mandycat223 Member

I went LC two years ago, strictly for weight loss purposes, and of course bread, pasta and so on went out of my life. I was surprised and thrilled when my Crohn's symptoms vastly improved within two months. Here's what I've learned about gluten sensitivity since then. You don't have to be formally diagnosed with celiac…

If you aren't thrilled with the stuff that comes with Jello (or any of its competitors) you can use pure gelatin and add your own flavoring agents. The one I have is "Great Lakes Beef Gelatin" that I get from iherb (cuz free shipping.)…

Here's a horrifying (to me, at any rate) statistic I came across last year. The fastest growing form of surgery among TEENAGERS is gastric bypass. Any doctor who would recommend this for children is by definition a quack unless it's somehow necessary for lifesaving purposes. And if that's the case, the parents need…

I'm doing okay with my 14/10 plan, although no dramatic changes have occurred yet. I'm a frequent visitor on Pinterest. If you go there yourself, you'll already know that the ideas you find there are the good, the dubious and the truly awful. In the latter category, while reading about IF I came across a novel notion: a…

I've banned canola oil from my life. I used it for years until I read about how it's made. Apparently its manufacture entails many different processes, including one to "deodorize" the stuff, otherwise it would stink so badly no one would touch it. It's a Frankenfood with poor personal hygiene. Since I've never been a fan…

I'm experimenting with 14/10, having read that for women this is more beneficial than 16/8. It's too early to tell if this is going to make a difference. I'm struggling to lose the 7 regained pounds of the 26 I lost almost effortlessly two years ago. Zero results after six weeks of doing exactly what worked before is…

After two years on this WOE, I agree with everything except the part about drinking water. To be sure, some recommendations are just silly. On the other hand, if some of us wait until we're thirsty there will be nothing left of us but our bleached bones. My thirst mechanism frequently doesn't kick in until I'm so…

Hmmm, I'm still struggling with this and since I REALLY REALLY love the scent of lavender I'm wondering how come I haven't experimented with it. I even have lavender essential oil on hand, left over from earlier DIY skin care exploits. A side note: I had dinner guests yesterday, so there were seven of us here. All four of…

This was a happy surprise for me too when I started down this path. My BP on our home cuff usually ran somewhere around 150/90. And, of course, at the doctor's office somewhere around 1,500,000/9,000, at which time I would be urged to begin BP medication, which I refused to consider. My home reading just now after way too…

Well, this place is just downright Un-American. They'll probably be on Homeland Security's watchlist once this terrifying data leaks out.

You know what you are? Why, you're just, just, just ..... human. Take THAT!!

The experiences of some of my family members suggests to be that the difference between too high potassium (referred to a kidney specialist for review) and too low (wound up in the ER with a suspected heart attack) is difficult to tweak. As suggested here, be very careful about potassium supplements.

Hmmm, this must be where my own gastroenterologist gets his scientific data. He certainly doesn't believe what I tell him.

One cup mayo. I use Duke's because it has zero sugar One-fourth cup full-fat coconut milk 2 teaspoons your choice of vinegar; I like sherry A dash or pinch of your choice of sweetener, to taste; optional Your choice of herb; I have a "garlic bread" herb mix that I use on everything except bread. Combine and stir. It gains…

One more reason to hate Facebook, in addition to their egregious privacy violations. No sooner do they get caught monetizing you and your information without your permission than they dream up another one.

So who are we gonna believe: them or our own lying guts?

If you want a full-body workout but don't have room for the typical home exercise equipment, take a look at rowing machines. I have one made by Bodycraft that tips up on end and rolls neatly into a corner of our bedroom, completely out of the way when not in use. And, trust me, it is a workout tip to toe, including core…

I've posted this before but now seems a good opportunity to re-rant all over again. In my 15 years of dealing with Crohn's, with three different GI specialists in three different cities, not one of them has EVER addressed the issue of diet except for a few offhand warnings about spicy foods and alcohol. When I went LC and…

I've had mixed results with coconut flour. Be aware that coconut flour and almond flour are NOT interchangeable. Coconut flour slurps up liquids like a thirsty camel so any recipe calling for it will usually have about twice as many eggs as a similar one using almond flour. So even the recipes I've tried that specifically…

Thanks for all the tips and the encouragement. As a follow up: we live in a mid-size town in Northwest Florida where the SAD diet reigns supreme, so it didn't occur to me to do any local searches. Lo and behold, one of the booths at our farmers' market is operated by a nearby church who are, apparently for Biblical…

As defined by USA Inc. we can interpret the meaning of the word "natural" as "derived from ingredients available on Planet Earth. No products obtained from outer space are used in our manufacturing process. You're welcome."

"Like, AWESOME!!" ought to be included in every rating list since AWESOME appears to be one of the few surviving adjectives in the English language denoting admiration or affection. And, of course, preceding it with "like" is mandatory.

Gahhhh, those pictures made my teeth hurt they looked so sweet. I have a mental picture of bands of campers roaming the woods, all down in the mouth, crabby and exhausted from sugar-hangovers.

I have my own concerns about nitrates and nitrites. I haven't been able to find a (good) variety of bacon that is nitrate/nitrite free so I somewhat limit my intake. As far as luncheon meats are concerned, I was happy to find Hillshire Farms Naturals, which are n-free. To be sure, they're a processed meat product, which…

I ordered this in paperback yesterday. (The Kindle version apparently won't be ready until September but hardback and paperback are ready now.) It had only one review on amazon and that was "meh." I saw what looked like a similar book with glowing reviews and ordered that on my Kindle. It only took a brief scan to tell me…

You asked: "is there anything wrong with just keeping my crockpot running on low for days/weeks, replenishing as necessary with water, bones, and other ingredients ...." I would think carefully about keeping a running batch of broth in a crock pot. By definition, slow cookers don't keep foods at a high enough temperature…

We really like our BBQ here in the South but the amount of sugar in most BBQ sauces is all too apparent when you look around. (According to one study, of the ten fattest cities in the U.S. eight were in the South.) As with many of my recipes the quantities, aside from the Diet Coke, are "add to taste" but here are the…

I just signed. Given the current political climate here in the United States of Corporate Profits, it's probably spitting in the wind. But we do what we can.

Congratulations for sticking it out and thanks for posting. Almost two years ago, I lost 26 pounds in 13 weeks without a single plateau even with those last, usually stubborn, pounds. I let five pounds creep back on and have endured six weeks of meticulous metrics and zero movement on the scale. It's been both surprising…

Is anyone else around here old enough to remember the cartoon strip "Cathy?" In one episode, Cathy travels to a health resort for a week of hiking, exercise classes and lettuce leaves. On returning, she proudly announces to her boyfriend that she lost EIGHT POUNDS!!!! His response: "Good for you! I lost ten pounds by…