Posts by beckbjj

I use Flexitol Heel Balm, available at Wal-Mart, Walgreens, etc., and it works like a charm.  It is a 25% urea cream (synthesized urea, thankfully) in an emollient base.  I put it on, then put on a pair of those spa socks (those chenille socks that are usually in the foot care aisle), then a pair of regular socks just to make sure the thick balm doesn't get on my carpets or whatever. 

You can also talk to your doc about getting an Rx for a 40% urea foam spray...I think it's called Hydro 40 or something but I can't remember.  My doc gave me a sample can and an Rx (which I still need to send in), and the sample was really great.  The beauty of the foam as opposed to the Heel Balm is that it's not at all greasy.  In fact you wouldn't even know it was a moisturizing product while you're applying it, but the results were great.

I'm a secretary with an 8 hour a day job.  I still usually manage to get about 5,000 steps in (I've been wearing a pedometer the last couple of months) just from the time I leave my house until the time I leave work.

My parking ramp is about 2.5 blocks from my office building, so that helps some.  But most of it is because I make sure nothing is too convenient.  I never keep extra water at my desk and drink out of an 8 oz. water cup, so every time I need another cup of water I have to walk back to the kitchen (far end of the office) to get it, so that's at least 8 round trips a day.  I also drink a cup of coffee and 5 cups of green tea every day, so that's another 6 round trips a day.  I do the water trips and the coffee/tea trips all separately.  The printers are located halfway through the office, so every time I print something I have to walk there and back to my desk.  I don't wait until I've completed several projects, I walk to the printer every time I print something.  I also don't keep too many supplies at my desk so I'll run out of things and have to walk to the far end of the office to the supply closet.  And then of course there's all those trips to the bathroom because of all the darned water and tea!  ;-)  

And yes, I still manage to get all my work done on time!  I just have to type really fast!  :-D

Original Post by greenearthgirl:

if you don't mind my asking, ballpark cost of both? I'm teetering on getting one.

 They are both price fixed.  The Wii console is $249 and the Fit is $89, no matter what store you get it from. 

I have to say I LOVE mine.  Even just the Wii Sports game that came with the console was enough to make it worth the $249 for me.  My husband and I have so much fun playing tennis, boxing, etc.!  You don't have to stand up and do the motions like you're really playing the sport, but it's a lot more fun if you do.

The Fit is also a great product, and the software that comes with it is very good.

Original Post by augenblick:

I also use mine to steam vegetables.  In fact, I can cook rice and steam vegetables at the same time as it has multi-level steam baskets.

 That does make the whole idea more attractive.  I do steam veggies and other things, usually using one of those goofy little baskets that have like fan blades that open up, and there have been times when I've wanted to steam something and didn't have exactly the kind of setup I needed. 

Original Post by bunnybane:

You can easily use the rice cooker to make rice with milk instead of water. I use mine to make steel cut oats all the time and I bet it would work with other grains.

Now THAT would be truly useful.  I do make lots of oatmeal, and I love some of the other hot cereals like Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain, steel cut oats, Kashi Pilaf, etc.  Most of the time I make these with skim milk rather than water (unless it's for dinner with a stew or something over it, then I use water).   It definitely is a real pain to make hot cereals with milk on the stove, much more hassle than with water.

Now I really am intrigued.  Can liquids other than water be used with ANY rice cooker or is there some specific model or models that I can look for that would allow this without wrecking the unit?

Thanks to everyone for all the info so far!

I haven't tried the Ezekiel bread yet...a bit pricey for me...but it does look good so one day when I feel like I'm not overspending at the grocery store I want to pick some up. 

FYI, I noticed that there is also Ezekiel pasta and other products, same deal as the bread, Biblical grains, so that should also work good for Dr. Gott's plan.

As far as Grape Nuts, I personally think they're splendiforous, fabulously malty and crunchy and slightly sweet.  They're kind of high calorie so I don't buy them too often, but they're a great treat when I do. 

I was hypothyroid and unmedicated (by my choice, because my numbers weren't really bad and I was nervous about taking Synthroid) for literally years, and now I've been on Synthroid for about a year and a half.

I can't honestly say that the hypothyroidism (or correcting it with medication) did anything one way or the other as far as my weight.  A lot of people say that, but for me personally I'd be lying if I said that was why I was overweight, or that being on meds helped me lose.  YMMV, as I'm sure everyone has a different experience with this.

The other symptoms listed above, definitely.  Also very dry skin and hair, brittle nails, etc.  I still have thin hair at the front of my hairline. :-(

Is there any possibility that you're eating too FEW calories for your activity level?  People talk about that a lot on these forums, and I understand it's possible to not eat enough, have too large of a calorie deficit, and go into "starvation mode" so your body won't allow you to lose weight.  I don't have any experience with this personally, I just mention it because I see it discussed here a lot and it can be an issue for people who work out a lot.

I haven't got it yet, but I will pick it up as soon as I can find it in the used Wii games.

I've actually read some pretty bad reviews, which is one reason I don't want to pay full price.  (Another reason is that I don't like to pay full price for anything, I'm cheap!)   Anyway, apparently the graphics on the screen don't do a good job of keeping up with the motions you're making with the Fit and/or controller, at least according to the reviews I've read.  Also they criticize the quality of the graphics, but I don't think that one is a fair criticism...let's face it, Wii graphics aren't meant to be like Xbox or PS graphics.

Becky

Original Post by texaspeach:

I am going in next week to have my thyroid tested. I have been trying to loose weight for 6 months now with no success and that is with exercise and staying within my calorie range. I am also tired and moody, almost as if i have constant pms. My periods have been irregular ever since I had my tubes done in October of last year. That was after a miscarriage in May of 07.I mean really irregular sometimes they come a month apart sometimes two somtimes 6 weeks. For the past two months I have had a constant itchy scalp and neck, other parts of my body are itchy but not nearly as bad.I even thought I had lice but that was not it. I am worried that the test will come back and i will have hypothyroidism. I dont know what that will mean for me. I do hope that if I do have it, my efforts for weight loss will finally pay off. So my question is for those of you that do have it, did you ever have a very itchy scalp and/or neck?

 I was mildly hypothyroid but not medicated for quite a few years.  I was afraid of the medication and told my doctor I did not want it.   I then became more hypothyroid to the point where it could have been seriously unhealthy to not take the meds, and was convinved to go on Synthroid almost a year ago.

I personally don't recall having an itchy scalp and/or neck, but that doesn't necessarily mean hypothyroidism isn't causing it, since it does cause very dry skin.

I'm really not sure that fixing my hypothyroidism has had any effect on weight loss.  I HAVE lost 25 lbs. since March this year, BUT I also got serious about healthy diet and exercise starting in March this year.   When I was on the Synthroid but not watching my diet and not exercising (from November '07 to beginning of March '08), I did not lose any weight.

That said, don't be worried if you do have hypothyroidism.  There are some people who have a little trouble getting their dosage right at first (which is why I resisted), but once you're on the right dosage of thyroid meds you will feel absolutely 100% better.  I was very lucky...I got the right dosage on the first try and felt better almost from my very first pill.  I have energy, I sleep better, it's just wonderful to feel normal again.

Becky

Original Post by edamame3:

wow, that's seriously unhealthy!

I don't care if doctors say it's okay! You watch, in ten years, they're going to find out that skipping periods on purpose causes all kinds of problems.

Your body needs to shed it's uterine lining every month! That's how you were designed! I know it's a 'hassle' to have your period, but honestly, it's a hassle to poop too, and if someone came out with a pill that would make it so you don't have to poop for three months, would you do that?? it's the same thing!

 

If you're on the pill anyway, skipping periods isn't any more unhealthy than not skipping them.

With my doctor's blessing, and for numerous reasons, I haven't had a period since 2001 due to being prescribed "continuous birth control".

There is NOTHING natural about having a period when on the pill.  Your uterine lining does not build up if you are on the pill.  The bleeding experienced during the placebo week on the pill is withdrawal bleeding from a sudden drop in hormone levels and not from a build up of uterine lining as someone not on the pill would have. 

Here is a link to more info on continuous birth control:

http://www.crankyeditor.com/Portfolio/Feature %20Writing/Health/Continuous%20Birth%20Contro l%20Therapy.htm

There is also lots of information available on the Mayo Clinic site, WebMD, and so on.

There are risks associated with the pill certainly.  But there is no medical reason to go through the withdrawal bleeding if you have already made the decision to be on the pill.

Becky

Well, here's Snopes' answer on the cold water/cancer part anyway:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/coldwater .asp

I didn't see the rest of it addressed on Snopes, but it could be that it's newer and they haven't gotten around to it yet.  I think the email is a load of crap, except for some of the descriptions of the fruit.

Becky

Mine was totally accurate until I put in a rechargeable battery pack and/or put on a silicone sleeve.  I did them both at the same time so I'm not sure which is the culprit, or maybe it's both.  I have always used mine on carpet, with the little extender feet.  Once I installed the battery pack and silicone sleeve, I magically dropped 10 lbs!  If only it were true!  LOL!  I don't worry about it too much though, because I wasn't intending to use it as my primary scale anyway.

I absolutely LOVE my Wii Fit, BTW, and highly recommend it.

Becky

Original Post by halizabeth:

what is cool whip made of?

 Hydrogenated oil, corn syrup, water, and a slew of unpronounceable chemicals!    Ugh!  I'll take a small amount of the real thing, thanks.

Here's a recent article that mentions the Wendy's Loaded Baked Potato:

http://www.thatsfit.com/2008/05/14/how-many-c alories-in-a-baked-potato/

"How Many Calories in a Wendy's Baked Potato with all the fixings?

The correct answer is 550 calories, 22 g of fat, 1080 g of sodium and 72 g of carbs, according to Wendy's official website"

Plus milk, best case scenario 8 oz skim = 90 calories, bringing it to 640, plus whatever was in the salad and dressing and that meal is going to be probably at least 700 to 800 calories.