This, That and PP Chat for November '07

[LarryAJ]

A day late starting the months thread. I, like a lot of the rest of you, have been very busy. I should be moved into the house three doors down the street that my sister owns so I can really get busy with the MAJOR renovations needed in this one. But here I am. :(

On the eggs topic, a neighbor has 14 hens that are now laying. She was working on their coop when I was going across my field that their house backs up on. So I drove over to say hello and see what she was doing. Helped her with a few carpedary tips and got 6 FRESH eggs in return. I hard boiled them while I was eating supper and will try to remember to eat them as a lunch snack. I say snack because I just am NOT hungery after a late breakfast high in fat (over 75% of the total).

I happened to be talking to the girl across the street today. I had heard she was doing a diet and was being nosey. Turns out it is because she has PCOS so, of course, I told her to come here and check out the forum just for PCOS. Hope she does.

What happened to fall?? It was hot until almost the middle of October, now it has turned cold with no indication that it will warm up. We still need rain in the Old Dominion (Virginia), though we had three days last week that helped a lot. Next door neighbors old hand dug well, maybe 30 feet deep, does not have enough water in it. The pump sucks up what little has filled in to it in less than a minute, then sucks air and looses its' prime.

Going to end now. How is everybody else?

[ElleH]

It's dry over here, too, Larry. BIL has a well in Leesburg and it dried up. Had to pay someone to come put water in it, or something like that. Crazy. Our grass looks really BAD, but those 3 days of rain helped a little. But we've had no rain since then, so we're pretty much back where we started I'll bet.

Fairly warm here today...60's.

[MamaSara6]

Well, it's dry here too! We have a 90 day supply of water---or less. But I'm sure you've heard that! We've implemented serious water-saving measures at my house, the best one being less laundry. Woo hoo! For a family of 8, that frees me up quite a bit. :lol:

Elle, you brought back memories. I lived in Hamilton when I was in middle school and I love it there. I loved Leesburg. Went on my first date at the little movie theater there and I had the biggest crush on my orthodontist across the way! :lol: Too bad when we go up to Reston we never get out that way. I'm sure it has changed a lot. Last time we were there, the farm road I lived on was pretty much the same, but the road leading to it had turned into subdivisions. :(

Diet-wise, I'm working hard on cutting out the garbage, but I'm still not doing the whole 10g per meal of carbs to actually lose weight!

Lucky you on the fresh eggs, Larry. Were they hard to peel? You sound like a lovely neighbor.

[ruthla]

It feels like November over here. It did get cold fairly suddenly- but that's only because October was unseasonably warm.

I'm still recovering from birthday cake and pizza at my son's 6th birthday party on Monday! :lol: I don't know if the dairy made me sick, or the wheat, or the sheer number of carbs I ate that day (I had potato chips too) but whatever the source, I felt pretty icky on Monday evening and all day yesterday. Today I'm feeling a bit better.

Oh, and the other day my Mom asked me for info on LC!! She's been trying to lose weigh forever- she won't tell me her weight but I'm guessing she has over 100 lbs to lose (or at least she did as of a year ago) and she's tried a bunch of different diets. She's been on Weight Watchers for a few months now and completely stalled- so she wants me to hook her up with some LC info. I emailed her the link to this site and to Fitday but she needs me to help her get started. (Hey, she didn't have a home computer at the age of 8 like I did!)

[montanasun]

Good afternoon every one - I'm struggling to get back on track with LC since having food poisoning last week. I could only eat brown rice for a few days I have to start back at square one.

? - I've been reading a lot about coconut oil and how good it is for you. Do any of you use this?

We might get snow tonight but it won't last - at least right now. We didn't get much rain this summer or fall which didn't help with the fires here this year.

[fujiwara]

The weather here can't make up its mind: Hot one day, cold the next. We broke down and turned on the heater though so the house will stay a balmy 68 degrees.

Still trying to stay at my newer low carb rate. Being sick for the past week and a half is not helping my resolve much, but perseverance is a virtue (maybe)! It's an annoying kind of sick: low grade fever, joint pains, but no stuffiness.

I hope Atlanta gets some rain soon!

[MamaSara6]

A big storm front came through here last night, and while Alabama and TN got a couple of inches, Atlanta only got .14!!! It was a quick, heavy thunderstorm that didn't leave nearly enough behind. :(

Holly, I've used CO before. I loved it in my coffee and I used it for cooking. Now I just use it on my skin because I developed an allergy. It's great stuff, but I wasn't able to use it long enough to see a difference in weight. It's a great, tasty way to increase the fat in your diet because you can put it in coffee or just eat it by the spoonful. Yes, that sounds gross, but it's a mild, thin oil, quite unlike castor oil. <Shudder> You can also make the little chocolate candies that are basically cocoa, CO, and splenda for a quick, satisfying fix. HTH.

[ruthla]

I assume CO= coconut oil? I use it in baking, but I don't like it plain. I should try making some CO candies- mix some flavors and stevia into softened or melted CO, stick in fridge and eat as candy. I'm staying away from chocolate for now, to see if it helps my fibromyalgia, but maybe I'll try it with some cinnamon.

In any case, I'm staying away from wheat and gluten right now, and I think my package of cocoa powder got contaminated when my daughters were making my son's birthday cake.

[montanasun]

Thanks Ruth and Sara for your help on the CO.

Today I'm back on track since being sick. Over the weekend I will reread my books to stay focus and set up mini goals. One mini goal is to lose 10 pounds before the first of January.

We had a little bit of snow this morning. :eek: Now that I have my studs on my car I am ready for snow. It won't last and should turn into rain by this afternoon.

My daughter is having her first baby the first part of December but when she went to the doctor yesterday the baby has all ready dropped and she may go sooner. This will be my 3 grandbaby, I only wish I lived closer instead of 1200 miles away.

I hope you all have a great day.

[ruthla]

My daughter is having her first baby the first part of December but when she went to the doctor yesterday the baby has all ready dropped and she may go sooner. This will be my 3 grandbaby, I only wish I lived closer instead of 1200 miles away. Congrats!!!

Just so you know, the baby can drop several weeks before labor sets in- or it may not happen until the middle of active labor. Things can vary so much and still be normal!

[montanasun]

Thanks Ruth - I told her that so she doesn't get her hopes up that it might be sooner. The doctor was very surprised yesterday when he found this out.

[ruthla]

Wow- what a quiet bunch we are this month!

What's everybody's Thanksgiving plans? Or are there a lot of non-Americans on this thread?

[lisaz8605]

Hi everyone! I've been trying to check in on your periodically but as you can well imagine, my life is very much not my own right now (and it's no doubt going to stay that way, heh).

I'm finishing my 32nd week of pregnancy and really starting to feel it. I am exercising a little (some water aerobics and pilates 1-2x/wk) but mostly just staying as active as I can with reorganizing the house (some call it nesting, I call it a desperate attempt to clean up and do things I've put off that can't be put off any longer!). I'm also still working on biz stuff (we finished shooting weddings for the season and now it's client relations, design work, getting things done by the holidays). On top of that I'm still caring for my Mom and dealing with her dementia, but thankfully she's finding great joy in crocheting blankets to give to the needy via the local senior center (they go to nursing homes and rehab centers) and helping around the house (the basics, taking out trash, emptying dishwasher, sweeping) and getting ready for her grandson's arrival. He's her first grandchild and I swear the woman is giddy! I make sure she's taking her meds and I keep her room clean and care for her needs, which I can tell she appreciates. There are days it seems thankless, but the happier she appears the more encouraging it is for me. And then there is my pregnancy. After 7 months of getting away with few and easy symptoms I'm finally feeling it in my 8th month and I still can't complain, though I'm hurting a good bit sometimes. My lower back has finally gotten cranky (and considering my past with herniations it was a matter of time) and my nerves are getting pinched from sleeping on my sides and I think my carpal tunnel tendencies in my right hand have finally flared up (as a result of fluid and pressure) so I'm dealing with some weakness and numbness in that hand. I'm looking in the bright side and figuring this will be temporary, as I've read that all the extra fluid in the body can exacerbate such things. And at least it's just regular extra fluid and not major water retention, which I've managed to keep at bay with my healthy water intake. (Each time I go to the OB she pulls my pant leg up and exclaims "Just look at those ankles!" LOL) I'm also thankful for hearing a strong heartbeat each time and feeling LOTS of movement, even if it involves lots of pressure and more time in the bathroom then I spent even in my biggest water flushing days. hee hee (Is it any wonder I decided to redecorate the bathroom recently? I've spent enough time in there!!)

Holly, it's exciting news to think your grandchild could be on the way any day now. Do keep us posted as I will on my arrival. Of course I don't want him showing up just yet. I have 7-8 weeks left and so much stuff to do yet...I'm just not ready! But believe me, we'll welcome him whenever he wants to show up. I just pray that he's healthy as I do for yours.

For the longest time...for 7 months of this pregnancy...I still was the one taking care of everyone. And in many ways I still am...still cooking (but not as much) and cleaning...doing laundry. I'm just getting to the point of having to adjust a bit...having to nap a bit more in-between...having to ask for help lifting stuff. And in the same fashion, you had to figure I'm hosting Thanksgiving. But I decided to get creative this year and sent hubby out for a deep-frying kit...so we're going to deep fry our bird! We'll make all the usual fixins, both high and low carb. I'll be honest with you, I'm just concentrating more on healthy and wholesome foods than the carb count. So I've accepted I'm in a slightly different phase this season than last. And I've indulged (and will do so again through the holidays) on some things. But I am also looking forward to getting back on track next year, which I think will be very doable considering my prior experience and success.

Ok, I guess that's it for my update. I'm sure I wrote plenty enough, but it'd been awhile so I wanted to be sure to cover everything. Happy Thanksgiving a bit early to everyone! :)

[ruthla]

How did everybody's Thanksgiving go? And if there are any non-Americans here, how did your weekend go?

Mine went pretty well. I cooked all my own food, and only had one guest, so it was pretty low-key and no need to worry about piles and piles of innapropriate food.

My whole Thanksgiving meal was GF, but not entirely low carb. I made two pumpkin pies: one with a rice flour crust and sweetened with maple syrup,and the other stevia sweetened with an almond crust. I also made a rice stuffing for the turkey. I made a stevia-sweetened cranberry sauce (that didn't come out all that good) plus I bought the canned stuff for the kids.

I overate a bit, but not excessively so. Even with my "gluttony" I still ate far fewer carbs than I did in my old life. I stepped on the scale Friday morning and was down half a pound. :)

Yesterday at shul the Rebbetzin (widow of the Rabbi who ran the shul for half a century, she must be 90 or so) noticed the weight I've lost. Plus she complimented me on how sweet my kids are and how much she likes my parenting.

[lisaz8605]

Yesterday at shul the Rebbetzin (widow of the Rabbi who ran the shul for half a century, she must be 90 or so) noticed the weight I've lost. Plus she complimented me on how sweet my kids are and how much she likes my parenting.
My goodness, it doesn't get better than that, does it? What wonderful compliments!

And yes, I imagine that now you had fewer carbs - even with non-carb montoring - than you would've in days gone by. I think that's the case with me even during my "I'm not paying attention to carbs" pregnancy.

As for Thanksgiving, mine didn't exactly go as planned. I'd hoped for more help and had planned on having a deep-fryed turkey that hubby would monitor so I'd have one less thing to do. I brined the turkey overnight (which worked beautifully) and after getting stuffing (yes, everyone in my family MUST have stuffing) and the broth and giblets and gravy going, I was informed by my procastinating hubby at the time the turkey should've been boiled in oil that the fryer was missing a part and wouldn't work. <sigh> So I kicked it into high gear and got the bird in the oven and proceeded to complete the whole meal just like years prior (minus dessert which was made by MIL). It took more energy than I'd planned but my bird was succulent (due in part to brining and also to style of roasting - high heat to start and sear with lower heat to finish) and everyone was happy. I've been resting more than usual since then, but I'd really needed a vacation so I'll admit that the days since Thanksgiving have been wonderful even if I've felt guilt about it. I try to think of it as "alternate work" since I've even caught up a bit on my childbirth reading (even though we're way behind on everything else baby-related). :D

[ruthla]

Oh, wow- I just realized you're nearly 34 weeks already! It's getting closer!

I hope you don't take that ticker too seriously "43 days left" could mean "22 days left" or "57 days left" or anything in between! Also, babies don't really need much "stuff" anyway, in spite of what "baby retailers" want you to think.

[MamaSara6]

We had a lovely thanksgiving with just immediate family since one got sick the night before! It wasn't all LC, but moreso than in years past. No white potatoes and no bread stuffing. My stuffing was Suzanne Somer's mushroom, sausage and onion stuffing. Yummy! We had cranberry sauce with sugar and there was a little in the sweet potatoes/butternut squash, but not much. I did eat everything and dessert too---apple crisp (which probably was just as bad as pastry since the topping has so much sugar!). But I haven't gained and I'm ready to get the sugar out of my system today!

[lisaz8605]

Oh, wow- I just realized you're nearly 34 weeks already! It's getting closer!

I hope you don't take that ticker too seriously "43 days left" could mean "22 days left" or "57 days left" or anything in between! Also, babies don't really need much "stuff" anyway, in spite of what "baby retailers" want you to think.

Oh yes..it's getting closer and I realize full well it could be "any day now" OR we could celebrate NYE and the epiphany and I could still be waddling (a little Catholic joke thrown in there, heh). So yeah, I'm basically more or less "ready for anything" and yet totally not feeling ready. As for all the "stuff" retailers and friends think I need, I agree with you completely. I've decided I want to start a baby minimalist movement! And yet my registry is embarrassingly large. Ugh. Oh well, I mostly did it so I could have the discount coupons if I decide to buy something. For me my focus is on eating as well as I can, keeping moving (and addressing my numbness issues in my hands) and reading and preparing mentally for this wonder on the way!

Ok, I don't mean to make this thread about me being pregnant, so I'll sign off and head to my water aerobics class and hope you're all doing well! I'll check in soon.

P.S. Mamasarah that stuffing sounds yummy! Wanna share the recipe?

[MamaSara6]

I guess I can't really share the recipe since I got it from her cookbook. If you're one who cooks by instinct, it involves carmelized onions and browned mushrooms (your favorite kind!), a little butter to thicken it. Some white wine added and cooked off. Then brown the sausage, drain, and add the mushrooms and onions. Tarragon, salt and pepper finish it off nicely. ;) This year I added an extra lb. of sausage since we were expecting more people. It is so goooood. People just eat it as long as it lasts out of bowls!

[ElleH]

That Susanne Somers dressing is awesome...I made it last year!

[herselfNYC]

I'm back from my long trip (extended one day because I was stranded at the airport in Milwaukee), and am proud to say I maintained ketosis the entire time. I'm down a pound & a half since I left home, though the inches haven't budged -- hoping that'll happen after my soon-to-come TOM. Meanwhile I'm just pleased with myself that I'm firmly in the low-carb saddle.

[ruthla]

Congrats on sticking to healthy eating while away!!

I keep forgetting to get on the scale in the morning before eating anything- oh well, either the weight's coming off or it isn't, and if it is then I'll see a huge jump in the scale when I do get on it again.

I've noticed things are feeling looser on me, esp around the waist/hip area. My new underwear is too big! That or it's just stretched out. :lol I unfortunately can't find this style any smaller than a 7- it's the kind that comes to mid-thigh and keeps them from rubbing together, and Lane Bryant Catalog has them in cotton/lycra. I can't wear nylon panties without getting yeast infections, and I can't seem to find this style in cotton anyplace but the "plus sized" catalogs. Yet they make them in nylon as "foundation garments" in size 5!!

I probably need to start sewing my own. Or at least take in the ones I have.

Blah. I spent the morning doing paperwork and phone calls. The food stamps office couldnt' process my recertification without proof of my kids' schools, and they haven't gotten report cards yet so I had to call both schools (DS' elementary and DD1's middle school) to have them fax letters over to the food stamp office. At least I already had stuff from the district about my homeschooler (ie: "yes, we received your paperwork and it meets the state requirements.")

[ruthla]

Even with my "imperfect" eating (too many rice products) I still lost another half a pound this week!