Weight Loss Suppourt Thread (shannonl) And Any Others Who Want To Join

[lonewolf]

Another day on the run - life with a 4 kids and a job gets hectic! I'm only supposed to work half-time, but my job-share partner was sick yesterday and I had to cover for her. Today was my half-day: ran errands in the morning, then taught a PE class, taught 5th grade band, drove 45 minutes round trip to pick up my daughter from high school, then coached basketball. Dinner is cooking now and I'm hungry and exhausted. I did dawdle in the candy aisle for a minute this morning, then thought of this thread and passed by.

B - 2 apple slices, 1 Tbs. almond butter, 2 slices rice toast with butter

L - small serving of leftover stew, banana, almond milk "shake"

D - will be meatballs, mashed potatoes and salad

[Viola 1]

Another day on the run - life with a 4 kids and a job gets hectic! I'm only supposed to work half-time, but my job-share partner was sick yesterday and I had to cover for her. Today was my half-day: ran errands in the morning, then taught a PE class, taught 5th grade band, drove 45 minutes round trip to pick up my daughter from high school, then coached basketball. Dinner is cooking now and I'm hungry and exhausted. I did dawdle in the candy aisle for a minute this morning, then thought of this thread and passed by.

B - 2 apple slices, 1 Tbs. almond butter, 2 slices rice toast with butter

L - small serving of leftover stew, banana, almond milk "shake"

D - will be meatballs, mashed potatoes and salad

Good Lord, with that schedule you need to diet I'm so tired just reading this I'm going to go and pour myself a glass of wine and relax

[lonewolf]

Good Lord, with that schedule you need to diet I'm so tired just reading this I'm going to go and pour myself a glass of wine and relax

You're funny! This is just normal for me. This is part of my problem - I get so tired that I don't have enough energy to get real exercise, although I am about to go take the dog for a walk before going to bed. And I get so hungry by the time I get dinner ready that if I'm not careful I'll eat several hundred extra calories by snacking while I'm cooking. I'd love to have an assistant whose job it was to shop for fruits and vegetables and keep them sliced and ready to eat at all times. (And while they're at it maybe they could wash dishes, do the laundry, keep the house clean and keep the check book balanced.) I actually take time to relax every day (I do get on here) so I won't go nuts.

[Kaycee]

Lonewolf I so know what you mean about being so tired and when I am tired, I tend to eat easy things, like todays menu.

Not a bad day, and not a spud in sight. I tell you I've probably eaten spuds every day of my life!

B - Yoghurt and stewed rhubarb

S - Peach, plum, raw carrot, apricot

L - Curried veges (Oops, I spotted a spud in there!), rice noodles

S - Apple and three rice wafers with peanut butter (I stole that from the afterschool program, making sure that no-one had been in the peanut butter before me) Went looking for peanut butter today for myself in supermarkte, and what do you know, most of it comes from China!

T - 8 corn thins, yum with pickle and cheese, custard with a banana.

Well not the best day food wise, but kept just under 1200 calories.

Really tired tonight, had to have a nana nap! First day back at work, and I had a sore tum last night, not a gluten one, but was still sore today. Could not concentrate. Who said not a gluten one, sounds supsicious.

Was rudely awoken by thunder and lightening this morning. Bucketfulls of water pouring down, and it is the middle of summer!

Cathy

[emcmaster]

Just wanted to caution you gals that are eating below 1200 (or really, for that matter, below 1500) - unless you are a really small person, that is too little calories. Yes, you're going to lose at first, but you should never eat below your BMR, and few people (even my 5'0" best friend) have a BMR below 1200.

Here are some great calculators that tell you a guideline of how much to eat:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[Mayflowers]

Just wanted to caution you gals that are eating below 1200 (or really, for that matter, below 1500) - unless you are a really small person, that is too little calories. Yes, you're going to lose at first, but you should never eat below your BMR, and few people (even my 5'0" best friend) have a BMR below 1200.

Here are some great calculators that tell you a guideline of how much to eat:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

I wish you told me back when I was 23. I got sick on a 1,000 calorie diet and got insomnia for 4 months from my metabolisdm slowng down too much.

[Viola 1]

Just wanted to caution you gals that are eating below 1200 (or really, for that matter, below 1500) - unless you are a really small person, that is too little calories. Yes, you're going to lose at first, but you should never eat below your BMR, and few people (even my 5'0" best friend) have a BMR below 1200.

Here are some great calculators that tell you a guideline of how much to eat:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Thanks for these links, I'm going to check them out this afternoon. Right now I have to get off the computer and make lunch. But these sound really helpful.

Everyone here is great, and with a sense of humour ... Gotta keep that

[gf4life]

I liked the link to www.freedieting.com.

The calorie counter there said I need to eat about 1700 calories to maintain my current weight of 137, about 1400 to lose fat, and about 1100 to lose extreme fat. I usually eat between 1200-1400 calories a day with a break down of 40% carbs, 35% protein and 25% healthy fats. My BMR that I calculated on www.mycaloriecounter.com, says that I should eat about 2100 calories, but if I want to lose weight at a rate of 1 pound a week that I need to decrease that amount by 500 calories. I am decreasing it by about 750 calories and lose 1-2 pounds per week on average. I have lost 35 pounds total since September 30th, 2006 and continue to lose, even with the occasional day of going up to 1800 calories (Thanksgiving, eating out at Outback, etc.). I still try to maintain my carb/protein/fats ratio though, even if I go over on my calories. That seems to be the most important aspect of my food consumption.

The www.active.com site said I need to eat about 2100 calories a day to maintain my weight (this would be my BMR). I don't think I could physically eat that many calories unless it was a bunch of junk food!

I cut out almost all processed foods and junk, and limit the refined sugars. I only drink water (at least 70oz. a day) and almond milk in my egg protein shakes (my breakfast each day). I occasionally have some caffeine-free herbal tea and I allow myself a cup of coffee once a month. Other than the once a month cup of coffee the only caffeine I get is from a piece of dark chocolate (about .2 of an ounce) every few days. I eat whole foods and my fats mainly consist of olive oil, nuts & organic nut butters, avocado. My sweetener of choice is agave nectar.

I notice that one slice of Kinnikinnick bread is considered a serving at 170 callories ... hello does anyone make a sandwich with one slice of bread

Shirley, what kind of Kinnikinnick bread do you get? A bagel is 220 and a whole 7 inch pizza crust is only 280 calories!

I mostly get the white sandwich bread for sandwiches and they are only 70 calories a slice, so a sandwich would be 140, plus whatever you put on it. I like to occasionally have a sandwich with 1 tablespoon of organic almond butter and 1 tablespoon of low sugar strawberry jam at 265 calories. It makes a nice snack.

[Guest AutumnE]

Sorry I was mia for a few days, we are all sick. So its going to be a quick one for me tonight.

Liz- My dh eats venison quite often, I use to but since morning sickness with my daughter the gamey smell gets to me. Im not a huge fan of breakfast foods and eggs can tear up my gut sometimes. Alot of times I eat the same kind of foods that I would eat for lunch and dinner.

Cathy- yep it is mince. I love empire kosher poultry but I think they only deliver in the continental us. Its actually about 2 hours from where I live so its about a day or two delivery, its the only place I get chicken or turkey anymore. Im not sure about menopause but I know eliminating these things took care of my arthritis. It is rare I get arthritis pain anymore when I feel like I need a tylenol. Did it say why menopause is easier? I would love to get my mom on this type of eating considering she is struggling with heat flashes and upset stomach. My arthritis use to be horrible as to where I couldnt get up from a sitting position on the floor without getting on all fours. Not really conducive with having a three year old. I love NZ too, My dh's favorite movie lord of the rings showed me the beauty of the country. One of these days I would love to visit it. Im anxiously awaiting traveling again. My daughter doesnt do well sleeping at other places other than her home so we have delayed vacationing till she gets to a point where she would understand it better hopefully this fall since I would love to vacation since we havent gone on one in almost 7 years.

Shirley- I use to love popcorn, air popped popcorn was a must everyday till intolerances set in. Now I just watch my daughter eat it and drool lol!

Shannon_ oy I miss ice cream! Im waiting to see soon if I can eat dairy again. I made corn free ice cream for my nephew and it was so hard not to try a bite!

Liz- Wow you are busy! Excellent non scale victory on passing up the candy aisle! I have to avoid the aisle all together or else I get too tempted. I try to keep enjoy life chocolate chips in the freezer for a few when I have a need for a snack. I would be happy to be in debt for life if I could buy a house that cleans itself!

Elizabeth- I try to keep up my calories but its too hard sometimes. The food I tolerate is just so low in calories and Im on a budget so fruit is pricey especially when I have a 3 year old who loves lots of fruit with every meal. Thanks for the links, Ill check it out

Mariann- My daughter loves toast and jam. I buy Just fruit jams since its pure fruit with no corn or additives. Im the same way with the calorie counter, I dont think I could eat as many calories as they say. I just cant get enough in to match it.

[Guest AutumnE]

Well since I gabbed too long I need to get off the computer. I have an early dentist appt tomorrow for my regular check up. My parents were here tonight and played with my daughter to keep her occupied so I could get some cleaning done. With her being sick she is constantly wanting to be held and needing attention. However, I am super tired now.

Here's todays foods-

Breakfast- chicken lettuce wraps with peaches

Lunch- same thing

Dinner- same thing except I had a nectarine also

Snack- a lara bar with a tuna fish wrap

I could barely eat them. My sinus's are draining so bad its making me sick to my stomach.

For anyone who has gone through premenopause- How did it feel? Right now my chest is so sore and has been for a few weeks. I took a pg test a couple of weeks ago and it was negative. I dont think Im pg since Im not having cramping like I did with my daughter and we use two different methods to prevent pregnancy. No signs of making an ovarian cyst (I have pcos) and Im not sure what is going on. Im going to test again to make sure, Thankfully they are only $1 at the dollar store. But I wonder if this should be addressed to my obgyn since Im almost 35 years old and this could be the early signs of it. Im about 4 weeks late for aunt flo and it would NOT be good if I was pg since my glaucoma drops cause birth defects not to mention I would have to be off them for the pregnancy which would mean progressed blindness. Thanks for any insight

Good Night Ladies

[Viola 1]

Mariann you are right, a slice is only 70 calories, I still think that is a lot, as my hubby's gluten bread is 150 for two big thick slices, at least twice the size of the gluten free. I just think they use too much oil to hold it all together.

It's been a crazy week, hardly have any time on the forum and I miss it. But tons of other computer work to do. We (the board of directors at the golf course) are hiring a new greenskeeper and I've got at least 16 resumes in my computer that have to be sent along to the other directors, printed off for hubby and me and then answered to tell each job applicant when they will be notified etc. Aside from that I have all the spring advertising to get organized, designed and price quotes. It's fun and interesting, but very time consuming.

Anyway ... today was B-bowl of rice cereal

L- bowl of Thai soup, glutino bread sticks and one small slice of low fat cheese for protein S- hand full of M&Ms I know, I'm bad

D- a cup of scalped potatoes, peas and a well drained burger patty

S - Pop corn

I haven't checked to see how much a burger patty is, but I don't think I'm over 1200 for the day.

I only lost 1 pound last week, I think I need about 2 feet of snow to disappear so Sheba and I can run around outside

Happy dieting ... or eating Carefully everyone! I think as soon as I hear the word diet I get hungry, so better not use it

[Kaycee]

I'm so tired, second day back at work. Maybe I am not eating enough and or/still stressing about hubby. It is doing my head in! He gets crook and I fall to pieces. He went back to the dr for results, and he came back with antibiotics for and ulcer. Lets hope that is that sorted out. I'm not being very sympathetic, and I should be, but some men think they are dying when they are sick, and I think I married one of them. But I love him and I owe him better.

B: Peaches and yoghurt

S: banana, apple, plum

L: Salad with tuna, vege crisps

T: Mince and potato corn crackers and peanut butter.

S: the naughtiest bit, a cadbury flake, totally devoid of all soy!

About 1300 cals.

Don't think I am eating enough carbohydrates, maybe a slice of bread a day will not do much damage, and just walk it off. Been feeling a bit woozy, but that could be for not working for 6 weeks and geting back into it. Will drag the calories up to 1500. But I notice eating less carbs there is room to eat more fruit and veges and it has not been a problem keeping cals down

Going to watch the latest Biggest Loser. I am hooked on diet shows. I must admit, I think they lose far too much weight each week, and I am usually watching it after I have had more than my share amount of food for the day.

Must go, coffee ready, and show will be on soon. Must give hubby a big cuddle and tell him how much I love him.

Cathy

[lonewolf]

Okay, it's 10:35 and I'm late to bed, but had to fess up to my "bad" day. It seems like you all are doing so well.

B - I honestly can't remember if I ate anything as I was running out the door. Three of the kids and I were frantically packing lunches, so we all had good ones. I did have a glass of water with my thyroid medication. I don't usually skip breakfast on purpose.

L - 2 slices of organic deli turkey (1/2 price at the health food store!) on lettuce leaves, a very small banana, 7 tortilla chips, a small handful of almonds and 2 homemade chocolate chip cookies. (Now might be a good time to mention that I made cookies last night and ate about 5 . Darn, I'd been doing well too.)

S - Envirokidz cereal bar, salad with a bit of Italian dressing, 6 mini dark chocolate bars that someone put in a basket in the auditorium right by where I was teaching PE Okay, I'm going downhill fast here. I obviously didn't eat any breakfast or I wouldn't have been so hungry all day.

I did teach 4 elementary PE classes and 3 middle school classes today, so I was plenty busy.

D - Homemade vegetarian chili with rice penne ("chili mac") and a few sprinkles of grated goat cheese. A frozen yogurt pop (Oops, I'm intolerant to dairy, don't know what I was thinking.) And a cup of herbal tea with stevia.

I'm disappointed with myself - I would have been fine without the cookies last night, the candy bars today (I don't even usually eat much candy) and the yogurt thing. I have this yucky lump in my throat that I'm sure is from the dairy.

[Guest AutumnE]

Shirley- I hear you on the snow leaving but Im betting it will be around till april around here.1 pound lost is still great, the fat would be equivalent of four sticks of butter. I think thats a very good weight loss.

Cathy- My dh is a big baby when he is sick, he is harder to take care of than my 3 year old. I use to watch the biggest loser years ago but it kind of depresses me now since they lose their weight so fast while Im slowly going along. Regarding the wooziness, it might be just going low carb. I have seen it on my low carb forums before. I was tired initially and then my body just kind of caught up with it. Maybe you could try more veggies. Carrots and peas are higher carb veggies but not as high as a potato. Also a protein helps I have found to eat with every meal. With fruit your blood sugar comes up quick and drops fast, protein is a slow riser but lasts for a while and by adding a veggie with fiber it also slows down the blood sugar rise so its more steady. I personally dont get hardly any fiber except veggies because of my corn allergy since I have to wash all fruits and veggies in baking soda and peel my fruit skin off.

Liz-One of the main reasons I dont cheat is because I dont keep it at the house and being a sahm I dont get out and buy it, otherwise I would probably be right there with you. I think your doing fine, its hard to diet perfectly when your so busy. Trail mix I have found is a good snack when I dont have time to eat, I use to measure it and separate it into small bags so I knew how many calories were in each one. I dont get the lump in my throat from my intolerances mainly coughing and nausea. Within a half hour I sound like I have the starting of a cold and it goes away a couple hours later. Im sorry your feeling yucky.

[Guest AutumnE]

Well, today eating so far has consisted of water and my thyroid pill.

Nothing sounds good and Im anxiously awaiting for the ups guy for my package. Plus Im being extra quiet since my daughter was up last night and is sleeping in.

[emcmaster]

Autumn, have you tried eating calorie dense fruits like dates or canned fruit? They're cheap. I ate a lot of both of those when I was on my elimination diet. Might be something to save for "dessert" to get the calories in for the day...

And if you're only slowly losing weight, it might be because your metabolism has slowed due to eating so few calories.

I use mission white corn tortillas as sandwich "bread" - I put the filling in the middle of the tortilla and fold it over and eat it like a taco. There are only 55 calories in 1 tortilla, so I usually have two "sandwiches".

[Viola 1]

Liz, you shouldn't beat yourself up about having goodies, a dietician that specializes in loosing weight said that if you eat junk only 20% of the time, you are not doing yourself any harm, and then you don't feel deprived and will stick to a diet better.

It does seem to work for me. I could not cut out completely, chocolate, or cake, cookies or all those things. If I did, then I would end up binging and really get things out of whack.

Did you notice that Pizza crust is less callories than bread? and it makes good toast with peanut butter or a little jelly, or even cheese. I try and use the protein products instead of the jelly, but sometimes I do 1/2 jelly and 1/2 peanut butter or cheeze.

Well, I'd better get to work around here. Meeting at the golf course this evening, so probably won't have time to come on tonight I miss all you people when I can't get on.

Have a super day!

[Guest AutumnE]

Autumn, have you tried eating calorie dense fruits like dates or canned fruit? They're cheap. I ate a lot of both of those when I was on my elimination diet. Might be something to save for "dessert" to get the calories in for the day...

And if you're only slowly losing weight, it might be because your metabolism has slowed due to eating so few calories.

I use mission white corn tortillas as sandwich "bread" - I put the filling in the middle of the tortilla and fold it over and eat it like a taco. There are only 55 calories in 1 tortilla, so I usually have two "sandwiches".

Dates dont do well with me due to the citric acid wash penetrates through the skin and I get sick. I know of one kind of canned fruit I can eat that doesnt have corn in it. Dole pineapple in 100% juice. I havent tried it yet but I should keep some in stock. Im hoping once summer is here I can find some local farmers who dont use citric acid washes

Breakfast- big oops was vegetable soup, I had a migraine for 2 hours over it. Im not going to weigh tomorrow like I had planned since Im sure I'll be bloated from it.

Lunch- 2 turkey patties wrapped in lettuce, cauliflower, 2 nectarines

Dinner- I havent ate yet but I plan on making a huge chicken salad with celery and onion. I have to go out still to the store when my mom gets here to watch ashley and I plan on picking up dole pineapple. Wish me luck it doesnt bother me I am going to try florida's natural oj also and see how I do with it. If I can eat it, it will help bring up my calories but with my mold allergy there is a good chance I will start coughing. If I could eat dairy again soon I will be great since I could make smoothies! Hopefully soon!

Im craving a soda today, dh brought a bunch home! Im trying to be good we'll see how it goes.

Before my corn intolerance showed up I loved making sandwiches out of corn tortillas. I could buy 50 at $1.90 at the grocery store. Rice paper is cheap also at asian stores. I loved making *egg rolls* out of it and I would make crab rangoon's out of it also.

Im sorry you have a meeting tonight I hope you have a great day too.

[Guest ShannonL]

I made some gluten-free bread last night. The warm slice was THE BOMB!!! Today though it is VERY crumbly. My precious husband made me a breakfast sandwich with it. It was cute (but messy).

B-Sausage/egg sandwich

L-chicken lettuce wrap

S-slice of VERY crumble (but tasty) bread with peanut butter

D-taco salad, grapes

S-yogurt, granola and almonds

I am gettinf inpatient!! Why am I not losing. Talk to you all tomarrow. M<y kids are still sick!! A week now. So I am just tired.

Shannon

[Guest AutumnE]

Hi Shannon that was sweet of your hubby to make you a breakfast sandwich, mine needs to take lessons

Im sorry your not losing yet. I thought of a couple of possibilities-

Are you drinking soda? Corn syrup slows down your metabolism.

Are you drinking enough water? I was told 64 ozs and another 8 ozs for each 25 lbs you are overweight.

How many carbs are you eating per meal? 30 should be maximum for someone with insulin resistance and 15 for snacks. With enough protein to balance it off. 7 grams of protein with your snacks and 15 grams of protein with your meals is what I was recommended.

Are you on glucophage? If your insulin is higher it would slow it down quite a bit.

Is it near pms time? I always bloat around that time.

[lonewolf]

Another busy day for me. I was at a teachers' convention today (and will be tomorrow) and got home just in time to change clothes and go coach basketball for my 13 yo daughter's team. Then my 15 yo daughter wanted to go to her school's last game, so I drove her there and didn't get back until 9:30. I'm off to walk the dog in a few minutes before falling into bed.

B - handful of raw almonds

L - 2 slices deli turkey on lettuce leaves, one large carrot, handful of almonds

S - Envirokidz cereal bar, a few more almonds

D - chicken leg quarter (no skin) about 3/4 C mashed potatoes with a bit of butter, a few bites of lettuce

Ooh, I've been low on vegies. I need a trip to the store to stock up on those now, as well as some fruit.

Autumn - have you tried using coconut milk in smoothies? You can also toss in a spoonful of rice protein powder. I can't have dairy either, but love smoothies.

[Kaycee]

Not too bad a day. Quite hot and tiring.

Friday is usually my bad day, and I pig out a bit, but I know I will back on the wagon tomorrow. I get to Fridays and I am tired and cranky and need a bit of spoiling.

B: yoghurt and fruit.

S: fruit and corn crackers.

L: salad with tuna. Banana, peach, plums

S: More crackers with peanut butter and cheese.

T Gluten fee pizza, real yummy, but talk about hot stuff in it. I don't usually like it so hot, so I am washing it down with a rum and ginger ale. Naughty. Have had some corn chips, but they are low salt, which much be a redeeming feature of them.

So really bad day. But I'm not worried. Always have one day a week where I not worry too much about my eating, the only criteria for a Friday is no gluten. But now I feel quite stuffed and cannot possibly eat anything else, thankfully.

AutumnE I will have a look at how much fruit I eat, and possibly increase the vegetables I eat. But it is summer now and I'm just making the most of all that wonderful fruit. But then there are all those summer salads too.

Hubby feeling better, he is the one with the horrible beer in his hand. He went for back xrays today, there is a bit of damage there, but only described as minor. He didn't like the idea of paying out $200 for them. I didn't either.

Cathy

[Mayflowers]

We should have Saturday as "Weigh In Day" .

Tip, For those of you who are getting colds all the time and flu. Eat elderberry jelly and drink elderberry tea. Documented studies on PubMed showed sambucal which is the active ingredient in elderberry kills the flu, pnumonia and cold virus and prevents infection. I work in a medical school and everyone I told here thinks I'm crazy... as I sit here watching them all get sick all the time and I'm not....Hmmm. Stubborn huh?

Also take extra vitamin A and D. Dr. Atkins noted in his Age Defying Diet book that studies showed prevention and cure of chronic sinus infection by increasing vitamin A. I give my kids elderberry jelly on toast and I have the tea mostly. We're never sick anymore since I added it to our diet 2 years ago. ( K.I.S.S. )

[Guest ShannonL]

Hi Shannon that was sweet of your hubby to make you a breakfast sandwich, mine needs to take lessons

Im sorry your not losing yet. I thought of a couple of possibilities-

Are you drinking soda? Corn syrup slows down your metabolism.

Are you drinking enough water? I was told 64 ozs and another 8 ozs for each 25 lbs you are overweight.

How many carbs are you eating per meal? 30 should be maximum for someone with insulin resistance and 15 for snacks. With enough protein to balance it off. 7 grams of protein with your snacks and 15 grams of protein with your meals is what I was recommended.

Are you on glucophage? If your insulin is higher it would slow it down quite a bit.

Is it near pms time? I always bloat around that time.

I am not drinking enough By ALOT!! So I will try to up this. So I should get 120 g carbs daily? How did you keep up with that? I am LOST.

Saturday is my OFF day. I wont be posting tomarrow. It is nice to have a FREE day. I would like to have a weigh in day as well. Anyone like Monday?

So far today...

B-Luna bar and WATER!!!

L-Chicken breast and spinach

S-

D-

[Viola 1]

Oh wow, what a busy day so far. Tons of work from the golf course meeting last night, and I hate having to tell people they didn't make the short list for the job posting I don't think I would make a very good boss Good thing I get to do it via email and not face to face.

Had one of my quilters here this morning too to get lessons on cutting out a lovely baby quilt. That makes the day more fun .

Now, let's see ... I have to remember what I had yesterday.

B -- toasted pizza crust with peanut butter

L-- bowl of Thai soup with a banana

S -- a couple handfuls of popcorn

S--left over scalped potato, a couple pieces of crisp bacon and green beans

No snack or wine in the evening ... didn't get home from the meeting till 10:15 last night, so just took meds and went to bed. I didn't figure out the callories either, but I think not too bad.

Today

B--bowl of rice cereal and skim milk

L-- banana and peanut butter sandwich

S ---??? Gosh, I haven't even thought about supper. I wonder if I can get away with mac and cheese, or maybe better do a pork stir fry. Guess I'd better post that part tomorrow.

Yes, you are right, water is a really good thing. Except for a glass of wine in the evening, I drink tons of water ... sometimes in the form of tea without cream or sugar. Only have one cup of coffee a day unless we go out to visit. I guess the tea has caffine, but don't think two cups a day would be harmful. It's usually Earl Grey or Orange Peako, but sometimes green tea.

Shannon, how do you get a hubby to make breakfast???? That would be wonderful ... lucky you.

Autumn, what would be in vegetable soup to give you a migrain? That would be awful. I sure hope you are feeling better!

I've never heard of Elderberry jelly here, I guess some do make the tea, but most people that pick elderberries around here make wine. I'll bet the jelly is good though. I've never tried the wine, but it seems to be a common thing in this area.