The news reports are saying a case of the "Alli-Oooops" is more likely to happen than not. The package insert reportedly advises people to bring an extra pair of trousers to work and to wear dark clothing. Yiiiiiiii! The drug appears to be a method of policing fat intake for those who have a hard time staying within healthy fat-intake limits. The company's own product research indicates that Alli leaches essential vitamins from the body, therefore you should be taking supplements if you take this drug. I seriously considered taking it until I heard about the body's vitamin loss---not worth it for me. Of course, ask your doc before you venture down the "Alli-way." There might be a simpler, less messy way to go about limiting fat intake and adding exercise to your daily routine. You're worth it! EXPLORE *ALL* POSSIBILITIES! :-)

I think I am doing "mostly OK" on my fabric diet. I already have so much fabric that there's not room for much more, so that keeps me from overindulging. I think about it this way: If I ever fall on hard times, I will not have to stop quilting. My main criterion is that I will only buy something to complete a particular project, or if it is one of those fabrics that I am going to later regret not buying. The latter is becoming relatively rare. I am starting to clearly recognize those "have to have" fabrics, and differentiate them from the fabrics that will just make more work for me, finding matching fabrics. I admit, I have purchased fabrics to start a few new projects, but only because I have discovered that I love hand applique so much, I am going to be doing a lot of it, hence, I will actually use that fabric after all, rather than just admire it lying there in my stash. But as much as possible, I try to "make do" with my extensive stash. Of course, all that applique means that I had to buy many different hues of 50 weight thread. And I have been doing more actual sewing--not just dreaming of sewing--since I added this new dimension to my quilting hobby. Money well spent, I say. My hubby actually is encouraging me to spend the money for a walking foot for my Viking. Anything that makes the tops hanging on the railing turn into finished quilts. I am going to take a class on Quilt As You Go, and this requires me to get the walking foot. I can use a 25% off coupon, and birthday money that my mom gave me. Money well spent, if I end up finishing quilts more quickly and with less procrastination. I think it's all about wise choices. That's a diet I can stick to.

I had my annual physical at the end of May, and my cholesterol was 299. I immediately cut out all sugar and refined carbs and trans fats. I walked 40 minutes a day. I ate healthy low-carb whole foods like baked or grilled chicken, wild salmon, grass-fed beef maybe once a week, fish, eggs, legumes (primarily red or black beans), LOTS of vegetables (but no potatoes), avocados, and some fruit (mostly berries and apples). Healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin coconut oil. I never felt deprived or hungry. For snacks, I ate nuts, mostly almonds and walnuts, but also some pecans and pistachios. One of my favorite snacks is apple pieces dipped into almond butter. Homemade kale chips are good, too. For beverages, I stuck to water and lots of it, and tea (green, white or Rooibos). I took a high quality fish oil supplement, not the ones you buy at the grocery store. And for a sweetener, I use "Just Like Sugar." I like it better than Stevia and you definitely want to avoid aspartame. Although after a short while of no sweets, I lost my desire for them and seldom used the Just Like Sugar. After 3 months (and 20 pounds lighter) I had my cholesterol re-checked and it was down to 224. I don't need to lose much more weight, but I'm going to continue on this eating plan because I feel soooo much better. I think the key is to reduce inflammation, I think that is the real culprit to much of what ails us. Good luck to your SO. He's a lucky man to have you helping him and looking out for him!

Thanks for the link to the Trader Joe's shopping list. I don't throw food nearly as much as she does, however, but I do already buy a lot of the things on her list, and quite a few I make myself rather than buy already prepared. This list does make me wish that my stand-up freezer had not died, but when I had it, I put way too much stuff in it and never seemed to get around to using all of it. I did shop at TJ's yesterday, and it was rather irritating. They had moved the nuts to where the bread used to be and vice versa, and so I asked someone who was stocking the shelves where the pita bread. I was already on the right aisle, and he said that the artisanal bread was all further down that aisle. I mentioned that it used to be by the front door, and he told me that it had been moved quite some time ago, in a rather surly tone of voice. I then went down the aisle to look for the pita and discovered that it was actually right in front of the person I had asked and was on the very bottom shelf, practically on the floor, which made it difficult to find. I was irritated that he didn't tell me that he was standing directly in front of it. Other people who were stocking items in the store pushed carts in front of me, forcing me to get out of their way instead of going around me, which they could have easily done. It was like they were annoyed that I was shopping there. I really need to shop at a different TJ's, as others are nicer, and there are quite a few that are reasonably close to me. I did buy some frozen mango plus some fresh plumcots. I don't know if these are the same as the pluots that we get at the farmers' markets, but they were in a hard, clear plastic container so that I could not tell how ripe they were. It turns out that they were nowhere near being ripe, but I guess that will be okay. They will probably be tart. I also bought some frozen corn that looked better than what I normally buy, but I did not have enough room in my freezer to buy any more frozen vegetables. I could not find any dried beans at TJ's, except for lentils, but they had a good selection of quinoa, and so I bought a small back of tri-color quinoa, since I have not had that type before. When I got home, I decided to order some dried fava beans from Amazon, and they seemed a bit expensive - $11 for a 20 oz bag. I'll wait to go to the Middle Eastern market to get more dried beans. I have the last of the garbanzos soaking for me to make falafel today, and so I need to get more of those. The Middle Eastern market by far has the best prices.