SugarFree Protocol – Marina

Another Participant joins us on Monday, January 16, 2012. While you wait to meet her, here’s her journey:

Marina’s Introduction:

Hello World! I’m 53, 5’6”, and once again the scale has gone over 200 pounds.

Growing up I was always on the stocky side, but not really fat. I stretched out during my growth spurt, but soon developed my trademark “belly.” When I was sixteen people kept asking me if I was pregnant. If I had a dollar for every stranger who asked “When are you due,” I would be rich. Soon everyone told me I needed to go on a diet. That was my introduction to the diet world, and I have tried everything and anything on the market, including the fad appetite suppressants and supplements.  I have always struggled with my weight, yo-yo-ing up and down.

The most I ever weighed when pregnant and a gestational diabetic was 174 pounds. Later, as a single mother student who also held a job, I became exhausted and felt sick all the time. I have degenerative disks, arthritis, and suffer from chronic pain due to an injured back. I have Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia, and doctors have continued to up my medications. But they never worried about my elevated blood sugar levels. In my forties my weight continued to climb. That’s when I tried Atkins. It was the sanest time of my life. My food addiction subsided, I felt good, looked good, had less pain and more energy.

After menopause, everything changed. My weight rose to 215 pounds. Atkins, which had been so successful for me, no longer worked. I had food cravings, low energy, and I didn’t lose weight. My food addiction continued.  My doctor recommended the HCG diet and out of desperation I agreed to 500 calories and daily injections. After several days, my body shut down. I was starving, had horrible symptoms and couldn’t even get out of bed. After two weeks and chest pains and arrhythmia, I stopped the insanity. I had no fat loss throughout this time. None. Zero. And then a new ring of blubber around my abdomen appeared almost overnight.

Thankfully I found SugarFree and this blog, with all its amazing information and data. Results of my metabolic testing, along with everything I have learned here, actually makes sense and for once explains what has happened to my body over time.  I am Insulin Resistant, Hypothyroid, and I have high blood sugars for much of the day, which I know is not good. I also have PCOS symptoms and have had them all my life though I never even heard of that term until recently.

I know I’m very sick with multiple health challenges. I also realize that the doctors are killing me with all the meds they want me to take for the symptoms, while not curing the root causes of my illnesses. Educating myself with SugarFree’s help, and taking charge of my own recovery, is my only hope for regaining health and quality of life. Thank you for your support on my journey.

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 1 – 1/16/12

Weight: 202.6

Measurements:
Bust: 48″
Waist: 46″
Hips: 51.5″

Breakfast:
– 4 oz broccoli
– 11 oz chicken thigh
– 5 oz green beans
– 1 oz potato
– 1.5 T. butter
– 4 oz spinach

Dinner:
– 6 oz salad greens
– .5 T. Olive oil

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 717
– Fat: 50 grams (63%)
– Protein: 46.8 grams (26%)
– Carbs: 20 grams (11%)

Ketostix: negative

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 101
– 1-hour PP (after breakfast): 88
– 2-hour PP (after breakfast): 87

I am honored to be a part of this Protocol, and really am looking forward to learning how to heal my body. That brings me right to my first issue. Last night before bed, I took my blood glucose reading, and it was 85. This morning when waking up, my BG was 101. Like most mornings, upon waking it is higher than it was prior to going to bed.

[Note: It’s normal for blood sugars to be higher in the morning than at night. It’s known as “Dawn Syndrome” in diabetics. As your metabolism heals and your sugars normalize, the two numbers will draw closer together.]

I’m struggling to remember what all I’m supposed to do for this protocol and when. My brain has been in a permanent fog for some time. As usual I’m in a daze today, forget things, and cannot function well. (Poor SugarFree will have a time with me.) To think, I used to be energetic, productive, and my house was immaculate. Now, I wake up tired every day, and have to drag myself out of bed. After doing the most urgent things, I’m exhausted and need to rest most of the day. I have nightmares about my life deteriorating to the point where my children will call the TV show “Hoarders” for help.

Usually, I am not very hungry in the morning, and only eat a light protein breakfast. Today I had an enormous brunch. It didn’t finish cooking until after 12, so I was quite hungry when I ate it. Probably halfway through, my body felt full. I stuffed the rest of the food in, thinking I’ll regret it tonight if I don’t eat it now. I’m always hungry at night, and not looking forward to that time. I’ll let you know tomorrow how it worked out.

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 2 – 1/17/2012

Weight: 201.2 = down 1.4 pounds

Lunch:
– 8 ounces pork loin
– 8 ounces spinach
– 5 ounces green beans
– 1.25 T. butter
– 1 ounce potato

Dinner:
– 6 oz salad greens
– .5 T Olive Oil

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 746
– Fat: 50.4 grams ( 61%)
– Protein: 51.4 grams ( 27%)
– Carbs: 21.8 grams ( 12%)

Ketostix: trace

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 95
– 1-hour PP: 85
– 2-hour PP: 82

Last night I was still stuffed from brunch and not hungry until almost eight hours later. Unbelievable! This kind of thing just does not happen to me. The salad greens (lacking eggs, bacon bits, or cheese) on my dinner menu were not appealing and I could not bear to eat this until after eight. Later my stomach growled, but I had no cravings, and it was nothing I couldn’t handle. I remember my first day on the HCG protocol, when I was hungry and miserable. What a difference!

This morning I was tire, as usual, although I slept fairly good for over eight hours.
I’m waiting for the day when I will actually have some energy. I recall being on Atkins and in ketosis with an abundance of energy, but that was before developing more health problems.

[Note: Your lack of energy comes from two sources. First, not many of the nutrients you’ve been eating have gone to feed your muscles. They’ve gone down to your stomach to be stored as fat. Once you’re in lipolysis, that fuel source will open and nourish your body.  However, the secondary and most important source of your fatigue is your thyroid hormone resistance/hypothyroidism. That will NOT be alleviated until you address it directly, but getting your insulin resistance reversed is more important now.]

Lunch was immense again. I’m afraid not to eat all the food, as I don’t want to be hungry later. However, I felt nauseated and way too stuffed for comfort afterwards.

[Note: Your body no longer knows how to deal with food properly. This will change as your metabolism heals. Keep in mind while you’re “trying” to eat what is one of three meals for most Americans, that Maintenance, arriving in two or three weeks, will see you eating at least 1000 more calories at that same meal! By that time, you’ll not only be able to eat it all, you will relish it all!]

*Newsflash!!! Paula Deen, the southern cooking queen, has just announced that she has Type 2 diabetes. Go figure! She will now create different kinds of recipes, which will still be delicious – she says. I can’t wait to see what that will be.

[Note Update: In an article in Tuesday’s NY Times, it was revealed that Deen was diagnosed with diabetes three years ago, but went on pushing the foods that made her diabetic without revealing her disease until she signed a multi-million-dollar contract with the Big Pharma company that sells Victoza. The contract also includes her two non-diabetic sons as spokespeople for the unbelievably expensive drug, which sells for $500 — a month!

It works exactly as Metformin does, by getting insulin to be more efficient. A year’s worth of Metformin sells for $480. A year’s worth of Victoza sells for $6000!

I’m not sure what disgusts me more; Deen’s hypocrisy, greed, and general disdain for her viewers or their health — or the reporter who wrote the article (and I use the word ‘reporter’ loosely) as well as the hundreds of misguided souls who commented on the article, who believe the cause of Deen’s diabetes is all the FAT she eats. Sigh.]

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 4 – 1/19/2012

Weight: 197 = down 2 pounds!

Lunch:
– 1 T. Mayonnaise
– .5 Avocado
– 1.5 T butter
– 8 oz flounder
– 4 oz spinach
– 4 oz Broccoli
– 1 oz potato

Dinner:
– 4 oz spinach
– .5 Olive oil

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 729
– Fat: 50.8 grams ( 62%)
– Protein: 48.5 grams ( 27%)
– Carbs: 19.9 grams ( 11%)

Ketostix: moderate

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 77
– 1-hour PP: 75
– 2-hour PP: 78

For the past two nights my stomach growled quite a bit. It was difficult having to smell food that “others” were eating. I also had visions of candy bars. What was different this time? Before, I always felt sick from hunger and cravings to the point of insanity. If something triggered me, like the smell of food, I would binge. The poor fool standing in the way of me getting to my food was likely to get hurt. This time I didn’t feel sick, I had no insane cravings and I was able to control myself.

Yesterday, I didn’t eat my lunch until I got back from the Dentist in the afternoon. Going that long without eating breakfast used to leave me feeling sick, hungry, dizzy and with a big headache. This time, I was just hungry. I had no difficulty eating all my food at lunch.

When starting to eat low carb, I have always lost a lot of water weight easily. The ketostix show I’ve been burning a moderate amount of fat since yesterday. I wonder how much of my 5.6 pound weight loss has been fat.

[Note: Ketostix do NOT show that you are burning fat. You can be burning fat with ketostix on just a trace or even negative, and not be burning fat with it on high. Ketostix only measures your state of ketone adaptation. For more information please use the search bar to find my other comments about this. Almost all of what you have lost so far has been water, and some of the next four pounds lost will be water as well, but some of it will be excess adipose fat.]

I’m only on Day Four of  SugarFree’s Protocol and already I notice positive changes. This gives me much hope for an awesome recovery. There is definitely less swelling and inflammation in my body and I appreciate that, because it translates to: Less pain and easier movement.

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 5 – 1/20/2012

Weight: 195.8 = down 1.2 pounds

Lunch:
– 7 oz Calf Liver
– 1 oz onions
– 2 T butter
– 9 oz asparagus
– 8 oz spinach
– 1 oz goat cheese

Dinner:
– .75 T. olive oil
– 4 oz salad greens

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 771
– Fat: 51.6 grams ( 60%)
– Protein: 54.1 grams ( 328%)
– Carbs: 22.5 grams ( 12%)

Ketostix: moderate

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 76
– 1-hour PP: 79
– 2-hour PP: 81

During the night, I still keep waking up frequently, but seem more rested in the morning, and it’s a little bit easier to get up. I actually enjoyed getting our and doing some shopping before lunch.

There was no way I could eat more than half of my asparagus or spinach for lunch. I’m a little tired this afternoon, but all in all feeling surprisingly well.

[Note: Your lack of hunger means you are in lipolysis, and your body is consuming a lot of calories worth of adipose fat. I believe you’ll be happy with your measurements on Monday. :)]

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 6 – 1/21/2012

Weight: 195.8 = no change

Lunch:
– 7 oz Shrimp
– 2 oz potato
– 2 oz sour cream
– 8 oz spinach
– 3 T. butter
– 5 oz okra

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 728
– Fat: 50.1 grams ( 62%)
– Protein: 46.2 grams ( 25%)
– Carbs: 23.1 grams ( 13%)

Ketostix: moderate

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 72
– 1-hour PP: 78
– 2-hour PP: 86

This morning, I woke up before the alarm went off, and was ready to start my day. That’s a new one! Can more stable glucose and lower insulin levels make such a difference already?

[Note: Not yet, because you still have very high insulin levels. What you’re feeling now is the effect of the supplements on my Protocol list. And it’s going to continue to get better!]

When I stepped on the scale, I was horrified to see the same number as yesterday. It’s because on the HCG protocol, I was stuck on this number for two weeks. I was also sick and miserable on HCG, because I never went into lipolysis. Wondering if I am now.

[Note: Yes, you are in lipolysis, and you will have the proof on Monday morning when you take your measurements. It’s also clear that your body is sending “thank you” messages for how you’re eating now,. 🙂 One warning: do not become fixated on the scale. You are healing your metabolism and thereby losing fat. Success will only be apparent with a measuring tape, not a scale. And unlike HCG, where you are literally bludgeoning your body into starvation, you will not lose pounds daily!]

The huge difference on the SugarFree protocol is apparent. My body has not developed all kinds of ill symptoms. For the most part, I am not hungry (except right before lunch and a little late at night), no huge cravings, less fatigue and I’m feeling much better. So good in fact that I went out to see a movie before lunch today. That would not have happened just last week.

Protocol Round 1, Week 1, Day 7 – 1/22/2012

Weight: 194.2 = down 1.6 pounds

Lunch:
– 5 oz Beef Tongue
– 2 oz potato
– 5 oz green beans
– 8 oz spinach
– 1.5 T. butter
– 2 large eggs
– 2 egg whites

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 728
– Fat: 50.4 grams ( 62%)
– Protein: 44.6 grams ( 24%)
– Carbs: 25.5 grams ( 14%)

Ketostix: moderate to large

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 106
– 1-hour PP: 79
– 2-hour PP: 80

For the first time in ages I slept 7 ½ hours without waking up, and felt rested and eager to get up. Wow!

My fasting glucose is up a little, for the first time since starting Protocol. Before that my AM glucose reading was always well over 100, often in the 120s.

[Note: one of the great things about Protocol is having the tools to give you insight into YOUR body, and to make changes that will give you the most improvement. Your meter can be your best friend . . .  if you use it. Today your meter said “danger!” and it told you that some of the food you ate yesterday, you are not yet ready to eat. In this case, it was the two ounces of potato with insufficient fat eaten at the same time. Being warned, you get a chance to change tomorrow’s food so the same thing won’t happen again. Isn’t the meter great? :)]

I’m happy to see the scale move. I know it does not show everything, but yesterday’s number was a psychological hang-up. I can’t tell that I lost fat, but my body feels more compact. One of my goals is to fit into my fat jeans. Wearing stretch pants is getting really old. It is still difficult to eat all of the food in one meal. I had enough energy to go into town today and shop some more.

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 1 – 1/23/2012

Weight: 194.2 = no change

Measurements:
Bust: 47″ = down 1″
Waist: 46″ = no change
Hips: 49″ = down 2.5″

Meal:
– 11 oz chicken thigh
– 1 oz onions
– 4 oz broccoli
– 4 oz brussels sprouts
– 2 T. butter
– 4 oz spinach
– 1.5 oz goat cheese

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 736
– Fat: 53.5 grams (65%)
– Protein: 50.1 grams (27%)
– Carbs: 13.6 grams (8%)

Ketostix: large (80)

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 73
– 1-hour PP: 73
– 2-hour PP: 75

Last night I was tired, trying to meet a couple of project deadlines and got a big headache. My blood glucose before bed was 63. I woke up in the middle of the night unable to return to sleep until early morning. Feeling very tired and weak today.

[Note: As stated earlier, when blood sugars drop into the sixties, eat an ounce or two of cheese.]

For now I’m on one meal per day, which I would have thought inconceivable only a week ago. Hard to believe that I am not hungry, not constantly thinking of food. When lunch time came, all I thought is: “Do I have to eat this?”

After my first week on the protocol, I have lost 8.4 pounds and 3.5 inches. I would have preferred not to lose them on my chest and derriere, but I’ll take what I can get. Unfortunately my stomach is still protruding more so than when I was nine months pregnant, with fat rolls above and below my belly button. I just remembered a time in my life when I starved myself down to 117 pounds and still had visible belly fat. Will it ever go away?

[Note: Yes!]

This first week has taught me is a lot about food and how my body reacts to it. During the past three days I caught a glimpse of my old self, which gave me hope that things can change. I still have a long way to go, but after this experience I believe it is entirely possible to heal this body.

[Note: Your losses for a single week are terrific! Yes, you’re still producing lots of insulin, which is making it difficult for lipolysis to release the fat in the adipose fat cells, but that will change over the course of the next few weeks. When that happens you’ll lose inches around the waist, too. But you need patience. I burned off so much fat on my tush, thighs and calves before seeing the fat around the middle go, that I can now easily wear a Junior size 7 pants there — but need a Junior 11 around the waist. Still, for an old broad like me (who just a few years ago wore tight size 24’s) to be able to wear Junior sizes at all is nothing short of miraculous. :)]

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 2 – 1/24/2012

Weight: 193 = down 1.2 pounds

Meal:
– 7.5 oz Shrimp
– 5 oz okra
– 4 oz broccoli
– 4 oz spinach
– 3 T. butter
– 1.5 oz goat cheese
– 1 oz tomato

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 738
– Fat: 50.7grams (62%)
– Protein: 56.6 grams (31%)
– Carbs: 13.8 grams (7%)

Ketostix: medium to large

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 76
– 1-hour PP: 80
– 2-hour PP: 72

I slept well and feel better today. It’s always a mental boost to see the number on the scale decrease. Things are happening!

Last night and this morning, my blood glucose dropped into the low 60s again. When that happens I start feeling hungry, shaky, confused and get a headache. Eating 1 oz cheese helps. I learned this means that my insulin is still very high. Hope it goes down soon. Because my body sent me hunger signals lunch was rather early today. I ate everything, but it was a chore.

Contestants on the Biggest Loser would kill for this kind of weight loss. To think, it’s all without “exercising”! (That’s an ugly word anyway – at least as long as we’re sick.)

[Note: Exercising is great, and serves many health purposes. This is why Protocol Participants are encouraged to take strolls daily. That’s the level perfect for them while healing a sick metabolism. What exercise does not do, however, is accelerate fat loss. If you have a healthy metabolism and start doing sprints, your body will demand that you eat more. If you refuse, it won’t reduce fat levels, it will cannibalize lean muscle mass — the opposite of the intended goal.

All the excess exercise demanded of Biggest Loser participants, along with long-term starvation level calories, does nothing more than preserve their fat cells while destroying their lean muscle mass. This is why when  they begin to, not eat too much, but eat normally — they gain all the weight back. Only this time, they gain it as fat. It is a downward spiral that too many Americans, and not just this particular subset, experience daily.]

Contemplating the BG readings, and realizing just how important this protocol is to address the causes for my illnesses. No doctor has ever done that. My body wants to return to “Normal”. The incidental weight loss is just icing on the cake. (Oooops. Sorry!)

[Note: LOL — hope that’s a sugar-free cake. 😀 You’re doing so well.  One more pound down and you will have lost a full 5% of your total body weight — in under two weeks. Most doctors would be thrilled if their patients did that in a year. And you ate all of your meal today — a milestone! If you continue this way for the rest of the week, you may start  Maintenance on Monday.]

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 3 – 1/25

Weight: 193 = no change

Meal:
– 6 oz pork loin
– 9 oz asparagus
– 4 oz broccoli
– 4 oz spinach
– 3 T. butter
– 1 oz goat cheese
– 1 oz onion

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 738
– Fat: 50.7grams (62%)
– Protein: 56.6 grams (31%)
– Carbs: 13.8 grams (7%)

Ketostix: moderate

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 71
– 1-hour PP: 77
– 2-hour PP: 80

Low blood glucose in the 60s has been a problem the last few nights and also in the morning, measuring 53 just before lunch. Although quite hungry, I was not able to finish my food. I went for a little walk (subconsciously hoping my dog would eat the rest meanwhile). Coming back there was still no way I could eat another bite. It is a huge amount of food. I’m really bummed out about this.

On a positive note, in many ways I have felt better than I have in a long time. I sleep well, and am not drowsy when I wake up. My body is not swollen up and there is no sign of inflammation in joints. I have considerably less pain and I’ve taken almost none of my pain meds while on Protocol. I can move with more ease. Yesterday something fell to the floor, and I just instinctively and quickly squatted down and picked it up. Before the Protocol, that would have been a long painful ordeal for me.

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 4 – 1/26/2012

Weight: 192.6 = down 0.4 pounds

Meal:
– 7 oz calves liver
– 8 oz spinach
– 3.5 T. butter
– 2 oz cauliflower
– 2 oz potatoes
– 3 oz green beans

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 720
– Fat: 63 grams (63%)
– Protein: 43.6 grams (24%)
– Carbs: 23.5 grams (13%)

Ketostix: moderate

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 72
– 1-hour PP: 107
– 2-hour PP: 86

I had to eat early today, because of a busy day in town. My 1-hour blood glucose reading was unusually high. Must be that the 2 oz potatoes still don’t work for me. The 2-hour BG reading was back to normal. I hope that is a good sign.

[Note: It wasn’t the potato, which has in fact always “worked” for you, even on your first day. You ate 2 ounces of potato on 1/21 and your 1-hr PP was only 78. What you did not eat that day however, was cauliflower. It is a very sweet veggie and in some people can (along with, I suppose, a starch carb) spike sugars. I wanted you to discover that for yourself. But going back to normal at two hours was really good. And the spike also means that you now have the means to control your sugars very carefully, since you now know too few carbs means too low sugars, and too much carb (for YOU) means a small spike. This will help you plan your meals well, with no guesswork required. :)]

I am so much more active now and really enjoying it. My stretch clothes are not stretched to capacity any more, and I’m curious about my measurements Monday.

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 5 – 1/27/2012

Weight: 192.6 = no change

Meal:
– 2.25 oz Avocado
– 1 T. Mayonnaise
– 1 egg
– 7 oz flounder
– 2 T butter
– 8 oz kale
– 1 oz brown rice
– 3 oz green beans

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 743
– Fat: 49.8 grams (63%)
– Protein: 47.5 grams (27%)
– Carbs: 18.3 grams (10%)

Ketostix: moderate

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 67
– 1-hour PP: 71
– 2-hour PP: 81

After a good night’s sleep, I have a little less energy today. This is normal for me following an active day. These past few days, I have had very low evening and AM blood glucose readings. One reason may be that I’ve been unable to finish my meal on a couple of occasions. So I’ve been re-evaluating my food choices, and trying to explore more options. Today’s meal was a refreshing variety, and I had no problem eating all of it. It’s amazing what 8 oz of Kale will shrivel down to if you cook ‘em to death. Prior to the protocol, I thought Kale was just for decoration.

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 6 – 1/28/2012

Weight: 192.6 = no change

Meal:
– 5 eggs
– 1 oz bacon
– 5 oz green beans
– 8 oz Escarole
– 1 T. butter
– 1 oz mushrooms
– 1.5 oz rice
– 1 oz peppers

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 743
– Fat: 49.8 grams (63%)
– Protein: 47.5 grams (27%)
– Carbs: 18.3 grams (10%)

Ketostix: moderate

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 76
– 1-hour PP: 84
– 2-hour PP: 82

I’m feeling ok. Escarole for lunch was an interesting change. Will definitely cook it more.
All is well. It’s a very busy weekend.

Protocol Round 1, Week 2, Day 7 – 1/29/2012

Weight: 192.6 = no change

Measurements:
Bust: 47” = no change
Waist: 45” = down 1”
Hips: 47” = down 2”

Meal:
– 8 oz Beef Tongue
– 1.5 oz potato
– 5 oz green beans
– 8 oz spinach
– 1.5 T. butter
– 2 egg whites

Fitday stats:
– Calories: 768
– Fat: 54.1 grams (64%)
– Protein: 44.7 grams (23%)
– Carbs: 25.5 grams (13%)

Ketostix: moderate

Blood Glucose:
– Fasting: 82
– 1-hour PP: 79
– 2-hour PP: 90

This will be my last report. Due to personal matters, as well as medical issues requiring attention, I will no longer be able to officially participate in the Protocol.

During the short time here, I have learned so much. If only I had known about this information thirty years ago, I would have never gotten so sick, and it would have been easier to heal what was amiss back then. The amazing results I have experienced in the past two weeks have shown me that positive change is possible. Not only have I lost ten pounds and 4 ½ inches (not counting areas we didn’t measure where I noticeably lost), I sleep better, have more energy and less pain, decreased my medications, learned how to better control my blood glucose levels and move towards healing my hyperinsulinemia.

Amazingly, my insane cravings and binges have totally stopped, and my body appreciates the healthful foods with which is is now nurtured. Most importantly, I’ve been given the tools and the vital information that will enable me to take charge of my recovery and continue this journey of healing. I plan to continue with the Protocol Principles from hereon out.

I am extremely grateful to SugarFree for her research and analysis, as well as untiring commitment to educating and helping others improve their lives.

Farewell and many blessings to all!

[Note: Marina, thank you so much for your kind words, and very gracious farewell. I know I speak for all the Participants and readers as well as myself when I wish you the very best of happiness and health this year, and every year on your journey. :D]