What happy news to start the month. Glad your efforts have paid off. I understand the challenges of avoiding it all too well. In fact, I think it deserves a thread of its own. I'm going to start one for sharing tips, recipes, and how to cope with it.

Editing this, I started a food allergy thread since gluten isn't the only common challenging food.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10125584/food-allergy-issues

What great news to start a new month.
I have spent the last two days spring cleaning the two bedrooms and moving all the furniture round, followed today by Aquafit...I am feeling very nicely tired! Hoping my bathroom renovation will be finished next week. So looking forward to buying all the little things to make it look lovely! And not having to go to the local sports centre to get a shower and wash my hair

Let's make April count!

Jean

I love hearing all this good news. I finished our itinerary for our Boston Trip. My granddaughter called to see if we could fit in one more stop--MIT she said she might want to go to college there! She said she has 8 years to decide!.

Great start to the chat! I LOVE salt and have always craved it. I started using Ms. Dash instead of some salt, and it has great different flavors. I love the SouthWest and there is Lemon Pepper etc.. I can cut back some of my salt and still get the good flavor.

Hi a my MFP friends.
We had a Wonderful day on Tuesday. Our dear friends, (who is also our banker) took us to Wichita to see the Broadway show Chicago. It was marvelous!! DH & I both really enjoy Broadway presentations. But we just don't get to do that much.
We ate at Texas Roadhouse- and I stayed 100% Paleo. We did not get home till very late but it was so worth it.

gramanana wrote: »

I was just diagnosed with Lichen Sclerosus which is very painful in a sensitive area when it flares up. It is chronic, but can be controlled. I was wondering if any of you had this condition or even heard of it. I know I hadn't heard of it before. I thought if someone else was familiar with this we could compare notes. Supposedly, no one knows what causes it. But maybe there is a way to control it better by changing something in my lifestyle--soaps, foods, clothing? If anyone has any thoughts, please let me know. I know it's a long shot, but thought it was worth a try.

I had never heard of it, but reading about it, it doesn't sound pleasant at all. I hope you can locate a support group and get some good information on controlling it. From what I read gluten has been indicated as a possible cause source, as well as low estrogen in women, who are the one's most likely to get it. So sorry to hear this news.

Sorry to hear that Gramanana...I have never heard of it...all best wishes from me x

Jean

So I was reading up on my scale, I have an older Tanita, that gives you body fat %, no. of calories you need to maintain your current weight, and supports 4 users. I was wondering how it differs from the Fitbit's scale, FB's has built in wifi so you can get it to communicate with your phone, pc, tablet etc. The geekgrl in me had to check it out. I decided I would be fine just typing in the information when I need to record it.

I have always known that women have special issues with body fat measuring devices. I found this chart on the Tanita site about what your BF% should be according to your age. I found this interesting.

http://media.tanita.com/data/File/Charts/BF wall chart.pdf

No advice, gramanana, just encouragement and good thoughts your way.

Crisbtrue wrote: »

Good morning!

I am starting all over again. I won't bore you with the details, but the pathetic efforts I have made so far are not working. And I don't know why I thought I'd lost 10 lbs, obviously I was in some sort of altered state.

Not surprising, since I have been in a state of denial for the last 40 some years.
Anyway. I'll check in when I have something positive to report.

PS: Don't drink herbal teas if you are not supposed to have sugar. The lovely herbs also contain sugar, albeit "natural" and it will raise your blood sugar levels. I guess next winter I'm reduced to hot water with lemon in it on cold nights. BAH.

Cris, Sorry you are in such a bad place today. Keep checking in even if you don't have a lot of positives to report. The focus checking in daily gives you will help in the long run. Reread the helpful threads here, what is working, tools that work for others, and the recipes and tips threads for some new ideas.

Please log, I know it can get painful but log without judgement, just log what you are eating, the good, bad, and ugly. By reviewing all of it you can find what does work and what does not work for you. Read others open diaries to get ideas on what to eat as well. Many others are diabetic and doing well, you can do this too. The focus on diaries will teach you a lot.

Regular hot tea is very nice with a little lemon in it. No added sugar there. And personally I love hot water with lemon or lime, so not so bad.

Just don't give up on yourself, keep checking in, in the long run the time passes anyway, you might as well keep at it. It is better to maintain than to cave and just gain more weight. I learned that lesson last year, so here I am bugging everyone daily, I want to see you in here too. {{{{HUGS}}}}

Cris....you have come back so well done! And now just keep on coming back every day ... best wishes x
Jean

Had a NSV today, the pants that fit me last Sunday do not today, they dropped below my hip bone, which I can actually find these days. So had to find a smaller pair of pants to wear this morning. Great way to start my day. Especially since my scale is not moving up nor down this week.

I'm here.

Actually, I've lost 5 lbs since I started here, but it doesn't show on my personal logging thing because I missed a few days and that's like "starting over" anyway. I keep a separate weight chart anyway.... which is, to say the least, sobering, if not actually depressing. hahaha. But, I'm down a pound from the other day when I posted my Bah Humbug Poor Me rant.

And of course, I've lost 30 lbs; just the same 3 lbs over and over....

Re: tea. The thing is, I was drinking herbal tea at night.. It was so cold, and it was nice to have a soothing warm cup while watching tv. My hands turn into fingercicles in the winter, and just holding the cup of warm brew helped. Caffeinated regular tea is fine during the day--but at night... not so much.

I'd discarded a couple of teas that I thought were too sweet, but apparently the ones I kept... well. Boo Hiss.
Perhaps if I only have it once a week...

My doctor is going to switch a couple of my diabetic meds; one is supposed to supress my appetite.

A friend of mine lost 23 lbs in a little over 3 months doing one of those "two shakes a day" plans.
The results are impressive, to say the least. Her A1C is down, BP is down, etc etc.
I have to admit--that's pretty tempting.

But my question is; what happens then, when you go back on regular food 3x a day? Or is this the kind of thing where they want you to keep buying their product indefinitely? I haven't closely questioned her because I don't want a sales pitch. And I'd rather keep trying with Real Food. Personally, I have never done well with Meal
Replacement products. I can just see me, plopping half a cup of vanilla Blue Bunny ice cream in that shake, with a squirt of chocolate syrup.

Also I'm AGAIN working on doing regular exercise which of course (preach to the choir) is the Most Important.
I am not eating more than 1400 calories a day right now... so exercise is the only other option. I'd be out walking now; it's a gorgeous day, but we've go the Dreaded Yearly Yellow Pollen Infestation. *choke, hak*

Congratulations, retirehappy, on finding your hipbones and losing your pants! You're an inspiration.

As are you all. Thanks for your encouragement. I try to keep my whining to a minimum, but sometimes...errgh.

Oh. I will say this. I am trying a mindset I used once before when I did actually lose weight.
Instead of thinking like a Fat Person Who Needs to Lose Weight and GRIMLY Avoid Certain Foods, I try to

Think Like a Thin Person Who Only Wants Good Stuff and Wouldn't Touch the Bad Stuff Anyway...

I'm gonna need it, because next weekend I'm going to California for a few days.

til soon.

xox