Could be the msg also. That sounds like the typical reaction of people sensitive to msg. I'm going to stop drooling and go get an order of Happy family tonight. If you've ever had it you know it's a combination Beef, chicken, pork, scallops, shrimp, crab, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, red pepper, snow peas and zucchini. so if i skip the rice the only carby ingredient is a couple teaspoons of corn starch. One order of happy family is enough to feed 2 people piggishly. Happy Tuesday! Hope your freeze is over soon.

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Rob's right, it's probably more the msg than the sugar. All that sodium in Chinese food can make my heart pound, my feet & fingers swell. But it tastes so good......

Have a good Tuesday, drive carefully in that snow.

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Nita

Okay Rob...I've never heard of Happy family and now you've got me intrigued. Is there some kind of sauce that goes with it? I love all the ingredients. Maybe it's like a type of stir fry?

As for the MSG...that could be it. I've never had an alergies before, but I've heard that as you get older you can develop them. Wish I could find an alergy to work! lol

Nita, I noticed in Rob's journal that you posted a link about Vitamin D. I sleep terrible too so I read it...very interesting. The only thing I take is a multivitamin but if taking extra Vitamin D would help me sleep I'm willing to try it. I know NOTHING about vitamins, but I've heard that if you take too many, there is the chance you could overdoes on them. What would you sugguest that I start out with?

It looks kind of pretty outside today. Sun is out and frozen crystals are floating in the air. It's soooo cold though. -24C when I got up this morning. I've got to get to town and get a heavier coat. Zipper broke on my winter coat and in this stupid town you can't even buy a zipper. I didn't really like the coat anyway...pale pink...not the colour to have when you are lifting two little dogs in and out of the car. It was dirty all the time.

We are heading to town on Saturday afternoon. Monday will be dmil's birthday so we are taking her out for dinner on Saturday night. It will be her first birthday without her hubby. We're going to get together with dh's brothers family and take her out. Hoping to keep her busy. Plus...my neice is expecting her second baby on dmil's birthday. She's just huge and hoping to get it overwith sooner, but we're kind of hoping for Monday.

Last night I did my exercise record plus .700 on the treadmill. After aerobic exercising for 35 minutes I just don't have enough energy to do much more than that...but I'm working on it. I have managed to up my speed to 3.5 and put the incline higher and I run for about .100 of it. Never thought I would see the day that I run! lol

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Donna
238.5/168.2/150
I will see my goal weight again!

Donna, most vitamins and minerals are ok, although you can't get large doses of folic acid except by prescription, and they claim that you shouldn't take high doses of A, but there are a lot of people who would dispute that. But you really need your basics, a good multi-vitamin and possibly a multi-mineral supplement. Women approaching menopause or post-menopausal need calcium, which needs to be taken with magnesium, they work best in a 2 to 1 ratio. You should be able to find a good cal-mag supplement. A basic B formula would be good, too, and might be what you need to get some of your energy back. Vitamin C is water soluble, and therefore needs to be supplemented regularly. It's hard to get too much C because any excess just gets flushed out of the body. A and E are fat soluble vitamins, so you need to make sure you get enough fat in your diet if you take either supplement.

I'd also recommend fish oil. It has tons of good benefits. I take it every day, unless I have a good serving of tuna or salmon. Chromium is helpful for low carbers, too.

Vitamin D is possibly good for sleep disorders, supposed to help maintain physical strength in the elderly, and protect against metabolic syndrome! Dr. Eades recommends at least 5000 units during the winter when we don't get enough sun.

And then there are herbs, but this is where you really need to do your research, because some herbs can interact with medications, so you need to know what you're taking, and know what you shouldn't mix with it. I personally take St. John's wort (for mild depression), hawthorn for heart health, and ginkgo biloba, which is supposed to be good for memory.

I have some old Dr. Atkins newsletters, and he recommended boron for bone health and menopausal symptoms, so I take some every day. And for a basic tonic, alfalfa is good, very cheap. It has a lot of micronutrients because the alfalfa roots go very deep into the soil, bringing nutrients up into the plant.

Personally, I think you need to do research, there is a lot of stuff on the internet and in books, and then decide what you think you need for your own body. I also think that if I can't pronounce it, I most likely don't need to take it!

I didn't mean to write a book here! And just remember that what's good for me might not be ideal for you.

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Nita

Donna - yes it's a stir fry. I think the sauce has soy and oyster sauces along with the usual chinese flavorings. It's usually found on the specialty menu, some places call it the House menu. I concur with Nita. at the very least a multi and a vitamin C and winter does of D. D is easy to get in summer if you spend time outdoors without sun screen. D also helps bones because it increases calcium absorption. Yes on fish oil also! Oh and definitely a calcium supplement. as we age we lose soem ability to absorb it. That's why the RDA goes from 1000 to 1200 mg when we hit 50. sad about Dfil Birthday coming so soon after his death. Your Dmil has a whole year's worth of special days to get through. My mother has been gone for 22 years and my dad still won't celebrate Christmas. Happy OTH day!

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Holy Smoke, have you guys given me something to think about. Thanks for the info.

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Donna
238.5/168.2/150
I will see my goal weight again!

Hi Donna...hope you have a great day and it warms up a bit for you...personally I am sick of cold rainy weather!!

Ditto on the vitamins...I am an avid believer in taking your vits...I am nearing 50 and Calcium is a definite...along with B vits and the Fish oil which is good for you all around...

Great Post Nita! Very informative and right on!

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LISA

So Lisa, are you saying your take these vitamins too? Looks like I'm the only one that doesn't. Problem is that even just taking a multivitamin gives me terrible heartburn. Maybe I should take it at dinner time with some food. Maybe I'm just a whoosie when it comes to taking pills!

The scale finally moved down 2 lbs If it goes the way it has been lately, it will be back tomorrow so I'm not waving any flags yet.

Still really cold here I agree Lisa, I'm sick of this stuff too. Although, I would take the rain over the snow anyday. Haven't seen any grass since early November and being a gardener I'm getting anxious to get out in the dirt. I'm afraid that some of my plants just might not make it through all the cold and snow that we've had this year.

Okay back to work. Boss is away today so it's going to be a good (and short ) day.

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Donna
238.5/168.2/150
I will see my goal weight again!

Donna, try taking your supplements with a full glass of water, it might help. Some people just don't drink enough when they take their vitamins. It's worth a try!

Have a nice short work day!

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Nita

Donna - Most vitamins should be taken with a meal. They absorb better that way. Enjoy your Sunday!

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Okay, I took my multivitamin at dinner last night with a full glass of water and about an hour later I felt terrible. Pains in my stomach and the most terrible case of heartburn. I'm not taking them anymore! That's 3 times now. Something in them is not agreeing with my ulcer for sure.

It's -37C here today. Now that's cold!! Good thing I found a new winter coat in town this weekend. We have no water here at work...frozen. I have a couple of very big jugs of water that I can use to flush the toilet with. This is supposed to last until the weekend...oh joy.

Had a good time in town with dmil. She's very frail and seems to sit back and let everyone do everything for her. I know she's had a huge shock but it hurts to see her like this. She's always been a very strong woman. Dh will be going in again tomorrow to see if there is any way they can save the house for her. We took her out for dinner on Saturday night and then shopping on Sunday. She seems to be afraid to spend any money at all. Looks like we'll be going in a lot more than we have been just to make sure she's okay. Dh is the oldest son and is feeling bad that we live so far away and he can't be there more for her. We'll do the best we can.

Copying Lisa's word from her journal...my weight sucks. I'll work at it this week. I bought a yoga ball in town so I'll start doing some workouts with it too. I think I'm going to have to make up some type of schedule cause I can't fit all this into one night. Well, I guess I could, but I wouldn't have any time for myself if I did. lol

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Donna
238.5/168.2/150
I will see my goal weight again!

Donna - That's sad about your DMIL. getting old stinks. If vitamin pills don't agree with you perhaps there's a vitamin rich LC shake you could get. Atkins shakes claim to have 24 vitamins and minerals for instance. And that might solve your problem of what to eat besides cheese.

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Donna...let us know how the Yoga Ball does..I hve thought about getting one also...daughter and I got all dressed in our little work-out clothes..headed to the gym..it was packed!! so we ended up a wal-mart...go figure!....Have a great day!

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LISA

I tried out the yoga ball last night. Hmmmm, I can't quite figure out why that woman in the video thinks I can put my body in those shapes. lol I know I did something wrong cause my shoulder started aching during the night and it's still throbbing. Must have pulled a muscle. I was stupid and thought I was superwoman...go home from work, do my aerobics, then get on the treadmill and after dinner do the yoga ball. Like I'm in great shape or something. NOT!

Scale dropped a measley .5 lb. this morning. Someone here (Nita?) said that in the winter the body holds onto fat to keep warm. Maybe that's my problem. Today is again -27C and it's snowing.

Lisa: WalMart is my absolute favorite store. If I was to get locked in a store overnight....please make it WalMart. lol

Rob: We can't get the Atkins shakes in Canada anymore. At least I haven't been able to find them. Last night I just had a weiner instead of cheese after work. Poor Lily didn't like that one bit cause I always share my cheese with her and being spoiled she won't eat weiners...steak maybe. lol

Okay...off to make a dent in my work...and do I ever have a lot!!

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Donna
238.5/168.2/150
I will see my goal weight again!

What brand of vitamins are you taking? Perhaps a different brand would work better. Do they have iron in them? Mine don't. And sometimes B vitamins can give me indigestion. There's got to be a way for you to take vitamins without hurting your stomach, short of taking them with antacids.

I sure hope you get a warm spell soon. At least you have a new coat to keep you warm!

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Nita