Hi Nelson -

sorry to hear about your trials with insomnia. I've suffered from chronic insomnia most of my life so I understand. I noticed you take magnesium and have tried melatonin right? If you are not eating much dairy have you tried taking calcium along with the magnesium? When I don't eat much cheese, I notice I sleep much better if I take calcium along with the magnesium. Mg glycinate seems to be the best one for sleep for me. I also take 25mg B complex and 250mg vitamin C before bed, and only 1mg melatonin (any more has the OPPOSITE effect for me). I have also noticed that taking 30mg of chelated zinc during the day seems to really help sleep later on.

Magnesium seems to help me FALL asleep, and calcium keep me asleep. I try to keep them in about 1:1 ratio, and that includes calcium from cheese.

If all that fails and I wake up way too early, I pop another cal/mag and a valerian capsule.

If you are taking extra calcium IMO it is prudent to take zinc as well at some point in the day - calcium antagonizes zinc. Zinc is needed to make sufficient melatonin.

So, the dairy weight is definitely going bye-bye! I believe I saw 176 on my scales during my dairy fiasco, now I'm down to 171.4. Impressive given that it's just a few days until my TOM. Hopefully I can shed the rest of that awful gain during my next cycle.

I just wish my BO weren't so ever present on this diet.

It seems like "green". Like if you got a bunch of green veggies like Kale and extracted the juice from them, that's what my BO smells like. Really weird.

Maybe you switched deodorant brands? Soap brands? I just don't get it. You have me sniffing at my underarms. All I smell is Soft 'N' Dri or whatever that stuff is.

Is it the lower carb tweak that's finally working?

Maybe partly. I did stop getting those rice crackers. I think it's the dairy-free tweak mostly. My carbs are around 40-60, not minus the fiber. My calories are also a lot lower too, at least for the last few days.

No, my deodorant is the same. I rarely use the same soap brand twice in a row. Maybe it's the hummus. I might give it up for a week and see if I stink less.

Why, yes, actually. I have tried melatonin and timed-release melatonin and 5-htp and magnesium and GABA and L-Theanine and calcium glycinate and valerian and hops and taurine and glycine and passionflower and jack daniels and inositol and lemon balm and skullcap and and calcium orotate and magesium oxide and magnesium orotate and and and and

Pretty soon I should lose weight simply because there is no room in my stomach after I have taken all of the PILLS!

Wait! I haven't tried zinc. It must be the zinc!

Seriously, though, Loops. Thanks for your post. We insomniacs really do understand a special hell. And it might be the zinc.

Last night I caved and took an Ambien CR, fully expecting to find myself sleep driving to a McDonalds at 2:00 a.m. Instead, I had a truly unremarkable 6.5 hours of refreshing sleep with a few pleasant dreams thrown in. I was slobberingly grateful when I awoke. My current plan is to keep taking whatever sleeping pills work, even if they are the dreaded prescription variety, and put all of my obsessive energies into reclaiming my long-standing exercise/fresh air/sunshine habits while I can, then see if I can stop the sleeping meds all together.

Sorry for the thread heist.

Not a bad idea. maybe you can break the insomnia cycle.

I made a Thai curry today. Yellow curry with about 9 oz of chicken, 6 oz pork belly, 6 oz of yam, 1 can of coconut milk, 1.5 cans of broth, squeeze of lime juice. I wanted to try to get a little more protein in, it's been rather lowish. It comes out to about 29g fat, 9g net carbs, 15g protein per cup. I serve it over steamed broccoli.

I found some really nice looking cabbage at TJ's. I'll make Pad Thai with "cabbage rice" very soon.

My latest cooking adventure.....

Stopped by the butcher today after working out and asked for any kind of soup bones (it's Autumn here). For $5 I got a bag full of lamb neck pieces. He even cut them into chunks for me. I made a lovely lamb soup. Just added a bit of carrot, potato, sweet potato, onion & garlic with fresh rosemary & a couple bayleaves, S&P to taste and waaalaaaaa.....a yummy lunch.

As a 'non-cooker' I'm actually finding it quite fun to experiment with these different cuts of meat.

Wow! That sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing... *drools on the keyboard*

Payday Bar:

About 1 oz peanut butter
About 1 oz of salted nuts
A pat of butter
Salt, if you have unsalted nuts
About 1-2 tsp of splenda (or equivalent)
A few drops of vanilla

Melt butter in a small dish. Add the peanut butter, sweetener, salt and vanilla and stir well. Add in nuts. Stir.

Pour onto a small plate and put in the freezer for about 30 minutes so it'll harden.

Use your finger and clean out the bowl you stirred it up in.

It reminds me of a Payday bar!

I used to put a couple pieces of chocolate in, but decided the chocolate might be giving me issues, so I left it out and I like it better.

Ok.....I think I love you now, Nancy.
Genius! I'm trying it tonight!

Well, I am quitting the evil peanuts/peanut butter for awhile. It isn't helping my weight loss cause.

AhHa. This is one I was particularly looking for.