zobee

Wow! Two more -- we're growing like gangbusters ... assuming of course, that gangbusters - whatever they are - actually grow. Okay, so maybe not the best way to phrase that, but you get the drift. It's a good thing! :smile2:

Ha ha! I don't think I have scurvy, though it would have been cool to be able to say "argh" and "shiver me timbers" and what not. But no, my Vitamin C levels were all fine. Ah well, I suppose it is NOT the pirate's life for me, ROFL! Vitamin D deficiency is a different animal. I found that part of the article very interesting. And as the internist said it was severe enough that OTC Vitamins were not enough for mine, perhaps there is something in that. I'll have to bring this up with the doctor on Monday. In the meantime, I will eat much fish and consume much dairy, and do my best WALL-E impersonation (BONG!) and try to find some sunshine in which to recharge my (vitamin) D batteries. Thanks again!

Probably not, but it isnt worth chancing it. Truly. If I were you, I would follow your doctor's advice until you can speak to them on Monday. I promise you that you can do this. It is nearly bedtime now, so you only have one more day to get through. You can do this for one day. You can do anything for one day. Remember, it's just food. The only power it has over you is that which you grant it.

The first and most common reason for sweet cravings is sugar spiking. If you eat carbs (starches included, such as white bread, rice, Pasta, etc), your sugar spikes -- then falls. When it falls, your body thinks, "Crap! A sudden and unexpected famine! Must stuff sugar into mouth!!" And so we do, and we spike again ... and we crash again. And again, etc. The other reason for sugar cravings is a tricky little guy called Serotonin. I hate him. Passionately. Here's a decent article about how sugar and serotonin work together to sabotage your weight control efforts, but there is a lot out there on the Internet on the subject. It's worth investigating if this is an ongoing issue for you I've even seen some advertising for supplements that are alleged to block the process -- but I'm not at all sure they actually work. Could be a bunch of hooey designed to get you to buy a bunch of worthless pills. I know -- who would do such a thing? Insert gasp here, lol. In any event, the article: Sugar Cravings Good luck!

Time for me to pile up in bed and watch a little Glee on DVD (such a happy show!) but please do feel free to leave any suggestions for group names, or PM them to me if you're shy and I'll post them anonymously for group consideration :smile2: I do want to add that this is enormously exciting for me. Just the motivation that I need. Walking is difficult for me now and has been for several years, since I was diagnosed with Facet Joint Disease, and even more so now that I have arthritis and bone spurs in one of my hips. These conditions are the reason that I put so much weight on in the first place: I was always very athletic - a black belt, went hiking, horse back riding every weekend, jogging every morning, etc. I was 5' 4" and my measurements were 34, 26, 34. I did seriously not have a weight problem. Then we got pregnant. So much for that, LOL! And then I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The weight packed on, and as it did, the symptoms of my condition became evident. I gained 63 pounds with my pregnancy and only 17 came off at birth! I was successful in losing much of it through walking, but as the years have passed, the facet joint pain has increased, my life has become more sedentary, and the weight kept adding up. I knew that if I did not have this surgery, I would eventually end up in a wheelchair. And die. That simple. To now have someone else to walk for -- that's hugely motivating. I can take my time, even take a little break and sit for a while if I need to, but I'm going to do this, not just for me, but for the group. I'm going to keep moving until I lose this weight. I'm not ready to trade my legs in for a set of wheels yet! So -- thanks all, for your interest -- and thank you especially to Ashley for er original cry for help. Remember that following every the dark moment is something bright and shiny, waiting to happen. You are proof of that. Well done, my new friend! :smile: Okay, Hallmark Moment over. Time for some serious Glee! Have a super night, all!

Woot! That's ten! A thousand miles!! :smile2:

Aww, how sweet! Thank you! Does this mean you'll be joining us? We're up to eight or nine walkers now - all very exciting stuff! Jump on over to the Mile Matcher thread and let us know! And we need a name for our group, so bring your thinking cap!

Fabulous! Even though you'll be walking anyway, maybe it'll give you a warm fuzzy to know that you're walking to support others -- and since it seems that warm fuzzies are a endangered species these days, that's got to be a good thing! Save the Warm Fuzzies! Walk a Mile! :smile2: We're up to eight or nine now, losing track -- and we still need a name. Suggestions anyone?

Yes! We're at six now! We'll start on Monday and walk through April 10. That is 100 days, so 100 miles a piece, or a total of 600 miles covered! How amazing is that?? Woot! We can do this!

Wow. I am so impressed that you would immerse yourself into her new world, the better to communicate and meet her needs. You must have an incredibly strong marriage, and I have no doubts that you guys are going to make it through this just fine. You've gotten a lot of excellent advice. One thing that I would add is to stay attuned to her "Love Language." Great book, BTW, if you've never read it. The Five Love Languages are: words of affirmation, quality time, giving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. I am absolutely about acts of service, so while yes, the new jammies were a nice thought, and the back rub was appreciated; while I never tire of him telling me how much he appreciates or supports me, and as much as I appreciated that he took a week off to be with me through the ordeal -- what really meant everything to me were his acts of service. Changing my bandages. Making a cup of Soup or a mug of tea. Measuring out my pain meds. That was huge. I know that it sounds so little, but it's what is important to me. It is what says "I love you, and I'm here for you." Think about what your wife needs. What is most important to her, of the five love languages? Supply those things and you can't go wrong! And I concur -- if you have a brother or a cousin, please let us know. I have a warm, wonderful, single sister that would love to meet him, LOL!

Okay, so Ashley was having some difficulty getting motivated to lose weight while her hubby is overseas, and she needed some help. As a thank you to her husband, some of us have decided to match every mile that Ashley walks between now and the time her honey comes home in April. It's a great way to thank a soldier, help a sister bander, AND get the exercise that we ourselves need. A win-win! Anyone is welcome to join. And if you have a spouse overseas, and you want someone to walk with you, let us know and someone will adopt you, LOL! Our soldiers have trudged so many long, lonely miles through the desert, surely we can walk a single mile a day for them and their families! We have five walkers now, and I'll start a group for us, but first we need a good name. Any suggestions? Jump on in, we're all about input! Very exciting -- look forward to starting!! Woot!!:smile2:

Yay! We're five walkers now! I'll start a new thread for us, and leave poor Ashley's thread alone, LOL.

@Patterba Thanks! You're so sweet! I used to run a private, very busy online community for Christian women and it was all about encouraging. The sort of place where you could talk about real issues that you needed to talk about, but which you knew you could never discuss with your pastor's wife, LOL. Glad to hear you found the tushie kicking helpful, ha ha! Can I assume that you'll be joining us in our walking? :smile2:

Of course! Tuna salad with Dill From Allcooks . com I cut back on the dill by half, as it seemed like a lot! In the end, though, it didn't seem as overpowering as thought it would. The whole amount might wok just fine. 1 (6 oz) can tuna packed in Water 1/4 c. died celery 1/4 c. chopped fresh dill weed 2 T chopped fresh parsley 2 T thinly sliced green onion 2 T fat-free mayonnaise 2 T. plain low-fat yogurt 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard In a small bowl, mash tuna with juices from can. Add celery, dill, parsley, chives, mayonnaise, yogurt, and mustard; mix well. TUNA SALAD PROVENCAL From Epicuious . com I thin on this one I will pass on the capers and the anchovy paste -- just not to my liking -- and substitute FF mayo or Miracle Whip. I will also use the tuna packed in water instead of oil ... and of course, I will omit the bread! 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons drained bottled capers, rinsed and chopped 2 teaspoons coarse-grain mustard 2 teaspoons anchovy paste 1 teaspoon tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar 2 (6-oz) cans light tuna in olive oil 4 ciabatta or kaiser rolls, halved horizontally 1 head Boston lettuce (1/2 lb), any coarse outer leaves discarded 2 or 3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices 3 large hard-boiled eggs, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices Preparation: Whisk together mayonnaise, capers, mustard, anchovy paste, tomato paste, pepper, and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a bowl. Drain oil from tuna into a bowl and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar. Brush insides of all roll halves generously with mixture. Add tuna to mayonnaise mixture and stir to combine. Make sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, egg, and tuna mixture on a work surface. Weight sandwiches with a heavy cutting board, large plate, or platter for about 10 minutes. I can't find the tuna patty recipe -- I'll have to dig a little deeper and will post when I find it. Bon Appetit! PS Sorry about missin letters. Batteries in keyboard dying Must recharge lol

Ha! That would do it for me! Or maybe snails? Bleh!

I just tried a recipe for tuna salad made with yogurt and dill and parsley It was fabulous. The dill really made the difference! I've got another recipe that incorporates a bit of tomato paste. I'm a bit leery, lo, but willing to give it a shot! Also found a recipe for tuna patties -- made with some egg substitute, a few bread crumbs and cooked with cooking spray. Sort of like a crab cake. Big on protein! Looking forward to trying that one out, too!

At three days out, I wanted meatloaf. How odd is that? LOL! I can't tell you how to beat your cravings, but I can guarantee that you're stronger than a saltine cracker. Try to visualize it with something gross on top. Something that you wouldn't ever eat in a million years. That is how I got past my meatloaf craving - by visualizing the raw meat (I hate dealing with raw meat. It gives me the heebie jeebies). Be strong -- you can do this!

Yay! And now we're four! Tuna also has a lot of Protein, and I made a potentially dangerous discovery last night: Kentucky Friend chicken has a new grilled chicken menu. One breast is only 184 calories and 4 grams of fat (probably less if you discard the skin) -- but a whopping 35 grams of protein. A nice alternative on those occasions when a drive thru is the only meal option. The key is getting out of there without a side order of original recipe, mac and cheese and those lovely little pies, lol.

I just ordered

Yay! We've got three people for our Mile Match. Come on, Banders, surely there are more of us who could use a one mile walk each day, yes? Adopt a military spouse and walk with him/her every day -- a lovely way to say thank you ... and to get ourselves moving, to boot!

I'll tell you what I'll do ... if you want to start walking, and if you commit to walking one mile a day, I will match it. It'll be my own little thank you to your husband for the sacrifices he's made for all of us. If you're up to the challenge, I am. And any other military wife, for that matter. My husband works in the private sector now, but he was a Marine throughout the Regan Administration, and spent more than his share of time overseas as well. If anyone is interested, drop me a private message and we can start a group or something. It could be fun!

Ha! That's funny -- I'm brushing my own gums off. I've never heard of floss causing gingivitis - LOL - but it is entirely possible, I suppose. Thanks for your thoughts -- I'll try to be a little less enthusiastic with my brushing!

Oh! I know the answer to this one! First of all, you're so busy kicking yourself in the tushie that you can't focus on anything else. If you truly need a good tushie kicking, let me help you out: Knock it off! You are not a disaster! You're simply stalled, and what you need is a good jump start. If self loathing burned calories, you would be a size two by now. Crawl up out of that pity puddle, take all that energy you are wasting and put it to more productive use! Yes, you CAN do this! It sounds to me like you are exactly where I was several years ago. I was a young mother with two preschoolers and one in first grade. My husband worked out of town and we only had one car. Very rural area, and we just moved there so I knew nobody. I felt very closed in, like I needed air. So I got some. You don't need a cabinet full of videos. You need a stroller and a pair of walking shoes. Girl -- that three year old of yours is THE best piece of exercise equipment you can have! I would rent him from you if I could, LOL. Put that little cherub in the stroller and get outside and ... BREATHE. Notice the clouds. Stop and admire a garden. Meet a neighbor. Think of ways that you'll greet your husband when he gets home. Think happy and you'll be happy. And the thing is -- you don't have to walk fast. You don't have to walk far. Just walk. I did this every day. Pushed the stroller to a nearby convenience store just for something to do, and bought a newspaper every day. Maybe a mile, round trip. I wasn't dieting. I wasn't even conciously exercising. I was just trying to escape my own depression. Within two months, I had dropped from a size 18 to a size 12. I am so not kidding you. I had been wearing leggings and didn't even notice. When I went to put jeans on, I was like ... hang on, where did I leave my tushie and when did I grow a waistline?? You have a minimum of 13 weeks before your hero returns from war. This is SO doable! Stop kicking yourself in the tush and get out there and walk, walk, walk. You can do this!! One mile a day, minimum. More if it feels good. Won't take any time at all, and it will be WONDERFUL for both you and the baby. So go on, lace up those tennis shoes and just do it -- I dare you! In fact, I double dare you. :smile2:

@ymjackson You made some very valid points, ym, but now I fear I have to weigh in on the other side -- The level or lack thereof of an education does not validate nor invalidate an opinion. For instance, ElfiePoo's opinion is every bit as valid as my own. One is not right and the other wrong, they are simply different. Whereas someone such as yourself or flychica may currently work in insurance in some capacity, and whereas that experience might grant you a better knowledge of the ins and outs of the industry, it does not necessarily follow that your opinion is the only valid one on this thread. It seems to me that this topic has touched a deeper nerve; it has brushed the moral Fiber of some posters in the wrong direction. Their opinions on the subject of the morality of the OPs actions are completely valid, apart from any education in insurance matters. If, in fact, the OP did state she was defrauding her insurance company (and I'll never know now, LOL), then there is evidence that her intended actions were less than honest -- and one does not require an education to have an opinion on honesty, wouldn't you agree? I will agree, however, that forming such opinions without knowing the person or their true intent does smack loudly of being judgmental, but it is entirely possible that those who have flamed the OP have very good reasons to be judgmental (depending on the OPs original, deleted posts, as well as on the other poster's personal experiences, so on so forth...) In short, I'm not going to judge anyone for judging others, LOL, because in essence, that would make me just as guilty of the very thing that I have endeavored to take a stand against. @sndycnrd Agreed. Unfortunately, an enormous amount of energy has been expended on judging not only the OP in this thread, but several of the respondents, on both sides, lol. I'm not honestly sure what side I'm on anymore, ha ha! @flychica No biggie to me, either, LOL -- like I said, I just find the emotional responses to this topic rather intriguing. I would love to understand them better. Ah well, I think this topic is about dead, so I suppose I'll never know, lol. Good discussion, though! Peace to all :smile2:

@flychica Sorry, my bad, I should have phrased that better. I did not mean to imply that you planned to call the insurance company, I was simply trying to express that I do not feel moved to do so. So much ado, LOL. Came back to add that this is why I dislike it when people delete posts -- you can erase a word from a page, but you cannot erase it from the memories of those who read it. Unfortunately, by choosing to delete a post, in effect, the poster is deleting any hard proof that she may have been misunderstood. Better to leave a regrettable post where it is, and then offer an apology, then to delete it, I think. Peace, all!