Healthier Lifestyle Thread 7th July till 13th July

[Shay37]

Marcy, fabulous work, dahling. You are an inspiration.

PG, you will love it.

Thanks guys for all the kind words. I actually went out last night and rode my bike with my kids and my neighbor and her kid for 50 minutes after I posted last night.

I''m going to see if she wants to go now. Check in later.

shay

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 7/11/2008 10:30:37 AM
Author: Julianna

Date: 7/11/2008 10:07:51 AM
Author: KimberlyH
Morning All!

Julianna, I''m sure you''ve said this elsewhere, but could you tell me about your avatar?

Hey KimberlyH, thanks for asking. I shall commence a threadjack now.

My avatar is the POW/MIA flag that you''ll see flown around the USA alot (not sure if you''re living in the USA

). It is a flag that was created in the early ''70s to represent our soldiers who were prisoners of war or missing in action in the Vietnam War, and to remind people that we have not yet accounted for all of our missing soldiers, but that we have a commitment to do so. At some point, Congress passed an act so that this flag would fly on many national holidays in a number of locations, including military installations, national cemetaries and war memorials. Many citizens like to display this flag all the time, not just on holidays. It has since come to represent soldiers in wars that followed the Vietnam conflict, as well.

You can''t read the bottom of the flag in my avatar, but it says ''You are not forgotten''.

I grew up in Munich, Germany, in American military housing. My father was not military, but he worked in a capacity that allowed us to live on base. Even though I lived there for 13 years, the soldiers and their families cycled through every 2-4 years on their military ''tours''. I got to know a lot of soldiers and their kids this way, and frankly, soldiers and their kids were pretty much the only Americans I knew, having lived in that country so long. These are people who volunteered to put their lives on the line for their country. It''s more than I can say for myself, and it''s more than I can say for most people in the United States.

Now that I''ve returned to my home country, I am grateful every day for the men and women who fight and die in wars to keep this country''s freedoms. Even if a war is being fought for a frivilous cause, or even built on lies, they are on the ground and in the air and on the water, defending the USA. I can imagine how frightening it must be. As far as I''m concerned, that flag represents ALL soldiers until they come home.

Hope that wasn''t too long. It''s hard to stop, once I get started on that topic.

Thanks again for asking. End of threadjack.

Julianna (another hijack, I''m nowhere near pregnant, but my DH has decided if we ever have a daughter her name will be Julianna, we''ve been playing the name game and he always comes back to your name, it cracks me up),

Thank you for sharing, and reminding us all how lucky we are (as wrong as our gov''t is and can be) that we are protected by those who serve.

I''m off to the gathering, with no longer have a desire to attend, but I have dessert so I must go for a while. I''d really like my pj''s and some time with DH.

K

 

[Julianna]

Date: 7/11/2008 9:28:14 PM
Author: KimberlyH
Julianna (another hijack, I''m nowhere near pregnant, but my DH has decided if we ever have a daughter her name will be Julianna, we''ve been playing the name game and he always comes back to your name, it cracks me up),

Thank you for sharing, and reminding us all how lucky we are (as wrong as our gov''t is and can be) that we are protected by those who serve.

I''m off to the gathering, with no longer have a desire to attend, but I have dessert so I must go for a while. I''d really like my pj''s and some time with DH.

K

Really? REALLY?? That''s fabulous!

One more Julianna for the team!!

Hope you''re having a lovely evening even though it wasn''t your top choice of things to do.

 

[Rod]

Wow, so many posts for the day. It''s 10:30 and I''m just pooped. I got up at 6:15, and was at my desk working by 7:45 and didn''t leave until 6:30. But it was a super productive day for me. I''m just going to have to get used to the fact that my new profession (headhunting) requires lot''s of hours, but the payoff can be huge. Then, I met Charlie for Sushi, but since he has to be at work at 8 tomorrow morning, we didn''t have FroYo, just coffee at the Sbucks closer to home. I have absolutely nothing planned for the day tomorrow, except ROD WILL sleep till at least 9 at the earliest. DeeJay: ROD IS WITH ON NOT BEING A MORNING PERSON. Never was, never will be. Period.

Thanks for the threadjack and infusion of a dose of much needed patriotism Julianna!

YOU ROCK MARCY!!!! 160 Pounds is such an AMAZING accomplishment!! To our hero, the "AMAZING SHRINKING WOMAN!!""

Thanks Skippy. I slept again last night and I know I will tonight.

Kathleen, my thoughts are with you and your mom. Prayers and hugs to you both. Thanks for keeping my dad and brother in your thoughts as well. My dad is doing great. And my brother seems to make some good progress. His major test to see if he has cancer or diverticulitis is next week. At least we''ll know what it is then.

Yay for making progress Apple!

Miscka, I used to weigh myself daily and often twice daily. I rarely do anymore. The scale is an awful addiction and as long as you know you are eating healthy and you''re exercising and your clothes fit just fine, I wouldn''t worry about not climbing up on the evil scale monster.

Kimberly, you didn''t say how the Snapper was? I hope you enjoyed it, or at least you found it not so awful.........

Thanks PG. I''m afraid the hours won''t likely lessen, but I''ll just have to adjust my life to accommodate my work schedule. I enjoyed reading your post and words of learned wisdom and for being able to share the year you''ve had, which most would consider bad, by any standards. Still you found some inspiration and I wanted to thank you sharing your thoughts. Well said and thanks.

I''m sorry you had to tear through the house to find the tooth gel Lorelei. Didn''t your doctor give you some pain relievers in case you experieced pain? I hope you''re feeling better.

Nice to see you back safe and sound Linda. Other than it being hot out there, I hope had some fun along the way!

Again DeeJay, I take solace in knowing I''m not the only person on the planet who IS NOT a morning person!!

Hey Choro an Shay!

OK, I''m beat and heading to bed. Sleep well everyone and please don''t wake me till well past 9AM, OK!!!

 

[marcy]

Hi Everyone. We had a quite celebration dinner at home tonight. We had filet cooked on the grill, some rice and corn on the cob. We each had a glass of champagne and a little piece of cake with slow churned ice cream. It was very nice. I can’t believe I finally reached my goal.
Thanks for the big YAY’s Lorelei. I appreciate it.
Appletini, glad to hear you got in some exercise this morning. Thanks for the congrats.
Thanks for the kind words Julianna. I agree with you, the only way I can do things that early in the day is to be unaware of what I am doing. Very nice story behind your avatar.
Miscka, I think it’s great you are just concentrating on visible results not what the scale says. I am one of those people who obsess about weighing and I don’t think I should. Thanks for the congrats.
Kimi, thank you for the nice compliment. Mmm cupcakes. I am sure they look and taste great.
PhoenixGirl, it’s all about the percentages girl and I find it much harder to lose weight now. I lost so much because I had so much weight to lose. Thanks for saying I am an inspiration. I appreciate it. So many people tell me I lost more than they weigh and that sure freaks me out. I am glad you like the second counselor better.
Linda, thank you for the lovely words. I appreciate it. I hope you had fun camping even though it was hot.
Thanks Ellen.
DeeJay, thanks for such a great compliment. It means a lot to me. Good luck with your showings tomorrow. I am not a morning person either and we have to get up about 5:30 and be on the road by 6:30 in the morning. Marty is playing golf and I am going shopping with my niece and her boy friend. They have been looking at erings and want my help and advice. I am finally turning in my pink sapphire ring to be fixed though.
Katebar, it continues to amaze me. Thank you very much.
Skippy, thank you.
Chrono, thank you. How are you doing with all your bandages?
Thanks, Shay. Yay for going out for a bike ride.
Rod, yay for getting to sleep in tomorrow. I am getting up before the air is out in the morning so I hope I survive okay. Tee hee. Thanks for the kind words about me. Glad to hear you slept well last night.
I am posting a few pictures, some of my laptop which I am kind of having problems learning to type on and my “BIG DAYS” photo.
Take care and have a great weekend.
Marcy

 

[marcy]

The new laptop from the top.

 

[marcy]

The new laptop displaying Skippy''s lovely rainbow photo.

 

[Linda W]

Marcy: You look simply gorgeous!!! You continue to amaze me at how hard you worked. Most people would have given up.

I have to tell you, one of my close girlfriends is very very overweight. She tries to lose weight, looses a couple of pounds, then gains it back again. I admire you so, for sticking to it and reaching your goal!!!! You are an inspiration to us all. Now..... put your story in a magazine Please!!!

Love and hugs.

Linda

 

[Skippy123]

Hi All! I had a busy day. I met some friends for lunch and met my friends new adopted baby (super duper cutie pie) and then grocery shopped for a little dinner party I am thowing together tomorrow night!

This evening we went to a friends dinner party.

They served a super naughty dessert which was delicious. hehe I need to workout tomorrow for sure!

I want to respond to everyone but I need to get to sleep as the cable guy is coming over early tomorrow morning! Sweet dreams friends

Marcy love the new laptop!

 

[marcy]

Thanks, Linda. You are a sweetie pie for saying so. I was so where your friend was for years. I would try to diet, blow it and just give up. Or figure after starving for weeks and only loose a few pounds what was the use? There was no way I could loose 160 pounds. But as Marty said tonight once you made up your mind to do it; I knew you wouldn''t stop until you got there. Of course, I won''t be stopping now either. This is the rest of my life and I will continue to live this way. I hope your friend finds that motivation some day as well.

Skippy, I have almost dropped my new laptop a few times already. I have a lap desk and it''s too flimsy for this laptop as it is kind of top heavy. I just grabbed it minutes ago before it tipped over. Rats, I will have to give up using a mouse. Of course now that I don''t have a big stomach in the way my laptiop sets flat on my legs so maybe I should just quit using something to set my laptop on. I actually just realized that is honestly why I needed the lap desk was because I was so large I didn''t have a "lap" to set something on. Too funny! Glad you are having some fun time with friends this weekend.

Well, I am off to bed. 5:30 will come around too quickly. My 2 coats of nail polish are dry. That is the beauity of living in Wyoming where we have no humidity - nail polish is completely dry in 20 minutes.

TTFN!!

 

[Lorelei]

Marcy you look so gorgeous, that is such an incredible achievement!!!

 

[perry]

Marcy: Congratulations... I need to loose about 90 Lb and you make it look so easy.... I do know it is a long process.

Kimberley, I do not think the issue is just gluten; thus, I don''t think gluten free will help. I need to avoid certain foods entirely.

Now I will update how I have done.... errrr....

Things started to go astray on Thursday. One of the items on my check list is to take my vitamins and meds mid day. To do that I put them in a small zip lock bag each day and pack them in my lunchbox (I do reuse the zip lock bag for many days).

On Thursday I somehow did not get the ziplock bag in my luchbox. I can''t take them if I don''t have them with me. I did find the ziplock bag on my table when I got home in the evening.

Then I was run down Thursday evening and had a very bad night (could not sleep). In the AM I was able to finally get some sleep and had very little time to get to work on Friday AM. Thus, I missed my Friday AM exercise too.... and was really tired when I got home Friday too - and took naps and went to be earlier than normal (without my evening exercise)

Thus, 2 days in a row I missed on completing my daily checklist.

Today is a new day - and I start over. I slept late and feel a lot better this AM. So off to a fresh start.

Now onto the Allergies: How I became allergic to all those foods.

Many people do not know - or truly understand - how vital the GI tract is to your immune system. Current estimates is that the bacteria and other things in your GI tract make up at least 75% of you total immune system. Even the Doctors did not know (and many Doctors today still don''t know because they are well past the age where this was taught in medical school).

What happened to me was only really explained a couple of years ago. I think the key published medical study only came out in 2005 on the issue.

Doctors who specialize in allergies were struggling with the fact that not just a few people were all the sudden becoming allergic to all kinds of things, often with no major medical problems in the past and no family history. Basically healthy one year - allergic to all kinds of stuff a couple of years later.

What caused it? So several of them started doing some research. Review of medical history files quickly identified a common item to something like 99.95% of people who developed all of these allergies (especially food allergies).

A medical treatment that killed the bacteria in the GI tract. It killed not just the bad stuff - but also all the good stuff too.

These medical treatments have only been possible for the last couple of decades, and have become more popular as they seem to solve some problems very fast.

In my case I got Giardia when backpacking on the Appalachian Trail in 1990 (I borrowed water from someone else one day when I ran out and did not want to take the time to filter more water at the time: big mistake).

While there are now other treatments available today - the only treatment back then was to kill everything in the GI tract. But, I was told that I would be starting over as far as my ability to digest food again (just like a newborn baby - except that the newborn starts with set of bacteria from their mother).

As far as I can tell - I essentially became allergic to almost everything I ate over the next couple of years until my GI tract bacteria rebuilt itself to be able to handle all food types and groups. Without the bacteria necessary to handle various foods - my body treated them as "undesirable" to be defended against.

Their are also two types of allergic reaction, which is based on which kind of immune response your body has - and their are several classifications: Primary allergies are the kind that you immediately react to with a histamine reaction: You swell up. Most people have a localized primary reaction to insect bits (a small local welt). Asthma is a primary reaction in the lung where the lungs swell shut. I have a primary reaction to cats - my face turns red, eyes and throat start swelling shut, eyes water, etc in minutes of exposure.

Secondary reactions are delayed and longer (days to a week). They are what make you feel run down, ache, and drowsy when you have the flue. Most food allergies in the world are secondary - they just make you feel lousy and unproductive for days (and it is hard to hold a good job when you are like that). A few people do have severe primary food allergies to things like peanuts and have to carry epi pens; but most people with food allergies are of the secondary type.

The solution to prevent what happened is:

1) Reduce the treatments that just kill off all - or even most GI tract bacteria unless it is really medically necessary. For example their are now treatments for Giardia available that do not kill everything. Unfortunately, most older Doctors are still likely to prescribe the old drugs as that is what they know.

2) Rebuild your GI tract bacteria as fast as possible. This takes far more than just eating yogurt with active bacteria (and you really need unpasteurized yogurt - which is not legal to sell in many states and has a very short shelf life - to get what you really need). Fortunately today you can buy little packs of GI tract bacteria and rebuild most of your system in a week or two. That did not exist in 1990; but at least I can be comforted that there is now a way to prevent what happened to me.

It took me over a decade to figure out that a key reason I was always run down and barely functional was the food allergy issue. I had other medical problems that were more apparent; and only after getting them under control was it obvious that I was reacting to food.


Anyway, you all have a nice weekend; and keep on with your goals.

I don''t know how much time I will have to post - and will be off to my Parents early tomorrow.

Perry

 

[phoenixgirl]

Perry, wow, I never knew that about food allergies but it makes total sense. Even having strep earlier this year and being on two rounds of antibiotics, I became insanely sugar crazy and then realized I needed to get probiotics. I know that's nowhere near being the same thing, but it definitely made me appreciate the balance of bacteria in our systems. (And then I did get my first set of hives a month or two later . . . never figured out what caused it but assumed it might have been Thai food . . . do you think those might be related?).


I've been having a hard time getting going today. DH had a bad day at work yesterday (he's a financial adviser, so all his clients see their accounts go down in this down market and then call him in a panic) so he didn't want to be social last night (although we managed to run into his best friend at the pizza place we went to down the street for dinner and ate with him and his friend), so we watched Le Tour de France last night, and then we had it on this morning. So what did I do? I fell asleep watching it this morning. I had already gotten 8 hours of sleep. But since I have nothing to do but watch Le tour all day and I finished the novel I was reading yesterday (the most recent, somewhat depressing, gazillion page John Irving, so I need a day or two before beginning something else), I just got bored and tired. How much Scrabulous on Facebook can one play? (Well, the answer is a lot, but my playmates don't have as much free time as I so I spend a lot of time between moves).

OK, here are the silver linings: since I was asleep on the couch, I was around when the postman brought DH's expedited passport, which had to be signed for (DH remembered last weekend that his passport was expired). And now I'm in the backyard looking at our newly redone koi pond. Our 9 year old neighbor killed all the fish because she turned on the hose and forgot about it for four hours. Silver lining: the liner obviously had a leak all these years (hence the need to refill the pond so often), so we (well, DH and the fish killer and her dad) redid the whole pond with a new liner. And the water level has stayed constant for days, whereas in the past it would drop several inches a day. And we got three new little fish. And the old fish had been procreating like crazy so we really needed to cull them (not that this is how we would have done it).

DH has offered to take me out to lunch, and I should probably let him, except in the down market we should probably eat out less (and we went out for a cheap dinner last night and are meeting friends at a restaurant tonight). But weekend lunches are one of my favorite things and we haven't had one since my dad died.

I don't think I'm going to work out today. It's not the working out part; I can do that. It's the part where I have to change outfits and then shower and reapply bug spray and sunblock and all that. I can't wrap my brain around that many steps at the moment.

Well, I guess it makes sense that I am exhibiting a few signs of depression. From what I've read, that's very normal, and while it is actual depression, it's reactive--caused by a specific event--and not something, I hope, that I'll normally deal with once some more time has passed.

 

[KimberlyH]

Morning All!

Julianna, if DH has his way there will be another one on your team. I love the name, but it''s further down on my list of favorites than his. The best part is it''s the name of a former student of his from years ago (he no longer works for a school) and so when he says the name he says the whole name it''s Julianna HerLongHyphenated-LastName OurLastName. My favorite is actually the name of this girls'' sister. Funny. Anyways, hijack over, for now.

Marcy, you simply look gorgeous!

Skip, enjoy your party tonight.

Rod, the snapper was so good we could have skipped the steak, DH made it just in case I was totally grossed out by the fish, but it was not necessary. I am a morning person, but only because it''s when I get my quiet time in for the day. Hope you managed to sleep in.

PG, thank you for sharing with us. You are so right that it''s easy to find excuses for not exercising, especially when life gets tough. You are inspiring.

Perry, no stress about getting off track, just hop back on. I wish I had great food advice/suggestions for you, but I am lucky in that I have no food allergies so I can eat whatever I please (sometimes I wish I had some restrictions!). Have a safe trip to your parents.

So the gathering ended up being more fun than I thought. I stayed for about an hour and a half, then J and I had a late, small dinner. At some point today I''m going to exercise, but right now my book is calling me.

Have a great day all. Will check in later.

 

[Linda W]

Marcy:

I think because of our age now, she just figures "Oh Well". We will be 59 this year. I give her pep talks, but it doesn''t do any good. In high school she was thin, so I don''t know what really happened.

Anyway, again, I am so proud of you as I know Marty, your family and his is.

Hi Skippy sweetie pie: Have a wonderful dinner tonight with your friends. We are having a party here in September, with my high school friends, like we did in December. I can''t wait to see them again. Summer is too busy for them, so we all decided September would be a good month. I always get a stomach ache around them from laughing so much.

Hi Perry and welcome, I don''t think I welcomed you yet. That is terrible to have so many food allergies.

Hi Kimi and PG:

Will check back later, we are taking Miss Mazie to the groomers.

It is still really smoky here, can''t wait until I can open the windows again.

 

[Skippy123]

Afternoon all! I was busy yesterday and still busy cleaning up and prepping dinner for tonight. I thought I would make another spinach lasagna well, unbeknownst to me I picked up cilantro instead of parsley

. I thought it looked odd but I am pretty sure the sign mislabeled it at the farmers market. I already worked hard mixing it in the spinach when hubby said this is cilantro. I said NO! We think it might be okay, but I have a nice salad and a few other sides so if worse comes to worse I have a few other choices. Good news, hubbers just informed me he is making his famous focaccia bread, YUM!

I have not had a chance to workout, darn! Tomorrow I will get a workout in! Catch you all on the flipside!

Marcy, great pics, of the laptop and of you; you are so tiny!!!

Rod, glad you slept well last night! Hope you have a wonderful weekend and it sounds like you are rocking at work, yay!

Kimi, thanks for the good wishes! What book are you reading? I am glad you had a good evening!

Julianna, I love your name too, like Kimi! Super glad to see you back!!!

Perry, I am sorry you have food allergies; I have severe allergies to things around me and very slight food allergy to peanuts and soy. I can't imagine having severe food allergies, I am so sorry. I would make an appointment with a Registered Dietician to help design a good meal plan for you.

Linda, oh no to the smoke, how much is it contained? I am so sorry. how are you feeling? I have been thinking about you, love!!! Thank you! How fun to have a nice party come Sept; I bet it will be perfect weather for the occassion.

Dee, Lorelei, PHX, yay for the workouts!

 

[kathleenmv]

Just popping by to say CONGRATULATIONS to Marcy!!!!!

You look gorgeous. It is, indeed, an amazing achievement. Thanks for letting us share your journey and your joy!

 

[Shay37]

Hello my boys and girls!!!! It is a great night here in RI. My DH and our boys AND my neighbor and son went for a bike ride today (35 minutes). Last night me and the monster bugs went for 35 minutes too.

Tonight me and the neighbor are going to hit some CR as my DH is at work.

shay

 

[Rod]

Hey Everyone.......

I had a nice relaxing day. I really didn't do much. I had hoped to sleep in as I mentioned in my postl last night, but alas, that didn't happen. I guess my body clock is getting used to getting up earlier, so I was wide awake at 7:30 and finally up at 8, which for a weekend morning is really early for me. I ran some errands, did a little work, had lunch at Panera, coffee under the oak and then when Charlie got home from work a little after 5, we went to our favorite little diner for dinner, followed by FroYo and coffee at Sbucks. It was pleasant out tonight and we sat with some friends for a while, which was fun. As we were driving home a thunderstorm came along and it's just pouring outside right now.

Charlie's working tomorrow, but I'm going to have a routine Sunday, including a nice long workout at the gym in the afternoon. I have to do the grocery shopping, which frightens Charlie. I'm the kind of grocery shopper who will wander up and down every aisle and bring all sorts of things home I shouldn't. So, he's already written a grocery list with explicit instructions to get just what's on the list. I guess I'll be good and do as instructed......LOL.

Skippy, I hope your cilantro spinach lasagna turned out great and your dinner party is/was a huge success. I'll bet once the cilantro is cooked in with the spinach, it will be quite tasty actually.

Marcy, you are just beaming in your newest picture. As well you should after working so hard to hit your goal of 160 pounds. You lost more weight than Charlie weighs. It's amazing when you think you lost the equivalent of an adult male off your body. Just amazing.

Perry, your post was really interesting. I knew giardia was really bad. Our Bombay cat who we had to put down in early February somehow got it several years ago and she was never healthy again afterwards. She was an indoor kitty only and had never been outside a day in her life, so we never knew how she got it. But, it pretty much destroyed her immune system and there really wasn't anything the vet could do to make her better. She suffered a lot for the last few years of her life. I'm glad you got over your giardia infection, and are beggining to better understand your food allergies. I hope everything gets better for you each day. I'm a big believer in probiotics like Phoenix is. I drink a DanActive every morning with my vitamins.

Phoenix, with all you've been through, it's natural for you to still be having depression issues. I hope you let your hubby take you out to lunch. Not that I want to push you to workout, but I think you'll find that it's one of the absolute best ways to combat depression. I hope you're feeling better and stronger every day.

That's terrific that you enjoyed the snapper Kimberly! I'm glad you enjoyed the gathering better than you anticipated.

I'm sorry it's still smoky there Linda. I read in the paper today that the fires could last well into August before any major relief is found. That's a long time to be shut indoors.

I guess that about does it for my daily post. I hope you all enjoyed your Saturday and will have a terrific Sunday.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Hey kids -- just a quick check in!

I didn''t work out today for the first time in a LONG time, but I''m hoping to make it to the gym tomorrow before my first showing. The HH and I just got back from Whole Foods with a "Death by Chocolate" cake so I think I might need a trip to the gym in the am!

Sorry for not addressing everyone personally, but I do want to ask Perry a question.

Perry, please forgive me if this is a stupid idea, but can you take the same thing you took when you had the giardai the first time so it wipes out all the bacteria and then start over anew with the information that''s available today so you can introduce foods differently and built up a tolerance? Maybe your body can''t do that twice, but I just thought I''d ask...

 

[marcy]

Hi everyone. I hope you are having a great Saturday. We got on the road by about 6:15. There is air at that time of day; I was so surprised. Marty got to the golf course about 8:00. I took off to meet my niece and her boy friend but had about an hour to kill so I went to Mimi’s and had a low fat blueberry muffin. It was quite tasty.

After meeting up with my niece and her BF we went to several jewelry stores. I stayed out of their way mos of them time tbut they at least realize the ring she wants from the mall store has a nasty diamond in it. She still loves the ring though so they will probably buy it and upgrade the stone. It is a pretty setting. For college kids it will be a great ring. I picked up a summer sweater on sale but didn’t try it on; I found out it’s a bit “low cut” when I got home so will just stitch up the neck a bit so it’s more to my taste. I took an entire page of a wish list to my favorite jewelry store but walked away empty handed. Rats. I wanted a bracelet, earrings and pendant to match my Kentucky Blue sapphire ring (it’s close to a Ceylon sapphire blue) but they either didn’t have it or I didn’t like it. I was trying to get Marty going when we all met for a late lunch that I can’t believe they’d finance that much for same as cash for 12 months but he didn’t buy it.

We had dinner at a family style Italian restaurant but after having drink and a piece of garlic bread I was pretty much full so I ate a few bites of chicken, some spaghetti and a few bites of wonderful cheesecake.

Lorelei, thank you so much. I am still in a bit of a state of disbelief.

Perry, thank you very much. It was easy but it took me about 22 months. Good luck on reaching your goal, I know you can do it. I found your information on allergies and food allergies very interesting. My allergies came to me from my father. He has hay fever, asthma and food allergies. Some of my food allergies were apparent as a child but when I found out I had arthritis in my knees they put me on anti-inflammatory medicine. Most medicine makes me pretty sick anyway and those pills they told you to take with food. Consequently since I was allergic to the medicine I became allergic to many of the foods I was eating with the pills. My delayed reactions are generally worse than the primary reactions. For example, turkey makes me so sick people seriously think they should take me to the hospital but it doesn’t hit me until 6 to 10 hours later. Chicken and pork give me hives and the itchiness but they don’t show up for 24 to 72 hours. It is certainly frustrating to deal with and I certainly never know what or when something is going to give me a reaction.

PhoenixGirl, yay for silver linings. I hope you had a nice dinner with friends tonight. It is tough to do everyday things during difficult times but just take things one step and one day at a time until you feel more up to it. I think it’s a very natural way for you to feel after what has happened. I continue to keep you in my thoughts.

Kimi, thanks for the nice compliment. I hope you enjoyed your book.

Linda, thank you for saying that. I hope your friend realizes it’s never too late but only she can discover that on her own. I can’t imagine how bad the smoke is there – it is pretty bad here a few states away.

Skippy, rats for getting the wrong thing at the market. I am sure your dinner will be marvelous. That is such a sweet thing to say that I look tiny!

Kathy, thank you for the lovely compliment. I appreciate you and everyone sharing my journey and my joy.

Shay, yay for some great bike rides this weekend.

Rod, too funny about Charlie being nervous about you doing the grocery shopping. I hate to send Marty off with my list too. Thanks for the kind words about my photo. One of the guys that works for me weighs about 165 and that was something we were talking about at work just thing about hooking him around my neck and carrying him around all the time. I do have a pretty big smile on my face.

DeeJay, enjoy that cake. It sounds yummy.

Well. have a great evening. Take care.
Laters,
Marcy

 

[perry]

Date: 7/12/2008 10:09:59 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Sorry for not addressing everyone personally, but I do want to ask Perry a question.


Perry, please forgive me if this is a stupid idea, but can you take the same thing you took when you had the giardai the first time so it wipes out all the bacteria and then start over anew with the information that''s available today so you can introduce foods differently and built up a tolerance? Maybe your body can''t do that twice, but I just thought I''d ask...

Unfortunately, it doesn''t work that way.

The allergies are stored in your mast cells, and not in the bacteria. The mast cells are very very long lived cells. The only real hope I have is that if I totally avoid something for the life of all the mast cells that are storing that allergen trigger (like 15+ years); then those mast cells die out. If I eat the item before then, the mast cells react and spread the trigger for that item to the other - younger - mast cells.

Marcy. I agree that secondary allergies are often worse than the primary ones. It can be very hard to figure out as well given that they usually don''t show up until well after you eat the problem food.

All have a great day; off to bed now.

Perry

 

[marcy]

Perry, you taught me more about allergies than I ever knew - I just deal with them but didn''t really know a lot about them. Silly allergies.

 

[Amanda.Rx]

Hey Everybody!

My name is Amanda. I''m sort-of new to PS & thought it was all about diamonds until I started browsing more and found this one!

First, I would like to say congrats on all of your hard work to get healthier

- it is SO important for quality of life!!

Everyone is so great with the diamond advice and I feel bad "sucking information out of everyone" so I feel like I can actually help here!

I''m coming up on my 3rd year of Pharmacy school and will have my doctorate in 2010. While not quite there yet, I have come a LONG way, and can help try and answer any health questions you have- especially if they pertain to medications.

Please feel free to shoot me any questions or concerns you may have and I''ll do my best to find you an answer with the resources I have!

Amanda

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome to the thread Amanda!

It is great to have you join us! The thread works by us sharing tips and info on food, working out and anything health related really, so feel free to jump in as and when you like! I start the new thread each Monday, so look for a new one tomorrow.

Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself, what your health and fitness goals are? Do you workout? We will be delighted to get to know you!

 

[KimberlyH]

Happy Sunday Everyone!

We ended up going to Coronado and having pizza for dinner last night, then wandering over to the Del for drinks and dessert (a cheese plate). It was so fun. We''re going to the movies this evening and out to dinner again, we''re back to our normal twice a week, how fun! I worked out this morning, felt great!

Dee, how was the cake? Or did it kill you?

Skip, I was reading Born On A Blue Day, but it wasn''t that great. Next on my list are Five Points and A Great Man. I finished American Pastoral, Joe College, and The Ruins of California in the past few weeks. How''d the lasanga come out?

Shay, what does it mean to "hit some CR"?

Welcome, Amanda.

Have a great day all.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Sunday all!

I got up early (well, early for me -- 8:30!) and did 70 mins on the elliptical this morning before my first showing. I'm going to spend a few days at my friend's cottage in Michigan so I had to pack for that too, and now I'm just home in between clients to grab a quick lunch. I don't know what I'm going to do in terms of working out while I'm there, but I remember there being a REALLY steep hill lleading to a lake path, so maybe I'll give that a shot.

The cake was disappointing at best. It was *sweet* but not very chocolaty. There were several layers and the bottom was the best, it tasted like a brownie, but the upper layers were only ok. And the icing--no thanks. The HH didn't seem to mind it as much as I did so I'm leaving it here to keep him company while I'm gone.

Have a good rest of the weekend everyone, and I'll be back on Wednesday.

Welcome Amanda!

 

[phoenixgirl]

DH is playing golf right now and then I went wine shopping with a neighbor. I had to postpone my workout to go with her but I am trying to keep as busy and social as possible.

We did go out for lunch yesterday and then had dinner with friends at a new place last night. It was a trendy "comfort food," so it was a weird mix of chic restaurant bar scene with wine in a whiskey glass, box your own leftovers, etc. But I really liked the food and will have my leftovers (veg. lasagna) for dinner.

This morning DH made crepes for some neighbors and friends, so basically all I''ve eaten today have been crepes (with fruit and homemade whipped cream, with nutella and banana, and with salmon and goat cheese). Yum!

I''m going to work out now. I usually work out in the basement, but it''s not air-conditioned. In our old brick house the basement stays pretty cool, but I just do not like the heat and humidity and need to feel the AC right on me, so I brought up my Transfirmer and my weights and will do it in the living room.

I''m going to try Gatorade (mixed with water, not straight) and/or electrolyte pills when running in the heat and do my best to get out the door earlier. Also, I ran my last two miles pretty fast, so I''m going to consciously try to slow down. I''m just having a hard time telling whether I am having difficulty because I''m stressed in general or because I can''t stand the heat. Probably both.

My new therapist suggested making a place in the house where I keep things that remind me of Dad (not quite a shrine, she said, but that''s the idea) and writing in a journal. That has been very useful. Yesterday I felt sad and off all day, and when I sat down to write in my journal I just cried and cried. I think if I hadn''t made the point to write in my journal, I wouldn''t have cried and wouldn''t have gotten those feelings out. Now that six or so weeks have passed, I guess I''m not crying at the drop of a hat anymore and need a little help keeping in touch with my feelings (being the stoic type).

OK, off to work out!

 

[Amanda.Rx]

Hello again!

Lorelei asked me to introduce myself and tell you all a little about my fitness goals, outlook on health, etc.

Again, my name is Amanda. I grew up in SC and still attend school there. I am in my 3rd year of Pharmacy school & am working towards my doctorate of pharmacy in 2010.

I grew up as a swimmer- swam all throughout middle/high school and swam for 2 years in college before I retired. During that decade, I learned a lot about myself, about fitness/workouts, and about nutrition. Now, I''ve gotten a little more into triathlons, but try to work out at least 4 times/ week. Sometimes getting motivated to go to the gym is the hardest part of my day. I do better with my diet usually. I try and eat very well balanced, healthy meals. I typically try to stay away from fried foods, fatty meats, vending machines, and excessive sugar (although dessert is my one true love and enemy in life). I love fresh fruits and vegetables and try to eat them with every meal.

Although I will be a pharmacist one day & a big part of my job will be treating people with ailments, I STRONGLY believe in prevention! Preventing the onset of "lifestyle" diseases (which I consider to be high blood pressure, cholesterol, type II diabetes, etc.) is SO much easier than trying to treat them (and also much healthier and less expensive).

I hope that I can get to know you all and be a cheerleader for you! Please let me know if I can help you with anything!

 

[Skippy123]

Hi friends! Last night dinner was very nice; it has been unusually cool her, in the high 70's

for the past couple of weeks. Our friends came over and I had all the food laid out and we ate outside which was perfect and the company was wonderful!

I am not a huge cilantro fan but the snafu worked out anyway. hehe It was just a very nice and relaxing evening!

This evening I will be walking with my cousin

and earlier today my hubby and I watch Run Lola Run which was pretty good. Right now I am watching a PBS special on Montana, Denali (Alaska), and Lake Louise in Canada; it is so beautiful!

Welcome Amanda! I agree prevention is great and hopefully more corp's will encourage employees to workout and bike to work! How exciting you will be a Pharmicist in the near future, good for you!

Hello Perry!

DeeJay, have a great workout today!

PHX, did you eat at Comfort? I saw it when I was last in Richmond. Glad you enjoyed your time with friends and you are taking care of yourself.

Marcy, I forgot to tell you I thought the rainbow pic on your computer was sooo cute!!! We have a Mimi's here, I have only been there 2x but I remember it being good; I am glad you had fun with your neice. How is your sister doing?

Kimi, oooooh, I love Coronado! How fun!!! What movie did you see and di you love it? Yay for the workout!

Shay, yay for the bike ride! My hubby just went for a nice bike ride; I will have to join him next time!

Kathleen, how are you?

Rod, how was the grocery shopping? Glad you had a great day! have a wonderful workout!