"Also, get out of the habit of eating." I think that's a big key, right there! Since it's become just so inconvenient to eat, I barely care anymore. Although, right now, I'm splurging on gluten/wheat-free pancakes, mixed with shredded coconut, egg whites(from my own chickens and I can actually eat the whites!), almond meal and topped with fresh local honey and raspberries from the garden! :~) So much of my family's life has revolved around the kitchen. The last house that we built was designed with it as the focal point! Now, with everyones diet so restricted, I'm not sure what we'll do about it. We have, literally, hundreds of cookbooks. Everything from professional, ethnic/regional and even ones from my grandma. With the exception of many of the Asian ones, they're sort of useless now. :~( I've been doing massive amounts of harvesting and freezing all sorts of berries and veggies. I'm going to start making preserves out of beet sugar. (I used some in my coffee and it's actually drinkable now.) I've wanted a large cold storage for fruits(apples, pears, etc), potatoes and whatever else, for a long time and just might put one in. Also, the only good pizza place in town, was wiped out. A motorhome drove through it this summer! :~0 I'm now almost down to what I weighed in high school. At least, as a junior! My coach kept wanting me to move up weight classes, for sports. We used to weigh-in and if I didn't make it, I'd have to go eat and try again. Everyone else was starving themselves to make a lower weight. Eating far more than I needed became a very bad habit and hard to stop, even 20+ years later. Wow! I'd look like a corpse at 130lbs!;~) I don't think that my body would take that. I figure that 190'ish(+-) is around my ideal weight! I'd just be far too thin at anything less. Even the clothes that I bought the last shopping trip are getting baggy. Not that I'm complaining!! ;~) I wondered where my cheekbones went to! "As a bonus, I have the most marvelous tan ever, getting comments...." Never been much of the tanning type! Especially, at my age now!;~) God forbid I start getting wrinkles! All of my friends that spent years tanning around pools, in Palm Springs, look twice my age! :~) Laying in the sun w/o protection, lots of booze and cigarettes will do that to you.;~) Being fa..., ahhh larger, I kept to the shade and fully dressed...thank you very much! ;~) I don't mind a few character lines. I just refuse to look like an old crone, just yet! ;~) Especially, now that I've lost weight!! Scott

Hi Maymo, I also have a 14 y.o. son who up until this summer was a little on the chunky side. He is not a real junk food eater and can so no to sweets. I think his biggest splurge is Doritos and Pepsi. I think most of his weight came from the fact that he loved to eat good food and got little or no exercise. This summer he started working out, lifting weights and doing the treadmill because he wanted to play football this fall. The weight has literally fallen off of him. He still eats good, but I have noticed a decrease in his appetite. He looks terrific and feels really great about himself. I guess my advice to you would be to really encourage the activity. Maybe get him a bicycle. I also got my son a YMCA membership. It is $18.00 a month, which I think is a minimal investment for his well being. 14 is an age where boys really have some growth spurts also. He may grow a few inches and not gain any more weight. I do WW and think it is the healthiest and most humane program out there, if you need to follow a program. I would not think that Atkins would be a good plan to follow, especially for a young adult as it cuts out food groups and that is never good for any age. Good luck. I think it is wonderful how you are helping your son with this! Besh

I re-post U. of Michigan link on how brewer's yeast help with diabetes: http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hn-2816000 Also another link on how brewer's yeast work to lose weight for reference: http://www.naturecity.com/blog/weight-loss/brewers-yeast-extract-may-help-with-weight-loss/ "At the six week point, the researchers noted that the yeast hydrolysate group already had significant reductions in calorie intake. This reduction was maintained through the end of the study. At the conclusion of the study, the researchers noted an average 5.7 lbs reduction in body weight and a 17.3 cm2 reduction in abdominal circumference in the yeast group, compared to 1.8 lbs and 7 cm2 reductions in the control group. Researchers from Jeonju University in South Korea conducted the study. It was published in the January 2014 issue of Nutrition. Previous studies have found an association between yeast hydrolysates and increased energy, better immunity, and improved gastrointestinal health." **** From Straw: The biggest help with my sleep & losing weight is CUTTING OUT SOY MILK ... I was so sleep-deprived when I used soy milk. I didn't know that soy interferes with the absorption of magnesium (necessary for sleep & help with diabetes). I have 3 older sisters who are diabetic, and they consume soy-milk daily. I already informed them of the inflammatory carrageenan in soy products, plus depletion of magnesium. Carrageenan is in many products, including ice cream, milk-substitutes (almond & soy & coconut), coffee creamer, and cake-mixes. Here's a link of what contains carrageenan: http://www.cornucopia.org/shopping-guide-to-avoiding-organic-foods-with-carrageenan/ Here's a National Institute of Health abstract on the link between carrageenan and diabetes: "This is the first report of the impact of carrageenan on glucose tolerance and indicates that carrageenan impairs glucose tolerance, increases insulin resistance and inhibits insulin signalling in vivo in mouse liver and human HepG2 cells. These effects may result from carrageenan-induced inflammation. The results demonstrate extra-colonic manifestations of ingested carrageenan and suggest that carrageenan in the human diet may contribute to the development of diabetes." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22011715/

tjkeen.....the vet insisted Aspen did not need an antibiotic. I insisted he get it...he looked like he could barely lift his head. Emaciated....OMG.. Just a big head and spine. Greasy. We had to hand wash him with warm water on a sock. Ivan ate plastic off a new candle. Then ate the roots off an orchid. Each time he'd throw it ALL up, he'd stop eating cat food. Both cats were given appetite stimulants. The L-Lysine was when we saw a real turn around. Aspens eyes are upturned. Rear legs hitch when he walks. He jumps on the cat tree like....he almost misses/vision issues. Likened the look to Down syndrome. A so-called "Down syndrome cat" typically manifests some distinctive characteristics, including: Broad noses. Upturned eyes (which may be set widely apart) Small or unusual ears. Low muscle tone. Difficulty walking. Difficulty with elimination (urination or defecation) Hearing or vision loss. Heart problems. Sooooooooooooooooo........Aspen has more issues than Ivan....and I'm no expert on cat colds. Just getting by day by day. Aspen is walking better now he's exercising. Very quick catching string...or hunting a miller moth. ☺ Still....almost fell off the cat tree today...when he miscalculated the jump. He may be near sighted.