About Me

Wow… I just realized I haven’t updated this “About Me” in 5 years!

I moved home to Florida in September 2012. Since then I have traveled to more than a dozen countries as a traveling midwife, delivering babies for expats living in countries where they may not get an optimum birth. That’s where I come in 🙂

I successfully completed the Dukan Diet and lost 111 pounds and kept that weight off for 23 months and then started back-sliding when a broken foot and other “life” issues happened. I have since gained back 80 of those pounds 😦 I am working towards the goal of going back on Dukan in September. Keeping weight off for some of us is such a hard thing to do.

I now have a 7th grandchild, Steele, who is nearly 3 years old. And I’m now 52. And I plan on walking the Camino again next summer.

So that’s the update and I’m sticking to it! 🙂

-Sandi

September 2011
I am midwife and I was working and living in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. I moved there from Florida in November 2008 and left in September 2011. I’m now working in China.

I’ve traveled extensively, and especially these few last years. I, like so many other people, battle with my weight… I set up this blog to not only share my life and adventures, but to share my triumphs 😀 (2011 Note… Adkins didn’t work out.. LOL)… (2012 Note… Dukan Diet is working very well!)

I am mom to Nick, Jenni & Tiffany, who somehow have all turned out to be really super cool adults! And grandma to Celeste, Sydnie, Sadie, Shane, Sofia and Jose. I’ve been fortunate enough to “catch” all 6 of them… Celeste in my birth center and the rest are all home born babies! Sadie and Jose were born in the water.

I’m 48 and know that I need to be in optimal physical shape on the up climb to 50.

I walked the Camino de Santiago in April and May of 2010 and blogged from the trail during that time… taking my trusty iPhone with me and hoping for wireless internet every once in awhile! (been there, done that, it was awesome, for the most part!)

So take this walk with me and enjoy… comments appreciated!

Update April 2011… still fighting the with the weight! LOL

Update October 2011… on Dukan Diet for 7+ weeks, much success!

Update February 2012… On Dukan diet for 177 days now and I’ve lost 66+ pounds!

xxx

71 thoughts on “About Me”

Jenni on March 11, 2010 at 7:14 pm said:

I am so proud of you, Mom! I love you with all my heart and I am so happy that you have taken charge of your life! oxoxoxoxox

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- flamidwyfe on March 11, 2010 at 7:21 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Jenni 🙂 I love you with all MY heart and SO proud of your accomplishments!
  Mommy
  xoxoxox
  
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Becky on June 27, 2010 at 5:57 pm said:

Hey. I’m a student midwife who is just qualifying. I finished my first camino over the easter weekend this year and am going back in september-can’t wait. I just wanted to say I loved reading your blog-it’s been amazing. thanks for the placenta picture as well-i’ve never seen a velamentous insertion into the membranes and kind of hope i never do!!!
I’d love to hear from you, about you job and your experience on your camino.
Becky. XXX

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- flamidwyfe on June 27, 2010 at 6:31 pm said:
  
  Hi Becky… congrats on qualifying as a midwife… it is such a rewarding career! Also, congrats on your camino! We have 2 things in common! I will go back in the spring of 2012, when I am finished working in Abu Dhabi. I want to go back with no time restrictions.
  I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the blog… the velamentous insertion is SCARY!!! I’ve had about 5 or 6 since I started in the delivery unit here in Abu Dhabi… I only saw one in 12 years of home births.
  I work in a maternity hospital that does around 10,000 deliveries a year, busy delivery unit. I’m the only American midwife there, the rest are from all over the world, but predominantly the UK, Australia and NZ and South Africa.
  My Camino experience was awesome, I learned a lot about myself on the walk. I did a lot of meditating while walking and learned that walking the Camino on your own is the best way to do it. I wouldn’t want the experience I had to be any different, though.
  Tell me a bit about yourself! If you are on facebook, I am Sandi Sandelier Blankenship there.
  xxx
  Sandi
  
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Nadine Esposito on December 4, 2011 at 1:08 pm said:

JUST FOUND THIS TODAY–12/4/11…This was a great idea..I hope all is well with you.. Where will you be spending the holidays???

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- flamidwyfe on December 4, 2011 at 2:50 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Nadine! I hope you continue to read it 🙂
  
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Bella on January 20, 2012 at 3:11 am said:

Sandi.
I adore you and love that I can read all about ur life and adventures. Xoxo

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- flamidwyfe on January 20, 2012 at 3:57 am said:
  
  I adore you as well, my Bella xoxo
  
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foodrefashionista on February 14, 2012 at 11:04 am said:

Hi, thanks for visiting my blog and liking my Cauliflower-Salsa Bean bake. Your family and life adventures sound very awesome, and congratulations on your weight loss. Been there and am still working at it!

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Olive Twist on February 20, 2012 at 5:14 am said:

Thank you for visiting my blog and enjoying my stories. It looks like you have a lovely site and a great profession.

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- flamidwyfe on February 20, 2012 at 5:20 am said:
  
  Thanks! Your writing is intriguing, I am working on improving mine. I love my profession, seeing babies into the world safely is awesome.
  
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  - Olive Twist on February 20, 2012 at 5:24 am said:
    
    I just completed my Master of Fine Arts in Writing in November. Writing is how I make order out of my chaos.
  - Sandi on February 20, 2012 at 5:28 am said:
    
    Congrats on your Master’s!!! I look forward to receiving your posts in my email!
Olive Twist on February 20, 2012 at 5:33 am said:

I’m humbled that you want to read them…thank you. Peace be with you, Olive

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Olive Twist on February 26, 2012 at 10:59 pm said:

I admire your work and your unique voice, and I have nominated you for the Sunshine Award.

If you wish to accept it, there are three steps: post a thank-you and link to my site, answer the seven questions that I answered in my post, and nominate 10 other bloggers you admire. Then enjoy the award on your blog!

Thanks for your efforts. Peace & Grace, “Sister Olive”

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- flamidwyfe on February 27, 2012 at 4:06 am said:
  
  Thank you, Olive, I am honored and humbled!
  
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Trey Ramsey on March 3, 2012 at 11:45 pm said:

Congrats on the weight loss and your graduate degree! Both are significant achievements and you should be proud of your accomplishments…

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- flamidwyfe on March 4, 2012 at 5:02 am said:
  
  Thank you, Trey. I really enjoy your blog 🙂 the one on running was awesome, lol
  
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  - Trey Ramsey on March 4, 2012 at 5:51 am said:
    
    Thank you! I appreciate the kind words and your taking time to stop by… it means a great deal.
ebrock36 on March 4, 2012 at 12:12 pm said:

66+! That’s awesome! I was a personal trainer for many years (exercise phys. degree) before coming to China to teach English and that is tough stuff! Great job. I’m fascinated with home births and widwives (sp?). I hope to give birth as naturally as possible someday. Keep it up!

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- flamidwyfe on March 4, 2012 at 12:20 pm said:
  
  So you are here, too? It has it’s ups and downs for sure! I’ve been looking for an English speaking personal trainer in Hangzhou, doesn’t seem to be any.
  
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  - ebrock36 on March 4, 2012 at 12:59 pm said:
    
    I’m in Fuzhou at an all women’s college. I haven’t found weights yet, just doing Crossfit type stuff.
Kathleen Cannon-Davis on March 9, 2012 at 4:11 pm said:

Hi found this amazing blogg when searching for a Dukan recipe for lemon chicken. Wow your an interesting and fabulous woman. I live in Wales Uk and recovering from Breast Cancer and a knee replacment, Dukan is keeping me motivated in my goal to be fitter and fight the health issues that have affected me….Inam stronger than Cancer and will succeed.

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- flamidwyfe on March 9, 2012 at 10:17 pm said:
  
  Hi Kathleen!! Thanks for stopping in. With an attitude like yours I can see that you are stronger than Cancer! Eating a healthy diet is one way of taking control! Keep winning! 🙂
  
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tri-grandma-try on March 14, 2012 at 3:42 pm said:

HI Thanks for stopping by my blog! What is Dukan? I will have to look that up, I have been eating Paleo for a few months, still working on portion control, and with training I am hungry ALL the time…Great job loosing 66 lbs!! Good luck in China. A friend of mine is getting her Midwife Cert. She hopes to be able to some missions work. Have a great day.

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- flamidwyfe on March 14, 2012 at 10:28 pm said:
  
  Hi! Dukan is a low-fat, low-carb diet program that works 🙂 Similar to Paleo in many ways w/o the fruit in the first 2 phases. I’ve actually now lost 77 pounds! And I’m approaching Phase 3, which is consolidation.
  
  Good luck to your friend. Midwifery is a rewarding and exhausting career…LOL
  
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Sandra on March 20, 2012 at 11:58 pm said:

Yea! Congratulations on your weight loss. It’s so much harder the older we get. Stupid aging processes! 🙂 Looking forward to stopping back and seeing more recipes, if nothing else!

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- flamidwyfe on March 21, 2012 at 1:26 am said:
  
  Thanks for stopping by, Sandra! It is more difficult the older we get, but on my climb to 50 I decided I better take action! And I did. I hope you enjoy the recipes 🙂
  
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Mona on March 27, 2012 at 10:12 am said:

I just stumbled on your interesting blog (I love your outlook on life) and look forward to following your experiences in China.

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- flamidwyfe on March 27, 2012 at 11:48 am said:
  
  Thanks, Mona! I’m going to go check out your blog 🙂
  
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Carolyn Hastie on April 3, 2012 at 10:29 am said:

Hello Sandi, I bunny hopped onto your blog from the discussion on facebook about babies born asleep 🙂 love that story by the way. I’ve read some of your posts and all these comments here on your ‘about’ page. Love the fact you supported all your children/grand babies at birthing – how good is that! I supported my beautiful daughter and two grand girls too. Aren’t we blessled? Now that I’ve met you, I’ll follow your story. Good on you for managing your weight. I like the fact you were able to run to work for that lovely labour. How amazing. Talk again later. bye now.

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- flamidwyfe on April 3, 2012 at 10:37 am said:
  
  Hi Carolyn! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 Watching my daughter’s birth my grand babies has been the highlight of my career!
  
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Beverly Feldman on April 3, 2012 at 7:13 pm said:

I also just found you. I was looking for Dukan pancakes in HK and came across your blog. In Paris they sell them in the supermarkets, so I thought I would give it a try here.
I had a lot of success with Dukan also, and try to do it while I travel . We have very different lives but we both are story tellers. My blog is BeverlyFeldmanshoes.com blog something like that. I give birth to shoes, they are my babies.
Keep up the good work. Nothing tastes as good as thin feels. And believe it or not too much or unsupervised exercise can be dangerous to your body, especially after a certain age. Walking is just as good as running. Running is damaging to your whole body, as I read you just found out. I also had a tummy tuck, in ny. And it was one of the best operations I had. I am big on cosmetic surgery.
Take care. You have a good heart.
BF.

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- flamidwyfe on April 3, 2012 at 11:38 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Beverly! I’m going to head over to your blog and check it out. Difficult to stick to Dukan while traveling and living in China, but I’ve done it and that’s a fact I’m proud of! It’s easier to get things in HK than in Hangzhou where I live, but I keep it interesting by using different spices and meats every night.
  I am so grateful to Dr. Dukan and his amazing book!
  
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- flamidwyfe on April 6, 2012 at 1:56 am said:
  
  Hi Beverly! I dont know if my previous message came through… Having a challenging week with the VPN here at home… China doesn’t like blogging for some reason. Thanks for stopping in… I’d love to knw more about our tummy tuck experience. If you don’t mind sharing my email is flamidwyfe1@aol.com 🙂
  
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Kerry Mann on April 3, 2012 at 9:40 pm said:

Hello,

My name is Kerry and I am writing on behalf of KansasCitySteaks.com. We recently noticed your website, and thought that you’d be interested in a sweepstakes we are running. We recently launched some interesting steak related widgets and thought that you and your readers would enjoy them. The widgets display interesting steak grilling ideas and recipes, and can easily be added to the sidebar of most blogs or websites.

To help promote our Steak Recipes and Steak Enthusiast widgets we decided to run a sweepstakes. Simply post the widget on your blog then shoot us an email back and you are entered to win. At the end of the sweepstakes (April 30th) we will randomly select 5 entries and each will receive a $100 Gift Card to KansasCitySteaks.com!

Not only will you have a chance to win but you can also add some great steak ideas to your blog. Best of all it only takes a few minutes. Please check out the widgets below and click on the [Get Widget] button to add it to your site.

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P.S. We also have a really innovative Steak Grilling Timer and Recipes iPhone app. Learn more here:
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- flamidwyfe on April 3, 2012 at 11:52 pm said:
  
  Kerry… unfortunately, I’m not able to add the widget 😦 I will write a post about it later and insert the info. What a great idea! I think daily ideas on my site would be very valuable. I will see if there is another way to add it, maybe an image with your website link. Thanks!
  
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readytochangenow on April 17, 2012 at 1:02 pm said:

Such an amazing accomplishment! It gives me so much to see people being successful at goals I am just starting on. Thank you!

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- flamidwyfe on April 17, 2012 at 1:37 pm said:
  
  Thank you for stopping by! I’ve learned that I can accomplish my goals by being true to me. Once we decide to do something about it, we can do anything!
  
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thesandytongue on April 27, 2012 at 2:13 pm said:

Hello dear, I nominated you, enjoy: http://thesandytongue.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/tmi-most-embarrasing-night-involving-a-toilet/

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- flamidwyfe on April 27, 2012 at 11:34 pm said:
  
  LOL… I saw that in your post… hehe, it’ll take me a couple of days, but I’m up for the challenge!
  
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Happy Runner on April 29, 2012 at 9:24 am said:

I know we are too old for this… but you have just been tagged… 🙂
http://inspiringandhealthyrunninginlondon.wordpress.com/2012/04/29/tagged-why-i-run/

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mona on May 14, 2012 at 5:25 am said:

I leave Phoenix June 17, which probably means that I arrive in Shanghai June 18. Sometime during the next week, the others in my team are taking several days to see the Terra Cotta Warriors; I elected to stay in Shanghai to work on my presentations, to take pictures, and to relax. I will contact you via email with the name of my hotel (which is in the French Concession on Shantax (of Shantex) Road. I would love to meet you. ~Mona

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- flamidwyfe on May 14, 2012 at 6:11 am said:
  
  Funny if we’re on the same flights! I leave 17th and arrive 18th, also. I will totally come up and see you for a couple days in Shanghai!
  
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mona on May 14, 2012 at 5:41 am said:

OK, I cannot find your email address: email me at Paradox1150@yahoo.com to arrange our Shanghai visit. I am looking forward to spending time with someone who knows & understands the country AND speaks English. ~Mona

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Nurse Anj on June 8, 2012 at 4:02 am said:

I catch babies too! There’s this exhilirating feeling when you finally hear their first cry, and you were actually there to witness it!

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- flamidwyfe on June 24, 2012 at 12:01 am said:
  
  Hi Anj! I just saw your comment. Thanks for stopping by!
  
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Mona on June 24, 2012 at 11:31 am said:

Hey look! We made it to a WordPress page: http://wordpress.com/#!/read/topic/china/

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- mona on July 8, 2012 at 1:33 pm said:
  
  Darn! I missed it!
  
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  - flamidwyfe on July 8, 2012 at 1:41 pm said:
    
    It was pretty cool seeing us featured there! How’s work going?
oceannah on June 27, 2012 at 12:39 pm said:

You know I appreciate the heck outta you Sandi, and here’s a little bloggy love to show you 🙂 I’ve nominated you for the reader appreciation award. x0x0
*anna

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throughenglisheyesmark on August 13, 2012 at 4:34 am said:

Hi there,

I’m so glad I stumbled accross your blog 🙂 now I have I feel the need to follow and take my time to join you on your path 🙂

BTW, I too live in China, I’ve been here for around 12 years now, if you have time please take a look at my blogs http://reflectionsofchina.wordpress.com and http://moreimagesfromme.wordpress.com the first is for images all in China and the second for images I take in other countries during my travels. I do hope you have a chance to take a look.

Regards

Mark

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odilets on August 21, 2012 at 12:36 am said:

wow! You must really love traveling! I’d love to that too later:)

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- flamidwyfe on August 21, 2012 at 5:05 am said:
  
  I do love traveling. I’m heading back to the States in a month. Been living and traveling out of the States for nearly 4 years… It’ll be good to be home.
  
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  - odilets on August 21, 2012 at 8:11 am said:
    
    Wow, Congratulations! 🙂 You’ve worked hard for so many years. You truly deserve this return trip!
Constance on November 22, 2012 at 4:10 pm said:

Hey Psst, just FYI, I was scrolling through your posts looking at your more recent photos of yourself… HOLY CRAP GORGEOUS! You look so stunning!

I’m speechless.

xoxo

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- flamidwyfe on November 23, 2012 at 1:19 pm said:
  
  Good Morning, Constance 🙂 thank you! I’m trying out your hair style, working on blow drying technique! Looks like your restart is going well, I know you’ll succeed! xo
  
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akroezen on December 3, 2012 at 2:52 am said:

Thanks for finding my blog and saying hello! Amazing little life you have over there 🙂

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- flamidwyfe on December 6, 2012 at 1:49 pm said:
  
  Thanks for stopping by! I had a lot of fun living overseas 🙂
  
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Debbie on April 2, 2013 at 6:38 pm said:

Congratulations on your world travels and adventures toward health. Thank you for your “like” on Shadows today.

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- flamidwyfe on April 2, 2013 at 6:39 pm said:
  
  Thanks! I’ve been a follower for a while and enjoy a good post!
  
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Mona on May 15, 2013 at 7:19 am said:

How are you Sandi? I hope that you don’t mind, but I linked to your blog and nominated you for this award. http://monahoward.com/2013/05/11/wonderful-team-member/

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- flamidwyfe on May 15, 2013 at 3:12 pm said:
  
  You’re the best, Mona… thank you xoxoxo
  
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Mona on May 23, 2013 at 5:49 am said:

You haven’t blogged much lately. Are you OK? I will try to contact you (email / phone) about my return to China in a month.

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- flamidwyfe on May 23, 2013 at 12:18 pm said:
  
  I am. Just busy. Need to put up an update. I’d love to chat with you. Give me a call xoxo
  
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Ramona on November 10, 2014 at 10:01 pm said:

Sandi, a friend & I are looking into walking the Camino de Santiago in two years (when we both will have a bit more money). I figure that if I get on a regular exercise & walking routine now, I might be able to make part of it, even though I’ll be 66. What do you think? ~Ramona

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- flamidwyfe on November 11, 2014 at 12:53 pm said:
  
  You’ll love it. I am planning on walking it this coming summer (June/July 2015) with Sadie, Sydnie, Lucy and Simon and anyone else I talk into going 😉
  
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iglengel on October 14, 2016 at 2:34 pm said:

Sounds like you do love a challenge. Best of luck to you.

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- flamidwyfe on October 16, 2016 at 3:57 am said:
  
  Thank you!
  
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kathlucky on October 17, 2016 at 7:29 pm said:

Just read you update and saw where you are returning to Dukan diet. I have started low carb, hi fat medium protein diet in late August. So far lost 10 lbs. I just could not deal with all that protein. I am feeling much better on this. See butter Bob on you tube “how butter made my pants fall off”. Dr Jason Fung has lots of good science stuff. The science makes much more sense. And it is easier. And simple. Diet doctor is a good website. Good luck with whatever you do.

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- flamidwyfe on October 18, 2016 at 4:32 am said:
  
  Will definitely check out Butter Bob!!! Good luck, Kathy! xo
  
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