I had ordered some magnesium oil to avoid leg cramps and spasms. I started using it and it seemed to be helping somewhat. Then, about a month ago, I noticed my skin seemed to be tighter and drier for much of the day--especially my legs, though I was using a softening lotion along with the oil. I also noticed that I seemed very sensitive to salt and even a little the evening before would cause me to wake up the next morning with a dull headache.
It took a little searching, but as I was gradually cutting out more salt from my diet, I happened to think of the magnesium oil (think Epsom salt). Aha! That's where the salt was working too hard on my body! So, I switched to a milder muscle rub to use instead. I'm also on a low-sodium diet and things are much better. I do watch sugar, too. If I have anything very 'sugary,' that, too, can cause a mild headache.
I've also added a few pounds over the winter. Nothing major, but I'm working to lose them. Sherrine, if you don't mind, can you share again how you went about counting carbs? I've read a bit about it but I recall you had some great tips.
Gradual process, but I think I'm learning. Just wanted to pass this along. Happy Springtime, everyone!
"Pray, hope, and don't worry." St. Padre Pio
"Let nothing disturb you; nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything." St. Teresa of Avila
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful, to make the most of what we have, to be happy with simple pleasures and have courage when things go wrong." Laura Ingalls Wilder
I’m so sorry, Luvs, that I’m so late in responding. My life has just been so crazy lately and didn’t have the time ! Here is some info on how I have lost, so far, 110 pounds by counting carbs! I never could lose weight until I discovered this.
I want to give you some hints on dieting. I have been doing it nearly all of my life and counting carbs is the easiest and I've lost weight and kept it off. I limit myself to between 100 to 120 carbs per day. I not only count carbs, I check the fat and cholesterol, and the sugar and sodium too. I try to stay as healthy as possible. I was put on my first diet under doctor supervision when I was in fifth grade, was on diet pills by seventh grade, and was 170 pounds by ninth grade. When I went away to college I became nearly anorexic by drinking only one can a Metrical a day...250 calories for the day! And yes I gained the weight back once I started eating again. 😢 I tried Nutrisystem, Atkins, hypnotism, a diet psychologist, became nearly addicted to amphetamines under a doctor's care, and numerous fad diets but still ended up weighing 269 pounds! I then found out about counting carbs..not eliminating them. That's the key for me!
I try to keep my carbs to a minimum but, when I go out to eat, I pretty much eat what I want. I do use portion control and zero in on salad. Many times, I'll ask for a container when they serve a large portion of food and I put half of the meal in the container before I start to eat. That way I can enjoy the meal two times without stuffing myself. I eat Italian food and casseroles but not very often. I stick mainly to lean meats that have been grilled, broiled, or roasted and rarely fry anything. If I fry or saute, I use only about 3-4 tablespoons of canola oil. I like canola oil since it isn't as heavy and doesn't lend any flavor to what I'm cooking. I do use it when I'm doing something Italian. Below is a sample of what I eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
Breakfast
I eat eggs several times a week. For scrambled eggs I will thin them with a little water, instead of milk, since that makes the eggs fluffier. I use regular cheese in omelets because I think the fat free cheese is awful! If I'm going to put the calories in my body, I'm going to enjoy them! LOL When I have eggs I have Canadian Bacon with them or I'll buy the Real Bacon Pieces and use them in omelets or eggs. ( I also use the Real Bacon Pieces to make BLT's since there is far less fat!) The Canadian bacon is really good and not salty and nearly no carbs. I also use the Canadian bacon as a sandwich meat instead of ham.
I enjoy a toasted English muffin with a thin layer of peanut butter on it for another breakfast idea.
I rarely eat cereal. If you read the labels, you won't believe the carbs and sugar in them. I also will have Honey Bunches of Oats, but I do measure it out.
I always have strawberries. You are fortunate that you are not diabetic. Fruit spikes my sugar. You can eat fruit several times a day and really enjoy it.
Lunch
I don't usually have large lunches. I Iike to save the carbs for my dinner. I will take leftover meat, a slice of cheese, a condiment, and wrap it in a lettuce leaf. I'll slice radishes with it that gives me the crunch I really need. If I have a left over vegetable, I'll have some of that too.
I recently discovered Campbell's Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup. When prepared, it makes two bowls, so I eat one and save the other. Today, I had some left over chicken breast so I cut it up and added it to the soup. It's 10 carbs a bowl. I also had left over green beans so I had them too. Home made soup is good too, if you don't put all the pasta in it that I do! LOL
I love avocados and they are one of the best foods you can eat to help your cholesterol. I hope you love them too. They are high in fats but it's the good fats! They lower the overall cholesterol and the bad cholesterol but they raise the good cholesterol! There are 3 net carbs in a whole avocado and a lot of fiber! Did you know they were a fruit? The small Hass avocado is the one that has the most vitamins, potassium, and photochemicals that help protect against cancer. I will sometimes slice avocado, fresh tomato, cucumber, sweet onion, and seasoning and drizzle with the vinaigrette that I make and that will be my lunch. I use the Good Season Italian and use red wine vinegar and canola oil. I rarely use bottled dressings. I also will take a couple of heaping tablespoons of 2% milkfat cottage cheese and slice avocado over it, a little salt and pepper, and my sliced radishes again for another lunch. Another lunch is I'll make a salad with avocado and blue cheese crumbles. Add left over meat if you have it.
I will get zucchini and summer squash, slice it and saute it in a little margarine and canola oil with fresh sliced mushrooms and sweet onion. Right before I serve it, I give it a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
I’m a snack person. Any snack I have I do measure it out. I have a scale that measures in ounces and you would be amazed how many potato chips are in a one ounce serving! I love popcorn too and get the Pop Secret 100 calorie pop. Just become an avid label reader. That really helps a lot.
Since I’m diabetic I drink diet soft drinks…Pepsi, Sunkist Orange, A&W root beer and Fresca…all diet. Ocean Spray has a wonderful variety of juices called Diet 5 and my favorite is the cran raspberry flavor. You aren’t putting carbs in you with these. I’m also a tea drinker and buy unsweetened tea and tea bags for hot tea in the morning.
Dinner
Ahhhh...my favorite meal of the day! I generally have meat or poultry, a potato or pasta, and a vegetable or salad. I grill, broil, or roast my meat (and fish). If I really have a craving for something, I eat it, but not huge amounts of it. I don't deprive myself of anything. That's a sure way to have a diet failure. Actually, this isn't a diet for me. It's the way I choose to eat. I'm never hungry, either! For example, last night I had two pork ribs, three small red potatoes, and a salad with avocado, blue cheese crumbles, and my vinaigrette. You can eat as many veggies as you want. They're so good for you.
I do put veggies on half of my plate and protein on 1/4 of the plate and lastly starch on 1/4 of the plate. I don’t have huge plates either. So pay attention to that.
Snacks
I will usually have a small snack in the afternoon and maybe in the evening. Some of my choices are:
Dean's Lite French Onion Dip served with celery, carrots, or cucumbers
Pop Secret 100 Calorie snack size popcorn
A small handful of nuts. (They have fat but they are good fats, especially almonds and English walnuts.)
Philadelphia brand Salmon with Cream Cheese served with celery and carrots.
Popsicles or Jello with Reddi Whip
Quaker Cheddar Cheese Mini Rice Cakes
Salsa using celery or green pepper for the dipping
I will buy the snack size packages of the "forbidden carbs" that are made for children's lunches. They
have potato chips, Doritos, Fritos, and Cheetos in them. One snack bag has 15 carbs but it
satisfies my cravings. I will only have one bag, even though I could eat the whole thing! LOL
There is an easy way to count carbs without memorizing all of them. Meat (the size of the palm of your hand), a regular size potato, or 1/2 cup serving of mashed potatoes or rice or pasta is equal to 15 carb each. A half cup serving of vegetables is 5 carbs.
These are some of the things I enjoy and find satisfying. I'm never hungry and generally have good energy. I know I've talked about fat and carbohydrate a lot but I think that is so important, too. Some the the low carb diets want you to cut nearly all carbs out of your diet and they also say you can eat a lot of meat and fats. That doesn't make sense to me. I have always been taught "Everything in moderation." You need carbs for the cells to give you energy. There is no test to see how the fat is clinging to your veins and arteries but is sure does that. My husband died of hardening of the arteries at age 51. His mother always made him a bacon sandwich for breakfast, fried nearly everything, so it took it's toll on him. So, I use tub margarine, since it doesn't have as much fat and I read labels to see how much fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, and sugar there are in a product. I also check the portion size, too. It's a pain at first but you get to know the good foods and the bad ones. I don't buy many prepackaged foods either. (Barber Foods does have a great asparagus and cheese stuffed chicken breast that has only 16 net carbs in it. I had one the other day with a baked potato and a salad with avocado. It was great! It's in the frozen food case. By the way, that meal was under 40 carbs!) I prepare things from scratch so I know what's in them. I rarely have cakes, pies, donuts, any desserts, but I do love ice cream and have it frequently before bed. I don't get the fat free, though, because it's awful. If I'm going to put the calories in my body, I want to enjoy them! When I'm on vacation or go out to eat, I'll eat what I want for the most part. I keep the carb info in the back of my head and decide if I really want something badly. If so, I'll get it.
One last thing. On the news, they said that you should eat some carbs and some carbs are very good for you! They are the "resistant starch" carbohydrates. They resist digestion in the body, increase fat burning, and reduce hunger! These carbs are potatoes, yams, corn, brown rice, barley, and bananas (slightly green ones). They also said that green beans are THE best in fat burning and not allowing other carbohydrates to absorb and add to your fat. There have been over 130 studies done on this! I found that very interesting, so I thought I'd pass it on.
Well, I hope you have learned a few things that will help you. If you have any questions, just post them and I’ll answer you. Have a good evening!
Sherrine
Forum Moderator/Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia, Crohn's Disease, Ostomy, Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Glaucoma, Scoliosis, Ankylosing Spondylitis
************************
God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
I want to give you some hints on dieting. I have been doing it nearly all of my life and counting carbs is the easiest and I've lost weight and kept it off. I limit myself to between 100 to 120 carbs per day. I not only count carbs, I check the fat and cholesterol, and the sugar and sodium too. I try to stay as healthy as possible. I was put on my first diet under doctor supervision when I was in fifth grade, was on diet pills by seventh grade, and was 170 pounds by ninth grade. When I went away to college I became nearly anorexic by drinking only one can a Metrical a day...250 calories for the day! And yes I gained the weight back once I started eating again. 😢 I tried Nutrisystem, Atkins, hypnotism, a diet psychologist, became nearly addicted to amphetamines under a doctor's care, and numerous fad diets but still ended up weighing 269 pounds! I then found out about counting carbs..not eliminating them. That's the key for me!
I try to keep my carbs to a minimum but, when I go out to eat, I pretty much eat what I want. I do use portion control and zero in on salad. Many times, I'll ask for a container when they serve a large portion of food and I put half of the meal in the container before I start to eat. That way I can enjoy the meal two times without stuffing myself. I eat Italian food and casseroles but not very often. I stick mainly to lean meats that have been grilled, broiled, or roasted and rarely fry anything. If I fry or saute, I use only about 3-4 tablespoons of canola oil. I like canola oil since it isn't as heavy and doesn't lend any flavor to what I'm cooking. I do use it when I'm doing something Italian. Below is a sample of what I eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
Breakfast
I eat eggs several times a week. For scrambled eggs I will thin them with a little water, instead of milk, since that makes the eggs fluffier. I use regular cheese in omelets because I think the fat free cheese is awful! If I'm going to put the calories in my body, I'm going to enjoy them! LOL When I have eggs I have Canadian Bacon with them or I'll buy the Real Bacon Pieces and use them in omelets or eggs. ( I also use the Real Bacon Pieces to make BLT's since there is far less fat!) The Canadian bacon is really good and not salty and nearly no carbs. I also use the Canadian bacon as a sandwich meat instead of ham.
I enjoy a toasted English muffin with a thin layer of peanut butter on it for another breakfast idea.
I rarely eat cereal. If you read the labels, you won't believe the carbs and sugar in them. I also will have Honey Bunches of Oats, but I do measure it out.
I always have strawberries. You are fortunate that you are not diabetic. Fruit spikes my sugar. You can eat fruit several times a day and really enjoy it.
Lunch
I don't usually have large lunches. I Iike to save the carbs for my dinner. I will take leftover meat, a slice of cheese, a condiment, and wrap it in a lettuce leaf. I'll slice radishes with it that gives me the crunch I really need. If I have a left over vegetable, I'll have some of that too.
I recently discovered Campbell's Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup. When prepared, it makes two bowls, so I eat one and save the other. Today, I had some left over chicken breast so I cut it up and added it to the soup. It's 10 carbs a bowl. I also had left over green beans so I had them too. Home made soup is good too, if you don't put all the pasta in it that I do! LOL
I love avocados and they are one of the best foods you can eat to help your cholesterol. I hope you love them too. They are high in fats but it's the good fats! They lower the overall cholesterol and the bad cholesterol but they raise the good cholesterol! There are 3 net carbs in a whole avocado and a lot of fiber! Did you know they were a fruit? The small Hass avocado is the one that has the most vitamins, potassium, and photochemicals that help protect against cancer. I will sometimes slice avocado, fresh tomato, cucumber, sweet onion, and seasoning and drizzle with the vinaigrette that I make and that will be my lunch. I use the Good Season Italian and use red wine vinegar and canola oil. I rarely use bottled dressings. I also will take a couple of heaping tablespoons of 2% milkfat cottage cheese and slice avocado over it, a little salt and pepper, and my sliced radishes again for another lunch. Another lunch is I'll make a salad with avocado and blue cheese crumbles. Add left over meat if you have it.
I will get zucchini and summer squash, slice it and saute it in a little margarine and canola oil with fresh sliced mushrooms and sweet onion. Right before I serve it, I give it a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
I’m a snack person. Any snack I have I do measure it out. I have a scale that measures in ounces and you would be amazed how many potato chips are in a one ounce serving! I love popcorn too and get the Pop Secret 100 calorie pop. Just become an avid label reader. That really helps a lot.
Since I’m diabetic I drink diet soft drinks…Pepsi, Sunkist Orange, A&W root beer and Fresca…all diet. Ocean Spray has a wonderful variety of juices called Diet 5 and my favorite is the cran raspberry flavor. You aren’t putting carbs in you with these. I’m also a tea drinker and buy unsweetened tea and tea bags for hot tea in the morning.
Dinner
Ahhhh...my favorite meal of the day! I generally have meat or poultry, a potato or pasta, and a vegetable or salad. I grill, broil, or roast my meat (and fish). If I really have a craving for something, I eat it, but not huge amounts of it. I don't deprive myself of anything. That's a sure way to have a diet failure. Actually, this isn't a diet for me. It's the way I choose to eat. I'm never hungry, either! For example, last night I had two pork ribs, three small red potatoes, and a salad with avocado, blue cheese crumbles, and my vinaigrette. You can eat as many veggies as you want. They're so good for you.
I do put veggies on half of my plate and protein on 1/4 of the plate and lastly starch on 1/4 of the plate. I don’t have huge plates either. So pay attention to that.
Snacks
I will usually have a small snack in the afternoon and maybe in the evening. Some of my choices are:
Dean's Lite French Onion Dip served with celery, carrots, or cucumbers
Pop Secret 100 Calorie snack size popcorn
A small handful of nuts. (They have fat but they are good fats, especially almonds and English walnuts.)
Philadelphia brand Salmon with Cream Cheese served with celery and carrots.
Popsicles or Jello with Reddi Whip
Quaker Cheddar Cheese Mini Rice Cakes
Salsa using celery or green pepper for the dipping
I will buy the snack size packages of the "forbidden carbs" that are made for children's lunches. They
have potato chips, Doritos, Fritos, and Cheetos in them. One snack bag has 15 carbs but it
satisfies my cravings. I will only have one bag, even though I could eat the whole thing! LOL
There is an easy way to count carbs without memorizing all of them. Meat (the size of the palm of your hand), a regular size potato, or 1/2 cup serving of mashed potatoes or rice or pasta is equal to 15 carb each. A half cup serving of vegetables is 5 carbs.
These are some of the things I enjoy and find satisfying. I'm never hungry and generally have good energy. I know I've talked about fat and carbohydrate a lot but I think that is so important, too. Some the the low carb diets want you to cut nearly all carbs out of your diet and they also say you can eat a lot of meat and fats. That doesn't make sense to me. I have always been taught "Everything in moderation." You need carbs for the cells to give you energy. There is no test to see how the fat is clinging to your veins and arteries but is sure does that. My husband died of hardening of the arteries at age 51. His mother always made him a bacon sandwich for breakfast, fried nearly everything, so it took it's toll on him. So, I use tub margarine, since it doesn't have as much fat and I read labels to see how much fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, and sugar there are in a product. I also check the portion size, too. It's a pain at first but you get to know the good foods and the bad ones. I don't buy many prepackaged foods either. (Barber Foods does have a great asparagus and cheese stuffed chicken breast that has only 16 net carbs in it. I had one the other day with a baked potato and a salad with avocado. It was great! It's in the frozen food case. By the way, that meal was under 40 carbs!) I prepare things from scratch so I know what's in them. I rarely have cakes, pies, donuts, any desserts, but I do love ice cream and have it frequently before bed. I don't get the fat free, though, because it's awful. If I'm going to put the calories in my body, I want to enjoy them! When I'm on vacation or go out to eat, I'll eat what I want for the most part. I keep the carb info in the back of my head and decide if I really want something badly. If so, I'll get it.
One last thing. On the news, they said that you should eat some carbs and some carbs are very good for you! They are the "resistant starch" carbohydrates. They resist digestion in the body, increase fat burning, and reduce hunger! These carbs are potatoes, yams, corn, brown rice, barley, and bananas (slightly green ones). They also said that green beans are THE best in fat burning and not allowing other carbohydrates to absorb and add to your fat. There have been over 130 studies done on this! I found that very interesting, so I thought I'd pass it on.
Well, I hope you have learned a few things that will help you. If you have any questions, just post them and I’ll answer you. Have a good evening!
Sherrine
Forum Moderator/Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia, Crohn's Disease, Ostomy, Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Glaucoma, Scoliosis, Ankylosing Spondylitis
************************
God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
Wow, Sherrine--thanks so much for all that great info! I'm going to go through it and take lots of notes.
No worries about not posting earlier--I know exactly what you mean. I can't seem to find enough hours in the day these busy, crazy days. Thanks much again--really appreciate it!
"Pray, hope, and don't worry." St. Padre Pio
"Let nothing disturb you; nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything." St. Teresa of Avila
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful, to make the most of what we have, to be happy with simple pleasures and have courage when things go wrong." Laura Ingalls Wilder
No worries about not posting earlier--I know exactly what you mean. I can't seem to find enough hours in the day these busy, crazy days. Thanks much again--really appreciate it!
"Pray, hope, and don't worry." St. Padre Pio
"Let nothing disturb you; nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything." St. Teresa of Avila
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful, to make the most of what we have, to be happy with simple pleasures and have courage when things go wrong." Laura Ingalls Wilder
You are welcome, Luvs! Another good thing to know is you want to keep foods in a more neutral zone…7. This helps cut down on inflammation. Potatoes are acidic but if you eat the skin too, they become alkaline! So I do eat the skin most of the time except for mashed potatoes. So keep that in mind too.
Sherrine
Forum Moderator/Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia, Crohn's Disease, Ostomy, Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Glaucoma, Scoliosis, Ankylosing Spondylitis
************************
God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
Sherrine
Forum Moderator/Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia, Crohn's Disease, Ostomy, Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Glaucoma, Scoliosis, Ankylosing Spondylitis
************************
God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
Post Edited (Sherrine) : 3/22/2025 4:49:01 PM (GMT-4)