I forgot about the forgetfulness part. That too. :rant-rave:

Freeda, you make excellent points. Honestly, I could cut back on many "bad foods" without much complaint. But bread? Soft hot breads are my ultimate comfort foods. A life without bread-- the mere thought makes me want to grab a (dark) chocolate bar to relieve the stress.

Why, oh why, do women need comfort food!?

I totally understand; that's how it was with me and French fries. I really don't miss them, and would have never believed I'd say that!

Some of the lowest-glycemic breads are: coarse barley kernel bread (75% or higher in kernels) - around 27-34 on the glycemic index; and rye kernel bread (pumpernickel) - 41 on the glycemic index. I would limit even low-glycemic bread, but these are at least some of the better choices. Not soft, and not white, I know, but at least there are some choices versus total abstinence from bread!! There was NOTHING that I could substitute for French fries; I just had to go 'cold turkey'.

And probably a little dark unsweetened (and non-milk) pure chocolate here and there would be a better choice than white bread. Alas, white bread is 70 on the glycemic index; ie, it is higher than if we just slapped pure table sugar (which is 'only' 61 on the glycemic index) on our tongue.

I used to be just like PT with my bread. Stand back and don't get in my way when warm, fresh white bread or rolls with real butter was around. It tasted just like dessert to me. But now when I eat bread, it tastes like gummy, gooey yucky stuff. I never thought I'd say that, either! I will eat pumpernickel occasionally, and enjoy it.

Hulu
 

BF.... Have no fear.... If you put HULU in your search engine you will come up with all kinds of interesting movies, television shows, specials that you can see on your computer. You can also bring the pictures to full screen.

That's how I watched the first show (that I missed on tele) of Hot in Cincinnati and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Give it a go; think you'll enjoy, especially if you don't have any television....b

New business
 

I need to have one of my ears re pierced. Don't ask...it's a long story.

Any suggestions as to where to go?

I'm not comfortable just going to the mall.

Thanks:smiley:

I don't know about here; but in Louisville, where I moved from, some plastic surgeons' offices would do ear piercing. The most important thing, I think, is to go to someone who does alot of them; not just once in a while. You don't want to be 'practice' for someone.

K9, I'm with you on white bread being yucky. Wheat, pumpernickel, multi-grain... yum.

But I don't know where Whalen should get her ear re-pierced.

PT I am SO with you and it is frustrating as H#*@# I am 56 and have been going through the same thing you have since about 50. I have been on Weight Watchers for an entire year and have not lost a thing. I seem to go up a couple and back down a couple. I keep telling myself, at least the good thing is I am not gaining! We are snowbirds and I can't wait to get back down in Oct. at least there are a lot more activities to keep me going. The only bad part is......I am too tired to do half of them:rant-rave::rant-rave::(

Hi Pturner-Have you tried bioidentical hormones? I turned 50 in December and balooned with my weight. Put 20 pounds on overnight!!! After watching the Dr. Phil show and listening to Robin about bioidentical hormones, I decided to find a doctor that specializes in them. I was having terrible night sweats, was exhausted (from not sleeping at night) and starting to feel depressed about the entire situation. She prescribed progesterone (in a cream form) with a touch of testorone. I have lost 5 pounds and my outlook on life is definitely moving in the right direction. Good luck and let me know if this works for you.

" UUJudy, you just listed all my favouite foods. Except you forgot Haagen Daas Icecream! When I find the magic bullet, I know that it will allow us to eat all these foods!

I'm still seriously considering having my eyebrows tattooed."

Bare, Haagen Daas Ice Cream! Yes! Please keep looking for that magic bullet! When you find it the world will thank you -- or at the very least, we at the TOTV Girl Talk Forum will elect you as our queen! :thumbup:

Hi Lisa, I'm leary of taking hormones, and not sure it would be right for me, anyway. I got night sweats for 2 or 3 nights several years ago, then never again. Knock on wood, I don't have either those or the "personal summers". Been paid back in spades though with the dead metabolism, feeling tired often and forgetfulness.

Got thyroid checked earlier this year after having some dizzyness, blackouts and vertigo. Sure enough, thyroid was barely functioning. Since taking synthroid, those symptoms are gone. Also, no longer gaining weight, but can't take off the weight gained even with eating less/more healthy and exercize.

Plan to try low-glycemic approach. In addition to Freeda, anyone had success with it???

Judy and Barefoot,

Being a Cincinnati girl, I hope it will be Graeter's ice cream, but I gotta tellya, Haagen Daas rum raisin is my backup.

And speaking of Cincinnati, Mark Twain is supposed to have said that if the world is ending you should go to Cincinnati because everything there happens 20 years later. Well, Twain was probably right. I just heard about Greek yogurt. Probably everybody else already knows about it.

When I heard about Greek yogurt, I thought maybe I could make myself believe this stuff tastes like ice cream. So I bought a brand called Chobani and I mixed it with walnuts and blueberries and bananas. It was fine --as long as you wanted to be eating Greek yogurt with walnuts and blueberries and bananas and not Graeter's ice cream. (Sigh) If only I had a better imagination.

Barefoot, when I read about your friend Hyacinth using a baby spoon, I got up and went into the kitchen and opened the silverware drawer and sure enough, there I found a little fork and a little spoon -- toddler size, left over from the days when my grandchildren were little. Ironically, a couple of weeks ago, I noticed them there (the spoon and fork, not my grandchildren) and wondered what I was going to do with them, and now, here's a plan, right here on Girl Talk.

And, Judy, I agree. Barefoot would be our queen if she found the magic solution. Heck, Barefoot would be Queen of the Entire Universe if she did that. I sure hope she would still have time for us little people back here in Girl Talk.

Boomer

She would be The Queen indeed.....

I am almost 58, when I turned 50, almost overnight, my body SHAPE changed. I did not gain weight (according to the scale) BUT, now my hips have hips, by butt is disappearing and all my weight shifted to my hips, they seem to grow wider by the year. Also, I suddenly had muffin top, something I never had before. So my conclusion is that the lack of estrogen equals the lack of muscle tone (I know I have to lift weights but it is so darn boring).

They do not manufacture clothes for this body type....I am reduced to elastic waists only. OMG, I have just become my Mother.

The night sweats have finally stopped after 7 years and now only get a hot flash when I drink something hot or too much red wine..... You will get a kick out of this one....once when having my 12th hot flash for the day, hubby says "Geez, Can't you control that?"

PS: Love the greek yogurt, especially mixed with cool whip!

I've had hot flashes for 12 years . . . no kidding. They have changed through the years and are now the worse ever. My face, chest, back and arms turn bright red and I sweat profusely. One flash can last only a few seconds up to 5 minutes. My doctor recommended that I NOT take hormones, but instead try over-the-counter "Estroven" and it has helped immensely. If you are suffering, try it!

As for the Greek yogurt. Boomer, try putting it in a blender with frozen fruit and it will taste like frozen yogurt -- much better than just refrigerated yogurt!

Estrogen is a proven cancer trigger. Even artificial (natural) estrogen. If there is breast cancer in your genetic makeup, than even soy milk is something that a physician should evaluate.

I think that you should have your vitamin D levels checked by a regular M.D.

Mine were almost non existant. He put me on an extremely high dosage of vitamin D. Once weekly for three months. I lost 30 pounds in that time frame. He told me to continue to take 1000 units a day. I think any additives need to be evaluated by a physician.

Wow, 30 lbs in three months. That's almost.... a .... magic.... bullet.

Pass the Vitamin D!

Yougart that reminds you of ice cream?
 

I freeze Yoplait Whips and find they satisfy the need for a frozen treat. Actually, I have one every morning with my breakfast. Chocolate raspberry is the flavor I enjoy the most.

Had no idea this thread was so long! One day when I have time, I'll have to sit down and read...and read and read... :)

Oops, I spelled yogurt incorrectly....sorry about that. Type faster than my brain engages sometimes.

Possibly a jewelry shop? I think I had my ears pierced there so many years ago. ......b

I agree with GG that estrogen falls into a "suspicious" zone. I stopped drinking soy milk for that reason.

I took HRT for five years, I think "forever young" was the mantra. And then suddenly, after many years of doctors swearing that HRT was a magic bullet, the whole world realized that HRT could be very harmful. Who knew?

Re Vitamin D .. I thought that sunshine equalled Vitamin D. I'm confused. But it can't hurt to have it tested. So now I'm taking GG's advice. Stand back .... I'm heading to the doctor to have my Vitamin D levels checked. Sigh. Could this finally be a solution to my muffin top?

Bare.

Having vitamin D levels checked is a recent addition to an annual check up. Just for the sake of curiosity, google Vitamin D weight loss. There seems to be quite a lot of information lately.

The amount of vitamin D I took initially was a prescription. I think anything taken as a supplement should be discussed with a physician. Hope it works for you.

I am feeling quite good.

feel better already
 

knowing I am not the only one dealing with all this (hot flashes, weight gain). None of my friends nor my sisters have had the excessive hot flashes I'm still having.

I'm almost 60 and started having hot flashes about 2 years before menopause at 55, but of course that was just when the HRT study came out and everyone was getting off hormones. After 2 years of misery (about 20-24 hot flashes a day, mostly at night) I finally went on low-dose PremPro (no family history of breast cancer). I had tried black cohash supplements on my doctor's advice with no relief. The PremPro really helped the hot flashes, then I went off after 4 years - could have stayed on for one more year but thought what the heck, why not get off now. Hot flashes came back almost immediately, but not quite as often or as severe. Only about 4-5/day now, still mostly at night, but only wakes me up once or twice nightly instead of hourly.

HOW LONG CAN THIS GO ON???!!! What is the record? Will I still be doing this when I turn 70?

And Freeda, is low glycemic the same as low carb? Appears to me to be the same?

Just in case anyone uses....
 

Evamist..... please read this article. May not be news to some, but there are some who might find the info of value to them or those they know.

http://www.webmd.com/menopause/news/...src=RSS_PUBLIC

about that Greek yogurt, etc.
 

Greek yogurt is new to me. But since finding it, I have been working hard on trying to make myself think it is ice cream. For the past few mornings I have replaced my standard bowl of Cheerios, walnuts, and bananas and/or berries with Greek yogurt, walnuts, and bananas and/or berries. (Yeah. Yeah. I know what you're thinking. You are thinking why am I talking about ice cream and breakfast in the same paragraph. But admit it. -- Who among us has never had ice cream for breakfast -- every once in a while. C'mon, you know you have.) But I digress.

Now, back to the Greek yogurt. I bought two different kinds, Yoplait and one that I had never heard of, Chobani. The Chobani wins with me. The texture is better and the fruit tastes like it might be actual fruit and not some syrupy jelly stuff.

And something else that absolutely guarantees that Chobani Greek yogurt will be my choice from now on -- it's the carton design. -- Yep. The carton design. . .

I like the Chobani yogurt carton design because. . .

As some of you may know, I write sometimes about my dog Annie who is always here beside me when I am at the computer. Annie is past her 16th birthday now, and for those many years she has expected us to share a little of our food with her, and depending on what it is, we do share.

Annie likes yogurt and expects to finish off the carton. But think about those Yoplait cartons and how they are shaped. It is impossible for a dog to get to the bottom of it. I have to assist and rip the Yoplait carton and hold it for her. But with the Chobani carton, I can easily give Annie that last little dollop by setting the carton down on the floor and she can take over, needs no help at all.

Chobani tastes way better than Yoplait, in my opinion anyway. But the fact that my dog can manage the carton on her own for the little leftovers sure is a nice touch. (I wonder if Chobani's marketing department thought of all the dogs that would be happy.)

Here is the link to Chobani's site. You can see the carton shape and other stuff, too, including some recipes.

http://www.chobani.com/

Boomer

Funny you should mention it. I discovered Greek Yogurt at the grocery yesterday (Monday). The brand I found was called Fage. All live cultures.

I decided to try it but... I had decided that starting Monday, as part of this low GI plan Freeda has convinced me to try, I would eat NO sugar at all between now and Aug. 21. No sugar added that is. I'm eating plenty of fresh fruit. So, I got the plain yogurt, no sugar, no fruit (because the ones with fruit have sugar and high fructose corn syrup and stuff).

Needless to say the plain, unsweetened yogurt by itself was TERRIBLE. YUCK! I added some raw honey, fresh blueberries and raspberries and sliced some banana and mixed it with the plain yogurt. Had it for breakfast this morning. It was good.

Why no sugar until Aug. 21? That's the date of my 40th high school reunion. I'd love to shed 10 lbs by then. It's a great incentive.

So Monday was day one. I ate oatmeal with fresh berries for breakfast. A field greens salad with brocholi, cucumber, radishes, almonds, pamagranade (wierd but on hand-- and good), a little cheese, egg and oil & vinegar dressing for lunch. Some pecans and half an apple for a snack. Salmon rubbed with garlic-flavored extra virgin olive oil and asparagus for dinner, with the rest of the apple for desert.

Weighed this morning. On day one I lost 1 lb!

Please may we have an update.

My only concern with the Greek yogurt, is that it can be high in fat. Perhaps its the brand we had. It was made with cream, instead of milk, so tasted delicious, but the fat content was pretty high, if I recall, 10 gms of fat per serving.

EEK! Whatever kind you had sounds quite wonderful and terrible at the same time. Your post sent me running for Choboni's website. I look at that stuff when I am in the grocery store, but I thought maybe I had a lapse or something and the high fat content was what was making me go on and on here about how Annie and I really like this stuff.

Anyway, it's OK. The fat content is zero, zip, zilch in a lot of the flavors but some have more - not much though. The part of the site I am linking here shows all the labels.

(Phew! That was scary for a minute!)

(But ohhhhhhhh, wasn't there a Seinfeld about something like this??? Oh dear! Oh my! Oh well.)

Anyway, here's the link to the labels on the various flavors.

http://www.chobani.com/media/Chobani...tional_web.pdf

Boomer

I don't recall the Seinfeld thing but I do recall something from Shakespeare, since I hang out with all of you English majors.


"Beware of Greeks bearing yogurt".:pepper2:

Good - glad yours was the low/no fat type. I find yogurt to be generally pretty bland, so when my daughter brought out this Greek yogurt, I was absolutely amazed. It was sooooo good...until I looked at the label.

I just bought some Choboni's Greek style yogurt and I must say, it is much better than the Yoplait. Sam's Club sells it, 12 containers to a box....4 strawberry, 4 peach and 4 blueberry.

Glad I saw the recommendation here because I wasn't going to try another type of Greek yogurt since I really didn't care for the first brand.

Thanks.

Pooh
 

Did you ever go back and read all of the old posts? Did you get to the posts on the banana hangers :)? Boy did I just roar about those....fun to remember.

About Greek Yogurt, I know it is good for you and I personally love the tart taste. It takes some getting used to ...but I developed a taste for it.

I don't always go back and read old posts....getting lazy in my old age...lol. I'll have to go back now and read about those banana hangers

I, too, don't mind the tart taste of yogurt, but the Yoplait brand just didn't taste all that good to me. I do freeze the Yoplait whips....satisfies the urge for ice cream....well, some of the time. ;)

Boomer, yes there was a Seinfeld episode about a low-fat frozen yogurt shop that opened in their neighborhood. They couldn't believe it was low fat, so they ate it every day -- and they gained weight! Thanks for the reminder!

1st day was a fluke, losing a whole pound. But I have lost 3 lbs since Monday!

I lost something else too. My mid-afternoon slump! I am amazed because I have had a terrible time midday, sometimes feeling almost painfully sluggish. Knock on wood, it has disappeared.

In addition to boosting metabolism, this low GI plan is suppose to prevent your blood sugar from spiking high and then dropping low. I don't need a blood test to tell me that it has. I've had problems with low blood sugar for years. My fasting blood sugar is ultra-low everytime it's tested. Once when the results came back, it was so low my doctor said he didn't understand why I wasn't in a coma! So, OMB, the difference is amazing!

The Faze brand greek yogurt is also zero fat, yet creamy, creamy, creamy. I've never been a yogurt fan, but am developing a taste. With fresh berries and a touch of honey, it's quite good.

Put that yogurt in a blender and add some frozen strawberries. Amazing.

some catching up to do here
 

Gracie, I loved your "Beware of Greeks bearing yogurt" warning. When I read it, I immediately visualized yogurt packaged inside a little wooden horse with wheels on it. I think it was Cassandra in the story of the Trojan War who ran around inside the walls of Troy, yelling about the Greeks, "Do not open that gate. Do not bring that wooden horse in here. It is not a surrender gift from the Greeks. It is a trick." But nobody would listen to her. And now, I will remember that story every time I think about Greek yogurt.

And Judy, you're right about that Seinfeld episode. Do you think we are in a Seinfeld episode here? I think maybe we are.

And pooh and ssmith,

I have to ask this. You are talking about banana "hangers" but i am wondering if you meant banana "hammocks." We were talking about those several months ago here. I told about the unfortunate choices of swim trunks made by a couple of guys who insisted on parading past my water aerobics class. There was Mr. See-Through-Pants who wore the baggy white ones -- baggy until they got wet. And then the guy wearing the banana hammock and we all know what those look like. Both -- unfortunate choices.

I thought that was what you meant. I typed "banana hammock" into Search and it took me to p. 103 of our thread here. I sure am going to be embarrassed though if you were talking about banana hangers like people have in their kitchen and here I am talking about something completely different.

Boomer

I wonder if the Greek yogurt has another microorganism. The domestic ones have lactobacillus acidopholus and that triggers a migraine for me.

Low GI Index
 

Yea! I've lost 5 lbs. Sure would like to shed 5 more by 8/21. Sure would like to keep it off. :)

Excellent P. That's a lot of weight if you think of it in terms of a five pound bag of sugar you've lost!! Yea!!!

I have lost 4 pounds since the day before yesterday......but, btw, I had food poisoning from a restaurant quiche. I lived in Ice-Chip City for a while.

Seriously, congratulations, Pt. That is such a reasonable and healthy way to do it. Balanced.

Those blood sugar drops you talked about are wicked. I get mean if I go too long w/o food. Mean is not my style. I have a friend who gets those drops, too. We were on our way to a nice dinner out one evening when I diverted to an Arby's drive-thru on the way. She was sooooooo mean. All she needed was about half of an Arby's Jr. and then we could go on and have a nice leisurely dinner without her terrifying the server.

Anyway, thanks for the inspiration, Pt.

Boomer