SharonNehring Member

I say just have it out. I developed pancreatitis due to a bad gall bladder, ended up very sick and in the hospital for more than a week. Having it done electively as a lap instead of emergently and open in the middle of the night is a whole lot better.

There's nothing wrong with eating the same foods as long as you are getting enough variety to get all the nutrients you need. You could try taking these foods and using them in different recipes to change up the flavor. Switch the grapefruit for an orange or banana, select a different kind of soup, fix your eggs…

A diabetic diet is focused on reduced/counting carbs. Many fruits and veggies are full of carbs, so even some of those have to be watched closely, along with the typical bread, rice, potatoes etc. Many women have insulin resistance as a side effect of having PCOS, so lowering carbs is an effective treatment.

Yes, you have to change them yourself when setting/updating your goals. MFP gives me almost double the carbs than I can have.

WTG! A perfect example of why we need to use other methods besides just the scale.

Congrats! You look wonderful!

Since I know I'm going to want an evening snack, I just plan for it by ensuring I have some calories left after dinner. Then I pick something relatively healthy, like apple slices with a tsp of peanut butter, greek yogurt, cheese with a few crackers, sugar free jello or pudding etc. It's also important to figure out why…

Listen, losing weight isn't about your mom, your aunt, your cousin or anyone else. It's about YOU. YOU have to find your own motivation. Dig deep and think about what you want and why you want it. You have to want it more than not doing it is easy. Then go take a walk. Put on some music and dance. Or put on some music and…

Many places offer wine spritzers, which are cut with sprite or something along those lines. Another thing I do which makes some people just crazy... I'll put ice in my wine because I prefer it cold. Wine enthusiasts shudder at the thought. LOL :laugh:

Weight loss isn't linear, meaning a straight trajectory downward. You'll go up and down multiple times over a week, that's why most say not to weigh more often than that. Many things can affect it, fluid retention from too much salt, muscles holding water from exercising, being constipated even makes a difference. I've…

You need a few calorie dense foods to add without filling you up too much. I love peanut butter and nuts. Raisins, dates and dried apricots are high too. Coconut milk with protein powder and peanut butter or fruit would make a good smoothie. Drinking calories does not fill you up as much as eating them typically. Just to a…

Please do some research about nutrition. Fruits and veggies can have a LOT of calories, especially if you're eating starchy ones like potatoes, corn and bananas. You can eat way over your cal limit on these alone. The minimum calories rule of thumb is 1200/day. You really must add more protein/cals into your plan or you'll…

Reducing carbs and daily exercise are key to managing diabetes. As a starting point, I'd suggest no more than 45gm carbs per meal and 15gm for snacks. If you can go lower than that, then fantastic! Definitely ask to talk to a diabetes educator or dietician to get a plan tailored to your needs. Some folks need to be at a…

I love this quote! I just copied it to my profile page. :happy: Thanks for sharing!

My only suggestion is to go very slowly, start at 10-15min every day and do no more even when you feel good. Gradually increase by 1-2 min a week. When you start feeling increased symptoms afterwards, then back it down by a few minutes again. It's painstakingly slow, but you should gradually find that sweet spot of how…

Even at 2 lbs a week, it's going to be pretty hard to lose that amount so quickly, but that doesn't mean you can't lose a pretty good amount in that time . Enter your stats, set your goals and see how many calories MFP gives you as a starting place. The sexypants post is really quite helpful as already suggested.

I have not told my family yet. They live 700 miles away so I only see them a couple of times a year. My plan is to surprise them on our next visit. :) I have many of the same thoughts as you. What if I tell them, then am not successful in this? And for those I see more regularly, I really do not want them being the food…

The pharmacist did tell me to not take it on an empty stomach, but to "have a few crackers first". Since I was newly diagnosed, I found it ironic that he was telling me to take it with carbs.

I haven't gotten brave enough to open my diary yet but I'd be happy to chat with you about what I'm doing. My background, I was diagnosed in December so I'm still learning myself. I'm a nurse but it's a whole lot different when you are the patient instead of the caregiver. I take metformin twice a day, reduced my carb…

Way to go!!! That is awesome! Quite an accomplishment in only 6 months.

Renna- I had similar feelings when I first found out. I actually have not shared with my family yet (They live 750 miles away so I only see them a couple times a year.) but I felt almost embarrassed about it, that it was my own fault for not losing weight sooner, not exercising, basically beating myself up over it. When I…

I'm thrilled that I found this group too. No one except someone who's lived it can understand what it's like. A half improvement would be good for me. Maybe I'm just impatient and haven't really been at this long enough. LOL

Well brah, it depends upon the environment. At the time I used mine, our entire office was using them so it wasn't like a person stood out by using one. And I'm in a healthcare environment where everyone is comfortable with bringing fitness into the office, so not using one actually set a person out from the crowd. Just…

I used my ball for a chair for a couple of years. I didn't use it all day but switched back and forth with my standard chair. I'd do sit ups and such which was great. My biggest problem was not having arm rests. I have a lot of trouble with my neck/ shoulders and it definitely took time to get used to.

I did some yoga a few years ago, actually it was aqua yoga which was quite fun, but got away from it. Maybe I should revisit that. I stretch everyday but it never seems like enough and my neck/shoulders are in constant knots.

Some lower carb ideas are greek yogurt, cheese, eggs, any kind of meat, fish or poultry, nuts, nut butters, some veggies. Whether to worry about macros really depends upon your goals. Myself, I have to count carbs for health reasons, so I must eat higher amounts of protein and fats to make up for it. (hence the macros are…

Good for you for deciding to make a change in your life by getting healthy! Logging consistently is very important. Try not to guess at your portions either, but measure them out so you can learn what a true portion size is and for a more accurate account of what you are eating. A food scale will help with this and they…

To your original question, is it possible to take the meds part of the time and not everyday? Then you'd have some days with relief and some days with less appetite. A compromise so to speak.

Thanks for the support everyone! I really appreciate it. And retiree, I think you are right. I felt out of control when this all started and now it feels like I am doing this, controlling this, not just my body has turned on me and is not doing what it should.

theocine- Moving is A LOT of work and belly dancing seems really fun. We are frequent Renaissance Fair goers and I love watching the belly dancers. Their costumes are just gorgeous. I truly was astounded by the results. I was hoping for under 7 at least. I'm not sure what part is making the most difference, so I guess I…