Sebismom Member

Grief-induced anxiety can be profoundly destabilizing. If you can, read Claire Bidwell Smith’s book: Anxiety-the missing stage of grief. It may be that you are in an acute stage of grief and you need to speak with a therapist who specializes in grief/anxiety. Friends are wonderful, but they are not always the best outlet,…

More than 10,000 steps is needed. Try adding more steps and more rigorous exercise and weight lifting. Also work on stress reduction, as cortisol levels can rise with stress, affecting blood sugar. Add more fiber and healthy protein to your diet and pull away from processed carbs. Treat each day’s food intake and activity…

I use the Healthy Minds app, recommended by the New York Times. It’s free and provides lessons and guided meditations. From 5-30 minutes. It’s amazing. I found that making the time to meditate had to be the first step in reestablishing a practice. So I do it first thing in the morning.

Thanks for sharing. My husband has a brain tumor and will undergo a biopsy in a few days. This is the start of a long road and I'm trying to balance my concern and care for him with self-care. We also have a seven year old son, so we have to tread lightly around certain issues and open discussions. All of my exercise and…

Make ocean-friendly choices. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a Seafood Watch App to help you make dietary choices that are healthiest for you and the ocean. Sometimes these choices will be more expensive than budget purchases, sometimes they are cheaper. Also consider joining a local fish coop if that's an option. Also,…

When I make potato leek soup I simmer the vegetables in a rich chicken broth and use that as the blending liquid. That provides the rich flavor. I find adding cream actually dampers the flavor of pureed soups. This also works for zucchini soup, tomato, butternut squash, pea soup, beans soups, etc. You can add a dollop of…

Another happy Instant Pot owner here! I love that I can cook a pot of beans while out running errands. Also, electric pressure cookers don't heat up the kitchen, so you're more likely to cook in the summer too.

Is coffee making you jittery? I used to have a bad reaction to coffee with a sense of energy followed by a slump with low blood sugar. When I gave it up I immediately dropped almost ten pounds without even trying. I dropped the weight because I found that I didn't have to eat every 2-3 hours to keep my blood sugar in…

Congratulations! As someone who also went through the infertility merry-go-round let me just say that the hardest part (shots, IUIs, ultra sound wands, weight gain) is behind you. I was at a 26 BMI when I started and gained 37 pounds during the pregnancy. But since I'm short, 5'2", I looked like I was carrying twins at 30…

If you're near a Trader Joe's you can get their Dark Chocolate Lover's Chocolate bars. They are very rich, not very sweet, and just one square is enough to satisfy. A handful of almonds, or a spoonful of almond butter, is a rich and sweet treat. Try to avoid refined sugar if you have trouble with it. Fruit works for me. I…

Agreed on the skin and bones here! We buy organic, so that $17 chicken has to do double or triple duty. Also, the roasted bones make for the tastiest stock (made with veggie scraps saved in the freezer). I will admit to buying a Costco rotisserie chicken every once in a while (a few times per year isn't too often). They…

That's a great incentive! Make sure to wear them a lot right now, because (gulp!) your shoe size will probably change and they won't fit once you reach your goal weight.

Someone already gave you some good advice about workouts for sedentary people. I just wanted to chime in that when I took a boxing class a while back I noticed that punching routines made my arms really sore and they actually left me winded. It was a real boxing class so I was going for real punches with strong jabs.…

Great work, enjoy your cruise!

Okay, not what you are fishing for, but I switched from coffee to green tea and my blood sugar spikes went away. This kept me from getting the shakes, and in turn kept me from snacking.

I'm impressed that you were able to carry another FULL SIZED human being on your back while running! He must be at least 30 pounds heavier than you. Amazing.

Interesting to hear how others experience this. I feel hunger (not like nursing a baby ohmygod I have to eat everything right now!), but it's a mindless hunger, more of a whimper than a scream. Sometimes I'll catch myself making way too many trips to the kitchen, I'll look over at the calendar, and sure enough, I'm two…

Hi, I'm 5'2", 145, with an initial goal of 130. Will reassess once I'm there. I'm certainly on the other side of 30, and it definitely isn't too late, so don't let that thought get you down! I'll send a friend request.

If you like soups you can put almost any vegetable in a soup. Chicken noodle soup with overcooked carrots and celery is still a good healthy option. Also, "creamed" veggie soups. I eat tons of these. Just one type of vegetable (like zucchini), cut and simmered in chicken broth with onion for about half an hour. Then you…

Looking good! Beautiful hair, by the way.

Your comments made me laugh because I'm one of those shlubby sweats and oversize t-shirts kind of gals at the gym. Well, actually I try (if I can remember) to follow the rule of only one loose item to keep the sloppiness at bay. So loose t-shirt and fitted bottom or shorts, or tight t-shirt and loose sweats. I'm not trying…

English breakfast, with a spot of whole milk, is the best! I buy it in the ethnic aisle of the grocery in the British section. Can't remember the brand, but it's got a clear bold flavor. Trader Joe's has a passable English Breakfast that looks like the kind my roommate's mom used to send from Ireland via post. Darjeeling…

Glass of water, or on rare cold nights a hot peppermint tea with a dash of milk. Otherwise, I lose all sense of hunger at night. When I was pregnant all bets were off and I tended to have a glass of warm milk with a cookie.

I've seen enough episodes of "I didn't know I was pregnant" to know that pregnancy tests aren't always accurate. Some of the change in your period may be due to weight loss, or reduced calories, as others have noted. Another reason may be age. Your period evolves over the years, getting lighter or shorter, sometimes longer.

I weigh myself every day. I know the weight will go up, and I'm okay with it. This way, I'm keeping track, and I know what to expect.

Well, alternatives will only leave you craving the real stuff. I buy very good, usually very expensive bittersweet or very dark chocolate. On craving days I may eat four squares of a twelve square 3 oz bar, but that is highly unusual. Usually I'll only have one square per day. Alternately, hot chocolate made with a very…

As others have said, if you aren't adding sugar or honey, and the tea itself (bottled liquid or tea bags?) is not already sweetened, you have nothing to worry about. I have actually lost weight by switching to plain green tea. Both black tea and even decaf coffee were strong enough to make my blood sugar drop, which made…

If you feel really poor, make your own yogurt. It's much cheaper, and strain away the whey and you have lovely yogurt. Do yourself a favor and just go whole fat, it tastes better and you'll feel fuller by eating less, and no emulsifiers or fillers. You can use the whey for shakes, to make bread, etc.

I've sent you a friend request. I can remember the post baby period only too well, I have a 2.5 year old and I haven't dropped to my pre-pregnancy weight yet.

You've already received great advice, so I'm just adding my perspective to the chorus. Don't tell. Telling people gives them permission to then give advice, make comments, and generally to have an opinion on your lifestyle. Your change in eating/exercise habits is yours alone (of course those we feed, like children and…