DC Conversation - Wednesday, July 23

Welcome to the Diabetic Connection or as we call it - the DC!!!!

It's almost time for Big Brother... and I have the house to myself as both Rebecca and Heather and Tim are at my MIL's for a turkey dinner... apparently many of their cousins are at gramma's for a visit so my kids decided to drive the hour out of town and see their cousins... and as Tim's says it ... "He never turns down free food, especially turkey dinners"

So... I'm starting this early, then going to go make some popcorn ... and relax in front of the TV.  Did I tell you I went out for pasta dinner on Tuesday... it was my "last supper".

Remember...  it's weigh in day!   Get that starting weight recorded somewhere... and then I suggest you write down everything you eat - journaling is a very important part of doing a weight loss plan... so today's the day to start!

I'm excited!   This challenge will change our lives!

Hauke

Yes!  I'm glad it is today......cause Isabelle requested the Rain Forrest Cafe and although I didn't OVER DO IT, I still could have used better choices.

So many Challengers.....Yeah!  I have menu all written down....and I plan on sticking to it.  My plan of attack is SOUP.  Mary, I love WW soup. 

Good Luck all and can't wait till everyone checks in with great tips and recipes. 

Today, when I picked up Isabelle from Gymnastics I told her 'Today, Isabelle, Its all about YOU'  I'm telling you that she positively glowed.  So cute.  When we p/u'd Larry at the airport tonight she told him 'Papa, it's all about me tonight'....Larry laughed and laughed and replied  'No, Izzy, it's all about ME'   She threw those shoulders back and hands on hips replied 'It can't be all about you today, you weren't here'.   I told Larry everyone has a talent and mine seems to be to make monsters out of my grandkids.  So funny.

Got to get to bed.....It's grandparent day at Mom and Dad's retirement place called Laguna Woods.........Robin

Good Luck all you Nudies.  A piece of advise.....close your bathroom door.....unlike me who was caught by the gardener on my hill.......Yikes....I just wear dark glasses now.......OOPS!  (I have several French doors around my house)   Happy Weds......

Morning all. Whew, a busy start to my shift. Uff da. I have a couple charts to log and charge but wanted to stop in before I ran out of time.

Went to the chiropractor this am. I was out of sorts on the right side so she gave me a dandy adjustment. I went to WM to pick up a couple things I needed since I was in town and then drove past the house - dumpster's in the driveway just waiting. I'll head over with Taffy after work and then just sleep on an air mattress and spend the night.

Since I didn't get back home until almost 1000 and bed until 1030 I slept until my niece called me at 4pm. They are having a birthday celebration on Saturday for her (of course it's my weekend to work but I'll be there anyway).  She's all excited to be turning 10 (or is it 11??) and all she wants from me is a "movie date". I give the girls a certificate every year for a trip to see a movie and a snack of choice. They LOVE it. The older turned 13 last year so I decided to do "Dinner and a Movie" at that time.  It's fun for both of us.

Well, better finish my work. Mary, coffee at 0430 or 0500??? I'll try to be here.

Love and fuzzies - Michele

Good Morning Everyone,      Its Coffee Time!!!!! 

  Unable to fall back to sleep, I decided I might as well get up.  The coffee is still cooking and I am impatiently waiting for it to get done.  Michelle get ready. The coffee is almost done!!!!

   Michelle, I think that is nice, the movie or dinner and snack of choice for a birthday.  It is hard to buy for kids now a day, they have everything it seems and I don't know what half the electronic do hicky's are. My DD have to usually go into a detailed describion so I get the right gift....LOL  Now Mattie is easy to buy for, so far, but when she gets older, that is another story.

  Robin, Isabelle, sounds so cute!!!  I love reading about your family. They sound so nice and so much fun!!!  I am glad we are starting another Challenge.  I don't do bad eating during the day, but at night, I get to nibbling and that  habit  is what I have to break.  Going out to eat is rough.  We went to Hoss's last week and I didn't do bad eating there.  I had grilled chicken, a baked sweet potato and the salad bar.  I told Mom and Ron, I wanted to eat there more often and just get the salad bar.  It is huge, you can easy make a meal there.   One week, we ate at Wendy's and I left there still hungry. The baked potato was awful and the hamburger just did not fill me up.....it was one of those 99 cent ones.   The other resturant we go to everytime I eat there, a half hour later I get the runs really bad. I think its the oil they use, but I am not sure and I am the only one effected.  I use mostly olive oil and I am betting the resturant uses the transfat oils, which I am not used to anymore.

  The WW soup is great and it is filling. With the farmers markets and gardens, we should be able to eat pretty well on our challenge.  I started eating the SF Tapioica with some SF cool whip, which is good and the SF jello and SF cool whip is tastey too.  I think although I feel better since quitting smoking, my body is still adjusting and I know the smoking cut down on my hunger quite a bit. I ride the bike everyday now, so that is an improvement over doing nothing at all.....LOL

  Hauke, I would not refuse a turkey dinner either....that sounds awful good to me!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy your down time.  I had to laugh at the last supper being a pasta meal....I had a small ice cream cone last night knowing the challenge really starts today........LOL

  Good luck to all you nudies!! We can do this!!!!  If I can manage to quit smoking, I can lose weight too.  Or that is what I keep telling myself.  Food tastes and smells so much better now. I am amazed at some of the things I can smell now.  It seems it took awhile for my sense of smell to improve.  I have to laugh at Ron who says now that everything stinks....LOL

Hugs,

Hi again, Mary thanks for the coffee!!

I'm off today and will be dumpster filling LOL. Not to worry girls, I've next week and the following week off so have scheduled some camping for next week and Diabetes Camp the following so plenty of fun to go around LOL.

Have a wonderful day everyone!!

Michele

Good morning, everyone.

A cool, cool morning and a warm quilt felt good overnight.

HAUKE, a night for yourself, sounds good. No one should refuse a turkey dinner.

ROBIN, no nudie here, it's scary. You can tell Isabelle is happy to be with you. I like the salads at the Rain Forest, especially the Cobb Salad.

MICHELE, if the dumpster is in the yard, that means lots of work for you. Nice gifts for the girls, and ones they will remember, having fun with you. We were wondering if you were doing Diabetes Camp, again.

MARY, same problem here, buying things for the DGC. They have several games and I never know what game to buy. Once in a while I do well buying jewelry for Robin. It's good when you find a restaurant you like. I do the Tapioca, too, I love it.

JOYCE, I'm with you wanting to see pic's of the Hauke-Char lunch. I had a neighbor like yours. She was shaking rugs at 6 in the morning, and I was just opening my eyes. Glad you dressed before your walk. (grinning)

Oh, well, my "Last Supper" was at Red Lobster for my birthday. I had salad, shrimp and broccoli. My one carb was one of their biscuits. Now, headed for the scale, so we shall see what develops. Hopefully, no more will develop on my hips or thighs. LOL

Good luck to all of us.

Nancy Z.

OK, nudie weigh in was almost not painful.  Plan for the day is minimal carbs and more protein.  Mom's grandparent day might be a pain in the butt.  It's an unknown attack with undoubtably yummy bad things.  I will be on my guard.  Kelly is trying also, so maybe we can stick together.

Mary-Remember that commercial about quitting smoking.  It says you need to find things to do with your hands when you want a ciggy.  Same thing with night eating.  So I'm going to crochet I think.  And if I need something really sweet I'll have a sugarfree popsicle in tropical flavors.....you can several if you need them and it takes the edge off.

Nancy-What a wimp!  Be brave.....go nudie! lol... As the pounds melt off you will notice it more.......lol  With all the physical things you do, I bet you will reach your goal the fastest of all of us.

Also sisters, Remember those salad bars can be deadly for a diet.....You think your doing well and you really are piling on thousands of calories with the dressings and goodies.  They say you can have a Big Mac for those calories and you know how many calories are in those.

Deb-Just think about those gross plates when people are finished with those calorie filled meals and you won't want any of it.  Does that help?

Remember sisters, I heard Valerie Bertinelli say 'Wow, this is the first Christmas that she didn't dread buying her outfit' or something like that.  That could be us!  We might not lose all of our weight but we will definitely like ourselves for the pounds we lost.  Come one, Come all, don't be defeated before you begin.  Let's count all the pds collectively and we'll write Oprah and maybe we'll get tickets to the show.  Funny, huh?

Off to granparents day.....Oh my.....what I need to be doing is LAUNDRY.......Robin

Hi gals ~~

It seems I don't post often anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking of all of you ~~ and following your life's ups and downs.  My own ups and downs are keeping me busy enough.  I think I had told you that now I have BCG Cystitis, which is very painful and keepnig me pretty close to home.  In fact, I have taken a leave of absence from ALL MY CARD CLUBS.  It is such a weight off my shoulders right now.

I have taken my doctor's recommendation and am going to the Univ. of Iowa for a second opinion ~~ Meg is assisting in the endeavor and at this time don't have a date for the appointment.  It may take awhile, but in the long run I know it's the right thing to do.  I have contacted everyone I needed to in order to obtain all the medical records since 2006.  Yikes, it'll be a book!!!!

A nice diversion is that a distant cousin is working on my maternal grandmother's geneology, and I receive at least one-two emails weekly, asking for identification of people in pictures.  This is great fun (if you're into that sort of thing), and his brother provided my brother and I with a video of a family reunion held in 2002 (before they knew we even existed).  What fun.

Good luck to all of  you with the Challenge ~~ my diet these days seems to consist mainly of medications!  I have lost another 2 lbs, but won't take part in this challenge until I am in better health (and will probably be gaining weight).  I will be lurking and reading, so will know what is going on with each and every one of you.  Nancy, a belated birthday to you (and all others I have missed).  So long for now..............

 Sandy

Greetings all on DAY1!!!!!  I did my weigh in, and I've stayed the same most of the year(unfortunately, it is 5 pounds up since last year).  Robin, what words of inspiration you wrote.  I really do think: GROSS when people load up on carbs at a meal.  We serve scalloped potatoes with ham on Saturdays, and it is a large bowl of it, and all I can think of when I serve it is: how many carbs are in that bowl?!!!LOL  Little miss Isabelle sounds like a cutie.  

hauke, I joined AARP about 3 years ago.  I did it for the supplemental insurance and ended up with auto insurance also, and save about $600/year on car ins.  I also can save 5% on Walgreen brand items, and do try to save that way.  We had a turkey dinner last night, also, and it was very good.  Hope the kids enjoyed their time with their grandparents and cousins.

Michele, you will spend a busy first week of vacation finishing up cleaning the other house.  But, we know how much you enjoy your week at camp with the kids.  What a great idea for a birthday present for your neices.

Mary, I think it's funny that you enjoy the smells of food now, and Ron doesn't.  Man, all this talk about the WW soup has made me hungry for some.  I haven't made any soup in quite awhile, I think I need to get off the stick and make some.

Joyce, do you know your neighbor well enough to say something to her about her early lawn work?  Does she know you are working nights now?  We are so much cooler today it seems very nice.  I was outside yesterday mowing for over an hour and it was partly sunny and just warm.  Evidently, the humidity is gone for a few days.  Yea!!!!

Nancy, your "last" supper sounds very good.  I hope you are enjoying this change in weather!!  Will you head back to the trailer when Bradley comes back?

Sandy, good for you for taking a leave from your card games.  Do you like playing cards on the computer?  Sure do hope the second opinion works out well. 

Darla, what nice news from your SD.  I sure hope your mom comes around.  Meds do strange things to people, for sure.  When I lost my weight, Danny and his sister ate what they wanted, and I made sure I followed what I was supposed to.  The only changes I made to our menus was to add a second veggie, more for me  than for them.   I still sometimes fix 2 veggies and no spuds for some meals.

Doris, any sign of the smoke going away, yet?  Wish they could rig up some kind of fan to blow it all away for you.

Well, time for work, so I'll say bye for now.

Deb 

Tickets to Oprah.... that sounds like fun!  That should motivate us don't you think!

So we all faced the scales, nudies or not... I made a big note and put it on my mirror in the bathroom as I so often forget to step on those scales and then have a bath, wash my hair... and suddenly remember Oops, I wanted to weigh myself - oh well, tomorrow.... 'cause I'll never step on that scale with wet hair.  LOL

Next step... set a goal.   Now Robin's stated her first challenge is for the second week of October... and that suits me just fine.  So October 8 is the date....  That's the week of our Canadian Thanksgiving... and I'll want turkey dinner and the full meal as a celebration of the half way mark til Christmas.   Then we will continue on and have

So... October 8th is the first goal date - that's eleven weeks from now.... so  we need to set a goal for that date and share the goal.   Robin's declared she wants to be down 25 lbs... I'd love that as well... but know it's not realistic for me... so I will state as my goal that I want to be down 16 lbs... that 1.5 a week.

From October 8th to Christmas is another 11 weeks.... so what's you goal for Christmas.... I'll be brave... 32 lbs... WOW... that would make me...  WOW.... I'll be below that 250 mark... haven't been their since the early 1990's ... just writing about it blows my mind!

I must say that I was surprised when I was on the scale this morning... I actually lost weight on vacation... about 3 pounds... probably because when I got sick, I just had NO appetite so I just watch Rebecca and Pill enjoying their meals... so it's not true that I gain by just looking... I actually lost some.  LOL

So ladies... post those goals... midway in October... and Christmas....  and then start those salad master and soup pots ... the challenge has begun!

I will focus on eliminate ALL whites... so that gets rids of most carbs...  It will be fresh and raw salads for me with low fat dressings or homemade ones... and then use the BBQ to grill chicken and some beef on occasion.   All this mention of turkey for my kids yesterday has me hankering for some turkey... which they sold turkey parts in our stores like they do in the US... I'd get a turkey breast and have that with a salad.. perfect meal.

The other "trick" my son used when he lost his weight this spring (before his trip to Spain, see,  he wanted to be "buff" as he's heard that there were mostly nude beaches in Spain... LOL)  Anyway, his dietitian advised him to be constantly "grazing".  Or eat something every 90 minutes.

That's so opposite of me.  I tend to get up and suddenly it's 4 pm and I'm thinking, maybe I should have breakfast... then I have two meal in two hours and I don't eat anything the rest of the day.  Lately I've been having something at bedtime with my meds...    BUT the dietitian says this is SO WRONG... so I don't so much need to change what I eat... but focus on when and how often I eat.

Apparently our body does better if we put something in the engine on a regular basis... even if it's just a boiled egg... or some carrot sticks... even a couple slices of turkey or chicken (without the bread).  Tim said that veggies and proteins are what he snacked on between meals... even at work he would have something at coffee or break time.  He told me he would have 7-8 mini meals a day... instead of 3 big ones... and he lost weight. 

So maybe we should plan our menus for the day and then instead of having soup and salad at lunch, just have the soup at 12 and have the salad at 2 pm...  or same with breakfast... have something at 8 am but save some of the calories to have at 10 am.

Joyce, you've been have lots of little meals haven't you?  And it's been working.

I think I'm going to give that concept a try.  It's worked for both Tim and Peaches (she started doing it do when she saw it working for Tim - so she checked with her physical trainer who totally agreed with the dietitian.)   It's so completely opposite of how I've been eating for the past 50 years... but my system hasn't worked, so time for a new idea.

Speaking of which, it's 12:30 here and Rebecca just brought me a coffee.... and I haven't had breakfast yet.   Now in my support, I didn't get up when I first woke at 7:30 ... went back to sleep and didn't wake up again until after 11.  I think all that running around with Heather wore me out... so sleeping in was so nice.   LOL   So I'll come back and chat some more AFTER I get some food into me. 

Oh, as to the photos... they are still on the camera.  Since we got home with all of Heather and her "stuff" I haven't had a chance to even look at them or download them to the computer... project for today... I promise. 

Off to find some food... need to also make a shopping list and see what I need to stock up on.

SYAL

Hauke

Funny that this is challenge time.  DH and I both committed to losing weight.  Now before Hauke says whatever she might say,  in my younger years I weighed in 18 pounds less.  Now my goal is 10 pounds.  I was scrawny back in those days with no curves, so I have to find a happy medium.  My DH wants to go for 20-25 pounds.   For me, it isn't so much the motivation, as the involvment.  I need DH's help.  I love jogging, but I need time to do that without the kids.  That is where DH comes in.  So last night DH decided to go for a long walk.  So where do we walk to?  A&W for soft icecream! GROAN!  I must say, they do make good soft icecream!  Now tonight, walking to the park would be much safer on the waistline!  DH thinks food is a reward for a job well done, hence the need for much more lose!  Today he didn't get sweets in his lunch though, poor boy!

Shoot, just about forgot, I need to go meet DH for lunch, I forgot part of his lunch stuff.  I also need to pick up chicken breasts for supper.

Just came to bug Hauke about those pictures!!  hello to everyone!!

HI Everyone,

  Char,  it is summer time and hard not to get an ice cream cone when out walking!!! I am anxious to see the pictures too!!!

  Deb, I love ham and scalloped potato's, but that is not something I would ever order out and get a huge plate of food that I can not eat.  I have given up sausage gravey and biscuits, creamed beef, but when I see someone eating that, I drool....LOL

  Joyce, that is awful that your neighbor is out working in the yard so early in the AM.   My Mom and Aunt were that way too though.  Mom did all her work before she went to work and was always up with the birds.  My Aunt was up early too, cleaning outside doing yard work, etc. and always did that.  She had dinner at 10:30 AM because she was up so early  in the morning and was hungry at that time.

  I did make the WW Veggie soup, revamped some today.  I just added more veggies and some canned tomato's...it was good.  I will have a  SF pudding later tonight and that is it!!!!  It is true Robin, about keeping my hands busy now with the food just like cigerettes.   I did learn that after I quit smoking for awhile, I had the most awful taste in my mouth.....Here I was tasting my meds.  I now buy a really good brand of mouth wash and use it faithfully and that helps.  Now I don't feel like I need something in my mouth all the time.

  Sandy, I know you enjoyed the cards and sorry it has had to stop for now.  Good luck with the second opinion!!!  I hope you feel better soon.

  Robin, thank you for the words of inspiration!!!  I need to go ride the bike for awhile tonight.  We had rain and storms off and on all day.  Zucchini is GROWING big time.  I picked two today and there is more out there.

   Hi Doris!! Hope all is well with you and that the darn smoke is subsided.

   Marge, thinking of you too!!

   Michelle, enjoy your two weeks off!!!

Hugs,

Mary

Michele – I hope you get a lot accomplished the first week of your vacation and have a great time at camp.  I know how much you enjoy doing that.  I think you have as much fun as the kids do.

Nancy – We had a cool morning, too.  It is supposed to be the same tomorrow.  That's perfect weather for walking outside.  I think my neighbors are probably glad I dressed before I walked this morning, too.  *lol*  Your birthday dinner sounds very good and you were so disciplined with the biscuits.

Robin – You are so motivational as far as the challenge.  Good luck to you.  How was Grandparents Day?  I'm sure you had a good time.

Sandy – I'm so sorry you had to take a leave of absence from the card club.  But I sure hope that the second opinion can find something so you aren't feeling so bad.  Good luck.  {{{hug}}}  How fun with the geneology.

Deb – I never realized you could save so much with AARP.  I always get the membership things, but I never look at them.  I guess I don't want to admit I'm over 50!  Yes, I do know my neighbor well, but I don't know how she would take it if I asked her not to use her leaf blower.  Yes, she knows I work evenings now.  I guess she isn't thinking when she does it.  We had a gorgeous day today.  I shut off the AC and opened the windows.  I just might sit out in the sun tomorrow and try to get some color.  I haven't done that in a long time.

Hauke – Actually, for my meals, I have 3 meals.  She said I could have some soy crisps, but she didn't say how many.  Other than that, she didn't say anything about snacking.  But I do tend to do it every now and then. 

Mary – My neighbor's DH leaves for work about 5:15 and she is always up with him.  So I think that is part of the reason she cleans off the deck so early. 

Today I got two loads of laundry done, cleaned up the kitche and then went back to Meijer's.  I also filled up with gas.  I got it for $3.89.  That is the cheapest I saw in my driving this morning.  So I made sure to fill up.  There are a couple of car-racing-related things in my area this weekend, so a lot of people will be in the area from out of town.&