While still relatively unrecognized in the United States, nickel allergies are very real and can cause serious health issues if left unaddressed.  Most women know that they can be sensitive to some earrings or cheap jewelry, but few consider that those same metals that irritate their ears are often used in medical devices like braces and joint replacements. Even fewer realize that they can be exposed to, and harmed by, nickel present in cigarette smoke.
 
Nickel allergies are not like an allergy to dogs or ragweed, it is a Type IV hypersensitivity response; which makes it more like transplant rejection or an allergy to medication. Allergens (in this case nickel) bind to cells, activating certain T lymphocytes, which recognize and attack these cells. This leads to damage in the surrounding tissues. This first contact sets off an immune reaction; whenever the T lymphocytes encounter this allergen, it sets off a major allergic reaction. Because the activation of the T lymphocytes takes some time, the allergic reaction first occurs 12 to 72 hours after contact with the allergen.
 
Not everyone who suffers from a nickel allergy has the same limitations.  Some people simply can’t wear cheap jewelry, while others may have to forgo consuming foods that have high nickel content.  For anyone who suffers from a nickel allergy it is important to make sure any doctor, dentist, or other medical professional in charge of your care is aware of your allergy.  Many medical devices (from braces to IUDs to knee replacements) contain nickel.  While wearing nickel jewelry causes skin rashes and infections at the piercing site, surgical implantation of an item containing nickel can cause serious and systemic issues for those who are allergic to it.  If you’re worried that you have a nickel allergy ask for a patch test, or a (potentially more accurate) blood test to make sure before you have anything permanently affixed to your body.
 
Signs you may have a nickel allergy:

• Wearing inexpensive (non-gold/platinum/fine silver) earrings hurts your ears or results in infections at the piercing site. This may happen even with earrings marked “hypoallergenic” as even surgical steel contains some nickel.
• You don’t wear a lot of jewelry, even if your ears are unpierced. Or you find that necklaces make your skin feel itchy or they even cause a rash.
• After enjoying good health, you fall ill and can’t seem to fully recover after you get braces, an IUD, or a medical implant (including stents).
• You have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia, and believe the diagnosis is incorrect.

Tomorrow we will post about what to do if you have a nickel allergy

further reading:
http://www.ecarf.org/en/allergies/useful-facts.html
http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v204/n6/full/bdj.2008.198.html
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/753985_5
http://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/treatments/joint-surgery/candidates/considerations/metal-implant-allergies.php
​http://www.melisa.org/pdf/cfs_nickel.pdf

If you’re having health problems that can’t seem to be resolved, consider your exposure to nickel. No, silly, not nickels. Nickle! Doctors don’t really consider nickel allergies when your health goes south. Perhaps you should. It can be found in braces, stents, IUDs, and surgical implants. The following is one woman’s story of how nickel affected her quality of life (because the doctors never thought to check).
 
“I’ve been ill since the sixth grade. I was diagnosed with a Strep infection 4 times that year!  After that, I never really got better. I became the only kid who would go to the doctor and beg for a shot of penicillin; I was that tired of being sick. When I was in the 8th grade, I started getting a pimply rash that my doctor diagnosed as Keratitis Polaris (on my arms) and some other type of dermatitis (on my face). My doctor prescribed various creams – Elidel worked on my face and I had to use it from that time forward.  Elidel is actually a fairly scary topical cream that many doctors are hesitant to prescribe. I continued to be ill quite a bit: which was wearing. When I was 18, my gums began to bleed. This isn’t the tiny bit of blood you might see in the sink when you brush your teeth. This is much worse. My mom took me to the dentist. He said my gums were healthy and he was confused because he typically saw this type of problem with pregnant women and I wasn’t pregnant. By the time I was 20, I was frustrated by life and exhausted. I was struggling with a continuous onslaught of illnesses, medicating my skin to keep it healthy, and suffering from chronically bleeding gums.  My doctor tested me for myriad alarming diseases – and everything came back negative. He seemed to give up and suggested I take anti-depressants. My mom took me to an endocrinologist for a second opinion. He suggested that perhaps I had been molested as a child and “forgotten” it and my symptoms were evidence of that. I quit going to doctors.
 
When I was in the fifth grade. I got “bunny braces” to correct my front teeth. All of my teeth had fallen out at the same time and the new teeth did not appear for a year; so my front teeth were fairly crooked. I graduated from my “bunny braces” to full braces when I was in the 8th grade. In May of my Junior year of high school, the orthodontist removed my braces and replaced them with permanent retainers.
 
When I was 18 and seeing my dentist for those bleeding gums, one of his hygienists suggested I might have a nickel allergy. The dentist gave us “that look” that politely asks people to disregard the rogue hygienist. So we did. And I regret that moment! 
 
When I was 22, my sister gave me a sentimental necklace. I didn’t wear a lot of jewelry but I wanted to wear this necklace. I put it on and, within minutes, was scrambling to get it off of me. It felt like it was burning my skin! I felt like this was crazy and inspected the chain to see if it had sharp edges that were cutting me. I’d had problems with earring before (my ears are pierced) but had never connected those problems to an issue with nickel; I’d just returned the earrings or thrown them away. I really wanted to keep this necklace so I started researching ways to coat jewelry so that I could continue to wear it. A few websites suggested I might have a nickel allergy.
 
That necklace saved my life! At the age of 22 – after several years of ill health, unhappy skin, and bleeding gums – I had my orthodontist remove my permanent retainers. We agreed that I would return to him in one month to have them replaced if I wasn’t feeling better. I never went back. Within 3 days, my gums had largely stopped bleeding. They would (and still do) bleed a bit when I am under large amounts of stress. My skin issues also went away during that first month of no retainers. I no longer need Elidel at all; which is amazing given the many years that I had to use it daily. And I feel better. Yes, better is relative (and I do still feel ill on occasion) but I’m getting better everyday. I’m now 23. That’s how quickly my health changed once I removed the nickel-filled retainers from my teeth. If you’re having health problems that can’t seem to be resolved, consider your exposure to nickel. Unfortunately, nickel isn’t something that most Doctors are taught to consider. I’m so grateful my sister gave me that necklace and started me on the path to health.
 
 
`

Most of us agree that the points system is not our cup of tea. But how do you go about finding those old Weight Watchers diets that help you lose weight the old-fashioned way?

Help has arrived!! Thanks to the generosity of one of our favorite readers (thank you, Kristina Hall) a copy of the 1992 Weight Watchers Food List can be on its way to your mailbox (well, your virtual mailbox) in a matter of days!  Drop us a note via the form below indicating your interest - and be on your way to losing weight as soon as tomorrow!  Lisa, Karen, MB Latham, Angie, Sandra, Roseann, Jane Ayers, Liz, Claudia, Coleen, Cindy, Donna, Deb, and Phyllis - I am emailing you a copy tonight as per your past request. Yippee!!

Don't forget there is aFood Tracker available to help you make this as painless as possible. 

If Weight Watchers isn't for you, take a look at some of the other diets reviewed here at Forward Motion and find one that's perfect for you. 

Okay. You want to strengthen your core, tighten your tummy, and increase coordination? And you want to do it in 5 minutes or less each day?  A genius named Andrew Vetter has your back on this! (Thanks, Andrew Vetter!) Click on the video, crank up your sound, and do your best to keep up with these buff young ladies who know how to "do it like a girl!" We aren't sure any man could keep up. 


Don't despair if you can't get through it - just give it a try once a day for a month and you'll be amazed at how much improvement you'll see in your stamina, as well as your abs.  Don't believe it?  Just watch!  

Hopefully you’ve had a chance to read yesterday’s post and now know your Caloric Goal.  Did you take a minute and memorize your numbers? 

Today is the day those numbers will change your life! They will now work to drive your decisions regarding healthy choices within a balanced menu.  An Exchange is a serving. So all of those numbers you memorized are telling you how much food you get in each food category each day. 

A serving is a measured amount of food or drink.  It’s different from a portion – which is the amount of food you choose to eat. This is important to remember. The secret to succeeding when using an Exchange Plan is to align your portion with a serving. Your portion of the potatoes (the amount you choose to eat) is often different from a serving. How much is a serving? Good Question!  We’ll go down the list provided on yesterday's Caloric Goal table.
Starch
·      Sliced Bread     1 slice
·      English Muffin   ½ muffin
·      Bagel   ¼ bagel (if you eat a Bagel Thin, you get ½)
·      Rice, Couscous  ⅓ Cup
·      Beans & Lentils   ⅓ Cup (count as 1 starch AND 1 protein)
·      Pasta, Bulgar  ½ Cup
·      Corn, Potatoes (white or sweet), peas  ½ Cup
·      Popcorn – unbuttered   3 cups
·      Pretzels   ⅓ Cup
Protein
·      Medium Fat (beef, pork chops,          etc.)  1 oz – i.e., ½ size of a cell phone
·      Extra Lean (breast meat, fish filet, shell fish, canned tuna in water)   1 oz  - i.e., ½ size of a cell phone
·      Lean (dark meat, fish, lamb, ham, lean beef)  1 oz -i.e., ½ size of a cell phone
·      Egg (1 egg, 2 egg whites, ¼ c Egg Substitute)
·      Beans & Lentils (count as 1 starch AND 1 protein)
·      Cheese 1 oz (equivalent to a pair of dice)
·      Soft Cheese (ricotta, cottage, etc.)  ¼ Cup
·      Tofu  ½ Cup
·      Meat stock  1  Cup
Vegetables
·      Cooked ½ Cup
·      Raw (including salads)  1 Cup
·      Vegetable Juice  1 Cup
Fruit
·      Fresh  1 unit (oranges, apples, bananas, etc. are so smart!)
·      Berries or Melon    1 Cup
·      Jam or Jelly  1 Tablespoon
·      Unsweetened Juice   ½ Cup
·      Sweetened Juice is just sugar – avoid it!
Milk
·      2% (or lower)   1 Cup
·      Yogurt  ¾ Cup
Fats
·      Butter, margarine, oil, mayonnaise  1 teaspoon
·      Cream Cheese, Salad Dressing, Reduced fat mayo or margarine   1 Tablespoon
·      Bacon   1 slice
·      Olives, any kind   8-10
Your Choice
·      Choices should be made from the food groups above. Do your very best to avoid candy and soda.
·      Alcohol  1 shot = 2 fats    Mixed Drinks  1 Cup = 3 fats AND 1 starch
·      Ice cream    ½ cup = 2 fats AND 1 starch
·      Brownies    3” square = 2 fats and 2 starches

These exchanges can get you started on evaluating what you already eat. When you do this, it becomes fairly clear that you got fat because you were doing it wrong!  (haha  At least it did that for me.)

Which brings up an additional point. You really need to keep track of what you’re eating.  If you want, you can use a food tracker or you can write it in your day planner or just on a piece of paper.  Start that food diary and evaluate what you’re eating.

Tomorrow – putting some of this together. We’ll look at exchanges for “mixed” foods and we'll even share a list of foods you can eat all day without having to claim an exchange! 

The The American Diabetes Association and The American Dietetic Association got it right all those years ago when they presented the first Exchange Program for diabetics. Dieters quickly realized how useful an Exchange Plan can be when one hopes to lose weight via a healthy, habit-forming diet plan.  

Using an Exchange Plan works because you start learning to recognize a portion and, right off the bat, you start putting together your daily meals with real food – and food that you’ve chosen! Once you’ve finished losing weight, you’re already doing what you need to do to maintain your new weight.

So what’s the catch?  There are two, really.

First, you have to use self-control to ensure your success. It’s easy to say, “I want to lose a few pounds.” It’s more difficult to actually convince yourself of that when you can’t get your mind off the ice cream in the freezer.  But you’ve got this!  You can make it happen this time!

Second, you need to learn how to work your exchanges. It’s  fairly simple; but it does take some time – and at first a lot of thought.  We’ll get you started! It’s fairly straight forward but it’s like playing Pente - easy to learn yet a lifetime to master. But really. Once you have this down, you’ll find that it’s kind of fun (in a challenging way) to fit together the pieces of your nutritional health on a daily basis.

Here is how is works:

Step 1: Figure out how many calories you should be eating each day to reach your goal.  Calorie Calculators will calculate your caloric intake needs based on your gender, height, weight, and weight loss goal. It sounds complicated, but it really isn't. It only take a few seconds.

• Do you like to use Apps? You might want to check out Noom for androids or Noom for iphone. 
  
• Do you prefer on-line Calorie Counters? Here is one of our favorite Calorie Counters that you can use right now.   

Step 2: Memorize the Numbers Under Your Chosen Caloric Goal. 

You asked for it - we made it happen just for you! We have a shiny new group forum set up to support you in losing and maintaining weight - but it isn't just another weight loss support group.  This group is all about meeting your personal goals, sharing inspirations and aspirations, and supporting each other in moving our lives forward (whether it be weight, career, family, etc.) while connecting to each other.  

The group is located in Facebook for the sake of convenience. That way you can pop in to see what's happening without having to worry about any special sign-ins. It's a private, invite-only group (to scare away the trolls) but you are guaranteed acceptance into the group! Feel free to invite anyone you think would be interested to join! To access it from Facebook, copy this (  https://www.facebook.com/groups/FoMoNoMo/  ) and put it in your finder bar (like you're looking or a friend) in Facebook and it will take you right to the page.

See you soon!

Do you cook fancy food with fancy alcohol? Have you advised your tee-totaling friends that the alcohol cooks out? If you answered yes, you may want to hide this chart from your friends.  

Sometimes life can really get you down. You can be so far into debt that you don't really believe that paying extra or spending less will ever make a difference. Or perhaps you've messed your life up so badly that you feel despondent over your lack of ability to make things right. Ever. Sometimes it's weight and/or health. You eat the extra candy bar because it really isn't going to matter given your current girth - or you don't bother making time for a daily walk because it seems relentlessly pointless. If you're feeling hopeless in some aspect of your life, take three minutes and watch this video a friend of mine shared.  It's truly inspiring!         *•.¸¸✿ Namaste' *•.¸¸✿

Ponce de Leon sailed around the world in search of the Fountain of Youth. Instead he found Florida. Not a bad deal but still….   What would you do to live longer?  It seems we all do something to prolong our youths and our lives. Research has taught us that regular physical activity, alcohol in moderation, and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help you live a longer life.  Current research indicates you need to add one more activity to this list of life prolonging actions; eat nuts (New England Journal Of Medicine).

That’s correct.  Researchers followed 119,000 subjects (both male and female) for up to 30 years and found that – controlling for all factors - people who ate nuts lived longer than those who did not.  People who eat 28 grams of nuts two to four times each week were 13% less likely to die compared to those who ate no nuts.   People eating 5-6 servings of nuts each week were actually 20% less likely to die.

Apparently, nut consumption is associated with less death from heart disease and, to a smaller degree, cancer and respiratory disease.  Maybe you could replace that afternoon candy bar or your morning donut with a healthy serving of nuts!
How Many Nuts Equal 28 Grams?

Type                        Number                Calories
Almonds                  24 nuts                    160

Cashews                  18 nuts                    160

Macadamia              11 nuts                    200

Peanuts                    28 nuts                    180

Pecans                     20 halves                 200

Pine Nuts                 157 nuts                  190

Pistachios                 49 nuts                    160

Walnuts                   14 halves                 190

Note: All of the nuts are unsalted.  Cashews, macadamias, peanuts, and pistachios are dry roasted; the rest are raw.