Cortisol is a hormone (one of the 3 life sustaining ones, besides adrenaline and insulin) Cortisol plays a HUGE role in weight loss as well as the other 2. I would suggest you get Dr. Diana Schwarzbein's books, Schwarzbein Principle and SP II. She explains how the 3 LIFE SUSTAINING hormones interact with each other. Cortisol is the one that gets affected the most by stress. (adrenaline does too) And if the 3 are out of balance, weight loss becomes very difficult. Her books are VERY informative and VERY interesting. Diana is a Dr. of endocrinology (hormone doctor) It's not really light reading, but very interesting.

The key is to make your own sweet treats. Heck, I have dessert of some type EVERY night after dinner, whether it's strawberries and cream or a cake type thing like the above mentioned or LC yogurt type stuff (I make my own Kefir, which is a lot like yogurt.)

Also, go to the top of the page here and click on the recipe link. There is a database there where all of us LCE members contribute recipes. Check out MY strawberry shortcake recipe (under desserts, then cakes I think.) You can make the individual serving size OR double it. When I double it, it lasts me a week. I will be submitting my "Tiramisu" recipe soon. I still have to get all the stats together on it. I want to submit a complete recipe. It is to DIE FOR!!!!!

Oh heck, here's the link to the recipe: Barb's Strawberry Shortcake Enjoy!!!!!!!

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Thanks, Barb. You know, the more you get into this WOE, the more you have to learn! I did try the 3 minute Chocolate Almond Cake (above). Ate half recipes last night and night before -- up .5 pounds. Sigh. Although yesterday, I reverted to my old way of eating (time-wise) -- up at 5 AM with too much decaf with too much cream AM -- late breakfast about 11 am, late lunch about 3pm and dinner at 6:30. Total carbs for the day around 24. Yes, 80 ozs. water and no, very little exercise. In front of the computer most of the day! I'll get the book, join an exercise thingy close to home, and go to the doctor about my metabolism (temperatures constantly below 98.0 -- usually 96.7 to 97.7 range. (sigh again.)

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Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135

Sounds like you could use a whole hormone checkup. That would be a good idea, if you have insurance and it will cover it. It's probably pretty expensive. I think there's another test for thyroid that's much more involved that is way more expensive. (something about T3 vs T4 or something like that.) You could ask your doc about it. The low temp is always a red flag in my mind with thyroid.

I think there's a thread somewhere here (and maybe in the article section) about how just 10 mins of exercise will go a long, long way. That would be really good if you could squeeze in just 10 mins per day. We are WORTH it, afterall!!!!!!

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Funny tihng about exercise too--once you get used to 10 minutes you find that 30 or 40 isn't bad either and pretty soon it is every day and you are really working hard!

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Lori

232/190/130
My other journal http://www.lowcarbeating.com/bb/showthread.php?t=1130

OK. Exercise is the last hurdle I have to jump. For some reason I resist it and I do not know why. As I sit at my computer, a stair stepper and a treadmill stares me in the face. There is absolutely no reason why I can't step on those things for 10 minutes several times a day!!! But I am making a doctor's appt. today to get all this hormone/thyroid stuff checked out. I just got new insurance, so all this will be under my deductible. My doctor is pretty good at adjusting things so they are "insurable."

Thank you for your support. It is invaluable!

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Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135

Ha! After writing that last post, I said to myself, "Self -- get moving!" Since I was still in bathrobe slippers, I go upstairs to put on shoes, shorts, T. Come back down and figure out if I go back upstairs to get an extension cord, I could move the little TV to where I can see it from the treadmill. Whoops! If I am going to listen to TV, I have to put in my hearing aids! Back upstairs to do that. So after all this fiddling, I get on the old treadmill and do 10 minutes in the blink of an eye! You know, sometimes you just have to DO IT (with apologies to Nike).

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Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135

Good for you Alida! Many times when we give advice to others we end up taking it ourselves.

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my blog

Glad to hear it!!!! I figure, a daily 10 minute workout is doable. And before you know it, that 10 mins will seem like nothing and you will be mentally ready to go for 15 mins. Once you get over that "mental" hurdle............it really does get easier!!!!!

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Thanks everyone! You all have been such a big help on this and other threads. Stopped the bars and shakes (just natural foods), started treadmill in two 10-minute bouts, and bought DietPower which is just great. Plus, since Sunday I've lost 2 pounds!

This is funny about the exercise . . . I am a 3M window film dealer. I knew DietPower would not have an exercise category for Window Film Installation, but they did have "Window Washing" and "Wallpaper Hanging." Wow. Those tasks use up a lot of calories! 2 hours = over 400 calories. And most times I am on the job for 4 to 6 hours. So I only do treadmill when not on the job, just sitting at the computer all day. Seems to be working!

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Alida
5'1" ~ 59 years old
Highest weight: 165
Atkins 7/10/2004
160/126/125
RE-DO, January 2008:
167/162/135

Cool you're doing GREAT!!!!!!!! :jumpgreen

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