I would like to use this a kick start to losing a bit more weight! I have been tending to hover just above the healthy weight mark, and it would be lovely to lose a bit more and not keep waking up overweight again, lol. I had been just above (BMI 25 plus) for the last few months, and this little bit of weight loss has dropped me just below.0 -
Vail, I’m so sorry you haven’t been feeling well. It’s depressing to me how long it takes to recover and get our strength back as we get older. Don’t overdo it. Give yourself time to recuperate.
I sometimes try to sit slowly instead of just plopping down on a chair. It’s good for your leg muscles. The other day I was trying to lower myself slowly and my knee just laughed and laughed! Lol. Good thing it was a sturdy chair or else I would have ended up on the ground. There’s no way I could do the reverse pull up. I think I’m more impressed than if you had done a pull up!
I am SO not ready for this trip! I’m going to be busy tomorrow trying to pack and find all our camping gear. Why do I leave everything to the last minute?0 -
Suzy said There’s no way I could do the reverse pull up. I think I’m more impressed than if you had done a pull up!
im totally with her Vail. omg no way could i do the reverse either so major kudos to you! im so sorry you have been ill i hope you are on the mend and your recovery goes as quickly as possible.... i know it may seem like u lost a bit of strength but you were building a solid foundation before u got sick, so once you're fully better and can start increasing the walking by 2-3 min etc you'll find it comes back i am sure! just remember anytime we are sick.. our bodies take a huge hit... so even when it may seem like we are better, im convinced it still takes a while for our poor bodies to heal.. so dont worry about anything right now except full recovery and think of the garden stroll just like like a stepping stone...
LOL Suzy.. im sure by the time youre ready to leave you'll be ready!! i really hope you have a wonderful anniversary trip and happy anniversary to both of you!!0 -
I hope it's all going well, Suzy, and that you're having a wonderful time! Yes, why do we leave everything to last the minute, ha ha! I think it's because, for me, anyway, I'm not sure I'd trust myself if I'd packed to early so would have to check everything again. It's probably actually more efficient to do it all last minute. Plus you have a deadline so work better. I think you'll be in the hotel tonight? Happy Anniversary!
I am now feeling a lot better and have started my usual strength exercises again, including the chin-up exercises. I should have listened to you both as I now have sore chest and shoulder muscles, lol. You can't jump straight back in after a break at our age.
This is one of the videos I've watched for pull ups
https://youtu.be/x3NPAxiMRPw
I don't expect I will ever do a full one (although I do have a dream that I will one day!), but my thinking was that if this is a good all body exercise, then working towards it is also a very good exercise. The exercise she does lying on the floor, for instance, I find suprisingly hard. As I said, I can only do the negatives in chin-up position (palms facing towards you), which involves the biceps a lot more. I suspect I'm relying on a little bit of bicep strength and the rest of my body won't catch up enough, but still. I kind of enjoy the exercise. It feels kind of bad-*kitten*.
Oh, that's so funny. I wrote what must be a bad word and it has been censored into kitten. It's not really a bad word here in the UK. I just experimented to see if I could write the UK word and it accepted it, lol!1 -
We’re back from our trip. We ended up skipping the camping because I honestly was just tired and it was supposed to rain. Best decision I’ve made in a long time. It has rained non-stop and it’s so cold. I would have been totally miserable! Asheville was great. It was a bit chilly but not bad. We walked a lot, browsing shops, going to art galleries and local breweries. We did our foraging tour one morning where we drove into a remote commune type place in the mountains. They live as much off the land as they can. We collected all kinds of greens and a couple mushrooms. The guides cooked us up a small treat from the stuff we collected. It was really cool.
I decided to go to the doctor when we got back. I have been having some dizziness and nausea and I’m just so tired all the time. I had blood drawn for extensive lab work. The doctor thinks it may be sinus/allergies driven. I have some fluid in my inner ear. She has me taking an antihistamine daily. Also, she put me on magnesium and this natural oral spray that includes melatonin and valerian to help me sleep. I go back in two weeks to go over my lab work.
That video makes it took so easy, Vail. I think I’d tear something in my shoulder doing that. I’m just trying to get back to walking so I think pull ups will have to wait. Lol.
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Good thing you didn't camp! It would have been a nightmare in the rain. The foraging sounds really good. Although I get a bit worried about mushrooms. It sounds like a highlight of the trip. I used to live kind of communally for a while back in the 80s. I don't think I could do it now. I like my own space too much! But it would be fun to visit somewhere like that.
Good luck with the lab work. It would be good to know what exactly is going on. It's not normal to feel like that all the time, and must be so frustrating! I hope the remedies help.
Yes, I've worried I'll tear something with those exercises! But all the other exercises seem to hurt my joints and those don't so much! I'm still working my way back to normal fitness levels at the moment.
It's not long until you meet your grandson! I hope everything's going OK on that front and that you feel a bit better before he arrives. I'm sure you will have your work cut out!1 -
Yikes Suzy I agree thank goodness you passed on the camping - and it sounds like it turned out to be a great trip so its a win! I'm glad your doc is doing a full workup on your bloodwork... years ago i had something called.. labryinthitis? i was literally eating dinner and stood up to take my plate into the kitchen and i got so dizzy and nauseous.. it was like being drunk without the alchohol.. i thought it was maybe vertigo but apparently it was an infection or fluid in the "middle" ear.. very weird..there were no meds for it she just suggested gravol which didnt help cause when i laid down it was even worse (kinda like the "spins" when you are drunk and try to lay down.. im hoping im not the only one who suffered the whole drunk thing in my youth btw lol
so i'm hoping in a way maybe its the fact that you have fluid in your inner ear that is maybe causing the "vertigo like" symptoms you are having with the dizzy and nauseau.. but that sucks no matter what is causing it for sure... so crossing my fingers they figure it out! I take a magnesium supplement called "Natural Calm" .. it comes in gummies now so i have those lol.. my doc suggested those cause i was having awful calf and leg cramps and have to admit they are rare these days.. I really hope you feel better soon but kudos to you my friend for going to the doc to get it checked out! Please keep us posted
I had to laugh at the video too.. because i'm like REALLY??? omg.. seriously Vail i don't think you realize how impressive it is that you can do what you do! I'm still "practising" getting up off the floor without having to use a chair or stool to brace myself... it helps that i have to get down on it to do my back stretches and im getting better at being able to get up even without using my hands.. i still sometimes do but working on it... i def need tho to get back to daily walking cause i still get tired way too quickly and i KNOW i have to start doing some kind of strength training even if its just squats for my legs to start...
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Wondering if there is any news on the grandson front yet, Suzy? I'm imagining you on tenterhooks waiting! I hope everything is going well, and it's all going to fit around your doctor's appointment! Is the anti-histamine helping at all?
I am gradually getting my strength back after being unwell. I think I'm almost there now after a couple of weeks, and back to doing those chin-up hangs. I'm trying to keep off the weight I lost after no appetite when unwell, and also to lose a bit more, which I think I'm slowly managing. So frustrating at how few calories I need! My daughter-in-law is also dieting. She is not overweight but feels she has put on a little and wants to nip it in the bud - I wish I'd been as sensible as her at that age! She is tiny, much shorter even than me, so is on very low calories. I feel so sorry for her! I have complained about how difficult it is to lose weight when you're older but actually quite difficult to lose when you're young too, what with working hard and hormone fluctuations and everything. Let's face it, if it was easy for the young, we'd have done it then, lol!
I don't know how aware you are of Eurovision but we have that coming next week in the UK this year and I am so excited! I couldn't get tickets unfortunately, so will just be watching on TV. My favourite is the German entry this year, and I did manage to get tickets to see them live at another date and so looking forward to it! Ages since I've been to a live music event. For some reason, I have a feeling you have a German connection, Suzy? Or did you visit there at some point? I'm not sure why I'm associating you with Germany! This year, it's also quite exciting as people can vote from all over the world instead of just the Eurovision countries, I think in the semi-finals as well. I think there's a little event called a Coronation going on here this week as well, but I'm more excited about Eurovision!
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I lived in England (Lakenheath) when I was 12 to 16. We loved the Eurovision Song Contest! The first year we were there Abba won with “Waterloo” and Brotherhood of Man won once, too with “Save your kisses for me.” Loooooong time ago! Lol.
Grandson is (so far) waiting for his scheduled appearance on the 12th. My daughter’s last day teaching is tomorrow. She’s taking all of next week off because she’s just miserably tired and her hormones are making her so emotional. She doesn’t want to deal with high school students in that state and I don’t blame her.
My mom turned 90 this week. We’re driving down Saturday to take her to dinner. I really never thought she would see 90. She’s been in poor health for twenty years at least.
My lab work came back. My cholesterol numbers were a tiny bit better. My thyroid is functioning normally. Yay! Unfortunately my A1C is still too high. I’m officially pre-diabetic. I’m meeting with my doctor on Monday. She knows I want to avoid medication so we’re going to come up with a plan. One I’m going to HAVE to stick to. How are you doing without the meds, Snoozie? You give me hope that if I do end up on medication that I could improve enough to stop taking them eventually. I just want to avoid it as long as I can so I have to get my numbers down.
Vail, you’re so right…if it was easy to lose weight when we were younger then we would have done it then. It’s difficult no matter the age.
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Vail, I’m not sure why you connect me with Germany. We lived in the Netherlands for a couple years (2000-2002). We have been to Germany a few times though.0
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Maybe I had it in my head that you had visited Germany! I have visited to but back in 1983, I was going to say before the Eurovisioin delegation were born, but I think actually one of them is a little bit older. That's great that you remember Eurovision, and Abba and Brotherhood of Man! I think it's bigger than ever now, as some of the artists have been going viral on tik-tok and all that sort of thing, and big excitement in the UK as our entries haven't been that great for years and we finally came second (and are hosting it for Ukraine who came first but can't host for obvious reasons). It's a really good year, I think with some great entries.
Happy Birthday to your mom! I don't blame your daughter either for taking time off. I remember years ago, people used to stop work long before their due date! (I didn't but I did have to change jobs as was doing heavy lifting). It must be so tiring, with a toddler and the inevitable discomfort and lack of sleep on top of everything.
Good news on the cholesterol, but what a shame about your A1C: how frustrating! I hope you can get something sorted out with a plan. I'm so impressed with Snoozie's results and hopefully she has some tips! I think the diet I'm signed up to is meant to be good for insulin resistance, basically Mediterraneany, lowish carb, eating at deficit, etc. I know you've done all that before! More difficult when you're cooking for more than one too! At the moment I've got a lot of salad veg in because that's easy, plus some less easy veg, some steampacks of veg in the freezer for when I can't be bothered, lots of berries, and some higher protein foods: cooked chicken, cottage cheese, eggs, hummus, greek yoghurt, etc., so it's easy for me to prepare a quick meal before I start snacking on something else, lol! And cauliflower rice, konjac noodles, and cheating with some ready made soup, etc.1 -
My doctor mentioned the Mediterranean diet when I went in last time. It seems like I had just completely given up and thrown all my good sense away for the last few years. I absolutely know that I can’t eat like a twenty year old at my age. I also absolutely know that I have to do some intentional exercise every day. I just haven’t been doing it. I dont have the luxury of continuing this “fat dumb and happy” approach to my life any longer. It has caught up with me. I bought some frozen cauliflower fried rice to try. My husband hates cauliflower but he may have to just suck it up and eat it. Lol. I think it’s delish. I have to start cooking what I’m supposed to eat and if he doesn’t want it then he can have cereal or go to a drive through. I think last year’s topic was to make ourselves a priority so I guess I’m a slow learner. Haha!
So….veg, lean meat, veg, fish, veg, fruit. That’s got to be my new mantra.
I’ll have to look up the entries for the Eurovision and give them a listen.0 -
I could have sworn i did a reply but i can't find it now... grrrr
Suzy have u heard back from the doc about the dizzy and nauseau? Happy birthday to your mom.. im glad your cholesterol improved and your thyroid is ok! I understand being bummed about the A1C believe me... i was on meds for 10 years .. i'm still on ONE med, but she took away the other 4 i was also on for the diaetes . (plus the thyroid gone) so dropping 5 pills a day had me dancing on the ceiling. I'm not going to lie tho.. i went off track shortly thereafter - insane really you woudl think the high from that would have lasted longer than a few weeks.. but it was almost like after a bit in my head i thot i'm ok i can eat crap now... DUMB DUMB DUMB. i am pretty much back on track now, but it was scary how fast my brain turned from "keep it up" to go hog wild
That said, I mainly try to stick with a protein and veg for most meals.. but I test my sugar now and then after i eat certain things to see how they react. I had a kids burger and a small fry one day and it skyrocketed... then i made a toasted western sandwich one morning for breakfast with peppers, onions, egg on 2 slices of toast... and it was just fine... so i am kinda learning as i go what works for me and what doesnt. I still eat potatoes and pretty much every kind of veg or starch, i had a small bowl of spagetti with meat sauce a few days ago...and i was fine. Of course i didn't have the huge bowl i usually do lol... but having a carb with one of the "blockers" (protein from the meat sauce) can help slow down the rush. Anyway... i just basically started trying to eat more vegetables and fruit and for me that means i am using frozen most of the time because im lazy.. i cant handle all the prep so i can toss some chicken in the oven and maybe a potato cut up and drizzled with olive oil to roast along side it, then nuke a mix of frozen veg. Baby steps - change one meal or one side kinda thing at a time.. oh and my doc also recommended mediterranean diet to follow.. i tried... joined a FB group to learn all about it... but i couldnt follow it fully just too much weird stuff for me
Vail im still astounded by how much progress you have made as you recover from your illness.. i really need to get my butt in gear with moving more...
I had to google Eurovision i honestly hadnt ever heard of it which is weird because i see it is a HUGE event! holy cow... wikipedia gave me the overall view of what it is then i visited a few sites.. no wonder you're excited!!
i think that's all i have for now.. i prolly forgot some stuff but its almost midnight and im wiped lol..
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Yes, Eurovision is massive! The person singing France's song this year is from Canada. She's very good, definitely one of my top five this year (out of 37). I think the most famous Canadian who has competed is Celine Dion (I'm assuming she's famous across the pond too!) who competed for Switzerland (singing in French) years ago. I love it: it's such a mix of music from different countries and different genres, and really entertaining and sometimes moving. It will be on Saturday, I think early daytime for you over there, if it's being broadcast there. Here's some snippets from the songs this year
https://youtu.be/-LC9LgRDtRU
Another little victory for me this morning! I'm down to my lowest ever weight on MFP (apart from one weight which weighed wrong, which I should delete)! I'm hoping I can keep going, although getting a little tired of not eating much, ha ha! I have to admit it is quite aging losing the weight, but our theme this year is more about health than aesthetics and I'm quite enjoying the feeling of being lighter.2 -
Vail HUGE congrats... omg thats fantastic!!! Congratulations woo to the hoo!!!!!
and yes your right.. with that big loss i had from being sick.. i now have that big weight loss skin wrinkles everywhere.. from my stomach to arms to my neck... and i hate it.. but like you said im getting over it cause it aint about aesthetics at this stage...
its' also funny you mention about not eating much.. i'm trying to cut back because i have gained some weight and i realize im back to eating "bigger" meals again.. so i've been going back to when i first started at MFP.. i.e., having 1/2 a sandwich for lunch and maybe hte other half around 3pm .. that sort of thing.. smaller dinner rather than filling the plate even tho its mostly veg.. blah blah.. i realized i was rarely feeling that "hungry" feeling anymore so the past few weeks i've def been eating less and its kinda neat and a little weird to feel actual hunger now and then... altho i know one of my biggest probs is i wait til i feel hungry then i PIG OUT .. if there's nothing healthy avail right then and there i will eat the house with ketchup on top... so i try to keep apples and oranges and cheese and crackers on hand all the time to try to avoid that.. thank god the frozen veg cook in 3 min tho lol
oh i am so going to watch that video right now!! Funny i saw something a while back somewhere on this Danish singer who won i think something like the equiv of American Idol but in the Netherlands maybe? Anyway she sang "One moment in Time" which is one my absolutely favs.. i've watched that video a few times cause she was just so darned good... so i have my tea in hand and about to enjoy the clip you posted!!0 -
Oh that was fun watching Vail - thanks!! I have to admit the Croatia group reminded me of the old Village People LOL.. but i quite enjoyed I think it was the United Kingdom Group and I think one of the Latvian? Can't remember now lol. but thanks!0
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Vail, that’s fantastic!! I’m so happy for you. Your hard work is paying off! You both are such an inspiration to me to not give up.
We went out for my mom’s birthday dinner last night and I ordered grilled fish and veggies. I was so proud of myself for getting something healthy. Then my sister ordered the pecan pie bread pudding for the table for dessert. Ugh. I did indulge but just a little bit. Baby steps.
Some of those video clips were pretty bizarre! Lol. I liked quite a few of the songs though. It should be a good competition!0 -
Suzy i don't know if you saw my earlier post asking about the dizzy and nauseau - any relief as yet?
AWESOME on your dinner choice and absolutely fab on choosing only a little of the dessert.. big win for sure!0 -
I still feel a bit of dizziness but not the nausea. I was just thinking that I need to increase my water intake to see if that helps. Also, since I am prediabetic now, if I eat the wrong things (like sugar and/or carbs) can that make me a bit dizzy? I’m going to cut out the sugar, bread and pasta this week plus increase my water and see if that helps.
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I have to say i've never experienced dizziness in relation to my diabetes.. whether my sugar was high or low.. but that's just me.. the nauseu i had turned out to be because of my meds ... fingers crossed your hydration and cutting out the simple carbs makes a difference!
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I met with my doctor today (she’s actually a nurse practitioner) and I was really pleased with the visit. She totally listened to me and understands that I don’t want to go on prescription medication. She recommended some supplements, diet changes and a gradual increase of exercise so that I don’t get injured or give up. She also recommended that I meet with their nutritionist. She wants to see me back in three months…IF I make these changes. She said it’s not necessary to run all the labs again if I don’t change my lifestyle. Which is so true. She also doesn’t think the dizziness is from blood sugar fluctuations. She thinks it’s more likely from allergies and recommends that I add Flonase and see if that helps. Overall, it was a good visit and I feel like I have some concrete ideas of how to get on the right path.1
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Suzy how awesome!! I'm SO glad you were so comfortable with your doc and her recommendations.. I can totally relate to her comment about no point in running all the labs again if nothing changes.. I think i told you when I was first diagnosed 10 yrs ago, my doc sent me a diabetes class along with the changes etc.. and basically said if you don't take the class and start making changes no need to come back; my job isn't to provide you with medications so you can continue the same lifestyle.. needless to say, it was about 3 months later that i joined MFP lol..
im super happy you had such a good visit and that you are happy with the ideas she suggested!! yay!!1 -
That's interesting about the allergies maybe causing the dizziness. I didn't know they could do that! I hope you update us on what works. It seems to be so difficult to get to the bottom of things. It sounds like sensible recommendations about not going overboard with the exercise to start with, etc. and dietary advice. Maybe it will be easier to be motivated with having the three month appointment as well! If you don't make the changes you'll have to tell her and not have the tests, and you don't want to do that!1
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LOL.. I ran across this on facebook this morning... i've always talked about eating "crap" but who knew there was an acronym describing exactly what crap is!! ha
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