I had an OK day yesterday. I did some cardio continuing with trying to step up the exercise again. My eathing was OK. We had steak for dinner - yummy, not lean steak. Usually I'm not much of a steak person but there are a couple of cuts that are yummy and these were one of those cuts. We had them in the freezer for a time and it was time to have them. So I counted the points as I enjoyed every bite. I did OK for the rest of the evening snack wise.
Part of it was a bit of worry and I guess that surprises me because usually I eat through that. I started having some flashes in my left eye in addition to some new floaters. The reason I was worried was that when I first when to the eye doctor, she told me that if I saw flashes to call her right away because that *could* be a sympton of something tearing or detaching. To make a long story short, I ended up leaving work a little early today - my eye doctor wanted me to see a retina specialist. Wow, I've never had someone look so closely or thoroughly at my eyes which are finally getting back to normal after being VERY dilated. The good news is that nothing detached or tore. I have to see him again in 4 weeks and come back asap if the symptons worsen. The bad news is that I have a list of things I can't do. I can't work out strenuously (like running), lift heavy, strain in any way, or bend over without bending my knees (which cuts out a bunch of yoga moves). Basically, I think my workouts will be consisting of walking on the treadmill - and maybe I can do some easy stretching and *very* light weights (like 3 pounds).
Needless to say, I am very relieved tonight. I do have to watch my snacking tonight. After stress is yet another time I find myself mindlessly chomping on something.
I'm sorry to hear about your scare with your eyes. John had to spend time with a retina specialist last year and it was very worrisome. I understand the tendency to eat when stressed, as you well know. It's good that you got rid of the GS cookies. I retrieved a box from the trunk of the car and had a few tonight. I know I'm reacting in anticipation of my dr. telling me during my visit later today that my blood sugar levels haven't gone down and that I have to go on diabetes meds. I'm fairly certain that's going to happen.
I really struggling with knowing full well what I need to do (stay OP, lose weight, and exercise), knowing full well what the consequences will be if I don't do it, and going ahead and doing everything but. Driving home from my appt. with gastro guy last week I started crying at the thoughts of what I've done to my body and what I'm starting to pay because of it. Has it stopped me? No. It's like I have some sort of intellectual break when I'm around food. I'm really starting to think that therapy is going to be in order.
Ah well, enough late-night/early morning musings. I think I'm sleepy enough to go to bed now.
Ok - I think I've decided that I really do better when i am training for something...like a race...so now I'm trying to find some big races in my area to keep me motivated so that I can get the remainder of these pounds off and keep them off!!
Not such a great week last week (again...) even after my race. But I'm feeling positive about making some changes and getting back in my habits and routines that got me to where I am right now.
I'm thinking of switching to core after this week. Has anyone on this thread ever tried it?
Judy - glad to hear that your retinas are still going strong. Issues with our eyes is definitely not an easy thing. I've had issues with my eyes in the past (optic nerve swelling) and had to have a spinal tap to relieve the pressure because the spinal fluid was building up and not draining correctly. Anyway, that was almost 9 years ago and I haven't had problems since. But I definitely know how scary it can be.
Carla - I'm really sorry to hear you are struggling. I'm glad you came here to post about it. Big hugs to you
Down .8kgs (1.76lbs). I'm rather happy with that, especially since I didn't manage to exercise quite as much as normal. I ate a little more which I think might be key. I've compared the NZ WW with the US WW and our points system seems to allow far less points.
Will catch up after I've dropped the boys off to school and done my exercise.
Just come back from my walk. I was going to do Core Secrets but remembered I don't have time right now as I have an appointment with the kitchen designer at 12pm so I'll try and do it later.
Judy ~ Sorry to hear you're having such trouble with your eyes and it's affecting the type of exercise you do. Hopefully in 4 weeks you'll get the all clear to step it up a little. My Mum has an eye condition and is always having procedures done on her eyes to try and control the deterioration. Hearing about it freaks me out - I can't imagine having needles poked into my eyeballs WTG with keeping control of your snacking, especially during such a stressful time.
Carla ~ Good luck with your appt this afternoon - hope you don't get the news you're expecting. Please check in and let us know. Emotional eating is so hard - you know what you need to do especially when it's obviously affecting your health, but if that's what you know how to do to comfort yourself during painful times, it's so hard to teach yourself new ways of coping. I share your struggle - the only time I felt my parents showed they loved me was when Mum was giving us treat foods in the evening or when we went out to dinner and I had a very difficult teenagehood and food was my friend so I associate food with a lot of different emotions. Celebration, love, stuffing down my anger, stress, boredom so it's a lot to reconcile. Maybe therapy might help you - good luck with whatever you decide and know we are here to support you.
Emily ~ Goals are good for getting you to exercise. I find my monthly good very motivational. Good luck with finding something that inspires you. We don't have Core here so I have no info on that for you. I'm sure there's a section here that could help you.
Better go have a shower, get a bit of work done and get to my appointment. Have a great week all. CYL.
Last edited by Silverfern; 03-07-2006 at 08:43 PM.
Tanya...ooh, a kitchen designer! What do you have in mind for the kitchen in your new place? Way to go on getting in a walk this morning. I did my session at Curves, and tomorrow am planning an adventure on snowshoes. Congratulations on a nice loss!
Emily - I think you're wise to be seeking out a race to give you some incentive. You sound very grounded in your approach. Core is very much like South Beach - I did SBD for several months last year. At the moment I'm tracking on Fitday (the download, not webbased) rather than counting points.
Carla - {{{{{{{giant hug}}}}}}}} I hope your appointment goes well. I can hear your pain, and am so here for you...time to make Carla Care the #1 priority in your life, hon. Let everything else slide a little. Some counselling and or therapy may be a key for you, and is well worth investigating.
Judy - Hope all remains well with your eye. I had the exact same thing last year, floaters, followed by flashes, followed by more floaters - it's apparently very common in people "of a certain age", generally harmless, but needs watching nonetheless. We did steak for dinner on Sunday night - we rarely eat it, but it's one of my favorites. I steamed a huge bunch of asparagus (in season now, and affordable!) and roasted a butternut squash to go with it. Quick, easy and to die for.
Started the morning with french toast and bacon - perhaps not the wisest choice, but it's accounted for. Went easy on lunch - had salad, skinny coleslaw and low fat cottage cheese, and I think I'll be lazy and do a lean cuisine for dinner. A friend gave me her coleslaw recipe - buy the preshredded cabbage & carrot, a small blob of light mayo, a big blob of ff sour cream (jersey farms is awesome), a sprinkle of ranch dip mix, some salt and pepper and mix the whole thing together. I love it. I put a few raisins and some roasted sunflower seeds in it too. Very nice and ultra easy.
The scale isn't budging much. Hoping for a decent weigh in tomorrow.
Emily - I think the "training" aspect of exercising does make it so much easier to keep up with it. Once I can determine that walking isn't going to be too uncomfortable for me, I think I'm going to start training for the walk to cure diabetes that takes place here every year in the fall. Those habits and routines are so key to staying OP and getting mentally prepared is a big part of the battle. Sounds like you're well on your way. As for CORE, I've done it and like it as a break from counting points. I can't see my self doing it as my main plan only because I don't do well when presented with food that I can and cannot eat. I am about ready to put in a week or two of CORE; I just have to make my meal plans and grocery lists. I'd suggest giving it a try for a week to see how you like it.
Tanya - Congrats on your weight loss! Emotional eating is a lot to reconcile. My dad and my older sister both battled illnesses when I was growing up, and my role in my family was to be the good girl who caused no trouble. Although I was well-loved and knew it, I sometimes didn't get a lot of attention and food definitely helped fill that gap. But that was a long time ago and I need to stop compensating for it. As for your fewer points on the NZ plan, it befuddles me as to way the plans in various countries are so different. I get why maybe the formula for calculating points may be different based on the nutritional information that may or may not be available in each country, but the amount of points? A calorie is a calorie no matter where it resides. Do tell more about your appointment with the kitchen designer.
Karen - It's so good to know that you all are here for me. It helps so much. That coleslaw sounds terrific. I made some the other night with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It was great, but sometimes you want the creamy stuff and your recipe sounds terrific. I'm going to try it. I use lf sour cream and ff mayo to make macaroni salad when I have a taste for that.
That was quite the pity party I threw for myself the other night. Thanks for all your kind words and support. I'm feeling much better now. My appointment went as expected - the weight hasn't budged, the blood sugar levels have gone up. We're at the point of calling it what it is: diabetes. The good news, as my doctor says, is that it's still reversible. He's ordered me to exercise 30 minutes every day and to lose at least a pound a week. He's given me three months. He started by giving me the option of going on meds right now, but withdrew that and said "you will exercise and you will lose weight". (My sugar levels aren't high enough that three months without meds is going to cause any problems.) He was quite stern, but still caring and encouraging, so, maybe his lecture was just the ticket. At any rate, it got me on the stationary bike this morning. And now I must shower and have some breakfast. Back to steadfastly counting points for me.
Carla – I’m sorry you are having such a rough time of it. I hope that your blood sugar levels have gone down and you don’t need the meds. As far next steps, I don’t know, maybe therapy is something to think about. I know for me that even though I love food, that’s not what keeps me from making progress – it’s the emotions behind it (a la Bob Greene). Of course, you need to decide what will work for you. Since we’ve been friends for a long time, I hope you will take this “toughish love” suggestion with the caring and love with which it is offered. If doing it for Carla is not working, how about doing it for Ana. She needs her wonderful mom for a long, long time. OK, enough of that – here are some {{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}} and I’m sending you “I can do it” vibes!
The above was written before I read your post this morning but I decided to leave it because the sentiments remain the same! Training for the walk for diabetes is a GREAT idea! WTG on getting on the exercise bike. Sounds like your doctor is a keeper. Listen – my mini goals have been to lose between 3 and 4 pounds a month. I did it in January, didn’t in Feb and AM DETERMINED to do it in March (my b-day present to myself). Would you like to join me? I’d love the company. I do think it is a reasonable goal – I’ll join you on the 30 minutes a day!
Kim – Welcome and congratulations on your great loss!
Emily – I think looking for races is a great way to keep you motivated – good for you! I do core and I really like it. I find that I eat healthier overall because I don’t have a lot of points to spend on junky kind of snack food. I use the weekly points for things like bread. I started it when I just got sick and tired of counting everything. Of course, it’s not an “eat al you can” plan – I continually try to do better at stopping when I’m satisfied and not full. Hey, you can try it for a week – if you like it great, if not go back to flex. Every once in a while I do a flex week – especially if I find my portions getting a little out of control.
Tanya – way to go on that great loss! Yea, the idea of eye surgery is scary. Of course, IF I have a problem again, it should be early enough so that any surgery will be laser surgery. In the meantime, I’m going to take the opportunity to use my treadmill and get outside for a walk this weekend as it is supposed to be much warmer (although it may rain). I’m with Karen on saying, “oooohhhh” for a kitchen designer. Some day we will do the kitchen (some of it is still from the 1950’s) and the first thing I’m going to do is hire a designer to help “get it right”. Are you doing the whole kitchen from scratch? When we re-do ours, that’s what we’ll be doing – taking it down to the studs (wall studs that it), I always say!
Karen – Mmmm, French toast and bacon – yum! I have to make a note of that cole slaw recipe – it sounds great, pretty easy and a lot cheaper than buying cole slaw and washing it. Yup, the retina specialist told me that the symptoms are common with “aging eyes” but that it’s better “safe than sorry”. Hopefully, things will remain as they are. I LOVE asparagus – I expect to see the prices come down over the next couple of weeks and will be steaming bunches myself. You know I love butternut squash and just never make it. Do you just roast it in the oven or do you put something in it?
I had a pretty good day yesterday. Tony moved his father into the mother-daughter house yesterday and I decided to go over there after work (it’s only about 10 min away from work) to see if I could help. I spent some time with my fil while Tony and Krista unpacked. I also got to see Anthony and helped him with his homework – btw, he is doing better. Tony and I didn’t get home until 7:30 – I resisted Krista’s offers of eggplant parmigiana and other goodies. I did have a few snacks last night but they were reasonable and controlled. I had a nice sneak peek this morning and plan on walking 30 min on the treadmill when I get home.
Help me!! I've had 2 very bad eating days. I met my ex a couple of days ago and it really got to me. We split up 13 years ago (completely my decision and it was not amicable) but a couple of times over the years he has phoned to see how I am (he has a new life and is very happy). He called me as he was in town - I've carried some guilt about the way I handled our break-up and the way I treated him, so I decided to agree to meet him so I could make amends. Which I did and am glad I did, btw and he said he'd never contact me again since he had no idea how much it upset me. Still it really got to me and I've been binging big time. Just need some words of motivation to snap me out of this before I do any more damage. It's PMS time (of which I suffer severely) which isn't helping.
Karen Yum, the coleslaw sounds awesome. Might have to give it a go, if I can find the equivalent dressings. I have the kitchen plan drawn up - I'm just deciding on colours (which I thought I had done but am having a change of mind) and layout of the pantry-room as I'd like it to be a working area as well for things like baking, instead of having to drag everything out to the kitchen bench. It's a reasonably modern-looking kitchen with stainless steel appliances, the back bench will be a thick stainless top and the centre island is in a crushed quartz laminated onto a backing.
Carla I think I took over as host of your pity party - it's at my house now, lol. Sorry your appt went the way you thought it would. Wishing you all the best over the next three months with your exercise and weight loss - we'll support you however you need it. The points difference befuddles me too. The formulas seem to be different but work out to the same number of points (yours includes fibre, whereas we divide Sat. Fat into the kilojoules). I tried both formulas on a number of different items and came out with the same points each time. Your system would allow me 2 more points a day based on my weight, plus 35 flex points a week and unlimited AP points (as long as I earned them) if I understand it correctly. Here I get 20 points daily and a maximum of 12 APs a week. That's IT!! Still it's obviously working so maybe I should quit complaining, lol.
Hi Kim ~ to WW at home. I'll check your other post as well. It's always nice to have new people. WTG on your 3.5lb loss on your first week. That's a great motivator.
Better finishing tidying the house and find something to make for dinner. With the way I've eaten the last 2 days I really need to watch my points for the rest of the week and step up my exercise.
Kim - Welcome! I look forward to getting to know you.
Judy - You're on for the 3-4 pounds a month. Although, since my dr. challenged me to lose 1 lb a week and all, now I'm determined to lose 1.5 - 2 lbs a week just to show him I can. I think he's got me pegged. And yes, he's a keeper. I love him to pieces. Good for you for resisting Krista's eggplant parmigiana and assorted goodies! I'm glad to hear that Anthony is doing better with his homework. He has a birthday coming up, doesn't he? I may have missed a post somewhere along the line, but what's a mother-daughter house? Whatever, I hope your FIL adjusts to his move there nicely.
Tanya - Feel free to host the pity party as long as you need. PMS and an ex- it's a potent combination for sure. You need to just forgive yourself Tanya. We've all handled things poorly. He's happy, it's over. As for the binging - the food isn't going to undo what happened 13 years ago and you're not going to feel any better about yourself by adding the guilty feelings of a binge on top of it. Focus on something fun - your new kitchen! Ok, your point system just bites. I guess it's really good motivation to exercise, though, to get those 12 extra points a week.
I ran out and bought a new scale last night, so I had my weigh-in today. No surprise that I'm up 5 lbs, since it was the end of January that I last weighed-in. Of course, there's no telling how accurate the old scale was at the end. At any rate, it's good to see and own the number. I had a good OP day yesterday, so it's one day down. I got up this morning and geared up for getting on the bike, only to discover water in the basement. (We had heavy rain last night.) Since Ana has a bunch of her junk down there, I spent some time picking things up and moving them. I'm sending John to the store for large trash bags and will spend some more time in the basement and then I'll get on my bike.
Tanya – sorry about the last two days. I know where you are with emotional eating – lots of us tend to that. We all know that what Carla said is true – eating doesn’t make you feel better about the situation – actually, I usually go through a “beat yourself up” party afterwards. The thing to do is to forget it, forgive yourself, pick yourself up and get back on program. Hopefully, if we do this enough, sooner or later we’ll get to the point that we realize the food doesn’t help before we eat it! I agree with Carla – your point system bites – 12 points? Then again, as you said, it’s working.
Carla – I’m glad for the company on the challenge and I know you can lose what you want to! I thought of you yesterday when I got home from a not-so-great day of work and got myself on the treadmill – I did my 30 minutes and felt good afterwards (although my hip was a little twingy later in the evening so I iced it). I’m in kindergarten this afternoon so I think after work I’ll do some yoga – I’m sure I’ll need it! Sorry about the gain but as you said, every scale is different and as you and I will succeed, you won’t be seeing that number again! Ugh – nothing like water in the basement. I hope nothing was ruined and that the cleanup is quick. A mother-daughter is a house that has a separate apartment in it. My fil was in a retirement community on the north shore (about 50 min away) and there really wasn’t anyone to look in on him all the time although Tony went out once a week. He came up with the idea that Krista and Anthony (and Krista’s boyfriend) could move from the tiny house they were renting into a mother-daughter and Tony’s father could live in the apartment part of the house. Tony found a nice place that’s on the south shore (about 10 min further east from where I work). Although we don’t live on the south shore, it’s still closer to us. As you know, Krista is a nurse so that’s helpful especially as my fil is 86. Krista moved in a few weeks ago, my fil on Tuesday and so far, things seem to be working out OK.
I had an OK day yesterday – work was not great – not in a classroom and one of the school districts I applied for at the grad school recruitment fair did not choose me to interview. I’m still waiting on the other two districts. I did realize that there is something I left off the resume that has to do with the Literacy certification so I plan on adding that this weekend and then starting to apply online to as many places as I can. Of course, I don’t know if anything will happen here in this school or district – there are a lot of people hoping for about 9 or 10 retirements district wide. Of course, anything can happen… I ended up spending some time online last night and that helped cut down on the snacking. My sneak peek was the same today as it was yesterday which was good. I hope to see at least a ½ pound loss on Saturday – and hope (and plan on working towards) an even bigger one.
Judy - Ah, now I get it. It's a house with in-law quarters. (That's what we call it here.) Sounds like a good arrangement all the way around. It will be great for Anthony to get to know his great-grandfather better. I'm glad to hear you did the treadmill last night; I did the stationary bike a bit ago. The water in the basement wasn't all that bad. We lost some of Ana's stuff, but most of it was junk and it forced us to clear stuff out. It felt good to accomplish that. I'm sorry to hear work wasn't great yesterday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that you find the perfect position. I'm sure you will.
Today is the anniversary of Ana's adoption. How are we celebrating you ask? Ana gets to choose, so it's Chuckie Cheese! A parent's h*ll on earth. Actually, John and I have fun there too, so it's not bad as long as it's not too crowded. Thankfully we've talked her out of ordering a pizza there by telling her we want to take her to a nicer restaurant. I think we're going to a Japanese place here in town. John and Ana can have sushi, which they both love, and I'll have something that isn't sushi and, sigh, isn't tempura either.
Carla - Happy Anniversary to you, John and Ana! Chuckie Cheese?? Good idea about the better restaurant - I've had Chuckie Cheese's pizza! Mmmm, I love sushi - are you not a fan? Do you like the beef and scallion dish they always have at Japanese restaurant - I think it's called negamaki? That shouldn't be too bad point wise - better than tempura anyway. Way to go on getting on the bike. I did 1/2 hour of yoga after work today and have my Tai Chi class tomorrow evening so the exercise seems to be getting back on track. We'll do this! I'm glad the basement wasn't too bad.
Work was better today, thank goodness, although kindergarten is always tiring. It's been quite a week and I can't deny that I'm glad tomorrow is Friday.
I'm off the check out a couple of exercise videos I just got.
Have a good evening,
Judy
Weigh in at home 3/6 - 3/12
WTG with keeping control of your snacking, especially during such a stressful time.
to WW at home. I'll check your other post as well. It's always nice to have new people. WTG on your 3.5lb loss on your first week. That's a great motivator.