I am very active in the diabetes community and subscribe to the newsletter of the American Association of Practicing Endocronologists and the Joslin clinic for diabetes research, as well as seeing a specialist myself. Have you even heard of metabolic syndrome? My blood sugar is tightly controlled, but it has not in any way helped my lipid panel. Cholesterol is NOT a side effect it is a co-effect according to nearly all researchers in the field. My DNA has the APO-e marker for high LDL and triglycerides My cholesterol actually has a peculiar shape in that it has a corkscrew end that bores into the walls of my arteries. It doesn't really matter if we agree or not. The treatment is the same. My only concern is that someone who is doing everything right can be made to feel wrong because they didn't get the result you did. I also think that there is a great deal yet to be discovered about diet, exercise physiology, and the root cause of metabolic syndrome. This is not a one size fits all disease. My last HBA1C was 5.8 and my cholesterol was worse than ever. I live near a medical school that puts a lot of emphasis on diabetes research. One of the surprising things that has come up recently is that it looks like it is better to spike and return to normal than to take a lower hit of sugar over a longer period of time (e.g. taking it with fat or fiber). This is totally contrary to what anyone expected or current medical advice. They aren't releasing this information yet because they want to run the tests again to be sure. I think this is an interesting example of how best medical practice can be turned on its head. If the OP finds that her blood sugar is elevated, I hope that she has the same result that you do when she lowers it, but I am a little bit sceptical because her exercise regime has so far failed to help.

I just called the Toll Free 888 number to order my copies. Yes, copieS.. I ordered three of them. They only send these to addresses within the United States, however, anyone from within the United States can order as many of them as they want. And, if they choose to send them to foreign addresses from that point.. that is no problem. So, if you really want one, and you live outside the US, perhaps someone from here or another source you know could send them to you for the cost of the postage. It was quick and easy to order. I am looking forward to getting the workbook and reading more about HRT and deciding if that is the way I want to go. My next Gynie appointment is January 8th and this new guy is supposed to be the guru of hormones for meno chicks like me.. and YOU guys!

As you can see from the posts above, there are specific issues to address when considering retirement. #1 is the physical: what will your health allow you to do, and for how long? Then what? Do you have a plan for coping with the inevitable aging? Do you have a backup plan for that plan? What happens if you can't drive for a short period, say for convalescence? #2 is the financial: have you done a budget? Are you free of excess debt? Have you reserved for large expenses: home maintenance such as a new roof or furnace, or the inevitable new/used car? How will you handle inflation if it goes above 5%? How long are you estimating your money will need to last (most people grossly underestimate how long they actually will live)? How much do you need to pay for healthcare - Medicare covers less than 65% overall of total elderly medical expenses, and nothing for vision, dental, hearing, or long term care. What do you spend most of your money on now? What do you propose to spend it on after retiring? We travel just around the West Coast, so yes, our costs have gone up. But we will not be able to do this forever, so now is our time to 'get up and go'. #3 is social/emotional: do you make friends easily? Do you have hobbies now or have you always focused on work and the co-workers around? Do you like spending time alone or are you willing to go out and make new friends? There is no right or wrong answer to these questions; but they can indicate what you may want to do with your time. ********** We retired at 55. All our friends/family are still working except for a few very wealthy friends and some who are much older and retired at the usual 65 age. So our weekends are still socially concentrated. We don't have a lot of friends, but that is our preference. We both have many hobbies and spend considerable time (and $$) every day on them. I don't do volunteer work, for example. I tried it before my spouse retired but didn't really enjoy it. Right now we have very full lives and I don't want the weekly commitment. But I'm willing to try it again at some future date, perhaps when our lives slow down a bit more. Retirement comes in phases because your health changes. Flexibility of mind is perhaps the biggest key to happiness. We are financially stable although certainly not rich (I wish, LOL), and able to afford living in a very expensive but beautiful area. Because my spouse did the "catch-up contributions" to his 401k for the last few years before retiring, we actually were living on a bit less than what our post-retirement income is. Although unintended, I now recommend this to people because it is really the best way to figure out if you can financially manage a retirement. In a three or four-year period you are going to experience 'bumps' that will show if you can manage on a specific amount. Once you are retired, there are no more performance bonuses coming in!

All weight loss comes from eating less calories than you burn. That is it. HOW one goes about doing that doesn't matter. Weight loss meds suppress your appetite, often to the point of queasiness. in order to reduce food intake, creating a calorie deficit, and therefore weight loss. Weight loss surgery restricts how much one can cram down at one time temporarily, thus creating a calorie deficit, leading to weight loss. Traditional diets, no matter which one. are meant to reduce calorie intake, creating a calorie deficit, thus leading to weight loss. If you are not losing weight, you are eating too much. Doesn't really matter the number. If you are not losing weight, you need to reduce your intake. There is a terrible genetic condition that is called Prada-Willi Syndrome. This condition is doubly cruel. It causes the afflicted to always, and I mean always, feel starving. They go to extreme lengths to get food. They eat out of the trash, eat non food items, steal, whatever. There are a number of cases in which the person afflicted has literally eaten themselves to death, by eating and eating until their stomach burst. To add to the horror, these people usually only need half of the calories an average person without the condition needs. An adult woman with this syndrome only needs 800-900 calories a day to maintain their weight. You can see how a combination of these factors would cause these people to be overweight. There is a facility in the UK, called Haydock house, which is a residential home for people with Prada Willi syndrome. They have a REMARKABLE record of reducing and maintaining the weight of these people. You know how they do it? You're not gonna believe it........ They do it by monitoring their calorie intake and encouraging physical activity. I know, SHOCKING right?!?!? If the people saddled with this horrible condition are able to lose weight, anyone can. Sorry about it. While I understand there are some people who blame trauma or mental illness or whatever on their inability to control their food intake, it is my position that there comes a time to grow up and get help. If you are unwillingly to do that, its not a valid excuse. And yes, I take the same position for other harmful addictions. It is YOUR responsibility as an adult to handle your own problems. Obesity in particular is not just a personal problem. It is a burden on the healthcare system, a burden on society, a burden on the environment. Its a huge problem. I also think that in a decade or so, the adverse affects of using meds like Ozempic ones body does not need just in order to lose weight till rear their ugly heads. And I think that the people who chose to use them instead of just not eating as much, should not be able to seek legal ramifications for whatever consequences come from it. Just like I do not think that people should be able to sue fast food places or junk food companies for them getting diabetes or heart disease.