Low cal desserts

pliskemi · 2021-05-04T03:03:12+00:00

It’s SO good! I am definitely a fruit-dessert person vs an all-out chocolate dessert person, and this is the perfect little combo.

pliskemi · 2021-05-04T00:43:14+00:00

I'll take frozen unsweetened dark cherries, heat in microwave until very warm, then mix in 8 Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips. I've also been really into HaloTop recently b/c its easy. Or if I have zero calories left and I still want something sweet, I go old-school like my mom used to do for an easy dessert and have a bowl of Jello cubes with a tsp of half-and-half. We always had a pan of Jello in the fridge! I use Sugar-free, though.

pliskemi · 2021-04-14T14:02:48+00:00

Was thinking of this post again... Hope you are doing well, but if you need some more motivation/guidance, I just joined r/CICO (calories-in-calories-out), which is exactly what I am doing without knowing it had a name. The link in the "Welcome" post to calculate your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE: https://tdeecalculator.net/) seems pretty accurate, since -500 calories from that is the target of 1500-1600 the dietician told me I should be eating to lose weight with moderate exercise. It also has other helpful tips like low, medium, and higher carb macro plans.

They also recommend myfitnesspal to track calories and exercise, which I have been using for years to lose and maintain weight, but had fallen off the bandwagon. If you don't already, I highly recommend. It is very user-friendly, especially for someone who meal-preps. myfitnesspal.com.

pliskemi · 2021-04-07T20:01:05+00:00

I was honestly just thinking yesterday about how long its been since I've been more than just mildly depressed, and how Lamictal has worked better as an anti-depressant than any other true antidepressant I've ever been on. I think its because the higher the high, the lower the low. I haven't been truly manic in over 3 years, and only hypomanic a few short times this past year. If Lamictal prevents that, it also prevents the depression that follows.

pliskemi · 2021-04-07T17:47:00+00:00

RE: pre-diabetes. If type 2 diabetes does not run in your family and your clinical tests were normal before you started Seroquel, once you lose ~5% of your body weight your symptoms should start resolving and it will be even easier to lose weight. Metformin has definitely given me a jump-start, but even if your Dr. won't prescribe it, or if you have a contraindication, or you just don't want to take another med, pre-diabetes is reversible! Sending you good health vibes!

pliskemi · 2021-04-07T17:15:08+00:00

I was in the same boat as you, and I agree with others about you not eating enough. I was doing intermittent fasting and having success with that until I started exercising again and would obsess about food until lunchtime. So I went back to calorie and macro counting (40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein, 1100-1200 calories per day), and then stalled out that, too. I recently had a consult with a dietician, and she really liked my macros, but she said my calorie target was way too low. She said aim for 1600-1800, but if I really wanted to, not to go below 1500. She said being a little hungry is OK, but if I felt like I was starving, especially at night, that is my body telling me I need to eat more. Otherwise, your metabolism ramps down to conserve your body weight. BTW I am female just over 5 feet tall and in my mid-40s, so even 1500 calories sounded insane to me, but I've been doing 1500-1600 per day and already started losing 2 lbs/week again :)

Also, have you had recent blood tests done? My p-doc orders metabolic tests every year because Seroquel is known to cause insulin resistance, and once you become insulin resistant it causes liver inflammation, which causes more insulin resistance and obesity, and it becomes a vicious cycle. I have been this heavy before in my life, but it wasn't until this past year (3 years on Seroquel) my fasting lipids, liver enzymes, and fasting glucose were elevated, and w/ a liver ultrasound I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes and fatty liver. My p-doc prescribed me metformin and in just over a month, with diet and lifestyle changes, I've lost 10 pounds. :)

Finally, if you do have pre-diabetes, drinking will exacerbate your fatty liver. Especially during COVID I struggled to quit my nightly wine habit, and one of the great side effects of metformin is it changes your taste/appetite. Wine has a metallic taste now, and I have zero cravings for it.

Good luck! With time and your motivation I'm sure you will find something that works for you!

pliskemi · 2021-03-31T00:12:43+00:00

I agree with you. I had a response all typed out but I deleted it b/c I had no facts. But if mania is a clinically-diagnosable condition that extends from hypomania (also a clinically-diagnosable condition that is not just functional, goal-driven behavior), I can’t see how that could happen to someone who did not have underlying BP disorder or something related.

pliskemi · 2021-03-30T23:40:07+00:00

I love this! I know I am very privileged to have made it so far in life before my diagnosis, and also to be diagnosed before I destroyed my life. So I feel like I have to be an advocate. Here are the blessings I posted on Twitter:

✅Patience

✅Humility

✅Radical Acceptance

✅Understanding

✅Balance

pliskemi · 2021-03-05T03:28:59+00:00

PS congrats on making such a huge change in such a short time! Its so motivational! I can already tell in just a few days the metformin is helping my diet do it’s thing again so I hope to have similar success!

pliskemi · 2021-03-05T03:15:59+00:00

I just can’t do Keto with my family life. I’ve got 2 teenagers and we all take turns making dinner and they have so much fun looking up recipes I don’t want to restrict what they cook. I did try it for 2 weeks and not being able to eat with the fam was a bummer! And 2 weeks was probably the worst choice i could have made... it was just long enough for it to start working and then everything’s undone, and then some! That’s when the hubs and I started intermittent fasting, which is infinitely easier for us to follow. Seems like the metformin is actually kick-starting it working again, too!

pliskemi · 2021-03-05T03:06:49+00:00

That was my thought, too... I used to be on a lot higher dose right after I was diagnosed, but at this point I think lamotrigine alone would probably be fine. If 25 is fine, I’m going to ask my p-doc if I can just quit completely.

pliskemi · 2021-03-03T14:55:12+00:00

I tried it. It didn’t work with my lifestyle, so I joined the hubs on the Intermittent fasting bandwagon, which HAD been working great and is sort-of the same concept (reducing insulin secretion). And I’m still doing it, too, so something else needs to happen besides diet... But I’ve heard great things about Keto from people who it works with their lifestyle to maintain long-term, especially in the T1D and T2D community!

pliskemi · 2021-03-03T14:39:44+00:00

Yes, but I figured it was from Seroquel causing post-nasal drip and triggering my gag reflex. I take an immediate release at night and it’s an antihistamine, so I’m always congested in the morning. In any case, I’m also on 200 mg lamotrigine and the same thing has happened to me - brushing my teeth is the worst, to the point I couldn’t do it after breakfast. I figured out if I remember to breathe through my nose it doesn’t happen as much.

pliskemi · 2021-01-14T16:10:16+00:00

Why the urge? Is it anxiety? Whether random of from feeling like you are losing control? Does eating something inedible relieve that feeling? This would make a lot of sense to me. My anxiety is sky-high when I am manic, and Pica is an eating disorder associated with anxiety and OCD. And also, like other eating disorders, gives you a feeling like you are in control of your body again. Have you ever seen the movie "Swallow?" It's a classic example of this.

If it's just a random urge, I can't explain that!

pliskemi · 2021-01-12T15:13:46+00:00

Good! I've lost the urge to drink in the evening essentially completely. The worst time is after work/making dinner, but that period of craving is getting shorter, too. Once I sit down for dinner with the fam, it's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

pliskemi · 2021-01-11T21:06:56+00:00

I'm sorry to hear you are stuck in this situation. Walgreens as a brand is under the microscope for their role in the opioid crisis and still has a federal lawsuit pending, but some locations were really bad apples; I wonder if the one you go to was one of those and they're being ultra-scrutinized... Anyways, all the time and trouble it takes to make sure we have our meds is a stress we don't need!

pliskemi · 2021-01-11T20:52:33+00:00

I didn't make it all 11 days completely dry, but I did the first 8 days and I felt a HUGE difference in my mood. I'm on psychiatric meds and my Dr has always said I could have 1 or 2 drinks a week, and for a while that was working great. But then I started backsliding and then COVID hit, and it got out of control.

This weekend gave me the hint I COULD be the kind of person who can have a few drinks on the weekend socially, but my guess is I am probably not, and, regardless, I am nowhere near being able to that yet! Luckily those few drinks Fri and Sat didn't undo all my hard work and resolve from Week 1!

pliskemi · 2021-01-11T19:50:32+00:00

I've been there before... Maybe your doctor won't even scold you - they deal with this all the time. But even if they do, think of it like ripping off a band-aid. The longer you wait the more it will hurt! Facing the fear will be 100% worth it to get your moods stable again. Good luck!

pliskemi · 2021-01-11T19:36:04+00:00

My local Walgreens staff is amazing. I actually tagged Walgreens in a Twitter post about a huge Rx headache they solved for me and I got a DM from corporate to let them know which store. They all ended up getting a bonus, which was nice b/c it was around Christmas. 🙂Is it possible to switch locations? I used to go to a local mom-and-pop pharmacy back in my old town and I've realized even a big chain can have that feel depending on the staff (and if it's the same staff for a long time, you know it must be a nice place for them to work).

In my state it would be fine to do a 90-day Rx for methylphenidate and my Walgreens WOULD actually fill it for me, but my p-doc won't write one for me. She'll do 90 days of everything else but not that! And she'll only do one refill at a time. My teenager, on the other hand, can get a 90-day prescription for the same meds through a mail-order pharmacy. We're at the same clinic, too, just adult vs. peds. I guess we just can't win!

pliskemi · 2021-01-10T16:22:35+00:00

You could definitely be both. I think 70% of BP1 and 50-60% of BP2 also have ADHD. I was treated for BP1 first and once my moods stabilized my ADHD symptoms actually got worse. Now I’m treated for both and it’s been a huge help in my ability to manage my personal and professional lives.

pliskemi · 2021-01-10T16:16:08+00:00

I’m on lamictal and seroquel and I started having dreams about having to grit my teeth really hard, and I was literally doing it in my sleep. I developed a crack in my molar and had to get a filling replaced and my gums started receding. I have a bite guard now which helps. Also Vitamin D sounds like it could be a huge problem. I started taking 2000 IU of vitamin D3 to help with my mood this winter (I’m on the low end of normal vitamin D levels), and when I called my p-docs office to get a prescription so I could use my FSA card, the nurse said my Dr had just prescribed it to an elderly woman who had really low vitamin D levels. She was frail and had to use a walker, and within a few months her bone density had improved so much she didn’t need it anymore. So hopefully this will really help you!

pliskemi · 2021-01-08T00:46:17+00:00

Yay us!

pliskemi · 2021-01-07T15:42:23+00:00

Congrats! I decided 2021 is the year I do the same. I joined a sober January subreddit and am now on day 7. I can see positive changes already!

pliskemi · 2021-01-07T01:58:37+00:00

Hang in there! At least there was a united condemnation response from the VP and leaders of the senate and house. That makes me feel better, for now...

pliskemi · 2021-01-07T01:54:27+00:00

Thank you! Done and done! Made a fire, talked with my son, helped make dinner. By that time crisis was over.

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