As most you know, support is essential when trying to lose weight. You need someone who has been there. You need others who can share their wisdom and experience when you are feeling at your lowest. Encouragement through the tough times is essential to keep yourself doing what it takes.

Support is just as important in other areas of life. Whether it be an addiction you are trying to overcome or a disease you or a loved one may be dealing with, you sometimes need help. Just knowing you aren’t alone can be such a relief. That’s why I glad to bring a special support group to your attention – The Celiac Support Group.

Some facts about Celiac Disease:

Did you know that nearly 1 out of every 150 Americans suffer from Celiac Disease? This makes it twice a common as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and cystic fibrosis combined. And this disease doesn’t discriminate. It will attack young and old alike.

Celiac Disease is a genetic disorder that causes symptoms such as diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal pain, chronic fatigue, weakness, malnutrition, and other gastrointestinal issues. *People with celiac disease are unable to eat foods containing gluten, which is found in wheat and other grains. The gluten sets off an autoimmune reaction that causes the destruction of the villi in the small intestine. Celiac sufferers produce antibodies to attack the gluten, but the same antibodies also attack the intestine, causing damage and illness.

Long term consequences include malabsorption, osteoporosis, central and peripheral nervous system disease, pancreatic disease, internal hemorrhaging, organ disorders, and gynecological disorders. Researchers have also linked celiac disease to an increased risk of cancers, especially intestinal lymphoma.

Managed by a gluten free diet (void of wheat, rye, barely, oats, and other lesser known grains), celiacs can lean normal healthy lives, but there is no cure and no drugs to treat it. You can see why support is so vital for those suffering with this malady.

Thankfully support is available! The Celiac Support Group was created to compliment the regular offline groups and to help those who are unable to attend support meetings. They hope to serve as a hub for people and family who want to share their experiences and knowledge, ask questions and be around people who are facing the same challenges.

If you suffer from celiac disease, or know someone who does, please visit the Celiac Support Group. No one should ever feel alone.

*Information from www.umm.edu

I thought I’d give you a heads up about two new low-carb forums.

The first one many of you probably know about. It’s Jimmy Moore’s Livin’ La Vida Low Carb Discussion Forum. There seems to be a good number of people there already!

The other is a forum that I have been working for a couple weeks to put together. Here’s what the header will look like when we are done:

I hired someone to help me with customizing (forums are a bit tougher to figure out than websites) and he’s almost finished I think. So right now it looks pretty plain, but should match my blog and site very soon. It is usable now though, so if you’d like to join I’d love to have you! You can find it here:

www.healthylowcarbliving.com/forum

Since it’s still in it’s infancy stage, I’d love to hear what you’d like to see there. :0)

I’ll be leaving for vacation on Wed. but will try to check in here and on the forums while I’m gone.

Have a great week!

Hey everyone! Here are the topics for today…

Weight Loss

I’ve stayed the same on the scale the last two days. I’m certainly not complaining.. that’s better than up. But I am retaining water. TOM hit today so there is no telling how the next few days will go. I’ve noticed the last couple of months that my cravings are much less during this time than they used to be. That is always a good thing!

I grabbed an old pair of sweats last night to sleep in. I put them on and realized they were way too big now. When I walked I had to hold them with one hand to keep them from falling down. :0)

My hip bones have decided to come out of hiding. I was shocked recently to find they were still there after being missing for so long!

My 40 lb Loss Celebration

Here’s a couple up close. I love catching the little details!

This one is his back pocket…

Photography

Well, I gave you a bit of an update in the above topic already. But I forgot to mention that I got my camera back yesterday! I am so happy to have it back! The above pictures were taken with it. I can’t get that kind of quality from the little point and shoot I was using. Even my Minolta doesn’t have the clarity this one does. Here’s a pic I took yesterday, with the Minolta, of my daughter and our dog.

The picture is a bit more grainy than it would have been with my digital. The film ISO was 400 so it shouldn’t be that way. My settings were all fine as well. I think my Minolta may just be experiencing old age. We’ve had it for around 12 years. The pictures just aren’t as sharp as they used to be. Also, do you see the mistake I made in this picture? I forgot to check the background for objects that distract.. like the stick that seems to be suddenly growing out of the left side of my daughters head. I should have changed her position to hide that. Anyhow, the print of this picture looks better than the digitized version, but it’s still not what I want. I’m thinking of having both the kids try this shot again today, together, with the dog and use my digital this time.

Also, I’m doing some studying on Wedding Photography. I’m not to that section in the course yet, but my Mom and I were asked to photograph a wedding in late September. I want to be very well prepared. We won’t get paid, but we will have permission to add those photos to our portfolios, which is necessary when you are trying to sell yourself to new customers. It will also let me find out if I really want to get into that side of the business.

St. Louis LC Support

I’d really love to hear from all of you in the St. Louis area that would be interested in joining a local low-carb support group. I’m working on getting one started, but I need to see how many would be interested. We can work out details once we know how many are interested. If this sounds like something you’d like to do, please drop me a comment or email letting me know. Thanks!

I’ve been neglecting the Words of Wisdom.. so here’s one for today:

“You can only live once, but if you do it right, once is
enough.”

Have a great day everyone!