Wanda, my son has ADD without the H. He was diagnosed in first grade when he took a nosedive in class. He was uncontrollable hitting, kicking, spitting, causing disruptions in class. Wouldn't finish his work in school, or homework. He had no friends either. He was too mean. When the teacher first told me about this, I was in shock! He had been the perfect student as a kindergartner. Certainly they must be mistaken. Or he had to be provoked. But that wasn't the case. He went through counseling and testing and over a 6 months period with lots of input from his teacher and the counselor, they came up with ADD. He was put on Ritalin in the beginning and it made a HUGE difference. All the sudden he was able to cope. He was able to focus on his school work, and know the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behavior. It hasn't all be automatic, but it's easier for him to understand things when he's on his meds. He still needed assistance in class by having a separate desk over against the wall to help with his distractions. The dr. explained it to us like this: If you were standing in the middle of a very busy intersection with cars whizzing by all the time, and you had to be studying for a math test, that is what it is like in his head without medicine. That helped me alot. Because I struggled with giving him medicine. He has to be seen by the dr. every 6 months to be sure he is growing and not having any issues with sleeping. He has changed medicines a few times to make things better as time goes on and he changes. He is now on Concerta, which is a long acting form of Ritalin. It usually works about 8 hours, which prevents him from having to take an additional dose at lunchtime and after school. His coping skills have gotten better over time. But there is still a huge difference when he takes the meds and not. He gets a break every other weekend with his dad, because his dad doesn't want to give him the meds. The dr. said he needs breaks occasionally anyway, and while most people have their kids off during Christmas, and spring break, doing it this way is fine too. I think we are at a good dosage for him now after just increasing it a bit. He is now excelling in school. He gets A's and B's and his teacher says he's not as disruptive as he has been. Though he did go through a period of acting out when I was sick and shortly thereafter, I think he's overcome that. At this point, he's 11, and alot of his behavior is just typical 11 year old boy. And sometimes that is the struggle for us, trying to differentiate whether it's an ADD issue, or pre-adolescent issue. Just FYI, his dad was on Ritalin as a child too. He also has ADD. He still has it, but has found ways to cope and deal with things without medication. In Lucas' case, we believe it is hereditary. Hope that helped.

I was afraid to weigh myself because I have been eating non-stop and because I have that awful post-surgery swelling. I weigh 144, but I deserve to weigh even more than that! My goal was to always be less than 140. I guess I have to treat this re-surgery as a real surgery and not exercise for four weeks! Every time I start to get back to my routine something prevents me! As far as meal planning, I was wondering if it would be easier to set a limit of 350 calories per meal with no snacks. It seems like when I allow myself to eat between meals, I just continue to eat. My lab work showed that I was low in protein. The PCP said that if it goes too low, it's very hard to build back up. I drink two protein shakes a day. I'm sure I get in 100 grams of protein most days, but apparently my body needs more than the normal person. I'm still anemic too, but I have decided to treat it with the meds and not try to eat more iron. It all gets too complicated. I was also slightly dehydrated. So, I'm going to concentrate on better nutrition before it's too late! Let us know what the doc says about your face. I know you must be worried. You can't hide your face under clothes like you can other body parts! Thanks for keeping the thread going! Wanda

I love the Achieve One too. I don't buy them because I would over-indulge! I have trouble with "moderation"!

Good Morning, Gang! Here it is another Monday and time for yet another weigh-in for us. Hope you all had a great weekend and the weather was good. While weekends are wonderful, they tend to get me off schedule and I eat more. We ate out several times this weekend and it's harder to make good choices. We divided an entree on Saturday evenng which helps but it is easier to stay on track during the week when my schedule is more stable. How do you deal with weekends? Do you plan your meals or are you more flexible? Even if I have a plan it seems that I'm more tempted to eat out when given half a chance! Speaking of meal planning, if you do plan your meals, when do you formulate your plan? Do you use FitDay or another program or use paper and pencil? Many of you have children, do you end up cooking more than one meal? Are you buying the family healthier snacks to keep yourself from being tempted? What is your relationship with food lately? Food can still "call" me if there's something in the house that I don't normally "allow" myself to eat. Thankfully, with just my husband and myself here, I'm able to keep many things out of the house but I worry about those of you with children! And, if I buy something that is a problem, I'll often tell my husband to take it to work just to get it out of my sight! What are your exercise plans for the week? With the weather being nice and warmer, we can do more outside! Our bikes are all cleaned up and ready for the season. Tomorrow I go back for a check up with the PS and I'm still worried about my face. My face is still somewhat swollen but most people wouldn't notice. I'm worried about it being hard too, especially my neck. Wanda, I'm so glad your PCP gave you some reassurance and I'm sure you will finally heal and love your results! I said last week that I knew my lowest weight was unrealistic for me and I am up this week. I'm not at all surprised so I'm not upset! Beginning Weight: 245.25 Last Week: 126.50 This Week: 128.00 Gain: +1.50 Total Loss: 117.25 BMI: 22.0 Hope you all have a great week. Be conscious of your choices and get your exercise! CeCe

I am always looking for new protein that is paletable. My new fav is the Achieve One's that Britty turned me on to. Love them! Thanks for the tip. Valorie