Depression and Weight IssuesHave you been diagnosed with depression, are possibly on depression medication, and find it affects your weight loss efforts? Post here for support!
Location: from Houston, TX—now in Maryland (Washington DC area)
Posts: 1,167
S/C/G: 351/267/140
Height: 5'3"
Oh man, I'm so relieved! My monthly weigh-in that was yesterday? Yes, I did gain weight in the past month, but the amount of my gain was one pound. I weigh 273—versus last month's 272.
Onward! I'm eating on plan, I'm doing my leg exercises, and kittens are coming... =smile=
Amy— I'm embarrassed to tell you what I'm reading, but I will... =laugh= It's a really trashy novel titled Amazonia by James Rollins. It's just what it sounds like: crazy adventures in the Amazon. Recently our heroes were threatened—and in some cases, eaten (!)—by monsters that were mutations combining poisonous dart frogs with piranhas. Right now they're fighting off a pack of black jaguars that are three times normal size—right, a pack of solitary cats. =groan= But the pacing is good, and I can't predict the plot, so I'm enjoying the silliness more than I am wincing at it. Caveat emptor. I loved Flowers for Algernon when I read it in high school. 'Hope you're back in the pink soon!
Monte Cristo— Thanks for the encouraging words about spunky boy kitties who are the runts of their litters! I'll see what I can do about taking a picture of the wall of art: it'll be tricky...maybe I can take it from the stairway.
Location: from Houston, TX—now in Maryland (Washington DC area)
Posts: 1,167
S/C/G: 351/267/140
Height: 5'3"
About my wall of original mail art: I haven't finished it yet, because I'm still making the narrow strips of paper with artistamps on them to fill in some of the blank spots, but I couldn't resist taking a photo of it with my iPad. I was standing on the landing of our stairs when I took this picture. As you can see, I left a little room at the top and the bottom for future incoming art. To the left is the living room; to the right is the kitchen. Before the BERP started, that blue futon was piled high, totally covered, with papers and books. So was that wooden floor you see, and the floor beneath the mail art wall. The blobby thing is a large rock that Bob got for me: a chunk of raw bloodstone.
In the fuzzy foreground of the photo you can see part of our framed version of Annie Leibovitz's famous photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. In every place we have lived, in all the years since John was murdered, we have put that picture up in the entrance to our home. It signifies: "Here you will find a happy marriage." Many a person who has come to our home, or even just stood in the doorway delivering a package or whatever, has immediately smiled broadly upon seeing that picture.
Well, hello all. I hope everyone had a pleasant day. It was gorgeous out today and the evening was the perfect temperature. I took my stepson out to the park and we fed the ducks. He was so tickled. I have been NONSTOP since we picked him up yesterday. He will be with us until the weekend, or possibly Monday. And gosh, I love and adore him, but there is a reason I haven't had any kids yet. Haha. Wears you out. Oh well. It is wonderful getting to know him, and even though I have been going continuously for a couple of days, I feel like I have more energy.
I have been walking at least 2 miles every single day this week. My friend and I also did yoga while we were at the park while my stepson played on the jungle gym. It was a really lovely day. Now I am home and what I want more than anything right now is a bath.
Food has been ok. I haven't been eating too much at all. I just need to add more veggies. I have not been getting enough the past couple of days.
I will add more personals tomorrow, but for tonight, I just want to congratulate Antonia !!!
Hi I'm giving this a shot. I am 24 turning 25 on Sunday. I am a mother to two boys ages 2 going on 3 and a 1 year old. I just got out of a 5 year old abusive relationship. Now I'm a single mother who is tired of being fat. I am loosing weight but it just seems to not be happening fast enough. I can't wait to be skinny again. I'm so lost on what to do with my life. I been cooped up for 5 years due to my previous relationship situation and now I have no friends and I am soo lost on what to do with my life. What can I do for fun, who do I talk to? etc... I'm scared of having to finally face the world.
Hi I'm giving this a shot. I am 24 turning 25 on Sunday. I am a mother to two boys ages 2 going on 3 and a 1 year old. I just got out of a 5 year old abusive relationship. Now I'm a single mother who is tired of being fat. I am loosing weight but it just seems to not be happening fast enough. I can't wait to be skinny again. I'm so lost on what to do with my life. I been cooped up for 5 years due to my previous relationship situation and now I have no friends and I am soo lost on what to do with my life. What can I do for fun, who do I talk to? etc... I'm scared of having to finally face the world.
to the group, Shlime. It is pretty scary moving out of a situation like you describe. I'm not sure if you're working or if you live in an urban or rural area but off the top of my head, I'd suggest taking the boys to a local park or playground so all three of you can become active playing for at least an hour a day on the swings and other equipment. It will give you a chance to burn some calories and meet some other parents.
If you have the resources, look into signing the kids up for programs at your local Y or community recreation program. If you have a Y, the kids can do programs while you take a fitness class or workout, too. That would give you a chance to get a Mommy Break and meet other people.
If you have a stroller that accommodates both boys, load them up and go for a walk with them. If getting out of the house is tough, have a dance party at home. Crank the tunes, then sing and dance with the kids.
Do you attend church? That would be another opportunity to meet people and make friends who might be able to share information about Mommy & Me programs and other healthy, active things you can do with the boys.
Those are just a few ideas that may or may not strike a cord with you. I know all too well that when you feel depressed, nothing sounds like a good idea and all you really want to do is hide from the world. Been there! If you can manage to force yourself to get out of the house, even if it is just for a walk around the block, it truly does help. A little activity, a little sunshine, some fresh air--these will all help lift your mood.
You'll find support with this group so keep posting.
Location: from Houston, TX—now in Maryland (Washington DC area)
Posts: 1,167
S/C/G: 351/267/140
Height: 5'3"
Welcome to the Ups & Downs thread, shlime: we're glad to have you joining us! Sorry to hear about your 5 years of abuse, but way to go that you got out of it. I know that must've taken a lot of courage and inner strength: you should be giving yourself positive feedback every single day that you had the strength of character to take that step.
Worthy made some excellent suggestions about things to do that involve getting out of the house, so let me make one for a way to find hobbies you do on the inside. There's a website called Swap-bot—I hope that link works OK for you—where people from all over the country, and even all over the world, meet up with other people to swap things by mail—snail-mail. All you have to do to join the Swap-bot community is register and set up a profile of yourself: you do have to provide your postal address, but it's kept completely private and is never given out to anyone except when you join a swap, and then it's only seen by the partner who's assigned to send something to you.
Most people start out with simple postcard swaps—cards about your home town, postcards you buy in the store, etc. After you've done a few of those, you can start exploring the wonderful wide world of crafty things you can swap. If you don't already have a craft you like to do, don't worry: there are lots of swaps for beginners—be it making postcards or greeting cards, playing with rubber stamps, other forms of artwork, needlework, knitting, crochet, making little stuffed critters.... hundreds of possibilities. Plus lots of ways to hook up with potential penpals: it's a great place to meet people, and it's fun to start getting things in the mail that are personal mail addressed to you, not the usual load of bills and junk. Check it out!
Fi- thank you for telling me about that book. I love to read! Flowers for Algernon is such a sweet story. I love perusing bookstores and libraries. There's nothing like a great book!
I'm tired from my cold, but I'm in a waiting room for testing before the nose surgery. I just want to go home!
Thank you everyone for the advice about the hairstylists. I want to stick with this stylist but his prices are a bit expensive and the receptionists are snarky! I'm looking for somewhere else that's not quite so pricey and maybe with not such an attitude.
Take care! Have a good day and welcome to new members!
Vermont- Yes it is so dreadful! Luckily I just have tomorrow left and it should be a fun day. Pretty sure their having a small party for me, which is exciting.
Monte- Wow, awesome weight loss! That is really amazing! I really wish it had worked for me, but we each have what works for our bodies!
Ibelieveinme2- We can do this!!! Hope you land with sometime that works for you! Also I start my new job next wednesday. I have PTO at my current job that I'm taking Monday and Tuesday and I'm going to HolidayWorld! Yay!
Welcome shlime!!! I also commend you on leaving that relationship. You are such a strong woman!!! This is a great place for ups and downs in your life! Lots of support!
So as I said, I think they are having a part for me at work tomorrow. Pretty exciting. I'm sad to be leaving my coworkers. They have done so much for me over the last year. I won't miss my job, but the friends I've made and won't get to see on a daily basis.
I'm going on a mini vacation on Monday. GOing to Holiday World with my brother and his fiance. Should be a great time!
Calorie counting seems to be going well. My limit is 1600 right now. GOnna gauge my first week to see if I need to tweak it at all.
Location: from Houston, TX—now in Maryland (Washington DC area)
Posts: 1,167
S/C/G: 351/267/140
Height: 5'3"
My enthusiasm over the wall of art has kind of obscured the fact that I've been pretty angry with Bob this week, and kinda messed up as a result. The deal is, he was planning to leave for the farm, to go up there for a week by himself and work on mowing away invasive plants every day. That was back last Thursday, when he planned to leave—not yesterday, but the week before. He dragged his feet, though, in the way he does, staying up until the wee hours, and even later, watching TV, then waking up day after day well into the afternoon. Then he really tried to pull himself together, and was planning to leave on Monday afternoon... and then Tuesday... and so on... until it's clear to me he's not going at all.
Arrrrggggh! This kind of behavior on his part drives me crazy, right now, for two reasons. One is that I was really counting on having some time by myself in the house to do a last-minute push on the BERP. (For the new or occasional folks: the BERP = Big Entropy Reduction Project = A Huge House-Decluttering Effort I've been doing since mid-April—amazing to think it's been that long!)There's a lot that remains to be done in the living room and dining room, even after all that I've accomplished. I don't have to "finish" the BERP before the kittens arrive, but I do want to beat back the visible mess. And then there's our bedroom, which is a zoo, and that room will be our fur-kids' first home after they arrive: we'll keep them in that room, feeding 'em there and having their litter box there and everything, to let them get adjusted to the move and bond with Bob & me in an intimate setting.
The other reason why Bob's foot-dragging crazy-sleep-schedule agoraohobia behavior drives me crazy is that it's a maddening re-run (after re-run, after re-run) of how he acted about everything during the worst of his depression, 2009-2012. He lost his job in the fall of 2012 because he was too sick to go to work, but that was proceeded by literally years of trying to get it together to go to work, doing so in spurts, then failing again, and so on ad nauseum. Just because I knew then, and know now, that he has an illness in his brain that is causing all the endless foot-dragging about doing anything, doesn't mean it isn't serious wear and tear on my nerves.
Unfortunately, my recent response to this not-going-to-the-farm business has been to get angry and scatterbrained, such that I stopped working on the BERP. It's like he gets frozen, so I get frozen. I've been doing all my old, pre-BERP stuff instead, like getting caught up on my correspondences and reading... not to mention running errands for Bob because in the last week he's become incapable of picking up prescriptions, buying shampoo, you name it...
This posting constitutes my announcement that for me, at least, these doldrums are over. Today I go back to work on the BERP, come h*ll or high water!
shlime: to the Ups & Downs support group! I am so happy that you posted. Big hugs to you and CONGRATULATIONS on getting out of that abusive relationship!!! That is a huge step FORWARD for you and your boys! Obviously, you are a very strong and courageous person to leave a bad situation. Draw on that strength, courage, and love for yourself as you now begin your weight loss journey. Do it for YOU, first and foremost, but also for your precious boys! We are here to support you through ALL of the ups and downs of life and weight loss. Worththeeffort2 gave you some wonderful ideas about getting out of the house and meeting new people. Start by just trying out ONE of her ideas. YOU CAN DO IT!!! We are here for you and cheering you on!
Good morning, everyone. I hope everyone is feeling and doing really well this morning. I'm in an upbeat mood because the scale finally moved after being stuck for two weeks. I need to lose 6 more pounds to reach Onederland. That goal has been my Holy Grail since starting this program and now, it is actually within reach with another month of hard work.
I've been exercising like mad at the gym and at home, averaging 70 minutes a day this week. I'll be pushing to reach a 90-minute per day average over the coming month. My trainer is out of the country on vacation until next week, but I had a print out of what he wanted me to do in the gym this week and I did it--all!
Today, I'll pair strength training with cardio at home. Since we have beautiful weather, I'll hop on the bike and ride 10 or 12 miles. I know a 10-mile ride was suppose to be my Labor Day goal but I reached it much faster than I anticipated. Now, I'm pushing to inch up to 13, 14, 15... We live in a valley so any direction away from the house is uphill!
Despite struggling against some major a** sugar cravings yesterday (thanks, TOM), my mood has been mostly stable. As much as I am utterly loathe to admit it, truly it seems that exercise helps to reduce my depression. God. Help. Me. I have to admit that outloud.
Monte, you made me interested in checking out the 30DS video on YouTube. I did part of it but I'm not suppose to do jumping jacks because they are high-impact so it looks like the workout won't work for me. Instead, I previewed a bunch of videos focusing on abs workouts and cherry-picked moves that I can knit together into a 30-minute floor routine.
My trainer has me doing crunches but he hasn't given me moves for my lower abs, yet, so that's what I snitched from the online videos. What I really need to practice are wall-squats, which I utterly hate because *ow* they are really hard and they really hurt!
And, yes, it does seem that my entire life is now consumed with sticking to my eating program and working out instead of by eating unhealthy foods and lamenting my lack of willpower.
Location: from Houston, TX—now in Maryland (Washington DC area)
Posts: 1,167
S/C/G: 351/267/140
Height: 5'3"
Howdy folks! I'm excited to report that my kittens (which I pick up on August 3rd) Oscar & Nénu are doing really well: a little recurrent infection the litter got has cleared up nicely thanks to the right antibiotic. And I'm especially thrilled that Julie, my breeder, has changed her mind about which of the three females she wants to keep, and now it turns out that my Nénu will be the one with the best personality! She's apparently very affectionate and loves to snuggle. While Julie makes her choices based on physical appearance and ability to do well in shows, for Bob and me these cats are all about personality, not looks. And I have a new picture of my pair: they're looking up at someone not in the photo, so their faces are upside down. That's Oscar on the left, down below, and Nénu on the right, in a shadow. You can see clearly that they're orange-&-white tabbies: note the striped tails. They're still in the "bat ear" phase, of course, but as they grow up, their faces will lengthen and their ears will end up in proportion.
I'm BERP-ing today: no rest for me this weekend. My mood has been up and down of late, because of all the stress I'm under, but right now it's good, so I gotta make hay while the sun shines. Best wishes to all of you!
I hope everyone is having a good weekend! Wow, did I sleep in today, but it felt great.
Fi- I could only see one kitty in your photo, but SOO cute! I love having a pet, Snickers has become quite a foodie! He begs for human food so I give in and give him little nibbles sometimes.
I'm almost over my cold, I have my sinus surgery in less than two weeks. My Mom is coming down to be with me. She's going to spend the night, we'll have dinner together and then she'll leave after my surgery. I'm a bit nervous but I hope that all goes well.
So. I'm still trying to find a therapist, I'm meeting one Friday who accepts both of my insurances. I would try to get one at Penn, but there's a long waiting list.
I finally resolved my hairstylist dilemma, I think! I had a consult with a very nice stylist a few days ago, he's going to do Balayage highlights, maybe a cut, and I feel good about it, yay!
Location: from Houston, TX—now in Maryland (Washington DC area)
Posts: 1,167
S/C/G: 351/267/140
Height: 5'3"
Amy— If you could only see one kitty face in that photo, maybe the picture is too big for your screen, and you need to scroll up and down a bit, or back and forth. Just a thought... You are so right about the importance of pets! Our last oriental shorthair (the 2nd one remaining of our previous pair) died in April 2013. Ever since then, our home has not been the way it should be. I think animals help keep us humans humble, both because they have such different points of view about what's important in life, and also because they are capable of such complete devotion, such unstinting love. I know you and Snickers have a wonderful relationship!
New to this
to the group, Shlime. It is pretty scary moving out of a situation like you describe. I'm not sure if you're working or if you live in an urban or rural area but off the top of my head, I'd suggest taking the boys to a local park or playground so all three of you can become active playing for at least an hour a day on the swings and other equipment. It will give you a chance to burn some calories and meet some other parents. 
Welcome!
That is a huge step FORWARD for you and your boys! Obviously, you are a very strong and courageous person to leave a bad situation. Draw on that strength, courage, and love for yourself as you now begin your weight loss journey. Do it for YOU, first and foremost, but also for your precious boys! We are here to support you through ALL of the ups and downs of life and weight loss. Worththeeffort2 gave you some wonderful ideas about getting out of the house and meeting new people. Start by just trying out ONE of her ideas. YOU CAN DO IT!!! We are here for you and cheering you on! 
I hope everyone is feeling and doing really well this morning. I'm in an upbeat mood because the scale finally moved after being stuck for two weeks. 
I need to lose 6 more pounds to reach Onederland. That goal has been my Holy Grail since starting this program and now, it is actually within reach with another month of hard work.
averaging 70 minutes a day this week. I'll be pushing to reach a 90-minute per day average over the coming month. My trainer is out of the country on vacation until next week, but I had a print out of what he wanted me to do in the gym this week and I did it--all! 
Since we have beautiful weather, I'll hop on the bike and ride 10 or 12 miles. I know a 10-mile ride was suppose to be my Labor Day goal but I reached it much faster than I anticipated. Now, I'm pushing to inch up to 13, 14, 15... We live in a valley so any direction away from the house is uphill! 
Hi there!
