some articles on fine tuning food choices for weight control/loss when one is also exercising.


http://www.sportmedbc.com/libraryArticles.php?recordID=337

http://www.sportmedbc.com/libraryArticles.php?recordID=251

Anne, I eat less and weigh more. Absolutely. I also exercise more and weigh more. What's wrong with that picture?

This is taken from one of the articles orchid posted. Ithink it's great advice..

Making it Work
Remember that real success takes time and consistency. Aim to stick to the 90/10 rule. 90% of the time making wise food choices and then 10% of the time feel free to let things slide a little. Not a free-for-all, but allow yourself to indulge in a couple slices of pizza. If you are eating 5-6 meals/snacks per day, 10% equals about 3-4 meals/snacks each week.

Personally, I'm at about the 75/25 rule so I have a way to go.

Dotsie,

Get your thyroid levels checked. But find a doctor that will go by your symptoms more than your test results. And stick to natural thyroid, such as Armour. It's much, much cheaper than the pharmaceutical version.

I have found my thyroid isn't working up to par with getting older.

Dotsie, I'm so glad you posted this. I thought I was the only one. And it's soo frustrating, because I'm forfeiting sweets and anything fattening, I'm sweating up a storm doing sports. Then I get on the scale, and sometimes I've even gained! I think my body absorbs the salty sweat and turns it into pounds.

Get this...I walk every day, early in the mornings...then I shower. I weight BEFORE I shower, and after. I always weight ONE POUND LESS after I shower. Dirt? Sweat? You tell me! I think it is a hoot!

I'm assuming for you two that perhaps the weight gain could be the clothes you have on when you weigh? The muscle tone? (Muscle weighs more), or maybe the TIME of day you weigh? Now if you weigh the same time every day, and are butt naked, then I don't have an answer for you. But one thing you might try is measuring your bode.

The reason I say this is because I have shown a weight gain on occasion, but I keep a record of my inches...and I show a continual loss of inches...and can see/feel it in my clothes.

As of this week, I've lost 30 pounds. Wuhoo! Now that I've reached my first goal, I'll go on to the next one.

Here is an article from WebMD that you might find interesting. You might also go there and asked the question about the weight gain. Just a thought.

Sleep and Hunger Control - There is a widely studied hormone, called leptin that signals the brain when we are full. When the body doesn't get enough sleep, hormones in the nervous system are triggered that can lower the level of leptin. When leptin levels are low, the brain tells the body it wants more food. When you get enough sleep, leptin levels stay high and let the body know it is satisfied, thus decreasing the need to overeat.

How Much Sleep is Enough? 7 to 9 hours a night is the average amount of sleep recommended for an adult. Experts say you will know if you haven't had enough sleep if you feel drowsy during the day. The human body does not seem to adapt to sleeping less, creating a 'sleep debt' that the body will eventually demand be paid back.

How to Get Better Sleep - First, move your TV and radio out of the bedroom. Keep your sleeping area as dark as possible, as well as cool and quiet. Make a relaxing pre-bed routine, such as having a warm bath and a cup of decaf tea. Don't do stressful activities before bed. Try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. During the day, be sure to fit in some activity. Make your 'to-do' list for the next day to keep from focusing on upcoming plans at night that can make well-deserved sleep harder to get.

JawJaw,

Those are all great suggestions. Now if I could just get my body to sleep - that would be great. LOL!!! This week I've decided I'm going to sleep whenever I feel like it. Since I'm not hardly sleeping at night, I took a four hour nap today. Now, I hope I can sleep tonight. I'm going to add melatonin back into my before bed vitamin regime.

Fabulous jawjaw with your 30lb. loss. YOu must have also adjusted your diet? What are the biggest changes?

My weight can fluctuate 2-3 lbs. due to water retention. I also find it helpful to weigh myself the next day after a long, multi-hr. ride..PROVIDED I haven't overindulged for supper on that same day of vigorous exercise.

Part of the problem is the temptation to reward yourself with a decadent goodie/bigger meal after a bout of sweaty exercise. Or socializing with a bunch of people afterwards who also participated in same sport as you that day..and that blows it over coffee & dessert, etc.

I'm not disciplined entirely in this area.

Are you getting any exercise?

A really great and extremely effective exercise that is over-looked
Rebounding...

Just get a mini trampoline... I have one that I just move out of the way when I am finished with it.

NASA, US Special forces and Olympic athletes have been using trampolines for years to help stay in shape

Check these out:

http://www.urbanrebounding.com
http://www.reboundair.com

Ciao-Ciao, WELCOME! We're so glad you've joined us. I've always wondered if the rebound would be a good exerciser. I might try that in addition to my walking each day. I've bumped up the time to 45 minutes instead of 30. It was time.

Orchid, you asked about my diet. I am following a Weight Watchers program of counting points, although I am not a WW member. I just count the points that food has in it, watch the calories and fat content, and I TOTALLY do NOT

a) eat out at fast food places
b) drink any sodas (That's what you all call them, I call them cokes)
c) eat real sugar
d) eat white bread of ANY kind
e) eat chips
f) eat chocolate unless it is within my points and then only a small amount...and dark
g) eat regular mayo (only Hellmans lite)
h) eat after a certain time in the evening
i) snack late at night...at all!
j) use salt (I use sea-salt sparingly)

and many more things. This isn't a diet. It is a lifestyle change. I intend to do this from now on. I fix all of my meals and being prepared ahead of time makes the difference. It keeps one from grabbing what is handy, or readily available...like snack foods, chips, processed foods, etc.

I eat very little meat and if I do, it's chicken (baked) or fish (which I don't really care for)...so I have eaten enough chicken to lay eggs. But I eat like a horse and have great meals.

Yesterday for instance, I had cooked cauliflower with cheese, baked chicken, slaw w/Hellman's mayo & tomatoes/onions. It was 7 points. Then supper was a turkey sandwich on wheat bread with dijon mustard, sweet pickles, lettuce/onion, chips (special kind) with red peach salsa, water. Yum! Yum! 4 points.

For dessert I have either chocolate pudding (fat-free), watermelon, or some fruit, or a banana popsicle, or maybe a fruit tart. They vary from one point to two.
It's working! Everyone has to do what works for them. I was eating fried foods, greasy foods, and eating late at night. The handwriting was on the wall.

I knew diabetes was in my future if I didn't start taking care of myself. So...I committed to a lifestyle change.

I also set myself up with a small, reachable goal of 30 pounds to start with...which I reached a week ago. Then, I put a new goal in place. Another 30. After that, the goals will get smaller, but obtaining them will still remain HIGH priority for me. By Christmas I may be where I want to be, healthwise.

I LOVE fruits, veggies, and cooking, so it was relatively easy for me to do this, but when on vacation this past week, I did indulge in some pizza (3 whole pieces) and I had some brews while laying around the pool. I had to...I'm pretty sure it is a law somewhere.

Now...it's back to my commitment to myself.

Someone mentioned the smoking thing. My daddy told me once that when I was ready to quit, I would. I would simply lay them down. I protested...I said, "But you don't know how hard, bla...bla...bla." He just held up his hand and repeated, "when you are READY, you will lay them down." He was right. I quit six years ago (maybe longer?) and when I was READY, realllllllly ready and wasn't making excuses, I laid them down. PERIOD. End of smoking. I've never smoked another one.

Forgive my long post. They don't call me the Mouth of the South for nothing.

Thanks for the warm welcome...

I have been using my mini trampoline for about 5 or 6 years.

I paid 39 dollars for it at a local Sporting Goods store.

I don't have one those fancy fandangled ones that has the bar and that you can fold up.

Mine works just fine for me...

All you have to do is put on a mp3 player or the stereo and get on the trampoline and have a good ole time exercising...

There are some really nifty medical and health benefits that come from rebounding.

Here are a couple of website that will give some more info:

http://sn.im/rebound3
http://sn.im/rebound2

Well, I'm a horrible dieter. I'm doing everything that JawJaw is not! Yet, I've cut back on intake and only eat 2 meals a day with a snack or two and I've incorporated more veggies and fruit, and water. I've forced myself to eat breakfast and eat a later lunch, then for dinner I'll have one of my snacks: either fruit, yogurt, fat free pudding, 100 calorie popcorn bags pretzels, etc. I find that eating breakfast allows me to eat a later lunch and I'm more productive and not running to the snack machine as often. I began the 2009 year at 164 lbs, now 157.5 and I'm 5'9".

JJ you are my hero! I can't wait to see your new svelt self...We won't recognize each other I bet.

So Mustang what is your weight goal?
Excellent Jawjaw.
Chatty, have you been cycling?

I started to eat abit more for breakfast over 3 years ago simply because I was starting my work commute at 5:15 am, so early that I knew I would not have enough energy. Of course breakfast usually is only 1 c. of microwaved oatmeal with a bit of skim milk and fruit on side. Sometimes a cup of tea also with abit of skim milk.

Here are my general eating habits:

1) Eating meat (usually seafood or chicken breast no skin) once or twice per wk. Occasionally I'll have a gourmet sausage or bison for supper. Amount per meal= 1 fistful

2) No pop/carbonated drinks. (I just have never liked the stuff, even as a child. I still have an unopened can from an event 4 months ago, in our fridge.)

3) Deep fried foods- is rare. Maybe once a month or less. If it is a doughnut but that's if it's freely given at a workplace. Or a properly delicately spring roll..there are certain Asian styles are nice. Others are gross. I don't enjoy deep fried fish...I think it covers up the delicate texture/taste of fish.

4) have lots of fruits. Local as well as exotic tropical fruits, ie. mangoes, lichees, etc. Same with veggies.

5) at least 40% of my home cooking is Asian style.

6) Our bread is fatfree, eggfree and sugar free from a bakery. We buy it from a quality bakery. It's good enough that I don't put any spread on it..95% of the time. We don't have jam, mayonnaise, ketchup at home. But we love mustard. Alot of mustard is sugar-free.

The type of bread includes: sourdough, sundried tomato, olive, pumpkin seed, etc. I try to, but not always successfully to eat it earlier in the day.

7) Last time we bought whole eggs..was a yr. ago. We buy egg whites or egg substitute.

8) Have cut back over 70% of my intake on rice and heavier pastas. I have light Asian pasta...some of this stuff you buy dried or freshly made.

9) We have butter at home, only once a year. Usually for baking a special dessert. Otherwise I oaccsionally have it at restaurant on a roll. I have never buttered a muffin anywhere. I find the practice abit strange. Why would one do it when the muffin already has fat inside it?

My biggest fault is biscotti, muffin, or light dessert with a coffee combo. I also drink lots of tea (and coffee at a workplace) with milk but no sugar.

Past 1/2 yr. I've been eating supper earlier, am done eating by 7:00 pm or so.

One thing I've learned is that your portion size should be no bigger than a fist.

I've heard you should eat like a King in the morning (or Queen), a Prince at lunch time, and a pauper at night.

Skipping meals is a big no-no since your body will pull from other areas (such as muscle) to make up for the loss of food intake.

Mustang, I don't consider your night time meal as a skip...It looks like you are simply eating lite. Good for you.

I also use Stevia in the place of ANY sweetener I might want. I carry some with me too in case I'm ever out and need some. You can get 100-box count of them now at Purtain Pride 3 for 1. I usually try and get in on this sale.

Orchid, your eating regime consists of mainly no fat, sugars, or high calorie foods. Same as mine, except we eat different things. I love the breads you mention. Every one of them. They are so high in cost around here though. Wonder why? Small town, maybe?

I document meals so I can have a history, see which weeks I lost more; or less, and keep track of the points I eat each day.

Right now I'm at a plateau ... so I'll add more fat back into my diet for a day or so, then go back to my regular/NEW way of eating.

Interesting quiz on your perception of food portion, real calories and how much exercise to burn off large portions of food. Kind of shocking actually.
http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/ You have to click on parts I & II. It's fun nevertheless.

From U.S. federal Dept. of Health and National Institute of Health. Your government....who does provide fantastic info. for all Americans and worldwide. (PubHealth, PubMed. is a freely available medical database used worldwide, courtesy of your government. Has existed over last few decades. For those who think govn't is useless in our lives. )
__________________________________________________________

Jawjaw, I have a lousy habit of having a coffee and little sweet thing, usually a biscotti or muffin or..danish. I have way more sugar in my diet compared to 30 years ago. However, I have noticed that I am less tempted for larger sweeter desserts at supper since my body seems to go into a sugar crash where I feel abit unwell. Have noticed it also when I drink wine for the occasional dinner.

Anyhooo..I continue to cycle 42 kms. (or 25+ miles) daily and abit longer on weekends. Usually I do it first thing in the morning shortly after breakfast, so it's done. It's a great way to kickstart my day/energy.

When do you usually go walking?

Life got better for me when I discovered I could order senior citizen portions at restaurants even though I'm not that old.
I am totally grossed out on the portion sizes that I am seeing at restaurants these days.

I agree on the portion size at restaurants. I never noticed it so much before, but now that I've changed things, I find them way over the top. And fast foods...forget it. The exception has been the yogurt you can get at McDonalds. I do like that.

Orchid, I walk around 6 or 6:30 in the morning. We have three kinds of weather down here in the South. Humidity, humidity, and humidity. So the earlier the better. I also have a set of radio headphones so I have it set to an oldie station and I walk to the beat.

I LOVE biscotti...I stay as far as way from it as I can get. I have no control where they are concerned.

Jawjaw and Mustang, congrats on the weight loss and continued success!

I weigh myself every morning before breakfast, in my underwear, so there's no variation. My weight has been pretty stable for 5 years (gained a little before that) so I'm happy. I'm probably ~15 lbs. overweight but not too concerned about dieting as I eat pretty healthy and go to the gym. Never counted calories and don't intend to start.

Meredith, I don't recall you being or looking overweight at all. You looked perfect for your height and bone structure. I was pretty much resembling a basketball with teeth.

I look forward to the day when I am just 15 pounds overweight. Sigh...

Personally, I would like to be 10 pounds underweight just once in my fluffy existance...

Thanks Jawjaw. Until 10 years ago, I had no excess weight, period. Now I'm heavier due to Tamoxifen as much as menopause.

The earth still turns and the universe goes on. I know what I was, and what I am now. 15 lbs. isn't unhealthy, it's just a little bigger.

Until 10 years ago, I didn't either...then menopause entered my life, along with two different car wrecks which almost took me out...pain meds, everything broken on my left side, and my dad getting Lewy-Body Dementia and his death, then getting laid off after 25+ years, then I quit smoking in the middle of all of it...then mom getting breast cancer in the middle of all of it...it's a wonder I don't weigh 300 pounds. Stress...it WAS my middle name.

But not anymore!

Wow! Jawjaw, the way you joke around, I never would've thought of
you as having to fight stress. But you've really, really battled
too. Well, I'm fighting the good fight. We'll see what happens.

Divine,
There's just that much more of you to love! Think of the extra
15 pounds that way! And you'll love 'em!

JJ, congrats on your hard work and lifestyle changes. I know your tickled.

Mustang, keep up the good work. I can't imagine you have only but a few pound to lose with your height and weight.

orchid, I always admire your eating and exercise routines. You deserve the occasional sweet.

Meredith, you looked great in Vegas. I can relate to you feeling okay about your weight gain. I felt fine with the five pound weight gain, making it 150, but now I'm right aroudn 160 and just don't feel great, even though all summer, I've been walking, or walking/running five mornings a week. I absolutely love getting the exercise. It feels great and I feel a boost just knowing that I'm doing something to help myself, but no weight loss. I'm working harder on my diet and hope to see some results in the next two weeks.

My problem is that we've pretty much eaten healthy due to Ross's diabetes, so how do we keep cutting/changing when we already feel as though we're doing so? My answer is to eat less. That's all I can come up with, and I don't like it one bit.

Anne, I hear ya on the metabloism slow down. That has to be it. That and the fact that I sit on my butt for work.

KathyC, I'd never thought about my thyroid. GOod point!

ciao, I like the trampoline idea. Sounds like a good workout.

EW, do you walk when you golf, or use a cart?

Chatty, I thought of you last week when I had Dad at the PT and he told him to do his little exercises on the commercials. Are you still marching on commercials?

Yes, I walk, even briskly, when I play golf. I've only used a cart in Spain, where everyone uses carts, because the golf courses are gigantic. Golf is def. a sport for me; up and down hills, in the bunker, outta the bunker,...in the bunker....outta the bunker, crawling on all fours looking for the ball, stooping, and going in hiding when hubby's balls zig zag across my head.

Bet you can duck quicker than El Presidente, when they
threw that shoe...LOL!!! Watch for the flying golf balls, there
Edelweiss3.

I think it's best to walk and pull golf clubs. Really gets your heart going. Especially on some of the courses around here. Very hilly.

Yes Dotsie I still march in place during commercials. It's harder now though with the ex sitting there staring at me. I just ignore him and his little comments.

Wow it's been awhile since I've been here, glad to be back and see all the energy. One of the things I've been up to is getting certified as a weight loss coach. It's one of the things I've been coaching on anyway I just needed some more information and science.
As all of your posts make clear, there is no one way to lose weight regardless of age. And what's also clear from the science that does apply to everyone, foods that turn into sugar get stored as fat and it's not all calories in and calories out. If you eat a carbohydrate, healthy or otherwise, on it's own with no protein or fat in tow, it will cause a sugar spike, insulin will go crazy trying to manage the extra sugar and what you are left with is sugar stored as fat because the cells can't use any more.
And contrary to conventional wisdom, if you don't eat fat you are setting yourself up for weight gain. Fat fires up the metabolism, is critical to bone health, mental health, and it helps you feel full.
Did you know the you can link the increase in diabetes and obesity--and depression in women--directly to the rise of non-fat and low-fat foods and diets that started in the '70s?
I've been working with a 50-something woman who was diagnosed with diabetes. In 5 weeks she lost 23 pounds and her sugar is completely normal. Yes she's motivated to eat differently and change her exercise but the point is she is not in deprivation mode, she's enjoying a full range of foods.
Blood sugar problems--caused by eating foods which cause spikes--lead to inflammation which leads to all the diseases of aging--such as diabetes and heart disease--full stop as they say in the UK.
I applaud all of the work everyone here is doing I would just love to see more women enjoy their lives and lose the weight rather than doing it the old science way and feeling frustration and deprivation is their lot.(Georgia seems have figured out what works for her for weight loss. You go jawjaw but don't fear the fat.)
This is not about Atkins type diets, it's not about one diet at all, it is like Georgia said about lifestyle change. It's about eating foods that provide the nutrients our bodies need genetically. Rice cakes, baked corn chips,not so much.
There are lots of books out there talking about this, anything by Dr. Perricone, Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Dr. Mary Enig,The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, Living the Low Carb Lifestyle by Dr. Jonny Bowden to name a few.
Sorry for what might be seen as a rant, I don't mean to rant I only want to offer a point of view that has merit and that might help.
I look forward to your comments.

MSCoach, I enjoyed your post. I'm currently trying to tweak my diet with healthier choices. Can I ask you a question about the fat? For most of my life, I've used butter. I don't use a lot, but do prefer it to margarine. About 2 months ago, I switched to non-hydrogenated margarine. It's probably coincidence, but since then, my body has been feeling somewhat "haywired" and I can't find my dietary balance (before the switch, I felt great).

Is there such a drastic difference between butter and margarine if I'm using it just for toast and a wee bit on veggies now and then?

BTW, I meant to say a big "welcome back" MSCoach!

I don't know if your health benefit allows it, Eagle but it might be best to see a registered dietician since you do have a range of health conditions.

There is abit of debate about butter vs. margarine. We have neither at home. I have noticed for myself if I eat something that has a butter sauce...I get abit of diarrehea..which is probably the reality that my body is no longer used to alot of butter. I'd rather keep it that way....not much butter (Some butter in pastries doesn't affect me, but not alot.) I have abit of butter on rolls/bread...when I go out to eat at restaurants.

And buttering a muffin..is foreign to me! Already the muffin has some sort of fat..therefore why put butter on it??

We buy healthy artisan bread from the bakery..the bread is very good in terms of quality..no fat, sugar nor eggs. Just eating a slice with nothing on it for certain types, is a pleasure. If I put something on it, a slice of cheese.

Orchid, it never occurred to me to go see a dietician. That might be the best idea, since it seems that lately everything is triggering something; I'm at the point where I don't know what to eat anymore.

Once in awhile, we buy artisan bread...my favourite is one with cranberries in it. It's so tasty that it doesn't need anything (butter, jam, anything). I should start buying my own bread, instead of using what hubby buys for himself. Thanks Orchid!

I'm only giving this link, if people still don't know what I'm talking about: http://www.terrabreads.com/artisan_baking/artisan_breads/

Believe me, it is not necessary to put anything extra on a slice of green olive bread. A slice itself stands alone, in great taste.

Eagle hope you find diet solutions for your problems. You deserve it.

Do you think healthier eating and lifestyles have become more popular in recent years, or is it our age?

The reason I don't think it's our age is because my two 20-something sons are into healthier eating too.

This is something I've been aware of since living with two diabetics, but it's still an area where there's room for improvement.

Eagle, I love bread, and at our Farmer's Market I have to tie my hands behind my back so I don't buy any of the unbelievable breads they sell. This past week, they had several vegetable and cheese breads that I passed up because I'm the only one in the house who can eat them which means I'd eat the whole loaf without a problem.

I'm anxious to see mscoach's response to your question.

Heathy eating featured for me as a child no fast food places at all here.so plain fair..eg. soups one meal of protein a day from either fish caught locally and meat made into stews..Home grown vegetables or local farmers produce..always milk made into many types of sweets..custard semolina and rice puddings.my children ate very similar foods then later pasta came into my home as did stopping eating red meat and having chicken in its place...one thing we do wrong is our baking..ok when its for special days but every would be too much sugar.
We always have cereal for breakfast. I use honey when I need sweetness.my one weekness is potato crips..I ration myself to low fat and only once a week..bad me

MSCOACH...what about using some of this, some of that. In other words, I DO have a bit of fat in my diet, but I also use non-fat sour cream. You see? Like yesterday I had tacos...I used regular taco shells, lean ground beef, non-fat sour cream and salsa. The meat has some fat in it no matter how much you drain it...but the sour cream, nope.

So I do a little of this, a little of that. I know my body needs some fat in the diet.

What I am alarmed to read from your post is that keeping it totally out of our diets can lead to diabetes...or did I read that wrong?

Tell again about your upcoming coaching program for healthy eating. I wanna know more. Or if you want, email me the particulars...either way.

G

Mountain, I used to love to bake, and did quite a bit of it when the kids were growing up. I rarely bake these days because everyone is diet conscience, but I miss it. There's soemthing satisfying about baking up a batch of chocolate peanut butter ship cookies, or fruit breads, then having them around for a few days to enjoy with a small glass of milk. YUM!

Yesterday I made a batch of applesauce. Boy is it good. The only thing I added was a little bit of cinnamon.

Do you bake Xmas cookies, Dotsie?

Hi Eagle Heart and thanks for the welcome back.

You are an intuitive eater. Butter is a natural product whereas margarine, transfats or not is not so your body does not know what to do with it. It does not process it well and that's, in my humble opinion, why you feel haywired--great new word by the way.
Butter is not a problem in the amounts you mentioned. It's a great source of tasty fat which digests easily for most. Margarines however are pretty much junk food.
Nice to be back.

EW, I used to bake about 8-10 differnt kinds of cookies when the kids were little. Now I only make a few batches. How about you?

mscoach, I recall when everyone said better was bad for us. Times change things, and this is one change I'm enjoying!

Hey Ms Queen,

I think you are doing just fine with your little bit a this and little bit a that. I'm against non fat foods because of the chemical structure of them--they ain't real food anymore. But a little isn't going to buy you the farm by any stretch. You sound like you are eating a well balanced diet and most important of all--it's working for you.
This is the point to really take home from all of this science of healthy eating. There is a factory specified diet that is what our basically neanderthal systems does best on. BUT we are all biochemically individuals and as such one gal's energizing burger is another gal's energy killer.
When I said that not having fat in your diet can lead to diabetes--more or less said that--it's because fat does not raise blood sugar. It is an blood sugar neutral food. It helps slow the digestion of sugars and foods that turn into sugar and some fats--like coconut oil--actually boost metabolism. What's going to push someone into the condition--reversible 99% of the time--called diabetes is unstable blood sugar and the resulting surges in insulin.
Dr. Julian Whitaker's book Reversing Diabetes is a great place for anyone with this condition or pre-diabetes to get some good solid info on how this is possible, why, and the program to follow.

MsCoach, Dr. Julian Whitaker is the official expert of reversing diabetes and what you said about good fats is exactly right. He has a clinbic in Newport Beach, CA. and you can go stay there for a week or two and by the time you leave you will be off most of your medications, usually all of them, and be diabetes free, blood pressure normal and in good health generally. He does most of this with the correct foods. The man is a God and I say that with all my heart. I get his news letter monthly.

I've lived with chronic insomnia for the past three years. I ended up having to take prescription medication for three months and was unable to work during that time. Not because of the medication but because I was barely functional.

Since buying the book "I Can Make You Sleep" by Paul McKenna, I have been gaining ground on my battle against insomnia. I no longer take prescription medication and I seldom use over the counter meds. It's been one month since I read the book.

The quality of my sleep has vastly improved and I am no longer napping. The final hurdle I am working on is establishing a healthy sleep cycle.

There is hope out there ladies. Sweet dreams!

I also read that one should never do anything in their bedroom but sleep,(and whatever else comes natural if married.) If not aqble to fall asleep in a half an hour get up, walk around, have a cup of warm milk and try again.

Dotsie, I don't bake anymore. I used to, but Hubby has taken over in that department. He loves his kitchen. I can't get him out of it.

I agree with everyone here in terms of it's often about what you're eating and not only about the amount.
What we've found extremely helpful is The Small Change Diet by Keri Gans (http://womensvoicesforchange.org/book-review-the-small-change-diet-video.htm) - which outlines small steps (and explains exactly why) towards healthy eating.

Hi Orchid,
While trying to check your shared links, I got page not found error. I know things like this happens on entire web so I will be kind if you will check and share the link again. Will be of great help for those who have recently started working out. Thanks in advance for any input.

Sorry Chalmer, my posted message and links was ...um 5 yrs. ago.

To continue to the dialogue...

I find myself trying to stay healthy and fit, is a lot less for fashion, beauty...

the game has changed..it is now ensuring a good quality of my life long term. I would like to minimize my own suffering from multiple complicating diseases of which some can be controlled through long term healthy diet and some exercise.

I agree with the advice to get your thyroid checked. I lost a lot of weight once my thyroid was under control. It's very important for mood as well....it seems to even everything out.

But I've never heard of Armour. I use Synthroid. Can you share a little bit about it please? Is it generic? I've heard you should stay away from generic brands for thyroid conditions.

Thank you!